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"Rival", a new song from SOEN, the progressive heavy rock group featuring world-renowned drummer Martin Lopez (formerly of AMON AMARTH and OPETH), can be streamed below. The track is taken from SOEN's fourth album, "Lotus", which will be released on February 1, 2019 via Silver Lining Music. Having spent the last six months digging deep into the muddy depths of their emotions, the nine songs comprising "Lotus" are intoxicating, addictive aural therapies, questioning much of today's darkness while juxtaposing them with moments of great escape and hope. "We are all very fortunate to have this place where we can go and explore thoughts, perspectives and emotions which everyday life maybe does not have the room for," says Lopez, one of SOEN's founding members. "There are definitely things that we say, and places we go, in SOEN which would be very hard to express without us coming together and creating music." Produced by David Castillo and Iñaki Marconi at Ghostward Studios and Studio 6 between July and October 2018, the album marks the first recorded SOEN work of new Canadian-born guitarist Cody Ford, whilst the center-point of the album remains those trademark, snap-heavy, progressive SOEN riffs. Songs such as "Rival", "Covenant" and "Martyrs" are dissertations on modern societies, fraught with poetic, finitely designed confusion and chaos, yet as the name "Lotus" suggests, there is still strength, beauty, and purity to be extracted from what at times seems like an endless cycle of human regression. "The world right now is undeniably a very strange, tense place," says Lopez. "I think the songs clearly reflect that, but they also reflect that we must now be stronger than ever in challenging, confronting, and dealing with the pandemonium life throws at us all." The lavish "Lotus" artwork features nothing other than an enigmatic and engaging copper-reflective pyramid, offering elements of the sixth sense and greater consciousness before gate-folding open to reveal a girl touched by the copper aura. "We each have our own personal ideas as to what it means," says Lopez, "but we'd much rather discuss what others think, what our audience thinks, what the media thinks... I think it's extremely important that we all communicate with each other and take the time to fully conceive our own meanings and interactions with life and creativity." "Ultimately," concludes Ekelöf, "'Lotus' is about rising from whatever darkness, or dark places, you might find yourself. And its inspiration comes from a deep motivation to not just settle for the situation you might find yourself in. 'Lotus' is about changing life — both your own and your surroundings for which we must all take responsibility — and make them better rather than letting darkness pacify you and take you down." "Lotus" track listing: 01. Opponent 02. Lascivious 03. Martyrs 04. Lotus 05. Covenant 06. Penance 07. River 08. Rival 09. Lunacy SOEN will bring "Lotus" on the road as it tours Europe starting in March 2019. SOEN is: Joel Ekelöf - vocals Martin Lopez - drums Lars Åhlund - keys, guitar Stefan Stenberg - bass Cody Ford - lead guitar […]

The official music video for the song "Mariana Trench" from Nita Strauss, the incredibly talented guitarist who has rocked out on stage with ALICE COOPER, FEMME FATALE, Jermaine Jackson, THE IRON MAIDENS and more, can be seen below. The track is taken from her debut solo album, "Controlled Chaos", which was released on November 16 via Sumerian Records. Nita says: "From bright and fun to aggressive and dark, from peaceful to chaotic, this album is a way for me to give the listener a glimpse into my personality and what goes on inside my mind." "Controlled Chaos" is available for pre-order at NitaStrauss.com. Strauss has been fighting to make a name for herself in the guitar world for years. She is one of the most sought-after clinicians in the industry and has done extensive clinic tours across multiple continents. Her consistent touring schedule has shown her to play in front of over a million audience members per year consistently for the past several years. 2018 has already proven to be a banner year for Nita with her being named as the first-ever female Ibanez signature artist in the company's 60-year history. She played WWE suprstar Shinsuke Nakamura's entrance music at "WrestleMania" in New Orleans in front of an audience of 78,000 fans and millions streaming worldwide just before surpassing her Kickstarter campaign eight times over, allowing her to self-produce and record "Controlled Chaos". The 11-track album was a challenge to Strauss and an opportunity for her to reconnect with what inspired her to pick up a guitar in the first place. She says: "I started playing guitar because of instrumental guitar music. All my real heroes made instrumental albums. All my own career has been spent playing in bands, but I never forgot that dream of what inspired me to pick up the guitar in the first place." "Controlled Chaos" track listing: 01. Prepare For War 02. Alegria 03. Our Most Desperate Hour 04. Mariana Trench 05. Here With You 06. The Stillness At The End 07. The Quest 08. Hope Grows 09. Lion Among Wolves 10. Pandemonium 2.0 11. The Show Must Go On Asked by Albany, New York radio station Q103 whether she thinks it will be difficult for listeners to get into her solo album since it's all instrumental, Nita said: "In some cases, I would think so, but what I really tried to do with 'Controlled Chaos' is make an album that the average rock fan can listen to. Yes, there's a lot of notes being played, of course, but I wanted to make a sort of a gateway drug rock album into instrumental guitar music. The casual rock or metal fan might go, 'I don't want to listen to music without words. It's one long guitar solo.' I wrote songs. I wrote songs with a verse and a chorus and a bridge and a guitar solo section, a big giant solo section. I think the audience will really get that. They will totally understand that." Nita's skill, exuberant stage presence and love for all things about her instrument have earned her a stellar reputation in the music industry and endorsements including Ibanez Guitars, Marshall Amplification, DiMarzio pickups, Monster Energy and more. Photo credit: Larry Dimarzio […]

Ever since TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA embarked on their first tour — a modest seven-show run of theaters in the Northeast and Midwest — in 1999, the group's lineup has featured four members of SAVATAGE, the pioneering metal group from which TSO spawned: bassist Johnny Lee Middleton, drummer Jeff Plate and guitarists Al Pitrelli and Chris Caffery. Two decades and hundreds of sold-out arena shows later, all four musicians still tour with the band each winter, albeit as members of different touring troupes — Pitrelli and Middleton are the longtime anchors of "TSO West," while Plate and Caffery are stalwarts of "TSO East." In 2015, vocalist Zachary Stevens — who fronted SAVATAGE from 1993 to 1999 and performed with the group that year during their one-off reunion show at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival – began touring with TSO East as well. This year's TSO tour, which kicked off on November 14, sees the group nod prominently to its SAVATAGE origins. In addition to performing the instrumental "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)" — a song originally recorded by SAVATAGE for their 1995 rock opera "Dead Winter Dead" — TSO has also added SAVATAGE's "Chance" to its concert setlists. Fan-filmed footage of both TSO troupes performing the song live can be seen below. "Chance" originally appeared on SAVATAGE's 1994 album "Handful Of Rain", the group's first album after the death of guitarist Criss Oliva (brother of SAVATAGE co-founder and original vocalist Jon Oliva). It marked the band's first usage of counterpoint vocals, which they later utilized on songs such as "One Child", "Morphine Child" and "The Hourglass" (and which would also become a trademark of TSO albums). The song's lyrics — written by the group's late producer, Paul O'Neill — were inspired by the life of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania during World War II who defied government orders by signing exit visas for thousands of Jewish refugees who otherwise would have been sent to concentration camps. In a 2007 interview with Sea Of Tranquillity, Jon Oliva acknowledged the impact of the song. "I think 'Chance' is a great, great song," he said, "and I think it was the start of what TSO would eventually be doing, so that was our first dabble in symphonic, orchestrated rock." TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's 20th-anniversary tour continues through December 30. […]

According to TMZ, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry is back home, six days after he was hospitalized following an appearance with Billy Joel. Sources close to Joe tell the site that Perry was released from the hospital Thursday and is now resting. Only minutes after guesting with Joel on stage on Saturday night (November 10) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Perry experienced shortness of breath and was treated by paramedics. The legendary rocker, who's now 68, was taken out of the Garden on a stretcher after paramedics worked on him in his dressing room, reportedly inserting a tracheal tube down his throat at one point. According to TMZ, doctors ran a series of tests and determined that Perry was suffering from a combination of allergies and fatigue. Joe, who has reportedly had breathing issues his whole life, tweeted on Tueday that he was "doing well" and thanked fans "for all the love and support." As most fans will remember, back in July 2016, Perry collapsed during a HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES gig at Brooklyn, New York's Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk. Alice Cooper, who fronts the all-star covers band, recalled to CBS News at the time that he was unaware that Perry was perhaps not geared up for such a rigorous schedule. "I didn't realize AEROSMITH only did two shows a week. Honestly, I just figured everybody was like me. I do five shows a week, and very physical shows. We were on our eighth show in 10 days. It was pretty brutal. I think [Joe] was dehydrated and basically exhausted. I talked to him before the show and he said, 'I don't think I've eaten anything in three days.' I went, 'Well, that's not smart.'" Cooper went on to squash the rumors that Perry had collapsed due to a coronary, explaining: "It wasn't his heart, though, and it wasn't anything vital, because four or five days later, he was on stage with us and I'd never seen him look so good." Perry is scheduled to kick off a solo tour on November 30 in support of his most recent solo album, "Sweetzerland Manifesto". […]

German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN are putting the finishing touches on their long-awaited new album for an early 2019 release. The follow-up to 2009's "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" will be mixed at a Los Angeles studio beginning in mid-December with Rich Costey, an American producer who has previously worked with MUSE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and FRANZ FERDINAND, among others. RAMMSTEIN guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe spoke about the band's upcoming disc while promoting "A Million Degrees", the upcoming third effort from his EMIGRATE side project. Saying that he was "very proud" of the new RAMMSTEIN album, Kruspe told France's United Rock Nations that the record was "almost finished," with only "last touch-ups, like small things here and there," remaining to be done. Asked about the musical direction of the new RAMMSTEIN music, Kruspe said: "To me, the process of doing this record was something that I'm very happy with, because we've managed to gain a certain kind of respect back that we have lost in the past. It also kind of reminded me, the way that we are the moment, as the beginning from RAMMSTEIN. So, music-wise, I think it's richer when it comes to harmonies and melodies. That was also something that I was trying to do, because in the past, every time you talked about RAMMSTEIN, it's all about this big burden about the show and the fire. Nobody really talks about the music, which is, to me, as a [music] writer, kind of a slap in your face. It was also important to me that we kind of step up, music-wise, in a way. It's almost like RAMMSTEIN 3D, I would describe it." Kruspe said that there are no plans for EMIGRATE to tour in support of "A Million Degrees", explaining that "I really don't have the time for that. I'm going to Los Angeles in the middle of December to mix the RAMMSTEIN record," he said. "After that, we [RAMMSTEIN] are in the middle of tour preparation, and then we're gonna be on tour for the next three years. So first of all, there's no time, but even if there were time at the moment, I like the balance that I have with the EMIGRATE project and RAMMSTEIN." RAMMSTEIN recently announced a batch of summer 2019 European tour dates. The run of stadium and arena shows will kick off on May 27 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and end of August 23 in Vienna, Austria. In 2016 and 2017, RAMMSTEIN played a number of concerts where the band opened each show with a brand new song, presently only known as "Ramm 4". The track contained lyrics that seemed to be a combination of various titles of previous RAMMSTEIN songs. […]

METALLICA played a rare acoustic show on November 3 at the Masonic in San Francisco. The evening, dubbed the "All Within My Hands Foundation Helping Hands Concert And Auction", celebrated the first full year of METALLICA's All Within My Hands non-profit foundation, which was launched in 2017 to help creating sustainable communities by tackling the issues of hunger and workforce education and encouraging volunteerism. In addition to acoustic versions of some of METALLICA's classic songs, the band performed covers of DEEP PURPLE's "When A Blind Man Cries", NAZARETH's "Please Don't Judas Me", BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars" and Bob Seger's "Turn The Page". Bandmembers James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo and Lars Ulrich were joined by a quartet of backing musicians who provided additional percussion, keyboards, strings and vocal harmony. Profesionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "All Within My Hands" at "All Within My Hands Foundation Helping Hands Concert And Auction" can be seen below. Additional musicians in the clip are Avi Vinocur on mandolin and background vocals, David Phillips on pedal-steel, Henry Salvia on keyboards, and Cody Rhodes on percussion. Says METALLICA: "The event raised $1.3 million which will be used to work with our partners at Feeding America and the American Association of Community Colleges as All Within My Hands continues to tackle the issues of hunger and workforce education and work to create sustainable communities." The setlist for METALLICA's performance was as follows: 01. Disposable Heroes 02. When A Blind Man Cries (DEEP PURPLE cover) 03. The Unforgiven 04. Please Don't Judas Me (NAZARETH cover) 05. Turn The Page (Bob Seger cover) 06. Bleeding Me 07. Veteran Of The Psychic Wars (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT cover) 08. Nothing Else Matters 09. All Within My Hands 10. Enter Sandman 11. The Four Horsemen 12. Hardwired Along with unplugged performances from METALLICA and CAGE THE ELEPHANT, the night offered attendees an opportunity to bid on one-of-a-kind auction items. In its first six months of operation, the Foundation donated more than $750,000 to local food banks around the world — a practice the band and the Foundation have continued on METALLICA's current North American tour. They've donated $10,000 to local food banks in every city and met dedicated people who focus their daily lives on helping others. […]

PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, the project led by the former PANTERA and current DOWN/SUPERJOINT frontman, will perform a set consisting entirely of PANTERA songs during its concert tonight (Friday, November 16) at The Viper Room in West Hollywood, California. Anselmo broke the news of ILLEGALS' plan to play nothing but PANTERA classics in Los Angeles during the band's show last night (Thursday, November 15) at Brick By Brick in San Diego, California. The singer told the crowd (see video below): "Let me ask you a question. Who's filming? Who's gonna upload to YouTube later? Tell me the truth. You're gonna do it? Who's gonna upload to YouTube? You? Tomorrow night, full PANTERA set from beginning to end. That's right. Spread the word, Los Angeles." Earlier today, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS wrote on Facebook: "We are in Hollywood, California tonight. Start to finish. Full PANTERA set!!! Come see it at The Viper room tonight! Gonna be historically epic on many levels! We'll see ya there." Guitarist Mike De Leon added: "THE ILLEGALS are in Hollywood, California!! FULL PANTERA Set START TO FINISH tonight! It's gonna be epic as fuck!! Will stream it live!" All of PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS performances on the current U.S. tour have seen the band play a mini-set of PANTERA songs, including such fan favorites as "Walk", "Mouth For War", "A New Level", "I'm Broken", "Becoming", "This Love", "Hellbound" and "Domination / Hollow". THE ILLEGALS' latest trek kicked off in Austin, Texas on November 1, exactly four months after a video message from Anselmo was played at the public memorial for PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. It was the first time the singer had publicly commented on his former bandmate's death. The event, which was held at Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas, included emotional tributes from a number of Abbott's fellow musicians, some of whom appeared in person while others sent short video speeches expressing their affection for the fallen PANTERA and HELLYEAH drummer. Anselmo's tribute was a few seconds long and saw him speaking in his trademark deep voice. "Vince, always have love in my heart for you, man," he said. "Rest in peace." Vinnie Paul and his brother "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts. Up until his death, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo. Vinnie and Anselmo's relationship got more acrimonious when Vinnie indirectly blamed Philip for Dimebag's death, suggesting that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer. Vinnie passed away on June 22 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. The PANTERA and HELLYEAH drummer was buried on June 30 next to his brother and their mother, Carolyn, at Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas. PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS' sophomore album, "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue", was released in January via Anselmo's Housecore Records in the U.S. and Season Of Mist in other parts of the world. The disc is the follow-up to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS' debut, "Walk Through Exits Only", which came out in 2013 to mostly positive reviews. […]

BILLYBIO, the solo project of BIOHAZARD and POWERFLO guitarist Billy Graziadei, will release its debut album, "Feed The Fire", on November 30 via AFM Records. The official 360-degree music video for the "Rise And Slay" single can be seen below. Says Graziadei: "I love the beginning of a band's career when the spirit is raw and unbridled, the fire still burning strong in their hearts. You know the feeling — when everything is new and fresh AF! I wanted to capture this moment of the group and preserve that early live intensity in 360 degrees, like you are there with us. "I always drive directors insane with my ideas, but in the end, Reinout Hellenthal helped me capture the high-powered live experience and bring you on stage with us during the chaos. You can watch this video 100 times and still find new details. Don't forget to look up!" "Feed The Fire" can be pre-ordered at this location. Music has always been the central, unifying force in Graziadei's life. Early musical training took place on the Graziadei family's old, forever out-of-tune upright piano and he began studying music under the guidance of his grandfather and uncle, both of whom he had always admired. So he expanded his musical vocabulary while growing up, finding inspiration in so many forms of music but it wasn't until he stumbled into the underground world of punk-rock music that his musical taste was really sparked into growth. Immersing himself in the sounds, perspective, and culture of the punk underground, Billy's desire to create new, innovative music led him to the late-'80s hardcore scene in New York City, from Sunday-matinee hardcore shows at CBGBs to Friday-night metal shows at Brooklyn's L'Amour metal/rock club. It was here that he found his musical home and it was here that Billy helped form a band that would take the metal/hardcore scene by storm. It was the birth of BIOHAZARD. As one of the first bands they combined the urban sounds of hardcore, metal and rap with scorching lyrics describing the forces at work in our modern urban lives. With an audio-engineering degree and years of experience recording BIOHAZARD, Graziadei opened Firewater Studios. This studio became an incubator for Billy's creativity, where he continues to cultivate his talent while producing upcoming bands. During the years of touring with BIOHAZARD, Graziadei collaborated with many different musicians. As a result of this, the friendship with CYPRESS HILL singer Sen Dog turned in 2016 into the supergroup POWERFLO along with bassist Christian Olde Wolbers (ex-FEAR FACTORY) and guitarist Roy Lozano (DOWNSET). While Graziadei continues to work on new POWERFLO songs as he tours around, he decided that the time finally has come for his solo venture. Billy states: "I've always wanted to do a solo release and the timing of everything that I have been working on just seemed to fall in place. "I always let the creative juices flow, I don't try and restrict them to fit a certain genre. "With BILLYBIO, it's 100% me. No influence from anyone else. This is who I am and what I've become. I'm a product of everyone I've met, talked with, shared my stories with… and a bit of their stories as well. "Anyone who's a fan of what I've done, especially with BIOHAZARD, will love this! There's something there for every fan of heavy underground music!" According to Billy, "Feed The Fire" is "heavy, fast, groovy and full of energy. I couldn't have it any other way," he says. "It's full of my roots but modern." Producer Tue Madsen, who worked on "Feed The Fire", agrees. "When I was brought in to mix this record, it was with big expectations, and boy, were they met," he says. "These songs keep the energy level so high and have so much to say. Great deliverance, great songwriting and now me mixing the whole thing. I couldn't be happier." Photo credit: Melissa Humm […]

BORN OF OSIRIS will release its new album, "The Simulation", on January 11, 2019 via Sumerian Records. A music video for the song "The Accursed" can be seen below. Guitarist Lee McKinney states: "The first single and video for 'The Accursed' plays exactly off of the album titles and themes. People are stuck and addicted to machines, social media, virtual realities and anything that creates a life or reality that's not their own. Our phones have become an extension of ourselves, a body part. We play games or throw on virtual headsets that literally suck us out of the reality we live and into a fantasy. What's the future going to look like, a simulation? Could the simulation have already begun? "Also, this new album keeps the integrity high across the board. I want to make the best songs I could for the people who are listening (and myself), and I want to perform them to their best ability on stage to give the people attending our shows those ‘wow' moments. We want to give them those concert memories that'll last a lifetime." Vocalist, keyboardist and synth player Joe Buras adds: "We welcome the incorporation of steel, or have we already? It's hard to prove we are not already in a simulation with the development of AI, advances in brain mapping technology and the inevitable singularity. We now see an age that is either here or on the horizon." "The Simulation" track listing: 01. The Accursed 02. Disconnectome 03. Cycles Of Tragedy 04. Under The Gun 05. Recursion 06. Analogs In A Cell 07. Silence The Echo 08. One Without The Other BORN OF OSIRIS's U.S. tour with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and CROWBAR will start on November 16 and run through December 9. […]

VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS have released a stripped-back version of "Sailing Ships". The track comes from their new record, "Rugged And Unplugged", which will be released on November 23 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. Originally from WHITESNAKE's 1989 album "Slip Of The Tongue", "Sailing Ships" has a delicate beauty to it that makes the hairs on your arm stand up and has become a favorite and regular in the MOONKINGS' live shows. "Rugged And Unplugged" is a beautifully stripped back acoustic album which features songs from across Adrian Vandenberg's career. From his first band TEASER as a 20-year-old, he has always used an acoustic guitar in his recordings, which along with the electric guitar creates the light and shade dynamic that is the cornerstone to all of his records. "For me, the sign of whether a song is good or not, is whether it still stands up when it's completely stripped down to the bare essence of it," says Vandenberg. He continues: "What I find with acoustic versions of songs you already know is that they can touch you in a different way than the full band and even orchestral versions. You don't get 'impressed' by big guitars, drums and even orchestras. As a performer, you can't hide behind all that, so what's left is the emotional content of the performance and the actual song." This project created the opportunity to strip down the big orchestral arrangements on songs such as "What Doesn't Kill You" and "Breathing" to just Vandenberg on acoustic guitar and the voice of Jan Hoving. "My favorite singers ever since my teens have always been guys like Paul Rodgers and David Coverdale," Vandenberg says. "Since I wrote this song in 1981, I've always pictured it sung by a singer with such a tone of voice and vocal abilities. Jan is absolutely such a singer as you can hear." "One Step Behind" has a graceful warmth and "Walk Away" feels both intimate and anthemic. "Out Of Reach" is the only song that features drums, bass and violins and has a warm cascading elegance. The album closes with a new song, the instrumental "Sundown". Adrian says: "It was one of those beautiful early evenings in the late summer, the light turning pink, it was quiet and I was doodling away on my acoustic guitar. The melody that pretty much rolled off of my fingers really matched the vibe of that moment so I decided to record it and end the album with it. It felt like a very natural thing to do." Like the two MOONKINGS albums, "MoonKings" (2014) and "MK II" (2017), "Rugged And Unplugged" was produced by Adrian Vandenberg himself. It was recorded between Vandenberg's home studio and Jan Hoving's farm which gives it the relaxed, intimate and natural feel, away from the clinical studio environment. It is Vandenberg and Hoving doing what they do and love the most, playing music straight from the heart. "Rugged And Unplugged" track listing: 01. What Doesn’t Kill You 02. Sailing Ships 03. Out Of Reach 04. One Step Behind 05. Burning Heart 06. Walk Away 07. Breathing 08. Sundown […]