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SAINT ASONIA, the act featuring ex-THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier, STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Cale Gontier and drummer Sal Giancarelli — will release a new single, The Hunted", on July 24. The track, which can be previewed below, features a guest appearance by GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna. "The Hunted" is taken from SAINT ASONIA's upcoming second album, due later in the year via Spinefarm Records, a Universal Music Group label. The disc was recorded earlier this year in an upstate New York studio with producer Brian Sperber, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and STAIND. "We're very excited to share our new material with the world," Gontier previously said. "Plus, we're super happy to have signed with Spinefarm Records! It's such a fantastic group of people there, and they've got a solid roster of incredible bands and musicians. Additionally, Spinefarm's presence overseas is amazing, and for us, that's a really big deal." SAINT ASONIA sparked into life four years ago when Gontier and Mushok (also an important part of the NEWSTED setup in 2013) decided to turn their joint ambition to make music that is "raw, real, and straight from our hearts" into a new band and a fully-fledged studio outing. The result was their acclaimed self-titled debut, released in 2015, which charted Top 10 in Canada and entered the Billboard U.S. rock albums chart at No. 2. The album was driven by the Top 10 radio tracks "Better Place" and "Let Me Live My Life", as well as the high-concept video to the featured track "Fairy Tale". Given the pedigree and profile of the musicians involved — they are collectively responsible for 28 Top 10 U.S. rock radio hits, including 17 No. 1s — the demand was immediately there for SAINT ASONIA to take to the road. Following an inaugural main stage appearance at Rock On The Range in 2015, the band set off on U.S. amphitheater tours with BREAKING BENJAMIN and DISTURBED. In Europe, they guested on an arena run with MÖTLEY CRÜE, visiting the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, and Finland, as well as playing several dates in Russia and Eastern Europe. As a consequence, Gontier has been back to the region for extensive solo acoustic shows. With Adam's cousin Cale Gontier of Canadian band ART OF DYING on bass and STAIND's Sal Giancarelli on drums, the latest SAINT ASONIA lineup is now primed for a comprehensive live campaign in support of the forthcoming sophomore release; this will include key festivals and headline shows, both at home and abroad. With a new deal in place and a new chapter primed to unfold, the four musicians are keen to place as much emphasis on the international arena as continuing to build their success story at home. Right from the start, SAINT ASONIA has been fueled by a single vision: to put music and emotion first and to deliver recordings that aren't overly produced or messed around with. It's a vision that's reflected in the very name of the band, which is derived, with a grin, from the desire to block out distraction and focus on the purely creative. "Asonia" is the term for "tone deafness" and it's a vision that very much underpins the latest studio recordings. "This new album is a giant step forward for us in many ways," said the frontman. "Of course, there's those elements that have always been present in the music, like the heavy riffs and the vulnerability within the lyrics. But there's also a completely new element that takes things to a different level. Our goal is to raise the bar on every record, so we're incorporating a lot of different sounds and instruments on this one. For me, this is the best stuff I've written since 2005. I guess you'll have to hear it to judge for yourself!" The Hunted Pre-save#TheHunted | 7.24.19 Pre-save now: https://saintasonia.ffm.to/thehunted Feat. Sully ErnaPosted by Saint Asonia on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 […]

JETHRO TULL released "Stormwatch" in September 1979, completing a folk-rock trilogy the band started with "Songs From The Wood" in 1977 and continued the following year with "Heavy Horses". Certified gold in the U.S., "Stormwatch" was also the final album to feature the classic late-1970s JETHRO TULL lineup, which included Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Glascock, John Evan, David (now Dee) Palmer and Barriemore Barlow. To celebrate the album's upcoming anniversary, Rhino will release "Stormwatch: 40th Anniversary Force 10 Edition". This new 4CD/2DVD set will be available on October 11. Highlights include: * Original album and associated recordings newly remixed by Steven Wilson * Full concert from the Netherlands recorded in March 1980 * Original album and 13 associated recordings mixed to 5.1 DTS and AC3 Dolby Digital * Flat transfer of the original 1979 mix at 96/24 LPCM stereo * 15 associated recordings mixed to 96/24 LPCM stereo and five original mixes at 96/24 LPCM stereo * Presented in a case-bound DVD book filled with an extensive history of the album, track-by-track annotations by Anderson and Palmer, rare photographs and more The recording sessions for "Stormwatch" stretched from August 1978 to July 1979 as the album's ecological and maritime themes slowly came into focus on songs like "North Sea Oil" and "Flying Dutchman". The band recorded several tracks that were left off the album because they didn't fit the theme. Many of those can be found on the second disc of this set, including "Man Of God", "Crossword", "Kelpie" and "The Lyricon Blues". In addition to those outtakes, the disc also features early versions of the album tracks "Dark Ages" and "Dun Ringill". "Stormwatch: 40th Anniversary Force 10 Edition" also includes a previously unreleased recording of JETHRO TULL's concert at Congreßgebouw in the Netherlands on March 16, 1980. The career-spanning performance mixed then-new "Stormwatch" tracks ("Something's On The Move", "Home" and "Elegy") with older hits, like "Locomotive Breath", "Aqualung", "Thick As A Brick" and "Minstrel In The Gallery". "Stormwatch: 40th Anniversary Force 10 Edition" concludes with two audio-only DVDs that feature various mixes of the original album along with the associated recordings featured in this set. "Stormwatch" marked the end of an era for JETHRO TULL. Due to his deteriorating health, bassist John Glascock missed most of the sessions for the album and only appears on three of its songs ("Flying Dutchman", "Orion" and "Elegy"). Tragically, Glascock died shortly after the album was released. The lineup changed even more following the tour to promote the album as Barlow, Evan and Palmer left the group. "Stormwatch: 40th Anniversary Force 10 Edition" track listing: Disc One: Steven Wilson Remix of Original Album 01. North Sea Oil 02. Orion 03. Home 04. Dark Ages 05. Warm Sporran 06. Something's On The Move 07. Old Ghosts 08. Dun Ringill 09. Flying Dutchman 10. Elegy Disc Two: Associated Recordings 01. Crossword 02. Dark Ages (early version) [Previously Unreleased] 03. Kelpie 04. Dun Ringill (early version) [Previously Unreleased On CD] 05. A Stitch In Time 06. A Single Man [Previously Unreleased] 07. Broadford Bazaar 08. King Henry's Madrigal 09. Orion (full version) [Previously Unreleased] 10. Urban Apocalypse [Previously Unreleased] 11. The Lyricon Blues 12. Man Of God [Previously Unreleased] 13. Rock Instrumental (unfinished master) [Previously Unreleased] 14. Prelude To A Storm [Previously Unreleased] 15. Sweet Dream (live) Disc Three: Live in the Netherlands (March 16. 1980) [Previously Unreleased] 01. Intro 02. Dark Ages 03. Home 04. Orion 05. Dun Ringill 06. Elegy 07. Old Ghosts 08. Something's On The Move 09. Aqualung 10. Peggy's Pub 11. Jack-In-The-Green 12. King Henry's Madrigal / Drum Solo 13. Heavy Horses Disc Four: Live in the Netherlands (March 16. 1980) [Previously Unreleased] 01. Flute Solo (incl. "Bourée/Soirée/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/Kelpie") 02. Keyboard Duet (Bach's Prelude in Cm from the "Well-Tempered Clavier 1") 03. Songs From The Wood 04. Hunting Girl 05. Jams O'Donnel's Jigs 06. Thick As A Brick 07. Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die! 08. Cross-Eyed Mary 09. Guitar Solo 10. Minstrel In The Gallery 11. Locomotive Breath 12. Dambusters March DVD One: Audio Only * "Stormwatch" mixed to 5.1 DTS and AC3 Dolby Digital * Flat transfer of the original 1979 mix at 96/24 LPCM stereo DVD Two: Audio Only * Contains 13 associated recordings mixed to 5.1 DTS and AC3 Dolby Digital * 15 associated recordings mixed to 96/24 LPCM stereo * Five original mixes at 96/24 LPCM stereo […]

QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali says that he doesn't pay attention to critics who insist he never should have resurrected the band following the passing of original lead singer Kevin DuBrow. Speaking to Rock History Music, Banali said (hear audio below): "To give you an idea how many assholes there are out there, I remember that I did a post on Facebook, and I can't remember who it was for that had passed away, and I said, 'For our generation, if you like this type of music and these bands are still performing, you should go see them while they're still around.' And some idiot — I won't even justify the Internet site by giving you its name — but somebody goes, 'Oh, yeah, Banali is so desperate to get fans to QUIET RIOT shows that he's trying to guilt them into coming to shows before he dies.' [Laughs]" Banali went on to say that the negative online comments have "never bothered" him. "First of all, if the person doesn't really understand the situation, they really shouldn't comment," he said. "And most people don't understand any situation that they're being critical about. But the bottom line really is, if you don't respect the person, their opinion and their comments and their bitching and moaning is completely and totally meaningless. I don't waste time on it. It's truly their problem. If they don't like me, that's their problem — it's not my problem; it doesn't exist in my life. If they don't like QUIET RIOT, that's not my problem; that's their problem. "Listen, if you don't like QUIET RIOT or this version of QUIET RIOT, don't buy the record," he continued. "You don't like this version of QUIET RIOT? Don't go to the show. Nobody's forcing you. Yet they feel the need to be vocal about it. "Those people are out there, and they're generally miserable, and maybe they're not, but they're not my problem," he said. "They're their own problem. They don't exist in my life." DuBrow died in November 2007 of an accidental cocaine overdose. He was 52 years old. Banali resurrected QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after DuBrow's death. QUIET RIOT initially featured the late guitar legend Randy Rhoads and went through some early lineup shifts before securing the musicians that recorded the band's multi-platinum-selling 1983 album "Metal Health". Bassist Chuck Wright has been a part of QUIET RIOT, on and off, since 1982, having initially been involved in the "Metal Health" recordings (he played bass on the tracks "Metal Health" and "Don't Wanna Let You Go"). Guitarist Alex Grossi was in the last version of the band, from 2004 through 2007, before Kevin passed away, and was asked by Banali to return in 2010. QUIET RIOT went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before settling on Jizzy Pearl in 2013. Pearl announced his exit from QUIET RIOT in October 2016 and was briefly replaced by Seann Nichols, who played only five shows with the group before the March 2017 arrival of "American Idol" finalist James Durbin. QUIET RIOT's performance at last year's Frontiers Rock Festival was released in January on CD/DVD and Blu-ray under the title "One Night In Milan". QUIET RIOT will release a new studio album, "Hollywood Cowboys", on November 8 via Frontiers Music Srl. […]

RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson commissioned the amp gurus at Mojotone to build him a tour-worthy recreation of a legendary, 50-watt amp head from across the pond. The Lerxst Omega boasts all the same features as its silver-trimmed predecessor, including a three-band EQ, two footswitchable channels, a Rhythm Clip mode, and a serial effects loop. The Lerxst Omega is top-shelf all the way, with high-end components like Mojotone Dijon caps, Heyboer transformers, CTS pots, and JJ tubes. Handwired in Burgaw, North Carolina, the Lerxst Omega delivers the full gamut of classic British tones. This Lerxst Omega has been hand-signed by Alex himself and includes a custom serial number plate and certificate of authenticity — and you can only get these autographed versions at Sweetwater. There's only 100 of these available, and they won't last long, so order yours today. RUSH has been completely inactive since completing the "R40 Live" tour nearly four years ago. Drummer Neil Peart was battling enormous physical pain through much of the trek, including a foot infection that made it agonizing for him to even walk. A few years ago, Lifeson told Rolling Stone that he receives injections for psoriatic arthritis. He was previously hospitalized for anemia from bleeding ulcers and suffered breathing problems. Lifeson and bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee have repeatedly said that RUSH will never do a show unless all three musicians agree to take part. They haven't performed as RUSH without Peart since he joined the band in 1974. For first six years of RUSH's existence, John Rutsey was behind the kit and he played on the band's self-titled debut LP. […]

Former TESTAMENT bassist Greg Christian says that he was treated like "a thing" and "a stage prop" during his tenure with the band and claims that the business he "helped start" has been "hijacked." Christian — whose acrimonious January 2014 exit from TESTAMENT was well publicized on these pages — made his latest comments while reflecting on his career trajectory on his personal Facebook page. In a post that was made public, Christian wrote: "Lately I've had more than a few people ask me about TESTAMENT and how things went down. I don't talk about it anymore. No point. No one will ever understand. I honestly still don't and I was there. "About the most basic bottom line is: we had one fundamental disagreement, and it was irreconcilable: "On a human level, I thought my life mattered, and that my kids and other family members mattered too. And I still think so. "To them, I didn't matter. I was a thing, like a stage prop, not a person. And they still think so. "That's about as real as it gets. "Anyone can say whatever but the bottom line #s don't lie. "For perspective: I was 17 when I joined the band, 18 when I did the LEGACY [pre-TESTAMENT] Demo, 20 when I did 'The Legacy' album. It was my life til I was 30, thousands of shows, 6 studio albums etc etc etc later. Came back 9 years later. 3 years weekend warrior fly dates, then in '08 it got real again. Busted ass another 1k+ shows building it back into being relevant for 5 more years... "But the business I helped start and build twice had been hijacked. That business was my 401k, my savings, my retirement, my kids college $, etc etc. It was the life I worked for but don't have. "I'm 53 now and that business is rolling pretty fat and I've made a heavy investment into it. "If I mattered, you'd think they'd at least try to make that right. Ya know? But I've never even heard any acknowledgment that they did me dirty.. "C'est La Vie" In a 2016 interview, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy told Metal Forces that Christian wanted to be an "equal partner" in TESTAMENT after rejoining the band following a nine-year break. Billy said: "Me and Eric [Peterson, guitar] own the band. Greg doesn't own the band. Greg left the band for nine years and wanted to come back in the band and be an equal partner, and that's not what the deal was. Greg came back as a reunion bass player, and that turned into seven years of doing a reunion. There were never talks about, 'Hey, come on back and let's be equal partners like we were when we started this band.' That's not what was gonna happen. I think he expected that, and we agreed to disagree." The singer continued: "While they were off doing whatever they did in life, me and Eric held down the fort for all of those years, and they were tough years. Those were in the '90s, when it was very tough for heavy metal. We weren't making any money. Yeah, we felt strong that, 'No. If it was you, Greg, or if it was Steve [DiGiorgio, bass], or if it was any other bass player, here's what we're gonna pay you to play bass in TESTAMENT. You can do whatever you wanna do.' Like Gene [Hoglan, drums], Steve and Alex [Skolnick, guitar]; whenever they're not in TESTAMENT, they're doing other projects. We don't hold them up; we don't say, 'You're in TESTAMENT. You can't do anything else.' Greg felt what he felt and decided he didn't wanna do it, so he left. I think maybe he regrets it, and he's talking out because of that. That's all I can think. [Laughs] He got to travel and play music around the world, and didn't have to get a job. I thought it was pretty good. [Laughs]" TESTAMENT's twelfth album, "Brotherhood Of The Snake", was released in 2016 via Nuclear Blast. A follow-up disc is tentatively due in late 2019 or early 2020. Photo courtesy of Greg Christian's Facebook page Lately I’ve had more than a few people ask me about Testament and how things went down. I don’t talk about it anymore....Posted by Greg Christian on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 […]

Atlanta, Georgia's NORMA JEAN will release its eighth studio album, "All Hail", on October 25 via Solid State Records. The disc was recorded earlier this year with producer Will Putney (EVERY TIME I DIE, BODY COUNT) at his Graphic Nature Audio studio in Belleville, New Jersey. A teaser for "All Hail" is available below. The follow-up to 2016's "Polar Similar" marks the final NORMA JEAN album to feature guitarist Jeff Hickey, who exited the band in May. At the time, NORMA JEAN said the decision to part ways with Hickey was due to his struggles with "alcohol addiction." The other members of the group added that they "need to be his brothers before his bandmates" and they "continue to support Jeff in every effort toward sobriety and his personal health." Recorded at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, "Polar Similar" was released in September 2016 — just three days shy of the 10th anniversary of NORMA JEAN's 2006 epic "Redeemer". […]

Ryan Martinie says that he doesn't know if MUDVAYNE will ever reunite. It's been just under a decade since MUDVAYNE released its self-titled fifth album and little has been heard about the group during that time. The bassist, who joined MUDVAYNE after the recording of the 1997 "Kill, I Oughtta" EP, told MetalSucks that he and his bandmates appreciate the fact that there are thousands of fans out there who are still interested in the group's music. "Man, there's always talk [about us coming back]," he said. "Which is a good thing. I'm fortunate enough that the thing that we made together still garners some kind of interest from our fans and for those people who may have wanted to see us and never got to. There's still kind of the, 'Man, are they gonna do it?' "I don't have any answers for you on that front," he continued. "Only that it's fun when MUDVAYNE still is something that people enjoy… But as far as it being a future item… I don't know. Only time can tell." Last year, guitarist Greg Tribbett said that fans who are calling for a MUDVAYNE reunion "just need a little more patience." He explained: "We're all flattered that everybody still wants MUDVAYNE to tour and do a new record and come out and do all that stuff. The thing is is that everybody is in three different bands and kind of doing their own projects, and there's no time for that right now." Tribbett's current focus is AUDIOTOPSY, which released its second full-length album, "The Real Now", last November via Megaforce Records. He is joined in that band by MUDVAYNE drummer Matt McDonough, SKRAPE vocalist Billy Keeton and bassist Perry Stern. MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release. Vocalist Chad Gray, who has been a member of HELLYEAH for more than a decade, has expressed skepticism about the possibility of a MUDVAYNE reunion, noting in a 2015 interview that "the only way I personally would want to do MUDVAYNE is if everybody licked their wounds and got over it." Tribbett was also part of HELLYEAH with Gray but was fired from that band in 2013. Asked in Revolver magazine if Greg's exit from HELLYEAH hit him especially hard, seeing as the two of them started off playing together in MUDVAYNE, Chad said: "Yeah, man. He has always been my right-hand man. He's been the back I look at when I'm writing songs and the sounding board for my ideas. When everything went sideways, it was like losing a great friend. I was filled with fear and I had mixed emotions. At first, I was like, Goddamn, I don't know if I'm ever gonna be able to do this without him." […]

KORN's official music video for the song "You'll Never Find Me" will make its online debut tomorrow (Thursday, July 18). A teaser for the clip is available below. "You'll Never Find Me" is taken from KORN's upcoming album, "The Nothing", which will be released on September 13 via Roadrunner/Elektra. The follow-up to 2016's "The Serenity Of Suffering" was once again produced by Nick Raskulinecz. KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch told The Pulse Of Radio about the band's 13th studio LP: "I would say that it's like a continuation of our last record. It's really guitar-heavy and energetic — there's a lot of energy. We came back to the root of what KORN is, in our sound, in the lyrics and in the feel of the songs. And so what KORN started out to be, I feel like we're doing that right now." KORN frontman Jonathan Davis told Kerrang! magazine that he is "really, really, really proud" of "The Nothing". "I worked really hard on it," he said. "The rest of the members worked hard and really did a great job. It's a very dark record." Davis, whose estranged wife Deven died last August, said that the album reflected events in his life, explaining: "It's basically me dealing with all the stuff that happened to me last year. Very emotional for me, but it is what it is. I can't wait for people to hear it. I really spent a long time on doing what I wanted to do this time." While he shied away from calling "The Nothing" a concept album, Davis did say making the album was both difficult and therapeutic. He remarked: "It sucked. I'm not gonna say it didn't. It was just really hard. But that's how I've always dealt with all my problems — just throwing my heart and soul into my art." KORN will embark on a co-headlining amphitheater tour across North America this summer, starting on July 18 in Del Valle, Texas and hitting nearly 30 cities before wrapping on September 4 in Mountain View, California. Tomorrow ? https://t.co/UtpjbVXkuG pic.twitter.com/vcz3NFzNxM— Korn (@Korn) July 17, 2019 […]

Former FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm spoke to Kiki Classic Rock about his previously announced plan to release some new solo material later this year. "I've got masters from my solo albums, and that's basically what I'm using," he said (see video below). "'Cause my solo albums always had 10 songs on it, but we always recorded 12 or 13. And the ones that didn't make the album weren't necessarily the weakest songs — a lot of 'em were very strong ideas, but they weren't quite finished. And I'm finishing them, and I'm gonna release them, three at a time, to be downloaded." According to Gramm, "at least the first three" songs will arrive in 2019, with the rest to follow next year. "I hope it's something that doesn't go unnoticed," he said. "I think there's some really interesting and good songs that they'll probably go, 'Why didn't he put that on his album?' Because it wasn't done." Regarding how the idea to revisit his unfinished material came about, Gramm said: "My son Matthew came up with the idea. He just asked me, 'How many songs were on the albums? And did you have any extras?' And I said, 'Always.' He said, 'Let's listen to those, polish 'em up, finish 'em, and put them out to be downloaded.' So we went back and we started listening, and there's those songs, not quite finished, that I hadn't heard in 30 years." Lou added: "I'm so excited to release them, because, to me, they sound great." Last December, Gramm announced that he was retiring from performing as a solo artist. But he later clarified that he wasn't completely walking away from performing live. By the time Gramm left FOREIGNER for the first time in 1990, he had already released two successful solo albums: 1987's "Ready Or Not" and 1989's "Long Hard Look". He went on to launch LOU GRAMM BAND, which released an all-Christian rock album in 2009. He followed it up with "My Baby" in 2015. The 69-year-old Gramm left FOREIGNER for good in 2002 and has battled health issues in recent years, including the removal of a non-cancerous tumor. He told the Democrat & Chronicle last year that he was planning to retire, but still reunited with FOREIGNER for several shows in 2018 to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary. Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold as Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is". FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Kelly Hansen in 2005. Guitarist Mick Jones, the only remaining original member, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012. […]

ALICE IN CHAINS has released the tenth and final episode of "Black Antenna", a dark sci-fi thriller set against the backdrop of the band's Grammy-nominated album "Rainier Fog" (BMG). "Black Antenna" tells the story of Alpha (played by "Green Book" actor Paul Sloan) and his 21-year-old daughter, Beta (Viktoriya Dov), who drive their beat-up truck across California in silence, speaking only telepathically. Together they rob and steal from the men the girl seduces, taking phones, laptops and whatever they can find. Alpha is trying to build something — an antenna — desperately trying to find a way to get a message to their people back home. Meanwhile there are unspeakably dark forces who have discovered their existence and are now hell-bent on tracking them down and eradicating them before more of their kind can come and join them. "Black Antenna" was directed by Adam Mason, written by Paul Sloan and Adam Mason and produced by Elizabeth Mason and Nick Vallelonga, who recently won two Oscars ("Best Original Screenplay" and "Best Picture") for "Green Book". "This movie came out of nowhere for me," says Mason. "As soon as I heard the album, the music and lyrics spoke to me on a profoundly personal level and the film and subject matter was born directly out of that. I've always been a huge fan of ALICE IN CHAINS, and this has been a dream come true for me. 'Black Antenna' is a perfect synergy of the band's lyrics, and 'Black Antenna' paints a dark and beautiful canvas of the deeply conflicted world we live in today." ALICE IN CHAINS is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Rainier Fog", which became the group's first Top 10 U.K. album, hit No.1 across Billboard's Rock, Alternative and Hard Music charts and the iTunes Rock Album chart, and earned the band a ninth Grammy nod for "Best Rock Album." ALICE IN CHAINS' co-headlining tour with KORN will kick off on July 18 in Del Valle, Texas, wrapping up on September 4 in Mountain View, California. Photo credit: Pamela Littky […]