Images ANNIHILATOR "Suicide Society" (UDR Music)

01. Suicide Society
02. My Revenge
03. Snap
04. Creepin' Again
05. Narcotic Avenue
06. The One You Serve
07. Break, Enter
08. Death Scent
09. Every Minute

After a long and fun collaboration, Dave Padden says goodbye to Jeff Waters and ANNIHILATOR. Padden moves on, reportedly having grown tired of touring and being away from his family and obligations. Whether you were a fan of Padden or not, he will be greatly missed, as he was effective in keeping ANNIHILATOR afloat with his dynamic (and sporadically looney) vocals and rhythm guitar. Padden and Waters delivered four quality albums in this eleven-year span together: "All for You" , "Schizo Deluxe", "Metal" and "Feast" . All were entertaining slabs of thrash and power metal yielding a few quirky experiments. Yet even the out-of-nowhere pop ballads were easy to digest, subjectively speaking, due to Dave Padden's malleability.
As he did on "King of the Kill" , "Refresh the Demon" and "Remains", Waters takes on vocal duties in addition to laying down all the guitar and bass tracks, as well as production and mastering for the band's fifteenth album, "Suicide Society". Mike Hershaw returns on drums, while the live faction of ANNIHILATOR finds Cam Dixon returning on bass, he'd played here before from 1994 to ‘95, and a new second guitarist, Aaron Homma.
The good news about "Suicide Society" is that Jeff Waters, as ever, knows what he's doing. While most masterminded projects suffer from mixing issues and/or too many ideas swarming without proper glue, Waters is a production maestro. Thus, the new album is professionally written, mixed and assembled. Business as usual in that respect, also in the fact that "Suicide Society" is damned good and frequently awesome.
As the title track opens the album, the mid-tempo jive leaves a slight question mark as to the direction Jeff Waters intends "Suicide Society" to take. His vocal performance is just fine as he tends to hit somewhere between Chris Caffery and Dave Mustaine. A thrash burst toward the end of "Suicide Society" should give ANNIHILATOR fans cause to exhale as the next song, "My Revenge", is a straightforward speed demon. The thing with "My Revenge", however, is parts of it are written and delivered a bit too close to METALLICA's "Damage, Inc." Those are similar plots of brisk, fret-ripping chords until Waters dumps in a whirligig progression in the middle of the track. Jeff Waters even mimics James Hetfield's snarling enunciations as he does on the album's finale, "Every Minute" . To the plus, it never grows old hearing Waters scale his guitar and bass like a madman amidst Mike Hershaw's capable double hammers. His outro solo on "My Revenge" is freaking sick.
Proving it wasn't just Dave Padden pushing ANNIHILATOR to write crisp, accessible tunes, Jeff Waters summons some of his best-ever vocals on the marching melodic rocker, "Snap". There's a dormant thunder rumbling behind the elevating choruses and an agreeable shake to the snazzy, bass-led verses and "Snap" becomes a modest but contagious sing-along. Though it goes on for nearly six minutes and it's far heavier, "The One You Serve" has a ton of swaying verve. For the record, "Every Minute" is a quasi-ballad, perhaps dropped by Waters as a bow of gratitude to Padden.
Fans of Waters's trickier progressions will be satisfied with the busy-as-hell "Creepin' Again", a song that does very little of that—save to set up the havoc-flung verses and choruses. Waters's sinister cackling on the fadeout is amusing as he keeps the gas pedal slammed on the manic "Narcotic Avenue". Waters does a sharp job blending his growls, higher pitched than Dave Padden's, with congenial cleans on the few places "Narcotic Avenue" catches its own breath. Otherwise, Waters is relentless in how he tailors the song; he expertly shifts his parts and tempos where it would all be way too much if crammed by lesser-skilled performers. The skidding, dreamy outro of "Narcotic Avenue" conveys a purposeful drowse after all of the chaos preceding it, and one has to applaud his brilliant arrangement. Ditto for the encompassing "Death Scent", which chugs and plows for much of the ride, yet gives way to a grand center section that sounds like an entire ensemble instead of one man's dexterous layering.
He's been criticized as often as praised as a lone-wolf architect operating under a banner some people think should've been retired after "Never Neverland". Call Jeff Waters a maverick boss man or a metal god; he's a specialist of his craft and a master at fending off adversity. No matter what gets in his way or leaves him presiding over a sporadically empty court, Waters remains one of the greatest metal performers the genre has ever seen. "Suicide Society" is further proof that this guy is superhuman.

blabbermouth.net

Images SEVENDUST "Kill the Flaw " (7Bros.)

01. Thank You
02. Death Dance
03. Forget
04. Letters
05. Cease and Desist
06. Not Today
07. Chop
08. Kill the Flaw
09. Silly Beast
10. Peace and Destruction
11. Torched
12. Slave The Prey (bonus track)

Eleven albums now and SEVENDUST is still rolling with the same band of brothers, which says plenty in an industry that devours musicians and regurgitates new lineups monthly. Only for three years between 2005 and 2008 did guitarist and heavy-duty songwriter Clint Lowery depart. Otherwise, the band has remarkably retained the same core, co-founded by John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose, fortified by Lowery and, of course, their impeccable frontman Lajon Witherspoon. SEVENDUST's latest album "Kill the Flaw" doesn't wholly soft soap, but it sure does swing a chancy step over the line. As Witherspoon has stated about the record, the band has "taken time off from the heavy side," and he's not kidding. There are plenty of hard cuts on the album, but "Kill the Flaw" will challenge even the band's most devout at times.
Opening with "Thank You", which dropped as a preview single in late July, the song minces crunchy metalcore riffs with Kurt Wubbenhorst's swaying keys and pop-driven choruses. Morgan Rose's tappity rhythm gives the decidedly lighter track a sense of urgency as Lajon Witherspoon divides his time between growls on the rougher parts and softer croons. "Death Dance" is likewise on the lighter side even with the slowly cut agro chords dishing up the verses. Fans aren't going to be too miffed by the aromatic choruses since Lajon Witherspoon dishes them gorgeously. Still, the intended toughness behind the breakdown on "Death Dance" is unconvincing. The song establishes an easygoing identity and works best in that mode.
SEVENDUST gets heavier with some nasty chops and clubbing rhythms on "Forget", but the rippling choruses keep the track from getting downright mean. If Lajon Witherspoon wasn't such a powerful singer, "Forget", would be easy to do just that, which is where the band is at with this album. SEVENDUST has grown progressively leaner and hook-driven over the years; one nearly forgets their snaggletooth nu-metal days. Albeit, the album's projected second single, "Not Today", makes the most of the band's heavier grains with ramming riffs and rainy choruses. This is one of the album's strongest and most sensible tracks.
When you have blatant pop nuggets like "Letters", "Cease and Desist" and "Death Dance", it's nearly shocking how tamed down SEVENDUST has become. The band reserves its full strength for the muscular closing number "Torched" with its pounding rhythm, riff barrages and mixed-in barks. It's been no secret that SEVENDUST has embraced a more tuneful (if predictable) identity, serving them well on seventh track "Chop", which would've been a so-so proto pounder without its peppered acoustic shakes and chirpy guitar solo.
"Kill the Flaw" is going to become an instant favorite for SEVENDUST's latter year following. You could drop Lajon Witherspoon in with a Kidz Bop ensemble and it would still be an absorbing enough listen. He's that great of a singer. Thus, no matter how much SEVENDUST changes up their methods, he's going to lure listeners for his silky lilt. For those who want more of a mash to the band's sound ("Silly Beast" serving up plenty of that), "Kill the Flaw" has some, sure, but most of it gets pushed behind backdrops of occasionally shaky pop suspensions.

 blabbermouth.net

Images Ugly Kid Joe - Hell Ain't Hard To Find (Lyric Video)

Images SAXON "Battering Ram" (UDR Music)

01. Battering Ram
02. The Devil's Footprint
03. Queen of Hearts
04. Destroyer
05. Hard and Fast
06. Eye of the Storm
07. Stand Your Ground
08. Top of the World
09. To the End
10. Kingdom of the Cross
11. Three Sheets to the Wind (deluxe edition)

English metal-lords SAXON continue to show no signs of quit with their 21st (wowzers) album, "Battering Ram". Enjoying a prolific run under the same veteran lineup (with Nigel Glockler returning to the kit a decade ago), Biff Byford, Paul Quinn and the SAXON troupe give zero ounce of slack on "Battering Ram", which is pretty damned remarkable as the band creeps upon its fortieth anniversary. Actually, bulls into it is more the operative phrase as "Battering Ram" is another impressive, if prototype SAXON effort.

Perhaps the only real difference between "Battering Ram" and SAXON's most recent albums, including 2013's "Sacrifice", is that they are slightly heavier. Biff Byford notes the band dispensed with some of the rock 'n' roll elements SAXON has been playing around with and opted more for a, well, ramming effect here. The title track drops the listener against the iron barrier at the front of a SAXON show, comparing the experience to a metal church (no doubt a loving tip of the hat to their American power metal comrades) and "Battering Ram" launches as a tried 'n' true anthem.

Spooling a Hammer-esque narrative as the intro to "The Devil's Footprint", SAXON keeps the rhythm pounding with whirring riffs by Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt, as Nibbs Carter and Nigel Glockler rumble effortlessly behind them. The solo section is a rip-snorting pleaser from the foursome, while Biff Byford continues to amaze listeners with how easy he makes it all sound. Here Byford hits a screech so gruesome at the end that you can't help but clench a fist of admiration. Even as "Queen of Hearts" slows things down, the tones are still massive, the riffs precise, while keyboards swirl and Biff Byford chimes and occasionally growls along with the song's gradual march. The acoustic-led breakdown on "Queen of Hearts" (pinpointing the critical moment of the high stakes chess game in "Alice in Wonderland") is solemn yet dignified.

"Destroyer" (as in Odin's indestructible harbinger of doom in the Thor comics) is Biff Byford's expressing his love of comic books, and it's a pumper. It's also fun as all-get-out, as is the hell-or-high-water mindset of the brisk "Stand Your Ground". On the heels of the hurricane-drenched, doomy "Eye of the Storm", "Stand Your Ground" flies at gale speed, a driving number worthy of the "Wheels of Steel" and "Strong Arm of the Law" days. The tag solo by Quinn and Scarratt on "Stand Your Ground" is short but sick, while the unexpected synthesizer swirls on the song's breakdown is a pleasant surprise.

"Top of the World" retains an energetic pulse for "Battering Ram", bringing in a bit of Eighties-bound power rock melody (LION, for example). The 5:51 "To the End" lumbers on a set of pounding, ZEPPELIN-ish riffs for the choruses, while reverting to more aromatic verses. It's a complex coupling that works despite the awkward transitions. "Kingdom of the Cross" strays and sojourns for 6:08 as Byford and the band powerfully hit upon World War I, using poetic parables of The Crusades, from where they derive their name.

Bouncing out of "Battering Ram" with the loud stomper "Three Sheets to the Wind", SAXON proves they still have the gusto much less the guts to wave the NWOBHM banner as if time stands still for only them. There is such an appreciable gleam to this band that it's going to take the end of days before SAXON packs it in. God bless 'em, everyone.

Images Whitesnake "The Gypsy" (Official Video) - The Purple Tour 2015

Images MANOWAR: 'The Dawn Of Battle' Video From Brazil's MONSTERS OF ROCK Festival

Images New Song Premiere: DREAM THEATER's 'The Gift Of Music'

"The Gift Of Music", a brand new song from progressive metallers DREAM THEATER, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's thirteenth album, "The Astonishing", which will be released on January 29, 2016 via Roadrunner. The band has launched a mini-site for the CD, a full-blown rock-opera concept album focusing on various "characters" and spread over two "acts."
Asked what prompted the idea to make "The Astonishing" a rock-opera concept album so elaborate, with a full, detailed storyline, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci told RollingStone.com: "The idea to do a concept album as a band felt right. The last one we did [1999's 'Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory'] was about 15 years ago, and it really felt like we were in a good place to do this. I knew that what needed to happen, first and foremost, is that we had to have a story to base this on, because the idea of basing an album off of a loose concept or something that was sort of arbitrary, that didn't interest me at all. I wanted this not only to be a concept album, but really to write a full show. And to have all the elements in place, the story needs to drive that. We needed to have the storyline, a plot, places, characters, maps — you name it. So that started about two and a half years ago; it took about a year for me to get that story done and ready to present to the guys. And I wanted to write from a place that was familiar to me, so I knew that music had to play a role in the story somehow. I'm a huge fan of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, so I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to go. But it was a matter of really diving into it and working on it, revising and revising again, and working on it every day until I had something solid."
Petrucci also talked in more detail about the songwriting process for "The Atonishing". He said: "Because of the sheer volume of music — you're talking, when all's said and done, probably two hours, 10 minutes' worth of music — every step of this has been a huge process. I don't think I've had time to do anything else over the last year or so [laughs]! In order to do this right, I had to be really, really organized about it. Jordan [Rudess, keyboards] and I wrote the music as really a prog-metal score to the story. We didn't sit down and say, 'Let's write a song, here's the first chorus, whatever.' We would go through the story and say, "What's happening here, where is it taking place?" We had to make sure the mythology was right, the timeline was right. And that carried through on every level. When it came to presenting the orchestration to [veteran conductor and orchestrator] David Campbell and getting him involved; when it came to writing the lyrics, and then me having to go through it song by song, character by character; even things like the artwork, creating the map and all those different towns and cities and roads — every sort of level and layer took a lot of organization and focus."

"The Astonishing" track listing:

Act I
01. Descent Of The NOMACS
02. Dystopian Overture
03. The Gift Of Music
04. The Answer
05. A Better Life
06. Lord Nafaryus
07. A Savior In The Square
08. When Your Time Has Come
09. Act Of Faythe
10. Three Days
11. The Hovering Sojourn
12. Brother, Can You Hear Me?
13. A Life Left Behind
14. Ravenskill
15. Chosen
16. A Tempting Offer
17. Digital Discord
18. The X Aspect
19. A New Beginning
20. The Road To Revolution

Act II
01. 2285 Entr'acte
02. Moment Of Betrayal
03. Heaven’s Cove
04. Begin Again
05. The Path That Divides
06. Machine Chatter
07. The Walking Shadow
08. My Last Farewell
09. Losing Faythe
10. Whispers In The Wind
11. Hymn Of A Thousand Voices
12. Our New World
13. Power Down
14. Astonishing

DREAM THEATER has been working on the follow-up to 2013's self-titled album since January at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York. The band's guitarist, John Petrucci, told Revolver magazine: "The new album will be a further progression of the band's creative identity.
DREAM THEATER recently announced new tour dates for a momentous European headline run which is set to kick off February 18 at the Palladium in London, England. The winter run will see the prog-titans delivering a one-of-a-kind set in which they will be debuting "The Astonishing" live in its entirety. The unique tour is set to make stops at prestigious theaters around Europe, including Amsterdam's Carre Theater, Oslo's Konserthus, Stockholm's Cirkus,

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Images SLAYER - Recording Drums for REPENTLESS (OFFICIAL INTERVIEW)

Images SLAYER - Repentless (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

Images MANOWAR - The Heart of Steel MMXIV - OFFICIAL VIDEO

Images PRODUCT OF HATE – Blood Coated Concrete (Official Video) | Napalm Records

Images SLIPKNOT, LAMB OF GOD, GHOST, SEVENDUST, AUGUST BURNS RED Among GRAMMY AWARDS Nominees

SLIPKNOT, LAMB OF GOD, GHOST, SEVENDUST and AUGUST BURNS RED are among the nominees for the 58th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on February 15, 2016 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.
The nominees in the "Best Metal Performance" category are as follows:

Band: AUGUST BURNS RED
Song: "Identity"
Track from: "Found In Far Away Places"
Label: Fearless Records
Band: GHOST
Song: "Cirice"
Track from: "Meliora"
Label: Loma Vista Recordings
Band: LAMB OF GOD
Song: "512"
Track from: "VII: Sturm Und Drang"
Label: Epic Records
Band: SEVENDUST
Song: "Thank You"
Track from: "Kill The Flaw"
Label: 7Bros Records
Band: SLIPKNOT
Song: "Custer"
Track from: ".5: The Gray Chapter"
Label: Roadrunner Records

This year's Grammy Awards process registered more than 21,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015).
As the only peer-based music award, the Grammy Awards are voted on by The Academy's membership body of creators across all disciplines of music, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers. Final-round Grammy ballots will be mailed December 16.
This year, Kendrick Lamar leads nominations with 11, followed by Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, who each earn seven. Additionally, music producer/songwriter Max Martin receives six nominations and mastering engineer Tom Coyne, rapper Drake, and engineers/mixers Serban Ghenea and John Hanes each earn five nominations.
"The diversity in the creative community is what makes music a universal language, and it's gratifying to see the vibrancy of today's artistic landscape reflected in this year's nominations — a testament to The Academy's voting members," said Neil Portnow, president/CEO of The Recording Academy. "Artists are pushing boundaries in exciting ways, making it an exceptionally strong year for music."

The eclectic nature of this year's nominations is perhaps best exemplified in the "Album Of The Year" category, where nominees range from the alternative and soulful rock of ALABAMA SHAKES to Lamar's thought-provoking jazz-infused rap, the classic country sounds of Chris Stapleton, the pop emergence of Swift, and the genre-bending R&B style of The Weeknd.
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the Grammy Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture.
Last year's Grammy in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category went to TENACIOUS D, who were nominated for their cover version of the DIO classic "The Last In Line", from the "Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life" tribute album.
TENACIOUS D beat out several notable metal acts, including ANTHRAX, which was nominated for its own contribution to "Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life", a cover of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Neon Knights".

 blabbermouth.net

Images Video Premiere: DISTURBED's Cover Version Of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's 'The Sound Of Silence'

Images Y&T - Contagious [HQ with CD quality sound]

Images Killer Dwarfs - Dirty Weapons

Images Documentary About TWISTED SISTER's Early Days Gets Release Date

The TWISTED SISTER movie "We Are Twisted F*cking Sister!" a documentary film by Andrew Horn, will be released in Europe on January 29, 2016 via Monoduo Films. The 137-minute film (along with over two hours of bonus material) will be available on VOD (iTunes and Vimeo On Demand) and as a DVD (Amazon Europe and Monoduo Films shop).
"We Are Twisted F*cking Sister!" recounts the untold story of TWISTED SISTER's beginnings. Once upon a time, they were the GRAND FUNK of glam and the NEW YORK DOLLS of metal. Some considered TWISTED SISTER a joke; others called them the greatest bar band in the world. While the microcosm of punk/new wave was taking over New York City in the mid-'70s and early '80s, TWISTED SISTER was battling its way to the top of a vast — and unique to its time — suburban, cover-band bar scene that surrounded New York City in a 100-mile radius, yet existed in a parallel universe. Guitarist Jay Jay French says: "The history of TWISTED is really our 10 years clawing our way through the bar scene. It's who we are, and it's why we are, and why we do what we do."

 


 blabbermouth.net

Images DEEP PURPLE: 'The Vinyl Collection' Due In January

Universal Music Catalogue has announced the January 2016 release of DEEP PURPLE "The Vinyl Collection". This seven-LP collection features the group's albums spanning the period 1972-1987, remastered from the original tapes (including the first official remasters of titles "Perfect Strangers" and "The House Of The Blue Light"). Pressed on 180-gram vinyl, they come complete with original inserts within replica sleeves and are housed together in a sturdy, deluxe box. Each album will also be made available as a standalone title.
Formed in Hertford, England in 1968, DEEP PURPLE is widely considered, alongside LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH, as pioneers of heavy metal and modern rock. Still active today, the group has survived many lineup changes over the years and has launched the careers of many high-ranking rock performers, including Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale and Ian Gillan.

"The Vinyl Collection" features:

* "Machine Head"
* "Who Do We Think We Are"
* "Burn"
* "Stormbringer"
* "Come Taste The Band"
* "Perfect Strangers"
* "The House Of The Blue Light"

"The Vinyl Collection" is available to pre-order now.

 blabbermouth.net

Images All That Remains - Victory Lap (Official Music Video)

Images ZAKK WYLDE

Images OZZY OSBOURNE: 'People Aren't Really Interested' In Hearing New Music From BLACK SABBAT

BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne spoke to Australia's News.com.au about the band's decision to embark on one final tour next year before calling it quits. He said: "It's the end of SABBATH and people have been asking, 'Well, I thought you were doing an album. But the things we've discovered are — number one: People aren't really interested in hearing new stuff and number two: If we were to do an album before the tour, it would take three or four years to complete the album. We want to end it on a high note."
He continued: "I'd rather end it now though than drag it out for another five albums. I mean I'm 67 in December. When we started out, I thought, 'This thing will be all right for a year or two.'
"One of my greatest memories of anything SABBATH was that we were a band that weren't created by some London fucking business dickhead. We were four guys in different bands and we all got together and made a record.
"I remember being in a pub in Birmingham and the manager at the time said to me, 'I have some news for you. Your album is entering the British charts at Number 17 next week.' I went, 'Fuck off! You're winding me up.' It remained in the Top Ten for over a year and none of us have looked back since."
Asked how he reacted to seeing SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi fighting cancer, Ozzy said: "When Tony was diagnosed with lymphoma, we are all, 'Oh God, why now?' But in saying that, we all got around him.
"He said to us, 'Look, If I sit at home in my house thinking I'm going to die, I'll fucking probably will die.'
"He's a different person to everyone else — he's one of those guys who say, 'What do I have to do to fucking beat this?'
"I mean, there's never been a leader of BLACK SABBATH, but I suppose in the early days, it was him. But don't forget, in the very early days, he left and joined JETHRO TULL, but then he told them to go fuck themselves and came back.
"He has courage in his own conviction. He's fucking unbelievable."
Ozzy also confirmed in the same interview that he has no intentions of retiring anytime soon and he revealed that he is "going to do a solo album and a solo tour."
Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone recently told Billboard.com that Osbourne is working on a "really special album." She added, "It's going to be amazing. It's something Ozzy has never done before that he's always wanted to do."
Ozzy has not released an all-new solo album since 2010's "Scream", having spent the last few years touring with BLACK SABBATH and recording that band's "13" album.
Ozzy will rejoin SABBATH in early 2016 for what is being dubbed as that band's farewell tour, which kicks off on on January 20 in Omaha, Nebraska. A second leg of North American dates commencing on August 17 in Wantagh, New York was unveiled in October.

 blabbermouth.net

Images MOTÖRHEAD "Bad Magic" (UDR Music)

01. Victory or Die
02. Thunder & Lightning
03. Fire Storm Hotel
04. Shoot Out
05. The Devil
06. Electricity
07. Evil Eye
08. Teach Them How to Bleed
09. Till the End
10. Tell Me Who to Kill
11. Choking On Your Screams
12. When the Sky Comes Looking for You
13. Sympathy for the Devil

Lemmy, Mikkey and "Wizzo". They are MOTÖRHEAD, much as the band was Lemmy, "Philthy" and Clarke from the self-titled "Motorhead" through to "Iron Fist". The thing is, the current MOTÖRHEAD lineup has been together a hell of a long time—longer than many metal and hard rock bands. One thing you can guarantee, no matter who's been up to the plate in this treasured act, a MOTÖRHEAD album isn't going to suck. Sucking is simply not in Lemmy Kilmister's vocab. Argue all you want against "Another Perfect Day", it's still a gem and Robbo deserves an apology from the boo birds after all these years.
Here we are on the verge of what may be MOTÖRHEAD's swan song, both onstage and on record. If you've caught the band live over the years, savor the memories, just in case. It's no secret that Lemmy's deaf-forever road-dog mindset is finally catching up to him. Recent live cancellations and premature stoppages due to his current health shakes have MOTÖRHEAD fans worried sick. First and foremost, we should all care about the man's welfare. Even if he has made his peace, given the bombast and the random lyrical concession of Lemmy's own mortality on the band's latest album, "Bad Magic".
If we're to critique "Bad Magic" on the basis of Kilmister's possible forced retirement, then let us say that he, Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell have plenty to give their audience. Even if it's mostly the same MOTÖRHEAD album they've been releasing year-in-and-year-out. As with 2013's red-hot "Aftershock", MOTÖRHEAD plays its best-laid cards with a few variations from their trusted hands. In less eloquent terms, it kicks mondo ass.
For the most part, "Bad Magic" cranks on all cylinders, hitting an obligatory thrasher with "Thunder & Lightning" and dropping a deafening quasi-ballad with "Till the End". Surrounding them are tireless poppers such as "Victory or Die", "Evil Eye" "Teach Them How to Bleed", "Electricity", "Tell Me Who to Kill" and "The Devil".
Production is a mite slack in spots—to the point where Lemmy is drowned out—in other places, he exhibits the vocal wear and tear of a man whose long-beaten, gravelly pipes are betraying him due to a natural aging process. Lemmy is a freak of nature, and it's great to hear him ralph, croon and snarl with a give-a-damn will to live—you're a total piece of crap if you knock a guy who has given us his all for decades. He remains one of the most fearsome bassists on the planet; if his plugs on the grubby "Choking on Your Screams" aren't enough din for you: piss off!
"Bad Magic" may or may not be MOTÖRHEAD's final outing. Lemmy slogs not so much his atonement but acknowledgement of a maverick's life on "Thunder & Lightning", "Fire Storm Hotel" and "Till the End", prompting concerns about whether or not he's made his final peace with his rock ego. If MOTÖRHEAD keeps going beyond this point, it's because Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey simply haven't had enough. They know what they mean to heavy music, and "Bad Magic" is as solid as anything this band in any of its inceptions has churned out. Phil Campbell still lays down the greasiest solos in any genre, while Mikkey Dee remains a champion on the kit, hitting his fullest chops on the badass, tempo-mad "Shoot Out All of Your Lights".
Their meh cover of THE ROLLING STONES's "Sympathy for the Devil" notwithstanding, MOTÖRHEAD delivers a nasty, sometimes grimy, slab that should make fans smile. At this point, who the hell cares if MOTÖRHEAD puts out the same album? "Evil Eye" and "Teach Them How to Bleed" have been written countless times before, yet they continue to slay with a manic energy that can't be replicated by many bands half their age. MOTÖRHEAD has been given a pass for decades since there's no questioning their conviction. If you come to "Bad Magic" expecting anything less than ear-blasting, unstinting rock 'n' roll from the best piss rockers in the business, then take a damn hike: you never belonged here.

blabbermouth.net

Images Motörhead - Till The End (Bad Magic 2015)

Images Motörhead - Sympathy For The Devil (Bad Magic 2015) - Rolling Stones Cover

Images MICHAEL MONROE "Blackout States" (Spinefarm)

01. This Ain't No Love Song
02. Old King's Road
03. Goin' Down With the Ship
04. Keep Your Eye On You
05. The Bastard's Bash
06. Gold Old Bad Days
07. R.L.F.
08. Blackout States
09. Under the Northern Lights
10. Permanent Youth
11. Dead Hearts On Denmark Street
12. Six Feet in the Ground
13. Walk Away

As one of the frontrunners of glam rock, Michael Monroe is still on a roll. His look may be out of step with modern rock conventions, but that's never seemed to faze him. Whether it's HANOI ROCKS, DEMOLITION 23, JERUSALEM SLIM or in this case his solo work, Monroe does his thing and more often than not, it works.
On his latest album, "Blackout States", his trusted right-hand man, Sami Yaffa, joins Monroe. Yaffa has, of course, played with HANOI ROCKS and DEMOLITION 23 along with Joan Jett and the second incarnation of the NEW YORK DOLLS. Also in Monroe's posse is drummer Karl Rockfist (who has backed up Glenn Danzig and Joan Osborne) along with guitarists Steve Conte and Rich Jones. Conte's teeming resume includes filling in for Johnny Thunders in the NEW YORK DOLLS, while Jones has spent time playing with Ginger Wildheart and THE BLACK HALOS.
The band gets in your face on track one with the snarling but peppy "This Ain't No Love Song". Michael Monroe invites his listeners to sing along to a fast-whipping punk groove and its catchiness is contagious. "Old King's Road" drops back a couple of clicks but Sami Yaffa's warbling bass lines and Karl Rockfist's slapped-out tempo gives the song's punk pulse a hard heave. Steve Conte and Rich Jones's riffs are sparkly here and on the following cut, "Goin' Down With the Ship". The latter song is a steady, pop-driven trad rocker, which Monroe fields with as much glee as the song's up-tempo harmonies.
As the album gradually slows into the conventional "Keep Your Eye On You", Michael Monroe's vocals refine alongside the guitars, which plug into pop-rocking chord patterns from yesteryear, hitting a minute sense of urgency during the solo section. As compared to the old HANOI ROCKS years, "Keep Your Eye On You" is rather tame, yet the next track, "The Bastard's Bash" has much more fang. Here, Michael Monroe and company ride a set of dirty chords mingling HANOI ROCKS with T-REX: nasty fun. Ditto for the glam-slammed pining for home, "Dead Hearts On Denmark Street" later in the album.
Even more pleasurable is the springing, MOTORHEAD-spun "R.L.F. ". This one ought to induce mini riots in clubs once Michael Monroe's fans learn the acronym constituting the song's unruly choruses. The title track falls into calmer waters, mingling punk and blues, and given a hearty pump by Sami Yaffa's bass leads. "Under the Northern Lights" fakes a ballad with a whispery intro but quickly sways into a tempered NEW YORK DOLLS-driven number.

What's successful about this album is its rolling dynamics. "Permanent Youth" is another switcheroo that allows the band to lull along behind Michael Monroe with bass knocking and back-and-forth chord progressions set to a likeable groove. Monroe's shrieking sax solo in the middle of the number is Springsteen-esque, but "Permanent Youth" is still punk in nature and Michael Monroe treats it like a personal anthem.
For a guy who never really indulged in a rocker's vices, Monroe's always managed to project like he's been acclimated with a crash and burn. Bearing witness over so many years of his career helps him interpret accordingly. Never developing a serious chemical addiction, is likely one reason why Monroe continues to sound like he matters when he records. Surrounding himself with a band that knows punk and rock measures, keeps Michael Monroe stuck in that state of permanent youth he yearns for on "Blackout States".

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Images Michael Monroe - Old King's Road

Images ANTHRAX To Discuss 'For All Kings' Album At 'BackStory' Event In New York City

BackStory has teamed up with ANTHRAX for a live interview event focusing on the band's upcoming eleventh studio album, "For All Kings", on January 13, 2016 at AOL studios in New York City.
Guests will enjoy a seat at an exclusive live interview, a meet-and-greet with participating members of ANTHRAX, plus complimentary beverages.
The interview will be conducted by Brad Tolinski. Best known as the editor in chief of Guitar World magazine for 25 years, Tolinski is a respected journalist and the author of "Light And Shade: Conversations With Jimmy Page".
For more information, go to this location.
"For All Kings" will be released on February 26, 2016 via Nuclear Blast.
Beginning in the fall of 2014, ANTHRAX — Charlie Benante (drums), Scott Ian (rhythm guitar), Frank Bello (bass), Joey Belladonna (vocals), and lead guitarist Jon Donais — took their time in the studio recording the follow up to their Grammy-nominated, critically acclaimed 2011 album, "Worship Music". The band recorded some 20 original songs, almost twice as many as they had ever brought into the studio in the past.
ANTHRAX recently joined "Big Four" comrades SLAYER on a seven-week European tour that kicked off on October 25.

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Images CHRIS CORNELL: SOUNDGARDEN Will Work On New Album After Solo Tour End

According to The Pulse Of Radio, singer Chris Cornell has told Australia's The Advertiser that SOUNDGARDEN will resume work on its seventh studio album as soon as he finishes touring behind his latest solo effort, "Higher Truth". The band already began working on new material earlier this year for the follow-up to 2012's "King Animal".
SOUNDGARDEN has taken a more relaxed approach toward recording and touring ever since it reunited in 2010, which Cornell told The Pulse Of Radio he appreciated. "That made me feel a lot like it did when we initially were writing and making records, you know, and playing shows, 'cause it never felt like a job," he said. "That was how SOUNDGARDEN started — we didn't consider what we did a job and we didn't think of it in terms of business. So it felt a lot like that again."
Cornell is currently on tour in Australia and will come home to play a handful of U.S. shows before the holiday break.
He is scheduled to tour Europe in April and May of 2016, so it's not clear whether SOUNDGARDEN will start recording in the first quarter of the year or after he returns from that trek next spring.
Cornell told The Advertiser. "It's great to be able to do the SOUNDGARDEN stuff and my solo career simultaneously. That's what makes me lucky as a performer. As soon as this album cycle is over, I'm working on SOUNDGARDEN songs for an album. I get to do a lot of different things and it feels like I get to have my cake and eat it too."
"Higher Truth" is Cornell's fourth studio solo set and contains the Top 5 rock radio single "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart".

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Images Cocaine, Sleeping Pills, Other Drugs Found On SCOTT WEILAND's Bus

According to TMZ.com, a number of drugs were found on Scott Weiland's tour bus shortly after his death, including at least two bags of cocaine and the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. The site obtained a copy of the search warrant the Bloomington, Minnesota police got to search Weiland's bus, and it shows they also found a generic version of Xanax; two different brands of sleeping pills; and buprenorphine, a drug that is supposed to stop the cravings and withdrawal symptoms that come with addiction. There was also ziprasidone, which is used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Scott was diagnosed as bipolar in 2001. The police also found a bag of "a green leafy substance," which is presumably marijuana. Everything except for the pot was found in a bedroom on the bus. The document doesn't indicate if it was the bedroom that Weiland was found dead in.
Weiland was 48 years old at the time of his death.
A cause of death for the singer, who struggled for most of his adult life with drugs and alcohol, has yet to be determined. Police in Minnesota have said it could take "four to eight weeks" for the former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman's toxicology report to come back.
Weiland was on tour with THE WILDABOUTS in Minnesota when he was found unresponsive shortly before 9:00 p.m. They had been scheduled to perform Thursday night at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina, Minnesota. However, that concert was canceled more than a week earlier because of slow ticket sales, according to StarTribune.com. The group was set to perform in Rochester on Friday (December 4) at the Wicked Moose.
Both of Scott's former bands, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER, issued statements on his passing, while musicians and fans around the world have also posted tributes.

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cocaine-sleeping-pills-other-drugs-found-on-scott-weilands-bus/#iducvBaTpAJ1bx4i.99

 

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