The new album from Voodoo Hill, entitled Waterfall, will be released on October 16th in Europe and North America. The album track “White Feather” can be heard below:

The new album – the third release from the musical alliance between Italian axeman and producer Dario Mollo and legendary former Deep Purple singer / bassist Glenn Hughes – is the culmination of a 30+ year career for Mollo as a musician, songwriter and producer. Dario Mollo’s career started in 1981 with the heavy metal band Crossbones, he continued to develop his abilities with musical giants like Tony Martin (Black Sabbath), Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, MSG), Don Airey (Rainbow, Ozzy, Deep Purple) and several others. The Voodoo Hill albums with Glenn Hughes has always marked a special milestone in Dario’s career though.

With the first Voodoo Hill album in 2000, Dario, for the first time, had the chance to have a proper international release, while the follow up album Wild Seed Of Mother Earth is probably the heaviest and strongest release ever from Dario.

The new record came about as a result “of the most prolific and creative period I had in my entire career” tells Dario. “I wrote and recorded more than 35 song ideas in a very limited amount of time, leveraging from all the experiences I gathered as a guitar player, writer and producer. This creative phase had a further development when Dario Patti (keyboardist, bass player and orchestra arranger) came into the picture. He brought the songs a new palette of sounds and some superb arrangements. I also wanted the songs to sound as fresh as possible, trying my best to preserve the feeling of the overall performances, so I used very old school recording methods, including recording acoustic drums in rooms with natural reverb.”

“It was right in the middle of this creative spring that Serafino of Frontiers called me to see whether I wanted to finally work on a third Voodoo Hill album after all these years,” continues Mollo. “He said Glenn Hughes was available in principle, so the next thing I did was to choose the 11 songs which I thought suited the project the best. In comparison to the previous albums, I wanted to have Glenn more involved in the artistic decisions, so I sent him the songs before the final mixes in order to have his advices on the final result. That was a precious process that brought substantial changes, for instance on “Last Door”, where I literally changed the entire guitar riff to make it work better with the vocal melodies. In the end the song was basically rewritten and dramatically improved. It was a fabulous creative process, which I am truly confident will last more than a bunch of listening sessions and will offer a lot of enjoyment to all those will want to follow Voodoo Hill in this exciting musical venture”.

Waterfall is a strong and straightforward hard and heavy rock album which is equally split between aggressive and heavy moments and beautiful melodies.

Waterfall tracklisting:

“All That Remains”
“The Well”
“Rattle Shake Bone”
“Underneath And Down Below”
“Waterfall”
“Karma Go”
“Evil Thing”
“Eldorado”
“White Feather”
“Sunflower”
“Last Door”

“The Well”:

“Waterfall” lyric video:

“All That Remains”:

Album trailer:

 

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 lyric video for the track “Back To Life” 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”

“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

Swedish metallers, Violent Divine, have just revealed details for their upcoming release. The new album will be titled Hyperactivity Disorder, it contains 13 tracks and will be released on December 4th.

The band has also revealed the cover artwork and tracklisting, and an audio sample can be found below.

Hyperactivity Disorder tracklisting:
                                                         
“For I Am Sin”
“Incubus”
“Restart My Heart”
“Beautiful Disaster”
“Temple Of Love”
“Fail”
“Worms Beneath”
“Drown”
“Heartbroken”
“Desolation Boulevard”
“Rain”
“Walking On Thin Ice”
“Bloodshared”
 
“For I Am Sin” sample:

 

On October 16th, Eagle Rock Entertainment will issue the simultaneous release of Nazareth’s No Means Of Escape on DVD and Blu-ray.
 
No Means Of Escape combines two films: a live set and a documentary. Live At Metropolis was filmed before a select audience at London’s famous Metropolis Studios. The documentary Made In Scotland tells the full story of Nazareth’s remarkable career from their formation in 1968, to their breakthrough in the 1970s and their ongoing career in the present day. Celebrating the band’s history, the cover art on No Means Of Escape features a new version of the classic character created for Nazareth’s 1979 album No Mean City by fantasy artist Rodney Matthews. Digitally, this material will be made available as two separate elements: Live At Metropolis and Made In Scotland
 
The concert itself features hit tracks and album favorites including “Love Hurts,” “Hair Of The Dog,” “Razamanaz,” “May The Sun Shine,” “Bad Bad Boy,” “This Flight Tonight,” “Expect No Mercy,” and many more. The documentary contains classic footage and new interviews with past and present members of the band including now retired lead singer Dan McCafferty.

Check out the classic "Hair Of The Dog" below:

 
In addition to the concert film and documentary, No Means Of Escape includes an acoustic session track “This Flight Tonight,” and additional interviews with Dan McCafferty and Pete Agnew as bonus features.
 
Between the incredible live set and the story of the band presented by the men themselves, No Means Of Escape is a double-dose of Nazareth that fans won’t want to miss.

Tracklisting:
 
“Silver Dollar Forger”
“Sleeptalker”
“Rock ‘N’ Roll Telephone”
“Razamanaz”
“May The Sun Shine”
“See You See Me”
“Turn On Your Receiver”
“Bad Bad Boy”
“One Set Of Bones”
“This Flight Tonight”
“Hair Of The Dog”
“Love Hurts”
“Expect No Mercy”

Band lineup:

Linton Osborne - lead vocals
Pete Agnew - bass
Jimmy Murrison - guitar
Lee Agnew - drums

'We're Not Gonna Take It', 'I Wanna Rock', 'The Kids Are Back'... There's hardly any Rock fan around the globe who isn't familiar with the big hits of Rock icons TWISTED SISTER, whose frontman Dee Snider is going to appear on the new AVANTASIA album 'GHOSTLIGHTS' (out on January 29th). Besides Tobias Sammet, vocalists who have been confirmed for the new chapter of the Metal Opera are Geoff Tate (ex-Queensryche, Operation Mindcrime), Jorn Lande, Bob Catley (Magnum) and Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween, Unisonic). More singers are going to be announced soon.

Tobias comments: "I've always been a fan of Twisted Sister and Dee Snider in particular. He is entertaining, flamboyant, energetic, loud, tongue in cheek, colourful and mean! When I was young, I remember that he was the kind of character that I wanted to be. A crossing between peacock, jackal and Bugs Bunny. I loved it! On "Ghostlights" Dee is gonna be a ghost, and what a ghost he is. Great performance. And I kindly ask our webmaster to put a link to Twisted Sister's 'We're not gonna take it' because that is the video that says everything about what Rock'n Roll is about in my book! Dee, welcome to the Avantasia family!"

More information about the album, other guests and the upcoming world tour to be found at avantasia.net!

Joel Hoekstra will release "Dying To Live", the new melodic hard rock studio album from his electrifying new side project JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13, on October 16 via Frontiers Srl. The currrent guitarist for WHITESNAKE, Hoekstra is best known for his work with NIGHT RANGER, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and the show "Rock Of Ages".

The video for the song "Scream", taken from "Dying To Live", can be seen below.

Hoekstra took charge of the creative process by handling the production, songwriting and arranging (music and lyrics). The end result could best be described as hard, melodic, classic rock that is DIO-ish at its heaviest and FOREIGNER-ish at its lightest. "Years ago, I released three solo albums that were mainly instrumental guitar music. I wanted to put something out that showcased my production, writing and playing in the genre that I'm known for, which is melodic, hard rock," explains Hoekstra. "That's when I decided to start what I consider to be my rock side project, JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13."

"Dying To Live" focuses on struggles, potential pitfalls and the art of overcoming obstacles in life to finally arrive where we are meant to be. The CD was conceived before Hoekstra joined WHITESNAKE, whose lead singer, David Coverdale, gave the album his full blessing.

"David wants his players to spread their wings and fly, and, of course, be ready to rock when WHITESNAKE needs them, which obviously won't be an issue," says Hoekstra. Excited how the new album turned out, Hoekstra is looking forward to the overall reaction from fans and media. "I hope everyone will give it a listen," he says. "I feel it showcases my production, writing and playing in essentially the same genre. The lineup of musicians is stellar! I want to thank everyone for any support in advance. Life is good!" "Dying To Live" track listing: 01. Say Goodbye To The Sun02. Anymore03. Until I Left You04. Long For The Days05. Scream06. Never Say Never07. Changes08. The Only Way To Go09. Dying To Live10. Start Again11. What We Believe12. Kill or Be Killed (bonus track digital download)

An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for the album is available below. The musicians:

* Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE) - Guitar, Backing Vocals* Jeff Scott Soto (JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals* Russell Allen (ADRENALINE MOB, SYMPHONY X) - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals* Vinny Appice (Black SABBATH, DIO) - Drums* Tony Franklin (THE FIRM, BLUE MURDER) - Bass Special Guest Musicians:

* Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) - Keyboards* Chloe Lowery (TRANS SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) - Vocals* Toby Hitchcock (PRIDE OF LIONS) - Additional Backing Vocals* Charlie Zeleny (JOE LYNN TURNER) - Percussion* Dave Eggar (AMY LEE, COLDPLAY) – Cello

Video footage of ANTHRAX performing on this year's edition of MOTÖRHEAD's Motörboat cruise on September 30 can be seen below (courtesy of VH1.com).

ANTHRAX is putting the finishing touches on the follow-up to 2011's critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated album "Worship Music" for a tentative early 2016 release via Megaforce Records.

In a recent interview with the "Mars Attacks" podcast, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello talked about why the band is taking such a long time to write and record the new album. He said: "We just wanted to take our time, 'cause there's no rush. It has to be the right record. And for us, you can't let it go until it's ready; there's no reason to do that at this stage. And we learned that, and that's the way to do it. And so, we wanted to just make sure it's the right record. And I think… As I speak to you genuinely, I think we have that right record."

He continued: "I couldn't be more excited for ANTHRAX. Just as a fan — not even a bandmember — just as a fan, 'cause I think the songs speak for themselves. I'm really excited right now about them. 'Cause I can't wait to play them live, and that means a lot to me, man. I can't wait to get on stage and play these songs live…"

Bello added: "My thing is, I have to be excited about it. I mean, everybody's excited about their new record, but my thing is… We have to live this, man. This is what we do. It's gotta have energy. It's gotta kick you in the ass. Otherwise, everybody's wasting time. It's gotta be that record; otherwise, what are we doing? Just as a fan… Put you headphones on, [and] it's gotta blow you away. My thing is, it's gotta blow me away. The last record we did, 'Worship Music', it did so well, thankfully. Everybody said, 'ANTHRAX Is back. It's the best record. Blah blah blah.' Thankfully. And we couldn't be more happy about, and humbled, quite honestly, 'cause we didn't expect that reaction. But we write like that, and I think we're in a good vein of writing right now. I just think we've learned something, and I just think, right now, we're taking the next step into that with this record, so I couldn't be more excited."

ANTHRAX's new CD, which is once again being produced by Jay Ruston (STONE SOUR, STEEL PANTHER), will include such songtitles as "The Battle Chose Us", "You Gotta Believe" and "The Evil Twin".

ANTHRAX's current setlist includes the new song "Soror Irrumator (Lords Of The Rock)", the band's contribution to the the second installment of "Catch The Throne: The Mixtape", for HBO's Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning series "Game Of Thrones".

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King recently spoke to Banger TV about longevity, the death of fellow SLAYER axeman Jeff Hanneman, and the quest for the perfect riff. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what keeps him motivated to create new music after all these years, King said: "It's the quest for the perfect riff. I don't know if anybody's done it. I know a lot of bands have made some great riffs; we're one of 'em. It's inspiring in a sense, because I keep trying to outdo something I've done... not really so much other bands anymore. I mean, that was just a playful thing we had in the early '80s. You know, you get a new METALLICA record, then you go listen to it, then you go try to beat it. And I'm sure those guys did it with us, and ANTHRAX, and MEGADETH — that little nucleus of the four."

He continued: "I like doing this, and I know I'm not gonna do it forever, so I try to emjoy it more. I still get goose bumps — big time. If I didn't shave my arms, there'd be hair standing up, 'cause I'm still into it. I am a fan first."

SLAYER's new album, "Repentless", debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 50,000 equivalent album units in the week ending September 17.

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

In terms of pure album sales, "Repentless" opened with 49,000 copies, marking SLAYER's highest-charting album yet.

"Repentless" was released on September 11 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2009's critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated "World Painted Blood" was produced by Terry Date, who has previously worked with PANTERA, DEFTONES and SOUNDGARDEN.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach says that writing the material for the band's seventh studio album has been "one of the most challenging projects" in his career.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE is currently recording the follow-up to 2013's "Disarm The Descent", with guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz once again handling production duties.The CD, which is tentatively due in early 2016 via Roadrunner, will mark the group's second release since Leach rejoined KILLSWITCH in 2012 following a split with the band's previous frontman, Howard Jones.

In a brand new post on Instagram, Leach stated about the recording process for KILLSWITCH's new album: "Sometimes the weight of the world bears down on me and rests on my shoulders.

"This album has been a real burden on my heart. I've rewritten songs 3-4 times over, I've lost sleep many nights and I have fought bouts of dark melancholy.

"To me, writing this record had been one of the most challenging projects for me in my career. At times, I will sit and stare at a blank page and have nothing, no words to describe what I am thinking and feeling.

"To me, expressing a true and honest depiction of myself and the world around me is beyond important in fact to me it is my life.

"As an artist, music is life; it is everything to me. I must attempt do it justice and give back at least a portion of what music has done for me. Music is there for me when no one else is and I owe it everything.

"This morning, as I sit here to write, I am overwhelmed trying to find words to express my anger for those in this world who use hatred and a self-righteous condescending judgment to control and suppress others.

"We are severely lacking love in this world and it makes me beyond frustrated.

"Who do we think we are? Why do we treat each other this way? I will never understand it.

"I will make it my life's work to continue to stand in defiance and have my voice heard for compassion and love.

"'Hatred is a weakness and you become the victim.' 'It takes so much more strength to be selfless and live in love.' These are words I wrote and words I strive to live by.

"It is a radical notion to love others in this day an age of violence, war and greed.

"I hope my words resonate and make a difference for this world. It is all I've ever wanted for my music."

"Disarm The Descent" sold around 48,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on April 2, 2013 via Roadrunner Records.

"Disarm The Descent" was KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's first album with Leach at the vocal helm since 2002's now-classic, genre-defining "Alive or Just Breathing".

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE has contributed a new song, "Loyalty", to the mixtape for HBO's hit fantasy series "Game Of Thrones".

The forthcoming self-titled album from DEF LEPPARD will include a song called "Sea Of Love", featuring a guest appearance by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen's DELTA DEEP bandmate Debbi Blackwell-Cook on vocals. Collen told Classic Rock magazine about how the collaboration came about: "I wrote [the track] and originally thought, 'This'll be a great song for DELTA DEEP.' I had this riff for a while, and when we started doing the DEF LEPPARD stuff in February 2014, I just started demoing this song in Joe's [Elliott, DEF LEPPARD singer] swimming pool — not in the water, but in that room. It had a Lenny Kravitz vibe to it; it was almost rock-soul, and even lyrically, it reminded me a bit of some Stevie Wonder stuff. I thought the guys were gonna hate it, but I showed it to them anyway. And they really liked it. So I thought, 'Okay, I guess it's not going to be a DELTA DEEP song then!' And then it took on a different life when Rick Allen started doing his drums — it ended up being a lot jazzier, it was almost a Hendrix-type thing. Joe sang it differently to how I did it, and me, Sav [DEF LEPPARD bassist Rick Savage] and Vivian [Campbell, DEF LEPPARD guitarist] got together to our choir-style vocals... It was a joy, it was such a thrill."

In a separate interview with The Weeklings, Collen said that "Sea Of Love" features Blackwell-Cook "doing this really amazing high vocal with Joe."

DEF LEPPARD's new self-titled album 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

The song "Let's Go" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Regarding "Let's Go", DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott told RollingStone.com: "It's a call to arms, you know? Rick Savage [bass] wrote 80 percent of the song. I wrote the verses, he wrote all the music and the choruses. He came in with it, and we knew it was a classic DEF LEPPARD song. It's that three-minute pop-rock stuff with big chunky guitars and a big chorus. And it has that swaggering, mid-tempo rhythm, like 'Sugar', and 'Rock Of Ages'. The idea was, we wanted something familiar. I mean, when AC/DC comes back after years away, you're not going to get 'Bohemian Rhapsody' from 'em, you know? And you don't want it, either — you want 'Back In Black', or something like it. For us, this is what we do. And it's something we enjoy doing."

The cover artwork can be seen below.

Elliott told North Dakota's Grand Forks Herald that the band's new album is a self-titled affair "because that's what it sounds like. It doesn't sound like any one specific era of DEF LEPPARD. It's got everything. You'll listen and you go, 'Oh, that sounds like DEF LEPPARD,' or you'll go, 'That is LEPPARD, but it sounds a bit like LED ZEPPELIN or QUEEN but you can hear the AC/DC or the CROSBY, STILLS & NASH coming through.' We have not shied away from anything that's influenced us in our growing up periods of our life. Just because we've made the kind of music we've made doesn't mean to say we don't like all of this other stuff."

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

This weeks Boxscore has a few interesting numbers to pore over. Read on for earnings and attendance numbers from concerts recently played by:

Scorpions
Queensrÿche
Incubus
Motörhead
Anthrax
Faith No More
Lita Ford
Kip Winger
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
Ruby The Hatchet
Ecstatic Vision
Fucked Up
Doomsquad
Caspian
Circle Takes The Square

Artist: Scorpions & Queensrÿche
Venue: Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Date: Sep. 19th, 2015
Gross Sales: $514,128
Attendance/Capacity: 9,507 / 9,507
Ticket Prices: $60.51, $37.68

Artist: Incubus
Venue: Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
Date: Sep. 02nd, 2015
Gross Sales: $185,958
Attendance/Capacity: 3,675 / 4,975
Ticket Prices: $59.50, $39.50

Artist: Motörhead & Anthrax
Venue: Montreal, QC – Theatre L’Olympia
Date: Sep. 18th, 2015
Gross Sales: $89,624
Attendance/Capacity: 2,250 / 2,250
Ticket Prices: $41.73, $39.83

Artist: Faith No More
Venue: Alajuela, CR – Parque Viva
Date: Sep. 15th, 2015
Gross Sales: $72,727
Attendance/Capacity: 1,039 / 5,000
Ticket Prices: $101.02, $45.92

Artist: Faith No More
Venue: Bogota, COL – Royal Center
Date: Sep. 18th, 2015
Gross Sales: $69,103
Attendance/Capacity: 994 / 3,567
Ticket Prices: $94.40, $49.68

Artist: Queensrÿche
Venue: Quebec City, QC – Imperial Bell
Date: Sep. 17th, 2015
Gross Sales: $13,567
Attendance/Capacity: 564 / 650
Ticket Prices: $26.47, $23.83

Artist: Lita Ford & Kip Winger
Venue: Clearwater, FL – Capitol Theatre
Date: Aug. 29th, 2015
Gross Sales: $12,788
Attendance/Capacity: 332 / 560
Ticket Prices: $40, $32.50

Artist: Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, Ruby The Hatchet & Ecstatic Vision
Venue: Montreal, QC – Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre
Date: Sep. 16th, 2015
Gross Sales: $6,758
Attendance/Capacity: 435 / 550
Ticket Prices: $17.35, $15.09

Artist: Fucked Up & Doomsquad
Venue: San Francisco, CA – The Independent
Date: Aug. 19th, 2015
Gross Sales: $3,534
Attendance/Capacity: 193 / 500
Ticket Prices: $20, $18

Artist: Caspian & Circle Takes The Square
Venue: Montreal, QC – Petit Campus
Date: Sep. 22nd, 2015
Gross Sales: $3,188
Attendance/Capacity: 226 / 250
Ticket Prices: $15.22, $13.70

PEARL JAM guitarist Mike McCready joined SOUNDGARDEN frontman Chris Cornell on stage this past Tuesday, September 29 at the Beneroya Hall in Seattle, Washington to perform material from their past collaborative band TEMPLE OF THE DOG as well as a cover of MAD SEASON's "River Of Deceit". Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

TEMPLE OF THE DOG was conceived in 1990 by Cornell as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of MALFUNKSHUN and MOTHER LOVE BONE. The lineup included Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament on bass guitar (both ex-members of MOTHER LOVE BONE), Mike McCready on lead guitar, Matt Cameron on drums and Eddie Vedder providing lead and backing vocals. The band released its only album, the self-titled "Temple of the Dog", in April 1991 through A&M Records.

Last January, the two surviving members of MAD SEASON, McCready and SCREAMING TREES drummer Barrett Martin, performed for the first time in nearly 20 years at Benayora Hall in Seattle. The concert featured the Seattle Symphony plus guests such as Cornell, PEARL JAM and SOUNDGARDEN drummer Matt Cameron and ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan.

Cornell told The Pulse Of Radio how he felt about the experience and whether he might sing with MAD SEASON again in the future. "Once I was onstage and we were doing it, then it kind of hit me that I'm standing up there with these guys, all of which I've known for years and years, and I've been good friends with, but I've never been on a stage with them like that," he said. "And it was pretty great, it was pretty moving. Unfortunately, I always have so many things going on that, you know, it doesn't seem like something that would happen anytime in the near future. But it definitely was an amazing moment."

Mike McCready said in a recent interview about Cornell standing in for late singer Layne Staley: "When I heard he wanted to do that, I literally jumped for joy, I couldn't believe it. He brought his take to it, and did it beautifully, and I think Layne would have been proud."

In addition to MAD SEASON songs and new compositions by guitarist Mike McCready, the show also featured a two-song reunion of TEMPLE OF THE DOG that brought PEARL JAM bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard out to perform with McCready, Cornell and Cameron.

The event celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of MAD SEASON's sole album, "Above".

In addition to McCready on guitar and Martin on drums, MAD SEASON featured Staley on vocals and John Baker Saunders on bass.

According to the Los Angeles Times, legendary guitarist Steve Vai has sold home and recording studio in the Hollywood Hills for $1.5 million.

Vai, 55, purchased the 1,400-square-foot studio, called the Mothership Studio, and 3,981-square-foot home in 1987 for $330,000. It includes a live room, a booth, a microphone room, a control room, its own kitchen and a lounge area. The house features a den, family and living rooms, three bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms.

The house and studio had been previously listed for sale but most recently had been leased out.

The likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Eddie Van Halen, Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather, Slash and THE YARDBIRDS have all recorded in the studio, which "was a sanctuary for me," Vai previously said. "There is no better location if you are interested in being near Hollywood but out of it."

"The Beachwood/Franklin area has grown into a wonderfully funky artist community and the size and sound of this studio is the perfect storm for a home studio.

"Too many great artists have been though this studio to mention. All have found it to be charming.

"I recorded my biggest records there and they all retain the integrity of the sound of the room."

U.S. progressive metal pioneers FATES WARNING have started work on their upcoming, twelfth studio album, to be released next year via InsideOut Music.

FATES WARNING guitarist and main composer Jim Matheos comments: "I'm happy to announce that all the music for FW12 is now written. Still some work to do on lyrics and final arrangements, but the plan is for us to start tracking in December with a release date planned for the first half of 2016. In the meantime, I hope to see and meet a lot of you on the upcoming U.S. dates."

FATES WARNING's upcoming U.S. tour in support of their current album. "Darkness In A Different Light", will start out October 9 and run up to November 2.

FATES WARNING's eleventh studio album, "Darkness In A Different Light", sold around 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was issued in North America on October 1, 2013 via InsideOut Music.

Featuring founding guitarist Jim Matheos alongside classic-lineup members Ray Alder (vocals) and Frank Aresti (guitar), longtime bassist Joey Vera and drummer Bobby Jarzombek, "Darkness In A Different Light" was produced by Matheos and mixed by longtime FATES WARNING engineer Phil Magnotti. The effort was mastered by Maor Appelbaum (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA, ANVIL) at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in California. The cover artwork was designed by Conte di San Pietro.

In addition to the standard CD jewel case and the digital download format, "Darkness In A Different Light" was made available in Europe as 2CD mediabook edition and as gatefold 2LP version (180-gram vinyl in black, red or white vinyl) with four bonus tracks.

Speaking to Stormbringer webzine, Alder stated about how his vocal approach has changed over the years: "Yeah, [when I first joined FATES WARNING] I was young and everybody was doing the screaming and I thought that was cool. As I got older and progressed as a singer and realized what I wanted to do, I found it really silly. And then, even [singing] live in the old days, I tried not to do it as much. It just seemed silly to me. It doesn't make any sense. But as I grew as a singer, I knew what I wanted to do, and I realized that, I think, soul is more important than range. And it seems as though my voice just said, 'Yeah, I agree with you. Fuck it!' And it just kind of changed on its own. But, I mean, I like my voice where it is now. I have no problem… Again, I like where I am. Some people wanna hear the high screams, but… sorry! [Laughs]"

Asked if FATES WARNING has had to change the instrumental parts of some of the band's older songs in order to better suit his new vocal style, Alder said: "You've gotta work around different things where the high parts are, and a lot of the times I think it sounds much better the way it is, lowering certain things and [hitting] different notes. In hindsight, I wish I'd done what I'm doing now back then. [But] it was a thing at the time. Geoff [Tate] isn't really doing those anymore either… That's what we get for smoking and singing too much."

Regarding how he keeps his voice in shape when he is on tour, Alder said: "My main thing is I try not to smoke as much and definitely try not to drink as… It's not like the old days anymore. Of course when we were younger, we would party every night, and then I would really lose my voice. But now it's casual; [I have] a couple of glasses of wine and relax with everybody."

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Norwegian extreme metallers BORKNAGAR will release their tenth album, "Winter Thrice", on January 22, 2016 via Century Media. The CD was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studio in Sweden by Jens Bogren (OPETH, KREATOR, PARADISE LOST), who previously took care of mixing duties for BORKNAGAR's 2012 album, "Urd".

Commented BORKNAGAR founder and guitarist Øystein G. Brun: "Finally a release date for our new album is set.

"The album was finished back in July and it has been a painful ordeal to hold our 'breath' until now.

"We are extremely satisfied with this album in every aspect; the songs, the production and the overall feel. We have definitely climbed yet another musical peak!

"Once again, Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studio has proven to be a true magician of sounds. He was really able to pinpoint the nerve of the music and unfold the visions that we strived for. None above, none aside — none even close!

"The album title 'Winter Thrice' may chime familiar in the minds of those who have followed BORKNAGAR throughout the years. Both musically and lyrically, the new album has a clear reference to the 'Olden…' days of the band — in the same time as we take a huge leap into the future. Literally, the title refers to the three continuous winters (Fimbulvinter) which ensign the downfall of the world (Ragnarok), according to northern mythology. The rest is up to YOUR very own imagination.

"Last but not least: For the very first time in our career, we actually have a title track on this album, named 'Winter Thrice'. Along with Vintersorg, ICS Vortex and Lazare, none less than our original vocalist Fiery G. Maelstrom take on the lead vocals. It's breathtaking, nothing more need to be said. Just heard."

BORKNAGAR has been confirmed to appear at next year's edition of Germany's massive Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 4-6, 2016.

"Urd" saw the return of ICS Vortex (ex-DIMMU BORGIR) to the band's ranks and its touring campaign further introduced drummer prodigy Baard Kolstad (also in LEPROUS) as newest member in the band's illustrious lineup history.

Former MEGADETH drummerNick Menza says that the attempted reunion of the band's classic "Rust In Peace" lineup earlier this year failed to materialize because MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine "didn't wanna show me any love at all."

The opportunity for MEGADETH's most celebrated lineup to regroup arose following the departures of guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover in 2014.

Menza recently said that he was approached by Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson to replace Drover last year, and that he had started working out new tracks with the band. But the plan collapsed after he was offered a contract he described as "very unfair."

Speaking to Canadian journalist Mitch Lafon, Nick said (hear audio below): "I tried to make it happen by all my means and efforts, I tried to make it go down, but they just didn't wanna show me any love at all, is really what it boils down. You know, I don't need to do this. I wanted to."

He went on to say: "We should have done an album this time. I was ready. I was out there recording with Dave, new songs, and we played a bunch of old songs for a weekend in San Diego, and then no agreement was put on the table for me — nothing in writing. I'm, like, 'Dude, I'm not coming back until you give me a contract and some kind of agreement here.' And they wouldn't produce that. So… If you don't wanna split the profits with me on the tour, forget it. I've got other stuff I can do that's more exciting to me."

Ellefson recently said that fans should not blame Mustaine for a reunion of the "Rust In Peace" lineup. He said: "Dave, again, was as open as he could have ever been to having a reunion and trying to make it work. And, if anything, I was the 'bad cop' of that. I let Dave be the 'good cop' for a change. As partners, I thought, 'He always gets the bad rap. I'll be the guy, kind of, stirring the waters, and I'll let him be the good guy.' And we gave it every possible opportunity for it to work, and it just really… Dave and I walked out of that meeting, 'Yeah, I don't think it's gonna happen.' And we just really had to be honest with ourselves and preserve the name MEGADETH."

The bassist also talked about the session he and Mustaine had with Menza, where they played some music. "It's like, we had a lot of laughs and it was fun, but I think Dave and I felt right away that musically… We weren’t convinced that it was the next chapter of MEGADETH," he said. "And to go back and just do a cash grab, it would be short-lived, and I think our fans… Again, the transparency of the metal fans… They would know right away."

In an interview with RollingStone.com, Mustaine talked in general terms about why the reunion of MEGADETH's classic "Rust In Peace" lineup didn't happen, He said: "Contrary to all the scuttlebutt that's going around, I wish [Nick and guitarist Marty Friedman] the best," Mustaine said. "But their recollections of the events that led up to it and happened after are considerably different from my recollection. But here's the thing — a lot of people, they either love or hate me. If I tell anybody what happened, it's not gonna change the way they feel about me. But it'll probably change the way they feel about them. And I don't want to hurt anybody. All I can say I think they're both tremendous musicians and talented guys. "

MEGADETH's next album will be the band's first to feature Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA, and LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler.

DOKKEN mainman Don Dokken says that a resurrection of the band's classic lineup is "not happening" despite former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch's recent suggestion to the contrary.

During a September 28 appearance on Trunk's SiriusXM satellite radio show, "Eddie Trunk Live", Don confirmed that there have been talks about a reunion with Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer Mick Brown, but claimed that scheduling conflicts with Pilson's main band, FOREIGNER, have thrown those plans out.

"I talked to George about the DOKKEN reunion," Don said. "It's been going on for two years. We were all up for it. But Jeff is busy with FOREIGNER until 2018. And he said, 'Well, let's do it in 2018.' By then, ISIS might be running this country. So it's off the books. It's not happening."

Lynch recently told Glide Magazine about the possibility of a DOKKEN reunion: "Of course, that comes and goes every couple of years [laughs], so who knows. But we're talking again about that."

Don and Lynch appeared on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" together back in May of 2010 in hopes that a reunion of DOKKEN's classic linep would follow. Despite their efforts, the reunion never happened and Don went forward with DOKKEN's current lineup.

In a recent interview with The Washington Times, Don was asked what he and George fight about, Don said: "I finally realized what it was all about when we played a reunion tour of Japan in 1995. It all started again: him playing with his back to the audience. Every time I talked to the audience, he would make these little noises with [his] guitar like a child. I said, 'What is the problem? What can I do to make this work?' He pointed at the 20-foot backdrop hanging behind that read 'Dokken' and said, 'That's the problem. The name." He continued: "It's my name, but it's also the band’s name. Nothing you can do about it."

All the members of DOKKEN's classic 1980s lineup reunited on stage for the first time in more than a decade on November 29, 2009 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. Don Dokken appeared on stage and said he had some friends he wanted to introduce. Pilson and Lynch joined Mick Brown (drums) for a two-song encore of "When Heaven Comes Down" and "In My Dreams".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has confirmed that it has found a new drummer following the departure of Arin Ilejay earlier in the year.

Said AVENGED SEVENFOLD in a statement: "It has been brought to our attention that a lot of videos have been posted online from some pretty amazing drummers who want to try out for AVENGED SEVENFOLD. While we appreciate the overwhelming interest and support, we thought it would be the right thing to do to let everyone know that we already have someone. In fact, we have been working with this person for over a year now to make sure that it was a correct fit before making any sudden changes. When we have more to share, we will be sure to do that."

Ilejay officially exited AVENGED SEVENFOLD in July after a four-year stint with the band. The group issued a statement saying, "Arin has been nothing but a positive energy and monster drummer for us over the past four years. We love the guy and always will. We are and will always be grateful to him for helping us to move forward through some very dark times. Creatively though, we felt we needed to move in a different direction."

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

AVENGED SEVENFOLD recorded its 2010 effort "Nightmare" with ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy, who was Sullivan's favorite drummer.

Portnoy toured for several months with the band, but by early 2011, he was out. The group brought in Ilejay, who started out as a touring member but played on 2013's "Hail To The King", AVENGED's second straight No. 1 album.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has reportedly been working on material for its seventh album, but information has been scarce.

STILLWELL, the band featuring KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu on guitar, P.O.D. drummer Noah "Wuv" Bernardo, vocalist Q-Unique (THE ARSONISTS) and bassist Pablo "Spider" Silva, will release its second album, "Raise It Up", on November 13 via Rat Pak Records.

Wanting to raise the bar higher than their critically acclaimed 2011 release, "Dirtbag", STILLWELL reached out to producer Chris Collier for direction.

"When we connected with Chris Collier, that's when for me, vocally, everything changed," says Q. The band started demoing tracks in early 2014 and by year's end had reached the plateau they were looking for that redefined their sound.

"The one thing I can say, the difference between this record and 'Dirtbag', is you can definitely tell the maturity, the songwriting, the lyrics and the way the songs are put together, "says Wuv.

"Raise It Up" is an album that is as passionate and powerful as anything these guys have been involved with before.

"There's a lot of explosion on this album. It's opposite of our other bands. This is new and fresh and I don't want to put it in a category, but it's definitely nothing like the other bands we're in," says Fieldy.

Combining elements of rock, hard rock and hip-hop, STILLWELL manages to capture a unique sound that harnesses the band's raw energy without stifling the different personalities of the four musicians.

"Raise It Up" track listing:

01. Raise It Up02. Comin' Around03. Mess I Made04. Elephant In The Room05. Light 'Em Up06. Rug From Under Me07. Background, Front Row08. Eggshells09. No You Won't10. All City11. Take A Dive In The Fire

The official video for the song "Mess I Made" can be seen below. The clip was produced and directed by Lynwood Films.

You can preorder "Raise It Up" at RatPakRecordsAmerica.com.

STILLWELL released "Surrounded By Liars", an EP containing six original versions of songs that appeared on the band's debut album, "Dirtbag", in November 2011. The six songs were "Trepidation", "I Can't Be Stopped", "Cyclone", "Hate To Say I Told You So (Magnetic Daze)" and "Surrounded By Liars", along with the very first STILLWELL song ever recorded, "Killing Myself To Live".

STILLWELL opened for DISTURBED and KORN on the entire second leg of the "Music As A Weapon V" tour in 2011.

MEGADETH's new song "Fatal Illusion" can be streamed below. Due as a digital single on October 16 via Universal, the track is set to appear on the band's forthcoming fifteenth studio CD, which was recorded earlier in the year in Nashville, Tennesseee. The production duties on the follow-up to 2013's "Super Collider" were handled by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and Toby Wright (ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN). The CD was mixed by Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD, ALL THAT REMAINS and GOJIRA.

MEGADETH last Friday (September 25) launched a countdown clock online at the band's official web site that is scheduled to hit zero on Friday, October 2 at 1:00 p.m. EDT (10:00 a.m. PDT). While there are no hints whatsoever on what fans can expect when the countdown ends, it is widely believed that it will coincide with an announcement of the first details of the group's upcoming album, which is rumored to be titled "Dystopia".

In a July 27 online chat with members of MEGADETH's official fan club, the Cyber Army, Mustaine revealed the track listing for the band's forthcoming album. It is as follows:

01. Death From Within02. Fatal Illusion03. Conquer... Or Die!04. Lying In State05. Me Hate You06. The Emperor's New Clothes07. Dystopia08. Bullet To The Brain09. Last Dying Wish10. Post American World11. Look Who's Talking12. The Threat Is Real13. Poisonous Shadows14. Melt The Ice Away (BUDGIE cover)15. Foreign Policy (FEAR cover)

The song "Poisonous Shadows" features piano playing from Kiko as well as orchestration from famed Nashville arranger Ronn Huff, the father of former MEGADETH producer Dann Huff. Mustaine described the track to Rolling Stone as "a really haunting piece" and added that "the part that [Kiko] played is very Chopin-meets-MEGADETH, if that makes sense."

Mustaine told Revolver magazine about MEGADETH's forthcoming CD: "There's a lot of riffing going on in there, that's for damn sure," he said. "There's a lot of solos, a lot of pounding drums and bass. I knew from the start that I wanted to go back to my roots, and I wanted to make a thrash record."

Mustaine spoke to Rolling Stone about his mindset during the making of MEGADETH's new album. He said: "Over the years we've always said, 'We're going back to our roots.' But the naysayers, they just want 'Rust In Peace' 20 times, which is never gonna happen. Because I've never written the same song twice. Unlike a lot of other rock and metal bands that, you know, they rely on a set formula, I try and make the songs all different. The funny thing, though, was that when [MEGADETH bassist David] Ellefson was doing the bass tracks, I was telling him, 'This is the 'Tornado' ['Tornado Of Souls'] part,' 'This is the 'Bad Omen' part,' 'This is the 'Black Friday' part,' 'This is the 'Holy Wars' part.' Because a lot of the things were in that kind of vein. Now, is it going back in time? Hell, I don't know. But I like what I'm hearing."

He also talked about MEGADETH's new lineup, which made its live debut 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. He told Revolver: "When Chris and Shawn left, it saddened me a little because they didn't say goodbye," Mustaine said. "They were pissed, because they'd gotten word that people wanted the 'Rust In Peace' [lineup] reunion [with guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza]. And frankly, I didn't; I was happy with those two guys. So when they left, it was like, 'It isn't going to be easy to replace them!'"

He continued: "We haven't found a permanent drummer yet, but finding Kiko was really a mind-blower. It was the first time since Marty Friedman joined the band that I was really intimidated as a player. He's such an amazing talent, and he's been coming in with all of these fresh ideas."

Adler, who has previously said that MEGADETH was the band that made him want to start drumming to begin with, was involved during the songwriting process for the group's new album. "MEGADETH is MEGADETH," Mustaine told Revolver, "and the songs will kind of tell you where they go. But there were several times while we were tracking where Chris would say, 'I think these parts should go like this, because that's how my MEGADETH is.' I was like, 'Yeah, I like that 'my MEGADETH' stuff!'"

Canadian metal veterans ANNIHILATOR kicked off their "Europe In The Blood Tour 2015" last night (Wednesday, September 30) at the 02 Academy in Birmingham, England. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

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

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

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

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

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

"Suicide Society" track listing:

01. Suicide Society02. My Revenge03. Snap04. Creepin' Again05. Narcotic Avenue06. The One You Serve07. Break, Enter08. Death Scent09. Every Minute

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

Two new PANTERA compilations will be released this fall.

"History Of Hostility" is a nine-track PANTERA primer that includes some of the band's most legendary tracks from all five studio albums. It will be released on CD and LP on October 30.

Rhino will also release a new boxed set and single disc compilation, "The Complete Studio Albums 1990-2000", consisting of "Cowboys From Hell" (1990), "Vulgar Display Of Power" (1992), "Far Beyond Driven" (1994), "The Great Southern Trendkill" (1996), and "Reinventing The Steel" (2000). Two versions of the collection will be released on December 11, one a five-CD set and the other a limited edition five-LP set on colored vinyl. The LP version of the studio albums box also includes a seven-inch single with two rare, non-albums tracks making their vinyl debut. The first is "Piss", a song that debuted in 2012 on the 20th-anniversary edition of "Vulgar Display Of Power". The second is "Avoid The Light" from the "Dracula 2000" soundtrack.

Speaking about PANTERA's commercial success following the release of the band's 1990 major-label debut, "Cowboys From Hell", bassist Rex Brown told the "Do You Know Jack?" radio show: "Everything was kind of changing at that point. All the hair bands and all that kind of stuff. Everybody was kind of stale. If you think about just songs in general, there were some pretty good songs that the look kind of took away from all that, 'cause you got lumped in with all that kind of crap. I'm not saying we did. But we just came around at a time that we saw a crack and we slipped through it, and we put a lot of hard work and a lot of touring [into it]."

He continued: "Those first two records ['Cowboys From Hell' and 1992's 'Vulgar Display Of Power'], we toured nonstop. We had 32 days off on the 'Cowboys From Hell' tour, and that was the total time period between 18 months on, and then directly back in the studio."

Brown added: "We just came in at a time when people needed us. We would stay out in the parking lots until six in the morning signing autographs. I think that really made a big, huge difference between us and other bands that were just, you know, 'go on the bus and bye.' You know, you meet one guy, and he goes, 'Man, those guys were cool.' And he tells another friend, and it gets around like that.

"We were the biggest underground band of the '90s. We didn't have a lot of MTV [support], we didn't have any radio play. Now you go to any sporting event and hear one of our songs at a football game, which is great, but they wouldn't touch it back then. So we just kind of [flew] by the seat of our pants and kind of D.I.Y., and just toured our butts off and worked really, really hard."

Late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's longtime girlfriend Rita Haney in 2011 called on ex-PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott and singer Philip Anselmo to settle their differences in honor of Dimebag, who was shot and killed by a crazed gunman while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at a Columbus, Ohio rock club in December 2004.

Vinnie, who is Dimebag's brother, and Anselmo have not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie indirectly blamed Philip for Dimebag's death, suggesting that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN will open their highly anticipated "The Book Of Souls" world tour in the USA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on February 24, flying in on their enormous Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet Ed Force One, piloted by vocalist Bruce Dickinson, carrying band, crew and stage production and equipment over 55,000 miles around the world visiting around 35 countries.

The full list of U.S. dates:

Feb. 24 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T CenterFeb. 26 - Tulsa, OK @ BOK CenterFeb. 28 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Events CenterMar. 30 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden Apr. 05 - Detroit, MI @ Palace Of Auburn HillsApr. 06 - Chicago, IL @ United CenterApr. 11 - Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma DomeApr. 13 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi CenterApr. 15 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum Tickets start going on sale October 8. As usual, there will be an exclusive pre-sale for IRON MAIDEN fan club members, details of which can also be found on www.ironmaiden.com along with information on how fan club members can participate in the draw to be "First To The Barrier."

Bruce comments: "We cannot wait to get back out on tour.

"MAIDEN thrive on touring and getting out to our fans, it's also what we enjoy the most.

"When we play in Fort Lauderdale, it will be 19 months since our last show at Sonisphere in the U.K. so we will be raring to go.

"On previous Ed Force One tours, we only had time to play New York, L.A. and Florida. For the world tour next year, we've made more time in order to take Ed Force One to our fans in many more parts of the country, like Tulsa where we haven't played since 1987 on the 'Somewhere In Time' tour and Tacoma, where we haven't played in 15 years, along with Vegas, Detroit, Chicago and Denver too this time round.

"We wanted to start off in Ft. Lauderdale, so we could first visit Nicko's [McBrain, drums] Rock 'N' Roll Ribs nearby and have a few Trooper beers to celebrate the start of 'The Book Of Souls' world tour!

"We will, of course, visit Canada too and those dates will be announced very soon!

"We haven't decided on the set list as yet and won't until we start rehearsing, but we really look forward to playing a number of new songs live, especially as the recording was so much live. However, as it's been a while since we saw you all, I am sure we will include plenty of older fan favorites too. I think the fans will be delighted by what we have in mind. We are also in the middle of creating the new show, and rest assured we are working hard to bring you all something spectacular, something with a lot of heart!!! You certainly deserve it for your patience."

Support on the trek will come from THE RAVEN AGE, the band led by IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's son George Harris.

IRON MAIDEN continue to be actively dedicated to ensuring their fans always have full access to the best possible tickets in the fairest possible way. Manager Rod Smallwood comments: "We are trying to ensure that our fans get the tickets they want in the prime positions without paying over the odds to unofficial ticketing agencies.

"MAIDEN get infuriated with the way fans sometimes have to pay more than the agreed ticket price at our shows. So we will, wherever possible and with the full assistance of the promoters, arrange a paperless ticketing system at least for the floor and best seated sections to try to eliminate as much of the ticket scalping and exchanges as we can. We put this into practice for North American dates since 2010 and it worked well and we received many positive comments back from our fans. The intention is with paperless ticketing that only those who actually pay initially for the tickets will get into the show so scalping is generally avoided. We are also doing everything we can to avoid any drain of tickets to the secondary ticketing sites which we feel make unfair profits from music fans.

"Finally, we are, of course, once again arranging exclusive ticket pre-sales for our fan club members so they can be quick off the mark for great tickets and will also continue to run the contest in appropriate venues for fan club members so they can be 'First To The Barrier' prior to the show. We hope that these measures will help our fans as much as possible and ask that they keep checking for details on our web site."

Ticketmaster comments: "Where possible, the North American IRON MAIDEN shows will operate a paperless ticket policy. Select tickets will be sold via Ticketmaster's Paperless Ticket delivery (also known as Credit Card Entry), which means fans will not receive a physical concert ticket for their entry into the event. Buying paperless helps ensure fans have secure and convenient access to event tickets at the intended original sale price. On the day of show, concertgoers just need to bring the credit card they used for the ticket purchase and a government-issued photo ID to the concert. All members of the ticket purchaser's party must be present at the same time to enter the venue. The venue's ticket usher will swipe their credit card upon entry and present each person in their party with seat locator slips for quick access into the show."

To purchase paperless tickets or for more information, fans should visit www.ticketmaster.com/paperless or call the Ticketmaster charge-by-phone number at 1-800-745-3000.

Louder Noise has posted a new video with HALESTORM in which they answer questions like "Biggest turn-on", "Favorite TV show" and "Guilty pleasure" from the Playboy centerfold questionnaire. Check it out below.

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale said in an interview that the band didn't set out to make a lighter album with "Into The Wild Life" — even though it worked out that way. Hale explained to May The Rock Be With You: "When we were talking about making songs heavier, it didn't necessarily mean stacks of Mesa Boogies and a lot of crunch and layers and walls of guitars." Hale added that the band followed only two rules while recording: "We're not going to record the record in the same way that we did the last two, and is it good or not?"

Hale told The Pulse Of Radio that the new disc felt like a natural evolution for the band while they recorded it. "The actual meaning of and the reason that albums are called albums is because it is a snapshot, it is a collection of imagery and sonically, you know, of a place and time in your life," she said. "And everyone keeps coming up to us that has heard the new record and says, 'Oh my gosh, this is such a leap from your last record,' and to us, 'cause we've just been living it, it's like, 'Oh no, it's not!'"

Hale also spoke about choosing a producer, Jay Joyce, who was not especially known for rock records. She explained: "He’s like this cool, chain-smoking, creative ball of energy, and his bread and butter — because of circumstance and the area that he's in Nashville — his bread and butter has been a lot of country artists and a lot of alternative. I believe we were the first hard rock band that he's recorded, and so it was just a really neat perspective to have, having somebody that loves rock and roll that hadn't really had the opportunity to show that."

"Into The Wild Life" debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 56,000 copies in its first week of release — more than double the first week haul of the band's previous effort, 2012's Grammy-winning "The Strange Case Of…"

Fan-filmed video footage of Ozzy Osbourne's August 29 performance with his solo band at the first annual Epic Fest — a celebration of the record label on Los Angeles' Sony Pictures lot — can be seen below. His set included "Suicide Solution", "I Don't Know", "Bark At The Moon" and the BLACK SABBATH staples "War Pigs", "Fairies Wear Boots" and "Paranoid".

Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone recently told Billboard.com that Osbourne is working on a "really special album." She added, "It's going to be amazing. It's something Ozzy has never done before that he's always wanted to do."

Ozzy has not released an all-new solo album since 2010's "Scream", having spent the last few years touring with BLACK SABBATH and recording that band's "13" album.

"Scream" was mostly recorded in a studio at Ozzy's home, with little band input, and the singer told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that he'd like to get back to a traditional format for his next solo outing. "At the end of the day, the end result was pretty cool, but I don't know whether I want to continue to do it that way," he said. "I like to… Like the earlier albums, I'd go rehearse and jam out with the band, get some, like, vibe going, you know. I want to incorporate that and this new technology thing, next album."

Ozzy has two more solo shows on his calendar for 2015, at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans on Halloween (October 31) and at Ozzfest Japan in Chiba, Japan on November 22.

BLACK SABBATH earlier in the month announced the first details of a world tour that is being billed as "The End". The North American leg will start on January 20, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska, ending on February 25 in new York City. Dates in Australia and New Zealand have been confirmed for April, with more shows to be announced next month.

New York City natives Mother Feather has released the title track from their full length debut, Mother Feather. The song is available now on iTunes, and the video is streaming below. The video was directed, designed, and animated by Isaiah King (ikingdesign.com).

Vocalist Ann Courtney describes the video and song: "Mother Feather is the embodiment of your wildest inspiration. We are missionaries of pop cock rock and "Mother Feather" is our hymn. Upon hearing it at a live show in 2011, Isaiah King, our director and animator, came to us with a simple, undeniable concept: illustrate the Mother Feather live experience. Isaiah turned out to be the MVP of our artistic collaboration dream team."

The self-described pop cock rock band has been building a loyal following in the late night New York rock scene since their inception in 2009. This fall, fans will be able to see them live during Pop Cock Rocktober, the first four Fridays in October at midnight at Rockwood Music Hall, including October 16th as part of the CMJ Music Marathon.

Mother Feather's Metal Blade debut is currently being finalized for an early 2016 release, and will feature two new tracks combined with re-mastered versions of the band's previously released recordings, Mother Feather EP (2011), Living Breathing EP (2013). Pre-orders for the album will be online in early December.

Lineup:

Ann Courtney - Vocals
Elizabeth Carena - Vocals & Keyboards
Matt Basile - Bass
Chris Foley - Guitar
Gunnar Olsen - Drums

Twitching Tongues are streaming a new song by the name of “Sacrifice Me” below via NPR. The track will see an official release on the bands new album “Disharmony“, out October 30th on Metal Blade. Vocalist Colin Young said of this latest cut:

“Choosing the next song to release from the album was a difficult task, but we wanted to showcase something different from the title track that represented another part of the overall dynamic. We chose “Sacrifice Me” because something about it just felt like magic when we recorded it. It doesn’t sound like any other Twitching Tongues song, and it’s got a spirit of its own within the record. It’s for those constantly affected by the negative actions of others growing up: The freaks, the nerds, the outcasts, the bullied. Always fight back. ‘They deserve every second of pain’.”