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LED ZEPPELIN's surviving members will take part in a press event this Friday, September 21 to promote "Celebration Day", the film capturing the band's 2007 reunion show at London's O2 Arena that will premiere in theaters around the world next month. Singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones all will be on hand to meet with the media, and also will attend a screening of the movie.

"Celebration Day" will see a worldwide theatrical release by Omniverse Vision on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories on October 17. The theatrical screenings will follow premieres in London, Los Angeles, New York, and other major cities. "Celebration Day" will then be available in multiple video and audio formats on November 19 from Swan Song/Atlantic Records. Specific product details will be announced soon.

On December 10, 2007, LED ZEPPELIN took the stage at London's O2 Arena to headline a tribute concert for dear friend and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. What followed was a two-hour-plus tour de force of the band's signature blues-infused rock 'n' roll that instantly became part of the legend of LED ZEPPELIN.

Founding members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were joined by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham, to perform 16 songs from their celebrated catalogue including landmark tracks "Whole Lotta Love", "Rock And Roll", "Kashmir" and "Stairway To Heaven".

Although 20 million people applied for tickets, the band's first headline show in 27 years was seen only by the 18,000 ticket holders who were fortunate enough to have secured seats through the worldwide lottery.

Jason Bonham, who has officially drummed with LED ZEPPELIN several times, beginning with the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in 1988, told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that he never assumed that the job of taking over for his father was automatically his. "I had to work at it, really prove that I could do it, and not just say, 'Hey, I'm John Bonham's son, I should be doing it,'" he said. "You've got to earn this, 'cause there's a million drummers out there that would love to cut your throat right now and take over.'"

"Celebration Day" track listing:

01. Good Times, Bad Times
02. Ramble On
03. Black Dog
04. In My Time Of Dying
05. For Your Life (live debut)
06. Trampled Underfoot
07. Nobody's Fault But Mine
08. No Quarter
09. Since I've Been Lovin' You
10. Dazed And Confused
11. Stairway To Heaven
12. The Song Remains the Same
13. Misty Mountain Hop
14. Kashmir
15. Whole Lotta Love
16. Rock And Roll
 
LED ZEPPELIN's surviving members took part in a press event earlier today (Friday, September 21) to promote "Celebration Day", the film capturing the band's 2007 reunion show at London's O2 Arena that will premiere in theaters around the world next month. Singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones all were on hand to meet with the media, and also attend a screening of the movie. Video footage of the entire 35-minute question-and-answer session can be seen below.

On their current relationship:

Plant: "We don't see each other too often, but we've just spent about an hour together...and no sooner we start talking, than some little innuendo creeps in. It's just what happens when you've spent a lot of time together."

On why it has taken five years for the concert film to be released:

Jones: "Five years is like five minutes in ZEPPELIN time. I'm surprised we got it out so quickly."

On the contribution of drummer Jason Bonham, who took the place of his late father John at the concert:

Page: "Jason was absolutely monumental in his performance and his playing. From the very first rehearsal right through to the 02. He was incredibly. His spirit and his enthusiasm and his knowledge of what made ZEPPELIN tick musically. It was just really wonderful to be able to work with him in that amount of time, as far as I felt, to do a proper full set, and really communicate musically with him. It was really good. Nobody else could have done it."

Plant: "We'd played with him before, at his wedding. Sadly, he decided to go to bed during the reception, and because I was a friend of the family from way back, I was the one that had to go up to his room and get him to get out of bed. Then he played with us."

"Celebration Day" will see a worldwide theatrical release by Omniverse Vision on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories on October 17. The theatrical screenings will follow premieres in London, Los Angeles, New York, and other major cities. "Celebration Day" will then be available in multiple video and audio formats on November 19 from Swan Song/Atlantic Records. Specific product details will be announced soon.

On December 10, 2007, LED ZEPPELIN took the stage at London's O2 Arena to headline a tribute concert for dear friend and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. What followed was a two-hour-plus tour de force of the band's signature blues-infused rock 'n' roll that instantly became part of the legend of LED ZEPPELIN.

Founding members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were joined by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham, to perform 16 songs from their celebrated catalogue including landmark tracks "Whole Lotta Love", "Rock And Roll", "Kashmir" and "Stairway To Heaven".

Although 20 million people applied for tickets, the band's first headline show in 27 years was seen only by the 18,000 ticket holders who were fortunate enough to have secured seats through the worldwide lottery.
 
http://youtu.be/9iGxjV2Sxbc
AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler was recently asked by E! News ' Ken Baker if he would ever consider returning to the reality TV singing competition "American Idol".

"I wouldn't go back and be a judge, but I'd be a mentor," Tyler replied. "I loved the fact that you go through 700 people, and out of that, you really can pick someone that has talent, because they have to audition anyway. And I'm just grateful that Jennifer [Lopez] and I and Randy [Jackson] could pick people that wound up being so good."

Although he seemed to enjoy his two-year stint on "American Idol", Tyler recently admitted that the show was actually "not my cup of tea." He said he only signed up for the show because he was feuding with his AEROSMITH bandmates and it was "something to do while the storm blew by."

He explained to Rolling Stone, "I loved it and hated it. It was a great job, I sat next to J. Lo and I made a ton of money. It was a moment in life and it became larger than life."

However — he said he didn't like the pressure he felt to be mean to the contestants. He explained, "The show's about kids and what you do to nurture their talent. They wanted me to take the piss out of the kids and I don't have that in me. That's not what I'm about. That's more about that other guy. Not me."
In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans — author of the new book "Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside AC/DC" — praises the decision by Bon Scott's birthplace, Kirriemuir, Scotland, to erect a statue in the late singer's honor.

Says Evans: "It seemed that Scotland had a lot of AC/DC pride even back [in 1976]. You could actually spot a 'Welcome Home' banner in the audience during our first gig in Glasgow (the birthplace of AC/DC's Malcolm and Angus Young). That gig drew a decent crowd but then again, it was only 50 pence to get in! I even got a potted version of Scottish history via Young/Young/Scott during a visit to Stirling Castle, one of the very rare times we actually made a visit anywhere as a group!"

He added, "It's so amazing that Bon is getting honored like this, especially since Scotland is such an important place in the history of AC/DC. Bon already had a street named after him in Kirriemuir and now this! I look forward to visiting Bon's birthplace in the future, hopefully for Bonfest 2013!"

Bon Scott has also been honored in Claremont, Australia, where a statue was erected in 2008 at the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbor (see video and photo below).

"Dirty Deeds" is now available wherever books are sold in North America from Bazillion Points Books.

For more information, visit www.bazillionpoints.com.
JUDAS PRIEST's "Screaming For Vengeance - Special 30th Anniversary Edition" sold 3,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 98 on The Billboard 200 chart.

A vital part of rock history, British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have spent four decades writing classic songs and putting on spectacular live shows. During this period, the band has sold in excess of 30 million albums, and played to countless millions of fans across the globe. In 1982, they released their eighth studio album, "Screaming For Vengeance", containing their hugely successful "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", the single which proved that metal could get mainstream radio airplay in the U.S. — leading the way for a whole generation of new metal bands.

To celebrate the 30-year anniversary of this epic release, JUDAS PRIEST present you with "Screaming For Vengeance – Special 30th Anniversary Edition", containing not only the remastered original album plus bonus tracks, but also a live DVD from the 1983 US Festival show, filmed in San Bernadino, California on May 29, 1983.

The US Festival was intended to be a celebration of evolving technologies; a marriage of music, computers, television and people — organized by Steve Wozniak, formerly of Apple.

The "Screaming For Vengeance – Special 30th Anniversary Edition" live DVD was filmed at the second, and what turned out to be last, US Festival in 1983. The Sunday was the Heavy Metal Day. "It was the day new wave died and rock 'n' roll took over." It set the single-day concert attendance record for the U.S. with an estimated 375,000 people.

CD track listing:

01. The Hellion
02. Electric Eye
03. Riding On The Wind
04. Bloodstone
05. (Take These) Chains
06. Pain And Pleasure
07. Screaming For Vengeance
08. You've Got Another Thing Comin'
09. Fever
10. Devil's Child

Bonus tracks:

11. Electric Eye (live) *
12. Riding On The Wind (live) *
13. You've Got Another Thing Comin' (live) *
14. Screaming For Vengeance (live) *
15. Devil's Child (live)
16. Prisoner Of Your Eyes

* Live from the San Antonio Civic Center - September 10, 1982

DVD track listing:

US Festival Show - San Bernadino, California - May 29, 1983

01. Electric Eye
02. Riding On The Wind
03. Heading Out To The Highway
04. Metal Gods
05. Breaking The Law
06. Diamonds And Rust
07. Victim Of Changes
08. Living After Midnight
09. The Green Manalishi (with the two-pronged crown)
10. Screaming For Vengeance
11. You've Got Another Thing Comin'
12. Hell Bent For Leather

* Plus booklet featuring photos from Mark Weiss and sleeve notes written by Eddie Trunk (long-standing and well-respected U.S. rock journo, author, radio and TV presenter)

"Screaming For Vengeance" track-by-track commentary from JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford:

"The Hellion" (instrumental): "We'd never done that type of opening before. And obviously it came from Glenn [Tipton, guitarist] and Ken [K.K. Downing, then-guitarist] at the time. I can't really remember how it came together in the studio, was it one person? Was it collective? I don't know. But we were always experimenting, always trying to do something that we hadn't done previously. We were inspired by what Brian May was doing with a lot of the QUEEN stuff. We've always been big fans of QUEEN. But Brian was doing those same types of multi-guitar track things. As you get a bit more experienced in a band, you understand the value of setting the scene — we quickly thought, 'We can use this as an intro tape.' And we did. In terms of setup, in terms of getting an audience's attention, it just works magically, even now, when we did it at our last show at Hammersmith [in May 2012] — once you start it, the audience just grabs onto it right away."

"Electric Eye": "I love the rhythmic set up on that song. Emotionally again, it starts roaring right from the opening bars. We're a metal band and if you're that sort of band it's important that you make sure you have that type of attitude and approach within your first two or three tracks. It reinforces who you are and what you're trying to do. The way that 'Electric Eye' kicks off is very much a statement, an assertive statement… It's a really good song and I think it's just got the attitude and the in-your-face drama that PRIEST has always tried to put forward."

"Riding On The Wind": "I love the way 'Electric Eye' and 'Riding On The Wind' bash into each other. 'Riding' starts with that drum passage, that clattering, and then it just really roars off. It's probably a stronger statement in terms of metal than 'Electric Eye' is musically. It just has a wonderful sense of being determined and having that type of strong and forceful attitude to it. It's about shooting for the stars. It pertains a bit to being on a bike, riding on the wind, that sort of thing. Lyrically I was trying to take the atmosphere of a lightning storm, or a hurricane, and riding on it and grabbing hold of it. It's a glorious statement in terms of metal."

"Bloodstone": "I know I keep saying this, but I love the way that song starts. It's got a really cool riff that Glenn came up with. Each of the tracks on the record start off with either an individual riff or something of a musical melodic passage that kind of sets the scene before the rest of the song kicks in. It's got a great breakdown, this kind of rhythm where – I don't know whether [then-drummer] Dave Holland came up with it — it's got that 'k-chonk k-chonk k-chonk' thing between the vocal phrases after the second line. Then he kind of snaps with the rhythmic 'k-chonk' and it's a very unusual arrangement. It's a little bit paranoid, because it talks about waking up in the night and being afraid of the game going on around you — I have no idea what that really means looking back!"

"(Take These) Chains" :"This was written by [CEILI RAIN vocalist] Bob Halligan, Jr., a songwriter discovered by Columbia in America. We ended up doing a few of his songs over the years. The label knew we'd recorded other people's songs before, and I think they must've had discussions saying, 'Well, at least the guys can understand the importance and value of what a song that could work on rock radio could do for them.' They just sent the demo over and we immediately warmed to it. Again, I think whatever we've done in terms of a cover, we've had to fully understand that it can be given the PRIEST signature musically. It's a wonderful song in terms of composure and the riffage in it. For the first time, maybe after what we were doing with [1981 album] 'Point Of Entry', we were feeling a bit more comfortable with talking about songs that dealt with relationships — it's not really seen as a metal thing is it? But even metalheads have boyfriends and girlfriends."

"Pain And Pleasure": "I think we were drunk the night we wrote this. Really fucked up. I was out of my fucking tree! When you get drunk, some people get violent, some people get giggly and some people get horny — and I just generally got very horny. That's just how I was in those days. Suddenly it's a complete change of tempo and emotion. It's a very simple song rhythmically, but you're kind of delving into a little bit of S&M with the 'You give me pain but you bring me pleasure…' line. That was the reason why we were attracted to the message in that song, we were fully ensconced in that leather image by that point. I love the slide guitar on that record, that's very much in the blues world, there's a portion of the blues that has that type of thing going for it."

"Screaming For Vengeance": "It's very unusual. It starts instrumentally in a very unusual tempo and the riffs and everything… it's not quite thrash, but it's got that attitude about it. It's really full-on and I get to use a voice that I don't really use on the other tracks. Everything goes into top gear and I think it's a wonderful complement to the way 'Pain And Pleasure' has been slugging along like an 18-wheeler. Then suddenly the thing lifts off again — it's easily the fastest song on the record."

"You've Got Another Thing Comin'": "That song has had a second lease of life because it's on one of the 'Guitar Hero' games. I met a guy recently whose 14-year-old son's favorite song is 'Another Thing Comin'', and he got to it via 'Guitar Hero'. It's is a song that's transcended from place to place. It goes from a record onto radio, onto a cassette player, then onto a CD, and then to an MP3 and then to a video game. That's a blessing for musicians, really, that your songs reach people through ways that ordinarily you wouldn't imagine."

"Fever": "I love the floaty, ethereal opening sequence. It's got a wonderful tone to it. It's got all these big multi-vocal tracks and this very dreamy landscape musically to it. I know that at the time we wrote it, Glenn and Ken were always being offered these new types of pedal board switches that would change the sound of the guitar. Some of the gear that was sent over at the time made the guitars sound like I'd never heard them before. It's, again, a lonesome, plaintive song. You get the image of this kind of… if you have an argument with somebody, sometimes you just like to slam out the house and just take a walk at night and I think that's what that song is. It's a contemplation song. It's got this type of emotional relationship setup in it. It's like lost love. It's a plaintive call to fix something that's broken."

"Devil's Child": "Again, it's a strong statement and I think whereas 'Fever' is a bit plaintive — maybe a little bit full of, not self-pity, but that kind of emotion — this is just the opposite. This is the real stuff, when you meet someone and your head blows off. It's a very secure, aggressive statement about meeting somebody that has a twisted side. It's got that wonderful rolling guitar riff on the chorus, that nice, flowing, almost picking groove to it. It's a great way to end the album."
Having recently completed the North American leg of the "Maiden England World Tour", one of the most successful rock tours of the summer, IRON MAIDEN will now be storming across Europe in 2013 playing stadiums, major festivals and arenas with this critically acclaimed show. The first date to be announced is at the U.K.'s Download festival on Saturday, June 15 when MAIDEN return to the legendary Donington Park to headline for a record fifth time! (following 1988,1992, 2003 and 2007).

That achievement is equally significant as 2013 is the 25th anniversary of MAIDEN first topping the bill there in 1988 when the festival was known as Monsters Of Rock attracting 107,000 fans, which is still the highest attendance ever at Donington. This was during their "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" tour, from which the current tour draws much of its inspiration for both set list and production as seen in the 1988 long form concert video "Maiden England", making this Download appearance even more unique!

Video footage of MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson talking to Kerrang! and Metal Hammer magazines about the upcoming Download appearance and the band's past Donington performances can be seen below.

Said Dickinson: "We were completely overwhelmed by the reaction from our North American fans to the 'Maiden England' tour, which was our most extensive tour there for many years. Some of the cities we played we hadn't visited in over twenty years so had no idea what to expect! But the opening night in Charlotte was packed to the rafters and the crowd was amazing. This continued throughout making the whole tour very special. We had a lot of fun playing the older songs there and the fans seemed to love the set list and Eddie's various incarnations! We all can't wait to bring this show to our European fans."

"We're absolutely over the moon to be headlining Donington again. The idea of returning exactly 25 years later with a show inspired by that same 1988 'Seventh Son' tour was too good an opportunity to be missed! And, thanks to modern technology, we've been able to update and improve on the original production. We will be bringing a huge new lightshow, stage set, various incarnations of Eddie, plenty of pyro and all kinds of other exciting stuff for the fans. And, of course, treating the fans to lots of their favourite songs from that period!

"We've had many great times at Donington and there is always a wonderful mix of bands and a really wild crowd who love their metal, all of which makes for a memorable show and fantastic party atmosphere!"

Added MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris: "We know how popular the 'History Of Maiden' tours are with fans of all ages, so we want to take the show to as many places as we possibly can around Europe, taking with us the full production we had in North America. We had a huge amount of fun with the set list as we got to play songs we'd not played in a very long time like 'Seventh Son', 'The Prisoner' and 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers', as well as fan favorites like 'The Trooper', 'Aces High', 'The Number Of The Beast', 'Wasted Years' and 'Run To The Hills'. The opening leg of the tour was so enjoyable for the whole band we're really looking forward to taking it to our fans in Europe, and, of course, Donington".

Many more European dates will be announced over the next few months.
 
http://youtu.be/T68pZVWGRhk
http://youtu.be/2frnP1d5G2A
 
The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, founded in memory of the world-renowned voice of DIO, BLACK SABBATH and HEAVEN & HELL, will host its second awards gala on Halloween night, Wednesday, October 31 at the Avalon nightclub in Hollywood, California. Awards will be presented to seven distinguished honorees for their contributions to spreading awareness of Fund's important work.

A privately funded 501(c)(3) charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund has already raised more than $500,000 in its short history. Monies raised have been committed to the cancer research work of the T. J. Martell Foundation for cancer, AIDS and leukemia research and the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life, according to Wendy Dio, widow of the late singer and fund president/founder.

The Halloween Spooktacular at the Avalon will include gourmet food stations and a hosted bar, a silent auction, live auction, an all-star rock 'n' roll jam featuring DIO DISCIPLES and a performance by the weirdly wonderful performance troupe CIRQUE BERSERK. VIP ticket levels will also be available.

Awards named after songs written by Ronnie James Dio will be presented to the following distinguished honorees:

* Man On The Silver Mountain Award
Honoree: Neil Warnock
Founder and CEO of The Agency Group worldwide

* Rainbow In The Dark Award
Honoree: Stanley J. Diamond
partner, Diamond & Wilson, and member of the Board of Directors of the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up & Shout Cancer Fund

* King Of Rock 'N Roll Award
Honoree: Tony Iommi
legendary guitarist for BLACK SABBATH and HEAVEN & HELL and recent cancer survivor

* Killing The Dragon Award
Honoree: Charlie Hernandez
President of QED Productions and veteran production manager, who, with partner Lori Tierney, are the driving force behind Just a Bunch of Roadies, a nonprofit organization formed by musical touring industry professionals to respond to humanitarian crises.

* Stand Up And Shout Award
Honoree: Bob Chiappardi
Founder and CEO of Concrete Marketing, one of the largest independent lifestyle marketing companies in the music industry,.known for its work with cutting edge rock and heavy metal artists

* Master Of The Moon Award
Honoree: Alex Hodges
CEO, Nederlander Concerts

* Sacred Heart Award
Honoree: Dr. Raul Mena
Director of the Roy and Patricia Disney Cancer Center in Burbank, who concentrates in the area of cancer research

Eddie Trunk of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show", who was presented with the fund's Long Live Rock 'N Roll Award at last year's gala, will once again serve as special guest emcee.

"We are really looking forward to our second annual awards gala," says Dio Cancer Fund chairman Gloria Butler. "It will have quite a different feel from last year's inaugural extravaganza at the Playboy Mansion, this year replaced with ghosts and goblins on Halloween night at Avalon, an all-star jam, the amazing Cirque Berzerk, the fortune tellers, strolling magicians and free flowing delicacies. It's sure to be a 'spooktacular' night for a special cause."

Fund founder and president Wendy Dio adds: "The support the Dio Cancer Fund has received since its beginnings shortly after Ronnie's death has been overwhelming. Our mandate is cancer prevention, research and education, and we are proud and gratified to be able to recognize this year's honorees for their contributions toward spreading the word about our mission. Ronnie would have been so proud of what we have accomplished so far, and he would especially have loved to party on Halloween."

The Avalon is located at 1735 North Vine Street in Hollywood. General-admission tickets start at $200 with special VIP ticket packages that include reserved seating and admission to the Bardot Club are also available.

Information regarding the fund as well as tickets and sponsorships for the gala are available at www.diocancerfund.org.
 
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METALLICA's official web site has been updated with the following message:

"Happy September... we've got an early Christmas present for you!

"As we get ready to head back into the studio, we thought we would round out the 'Death Magnetic' experience with the DVD/Blu-ray release of the two nights we filmed in Quebec City way back in the fall of 2009. We were in the thick of the 'World Magnetic' tour at that time and thought it would be cool to invite our friend Wayne Isham out to capture the shows, so while we were getting ready to film the 3D movie and all the other shenanigans we've been up to since then, Wayne and his team have been quietly editing and working with our team of next level audio engineers. The resulting two disc set will be ready in early December of this year with all the details coming very soon. However, we need your help now!

"As we mentioned before, we played two shows... we would like YOU to pick which setlist is the main feature with the remaining songs not played in the setlist that you choose appearing later on the disc in the 'extras' section. It's simple — just vote for setlist one or setlist two before this Monday, September 24 at 9:00 a.m. PDT and which ever setlist gets the most votes will be our 'main feature.'

"Thanks in advance and as we love to say, keep watching here for all the info!"

The band's setlists were as follows:

October 31, 2009 at Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada:

01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. For Whom The Bell Tolls
04. Holier Than Thou
05. One
06. Broken, Beat And Scarred
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Turn the Page
10. All Nightmare Long
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Damage, Inc.
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. Breadfan
17. Phantom Lord
18. Seek and Destroy

November 1, 2009 at Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada:

01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. The Four Horsemen
04. The Shortest Straw
05. One
06. Broken, Beat And Scarred
07. My Apocalypse
08. Sad But True
09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. The Judas Kiss
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Battery
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. Killing Time
17. Whiplash
18. Seek and Destroy

Wayne Isham, 54, is an American movie director who has directed music videos of many popular artists such as MÖTLEY CRÜE, SIMPLE PLAN, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, PANTERA, 'N SYNC, SHANIA TWAIN, GODSMACK, BRITNEY SPEARS, LEONA LEWIS, PINK FLOYD, SHERYL CROW, JOSS STONE, MADONNA, AVRIL LAVIGNE, DEF LEPPARD and BON JOVI, among others.

Previous METALLICA videos that were directed by Wayne Isham:

* "Enter Sandman"
* "Wherever I May Roam"
* "Sad But True"
* "Fuel"
* "No Leaf Clover"
* "Nothing Else Matters" (from "S&M")
* "I Disappear"
* "Frantic"
* "Broken, Beat And Scarred"
MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx recently spoke to Matthew Wilkening of Ultimate Classic Rock about the postponement of the band's Detroit-area concert in early September after a truck transporting about $6 million worth of equipment for CRÜE's tour with KISS was involved in a road accident.

"The camaraderie between the bands is really high and the crew," Sixx said. "If it wasn't for that, it could have been a real disaster, because that entire truck was carrying both of our gear. We hired the same carrying company, so everything was super easy and if it hadn't been for everyone working so hard, they wouldn't have been able to put the stuff back together because some of this stuff, I've never seen anything like it. When the truck flipped, it basically popped like a pimple and all the gear went out the top and the semis went over the top of a lot of the gears. So these huge bars of steel pulled all the pyro and mounted it into the rafters and stuff. That stuff was snapped like a toothpick; it was unbelievable."

Asked if there is still a friendly competitive vibe between MÖTLEY CRÜE and other bands when they are touring together, Nikki said, "I've talked with this about Paul [Stanley, KISS frontman]. We're backstage, we're hanging, we're talking about everything and anything under the sun. Then we go to get ready. When we get on that stage, man, it's all or nothing. It's been that way since day one. It doesn't matter who we're on tour with. For MÖTLEY CRÜE, we have to give 150 percent and I know for sure the guys in KISS, they're the same way. So are we in competition with each other? Not really as much as we're in competition with ourselves to keep pushing ourselves. Now when you have a band like KISS playing with you, you can't fuck around and I know it's the same for them. You know, we're going out there and giving everything. It's not like you have a slacker playing right after you or right before you so I think that's like really healthy. We really didn't discuss, as in a friendly competition, but I know that it's there."

On the topic of MÖTLEY CRÜE's plans to record and release new material, Sixx said, "We're going to make music. First thing you do is you write it, you record it, then you have it, then what do you do with it? Do we release EPs? Do we release albums? Do we release two songs a week? Or, you know, for 16 weeks? We don't know yet and that's kind of exciting. It's kind of interesting to be in that place and not be going, 'Well, here's the release date, the full 10 songs have to be mixed and mastered by this date. We don't necessarily know exactly what we're going to do. I mean, we like what we're doing right now. It feels good. It feels organic. We like that we have this body of work that we can pick from to play live. The band's probably getting along better than, maybe, ever."
Damnit Maurie of "The Roz & Mocha Show" on Toronto, Ontario, Canada's KISS 92.5 radio station conducted an interview with Rob Zombie and Rob's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, after the September 10 world premiere of Rob's new movie, "The Lords Of Salem", at the Toronto International Film Festival. You can now watch the chat below.

Zombie's fifth live-action feature , "The Lords Of Salem" was screened for critics, the public and potential distributors at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Playlist called it Zombie's "most accomplished," "most ambitious" and "most unnerving" film, although Bloody Disgusting labeled the low-budget movie a disappointment, saying Zombie's script was "littered with problems" and questioning his decision to cast his wife Sheri Moon Zombie as the lead.

The plot of the film deals with a curse placed 300 years ago on the residents of Salem by a coven of witches who were put to death, and how that curse returns to terrorize the city's modern-day inhabitants.

Zombie told The Pulse Of Radio that just like on his other films, the script for "The Lords Of Salem" went through changes even as he was filming it. "You know, sometimes you have a script and things change," he said. "You think, 'Oh, this character is going to be really important' or that actor, but it doesn't really come off that way. But then another character that was sort of in the background moves to the foreground, and rather than fight it, I will change it if I feel that it's better. So yeah, there's tons of things changed — I mean, if anyone read the script, there's like almost no relation, almost."

There is no release date yet for the movie, which Zombie made in collaboration with the producers of the "Paranormal Activity" franchise.

Zombie has also been working on his first new album since 2010's "Hellbilly Deluxe 2". The new, yet-to-be-titled CD is set for a late 2012 release.

His "Twins Of Evil" co-headlining tour with MARILYN MANSON begins on October 1 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
http://youtu.be/icwF2IhIZus
Robert A. Mitchell conducted an interview with Rob Zombie and Rob's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, at the September 10 world premiere of Rob's new movie, "The Lords Of Salem", at the Toronto International Film Festival. You can now watch the chat below.

Zombie's fifth live-action feature , "The Lords Of Salem" was screened for critics, the public and potential distributors at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Playlist called it Zombie's "most accomplished," "most ambitious" and "most unnerving" film, although Bloody Disgusting labeled the low-budget movie a disappointment, saying Zombie's script was "littered with problems" and questioning his decision to cast his wife Sheri Moon Zombie as the lead.

The plot of the film deals with a curse placed 300 years ago on the residents of Salem by a coven of witches who were put to death, and how that curse returns to terrorize the city's modern-day inhabitants.

Zombie told The Pulse Of Radio that just like on his other films, the script for "The Lords Of Salem" went through changes even as he was filming it. "You know, sometimes you have a script and things change," he said. "You think, 'Oh, this character is going to be really important' or that actor, but it doesn't really come off that way. But then another character that was sort of in the background moves to the foreground, and rather than fight it, I will change it if I feel that it's better. So yeah, there's tons of things changed — I mean, if anyone read the script, there's like almost no relation, almost."

There is no release date yet for the movie, which Zombie made in collaboration with the producers of the "Paranormal Activity" franchise.

Zombie has also been working on his first new album since 2010's "Hellbilly Deluxe 2". The new, yet-to-be-titled CD is set for a late 2012 release.

His "Twins Of Evil" co-headlining tour with MARILYN MANSON begins on October 1 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
 
http://youtu.be/zHA9mhkzdAw
 
Ruben Mosqueda of Oregon Music News recently conducted an interview with guitarist Wolf Hoffmann of reformed German heavy metal legends ACCEPT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Oregon Music News: With "Stalingrad" being Mark Tornillo's [vocals] second record, was he more involved on the new album than the previous album?

Wolf: (pause) I'd say Mark's involvement was about the same; the songwriting process hasn't changed in the band's 30-year career. It's Peter [Baltes, bass] and I who take one of the riffs and begin to come up with some of the raw ideas for the song. There are times that we already have some ideas for a chorus, other times we don't. We then give what we have to Mark at a certain point and he put his own spin on it. After he gets his hands on it — sometimes it might change the direction of the song, other times it might remain close to the original idea. An example of a song that came together very quickly is "Stalingrad", and it is very close to the original idea or concept we had in mind — that was one of the very first things we did, actually.

Oregon Music News: You retained [producer] Andy Sneap for "Stalingrad". Things went incredibly well the last time around; it sounds like you took the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" approach.

Wolf: Oh yeah, absolutely. We knew, "Why change it if it's working so well?" you know? That was our thought going into the new album — whatever worked the last time, we'll do that again. Why mess with it? I guess the way that we looked at it, we wanted it the same without it being the same. We wanted ideas that were like you heard on "Blood Of The Nations" — huge backing vocals, heavy guitar riffs, which makes the ACCEPT anthems. The hard part was the first album; we were searching for what ACCEPT would sound like today. When we found what that was we just wrote more songs. The great thing about that is that we tossed out some of the crazy ideas that did not sound like ACCEPT; those weren't worth pursuing.

Oregon Music News: Will Wolf Hoffmann write a biography at some point? It would be a great read, I think. It could be a behind-the-scenes of the band, a love story with you and [your wife and ACCEPT's manager] Gaby. There's so many angles that you could take.

Wolf: Ain't gonna happen, man, it ain't gonna happen! [laughs] Here's why, because I've asked Gaby about it, too. She's got the stories to tell more than I do. She's the one pulling the strings behind the scenes and she doesn't want to do it because it would open so many old wounds. We can't talk about the past without hurting a few people and saying a few negative things. If you're going to write a book, you have to tell the truth; otherwise you'd be cheating yourself and the public. If you're telling the story how it really happened, it's going to be painful. Right now we don't want to go there. I think sometimes it's better to leave things alone and just move on. Anyone that has been in the entertainment business will tell you it's never all smooth sailing — a lot of stuff happens along the way that you'd really rather forget.

Oregon Music News: An ACCEPT documentary would be great as well.

Wolf: I don't really know. I think I'd have to look at the format, but as I said, these things aren't my favorite things to do. I'm not the best member of the band to ask stuff related to the band's past. I don't recall all the details. I don't live in the past mentally. I am a person that feels what is done is done — I'll put it aside and move forward. Sometimes I have a hard time recalling who produced a particular album. It's funny, a lot of fans know all these details about the band that I can't even recall — and I was there! [laughs] I say to them, "Oh, yeah that's right — I almost forgot about that."
German power metallers GAMMA RAY will release "Skeletons & Majesties Live" on double CD, Blu-ray and DVD on November 30. The set will feature footage of the band's April 29, 2011 performance at the legendary Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland.

"Skeletons & Majesties Live" has a playing time of two hours and is a tour de force through the band's history so far, including lots of hits and classics, but also tracks which were undeservedly under-represented to date.

"The EP, 'Skeletons & Majesties', is practically a continuation of our 'Skeletons In The Closet' concept, in other words: new versions of songs which didn't receive the attention they deserve, as well as unplugged versions of some of our classics," says Kai Hansen, the band's vocalist, guitarist and founder. In terms of "Skeletons & Majesties Live", this means a thoroughly haunting show, from the dynamic openers "Anywhere In The Galaxy" and "Men, Martians And Machines" to the furioso finale, "Future World".

Speaking of "Future World", to accompany the Hansen-penned HELLOWEEN classic on stage, GAMMA RAY enlisted the services of HELLOWEEN's long-standing frontman Michael Kiske. In addition, Kiske can be heard and seen on "Time To Break Free" and "A While In Dreamland".

The double CD will consist of a total of 18 songs (plus intro and interlude); DVD and Blu-ray will feature six additional bonus tracks with alternative versions of "The Spirit", "Wings Of Destiny", "Farewell", "Gamma Ray", "Time To Break Free" and "Insurrection", all recorded the previous day at the Zeche in Bochum.

The release of "Skeletons & Majesties Live" will mark the beginning of an eventful 2013 for GAMMA RAY: after Hansen stayed true to his word and spent 2012 concentrating mainly on his second band, UNISONIC, he and his three colleagues Henjo Richter (guitar), Dirk Schlächter (bass) and new addition Michael Ehré (the FIREWIND/LOVE.MIGHT.KILL drummer has replaced Daniel Zimmermann, who left the GAMMA RAY fold on friendly terms) are now focusing exclusively on GAMMA RAY again. A co-headlining tour with HELLOWEEN has been scheduled for February 2013 and will also mark the arrival of a new GAMMA RAY studio recording.

"GAMMY RAY will have top priority in 2013," comments Hansen, "and 'Skeletons & Majesties Live' is the perfect harbinger of this!"

"Skeletons & Majesties Live" track listing:

01. Anywhere In The Galaxy
02. Men, Martians And Machines
03. The Spirit
04. Wings Of Destiny
05. Farewell
06. Gamma Ray
07. Money
08. Time To Break Free (w/ Michael Kiske)
09. Rebellion In Dreamland (acoustic)
10. Send Me A Sign (acoustic)
11. Dethrone Tyranny
12. Watcher In The Sky
13. Hold Your Ground
14. A While In Dreamland (w/ Michael Kiske)
15. Rise
16. Brothers
17. Insurrection
18. Future World (w/ Michael Kiske)
 
Swedish melodic metallers HAMMERFALL will release a concert DVD+2CD and Blu-ray+2CD, "Gates Of Dalhalla", on November 30 via Nuclear Blast. The set will feature the band's extraordinary 135-minute 15th-anniversary show that took place on July 28 on the historic open-air stage Dalhalla, built in an old quarry near the small Swedish village Rättvik. The footage was captured by Swedish director Patric Ullaeus of the Revolver Film Company AB, who has previously worked with IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, EUROPE and LACUNA COIL, among many others.

Commented HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak: "The set contained 26 tracks and lasted two hours and 15 minutes, by far the longest and most comprehensive gig of our entire career! We played songs from every album and then some. There were lots of guests and pyros, and we had 80 Marshall cabinets and the big shield with the HF logo carved out in the middle hanging brought out of storage, all set in an extremely unique venue. You really have to see it to understand. This concert really captured the essence of HAMMERFALL live in 2012 very well!"

Special guests during the concert included original HAMMERFALL members Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES) and Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY), as well as ex-HAMMERFALL guitarist Stefan Elmgren.

Added Oscar: "Everything concerning this release is special: the venue, the occasion, the setlist, the guests. If you are going to celebrate something, do it properly, and this is exactly what we have done. HAMMERFALL with extra everything, 100% live, 0% bullshit."

The setlist for the concert was as follows:

01. Patient Zero
02. Heeding The Call
03. Any Means Necessary
04. B.Y.H.
05. Riders Of The Storm
06. Let's Get It On
07. Crimson Thunder
08. Renegade
09. Blood Bound (special guest: Stefan Elmgren)
10. Last Man Standing (special guest: Stefan Elmgren)
11. Fury Of The Wild (special guest: Stefan Elmgren)
12. Drum Solo: Anders Johansson
13. Always Will Be
14. Dia De Los Muertos
15. Steel Meets Steel (special guest: Mikael Stanne)
16. Threshold
17. The Dragon Lies Bleeding (special guest: Jesper Strömblad)
18. Let The Hammer Fall
19. När Vindarna Viskar Mitt Namn (special guest: Roger Pontare)
20. Something For The Ages
21. The Templar Flame
22. Oh Fortuna (special guest: Team Cans)
23. Glory To The Brave (special guest: Team Cans)
24. One More Time (special guest: Team Cans)
25. Hammerfall
26. Hearts On Fire (featuring all special guests)

The members of HAMMERFALL announced in March that they were take an extended break immediately following their festival appearances this summer.

"It has been an unbelievable first 15 years, to say the least," said guitarist Oscar Dronjak, "and now we are taking a pause to ensure that we have another 15 years ahead of us."

There will be no HAMMERFALL activities in 2013, but the band promises to return strong the following year. "The plan is to use the year off to recharge our batteries and come back more vital than ever with a new album in 2014," explained singer Joacim Cans.

HAMMERFALL's new album, "Infected", sold around 1,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD debuted at No. 16 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

HAMMERFALL's previous CD, "No Sacrifice, No Victory", opened with 1,400 units to land at No. 38 on the Top New Artist Albums chart.

"Infected" entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 2 (right behind LADY GAGA!). The CD was released in Europe in May 2011 and was made available in North America in June via Nuclear Blast Records. Laying down the foundation themselves in their own studio in Sweden, the members of HAMMERFALL then traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to finish it up with acclaimed producer James Michael (MÖTLEY CRÜE, SCORPIONS, MEAT LOAF). He also mixed the album, giving it a decisive updated edge without losing any of the essence of the band's sound.

HAMMERFALL was among the five final nominees that competed for the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" honor at the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent), which was held February 14, 2012 at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm.
 
"Spiritual Genocide", the 30th-anniversary album from German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION, is scheduled for release on November 23 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Gernhart Studios in Troisdorf, Germany with engineer Martin Buchwalter and was mixed by Andy Classen. The album features guest appearances by Thomas "Angelripper" Such (SODOM), Andreas "Gerre" Geremia (TANKARD) and Ol Drake (EVILE). In addition, the "Mad Butcher"/"Release From Agony" lineup of DESTRUCTION — featuring guitarist Harry Wilkens and drummer Oliver Kaiser — reunited for one song.

"Spiritual Genocide" track listing:

01. Exordium
02. Cyanide
03. Spiritual Genocide
04. Renegades
05. City Of Doom
06. No Signs Of Repentance
07. To Dust You Will Decay
08. Legacy Of The Past (feat. Andreas "Gerre" Geremia, Thomas "Angelripper" Such)
09. Carnivore
10. Riot Squad
11. Under Violent Sledge

Limited-Edition Digipack Bonus Tracks:

12. Princess Of The Night
13. Carnivore (feat. Harry Wilkens, Oliver Kaiser)

Commented DESTRUCTION vocalist/bassist Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer: "For this anniversary album we did a really great job. Our new drummer, Vaaver [real name: Wawrzyniec Dramowicz; INDUKTI, ex-UNSUN], opens up new possibilities of course.

"On this album there are no limits.

"So fast, brutal and yet groovy we haven't ever sounded, probably!

"Also the guest musicians are very special this time: with Gerre and Tom Angelripper, our old friends and companions, are with us, the original 'Mad Butcher'/'Release From Agony' lineup is doing one song and with Ol Drake, we got the hottest young thrash guitarist for a few solos on the album!

"Germany's best extreme metal producer Andy Classen will take care for the brutal and raw production!

"The album will destroy even more than [2011's] 'Day Of Reckoning': fast riffs, double bass attacks and brutal groovy songs, I think this time we found the 100% right mix!

"Also the 'Mad Butcher' returns to the cover.

"Cool artworks are very important for us. For the new thrash thunderstorm, our artist Gyula created a real hammer again! The artwork makes clear immediately where to go — FULL THROTTLE — as it has to be."

Inspired by IRON MAIDEN, MERCYFUL FATE, MOTÖRHEAD and VENOM, DESTRUCTION was formed as KNIGHT OF DEMON in 1982. The band's original lineup included vocalist and bassist Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer, drummer Tommy Sandmann, and guitarist Mike Sifringer. They soon changed their name to DESTRUCTION and released a demo titled "Bestial Invasion Of Hell" in 1984.
 
NIGHTWISH's long-awaited "Imaginaerum" film — based on the band's album of the same name — will be released theatrically in Finland on November 23.

The movie will have its premiere on November 10 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, where the audience will be treated to both a full-scale NIGHTWISH concert and the first-ever public screening of the movie.

Eagerly anticipated around the world, "Imaginaerum" creates a musical fantasy world in the vein of David Lynch, Neil Gaiman, and Cirque du Soleil. The movie is an innovative mixture of story-telling and music, an extraordinary tale of the power of imagination… and what's ultimately important in life.

Shot and post-produced in Canada, the movie was directed by Stobe Harju and produced by Solar Films, and features appearances by all NIGHTWISH members. The screenplay is based on a wild vision that Tuomas Holopainen, the mastermind of the band, devised after the album "Dark Passion Play" came out in 2007.

"I though of how we could take our expression that had already became pretty ambitious and grandiose to the next level, and that's when I knew I wanted to tell a story, and to tell it with love and piety," said Tuomas.

According to Holopainen, finishing the movie has been an eventful and challenging journey that has sometimes demanded superhuman dedication from the production crew.

"I want to already thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. Together we've managed to create something innovative, strange, and timeless," Holopainen said.

The "Imaginaerum" screening at Hartwall Arena will be preceded by a show by the musicians NIGHTWISH themselves in what will be their last concert in Finland this year.

The official soundtrack of the movie, "Imaginaerum By Nightwish: The Score", will be released on the day before the premiere — Friday, November 9. The album features 13 grandiose, unreleased re-interpretations of "Imaginaerum" tracks by Petri Alanko.

"Imaginaerum By Nightwish: The Score" track listing:

01. Find Your Story
02. Orphanage Airlines
03. Undertow
04. Spying In The Doorway
05. A Crackling Sphere
06. Sundown
07. Wonderfields
08. Hey Buddy
09. Deeper Down
10. Dare To Enter
11. I Have To Let You Go
12. Heart Lying Still
13. From G To E Minor

The official "Imaginaerum" film poster can be seen below.

Several photos from the "Imaginaerum" movie shoot can be found at this location.

"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, reportedly got $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.

During a September 2011 interview with Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen explained that all the filming for the "Imaginaerum" movie was done in Canada with mostly Canadian actors/actresses. Post-production took place in Canada and Finland. He aso revealed the names of the actors who have two of the main roles in the film: Marianne Farley and Quinn Lord.

Speaking to Loudwire, Holopainen stated about the plot of the "Imaginaerum" film, "Basically it's about this old guy who used to be a composer and he's really sick; he's lying on his death bed in a hospital and he's going through his life, through his dreams — that's the basic storyline. It's all about praising life and life's beauty, imagination and all the strife and the bad stuff we have to face.

"[The storyline] came from the director; I just had the twelve ideas, the twelve visions. He basically wrote the script and storyline around those originally visions and the only one we had to leave out was the 'Ghost River' part, because we didn't have the finance to realize that vision."

Asked if the band appears in the film at all, Tuomas said, "A little bit, we are seen in two different scenes as a band, playing in the background. That's something that I really emphasized to the director, 'Please don't put the band into the movie,' because we want to do a believable story and we have no idea how to act. We are not actors so if your give us some lines and we tried to act, it would look goofy. He insisted to put us into the movie because it's our brainchild, so we're just playing in there as a band; it's a good compromise."

"Imaginaerum" film cast:

* Francis X. McCarthy
* Quinn Lord
* Marianne Farley
* Joanna Noyes
* Ilkka Villi
* Keyanna Fielding
* Ron Lea
* Victoria Jung
* Hélène Robitaille
* Stefan Demers
* Anette Olzon
* Marco Hietala
* Tuomas Holopainen
* Emppu Vuorinen
* Jukka Nevalainen

The "Imaginaerum" album was released in the U.S. on January 10 via Roadrunner Records.
 
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German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN have been confirmed for next year's Download and Wacken Open Air festivals.

Download will be held held June 14-16, 2013 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom; Wacken Open Air will take place August 1-3, 2013 in Wacken, Germany.

Commented the band: "'Wir halten das Tempo' will also be RAMMSTEIN's motto for 2013, with the band headlining a number of big European festivals.

"Over the past two years alone, over 1.3 million people from Mexico, the USA, South Africa, Australia, Canada and Europe have been blown away by the band's spectacular live show. The RAMMSTEIN machine keeps rolling on and on, and 2013 will be no different: it promises to be one hot summer."

Download festival billing is shaping up as follows:

IRON MAIDEN
RAMMSTEIN


Wacken Open Air festival billing is shaping up as follows:

AMORPHIS
ANTHRAX
ARCH ENEMY
DEEP PURPLE
DORO
NIGHTWISH
RAGE
RAMMSTEIN
SABATON
SUBWAY TO SALLY
 
On Saturday, September 29, Sammy Hagar (CHICKENFOOT, VAN HALEN, MONTROSE) and Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES, THE CULT) will be at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California to support music education at the inaugural "Rock Their World Celebration", a fundraiser and celebration of national nonprofit Little Kids Rock's decade of service, restoring and revitalizing music education for disadvantaged public schools nationwide. More information on this event is available here.

Little Kids Rock is a leading nonprofit provider of free musical instruments and music classes to underprivileged children. Started by a single Bay Area teacher in California in 2002, it has since grown to attract the support of over 1,200 public school teachers who have proactively banded together to provide free, Little Kids Rock music classes to children in their schools. Over 200,000 public school children in 24 cities in 12 states have since benefited from the program.

Little Kids Rock is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that transforms children's lives by restoring and revitalizing music education in public schools. Little Kids Rock was founded in San Francisco in 2002 by David Wish, an elementary school teacher who had grown frustrated with the lack of music education funding at his school. Today, Little Kids Rock is one of the leading nonprofit providers of free lessons and instruments to underprivileged children in U.S. public schools, and has served more than 200,000 students at over 1,200 schools in 24 cities nationwide. Little Kids Rock honorary board members include Taboo of the BLACK EYED PEAS, Joe Satriani, Bonnie Raitt, Slash, Paul Simon, B.B. King and Ziggy Marley.
 
Guitarist Jase Edwards of reunited U.K. rockers WOLFSBANE, who feature in their ranks former IRON MAIDEN frontman Blaze Bayley, has issued the following update:

"We're excited to announce something extra special for the tour. In 1993, we recorded some extra tracks for the 'Massive Noise' EP. With the 'Wolfsbane' album written, but not yet recorded, we decided to run through it live in the studio as part of the pre-production. The resulting recording became legendary within the band. It really captured the mad energy that we had envisaged for the album. Unfortunately, we never really managed to transfer this onto the record. In the middle of mixing it, Blaze left and the band split.

"For many years, we wondered what had happened to that recording and over time realised that nobody had a copy… It had been lost! Just a memory.

"Recently we were de-cluttering the loft and came across a pile of unmarked cassettes in a corner. We found a tape player (a what?… say all the kids) to see what they were. Amazingly, the third one I listened to was THAT recording!! I really had no idea it had survived.

"I can't tell you how thrilled we are to have found it. I was amazed to discover that it sounded even better than I remembered it. The raw energy is electric. This was the true blueprint for where the band was going if things had been different. We were re-inventing ourselves for a new decade.

"So…. I've mastered it from the cassette. It's all the white 'Wolfsbane' album plus the extra tracks and I've added the covers 'For You' and 'Born To Run'. 16 tracks in total blasted down some microphones somewhere in Birmingham in 1993. We really were on fire that night with Simon Efemy behind the desk. I really can't believe we've found it!

"The CD is only available on this October tour exclusively from the merch stand. No review copies, no press, it's just for the fans. The only ever live studio recording of WOLFSBANE!

"So come along, get one, grab a beer, turn it up and join us in the studio."

WOLFSBANE's new album, "Wolfsbane Save The World", was released earlier this year.

WOLFSBANE — which features Bayley, Edwards, bassist Jeff Hateley and drummer Steve Danger — released its first record in 17 years in April 2011. Entitled "Did It For The Money", it contained the brand new title track along with re-recordings of four old WOLFSBANE numbers.

Formed in 1984 in Tamworth, England, WOLFSBANE signed to Def American Records, and Rick Rubin produced the band's first album, "Live Fast, Die Fast", released in 1989. WOLFSBANE's second release, an EP titled "All Hell's Breaking Loose Down", followed in 1990. The band's second studio album, "Down Fall the Good Guys", was released in 1991, giving WOLFSBANE its only U.K. chart entry, with the single "Ezy" landing at No. 68.

After Def American dropped WOLFSBANE, the band released a live album, "Massive Noise Injection", through the Bronze label in 1993. The group's third studio album, the self-titled "Wolfsbane", followed in 1994.

On September 9, 2007, WOLFSBANE reformed for a one-off short set at the Rock of Ages festival in Tamworth. This was followed by their first U.K. tour in 13 years, with the band playing five dates as support for the THE WILDHEARTS in December 2007. Their next tour came in December 2009 supporting THE QUIREBOYS on the aforementioned "A Little Bit of What You Fancy 20th Anniversary Tour".
 
Combining many sub-genres of music, mainly from rock and metal, WARNOT is melodic, raw, symphonic, theatrical, doomy and progressive; "His Blood Is Yours" is an epic rock/metal adventure ride that rings fresh.

Guitar player/composer Björn Eliasson picked up his axe in the Eighties and started his first band in 1988. In the early Nineties, he joined Patrik Svärd (CLOUDSCAPE) and formed a band dubbed DOCTOR WEIRD.

Conceived in 2001, CLOUDSCAPE released its self titled debut in 2004 and followed it up by "Crimson Skies" (2006) and "Global Drama" (2008)..

In late 2009, Björn decided to leave CLOUDSCAPE to focus on his passion in his own musical project. Writing songs based on his visions, exploring limitless feelings and atmospheres, which have become WARNOT.

Björn worked on "His Blood is Yours" without stress of deadlines, only pure inspiration and a strong vision to create something truly unique. Choosing to work with many guest vocalists, Björn also sings on the album and flavors it with his unique, ground breaking voice complementing the other exceptional guest singers that have contributed to the album.

The vocalists:

* Thomas Bursell (SECOND HEAT, Helsingborg Symphony Choirs)
* Mike Andersson (CLOUDSCAPE, FULL FORCE, STAR ONE, SILENT MEMORIAL)
* Sussi Sorensen (BO WILSON BAND)
* Bjorn Persson (DOCTOR WEIRD)
* Sara Andersson (Helsingborg Symphony Choirs)
* Bjorn Eliasson (CLOUDSCAPE)
* André Mollestam (GROWLS)

Due on November 6 via Nightmare Records, "His Blood Is Yours" will feature the following track listing:

01. Raptures Of The Deep
02. The Crow Will Die
03. My Darkest Hour
04. A Late Night Dance With Death
05. Secrets Of Mythology
06. His Blood Is Yours
07. RIP
08. New York
09. The Patriot
10. I Am A Ghost
11. The Wrong Path
12. Sirens
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"The Sniper", the new album from Brazilian metallers SCELERATA, will be made available in North America on November 6 via Nightmare Records. The CD "presents a stunning vocal performance from Fabio Juan, showing a much more matured band that delivers a heavier more aggressive sound, beautifully mixing power metal and melodic progressive elements ranging from angst-ridden lyrics of corruption to sorrowful love lost," according to a press release.

"The Sniper" was produced, mixed and mastered by Charlie Bauerfeind (HELLOWEEN, BLIND GUARDIAN, RAGE, SAXON, HALFORD, HAMMERFALL, MOTÖRHEAD) with guitarist Renato Osorio. The album also features Andi Deris (HELLOWEEN) and Paul Di'Anno (ex-IRON MAIDEN) as very special guests, who not only sing but helped compose and co-write the songs.

SCELERATA's debut album, "Darkness & Light", was released in 2006. It was mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward and featured guest appearances by Renato Borghetti (ACCORDEON), Edu Falaschi (ANGRA) and Thiago Bianchi (SHAMAN). A follow-up effort, "Skeletons Domination", came out in 2008.

"The Sniper" track listing (digital):

01. Rising Sun
02. In My Blood
03. Road To Death
04. Breaking The Chains
05. Unmasking Lies
06. Must Be Dreaming
07. Drowned In Madness
08. Welcome Home
09. 'Til The Day We Die
10. Money Painted Red
11. The Sniper

North American CD exclusive bonus tracks re-recorded with new vocalist Fabio Juan:

12. Spell Of Time (bonus 2012)
13. Eminence (bonus 2012)
14. Leave Me Alone (live bonus 2012)
15. Phoenix Tales (live bonus 2012)

SCELERATA is:

Fabio Juan (Vocals)
Magnus Wichmann (Guitar)
Renato Osorio (Guitar)
Gustavo Strapazon (Bass)
Francis Cassol (Drums)
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GUNS N' ROSES/SIXX: A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba will release "Songs For The Demented Mind", an edgy soundtrack to accompany the grand opening of Sin City's most terrifying horror experience — "Eli Roth's Goretorium" — on Thursday, September 27.

With Ashba's unprecedented style, his exclusive gore-themed tracks will echo throughout the year-round haunt experience providing an eerie backdrop to the haunt's victims. Guests can relive the horrifying experience one track at a time by purchasing the album online at AshbaSwag.com or Goretorium.com and at the Goretorium retail store beginning September 27.

DJ Ashba kicked off his rock 'n' roll career by moving to Los Angeles at eighteen, and since then has successfully climbed his way to becoming a Grammy-nominated songwriter. In addition to playing lead guitar for GUNS N' ROSES since 2009, Ashba has had the pleasure of collaborating with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including MÖTLEY CRÜE, SIXX: A.M., RUN-D.M.C. and NEIL DIAMOND.

About "Eli Roth's Goretorium": The multi-level maze of frights immerses visitors into the tale of Sin City's most deadly mythical hotel and casino, The Delmont. The self-guided horror experience begins in the lobby of the Delmont and unveils gruesome and ghastly sights of past hotel guest victims and the serial-killing family behind the deeds at every turn. Employing high-tech Vegas showmanship with old-fashioned scares, the terrifying labyrinth of live actors, animatronic frights and stunning special effects is contained in a vintage hotel setting that rivals Hollywood's best movie sets.

"Eli Roth's Goretorium" also includes a freaky, '60s-inspired lounge called "Baby Dolls." Featuring a magnificent view of CityCenter, the bar will entertain with caged zombie dancers and live "feedings." Goretorium also features a one-of-a-kind horror retail shop with a to-go bar called "Bloody Mary's," specializing in gruesomely themed cocktails.
Michael Schetter of Prog-Sphere.com conducted an interview with drummer Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, FLYING COLORS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) in mid-July in Munich, Germany. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Prog-Sphere.com: You were always writing lyrics in DREAM THEATER, while in ADRENALINE MOB, I think it's all Russell's [Allen, vocals]…

Portnoy: Russell and Mike Orlando [guitar].

Prog-Sphere.com: Is it going to change or …?

Portnoy: I have no desire to write lyrics with adrenaline mob. I think Mike Orlando and Russ are very happy doing it and I'm happy with my role. I don't feel the need. To be honest with you, after I wrote "The Best Of Times" for my dad and after I completed the "12 Steps Suite" with DREAM THEATER, I very much felt like I had said everything I wanted to say lyrically. I felt like those could have been my swan songs and I remember even saying to John Petrucci [DREAM THEATER guitarist] after those songs, "I'm done, I don't wanna write lyrics anymore. I feel like I've said everything I wanted to say." It's not one of my favorite creative outlets. It's of all the things I do, it's not my most passionate one. So, you know, I guess I'm kind of in a lyrical retirement for the moment, but that being said I'm about to do an album with Richie Kotzen and Billy Sheehan next month and there is one song that I felt some inspiration for, so… You know, I think I'll write lyrics if I really feel the inspiration to do so. But I don't really want to be like I have to do it.

Prog-Sphere.com: Since you just mentioned that you finished the "12 Steps Suite", you never played it live…

Portnoy: Yeah. Disappointing, a shame. 'Cause that was always my intention.

Prog-Sphere.com: Why didn't you do it? I mean, you toured quite a lot for the last album.

Portnoy: Well, when we finished "Black Clouds"… The whole "Black Clouds" tour was "Progressive Nation", which was only a 90-minute set and I wasn't gonna eat up 60 minutes of it with that, and then we went to the [IRON] MAIDEN tour, which was only, like, a 60-minute set. So there were very few opportunities on that last tour with DREAM THEATER to do it and it was always my intention.

Prog-Sphere.com: You didn't even play all that much from the album, only four songs…

Portnoy: Well, we did "Count Of Tuscany", we did "Nightmare To Remember", we did "Wither", we did "A Rite To Passage", so actually we did four out of six songs, but I didn't want to do "Best Of Times", because it was very, very difficult for me, and I didn't want to do "The Shattered Fortress", 'cause I was saving it for the day to do the whole thing, so… Believe me me, there's a method to my madness with choosing songs and that was the reason, those two were both… One was kinda sacred and one was being saved.

Prog-Sphere.com: Yeah, I perfectly understand. Just you didn't play almost half an hour from the new album, which was quite unusual.

Portnoy: Oh, we played four songs. Four out of six, and those were very… Two of which were 15 or 20 minutes each.

Prog-Sphere.com: It's just, I had gotten used to you playing everything at some point, so…

Portnoy: Well, I wasn't planning on leaving [DREAM THEATER]. [laughs] I thought there will be further tours to work with. [laughs] You know, actually it was always my intention all along for the next tour. Actually, to be honest, before I left the band, me and John Petrucci were already discussing that the next record was gonna be a concept album. And I already had the setlist written for the next tour. It was gonna be "An Evening With", and the first set would be the full concept album, the second set would have been the "12 Steps Suite". I already had the setlist planned, but obviously, you know, best laid plans… You never know what's gonna happen. But that was always my intention if things didn't end up happening the way they happened, so… Obviously, everything changed.

Prog-Sphere.com: Since we're already discussing DREAM THEATER… I don't really want to talk about the split per se, just: Are you happy now?

Portnoy: I could not be happier. I am, you know, I'm getting to do everything I've ever wanted to do, anything my imagination can think up. I'm getting to play with some of my favorite musicians in the world, ranging from Russell Allen to Billy Sheehan to Paul Gilbert to Steve Morse. You know, these are all people I admire and respect, and I'm getting to work with them all and make music with them all and getting to do such a wide range… You know, from the metal of ADRENALINE MOB to the pop kind of stuff with FLYING COLORS to… You know, I've got this thing with Richie and Billy which is more like a classic-rock power-trio thing. So I am incredibly fulfilled, and to be honest, if I had stayed with DREAM THEATER, in the last two years, I would have made one album and just done one tour with one band, playing that same album over and over and over, but what I've done in less than two years, I've made six albums and I've played live on stage with, I think, ten or twelve bands now. Not only the bands that I am a part of, but I also got to fill-in gigs with STONE SOUR, HAIL! and FATES WARNING and I did the "Metal Masters" gigs with the SLAYER, ANTHRAX, PANTERA and MEGADETH guys… I mean, it's the last two years have been maybe the two most creatively fulfilling years of my entire career.

Prog-Sphere.com: Okay, let's go through your various bands, projects and all that. I think I have like a question each. About AVENGED SEVENFOLD, you were supposed to play a gig in Munich two years ago.

Portnoy: Yeah, I remember. I remember sitting in the dress room and being very disappointed that it was called off.

Prog-Sphere.com: So what happened there? Because the communication was pretty sparse to say the least…

Portnoy: Well, I apologize for that, but you know when I was with them they called the shots and they controlled how things were communicated to the fans… You know, what happened was Matt [Shadows blew] his voice out, he was very sick, he couldn't sing. Personally, I would have handled it differently, I would have let the fans know why. You know me… I'm very open with the fans, but those guys like to have a little distance. In fact, I think it was a little sour subject when I was with them. Because I was always so open with the fans on Twitter and Facebook and they weren't. You know, I think it maybe it bothered them, but obviously, I wasn't going to change my relationship with the fans because I was with them. But, that being said, I would never speak on their behalf. So how they handled their shows and their tours and their communications with the fans was, that was up to them. I had nothing to do with that.
 
German metallers MOB RULES recently filmed a video for the song "Ice & Fire" with director Ronald Matthes (Roax Media), who previously worked with such bands as AVANTASIA, PRETTY MAIDS and ICED EARTH.

Commented MOB RULES: "We decided to use 'Ice & Fire', an atmospheric track, for the video and the clip will very much reflect a special mood. That's why we were filming outside, on a huge green field. But this bucolic ambience will not really be in the focus in the end. You will see soon..."

"Ice & Fire" comes off MOB RULES' seventh album, "Cannibal Nation", which will be released on October 19 via AFM Records. According to a press release, the CD "is a varied, hook-oriented and energetic record. By building their own studio, a whole lot of new possibilities opened to the band. So the Dwelling Mound studio of guitarist Sven Lüdke became the place for MOB RULES to compose their new material. The result: every song on 'Cannibal Nation' appears sophisticated and right on point. From the prog metal-influenced opening track 'Close My Eyes' to the following 'Lost' with its strong hookline, the first single 'Ice & Fire' (inspired by the story of the abducted Colombian politician Íngrid Betancourt), which features atmospheric orchestral parts by Michael 'Miro' Rodenberg (AVANTASIA), to 'Scream For The Sun' (lyrically dealing with the first ascent of Mount Everest) and the album's final song 'Sunrise', every track was arranged with passion and reason. With 'Tele Box Fool' also a song whose lyrics criticize today's dull TV/media culture, can be found on the album."

"Cannibal Nation" track listing:

01. Close My Eyes
02. Lost
03. Tele Box Fool
04. Ice And Fire
05. Soldiers Of Fortune
06. The Sirens
07. Scream For The Sun (May 29th 1953)
08. Cannibal Nation
09. Sunrise
10. Children Of The Flames (live in Atlanta) (digipak bonus track)

MOB RULES will celebrate the release of "Cannibal Nation" with a live release party on October 20 in their hometown of Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

MOB RULES in 2010 parted ways with longtime keyboardist Sascha Onnen and replaced him with Jan Christian Halfbrodt.

MOB RULES is:

Klaus Dirks - Vocals
Matthias Mineur - Guitar
Sven Lüdke - Guitar
Jan Christian Halfbrodt - Keyboards
Markus Brinkmann - Bass
Nikolas Fritz – Drums

MOB RULES's latest album, "Radical Peace", was released in November 2009 via AFM Records.
 
 
HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS — the brand new project featuring NINE INCH NAILS mainman Trent Reznor and his wife Mariqueen Maandig (ex-WEST INDIAN GIRL) along with frequent NIN collaborator Atticus Ross and NIN's longtime graphic designer Rob Sheridan — has inked a deal with Columbia Records for the release of a new EP and full-length album.

HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS' second EP, "An Omen EP", will be made available on November 13 and will contain six songs, some of which will also appear on the upcoming LP, to be issued early next year.

"Regarding our decision to sign with Columbia," Treznor noted in his Facebook announcement, "we've really spent a long time thinking about things and it makes sense for a lot of reasons, including a chance to work with our old friend Mark Williams. There's a much more granular and rambling answer I could give (and likely will in an interview someplace), but it really comes down to us experimenting and trying new things to see what best serves our needs. Complete independent releasing has its great points but also comes with shortcomings."

HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS released a self-titled EP in 2010, and covered BRYAN FERRY's "Is Your Love Strong Enough?" for the soundtrack to "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (scored by Reznor and Ross).

"An Omen EP" unconfirmed track listing:

01. Keep It Together
02. Ice Age
03. On The Wing
04. The Sleep Of Reason Produces Monsters
05. The Loop Closes
06. Speaking In Tongues
SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor will make a special appearance at this year's New York Comic Con. He will be at the Dark Horse Comics booth to announce a brand-new project on Saturday, October 13 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Although it has not yet been officially confirmed, Taylor is expected to reveal STONE SOUR's collaboration with Dark Horse — the third-largest comics publisher in the U.S. — on a series of comic books that will be issued in conjunction with "House Of Gold And Bones", STONE SOUR's upcoming two-disc concept album. The first CD arrives on October 23, while the second half will come out next year, probably in May.

"It's looking like we're gonna release the comics in, like, a four-issue miniseries," Taylor recently told Rolling Stone magazine. "So the first two issues will be part one and then the last two issues will be part two. And we want to really try and keep it on a timeline where they come out, right around the time that Part two comes out."

He added, "It's basically a visual representation of the short story that I wrote. I'm not sure who the artist is going to be; there are a couple of different guys I want to work with, but it'll be fun for me.

"It's just a lot of moving pieces that are gonna tie together. There'll be a lot of content that's not in the album artistically that'll be on the web site. So everything will really kind of tie together and make it a really cool experience for the listener."

"House Of Gold And Bones" will follow up the band's third album, 2010's "Audio Secrecy".

Taylor and STONE SOUR guitarist Jim Root just got off the road with their other band, SLIPKNOT, but will tour with STONE SOUR later this year.

New York Comic Con takes place October 11-14 at New York City's Javits Center.

For more information, visit NewYorkComicCon.com.
Scranton, Pennsylvania-based metalcore sextet MOTIONLESS IN WHITE will release its sophomore album, "Infamous", on November 13 via Fearless Records. The CD's first single, "Devil's Night", will be available for download on Tuesday, September 25.

A preview of "Devil's Night" is available in the YouTube clip below.

"'Infamous' pays a lot more attention to real life, this time," explains MOTIONLESS IN WHITE lead singer Chris Motionless. "It's not about movie characters like a lot of [2010's] 'Creatures' was."

He continues, "I don't want to make music to just exist, I want to make music that makes a fucking difference. So this record is straight up, non-fiction and reflects how I feel about things being sung through not only my eyes, but those of fans and people in general.

"As much as I love not taking music entirely seriously all the time, I do feel at this point, we have an obligation to remain a band that's doing something positive and putting out the right kind of message."

He concludes by issuing this warning: "You have NO idea what you are about to hear, in the best way possible."

"Infamous" track listing:

01. Black Damask (The Fog)
02. Devil's Night
03. A-M-E-R-I-C-A
04. Burned At Both Ends
05. The Divine Infection
06. Puppets 2 (The Rain) (feat. Björn "Speed" Strid of SOILWORK)
07. Sinematic
08. If It's Dead, We'll Kill It (feat. Brandan Schieppati of BLEEDING THROUGH)
09. Synthetic Love
10. Hatefuck
11. Underdog
12. I nfamous
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Australian metallers PARKWAY DRIVE will release their fourth album, "Atlas", on October 30 via Epitaph Records. The deluxe package will include the "Home Is For The Heartless" DVD, a unique travelogue that follows the band's adventures touring to many obscure destinations including Colombia, China and India. The announcement comes as the band unleashes a brand new video for the debut track "Dark Days" which can be seen below.

Yet another creative leap forward for the chart-topping Australian band, "Atlas" boasts some of the most up front and confrontational material PARKWAY DRIVE has ever released, while at the same time taking several unexpected turns into lush sonic terrain, redefining their trademark sound while reinforcing their position as leaders in their field.

Recorded in Los Angeles with esteemed producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED), "Atlas" sets the standard in musical progression by pushing musical boundaries and drawing from a wider scope of influence. From heavy, technically advanced riffs and rapid fire blast beats, to haunting death growls combined with fervent vocals and symphonic melodies, "Atlas"' ferocious mix of metal and hardcore reaches new horizons with songs such as "Dark Days", "Old Ghost / New Regrets" and "The River", all of which will have fans careening straight for the circle pit.

"Everything has been enhanced," says PARKWAY vocalist Winston McCall. "People don't have to kiss the old parts goodbye. When you think of change, you think of things being taken away, but there's not a case here where anything has been taken away. This is just more on top."

The new record is positioned to be the most highly anticipated heavy album of the year and follows 2010's phenomenally successful "Deep Blue", which debuted aat No. 39 in the U.S. on The Billboard 200, No. 2 in Australia, as well as reaching solid gold and winning the ARIA Award for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Album" and has since built steadfast momentum as a result of a groundswell of fan support in the U.S. Building on a record that was regarded as "not just a landmark album for themselves, [but] a milestone album for modern metal" (Metal Hammer)," "Atlas" cements PARKWAY DRIVE as the world's most hardcore musical superpower.

"'Atlas' is a culmination of ten years," says McCall. "Ten years of PARKWAY DRIVE, ten years of travel, ten years of being alive and watching our world spiral out of control. We're not holding anything back, we're not pulling any punches, and this world deserves nothing less."

"The Home Is For The Heartless" DVD has already reached platinum status in Australia and is only available in the U.S. via the deluxe package. According to McCall, the DVD gives an additional insight into the album's lyrical themes, which are closely related to exploration and discovery.

"Reading the lyrics to 'Atlas' after watching the DVD, I think you will have more of a sense of where we are coming from," McCall reveals. "The album is called 'Atlas' because it's a combination of the travelling we've done over the past year, while also playing on the idea of 'Atlas', who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders."

When asked if he feels as though he and the band are anything like the mythological Greek titan, bearing the weight of the world on their shoulders, McCall replies: "I think everybody feels that way at one time or another. It's a heavy place to live, and it's a heavy time to be alive. Some people watch the DVD and go, 'Man, it makes me jealous of your life.' But I think with every expanse of your horizon, you go into another bubble of society where you are able to see that others in the world aren't doing so good. It's one of those things... the more your horizon expands, the more negative things you see. For that reason, there is a lot of stuff on this record that is more confrontational than anything we've written in the past."

The track listing for the deluxe CD/DVD edition of "Atlas" is as follows:

01. Sparks
02. Old Ghosts / New Regrets
03. Dream Run
04. Wild Eyes
05. Dark Days
06. The River
07. Swing
08. The Slow Surrender
09. Atlas
10. Sleight Of Hand
11. Snake Oil And Holy Water
12. Blue And The Grey
The original lineup of the acclaimed 1990s rock band SAIGON KICKMatt Kramer (vocals), Phil Varone (drums), Jason Bieler (guitar) and Tom Defile (bass) — has reunited and is planning to hit the road soon. They will be joined by another returning SAIGON KICK member, bassist Chris McLernon, who will handle rhythm-guitar duties on the upcoming dates.

Commented Kramer: "A 20-year lapse has finally come to an end. SAIGON KICK will be reuniting with all original members for a few shows this fall. Let's see if we can even make it past the first rehearsal."

Bieler, who recently launched a new project called OWL STRETCHING, told Love-It-Loud.com about earlier this year about the prospect of a SAIGON KICK reunion, "I am open to anything at this point, I am really just distilling this down to what it was about when I started… making music and having fun. So far… so good!"

SAIGON KICK is perhaps best remembered for its second album, 1992's "The Lizard", which spawned the band's biggest hit single, "Love Is On The Way". The track reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its accompanying video was in the top 10 MTV countdown for many weeks. Just before touring for the LP commenced, DeFile was fired and was replaced by ex-COLD SWEAT bassist Chris McLernon. They toured from summer 1992 to spring 1993 and "The Lizard" was eventually certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies.
Sweden's TIAMAT will release its tenth studio album, "The Scarred People", via Napalm Records on the following dates:

October 31 - Spain, Finland, Sweden, Greece
November 02 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
November 05 - Rest of Europe
November 06 - USA/Canada

The CD was recorded at Woodhouse Studios in Hagen, Germany with producer Siggi Bemm.

"The Scarred People" cover artwork, which was created by TIAMAT mainman Johan Edlund, can be seen below. Also available is video footage of Edlund working on the design.

"The Scarred People" track listing:

01. The Scarred People
02. Winter Dawn
03. 384 - Kteis
04. Radiant Star
05. The Sun Also Rises
06. Before Another Wilbury Dies
07. Love Terrorists
08. Messinian Letter
09. Thunder & Lightning
10. Tiznit
11. Born To Die (digipack bonus track)
12. The Red Of The Morning Sun
13. Paradise (digipack bonus track)
14. Divided (live) (digipack bonus track)
15. Cain (live) (digipack bonus track)

A picture of the "The Scarred People" limited-edition box set (which includes a TIAMAT pendant) can be seen below.
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The original lineup of the German metal band DARK AT DAWN has reformed. On October 1, the group will release a new EP in digital form, as well as a very limited amount of physical copies, to be sold at their upcoming shows.

In 2013, DARK AT DAWN will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a new full-length album and a number of festival appearances.

DARK AT DAWN disbanded in 2007 after 14 years and five albums. It was too difficult for the members to handle the band as well as their day jobs. After several setbacks, including lineup changes and business problems, they lost the motivation to continue as band.

In the beginning of the 21th century, the Harz-Mountain-based band was called one of the most promising newcomer of the German scene. Shows at Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze and the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig raised their profile and their debut record, "Baneful Skies", won praise from the print media. They managed to mix up traditional and modern metal sounds with a unique touch melancholy.

Now, five years after their disbanding, the five musicians decided that the time has come to get back together with new energy and dozens of new ideas.
CEREMONIAL OATH, the reunited late '80s/early '90s Swedish extreme metal band whose members went on to create or join such acclaimed acts as IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL and TIAMAT, rehearsed for the first time earlier today in Gothnburg, Sweden.

A photo from the studio can be seen below.

As previously reported, CEREMONIAL OATH will perform at the inaugural edition of The Gothenburg Sound festival, set to take place January 5-6, 2013 at Trädgår'n in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Formed in 1988 under the name DESECRATOR, CEREMONIAL OATH released three demos, one EP and two full-length albums before calling it quits in 1995. The band's former members include such internationally recognized names as Anders Fridén (IN FLAMES), Oscar Dronjak (HAMMERFALL), Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES) and Anders Iwers (TIAMAT).

CEREMONIAL OATH has inked a deal with Century Media Records for the re-release of the majority of its catalog, up to and including the 1993 CD "The Book Of Truth". A tentative late December release date is expected.

CEREMONIAL OATH is:

Oscar Dronjak (HAMMERFALL): Guitar, vocals
Anders Iwers (TIAMAT): Guitar
Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES): Bass
Markus Nordberg: Drums
On November 6, The End Records, as part of a joint venture with Sony/Search & Destroy, will release the debut full-length album from the United Kingdom's own WHILE SHE SLEEPS, titled "This Is The Six".

Produced by Carl Bown (FIGHTSTAR, RISE TO REMAIN), the twelve-song opus is a genre-defying masterpiece that draws from the contemporary intensity and unshakeable authenticity of post-hardcore, the progressive song-structure and unrelenting aggression of metal, a keen ear for melody and a raw impenetrable passion that makes it relatable to anyone with a love for guitar-driven rock music.

As one of the fastest rising bands on the U.K. hard rock and metal circuits for some years (Kerrang! "Best British Newcomer" award 2012, #27 debut on the U.K. album chart), the Sheffield quintet — which features lead vocalist Lawrence Taylor, guitarist Sean Long, guitarist/vocalist Mat Welsh, bassist Aaran Mckenzie and drummer Adam Savage — has received critical acclaim across the pages of British staple music publications Kerrang!, Metal Hammer and Rock Sound, with regular airplay on BBC Radio 1, Scuzz and Kerrang! TV.

"I want this to be an eye-opener for America," says Welsh. "We want this to be an album that people can grow up to.

"We've grown up to landmark albums by SLIPKNOT, THRICE and bands that meant the world to us and we want this album to mean the world to people."

Proud to plant the flag for British rock on whatever continent the band find themselves, Taylor adds, "We've got an album that we really think can shake things up and we've got a sound that's ours and that we want to take and make successful all over the world."

With a sold-out headline tour, a tent-swelling set at last year's Sonisphere festival and venues on this year's prestigious Kerrang! tour under their belts, the bustling brood have rapidly and justifiably become one of the highest regarded rock bands in Britain.

Currently, WHILE SHE SLEEPS is touring Europe with plans to tour the United States in early 2013.

"This Is The Six" track listing:

01. Dead Behind The Eyes (featuring Andrew Neufeld of COMEBACK KID)
02. False Freedom
03. Satisfied In Suffering
04. Seven Hills
05. Our Courage, Our Cancer
06. This Is The Six
07. The Chapel
08. Be(Lie)Ve
09. Until The Death
10. Love At War
11. The Plague Of A New Age
12. Reunite
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE's feature film "A Beary Scary Movie" is scheduled for release on November 6.

"A Beary Scary Movie" was written and directed by Justin Beasley of KOTK Productions and features the musical stylings and acting debut of IWRESTLEDABEARONCE. The horror-comedy follows the tale of Shreddy — the deranged guitarist from legendary '80s hair metal band WHITE VULTURE — who comes straight from hell murdering bands one by one by hacking them to pieces. Now it's up to Steven, Mikey, John, Krysta and Ricky to make it out alive. The film also features an impressive cast, including M. Shawn Crahan (SLIPKNOT), Larry Parks, John Dillion, Phillip Wright, Jim Babel, Charlie Huffman and Kelly Keodara, with a special appearance by Jake Busey.

The official trailer for the film can be seen below.

IWRESTLEDABEARONCE played its first show with singer Courtney LaPlante (UNICRON) on July 5 at the St. Louis, Missouri stop of the Vans Warped Tour.

Vocalist Krysta Cameron left IWRESTLEDABEARONCE's most recent trek after she discovered that she and her fiancé were expecting a child.

IWRESTLEDABEARONCE's latest album, "Ruining It For Everybody", sold around 5,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 80 on The Billboard 200 chart.
http://youtu.be/nLbzUH_Ea-4
 
New York death metal veterans SUFFOCATION have set "The Pinnacle Of Bedlam" as the title of their new album, tentatively due in February/March 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Blood Oath" will come with a bonus DVD, the details of which will be announced soon.

In a brand new interview with Jo Schüftan of Horns Up Rocks! (see video below), SUFFOCATION bassist Derek Boyer stated about the band's upcoming CD, "We've been working on it for two years [and recording it for the last four weeks], working really hard to make sure that we compose a really tasteful album for the new and the old SUFFOCATION fans.

"With the modern recording technology, a lot of bands are taking the shortcut. We wanted to do it the old-fashioned way — make sure that everyone's happy with their performance.

"We're really happy with the content —the lyrical concepts and the musical compositions — so all in all, it's a very, very good record."

Regarding the title of the new SUFFOCATION CD, Boyer said, "It's a concept album based loosely on the 'Tibetan Book Of The Dead'. We didn't wanna just throw a bunch of different concepts, we wanted to try to work together as a band and write something that had a theme. And I think we're really in the right direction with this one."

He added, "It's always interesting when you record a record. If you're conscious, maybe you can channel the energy into a sole product where we're all, like, 'Let's just do whatever,' and it still comes out great. But we pretty much tried to hone it in and tried to work on a concept album. So it's really right."

"The Pinnacle Of Bedlam" will mark SUFFOCATION's first recording since the departure earlier in the year of drummer Mike Smith. He has since been replaced by Dave Culross, who previously played on the band's "Despise The Sun" CD.

"The circumstances and the timing worked out great," Boyer said about Dave's return to SUFFOCATION. "We're really fortunate. Dave is a great player and a really nice guy. And we kind of didn't skip a beat. And it's going great. We're really happy. We've done some European tours with him, a few American shows and now we're in the studio for the last four weeks."

On the topic of SUFFOCATION's relationship with Nuclear Blast Records, which the band first worked with on the aforementioned "Blood Oath" album, Boyer said, "They're great, man. They get behind you. A lot of the labels we worked with, and a lot of my friends worked with, you want to like the people and you also want them to be able to support you. You get a lot of labels that are, like, 'Oh, we love you so much, but we don't have the capital to put you out there where you need to be.' Nuclear Blast is just one of those really, really good labels that believes in us, we're great friends with them, and they have the potential to push us. So we're extremely happy with Nuclear Blast."

As previously reported, SUFFOCATION is among the inductees for this year's class of the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame. TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider will receive the Harry Chapin Award at the event, which will be held on October 18 at The Paramount in Huntington, New York. Snider will also perform selections from his "Dee Does Broadway" album.

Inductees are selected by the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame Board Of Directors from anevolving and growing list of people, artists, and entities that wereborn, raised, founded, or have resided on geographic Long Island (Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk) for a significant portion of theircareer. Induction is based on historical importance and thesignificance of their contribution to Long Island's rich musical heritage.

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