Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Journey Win Fan Vote For Rock Hall Induction(Classic Rock)


Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame bosses have confirmed that Journey won this year's public vote for induction in 2017. Neal Schon's band, who'd led the poll from the start, finished ahead of the Electric Light Orchestra, Yes, Pearl Jam and The Cars.
It doesn't guarantee entry into the Rock Hall - the vote only counts as one in over 600 ballots. But every band who's won the poll since it began four years ago have gone on to be inducted.

The Hall Of Fame say: "You voted. We tallied. We're proud to present your official fan's ballot group. Each artist who made it into the top five spots will receive an extra vote in the overall Class of 2017 Induction vote thanks to you."

The induction announcement is to be made later today (December 20). If Journey are included it will lead to increased speculation on the chances of a reunion with classic-era singer Steve Perry. Read more here.



Guns N' Roses Icon Izzy Stradlin Streams New Recording

Izzy Stradlin may have opted out of the Guns N' Roses reunion but that hasn't stopped him for recording new music. This weekend he revealed a new cover of J.J. Cale's "Call Me The Breeze".
The rock icon recruited Lauren Barth (vocals) and Jesse Aycock (guitar) to join him on the new version of the track. According to the YouTube description, Stadlin and his guests recorded the cover late last summer at the Brotheryn Studios in Ojai, California and Fellowship Hall Sound in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Stradlin announced the release with the following tweet on Saturday (Dec 17), "Call Me the Breeze" features special guest appearances by Lauren Barth and Jesse Aycock . Two very talented artists ....check them out !" Check it out here.



Metallica Star Responds To Dave Mustaine's Big 4 Comments(Classic Rock)

Metallica's Rob Trujillo says he'd like to tour with Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax under the Big Four banner again in the future. The four thrash metal acts shared the bill for seven shows in the Sonisphere festival series in 2010. Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine - a former member of Metallica - recently said he wants all of them to hit the road together again.
Responding to Mustaine, bassist Trujillo says he's also keen to team up for another Big Four tour in future - but Metallica must focus on promoting their new album, Hardwired... To Self Destruct first.

He tells Loudwire: "The Big Four tour was really great. We had a great time - it was special and fun and I love Dave. Dave is amazing. Right now, the main focus is we've got this new album and we're going to go out and we're going to tour this and get into these new songs and take this journey right now."

He adds: "Maybe after we get this sort of out of our system, we can dive into Big Four mode and try and do that. I can see us doing it again. It was definitely a lot of fun. It makes me feel good that Dave wants to take that journey again." Watch the full interview clip here.



Phil Anselmo Lashes Out At Scott Ian Over Racism Accusation(Metal Hammer)

Former Pantera man Phil Anselmo says it's "infuriating" that Machine Head's Robb Flynn and Anthrax's Scott Ian accused him of being racist. The vocalist hit headlines after he made a Nazi salute and shouted "white power" at the end of his performance at Dimebash in January.
He faced a backlash from the music world, led by Flynn - who challenged Anselmo's claims that it was an "inside joke" which he had with friends backstage prior to the event.

Ian also condemned Anselmo, saying he needed to truly realize the power of his words to be forgiven. But the Down and Superjoint vocalist has called out the pair's 'virtue-signaling' - and tells them to take a long, hard look at their own lives before judging him.

Anselmo takes Ian to task for his work on Stormtroopers Of Death's 1985 debut record titled Speak English Or Die, adding: "If that record would have come out this year, last year, f***ing forget it. You think he'd get pounced on? You're damn right he would, and he knows it.

"He wrote me some email, saying 'And if you're really sorry, donate to this Nazi hunter Jewish cause' or whatever,' I did it in an hour. Did you ever hear about that story? Of course you didn't. You know why? It doesn't make good headlines. I donated that hour, if not that goddamn second." Listen to the interview in full here.



Judas Priest Expand Turbo For 30th Anniversary Reissue(hennemusic)

Judas Priest will mark the 30th anniversary of their 1986 album, "Turbo", with the release of an expanded reissue on February 3. The "Turbo 30" reissue will be available as a 3CD set, LP and via digital download.
The package will include a remastered version of the original album alongside audio of the band in a May 1986 concert at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, MO.

"The 80's is considered to have been the best decade for heavy metal," says the group. "Judas Priest roared through it and at the half way point went into unchartered territory with 'Turbo'. Always believing that metal should have no boundaries, Priest challenged themselves taking on board new technical inventions to create fresh ideas and push their sound forward. The combined songs show another side of Priest's range of creativity that captures a theme and energy infused with the over the top sensibilities of that era.

"The 'Fuel For Life' tour certainly encapsulated the decadence of the times! 'Turbo' remastered and accompanied by a pedal to the metal live recording from Kansas reveals Priest on high octane - Raising fists and devil horns to the next level." Read more here.





Iron Maiden's Eddie Animated For Christmas Video(Classic Rock)

A fan has used Iron Maiden's track The Book Of Souls to soundtrack an animated Maiden-themed Christmas video. Val Andrade's clip is called A Christmas Cheers 2 and featured a story centred on Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie. It's set to the title track from the band's recent album The Book Of Souls.
Andrade has also released an animated video for Maiden's track The Wicker Man. Iron Maiden recently wrapped up a world tour in support of the album and the band issued a Christmas jumper featuring a festive Eddie.

They are in good company when it comes to getting into the holiday spirit. Guns N' Roses have released a particularly striking Christmas jumper, while Spotify have sent Korn Christmas decorations to fans. Watch the videos here.




Nightwish Release 'My Walden' Video(Prog)

Nightwish have released a video for their track "My Walden." The clip has been taken from the band's recently released live package Vehicle Of Spirit, which features two live Nightwish performances filmed in Tampere and at their sold out show at London's Wembley Arena earlier this year.
Nightwish will go on hiatus throughout 2017, with singer Floor Jansen promising fans "something special" when they return in 2018.

She said: "Well, we'll be back in 2018. We haven't said anything about a record or what we're going to do. We have been keeping it a secret on purpose, because it's something special - something that I really think Nightwish fans will really like.

"But for now, we're taking a break from the whole thing - not because it wasn't good, but maybe because it was good. It's good to reflect on life and take a step back and sit and relax and do something else. And we'll be back with a vengeance in 2018." Watch the video here.




Marillion Announce New Live Double CD, DVD and Blu-ray(Prog)

Marillion are to release Marbles In The Park through earMUSIC on January 20, 2017. The live release will be available on double CD, DVD and Blu-ray.
It was was recorded at 2015's Marillion Weekend in Port Zelande and pays tribute to their 2004 album Marbles. The DVD and Blu-ray editions also include the trailer for Unconventional, the documentary about the weekend conventions.

Marillion's most recent studio album F E A R was released in September and reached number 4 in the UK Album Charts. They recently announced their first concert at the Royal Albert Hall, which sold out in less than an hour.

See the Marbles In The Park tracklisting here.



Anthrax Release 'Suzerain' Lyric Video(hennemusic)


Anthrax have released a lyric video for "Suzerain", a track from their latest album "For All Kings." The New York band's eleventh album, "For All Kings" debuted at No. 9 on the US Billboard 200 earlier this year with opening week sales of 34,000 units.
"Mankind keep making the same mistakes over and over," explains guitarist Scott Ian. "You'd think that after thousands of years of religious, economic and ideologic wars, we'd have figured out how to live with each other, but we haven't. That's what drew me to the idea for 'Suzerain'."

Anthrax will return in 2017 for a winter 2017 European tour to mark the 30th anniversary of their 1987 album, "Among The Living", that will see the group perform the record in its entirety alongside classic tracks.

The band will launch a newly-announced co-headlining North American tour with Killswitch Engage in Montclair, NJ on March 29. Watch the new video here.



Camel Announce Ichigo Ichie Live DVD(Prog)

Veteran prog rockers Camel are to release a new live DVD recorded in Japan. It will be entitled Ichigo Ichie (which translates as 'treasure every encounter for it will never recur').
Ichigo Ichie: Camel Live In Japan 2016 was filmed during the band's most recent Japanese tour, recorded at a show in May at Tokyo's EX Theatre in Rappongi.

The band on the evening featured Camel mainstays Andy Latimer (guitar, flute, vocals), Colin Bass (bass), Denis Clement (drums) and Tiger Moth Tales' Peter Jones on keyboards and vocals. Read more here.




Suicide Silence Going Mostly Clean For New Album(Metal Hammer)

Suicide Silence say their next album will feature "70%" clean vocals. The band have been working on the follow-up to their last full-length album, 2014's You Can't Stop Me - which is due out next February. Vocalist Eddie Hermida previously promised the record would make a "statement."
He tells AltPress: "We decided as a band to do something way outside the spectrum of what Suicide Silence has done in the past. We wanted to maintain a heavy sound while exploring our love of music, and what came out surprised us 100%. Really, the biggest difference is that we stopped giving a f***, and when you do that you feel free, and you learn who you really are."

Drummer Alex Lopez tells MetalShop TV: "There's clean vocals on 70% of the album. It's the first time he Eddie has been confident enough to do it. There's a lot of singing in it, there's a lot of screaming in it. Read more here.



Former Kyuss Frontman John Garcia Releases 'Kylie' Video(Metal Hammer)

Former Kyuss frontman John Garcia has released a video for his track "Kylie". The song comes from the desert rock hero's forthcoming studio album The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues, which launches on January 27, 2017.
The follow-up to his 2014 self-titled debut was recorded and mixed by Steve Feldman and Robbie Waldman, mastered by Gene 'The Machine' Grimaldi at Oasis Mastering in California and features Garcia's longtime tourmates Ehren Groban, percussionist Greg Saenz and bassist Mike Pygmie.

Garcia had the following to say about the new solo effort: "This record is one of the most important of my career, difficult and challenging to do, but worth every minute of sweat."

As well as his work with Kyuss and his solo efforts, Garcia has performed with acts such as Vista Chino, Hermano, Unida and Slo Burn. The singer said last year he doesn't think there will be a Vista Chino comeback with Kyuss colleagues Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri - and that he'll focus on his solo career for the foreseeable future.

He told Manc Union: "We're all too focused on doing our own things now and I'm more interested in taking the music that I've been working on over the years for myself and seeing what directions I can take it in." Watch the video here.



Sepultura Streaming New Song 'Phantom Self'(Metal Hammer)

Sepultura have released a stream of their new track "Phantom Self". It comes from the band's upcoming 14th album Machine Messiah, which will launch on January 13 via Nuclear Blast.
Guitarist Andreas Kisser recently revealed Sepultura's follow-up to 2013's The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart was "inspired by the robotisation of our society."

He added: "The concept of a 'God Machine' who created humanity and now it seems that this cycle is closing itself, returning to the starting point. We came from machines and we are going back to where we came from. The messiah, when he returns, will be a robot, or a humanoid, our bio-mechanical savior." Stream the song here.



Japan and Porcupine Tree's Richard Barbieri Announces Solo Album(Prog)

Richard Barbieri has announced that he'll release his third solo album early next year. It will be entitled "Planets + Persona," and is set to hit stores on March 3 via Kscope.
Barbieri is known for his work with Japan and Porcupine Tree, Barbieri's follow-up to 2008's Stranger Inside is said to be "his most sonically expansive work to date."

A statement on the album continues: "Vintage analogue synthesisers combine with acoustic performances and jazz elements. Twisted voices are always present, though not in a language we can recognise. Barbieri skilfully utilises the talents of a pan-European core of musicians to produce an album that marries synthesised sounds with organic instrumentation to conjure up vivid, colourful and allusive soundscapes.

"It's a skilful commingling of texture and tone, mood and musicality." To mark the announcement, Barbieri has also issued a teaser video for the record, featuring snippets of all seven tracks. Listen to them here.



Falling In Reverse Return With New Song 'Coming Home'(Metal Hammer)

Falling In Reverse have release a new single entitled "Coming Home." It's their first new material since their third studio album Just Like You in 2015. They announced the release without warning along with the caption "we are coming home." Listen to it below.
Earlier this year frontman Ronnie Radke said their next album would focus on "feeling" and would sound like "nothing they have ever done before." He said: "It's a huge left turn. Every song is very vibey, There's more feeling in it instead of a lot of metal.

"We're challenging ourselves now more than we ever have in the weirdest ways possible, because you would think writing the craziest solo or riffs would be the challenging part.

"But the challenging part is trying to stick to a theme and not go all over the place like we would normally do." Check out the new song here.




Ticket Reseller Law Signed In U.S. As UK Launches Their Own Probe(TeamRock)

The British Government has launched an investigation into suspected breaches of consumer protection law in the online secondary tickets market. The move comes as the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act was signed into law in the U.S., making it an offence across the entire country to use computer software to buy event tickets online.
The government's Competition And Markets Authority (CMA) says the investigation "follows concerns that people are not getting the full range of information required by law when buying tickets put up for resale."

The CMA will specifically look at if information is provided on who the seller is and any connections the seller may have with the platform or event organisers as well as whether there are any restrictions on the use of resold tickets which could result in the person being denied access to the event. It also want it to be clearer to the buyer where a seat is located in the venue.

Andrea Coscelli, the CMA's Acting Chief Executive, says: "A night out at a concert or a trip to a big match is something that millions of people look forward to. So it's important they know who they are buying from and whether there are any restrictions that could stop them using the ticket." Read more here.




Rare 1983 Video Of Ian Gillan Fronting Black Sabbath Goes Online(Classic Rock)

Deep Purple's official YouTube channel have released a live clip of Ian Gillan fronting Black Sabbath in 1983. Gillan replaced Ronnie James Dio is the lineup that year and went on to record Born Again with Sabbath - the only album to feature the Deep Purple man.
In the archive video, Gillan is joined onstage by guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bev Bevan and play the tracks Digital Bitch and Zero The Hero.

Black Sabbath are gearing up for the remaining dates on The End tour, which will wrap up with two shows in their hometown of Birmingham in early February. However, Iommi recently said he hasn't ruled out the chance of festival appearances at some point in the future.

He said: "I wouldn't write that off, if one day that came about. That's possible.

"Or even doing an album, because then you're in one place. But I don't know if that would happen." here.



Motorhead Producer Reveals Nearly Fatal Mistake With Lemmy(Classic Rock)

Producer Cameron Webb has recalled how he nearly talking himself out of his job with Motorhead - by calling them a heavy metal band. Mainman Lemmy, who died in December 2015, always insisted his outfit played rock'n'roll, and resisted any other genre label.
But Webb didn't know that when he first sat down with the band in 2004, with a view to becoming their producer. The meeting was arranged by Motorhead managed Todd Singerman.

Webb tells Produce Like A Pro: "I would always ask, 'When's Motorhead doing a record? I want to do one.' And he'd always say, 'You're too nice of a person. I would never put you in a room with them - they'd tear you apart.'

"All of a sudden, one day I get a phone call. It's Todd: 'Do you want to do a Motorhead record? Here's the deal. You're going to have dinner. If you like them and they like you, you're going to do a record. If they don't like you, you tried and it is what it is.'"

He recalls visiting Tower Records on his way to the meeting, but on discovering how many albums the band had released, he decided not to try to expand his education, but to rely on what he already knew of their 1970s and 1980s output.

Webb continues: "The one thing I wanted to do was make sure they were modern sounding. I didn't want them to sound too trashy - I wanted it to be full and big-sounding. Bands like System Of A Down had great-sounding records at the time. I wanted that for Motorhead.

"So I went up there, sat, ate steak, drank and talked shop. I approached them with, 'I want to make a heavy record, almost a metal record.' Lemmy says to me, 'Cameron, we're a rock'n'roll band. We're not a heavy metal band.'"

The producer knew instantly: "'Oh, man, I just blew it.' I walked out with the manager and he goes, 'Cameron, you almost did a good job. But you shouldn't have brought up that heavy metal thing.'

"Next day I got a call - 'You're on, show up at rehearsal.' And since then I've done every record. I built a trust with those guys." Watch the full interview here.



Killswitch Engage May Focus On New Albums Over Touring(Metal Hammer)

Bassist Mike D'Antonio says Killswitch Engage are considering a future that involves more recording and less touring than their current phase. And he reports they're aiming to start work on the follow-up to this year's Incarnate as soon as they complete their North American tour with Anthrax in May.
D'Antonio tells the Mike James Rock Show: "We're thinking that we've toured out butts off and it might be time for a rest. Maybe doing less touring and more albums might be the way to go for us. That's out mindset right now.

"Having fun and being able to smile on stage is the number-one priority. Granted, you can't make money with records these days - and we're planning to make more of them. But our sanity is definitely in question right at this moment. We need to get back to a reset button."

Despite that, he reports that feelings within the band are generally positive, especially after the fan response to Incarnate, which followed 2013's Disarm The Descent - their first release since the return of frontman Jesse Leach. Read more here.



Red Hot Chili Peppers 's Chad Smith Jams With Babymetal(Metal Hammer)

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith performed with Babymetal during the Japanese outfit's show in London this past week and video of the jam has been posted online.
The Japanese trio supported Red Hot Chili Peppers on their UK tour and at lats night's (December 18) gig at the O2 Arena, Smith performed a drum solo as part of Babymetal's set.

After a performance of Gimme Chocolate, Babymetal exited the stage and the arena was plunged into darkness - which was when Smith slipped unnoticed onto the stage and behind the kit, replacing Hideki Aoyama and performing a solo disguised as a member of the Kami Band wearing corpse paint and white clothing.

Babymetal then closed their set with Smith playing on their Judas Priest medley of Painkiller and Breaking The Law. Then at the very end of Babymetal's set, Smith reappeared with a birthday cake for Su-Metal, who turns 19 on December 20 - with the audience singing Happy Birthday.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories AC/DC Announce Their Very First Official Book(Classic Rock) A photo study focusing on AC/DC's Rock Or...

Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock Stories

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."

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Yellowcard Announce Final Farewell Shows(Gibson) Yellowcard have announced the final two show of thei...

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Today's Day in Rock Stories

Yellowcard Announce Final Farewell Shows(Gibson)


Yellowcard have announced the final two show of their career before they retire the band. The band had been on a two-year hiatus from 2008-10 and now, in June 2016, the band announced that they would be breaking up after the tour to support their 10th album, the eponymous Yellowcard, released this September.
Now, as they wrap up their ongoing final tour of the United States, the band have just announced two more shows to close out their career. The two new dates are March 24th, 2017 in Los Angeles (where the band will perform their classic 2003 album Ocean Avenue in full) and March 25th in Anaheim, where the band played their first-ever sold out show.

The band's frontman Ryan Key said, "Due to incredible demand, we have decided to add two final shows in Southern California to the tour. On March 24th, we will be performing Ocean Avenue in full at The Nova in Los Angeles.

"On March 25th, at the brand-new House of Blues Anaheim, we will be ending the story in the city where we played our first sold-out show." Read more here.




Rush's Family Guy Guest Appearance Goes Online(Prog)

Rush have appeared on the latest episode of hit animated TV show Family Guy, playing their track Tom Sawyer, and the clip from their appearance has been posted online.
This past weekend the iconic Canadian band appeared on season 15's seventh episode, entitled High School English, which sees Family Guy characters acting out a brief version of Mark Twain's classic book The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn.

In one of the show's typical cutaway scenes, the characters end up at a Rush concert. In a brief clip which can be viewed below, Peter Griffin, in the role of Huck Finn, asks Tom Sawyer, played by Chris Griffin what he's doing so far from home. Sawyer replies: "Rush is playing here tonight. They wrote a song about me."

It's not the first time Rush have featured in animated form. They have previously shown a brief clip of the South Park cast playing Tom Sawyer on a big screen as an introduction to the track at live shows. A clip of that and the Family Guy appearance can be viewed here.



Slipknot Making New Album Plans(Metal Hammer)

Slipknot percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan says the band will begin writing new material in February of next year. The band have only recently wrapped up touring in support of 2014 album .5: The Gray Chapter - which arrived six years after fourth album All Hope Is Gone.
But Crahan is hinting that fans won't have to wait as long for the sixth album. He tells Rolling Stone he plans to meet up with Slipknot guitarist Jim Root in February 2017 to start writing new music "because we want to write."

Crahan also says he wants to make another film after the success of his directorial debut Officer Downe, which is based on a comic book and stars Sons Of Anarchy actor Kim Coates.

He says: "I was born to make movies. I'm into fashion, death, sex and clothes. I work really hard to portray things that you're not going to see at Walmart." Read more here.



Evanescence To Live Stream Paramount Concert(Metal Hammer)

Evanescence have announced that they will be streaming their upcoming performance at The Paramount in Huntingdon, New York live on November 23rd.
It will be the band's final show of 2016 - and will be available to view at Live Nation's Facebook, Live Nation TV and their Youtube channel. Watch their announcement video below.

The band have been touring the US in the lead-up to the launch of their vinyl box set, The Ultimate Collection, which arrives on December 9. The collection features all of Evanescence's studio records along with their previously unreleased demo album Origin. Read more here.



Page and Plant In The Studio For Led Zeppelin IV Anniversary

A new episode of the syndicated radio show In The Studio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands celebrates the 45th anniversary of the landmark album Led Zeppelin IV. The show sent over these details:
In a matter of four short years Led Zeppelin had delivered four groundbreaking albums each destined to top the other. Widely considered a hard rock, heavy metal band by many, Zeppelin would astonish everyone by creating one of hard rock's first epic ballads, the most played record in rock radio history "Stairway To Heaven". Jimmy Page shares with In The Studio host Redbeard just how immediate the reaction was.

"We were out touring and that album (IV) hadn't come out and we played "Stairway" in the Forum (Los Angeles) and we got a standing ovation." - Jimmy Page

Anyone assuming that Led Zeppelin's allure was limited to the decade of the Seventies, or even the 20th century, simply has not been paying attention: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction 1995; Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 2005; one-off 2007 London O2 Arena performance that had over six million ticket requests; and recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012 awarded by U.S. President Barack Obama, proving that the Led Zeppelin legacy and their music has certainly not diminished.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant share their views In The Studio as to why Led Zeppelin IV has stood the test of time to become the third highest selling album in music history.

"I wanted to make music that people would respect... I knew it was good, but I hadn't got the faintest idea that it was ever going to become as big as it did... I wanted to do something that could stand the test of time." - Jimmy Page

"We just did whatever... whenever it was most appropriate, with amplifiers, without amplifiers, in a desert, on top of a Welsh mountain, wherever it was which could be indicative and show what we were all about." - Robert Plant. Stream the episode here.





AC/DC Star Phil Rudd Previews Head Job Video(hennemusic)

Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has released a preview of the forthcoming music video for the title track to his recently re-released solo album, "Head Job."
Rudd originally issued the album in 2014, just months before a series of legal troubles led to an 8-month home detention - on charges of threatening to kill a contractor, possession of methamphetamine and possession of cannabis - that sidelined him from joining AC/DC for a world tour in support of the "Rock Or Bust" album.

The Australian group brought in former member Chris Slade to handle drums for the trek, which eventually saw Axl Rose step in to handle vocals in place of Brian Johnson after the longtime AC/DC singer risked permanent hearing loss.

Rudd was a member of AC/DC from 1975-83 and again from 1994 to 2014. "Head Job" was first previewed with the lead single, "Repo Man"; the album's reissue and plans to tour the UK and Europe in 2017 are part of Rudd's plan to launch a comeback following his recovery from a heart attack in New Zealand this past summer.

"I made mistakes, but I am really good now," says Rudd. "Life is good. I'm positive and healthy. I really appreciate the support of the fans around the world, which kept me going through, you know, some of the dark times, and I cannot wait to play the music for them, it is going to rock." Check out the preview here.




Slayer Were Offended By Fake 1990s 'Punk' Groups(Metal Hammer)

Slayer's Kerry King says he didn't like the direction of heavy music in the 90s and "couldn't understand why things were popular." He points to Slayer's 2001 album God Hates Us All as the moment the band refocused their efforts after a period in the 90s when groups such as the Offspring were on the rise.
King tells the new episode of Metal Hammer: In Residence: "I think we refocused on God Hates Us All. I think in the 90s, me and Jeff Hanneman just didn't pay any attention to anything.

"In particular didn't like where music was going and I let it get to me for the only time in my career - and that was basically the 90s. I couldn't understand why things were popular and it just bummed me out completely and I had to forget about it and refocus because it was just bringing me down.

"I'm not talking about pop and stuff like that. Heavy music - I didn't like where heavy music was going." He continues: "I remember in particular when we did Undisputed Attitude in 1996, we did that in rebellion to Green Day and the Offspring.

"It's not their fault but everyone called them punk bands and me and Jeff were, 'This isn't punk, guys.' We just took offence to it and Undisputed Attitude was that coming out." Read more here.




Pierce The Veil Release 'Dive In' Video(TeamRock)

Pierce The Veil have released a video for their song "Dive In". The clip was filmed on the San Diego band's last few tours and includes footage from their Made To Destroy Tour this summer with Neck Deep and I Prevail.
The band released their fourth album Misadventures earlier this year. Frontman Vic Fuentes said he travelled across the US to find inspiration for the record.

He said: "I felt like the four walls that I was looking at every day were not gonna inspire an amazing record, so I got out of there. We went on tour - which was very conducive to the record - and when we did get back and it was time to work on the lyrics and finish the thing, I wanted to do the exact opposite of what I had been doing."

"I wanted to travel instead of being stuck in a room. I wanted to stimulate my brain, go to different cities, stay in different houses and work in different studios." Watch the video here.




Steve Harris' British Lion Writing Heavier New Music(Classic Rock)

Iron Maiden's Steve Harris says British Lion have gone in a "heavier direction" with their new material. The newly incarnated British Lion was announced in 2012 - 20 years after the first lineup dissolved. They've been "road-testing" their new songs on tour, which are to be included on the studio follow-up to their self-titled 2012 album
Harris tells Kerrang: "The band's been evolving and the songs have been evolving with it, or vice versa. We're finding our feet as a band, finding more of a sense of what we are.

"Without analysing it too much, I think the new songs are really probably going, if anything, maybe in a heavier direction perhaps. I mean, Spitfire to me sounds like really heavy Thin Lizzy. But others might think something different about it." here.




Kate Bush Releases 'And Dream Of Sheep' Video(Prog)


Kate Bush has released a video for her live track "And Dream Of Sheep". It's taken from upcoming three-disc set Before The Dawn, recorded during her sold-out 22-date residency at London's Hammersmith Apollo - her first full-scale shows since 1979.
A statement reports: "This is a special piece of film to accompany the release of the live single And Dream Of Sheep. The vocal was performed live while filming Kate lying in the huge water tank at Pinewood Studios.

"This was to create a sense of realism, as the character in the song is lost at sea - however, it became more realistic than Kate had imagined. She spent so long in the water during the first day of filming that she contracted mild hypothermia. She recovered after a day off and carried on filming.

"This film was then projected onto a large oval screen which hung above the stage during the performances of her live show." Watch the video here.




Nightwish's Floor Jansen To Join Ayreon Onstage(Prog)

Nightwish singer Floor Jansen will appear onstage with Ayreon for two shows in the Netherlands next year. The performances will be held at the 013 venue in Tilburg on September 15 and 16, 2017, and will see Arjen Lucassen also joined by a raft of guests for the shows, which are being billed as the Ayreon Universe experience.
Nightwish's Marco Hietala, Symphony X's Russell Allen, Threshold's Damian Wilson, Blind Guardian's Hansi Kursch, Kamelot's Tommy Karevik, Katatonia's Jonas Renkse and Anneke van Giersbergen have so far been confirmed, with further names to be added in due course.

Ayreon Universe has been organised and arranged by Lucassen and Joost van den Broek, and will see music from all Ayreon albums and a selection of tracks from Star One showcased.

Lucassen says: "After the huge success of the four sold-out Ayreon theatre shows in 2015, Joost and I decided to boldly go even bigger. This is a full-on 'best of Ayreon' rock show in a big venue with as many original Ayreon singers and musicians as possible." Read more here.



Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson Shaves Heads To Cancer Charity(Classic Rock)

Bruce Dickinson helped shave the heads of a group of ice hockey players over the weekend, to support their cancer charity activities. The Iron Maiden frontman took clippers to the head of Cardiff Devils player Patrick Asselin as team-mate Josh Batch continued his bid to raise £3000 for MacMillan Cancer Support.
Dickinson as become an active supporter of the Welsh squad after launching his Cardiff Aviation firm in the area, and he's taken some of the players to try out his company's flight simulator, while accepting a custom shirt from them - numbered 666.

He told Wales Online: "Devils are doing really well. I like the name and I'm delighted with my shirt.

"The guys who came down to try out the simulator were able to take-off, fly around a little bit and they also landed it a few times."

Devils boss Todd Kelman, an avid Iron Maiden fan, said: "I saw them in Calgary when I was a teenager and have followed the band my whole life, so this is very, very cool." here.




Phil Anselmo Compares Stage Persona To Pro-Wrestling(Metal Hammer)

Phil Anselmo believes his aggressive vocal style and "pro wrestling" stage persona may give people the wrong impression of him. The former Pantera frontman hit the headlines earlier this year with his "white power" outburst at an event paying tribute to late bandmate Dimebag Darrell. He apologized for the incident and has repeatedly denied that he is a racist.
Now he says that if people look closely enough at this career, they will see that he has "nothing but love" in his heart. And those who still see a hateful man could be mistaking his vocal style for hatred, he says.

Anselmo tells Clrvynt: "I want people to understand that I have nothing but love in my heart. It is what it is, but hopefully the truth comes out in the wash, and I love everybody. I do. The sad truth of it all is I love everybody, almost to a fault.

"I am no rustic fool, despite what I might get sometimes get into on a stage. That part of my personality is like pro wrestling or something. It's part of me - I don't know where that came from.

"But 'racist' is a very strong word. Look at my track record and you'll see a lot of love there, I do believe. If you see the loathe part - well, maybe that's my expression as an angry vocalist.

"Still, that doesn't equate to someone that hates someone else for their f***ing skin colour. That is absurd." Read more here.




Mikkey Dee Recalls Rocky First Motorhead Gig(Classic Rock)


Former Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee has recalled how mainman Lemmy stood up for him in his earliest days with the band - while some people thought the Swedish sticksman was a "wanker."
Dee joined up in 1992, replacing classic-era member Philthy 'Animal' Taylor, and remained on board until the band ended with Lemmy's death last December.

He remembers his first show with Motorhead. Dee tells Music Radar: "If eyes could kill I would have been murdered right away. A lot of people didn't know me and they literally stood pointing at me going, 'How can you bring this wanker into the band?' I was the wrong guy completely. They hated me."

"But Lemmy stood up for me. He said, 'Get out of my dressing room. Mikkey's unbelievable, you wait and see!' After the show the same guys wanted to shake my hand - 'This was the best Motorhead show we've ever seen!' And I got accepted."" Read more here.




Avenged Sevenfold Changed Approach With Brooks Wackerman(Metal Hammer)

Bassist Johnny Christ says Avenged Sevenfold took a "reverse process" approach to latest album The Stage, thanks to the arrival of new drummer Brooks Wackerman.
The record was sneak-released last month as the band made a point of exploring new ways to express themselves both onstage and off. In the behind-the-scenes , Christ says: "Having Brooks when we were writing was great. A lot of the riffs would actually come off of beats and ideas he would bring to the table."

He adds that writing became "more of jamming and playing off of each other, rather than coming up with parts and fine-tuning them - getting the feel of it first and then going back. It was kind of a reverse process from the album before." here.




James Kottak Making Post Scorpions and Rehab Plans(hennemusic)

Former Scorpions drummer James Kottak is thanking fans for their support through his battle with alcoholism and his continued efforts in recovery.
"Hello to all my family, friends, and freaks," writes Kottack on his website. "I want to send a HUGE thank-you from the bottom of my heart for the thousands of messages of hope and positivity during my time of healing! I am humbled and honored by your love and gracious offerings. I am healthy & happy living in the now…grateful for yesterday, excited for the future.

"As one chapter of my life closes…a thousand new doors of adventure have opened. I have been given the ultimate gift of life with my personal REboot. To quote one of my fav songs 'Tomorrow is a Brand New Day'. With the support of Athena and my three wonderful kids, today IS the first day of the rest of my life! I look forward to reconnecting and seeing you all SOON! Rock & Roll Forever!"

Kottak - who joined the Scorpions in 1996 - made international headlines in 2014 following an alleged drunken incident in Dubai that resulted in a month-long sentence in jail in the country; the rocker was released after serving less than 10 days and promptly entered rehab to treat his alcoholism. Read more here.




Nikki Sixx Says Sixx A.M. Focused On Performance Not Glory(Classic Rock)

Nikki Sixx says he is cool with his band Sixx A.M. not being the headline act while on tour. They're currently on the road across North America with Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown, who are co-headlining the trek. But the bassist says he is too focused on their performance on the night to think about their slot on the bill.
He tells Music Feeds Australia: "I've never really thought about it. I like to perform. I enjoy playing my instrument and being in a band and trying to push myself, watching my singer grow as a front man, watching us grow as a band every night.

"So whether I'm at the bottom of the bill or the top of the bill I never really look around and go, 'Oh look at me.' It's more about what I'm doing when I'm on stage.'

"All of the work, all of the songwriting and the lyrics and melody, the guitar parts and the mixing and the artwork. You step on stage and that's kind of what it's really about." here.




Obituary, Decapitated and Brujeria Added To Bloodstock(Metal Hammer)

Obituary, Decapitated and Brujeria have been added to the bill for next year's Bloodstock festival. They join previously announced headliners Amon Amarth, along with Blind Guardian, Testament, Hatebreed, Whitechapel, Possessed and Hell.
Bloodstock 2017 takes place from August 10 to 13 at Catton Park, Walton On Trent, England. Obituary will take to the main stage on the Sunday in support of their upcoming 10th studio album, which is expected to launch in March.

Guitarist Trevor Peres previously called Obituary's follow-up to 2014's Inked In Blood "brutal" and added: "Our new album is going to come out in March. We just finished recording before this tour started. There's some leads that still have to be finished.

"So the actual title - we haven't made a decision what to title the album yet. I think there's going to be eleven songs on the album, including Ten Thousand Ways To Die." Read more here.



Amplifier Release Trippin' With Dr Faustus Trailer(Prog)

Amplifier have released a short video to announce their upcoming sixth album titled Trippin' With Dr Faustus. The follow-up to 2014's Mystoria is scheduled for an early 2017 launch, with the new trailer featuring cryptic lyrics along with audio from the record.
The lyrics read: "Hey, Mona Lisa. How's it hanging? Smile on your starman in the operating room. Well, have we lost our way up to your city clouds? Or are we still dreaming? Well who's to know?

"And it's been on my mind. In fact, it is totally clear that life brings you suffer time - and jokers that you know. Supernova, I'm waiting for your call."

The band are also asking for fans to send images for inclusion on the Trippin' With Dr Faustus cover art. Amplifier say: "Last call for submission of photos for the artwork for Trippin' With Dr Faustus.

"The cover is made entirely from various peoples pictures - a lot of them taken while they were travelling around the world. Your image will almost certainly be boiled down deconstructed and then retooled into something completely different." Read more and watch the trailer here.



Steel Panther Announce 360 Degree Concert Live Stream(Classic Rock)

Steel Panther have announced that they will release a 360-degree virtual reality stream of their show at Los Angeles' Roxy Theatre on November 22 (Wednesday).
The rockers follow Machine Head, Testament, Megadeth and Five Finger Death Punch in their use of immersive visual technology. Fans can watch the video on the band's website or on the YouTube mobile app.

The band revealed they'll issue their fourth album Lower The Bar on February 24. It's available for pre-order now.

They also released a video for their cover of Cheap Trick's She's Tight, which features cameos from Cheap Trick's Robin Zander, Paris Michael Jackson, Bobbie Brown and Papa Roach drummer Tony Palermo.

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Brian Johnson's First Post AC/DC Music Goes Online(Classic Rock) Former AC/DC singer Brian Johnson ...

Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Brian Johnson's First Post AC/DC Music Goes Online(Classic Rock)

Former AC/DC singer Brian Johnson can be heard making a guest appearance on the Greg Billings Band's latest album. He recorded Old Friends Don't Come Easy for Boom! Boom! All Night! which also features Cheap Trick's Robin Zander on another track.
Johnson was forced to bow out of AC/DC in March after doctors warned him he faced total hearing loss if he continued. The band hired Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose to complete their Rock Or Bust world tour.

Johnson, who'd been with the Aussie giants for 26 years, said at the time: "My entire focus is to continue medical treatment to improve my hearing. I am hoping that in time my hearing will improve and allow me to return to live concert performances. While the outcome is uncertain, my attitude is optimistic."

Since then he's been working with audio experts Asius on a solution. Their Chief scientist Stephen Ambrose told TeamRock in October that the singer could return to performing live "within six months to a year." Listen to the new song and read more here.




Black Sabbath Stream Classic Song With Alternate Lyrics(hennemusic)

Black Sabbath are streaming a rare, live version of "Iron Man" with alternate lyrics as featured on the recently-released Super Deluxe Edition of their 1970 album classic, "Paranoid."
The early take on the legendary track was recorded live in Montreux, Switzerland - the site of one of two live sets included on the expanded reissue - alongside one from Brussels, Belgium.

Beyond the live material, the 4-disc set includes the original 1970 LP and a rare quad mix of the record folded down to stereo. "Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition" includes a hardbound book with new interviews with all band members, photos, a poster and a replica of the book sold during the group's tour in support of the album. Check out the song here.




Lamb Of God Stream New Song 'Culling'(Metal Hammer)

Brand-new Lamb Of God track Culling has been released for streaming. It's taken from their The Duke EP, which was released on Friday (November 18), with a vinyl edition to follow on November 25.
Culling was begun during sessions for Lamb Of God's 2009 album Wrath, but remained unfinished until recently. The Duke - recorded while the band worked on last year's VII: Sturm Und Drang - was inspired by fan Wayne Ford, who lost a five-year battle with cancer in 2015.

Frontman Randy Blythe recently explained: "While I was in the studio I had asked Wayne if there was anything he wanted to say to the world, any particular words he wanted to be remembered by. 'That's really cool. Let me think about it, man,' he said. But he never got back to me about it.

"I don't know if he hadn't made up his mind, or if he just didn't feel like it. Regardless, I wanted to honour him in some way. I wanted this level, collected man who had become my friend, all the while staring down his own death, to be remembered through the music of the band he loved." Listen to the new song here.




Avenged Sevenfold Singer Shrugs Of Metallica Competition(Metal Hammer)

Avenged Sevenfold vocalist M Shadows says his band aren't daunted with the fact their new album The Stage is going head-to-head with Metallica's Hardwired… To Self-Destruct.
The band sneak released their seventh studio album last month, with Metallica's 10th record was release later this past Friday, November 18. And Shadows says the fact both bands are putting out new material so close together can only be a good thing for rock and metal fans.

He exclusively tells Metal Hammer: "I think it's great for the consumer and it's great for the fans. I think a lot of fans are streaming anyway. We had this plan before Metallica released Hardwired in Minneapolis. Our first plan was to release a song in Minneapolis, with that show we played with them in Viking Stadium. We then decided to drop the record as a surprise and I'm glad we did otherwise we'd really be going head-to-head, single to single."

He adds: "They're vastly different singles, a three-and-a-half minute song compared to an eight-and-a-half minute song, but they're doing what they're doing.

"I told Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich what we were doing and he thought it was awesome. It's going to be a great lead-up to Christmas for rock and metal fans that like our two bands." Read more here.



John Lennon's Angry Letter To Paul Fetches Big Money(Classic Rock)

An angry letter from John Lennon to Paul and his then-wife Linda McCartney following the breakup of The Beatles has sold at auction for just under $30,000.
Boston-based RR Auctions estimated the letter would fetch at least $20,000 when they announced the listing recently. And today they've revealed it sold for $29,843.

The two-page typed letter with hand-written annotations by Lennon shows the extent of his bitterness after the break-up of the Beatles.

The draft letter is believed to date from 1971 and was said to be a response to criticism that Lennon had received from Linda about his decision to not publicly announce his departure from the band. Read more here.





Brian May Curates Air Guitar Anthems Album(Classic Rock)

Brian May has put together a compilation album titled Air Guitar Anthems. The 3CD collection pulls together artists including Metallica, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Rainbow, Rush, Dio, Motorhead and Thin Lizzy.
May says: "It's an interesting discussion between a simple riff and a complex riff. Most of us think simple is great but there are definite exceptions like Message In A Bottle by The Police is the most incredibly complex thing but it sticks in the mind and it's obviously one of the greatest riffs of all time - it's actually got a great song written around it as well.

"A riff is a riff is a riff - and it's a mystical thing. Either it grabs you or it doesn't and some things can be quite involved or some things can be incredibly simple." Watch the trailer and see the tracklisting here.



Presidents Of The United States Of America Confirm Break Up(TeamRock)

Presidents Of The United States Of America frontman Chris Ballew has revealed that the band have officially "retired." The band have been largely inactive for more than a year and Ballew has moved to let fans know that they have called it a day as their "creative interests" have changed.
However, he adds that he'd "never say never" to a potential future comeback. Ballew says: "You may have noticed that PUSA has been quiet since the summer of 2015 and here is why. We are no longer functioning as a band. Call it what you will but we have quietly retired from the PUSA business since we are old people now.

"'Never say never' is a good motto in these cases, however we wanted to let you all officially know what is up so you don't have to fret or wonder. Thanks for all the singing and clapping and happy times and we love you." Read more here.



Superjoint Release 'Caught Up In The Gears Of Application' Video(Metal Hammer)

Phil Anselmo's Superjoint have released a video for the title track from their new album "Caught Up In The Gears Of Application", which was released earlier this month..
The Caught Up In The Gears Of Application video is directed by Kate Richardson and was filmed and edited by Mike Holderbeast. Superjoint say: "Enjoy faithful, ones."

Last week Anselmo said he is more creative than ever after quitting drinking and that he currently has up to five other albums in the works. He said: "I'm sitting on tons of music.

Right this second, I'm working on three different records. I've got so much stuff. It could be four or five. I haven't had a drink since February - I'm not missing that much." Watch the video here.




Gene Simmons Shares His Love Of Rush(Radio.com)


Gene Simmons is not one to shy away from sharing his opinion and recently the Kiss rocker talked about the band Rush. In a nearly two-minute clip taken from the new documentary Rush: Time Stand Still, Simmons spoke highly of the Canadian trio.
"You know I love Rush," Simmons says. "Always have. When we first heard Rush we were struck. It was like Canadian Led Zeppelin. Rush was a hard rockin' band. It felt English. We thought they were English."

Kiss helped open the door for Rush in America in 1975 when they booked the band as main support for the their debut tour outside of Canada. Simmons admitted that he didn't get a chance to see Rush's show back then since he was busy backstage getting his face painted each night during their performance, but he saw them years later and finally "beheld the glory that was Rush."

"[They're] still one of my favorite bands of all time," he concedes. Watch the clip here.




David Bowie Producer Surprised By Blackstar Easter Eggs(Classic Rock)

David Bowie producer Tony Visconti says he is unaware of any other 'easter eggs' hidden in the artwork of the late Bowie's album Blackstar. Earlier this year fans discovered that exposing the sleeve of the vinyl version of Blackstar to light revealed the image of a galaxy.
Visconti's comments come after Jonathan Barnbrook - who designed the Blackstar artwork with Bowie - said there were further hidden secrets in the artwork.

Barnbrook told the BBC: "There's actually a few other things as well. Actually, there's one big thing which people haven't discovered yet on the album. Let's just say, if people find it, they find it, and if they don't, they don't. And remember what Bowie said about not explaining everything. There are a lot of other things going on that aren't at the surface. I do hope people see them. Not necessarily straight away."

But Visconti knows nothing of the so-called 'easter eggs.' He says on Facebook: "If anyone has found these secrets can you please tell me where to find them? I only co-produced the album." Read more here.




Slipknot's Corey Taylor Feel Bad About Rick Rubin Criticism(Metal Hammer)

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor says that he regrets calling iconic producer Rick Rubin "overrated" and "overpaid" - and he wants the chance to make amends.
In an strong-worded comment during a solo show in 2011, Taylor slammed Rubin's contribution to Slipknot's 2004 album Vol.3 (The Subliminal Verses) and said the process had only been made possible by engineer Greg Fidelman.

But the vocalist has had a change of heart in the intervening years - he tells Apple Music: "I'm going to be honest. I think it was more on my end than it was on his. He works his way and he always has. I was not used to working that way. I was a young guy, freshly sober.

"Being a singer and being sober, 'I need your attention, Rick! I need it!' So that was me being young, unsure of myself, needing the guidance - which I got from Greg Fidelman.

"All of Rick's engineers are essentially his surrogates. You know that when you're working with him." Describing himself as "an open wound that just needed to heal" at the time, Taylor adds: "I didn't have anybody there to help me. So I blamed him a lot - in retrospect, probably more than I should have.

"I feel bad about it. Hopefully some day I'll be able to make some amends with him." Read more here.



Sebastian Bach Announce Book Tour Dates(hennemusic)


Sebastian Bach has announced dates for a book-signing tour to launch his autobiography, "18 And Life On Skid Row." Bach will launch a 10-date book-signing tour in Huntington, NY on December 5, with appearances scheduled to December 17 in Las Vegas, NV.
Due December 6 via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books, the project is billed as an "uncensored, unfiltered memoir" as the former front man for Skid Row tells the story of his life and times - from joining Kid Wikked at 14 to selling more than 20 million albums with Skid Row to building a successful solo career.

From growing up in The Bahamas and small-town Canada to the world's concert stages, "18 And Life On Skid Row" presents Bach's life story in his own words.

Originally set for a January release, the project moved to an April and then June timeline before being delayed to the fall as Bach expanded the material for the book.

"Pushing the book gives us the opportunity to really finish it properly," said the rocker months ago. "The publishers asked me for 30 pictures. I gave them 150. There are easy ways to do memoirs, simple ways to do biographies. What separates these books is the archival content. 18 And Life On Skid Row could also be called the Skid Row Archives. I am giving you my personal collection, photos, & documents none of you have ever seen. A lot of them." See the book tour dates here.




Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons Release Spiders Video(Classic Rock)

Former Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell has launched a video for "Spiders", by his new band Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons. The track appears on their self-titled EP, recorded by a lineup - including Campbell's sons Tyla, Dane and Todd, plus vocalist Neil Starr - which is on sale today.
Speaking about the project, Campbell tells Noisey: "We've been a band for three and a half years - it's my little side project. After Lem sadly passed away, we didn't form then-we changed the name in the summer, we thought we could get a better name, and things have sort of taken off since then.

"It was just a fun project, but it is kind of a new band in a way. This is the first time we've been writing original material, we were just playing party songs and stuff we all enjoyed, but it's really good."

He adds: "We've had fantastic reviews, and done a lot of gigs, we've done some great festivals this summer, we've got a cruise next year, lots of stuff - it's been looking up. I can't complain, it's great." Watch the video here.




Sixx A.M. Stream Full 'Prayers For The Blessed' Album(hennemusic)

Motley Crue offshoot Sixx A.M. have released an online stream of their new album, "Prayers For The Blessed", which hit stores this past Friday (November 18th).
The group's fifth album marks their second project issued in 2016, and is billed as a companion to "Prayers For The Damned", which was issued this past spring ahead of a planned two-year touring cycle.

"We really found ourselves onstage and it's influencing the way we write," says bassist Nikki Sixx. "We started focusing on our music not only as songwriters and lyricists but also stayed conscious of what would transfer over live to the audience." here.



Tesla Announce 2017 U.S. Tour(hennemusic)

Tesla have announced dates for an early 2017 US tour. The 5-week run will begin February 1 at the Arcada Theatre in St, Charles, IL and is scheduled through a March 4 show at the House Of Blues in Houston, TX.
The Sacramanto, CA rockers recently wrapped up an extensive North American tour with Def Leppard and REO Speedwagon as they hit the road in support of "Mechanical Resonance, Live!"

The project marks the 30th anniversary of their debut album if the same name by capturing the 1986 record in its entirety live; the set was rounded out with a new studio single, "Save That Goodness", which was written and produced by Phil Collen of Def Leppard. See the tour dates here.




Steven Tyler To Receive U.N. Humanitarian Award(hennemusic)

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will be honored with the 2016 Humanitarian Award by The Hospitality Committee for United Nations Delegations at the Ambassadors' Ball on December 3 in New York.
The honor is in recognition of the Tyler's philanthropic partnership with Youth Villages through Janie's Fund, which he launched in 2015 to give his voice to vulnerable girls who have experienced the trauma of abuse and neglect and are being helped by Youth Villages.

"As a father to three daughters, a son, and, now a grandfather, it broke my heart to learn that each year in America alone 700,000 children are victims of serious abuse or neglect and 68,000 will be sexually abused," says Tyler. "All abuse is wrong - verbal, physical, sexual, emotional. We need to have better ways as parents to help our children and support them. Way too many kids are experiencing abuse, and we want to change that. Enough is enough." Read more here.




Kim Thayil Talks New Soundgarden Album(Classic Rock)

Kim Thayil has outlined the vibe Soundgarden fans can expect from their next album, expected to arrive before the end of next year. The follow-up to 2012 comeback King Animal is underway, although it's been interrupted by the band members' separate schedules.
Thayil - who recently said they were a dozen songs into the work - tells WRIF: "We've already done some writing. We have more writing to do and then there's the whole studio process.

"We're shooting for later 2017. Some people whip out albums in a few weeks or a few months. Soundgarden takes months. We do something for a few weeks then come back later and revisit it."

The guitarist says all four members are "fairly attentive of what we do" and that the process includes "four different, strong opinions and four songwriters - without the addition of the producer."

Discussing the material so far he says: "It has precision where it needs precision. It has chaos and looseness where you want the song to be wild. It has color where you want it to really shine. We really roll the thing over."

He adds: "It's definitely a fun and dynamic process." Read more here.




A Killer's Confession Stream New Song Feature Korn's Head(Metal Hammer)

A Killer's Confession, the new band led by former Mushroomhead frontman Waylon Reavis, have released a lyric video for their title track - featuring Korn guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch.
The song will appear on the group's debut album Unbroken, which is set to be released on February 17 via Megadeth bassist David Ellefson's EMP Label Group.

Confirming the guest appearance last month, Reavis said: "Brian has graciously recorded amazing guitars for A Killer's Confession. We can't thank him enough for his huge and incredible contribution and support to our project."

The band play their first show at The Agora, Cleveland, Ohio, on December 17. Check out the song here.




Leprous Release 'Third Law' Live Video(Prog)

Leprous have released a video of their performance of "Third Law". It features on the band's upcoming package Live At Rockefeller Music Hall, which is out on November 25 via InsideOut Music.
The band say: "We're really excited to share Third Law with you all. It's a high energy song that is really in its right element when performed live. Enjoy!"

Live At Rockefeller Music Hall is the band's first ever live concert film and will be available on limited DVD+2CD Digipak, standalone DVD, 2CD jewelcase, gatefold 3LP on black vinyl + 2CD and as a digital download.

It was recorded live at a show in the band's hometown of Oslo on June 4 of this year. The release came about on the back of a crowdfunding campaign, and previously released

Live At Rockefeller Music Hall was directed by Costin Chioreanu and the audio was recorded and mixed by David Castillo and mastered by Tony Lindgren of Fascination Street Studios. Watch the video here.



Kepler Ten Release 'Time And Tide' Video(Prog)

Kepler Ten have released a video for their track "Time And Tide" exclusively with Prog. The clip was filmed and edited by Dave Marshall of SemiStone Media.
The song will feature on the trio's upcoming album Delta V, which is expected to launch in 2017 via White Star Records after they signed on with John Mitchell and Chris Hillman's new label White Star Records earlier this year.

Speaking about the lyrical inspiration behind Time And Tide, drummer and pianist Steve Hales says: 'No matter how in control of our lives we feel when it comes to the passing of time we are merely passengers.

"Our journey is flagged along the way by important personal moments such as falling in love but metaphorically the same powerful tide that brings two people together can in the blink of an eye tear them apart - in the song through illness.

"Whether you call it fate, probability or just dumb luck it's still outside of our control and there is no way that we can ever stop the clock or turn it back for a second chance."

He adds: "The song is sad but the message is not. Don't take anything for granted and make the absolute best of those good times. Fly their flags high."

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Guns N' Roses Reunite With Steven Adler In Buenos Aires(hennemusic) Following his appeara...

Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock Stories

Guns N' Roses Reunite With Steven Adler In Buenos Aires(hennemusic)

Following his appearance with Guns N' Roses in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 4, drummer Steven Adler once again joined the band again on November 5th and video of the jam has been posted online.
During the first appearance he joined the band for the "Appetite For Destruction" classic "Out To Get Me" and then performed "My Michelle" at the second show at the city's River Plate Stadium.

The event marked Adler's fifth reunion performance on the Not In This Lifetime tour with former bandmates Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan. Check out the video here.



Temple Of The Dog Kick Off Their Very First Tour(hennemusic)

Grunge supergroup Temple Of The Dog launched their first-ever tour at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia, PA on November 4 and video from opening night has surfaced online.
The lineup of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, and drummer Matt Cameron - who plays with both bands - have regrouped to perform this fall in support of the 25th anniversary reissue of their 1991 self-titled debut.

Opening with "Say Hello 2 Heaven", the group delivered a 23-song set featuring material from the album alongside covers of tracks by Mother Love Bone, Led Zeppelin ("Achilles Last Stand"), David Bowie ("Quicksand"), The Cure ("Fascination Street") and Black Sabbath ("War Pigs"), among others.

Including opening night, Temple Of The Dog will perform eight concerts in five cities this fall, with shows in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and the band's hometown of Seattle, WA. Check out video from the opening night here.




Mr Robot's Rami Malek Cast As Freddie Mercury In Biopic(Classic Rock)

Mr. Robot star Rami Malek has been cast to play Freddie Mercury in the long-awaited biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. The project, which has been in development for eight years, is to begin shooting in early 2017.
Malek, who this year won an Emmy for his role as neurotic hacker Elliot Alderson in Mr Robot, has signed on to play the iconic Queen frontman in the film - with X-Men director Bryan Singer in talks to direct.

Sacha Baron Cohen was previously attached to the role - but left the project acrimoniously earlier this year amid reports of artistic differences. He later claimed an unnamed member of Queen wanted the film to focus on the band's legacy following the singer's death. Read more here.



Rush's 2112 Reissue Features Foo Fighters and Alice In Chains Stars(Prog)

Foo Fighters and Alice In Chains members are among the stars who feature on a tribute to Rush's classic album 2112. It will be released on 2CD/DVD and 3LP formats on December 16 via UMe.
Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters, prog hero Steven Wilson, Canadian singer Jacob Moon and producer Nick Raskulinecz have all contributed to newly-recorded versions of songs from 2112 as the album gears up to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Grohl, Hawkins and Raskulinecz have recorded a version of Overture, while Billy Talent have covered A Passage To Bangkok and Alice In Chains have contributed a version of Tears. Jacob Moon covers Something For Nothing. and Steven Wilson's offering is a take on The Twilight Zone.

The 2CD/DVD edition will also include a remastered CD of the original 2112 album by Abbey Road Studios, and an additional CD of rare, live and previously unreleased material including the new tributes. Read more here.



Asking Alexandria Star Pays Back Fan Allegedly Cheated By Ex-Singer(Metal Hammer)

Asking Alexandria's Ben Bruce has paid $500 out of his own pocket to a fan who claims he was swindled by former frontman Denis Stoff. Belgian solo artist Maxime Solemn says he'd paid $500 as a down payment for a guest vocal spot from Stoff in late 2014 - who was then fronting his previous band Down & Dirty - after the singer told him it would cost $800.
When Asking Alexandria recruited Stoff last year, the vocalist reportedly told Solemn there would be no guest spot - but he never refunded the payment.

In an interview with Brian Storm, Solemn says he hounded Stoff and Asking Alexandria's label Sumerian Records with emails and didn't receive a response. He then added the frontman on Facebook, who told him that he'd changed his email address and would pay him back after tour.

Solemn says: "From time to time he would contact me again on Facebook and say 'Yeah, it's coming, I'll take care of it, I'll take care of it.' One time he asked me Western Union information so he could pay me but nothing happened."

After Stoff left Asking Alexandria under a cloud last month, Solemn came out publicly about the unpaid debt to warn others not to make the same mistake. Now he reveals guitarist Bruce got in touch with him over Twitter after hearing the story to reimburse him - despite that the deal took place before Stoff was in the band. Read more here.





Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi Unusual Cancer Remission News(Classic Rock)

Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi has revealed the "interesting" way that he discovered his cancer was in remission. The 68-year-old guitarist, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012 , was presenting the Spire Specialist Care Centre in Solihull with an award this summer when a journalist asked him about his health.
He tells UCR: "It was really interesting how I got the news. I only got it because I was presenting the hospital where I received treatment with an award, and a writer who I was doing an interview with asked me if I was in remission. I turned to my doctor and asked, 'Am I in remission?' The doctor said, 'Yes.' And that's how I got to know."

But Iommi is still cautiously optimistic on his road to recovery. He adds: "I'm always feeling around for lumps and bumps, and so I'm never comfortable. I had a friend that went into remission and she planned a big party, and then the cancer came back. You just never know." Read more here.




Dead Daisies Release A Song And A Prayer Short Film

The Dead Daisies have released a new short film centered around their latest single 'A Song And A Prayer'. The song comes from the supergroup's latest album "Make Some Noise".
Frontman John Corabi had the following to say about the track "This song turned out to have a special vibe to it, very accessible, which is really cool. But the lyrics are rather dark.

"In the end it's about hope, it talks about all the troubles we're all going through - and that you have to be hopeful, that you will come out of it. Always look on the positive side, that's the message." Watch the video here.



Metallica Share Footage Of Classic Songs Performances From Tour Kick Off(hennemusic)

Metallica rocked the "Master Of Puppets" classic, "Battery", at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico on October 26 during the opening night of the band's World Wired tour in support of their tenth album, "Hardwired…To Self Destruct."
The band are sharing footage of the tune from the event alongside performances of the title track to 1984's "Ride The Lightning" and Tuning Room video of a pre-show run-through of "Creeping Death."

Opening night saw Metallica deliver an 18-song set that featured the two lead tracks from the new album - "Hardwired" and "Moth Into Flame" - ahead of the project's release on November 18.

Almost half of the show presented material from 1986's "Master Of Puppets" and the self-titled "Black" album alongside tunes from throughout their career. here.




Volbeat Release 'Seal The Deal' Video(Metal Hammer)

Volbeat have released a video for their track Seal The Deal. The song comes from their latest album, Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie, which was released in June.
The follow-up to 2013's Outlaw Gentlemen And Shady Ladies was introduced with the lead single The Devil's Bleeding Crown earlier this year.Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano previously said of the song:

"We already had the album title before we wrote this song and as is the case with all these songs, they came together musically before we had any lyrics. But this song, to me, very much has the spirit of Motorhead in it." Watch the video here.




Documentary About Fleetwood Mac Founder Peter Green Gets U.S. Release(Gibson)

Man of the World: The Peter Green Story, the documentary about the Fleetwood Mac founder that aired in the U.K. back in 2009 is finally coming to DVD for a U.S. release on November 18th.
The film contains extensive and archive footage of live and studio performances, stills and original in-depth interviews with Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Mike Vernon (producer of Fleetwood Mac's Blue Horizons albums), Noel Gallagher, John Mayall, Dennis Keane (road manager), Martin Celmins (Peter's official biographer), Carlos Santana, Jeremy Spencer (the original Fleetwood Mac guitarist) and many others who worked with or know Green. Preorder it here.

Here is the synopsis: "After replacing the Eric Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Green went on to form Fleetwood Mac, one of the most successful bands of the Britain Blues Explosion. But after he left Fleetwood Mac, Green spent years in non-playing 'retirement' before a comeback.

"The film traces his early success with Pert Green's Fleetwood Mac (as they were fully called) - with the likes of 'Black Magic Woman,' 'Albatross,' and 'Oh Well' - and explores Green's drug use and his spiral into schizophrenia. It also examines how the electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) treatment he received arguably prolonged his illness and his absence from music. The story continues with Green's recovery and his return to the recording studio and live music scene in the mid-'90s." Read more here.






Video From Twisted Sister's U.S. Farewell Concert Goes Online(hennemusic)

Twisted Sister performed their 1983 classic, "You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll", at the final US concert of their farewell tour on October 22 at Badlands Live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and professional video from the show is now available online.
The title track to the group's second album was issued as the set's third single while the project peaked at No. 164 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 14 on the UK charts.

The South Dakota show is part of the band's 40th anniversary farewell trek, which also saw the release of "Metal Meltdown: Twister Sister Live At The Hard Rock Casino Las Vegas." Watch the video here.




Avenged Sevenfold's M Shadows On Surprise Album Release(Metal Hammer)

M Shadows says he's "proud" that Avenged Sevenfold were able to keep their new album The Stage a secret. Details of the album were unveiled by the band during last week's 3D, virtual reality performance on the roof of Capitol Records Tower in California.
They decided to sneak-release the follow-up to 2013's Hail To The King rather than "dropping the breadcrumbs" before the launch, as Shadows said it takes away "the mystique" of the record.

Now M Shadows tells Sirius XM (via Blabbermouth): "We just wanted to give the fans the cherry on top right off the bat and just say, 'Here it is. You thought we were messing around for a year, but we've been working.'

"A lot of bands, you're hearing what people are saying, or they're reviewing this, and you're hearing the vibe of the record before you even get to hear the music, and that's just wrong to me. I want people to make their own decision.

"Listen to the music and figure it out for yourself, instead of being fed the press release: you know, like, 'This is what it's gonna sound like,' and, 'It's our favorite, most melodic, heaviest thing ever.' It's so boring at this point." Read more here.




System Of A Down And Aerosmith Lead Download Lineup(Classic Rock)

System Of A Down, Biffy Clyro and Aerosmith have been confirmed as the headliners for next year's Download Festival, which will be taking place on June 9th to 11th.
A further 11 acts have also been confirmed for the 2017 event at Donington in Leicestershire - including Rob Zombie, Prophets Of Rage, AFI, Slayer and Of Mice & Men.

Their Friday night slot will be System Of A Down's third headline appearance at Download. The band say: "It'll have been a couple of years since our memorable Wake Up The Souls show at Wembley, so returning to the UK to headline Download, a festival we always love to play, is really exciting for us. The energy and atmosphere there is always electric." Read more and see the announced lineup here.



Monster Truck Release Animated 'For The People' Video(TeamRock)

Monster Truck have released an animated video for their track "For The People" with TeamRock. The song comes from the band's recent album Sittin' Heavy.
The video release comes as the Canadian rockers announce a UK and Ireland headline tour for March of next year. Frontman Jon Harvey says; '"We wanted the video for For The People to capture a certain vibe. The song was intended to be a pseudo-protest and very roots rock and the 70s style animation seemed to speak that. Besides nothing is cooler than hand drawn animation."

Guitarist Jeremy Widerman adds: "We wanted to try something new with the video and have a somewhat playful take on what is a really heavy topic these days. A throwback video of sorts to a time when the unifying of people and ideas was a far more popular subject." Watch the video and see the tour dates here.




Lamb Of God Guitarist Reveals Key To Band's Success(Metal Hammer)

Lamb Of God's unchanging lineup has been a key to their success, according to guitarist Mark Morton. The lineup of Lamb Of God has remained relatively unchanged since the mid-90s - when the band were still known as Burn The Priest.
Describing the "continuity" of the members as a "big asset," he says the band have been able to collectively hone their craft over time and build upon their past work together.

Morton tells Blunt Mag: "I think that it's a huge part of our ability to keep things going, because I think that when you change members. I don't want to take anything away from, or criticise bands that do that - because sometimes you have to - but for us, I consider it a big asset that we've had that continuity.

"It allows us to develop and mature both as people and creatively, so we can always build on what we've done with the album before or the tour before. It gives us a really, really stable base to build off of. It can't be understated how important that is to the success of the band, and what we've been able to achieve creatively." Read more here.



Disturbed Announce X Factor TV Performance(Metal Hammer)

Disturbed will perform on X Factor Australia on November 7. They're expected to perform their cover of Simon & Garfunkel's The Sound Of Silence.
Guitarist Dan Donegan reveals they'll appear on the show next week in a Donegan tweeted "Exciting news, we'll be performing live on X Factor in Sydney, Australia on Monday."

In September, Disturbed released a lyric video for their song Open Your Eyes, lifted from their latest album, Immortalized. Frontman David Draiman recently said there was no limit to Disturbed's creativity.

He said: "The wonderful thing about where we've come to at this point in our career is that, Disturbed almost can't be defined any more." Read more here.



Amon Amarth To Headline Bloodstock 2017(Metal Hammer)

Bloodstock have announced the first batch of bands for 2017 - including Amon Amarth as Friday headliners. Bloodstock 2017 takes place from August 10 to 13 at Catton Park, Walton On Trent, England.
Also confirmed for next year's event at Catton Park are Blind Guardian, Testament, Hatebreed, Whitechapel, Possessed and Hell. Amon Amarth frontman Johan Hegg says:

"What's up UK! On August 11, 2017, we are invading Bloodstock. It's going to be a f***ing awesome party, with immense bloodshed and you better be there!"

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Day in Rock Stories Journey Reunion With Steve Perry At Rock Hall 'Has To Happen'(Classic Rock) Journey'...