Italian thrash masters, Hyades, will release their new record, The Wolves Are Getting Hungry, via Italian label Punishment 18 Records today, June 29th. A new track promo teaser video can be found below.

Tracklisting:

"The Economist"
"Ignorance Is No Excuse"
"The Decay Of Mankind"
"The Apostles Of War"
"The Great Lie"
"Heavier Than Shit (Hyz IV)"
"Sing This Rhyme"
"Eight Beers After"
"The Wolves Are Getting Hungry"
"Hyades" (2015 version)

Check out Hyades on Facebook.

(Photo - Luca Palmera Colombo)

After having released the single for “Nocturnal Haven” (featuring Tommy Rogers of Between The Buried And Me), California’s Abnormal Thought Patters now reveal the video for “Distortions Of Perception”, off their new album Altered States Of Consciousness.

After their 2013 debut album Manipulation Under Anesthesia, Abnormal Thought Patterns show their creative magic’s with the new album Altered States Of Consciousness. Following the path of bands' debut, the Californians expand the framework of what progressive metal can be with their new album. The participation of well-known guests such as Tommy Rogers (Between The Buried And Me), Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, Nevermore), Michael Manring, Tim Roth (Into Eternity), and John Onder (Artension-MSG) confirms the special position Abnormal Thought Patterns have among their peers and expresses the quality-conscious attitude, which underlies all band activities.

 

 

Twin brothers Jasun (guitar) and Troy Tipton (bass) along with Mike Guy (drums) are the collective creative force behind Abnormal Thought Patterns. Prior to forming this group in 2008, the trio was the backbone of prog-metal powerhouse Zero Hour.

Altered State Of Consciousness is released today in Europe and June 30th in North America.

“Nocturnal Haven” video:

PowerPlay has just released their first single, “City Of Love”, from the new album All Those Years, which is set to be released on September 4th via Target Records. An official video for the track can be found below.

After 20 years of silence, the west coast rock group PowerPlay from Copenhagen, Denmark, is together again and returns with a new strong melodic AOR rock album, inspired by the sound and feel of bands like Toto, Journey, Supertramp and Starship

PowerPlay was founded in a basement in Hellerup, Copenhagen, in 1987 by Simon Dalberg (drums), Erik Thomsen (vocals), Kurt Lundgaard (guitar), and Peter Gjedde (keyboards). The music was heavily inspired by Toto, Journey, Starship and other West Coast bands of that time and with a twist from Supertramp, but always with a twist of pure energy and the desire to play and perform with own composed music.

PowerPlay had various bass players in the first years, but after a while the young and talented bass player Philip Stricker joined and brought new dimensions to the music. The band was constantly on the move and played in many underground places around Copenhagen like Umatic and Loppen, and became rather popular in those environments.

In 1991 PowerPlay won the music award ”Let’s Rock” in Trommen as the best performing act and with that title also a contract for a record at Werner Studio in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, due to some very sad circumstances, the band never came to the point of making the record, and as such Powerplay stopped their activities in 1992.

PowerPlay is now back after 20 years, and in the original setup: “We have never been better”, they say and actually PowerPlay is now ready to release a record with all new material – but for the fans from the good old days, there will be one or two oldies in new flashy clothes. So look forward to 10 great and melodic AOR rock songs on the album All Those Years, out in September.

This June, Eagle Rock Entertainment will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Who with the first ever DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Video release of Live At Shea Stadium 1982. This is the first official release of the full show and features restored footage and newly mixed sound.

The Who (Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Kenney Jones) delivered both classic tracks and rarely performed songs: “Pinball Wizard,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “My Generation,” “Substitute,” “Who Are You,” “I Can’t Explain,” “See Me Feel Me,” “Baba O’Riley,” and many more. The tour promoted the 1982 album It’s Hard and the set list was comprised of several tracks from that album, some of which the band would only play live on this tour.

Check out their classic “Behind Blue Eyes” below:

The Who’s 1982 North American tour was their last to feature Kenney Jones on drums and the band did not tour again until 1989. This concert film features the show from the second of their two nights at New York’s Shea Stadium and was filmed on October 13th 1982.

2015 is a year of even higher profile than usual for this legendary band - with their 50th Anniversary European/North American tour taking place this summer. Live At Shea Stadium 1982 shows exactly what their reputation has been built on.

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Substitute”  
“I Can’t Explain”  
“Dangerous”
“Sister Disco”  
“The Quiet One”  
“It’s Hard”  
“Eminence Front”  
“Behind Blue Eyes”
“Baba O’Riley”
“I’m One”  
“The Punk And The Godfather”  
“Drowned”  
“Tattoo”  
“Cry If You Want”  
“Who Are You”  
“Pinball Wizard”  
“See Me Feel Me”  
“Love Reign O’er Me”  
“Long Live Rock”
“Won’t Get Fooled Again”  
“Young Man Blues”  
“Naked Eye”  
“I Saw Her Standing There”   
“Summertime Blues”
“Twist And Shout”

 

UK rockers Ten have unveiled a new lyric video for the song “This Love” below. The track can be found on the band's 12th studio album, Isla De Muerta, out now via Rocktopia Records.

Named after the mythical Island Of The Dead from Pirate legend and as the title would suggest, this time around the album has a very piratical, seafaring feel. In true classic Ten style, the album opens with the atmospheric “Buccaneers” instrumental and segues straight into the cinematic “Dead Men Tell No Tales”. Any fans of Ten and their expanding catalogue will not be disappointed. The album cover was illustrated by Gaetano Di Falco.

 

 
A 16 minute video featuring song samples from the album can be heard below. The European edition Isla De Muerta includes the bonus track “We Can Be As One”.

 

Isla De Muerta will be the second outing for this current lineup and sees the boys build upon the foundation stones laid by their Albion release.

Ten are:
Gary Hughes - vocals
Dann Rosingana - guitars
Steve Grocott - guitars
John Halliwell - guitars
Steve Mckenna - bass
Darrel Treece-Birch - keyboards
Max Yates - drums

 

Israel-based thrash metallers, Hammercult, will release their brand new studio album Built For War via Steamhammer / SPV on the following dates:

Europe / Germany: August 28th
US / Canada: September 4th

Built For War will be available in three different physical formats (tracklistings below):

1. Jewelcase CD
2. Ltd. Edition digipac CD + DVD (live in Tel Aviv)
3.) Ltd. Edition LP version - coloured 180gr. vinyl (red), printed inner sleeve, 1 vinyl only bonus track, CD in paper sleeve included (Ltd. to 500 copies worldwide!)

Vocalist Yakir Von Hammer explains: “Every song on the album is the kind of pumping anthem which Hammercult are known for – but this time we’ve taken the songs to different places, with a more melodic and more original approach which really stands out. The vocals on Built For War are very unique and range from screams to growls, hardcore shouts to clean vocals – which I honestly believe has never been done before by a single performer. If I had to summarize Built For War in a single sentence it would be ‘Destruction meets Manowar in an explosive mix of extreme music and true metal.’”

Digi tracklisting:

CD
“From Parts Unknown (Intro)”
“Rise Of The Hammer”
“I Live For This Shit”
“Spoils Of War”
“Ready To Roll”
“Raise Some Hell”
“Blackened Blade”
“Let It Roar”
“Ode To Ares (Interlude)”
“Altar Of Pain”
“Blood And Fire”
“Saturday Night Circle Pit Fight”
“Road To Hell”

DVD (live in Tel Aviv 2014)
“Hymn To The Steel”
“Steelcrusher”
“Diabolic Overkill”
“Metal Rules Tonight”
“Into Hell”
“Black Horseman”
“We Are Hammercult”
“Let The Angels Burn”
“Stealer Of Souls”

CD tracklisting:
“From Parts Unknown (Intro)”
“Rise Of The Hammer”
“I Live For This Shit”
“Spoils Of War”
“Ready To Roll”
“Raise Some Hell”
“Blackened Blade”
“Let It Roar”
“Ode To Ares (Interlude)”
“Altar Of Pain”
“Blood And Fire”
“Saturday Night Circle Pit Fight”
“Road To Hell”

LP tracklisting:

Side 1
“From Parts Unknown (Intro)”
“Rise Of The Hammer”
“I Live For This Shit”
“Spoils Of War”
“Ready To Roll”
“Raise Some Hell”
“Blackened Blade”

Side 2
“Let It Roar”
“Ode To Ares (Interlude)”
“Altar Of Pain”
“Blood And Fire”
“Saturday Night Circle Pit Fight”
“Road To Hell”
“Evil Has No Boundaries” (Vinyl only bonus track, Original by Slayer)

Although as a band Nordjevel is a newcomer to the scene, the individual musicians definitely are not. With a lineup that includes Djevel (Svartelder, Doedsvangr) on vocals, Nord (Fatal Impact, Byrdi) on guitars and bass, and Fredrik Widigs on drums, Nordjevel have not wasted any time in getting down to writing and recording material for their debut full-length album. Nor have they wasted any time in allowing fans to have a taste of what to expect from this combination of Norwegian and Swedish musicians, and have today debuted the track "Denne Tidløse Krigsdom" via a video by Prometheus Art & Design (see below).

Nordjevel, which translated means Northern Devil, was formed by Djevel and Nord earlier this year, when, after having had various conversations, they found that their views on Black Metal, the Occult and the origins of Norway were perfectly in synch. When the idea of the band was mentioned to Swedish drummer Fredrik Widigs, he was interested enough to join the lineup. Although his commitments to his other projects preclude him from committing to appearing live with the band, he will nevertheless be a full-time studio member of Nordjevel and contribute significantly to writing and arranging the music along with Djevel and Nord.

 
The band are currently in the pre-production stage of their debut album, which will be titled "Djevelen I Nord" and includes guest appearances from Troll’s Nagash amongst others. A label is currently being sought.
 

From the 18 And Live Tour in Sioux Falls, SD on June 25 at The District, Sebastian Bach and the boys wanted to do a little jamming so they fired up “Fire” from Jimi Hendrix.

 

Bach recently checked in with the following update:

"We are pleased to welcome guitarist Jeff Kollman to the band! I first saw Jeff play with Chad Smiths' Bombastic Meat Bats at the Baked Potato in Studio City California a couple weeks ago. He plays in the Meat Bats along with my bass player Kevin Chown, who is also joining us tonight in Kansas City with Bobby Jarzombek on the drums. Jeff Kollman has played with Tony MacAlpine, Asia, to name a few. He's a shredder of the highest order and we are psyched to rock with him!" 

 
On June 10, Sebastian Bach performed in Seattle, WA and stopped the show mid-set after a poorly misguided (read: idiotic) fan got on stage, removed the band's setlist from Bach's monitor, and was thrown back into the audience by security. The incident was captured in the fan-filmed clip, found below, which was followed by Bach calling out the fan for his actions and expressing concern for a girl who was injured in the chaos.

Bach has added a string of live dates in Australia and New Zealand this September as part of his 18 And Live World Tour 2015. HIs schedule is as follows:

September
18 - Christchurch, New Zealand - Bedford
19 - Auckland, New Zealand - The Studio
22 - Brisbane, Australia - Tivoli Theatre
23 - Sydney, Australia - Metro Theatre
25 - Melbourne, Australia - Forum Theatre
26 - Adelaide, Australia - The Gov
27 - Perth, Australia - Astor Theatre

Tickets are available at this location.

Harper Collins has announced a January 19, 2016 release date for 18 And Life On Skid Row, the autobiography of former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach.

Last month a description of the 288-page book was posted online, which Bach was quick to dismiss as unofficial; complete details can be found here. It's since been replaced by the following authorized blurb:

18 And Life on Skid Row tells the story of a boy who spent his childhood moving from Freeport, Bahamas to California and finally to Canada and who at the age of eight discovered the gift that would change his life. Throughout his career, Sebastian Bach has sold over 20 million records both as the lead singer of Skid Row and as a solo artist. He is particularly known for the hit singles I Remember You, Youth Gone Wild, & 18 & Life, and the albums Skid Row and Slave To The Grind, which became the first ever hard rock album to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and landed him on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Bach then went on to become the first rock star to grace the Broadway stage, with starring roles in Jekyll & Hyde, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Show. He also appeared for seven seasons on the hit television show The Gilmore Girls.

In his memoir, Bach recounts lurid tales of excess and debauchery as he toured the world with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Soundgarden, Pantera, Nine Inch Nails and Guns N' Roses. Filled with backstage photos from his own personal collection, 18 And Life on Skid Row is the story of hitting it big at a young age, and of a band that broke up in its prime. It is the story of a man who achieved his wildest dreams, only to lose his family, and then his home. It is a story of perseverance, of wine, women and song and a man who has made his life on the road and always will. 18 And Life On Skid Row is not your ordinary rock memoir, because Sebastian Bach is not your ordinary rock star.

Reactivated ‘80s rockers Autograph are currently working on two new songs titled “Every Generation” and “Watch It Now”. These are the third and fourth new songs from the band this year and they are looking forward to sharing them with fans soon.

Autograph’s next live show is July 10 at The Retro Theatre in Glendive, Montana.

Autograph released their new single, “I Lost My Mind In America”, in April. This second track from the band's new lineup, consisting of Steve Lynch on lead guitar and vocals, Randy Rand on bass and vocals, Simon Daniels on lead vocals and guitar and Marc Wieland on drums, will be available via iTunes, Amazon, etc.

Check out a teaser video below:

 

Slovakian prog rock band Persona Grata have released an official video for an edited version of their song "Orient Express", which can be viewed below. The original 9:31 version of the song can be found on the band's latest album, Reaching High Places Above.

Check out audio samples from the album here. The tracklist is as follows:

"Ace"
"Edge of Insanity"
"Istanbul"
"Orient Express"
"Venice"
"I Am You"

Persona Grata will perform at the Prague Sounds Good festival today (June 28th) in Prague, Czech Republic at the O2 Arena. They will support Dream Theater and Black Star Riders, more bands are due to be announced soon. Go to this location for ticket information.

Event details and updates can be found here.

Rock Meets Classic flute player Nina Sivošová, the resident rocker within the ranks of the Bohemian Orchestra Prague, joined Persona Grata in early 2014. She played her first official show with the band on May 17th, 2014 in Nitra, Slovakia. Fan-filmed video is available below:

Go to this location for information and updates on Persona Grata.

"Hammer Of The Witches", the eleventh studio album from British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH, will be released on July 10 via Nuclear Blast.

A track from the CD, "Enshrined In Crematoria", can be streamed below.

Comments CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Flith: "Lyrically, the track 'Enshrined In Crematoria' is hilted in the legendary Ark Of The Tragedian, the poet's Holy Grail. It is the author's inspiration personified as a tombed angel, much like that of Poe's pale obsession, and the magickal 'midnight' ritual wherein she is conjured forth as a reincarnation of his lost love, to provide forbidden artistic sustenance. It is imagination's utter peak and fuel for a literal literary madman. 'Enshrined In Crematoria' is at essence the first of guitarist Richard Shaw's contributions to the new album, before the full band took it by the teeth and spat it into light."

"Hammer Of The Witches" will be made available on jewel case CD, limited-edition digipak, mail-order edition and 2LP vinyl.

"Hammer Of The Witches" track listing: 01. Walpurgis Eve02. Yours Immortally…03. Enshrined In Crematoria04. Deflowering The Maidenhead, Displeasuring The Goddess05. Blackest Magick In Practice06. The Monstrous Sabbat (Summoning The Coven) 07. Hammer Of The Witches08. Right Wing Of The Garden Triptych09. The Vampyre At My Side10. Onward Christian Soldiers11. Blooding The Hounds Of Hell Limited-edition digipak cd and vinyl bonus tracks:

12. King Of The Woods13. Misericord

Regarding the "Hammer Of The Witches" cover, Filth said: "The artwork for 'Hammer Of The Witches' was created by Latvian artist Arthur Berzinsh and is a lavish walk-through of the lyricism, drawing on rich renaissance themes and displaying them in beautiful-yet-unsettling scenarios. Half of the detailed pieces are totally original for the release, others are Berzinsh classics cunningly tailored to the themes of the album, which are themes rife with heady witchcraft, be it persecution, retribution or unfettered spiritual liberation. The female form is rampant throughout the artwork, unashamedly displayed in its classical rendition of beauty... and horror." Arthur Berzinsh is best known for his defiant neo-symbolism raster graphics and oil paintings, postmodern interpretations of classic myths and refined hooliganism in the playground of contemporary art. He has been proclaimed as a "sacred monster of Latvian postmodernism." And rightly so, his visually expressive and mannerly works tend to trigger emotions which can make thoughts fidget and wriggle, unable to find a comfortable position among the impressions gathered. His creative work is characterized by a varied range of voluptuous erotica, intensified imagery, dream-like scenes and decorativeness weighed down by visual metaphors and contrasts teetering on the edge of symbolism. Arthur Berzinsh explains his artwork and concepts: "In terms of mood, I was looking for the inspiration of this set in the spirit of Faustian romanticism, the ambivalent art of renaissance that reanimated motives of pagan mythology after the Middle Ages, and, of course, the darkly beautiful and charming spirit of Goetia traditions that is filled with the atmosphere of hermetical rituals.

"My personal conceptual leitmotif that inspires me is a conflict between the free-thinking and totalitarianism, where the raw power always gains the upper hand over individualism.

"The act of art is a theurgical act that creates existence in the Platonic reality — reality of ideas. So, at least in this Platonic dimension let’s give the suppressed ones a chance to get their revenge.

"For me, the Goat of Mendes on the cover symbolizes the scapegoat who's tired of his humiliating role and wants a payback. This character is an archetypical symbol of libido and other primordial forces and instinctive aspects of a human being. And these forces always have been a menace for those who want to reign over the others, like it's schematically represented in George Orwell's '1984'." "Hammer Of The Witches" will mark the first release with CRADLE OF FILTH's new lineup, which includes new guitarists Ashok (of Czech groups ROOT and INNER FEAR) and Richard Shaw (of English acts EMPEROR CHUNG and NG26).

CRADLE OF FILTH is:

Dani Filth - VocalsRichard Shaw - GuitarAshok - GuitarDaniel Firth - BassMartin Skaroupka - DrumsLindsay Schoolcraft - Keys, Female Vocals

The lyric video for the song "Blow Me Wide Open" from SAINT ASONIA, the new act featuring ex-THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier and STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, can be seen below. The track is taken from SAINT ASONIA's self-titled debut album, which will be released on July 31 via RCA. The album is available now for pre-order here; fans who pre-order the album now will receive the band's debut single, "Better Place" and "Blow Me Wide Open", immediately.

Produced by Johnny K. (SEVENDUST, DISTURBED, MEGADETH), the majority of "Saint Asonia" was co-written by Gontier and Mushok.

Talking about the album, Mushok explains: "I'm really proud that we created such a cohesive body of work. I hope when people hear it they want to see a show! That's why you do it."

Adds Gontier: "The experience of making this music was a chance for me to freely express myself without any filters for the first time… It's different from anything either of us have done in the past. It's something that I think rock music needs right now. It's raw, real, and straight from our hearts."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SAINT ASONIA started out as just Gontier and Mushok writing music together with no plans beyond that. But Gontier told The Pulse Of Radio that the moment arrived when they knew SAINT ASONIA could be a band. "When we got into the studio to record a couple of songs, we recorded three songs, and when they were done, I think that was probably the moment where we were like, 'Okay, so we've just recorded three songs, they turned out really good, we have another 10, let's do this,'" he said. "Obviously, Mike being basically on hiatus from STAIND for who knows how long, it just seemed to make sense."

SAINT ASONIA also includes STUCK MOJO and DARK NEW DAY bassist Corey Lowery and FINGER ELEVEN drummer Rich Beddoe.

Asked about calling the band a "supergroup," Gontier said, "We're more like refugees that just really hit it off creatively."

The group played its first live show at Rock On The Range in Columbus, Ohio last month.

Mushok told the Boise, Idaho radio station 100.3 The X Rocks about SAINT ASONIA's forthcoming debut album: "I'm super proud of the way the record came out. I think it definitely exceeded what we were trying to accomplish; we definitely did it. I mean, the record kind of runs the gamut — there's some pretty heavy stuff, and there's a couple of songs on there that are just beautiful songs."

Gontier has kept a low profile since leaving THREE DAYS GRACE in December 2012. The band replaced him with Matt Walst and recently released a new album called "Human".

Mushok's band, STAIND, has not released new music since 2011 and as of last December had no plans to return to the studio. Mushok played briefly in 2013 with ex-METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted in his self-named band.

Beddoe exited FINGER ELEVEN in late 2013. The Canadian act recorded a new album late last year but release details are yet to be announced.

Lowery's resume includes stints with STUCK MOJO, SWITCHED, STEREOMUD, DARK NEW DAY and most recently EYE EMPIRE.

"Saint Asonia" track listing:

01. Better Place02. Blow Me Wide Open03. Live My Life04. Even Though I Say05. Fairy Tale06. King Of Nothing07. Waste My Time08. Dying Slowly09. Trying To Catch Up With The World10. Happy Tragedy11. Leaving Minnesota

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

OPERATION: MINDCRIME, the new band led by former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate, will release its debut album, "The Key", on September 18 via Frontiers Music Srl.

A trailer for the CD is available below.

Named after QUEENSRŸCHE's epic concept album from 1988, "Operation: Mindcrime", Tate's new band features John Moyer (DISTURBED), drummers Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO) and Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, OZZY OSBOURNE), keyboardist Randy Gane (MYTH), and guitarists Kelly Gray (QUEENSRYCHE 1998 - 2001, 2012 - 2014) and Scott Moughton. The CD includes special appearances by David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Mark Daily and Scott Mercado.

OPERATION: MINDCRIME last Thursday (June 25) filmed a video for an as-yet-undisclosed song from "The Key". The clip is one of two OPERATION: MINDCRIME videos which are being produced and directed by Seattle filmmaker and documentarian Jamie Burton Chamberlin (of Black Dahlia Films), who previously worked with DUFF MACKAGAN'S LOADED on "The Taking" series.

"The Key" will be the first part of OPERATION: MINDCRIME's trilogy project which Tate began recording in 2014.

Tate, who was fired from QUEENSRŸCHE in June 2012, told Heavy Metal Television about the upcoming trilogy: "I love writing stories, and I love creating musical stories, and I wanted to do something that was very in-depth. As it looks, it's gonna take about three records to cover this story."

He continued: "It's an international story set in many places around the world. And it's a bit of a mystery that I think will be interesting to follow along to see if they can solve.

"I know I always like mysteries; I like to see if I can figure out what's happening and where things are going."

Tate added: "I think it's gonna be one of the coolest things I've ever done. I'm very excited about the music. It's very intense and very progressive, very heavy, very light… It kind of covers a lot of ground, which I think a story should. I mean, a story shouldn't be static; it should have different movements to it, and it should have different shades of color, so that's what this hasm and it's written with that in mind."

Tate, who has always enjoyed telling stories though his music, considers the creation of the forthcoming trilogy one of his biggest and most ambitious works to date. "I tried to reduce the story and eventually got it down to 37 ideas that needed representing to complete the story," commented Geoff. "I knew that one record wouldn't cover it and that it would have to be a trilogy."

Fan-filmed video footage of EXODUS's June 25 performance at the Academy 3 in Manchester, England can be seen below.

Guitarist Gary Holt was unable to join his EXODUS bandmates during the group's current European tour due to his commitments with SLAYER. Replacing him on the trek is HEATHEN's Kragen Lum.

EXODUS's latest album, "Blood In Blood Out", sold around 8,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in North America on October 14, 2014 via Nuclear Blast, the CD art was illustrated by Swedish artist Pär Olofsson, known worldwide for his incredible renderings that have graced the covers of countless heavy metal albums, including EXODUS' "Let There Be Blood".

"Blood In Blood Out" is EXODUS' first album since the departure of the band's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of his predecessor, Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

EXODUS and TESTAMENT recently joined forces for the "Dark Roots Of Thrash II" tour. The trek conquered North America for five weeks, beginning April 1 in San Francisco, and included select TESTAMENT and EXODUS festival performances. Support on the tour came from Texas melodic metal assailants SHATTERED SUN.

Former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe joined Alice Cooper on stage yesterday (Sunday, June 28) at the Tuska open-air festival in Helsinki, Finland to perform the classic Cooper song "School's Out". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Michael Monroe will release his new studio album, "Blackout States", on Friday, October 16 via Spinefarm Records. The 13-track follow-up to 2013's "Horns And Halos" was produced by Chips Kiesbye (HELLACOPTERS, NOMADS) in Gothenburg, Sweden, and mixed by Petri Majuri in Helsinki, Finland. With "Blackout States", Monroe's current touring and recording outfit — comprised of bassist Sami Yaffa (ex-HANOI ROCKS, NEW YORK DOLLS), guitarist Steve Conte (ex-NEW YORK DOLLS, COMPANY OF WOLVES), guitarist Rich Jones (ex-BLACK HALOS, AMEN), and drummer Karl Rockfist (ex-CHELSEA SMILES, DANZIG) — provided strong creative support for a groundbreaking artist whose reputation continues to flourish. Many of rock's most noted performers, including Dave Grohl and Slash, have cited Monroe's unwavering drive and three-decade-plus career as a genuine source of inspiration.

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have just released the official video for the song "You Want A Battle? (Here's A War)", from their highly anticipated new album, "Venom", which is due out on August 14 via RCA. Check it out below.

Directed and edited by Stuart Birchall (BRING ME THE HORIZON, YOUNG GUNS) and produced by Nathan Killham of Kode Media, "You Want A Battle? (Here's A War)" is a narrative video that shines a light on domestic violence and abuse. "I have always wanted to work with BULLET and I knew after talking with Matt [Tuck] that the style of storytelling I had in mind was very well suited to their own ideas," says Birchall.

"The band and label were very respectful of the creative process and allowed me to develop and refine concepts until we had the perfect fit.

"We were all keen on making a bold, dark statement about abuse that would resonate with a wide audience and complement this with a stylish performance. Everyone involved worked hard to bring the vision to life.

"It is always humbling to work with such dedicated cast and crew. As a filmmaker, being trusted and given creative freedom by the artist to interpret their message is where the most powerful work is done." "You Want A Battle? (Here's A War)" follows BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's recently released track "No Way Out", which has quickly become a favorite with fans around the world. Both songs are featured on the band's long-awaited fifth studio album, which was produced by Carl Bown and Colin Richardson (SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM).

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck revealed to Billboard.com that "You Want A Battle? (Here's A War)" is about being bullied — something that he experienced a lot while at school because he "was not a really cool kid. I was into heavy metal music and had long hair."

Tuck wrote the track to reassure fans that bullying "happens to everybody, and it's not a nice place to be when that happens. It took me a long time to actually pluck up the courage mentally and physically to stand up for myself, so it was kind of momentous moment for me. I had lost all these battles in my young life, and all of a sudden I was growing into a young man. I was able to stand up for myself and defend myself, and the band actually became something big and special and just like the biggest 'fuck you' to everyone. That's what that song's about, really. It's about going through hard times and coming through the other side."

"You Want A Battle? (Here's A War)" lyrics:

We will not take this anymoreThese words will never be ignoredYou want a battleHere's a war

Down eyes of shameMade to feel dead againYour words cut deepYour lies are fuelled by your need for deceitToo scared to speakYou're only alive when you torture the weak Now hear me roar

I will not take this anymoreThese words will never be ignoredYou want a battleHere's a war

Don't be afraidNo remorse, no restraintThese scars won't healNow you're the victim I'm making you feelLike you are meI need you to know what you've done can you hear?Can you hear me roar?

Don't suffer in your silenceKnow you are never alone [End of lyrics]

Tuck acknowledged that the group's fans wanted to hear "a more angry, aggressive" sound this time around than the material on BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's 2013 effort, "Temper Temper". "People were wanting a pissed-off band, and it's hard to write stuff like that when I don't feel like that on a personal level," he explained. "So it was more visiting these places and writing this style of song which I did before the band got signed, which ultimately got us where we are today. It was just taking that onboard and making a conscious effort to do something that wasn't very nice."

He continued: "Some of the most horrible, nasty lyrics are some of the [band's] most popular songs" — tracks like "Tears Don't Fall", "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)" and "Four Words (To Choke Upon)". "It's weird how people have such a strong reaction and a positive reaction to songs or lyrics which aren't very nice at all, but I guess that's why people love our band in the first place."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE will join SLIPKNOT's "Summer's Last Stand" tour later this year, along with LAMB OF GOD and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. The trek kicks off on July 24 in West Palm Beach, Florida, wrapping up six weeks later on September 5 in Dallas.

"Eyes Of The Young", the new video from IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's solo/side project BRITISH LION, can be seen below (courtesy of Planet Rock). The song is taken from BRITISH LION's debut album, which sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 3 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"British Lion" was released in the U.S. on September 25, 2012 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Mixed by Kevin Shirley — whose credits include IRON MAIDEN as well as Led ZEPPELIN, JOURNEY and RUSH, among many others — the CD, which features Harris alongside vocalist Richard Taylor, guitarists Graham Leslie and David Hawkins and drummer Simon Dawson, presents a different side of the bassist's musical visions.

"British Lion" comprises ten songs that Steve and his collaborators have been working on between IRON MAIDEN tours and releases and is described by Harris as "'70s-influenced, British-sounding hard rock." "I'd say it's more mainstream rock than metal... and quite commercial… but good commercial," he said. "There's all kinds of stuff going on, with nods to THE WHO and UFO and some classic British rock bands, but it's not the progressive rock album some might be expecting."

"British Lion" track listing: 01. This Is My God02. Lost Worlds03. Karma Killer04. Us Against The World05. The Chosen Ones06. A World Without Heaven07. Judas08. Eyes Of The Young09. These Are The Hands10. The Lesson

BRITISH LION will embark on a 22-date U.K. tour on July 29. Support on the trek will come from THE RAVEN AGE, the band led by Steve's son George Harris.

Said Steve: "As MAIDEN fans know, the band is unable to tour this year so I thought I'd do some BRITISH LION live dates and make it a full U.K. tour this time round so we could get to places we didn't get a chance to play during the previous tours.

"We have a lot of fun doing the BRITISH LION shows and we're playing clubs again to keep that same vibe and intimacy which the fans seem to love as much as we do.

"We have some new songs in the setlist, so are really looking forward to getting out there and seeing everyone!"

The dates are as follows:

Jul. 29 - Harlow, England - The SquareJul. 30 - Bristol, England - BierkellerJul. 31 - Cardiff, Wales - UniAug. 02 - Birmingham, England - Rainbow WarehouseAug. 04 - Chester, England - Live RoomsAug. 05 - Lincoln, England - Engine ShedAug. 07 - Manchester, England - Club AcademyAug. 08 - Newcastle, England - The RiversideAug. 09 - Edinburgh, Scotland - Studio 24Aug. 10 - Aberdeen, Scotland - Lemon TreeAug. 12 - York, England - DuchessAug. 13 - Blackburn, England - King Georges Hall Windsor SuiteAug. 14 - Doncaster, England - Diamond Live LoungeAug. 15 - Grimsby, England - YardbirdsAug. 16 - Nottingham, England - Rescue RoomsAug. 18 - Colchester, England - Arts CentreAug. 20 - Oxford, England - O2 Academy 2Aug. 21 - Plymouth, England - The HubAug. 22 - Southampton, England - 1865Aug. 23 - Poole, England - Mr KypsAug. 24 - Norwich, England - The WaterfrontAug. 26 - London, England - O2 Academy Islington

Fan-filmed video footage of AC/DC's June 25 performance in Berlin, Germany can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Rock Or Bust 02. Shoot To Thrill 03. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be 04. Back In Black 05. Play Ball 06. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 07. Thunderstruck 08. High Voltage 09. Rock 'N' Roll Train 10. Hells Bells 11. Baptism By Fire 12. You Shook Me All Night Long 13. Sin City 14. Shot Down In Flames 15. Have A Drink On Me 16. T.N.T. 17. Whole Lotta Rosie 18. Let There Be Rock

Encore:

19. Highway To Hell 20. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

AC/DC's sixteenth studio album, "Rock Or Bust", has sold around 535,000 copies since debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard album chart back in December.

It's the band's first album without founding guitarist Malcolm Young, who is suffering from dementia. He has been replaced by nephew Stevie Young.

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was arrested last November at his home in Tauranga on charges of threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.

Although Rudd played on "Rock Or Bust", he did not appear in photos or videos for the disc.

One-time AC/DC drummer Chris Slade officially joined the band's lineup for its performance on the February 8 Grammy Awards telecast. Slade is also behind the kit for the group's current world tour.

The band will return to North America later this summer for 13 more tour dates, starting on August 22 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts and wrapping up on September 28 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Each episode of Digital Tour Bus's "Bus Invaders" takes you inside the touring vehicle of one of today's top touring acts. In the latest episode, which was filmed on May 20 in Chicago, Illinois, ANTHRAX's Frank Bello and Joey Belladonna give you a tour of their band's bus while on the road in North America with VOLBEAT and CROBOT.

ANTHRAX's long-awaited follow-up to 2011's "Worship Music" album is tentatively due in late 2015 or early 2016. The 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 drummer Charlie Benante recently told Pop-Break.com about the upcoming CD: "We have a title in mind and we have a concept for it and everything. One of the first songs that written for the record, the title became 'You Gotta Believe'. It had a part two to the song that I called 'The Evil Twin', because it reminded me of the other song and they flow so well into each other. Those two songs, they're both old-school thrash metal songs, but they're done in a modern way. Those are two of my favorite songs on the record and they're long and really ferocious. There's another song that clocks in at seven minutes and it's one of my favorite songs on the record, because it takes you on a musical journey. I'm really excited about some of these longer songs, and, of course, the songs that are fast are just extremely aggressive. I'm just happy about the way this is all coming out."

We're sorry to inform You that Americans MASTODON will not play our festival this year despite their earlier confirmation. The reason is the band was offered great opportunity to tour the whole Canada on the same dates our festival takes place. Our negotiations led only to the conlusion that MASTODON will postpone their appearance to 2016. We're very sorry but this situation was beyond our control. We're working on getting another bands instead but the situation is very unfortunate. Regarding the line-up for this year, we want to pursue strong 'medium size bands' line-up. This is our goal. In other news MUSHROOMHEAD and EMMURE also cancelled their show but we're already negotiating about proper replacements.

ABBATH, the new band led by IMMORTAL frontman Olve Eikemo (a.k.a. Abbath), made its live debut last night at the Tuska open-air metal festival in Helsinki, Finland.

Bass duties for ABBATH are being handled by a man familiar to metal fans across the world — Tom Cato Visnes, more widely known as King Ov Hell and main composer for several GORGOROTH albums as well as his own bands OV HELL, with singer Shagrath from DIMMU BORGIR, and GOD SEED, with exceptional black metal vocalist Gaahl. His fellow GOD SEED member and BORKNAGAR percussionist, Baard Kolstad, has also joined ABBATH on drums.

At Tuska, ABBATH premiered a brand new song titled "Fenrir Hunts" alongside classic IMMORTAL material, including "One By One". A handful of songs from Abbath and King's 2006 project I were performed live for the first time.

The group's setlist was as follows:

01. Warriors (I cover)02. Battalions (I cover)03. Fenrir Hunts (new song)04. One By One (IMMORTAL cover)05. Tyrants (IMMORTAL cover)06. Cursed We Are (I cover)07. In My Kingdom Cold (IMMORTAL cover)08. Hordes To War (IMMORTAL cover)09. Withstand The Fall Of Time (IMMORTAL cover)

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

ABBATH is:

Abbath (vocals/ guitar)King (bass)Creature (drums)

ABBATH announced that he was moving forward under his own name earlier this year. The IMMORTAL frontman and songwriter will enter the studio this summer to record ABBATH's debut album, which will be released in early 2016 via Season Of Mist.

Abbath last year claimed that he rightfully attempted to secure exclusive rights to the IMMORTAL name and logo after lyricist/guitarist Demonaz (real name Harald Nævdal) and drummer Horgh (real name Reidar Horghagen) effectively quit the legendary Norwegian black metal group.

IMMORTAL's core trio consisting of Abbath, Demonaz and Horgh had been together since 1996 and has been responsible for crafting the band's last five albums: "Blizzard Beasts" (1997), "At The Heart Of Winter" (1999), "Damned In Black" (2000), "Sons Of Northern Darkness" (2002) and the 2009 reunion album "All Shall Fall".

SHINEDOWN's new song "Cut The Cord" can be streamed below. The track, which is being released as a single today (Monday, June 29), is taken from the band's fifth album, to be released this summer via Atlantic. The record was produced by SHINEDOWN's Eric Bass and follows 2012's "Amaryllis", which produced No. 1 singles "Bully" and "Unity", as well as Top Five singles "Enemies", "I'll Follow You" and "Adrenaline".

SHINEDOWN will embark on a very special summer tour, the platinum-certified rock band's first major trek in more than two years. The dates will see SHINEDOWN visiting theatres and other intimate venues across the country, performing a unique set that will include classic hits, deep cuts, and best of all, new songs from upcoming CD. NOTHING MORE will serve as support on the bulk of the headlining dates.

SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith told The Pulse Of Radio a while back what he thinks makes for a successful live show. "The people that come and see the shows, they don't want to see you just stand there and look as if it's their privilege to see you," he said. "It's totally the other way around, and I think that you have to embody that and I think that you have to be very respectful of your fans, and I think that you have to literally give every single ounce of your mind, body and soul on that stage, and quite frankly they don't deserve anything less."

Video footage of ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna's classic-rock covers band called CHIEF BIG WAY performing renditions of songs by ALICE IN CHAINS, LED ZEPPELIN, AC/DC and DIO, among others, can be seen below. The upstate New York-based group, which features Belladonna, on drums and vocals, is rounded out by Dave Mickelson on bass, Joe Precourt on guitar and John Goodwin on keyboards.

In a 2011 interview with Attention Deficit Delirium, Belladonna stated about CHIEF BIG WAY: "It's a three-piece, sometimes a four-piece with keyboards. We play TRIUMPH, DEEP PURPLE, RUSH, VAN HALEN, LED ZEPPELIN, THE WHO, PINK FLOYD, HENDRIX, CREAM, all classic stuff. We also do PRIEST, SABBATH and DIO. It's all older, straight-up-hits-type stuff. I'm on the drums with the [vocal] headset. There are no props and no gimmicks. I sing the whole night."

Asked if it's difficult to sing and play drums at the same time, Belladonna said: "It's not an easy thing. I never thought that I would sing and play 'Tom Sawyer' [RUSH] at the same time. Something that you think is easy to play is often not. 'Heartbreaker' by LED ZEPPELIN has so many different [drum] accents that have nothing to do with the song vocally. It's a good challenge."

Regarding whether singing different styles of music in his side projects is good for him, almost acting like "exercises" to keep his vocals in shape, Belladonna told Tricia Weight: "Yeah, it [is]. I mean, now I've got more projects than I've ever had. Even at home I sing to records, that's how I learned to do it anyhow, I used to pull out the coolest records and sing to 'em all day long, before I went out [on stage]. And I do it now, even [on the way] to the gig. If we've got an hour drive tonight — I'm rocking the stuff on the iPod all the way there!"

ANTHRAX's 2013 EP "Anthems" EP included the band's cover version of JOURNEY's "Keep On Runnin'" alongside classics by RUSH, THIN LIZZY, AC/DC, CHEAP TRICK and BOSTON.

Fan-filmed video footage of the first concert of DEF LEPPARD's U.S. tour, which kicked off on June 23 at Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheater in Tampa, Florida, can be seen below.

LEPPARD is currently headlining a massive summer tour with STYX and special guests TESLA.

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell, who is continuing to battle cancer, missed the first couple of shows of the trek due to treatment and was temporarily replaced by TRIXTER guitarist Steve Brown, who has been on hand to fill in for Campbell in the past.

Although Campbell was supposed to rejoin DEF LEPPARD on stage last night (Saturday, June 27) in Birmingham, Alabama, he missed the gig for reasons that are apparently unrelated to his cancer treatment.

DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott told The Pulse Of Radio that he preps strenuously before each and every one of the band's road trips. "I've seen a lot of people start a tour out, and then three days into the tour have to cancel at least a couple of gigs 'cause they've blown their voice out," he said. "So what I try and do is make the first gig we do actually the 20th that my body's done, and I have my blowout 17 days before the tour starts. It's a muscle. You've just got to stretch it and get it into shape."

DEF LEPPARD recently completed work on its eleventh album, which will be a self-titled affair. A fall release is expected.

BOBBY BLOTZER'S RATT EXPERIENCE, the new band led by RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer, made its live debut last night (Saturday, June 27) at Count's Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

BOBBY BLOTZER'S RATT EXPERIENCE is rounded out by Josh Alan (SIN CITY SINNERS), Scotty Griffin (ex-L.A. GUNS), Doc Ellis (Jizzy Pearl's LOVE/HATE) and 21-year-old guitar hero Blaze.

Each RATT EXPERIENCE show includes (depending on venue and time slot)

* A performance of RATT's "Invasion Of Your Privacy" album in its entirety to commemorate the record's 30th anniversary

* A never-before-seen video history introduction

* A tribute to late RATT guitarist Robbin "King" Crosby

* Over 20 songs, including some that have never been played live before

* Exclusive VIP meet-and-greet packages and opportunities to hang out with The Blotz!

For more information, visit Facebook.com/TheRattExperience.

Blotzer recently said that he decided to go out on the road and perform RATT's hits with the RATT EXPERIENCE after a disagreement over the ownership of the RATT name made it impossible for the original members of the group to work together.

During an appearance on the April 6 edition of Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM satellite radio show, "Eddie Trunk Live", Blotzer stated about RATT's split with singer Stephen Pearcy: "The problem that lies in RATT really is not just our lead singer. It's the fact that him and the bass player, Mr. Juan Croucier, they wanna own part of [the RATT] name. So, to me, it's just like going round and round… I'm not trying to pun on that, but it's just insane that we're still at this point now that we're five years [after the release of the 'Infestation' album]… We went out in 2013 and did about thirty dates… They were all huge… Festivals that we headlined, festivals that we opened for VAN HALEN, AEROSMITH, GUNS N' ROSES, etc. And then headlined arenas and that kind of thing."

Blotzer also talked about the dispute over the ownership of the RATT name which has caused a rift between the founding members of the band.

"Warren [DeMartini, guitar] and I… The reality of it is a corporation that we own owns [the RATT] name. WBS Inc., which we started out — Warren, Bobby and Stephen," he said. "That was WBS Inc. We did all the business for RATT through the corp… That was before [Stephen] sued us in 2000. In 2000, he left the band three days before the third leg of a tour. In doing that and then suing us as went out as RATT with a new singer [he ended up losing control over the RATT name]. He said, 'You know what?! I'm out. Go get a new singer.' And we did everything accordingly to corporate standards and corporate law. He lost the name in federal court. And I know he's out there slandering Warren and I, trying to suggest that we did something shady to get the name. I read that, and I'm, like, does this guy really not understand that he was in federal court for three weeks when he lost any ownership or ties to the name? But the bottom line is, the corporation that Warren and I own, that's who governs that name, so technically, him and I own the name."

According to Blotzer, he is willing to give up the rights to the RATT name in order to get the band back out on the road, but DeMartini is less willing to budge.

"I actually offered my name up. 'Take my ownership in this name. I don't care," Blotzer said. "I just wanna rock. I wanna work. I wanna play.'"

He continued: "The truth is really I've been trying very hard with the likes of Stephen… You know, I'm talking to these guys indivudally and nobody… It's just like a stalemate that nobody will bend on except me. And I'm not trying to slap myself on the back, but it's… It's kind of a scenario where I wanna play and I don't wanna go put some new original band together and go out where nobody knows who it is."

Blotzer added: "Warren has made it impossible to work, because he won't tour with a new singer. Let's just say, his position is he wants the original band to be the RATT out there. And I get it; I do too. You know?! But it's, like, well, dude, if they're not coming, then let's move ahead here. I wanna play. We can play big gigs, we can earn well, financially, with another singer. But I think he's playing this waiting game. He's waiting for Stephen and Juan to cave. I don't know… It's at a five-year standstill. And I'm, like, Pearcy's 58, I'm 56, Warren's four years younger than me, Croucier is a year and a half younger… Whatever. You know, it's, like, I don't wanna fuck around anymore. I wanna go and play for the fans, go and play for my family and my own just fun of working and earning the way I do with RATT.

"I think it's just not cool that these two guys… Well, actually, it's three, because Juan has cornered Stephen into this brainwashing thing that: 'Don't do it, dude. Don't do it. I know what's going on with this.'

"And if anybody thinks I'm out here spilling dirty laundry, I'm sorry you feel that way, but it you were in my shoes, maybe you'd feel a little different, 'cause it's kind of frustrating to have this much time and success and not be able to ride it out for the last lap, so to say, which Stephen always says. We're ten to twelve on the RATT clock here. Let's play the last ten years, or whatever we have."

Regarding his decision to go out with the RATT EXPERIENCE, Blotzer said: "You know, I thought about it across the board, and I just came to the reality that I am in RATT, I've been in RATT for 33 years, and that's who I am, and people would really, probably rather come and see me play RATT music. I wrote it with them — we all wrote it together… Depending on who you talk to, but the reality is we all wrote that music together, from bare riffs and built it on up."

He continued: "What I'm doing is playing our music, A, [and] B, playing stuff that these guys won't [play]. I don't mean that mean or anything, but the guys in the band were so closed-minded to playing so much of the great material that's between track 1 and 10. We've always done just the video songs, primarily. And trying to get Warren and Stephen to do this stuff has been monumentally hard. And when we would do it… Like playing the song 'Closer To My Heart', people love it. If Warren or Stephen thinks that the audience isn't responding to their Richter scale of sound and movement, then it's out. And it would just be usually about three days into a tour. So here I am with my vote, which is shot down the crapper. "

Blotzer added: "Everybody that's RATT fans out there, you all know that there are so many great tunes that we have that are not even really B-sides; they're just songs that are on the record that kick ass. And there are so many that I wanna play, and that's what… My idea's to go out and play those. Of course, play the obligatory songs that you have to play… And I don't mind playing them. I love 'em all. On the ones that are shorter sets, like if we get put on a festival and we have forty minutes or forty-five minutes. I wanna do… The fact that [RATT] missed going out for the thirty-year anniversary for 'Out Of The Cellar', and not doing that really bothered me. So here we are now on the thirty-year anniversary this year of when 'Invasion Of Your Privacy' came out and that tour, and I wanna go out and play that record from beginning to end. And if we have more time on headlining shows, then we're gonna frontload it and backload it… I don't wanna really give the ideas away, but that will be played in its entirety no matter what our time thing is."

Asked how he feels about the fact that Blotzer has assembled the RATT EXPERIENCE band which performs not only the RATT hits, but also several deep album cuts, including many songs that have never been played live, Pearcy told "The Classic Metal Show": "The remaining members really don't understand… You know, anybody can go out and play RATT music in cover bands or however they [wish], but if you're out there taking advantage of…. You know, 'I'm doing a tribute to this guy in the band who's no longer with us.' Or, 'I'm gonna do this…,' you know. And then we hear an ad [for the RATT EXPERIENCE] and they're playing just RATT music with my voice. You know, it's like… Well, you can't do that either. So, in a nutshell, it's not cool. But the guy, he can make a living — that's not a problem — but don't take advantage of the situation and mislead people and be out there saying fictitious things. And other than that, it doesn't bother me. I still get paid."

SLAYER performed two new songs — "Repentless" and "When The Stillness Comes" — live for the first time at the opening show of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival on Friday, June 26 at Sleep Train Amphitheater in Chula Vista, California. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

SLAYER's eleventh studio album, "Repentless", will be released on September 11 via Nuclear Blast. The CD's title track is now on sale digitally virtually everywhere, including on Amazon, iTunes and Google.

"Repentless" will be made available in a wide array of formats, as detailed below:

* Limited CD + Blu-ray digipak (includes Blu-ray of "Slayer Live at Wacken 2014" and the "Making of Repentless" documentary)* Limited CD + DVD digipak (includes DVD of "Slayer Live at Wacken 2014" and the "Making of Repentless" documentary)* Strictly limited 12-inch sized Box (includes CD + Blu-ray digipak, DVD, exclusive Repentless 12-inch picture vinyl, "Slayer Live at Wacken 2014" CD, 12-inch photo card, 12-inch fold-out poster)* CD jewel case* Vinyl in gatefold (audio mastered for vinyl)* Digital (all digital platforms)* Limited edition "Metal Eagle Edition"

The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco in collaboration with the band's Tom Araya and Kerry King.

The Metal Eagle Edition of "Repentless", is made of aluminum alloy, measuring 15" x 17" x 3" and weighing in at a hefty 7.8 pounds (yes, the final version is heavier than previously announced), the Metal Eagle Edition will house a deluxe digipak of the "Repentless" CD plus bonus material detailed below. The limited (only 3,000 copies worldwide) and numbered Metal Eagle Edition will be a direct-to-consumer item and available exclusively via the Nuclear Blast mailorder online store. The Metal Eagle will include the following exclusive items: * Deluxe digipak (folds out into "inverted cross")* Bonus Blu-Ray and DVD including "Slayer Live At Wacken 2014" and "Making Of Repentless Documentary"* Bonus live CD "Slayer Live At Wacken 2014"* Fold-out poster* Album sticker* Numbered certificate The highly anticipated "Repentless" is SLAYER's eleventh studio album, the first since 2009's critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated "World Painted Blood" and the first with producer Terry Date (PANTERA, SLIPKNOT, SOUNDGARDEN). The band — Tom Araya (bass, vocals), Kerry King (guitar), Paul Bostaph (drums), and Gary Holt (guitar), who recorded lead guitar parts for about a half-dozen of the album's new tracks — started recording "Repentless" in March 2014, and made the track "Implode" available as a free download in April of that year. The band and Date continued to record between September 2014 and mid-January 2015 at Henson Studios in Los Angeles. For the album, "Implode" was completely re-recorded from the ground up, and "When The Stillness Comes", used as an instrumental track in a Scion commercial, got a revamped intro and all new vocals.

"Repentless" also includes "Piano Wire", an unfinished song from the "World Painted Blood" sessions written by Hanneman. About the track, Rolling Stone wrote that it "begins with an eerie guitar line before evolving into a full-on-doom (and classic SLAYER) riff onslaught." King put it this way: "When I hear it, I think 'Jeff.' It sounds like a Jeff Hanneman song."

The 12-track "Repentless" is, according to those who have heard it, a sonic assault of brutal, ominous, lightening-fast and heavy-as-hell music with lyrics that unmask what SLAYER knows best — the terror, the corruption and the societal turmoil that dominates our world.

"The new album sounds like SLAYER," said Araya. "In the past, our fans have always known what to expect, this time they don't. But we really like it, and I don't think the fans are going to be disappointed."

Grammy Award-winning bass guitarist, vocalist, and founding member of YES, Chris Squire, has died after a battle with Acute Erythroid Leukemia (AEL), an uncommon form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). He was 67 years old.

Chris had been receiving treatment in his hometown of Phoenix since he was diagnosed with the disease in May.

Squire's YES bandmate Geoff Downes wrote on Twitter: "Utterly devastated beyond words to have to report the sad news of the passing of my dear friend, bandmate and inspiration Chris Squire."

YES has also released a statement on Squire's passing. It reads: "It's with the heaviest of hearts and unbearable sadness that we must inform you of the passing of our dear friend and YES co-founder, Chris Squire. Chris peacefully passed away last night in Phoenix Arizona, in the arms of his loving wife Scotty.

"For the entirety of YES' existence, Chris was the band's linchpin and, in so many ways, the glue that held it together over all these years. Because of his phenomenal bass-playing prowess, Chris influenced countless bassists around the world, including many of today's well-known artists. Chris was also a fantastic songwriter, having written and co-written much of YES' most endearing music, as well as his solo album, 'Fish Out Of Water'. Outside of YES, Chris was a loving husband to Scotty and father to Carmen, Chandrika, Camille, Cameron, and Xilan.

"With his gentle, easy-going nature, Chris was a great friend of many … including each of us. But he wasn't merely our friend: he was also part of our family and we shall forever love and miss him."

Squire formed YES in 1968 with singer Jon Anderson and has been the band's sole remaining co-founder, having played on all of the group's albums, including 1971's "Fragile", 1972's "Close To The Edge", 1977's "Going For The One" and 1983's "90125", which featured the No. 1 hit single "Owner Of A Lonely Heart".

Squire was recently replaced in YES's touring lineup by Billy Sherwood, who played guitar and keyboards as a touring member of YES in 1994 and as a full member from 1997 to 2000.

"This will be the first time since the band formed in 1968 that YES will have performed live without me," Squire said in a statement back in May. "But the other guys and myself have agreed that Billy Sherwood will do an excellent job of covering my parts and the show as a whole will deliver the same YES experience that our fans have come to expect over the years."

YES's co-headlining North American tour with TOTO will kick off on August 7 in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

As previously reported, Frontiers Music Srl will release "Like It Is - Yes At The Mesa Arts Center", a new concert recording from YES, on July 3 in Europe and July 10 in North America.

Available in 2CD/DVD, Blu-ray and digital formats, with a later release planned on vinyl too, this new live album, which follows a similar path to the successful release "Like It Is – Yes At The Bristol Hippodrome", sees two of the band's signature albums, 1971's "Fragile" and 1972's "Close To The Edge", performed live in their entirety on the band's 2014 world tour.

Recorded live on August 12, 2014 at the Ikeda Theater in Mesa, Arizona, featuring Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes and Jon Davison, "Like It Is - Yes At The Mesa Arts Center" offers an exciting take on two amazing pieces of music which include live staples such as "Roundabout", "Heart Of The Sunrise", "And You And I" and the epic "Close To The Edge".

Utterly devastated beyond words to have to report the sad news of the passing of my dear friend, bandmate and inspiration Chris Squire. #yes

— Geoffrey Downes (@asiageoff) June 28, 2015