Kaaos TV conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner before the band's June 4 concert in Helsinki, Finland. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether JUDAS PRIEST already has ideas for the follow-up to 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" album:

"Well, personally, I've always got ideas. I've always got… I've just recorded some ideas back in the dressing room. It might be PRIEST stuff, it might be something completely different, but you never know. You can put something down that doesn't necessarily sound like PRIEST, and we put it on the table for 'Redeemer', and if it works, and it's a great song, then we'll go with it, so you never really know. But we kind of get things together ourselves. We might go away and spend a bit of time alone and come up with some ideas, and then get together — me, Rob [Halford, vocals] and Glenn [Tipton, guitar] — and put all our ideas in the hat and see what we've got. Glenn might have an idea that'll go together with mine, and Rob's got a vocal idea, and that's how we, sort of, do it, really. So we get ideas on our own and build them up, really. And then we… not start from scratch, but we get to a point where we've put all our ideas together and then work with it from there. That's what we did with 'Redeemer Of Souls', anyway. So, yeah, I'm always coming up with stuff, and I'm sure the other guys are the same."

On whether PRIEST has already had "serious" discussions about making another studio album:

"Serious in the sense that we'll probably do one. We've discussed it. With the 'Redeemer Of Souls' sessions, we were coming up with song after song after song. I think there's eighteen tracks on the deluxe version, and I think we had twenty tracks. We didn't finish two; we had to cut off the writing process. So it was really creative. So, based on that, I think that we're pretty certain there will be another record. And we throw a few ideas around in terms of sounds of what direction we could go in, and we consider all possibilities, but nothing really locked in at the moment. I think the best thing for us to do would be… We've got some time off in August and September… or maybe early next year… just get into the studio and throw some ideas out and what we've got, and see where it takes us. And maybe a direction will take its shape from that. But, yeah, we talk about it. Me and Glenn talk about it, from a guitar point of view — what we could do, and what would be cool, and what could be diferent and unique. So we're definitely talking about it, yeah."

"Redeemer Of Souls" was released in July 2014. The follow-up to 2008's double-disc concept album "Nostradamus" was billed as a return to JUDAS PRIEST's heavy-metal roots.

"Redeemer Of Souls" sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

GUNS N' ROSES and SIXX: A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba took part in a workshop at this year's GearFest, which was held June 12-13 at Sweetwater's campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. You can watch video footage of his appearance below.

Speaking about how he landed the GUNS N' ROSES guitarist gig six years ago, Ashba said: "GUNS N' ROSES management called me, which, actually, was my personal manager too, so that kind of helped. But they said, you know, 'GUNS had been auditioning guitar players on the down low. They've been through over a hundred guitar players. Would you wanna come down and check it out?' And I honestly never saw myself doing it. I was, like, man, me and Axl [Rose, GUNS N' ROSES singer] are both from Indiana. I'd met him. Sharon Osbourne introduced me. When I was doing a BEAUTIFUL CREATURES record, they were next door doing the 'Chinese Democracy' record. And I was, like, 'Yeah, I'll go down. I'd love to see Axl again and say hi.' And he wasn't there, but he caught wind that I was gonna come down. And he called management and said, 'If he even shows up, he has the gig.' And that's kind of how it happened. It wasn't a real audition process, and I didn't even know that I was getting the gig. I just wanted to go down and, kind of, say hi to everybody."

He continued: "I didn't have a clue… Even after I accepted and everything, I had no idea that the shoes I was stepping into were pretty hardcore; it was a hardcore thing. I'd never read a bad thing about me on the Internet ever [before], and [now it was], like, 'You're not Slash. Fuck you!' And I'm, like, 'Oh, shit! This is a whole different thing.' I mean, that kind of blindsided me, 'cause my head wasn't even there. I was, like, 'I'm a fan of the band. I'm just trying to help keep that music alive.' But, you know, I finally slowly won those… some of them over, so it's good."

Ashba joined GUNS N' ROSES in March 2009 following the departure of Robin Finck.

Speaking to UnskinnyPop.com in May 2014, Ashba talked about what he feels is "the most misunderstood thing" about him. He said: "I don't really read a whole lot about myself other than what is on my social media stuff. People seem to know more about me than I know about me. I think people confuse me joining GUNS N' ROSES… I mean, I saw a few comments that said, 'Hey, he's trying to be Slash.' Well, that's not true in any way. I think he is his own person and I have a lot of respect for what he's done for the band as far as his guitar work and stuff. I grew up loving the band and that whole thing is kind of weird to me. I am obviously my own person and would do what anyone would do in my position and just keep the music alive, do whatever you can do to stay as true to that music as you possibly can, and I think that is the respectful thing to do. In my mind, that is where I'm coming from."

Launched in 2002, Sweetwater's free, annual GearFest is the nation's largest end-user-oriented music and pro audio festival, featuring exhibits from more than 400 manufacturers, workshops, clinics, seminars, live demos, special performances, a musician’s flea market, and much more.

This year's attendance was record-breaking, with more than 10,100 participants, up 27% over 2014.

Robert Cavuoto of Guitar International recently conducted an interview with original JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Guitar International: I understand you had your reasons for leaving [JUDAS PRIEST], but how did things go from the band retiring in 2010 with a "farewell" tour, to you leaving in 2011 and them continuing on?

Downing: I'm glad PRIEST is continuing on. I was so close to doing that tour, it wasn't funny. It was just one of those things. I had lots and lots of reasons for not continuing, as I wasn't content with things as they were. I wasn't happy with the band's live performance. I thought it could have been better; not that the fans would notice. To me, PRIEST was always a stealth machine and that's what I liked about it. Even though you get older, you still need to be able to deliver the goods. People came a long way and paid a lot of money to see us, so you've got to make sure you still give 110 percent. I thought that should be inherent and what it should always be.

Guitar International: Would you ever consider joining PRIEST for a special one-off show or perhaps join them on stage for a song or two?

Downing: [Laughs] No, I don't think that will ever, ever happen! Obviously I'm quite happy for Richie Faulkner to be in the band. But I really wasn't expecting to have someone who had so many familiarities as me, the looks and everything. At a glance, nothing too much has changed for the fans.

Guitar International: Can we expect a solo CD or hear you on someone's CD, as a guest performer?

Downing: It's hard for me to be creative in music. If I thought I was still coming up with good ideas and writing good stuff, it would probably still be befitting of PRIEST. It's hard after 40 years; we'll see what happens in time. I get lots of requests to perform on people's CDs. I had a bad time with the people from Cleopatra Records; they got me involved in a WHO tribute CD. The producer hacked the solos to death and then randomly put it into the song. On my site, you can hear what I originally did. I also did a solo on Geoff Tate's [QUEENSRŸCHE] CD. People have always asked me to do stuff, but I was always dedicated to PRIEST. It's great that people still remember me.

Read the entire interview at Guitar International.

In a brand new interview with RockSverige.se, RAMMSTEIN frontman Till Lindemann offered his thoughts on the current state of the music industry.

"The only thing I can say is that I don't wanna start a band these days," he said. "It's quite impossible to live off of it. The record companies don't give you a chance, like in the old days when they went, 'Here's a pile of money. Go make a good record!' Music these days, in my opinion, is fast produced and homemade and all digital and low budget. As a newcomer, you have no chance. Everything is cheap and low budget, in my opinion, and there's nothing good coming out these days, except for DJs. There's a whole new and modern DJ culture, like Skrillex and those guys. There's a total changeover in the music and the quality in music and the taste in music is totally different. We're never gonna see bands like LED ZEPPELIN or BLACK SABBATH again. It's over."

Lindemann's comments deviate slightly from those of JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford who said in a recent interview: "Will there be another great, big rock-star giant like Ozzy Osbourne? Will there be another great, big rock-star giant like Axl Rose, for example. Does that really matter? I don't know. But it's shifted, it's changed. The good news is there's an extraordinary display of talent coming from all different quarters in all different genres of rock and roll. So the future looks bright."

Halford added: "My mate Gene Simmons [KISS] said 'rock and roll is dead' [a few months] ago, which caused a bit of a ruckus. I don't believe it's dead. I think it's thriving, I think it's great, and I think the future's bright. Not only the bands that are coming up now, but the bands that are starting where we started forty years ago, making noise in the garage or whatever. It's great."

VENOM vocalist/bassist Conrad "Cronos" Lant echoed Halford's sentiments in a recent interview, saying: "I was telling some press guy recently, where the fucking hell are all the frontmen? Where have they gone? It seems like that's one of the biggest things that's missing at the minute, is where's the new people like... and I'm not saying copycat... but I'm saying the next charismatic figure. Where's the next Ozzy Osbourne? Where's the next fucking Alice Cooper? It's just girls at the fucking minute, 'cause when you see the stage show for artists like Pink and even these fucking Aguileras and all the rest of these fucking Katy Perrys, they are putting on incredible shows and they're fucking kick-ass bitches with a fucking attitude! And it's like, 'Wow!' Frontwomen. I'm up for that. [Laughs]"

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Rob Zombie will move way out of the horror genre with his next feature film. Zombie has reportedly acquired the rights to a memoir by Steve Stoliar called "Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho's House". The screenplay will be written by Oren Moverman, director of "The Messenger". The book tells the bizarre story of the last years in the life of Groucho Marx, told by a young Marx Brothers fan who spent those years as his personal secretary and archivist.

Zombie admitted to The Pulse Of Radio a while back that it's been tough for him to break out of the horror genre. "The movies I've made up to this point have been pretty dark and pretty much in that world because those are the opportunities that were presented," he said. "You know, the people that put up the money for these things know that if I stick to that sort of thing, it's easily more profitable. So it's a much bigger challenge to break out of it."

The book details the legendary comedian's declining years as well as the author's interactions with Zeppo and Gummo Marx, Mae West, George Burns, Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, Steve Allen and other entertainment icons.

Zombie, whose work has been solely in the horror genre until now, said, "I have been a huge Groucho Marx fan ever since I was a child and have read countless book on the comic legend… I immediately saw this project as Groucho's Sunset Boulevard and knew I had to bring it to the big screen. It is a sad, funny and very dark tale of a one of Hollywood's greatest stars' final years."

Zombie is currently on a short tour and in post-production on his latest horror film, "31".

The rocker/filmmaker has tried to switch film genres before with a project called "Broad Street Bullies". The film, which would chronicle the exploits of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team during the 1970s, has been unable to find financing.

Romanian occult black metal band, Ordinul Negru, have revealed the cover art for their upcoming full-length album, Sorcery Of Darkness, scheduled for a fall release via Loud Rage Music.

The band worked this time with talented Romanian artist Alexandru Das; together with the band members he designed a whole concept about the dark essence of things and emotions toward the unknown and will have quite a development when it will be ready.

The band’s 7th album, Sorcery of Darkness, will be a massive change in sound and attitude but will have the same dedication towards the black cult. The raw, primeval and abrasive sound was replaced by a more daring and modern approach, although trying to keep a spontaneous expression without exaggerate editing and post-processing.

Stay tuned for updates.

Screaming Eagles will release their new album, Stand Up And Be Counted, worldwide via Off Yer Rocka Recordings on July 13th. From The Flames was a classic, Stand Up And Be Counted is a killer and is set to take Screaming Eagles to the next level.
 
The new album contains 10 tracks of blistering rock n’ roll, recorded in the band’s home country, Northern Ireland, during March/April 2015.

Lead singer Chris Fry commented “I’m extremely excited as when we got the final mixes through it sounded immense. I think it shows a progression, musically, with a mixture of what we do best - the Rock N’Roll anthemic sing along chorus’ and driving riffs, mixed with some darker rib-shaking belters. What crossed my mind was that most other bands always seem to say their newest release is better than the last and of course why wouldn’t they, but this one actually is! We cannot wait to play this album live to the masses, exciting times ahead so watch this space!!”

Album preview:

 

 

To kickstart the next chapter of the Screaming Eagles, the band will be releasing a multi track EP, titled Save Me, with bonus material including a cover of Australian rock classic “Good Times” featuring guest vocals from Pontus Snibb of Bonafide as well as some live material recorded at Hard Rock Hell, 2 years ago. The 7-track Save Me EP will be released digitally worldwide on June 24th. Save Me will be backed up with a new video recently shot in their home county.

The Northern Ireland quartet recently achieved international recognition from Sony Music Pictures in Los Angeles, who after signing a licensing agreement with the band, featured their first single release “Rock N’ Roll Soul” on the Hit US TV Show - Justified, Season 6 Episode 1, starring Timothy Olyphant, airing to an audience of more than 4 million viewers in the US.

The band are signed to Worldwide-Distributing label Off Your Rocka Records, home of the Quireboys and Bonafide, OYR are ecstatic with the new release. OYR CEO Jonni Davis commented, we’ve watched our Irish Eagles with extreme interest since they won one of our national competitions and have seen their career accelerate in the UK, US, Germany and Australia 100 fold after the Justified release. Stand up and be Counted is exactly what we challenged them with for the next step and to say they have over delivered is an under statement.”
 
Screaming Eagles have shared bills with the likes of Airbourne, UFO, Black Star Riders and The Answer, at various festivals such as Giants Of Rock, Minehead, The Great British Rock N Blues Festival, Skegness, Southern France Aquitane Show bike Montalivet and Hard Rock Hell, Wales and their biker edition in Ibiza.

The band will be playing on the main stage at Hard Rock Hell, Wales in November 2015 with Black Label Society and Saxon, more live dates will be announced soon along with album release dates.

 

Three weeks to go until the release of Living Bridges and Ireland’s Shardborne have put together a playthrough video for one of the tracks, “Not That, Axis”, featuring guitarists Ciaran and Eoin Culhane. Living Bridges is set for release on July 10th via Out On A Limb Records.

Living Bridges is Shardborne’s debut album having only previously released an EP back in 2011. The EP, entitled Aeonian Sequence, served as a great introduction to Shardborne’s progressive instrumental style, amassing acclaim across the prog metal sphere. No mean feat for a four-track release.

The band talks about the EP and how they’ve progressed to Living Bridges, “We didn't set out to create something different but we wouldn't consider Living Bridges to be a direct continuation of Aeonian Sequence musically. The song writing process has pretty much stayed the same but since there have been a few years since the EP's release, our musical tastes, styles and interests have changed. We felt we had much more to work with when we began the song writing process for Living Bridges.”

With four years having lapsed since the release of the EP, anticipation is running high with the Living Bridges release only around the corner. Fans have heard snippets of the album during the band’s live shows, which has whetted their appetites even more for the forthcoming release.

The band offers up more information on what they can expect, “Living Bridges is a culmination of musical styles, concepts and several years of writing the album. Spending a lot of time writing the album gave us time to continuously shape songs and bounce ideas off each other. The main point of focus throughout the writing of the album was on honing our song writing and the creation of strong sounds and concepts throughout the album. We aimed to create something we would be proud to release and believe we have done so.”

Living Bridges features artwork by artist Duncan Storr (Scale the Summit, Skyclad) and was recorded by the band’s Ciaran Culhane and Ben Wanders before being mixed and mastered by Jamie King (Between The Buried and Me).

If you haven’t already seen it, here’s the band’s official video for track “Room Within A Room”:

After spending the last four months in the studio, working on it non-stop, Berlin, Germany-based classic rock overlords, Kadavar, have finalized the production process of their brand new album. The band’s third album, Berlin, is slated for an August 21st release.

Today, the band announces the album’s tracklisting, as well as four more versions of the cover that will be available for everyone buying the vinyl version of the album. The glasses of the cover model will be cut out, depending on how you insert the inlay, the cover will change. See above. Pre-order Berlin at this location.

Berlin tracklisting:

“Lord Of The Sky”
“Last Living Dinosaur”
“Thousand Miles Away From Home”
“Filthy Illusion”
“Pale Blue Eyes”
“Stolen Dreams”
“The Old Man”
“Spanish Wild Rose”
“See The World With Your Own Eyes”
“Circles In My Mind”
“Into The Night”
“Reich der Träume” (Nico cover) (Bonus Track)

Commented drummer Tiger: “About ten years ago, when we - independently of one another - moved to Berlin, we just wanted to break free from home and do something new. I thought it was comfortable, to blend in and just live from day to day. A lot of very long nights and so many completely different people at one place. Where there are opposites you can always ground yourself. We’re all different, come from different places but have managed to create something together we all like. I think the Berlin lifestyle has influenced our band very much and therefore fits perfectly as the album’s title.“

Furthermore the band has announced to tour Europe this winter. Find the dates here.

Guitar legend Tony MacAlpine and his band, who are currently on the road in the US, had their gear stolen during an overnight stop in Austin, TX. They have continued to tour using borrowed equipment and have checked in with the following update, along with a personal video message from MacAlpine

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the enormous show of support we have received after the majority of our instruments and equipment were stolen from our tour trailer in Austin, TX on June 11th. We are humbled and truly grateful for your kindness and generosity. The tour will continue, thanks to you! We hope to see you at one of the shows, and look forward to meeting you afterwards. The tour continues through June. See our tour dates at this location."

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the enormous show of support we have received after the majority of our instruments and equipment were stolen from our tour trailer in Austin, TX on June 11. We are humbled and truly grateful for your kindness and generosity.  The tour will continue, thanks to you! We hope to see you at one of the shows, and look forward to meeting you afterwards.The tour continues through June. See our tour dates at http://www.tonymacalpine.com/tours
Posted by Tony MacAlpine on Monday, June 15, 2015

An additional update has been posted via Facebook:

"Here are two of Tony's Ibanez LA Custom Shop guitars that were stolen in Austin, TX on June 11th.

- Black Ibanez Guitars custom 7-string with black metal EMG Pickups installed (serial LA071509). This guitar has been Tony's main 7-string guitar since around 2009, and he has been photographed with it numerous times.. It has a ZR trem installed. The finish is flat black, however the guitar is shiny around the pickups and knobs where Tony's hands rest when he plays.

- White Ibanez 7-string with black EMG 707 pickups (serial LA0168) has been around since 2013. Tony can be seen on the cover of his new album Concrete Gardens with this guitar. It has a distinctive light rosewood neck.

Also stolen was a sunburst Peavy Wolfgang, and a white Carvin 7-string, as well as Tony's entire pedalboard, which is also pictured below. The pedalboard base is plexiglass, and it comes in a very beat up guitar case.

If you see these guitars, or equipment, please contact us through this page, as well as notifying law enforcement. Thank you for your support!"

 

Go to this location for the complete list of stolen gear. Click here for MacAlpine's tour schedule.

Photo by Alex Solca

Polish death metal quartet, Ogotay, has just signed a deal with Selfmadegod Records to release their new full-length, entitled Dead God's Prophet.

Comprised of bassist/vocalist Marcin Świerczyński (Yattering), drummer Szymon Andryszczak (Pandemonium), and guitarists Artur Piotrowski (Mess Age) and Andrzej Peszel, Ogotay recorded eight brand new songs at G Studio sometime in 2014. The follow-up to 2012's Eve Of The Last Day is set for August 1 release via Selfmadegod Records on CD/digital.

 
Dead God’s Prophet tracklisting:

“Dead God’s Prophet”
“Antiseptic Hell”
“Axis Mundi”
“Entering The Void”
“Bastards And Orphans”
“Kneel And Die”
“The Wasteland”
“Huge Fucking Nothing”

“Dead God’s Prophet”:

Math-deathcore act Bleed Someone Dry has signed a deal with Fire Was Born Records for the release of their new album entitled Post Mortem | Veritas, available worldwide in digital and physical version  from September 15. Produced, mixed and mastered by Chris Donaldson (The Agonist, Cryptopsy, Beneath The Massacre) at MathLab Recording Studio the new album is the direct evolution of the previous full-length sound’s with a certain and well-studied usage of melody, especially in guitar solos, to enrich a strong and fierce technical death metal, denoting influences that comes from Whitechapel, Ion Dissonance and Thy Art Is Murder.

The first band feedback about Post Mortem || Veritas: “The new album is a modern, dark and painful story of the reality and the social schemes we live in, seen through the smart and precise eyes of a child. We tried to analyze our every-day life from the point of view of Aelia, a child who asks herself candid questions about how and why people behave the way they do and things happen the way they do.

“Through the 12 songs in the album we tried to answer her questions and explain themes and concepts that drive human events and actions. We are honored of having been able to work side-by-side with great artists. Christian Donaldson, who helped us a lot with his experience, other than his great professionality. Luca T. Mai from Zu, Mombu who honored us with his guest appearance and CJ from Thy Art Is Murder, a great and kind guy, who gave us a dream of singing on one of our songs. We can't wait to present our new songs on stage and we would like to thank every one of you who supports and helps us every day.”

Post Mortem || Veritas tracklisting:

“Haeretica Infans”
“A Violent Awakening”
“Damnetur Misericordia”
“The Sacrifice”
“Let Me In”
“Devil In Me”
“Our Martyrdom” (featuring Thy Art Is Murder’s CJ)
“Your Name, Their Plague”
“Doom And Gloom”
“Justice Has Become Utopia”
“Cycle Of Decay”
“Ora Pro Nobis” (featuring Zu, Mombu’s Luca T. Mai)

Opensight have new material just around the corner. The London-based quartet have dished the dirt on their new EP Ulterior Motives, a twisted blend of versatile influences that stretch far beyond the boundaries of metal, and even music. Dancing gleefully around pigeonholes, Ulterior Motives draws from an eclectic list of names: Devin Townsend, Opeth, Cynic, and various Mike Patton projects all have a hand in this whirlwind. T

he band are also inspired by film, as can be felt by their inclination towards composers such as John Barry and Ennio Morricone among others, as well as the movie poster feel of the EP cover below - designed by frontman Ivan David Amaya - and that’s not the last you’ll hear of the filmic side of the band either.

Ulterior Motives tracklisting:

“Alibi”
“The Chase”
“Vanishing Point”
“Ulterior Motif”
“Antagonist”

The release date for physical and digital versions is set for September 4.

Opensight are:
Ivan David Amaya - vocals/guitars
Genia Penksik - guitars
Danni Stanner - bass
Redd Reddington - drums

Legendary rockers JOURNEY have made the decision to have Omar Hakim play drums for the band's upcoming U.S. concerts (Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, June 20 and the Stadium of Fire in Provo, Utah on Saturday, July 4), as well as the band's Canadian tour (July 6 - August 3), due to Deen Castronovo's pending issues. The group says in a statement: "We are very grateful to Omar filling in with his musical excellence."

Omar can be seen in the photo below with JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon.

According to TMZ.com, Castronovo was arrested for assault after a domestic dispute over the weekend.

Salem, Oregon police officers were called to a residence — believed to be Castronovo's —around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 14. After entering the home, the cops arrested the musician without incident.

Castronovo was booked for assault, coercion, and menacing. He has since been released on bail.

Castronovo was previously arrested in January 2012 for allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend. He was subsequently ordered to perform 80 hours of community service and attend anger-management classes as part of a plea deal.

A representative of Castronovo's claimed at the time that the altercation was "a misunderstanding that should not have been escalated to such a level in the first place."

Journey Drummer Deen Castronovo -- Arrested for Assault ... 2nd Domestic Incident http://t.co/0CdaQZ6PCP

— TMZ (@TMZ) June 16, 2015

Casting for Slash's second effort as a film producer, a horror movie called "The Hell Within", has started, and the film is tentatively scheduled to go into production in January 2016.

"The Hell Within" follows a woman from New York on a quest into the heart of the Brazilian jungle to save a missing girl, only to discover that the child was just the beginning. The film will be directed by Dennison Ramalho (ABC's "Of Death 2"), written by Jeff Buhler ("The Midnight Meat Train"), and produced by Slash, in partnership with Benito Mueller and Wolfgang Mueller of Barry Films.

"[2013's] 'Nothing Left To Fear' was really my first go, and it was a crash course in learning the film business," Slash told Kerrang! magazine at last weekend's Download festival (see video below). "And I learned a lot in a short amount of time; it was a very hard movie to make. And, having done that, I've amassed a lot of different great people to work with, and so now I've got a great crew working on this new movie. And it's a really fucking awesome story, an amazing script. And so we're casting now and it goes into production… We were gonna do it this summer, but I'm touring and I wanna be there for this. So we're gonna do it in January."

"The Hell Within" will be released in Barco Escape, the multi-screen, panoramic movie format from Barco, the maker of digital-cinema technology.

"If you love going to a theater to see a movie like I do, the Barco Escape panoramic technology is a game changer," says Slash. "It's totally immersive and brings the movie going experience to a whole new level. I'm really excited to be developing my next horror movie 'The Hell Within' in partnership with Barco Escape."

"The horror genre thrives on placing viewers inside the action, which pairs extremely well with Barco Escape," says Ted Schilowitz, Barco's CinemaVangelist. "We're excited to partner with such a legendary artist as Slash and the team at Barry Films on a project that will bring a heightened level of realism to horror through this immersive movie watching experience."

Barco Escape debuted in theaters in September with director Wes Ball and 20th Century Fox's hit film "The Maze Runner", which featured select scenes in the three-screen format.

"Nothing Left To Fear" was the first movie released through the Slasher Films banner. It was made available in 2013 via VOD and home video, with a limited theatrical run as well. Slash told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago what attracted him to becoming a movie producer. "I didn't set out one day and go, 'Hey, you know, I'd really like to produce movies' and make some phone calls," he said. "It was sort of dropped into my lap by another producer. And I really wasn't sure, you know, I didn't know if I had the aptitude for it, you know — like, what exactly does that entail? But from a creative point of view, I was all over it, and so I just sort of jumped in and found that it didn't feel all that different than the way I feel when I'm making music."

Kerrang! magazine conducted an interview with FAITH NO MORE bassist Billy Gould at the 2015 edition of the U.K.'s Download festival, which was held last weekend in Donington Park. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the overwhelmingly positive reaction to FAITH NO MORE's new album, "Sol Invictus":

"It's a relief. I mean, you don't know… We've always put out things and we don't know what the reaction is gonna be. But it is nice seeing something that gets [received so well]. I'm kind of wondering when the shoe's gonna drop and somebody's just gonna bash the shit out of this. Like, it's too good, the reaction. But no, it's fine. Great, great."

On FAITH NO MORE's future touring plans:

"I think there will be some stuff, but we're doing this now in steps. Because one of our big things that we did wrong back in the day was commit to too much all at once. And we found ourselves sometimes in situations that we couldn't… we didn't choose to be in them; we were stuck in them. So we're doing touring in blocks. We finish a block and we're, like, 'How do we feel?' We check in with each other. If we feel good, we do some more. And that's kind of how we're doing it. I think it's way more civilized. I can't say, 'Oh, yeah, we'll be on tour all next year.' But I would hope we can."

On the making of "Sol Invictus":

"It's weird, because it is a long period of time [between albums]. It's almost like that whole period of time, really, was necessary to get to where we got to make this. As frustrating as it was at times… What we have is kind of a product of that. And none of us forced the process; we kind of really took pains to make it come together as naturally as possible. I think you can hear that when you hear the music. But it was really against any kind of sense of how a band should be. I mean, you can't wait ten years [in between albums] and [then] release it and it's horrible. We really needed to [take our time with it]; we had to do that. That's our story, you know?!"

SAINT ASONIA, the new act featuring ex-THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier and STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, will release its self-titled debut album 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", immediately.

"Better Place" already reached the Top 20 at Active Rock radio merely two weeks from release, making it one of the fastest growing songs of the year at the format. The track is streaming below.

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."

"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

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.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Welsh "ragga metal" act SKINDRED is putting the finishing touches on its sixh studio album, titled "Volume", due on October 30 via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded at The Strongroom studio in East London and was produced by longtime collaborator James 'Lerock" Loughrey (WHITE ZOMBIE, DEPECHE MODE, MANIC STREET PREACHERS).

SKINDRED has also just announced a full U.K. headline tour in November 2015. After a sold-out arena run with STEEL PANTHER, a remarkable Camden Rocks performance, two sold-out Hit The Deck headline slots and a host of European festival shows (including Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park in Germany with FOO FIGHTERS and SLIPKNOT) already in 2015, SKINDRED will play the following shows, with CROSSFAITH, YASHIN and (HED) P.E. as support:

Nov. 04 - Southampton, England - GuildhallNov. 05 - Norwich, England - UEANov. 06 - Nottingham, England - Rock CityNov. 07 - Manchester, England - AcademyNov. 08 - Newcastle, England - AcademyNov. 10 - Glasgow, Scotland - ABCNov. 11 - Leeds, England - StylusNov. 12 - Bristol, England - AcademyNov. 13 - Birmingham, England - InstituteNov. 14 - London, England - Brixton Academy

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's first official release since 2013, the conceptual "Space" EP, will be in stores on August 21 (Rise Records), the band announced today. Pre-orders can be placed at this location.

The "Space" EP is comprised of six songs and is a wholly collaborative effort, with all band members — Mike Hranica (vocals), Jeremy DePoyster (rhythm guitar, clean vocals), Andy Trick (bass), Daniel Williams (drums), and touring musicians Jonathan Gering (keyboards), and Kyle Sipress (lead guitar) — contributing. The end result is a collection of thematic songs that each explores a different point of view of space and those things that exist outside of the Earth's province - the sun, the moon, aliens, asteroids, and the interstellar space explorer.

While THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA has performed the track "Supernova" in concert over the past several months, the band is premiering the final studio version of the song via the "listening video" below.

The very metal "Space" EP features some of the most sophisticated lyrics, arrangements, and musicianship THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA has produced, depicting the emptiness, loneliness and vastness of space. "Planet A" tells the story of an interplanetary ship's commander; "Alien" is straightforward and brutal, leaving no hope for the survival of mankind. Fear, arrogance and a near-incantation of what's really important in life are at the center of "Asteroids".

"We learned a lot from the 'Zombie' EP," said Hranica of the band's critically acclaimed 2010 hit. "We wanted each song on the 'Space' EP to have a specificity about it, to have its own identity separate from the others, to have its own sound, but still have them all united in concept. We talked about a lot of different themes, but 'space' just felt right."

Like zombies, "space opera" doesn't run too close to the personal interests of Hranica. "Making this EP was a great experience because it allowed me to open up my imagination and creativity, not to be hindered by having too much knowledge of the subject and become overly analytical, being able to write a more fictional narrative. We really look forward to making more records like this."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA will hit the road on June 26, opening the Main Stage for this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival that kicks off in San Diego, California. On days off, the band will headline shows with WHITECHAPEL supporting. "We're very excited about being on Mayhem this summer," added Hranica. "We love Mayhem, it's one of the greatest festival tours we've ever done so it's a real pleasure to be doing it again. And I can't wait to see SLAYER every night."

"Space" EP track listing:

01. Planet A02. Alien03. Moongod04. Interlude (instrumental)05. Supernova06. Asteroid

The official lyric video for the song "Passenger" from TRAPT can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's forthcoming album, "DNA", tentatively due this fall.

TRAPT vocalist Chris Taylor Brown states about the new song: "'Passenger' is an important song to TRAPT and the self-empowerment message it spreads. Always looking to someone else to 'get you there' will never get you anywhere, as only the individual knows what is best for them."

He adds: "We have all been a 'Passenger' at some point or another, because it's easy to feel lost. Just know that everyone else feels this way too, even when they say they know where they are going.

"What separates each and every one of us is whether or not we have the strength to actually take the wheel and put our lives into our own hands, even when we are lost. Especially when we are lost! It's the only way to find out who we really are."

Regarding the musical direction of "DNA", Chris Taylor Brown told Alternative Nation last year: "It's definitely got a heavy groove in it and cool rhythms and things that people don't expect from us."

TRAPT will embark on the "Life in Your Own Hands" tour with special guests SONS OF TEXAS in July.

Frontiers Music Srl will release the tenth studio album from British rockers PRAYING MANTIS, titled "Legacy", on August 21.

The early reactions to the new songs have been outstanding and there is a real buzz beginning to emerge that this could arguably be the best album that MANTIS have ever made! Bold words to be sure, but this is more than mere record label hyperbole...

"Legacy" is the first recording to feature the two new members from the Netherlands, John "Jaycee" Cuijpers and Hans in't Zandt (vocals and drums respectively), who have truly provided a new dimension to the writing process and musical performances. Together with the prolific songwriting talents of Chris Troy and guitarists Tino Troy and Andy Burgess, they have been instrumental not only in the writing of the new songs, but in providing a new vision in terms of the sound engineering and production. The recording of the album was carried out in various recording studios in Belgium, Netherlands and U.K.

As per the previous record, "Sanctuary", the mixing of the new album was done by Andrew Reilly in his studio in Atlanta. The first single, "Fight For Your Honour", will be accompanied by a video shot while the band performed the song for the first time at their acclaimed performance at the Frontiers Rock Festival II in Milan, Italy.

One of the most influential and famous artists in the rock field, Rodney Matthews (MAGNUM, DIAMOND HEAD, ALLEN/LANDE), has been commissioned to do the artwork for the album in the same style and stunning quality that so many fans loved on the original MANTIS albums like "Time Tells No Lies" and the later album "Predator In Disguise".

PRAYING MANTIS are a well-established band of melodic hard rockers. They were formed by brothers Tino and Chris Troy in 1973 and together with bands like IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, SAXON, and others they spearheaded the NWOBHM movement. While they did not see the same dizzying heights of success as some of their contemporaries, PRAYING MANTIS nonetheless became one of the most influential bands of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). The band has remained active over the years and still record and play live regularly.

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

"Legacy" track listing:

01. Fight For Your Honour02. The One03. Believable04. Tokyo05. Better Man06. All I See07. Eyes Of A Child08. The Runner09. Against The World10. Fallen Angel11. Second Time Around

PRAYING MANTIS is:

Tino Troy - GuitarChris Troy - BassJohn Cuijpers - VocalsAndy Burgess - GuitarHans in't Zandt - Drums

IRON MAIDEN’s eagerly awaited new studio album The Book Of Souls will be released globally on 4th September through Parlophone Records (Sanctuary Copyrights/BMG in the U.S.A.). It was recorded in Paris with their longstanding producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley in late 2014, with the finishing touches added earlier this year. However, the band decided to delay its release so that vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who was recently given the all-clear from a tumour, would have time to recuperate sufficiently to join in the preparations for the album’s launch.

The stunning cover art was created by Mark Wilkinson, who has worked with the band previously, and because this 11-track album has a total running time of 92 minutes, it is IRON MAIDEN’s first ever double studio album. There’s a broader split on the songwriting compared to previous Maiden records, with bassist and founder member Steve Harris contributing to seven of the tracks; 6 of them with Maiden’s guitarists and one sole composition. This is also the first time since 1984’s Powerslave that an IRON MAIDEN studio album also features two tracks written solely by Bruce Dickinson, one of which is the longest song Maiden has ever recorded! And also two Dickinson/Smith collaborations.

Steve comments,

“We approached this album in a different way to how we’ve recorded previously. A lot of the songs were actually written while we were there in the studio and we rehearsed and recorded them straight away while they were still fresh, and I think that immediacy really shows in the songs, they have almost a live feel to them, I think. I’m very proud of The Book Of Souls, we all are, and we can’t wait for our fans to hear it, and especially to take it out on the road next year!”

Bruce continues,

“We’re really excited about The Book Of Souls and had a fantastic time creating it. We started working on the album in late summer 2014 and recorded it at Guillame Tell Studios in Paris, where we’d done the Brave New World album back in 2000 so the studio holds special memories for all of us. We were delighted to discover the same magical vibe is still alive and very much kicking there! So we immediately felt at home and the ideas just started flowing. By the time we’d finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that if it needed to be a double album, then double its going to be!”

The full tracklisting is:

Disc 1
1. If Eternity Should Fail (Dickinson) 8:28
2. Speed Of Light (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:01
3. The Great Unknown (Smith/ Harris) 6:37
4. The Red And The Black (Harris) 13:33
5. When The River Runs Deep (Smith/ Harris) 5:52
6. The Book Of Souls (Gers/ Harris) 10:27

Disc 2
7. Death Or Glory (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:13
8. Shadows Of The Valley (Gers/ Harris) 7:32
9. Tears Of A Clown (Smith/ Harris) 4:59
10. The Man Of Sorrows (Murray/ Harris) 6:28
11. Empire Of The Clouds (Dickinson) 18:01


Formats:
2CD deluxe hardbound book limited edition
2CD standard edition
Triple heavyweight black vinyl
High res audio (24-bit Mastered for ITunes and non-Mastered for iTunes)
Standard res audio (16 bit/ 44.1 kHz)


The Book Of Souls is the band’s 16th studio album since their eponymous debut in 1980 charted at #4 in the UK, in a career achieving sales of over 90 million albums worldwide. Their previous album, 2010’s The Final Frontier was Maiden’s most successful chart-wise to date, reaching Number One in 28 countries and was their highest chart debut in the U.S reaching #4 in the Billboard 200.

Due to Bruce’s illness the band had to delay touring plans but promise to be out on the road again early next year, giving time for Bruce to make a full physical recovery to be ready for the rigours of Maiden live performances.

It was with great surprise that in 1988 Kai Hansen decided to leave Helloween: the band he co-founded and that in a very few years reached a very high level of success, ending up influencing and challenging the bands that were once their original inspiration.

Hansen left Helloween just when the band had finally reached international stardom and after having won the appreciation of metal giants such as Iron Maiden who often publicly championed the German band. Hansen, Gamma Ray and Helloween are now very good friends, often sharing the stage, but in 1987 the divorce was a proper rock and roll acrimonious one: a true shock for the metal scene. The reasons that brought Kai Hansen to leave the band are still the subject of interviews and fan debates, despite listening to the forthcoming reissue of “Heading For Tomorrow”, 25 years after its original release, it looks very obvious that Kai Hansen destiny was to lead his own band.

2015 heading anniversary cd 300“Heading For Tomorrow (Anniversary Edition)” will be released on July 24th, 2015 on earMUSIC.

25 years after the official debut, Gamma Ray and earMUSIC have started a monumental work to re-release the entire production by Gamma Ray in deluxe double CDs.
The original albums will be re-presented in new shining, remastered version on the first disc (with the inclusions of all B-sides) while the second CD will be dedicated to old live recordings, demos digitalised for the first time from the original tapes saved by all members of the band, alternative versions and recent studio and live recordings.

“Heading For Tomorrow” was initially released as a Kai Hansen solo album. By extracting the LP out of its sleeve, “Heading For Tomorrow” revealed its “secret intention” (it was still the days of LP, or is it again?) revealing a second cover, introducing Kai’s new baby: GAMMA RAY.

After the global critical success of “Empire Of The Undead”, Kai Hansen has decided to continue the collaboration with Eike Freese and Alex Dietz (Heaven Shall Burn), the production team. Kai Hansen has spent hundred hours, digitalising and remastering hundreds of tapes, alternative versions and ideas that were so far jealously hidden in Gamma Ray’s private archive.

Adds Hansen: “I am incredibly thankful that after 25 fantastic years of Gamma Ray, I am still standing here, making music and performing on stage. It's awesome to see that fans from the first days keep on supporting us and that we still make new friends. It’s something you can't take for granted. After my departure from Helloween, it all could have gone the other way as well. Instead, we continue to make albums and tour the world. That's close to unbelievable!
Working on the first reissue for ‘Heading For Tomorrow’ brought back so many great memories and Ralf and I dug out some funny stories.
Two years ago, our studio, our harbour in Hamburg, burnt down and a lot of memorabilia and original tapes were lost, but we all searched our private archives and managed to find some great rarities and hopefully some highlights for the fans. We are proud to release our little babies in a new style with a brand new cover artwork done by Hervé Monjeaud and a new sound, a fantastic remastering done by Eike Freese and Alex Dietz.”

Kai Hansen is today the voice of Gamma Ray but it is important to remember that in the beginning of Gamma Ray’s history Kai had planned to focus on his role of songwriter and guitar player. If the original album still shines also thanks to the vocals of Ralf Scheepers, the second CD offers real treasures for all Gamma Ray fans, like the original demos of songs like “Money”, “Sail on”, “Heaven Can Wait” or “The Silence” featuring Hansen on vocals.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary in style, Gamma Ray is touring in Europe this autumn.


CD1
1. Welcome
2. Lust For Life
3. Heaven Can Wait
4. Space Eater
5. Money
6. The Silence
7. Hold Your Ground
8. Free Time
9. Heading For Tomorrow
10. Look At Yourself
11. Mr. Outlaw (Japanese Bonus Track)
12. Sail On (B-Side from “Heaven Can Wait” EP)
13. Lonesome Stranger (B-Side from “Heaven Can Wait” EP)


CD2
1. Who Do You Think You Are
2. Heaven Can Wait (Demo)
3. Money (Demo - Kai on vocals)
4. Sail on (Demo - Kai on vocals)
5. Heading For Tomorrow (Live)
6. Space Eater (Live)
7. The Silence (Demo - Kai on vocals)
8. Mr. Outlaw (Instrumental Version)
9. Heaven Can Wait (Demo - Kai on vocals)
10. Heading For Tomorrow (Karaoke Version)
11. Space Eater (Karaoke Version)
12. Lonesome Stranger (Demo)

With the release of Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows), the imminent new full-length from Swedish industrial black metal misanthropes, Diabolicum, now less than three weeks away, today the band brings forth the suffering with the bitter resonance of third movement, "Silent Spring". Now featuring the ill-omened vocal tidings of Shining's Niklas Kvarforth, Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) breaks the band's fourteen-year slumber with nine traumatic hymns of disease, distress and psychological torment; a torrent of plagues mirroring the world in which we dwell.

Elaborates the band of "Silent Spring" in a collective statement, "The world has not gotten worse, just more disgusting."

Initially spawed in 1994 by Sasrof and Thorne under the Imperial moniker, Diabolicum stand among the prime instigators of the industrial black metal scene. The collective's first demo appeared under the title Mori Voluntaria. The tape was recorded in just two days at a mental hospital and included the session vocals of Blackblood (Tommy Dahlström now of Aeon). Following various personnel shifts, Imperial unleashed The Imperial Darkness demo with vocals and lead guitar handled by Thyrfing (Stefan Dhalberg) with third demo, De FÆrdÆmdas Legion, unveiled by Arte De Occulta shortly thereafter. By 1997, members of Imperial formed black metal collective, Helvete, together with Mysteriis and Kraath of Setherial. The project was put on hold when guitarist Sasrof took over bass responsibilities for Setherial.  

Two years later, Imperial changed their name to Diabolicum. Nathzion (AKA Zeb Nilsson now of Aeon) joined the ranks as lead guitarist and Diabolicum's debut, the annihilating The Grandeur Of Hell, dropped in 1999 via Napalm Records. In the summer of 2000, Diabolicum fled Napalm to explore new opportunities and forged a union with Italian imprint, Code666. Brandishing a flawless meld of Swedish black metal and industrial ambient noise, 2001's resulting The Dark Blood Rising full-length is now considered a cult classic among the industrial black metal scene. In the years to follow, the band published a collection of early demos (The Killing Spree 1.5) and two split 7" EP - one with Watain; the other with Angst - before penning their third diabolic opus with new vocalist Niklas Kvarforth (Shining) and lead guitarist Likstrand. After several setbacks and delays, the band is finally ready to undrape Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows). Spewing forth nine merciless tracks of sonic scorn, and featuring guest appearances by Malfeitor Fabban (Aborym) and Vargher (Naglfar, Bewitched, Ancient Wisdom), with cryptic artwork by Maxime Taccardi, Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) is anguished, devouring and destined to become a new milestone within the industrial black metal community.

 

Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) tracklisting:  

“Baxxar Ehl Uhza”
“The Void Of Astaroth”
“The Silent Spring”
“Genocide Bliss”
“Salvation Through Vengeance”
“The Abyss Of The Shadows”
“One Mans War”
“Angelmaker”
“Ia Pazuzu”

"Salvation Through Vengeance":

Diabolicum's Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) will be available via Italy's Code666 in special digipack CD format as well as a limited edition, double gatefold LP and deluxe limited leather box on July 7 via Code666. Preorders are available at this location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An outcry went through the metal scene, when Peter “Peavy“ Wagner and Victor Smolski of Rage declared the end of their musical collaboration in the beginning of February 2015. Since André Hilgers also had to leave his place behind the drums, rumours were running high quickly and there was even talk about Rage would call it quits. Though Peavy made it clear over and over again in interviews that the new lineup of the band was already positioned, the names of his new band mates remained untold.

Now the wait has come to an end - the new lineup of Rage reads as follows:

Peter “Peavy“ Wagner - vocals, bass
Marcos Rodriguez - guitars, vocals
Vassilios “Lucky“ Maniatopoulos - drums, vocals

Watch a video statement below:

With his current lineup, Peavy puts his trust in relative newcomers this time. “There were quite a couple of proposals from established musicians, but this wasn’t what I was looking for“, comments Wagner. “I wanted to have a real band again with all members pulling in the same direction.”

Marcos Rodriguez was born in Venezuela and is living currently in Antwerpen, Belgium. The 36-year old exceptional guitarist is a die-hard fan of Rage and met Peavy on Rage’s 30th anniversary tour, when he was supporting parts of the tour with his own band Soundchaser.

Vassilios “Lucky“ Maniatopoulos has so far primarily made an appearance as the vocalist of the band Tri State Corner. It’s only surprising to those who haven’t seen Lucky live yet with his “Bouzouki-Rockband“ that the former drum student and drum technician of ex-Rage and now Tri State Corner/Refuge drummer Christos Efthimiadis and also long-time friend of Peavy and Chris is an excellent drummer himself.

“These two guys have literally inhaled Rage their whole lives and can vividly feel it - I’m very much looking forward to herald a new era of Rage together with them“, says Peavy.

The new lineup will be presented live to the public for the first time at Metal Hammer Paradise, Ferienpark Weissenhäuser Strand on November 14th, and thereafter on the Rage Black In Mind tour this December, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of the cult album Black In Mind.

The new studio album is about to be finalized and will be released in spring 2016.

Tour dates:

November
14 - Weissenhäuser Strand, Germany - Metal Hammer Paradise
27 - Athens, Greece - Kittaro**
28 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Eightball**
29 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Mixtape 5**

December
5 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7*
6 - Landgraaf, Netherlands - Oefenbunker*
11 - Vienna, Austria - Viper Room*
12 - Zlín, Czech Republic - Masters Of Rock Café*
13 - Markneukirchen, Germany - Warwick Music Hall*
18 - Valencia, Spain - X-Mas Metal Fest
19 - TBA, Germany - TBA
20 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche*

* - with Maxwell
** - with Emerald Sun

Swedish rockers GRAVEYARD will release their fourth full-length album, "Innocence & Decadence", on September 25 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was recorded at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, Sweden with Janne Hansson (ABBA, THE HIVES, OPETH) and Johan Lindström (TONBRUKET).

"Innocence & Decadence" will be released in various formats (vinyl look digipak, digital download, black/clear/splatter/orange/green/bi-coloured vinyl as well as a t-shirt/CD bundle). Pre-order your copy here.

Commented the band: "Got a new album coming your way in September called 'Innocence & Decadence'. It's gonna be an album filled to the rim with a little bit of this — and for all of those who might wonder or worry, there will be quite a lot of that on it as well.

"We've had a great time recording the album at the 'gemytliga' Atlantis Studios in Stockholm together with Janne Hansson and Johan Lindström. And after kinda being away from our daily routine as a touring band and the thrill of a new album on its way... we wanna leave you with.

"Good to be gone, great to be back and let there be September!"

Find the stunning cover artwork for "Innocence & Decadence" below.

A European headlining tour will be announced shortly.

RockPages.gr conducted an interview with ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes before the band's May 23 performance in Athens, Greece. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what they think of former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider's recent statement that the band's current lineup performs live "without any emotion," Wolf responded: "It's just hilarious at this point. It's just a big joke in our lives. And we just go on about our lives, and we do our thing, and we just… We let these things go by and laugh about it. He's actually sort of our press agent, in a way. He keeps us [in the news]."

In a January 2015 interview with the "Lokaos Rock Show", Udo was asked how it felt for him to see ACCEPT continue with a new singer (ex-TT QUICK frontman Mark Tornillo) as his replacement. He responded: "What can I say? I mean, I was watching a show of ACCEPT in Hamburg, and I was a little bit disappointed. It was without any emotion. For me, there was no band on stage. Playing-wise, it was okay, but it was without any emotion. It was automatic — like, do it and then go."

Pressed by The Rock Online if he is bothered by the fact that ACCEPT took the pole position in Germany for the first time with an album (2014's "Blind Rage") that features Mark Tornillo on vocals, Udo responded: "Let's say it this way. I mean, I know the business, I know how everything works, you know. I mean, they were changing the release date [of the album in order to insure that it would place high on the chart]. Normally, it was planned [to be out] one month before [in July 2014], but it was the same time that JUDAS PRIEST was coming out [with 'Redeemer Of Souls']. I mean, I know the business behind [the decision to push the release date back]. You know, and then they moved it to August. August, normally nothing is happening [in terms of big releases coming out]. [It was a] really clever [move] by the record company. I mean, I know how much albums it sold to [land] on the first… to be Number One in Germany. So that's the whole thing behind the scenes. I mean, of course, it's good if they have a Number One. It's, like, yeah, the press [reacts very enthusiastically]: 'Wow...!'"

Udo also revealed more details behind his decision to purchase a ticket to see the most recent touring lineup of ACCEPT perform live on October 4, 2014 at Docks in Hamgburg, Germany during the European leg of the "Blind Rage" tour.

"Yeah, I can tell this: I mean, I was in Hamburg. I was waiting for the guy to pick me up for the mixing [of the new U.D.O. album 'Decadent']," he said. "And then I was buying a ticket — this is true — I was buying a ticket to see the [ACCEPT] show in Hamburg at the Docks. Yeah, really! [laughs] And it was, for me, very interesting."

He continued: "I wanted to see it once live, you know, what they're doing on stage. And let's say it in this way: I was… I cannot really explain it. It was like something like… It was, for me, nothing… like there was no band on stage, you know. For me, it was like they were playing everything without emotion. They [didn't] look [at] each other. It was something, you know, it was like just, 'Okay, here we go... Be finished and go!' And, okay, in a way… It was sold out. But I thought the reaction of the people... Let's say, the most reaction was when they did the old songs. Of course. So, but, you know, and the singer [Mark Tornillo]… In a way, he's a good singer, but when he has to sing all the old ACCEPT stuff, I feel very sorry for him. This is a nightmare.

"I don't wanna say anything bad, you know, but it was really, like… I was, like, really, 'What are they doing there!?' I mean, I thought they really [would perform]... yeah, let's say, really with energy and really with, you know, emotion. But this was like something… Okay… There was nothing… There was not a band, for me, on stage. So, but now I saw this, and I wish them all the best."

Udo added: "For me, it was really important to… I wanted really… I had the chance [and] wanted to see [the current version of ACCEPT perform] live. And it was very important for me. And now I know what I wanna know from this band, you know, and then I say, 'Okay, I saw it with my own eyes, I hear everything.' That's it."