A track-by-track breakdown of "Eternal Defiance", the new album from German melodic folk/death metallers SUIDAKRA, can be seen below. Due on May 24 via AFM Records, the CD's cover artwork was created by [famous Belgian graphic artist] Kris Verwimp and can be seen below.
"Eternal Defiance" track listing:
01. Storming The Walls 02. Inner Sanctum 03. Beneath The Red Eagle 04. March Of Conquest 05. Pair Dadeni 06. The Mindsong 07. Rage For Revenge 08. Dragon’s Head 09. Defiant Dreams 10. Damnatio Memoriae 11. Mrs Mcgrath (bonus track)
Commented SUIDAKRA singer Arkadius Antonik: "As on the previous two releases, it will be a concept album again, created by Kris Verwimp in cooperation with us. Our new concept includes a lot of new elements and suprises which will be reflected in the music as well."
In a 2012 interview with Metal Kaoz, Antonik stated about SUIDAKRA's new material: "The songs … are bombastic and we also finished the first song with Tina's [Stabel] female vocals. This time, it's gonna be a faster song with a real epic and catchy chorus."
Bassist Marcus Riewaldt last year announced his departure from SUIDAKRA. He said in a statement, "After more than 250 shows and 10 years being in the band, I feel that now time has come to change my priorities a bit and see what else life has to offer for me. No hard feelings involved; it's just that I cannot motivate myself for another writing-rehearsing-recording-promoting-touring cycle and that I'm really annoyed by some of the music business mechanisms that one has to deal with in order to continue this beautiful and exciting, but at the same time very time- and energy-consuming hobby. I wish SUIDAKRA much luck and success for the future — it would all be well deserved!"
SUIDAKRA has already secured a replacement bassist in Tim Siebrecht, who was a stand-in guitar player for SUIDAKRA on several occasions in recent years.
SUIDAKRA's tenth album, "Book Of Dowth", was released on March 25, 2011 via AFM Records.
Arutz Sheva conducted an interview with SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo prior to his May 1 drum clinic at the Barby Club in Tel Aviv, Israel. A couple of excerpts fom the chat follow below.
Arutz Sheva: You were born in Havana and grew up in a Cuban family. Did you grown up in a traditional religious Cuban family?
Lombardo: Yes, very traditional. My dad never even learned English. He just went to work, found a job, worked for a family, bought a house, and then retired. He lived the American dream without speaking a word of English. It still amazes me. My mom can speak some English, but not too much. So the home was fully Cuban. I heard Spanish all the time. When I stepped outside the house, I was in America and when I came home, it was Cuban music, Cuban food, and television in Spanish.
Arutz Sheva: Your family left Cuba when you were 2 years old. Why did they move to California rather then Florida or Union City, New Jersey where there were established Cuban-American communities?
Lombardo: Let me tell you the story. In the late 1950s, in Cuba, they started to teach Communism in schools. So my mom and dad sent my older brothers and my sisters to America. This program was called Pedro Pan [Operation Peter Pan]. So my siblings were among the Pedro Pan children. They were sent to California. That's why we ended up there later. When my siblings left, my parents said to them, "We'll see you in five months." But Russia was sending missiles to the island and the Cuban Missile Crisis happened. The wall went up, and they stopped all flights going out of Cuba. So my mom and dad didn't get to see my brothers for five years. They were 10 and 13 years old at the time. That's how we ended up in California, because they were with a foster family there. My father was forced to shut down his business because of communism. My siblings were away, the family was almost destroyed. My mom and dad had terrible fights and arguments about everything. They were going to get a divorce. And then my mother became pregnant with me.
Arutz Sheva: How did you discover your musical talent?
Lombardo: There was a lot of music played in my house and in the Cuban clubs. There were always bands playing. I would always stand backstage and watch them. My mom would always say, "Davey, go outside, go dance with the girls, go play with the kids!" I would say, "No, mom, I wanna watch the band!" Cuban music is a very passionate music. You play very fast with a lot of emotions. Even certain parts of famous SLAYER songs come from Cuban music. I didn't take lessons. I taught myself by listening to music, watching the drummers and studying different musicians, not by notes and paper. I think listening is so important.
Arutz Sheva: So how did you end up in the world of heavy metal music?
Lombardo: The power and the aggression attracted me. I would hear a song on the radio, and if it was powerful, I would go and buy it. For example, when I heard LED ZEPPELIN's "The Wanton Song", I had to buy it. I remember being excited when "Killers" from IRON MAIDEN came out. They looked scary and I was fascinated by that. Now that I'm older, I listen to more mellow music. I like a lot of Latin jazz, Chucho Valdés, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D'Rivera, Michel Camilo, and a lot of the classic Cuban music, and I draw from that. I would love to do a project with Latin artists. And an interesting project could happen with Yossi [Sassi of the Israeli band ORPHANED LAND].
Read the entire interview from Arutz Sheva. You can also listen to the chat using the audio played below.
When a scientist discovers a new and unknown fossil, he gets to give it a scientific name. Some choose a name that reflects the shape of the animal, some choose a name that relates to where it's found, and others choose to name them after their favorite rock stars.
A new exhibition, "Heavy Metal And Punk Fossils", explores this more amusing part of natural history by focusing on a series of bizarre fossils that all are named in honor of rock stars. One of the pieces on display will be a 420-million-year-old worm with huge jaws, which carries the name Kingnites Diamondi, named by Professor Mats Eriksson, from Lund, Sweden, after the Danish metal maestro King Diamond. Another equally old and ferocious-looking worm is named Kalloprion Kilmisteri, after Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister of MOTÖRHEAD. Other fossils that are portrayed in the exhibition are named after members of AC/DC, BAD RELIGION, SEX PISTOLS, and RAMONES. And although not very metal, a fiercely looking dinosaur, Masikasaurus Knopfleri, is named after Mark Knopfler from DIRE STRAITS.
The exhibition portrays the story behind the fossils, the rock stars and the scientists behind the names, and the funny anecdotes about why they choose the names they did.
The exhibition is being held as a cooperation between Dr. Jesper Milàn, curator at Geomuseum Faxe and Esben Horn from 10Tons Aps, a company specializing in zoological and palaeontological reconstructions who built models for the exhibition.
Professor Mats Eriksson from Lund, Sweden, Dr. Gregory Edgdecombe, Natural History Museum in London and Dr. Jingmai O'Connor from Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology in Beijing have been scientific supervisors on the project.
The "Heavy Metal And Punk Fossils" exhibition will open on June 9 at Geomuseum Faxe in Faxe, Denmark.
"Oscillation", the seventh full-length album from Norwegian metallers TRAIL OF TEARS, will be released in North America on June 11 via Massacre Records. The CD, which was made available in Europe on April 26, was recorded last year at Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes.
The "Oscillation" cover art was created by Finnish artist Jan Yrlund and can be seen below.
TRAIL OF TEARS singer Cathrine Paulsen revealed in a January 2013 online posting that the band's other vocalist, Ronny Thorsen, had "decided to leave TRAIL OF TEARS." She added: "The reason for his decision has been various problems during the making of 'Oscillation', where Ronny have contributed with lyrics and vocals.
"The making of the album has been a very hard process on all of us. Ronny Thorsen felt the prosess was going too slow. Meanwhile, others have worked very hard to finish it. This major contrast between those who have spent almost every day during the last three years to make the album as good as possible, and those who have been more busy pushing some in the band to the edge of breakdown, is the main reason in this conflict."
In a separate online posting, Thorsen disputed Paulsen's account, saying that "a certain female singer has lost her final remaining piece of sanity. It is indeed fascinating how much nonsense and lies one person is able to spew forth.
"In all honesty, the working climate within the band has indeed been difficult for a while. This has been the case for quite some time and the whole thing escalated when Cathrine and guitarist Bjørn Erik Næss became a couple about a year ago and started forming their own little alliance within the band.
"It was a mutual decision amongst the members that we were going to finalize and release this new album and then go our separate ways as it was no longer possible to see eye to eye on how to run this band.
"I want to make it perfectly clear that I had every intention to do just that, to release one last killer album and then for everyone to go on with other musical endeavours. This, obviously, was not possible."
SYSTEM OF A DOWN has released the following statement:
"Earlier today, Shavo [Odadjian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist] posted a few statements on his personal Facebook page that do not reflect the sentiments of SYSTEM OF A DOWN as a collective band. These were misleading statements that were made during a temporary state of bad judgment on his part alone. To be clear, the full band lineup of Serj [Tankian, vocals], Daron [Malakian, guitar/vocals], Shavo and John [Dolmayan, drums] will be performing all scheduled tour dates. With respect to new SOAD music, although we have not agreed on a timetable for a new album, we all believe that having the four of us do it together is the way to be true to the band and our fans."
SYSTEM OF A DOWN last released new music in 2005 on the "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" albums, going on hiatus the following year.
The band reunited in 2011 for touring purposes and will spend the summer on a European festival circuit, while performing only one North American show in 2013 at California's famed Hollywood Bowl.
In a series of postings on his Facebook page, Shavo wrote: "OK... I'll come clean.. It's not us (meaning Daron [Malakian, guitar/vocals], John [Dolmayan, drums] or Shavo!!) It's Serj who doesn't want to do a new album!!!! So please stop harassing us about it!!! We are just waiting for Serj! Now he might hate me for exposing the truth, but I had to..
"Sorry, folks!!! We're trying to get a new album out, it's just not passing Serj's rules! Kinda funny, since we started the band and now he's holding us back!! I think we should should release another album again??? As for me.. I'm ready to release one with someone who wants to be the singer of SYSTEM, not someone we have to beg to be a part of SYSTEM!!
"So with that in mind, what do you guys [think] we should do? Just remember, he's been holding us back for seven years so far. Wanna wait another 4-5 years? Or shall we release a record without Serj? You tell us.
"I don't want to make a record without him... but if he's not down? Should the three of us just sit and wait?? Not cool!!!!!!!! I want the fans from all over the world, including Brazil, to tell us what they think. No SYSTEM? Or SYSTEM with with a new singer who's just as good, if not better? PLUS new SYSTEM songs and tours???? Please give me your opinion, people!!! Is SYSTEM better with no singer or someone who is excited to be our new singer?? You decide.,. 'cause I'm confused!!!
"No diss to Serj. If he wants to be in the band, then he's welcome, but if he's not? What do you expect us three to do? We really want another SYSTEM record! Wish Serj was down, but if he's not, then I'm going ahead and making a SYSTEM record without him!!! I'm furious that he let us down like this, but we gotta do something to keep this great band alive!!! Agreed?"
Tankian last year had a message for SYSTEM OF A DOWN fans waiting for a new album: don't hold your breath. In an interview with Loudwire, Tankian explained, "We haven't made plans of recording the new record as of yet. When we do, everyone will know. We haven't really discussed another record as of now with any of the guys, really. It's something that, when it's the right time, we'll do it. Right now I'm busy with my own stuff and that's gonna take me a bit, but when it's the right time, everyone will know. I don't even want to say there's [a new SYSTEM album] coming because we haven't really talked about it."
Although rumors have circulated for years about animosity within the band, drummer John Dolmayan told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the members of SYSTEM are still friends. "I think a part of it is people like drama, you know. They look for it, and they want drama involved, they want SYSTEM to have problems. There's a lot of haters out there, let's face it, and as much as the fans really want the band to get together just so that they can see and enjoy the music again, there's also just as many people that would like to see us not getting along and, you know, no hope of reuniting."
Tankian told Loudwire that SYSTEM's recent tours have been a "blast," adding, "I think we've played better because of it. There was new excitement in playing together and all of the shows have been really great. Everyone's told us that we sound better than we did in 2006 when we left off, so I think it's great."
"Silence Will Make You Suffer", the new video from Brazilian metallers HIBRIA, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Luis Mário Fontoura, and features cinematography by Livia Santos, art direction by Ana Musa and post-production and editing by Denise Marchi.
"Silence Will Make You Suffer" comes off HIBRIA's new album, which will be released in Brazil on July 1 via Voice Music. The CD, whose title will be revealed in the coming days, will be made available in Japan on June 26 through King Records.
HIBRIA's new effort was recorded at Hibria and Cidade Baixa Studios with the band's guitarist, Renato Osorio, handling production duties. The mixing was handled by Benhur Lima while the mastering was taken care of by Mike Couzzi.
HIBRIA's third album, "Blind Ride", was released in January 2011 via King Records in Japan.
Bishop of the 92.7 WQLZ radio station conducted an interview with SEVENDUST this past Saturday, May 18 at Boondocks in Springfield, Illinois. You can now watch the chat below.
SEVENDUST's ninth studio album, "Black Out The Sun", sold 27,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD, which arrived in stores on March 26 via the band's 7Bros. Records in conjunction with ADA Label Services, was recorded at Architekt Music studios in Butler, New Jersey with engineer Mike Ferretti.
In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, SEVENDUST guitarist John Connolly stated about "Black Out The Sun": "It has a totally different vibe about it. It's darker, but with a little bit of hope. There's always that light at the end of the tunnel. When I listen to it, it's almost like a greatest-hits record of songs you've never heard before. There's an album that every one of those songs could potentially live on. There's some stuff that sounds like it might belong on 'Home', some that sounds like 'Seasons'. Then there are some 'Alpha' moments as well."
Added SEVENDUST guitarist Clint Lowery: "We didn't over-think the record. It has a spontaneous feel. It has the spirit of our older records, but it's evolved as well. If you're already a fan, it caters to the elements you've always liked. We're proud of this album."
Asked about the songwriting approach for the CD, Lowery said: "It usually comes from an idea or a riff that John or I start. It's us coming up with beats and constructing the skeletal idea of the song from there. Then we'd get the band together to play it with everyone. By that point we'd start arranging it, and vocals are the last thing."
Added Connolly: "There was definitely no shortage of ideas. For this record, we had a writing area behind the live drums in the studio. Whenever someone was in the studio working on parts, any number of us would gather in this writing station and map things out right there on the spot. This was one of those albums where on Monday 'Decay' didn't exist and by the end of Tuesday night, it was there."
Guitarist/vocalist Michael Poulsen of Danish/American metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT was interviewed by Terrie Carr for the latest edition of "Box Of Rock" on WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey. You can now watch the chat below.
VOLBEAT will take part in this summer's Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance Tour alongside HIM, ALL THAT REMAINS and AIRBOURNE.
"The fans have made our North American visits thus far this year great fun and truly memorable," Poulsen said in a statement. "We are looking forward to headlining Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance festival tour this summer, and sharing the stage with HIM, ALL THAT REMAINS and AIRBOURNE."
VOLBEAT's fifth studio album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", sold 39,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on April 9 via Universal Republic
Former ANTHRAX axeman Rob Caggiano, who was a producer on the new disc, recently joined the band as its new guitarist. He replaces guitarist Thomas Bredahl, who was given his walking papers in November 2011.
The new disc follows up 2010's "Beyond Hell/Above Heaven", which featured three No. 1 rock radio hits, "A Warrior's Call", "Still Counting" and "Heaven Nor Hell".
"Lonely Planet", a song co-written by BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi which was recently chosen as Armenia's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest, placed 18th in the competition's final, which was held this past Saturday, May 18 in Malmö, Sweden.
Iommi wrote the music and Vardan Zadoyan penned the lyrics for the track, which was performed live by DORIANS. Each year member countries submit songs to be performed live on television and radio and then votes are cast to determine the most popular track in the competition.
Iommi recently told Birmingham Mail that he was surprised when the Armenians chose "Lonely Planet" — a song he wrote more than five years ago — as their Eurovision contender.
"I was as shocked as anybody when they came knocking," he said. "They got in touch with me because of the charity work we've been doing out there, building a new music school to replace one wrecked by an earthquake. They asked if I'd got any spare songs. Well, I write loads of songs and they just get put away. They lie on a shelf because either they're not suitable for SABBATH or for another project, and never see the light of day. I searched out 'Lonely Planet' — it’s a bit of a power ballad — and sent it off. I was surprised when it made the shortlist and gobsmacked when the people of Armenia voted for it. With a little luck, who knows, it might win."
Iommi and DEEP PURPLE/ex-BLACK SABBATH singer Ian Gillan have spent a lot of time in Armenia, fallen in love with the country and the people and have dedicated a lot of work to a nation still shocked after the earthquake that struck Armenia on December 7, 1988.
Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen will release her new album, "Colours In The Dark", in Europe on August 23 via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group. The CD wil be made available in North America on August 27 through Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records.
The cover artwork for "Colours In The Dark" was created by Dirk Rudolph and can be seen below. Also available is the artwork that will grace the CD's "special edition."
Despite her light and shiny personality, Tarja's music has always been dressed "in black" — the color of heavy rock, of mystery and elegance.
With Tarja's new album, fans will find out what happens when a splice of color is added to the mix. Or — better said — when the full-color spectrum enters the picture it does not cover the black but makes it shine through with many emotions and landscapes.
Following up on the success of the multi-platinum and gold-awarded previous records "My Winterstorm" (2007) and "What Lies Beneath" (2010), Tarja finally returns with her long-awaited new rock album.
Mixed and mastered by Tim Palmer (PEARL JAM, U2) in Austin, Texas, the songs on "Colours In The Dark" do not shy away from taking a risk and surprising musical turns, introducing new sounds and new musical atmospheres. Still, they maintain a heaviness that will surely bring a big smile to the hardest of rockers. With its grand orchestra and choir arrangements, Tarja's next milestone emphasizes once again the impressive vocal range of the Finnish artist and shows her artistic growth. With ten brand new songs and over one hour of music, "Colours In The Dark" is definitely going to be one of the brightest moments for rock in 2013.
A lyric video for the song "Never Enough" was recently filmed in Zlin, Czech Republic and will make its online debut soon. Tarja says: "I didn't want to make a traditional, boring lyric video for the song, so I am going to appear on the video not just the lyrics of the song…. This video is not what we can call the official first music video from my new album, but just an improved version of a lyric video. The filming took only couple hours with Martin, who worked also on directing my first solo live rock DVD, 'Act I'."
In a recent interview with the Music Legends web site, Turunen stated about her upcoming CD: "I have just recently found my style and sound so I would like to establish it with the third studio album. The elements on the album will remain the same as in my previous albums, also the versatile style of songs. I like to keep the big dynamic changes between my songs, so that album songs feel radically different from each other.
"I am not stressed at all this time, even though I am producing the album on my own again. I have been lucky to gather around a group of musicians who are willing to work with me, so everything is going smoothly."
Tarja and her husband/manager Marcelo Cabuli recently became the parents of their first child.
"Act I" was released in North America on September 4, 2012 in 2-CD, 2-DVD and Blu-ray format via the Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records, in conjunction with earMUSIC.
Tarja's sophomore solo album, "What Lies Beneath", sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 24 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN and SAVATAGE mastermind Jon Oliva will release his first-ever solo album, "Raise The Curtain", on June 21 in Europe and July 2 in North America via AFM Records. The 11-song CD, which contains ideas collected over the course of the last four or five years, was tracked this past winter at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida with producer Tom Morris, with Jon handling laying down nearly all the instrument tracks and vocals himself as well as playing drums on three songs.
"Raise The Curtain" will be released simply under the banner OLIVA and you can expect a mixture of Jon's early influences and the material he wrote and recorded throughout his whole career.
"Raise The Curtain" track listing:
01. Raise The Curtain 02. Soul Chaser 03. Ten Years 04. Father Time 05. I Know 06. Big Brother 07. Armageddon 08. Soldier 09. Stalker 10. The Witch 11. Can't Get Away 12. The Truth (bonus track)
"Raise The Curtain" will be made available as a CD digipak (first pressing) and two-LP vinyl (gatefold, limited to 800 copies worldwide).
Check out the cover artwork below.
Commented JON OLIVA'S PAIN drummer/producer Christopher Kinder: "Oliva will be the first to admit that it took one hell of a challenge writing, performing 90% of all the tracks himself and vocals... he is exhausted, for sure."
He added: "It's a very interesting and powerful offering. Diverse, emotional, and varying styles of writing and music everywhere. A truly great accomplishment for the mountain king, indeed."
Last summer, JON OLIVA'S PAIN toured Europe where it celebrated the 25th anniversary of one of heavy metal's most iconic records, "Hall Of The Mountain King" by SAVATAGE. The band performed the entire album as a special one-time-only treat for the still massive amount of loyal fans, along with songs from the DOCTOR BUTCHER album (by Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery, released in 1995), SAVATAGE and JON OLIVA'S PAIN.
The official lyric video for "The Sinister Supremacy", the title track of the sixth album from Swedish thrashers DARKANE, can be seen below. The CD wil be released on the following dates:
* June 28 in Europe through Massacre Records * July 2 in North America through Prosthetic Records * June 19 in Japan through Trooper Entertainment
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Sounds Of Pre-Exsistence 02. The Sinister Supremacy 03. Mechanically Divine 04. Ostracized 05. The Decline 06. Insurrection Is Imminent 07. In The Absence Of Pain 08. Humanity Defined 09. Hate Repentance State 10. Collapse Of Illusions 11. By Darkness Designed 12. Existence Is Just A State Of Mind
Regarding the album's title, the band said: "'The Sinister Supremacy' is a metaphor for the evil that controls us. It's the dark part of our minds and it’s inside us all. It tells us it's OK to do bad things, to hurt other people, and hurt ourselves. It guides us into making choices based on pure selfishness, and it thrives on complete chaos.
"The cover art by Carlos Holmberg is a Rorschach test as seen by an individual who has completely succumbed to the sinister supremacy."
The first photo of the current lineup of DARKANE — featuring returning vocalist Lawrence Mackrory — can be seen below.
Vocalist Jens Broman left DARKANE in August 2011 due to "personal issues." He explained in a statement, "At the moment my life is in a phase where I'm unable to find inspiration for new adventures with DARKANE and therefore it's best for me to pass on the mic."
Mackrory sang on DARKANE's debut album, "Rusted Angel" (1999), and made a guest appearance on the song "Chaos vs. Order" on the band's 2002 effort "Expanding Senses".
"Demonic Art", the fifth album from DARKANE, debuted at No. 104 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
"Demonic Art" was released in North America in February 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records. The North America version of the CD, which came out in Europe on October 24, 2008 via Massacre Records, contains a bonus track and a bonus DVD.
"Where Dreams Go To Die", a brand new song from the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE, can be streamed below. The track comes off the band's new album, simply titled "Queensrÿche", which will be released on June 25 via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created by Craig Howell, who has previously worked on designs for "Star Wars", SLIPKNOT and "American Idol", to name a few.
"Queensrÿche" marks the debut release from the lineup comprised of La Torre (vocals; ex-CRIMSON GLORY), Michael Wilton (guitar), Parker Lundgren (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums). The drums for the album were recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington with producer James "Jimbo" Barton — the man who engineered and mixed the band's classic 1988 LP, "Operation: Mindcrime", and its 1990 follow-up, "Empire", and co-produced 1994's "Promised Land". The rest of the music and vocals were laid down at several different facilities on the West Coast.
"Queensrÿche" track listing:
01. X2 02. Where Dreams Go To Die 03. Spore 04. In This Light 05. Redemption 06. Vindication 07. Midnight Lullaby 08. A World Without 09. Don't Look Back 10. Fallout 11. Open Road
*** Standard Jewel Case Version Regular CD that includes a 4x4 patch.
*** Deluxe Box Set Edition CD (North America only)
Regular CD with the following bonus tracks:
* Queen Of The Reich (live) * En Force (live) * Prophecy (live) Housed in a small box with an exclusive patch, sticker, guitar pick and button pack.
*** 2-CD Media Book (For Europe only) Standard CD, plus 2nd CD with the following bonus tracks, all recorded live in Snoqualmie, WA on October 27, 2012:
01. Queen Of The Reich (live) 02. En Force (live) 03. Prophecy (live)
*** LP Version One LP with the standard cd inserted into the sleeve as a bonus.
Side A
01. X2 02. Where Dreams Go To Die 03. Spore 04. In This Light 05. Redemption 06. Vindication
Side B
01. Midnight Lullaby 02. A World Without 03. Don't Look Back 04. Fallout 05. Open Road 06. Queen Of The Reich (live) 07. En Force (live)
*** iTunes Digital Version Standard CD version, plus the following bonus tracks:
01. Queen Of The Reich (live) 02. En Force (live)
Fans were treated to a taste of the new album when the band released "Redemption" and it has been garnering praise ever since. The song has been listened to over 185,000 times on YouTube since it was unveiled in March.
Asked which album in QUEENSRŸCHE's catalog would most closely compare to what the band is doing now, drummer Scott Rockenfield told "Noize In The Attic": "Our big goal was, once we kind of made our transition last year and moved on as a band, and Todd being in the band, and our focus of the live shows and everything, it's always kind of been about looking at what really made QUEENSRŸCHE special. And for the live show, it's the old stuff. And we've been focusing a lot, in the show, doing that, for the last year, and we're continue to focus on doing that. On the record, I think the vein of what the record is a combination of all that great old stuff that we're kind of known best for. I mean, for me, I kind of summarize it by saying, to me, it's everything from the [debut] EP up to 'Empire', or maybe even 'Promised Land' at that point, which is, to me, the most defining catalog that we've ever done. And I think for this record, it's visiting that and taking that into the future."
Added guitarist Michael Wilton: "I also think that when you hear this record, each song is gonna be unique in its own. For people that have heard the single that's on YouTube called 'Redemption'. Everybody's asking, 'Is the album gonna sound just like that?' And I can say, 'No.' What's great about this record is that every individual here was in the creative process and the writing — there was no outside writers, like [there were] on the last few albums. And it really shows, and it's a real great blend of everybody's strength and their creative elements, and the songs are definitely reflective of the personalities of this band right now."
Continued Scott: "I think that's important. Especially what Michael was saying. I think the focus of that earlier stuff, there was a massive chemistry between all of us that really worked, and we wanted to find that chemistry again, 'cause we've, unfortunately, had to struggle with that the last few years. But we always knew that that's what we wanted to do, so now that we're able to do that, finding that chemistry and that energy that got us to make those records is what that energy now is in this record. And Michael's right: the songs, there's a great variety of things in it, but they're all QUEENSRŸCHE, they're all us doing it, it's our chemistry of working together."
Said Michael: "If you listen to all the other albums, like from 'Promised Land' back to the EP, you're gonna hear all these dynamics, from song after another song — you're gonna hear those dynamics, and that's the same sort of approach we wanted to take on this new one."
In part one of a new video interview, Bruce Kulick shows off the ESP guitars he used during his tenure in KISS. Check it out below.
In 1984, Bruce joined KISS, where he remained as their lead guitarist for twelve years, accompanying the band on the "Animalize" tour and continuing with the band until the 1996 reunion tour. Bruce is heavily featured on "Kissology – Vol. 2" and "Vol. 3", the band's DVDs spanning their historic 35-year career.
Kulick's third solo album, "BK3", was released in Europe in January 2010 via Frontiers Records and in North America in February 2010 through Twenty 4 Records/Rocket Science Ventures. The first single from the album, "Hand Of The King", featuring Nick Simmons (son of KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons), was a digital-only release available at all online music stores, including iTunes.
"...Like Clockwork", the title track of the new album from QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The CD is due out June 4 on Matador Records.
"...Like Clockwork" track listing:
01. Keep Your Eyes Peeled 02. I Sat By The Ocean 03. The Vampyre Of Time And Memory 04. If I Had A Tail 05. My God Is The Sun 06. Kalopsia 07. Fairweather Friends 08. Smooth Sailing 09. I Appear Missing 10. …Like Clockwork
Described by QUEENS principal Joshua Homme as "an audio documentary of a manic year," "...Like Clockwork" is the band¹s first full-length collection of all new material since 2007's "Era Vulgaris", as well as its debut release on new label partner Matador. The record can be pre-ordered on CD and vinyl. iTunes pre-orders will immediately receive "My God Is The Sun", which has been generating some early heat.
"…Like Clockwork" features guest appearances from Trent Reznor, Dave Grohl and other luminaries, including the legendary Elton John. The Pulse Of Radio asked QUEENS frontman Josh Homme how he snagged the iconic singer/songwriter to play on the record. "It actually stemmed from an old roommate of mine, who drives really high-end folks around now, and Elton was in the car listening to THEM CROOKED VULTURES, I guess," he said. "And his assistant was saying, 'Oh, you've got to hear QUEENS, the other band of this guy,' you know. And because my old roommate was driving the car, it was like, 'Do you want to talk to him?' And I just got a phone call at my house on a Sunday. You know, he said, 'The only thing missing from your band is an actual queen,' and I said, 'Honey, you have no idea.'"
The track that Elton plays on is called "Fairweather Friends".
Although it was initially reported that Dave Grohl played all the drum tracks on the new CD, Grohl only appears on selected songs. The rest of the drums are handled by Joey Castillo and Jon Theodore.
Other guests on the record include SCISSOR SISTERS singer Jake Shears, ARCTIC MONKEYS frontman Alex Turner and one-time QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE members Mark Lanegan and Nick Oliveri.
