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Only two days left until the masters of Cinematic Metal, Luca Turilli’s RHAPSODY, will release their new outstanding record »Prometheus - Symphonia Ignis Divinus« on Friday via Nuclear Blast. Today, the band releases the first part of trailers, which includes album excerpts.Watch the clip here: Referring to the varied inspiration, Luca Turilli states as follows: “The music and lyrics of RHAPSODY are generally inspired by science, metaphysics, myths and legends, the mysteries of the universe and much more. All these topics are related with one basic and fundamental source of inspiration that I would define as “spiritual evolution”. In my life experience I felt always attracted by what hides behind the miracle of creation. I always tried to find an answer to all the common philosophical questions: from where we come, where do we go and which is the sense of all this, what really hides beyond the illusion of space and time, what happens after our physical death and all that. In particular I was very interested in understanding more about that primordial original spiritual source that was later manipulated by man, in a more or less wise way, and that gave birth to all religions. I started finding the first important answers to this kind of questions in the second part of my life, after some particular events happened to me and that changed my life vision once for all. From that moment, mainly thanks to the constant practice of yoga and meditation, I started exploring the possibilities of the human brain and the relation between the material world and the spiritual dimension surrounding us, finally starting to understand where the key lies for the comprehension of all things. As these subjects became fundamental in my daily life, it is natural I felt the need to express all this also through the music and lyrics of my RHAPSODY band. The song 'Il Tempo Degli Dei,' in particular, is very special for me as in the middle section of the same track you can hear the real voice of the greatest Italian psychic, Gustavo Adolfo Rol (1903-1994), reading from the pages of his diary the famous words of what he defined as “The tremendous Law”, that quantum gate discovered by him in 1927 and allowing him to gain access to a set of supernatural “possibilities” that he used in the name of light and love. That song is dedicated to him as he is one of my greatest inspirations.”Pre-order your copy here: Read more... then come back and comment below.

Frontiers Music Srl will release of CHAOS MAGIC's self-titled debut album on July 3 in Europe and July 10 in North America. The song "One Drop Of Blood" from "Chaos Magic" can be streamed below.CHAOS MAGIC is the new alliance between Finnish songwriter/producer Timo Tolkki (formerly of STRATOVARIUS) and Chilean singer Caterina Nix. Nix previously collaborated with Timo on the second chapter of the AVALON rock opera "Angels Of The Apocalypse", where she shared lead vocals on songs with such singers as Simone Simons (EPICA), Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE), and Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH). Caterina's career started by singing lead vocals for the Chilean metal band AGHONYA with whom she opened shows for such bands as AFTER FOREVER, EDGUY and WITHIN TEMPTATION."I met Timo in Chile some years ago, during one of his visits to the country with STRATOVARIUS," says Caterina. "I remember going to a meet-and-greet with the band, and Timo and I just started talking like we had known each other for ages. We developed a very nice sort of father-to-daughter friendship and we have been in contact ever since. One day I decided to send him my music, just to know his opinion about it, and thankfully, he was pleasantly surprised. That's how it all started, really."The "Chaos Magic" album was written, performed and produced by Tolkki to develop the vocal talent of Caterina and shows a diverse side of Timo's musical talents. "I feel the music Timo created for this project is very current, it's strong and also shows some more delicate moments, without losing its edge," says Caterina. "It was a joy for me to sing these beautifully contagious songs. I did my best to bring emotion and passion into the songs, which I guess wasn't so hard, since I was truly so excited."She adds: "I hope this album reaches several layers of music listeners. It's quite captivating and nothing would make me happier than singing these songs live... giving myself to the audience and feeling that connection, which is truly priceless to me.""Chaos Magic" track listing: 01. I'm Alive02. Dangerous Game03. One Drop Of Blood04. Seraphim05. From The Stars06. A Little Too Late07. Passionflow08. Dead Memories09. Please Don't Tell Me10. Right Now11. The Point Of No ReturnCHAOS MAGIC is:Caterina Nix - Lead VocalsTimo Tolkki - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, ProductionJami Huovinen - Drums

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Today, SLAYER unveil the album artwork for their 11th studio album, »Repentless«, due out 9/11/15 (Nuclear Blast). The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco in collaboration with the band’s Tom Araya and Kerry King.“We had a number of submitted ideas for the cover artwork,“ said Araya. “And we felt Marcelo’s was the best. We made some suggestions and the result is an awesome album cover.“The band also announces that the album's title and first official track will be available digitally virtually everywhere (Amazon, iTunes, Google) around the globe this Friday, June 19.“'Repentless' is my Jeff tribute,“ said SLAYER’s Kerry King. “I call it the 'HannemAnthem.' It’s my perspective of Jeff’s perspective, it’s what I think...if Jeff wrote a song for himself, 'Repentless' would be it.“Arrogance, violence, world in disarrayDealing with insanity every fuckin’ dayI hate the life, hate the fame, hate the fuckin’ scenePissing match of egos, fuck their vanity**click for full lyrics: http://herfitzpr.com/hpr.com/Slayer_Repentless_Song_Lyrics.html»Repentless« is SLAYER’s first new studio album since 2009’s critically-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated »World Painted Blood«. The twelve songs were produced by Terry Date and recorded between August 2014 and mid-January 2015 at Henson Studios in Los Angeles. SLAYER will tour extensively to support the release of the album, and will headline this summer’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival that kicks off July 26 in San Diego, CA.Read more... then come back and comment below.

Premier Guitar met with Eric Peterson, Alex Skolnick and Steve DiGiorgio of San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT before the band's April 22 concert at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, Nashville to get the scoop on what gear they rely on for maximum oomph and practicality. Check out the report below.A new TESTAMENT studio album is currently being written for a tentative early 2016 release.Speaking about the progress of the songwriting sessions for TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth", guitarist Eric Peterson told "Robb's Metalworks": "I would say, musically, [we have] probably, like, a little bit over half [the record written] — maybe a little bit more. Chuck's catching up [on writing vocal lines and lyrics]. And the first batch of songs are just, like, all thrash. And I usually only write a couple of thrash ones, and then I focus on midtempo or just real heavy. But, for some reason, they just all came out super fast. And they're all different, too, so I think, actually, they'll all be keepers."On the topic of when TESTAMENT plans to begin recording the new album, Peterson said: "My main goal is to get home [from tour] in June, finish it up and get in the studio by September." As for the CD's possible release date, he said: "Well, you know, it's tough to have it out later in the year, because if you put it out past October, people will say, 'Oh, that's last year's record, and it's only been out for a couple of months. So I would lean more towards early '16. And that's right around the corner. We will serve no wine before its time. So it's gotta be right."

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After the recent announcement that METAL ALLEGIANCE will be releasing an album of original material, a date has been set for the debut album of the musical collective. The self-titled album is scheduled to be available worldwide on September, 18th via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The album features a collection of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal’s most notable performers. Brought together by principal partner Mark Menghi, »METAL ALLEGIANCE« contains appearances by Philip H. Anselmo, Charlie Benante, Chuck Billy, D. Randall Blythe, Rex Brown, Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal, Phil Demmel, David Ellefson, Alissa White-Gluz, Matthew K. Heafy, Gary Holt, Jamey Jasta, Chris Jericho, Andreas Kisser, Misha Mansoor, Mark Osegueda, Tim 'Ripper' Owens, Doug Pinnick, Mike Portnoy, Troy Sanders, Cristina Scabbia, Alex Skolnick, Steve 'Zetro' Souza and Ben Weinman. Pre-order your copy of »METAL ALLEGIANCE« here: “It's always my pleasure to jam with such esteemed musicians and brothers, and my contribution to this project is further proof of that fact. Hail to all Heavy Metalers the world over!,“ states Philip H. Anselmo. Mike Portnoy adds: “I could not be any more excited or proud of the METAL ALLEGIANCE album... it's everything I’ve always dreamed of and hoped for and 100x more!“From the blistering opening of album starter 'Gift Of Pain' to the final notes of closer 'Pledge Of Allegiance,' it is clear this collective have created something special. The diversity of the individual tracks is apparent through each musical collaboration. The standard edition CD of »METAL ALLEGIANCE« will feature the nine original songs. A digipak edition will be available that features an all-star tribute to Ronnie James Dio with a cover of his classic song 'We Rock' as well as a 45 minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the album. A double vinyl version will also be available that will feature all ten songs as well.D. Randall Blythe adds: “When LAMB OF GOD asked Alex Skolnick to rip a guest solo on »Ashes Of The Wake«, it was a big deal to us to have one of the legends of our scene play on our record. Much to my amazement, years later he returned the request, and it's an even bigger deal to me to be asked on a peer level to contribute to a project with so many stellar players. I was honored to be chosen - 'Gift Of Pain' rips! Play it LOUD!“The tracklisting for »METAL ALLEGIANCE« is:1. Gift Of Pain (vocals: D. Randall Blythe; lead & rhythm guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: David Ellefson; drums: Mike Portnoy; additional lead guitar: Gary Holt)2. Let Darkness Fall (vocals: Troy Sanders; lead, rhythm & acoustic guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: David Ellefson; drums & percussion: Mike Portnoy; additional bass: Mark Menghi & Rex Brown; additional screams: D. Randall Blythe)3. Can't Kill The Devil (vocals: Chuck Billy; lead & rhythm guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: David Ellefson; drums: Mike Portnoy; additional lead guitar: Phil Demmel & Andreas Kisser)4. Dying Song (vocals: Philip H. Anselmo; lead & rhythm guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: Mark Menghi; drums: Mike Portnoy)5. Scars (vocals: Mark Osegueda & Cristina Scabbia; lead & rhythm guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: David Ellefson; drums: Mike Portnoy)6. Destination: Nowhere (vocals: Matthew K. Heafy; lead & rhythm guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: David Ellefson; drums: Mike Portnoy; additional lead guitar: Matthew K. Heafy)7. Wait Until Tomorrow (vocals: Doug Pinnick & Jamey Jasta; lead & rhythm guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: David Ellefson; drums, percussion & additional vocals: Mike Portnoy)8. TriangulumI. CreationII. EvolutionIII. Destruction (lead & rhythm guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: David Ellefson; drums: Mike Portnoy; additional lead guitar: Misha Mansoor, Ben Weinman, Charlie Benante, Phil Demmel, Matthew K. Heafy & Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal)9. Pledge Of Allegiance (vocals: Mark Osegueda; lead & rhythm guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: David Ellefson; drums: Mike Portnoy; additional lead guitar: Charlie Benante, Gary Holt & Andreas Kisser)10. We Rock (deluxe edition only) (vocals: Mark Osegueda, Chris Jericho, Tim 'Ripper' Owens, Alissa White-Gluz, Chuck Billy & Steve 'Zetro' Souza; lead & rhythm guitars: Alex Skolnick; bass: David Ellefson; drums: Mike Portnoy; additional lead guitar: Andreas Kisser, Phil Demmel & Gary Holt) Stemming from an initial idea in 2011, METAL ALLEGIANCE was born as a way to unite a collection of hard rock and heavy metal’s most notable musicians in a setting born under one ideal, a love of music and performing. In 2015, that ideal still holds true and has become the foundation for everything METAL ALLEGIANCE; furthered with the release of the upcoming debut album. While the lineup may change, the passion, the energy and the emotion all remain the same. METAL ALLEGIANCE is more than just a record or a concert, it’s an experience and a lifestyle. Previous participants in METAL ALLEGIANCE live events have included: Philip Anselmo/Rex Brown (PANTERA), Joey Belladonna/Frank Bello/Charlie Benante/Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Gary Holt/Kerry King/Dave Lombardo (SLAYER), Chuck Billy/Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT), Troy Sanders (MASTODON), Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS) and Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA) to name a few. These unforgettable events have also spawned surprise appearances by the likes of Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH), Phil Campbell/Mikkey Dee (MOTÖRHEAD), Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan (THE WINERY DOGS). Read more... then come back and comment below.

Swedish producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN) recently spoke to Bloody Disgusting about LINDEMANN, his new project with vocalist Till Lindemann of German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN.Asked how the idea for the project first came about, Peter said: "In 2013, Till invited me to a festival in Sweden that RAMMSTEIN was headlining. When I got there, he said, 'Hey, I'm going to have two years off. I want to write some music with you.' I said, 'Okay. Let's do it!' And that's really how it started."He continued: "[Till] was always a fan of PAIN's music. He wanted to do guest vocals on PAIN songs, but when I was free, he was busy, and when he was free, I was busy, so it never worked out. So, finally we started to do one song, which was 'Ladyboy', and it was just like opening a funnel. The ideas just crawling out left and right and now we have 12 songs. It's insane."Peter also spoke about Till's decision to sing in English for the first time in his career. Tägtgren said: "I don't miss the German, let's put it that way. [Laughs] His voice is so strong, I just think it's genius. I know the hardcore RAMMSTEIN fans might not be happy, but when he sings in English, you don't miss the German language. It sounds fucking killer. It's really fucking amazing."He continued: "It was good, because some songs he started writing the lyrics first, and I got inspired by the words. I started writing music on that. He would call me and ask what I'm doing. He told me once that he was in Canada on the Yukon River and I was, like, 'What?!' And he was telling me about how he wrote lyrics for this river and how he wanted me to write a song. So, he sent me the lyrics and it inspired me to write music. That's the way we've been working together. It feels very unique. Once, he was singing into his iPhone and he sent me the file and I built music around it. That's how we got 'Praise Abort'."According to Peter, there are already ideas for LINDEMANN's follow-up to the "Skills In Pills" album, which will be released on June 23 via Warner. "We're rolling already!" he said. "We were already writing stupid lyrics when we were drunk and shit. We're going at it. We're going to go as long as we have inspiration. Maybe it stops at five songs but at least we have half an album done, you know? It's just so easy to write music together. No pressure. We do it because we can."Photo courtesy of Warner Music / Tomaso Baldesarini

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LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler was interviewed for this week's edition of the MetalSucks podcast. You can now listen to the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).On his current status with MEGADETH after he recently laid down the drum tracks for the band's new album:Adler: "It was widely reported, when this all first went down, that I was gonna be the session guy for the [new MEGADETH] record, and that really never came from me or from [MEGADETH mainman] Dave [Mustaine]. I thin it was just assumed, because LAMB is doing fairly well, and we have a record coming out, and nobody is in jail currently, so I think everybody thought that it would just be a session deal. And I think that's probably fairly accurate in the long run. But I'd really like to work it out. I'd really love to play drums in MEGADETH. I can't do that instead of LAMB, so the two have to be, kind of, massaged, and I don't know if that's possible. And if it's not, obviously, I'm gonna stay with LAMB OF GOD, because that's my baby. But I would absolutely love to do it. So, yeah, on my bucket list?! Record an album with MEGADETH. Also on that list: play some shows with MEGADETH. So, if I can hold on to this, if I can keep it going for a little while, I definitely wanna do it. And Dave has asked me repeatedly: 'Please become a member of the band.' I would love to take him up on that offer, but I've got my own project. And that's what I told him. I was, like, 'MEGADETH is your baby, and LAMB OF GOD is mine, and if we can make both work, I'd love to do this with you, 'cause I love MEGADETH and I want you to win. And I know there's a lot of people out there that give you a hard time, and that's just because you're the guy that changed the world with your guitar, so it's easy to pick on the king. But I still want you to win, so I wanna be involved, and I'll help you in any and every way that I can."On whether he could pull double duty with LAMB OF GOD and MEGADETH by having the two bands tour together in the future:Adler: "It's not gonna be up to me. I've gotta let that play itself out. I'm certainly not gonna steer LAMB OF GOD in any direction. I think it's gotta make sense for everybody, if we are gonna do some touring together. There is, actually, some stuff being talked about, currently, for later on in the year. So there is more than this one show in July [on July 18 at the Festival D'été De Québec in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada] that I'm talking to them about doing, and I would really love to be involved further down the road. It just can't… I promised the guys in LAMB that it won't get in the way, and I don't want it to get in the way. LAMB is my priority."On other issues that are standing in the way of him being able to juggle the two bands:Adler: "It's tough, man, because I think, really… If I was single, I'd figure it out, but, you know, I'm married, I've got a kid. I need [my wife and my kid], [and] they need me. The LAMB OF GOD schedule from here, starting, literally, today, as we're heading over to Munich [Germany], for the next twelve to eighteen months, is gonna be pretty gnarly, as far as touring goes, being home… or not being home, I should say. So to add another full-time legacy act to that would be devastating on the home front. So, we're just gonna have to see how it goes."On MEGADETH's failed attempt earlier this year to reunite the classic "Rust In Peace" lineup of the band — featuring Nick Menza on drums and Marty Friedman on guitar:Adler: "There's been so much talk, with Nick saying stuff [online and in interviews] and Dave, really… I saw an interview with [MEGADETH bassist] David Ellefson yesterday about how those guys really did try to make the reunion happen. And I've talked to Dave [Mustaine] about it. And I told him… Even when he called me and said, 'Hey, Chris, do you wanna make a record with me?' I said, 'You know what?! Of course I do, Dave, but everybody wants Nick and Marty in it. I think you should take the time and try to make that work.' And he said, 'Well, I did. And it just… For a lot of reasons, it's not where it should be. It's not working out. We tried playing together, we tried sorting out the money, and it's just not a good fit.' And I was, like, 'Well, I'm not your business manager, but if I was, I would tell you, whatever it takes, that is the second wind of your career. I think that's the move you need to make.' And this is me on the phone with him, he's offering me a job, and I'm telling him: 'Go get this other guy.' So I have nothing but respect for Nick. I think he's an amazing drummer. I'm stepping into enormous shoes, and I was not trying to take his job. But, after talking to David, it just seemed obvious that, for whatever reason — personality-wise, playing-wise, money-wise — it just was not the right fit at this time. And I know, as well as everybody does, that's the ace in the deck that… it's always there. So, you know, talk about playing shows with MEGADETH and all that, at some point, that could happen. And it's gonna be great for all the fans that want that to happen — including myself; I'm gonna be in the front row at that show."LAMB OF GOD's new album, "VII: Sturm Und Drang", will be released on July 24 via via Epic in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Entertainment, with whom the band signed a record deal for all territories outside of North America. The CD was once again produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur with engineering by Wilbur, Nick Rowe and Kyle McAulay, and was recorded at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California and Suburban Soul Studios in Torrance, California.Podcast (audio):

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The masters of Cinematic Metal, Luca Turilli’s RHAPSODY, will release their new outstanding record »Prometheus - Symphonia Ignis Divinus« on June 19th (EU), June 22nd (UK) and June 29th (US) via Nuclear Blast.In support of their new record, the band reveals two new studio trailers, named 'Please Cry More' and 'Higher And Higher'. Pre-order your copy here: The digipak version of the album will include the cinematic version of 'Thundersteel', the famous song of RIOT, performed by the RHAPSODY singer Alessandro Conti in duet with Ralf Scheepers! Read more... then come back and comment below.

Finnish masters of melancholic metal AMORPHIS will release their new album, "Under The Red Cloud", on September 4 via Nuclear Blast. States AMOPRHIS guitarist Esa Holopainen: "The album is titled 'Under The Red Cloud' and the artwork is done by Valnoir Mortasonge. Valnoir is well known from his works for LAIBACH, PARADISE LOST, WATAIN, BEHEMOTH and many more. It was a great pleasure to work with him as he [captured] the lyrical topics really well. Colors and details describe the music perfectly."He continues: "'Under The Red Cloud' is produced by Jens Bogren, who did amazing job with the album. There's a lot's of elements in the songs but every note and element is in perfect harmony so that the result is fucking heavy and melodic. All I can say is that 'Under The Red Cloud' will be in my personal Top 3 AMORPHIS albums that we've ever done." "Under The Red Cloud" track listing:01. Under The Red Cloud02. The Four Wise Ones03. Bad Blood04. The Skull05. Death Of A King06. Sacrifice07. Dark Path08. Enemy At The Gates09. Tree Of Ages10. White NightBonus tracks (digipak & 2LP):11. Come The Spring12. Winter’s Sleep Pre-order a copy of "Under The Red Cloud" at this location. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of its classic album "Tales From The Thousand Lakes", AMORPHIS will make several European festival appearanes this summer. The "Under The Red Cloud" touring cycle will kick off in September.Read more... then come back and comment below.

Finnish masters of Melancholic Metal, AMORPHIS, are pleased to announce the release of their new upcoming album »Under The Red Cloud«. The worldwide release is scheduled for September, 04th via Nuclear Blast.“The album is titled »Under The Red Cloud« and the artwork is done by Valnoir Mortasonge,“ guitarist Esa Holopainen states. “Valnoir is well known from his works for LAIBACH, PARADISE LOST, WATAIN, BEHEMOTH and many more. It was a great pleasure to work with him as he catched the lyrical topics really well. Colors and details describe the music perfectly.“The tracklist of »Under The Red Cloud« is as follows:01. Under The Red Cloud02. The Four Wise Ones03. Bad Blood04. The Skull05. Death Of A King06. Sacrifice07. Dark Path08. Enemy At The Gates09. Tree Of Ages10. White NightPre-order your copy of AMORPHIS‘ new masterpiece here: Esa comments: “»Under The Red Cloud« is produced by Jens Bogren who did amazing job with the album. There's a lot's of elements in the songs but every note and element is in perfect harmony so that the result is fucking heavy and melodic. All I can say is that »Under The Red Cloud« will be in my personal Top 3 AMORPHIS albums that we've ever done.“To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their classic »Tales From The Thousand Lakes«, AMORPHIS will play at some European festivals this summer. In September, they will start touring in support of their upcoming release »Under The Red Cloud«.AMORPHIS tour dates 2015:»Tales From The Thousand Lakes 20th Anniversary Shows«16.06. BG Burgas - Summer Chaos Festival19.-21.06. B Dessel - Graspop Metal Meeting27.06. FIN Helsinki - Tuska Open Air 03.07. FIN Turku - Ruisrock17.-19.07. FIN Joensuu - Ilosaarirock 30.07.-01.08. D Wacken - Wacken Open Air 07.08. P Vagos - Vagos Open Air 13.-15.08. D Dinkelsbühl - Summer Breeze 14.-16.08. CZ Hodonin - Made Of Metal Festival29.08. RUS Moscow - Moscow Metal Meeting19.09. FIN Helsinki-Tallinn - Radio Rock Cruise 26.09. FIN Oulu - JaloTuska/Oulun Jäähalli09.10. FIN Lahti - Finlandia Klubi10.10. FIN Helsinki - The Circus16.10. FIN Turku - Logomo17.10. FIN Kouvola - House Of Rock22.10. FIN Tampere - Pakkahuone23.10. FIN Seinäjoki - Rytmikorjaamo24.10. FIN Joensuu - Kerubi30.10. FIN Jyväskylä - Lutakko31.10. FIN Leppävirta - Vesileppis-Areenaw/ NIGHTWISH, ARCH ENEMY16.11. DK Copenhagen - Falconer17.11. D Rostock - Mau (Headline Show)18.11. D Hamburg - O2 World19.11. NL Amsterdam - Heineken Music Hall21.11. D Oberhausen - Arena22.11. F Caen - Le Cargo (w/ ARCH ENEMY)23.11. F Lyon - Hall Tony Garnier25.11. F Paris - POPB26.11. F Toulouse - Le Zénith27.11. F Epinal - La Souris Verte (w/ ARCH ENEMY)28.11. CH Basel - St. Jakobshalle29.11. I Bologna - Unipol Arena30.11. CH Lausanne - Les Docks (Headline Show)01.12. D Munich - Zenith02.12. A Wörgl - Komma (Headline Show)03.12. D Stuttgart - Schleyerhalle04.12. D Frankfurt - Jahrhunderthalle 05.12. D Nürnberg - Arena06.12. D Memmingen - Kaminwerk (Headline Show)07.12. CZ Prague - Tip Sport Arena Prague08.12. A Wien - Stadthalle10.12. RO Bucharest - Polivalenta Hall12.12. H Budapest - Arena13.12. SK Bratislava - Majestic Music Club (Headline Show)14.12. D Leipzig - Arena15.12. D Berlin - Max-Schmeling-Halle16.12. LUX Luxembourg - Rockhal17.12. B Antwerp - Lotto Arena19.12. UK London - Wembley SSE Arena *SOLD OUT*20.12. D Cologne - Essigfabrik (Headline Show) Read more... then come back and comment below.

MikeJamesRockShow.com conducted an interview with drummer Daniel Wilding of reactivated British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS at the 2015 edition of the U.K.'s Download festival, which is being held this weekend in Donington Park. You can now watch the chat below.Asked if there are plans for CARCASS to record a follow-up to 2013's "Surgical Steel" album, Wilding responded: "I mean, obviously, I'd love to, and Bill [Steer, guitar] is into it, and Jeff [Walker, bass/vocals] is into it, but it's just… it's just time, really, because, obviously, we're playing so much these days that we just wanna make the most of that first. And we don't wanna rush into another album after seventeen or eighteen years of no album. So, I think, the plan is just to, kind of, let it naturally take its course and see what happens. Obviously, I'd love to, so… Finger crossed. [Laughs] I really hope it happens, because I know… I mean, I don't write the stuff, but I know Bill and Jeff, they've got tons of ideas and all that stuff."Wilding also spoke about the CARCASS's current lineup, which is completed by guitarist Ben Ash (PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON)."I've been in the band four and a half yeas now, and Ben, the other guitar player, he's been in three years, I guess, so we're all, kind of, extended family now," he said. "I think it's cool that the band is… 'Cause, as a fan, before I joined, it's just great to see… Firstly, it's great to see them playing again, but also it's great to be in the band, obviously.""Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel", a collection of previously unreleased and hard-to-find tracks from CARCASS, sold around 1,840 copies in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 27 on the Billboard Hard Rock chart. All the songs on the EP were recorded during the "Surgical Steel" sessions, which was produced by Colin Richardson (NAPALM DEATH, BOLT THROWER, GOREFEST, CANNIBAL CORPSE, SINISTER, RODRIGO Y GABRIELA) and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, TESTAMENT). "Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel" was made available on physical and digital formats via Nuclear Blast."Surgical Steel" sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on September 16, 2013 in the U.K., September 13, 2013 in the rest of Europe and September 17, 2013 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records.

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MikeJamesRockShow.com conducted an interview with Los Angeles rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES at the 2015 edition of the U.K.'s Download festival, which is being held this weekend in Donington Park. You can now watch the chat below.Asked what is next for BLACK VEIL BRIDES after Download, the band's vocalist, Andy Biersack, responded: "You know what?! Honestly… Probably more of the same for us. And the fact that we want to continue to make records when we can. For us, we're gonna keep touring the rest of the cycle on this record and then go back and probably make another record in the winter… We're headlining the Warped tour this year, so that's really exciting. And then, after that, we're gonna do maybe one more tour. We might come back before the end of the year here in England. And then we're gonna take a couple of months off and probably start making a new record."He continued: "We put out, I guess, coming up on our fifth record, and… So, I mean, we really like to write records and record records. I mean, it's fun for us. So, every time we think, 'Oh, after this one, we'll take a couple of years off,' six months go by and I'm, like, 'Ah, let's get back in the studio and make music.'"BLACK VEIL BRIDES will release its first-ever concert DVD and Blu-ray, "Alive And Burning", on July 10. The cover artwork for the set was designed by the band's longtime friend and previous album cover illustrator Richard Villa. "Alive And Burning" will feature footage of BLACK VEIL BRIDES' sold-out hometown show in Los Angeles at the Wiltern Theater on November 1, 2014. The concert was part of the group's inaugural Halloweekend event as part of "The Black Mass" tour. The DVD was directed by Casey Tebo, known for his work on the acclaimed AEROSMITH documentary "Rock For The Rising Sun".BLACK VEIL BRIDES' latest, self-titled album skyrocketed to No. 1 on the iTunes Rock Chart, No. 4 on the iTunes overall album chart, and to Top 10 on iTunes in over 20 countries when it was released. It debuted at No. 10 on The Billboard 200 album chart, giving BLACK VEIL BRIDES their second consecutive Top 10 album. "Black Veil Brides" was helmed by producer Bob Rock, whose resume includes albums by METALLICA, MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE CULT and many others.

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Kerrang! Radio conducted an interview with HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott and guitarist Christian Brady at this year's edition of the U.K.'s Download festival, which is being held this weekend in Donington Park. You can now watch the chat below.Speaking about what it's like to perform at Download festival again, Vinnie Paul said: "It's incredible, dude. I tell people all the time back home, if we could have these kinds of festivals in the United States, it'd be amazing, but people just wouldn't support 'em like they do over here. People over here really love and embrace heavy metal and hard rock music, and they still… It still feels like '80s, the '90s, 2000 over here, because they just love the music, man. And it's so great to come and play for people here."As previously reported, HELLYEAH guitarist Tom Maxwell broke his foot in three places and is not able to participate in the rest of the band's European tour. Vinnie Paul said: "We will carry on, with Chris Brady holding down the guitar force. Tom will rejoin us for [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem [Festival this summer]."HELLYEAH's latest album, "Blood For Blood", was the band's first release since parting ways with guitarist Greg Tribbett and bassist Bob "Zilla" Kahaha in 2013.The new members of HELLYEAH are bassist Kyle Sanders and Christian Brady."Blood For Blood" sold around 17,000 copies in its first week of release to land at No. 18 on the Billboard chart.

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Japanese teenage girl pop metal band BABYMETAL joined British epic power metallers DRAGONFORCE on stage Friday night, June 12 at the U.K.'s Download festival. Video footage of their appearance can be seen below.BABYMETAL's song "Road Of Resistance" (formerly referred to as "The One"), which was debuted during the band's November 8, 2014 concert at the Brixton O2 Academy in London, England, is a collaboration between BABYMETAL's production team and guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman of DRAGONFORCE, whose guitar playing can be heard in the studio version of the track.As previously reported, BABYMETAL has signed with RAL/Sony Music Entertainment for the U.S. release of the band's 2014 critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. The CD features two bonus tracks and was made available digitally on May 12, with a physical release to follow on Tuesday, June 16."Babymetal" was released via earMUSIC in Germany, Sweden, Finland and Spain on May 29, in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Switzerland, Norway and Denmark on June 1, and in Italy on June 2 The European release was made available as the standard edition as well as a deluxe edition that includes a bonus DVD compiling six music videos from BABYMETAL.Since forming in 2010, BABYMETAL — the young trio of 17-year-old Su-Metal (vocal, dance) and 15-year-olds Yuimetal (scream, dance)and Moametal (scream, dance), backed by a four-piece band packing a heavy metal arsenal — has already achieved two major debut singles — "Ijime, Dame, Zetta!" and "Megistune", both of which ranked in the Top 10 Oricon Chart in Japan. Their first studio album, "Babymetal", also earned the #1 spot on Japan's album chart and Billboard's World Album Chart. The official live music video for their debut album's lead single, "Gimme Chocolate!!", has garnered over 24.5 million views on YouTube. DRAGONFORCE will release its debut DVD, "In The Line Of Fire", on July 10 via Metal Blade. Shot in high definition during the band's show at 2014’s Loud Park festival at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan, the DVD was filmed using nine camera angles to capture the raw energy of DRAGONFORCE's show and instrumental dexterity for which they are rightly celebrated worldwide.DRAGONFORCE is in the middle of the "Maximum Overload" world tour, which commenced in September 2014 and is due to conclude in 2016.

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SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan was interviewed by TeamRock Radio earlier today (Friday, June 12) at the U.K.'s Download festival. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).On SLIPKNOT's current mindset:"I think these days, as far as myself goes, I'm just trying to be the best man I can be. I'm just trying to be… You can always be a better father, you can always be a better husband, you can always be a better friend, a better bandmate… these kinds of things… So I think after all these years and this dedication and losing our brother Paul [Gray, late SLIPKNOT bassist], other things that have happened that have been devastating and mindblowing to what we do… I just try to look at my hands and realize that I have a good decision to make about something and a bad decision, and then it's kind of up to me to try to make the best one for myself, then, in return, my family, the fans… everybody. So these days I'm just trying to be the best I can be — for the band, for the fans, for… well, myself. And it makes the days go by better, and I feel like I get more accomplished. I'm kind of done with the way things used to be. It doesn't mean… I wouldn't change a thing, and I would never go do it again. You know what I mean?! I would never go back and change anything, I'm completely happy with where I am, but I've grown a lot, I've learned a lot, I've done a lot of self-reflecting, what it means to be the Clown, and what it means to be the Clown in a band called SLIPKNOT, and a father of four, husband of 23 years. My oldest is 24 now… So, life has changed, my art has changed, my mind has changed, my show has changed, I've changed… And it feels good, though. I like where I'm at. I like where the band's at. I like what we're doing. It's really nice to have the travel figured out, the hotels, and the rest, and the shows… It's just everything's really kind of grown up and matured, and I think that makes SLIPKNOT a hundred times more dangerous than anyone could ever really imagine."On whether he ever thinks about things he has done in the past that he regrets or feels bad about:"I think about that kind of stuff all the time, but I don't let it deter me away from my path. I'm on a path here, I'm on a mission. I think probably some of my best work is yet to come, 'cause I've gotta work harder. I used to just really design my art and my show and everything around my inner pain — whatever that is. It could be loneliness, it could be losing my parents, it could be boredom, it could be just fucking selfishness; it could be anything. But these days, like I said, I'm really fucking focused. I hate people more than ever; I hate this shit more than ever. You know… In true SLIPKNOT fashion… I'm just getting to be a grumpy old man, maybe. I don't know."SLIPKNOT's "Summer's Last Stand" tour kicks off on July 24 in West Palm Beach, Florida, wrapping up six weeks later on September 5 in Dallas. Joining SLIPKNOT on the road trip will be LAMB OF GOD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. The summer jaunt follows a brief spring run that SLIPKNOT launched on April 25 at the Fort Rock festival in Fort Myers, Florida, ending on May 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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Richmond, VA based heavy rock band LAMB OF GOD will release their highly-anticipated seventh full-length album, »VII: Sturm und Drang«, July 24, 2015 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment with whom the band signed a record deal for all territories outside of North America. Read more... then come back and comment below.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and PAPA ROACH will co-headline a European tour, with support from special guest DEVIL YOU KNOW (featuring singer Howard Jones, ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE). The trek kicks off in Helsinki, Finland on November 2 and ends in London, U.K. on November 28 at Wembley Arena. More shows and special guests will be announced at a later date. Zoltan Bathory, guitarist of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, notes: "By the time this tour takes off, our new album, 'Got Your Six', will be out already. This is our best record so far — really just a solid brick of heavy metal — so we can’t wait to play some of these songs to the European fans. This whole tour is going to be just balls to the wall night after night." PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix adds: "We are stoked to rip up the stages in Europe with our brothers in FFDP!!!! Don't miss it! PAPA ROACH is gonna be on fire." FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and PAPA ROACH recently gave their European fans the opportunity to request the tour visit their city via a "demand campaign" housed at housed at demand.fivefingerdeathpunch.com. Several hundred thousand people from 19 countries all over Europe responded to the call to action and made their voices heard. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will play the main stage at Download festival tonight. The band is set to drop its much-anticipated sixth full-length studio album, "Got Your Six", on August 28, preceded by a new single, "Jekyll And Hyde". Their previous albums "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell, Volume 1" and "Volume 2" both debuted on the U.S. Billboard album chart at No. 2 within a four-month period in 2013, as well as in the top ten mainstream charts all around the world. "Volume 1" has since gone gold in the U.S. and Canada, and between them, the two albums feature three No. 1 radio hit singles — "Lift Me Up" (featuring Rob Halford of JUDAS PRIEST), "Battle Born" and "Wrong Side Of Heaven", the accompanying video for which has almost 30 million views to date. Multi-platinum, Grammy and MTV award nominees PAPA ROACH's brand of melodic hard rock has influenced many of today's big names in the metal scene. The band released their eighth studio album, "F.E.A.R.", earlier this year which charted at No. 13 in the U.K. followed by storming appearances at the Reading and Leeds festivals and a sold-out headline U.K. tour. 2015 also marks the 15th anniversary of "Infest", the band's 2000 breakthrough album, which has sold over eight million copies globally to date. DEVIL YOU KNOW's highly acclaimed debut album, "The Beauty Of Destruction", earned them the "Best New Band" award at Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2014 and high-profile, main-stage performances at Sonisphere the same year. They are currently recording their sophomore release with producer Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, ALL THAT REMAINS). FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, PAPA ROACH, DEVIL YOU KNOW tour dates: Nov. 02 - Helsinki, Finland - Ice Hall Black Box* Nov. 04 - Stockholm, Sweden - Hovet* Nov. 05 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Nov. 06 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Tap1 Nov. 06 - Hannover, Germany - Swiss Life Hall Nov. 09 - Leipzig, Germany - Arena Nov. 11 - Stuttgart, Germany - Porsche Arena Nov. 13 - Frankfurt, Germany - Jahhunderthalle Nov. 17 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Zenith Nov. 21 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer Nov. 25 - Dusseldorf, Germany - MEH Nov. 26 - Brussels, Belgium - Forest National Club Nov. 28 - London, UK - Wembley Arena *** * No PAPA ROACH *** With special guests Read more... then come back and comment below.

Pioneers of industrial-tinged extreme metal FEAR FACTORY will release their 9th studio album and Nuclear Blast Entertainment debut, entitled »Genexus«, on August 7th worldwide. Until then, the band are whetting the appetite of eager fans by releasing the first trailer for the album. Find out more about the new album and hear a snippet of new track 'Protomech', here: Pre-order the album here: “The word genexus is a hybrid of two words; genesis and nexus,” explains vocalist Burton C. Bell. “This word describes the next transition in human evolution as man moves forward to a ‘mechanical’ state of being. Ray Kurzweil predicts that the singularity will occur around 2045. Genexus is the term for that next evolutionary process. Where humans are machines, machines are human and the differences are oblivious to the naked eye. “This album is a record of thought patterns, psychology and struggles of the Genexus generation. The cognitive machine has arrived, and it wants autonomy from the industry that created it. This machine struggles, like every other human has throughout the course of history. This is the story of every one of us.” »Genexus« was produced by vocalist Burton C. Bell & guitarist Dino Cazares and co-produced by long-time collaborator Rhys Fulber. The album was mixed by famed British producer and engineer, Andy Sneap (ARCH ENEMY, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD). Read more... then come back and comment below.

KORN drummer Ray Luzier was interviewed by Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon for a recent edition of the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast (Facebook page). You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. Asked if he thinks it still makes sense for bands to record full-length albums instead of focusing on releasing individual tracks, Luzier said: "I'm one of those weirdos… I mean, I'm also 44… But I'm one of those guys who still goes to Best Buy and Target and I'll download… buy albums on iTunes, 'cause I believe in supporting the artist. I know how hard it is for us to work on a record. And it's twelve dollars. You can't afford that? I don't believe that."He continued: "Yeah, people are coming to the shows, and you can't replace live entertainment, but at the same time, it's a huge deal to me to support what… We're in there for four to six months recording a record, pouring our blood and sweat into it… Buy the friggin' record, man. It's not a big deal….""KORN had a [No. 1] single [on Active Rock radio with] 'Never Never', and I think we're at a little over 210,000 copies [sold], and, to me, that's just hilarious… with a band that's sold 38 million. So… You know, what are you gonna do? You can't cry about it. You've gotta adapt with the times. You've gotta stick with what's going on."Luzier added: "I love the Internet, 'cause it's instantaneous. You can put a song out, and two minutes later it's in Germany, and people can listen to it in full stereo, with full production. But I've had KORN fans bring up CD-Rs to me, blank CD-Rs, with [KORN's latest album] 'The Paradigm Shift' on it, asking me to sign it. And I'm, like, 'Really, dude?' [Laughs] 'You're asking me to sign a blank CD.' 'Yeah, but I'm at your concert and I bought a ticket.' And I'm, like, 'Yes, you did. But the CD is twelve…' "So I go back and forth. It really upsets me, 'cause I'm one of those old-school guys. But I'm not gonna fight it. [Today's show] is sold out. [We're playing] Carolina Rebellion [and there] is over 45,000 people here. Rock is far from dead, man." First-call touring and session drummer, Luzier is known for his high-profile gigs with David Lee Roth, Jake E. Lee and ARMY OF ANYONE, and has been a member of KORN since 2007. From movie soundtracks to rock and metal albums, Luzier's playing can currently be found on over 70 recordings. As an educator, he was a Musicians Institute instructor for over 10 years and author of a well-regarded, self-titled instructional DVD.

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Belgium’s fast rising brewery powerhouse Eutropius has joined forces with Montreal Death Metal masters KATAKLYSM to bring you the band‘s own branded beer to the world! What makes this alliance special is, that this speciality craft beer has been brewed with the bands approval on a unique recipe for a pure Belgian blonde beer and stands at a mighty and unholy 6,66% alcohol content, a smooth refreshing tasting beer that packs power just like the bands music. Keeping true to the bands origins, the beer has been baptized with the »St. Tabarnak« name; 'Tabarnak' is a popular slang word in Quebec, Canada and fits perfectly with the bands heritage, upbringing and rebellious nature. The beer will be coming out this August to commemorate the release of the bands highly anticipated new album »Of Ghosts And Gods« (due out July, 31st worldwide). It will be available in Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland in the first month with plans to release it and distribute it across Europe, Canada and the States for this fall. Eutropius Brewery CEO Wouter Vermeersch comments:“Today, our brewery can finally announce its deal with the Canadian Death Metal force KATAKLYSM. We are proud to cooperate in unleashing their own blonde ale beer into the world.“ KATAKLYSM frontman Maurizio Iacono comments:“It‘s a total honor of being asked to partake in such a project. We started with our own hot sauce to start the party for our new record release and now we have the beer to go with it, the music is coming this summer and all this is for our fans. They deserve it! Cheers Tabarnak!“ Pre-order your copy of KATAKLYSM’s upcoming crushing record »Of Ghosts And Gods« here: Read more... then come back and comment below.

Metal Mind's on another gold disc reissue tear: keep your eyes peeled upon this label's release lists. Currently they're pushing back catalog releases of PRIMAL FEAR, MNEMIC and defunct Dutch death-metal masters GOREFEST. Metal Mind offers a lot of double-album packages, including BENEDICTION. GOREFEST is getting the royal treatment with the re-release of "La Muerte" as a single shot, plus two-for-one packages featuring "Soul Survivor", an album most fans rue, and "Chapter 13" on one, and the band's debut LP "Mindloss" with "Demos" on another. When GOREFEST first began in the late '80s, death metal was still wrangling followers throughout the world. The success of DEATH, POSSESSED, CELTIC FROST, SODOM and DARK ANGEL propagated a global support system that nurtured a vicious new breed of bands that came along as metal music was dying off in North America. What this also meant was a change up to the form. Chuck Schuldiner and in their own right, the VOIVOD and ENTOMBED camps, showed the world there was a place for signature changes in music customarily expected to roll out at perpetual beats per minute. Thus "Mindloss" is a product of its time. It's fast and it's slow. It's rough and it's polished. It marks a transitional period in death metal, yet still serving as an impressive debut for a future underground legend. As GOREFEST first gained attention with their meaty "Tangled in Gore" and "Horrors in a Retarded Mind" demos, the two were mashed together with an upgrade in production by Colin Richardson (CARCASS, NAPALM DEATH, FEAR FACTORY and MACHINE HEAD) as the "Mindloss" album. While received favorably by the metal public and press of the time, GOREFEST themselves still maintain issues with "Mindloss". Jan Chris de Koeijer himself states in the liner notes of this package, "I had long dreamed of making my first record. I saw myself coming home, put the CD on, getting myself a beer and listening to it all the way. Proudly and gladly at the same time. But I have never had that feeling with this record." The members of GOREFEST, historically their own worst critics, have felt the culmination of "Mindloss" was "laborious" and therefore unsatisfying. Drummer Marc Hoogendoorn needed 22 takes for "Confessions of a Serial Killer", and reportedly issues over style clashes were a rut the band needed to overcome. For certain, hearing the "Mindloss" songs in demo form on the second disc gives fans appreciation for how much work went into these tracks, regardless of how GOREFEST themselves may feel about the final output. "Foetal Carnage", "Gorefest" and "Decomposed" are three of GOREFEST's absolute best tracks, showing what the band was capable of at full speed, even with interjecting decelerations. The winding chords and tuneful harmonies all but undercut the flogging aggression on "Foetal Carnage", and even during the transitional, hardcore-based slowdowns, this one's a fast-chomping buzz bomb with screaming solos as remarkable as the droning melodies. Sidebar, the ghostly piano notes opening the hellish onslaught of "Gorefest" are a minute touch of grace you didn't get too often back then. The helpless feeling of entrapment that marks the unpleasant theme of "Horrors in a Retarded Mind" (now politically incorrect to say, sheesh) is best felt by the song's slogging drag and glubbing chords, but once the track picks up the pace for a brief moment, the guitars (a tad sloppy on the solo) wreak havoc before digging back into the oppressive trudge. The song's slowness is an asset, as much as speed is for the next track, "Loss of Flesh". As much punk as death metal in the humming chords on "Loss of Flesh", the chattering tempo and bullish ralphing overtop separates the two styles inside the song. The abrupt pace changes on "Mindloss" are perhaps passé to some listeners who have long been weaned on it by newer bands. Still, what GOREFEST was tinkering with on this album was adventuresome, if indicative of where death metal was inevitably headed in 1991. The album remains today a curious yet satisfying, brutal listening experience, particularly with "Demos" lying within immediate grasp. Read more... then come back and comment below.

Icelandic classic rock trio, THE VINTAGE CARAVAN, have released the official video for the song ‚Crazy Horses‘ from their brand new album, »Arrival«. You’ll have to watch it twice to believe what you’ve just seen! Order »Arrival« in various formats, also available as a bundle including a t-shirt: Read more... then come back and comment below.

Fan-filmed video footage of the new ASKING ALEXANDRIA lineup performing on June 9 at the Rawk Attack festival in Hannover, Germany can be seen below.ASKING ALEXANDRIA guitarist Ben Bruce wrote a lot of the lyrics on the band's forthcoming about the group's former singer, Danny Worsnop, but ended up re-writing them at the urging of Danny's replacement, Denis Shaforostov.Worsnop revealed he was exiting ASKING ALEXANDRIA on January 22, explaining in a statement: "Over the last eight years together, we've done some amazing things and created something truly special. I now, same as then, want what's best for the band and at this point in time, that isn't me. ASKING ALEXANDRIA will continue to tour throughout the year and will be working on a new album."Worsnop added, "I will always support and love ASKING ALEXANDRIA and cannot wait to see what the future holds for them."In a brand new interview with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Ben said: "I've written a lot of the lyrics for [ASKING ALEXANDRIA's upcoming] record, and a lot of them, to begin with, were about Danny. I mean, I was fucking pissed off, man. The guy was my best friend, and he just kind of turned his back on me and fucking bailed. And I was angry — I was really angry — and I was upset, so a lot of the lyrics were written towards Danny and a lot of them were quite spiteful and lot of them were quite upsetting. And I sat down one day, and Denis actually sat down [with me], and he was, like, 'You don't want this album to be about Danny. Danny is in the past now. You need to move on. You need to look forward to your future.' And I was, like, 'You're right. You're right.' And I sat down and I re-wrote most of the record — lyrically anyway — with Denis."He continued" "It was hard to, sort of, switch off, 'cause I was still angry and stuff. Every now and again, there might be something about Danny, obviously, because, being a musician and an artist, I write about what's fueling me and how I'm feeling at the time. But a lot of how I'm feeling is excitement, and I am happy, and I am extremely grateful to still be going, so I just had to concentrate more on that for writing the new record than use my energy, in hindsight, in a negative way, which it completely would have been had Denis not called me out and said, 'Stop being a pussy,' which is cool." Although ASKING ALEXANDRIA's split with Worsnop came as a shock to most of the band's fans, Bruce revealed to U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine that "it was a day that had been inevitable and needed to happen for… I wanna say a few months, but it's probably more like a few years. Danny just stopped caring about ASKING ALEXANDRIA; his heart wasn't in it anymore. He didn't like screaming, he didn't like heavy music, he didn't like the fans, he didn't like anything to do with ASKING ALEXANDRIA. And that was apparent for a long time. So, it wasn't a nasty, angry phone call, it was just a much-needed conversation, and it had taken a long time to get to that point."He continued: "Me and Danny had been best friends for a very long time, [but] as sad as it is, or was, it was necessary, and I know for certain that ASKING ALEXANDRIA — myself, Cam [Liddell, guitar], James [Cassells, drums] and Sam [Bettley, bass] — are a lot happier now that Danny is not a part of the group. We don't have to worry about someone being in a bad mood all the time, or not turning up to stage on time. It was, like, 'If you don't wanna be here, just don't be here.' We're relieved now. We can all move on and concentrate wholeheartedly on a band that we do still love and care about."Bruce went on to say that "I was very angry at Danny for a long time. He was my best friend, and I felt like he'd abandoned me. But I felt like he'd abandoned me long before that phone call. I felt like him not caring about ASKING ALEXANDRIA anymore was him abandoning me and what we'd created together. [but] there was no anger on the phone. I don't really know what I felt. I'm not sure I felt anything. It was more of an, 'All right, man. See you later, dude,' and that was the end of the phone call. It didn't really hit until it all got publicly released, when it was all, 'I guess this is really happening…'" ASKING ALEXANDRIA last month confirmed that Shaforostov, formerly of Ukranian metal act MAKE ME FAMOUS, had joined the band as its new vocalist. Bruce told Kerrang!: "Denis was the right choice to make. He's an incredibly talented vocalist, from the multiple wide range of screams that ASKING ALEXANDRIA obviously needs and will continue to have, and his singing and range is out of this world. He's been a fan of the band for a long time, so he's familiar with all our old songs, and he really cares about the band."ASKING ALEXANDRIA is scheduled to make a number of festival appearances this summer, including the Warped Tour in North America beginning on June 23.

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Last week, SLAYER announced their heaviest release ever - the Metal Eagle Edition of their upcoming album »Repentless«. Made of aluminum alloy, measuring 15” X 17” X 3” and weighing in at a hefty 7.8 pounds, the Metal Eagle Edition will house a deluxe digipak of the new »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 stores. Now, the time has come to reveal the special contents of this limited collector’s piece.The Metal Eagle will include the following exclusive items: - Deluxe digipak (folds out into “inverted cross“)- Bonus BluRay & DVD incl. »SLAYER Live At Wacken 2014« & »Making Of »Repentless« Documentary«- Bonus live CD »SLAYER Live At Wacken 2014«- Fold-out poster- Album sticker- Numbered certificate Pre-order your copy of the »Repentless« Metal Eagle Edition here Read more... then come back and comment below.

Fan-filmed video footage of DOKKEN performing the song "It's Not Love" at this year's edition of the at Sweden Rock Festival on June 5 in Sölvesborg can be seen below.In an interview with the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast, DOKKEN frontman Don Dokken stated about Mark Boals' (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DIO DISCIPLES) recent addition to DOKKEN as the band's bass player: "Everybody knows about him. He's a lead singer. That's what he does; he's a lead singer. And he was doing background vocals with me, 'cause he has a very high voice and he was hitting the notes that I couldn't hit. You know, I'm older, I lost that range, I don't have that range. Actually, I'm singing way better these days; my voice is much, much better than it used to be. But it's nice to have another strong… He loves going on the road with us and rocking out — playing rock shows for two hours. He's in the band permanent."Asked how his pre-show routine has changed over the years, Don said: "Now I have to warm up for an hour — at least an hour. When I get ready before a show, I don't talk at all during the day and I sing very light at soundcheck. And then an hour before I go to the show, in the hotel room, I turn on the shower, sit on the toilet, close the door and let the whole bathroom completely fill up with hot-water steam, purge my sinuses, cough up phlegm, and then start doing my scales — same thing all singers do. And start slowly singing higher and higher and higher and higher. And plus, I've taken vocal lessons over the years by famous vocal coaches like Ron Anderson. And he's taught me how to hit higher notes without straining my voice."He continued: "In the '80s, when I was at my peak, I guess you could say, I didn't warm up, I didn't do anything; I just smoked a cigarette and I'd go on and sing, and I sounded great. But I was younger, and my voice was… I don't know… It's just the way it was. Plus, in the '80s, we were doing fifty, sixty, seventy shows a year. I mean, we were really… We were playing four or five in a row, day off; four or five in a row, day off. We played fifty shows with AC/DC in Europe in eight weeks. So it's like a muscle; you're singing every day, so your voice gets stronger. But then again, it only takes that one note one time on stage when I'm not paying attention and I sing too hard, I press down too hard on my vocal cord, and it's over. My voice is hurt and it needs to rest, and I can't rest it, because I have to go do four more shows in a row when I've hurt my voice, and it just gets worse and worse and worse and worse. So I've learned I have to be careful now. I have to respect my voice, I have to take care of my voice. Because, otherwise, the fans go on the Internet and say, 'Hey, I just saw DOKKEN last night and Don sucked.'"Regarding whether he finds fan criticism on the Internet frustrating, Don said: "It's frustrating, but it's honest. I mean, if I'm not good, I'm not good. But what the fans don't understand is, they expect you to sound exactly like you did on the record, which we recorded thirty years ago; they expect you to sound amazing every night. They don't take into consideration, you're driving in a snowstorm, you're in a tour bus with heat going — dry heat — you're talking and doing interviews on the radio in the morning, and it takes its toll on your voice. But they don't really care. They're just, like, 'Look, you'd better be amazing every night, or we're gonna critique you and say bullshit.' So they don't understand what it's like. I mean, we're going to Sweden Rock [Festival] — ten-hour flight. We play Sweden Rock, and the next day, after the show, we have to fly for four hours to Athens, Greece, and that same day we have to fly to Thessaloniki and do a show. I'm gonna be completely burnt out. But I'll try to take a nap, sleep for two or three hours, get up, warm up my voice, and hopefully it'll be okay. And the next day I've gotta fly back to Athens and do another two-hour show. It takes its toll on you, and the fans don't really give a shit."

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