Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Linkin Park Giving Away Their New Album The Hunting Party
Christmas has come a little early for Linkin Park fans as the band has announced that they are offering a free download of their latest album, "The Hunting Party," for the next week.

The album is being offered as a free download to fans in the U.S. via Google Play until December 23rd. The online service is also selling other Linkin Park albums for just $1.99 each during the promotion. You can take advantage of both special deals here.

Many fans outside the U.S. shouldn't feel left out as Google Play are also offering deep discount prices on the band's entire catalog to fans in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, U.K., Germany, Italy, Australia, and France here.

Linkin Park will also be launching their North American The Hunting Party Tour early next year which will feature support from Rise Against and Of Mice & Men.

The arena tour is scheduled to kick off on January 15th in Orlando, FL at the Amway Center and will conclude on February 14th in Edmonton, AB at Rexall Place. Check out the tour dates here.



The Who Postpone Shows Due To Roger Daltrey Illness
The Who have been forced to postpone two of their concert this week that are part of their The Who Hits 50 tour after frontman Roger Daltrey came down with a throat infection.

The concerts were scheduled to take place tonight (December 17th) and tomorrow night at the O2 Arena but have been rescheduled to March 22nd and 23rd after Daltry was ordered to rest his voice by doctors.

The Who's camp issued this statement, "On medical advice singer Roger Daltrey has been ordered to rest his voice due to a throat infection. The band and their management wish to sincerely apologize to all ticket holders for the inconvenience and disappointment this has caused."

The O2 Arena dates are part of the band's current 50th anniversary tour. They are scheduled to launch the North American leg of The Who Hits 50 tour in mid-April.




Stevie Ray Vaughan Leads Next Batch Of Rock Hall Inductees
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble lead the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class of 2015. After winning the public vote, the late blues legend and his group will be inducted next year.

Another late rock icon, Lou Reed, who had previously been inducted as a member of the Velvet Underground, will be inducted as solo artist. Other inductees for 2015 include the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Bill Withers, who had a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s including the No. 1 "Lean On Me" and the No. 2 hit "Just The Two Of Us".

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr will also receive an honor for Award For Musical Excellence and R&B pioneers the 5 Royales will be present with the Early Influence Award.

Nine Inch Nails, who came in second in the public poll with 22.2% of the vote, won't be inducted next year, but Green Day who captured only 2.6% of the vote will. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts came in third in the vote and will also be inducted next year.




Misfits Reunion Possible If Danzig Has The Right Attitude
(TeamRock Radio) Misfits mainman Jerry Only says he would consider a reunion with Glenn Danzig if the singer promised to leave "his sh*t at home." Only's brother and former Misfits bandmate Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein said this month that he would welcome a reunion of the classic Misfits line-up and added that he was surprised it hadn't happened yet.

Any reconciliation between Danzig and Only looked dead in the water earlier this year when Danzig launched a legal action claiming Only cut him out of profits from the band's merchandise.

But Only now says all hope is not lost, as long as Danzig vows not to bring "the dark stuff to the table." Only tells Loudwire: "The thing is, I have an obligation to our fans. A lot of our fans are young and the thing is, we're a very positive organisation.

"If we bring Glenn back in and he's going to bring that dark, that real black stuff to the table, I don't want that. All the money in the world ain't gonna make me sell out my fans." Read more here.




Ace Frehley Thinks KISS Will Regret Not Playing Rock Hall Induction
(hennemusic) Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley says former bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons will regret their decision not to perform with him and original drummer Peter Criss at the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame earlier this year.

"The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was a great experience for me," Frehley tells VH1. "We could have been inducted fifteen years earlier, but we finally got inducted this year, in April. I know there was a little controversy going on preceding the event. Originally we were asked to perform, and at the last minute Paul and Gene decided that they didn't wanna perform with me and Peter."

"Me and Peter were up for it," he continued. "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was insisting that only the four original members perform. Paul and Gene opted not to do it. After forty years, they couldn't give the fans fifteen minutes. Go figure. I think they're gonna regret that decision."

Stanley and Simmons have long maintained a fractured relationship with the music industry insiders who run both Rolling Stone and the Rock Hall, and have always questioned the validity of both brands. Read more and stream video here.




The Yardbirds' Current Lineup Breaking Up
(The Blues The current lineup of the Yardbirds is to split at the end of the year, drummer Jim McCarty has confirmed. He's the only member who remains from the iconic British outfit that's featured Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page among many others over the years.

Guitarist Ben King is to bow out after nine years, while frontman Andy Mitchell and bassist David Smale each end five-year stints. Second guitarist Anthony 'Top' Topham, who originally played with the band in 1963, returned last year.

McCarty says: "The Yardbirds, as a band, has continued to evolve through the years with great musicians playing all around the world. The current lineup will be parting ways at the end of the year. I would like to thank Ben, Andy, Dave and Top for all their support through the years." Read more here.




Rival Sons Forced To Stop Show After Two Songs
(TeamRock Radio) Rival Sons were last night forced to stop the final show of their UK tour after two songs. Frontman Jay Buchanan, who'd been feeling ill all day, told his bandmates he was unable to continue the concert at the University of East Anglia in Norwich.

The Californian outfit are now heading home - but they've apologized to fans and asked them to keep hold of their ticket stubs, which will be valid for a rescheduled show to be announced soon.

Guitarist Scott Holiday says: "We couldn't be more disappointed - it's the first time we've ever had to do this. We offer our extreme apologies. Jay was at an extreme deficit; just not well. He was completely unable to continue, or we would have." Read more here.




Sebastian Bach Claims He Beat Ozzy Osbourne On The Charts
(Classic Rock) Sebastian Bach says his latest solo album charting higher in its first week than Ozzy Osbourne's recent 'best of' is a major milestone in his career. The former Skid Row frontman released Give 'Em Hell in April and it reached number 72 on the Billboard chart, while Ozzy's Memoirs Of A Madman landed at number 90 in its first week after being released in October.

Bach says his album "sold more" than Ozzy's effort in week one, however according to Blabbermouth, Give 'Em Hell sold 4000 copies while Memoirs Of A Madman sold 4200.

Bach tells the Illinois Entertainer: "My ultimate dream in rock 'n' roll when I was fired from Skid Row in 1996 was to possibly some day be like Ozzy Osbourne, in that he came up with Sabbath and then had a successful solo career.

"Give 'Em Hell sold more copies the first week out than the new Ozzy Osbourne record." Read more here.




Of Mice & Men Set Release For Restoring Force: Full Circle
Of Mice & Men have announced that they will be releasing a double-disc deluxe reissue of their "Restoring Force" album that will feature new tracks, on February 24th.

Dubbed "Restoring Force: Full Circle" the foil-stamped digipack will include the original studio album as well as three new tracks and an acoustic version of the hit single "Feels Like Forever."

The band called on David Bendeth (Paramore, Bring Me The Horizon) to produce the new tracks, "Broken Generation," "Something To Hide," "Never Giving Up" and the unplugged version of "Feels Like Forever."

Fans will also be able to catch the band live early next year when they hit the road with Linkin Park for their North American arena tour on January 15th in Orlando, FL.

Of Mice & Men will also be taking part in next year's Soundwave Festival in Australia and in early March they will head to Europe to kick off their headlining tour in Paris. Check out the tour dates here.





Def Leppard Taking Advantage Of Technology To Make New Album
(Classic Rock) Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen believes there's no need for the band to spend big money on recording their upcoming album together every step of the way.

He argues that his two visits to singer Joe Elliott's studio in Ireland, combined with additional work in his home in the US, provide everything that's needed to complete the project to their satisfaction.

The band's 1987 masterwork Hysteria is thought to have been one of the most expensive recording projects in history on its release. But there's not much chance of the band repeating the feat.

Allen tells The Pulse Of Radio: "I've been to Joe's place on two occasions for extended periods. We've got a good 16 to 17 songs that, when I left, were 80, 85% done. I think I'm pretty much done with my parts."

Asked whether all five members of the band will get together over the final stages, he replies: "I don't think we need to go into that kind of expense. With technology these days, it's fantastic." Read more here.



Jimmy Page Ready To Surprise People With New Material
(Classic Rock) Jimmy Page has talked to Classic Rock in a new interview video about revisiting Led Zeppelin's studio works, the great analogue vs digital war, and new beginnings.

"I'm playing guitar at the moment", says Page. "Because I'm getting ready. Whatever I do, I don't want people to have made up their minds before I've done it.

"On the internet, people are telling me, 'you're doing this, and you're doing that', and I'm 'Am I?' Just wait and see what I do. I've got new material, and it will be surprising."

In May, Page admitted that it was time to play live again, and in October hinted that the show night be a career-spanning retrospective. Watch the interview clip here.




L.A. Guns, Poison, Cinderella Supergroup Launch PledgeMusic Drive
(Classic Rock) Supergroup Devil City Angels have made their upcoming debut album available to pre-order. The group featuring former L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns, Poison sticksman Rikki Rockett, Cinderella bassist Eric Brittingham and Cheap Thrill vocalist Brandon Gibbs, have launched a PledgeMusic page offering a range of incentives to those who purchase the album now ahead of its planned 2015 release.

They say: "After years of hits with our other bands, we've joined forces to create exciting new rock music for you. We are recording our debut album with the band this winter and we're set up in a big old house in LA."

Exclusives available include a signed copy of the album, T-shirt and poster bundles, an autographed drum head and sticks, a personal video message from the band and a private martial arts lesson from Rockett, who is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Read more here.




Pink Floyd Classic Named The Leading Song For Surgery
(Classic Rock) Pink Floyd classic Comfortably Numb is one of a handful of songs recommended for surgeons as they lead medical operations. But a study by Cardiff University Hospital says Queen's Another One Bites The Dust, Bob Dylan's Knockin' On Heaven's Door and REM's Everybody Hurts should be avoided.

While the suggestions are light-hearted, they're backed up by a serious study that's found four out of five operations are carried out while staff listen to music.

The report in the British Medical Journal says it "improves communication between staff, reduces anxiety and improves efficiency." And surgeons who listen regularly say it helps them increase performance and helps them focus.

Check out the recommended and the not recommended lists here.





Dying Fetus Planning Their Next Album
(TeamRock Radio) Dying Fetus will begin recording a new album next spring, drummer Trey Williams says. Williams says fans can expect the usual blend of "brutal, slam and death metal" and "social commentary" on the follow-up to 2012's Reign Supreme.

He tells My Global Mind: "Hopefully in the early spring we can get into the studio and start recording. Nobody has any concepts or anything. Just evolving the Dying Fetus sound a little bit. Not too drastically, but you know - add a couple of new slams into our repertoire and a couple of new technical parts.

"I think our fans know what they're going to get out of us when they buy a Dying Fetus album. You're going to get technical, brutal, slam and death metal with a double vocal attack, and we're going to bring that again." Read more here.




The Movielife Reuniting
(TeamRock Radio) The Movielife frontman Vinnie Caruana and guitarist Brandon Reilly have confirmed a reunion - and they plan to appear in the UK next year. The pop punk outfit originally split in 2003 then returned briefly in 2011. They've only announced one show so far, at New York's Irving Plaza on February 7, but more are to come.

Caruana has created a mission statement which reads: "We, as friends and lovers of music, have found that we would all like to play shows together again as The Movielife. We bear no news of a new record nor are we planning a six-month world tour. The Movielife is alive."

Caruana tells Noisey: "When me and Brandon spend time together, sometimes The Movielife comes up and sometimes it doesn't - but this time it did.

"We'd reached this point in our lives where we can be at peace and be happy, and we feel right about it for the first time in a very long time." Read more and see who else is involved in the reunion here.





The Who's 50th Birthday Bash Items Up For Auction
(TeamRock Radio) Teenager Cancer Trust are auctioning a number of items of memorabilia collected at The Who's 50th birthday tribute show at Shepherd's Bush Empire.

Items include a Gibson guitar signed by Eddie Vedder and Roger Daltrey and a signed tambourine, both of which come from Eddie's collection and were used on the night.

Other items include a guitar signed by Wilko Johnson and Daltrey, signed programmes, and a Vespa helmet signed by every artist including Liam Gallagher, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, Tom Odell, Ricky Wilson and Rizzle Kicks. Read more here.




Anneke van Giersbergen Exited About Reuniting With The Gathering
(TeamRock Radio) Anneke van Giersbergen says her recent stage reunion with The Gathering couldn't have gone any better. The singer left the group in 2007 and embarked on a successful solo career. But for their 25th anniversary in November, The Gathering asked all of their previous members to take part in a one-off reunion show in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

She tells Carl Begai: "The first time we saw each other again we went out for sushi and the second time we were already talking about doing the anniversary show. It happened all at once.

"And the rehearsals were super weird. I did one rehearsal with them and we did songs like Saturnine and Strange Machines, which I've been doing in my solo shows for the past eight years, but when we did the songs together the guys were playing them and moving the way they did 10 years ago." here.

More on The Gathering - The Gathering Music, DVDs, Books and more - The Gathering T-shirts and Posters - The Gathering Tour Dates/Tickets
Galahad Celebrating 30th Anniversary With Remixed, Remastered Reissue
(Prog) Galahad will release a remixed, remastered version of 2007 album Empires Never Last as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations next year. The new version, completed by Karl Groom, launches on January 5 and comes with additional alternative versions of the tracks Termination and This Life Could Be My Last.

Empires Never Last: The Deluxe Edition is accompanied by a seven-song disc called Empires: A Curious Companion, featuring demos, unused ideas and pieces issued as downloads from the Galahad website.

Further releases are planned for 2015. The band report: "We're making good progress re-arranging a section of older tracks to be included on When Worlds Collide - a name we thought very apt as it'll be partly a collision of new recordings of old songs. Recording will commence shortly." here.





Eric Singer Can't See KISS Continuing Without Paul and Gene
(TeamRock Radio) KISS drummer Eric Singer has no interest in being part of the band without Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. The mainman have frequently discussed the possibility of passing their onstage characters to younger replacements - and frontman Stanley said in October that the outfit would live on long after him.

But Singer tells The Cassius Morris Show: "If Gene and Paul aren't in Kiss, I don't think I have much interest in being in Kiss. I'm not saying it's not possible - but I doubt it will be with me. I don't think I would want to do that.

"To me, Gene and Paul have always been the main cogs in the machinery. I've been around this band for 25 years, I've seen fans of all eras and all incarnations of the band. But for me, the one constant has always been Gene and Paul." Read more here.



Michael Stipe Plans to Sing Again But Not With R.E.M.
(TeamRock Radio) Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe says he'll sing again but it won't be with his old bandmates. The band split in 2011 and the singer has been quiet since. But he reveals seeing other artists live makes him want to perform again on stage.

He tells CBS: "When I go to see bands perform live, that's when it's hard for me. I look up on the stage and think, 'I wish I was there.' But I did that for 31 years. I gave everything I had to it - I gave myself completely and I just needed to step away for a while. I think I'll sing again."

He gives no indication when that's likely to happen but ruled out a reunion with Peter Buck, Bill Berry and Mike Mills. Stipe adds: "No, it will never happen. There's no point. I love those guys very much and I respect them hugely as musicians and as songwriters. But I just don't want to do that thing that people do. I despise nostalgia."

Read more and stream the video interview here.





Marilyn Manson Loved And Hated 'Sons of Anarchy' Gig
(Radio.com) Marilyn Manson both loved and loathed his time on Sons of Anarchy. The rocker, who appeared on the show for multiple episodes during its final season, told KROQ (a CBS Radio station) that while he enjoyed portraying Ron Tully, a white supremacist, on the series, one thing really bummed him out.

"Spoiler alerts," he said. "I knew what was going to happen. So I would only try to read my part." As he's previously noted, when taking the role, he did so knowing it'd make his father happy, since he was a fan of the show.

"I thought the show is so much about that father-son relationship and I just wanted to do something to make my dad happy, and I just thought I was gonna get a song on the show," Manson said, noting that his mom had died shortly after the news. But Katey Segal, wife of showrunner Kurt Sutter, had other plans.

"She said, 'Do you want to act?' and I said, 'yeah, that would be amazing,'" Manson recalled. "That was earlier in the meeting, when I was sort of worried about my father because he was also ill and I was trying to cheer up my dad. This is before my mother had died. So I went to Ohio because my mother had died and I got the phone call that I was going to be on the show. I said, 'Dad, guess what, I'm going to be on the show. Guess what, I'm going to play the head of the Aryan Brotherhood. Guess what, I get paid for it. Guess what, I'm in every scene, every episode that I know of.'"






AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Angus Young Discuss Upcoming Tour
(hennemusic) AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young say they're looking forward to hitting the road next year for a world tour in support of their new album, "Rock Or Bust."

"I think more than ever, this tour I'm looking forward to it a bit more than, I think, any other," Johnson tells BBC Radio 2's The Chris Evans Breakfast Show.

"I don't know if it's 'cause of my age and just enjoying things that I maybe took for granted once, that you just know it's a special time. It's been 40 years, and just to get out there again, and see if you can do it. You've gotta prove it to yourself that you can do it."

Angus Young had this to say, "Yeah, I do. I enjoy it. Probably, for myself, 'cause I was very young when I started. I'm just used to it. It's the life I know."

The band recently revealed the first series of dates for the trek, with a European run set to launch May 5 in Arnhem, Netherlands; a mix of arena and stadium shows are scheduled into late July with more dates expected to be announced soon. Stream the full interview here.




Lynyrd Skynyrd Rock Sweet Home Alabama On The Voice Finale
(hennemusic) Lynyrd Skynyrd performed their classic, "Sweet Home Alabama", with country rocker Craig Wayne Boyd on the Season 7 finale of NBC's The Voice on Tuesday.

Boyd went on to claim the title as fans voted him the winner of the show's latest season, finishing ahead of finalists Matt McAndrew, Chris Jamison and Damien.

The finale featured guest performances by Fall Out Boy, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J, Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars, Hozier, Ed Sheeran and Meghan Trainor.

Boyd's win delivers coach Blake Shelton his fourth title in seven seasons. Check out video of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Boyd's performance here.




Bob Seger Makes Rare Appearance On Late Night TV
(hennemusic) Rock legend Bob Seger was a featured guest and performer on The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday and video from the appearance had been posted online.

Seger joined the host for a chat before playing "All Of The Roads" from his latest album, "Ride Out." Seger's first studio album in 8 years is the follow-up to 2006's "Face The Promise."

The Detroit rocker will wrap up the first leg of his North American tour in support of the project on Friday with a show at New York's Madison Square Garden; the second leg launches January 20 in Toledo, Ohio.

Check out video of the interview and the performance here.




Wednesday 13 Releases Keep Watching The Skies Lyric Video
(TeamRock Radio) Wednesday 13 has just unveiled a new lyric video for Keep Watching The Skies - taken from his upcoming full-length Monsters Of The Universe; Come Out & Plague.

Set for release on 12th January 2015, _Monsters Of The Universe; Come Out & Plague _will be available via Cargo Records on both CD and double vinyl. As well as a new album, Wednesday 13 and his cohorts are touring the UK in March next year.

Speaking about the forthcoming tour, Wednesday 13 says: "We have re-vamped and re-charged everything that had become Wednesday 13 over the years, especially for this new tour. The look, the stage and the sound will be on a new level this time around.

"Along with all of this, we have added an additional member to our live show too, keyboardist/percussionist, Kyle Castronovo. I really can't wait to get out and play this new album live! We are so proud of it, so get ready earthlings... the Monsters are coming!"







Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer Gets Prog Makeover
(TeamRock Radio) Hungarian prog metal band Ad Astra have released a video to accompany their cover of Peter Gabriel classic Sledgehammer. It's their second take on the former Genesis frontman's 1986 hit single after it first appeared as a bonus track on their 2012 album Open Wide.

Ad Astra explain: "Although we're still having a relaxed songwriting and gig free period, we've finished the video. The audio track receive a facelift in terms of vocal, sound and mastering to make it heavier than ever before."

Sledgehammer, from Gabriel's So album, reached number one in the US and Canada, and number four in the UK. Its memorable animated video won a string of awards, including nine gongs at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards.






Periphery Streaming New Song '22 Faces' Online
(TeamRock Radio) Periphery have streamed their track 22 Faces from Juggernaut: Alpha, one record in a twin release due next month. The complex concept album appears alongside Juggernaut: Omega on January 26 via Century Media.

The band have designed the pairing so that their music and plot aren't over-simplified by trying to compress too much into one record. They recently explained: "Although the albums are split in two physically, the story is only complete when the albums are digested consecutively. This allows the listener to recognise and hear the lyrical and musical overlapping themes."

Periphery return to the UK for three shows with Devin Townsend in March, followed by their own headline show in London. Check out the tour dates and stream the new song here.




Toundra Release Animated Video For Oro Rojo
(TeamRock Radio) Toundra have launched an animated video for their track Oro Rojo, from upcoming album IV, which will be released on January 26 via Superball. Toundra will also tour the UK in February.

The Spanish instrumental outfit's eight-track record tells the story of two foxes escaping from a forest fire, as a metaphor for humanity's effect on the environment. Oro Rojo ("Red Gold") is the final piece.

They say of Jorge Garcia Escalona's video: "We always thought the track would be a good for a video, and we're huge fans of Jorge's work. We knew he was the perfect person to envision what we had in mind - and it's obvious we were right."






Unreal City Release Lo Schermo Di Pietra ('The Screen Of Stone') Video
(Prog) Italian outfit Unreal City have launched a video for their track Lo Schermo Di Pietra ("The Screen Of Stone") taken from their second album, out next month.

Titled Il Paese Del Tramonto ("The Country Sunset"), it's to be launched on January 15 via AMS Records. The follow-up to 2013 debut La Crudelta Di Aprile ("The Cruelty Of April") is their first with new drummer Andrea Gardani, who replaced Federico Bedostri in September.

Earlier this year the band launched a crowdfunding appeal to help support a European tour - and although it fell short of its target they've lined up five dates across mainland Europe starting in February. More shows will be announced in due course.