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AC/DC Announce Their Very First Official Book(Classic Rock) A photo study focusing on AC/DC's Rock Or Bust world tour is to be the band's first official book, they've announced. The title is set for release in the summer of 2017 with pre-ordering beginning in the spring. A limited-edition leatherbound version will be presented in a case with a light-up band logo.
It features Brian Johnson, Angus Young, Cliff Williams, Stevie Young and Chris Slade - but there's no mention of Guns N' Roses vocalist Axl Rose, who stepped in when Johnson had to bow out for health reasons.

Publishers Rufus Stone Limited Editions say: "Currently in production, The Rock Or Bust Tour Book 2015 will cover the full extent of AC/DC's groundbreaking 2015 world tour supporting the multi-million selling Rock Or Bust album released in 2014.

"Starting in Coachella, the Rock Or Bust tour has played to millions of fans around the world, setting records for attendance and sell-out times." Read more here.



Video From Megadeth's Secret Club Show Goes Online(hennemusic)

Megadeth played a secret show at the Saint Vitus bar in Brooklyn, New York on Monday night, December 12th, and video from the rare event has been posted online.
Billed as Vic & The Rattleheads - a long time pseudonym used by the band that is named after their mascot - the band powered through an 8-song set of classics that included the title track to their latest album, "Dystopia."

The club show landed the day before Megadeth performs at the Revolver Music Awards at the city's Webster Hall, co-hosted by frontman Dave Mustaine and SiriusXM's Jose Mangin.

The group - who recently wrapped up a fall US tour - have a busy schedule this week as they will also perform on NBC-TV's Late Night With Seth Meyers on Thursday before Mustaine plays a special acoustic concert on Friday at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston, MA in support of the charity Music Drives Us. Check out the video here.




Grammy VP Attempts To Justify Beyonce 'Rock' Nomination(Metal Hammer)

Pop star Beyonce deserves her nomination for Best Rock Performance Grammy at the 2017 awards ceremony, one of the event's bosses has stated. And part of the reason she does, he argues, is that her track Don't Hurt Yourself features Jack White and samples of Led Zeppelin music.
Bill Freimuth has responded to comments by Disturbed frontman David Draiman, who queried why his band were up against Beyonce in a category he described as "too diverse."

Now Freimuth, Senior Vice President (Awards) of the Recording Academy, who hand out Grammys, tells Metal Injection: "When you exclude metal, the rock category is one of our biggest umbrellas.

"Not quite as broad as pop, but maybe next up. I think what we found this year is that so many artists that were in rock or adjacent to rock were taking more sonic risks this year than ever before. It made for a really exciting dynamic landscape."

He says of Beyonce's track: "That recording has Jack White in it and it has Led Zeppelin samples in it. I think it's Beyonce really stretching. It's an artist at the height of her music powers, really reaching in different directions, and we're all the better for it." here.




Avenged Sevenfold Hire Cirque du Soleil Producers For Tour(Metal Hammer)

Avenged Sevenfold have hired the company behind Cirque du Soleil to manage the production on their upcoming live shows. The band launch their next wave of tour dates next month, starting in Glasgow, UK, on January 10 before a string of appearances across Europe.
And frontman M Shadows says the band will consider restructuring entire venues to realise their vision for a unique stage setting. Canada-based Cirque du Soleil is the biggest theatrical producer in the world and is known for its spectacular shows.

Shadows tells Metal Hammer: "The production that's being built is different for us, different for anyone I've ever seen, the people we've hired don't do tours, they do Cirque du Soleil.

"This is gonna be drawn out into different types of touring, we're not going on tour for six months, it'll be two weeks on, two weeks off. It'll be a longer cycle but we're gonna roll with the punches." Read more here.




Metallica's Hardwired Named Best Metal Album Of 2016(Gibson)

Rolling Stone has named Metallica's new chart topping studio album, Hardwired...to Self-Destruct, as their No. 1 metal album of 2016. Coming in at No. 2 Meshuggah's The Violent Sleep of Reason, and at No. 3 is Sumac with What One Becomes.
Also appearing on the list are Megadeth's Dystopia at No. 6, Deftones' Gore at No. 7 and Black Sabbath's tour-exclusive EP The End which landed at No. 20.

Hardwired...to Self-Destruct, Rolling Stone says, is a "two-act psychodrama of sorts about the devolution of humanity" full of "machine-gun tempos, crushing riffs and apocalyptic lyrics delivered in drill-sergeant barks." Read more here.





Guns N' Roses Put The Ugly In Ugly Christmas Sweaters(Classic Rock)

Guns N' Roses have put the ugly in ugly Christmas sweaters. They are the latest band to release an ugly Christmas sweater and this one could well be the ugliest yet.
The green and yellow jumper features the band's classic logo and traditional festive design. It costs $65 and is available now from the band's official merchandise website.

Last month, Iron Maiden unveiled a fetching festive sweater featuring their iconic mascot Eddie. And The Dillinger Escape Plan, Between The Buried And Me, Every Time I Die, August Burns Red, Cro Mags, Sikth, Bury Your Dead, Stick To Your Guns and Tesseract recently unveiled their own sweaters on Merch Limited. here.



Emmure Cancel 2017 Torch The Earth Tour(Metal Hammer)

Emmure have cancelled their 2017 European and UK tour. The band say they've been forced to postpone the Torch The Earth trek due to "unexpected delays" in the lead-up to their seventh record launch.
It will mark the band's first new material since frontman Frankie Palmeri revealed a new lineup featuring bassist Phil Lockett, guitarist Josh Travis and drummer Josh Miller.

The overhaul came after Palmeri was left as the last man standing when the rest of Emmure left in December of last year. Emmure say: "It is with our most sincere apologies that we will need to cancel the upcoming Torch The Earth tour.

"Upon the initial planning of this tour our goal was to return to Europe in 2017 pairing a new record with the tour. Unfortunately some unexpected delays have hindered our chances of releasing the record in this time frame." Read more here.




Last In Line To Start Work On New Album In January(Classic Rock)

Last In Line will record their second album in 2017, Vivian Campbell confirms. The guitarist, who was part of the original Dio lineup with drummer Vinny Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain, says he's already started jotting down ideas for the follow-up to this year's Heavy Crown.
Campbell tells Eon Music: "There will be a second album. I've certainly started writing for it. I've got ideas for it. I think in January we'll probably go in the studio together and we'll start jamming song ideas.

"I don't know when we're going to record it, but definitely sometime in 2017 we will finish another Last In Line record, because we're really encouraged by the response Heavy Crown got."

He continues: "I think we hit the target that we aimed for, which was we wanted to make a record that was reminiscent of that era, and we went about writing and recording it in the spirit that we had approached the original Holy Diver album in, without being contrived.

"There is an undeniable sound when Vinny Appice plays drums, it raises my game as a guitar player, and when Vinny and I play together, and especially when Jimmy and Vinny and I played together, it was 75% of the original Dio band, and it was a sound that we naturally had. It is very Dio-esque, and everybody really shines." Read more here.




Jethro Tull Stream Pass The Bottle (A Christmas Song)(Prog)

Ian Anderson's Jethro Tull have released their new track, Pass The Bottle (A Christmas Song). It's lifted from their forthcoming String Quartets album, a full-length of reworked classic tracks with the Carducci Quartet which launches next March.
Anderson said of the record: "A couple of years ago I came up with the idea of recording a dedicated string quartet album in a contemporary but classical setting, with brief appearances from myself.

"John came up with a few suggestions of his own which presented challenges. All had an intimacy and presence which I looked forward to recapturing in the cosy and very personal space of my office desk where I did the overdubs." Read more and listen to the son here.




Alice Cooper Announce First UK Headline Tour In 5 Years

Shock rock legend Alice Cooper has announced that he will be crossing the pond next November to launch his first UK headline tour in five years.
The trek will feature support from Sisters of Mercy offshoot The Mission as well as acclaimed theatrical rock veterans The Tubes who will be touring to promote their latest album Mondo Pulp.

The tour is scheduled to kick off on November 11th in Leeds at the First Direct Arena and will include stops in Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester before wrapping up in London on the 16th.

Cooper may be touring in support of his forthcoming studio album. According to the announcement, Alice will be working on the new effort with producers Bob Ezrin this winter and it is expected to be released sometime next year. See the dates here.




Rolling Stones Top UK and Australian Album Charts(hennemusic)

The Rolling Stones have topped the UK charts with their covers album, "Blue & Lonesome." According to The Official Charts Company, the project debuts at No. 1 in the band's native UK with first-week sales of 106,000 (95,000 in traditional album sales).
The veteran rockers also earned a No. 1 debut in Australia, while snagging a No. 4 entry on the US Billboard 200. Billboard reports the band's first new album in a decade enters the chart with opening week sales of 123,000 equivalent album units, of which 120,000 were real album sales.

The project also extends the Stones record-extending 37th top 10 album on the Billboard 200, ahead of second-place Barbra Streisand with 34; no act has earned more top 10 albums in the history of the prestigious music industry chart. Read more here.



Devildriver, Death Angel, Winds Of Plague, The Agonist and Azreal Tour

Devildriver have announced that they will be kicking off 2017 by launching the Bound By The Road North American tour that will feature support from Death Angel, Winds Of Plague, The Agonist and Azreal.
The trek is scheduled to launch on February 8th at the Observatory in Santa Ana, Ca and dates have been announced through March 5th in Seattle, WA at Studio 7 with additional dates still to be announced.

Frontman Dez Fafara had the following to say about the tour, "Devildriver is heading out on our first headline run in over three years with a killer set list and full production, AND we are bringing some heavy bad ass bands along with us! Get your tickets early and come out with some friends, 'cause this tour is going to be a monster banger!" See the dates here.




Butch Trucks and The Freight Train Announce Holiday Tour

Butch Trucks and The Freight Train, lead by Allman Brothers founding member Butch Trucks, have announced their Second Annual Holiday Tour.
The U.S. trek is scheduled to kick off on December 27th in Stuart, Fl at Terra Fermata and will be concluding on January 6th in Rocky Mount, Va at the Harvester Performance Ctr.

The band has also announced a series of Spring tour dates beginning on March 25th in Fest Bethlehem, Pa at the Blast Furnace Blues Fest and run until May 20th where they will be playing at the Chesapeake Bay Blues Fest in Annapolis, MD. Read more and see the dates here.



Skillet Announce 2017 U.S. Tour Leg

Skillet have announced that they will be launching the second U.S. Leg of The Unleashed Tour in February which will feature support from Sick Puppies and Devour The Day.
The new 26-city tour leg will be kicking off on February 8th in Clifton Park, NY at the Upstate Concert Hall and will be finishing on March 24th in Little Rock, AR at Metroplex.

Skillet will be hitting the road to promote their latest album "Unleashed" and in addition to their headline dates they have also announced a couple of music festival appearances including Carolina Rebellion on May 7th and Rock On The Range festival the weekend of May 19th - May 21st. See the headline dates here.



Joey Jordison's Vimic Announce Their First 'World Tour'

Vimic, the group founded by former Slipknot star Joey Jordison, have announced that they will be embarking on what they are billing as their very first world tour.
The group has announced a handful of U.S. dates later this month as well as the dates for their 2017 European tour which will be kicking off in Stockholm on March 7th.

The Euro tour will also include stops in Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France and will conclude with three dates in the UK. Read more and see the dates here.



Five Finger Death Punch Tricked Temp Singer Phil Labonte(Metal Hammer)

Five Finger Death Punch tricked their stand-in vocalist Phil Labonte into singing about male sex organs at their recent concert in Duluth, Georgia.
The All That Remains man had been filling in for Ivan Moody on their North American trek, and they certainly had their fun with the temporary recruit during their final tour stop at Duluth's Infinite Energy Center.

The band and crew changed the words in their song The Bleeding from "I remember when all the games began" to "I remember when all the dicks began" on the screen.

Given the last-minute nature of stepping in for Five Finger Death Punch, Labonte ended up singing the lyrics. Watch the clip here.



Tom Petty Added To 2017 Summer Time Festival Lineup(Classic Rock)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will play next year's edition of the British Summer Time festival at London's Hyde Park. It's the band's only European appearance during their 40th anniversary year - and it could be their last year of hitting the road on a large scale.
It's also been confirmed that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are to be joined on July 9 by special guests Stevie Nicks and The Lumineers, with a full supporting lineup to be announced.

The British Summer Time festival has already revealed Phil Collins, Kings Of Leon and the Pixies for the 2017 run of events. Petty this week revealed a run of North American anniversary dates but told Rolling Stone: "It's very likely we'll keep playing - but will be take on 50 shows in one tour?

"I don't think so. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was thinking that might be the last big one. We're all on the backside of our sixties. I don't want to spend my entire life on the road." See the dates here.



Ronnie Baker Brooks Streams New Song 'Long Story Short'(TeamRock)

Ronnie Baker Brooks has made his new track Long Story Short available to stream exclusively with TeamRock. It's taken from his upcoming album Times Have Changed. His first new album in 10 years launches on January 20 next year via Provogue/Mascot Label Group.
Brooks worked with Steve Jordan on the album, which was recorded in Memphis. Jordan says: "I decided to go to Memphis and Nashville for the particular musicians and studios I wanted to engage. As it turns out, Ronnie had done a few of his previous recordings in Memphis, so he felt right at home."

Brooks refers to Jordan as "a walking encyclopaedia of music detail and equipment." He adds: "Once we got the ball rolling, my confidence went higher and higher. I'm a better musician for this experience." Stream the song here.



Dream Theater Announce Images And Words UK Tour(Prog)

Dream Theater have announced that they have added a five-date UK leg next April to their upcoming 2017 Images And Words European anniversary tour.
The UK leg of their tour will see Dream Theater celebrating the 25th anniversary of their album Images And Words, which they will perform in full on the dates, alongside a selection of fan favorites.

Dream Theater start the European tour in Rome on January 30 before arriving in the UK on April 18. The band released their 13th album The Astonishing in January of this year. See the dates here.



The Black Dahlia Murder Lead Tech-Fest Lineup(Metal Hammer)

The Metal Hammer-sponsored Tech-Fest has announced its 2017 lineup. The Black Dahlia Murder, Obscura, Aborted, The Arusha Accord, Hacktivist, Ingested, The Algorithm, Oceans Ate Alaska and Carcer City are among a raft of acts added to the bill.
They'll also be joined by Exist Immortal, Sarah Longfield, Alaska, The Fine Constant, Within Destruction, Aenimus, Toska, The Royal, Hieroglyph, FRCTRD, Fraktions and Nycosia across the weekend July 6-9 at Newark Showground in Nottinghamshire.

Organizers say there are 40 bands yet to be announced, adding: "Tech-Fest 2017 is starting off with their heaviest line-up to date - and this looks set to be the festival's best year."