Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


AC/DC Fan Killed After Coachella Concert
(hennemusic) An AC/DC fan who attended the legendary band's debut performance at Coachella on Friday night was struck and killed by a train just hours after the show.

The Daily Camera reports 23 year-old University of Colorado student Jannik Andersen died after being hit by a train in Indio, California at 3:05 a.m. Saturday, about 4 miles northeast of the site of the music festival.

Andersen's friends said the San Diego native had attended Coachella before but that he was particularly excited to see AC/DC and Mac DeMarco this year.

Police in Indio said the Union Pacific Railroad Police are conducting the investigation into Andersen's death. Read more here.




Soil Involved In Tour Bus Accident
Soil frontman Ryan McCombs revealed on Facebook that the band was involved in a tour bus accident following their show in Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday (April 12th.) Fortunately, he reports that there were no serious injuries.

McCombs writes, "At 4:33 AM, the last thing you want to hear in your bunk is a combination of the driver yelling "HOLD ON!!", the sound of the bus flying off of the highway and The Jake (tour manager) screaming like a 12-year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert.

"I find it interesting that as everyone sits around the stranded bus talking about what was going through their heads all I can remember is gripping my pillow like it was going to save me from whatever was about to occur and thinking "....huh...."

No serious injuries… just a bus full of arseholes that for the most part are happy to be alive and now just making fun of each other for their responses. We really are a bunch of f--kwads…" See the post here.




Skid Row Giving Away Download Of '18 and Life" With New Singer
Skid Row are moving fast with their new frontman Tony Harnell and are giving fans an idea of how he will sound in the band by giving away a new version of their classic song "18 and Life" featuring Harnell on vocals.

The former TNT frontman Harnell joined the group after the recent departure of Johnny Solinger. The new lineup of the band plan to hit the studio this summer to record the third chapter of their "United World Rebellion" trilogy and will launch a supporting tour.

Harnell had this to say about joining the group, "I'm so excited and honored to be a part of such a great band with an amazing legacy and legions of faithful fans!

"The guys and I have known each other for many years and this is such a natural fit. I look forward to getting out there and playing live together and being a part of making new music and creating our future together. It's time to rock!"

Listen and download the new version of "18 and Life" here.




Slayer Leads Mayhem Festival Lineup
Thrash metal legends Slayer have been named as the headliners for this year's installment of the hard-hitting Mayhem Festival tour which will be taking place this summer.

Slayer will be joined on the tour's main stage by King Diamond, Hellyeah, and The Devil Wears Prada. The second stage will be headlined by Whitechapel. The second stage will also feature performances from Thy Art Is Murder, Jungle Rot, Sister Sin, Sworn In, Shattered Sun, Feed Her To The Sharks, Code Orange and Kissing Candice.

The tour will be kicking off at the Sleep Train Amphitheater in San Diego on June 26th and will be concluding on August 2nd in Dallas, Texas at the Gexa Energy Amphitheater.

Slayer's Kerry King had this to say, "I don't know if third time will be a charm, but it will definitely be hellish! Slayer and King Diamond on stage for the first time together in the States- NEVER has Mayhem been more evil. DON'T F***IN' MISS IT."

King Diamond adds, "This is going to be one hot and hellish summer! Slayer and King Diamond on the same stage - it does not get more devilish than this! We will be putting on a one hour set with the full King Diamond stage production.

"As for a set list, I'm not gonna reveal that here, but it will be built around 'Dreams of Horror'. The Puppet Master will be there with Grandma, and we will even go as far back in time as to 1777 (hint). You're all in for one hell of a show if you come to this Sabbath!" See the dates here.




Aerosmith Announce Blue Army Tour Kick Off
(hennemusic) Aerosmith will launch their Blue Army Tour in Glendale, Arizona on June 13. The show at the Gila River Arena marks the first time in 6 years that the group will play in the state as they kick off a 15-date summer tour of North America.

"The name Blue Army came from the fact that 'everyone' in our audience from the 70's were wearing blue denim and it looked like a sea of blue, thus The Blue Army," says guitarist Joe Perry.

Three days after the tour wraps up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Aerosmith will perform on Friday, August 7 at Tom Benson Hall Of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's first-ever Concert For Legends. Read more here.




Pete Townshend and Eddie Vedder To Host Who Tribute Concert
(hennemusic) Pete Townshend and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder are teaming up to host a Who tribute concert in Chicago as a benefit show for Teen Cancer America.

Set for May 14 at the Rosemont Theatre, "An Evening Celebrating The Who" will see the pair joined by Who touring musicians Zak Starkey (drums), Simon Townshend (guitar), Pino Palladino (bass), John Corey (keyboards), Loren Gold (keyboards) and Frank Simes (keyboards).

Money raised from the concert will support programs for teenagers and young adults with cancer at the University of Chicago Medicine along with other local children's charities.

Teen Cancer America was established in 2012 by Roger Daltrey and Townshend to replicate their work for U.K. charity Teenage Cancer Trust. Read more here.




Scott Weiland Left Stone Temple Pilots 'Long Ago' Says Dean DeLeo
Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo discussed a variety of topics in a new interview with the Orange County Register including former frontman Scott Weiland and moving forward with new singer Chester Bennington.

DeLeo had this to say about Weiland, "I just want to be really clear about something. We were never, in any way, trying to just replace anyone. In his day, and I'm speaking of Scott, there was no one better…no one. I will take that to my grave. In his day, there was no one better, but my dear Scott left us long ago."

He also had this to say about why the band felt they had to part ways with Weiland, "Robert [DeLeo], Eric [Kretz], Scott and I had put 25 years of our lives into it. Just because I had one guy that didn't really give a [care] anymore, I'm not going to let one guy ruin my dream, my band and my legacy. I worked hard for Stone Temple Pilots and I love it with a passion. Robert, Eric and I don't take for granted what the music has meant to people."

DeLeo also discussed new frontman Chester Bennington "We knew Chester was fit for the position in every sense of the word - physically, mentally, spiritually. We knew he would bring an elegance and justice to not only to our legacy, but to our future." Read the full feature here.



Emmure Cancel Tour Due To Singer's Vocal Injury
Emmure have been forced to cancel their planned European tour with Caliban, Thy Art Is Murder and Sworn because frontman Frankie Palmeri has "severe acute and chronic reflux laryngitis and a weak (partially paralyzed) left vocal cord."

Palmeri injured his vocal chord in late February. Late last week they announced via Facebook that they were forced to cancel the forthcoming Euro tour.

They wrote, "Due to unfortunate circumstances, we must cancel our upcoming EU/UK touring plans with Caliban, Thy Art Is Murder and Sworn In due to Frankie's still yet to be determined healing process.

"He has severe acute and chronic reflux laryngitis and a weak (partially paralyzed) left vocal cord. We appreciate the support we received on the last tour with Suicide Silence in Frankie's absence, at this time we are going to put our focus towards writing a new album while he recovers and we hope to see you all very soon."




The Doors Hits Getting Quadraphonic Makeover
(hennemusic) "The Best Of The Doors", a 1973 compilation by the groundbreaking Los Angeles band, is getting the quadraphonic treatment. Audio Fidelity will soon release the collection on Quadraphonic 4.0 Multichannel Hybrid SACD.

The 2-channel stereo and DSD layers of the hybrid SACD were remastered from the original 2-track tapes, which have been made available for the first time since 1970.

The 4.0 Quad layer mirrors the earlier CD-4 QuadraDisc format, Quadraphonic 8-Track and reel-to-reel tape. Each of the tracks on "The Best Of The Doors" have been taken primarily from the original two-track masters of the eight albums recorded by the band between 1967 and 1971. Read more here.




Def Leppard Rock Classic Hits On Quebec's Version Of The Voice
(hennemusic) Def Leppard performed a pair of classic hits on the season 3 finale of La Voix - Quebec's French-Canadian version of the reality TV singing competition series, The Voice - on Sunday.

The UK rockers delivered versions of "Let's Get Rocked" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" with the help of the finalists. Hosted by Charles Lafortune, the program sees singers mentored by coaches Éric Lapointe, Marc Dupré, Isabelle Boulay and Pierre Lapointe. Kevin Bazinet was named winner of season 3 of La Voix.

Def Leppard will launch a spring tour of Canada on Wednesday before heading to Europe for shows this summer; an extensive North American tour with Styx and Tesla begins on June 23 in Tampa, FL. Check out video of their performance here.




Black Veil Brides Frontman Says Fans Need To Keep Rock Alive
Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack is the latest rock star to weigh in on the controversial remarks by KISS legend Gene Simmons that "rock is dead." Biersack has a different take on Simmons' comments than the popular view and says it's up to the fans to keep rock alive.

Biersack tells Kaaos TV, "I think that statement was a little misconstrued. I think what he was trying to say, and what probably wouldn't have gotten the big headline, is that the reality is that rock and roll, in the mainstream, it's in a difficult place right now.

"People don't buy music, and they certainly don't buy rock bands' music in the way that they used to. And so, for our genre, it's kind of … We're limping along when it comes to public appeal."

He continues, "It's really up to the kids who listen to rock music to get out there, come to the live shows and buy the records when they can and really support the genre. Otherwise, it will get taken away from us, because the hip-hop fans and the pop fans, they buy the records and they go to the shows in big numbers.

"So I think it's a little bit of both. But I believe that rock and roll is alive and well. I just think that people need to show their support and let the genre keep thriving."

Watch the full interview here.




Kinks Musical Wins At Olivier Awards
(Classic Rock) Kinks play Sunny Afternoon was this week named Best New Musical at the prestigious Olivier Awards in London. Band frontman Ray Davies was given an Outstanding Achievement Award for his work on the soundtrack.

And actors John Dagleish, who plays Ray, and George Maguire, who plays brother Dave, won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively. The show, written by Joe Penhall, is based on Davies' early years with the Kinks. It opened in London last May before moving to the West End.

Accepting his award, Davies said: "When you write songs you write about people. People are the source of my material. Next time you're sitting in a park and you see someone like me looking at you, don't phone the police - I'm just writing about you." Read more and watch the trailer for the musical here.




Anthrax's Game Of Thrones Track 'Just The Tip Of The Iceberg'
(Classic Rock) Scott Ian says that Anthrax's Game Of Thrones mistape track "Soror Irrumator" is indicative of their next album - but it's "just the tip of the iceberg."

The song appeared on the hit television series' recently released mixtape, while the thrash icons continue work on the follow-up to 2011's Worship Music.

Ian tells The Sick Room Podcast: "That's just the tip of the iceberg. Obviously, we felt strong enough about it to put it out there as the first thing anyone was gonna hear new from us. But, yeah, it barely scratches the surface." Read more and stream the full interview here.




Accept Reveal New Lineup
(Classic Rock) Accept have named their new guitarist and drummer before continuing their Blind Rage tour. The German metal icons lost guitarist Herman Frank and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann in December as they left to concentrate on their own band, The German Panzer.

Grave Digger and Rebellion guitarist Uwe Lulis has joined up, while the drumstool is filled by Christopher Williams. The band had the following to say in a statement:

"The past, present and future for Accept was, and still is, beyond the band's imagination, but not beyond their reach! We all know they could not have come so far without their fans and the endless gifted people who are working so hard for Accept!

"Thank you to all of them from all of us with the promise that we will come back - better and stronger and even more devoted than the last time!" Read more here.




Bruce Kulick Looks Back At Legacy Of Unmasked Era KISS
(Classic Rock) Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick says he's proud of the band's unmasked era. He was part of the band for 12 years from 1984 and featured on albums Carnival Of Souls, Revenge, Hot In The Shade and Asylum.

He left the group when the band put their trademark masks back on, reuniting the classic lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley.

Kulick tells Natalia Britt via Blabbermouth: "KISS is one of those bands that the whole world knows, and usually, people that aren't really a fan will only think of makeup as KISS, because that's what, of course, made them famous and they've been back in that for so many years.

"But a real fan knows there's a whole wealth of material - over a decade of years that are non-makeup, which is… I kind of wave the flag for all of that."

He continued: "If you, for example, didn't know there was a makeup KISS, and there wouldn't have been a version for me to join if it wasn't for the makeup KISS, but the truth is… When I was in the band, we kept it going, we had hits, we had gold, platinum records, toured the world - arenas, the whole thing… But I find, even with them continuing, and they turn on new generations of fans." Read more and stream the full interview here.




Pearl Jam Expand South American Tour Plans
(hennemusic) Pearl Jam have expanded their fall tour of South America with the addition of a November 25 stop in Bogota, Colombia, their first show ever in the country.

Pearl Jam will play 9 dates on the run, starting November 4 in Santiago, Chile; the trek includes at least 5 shows in Brazil and one in Mexico, with 1 concert to be announced at a later time.

The group's first shows in the region since 2013 are in support of the band's 2014 album, "Lightning Bolt." Tickets for the Bogota concert will go on sale April 25 at 10 AM local time. Check out the promo video and the dates here.





Faith No More Announce New Tour Dates, Release New Remix
Faith No More are celebrating this week's kick off of their North American tour with the release of a remix of their single "Superhero" and they have added additional dates to their forthcoming European tour.

The new "Superhero" remix which was created by Einstürzende Neubauten's Alexander Hacke. Check it out here. The original version of the song is included on their forthcoming album "Sol Invictus," which will be released on May 19th.

The veteran band will be kicking off their North American spring tour Wednesday (April 15th) night in Vancouver, BC at the PNE Forum. The trek will conclude on May 15th in Philadelphia, PA at Electric Factory.

They will be following the North American run with a European tour that launches on May 29th in Gelsenkirchen, Germany at Rock Im Revier and concludes on June 28th Odense, Denmark at the Tinderbox.

They have just announced two additional UK dates for the trek. They will now be performing at the O2 Academy in Glasgow on June 14th and The Roundhouse in London on June 17th. This is additional to their performance at this year's Download Festival on June 13th.

They will be launching another North American tour this summer. That trek will begin on July 26th in Austin at the Austin Music Hall and conclude with an appearance at this year's Heavy Montreal in early August.

The band will also be appearing at this year's Rock In Rio festival on September 25th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. See all the upcoming dates here.




Rush Has Huge Influence On Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob, the Winery Dogs) discusses the huge influence Rush and their acclaimed drummer Neil Pert had on him in a new video interview with Ultimate Classic Rock.

"I can't possibly overstate how much influence Rush had on me as a young teenager," says Portnoy in the video. "I would say from about 1981 to 1987, they were my gods. Neil Peart was my god at that point, and was a huge, huge influence on my drumming."

He adds, "The size of the drum set, the way I approached the drums, the odd time signatures, the progressive-styled instrumental music - I mean, just everything about Rush at that point, when I was a developing teenager, was huge. I've seen them on every tour since then." Watch the full interview here.




Symphony X Finish New Album
Symphony X announced late last week that they have completed the recording, mixing and mastering of their forthcoming album. The band has not yet revealed a release date.

The band had this to say on their official website, "The process was handled by Jens Bogren, who also did our last two cds, and who did an amazing job as always.

"As for the artwork, we turned once again to Warren Flanagan. Warren has worked on our last two cds as well, and can also be relied upon for amazing work.

"We will be wrapping up the booklet layout and finalizing things over the next couple of weeks. The band is really excited about this one, and we anxiously look forward to getting it out there to everyone." See the post here.




Babymetal Announce U.S. Album and World Tour
Babymetal have inked a deal with RAL/Sony Music who will be releasing the group's self-titled debut in the U.S. and the all-girl Japanese pop-metal group will be kicking off a world tour next month.

The album was originally released in other markets in 2014. The new U.S. version will include two bonus tracks and it will be released digitally on May 12 and physically on June 16th.

RAL/Sony Music VP of Marketing Bill Richards had this to say, "After witnessing the band's sold-out New York show, we knew we wanted to be involved. The core metal fans and metal press seem to get Babymetal, which shows how the language of music transcends boundaries. They hit all the entertainment buttons and are really fun to watch."

Babymetal's The Dark Knights Begin World Tour will feature shows in various markets across the globe including the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and their native Japan.

The tour will be kicking off in Mexico City on May 9th at Circo Volador and will conclude on June 21st in Chiba, Japan at Makuhari Messe. See all the date here.




Nightwish Say Floor's Operatic Style Didn't Work On New Song
(Prog) Nightwish mainman Tuomas Holopainen says the band resisted the urge to "show off" Floor Jansen's trademark vocal style on their latest album. The Finnish outfit released Endless Forms Most Beautiful last month - their first with Jansen at the mic.

Holopainen reportedly tells LoudTV: "As a vocalist, Floor is as versatile as it gets. I think one of the biggest surprises people might have with this album is that she's not actually using her operatic, lyric sound in her singing. We tried it in a few songs but it just didn't feel right. We felt that these stories, these songs, don't really require that style of singing."

He continues: "It felt like the right approach to all of us, including Floor, that we should get rid of it mostly. It's very important to be humble before the songs so that you don't do things just because you can - or just to show off when it comes to singing, solos or whatever." Read more here.




Opeth's Pale Communion Reopened Door For Heritage
(Prog) Mikael Akerfeldt says that many Opeth fans who didn't like their 2011 album "Heritage" now see it in a new light after hearing last year's "Pale Communion."

The band began following a more progressive path with Heritage, leading to negative reactions from some followers. During their first run of dates in support of the release, guitarist Fredrik Akesson told of a moment when the band were challenged to a duel by an unhappy supporter.

But things have changed since the launch of Pale Communion, Opeth's 11th title, in August last year. Akerfeldt tells The Rockpit: "Yeah I mean I do understand and appreciate that 'Heritage' was a little bit of a shock to fans who are more into the heavy, death metal type of sound and maybe it's a bit much to expect them to take it all in so we got a bit of sh*t for that record.

"I love that album with a passion because for me it was natural but I have seen that with the coming of the 'Pale Communion' record that people come up to me and say 'I did not like Heritage when it came out but when you put out Pale Communion I finally understood Heritage and now I'm starting to like it'.

"So I'm hoping it's going to escalate into a love for that record. People have been more gentle with us with 'Pale Communion' coming out but there is still...like I don't have social media, I don't correspond with the fans in that sense so I don't really get a lot of the confrontations about what the hell we are doing.

"My overall response to that question would be that, like you were saying, people might be getting used to and maybe understand a little bit better about what we are trying to do. And for me that is good of course, I never had a problem. For me it was never a big step, for everybody in the band it was not a massive thing for us to do 'Heritage' but I do accept that it might have been too curvy of a curve ball for people who are not in the band but now it's starting to calm down a little bit." Read more here.




Jethro Tull Streaming Live Version Of Minstrel In The Gallery
(Prog) Jethro Tull have released an online stream of the live version of "Minstrel In The Gallery", taken from the upcoming re-release of the band's classic 1975 album of the same name.

The La Grande Edition includes a remix by Steven Wilson plus a collection of additional tracks including unreleased alternative takes, live recordings and a full Paris concert performance mixed by Jakko Jakszyk.

Minstrel In The Gallery won Tull their sixth gold disc. It was their last album to feature the early 70s lineup of Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Evan, Barriemore Barlow and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond.

The 2CD and 2DVD La Grande editions will be accompanied by standard CD, digital and vinyl versions. Listen here.




Deadly Circus Fire Set New Album Release
(Prog) Deadly Circus Fire will launch second album The Hydra's Tailor on June 16, they've announced. The release, via Musicarchy Media, comes after the London prog metal outfit reached their crowdfunding target in November.

The band previously promised that The Hydra's Tailor would be "one of the most exciting prog metal releases this year." Guitarist Save Addario described lead track Animal as "a beast."

They recorded the follow-up to 2013's The King And The Bishop at MTR Studios with Phil Kinman, before it was sent to Wired Masters Studios for Andy Pearce and Matt Wortham to master.