Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY will release their debut live DVD+CD, Blu+ray+CD, Digital Video and Digital Audio, "Thank You: Livin' Live" via Eagle Vision on October 30. The performance was shot on BLACK STONE CHERRY's "Magic Mountain" tour, exactly one year prior to the disc's scheduled release date, at the band's sold-out Birmingham LG Arena show on October 30, 2014. In just seven years, BLACK STONE CHERRY progressed from playing 200-capacity club gigs in the U.K. to headlining their first arena tour. This DVD documents one of those triumphant shows, filmed at Birmingham's LG Arena and showcases the band's long-standing love affair with their British audience. Filmed in high definition and available on DVD, Blu-ray and twin DVD+CD pack, the incendiary live set features crowd favorites from all four of the band's studio albums, plus bonus interview material and additional live tracks shot at this year's Download Festival. The band is thrilled to bring this release to their fanbase, as guitarist Ben Wells attests: "We are beyond excited to bring you all this live DVD. Growing up watching my Elvis and AEROSMITH DVDs and VHS tapes, I never thought I would be in a band that would one day be releasing one — and in an arena at that! We are so honored, humbled, and thankful to have the fans and friends we have in this business and we couldn't do it without the grace of God and all of your support! Sit back and enjoy this live BSC experience. We had a blast filming it!"

Frontman Chris Robertson continues: "I remember our first gig headlining in Birmingham at the Barfly and I thought about that night many times as we were filming this DVD. It was truly an amazing experience that we will cherish forever and we have to give all the credit to the amazing fans for showing up and making it all possible!" With a running time of over 2 hours, the DVD's track listing runs as follows:

01. Rain Wizard02. Blind Man03. Me & Mary Jane04. In My Blood05. Holding On...To Letting Go06. Maybe Someday07. Such A Shame08. Things My Father Said09. Fiesta Del Fuego10. Sunshine Of Your Love11. Like I Roll12. Bad Luck And Hard Love13. Drum Solo14. Hollywood In Kentucky15. Hell And High Water16. Soul Creek17. White Trash Millionaire18. Blame It On The Boom Boom19. Layla20. Peace Is Free21. Lonely Train (Can't Judge A Book) Bassist Jon Lawhon informs us: "We've worked very hard on putting all of this together for everyone and it was the crowd that made this a night we will not soon forget. Thank you all so much for your dedication and support. We love you all and hope you enjoy it!" The band's inimitable sticksman, John Fred Young, underlines their appreciation of BSC fans' loyalty and echoes the DVD's title when he says; "THANK YOU to everyone who stuck with us over the years and who came out and made this night such a special memory for us! This is for you!" BLACK STONE CHERRY is currently hard at work on album number five which is set to see the light of day in Spring 2016. The band returns to the UK in late January to headline the U.K.'s inaugural "Carnival of Madness" tour with SHINEDOWN, HALESTORM and newcomers HIGHLY SUSPECT. Check out "White Trash Millionaire" below.

MOTÖRHEAD was forced to cut its concert in Austin, Texas short last night (Tuesday, September 1) due to continued health issues experienced by the band's frontman, Lemmy Kilmister.

According to GlideMagazine.com, MOTÖRHEAD delivered only three songs — "Damage Case", "Stay Clean" and "We Are Motörhead" — before a "fatigued and winded" Lemmy announced the next track, "Metropolis", and then let out a sigh, telling the crowd, "I can't do it." He then left the stage at Emo's with the rest of his band and returned moments later and apologized to a disappointed but supportive audience. He said: "You are one of the best gigs in America, and I would love to play for you, but I can't… So please accept my apologies. Next time, all right?" The house lights and music then came on, before "concerned" and "slightly annoyed" fans began funneling out.

Fan-filmed video footage of MOTÖRHEAD's entire Austin appearance — shot from the front row — can be seen below.

The latest MOTÖRHEAD walk-off follows a similarly abbreviated performance last week in Salt Lake City, where the band cited the high altitude as the reason behind Lemmy's inability to breathe. A show in Denver, at an even higher altitude, was scrapped the following day before MOTÖRHEAD ever took the stage.

Lemmy, who turned 69 years old in December, in 2013 suffered a haematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel), causing the cancelation of a number of the band's European festival shows. The band has since scrapped a couple of tours and, during last year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, abandoned its set midway through so Lemmy could be taken to the hospital.

"I've had some health scares," Lemmy told Kerrang! last month, "and I've had to really cut back on smoking and drinking and whatever. But it is what it is. I've had a good life, a good run. I do what I do still. I'm sure I'll die on the road, one way or another."

Asked if he is afraid of death, Lemmy said, "No."

The rocker told Classic Rock he didn't expect to still be here at 30,

"I don't do regrets," he said. "Regrets are pointless. It's too late for regrets. You've already done it, haven't you? You've lived your life. No point wishing you could change it.

"There are a couple of things I might have done differently, but nothing major; nothing that would have made that much of a difference.

"I'm pretty happy with the way things have turned out. I like to think I've brought a lot of joy to a lot of people all over the world. I'm true to myself and I'm straight with people."

Asked if his illness in 2013 has made him more aware of his own mortality, Lemmy said: "Death is an inevitability, isn't it? You become more aware of that when you get to my age. I don't worry about it. I'm ready for it. When I go, I want to go doing what I do best. If I died tomorrow, I couldn't complain. It's been good."

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale joined THEE ROCK N' ROLL RESIDENCY on stage last night (Tuesday, September 1) at the Dan McGuiness pub in Nashville, Tennessee to perform covers of classic songs from BLACK SABBATH, AC/DC (also featuring HALESTORM guitarist Joe Hottinger) and JEFFERSON STARSHIP. You can watch fan-filmed video footage of her appearance below.

HALESTORM previously recorded a cover version of AC/DC's "Shoot To Thrill" for the "ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP", which came out in October 2013 via Atlantic. The EP marked the acclaimed hard rock band's follow-up to 2011's "ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP", and it saw HALESTORM putting their distinctive brand on a strikingly eclectic collection of classic songs, including legendary tracks by JUDAS PRIEST, PAT BENATAR, FLEETWOOD MAC, MARILYN MANSON, and DAFT PUNK.

HALESTORM's third album, "Into The Wild Life", was released on April 14.

The band recently tied THE PRETTY RECKLESS's record for the most No. 1 songs on by an act with a female vocalist on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart.

Swedish occult rockers GHOST recently played an acoustic version of the song "If You Have Ghosts" by Roky Erikson at the studios of "HardDrive Radio". You can watch video footage of the performance below.

GHOST's third album, "Meliora", has entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 8 with first-week sales of just over 29,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales. The set follows the No. 28-peaking "Infestissumam", which was released in 2013 and has sold 66,000 copes in the U.S. to date.

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).

"Meliora" was released on August 21 via Loma Vista Recordings. The CD was helmed by Klas Åhlund, a prolific songwriter, producer and guitarist who is also a member of the Swedish rock band TEDDYBEARS, and was mixed by Andy Wallace (SLAYER, NIRVANA, SEPULTURA, LINKIN PARK, GUNS N' ROSES).

Asked if there was a particular direction GHOST was looking to go in on "Meliora", one of the Nameless Ghouls told Guitar World magazine: "Yes. There were a few guidelines we were working off of. The main one was that we felt on 'Infestissumam', there was definitely a shortage of… I don't know what the word is… let's say riffage. Whereas that was not the case on the first one ['Opus Eponymous']. So we wanted to make a record that had more riffs on it, because the guitar took a bit of a backseat on 'Infestissumam'. And the main reason for that was the production. The guitars were just put in the back. If we were to take all the tapes from that album and go into a different studio and remix the whole thing, I'm sure it would sound very different. So this time we wanted to focus on the guitar aspect from the start. Secondly, from a thematic standpoint, we wanted the whole record to have something of a futuristic feel. So there are organs and things like that, but there are also other things that we excluded, because this is not, you know, our medieval record. This is our futuristic, urban-dystopia-metropolis record. So we knew it had to possess a certain sort of flair. Because if you want to make a futuristic record that is sort of '80s-sounding, you would do that by using a lot of chorus everywhere. But that's not what we were trying to do. Or you could make a JUDAS PRIEST or IRON MAIDEN–style record that sounds very futuristic. But that's not what we were trying to do either. Sometimes you have to know what to leave out."

Regarding GHOST's sound, a Nameless Ghoul told Rolling Stone magazine: "We sort of came up with this mixture where we could combine basically all our favorite childhood and adolescent music styles. And we grew up listening to a lot of different music. A lot of Swedish music, and also a lot of '60s and '70s bands — AOR things like KANSAS and YES and CHICAGO and BOSTON. JOURNEY. TOTO. Professional-sounding music. And with all of that we found a way, for us at least, to make sense of having an extreme-metal riff and then throwing a pop melody over it. So that was the initial thing. After that it was, 'Oh, shit! Maybe we could turn it into a horror-rock band, and we could throw in this very childish sort of fascination of horror films! And also ALICE COOPER! And KISS!"

Guitar legend Steve Vai recently checked in with the following announcement:

"Hey Folks, Steve here. We are thrilled to be posting The Space Between The Notes one leg at a time (nine in total) once a week over the next nine weeks, in full resolution! This bonus footage was culled from multiple sources including pics and vids from fans, band, crew, family, and myself. It’s a chronological video diary that has bits from each of the 253 engagements and 52 countries we visited on the last tour, The Story Of Light tour. It was a glorious life experience for us and we are stoked that we can present it here for you. Enjoy!"

Story of Light Tour: The Space Between the Notes (Tour Mischief) runs down as follows:

Leg 1 (Rehearsals/USA)
Leg 2 (Europe/Eastern Europe)
Leg 3 (Vegas/Netherlands/Russia/Ukraine/Europe)
Leg 4 (Australia/NZ/Indonesia/China/S. Korea/Japan/Taiwan/Thailand)
Leg 5 (Europe...again)
Leg 6 (USA...again)
Leg 7 (Mexico/South America/China)
Leg 8 (Vegas/Singapore/Malaysia/Israel/Europe/Russia/Ukraine)
Leg 9 (USA/St. Barths/Japan/France/Poland)

Leg 1:

Leg 2:

Leg 3:

Leg 4:

 

Leg 5:

 

Leg 6:

 

Back in April, Vai released  a video for the song “The Story Of Light” from the Stillness In Motion DVD. This selection opens The Space Between The Notes – a fascinating tour diary and video montage of life on the road with Vai and the band.

Vai states: “This is the piece that took the most time and the one I’m most happy with.”

An exclusive full performance of guitar legend Steve Vai's "Weeping China Doll" from the 2DVD release, Stillness In Motion: Vai Live In L.A. can be viewed below:

The double album and DVD, was released April 7 through Sony Music Entertainment and Legacy Recordings, were recorded October 12, 2012, at L.A.’s Club Nokia. It was the 49th show from Vai’s Story of Light World Tour.

 



 

 

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson says that up-and-coming bands are "being completely stuffed" by the state of the record industry today because of a growing perception of music as a low-value — or no-value — product.

During an appearance on the August 31 edition of the "Opie Radio" talk show, Bruce was asked if he thinks recording artists are getting "ripped off" by music streaming services like Spotify. He responded: "Yeah, they are. But it's just like one of those, kind of, 'Damned if you do, damned if you don't' moments, really. I mean, it's this thing of… Kids love music, and people love music now more than probably any other time in human history, right? So what do you do? Do you say that people that love everything, 'You're all criminals, just 'cause you love it.' That's what sank all the record labels, who didn't figure out that, actually, these people are not trying to do harm. They just love it, you know?"

Bruce went on to say that streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music benefit established artists more than they do the aspiring ones who have yet to break through.

"What's sad, I think, is for the young bands coming up," he said. "'Cause, I mean, how are they gonna make a living? Because, basically, they are being completely stuffed by not so much illegal downloading, although, yeah, that kind of, obviously, goes on and all the rest of it. But the bar is now so low in terms of what value people place on people's creativity and music and stuff like that, and it's just getting driven down into the basement. So it's like the cult of celebrity — you know, those people who have no talent, except being famous and doing stupid stuff. That appears to be more important and have more value than people who have real talent."

Part of Dickinson's concern lies in the fact that two of his sons — Austin and Griffin — play in bands and are seeing firsthand how the public's increasing reliance on free streaming services has led musicians to struggle staying financially afloat in the music industry.

"My two boys [are] both doing their own thing and they both just got signed to record labels and stuff, and so they're going through the whole process right now," Bruce said. "And the deals that they're looking at… 'Cause, I mean, I go down the pub with my guys, and they sort of say, 'Dad, you wanna take a look at the contracts and see if we're getting ripped off?' And I said, 'Well, I don't really have much of a clue what I'm looking at here, but let me have a look.' [And then I went], 'That one looks a little dodgy to me. You might wanna ask them about that one.' For example, on one contract, there was this thing that said, 'Yeah, we'll give you X thousand advance' — and it's only an advance, so, I mean, it's not a huge amount. The money is, like, twenty percent of what it would have been fifteen years ago, so, for starters, all that is way back. Plus, they wanna be selling t-shirts for you, and they wanna be taking a slice… The record companies are taking a slice of everything. So, anyway, in this contract was one bit that says, 'And we will give you tour support.' Okay? And I went, 'Oh, okay. Well, that's okay. Tour support of X.' And then it said, 'Tour support will be payable after the tour, after you give us all the receipts.' And I'm, like, 'Eh, no.' [Laughs] 'So who's gonna front [the money]…? In other words, you're gonna pay all the money out of the money that you guys have got to live on, and then you've gotta try and claim it back off these schmucks? You've gotta be kidding me. You can't run a tour like that.'"

According to Dickinson, his son Austin has had a particularly hard time dealing with accusations of nepotism from online haters who have claimed that the young vocalist earned his record deal with the help of his father.

"[Austin is in a] band called AS LIONS, and they're just signing to Eleven Seven Records," Bruce explained. "In fact, my son's over here on Thursday, in New Jersey; he's recording the album over here. He's gonna be 25 on the 23rd of September. And Griff's [Griffin Dickinson] in a band called SHVPES [pronounced 'shapes'], and they're signed to Spinefarm."

He continued: "Austin was in a band called RISE TO REMAIN, and they got signed to EMI. And then they — as most bands do — they kind of imploded and they started something new. But that was… He had to take the full force of all the haters and all the trolls and all the Blabbermouth idiots and all the rest of it. They were, like, 'Oh, yeah, well, obviously, he just got the gig 'cause he really can't sing, and he's not as good as his dad.' And all that stuff. Oh, it's hard, it's harsh. But he bashed his way through it, and I'm really pleased for him."

IRON MAIDEN's new album, "The Book Of Souls", will be released on September 4 through BMG in the U.S.A. (Parlophone Records in the rest of world).

The band announced in May that touring plans to support the album wouldn't happen until 2016 to allow Dickinson time to fully recuperate after his successful cancer treatment.

Australian touring mogul and Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah has shot down rumors that a reunited classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES will headline next year's edition of the event.

Internet chatter seemed to start on radio station Triple M when outspoken music fan and owner of Cherry Bar in Melbourne, James Young, took to the airwaves to say he had sources confirming to him the GUNS N' ROSES news.

Speaking to Music Feeds, Maddah said: "It's been nice for me personally to share this fantasy for a few days along with the fans, but it is not happening for [next year's edition of Soundwave].

"I sure hope those guys do get back together again, as there has never been, or, as far as I am concerned, ever will be such a potent force for rock 'n' roll than the original GNR in full flight."

He continued: "If [a reunion of the classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES] does happen, it is going to take longer than six months for the band to be ready to tour. I think it'll take a hundred lawyers six months just to get the five of them into a rehearsal room together. But if, by a miracle, it does happen, then, of course, I'll throw everything I can to be involved and it would be my last act as a promoter, as after that I'll have nowhere to go!"

Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash confirmed on August 21 in a Swedish TV interview that he and GN'R lead singer Axl Rose were on friendly terms again, saying: "It was probably way overdue, you know. But it's…. you know, it's very cool at this point. You know, let some of that, sort of, negative… dispel some of that negative stuff that was going on for so long."

Asked if the thawing of his friendship with Axl could lead to a reunion of the band's classic lineup, Slash said: "Oh, I couldn't answer that one," before quickly changing the subject.

On the latest installment of his podcast, "That Metal Show" co-host Eddie Trunk revealed that he was told by Slash's management that the guitarist's recent comments were blown out of proportion by the media and the fans, and that Slash is laying low now when it comes to interviews. Trunk did say that he believes a classic GUNS N' ROSES reunion will eventually happen.

The closest anyone came to a GUNS reunion in recent memory was when the band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012. Three original members of the band, including Slash, McKagan and Adler, showed up, but Axl and guitarist Izzy Stradlin were no-shows.

At the time Slash said in several interviews that the Hall Of Fame ceremony gave him a sense of "closure."

GUNS N' ROSES recently parted ways with guitarists DJ Ashba and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.

"The Metalist" conducted an interview with Billy Graziadei of hardcore/metal veterans BIOHAZARD prior to the band's July 9 concert in London, England. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Asked when fans can expect the follow-up to 2012's "Reborn In Defiance" album, Billy said: "Early next year; that's the plan, yeah."

He continued: "It's not even like making wine. It's not like you can sit here and say, 'Oh…' 'Cause when you make wine or you make vodka, or whatever, alcohol, there's a finite end to the process. For us, it's, like, when it's ready, it's ready, and I think if we rushed… I'd rather have a kick-ass record that stands the test of time and that we can play live every night at a show that works rather than rushing an album just to get it out because everybody wants it. So when it's ready, it's ready. But we have a whole slew of songs that are kick-ass."

Graziadei also talked in more details about BIOHAZARD's musical approach on the next album. He said: "We focused, and are focusing, on having songs that we could play live. it was always… I love everything that we've done — no apologies, no regrets — but every record… Not solely being into punk or punk rock, which are huge influences, especially for myself. I started playing piano when I was six. Bobby [Hambel] is a phenomenal guitar and musician. We all have musical tastes that vary from songs that we play live, but the energy on stage with BIOHAZARD is what we love the most, and the songs on each record that we play live work well live, 'cause we like that energy; it's a big part of BIOHAZARD. But the musical side is another big part, but that stuff doesn't transcend so much into the live environment.'

He continued: "The new record, for the first time, [we all] kind of just said, 'You know what? We're all in agreement that we don't want a record that doesn't have anything but just full-on, in-your-face, live-style BIOHAZARD. It's all the songs that are just high energy, stuff that will work well live. It's, like, twelve 'Punishment's — that's what we're looking for… It's definitely along the lines of songs like 'Vengeance Is Mine' — more of the high-energy side of BIOHAZARD. I think we infuse our influences unintentionally, but it just comes out naturally. And it's a weird way of having this punk energy and looseness to the tightness of metal and thrash and hardcore."

Billy added: "It's funny, 'cause if I write something and I double the guitars, it doesn't sound like BIOHAZARD until the other guys put their parts into it. Then it has that kind of BIOHAZARD flavor. We've always called it the meatgrinder. It's kind of, like, you take all the elements, you throw them together and you mix it all up and it spits out this pink slop of BIOHAZARD. We're not the type of band that can surgically take apart our music. It's better when it's left raw and in your face."

BIOHAZARD last year inked a new worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast. The band was previously signed to Nuclear Blast for Europe only. "Reborn In Defiance" was released in Europe on January 20, 2012 via Nuclear Blast.

Not only was "Reborn In Defiance" BIOHAZARD's first original lineup album in 18 years, it also marked the last LP recorded by the band before the departure of bassist and co-vocalist Evan Seinfeld. The effort remains a testament to the four founding members (Billy Graziadei, Bobby Hambel, Evan Seinfeld and Danny Schuler) and their unique chemistry.

Seinfeld left the band in June 2011 after the band's new CD was completed and was replaced by Scott Roberts, who played on the band's 2005 "Means To An End" album and has been part of the BIOHAZARD extended family since.

Nottingham, UK-based metallers, The Five Hundred, have launched an audio teaser for their upcoming EP, release (listen below).

If you like your metal with a core at the end, but also with a splash of melody, then get your ears around these guys. The Five Hundred have just completed work on their debut release, recorded, mixed and mastered by Justin Hill (Sikth, Heart Of A Coward), due for launch in November.

The Five Hundred are a five-man musical wrecking machine dedicated to pulverising eardrums and rattling bones across the metal landscape. Dealing in an array of down-tuned riffs and barbed hooks, the UK/Gibraltarian quintet unleash an avalanche of crushing groove and belligerent aggression, broken up by some searing leads, haunting vocal melodies and devastating, earth-shaking breakdowns.

Delivering a potent soundtrack to urban warfare and social discontent, the band have shared stages with groups ranging from brutal grind-fathers Napalm Death and industrial pioneers Fear Factory through to progressive death metallers All Shall Perish and metal media darlings Architects & Tesseract.

The Five Hundred is:

John Eley - Vocals
Mark Byrne - Guitars
Paul Doughty - Guitars
Andy Crawford - Bass
Liam Perez - Drums

More on the band at Facebook.

 

Kind, the new project from members of Elder, Black Pyramid, Roadsaw and Rozamov, are streaming the new track, “German For Lucy” (listen below).

Formed in 2013 by Matt Couto (Elder), Darryl Shepard (Black Pyramid, The Scimitar) and Tom Corino (Rozamov) – after the trio spent time jamming together in-between day-to-day commitments – the doom supergroup Kind quickly cemented their formation with the addition of Roadsaw vocalist Craig Riggs.
 
Out of the mind-bending riffs and extended jam sessions, whole songs began to take shape through winter rehearsals down in Couto’s freezing cold basement in 2104, where the newly formed quartet began laying down ideas for their soon to be released debut, Rocket Science, which officially lands this December on Ripple Music.

 
Shows were soon booked to share the tunes with the curious. Further riffs materialized, new songs banged into shape, and yet more shows confirmed, so keen were the band to test their mettle and mixture of heavy metal, psych, Krautrock and straight-up, classic rock and roll.
 
With four songs recorded at Mad Oak Studios serving as the band's demo, in the spring of 2015, Kind entered New Alliance Studios with engineer Alec Rodriguez to record their first full-length, Rocket Science which will receive an official release this December on the California-based label Ripple Music.

More news will follow soon but in the meantime, listen to “German For Lucy”:

Monster Energy Aftershock Festival has joined forces with Slipknot's Scream Park for the Monster Energy Aftershock Pre-Party on Friday, October 23 from 7 p.m. to midnight in Sacramento, California. HELL OR HIGHWATER will headline the Pre-Party (with more bands to be announced) and has also been added to the Saturday, October 24 lineup of the Monster Energy Aftershock Festival at Gibson Ranch just outside Sacramento.

SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor and M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan have partnered with Sacramento-based Scream Park California to produce an event that explores a whole new, intensely visceral world of horror, as only SLIPKNOT can provide. Slipknot's Scream Park features three haunted houses and thunderous live horror entertainment. Slipknot's Scream Park will also have an onsite presence at Monster Energy Aftershock on October 24 and 25.

A limited number of guests can gain admission to the Monster Energy Aftershock Pre-Party by showing proof of purchase of an Aftershock ticket. This will allow free access to the Aftershock Pre-Party, which will include live music and food trucks. That night, guests will be able to go through the haunted houses at Slipknot's Scream Park for a discounted price of $15. More details will be available soon about music performances at the Pre-Party and how to obtain free Pre-Party admission, as space will be limited.

The fourth annual Monster Energy Aftershock will feature a spectacular music lineup of hard rock, alternative and metal artists, as well as an expanded festival site with onsite camping Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25. The band lineup for Monster Energy Aftershock 2015 includes SLIPKNOT, FAITH NO MORE, DEFTONES, SHINEDOWN, JANE'S ADDICTION, MARILYN MANSON, COHEED & CAMBRIA, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, BREAKING BENJAMIN, SEETHER, BRING ME THE HORIZON, ALL TIME LOW, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, and many more performing on four stages. In addition, the festival will feature live, in-ring matches with WWE's NXT Superstars.

Visit www.aftershockconcert.com to view the daily band lineup, and purchase VIP and GA tickets, as well as camping and hotel packages.

Slipknot's Scream Park is also offering an Aftershock Scream Park Bundle for $119.50. This package includes one 2-day General Admission weekend ticket to Monster Energy Aftershock and one Scream Park General Admission ticket (a $25 savings). Purchase your combo tickets for both Slipknot's Scream Park and Monster Energy Aftershock Festival at link text or www.slipknotscreampark.com. Slipknot’s Scream Park is located at 4909 Auburn Blvd. in Sacramento, California.

Intromental Worldwide announce the signing of international prog/death metal powerhouse Subterranean Masquerade, which features members of Green Carnation, Orphaned Land, Novembers Doom and Tristania.

Says Intromental: “This is a band that not only pushes the boundaries of heavy metal and prog rock, but also accomplishes to create a sound so distinct that you're never in doubt that this is something unique you're listening to. It goes without saying that we were already fans of the band before the first contact was made, and it gives us immense pleasure to welcome Subterranean Masquerade to Intromental.”

The band recently released a video for the track “Blanket Of Longing”, from their album The Great Bazaar.

 

 

Tracklisting:

"Early Morning Mantra"
"Reliving The Feeling"
"Tour Diary"
"Nigen"
"Waiting"
"Specter"
"Father And Son"
"Home" (Bonus Track)
"Beyond The Pale" (Bonus Track)

“Blanket Of Longing” video:

“Tour Diary” video:

“Tour Diary” lyric video:

New Era Productions and Hammerheart Records team up and decide to release the Occult Studio Demo 1993 on LP and CD. Both releases will be very limited editions, and there will be live-recordings added (on side B) to spice up this already cool release. More news is to be announced in the upcoming months, they are aiming for a release in February/March, 2016.

Occult is the band formed by Sephiroth after Bestial Summoning called it quits. The Studio Demo 1993 made a huge impact in the worldwide underground, and it featured vicious blackened thrash metal.

After five great blackened thrash metal albums the band decided to start afresh and became known as Legion Of The Damned, the band that finally justified the quality of the Occult releases through the years. Legion Of The Damned is active until today and a major player when it comes to intense European thrash metal, and a band playing worldwide live.

 

Guitar World has posted a guitar playthrough video for “Long Live”, featuring Atreyu guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel. Watch below:

Atreyu will release their new album, Long Live, on September 18th via the joint venture partnership between Raw Power Management's Search & Destroy label and Spinefarm Records.

 

 

The band have released a lyric video for the new track “Start To Break”. Watch below:

Check out the new video for the upcoming album’s title track:

The band recently posted the following teaser video:

San Diego's Wovenwar will return to the road next month with Atreyu, beginning September 18th at The Glass House in Pomona, CA. Tickets are on sale now.

Tour dates:

September
18 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House
19 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
20 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour

October
2 - Detroit, MI - The Crofoot Ballroom
5 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House
6 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
7 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
9 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
11 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
12 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa

Guitar legend Steve Vai has checked in with the following message:

"Hey Folks,

I’m often asked who is my favorite new young guitar player. Well, here he is: Daniele Gottardo. 

He’s Italian and I have been following him for quite some time now. He has an elegant touch, stunning intonation, innovational style and he honors the melody. Enjoy, and check out his new record here for a real treat."

For information on Gottardo check out his official Facebook page here.

Vai Academy 2015 - All About The Guitar, the ultimate guitar experience music camp, was held in Vail, Colorado August 2nd - 6th. Vai has checked in with the following recap of the experience:

"Hey folks,

I’m just returning back to some studio normalcy after my extended Colorado extravaganza.  The Vai Academy camp this year was a real highlight. I feel so fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity to have these camps. I’ve read much of the feedback from the attendees and found them to be both uplifting and informative.

I think my favorite part of the camp is when I get to play with the campers…such a diverse group of listeners and players, and it’s always a treat to get into their inner ear on a one-on-one basis, and find some cool notes together.

I can’t thank the staff, band, and campers enough. This was a wonderful life experience, and I’m looking forward to the next one. Having said that, I think the next one might be in January 2017 because it looks like I’ll be on tour most of next year and August is a hefty load. Things could change but please keep a close eye on Vai Academy announcements.

We will continue to find ways of improving the Vai Academy and offering a life-enriching experience for all who attend. The Class of 2014 at Vai Academy and I recoreded a song and it will be released soon, with all proceeds going to The Make A Noise Foundation.

I’m thinking that the next camp will focus more on finding your inner note, your unique voice on the instrument. I want to re-introduce the 10-Hour Workout with classes that go deeper into technique, creating effective practice routines and communicating with other musicians. Haven’t thought of a name yet but it’s brewing."

Deep gratitude,
s

Back in April, Vai released  a video for the song “The Story Of Light” from the Stillness In Motion DVD. This selection opens The Space Between The Notes – a fascinating tour diary and video montage of life on the road with Vai and the band.

Vai states: “This is the piece that took the most time and the one I’m most happy with.”

An exclusive full performance of guitar legend Steve Vai's "Weeping China Doll" from the 2DVD release, Stillness In Motion: Vai Live In L.A. can be viewed below:

The double album and DVD, was released April 7 through Sony Music Entertainment and Legacy Recordings, were recorded October 12, 2012, at L.A.’s Club Nokia. It was the 49th show from Vai’s Story of Light World Tour.

The new self-titled vinyl 7" from Winnipeg, Manitoba's Besieged is out now on Unspeakable Axe Records; stream and / or purchase it via the widget below.

Besieged by Besieged

Following the success of the Sepultura and Slayer inspired Victims Beyond All Help, Besieged lay dormant for a few years, before returning with a more death-infused assault on the eardrums. The increased influence of old school death metal like Pestilence is clear, while the band still sticks closely to its "faster, heavier, more" mission statement. A new album is in the works, probably for 2016, but for now let this 7-inch tide you over.

To learn more, vist Besieged on Facebook.

 

   

Japanese teenage girl pop metal band BABYMETAL spoke to NME backstage at this past weekend's Reading and Leeds festivals. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked which band at the event they would like to teach their dance moves and why, BABYMETAL's Moametal said: "I would like to teach METALLICA our dance moves, just because we've learned so much from them about metal."

Regarding what they learned from METALLICA, BABYMETAL's Su-metal said: "First of all, we learned about metal, but also by watching METALLICA performances, we have learned how to interact with the fans. We have learned all of that from just watching METALLICA."

BABYMETAL has announced its return to the U.K. next year. The group will headline London SSE Arena Wembley on April 2, 2016. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 2.

BABYMETAL has signed with RAL/Sony Music Entertainment for the U.S. release of the band's 2014 critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. The CD features two bonus tracks and was made available digitally on May 12 and physically on June 16.

"Babymetal" was released via earMUSIC in Germany, Sweden, Finland and Spain on May 29, in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Switzerland, Norway and Denmark on June 1, and in Italy on June 2

The European release was made available as the standard edition as well as a deluxe edition that includes a bonus DVD compiling six music videos from BABYMETAL.

Obscene Entity have are streaming their new track "Euphoric Vanity”, a blistering 4-minute track of furious death metal from their upcoming album, Lamentia. You can listen to "Euphoric Vanity" below.

The band describes the track as: ''A small exploration on duality of opinion. This song focuses on one man's thoughts of another's exploitative chemical endeavours. 'Euphoric Vanity' is a small window into the mind of the fickle.’’

Lamentia will be available on CD and cassette via Tridroid Records on November 27th.

“Euphoric Vanity”:

From the East Anglian region of the UK, Obscene Entity forges together elements of grind, death and black metal to create a multifarious manifestation of extreme music greater than the sum of its parts.

In 2012, founding members Matt Adnett (guitars/vocals), Luke Braddick (drums), and Calum Gibb (bass/vocals), released Obscene Entity’s self-titled début EP. The record helped to quickly establish them as a formidable presence within the underground circuit, along with the raw and fiercely delivered live shows they performed to promote it, landing them supporting slots for bands such as Napalm Death, Kraanium, Anaal Nathrakh and Voices.

In late 2014 recording for the début full-length album was completed, and sent to be mixed and mastered by Dan Abela, whose production talents were responsible for both Voices albums and that of the Antichrist Imperium. The resulting product Lamentia, is a loosely-based concept album of the fragility of the human mind and states of psychosis experienced through both subjection and self-infliction.
 
Lamentia is a relentless account of Obscene Entity's unhinged development, capitalizing on the visceral energy and seamless dynamics that earned them their fast-accumulating recognition.

 

Divebomb Records announce their partnership with Metal Blade Records to bring fans new editions of both Artch albums. Each release contains new liner notes with full lyrics, essays by Carlos Ramirez of Noecho.net as well as archival photos and vintage articles. They will be available direct from the Divebomb Records store starting September 25th. The first 100 customers to order both albums get a free, limited edition, Artch logo magnet.

History books have heralded Norway as the black metal movement’s most fertile breeding ground, but the country’s heavy metal scene isn’t exclusively about corpse paint and Helvete. One of the finest and most underrated groups to come out of the land of 10,000 lakes is undoubtedly Artch. Formed in 1983, the power metal outfit released two demos before hooking up with Eric Hawk, a killer vocalist from Iceland.

With Hawk on board, Artch would eventually sign with Metal Blade Records and release Another Return, their debut full-length. Arriving in stores in 1988, the album garnered rave reviews from the heavy metal media of the day.

1991 saw Artch unleash their sophomore album, For The Sake Of Mankind. The record was packed with anthemic tracks such as “When Angels Cry” and “Titanic”, and it also finds the band also introducing more hard rock elements into their sound. As great as For The Sake Of Mankind is, it failed to bring them commercial success, eventually leading to Artch’s breakup in the early ‘90s.

Their lack of mainstream attention never got in the way of Artch’s popularity within the underground metal scene in the following decades. A longtime fan of the band, Divebomb Records founder Matthew Rudzinski secured the rights to the Artch albums and is bringing you updated reissues of both. Featuring new liner notes, rare photos, and bonus tracks (on For The Sake Of Mankind), these discs will surely sell out of their limited edition runs.

Another Return tracklisting:

“Conversio Prelude”      
“Another Return To Church Hill”      
“Power To The Man”      
“Loaded”      
“Where I Go”
“Metal Life”
“The Promised Land”
“Shoot To Kill”  
“Living In The Past”
“Reincarnation”

For The Sake Of Mankind tracklisting:

“When Angels Cry”
“Appologia”
“Burn Down The Bridges”
“Paradox”
“To Whom It May Concern”
“Titanic”
“Confrontation”
“Turn The Tables”
“To Be Or Not To Be”
“Batteries Not Included”
“Razamanaz”

Bonus tracks:
“Daredevil”
“Jezebel”
“Dog On The Run” (Demo)
“Sirens” (Demo)

Be sure to catch Artch appearing at Keep It True XIX in April 2016.

Hailing from Kotka, Finland, female-fronted quintet Crimson Sun play modern melodic metal with an in your face attitude. Crimson Sun has released two more tracks from their debut album, “Portrait Of A Ghost” and “The Herald”. The songs appear on Towards The Light, which was released on August 3rd via Maple Metal Records. Both tracks are streaming below.
 
Towards The Light was recorded last Fall at Deep Noise Studios, Kouvola, Fi with Saku Moilanen, and the mastering was done by Jacob Hansen (Epica, Volbeat, Amaranthe, Primal Fear)in Denmark. The album cover art is by renowned Serbian artist Slobicus Doomicus.

Jacob Hansen has shared his comments on Towards The Light: “I really enjoyed the songs and the band. To me, this band could easily become ‘the Next Big Thing’! The song structures and overall sound is catchy, as well as being heavy. Fine tuning this combination could mean big business!”

Towards The Light tracklisting:

“The Storm”
“Eye Of The Beholder”
“Awaken”
“Towards The Light”
“The Herald”
“Portrait Of A Ghost”
“Enter The Silence”
“The Spark”
“Clockwork Heart”
“Memories Burning”

“Portrait Of A Ghost”:

“The Herald”:

“Clockwork Heart”:

 
“Eye of the Beholder”:

"The Storm" lyric video:

 
Album teaser:

Intro video:

Crimson Sun was founded in 2001 by guitarist Joni Junnila, and the band went through various member changes before settling down with the quintet that recorded their EP The Border in 2013.

Crimson Sun is:

Sini Seppälä - Vocals
Joni Junnila - Guitars
Jukka Jauhiainen - Bass
Miikka Hujanen - Keyboards
Antti Rantavuo - Drums