One of hard rock's most promising new bands, VENREZ, is gearing up to return soon, with their latest release, American Illusion, on Tuesday, July 30th.
Comprised of singer Steven Berez (whose last syllables of his first and last name serve as the group’s name), guitarists Jason Womack and Alex Kane, bassist Michael Bradford, and drummer Ed Davis, the Los Angeles-based group is ready to take it to the next level, as evidenced by the album's forthcoming single, 'Unforeseen'.
States the group's leader, nearly as recognized for his striking resemblance to Howard Stern as for his rock n roll, "'Unforseen' Is my favorite track on the LP. It's brutally heavy and demanding to play right. It's AT THE DRIVE-IN meets ALICE IN CHAINS, and really reflects the experiences we've had touring the world together. It's about a guy we met backstage on tour in France, Phillippe. He was so wasted but so happy too. He was all about embracing the moment maybe more than anyone I've ever met, and inspired me to put pen to paper. He did ultimately get kicked out of the venue for crapping in the sink of the women's toilet…but who hasn't at least once?!"

The 'Unforeseen' single will be released on June 18th. The video can be seen below:
Other standouts include the heavy rocker 'Vultures', as well as a surprise remake of SONNY BONO's 'The Beat Goes On'.

Thus far, Venrez has opened shows for shock rock legend ALICE COOPER, and has received praise for their debut full-length, 2012's Sell The Lie. And come this summer, Venrez will rock the world with American Illusion.
American Illusion tracklisting:

'Unforeseen'
'Sanctity'
'Hot Air'
'Free Will'
'Silver And Gold'
'Intellectual Drool'
'Vultures'
'Hunger'
'The Beat Goes On'
'Temptress Of The Moon'
Venrez will support SLASH on the following dates:

July
21 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
24 - Park City, UT - Park City Live
25 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues

More on Venrez at this location.

Kentucky-based HYDROGYN has checked in with the following update:

"Julie, Jeff, Chris and John will go to Michael Wagener's Wire World Studio on June 20th to start laying down tracks for a 2014 release that is as yet named. There will be reports, pics and video from the short session. Stay tuned."
Particles is the new release from Hydrogyn that chronicles the band's entire 10 year career to this point. In this box set is a rare look into what a band goes through to get a song just right, or to the point of official release to the public. You will be able to hear how the songs started out, how they took shape in the writing process, and how some songs completely changed in some cases.

The band checked in with the following update:

"We just today got the shipment of Particles into the warehouse and must say it looks amazing. A total of 64 tracks full of rarities and never before heard demo's from all era's of the band throughout its first 10 years.

Also on these tracks you will here guest spots from Craig Goldy (DIO) James LoMenzo (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, MEGADETH), dUg Pinnick (KING's X) and many more along with the shredding of Jeff Westlake and Jeff Boggs and the bands powerful rhythm section. The set also has a 44 page full color booklet talking about all of the tracks and behind the scene commentary from Julie, Jeff Westlake and others.

To get yours go to this location and order today."

Technical thrash/groove metal outfit COMMON DEAD has announced a prolonged break in activity, citing focus on new creative endeavors. Band founder and sole official member Andrew Laurenson issued the following statement:

"After three albums, one EP, and over half a dozen videos to its repertoire, Common Dead is on extended hiatus. The energy fueling the project is morphing into a new sound, still heavy and uncompromising, but doesn't fit as Common Dead. This doesn't mean Common Dead is finished, as fitting ideas remain for the distant future. Please keep seeding the music, watch for what's next, and thank you all for your encouragement."
Common Dead's most recent effort, Allegorize, was released online via independent distribution in early 2013; to read BraveWords.com scribe Greg Pratt's review, click here.

AUTUMNS EYES founder Dan Mitchell has revealed that the new album, entitled Broken Leaves And Haunted Streets, will be released on August 6th. The instrumental album features the first five songs ever written for Autumns Eyes back in it's humble beginnings, over fourteen years ago.

Says Dan: "The songs were originally captured on a four track recorder with a crude format that never stood the test of time. It's time for these tracks to receive a proper recording, and I am extremely thrilled to share the songs that launched my career in heavy music."
Broken Leaves And Haunted Streets tracklisting:

'Branches Across The Blinds'
'Accepting Madness'
'Lucid Empathy'
'Threat Of My Extinction'
'Foreshadowed Misery'
More on Autumns Eyes at this location.

BLACK SABBATH members Ozzy Osbourne (vocals) and Geezer Butler (bass) were interviewed on this morning's (Tuesday, June 11) edition of "The Opie & Anthony Show" on SiriusXM satellite radio.

A four-minute clip in which Ozzy talks about his drug use with Opie and Anthony can be seen below.

After 35 years, three original members of BLACK SABBATH release a new disc on Tuesday called "13". The first SABBATH record since 1978's "Never Say Die!" to feature Ozzy, along with guitarist Tony Iommi and Butler, it's their second attempt at new music together after a previous effort failed in 2001. Butler told The Pulse Of Radio why it worked this time. "When we tried it in 2001, we just went in, like, completely without any idea of what we were gonna do," he said. "We got about six reasonable songs out of it, but we knew that we had to come up to, like, a certain standard, and we didn't feel that it did so we didn't carry on with it. This time we got together and Tony, like, accumulated all these hundreds of riffs, so we had a starting point this time. There was a certain point where we went, 'Yeah, that's it, we can do it.'"

The new disc does not feature founding drummer Bill Ward, who has sat out the reunion over contractual issues.

Brad Wilk of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE played drums on the while Ozzy's solo drummer Tommy Clufetos is behind the kit for live work.

Asked by Billboard if this will be the last SABBATH album, Butler said, "I guess you should never say never. It could be, though. We'll see how this album goes, see what happens."

The reunion was almost derailed twice, first by Ward's exit and then by Tony Iommi's cancer diagnosis, for which the guitarist continues to receive treatment.

A video for the first official single, "God Is Dead?", premiered online Monday (June 10).

BLACK SABBATH will launch a North American tour on July 25 in The Woodlands, Texas.

"The Wild Hunt", the new album from Swedish black metallers WATAIN, will be released on August 19 in Europe and August 20 in USA via Century Media Records. The CD was once again mixed at the Necromorbus Studio in Alvik, Sweden by Tore Stjerna.

Executed in oil and mixed materials, the cover of "The Wild Hunt" was created by Zbigniew M Bielak, the very same artist who was responsible for the "Lawless Darkness" artwork. The piece depicts one of the inmost shrines of WATAIN's temple. As on every classic still life, each object has a significant meaning, while each song of the album is also connected to an object.

"The Wild Hunt" track listing:

01. Night Vision
02. De Profundis
03. Black Flames March
04. All That May Bleed
05. The Child Must Die
06. They Rode On
07. Sleepless Evil
08. The Wild Hunt
09. Outlaw
10. Ignem Veni Mittere
11. Holocaust Dawn

The "All That May Bleed" CD will precede the full-length effort at the end of June.

Comments WATAIN: "'All That May Bleed' shows but one facet of a quite diverse album, but we chose this song as a first glimpse into 'The Wild Hunt' because of its bombastic lunacy and white-eyed malevolence which could be said to constitute a main foundation for the album. The lyric is an invitation to sacrificial blood letting, ecstatic zealotry and human sacrifice. The salt of Satan in the wounds of Christ!"

Side B will be a track called "Play With The Devil", originally recorded by the black/heavy metal band TAIWAZ in 1988 in WATAIN's hometown, Uppsala (Gottfrid Åhman from IN SOLITUDE participates on solo guitar on WATAIN's version).

The single will be released in the following formats:

* Black seven-inch vinyl (limited to 2,000 copies worldwide)
* Red seven-inch vinyl with sticker (only available from Wolfwear.net; limited to 500 copies worldwide)
* Seven-inch picture disc (available from CMdistro.com and Wolfwear.net; limited to 500 copies worldwide)
* Digital download

"All That May Bleed" physical release dates:

* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway and worldwide through CMdistro.com and Wolfwear.net: Friday, June 21
* UK, Benelux, France, Poland: Monday, June 24
* USA, Spain: Tuesday, June 25
* Sweden: Wednesday, June 26

"All That May Bleed" digital release dates:

* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Italy, Australia, New Zealand: Friday, June 21
* UK: Sunday, June 23
* USA, Spain: Tuesday, June 25
* Sweden, Hungary: Wednesday, June 26
* Rest Of Europe: Monday, June 24

French black death metal mongers OTARGOS have inked a deal with Listenable Records. The band's just-completed new album, "Apex Terror", will be released in September. According to a press release, the CD "displays a fresher, stripped down, more intense songwriting, very immersed in a catchier death and obscure thrash metal genre," with "lyrical themes about the darker side of humanity."

"Apex Terror" track listing:

01. Apex Terror
02. Fleshless-Deathless
03. For Terra (feat. J. Truchan)
04. Remnant From A Long-Dead Star
05. Fallout
06. Xeno (instrumental)
07. Drone
08. Aftermath Hyperion
09. Versus
10. Fleshless-Deathless 2.0 (Herrshaft Remix) (digipack bonus track)

The song "For Terra" — which features a guest appearance by Julien Truchan of BENIGHTED on vocals — can be heard below.

Rock legends BLACK SABBATH marked the release of their new album, "13", with a special live event the day of the album's release (Tuesday, June 11). All three members — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler — participated in the Black Sabbath Town Hall via Google+ Hangout streamed live on YouTube and Google+ and broadcast live on Ozzy's Boneyard on SiriusXM. Ozzy and Geezer appeared from the live event at Angel Orensanz Foundation For Contemporary Art, with Tony Iommi beaming in from Birmingham, England, while "13" drummer Brad Wilk (of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and Ozzy's son Jack Osbourne (who directed the clips to launch the album) joined live face-to-face via Google+ Hangout from Los Angeles. The event was hosted by comedian Jim Norton (a host on Ozzy's Boneyard and a co-host on "The Opie & Anthony Show" on SiriusXM).

Video footage of the Black Sabbath Town Hall is now available below.

"13" is the first BLACK SABBATH record in 35 years to feature Ozzy, Tony and Geezer all playing together. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's "Never Say Die!"

Details of the album's deluxe edition surfaced on April 19, with the band revealing that the eight-song effort is accompanied by three bonus tracks called "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" and "Pariah".

Several versions of "13" are available, including a standard CD, a double CD that includes a second disc of exclusive bonus audio, a heavyweight vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve and a "Super Deluxe Box Set" containing the double CD, the vinyl album, an exclusive DVD documentary on the band's reunion, 13 photographic prints and hand-written lyrics.

The drum tracks on the album were laid down by Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.

Florida death metal veterans MONSTROSITY have issued the following update:

"As of June 2013, eleven new songs have been written for a brand new full-length studio album. Drum tracks for a pre-production demo have recently been completed. Mark English has begun laying down guitar tracks and he is about three songs deep into it right now. The band hopes to wrap the demo up pretty quickly, and then they will be ready to book time in the studio. Vocalist Mike Hrubovcak has completed lyrics for approximately five songs and Lee Harrison will join him in the next few weeks and help finish the lyrics. The songs are coming together the way the band hoped they would and MONSTROSITY are looking forward to creating another timeless death metal classic. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include 'Kingdom Of Fire', 'Radiated', 'Cosmic Pandemia' and 'Solar Vacuum' and more!!

"MONSTROSITY will be performing at the legendary Hellfest on June 22, 2013. For those unaware, Hellfest is a huge festival in Clisson, France with 6 stages and over 160 bands playing over three days. KISS, DEF LEPPARD, ZZ TOP, WHITESNAKE, KORN, STONE SOUR, IMMORTAL, MORBID ANGEL, SINISTER, GHOST and many more are performing.

"MONSTROSITY drummer Lee Harrison will be appearing this Saturday June 15, 2013 as a judge at the 'War Of Bands' show at the infamous Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida along with Rob Barrett from CANNIBAL CORPSE and Brian Hoffman from AMON/DEICIDE fame. There are 10 of the areas best up-and-coming bands competing for cash and prizes.

"At this time, all MONSTROSITY CD titles are available through Conquest Music. 'Imperial Doom' is the only album currently out of print. For European fans, 'Rise To Power' and 'Spiritual Apocalypse' albums are available through Metal Blade Records, Germany.

"The 'Live Apocalypse' DVD is available from Conquest Music for $15.00 plus shipping. Please visit the Conquest Music web site for more information regarding the DVD, CDs, t-shirts, sweatpants and more!! Unfortunately, the U.S. postal service has increased shipping out of the country, but Conquest Music tries to keep the postal fees as low as possible.

"Drum-cam videos of recent rehearsals of two brand new songs have been uploaded to youtube. 'Solar Vacuum' was written by Matt Barnes, 'Dark Matter Invocation' was written by Mark English."

MONSTROSITY lineup for Hellfest 2013:

Mike Hrubovcak: Vocals
Lee Harrison: Drums
Mark English: Guitars
Matt Barnes: Guitars
Kelly Conlon: Bass

A seven-minute video recap of METALLICA's sophomore Orion Music + More festival from the Rock it Out! Blog can be seen below.

This past weekend's (June 8-9) event moved from Atlantic City to Detroit in what Billboard called a "smooth transition" for a "successful second year." According to The Pulse Of Radio, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo said on the ground at the festival that he was eager to bring the show back to Detroit in 2014. "We've got to come back here, you know," he said. "This is a great place. This city needs it. The weekend has been a blast and I can't wait 'til next year. I've already got ideas for next year, so we're looking forward to it."

As previously reported, METALLICA played a surprise set on Saturday afternoon under the name DEHAAN, playing their entire 1983 debut disc "Kill 'Em All" from front to back.

The band's headlining set on Sunday night, which closed out the festival, featured rarities like "Carpe Diem, Baby", "I Disappear" and "Disposable Heroes" alongside the band's more traditional hits and live favorites.

The members of METALLICA were also spotted hanging out at their personal lifestyle exhibits, with James Hetfield seen at his custom car display, Trujillo overseeing the skateboarding at the Vans Vert Ramp, and drummer Lars Ulrich premiering a clip from the upcoming movie "Metallica Through The Never" alongside director Nimród Antal.

The Metallica Museum displayed the bass that Cliff Burton played at his final concert before his 1986 death in a Swedish bus crash, as well as other instruments, stage props and vintage concert flyers.

Robert Trujillo played two other sets during the course of the weekend, first with a reunion of funk-rockers INFECTIOUS GROOVES and then with his own TRUJILLO TRIO.

Spokesperson Charlie Walker of promoter C3 Presents said that around 20,000 attended the first day, with possibly more showing up on Sunday. As for whether Orion will return to Detroit next year, he replied, "We'll go through this one, wrap it up, see what the feedback is . . . Then we'll sit down and try to get a grip on what to do next."

A total of 37 groups, including the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, DEFTONES, SILVERSUN PICKUPS, RISE AGAINST and BASSNECTAR, performed on Orion's five stages.

THE JOY FORMIDABLE was unable to perform their show after arriving late in Detroit due to travel issues.

James Hetfield personally introduced the SILVERSUN PICKUPS and watched their set from the side of the stage.

Cliff Burton's father Ray was in attendance for METALLICA's surprise "Kill 'Em All" performance on Saturday.

Detroit native Bob Seger was rumored to be showing up to sing his classic "Turn The Page" with METALLICA. Although the band played the song, Seger was a no-show.

In addition to closing this year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards, British rock 'n' roll legends MOTÖRHEAD will receive the most prestigious award of the night itself — The Golden God!

The Golden God award celebrates and recognizes those who have significantly contributed, shaped and inspired the world of rock and metal — and few in Metal Hammer's world fit that description more than Lemmy and the boys. They remain a true institution in British music history and follow in the footsteps of previous Golden God winners such as IRON MAIDEN, MARILYN MANSON and ROB ZOMBIE.

Alexander Milas, editor of Metal Hammer, said: "The first, the biggest, and the best — the Metal Hammer Golden Gods are the ultimate celebration of all things heavy. It's a chance for us to hoist beers with the great and good of the metal community as well as the most important VIPs around — our readers. Part gig, part awards, and all metal, there's simply no other event like it, and with the almighty MOTÖRHEAD closing proceedings, this one's set to be the loudest ever. Horns up!"

The Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards 2013 take place Monday. June 17 at the London Indigo2 and features sets from MOTÖRHEAD, AIRBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, COAL CHAMBER and PARADISE LOST, and will be streaming live for the first time ever via Playstation.

Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH), Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER), Corey Taylor (STONE SOUR, SLIPKNOT), Scott Gorham (THIN LIZZY, BLACK STAR RIDERS) and Jason Newsted (NEWSTED, METALLICA) are all confirmed to attend the event.

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett spoke to MTV.com at this past weekend's Orion Music + More festival about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's long-awaited follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic", tentatively due in 2015.

"We do have a lot of musical ideas, we have something called 'the Riff Bank,' and the Riff Bank keeps getting bigger and bigger, still, to this day," he said. "I'm writing stuff, Rob's [Trujillo, bass] writing stuff, James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals] is writing stuff, Lars [Ulrich, drums] is writing stuff, continually expanding the Riff Bank. So, it doesn't look like we're going to be putting out an album any time soon this year, it would be an amazing stroke of luck and grace if our album came out next year. I think it's a more sober statement to make to say that the album will probably come out in 2015. That's a sober, realistic thing ... but we're psyched about it."

He continued: "It's too early in the game to tell you it will sound like 'Death Magnetic'. I mean, we have a lot of ideas but no actual finished songs, so it's hard for me to give you an accurate description. But we're looking forward to making it as heavy and as high-energy as possible, because that's what we want."

Hamett also spoke about METALLICA's movie, "Metallica Through The Never", which will open on IMAX screens in the U.S. on September 27, with a wider release following on October 4.

The movie stars Dane DeHaan has a member of the band's road crew who is sent on a mysterious mission while the group headlines a concert at an arena. The film is said to mix a conventional storyline with concert footage.

"'Through The Never' is not exactly your typical concert film; it has a narrative weaving in and out of the concert footage," Kirk said. " You won't see, like, interviews with the band members backstage, or anything like that. All you'll see is raw footage of us onstage, and then narrative, with the story that weaves in and out. It's taken us on a pretty unique trip, because we're not in the movies industry, we're in the music industry. We've learned a lot about movies in general, and the business in general ... we just have to nail down a few things here and there, but we're excited about it."

Metal Kaoz recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

On whether he is writing any new music at the moment:

Tate: "I'm working on a new album now. I just started writing it, and I hope to have it out early [next] year.

"My goal is to write albums and put them out without a lot of time going by. In the past, I've had to wait for years to put records out, and I don't wanna work like that anymore; I wanna be more immediate with my art. So I wanna put out a record every six months….

"It's not hard at all [to write and record an album that quickly]; it's just making the time, because it's difficult to write when you're on the road. You just have to be disciplined about it.

"I've spent the majority of my career waiting for the guys in the band to write, or to come up with songs, or to be ready to write, or to be done with going to the dentist so they can come to rehearsal, and that kind of thing, and I'm just done with that now; I don't need to have to worry about that, so I can put out records at my own pace.

"I either write by myself or I write with a group of people that I choose, which I'm very into; I like working with, in a collaborative sense, different people, and I don't ever wanna be in a band again — a band band that sticks together through thick and thin and all that. I've already done that. I wanna work with different groups of people and I wanna constantly be changing it up to make it interesting and different. And I wanna play with as many great players as I possible can. Because I can. I can call up [former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist] K.K. Downing and say, 'Ken, hey, you've got time, two weeks in November, to play a short tour?' I can do that. And why not? Why not have that experience of playing with these fantastic players. That's kind of what I started doing on the last record, 'Frequency Unknown' — working with all these great players who I admire."

On which moniker he will release his next album under:

Tate: "I don't know yet what moniker I'm gonna release it under yet. I haven't decided yet. Hopefully by November [when the legal dispute between Tate and his former bandmates in QUEENSRŸCHE over the rights to the group's name is scheduled to go to court], it will all be settled.

On what his chances are of winning the court case in November:

Tate: "Honestly, what the whole thing is about is money. It's a corporate dispute, and corporate disputes have a formula that is in place that is set by the state and the federal government as to how the dispute is settled. So that's what we'll be going with — the formula that the state set forth. And it's just about money — who is going to compensate who? That's strictly the whole thing. It doesn't have anything to do with who said what, it's just a matter of exchanging money, which is kind of ridiculous at this point, but that's what it's about."

On the details of the album that he is currently working on:

Tate: "I can't about it too much at this point, but I can tell you that it's a trilogy — it's three albums that all relate to each other; it's a story. It's something I've been working on quite a long time, and I'm finally in a position to do it now. So I'm very excited about it. It's a very cool and very interesting subject. It's very topical, it's very 'now.' I can say that it's an international story, it's set in a number of different countries around the world, and it has some central characters who are involved with an international incident. It has to do with virtual currencies and Internet banking and stock trading."

Interview (audio):

Fan-filmed video footage of AEROSMITH's entire April 20 concert as one of the headliners of the Stone Music Festival at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia can be seen below.

AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry will be inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall Of Fame and perform on the Bowl's opening night of the 2013 season on Saturday, June 22.

Tyler and Perry first appeared at the Hollywood Bowl in May 1999, with subsequent appearances in 2002, 2006 and last year's sold-out concert.

Following their induction during this season's Hollywood Bowl opening-night event, Tyler and Perry will perform with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, led by Thomas Wilkins.

AEROSMITH is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Music From Another Dimension!", which was released on November 6, 2012, and debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 63,000 copies in its first week of release.

"Endless", the new video from DUSKMACHINE, the band featuring PRIMAL FEAR/ex-ANNIHILATOR drummer Randy Black, ex-ANNIHILATOR bassist Russ Bergquist, guitarist Nikolai Wurk and vocalist Joe Comeau (ex-OVERKILL guitarist and former singer for such bands as ANNIHILATOR, TAD MOROSE and LIEGE LORD), can be seen below. The track comes off DUSKMACHINE's self-titled sophomore album, which will be released on July 26 via Massacre Records. Other songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Hands Of Fate" and "I Feel No Pain". The effort was mixed by Achim Köhler (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER, BRAINSTORM) and mastered by Ken Burke.

DUSKMACHINE's debut album, "The Final Fall", came out in November 2005 through Twilight in Germany.

"Endless" video:

The official lyric video for the song "Liquor" from Austin, Texas-based classic rockers SCORPION CHILD can be seen below. The track comes off the band's self-titled debut album, which will be released on June 21 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the new U.S. partnership between Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner Records A&R chief Monte Conner. Produced and arranged by Chris "Frenchie" Smith (THE ANSWER, ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD, THE TOADIES, DAX RIGGS), the CD was recorded using analog recording technology.

The limited CD digipack, vinyl, digital download versions of "Scorpion Child" include the following songs:

01. Kings Highway
02. Polygon Of Eyes
03. The Secret Spot
04. Salvation Slave
05. Liquor
06. Antioch
07. In The Arms Of Ecstasy
08. Paradigm
09. Red Blood (The River Flows)

Bonus track:

10. Keep Goin' (LUCIFER'S FRIEND cover)
11. Lover's Leap (iTunes version only!)

SCORPION CHILD recently filmed a video for the song "Polygon Of Eyes".

Attributes in music are known to be cyclical. Every few years, a band comes along which borrows just enough from the revered past to bring a new infusion of vitality to the musical present. SCORPION CHILD's sound invokes a time when guitar-driven rock ruled radio's airwaves, when being hypnotized by a frontman and his bandmates in a concert arena was one of life's ultimate main events.

SCORPION CHILD has spent the last few years perfecting both its songwriting and stage show. Guitarists Chris Cowart and David Finner deliver their finessed twin guitar attack with experience older than their years; bassist Shaun Avants and drummer Shawn Alvear are steadfast sentinels of their driving rhythm section; and lead singer Aryn Jonathan Black fronts the psychedelic rock cavalry with a passion and voice reminiscent of the early eras of Robert Plant and Ronnie James Dio.

"I've always wanted to hear new musical ingredients within a classic heavy sound," states Aryn Jonathan Black. "It’s great to witness captivating performances where both the live show and the band’s recorded material can complement one another. The heavy-prog sounds of URIAH HEEP, HAIRY CHAPTER, and the epic delivery of early RAINBOW showcases these crossovers brilliantly and gave us all honest — yet relentless — sonics to aspire to. That's why it’s important for us as a band to maintain spontaneity while putting a special emphasis into integral hooks."

"Liquor" lyric video:

Veteran British/American heavy metal trio RAVEN will release "Rock Until You Drop - A Long Days Journey" two-disc DVD as a digipak via SPV/Steamhammer on the following dates:

Germany: June 21
Europe: June 24
USA/Canada: July 2

A trailer for the effort can be seen below.

The effort contains four hours and 30 minutes of concert footage from around the world, in the studio, backstage, interviews with the band, the fans, musicians and producer. It tells the story of over three decades of trailblaizing metal mayhem!

From the well-documented early days as NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) frontrunners, RAVEN's albums "Rock Until You Drop", "Wiped Out" and "All For One" virtually invented both the speed metal and power metal genres — during the trailblazing USA tours of the '80s introducing the States to "athletic rock" as well as giving opening acts like METALLICA and ANTHRAX their first tours, through the doldrums of the late '80s/early '90s when a grunge-obsessed media wrote off so many acts, RAVEN has consistently proved to be both survivors par excellence and in a genre of grim imitation shown that they are "the real thing". Where so many of their contemporaries have either faded creatively or become parodies of themselves, RAVEN have consistently pushed the envelope while retaining their unique sound and attack — both in the studio & in their true element, onstage!

In a music scene filled by clones nurtured with a cookie-cutter mentality, the unique personality, power and humor of the three band members has always shone through. The crazed vocals and bass playing of John Gallagher, the full frontal guitar assault of brother, Mark Gallagher, and the punishing polyrhythmic pounding of drummer Joe Hasselvander all combine to form a sonic battering ram unique in rock!

DVD 1 track listing:

Documentary (approx. 190 min)
The whole story feat. Live Concert footage, interviews and photos
* Featuting 14 songs from 1982 up to present: "Tyrant Of The Airways", "Faster Than The Speed Of Light", "Crash Bang Wallop", "Take Control", "On And On" and many more
* Exclusive interviews with: Lars Ulrich (METALLICA), Michael Wagener (producer), Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER), Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT), Dave Ellefson (MEGADETH) and many more
* Slideshow
* Photos throughout the years

DVD 2 track listing:

Extras (approx. 90 min)
* 7 extra songs
* 5 full edits of songs: "Crazy World", "Hellpatrol", "Lambs To The Slaughter", "Architect of Fear" and many more
* 19 minutes of extra footage, interviews and studio outtakes

NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Region Code: 0 (All)
Sound: 2.0 Dolby Digital
Length all: approximately 280 minutes

RAVEN recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its seminal album "All For One" by playing select dates dubbed "All For One Forever", during which they performed many tracks from the album, including some rarely or never performed live. Originally released in 1983, "All For One" was not only the band's breakout LP, it was also a massively influential slab of classic metal. The band's groundbreaking and high-energy approach was a vital element in the development of thrash.

RAVEN's latest album, "Walk Through Fire", was released in the U.S. on March 30, 2010 (one day earlier in Europe through SPV/Steamhammer) via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Assembly Line Studios with engineer/mixer Kevin 131 (PROJECT: FAILING FLESH, DECEASED, DYSRYTHMIA, GARDEN OF SHADOWS).

Behind-the-scenes footage from KAMELOT's May 2013 tour of Japan can be seen below.

KAMELOT's new album, "Silverthorn", sold 5,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 79 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Poetry For The Poisoned", opened with around 6,100 units in September 2010 to enter the chart at No. 74.

"Silverthorn" was released on October 30, 2012 in North America, October 26, 2012 in Germany and October 29, 2012 in the rest of Europe via Steamhammer/SPV. The CD marks the band's first release with Tommy Karevik, the Swedish vocalist who previously fronted SEVENTH WONDER (a group that he is still a member of).

Tommy first appeared as one of the guest singers on KAMELOT's very successful 2011 Pandemonium World Tour.

KAMELOT supported Finnish/Dutch symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH on their North American tour last summer.

KAMELOT will embark on a North American headling tour this fall. Support on the trek will come from DELAIN and EKLIPSE.

Fan-filmed video footage of GHOST's June 9 performance at the French edition of the Sonisphere festival at Snowhall Parc in Amnéville can be seen below.

GHOST's sophomore album, "Infestissumam", sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The CD topped the official chart in the group's home country after selling nearly five times as many copies as the No. 2 album, MISS LI's "Wolves".

The release date of "Infestissumam" was reportedly pushed back a week to April 16 after four compact disc manufacturers allegedly refused to print a piece of artwork that was meant for the deluxe version of the new CD. The manufacturers all took issue with the sacrilegious imagery, inspired by the work of Gustave Dore, which showcases what looks like a forest nymph orgy. The controversial art can still be found on both the vinyl and European copies of the "Infestissuman" CD.

GHOST was forced to modify its name in the U.S. to GHOST B.C. for "legal reasons."

Hailing from Linköping, Sweden, GHOST formed in in 2008. They released their heralded debut album, "Opus Eponymous", in 2010. In 2011, GHOST performed at the annual Download festival in the United Kingdom. The band's fanbase began to swell and not long after added some of hard rock's finest to this group. Additionally that year, GHOST took part in the "Defenders Of Faith III" tour with TRIVIUM, IN FLAMES and RISE TO REMAIN. In early 2012, they embarked on their first tour of the United States and later that year shared the stage with MASTODON and OPETH on their "Heritage Hunter Tour" in North America. That summer the band was invited by METALLICA's James Hetfield to perform on the main stage of METALLICA's first annual Orion Music + More festival.

BLACK SABBATH made a rare television appearance when the band performed a new song on the season finale of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". The episode aired on May 15 on CBS-TV. The band world premiered a song called "End Of The Beginning" from their new album "13".

You can now watch the full-length "End Of The Beginning" performance below.

The episode's plot followed the CSI team as they investigated a series of murder that resembled the sins in "Dante's Inferno", with the trail leading the detectives played by Ted Danson and Marc Vann to attend a SABBATH concert.

"I'm not an actor," said SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne. "It's like a hurry-up-and-wait. When you see it on TV, it's all done, but when you're filming, there's a lot of stuff going on."

He added about the band's return to the spotlight: "It's been a long time, but the wait has been well worth it, 'cause the album is really good. I'm really pleased with the outcome.

"It's good fun and it's a good way of telling people that we're back together, you know?"

"13" was released on June 11 and is the first SABBATH album in 35 years to feature Ozzy, bassist Geezer Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi.

Ozzy told an Australian radio station that the new album is "mindblowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."

The drum tracks on the album were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.

"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" concluded its 13th season and regularly wins its time period with nearly 12 million viewers per episode.

It is also a global ratings hit, earning the International TV Audience Award for the "most-watched show in the world" for the third consecutive year and its fifth time in seven years.

Danish thrash metallers HELL'S DOMAIN - formed by Bjørn Bihlet (guitar; ex-KOLDBORN, BOIL), Lars Knudsen (bass; ex-CRIONIC), Anders Gyldenøhr (drums; ex-HATESPHERE, ARTILLERY) and Alex Clausen (vocals; MONSTAH) has posted online a brand new song titled 'Dead Civilization'. The track comes off the band's new studio album which will be released by Punishment 18 Records in September. The album was recently mixed by Tue Madsen (DARK TRANQUILLITY, Hatesphere).
Hell's Domain recently revealed that they are working with legendary metal artist Ed Repka (DEATH, MEGADETH) on the album artwork.
Check out an album teaser below:
More on Hell's Domain on Facebook.

It was in Houston back in 1969 that Billy F Gibbons, Frank Beard and Dusty Hill joined as ZZ TOP. The band that would unassumingly go on to be known as That Little Ol’ Band From Texas went on to make rock history with a string of hugely successful record releases and tour dates. Over the next 20 years, the trio went on to critical and commercial acclaim, selling millions of albums and concert tickets around the world, while earning induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and status as one of the only bands to have been awarded an RIAA Diamond (domestic sales of 10 million or more) album. They were even named Official Heroes of the State of Texas by an act of the legislature.
At long last, original mixes of the band’s first 10 studio albums are available, mastered specifically for iTunes. These include ZZ Tops’ First Album (1971), Rio Grande Mud (1972), Tres Hombres (1973), Fandango! (1975), Tejas (1976), Degüello (1979), El Loco (1981), Eliminator (1983), Afterburner (1985) and Recycler (1990). The albums are available for individual download or bundled together in ZZ Top: The Complete Studio Albums (1970-1990). All 10 albums are also available on CD in a boxed set of the same name, with each album presented in a wallet sleeve that faithfully reproduces the original artwork, including the gatefold designs used for Tres Hombres and Tejas. This marks the first time that the original mixes for ZZ Tops’ First Album, Rio Grande Mud and Tejas are available on CD and as digital download.
Additionally, a dozen of ZZ TOP’s iconic videos are now available for the first time on YouTube. The band’s classic videos are some of the most legendary of all time including The Eliminator Trilogy, the videos for 'Legs', 'Gimme All Your Lovin’' and 'Sharp Dressed Man', starring the ’33 Ford three window coupe with the ZZ striping along its flanks and a cadre of leggy beauties. A full list of ZZ Top videos are now available on YouTube below:
Today, Gibbons, Hill and Beard remain together performing and recording as, they often say, “the same three guys playing the same three chords.” The trio offered a statement regarding the release of ZZ Top: The Complete Studio Albums (1970-1990): “We're gratified that the albums from the first 20 years of the band are going to be made available in this set. We're especially delighted to note the restoration of ZZ Top's First Album, Rio Grande Mud and Tejas has been incorporated; it's good to have been made whole again on a certain level.”

ENTER SHIKARI released a brand new track last night, entitled 'Radiate'. The track received it's world exclusive first airing courtesy of Zane Lowe & Daniel P Carter last night on their special joint Radio One Rocks show as their "Single Of The Week". The band have also released a video for the track.
'Radiate' follows the release of the track 'The Paddington Frisk' back in April, and is the second of three tracks to be released throughout 2013. Stay tuned for news of the third track.

'Radiate' returns to more 'traditional' (if such a word is suitable in reference to anything the band does) format after the 1mi 16sec of 'The Paddington Frisk', touches lyrically on the subject of 'freedom of expression' and celebrates how lucky we are to be allowed it in a majority of the west, while reminding us of artists in other parts of the world who are denied and punished for it

A video for 'Radiate' was shot last week in Pinewood Studios, with editing and post-production being knuckled down on over the weekend ready for release. Editing literally finishing two hours before the video was made available to the public.

As well as Radio One Rock Week, Download and Glastonbury in the UK, the band have a heavy European festival schedule, taking in appearances in Germany, France, Hungary, Russia, the Ukraine and Romania amongst many more.

The band have also announced the world premier live show by their 'electronic alter-ego' the Shikari Sound System at this year's Reading / Leeds Festival, headlining the Lock-Up Stage.

More news is forthcoming.

Norwegian metallers TOMORROW'S OUTLOOK have checked in with the following update:

"We are proud to announce that Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR) has been confirmed for a third song for our upcoming (concept) album. This new song is called 'One Final Prayer' and is featured as track 7 on the album. The other tracks he did are track 1, 'Within The World Of Dreams' and track 8, 'Fly Away'. Stay tuned for more news!"
The debut album from Tomorrow's Outlook, called 34613, was released through the leading Australian label Battlegod Productions in May 2012. The album features guest appearances by the legendary singers Michael Kiske (UNISONIC, ex-HELLOWEEN) and Graham Bonnet (MSG/RAINBOW/IMPELLITTERI).

Tracklist:
'As Darkness Falls (Intro)'
'Gate To Freedom'
'Glass Mountain'
'A Song For You'
'Doubt'
'The Ethereal Dream'
'34613 (Instr.)'
'White Lightning'
'Liquid Scream'
'Kill Again'
'March Of The Demons'
'Red Rum' (LIZZY BORDEN Cover)
'The Ethereal Dream (Reprise)'
For more on Tomorrow's Outlook visit Tomorrowsoutlook.com.

Montreal's BLACKGUARD are currently holed up in the studio working on their third official album, Storm. The band recently posted the following picture online:
"The mighty Morphin Morgan Lander from KITTIE graces us with her presence and jiu jitsu skills! Sounds killer!"

Rare live footage of Kittie's first ever performance with guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Trish Doan in 2005 has been unearthed and posted on YouTube. It was shot in at Call The Office in the band's hometown of London, Ontario. Check it out below:
On April 24th, Kittie's Morgan (vocals/guitars) and Mercedes Lander (drums) were featured guests on London Indie Underground. Fans can view the entire podcast below:

Norwegian heavy rockers WOLVES LIKE US will release a new 10" single, 'Get Gone', later this month. The black vinyl release - limited to 500 copies worldwide - includes the eight-minute title track and a colossal cover of QUICKSAND's 'Too Official'. The cover art was created by Polish artist Dawid Ryski.
Pre-orders will ship at the end of June, so grab yours from Prosthetic's US store here or European store here before they're gone.

The quartet have also unveiled a music video for the title track.
Wolves Like Us signed to Prosthetic Records in 2011. The group features ex-members of Norwegian acts AMULET, INFIDELS FOREVER, JR EWING and SILVER. The band are currently in an Oslo studio recording the follow-up to their 2011 debut Late Love. The new album is scheduled for release before year's end; more details will follow shortly.

Singer Cristina Scabia of Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL is currently "demoing some vocal ideas" on songs that are being written for the band's next studio album, tentatively due in 2014. She writes on Facebook: "You guys are gonna be blown away! AAAAARGH!"

LACUNA COIL's latest album, "Dark Adrenaline", sold around 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart. It marked the band's second CD with producer Don Gilmore (LINKIN PARK, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) at the helm.

"We changed producers on our last album, 'Shallow Life', and we wanted to work with Don," Scabbia told KNAC.COM. "I think that we wanted to change producers mainly to see what we could do with a different person. A producer is much like a teacher and we wanted to learn something new and we found that our goals and Don's were much the same. When listening to 'Dark Adrenaline', I can say that there is so much different. We are more experienced now and more confident in our sound and we get inspired to try to do more with each new record."

Asked about LACUNA COIL's approach to having two lead singers — Scabbia and Andrea Ferro — Cristina told Metal Sucks: "I think having two singers — one male and one female — gives you the opportunity to do something different. My voice might be more dreamy and angelic and nice, and Andrea's is more aggressive than mine. Of course, we are a man and a woman singing together. We don't sit down and think about how to share the parts. It comes out really naturally. To our ears, it's really easy to pick out what sounds better. There are parts that are better if he sings it, and the other way around, just the opposite. Sometimes I can write parts for him that he will sing, and he writes parts that I will sing on the actual final recording. We don't think too much about that. We don't want to force anyone to eat two meals at the same time. [laughs] We just treat our voices like two instruments that we can add to the composition. It doesn't really matter who sings what."