Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Avenged Sevenfold Release Surprise Album

Update: Avenged Sevenfold confirmed the surprise release of their new album "The Stage" early this morning (Oct 27th). It was released both physically and at digital retailers. Here is our original report with more details:
Avenged Sevenfold's new album may be released on Friday (October 28th). The band has been expected to announce the effort during their concert event tonight, but an online retailer appears to have jumped the gun by publishing details.

Rumors have circulated that the band would announce the new album during tonight's concert (Oct 27) which will be streamed across the world in 3D, 360-degree via the VRTGO virtual reality platform.

Amazon in Canada reportedly posted details for the album including the tracklist, artwork and the title "The Stage" (not the rumored Voltaic Oceans) and listed a release date of October 28th, making it a surprise album release if the details are accurate. Read more including leaked tracklist here.



Guns N' Roses Fuels Call Of Duty Trailer(Classic Rock)

Guns N' Roses classic Welcome To The Jungle provides the soundtrack to a new trailer for upcoming video game Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
The trailer for the game - which is released on November 4 on PS4 and Xbox One, has been posted online. It also features swimming hero Michael Phelps and Eastbound & Down star Danny McBride.

Guns N' Roses this year announced a partial reunion of their classic lineup, with frontman Axl Rose and guitarist Slash playing together for the first time in years. Bass player Duff McKagan is also involved.

The reunited Guns N' Roses are currently on tour, with dates lined up through until next year. Further shows are expected to be announced in due course. Watch the trailer here.




Original Foreigner, Santana Singer Lead The Rock Pack Lineup

Original Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm, founding Santana singer and keyboardist Gregg Rolie, Cheap Trick singer Robin Zander lead the lineup of a special music collective called The Rock Pack.
The aforementioned singers along with ex-Journey singer Steve Augeri, former Asia frontman John Payne, The Tubes' Fee Waybill will be teaming up for a special concert on December 16 at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix.

Payne organized the event, which is expected to run for two hours and feature each singer sharing stories and performing some of their biggest hits. Payne had this to say, "I decided to create a unique concert concept that was start to finish full of monster hits by iconic vocalists." Find more details here.




The Doors' Earliest Recordings To Be Released On New Live Album(Radio.com)

Newly discovered live recordings of The Doors from May of 1966 are set to be released via a new live package entitled "London Fog 1966" which will hit stores on December 9th.
Before The Doors released their self-titled studio debut in 1967, they performed as the house band at London Fog, a West Hollywood nightclub located just down the way from Whiskey a Go Go. Now, fans will get to hear The Doors before they really became The Doors.

The live album will feature seven songs newly mastered by Doors engineer Bruce Botnick. The tracks are a combination of early Doors songs as well as blues covers. London Fog 1966 will be a collector's edition boxed set with only 18,000 copies available and each one numbered individually.

The set comes in a lift-top package made to look like a vintage storage box, and will include a CD and a 10-inch record designed to look like a test pressing. Read more here.



Killswitch Engage Announce Special Two-Disc Release

Killswitch Engage have announced that they will be celebrating this year's Black Friday Record Store Day event with the release of "Beyond the Flames: Home Video Part II."
The special release will be available in a two-disc, Blu-ray and CD package and will only be offered on RSD, which will be taking place this year on November 25th.

The package will include 3 and a hours of footage, including 17 live performances, a 75-minute documentary about the return of frontman Jesse Leach, the band's early days, as well as Jesse's departure from the group, according to the announcement. Read more here.





Chicago's Jason Scheff Leaves Band After 30 Years

Longtime Chicago singer and bass player, Jason Scheff, who replaced Peter Cetera in 1985, has officially parted ways with the group after an over 30-year run with the band.
Chicago broke the news to fans via their Facebook page with the following statement, "We are so grateful to Jason for the enormous contribution he has made to Chicago over the last 30 plus years. Everyone wishes him and his family all the best as he continues his musical journey."

The veteran outfit have recruited Jeff Coffey (credits include Hootie and the Blowfish, Vertical Horizon, Sixpence None the Richer), to take Scheff's place after he filled in for the singer/bassist earlier this year who took a break from the group for "family health reasons". Read the full announcement here.



Dillinger Escape Plan Perform With Original Singer(Metal Hammer)

The Dillinger Escape Plan invited their original singer Dimitri Minakakis to perform two songs with them in Seattle and video footage of the jam has been posted online by the band.
The band are on tour in support of new album Dissociation, after which they will bring their 20-year career to an end. Minakakis was a founding member of the group but left in 2001 and was replaced by Greg Puciato. The former frontman guested on The Mullet Burden and 43% Burnt - both early Dillinger tracks on which he recorded vocals - during the group's set at Seattle's El Corazon venue this week.

Earlier this month, former guitarist Jeff Tuttle joined the band for performances of Mouth Of Ghosts and Milk Lizard in Pontiac, MI. Dillinger have been playing smaller venues on the current run of North American dates, with guitarist Ben Weinman saying he will miss performing live when the band call it quits.

Weinman said: "The scary thing for me, in ending this, is I'm not scared of continuing to do this - I'm scared of not having those shows." Read more and watch the video here.




Video Of Danny Worsnop Live Return To Asking Alexandria Goes Online(Metal Hammer)

Video footage has emerged of Danny Worsnop making his live return to Asking Alexandria. The video was shot at Seattle's Showbox SoDo - the first show on their 10 Years In The Black tour.
The reunion was confirmed at the weekend, following a breakdown in relations with Worsnop's replacement Denis Stoff, who'd joined in 2015. Asking Alexandria's Seattle setlist excluded all songs from latest album The Black - their only record featuring the Ukrainian musician. Fans on social media have commented on the fact that nothing from The Black was performed and that a number of tracks not played live in years were included.

Guitarist Ben Bruce reported that Stoff had "just stopped talking" to the band - but the singer hit back later, saying: "I left AA because I can't be in a touring band at this point in my life. There's no drama and I don't want to be a part of it."

Asking Alexandria also recently confirmed they'd already started recording a new song with Worsnop. Matt Good - who's a member of Kill It With Fire alongside Bruce - has revealed studio work is in progress.

Good said: "Mixing an amazing new Asking Alexandria song at the moment featuring the return of Danny, who absolutely crushed the vocals. Damn damn." Read more and watch the video here.




Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Release 'Perfect Strangers' Video(hennemusic)

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow have released a performance video of the Deep Purple classic, "Perfect Strangers", as a preview to the November 18 release of their DVD and Blu-ray package, "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany."
The set captures the guitarist's return to the rock stage for the first time in two decades this past June with a new lineup for a pair of Monsters Of Rock festivals in Germany and a third date in the UK.

Blackmore was joined by Lords Of Black singer Ronnie Romero, Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson, Blackmore's Night drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau and backup singers Candice Night and Lady Lynn for the rare rock shows by the former Deep Purple legend.

Blackmore last performed rock in 1997 while touring in support of Rainbow's eighth album, "Stranger In Us All." That same year he went on to form the medieval folk band Blackmore's Night with then-girlfriend and now-wife Candice Night, and the group has gone on to release ten albums.

"Memories In Rock - Live In Germany" will be available via DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD and digital formats, with a deluxe version (DVD, Blu-ray and 2CD in a 48-page hardback photobook) and a 3LP version (180-gram vinyl) due on December 2. here.



Limited Edition Beach Boys Album For Record Store Day(Gibson)

Thanksgiving is on the way, which means Black Friday is coming up, too. Each year, Record Store Day rounds up a collection of exclusive releases for its 2016 Black Friday event, with the music being available exclusively at independent record stores on Nov. 25.
Black Friday for the Beach Boys will bring a 19-song LP called Becoming The Beach Boys that packs songs from the band's recent compilation of early recordings.

The Monkees will release a 10-inch EP on vinyl named Good Times! Plus! that includes four non-LP songs the guys recorded while doing their 2016 release, Good Times!




Testament Frontman Calls Former Member's Rants Delusional(Metal Hammer)

Testament vocalist Chuck Billy has called the band's former bassist Greg Christian's most recent outburst "delusional". The disgruntled musician left the band in 2014 and said in the aftermath of the split that he had been left with less than $150 to his name. He also claimed that his former bandmates "took advantage" of him financially.
And last week, Christian repeated online rants about the situation, claiming he had made a "bad life choice" by staying with the band for as long as he did. But Billy reports he was surprised by Christian's most recent comments as they recently met face to face and their relationship seemed to have improved.

The vocalist tells eonMusic: "We shot our video last weekend - we're actually documenting some of the history of the Legacy record, and we'll hopefully put out a 30 year anniversary edition.

"We invited Greg to come down. Even with all the stuff that he has said, we still thought it was the right thing to do to invite him, because he was a part of it. He came down, and he said, 'I'm not going to bring any negativity - it's all going to be positive.'

"He came down, did his thing, we all said hi, smoked a joint together, and he was off on his way - no big deal. I don't know what happened by the time he got home, but by the evening, he just went on a rant again.

"I can't quite figure out what's going on or why, but his accusations are very delusional." Read more here.



The Winery Dogs Supergroup Going On Hiatus For 2017(Classic Rock)

The Winery Dogs are taking all of next year off to focus on their own individual projects, drummer Mike Portnoy confirms. The trio featuring the former Dream Theater drummer, along with Mr. Big men Billy Sheehan and Richie Kotzen, recently wrapped up their tour in support of their second album Hot Streak.
Portnoy tells Sirius XM (via Blabbermouth): "We're basically going to take 2017 off. Richie's going to do his solo band stuff, and I think Billy says he might be doing some Mr Big activity.

"I'm going to spend 2017 with The Neal Morse Band for the first several months, then possibly a new Flying Colors album and a new Metal Allegiance album. Billy, Richie and I have penciled in tentatively reconvening after next year - and hopefully at the start of 2018." Read more here.



Last In Line Is 'All About The Music' Says Vivian Campbell(Classic Rock)

Guitarist Vivian Campbell has called working in Last In Line a "passion project" and credited late bassist Jimmy Bain with making sure that any profits generated by the band were split equally.
Bain died just weeks before the Dio offshoot released their debut album Heavy Crown. But speaking about his work outside of Def Leppard, Campbell praised Bain's vision for the band and says being able to perform in the outfit is a "labour of love."

Campbell tells Rock Today: "Jimmy did feel that this was his band. We split everything equally - there's no prima donnas in this band. We split all the songs four ways, regardless of who initiated the idea or who did the lion's share of the work. It was very much a team effort and I think Jimmy really appreciated that.

"I think that makes for better music where's there's no other agenda involved, when you're not thinking 'OK, I'm going to get all the publishing on this song so I can make more money'. It's all about the music and that's all it's about." here.




Periphery's Spencer Sotelo Finishes NIN Inspired Solo Album(Prog)

Periphery frontman Spencer Sotelo has finished working on his solo album under the name Endur. Heavily inspired by Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor - taking in everything from the band's 1992 debut EP Broken up to 2007's Year Zero - Sotelo says the project will launch before the end of the year.
He tells Metal Injection: "I actually just finished my solo album. It's coming out under the name Endur. It's like Trent Reznor worship and very heavy industrial.

"From Broken to Year Zero material. That's coming out on Sumerian Records in November or December this year. There's no set date for it yet, but I just turned it in." Read more here.



Kentucky Headhunters Cover Alice Cooper Classic On New Album(Gibson)


Veteran rockers the Kentucky Headhunters are gearing up for the release of On Safari, a collection of fiery blues-tinged and country-flavored rockers that rank with the best work the pioneering southern band has ever recorded. The album features all-original material, with one exception - a blistering cover of the 1971 Alice Cooper classic, "Caught in a Dream."
"That was [drummer] Fred Young's idea," says Headhunter guitarist Greg Martin. "He and [his brother] Richard had the Love it to Death album in the early '70s. That's such a great song. We didn't do it exactly like the Alice Cooper group did it - we changed the format around a bit and tried to bring something of our own spark to it, hopefully."

Martin, who's a big fan of original Alice Cooper guitarist Michael Bruce's songwriting, says he detects an "early Cooper" influence in the work of other southern bands. Read more here.






More Stars Joining 2nd Annual Bowl 4 Ronnie James Dio Bowling Party(Adrenaline)

Even more star power has been added to The 2nd Annual BOWL 4 RONNIE Bowling Party, which is taking place on Friday (November 4th) the Pinz Bowling Center in Studio City, Ca.
The benefit event will benefit the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund and follows the 2015 event which raised $155,000 for the charity setup in honor of the legendary metal vocalist. We were sent these details about this year's proceedings:

"Participants can anticipate an evening of fun, food, and of course, bowling with rockers and celebrities competing for trophies in the name of raising funds and awareness for the Dio Cancer Fund. Among the raffle prizes will be a specially-designed bowling ball featuring the Bowl 4 Ronnie artwork. The live auction will include music memorabilia and celebrity signed guitars, among them a 6-string Jackson guitar donated by Chris Broderick of Act of Defiance, who will be in attendance, stage played while on tour with Megadeth in 2012 (as well as autographed photos of Chris playing that same guitar).

"Stars expected to attend include Bjorn Englen (Dio Disciples/Tony MacAlpine/ Yngwie Malmsteen), Chris Broderick (Megadeth/Act of Defiance), Eddie Money, Chris Hager (Rough Cutt), Marty O'Brien (Lita Ford), Mick Sweda (Bullet Boys), Tim "Ripper" Owens (Dio Disciples/Judas Priest), David "Rock" Feinstein (Elf/The Rods), Jeff Scott Soto (Kryst The Conqueror/Yngwie Malmsteen), Chas West (Lynch Mob/Foreigner/ Bonham), Joe Retta (Dio Disciples/ Sweet), Marc Ferrari (Keel), Robert Sarzo (Hurricane), Rudy Sarzo (Dio/Quiet Riot/Whitesnake), Scott Warren (Dio /Warrant), Craig Goldy and Simon Wright (Dio/AC/DC), Howie Simon (Nelson, Alcatraz), singer Ann Boleyn (Hellion), singer Sonia Harley, Joey Vera (Armored Saint), Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour), Christian Martucci (Stone Sour), Michael Spencer (Flotsam and Jetsam), guitarist Monte Pittman and actor/ musician Sean McNabb (Lynch Mob/Quiet Riot/Dokken), with more names still being added." Find more details here.



Steven Wilson and Aviv Geffen Push Back Blackfield Album Release(Prog)

Steven Wilson and Aviv Geffen will release Blackfield V in February. It was originally due to be released in November via Kscope - but that date has now been pushed back until February 10, 2017.
Wilson stepped back from Blackfield in 2009, announcing a full departure in 2014. But he's described his latest work with Geffen as "a return to the full partnership that made the first two albums such firm favourites with fans."

Blackfield V was written and recorded over 18 months between Israel and England, and features 13 "linked songs that form a flowing 45 minute ocean themed song cycle." It's said to be "a powerful journey through catchy melodies, lush arrangements, and stunning production, with legendary producer and engineer Alan Parsons working on three of the album's key tracks." Read more here.



Sid Vicious Documentary Coming To Theaters(Gibson)

A film documentary that explores the tumultuous relationship between late Sex Pistol bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen will be screened in several North American cities during November and December.
Directed by Danny Garcia, whose previous work includes "The Rise and Fall of The Clash," the aptly titled "Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid and Nancy" will also be available on home video beginning December 9.

It includes interviews with such insiders as Bob Gruen, Sylvain Sylvain, Leee Black Childers and singer Donna Destri -- sister of former Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri.