Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Lars Confirms That Metallica Is Working On New Album
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich confirms in a new interview that the band is working on their next studio album.
Lars tells Metal Hammer in their January 2013 issue that the new material sounds like a continuation of their 2008 release "Death Magnetic."

"The stuff that we were banging out yesterday, it felt heavy, it felt energetic, it was loud, it was fast, it was rocking, it was crazy," said Ulrich.

"The snare drum was on there and there were guitar solos, in case anybody was wondering. What we're doing now certainly sounds like a continuation of where we left off four years ago."

One thing that Ulrich would not confirm is who is producing the album, and had this to say about Rick Rubin who produced "Death Magnetic": "I love Rick, we all love Rick," said Ulrich. "We're in touch with Rick constantly. We'll see where it goes."

The band recently announced that they have launched a new record label, Blackened Records, and have obtained ownership of their complete catalog.

"It's always been about control for us as a band," Ulrich said in the announcement. "Forming Blackened Recordings is the ultimate in independence, giving us 100 percent control and putting us in the driver's seat of our own creative destiny." Interview quotes obtained from Loudwire.



Former Bury Your Dead Guitarist Sentenced To 20 Years in Prison
Former Bury Your Dead guitarist Eric Ellis has been sentenced to 20 years in Federal prison under a RICO act conviction for his alleged involvement with the Guardians gang, which was said to be inspired by the television show "Sons of Anarchy."

Ellis was a member of Bury Your Dead from 2004 until 2008 and appeared on three of the group's albums, "Bury Your Dead," "Cover Your Tracks," and "Beauty and the Breakdown."

Ellis spoke with Noicecreep while he was still the group about being targeted as the random victim in a gang initiation in Wisconsin while on tour with the band.

The FBI issued a press release about Ellis' sentencing along with other members of the gang. Here is what they had to say: U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard sentenced five members of the Guardians gang last Friday to federal prison terms. Maynard Kenneth Godwin (33, Jacksonville), Andrew Chase Wilkie (31, Callahan), and Eric Steven Ellis (28, Atlantic Beach) were convicted of conspiracy and violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Godwin was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, Wilkie was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison, and Ellis was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Billy James Harper (31, Jacksonville), Brock Skov (32, Jacksonville), and Jonathan Hart (31, Jacksonville) were convicted of violating the RICO Act. Skov was sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison, and Harper was sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison. A sentencing date for Hart has not yet been scheduled.

According to court documents, inspired by the television show "Sons of Anarchy," Godwin formed his own gang and called it the Guardians. He was the "Boss," Wilkie was the "Enforcer," Harper was the "Lieutenant," and Skov was the "Technician." Ellis and Hart were associates of the Guardians. The gang committed a series of violent felonies and crimes, including an extortion that left one man nearly dead; the choking of a young woman until she passed out; armed bank robberies; armed home invasions; daily cocaine and opiate sales; and theft of thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise from local stores. Arrests were made in November 2010 when an investigation revealed that the gang was preparing to commit additional home invasion robberies. The robberies committed by the Guardians resulted in the loss of almost $2 million to their victims.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, and the Clay County Sheriff's Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia Barksdale and Jay Taylor.




Meat Loaf To Play Bat Out Of Hell Album On Farewell Tour
Next year Meat Loaf will be embarking on a farewell tour which has been dubbed the Last At Bat Tour.

European and UK dates have been announced for the trek that will take place next spring.

Live Nation UK reports that on the tour, Meat Loaf will perform a two-act show. The first act will include some of Meat Loaf's greatest hits such as 'Dead Ringer For Love' and 'I'd Lie For You (And That's the Truth)'. The second act will be the classic debut album 'Bat Out Of Hell' – with all 7 songs performed in their original order.

Opening the tour at Newcastle Arena on April 5th, Meat Loaf and The Neverland Express will visit Glasgow, London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Sheffield and finishing in Cardiff on April 21st.

As for Bat out of Hell, the UK promoters state that since its release in 1977, the seminal album is still 3rd in the biggest selling charts, having sold more than 45 million copies and continues to sell around 200,000 copies each year. In fact, the album has never left the charts the UK!

The UK run will be followed by dates in Germany in late April and early May. No word yet what other countries Meat Loaf may be visiting on his farewell tour. more on this story




Alice In Chains Release Lyric Video For New Album Song
Christmas has come a week early for Alice in Chains fans as the group has released a lyric video for the title track of their forthcoming album.

The group posted the "Hollow" lyric video on their official website on Tuesday. The video was created by fans and comprised of images submitted through Instagram.

The single for "Hollow" will be released on iTunes on January 8, and will be followed by the Vevo premiere of the song's official companion video.

Set for a spring 2013 release, Alice In Chains' upcoming album was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones).

Raskulinecz also produced the band's hugely successful 2009 release Black Gives Way To Blue, which entered Billboard's Top 200 at No. 5, sold over one million copies, spawned two No. 1 hit singles ("Check My Brain" and "Your Decision") and a third ("Lesson Learned") that went top 10, earned two Grammy nominations and saw the band (vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell, vocalist/guitarist William DuVall, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez) headlining a sold-out international tour that wrapped at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In a recent interview with Guitar World, Cantrell said, "In my opinion, that record stood up to anything else we've put out in our career. Hopefully, the new album will connect with people in the same way." Watch the new video here.




Deftones Plan North American Tour
Deftones have announced plans to launch a North America headline tour next March.

The tour is set to kick off on March 4, 2013 in Rochester, NY and will conclude on March 30 in Houston, TX.

Deftones have also rescheduled their New York City and Boston, MA show dates, which had previously been postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.

The band will be touring in support of their seventh studio album, Koi No Yokan, which was released last month. more on this story




New Order Plan New Album Release And World Tour
New Order have set a January 14th release date for their new album, "The Lost Sirens," and have added a North American leg to their world tour plans.

As the name suggest, The Lost Sirens, consists of songs that were written and recorded for the 2005 release, "Waiting for the Sirens' Call."

"Lost Sirens? Well, it's not really lost," Stephen Morris explains. "I remember that Martin Hannett once had an idea of making a record and burying it in his garden, so that one day someone would dig it up, like a time capsule. We just stuck our record in a cupboard. And now we've got it out.

"When we did the first one we had 20 ideas for songs - we were going through a particularly prolific phase - but we couldn't make a double concept album out of them all, so we thought we'd just do two instead.

"The intention was always to write four or five more songs and then put it out 18 months or so after the first one. When we unearthed it from the cupboard recently, with the intention of re-editing some of the songs, we all agreed they didn't actually need it, and it should just be out there. So here it is."

The eight-track album may be the last time that new material is released from New Order featuring Peter Hook, who left the group in 2007 and was not invited to reunite with the group (Bernard Sumner, Morris and Gillian Gilbert) last year. more on this story




Def Leppard Release Acoustic Medley
(hennemusic) Def Leppard have released an acoustic medley featuring several tracks played during their 2012 live shows.

Available exclusively via iTunes, the 7-minute plus medley includes snippets of the following tracks: * "Where Does Love Go When It Dies"
* "Now" * "When Love and Hate Collide" * "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" * "Two Steps Behind"

Leppard have also recently announced a Las Vegas residency in the spring of 2013 where they will be taking over the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for an exclusive nine-show run entitled "VIVA Hysteria!"

The band will perform their iconic album, "Hysteria," in full, in addition to a greatest hits segment. Listen to the new medley here.




Dave Grohl Directs New Soundgarden Video
(hennemusic) Soundgarden have recruited Dave Grohl to direct the music video for their song "By Crooked Steps" from their new album, "King Animal."

The head Foo Fighter recently completed his first film, "Sound City," which chronicles the story of the Van Nuys, California studio of the same name, where music legends recorded major projects throughout the years – including Nirvana's 1991 smash, "Nevermind," which featured Grohl on drums.

"Sound City" will premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in January before its theatrical release in February. Check out a video of Soundgarden performing the video song live.




The Devil Wears Prada and As I Lay Dying Announce Tour
The Devil Wears Prada and As I Lay Dying are teaming up for a North American coheadlining tour.

The tour will feature support from For Today (on all dates except March 7th-March 8th), The Color Morale (February 22nd – March 7th), and The Chariot (March 8th – April 4th).

The trek kicks off on February 22nd at Ventura, Ca. concludes with a two-night stand on April 3rd and 4th in Colorado Springs, Co. more on this story




New Queensryche Album A Full Band Effort
Queensryche drummer Scott Rockenfield says in a new interview that the band is excited because the new album that they are working on is a complete "band" effort.

Rock Confidential asked Scott, "How involved is each member in the songwriting process and how does it differ from previous writing sessions?"

He responded, "That's exactly why we're excited and there's all this enthusiasm behind the new album. We're finally... let me back up. Unfortunately, over the course of the past, many records that we've done hasn't been a complete 'band' effort. We've run into a lot of conflicts of musical tastes or directions that we should take. I think the band has suffered because of it. It was something that wasn't always done with the music always in mind. That's why a lot of this has transpired and turned into what it did and we had to move on."

"Our goal has always been for Queensrÿche to this particular type of band. One thing we wanted to do was to revisit what that was and that to us is what made Queensrÿche – our classic material. Why were we so excited then? Let's find that 'excitement' again. We wanted to do that for a while but we haven't been able to do that. We weren't 'allowed' to do that is probably a better way to put it. In a nutshell that's what we're doing. So to answer your question, all five of us – Michael, Parker, Eddie, Todd and I are all writing the material. It's a huge collective effort. We're all playing the material and then with 'Jimbo' in the fold as our producer and engineer – he's like the sixth member of the band. The chemistry level is huge and that's something that we haven't had in a while. I think that's what the fans are excited about and the anticipation is so high. Having said that—it's a hell of a lot of pressure! Whatever, we'll get through it! (laughs) We're having a lot of fun. Last week in the studio was really a lot of fun." You can read the full interview here.




Thin Lizzy To Announce New Band Name and Album on Christmas
(hennemusic) This fall, Thin Lizzy announced the group will start recording a new album , to be released under a new name, and that they will cease touring under the Thin Lizzy brand after going out on one last UK tour.

The trip wrapped up Monday in London, and now the group is sharing its plans moving forward.

"A massive thanks to all fans who have supported TL for the last 2 years, it's been the biggest honor and privilege of my life to be part of this," posted singer Ricky Warwick. "Stay tuned for big announcements on Xmas on the album and new band name ...2013 is gonna be a very busy year!"

Although Thin Lizzy are scheduled to play an Australian tour with KISS and Motley Crue in the spring, as well as some headline dates of their own, the band revealed their name change and new album plans earlier this fall.

"Out of respect to Phil Lynott and the legacy he created, we have decided that we should not release a new album under the Thin Lizzy name," said guitarist Scott Gorham in September. Read the rest here.




Clutch Announce First Leg Of Their North American Tour
Clutch have announced the initial dates for the first leg of the North American portion of their upcoming world tour.

The newly announced dates will kick off on March 8th in Cincinnati, OH and are currently slated to run through March 24th in Anaheim, CA. Support on these dates will be provided by Orange Goblin, Lionize and Kyng.

The tour will be in support of their forthcoming album, Earth Rocker. The North American trek will follow the band's European tour which runs from late January until early February.

Clutch will also be headlining the KBPI "When Hell Freezes Over" show this Friday night December 21st in Denver, CO at the Fillmore Auditorium.

Then next week, Clutch will be launching their Holiday tour which kick off December 26th in Washington, DC and conclude with a special New Year's Eve performance in Worcester, MA at The Palladium. more on this story




The Story So Far and Man Overboard Plan Spring Tour
The Story So Far and Man Overboard will be teaming up next spring to coheadline The Suppy Nation Tour.

The trek will kick off in Dallas on March 8th and will feature support from Tonight Alive, Citizen and The American Scene.

The Story So Far will be releasing a new album in the spring, produced by Steven Klein (New Found Glory). more on this story




Black Dahlia Murder Added To Warped Tour
Next summer's Warped Tour will features some metal from Black Dahlia Murder who will be taking part in the annual trek.

Frontman Trevor Strnad had this to say about being added to next year's lineup: "We in the Black Dahlia Murder look forward to seeing you and your friend's fancy haircuts this summer at the Van's Warped Tour.

"I think it's safe to say that all of us in TBDM have attended this tour at various points and have fond memories of this great American punk rock freak show.

"This time, we shall be the freaks … the sore thumb poking at your eyeball. We are proud to be the fastest, craziest, and most evil band that has ever played Warped Tour … hundreds of bands will enter, one band will leave. Us.

"We will emerge from the rubble like the giant cockroach men we are. See ya this summer… let's get warped!!!" more on this story




Rolling Stones Tour Speculation
(Gibson) Fresh off their 50th anniversary mini-tour, speculation has already started that perhaps The Rolling Stones will hit the road for a major tour in 2013.

Mick Jagger said during the band's last concert in Newark, NJ, on Saturday night: "This is our last show…of the 50th anniversary tour. Hope to see you again soon."

Former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, who played guitar during "Midnight Rambler," told Billboard "I think they feel re-energized, and possibly very enthusiastic about doing things in the future. I have an intuitive feeling that if they want to do some more shows, they can. There's no reason why they shouldn't be able to."

Adding further fuel to the rumor of more Stones shows, on Friday December 14 the band's official mobile app briefly listed a show on April 12 in Indio, CA, under the heading "Coachella 2013." more on this story






Tracii Guns' League Of Gentlemen Finish Debut Album
Former L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns informed fans via Facebook that his new group has finished recording their new album.

The new group, Tracii Guns' League Of Gentlemen, are hoping to release their debut album next spring.

Guns had this to say, "Update! The album is completely finished, Now onto artwork etcetcetc. Trying for a March release date.

"At the moment our very good friend and photographer Cheryl Spelts is very sick and she hasn't been able to get her priceless photos of the band to us so, we hope she gets better quickly so she can get on with her busy life and so we can finish up the Album artwork and get our new website www.electriclogjam.com up and out as quickly as possible." Until then you can visit Tracii's Facebook here.




Garbage Already Planning Next Album
(Gibson) This year saw the release of Not Your Kind of People, the first new studio album from Garbage in seven years.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, the band reveals that they are already set to record new material.

According to drummer Butch Vig, the band are, "gonna do some recording in January, early February."

But Garbage are not setting out to record a full album of songs, but rather a handful of tracks to be released digitally.

Singer Shirley Manson said: "Historically, we've worked slow because we've toured so much — we go and spend a year making a record, then we go back out on the road. Now we realize we can do two or three tracks, release these tracks and then go on the road." more on this story







Singled Out: Her Dark Embrace
Today Her Dark Embrace vocalist Will Brookes tells us about their new single "December". Here is the story:

December is a song based loosely on memories of my own, tied in with that nostalgic movie feeling. It's a song about the kind of memory you keep in your heart, and don't share with other people. The kind that can still make your stomach feel funny, even though it happened years ago.

I came up with the idea for it when I was flicking through some old photographs. I found a picture of a love heart, drawn on steamed up glass, and the memories it evoked were so strong. The whole song just grew from there. Today, it's our first single, and has a music video to go with it!

The music video was great fun to make, although it was freezing cold! Getting up at 5am with a hangover, and climbing up a mountain with all the gear wasn't the best feeling in the world, but the results are definitely worth it.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and check out the video right here!




Blink-182's Yelawolf Collaboration Streaming Online
KROQ are streaming a brand new track from Blink-182's new E.P. Dogs Eating Dogs. Titled "Pretty Little Girl," the track features guest vocals from Alabama rapper and Travis Barker collaborator Yelawolf.

Talk of an unnamed E.P. began circling this fall just after the band announced they had separated from long time partner, Interscope Records. "It's a great time in our band right now," Hoppus told CBS Local. "We're better amongst ourselves than we've been in years. It's a real positive, excited energy between the three of us. Getting a chance to become independent after being on a label for whatever it's been, 17 years now – it's a really cool position to be in."

Blink-182 decided to self-release the E.P. and on December 10th, unveiled the Christmas song, "Boxing Day."

"Dogs Eating Dogs will be nothing like Neighborhoods, but it's also not just a return to the band's early releases," explained Tom DeLonge to Billboard. "The band is back together, working together in a way that they hadn't been, even for years before the hiatus. We're connected and laughing and making jokes and making fun of each other, and really having strong debates whether or not we should have a whole chorus about..." Find out what that's about and listen to the song here.



Video of The Black Keys Rolling Stones Jam Goes Online
(hennemusic) The Black Keys joined the Rolling Stones Saturday in New Jersey for the fifth and final show of the band's 50 & Counting tour.

The Keys jammed the Bo Diddley classic "Who Do You Love?" with the Stones at the show, which also featured special guests Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr. and former Stone Mick Taylor.

There's rumors that there are more concerts to be announced as the Stones marks their 50th anniversary.

On Friday, an April 12, 2013 Coachella Festival date appeared on the official Stones App, only to be taken down hours later; April 12 is the opening day of the festival's first weekend.