Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Fleetwood Mac Forced To Cut Show Short Due To Illness
(hennemusic) Fleetwood Mac were forced to end their concert in Lincoln, Nebraska early on Saturday night after drummer Mick Fleetwood fell ill during the show, according to The Lincoln Journal Star.

The show came to a halt when Stevie Nicks told the crowd at the Pinnacle Bank Arena, "Mick is really sick," adding the drummer was backstage throwing up. "We feel terrible, but we can't really make him play. Give us a minute, and we'll figure out what to do."

The band regrouped and played two more songs, "Go Your Own Way" with a drum tech behind the kit and then, after a short break, Christine McVie returned to the stage at a grand piano for "Songbird" accompanied by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.

"Poor old Mick is really sick," said McVie. "I sing this for him and for all of you." Read more here.



Metallica Confirm Return To The Studio To Work On New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Metallica have posted a teaser picture that finally proves they're working on the follow-up to 2008's Death Magnetic. They've posted an Instagram photo, taken by drummer Lars Ulrich, that shows Robert Trujillo recording bass parts for a song. The caption reads: "Rockin' along…"

Ulrich recently revealed the writing process for the long-awaited project began in 2013. Last month, Trujillo said he was excited by the songwriting they had completed to date, adding:

"We're just blueprinting everything right now. There are a lot of ideas, a lot of song bodies. You've got to go through the process. I'm really happy with what's happening instrumentally. So let's see how that journey continues."




Mastodon Working On New Album
(Prog) Vocalist and guitarist Brent Hinds tells fans in a new online posting he is working on a "cool new Mastodon song" in the studio as the band prepares its 7th album.

The band's next project follows 2014's Once More 'Round The Sun, which earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Metal Performance category for the track High Road and will compete alongside tunes by Anthrax, Motorhead, Slipknot and Tenacious D at the February 8 event.

Hinds posted an Instagram photo from the studio, saying: "Got to work on a really cool new Mastodon song today! First time playing my new 13 string pedal steel I got from @robertrandolf." Read more here.




Slayer Guitarist Says New Album Is What Fans Hope It Should Be
(Classic Rock) Gary Holt says Slayer's upcoming record is "everything you hope a Slayer album should be." The band's first title without late guitarist Jeff Hanneman comes on the heels of the free 2014 single, Implode, which met mixed reviews from fans.

Holt tells SiriusXM: "Implode is a great song. I really love it. It's a lot a fun to play. But compared to the other stuff Kerry King has written, it's nothing - doesn't even touch it."

The Exodus leader, who began covering for Hanneman two years before his death in 2013, says the follow-up to 2009's World Painted Blood is "a little bit of everything, but everything I'd reference to is 100 percent Slayer. It's crushingly heavy and it's dark and sinister, and it's everything you hope a Slayer album should be. There's no ballads!" Read more here.




Aerosmith Concert Film To Hit Movie Theaters
(Classic Rock) Aerosmith Rocks Donington 2014, recorded during the band's headline festival set last year, will be screened in cinemas worldwide on March 3 ahead of a DVD release.

Steven Tyler and co closed Download 2014 on June 15 with a 19-song performance. It followed headline sets from Avenged Sevenfold and Linkin Park.

Tyler broke the news about the DVD project with a tweet from the studio three weeks after the event, saying on July 5: "Dun & dunner. Almost done mixing doningtonfestival. Record breaking 4 days w/ john shipp"

The film will debut in the US on February 26 before screenings in the UK and elsewhere the following month. Read more here.




Nazareth's New Singer Leaves The Group
(Classic Rock) Nazareth singer Linton Osborne has left the band, saying "it didn't work out." He was confirmed as replacement for original frontman Dan McCafferty last year, after health issues forced the veteran to retire.

Osborne had performed a number of live shows with Naz during 2014, but some concerts were cancelled at the end of the year after he contracted a throat infection. Last week they announced their winter UK tour had also been postponed, with bandleader Pete Agnew reporting: "Although Linton is showing a slight improvement, his voice is in no condition to perform satisfactorily at this time."

Now Osborne says via Facebook: "I am no longer a member of Nazareth. It didn't work out, for me, or for the band. I'd like to thank Pete, Jimmy Murrison and Lee Agnew for the opportunity. I'd also like to thank Dan for his support and encouragement. Most of all, I'd like to thank the fans - you guys are something else, and because of you it has all been worthwhile."

He adds: "I hope to see you all again in the future at one of my own gigs. I'd also like to wish my successor all the best and Nazareth a fantastic 2015 and beyond." Read more here.




Sonisphere Organizers Cancel Festival
(Classic Rock) The Sonisphere festival will not go ahead this year, organizers have announced. The event - due to take place at Knebworth in the summer - has been cancelled for 2015 after bosses admitted they'd been unable to sign a bill they believed was "good enough."

The shock announcement came at 6pm on Friday via the festival's official website, Facebook and Twitter accounts. It reads: "Team Sonisphere reluctantly confirm that Sonisphere will not take place in the UK in 2015.

"We've been working hard to get a lineup that we felt was good enough, but also on a weekend which would avoid other events that we know rock fans would want to support.

"Unfortunately our last irons in the fire have just been extinguished and it's clear that we won't be in a position to run the event this year." Read more here.



Queensryche To Begin Recording New Album Next Month
(Classic Rock) Queensryche's Todd La Torre says the band plan to begin recording their new album next month. The frontman reveals they have 15 songs written and ready to record and adds that he has been heavily influenced by Alice in Chains when it comes to writing vocal melodies.

The album will be the singer's second with the band, after 2013's self-titled effort. La Torre tells Metal Nation (via Blabbermouth): "We're still in the demo thing. We've got 15-plus songs that, most of them, are all there. We're doing pre-production right now.

"I'm hopeful that we can start tracking next month. I was hoping we would be tracking by right now, but we're just not gonna rush. Our label, Century Media, they're awesome. Nobody's up our ass.

"It takes time. And this is the sophomore record with me in the band. That's a scary thing, because you can like the songs, but you don't know how it's gonna be perceived." Read more here.



Soilwork Releasing Their First Live DVD
(TeamRock Radio) Soilwork will release their first concert DVD Live In The Heart Of Helsinki in March. The set was recorded at Circus Club in the Finnish capital on March 21, 2014 and features guest appearances by Nightwish frontwoman Floor Jansen and Sonic Syndicate vocalist Nathan J Biggs.

Soilwork's Bjorn 'Speed' Strid says: "There could not have been a better time than now, with 10 albums out and a very varied back catalogue to choose from. Our lineup now is 50% original members and 50% fresh blood, which makes it all more interesting."

"The new members have brought so much to our sound. They've continued to inspire us to write exciting music and they've also brought a new energy on stage. Now is definitely the time to see us - trust me."

The package was produced by Jouni Markkanen and directed by Ville Lipiainien, who worked on the most recent Nightwish live DVD Showtime, Storytime. Bonus features include two documentaries on the band and drum cam videos for four tracks. More including the tracklisting here.




Black Sabbath Legend Bill Ward Praises Anthrax Drummer
(TeamRock Radio) Bill Ward has hailed Anthrax's Charlie Benante as one of the most important drummers in the history of metal. The estranged Black Sabbath sticksman turned the spotlight on Benante on his Rock 50 radio show, praising him for his bass pedal technique and how he paces himself on stage.

"Those of you who have watched Charlie play, his bass drum work is phenomenal. He hits hard. He gets in the ring, he fights," Ward says. "I can appreciate when he talks about, 'Don't use up all your gas in the first song.' You've gotta take your time, you've gotta breath. He likes to pace himself.

"Anthrax - a great metal band with a great metal drummer. Versatile, original, passionate. Very important to metal. You can hear the passion, you can hear the strength. It's a quality, an attribute of a human being." Read more here.



The Skull Lose A Member
(TeamRock Radio) Drummer, Jeff "Oly" Olson has left The Skull for a second time. Olson formed the band in 2012 with fellow doom metal pioneers and Trouble mates vocalist Eric Wagner and bassist Ron Holzner; six months after their formation, Olson checked out while hoping for a Trouble reunion, only to return the lineup in summer 2013, which also featured Sacred Dawn's Lothar Keller on guitar.

More musical chairs followed, with one-time Pentagram guitarist Matt Goldsborough added last year as the group recorded and released their debut, For Those Which Are Asleep, in November.

Olson tweeted to fans: "I loved jamming with @TroubleTheSkull, but it's time to depart and wish the band all the best! Looking forward to my next chapter."

The split is an amicable one, according to The Skull. Read their comments here.




New Genesis Book To Feature Forewords By Phil Collins and Steve Hackett
(Classic Rock) Genesis biographer Alan Hewitt will publish the new book, "A Selection of Shows - Genesis (&Solo) Live Guide 1976-2014" on March 2nd via Wymer Publishing.

Hewitt oversees the Genesis fanzine, The Waiting Room, and has written several books on the group, including Opening The Musical Box - A Genesis Chronicle, Genesis Revisited and Sketches Of Hackett.

With forewords by Phil Collins and Steve Hackett, A Selection of Shows details decades of rare recordings that document Genesis in concert following Peter Gabriel's departure in 1975 - from the 1976 Trick Of The Tail Tour through to the 2007 reunion.

The guide also tracks the solo careers of Gabriel, Hackett, Collins, Mike Rutherford (& The Mechanics) and Ray Wilson. A Selection of Shows includes previously unpublished photos and rare memorabilia, including posters, advertisements, handbills and tickets. Read more here.



Saxon Taking On The Devil And Taxation On New Album
(Classic Rock) Saxon frontman Biff Byford says the band's upcoming 21st album will feature themes as diverse as the devil and taxation. The singer reveals the names of two tracks from the record, which they are recording with producer Andy Sneap.

One song, called The Devil's Footprint, recounts a tale form the 1600s while another track, Tax Till You Drop, looks at evil of another kind. Byford tells the Metal Hammer Magazine Show on TeamRock Radio: "We have lots of ideas and I've been in the studio with Andy Sneap a couple of times going through the song ideas and melodies and putting titles to the songs. So we have started the next album. We'll be doing that at Andy's place this time and letting him have more control over the album.

"I'm looking at stories. One of the songs is called The Devil's Footprint which is about the time they woke up - I don't know what year it was, probably 1600s - and there was hoof prints over all the houses. They followed it for miles in the snow. I've written a song about that.

"Another one is Tax Till You Drop. We can do that, Saxon, we can drop in between classic rock and heavy metal." Read more here.




King's X Ask Fans For Help With Reissues
(Classic Rock) King's X are calling on fans to help gather material for a series of upcoming reissues. The veteran rockers plan CD and vinyl reissues of their classic early albums Faith Hope Love, Gretchen Goes To Nebraska, Out Of The Silent Planet, King's X, Ear Candy and Dogman.

And to help with the packaging and layout of the new versions, the band are asking fans to get in touch if they have any photos, flyers, gig tickets or other merchandise from the 1988 to 1996 era of the group.

The band say: "King's X will be releasing a series of reissues in 2015 on CD and on vinyl. The band and Metal Blade Records are putting together packaging and track listings at this very moment, and the band would like to ask fans for a favour.

"King's X are looking for photos, show flyers, ticket stubs, etc. from the 1988-1996 era of the band." Read more here.





Riverside Reveal New Album Details
(Prog) Riverside have revealed the name of their sixth album - it's to be called Love, Fear And The Time Machine. The follow-up to 2013's Shrine Of New Generation Slaves is expected in August or September via InsideOut.

The Polish outfit have completed composing the material and they'll begin recording work in March. Frontman Mariusz Duda says: "Our sixth album, six words in the title, sixty minutes of music - and we won't be playing hard rock any more.

"There will be many more melodies dressed in completely different shades. We're evolving as a band; we want to keep recording different albums that are simply great to listen to. The new one will be like a deep breath of fresh air."

He says of the album concept: "Love, fear and the times that have shaped us have the biggest influence on our life choices. The lyrics will be about everything that pushes us to make the most important decisions." Read more here.




Lightning Bolt Announce New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Lightning Bolt have signed a deal with Thrill Jockey Records and announced a new album due out in March. The influential twosome - drummer Brian Chippendale and bassist Brian Gibson - will issue their sixth record Fantasy Empire on March 23. The follow-up to 2009's Earthly Delights is the band's first record in five years.

Lightning Bolt inspired a generation of bands with their improvisational style and their live shows, which see them play on the venue floor surrounded by the audience.

Fantasy Empire is the band's first release using hi-fi studio equipment and it will be available in 2LP, CD and in digital formats. On the new songs, Thrill Jockey Records say: "Fantasy Empire is ferocious, consuming, and is a more accurate translation of their live experience. It also shows Lightning Bolt embracing new ways to make their music even stranger.

"More than any previous album, this one sounds like Chippendale and Gibson are playing just a few feet away, using the clarity afforded by the studio to amplify the intensity they project." Read more here.





Enabler Begin Recording New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Ohio hardcore outfit Enabler have entered the studio to begin work on their third full-length release. Fail To Feel Safe will be the follow-up to last year's La Fin Absolue Du Monde and will launch in the summer via Century Media Records. It'll be produced by Greg Thomas who was behind the desk on their 2012 release All Hail The Void.

Guitarist Jeffrey Lohrber says: "The collection of songs on this record is the most dense and diverse that I've written for Enabler. At times it is the band at it's heaviest and most destructive moments and at times is the most melodic and heartfelt it's ever been.

"There is also a general love for punk and traditional rock and roll that comes out on this record that the band hasn't quite done before, with a lot of black metal style undertones hidden beneath it." Read more here.





The Movielife Announce First UK Tour In 17 Years
(TeamRock Radio) Influential US post-hardcore outfit The Movielife are on their way back to the UK for the first time in 17 years, they've announced. Frontman Vinnie Caruana and guitarist Brandon Reilly split in 2003 and returned in 2011 with bassist Phil Navetta, drummer Evan Baken and guitarist Daniel Navetta. Now they'll return to the the country for two dates this summer.

They'll play London's Electric Ballroom on June 18 and the Manchester Academy 2 on June 20. Caruana tells Rock Sound: "For the people who care in the UK this is a long time coming and we're taking it very seriously.

"We're going out there with a lot of songs and we made a very conscious decision to not do festivals right away and to make sure we rewarded people for their patience and make sure we play a long set in a club away from the light of day.

He continues: "I know there's going to be people in the north or in Scotland or Ireland that aren't going to be happy with that, but when we made the announcement we made it very clear that we're going to do what we can do when we can do it." Read more here.





Metal Festival Plans Disrupted by Protest
(TeamRock Radio) A South African metal festival featuring Cannibal Corpse and Hatebreed has had to switch venues - supposedly after complaints from a local Christian group.

Witchfest was due to take place on farmland in the North West Province town of Hartbeespoort from April 2-6. But it's been moved to Lanseria, midway between Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Organisers blame the Hartbeespoort "Christian community" for the late switch, but vow the event will go ahead and have promised to help fans who have already booked travel and accommodation for the original venue.

In a statement, organisers say: "You need to be ready to roll with the punches. Witchfest festival was dealt another blow (non lethal) this past week." Read more here.




Mark Knopfler Streaming New Song
(Classic Rock) Mark Knopfler will release his eighth solo album, Tracker, on March 16 via Universal Music - and he's streamed lead track Beryl as a preview. The former Dire Straits frontman also launches in May that includes 6 UK shows.

The guitar icon is joined on the 11-song work by keyboardist Guy Fletcher, fiddle player John McCusker, whistler and flautist Mike McGoldrick, bassist Glenn Worf and drummer Ian Thomas. Guests include Wailin' Jennys vocalist Ruth Moody, saxophonist Nigel Hitchcock and accordionist Phil Cunningham.

Knopfler says: "The album title arrived out of me trying to find my way over the decades. Out of me tracking time - looking at people, places and things from my past, and out of the process of tracking, as in recording tracks in the studio."

Co-produced by Knopfler and Fletcher, the follow-up to 2012's Privateering was recorded at British Grove Studios in London. It will be available on CD, double vinyl and deluxe CD with four bonus tracks. The four-disc box set version includes the album on CD and vinyl, bonus CD, short film directed by Henrik Hansen, interview, art print and six photographs.




Jettblack Preview Upcoming Album With New Video Release
(Classic Rock) Jettblack have published the first video from their new album. Explode comes from the forthcoming Disguises, the follow-up to 2013's Black Gold mini-album.

"Jettblack have always done things their own way," says singer/guitarist Will Stapleton. "There has never been a conscious effort to write in a certain style or pander to a certain trend or fashion. We've always had this attitude as we feel it is the only way to write something that will stand the test of time.

"This new album Disguises is a full on reflection of that. It's about never hiding behind something you aren't. It may feel a little more serious and mature, but I think sometimes people forget we've been on a musical journey for 17 years as musicians, so we're always evolving.




Tom Petty Tried To Help Stevie Nicks With Her Addiction
(Classic Rock) Stevie Nicks says while she and the rest of Fleetwood Mac took drugs in the 70s, her addiction was worse than any of her bandmates'. And her friend Tom Petty reveals her coke habit was so bad, he wouldn't have been surprised if he got a call telling him she had died.

Nicks tells Rolling Stone: "All of us were drug addicts. But there was a point where I was the worst drug addict. I was a girl, I was fragile and I was doing a lot of coke. I had that hole in my nose - so it was dangerous."

And Petty reveals he desperately tried to get her to stop as he was so worried about her health. He adds: "I did all I could to talk her into getting some help and getting right. I was very worried about her to the point that if the phone did ring and they said, 'Stevie died,' I wouldn't have been surprised."

Nicks also reveals she could have been tempted to leave Fleetwood Mac to join Petty as a member of the Heartbreakers if the frontman had asked. Read more here.




JJ Grey & Mofro Streaming New Song 'Every Minute'
(Classic Rock) Southern blues rock outfit JJ Grey & Mofro have premiered their track "Every Minute" with TeamRock. It's taken from Ol' Glory, their ninth album, set for release on February 23 via Provogue Records.

The 12-track follow-up to 2013's This River is based on the theme of "finding happiness where you are in your life." It's described as a continuation of "the deep, soulful blend of blues, rock, folk, funk, gospel, gritty R&B and personal, Southern-inspired narratives that have become synonymous with JJ Grey & Mofro."

The band play London's Islington Academy on March 18 as part of a European tour. Ol' Glory is available for pre-order now via Amazon and iTunes. Check out the new song here.




John Mitchell Releases Video For Lonely Robot Project
(Prog) John Mitchell has launched a teaser video for his solo project Lonely Robot, featuring a clip from opening track Airlock. It's taken from the album Please Come Home, released on February 23 via InsideOut, featuring bassist Nick Beggs and drummer Craig Blundell. Guest artists include Steve Hogarth, Jem Godfrey, Nik Kershaw, Heather Findlay, Kim Seviour and Peter Cox. The story is narrated by actor Lee Ingleby, of Master And Commander and Harry Potter fame.

It Bites, Arena and Frost* man Mitchell recently said: "I'd long thought about doing an album where I could have total control from start to finish with the music, lyrics, production, and choosing who I wanted to contribute - expanding from the idea of just a solo album.

"Please Come Home is very proggy, but it's more about atmosphere than technical expertise, inspired by my love of science fiction and interest in the evolution of the human race." Read more and check out the video here.




Cinderella Now A Nostalgia Act Says Guitarist
(Classic Rock) Cinderella guitarist Jeff LaBar says the band are essentially a nostalgia act because they tour without new music. Their last studio release was 1994's Still Climbing. Since then their output has consisted of live and compilation products.

They've performed only a handful of shows in the past few years as members work on outside projects, including LaBar's 2014 solo debut One For The Road and frontman Tom Kiefer's 2013 first title The Way Life Goes the previous year.

LaBar tells BigMusicGeek.com: "The last time we had a label behind us was back in 2000 - and those are the demos that turned into Tom's solo record. I don't think anybody is signing.

"We could make a record ourselves and present it to a label, but it's probably not going to happen. We could do all kinds of records on our own."

He continues: "I would love to record as Cinderella again. I imagine some labels would dig it and try to sign us, but I just don't know. That's a very tough question. I don't know how that would work."

He accepts the lack of new material relegates the band to the oldies circuit: "When we tour we are essentially a nostalgia act. In reality, it's older people that love the old records that come out. I've seen REO Speedwagon, Journey and all of them in concert and it's always older people that come out and want to hear the old hits. Unfortunately we're kind of in the same boat." He continues here.



Desert Storm Release 'Queen Reefer' Video
(TeamRock Radio) Ahead of Desert Storm's new album Omniscient (released 26th January), the Oxford psych-metallers have unveiled the new music video for the song "Queen Reefer."

Full of riffs, growls and a massive dollop of stoner rock - Queen Reefer is taken from the upcoming full-length Omniscient via Blindsight Records. Omniscient is out 26th January on Blindsight Records with a vinyl release to follow on Secret Law records.

Desert Storm are also lined up to play Desertfest this April with Red Fang, Sleep, Eyehategod and more.