GetYourRockOut.com conducted an interview with Californian blues-rockers RIVAL SONS at this year's Download festival, which was held June 8-10 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.

RIVAL SONS will release their new album, "Head Down", in late August via Earache Records. The CD was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with Grammy-nominated producer Dave Cobb (JAMIE JOHNSON, SHOOTER JENNINGS) and Grammy-wining engineer Vance Powell (JACK WHITE, THE WHITE STRIPES, KINGS OF LEON). The artwork was created by Jason Holley (JOSH RITTER, RAY LAMONTAGNE) and can be seen below.

Commented RIVAL SONS frontman Jay Buchanan: "We took a lyric from one of the songs that exemplified the process of making the record. 'Head down' comes from the term 'Keep your head down and keep on swinging.' I thought it was fitting and it works perfectly with the album cover."

Added guitarist Scott Holiday: "I began searching for the right artist for our cover on the interwebs, just mulling around, and very quickly came across Jason Holley. I saw a couple of covers that he had done for Josh Ritter and Ray LaMontagne, which I loved. I was immediately taken aback by his aesthetic and style and felt he had a few pieces already done that I would be into using. I sent some of his images over to Jay and he had the same immediate feeling I did… Which is pretty rare. He could have been from anywhere in the world, but he just so happened to live about 30 minutes away from me, so I gave him a ring and we started talking. We sent him the record and discussed ideas that we felt reflected the music and process. He then created an original piece, painted in oil. The end result is pretty symbolic and interesting — something that, in my opinion, reflects the record beautifully."

Holiday previously stated about the musical direction of RIVAL SONS' new album, "Songs were once again written and recorded on the spot, allowing the listener to really peer in and catch a snapshot of the moment, and our immediate instincts. Most songs were captured in a few takes, not to mention plenty of first-takers. Pretty off the cuff and unadulterated. We have never had a wish to be predictable or sedentary with our music, and this record explores and supports that ethos pretty well. In other words, this record is not 'Pressure & Time', but delves into a bunch of other musical ideas and sounds. Much more of a 'long-form' record as a whole. Fist-pumpers, ass-shakers, foot-stompers, air guitaring/bassing/drummers, tear-jerkers, heart-string-pullers, and a few straight-up freakouts."

GetYourRockOut.com conducted an interview with guitarist Misha Mansoor of Maryland-based experimental, progressive metallers PERIPHERY at this year's Download festival, which was held June 8-10 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.

PERIPHERY's highly anticipated sophomore album, "Periphery II: This Time It's Personal", is scheduled for release in North America on July 3 via Sumerian Records and in Europe on July 16 through Century Media Records. The CD will feature guest appearances by John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER), Guthrie Govan (THE ARISTOCRATS) and Wes Hauch (THE FACELESS).

Commented PERIPHERY guitarist Misha Mansoor: "We put so much hard work and time into this album and we thank all of you for your continued support and patience. The album clocks in at sixty-nine minutes exactly and has tons of brand new material, so I assure you it is well worth the wait."

"Periphery II: This Time It's Personal" track listing:

01. Muramasa
02. Have A Blast (feat. Guthrie Govan)
03. Facepalm Mute
04. Ji
05. Scarlet
06. Luck As A Constant
07. Ragnarok
08. The Gods Must Be Crazy!
09. Make Total Destroy
10. Erised (feat. John Petrucci)
11. Epoch
12. Froggin' Bullfish
13. Mile Zero (feat. Wes Hauch)
14. Masamune

PERIPHERY supported DREAM THEATER for two U.S. shows last October and a full-length European tour in January and February.

Bassist Tom Murphy last year announced his departure from PERIPHERY "to pursue something new." Adam "Nolly" Getgood of RED SEAS FIRE has been filling in on bass while Mark Holcomb took up his position as the full-time guitarist on the band's most recent tour.

Interview:



"Make Total Destroy" audio stream:

Swedish death metallers SYN:DROM have completed recording their sophomore album at Nevo studios in Sundsvall, Sweden. The mixing sessions for the as-yet-untitled CD will be overseen by bandmembers Roger Bergsten (guitar) and Daniel Mikaelsson (drums) at the same facility in July. A late 2012 release via via ViciSolum Productions is expected.

SYN:DROM previously stated that their forthcoming album would contain "the most powerful and aggressive material" the group has ever created.

SYN:DROM's debut album, "With Flesh Unbound", came out in April 2010 via ViciSolum Productions.

The band previously described its musical direction as "high-quality death metal in the vein of HATE ETERNAL, AEON and DECAPITATED."

SYN:DROM is:

Jonny Pettersson (BONEGOD, MOURNING, HUMAN HARVEST) - Vocals
Roger Bergsten (PSYCHO POETRY, ex-HECTORITE) - Guitar
David Karlsson - Lead Guitar
Daniel Mikaelsson (MOURNING) - Drums
Daniel Åsén - Bass

On May 2, LA Lloyd, the host of the nationally syndicated radio show "LA Lloyd Rock Countdown", conducted an interview with HALESTORM. You can now watch the chat below.

HALESTORM made history with its electrifying new single, "Love Bites (So Do I)". The track — featured on the Pennsylvania-based band's breakthrough new album, "The Strange Case Of…" — has ascended to No. 1 at Active Rock radio outlets nationwide, marking the first ever female-fronted group to top the format's airplay ranking.

HALESTORM will celebrate its sensational success with an epic summer touring schedule, comprising a U.S. headline trek, high-profile festival appearances, a series of much-anticipated European dates, and a number of support slots alongside AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

"The Strange Case Of…" is shaping up as HALESTORM's biggest release thus far. The album made a stunning No. 1 debut on Billboard's "Hard Rock Albums" chart, while also making a Top 15 entry onto The Billboard 200. In addition, "The Strange Case Of…" has proven a top 10 success on both the "Rock Albums" and "Alternative Albums" rankings.

Produced by Howard Benson (who previously collaborated with HALESTORM on their self-titled 2009 debut), "The Strange Case Of…" includes such explosive tracks as "Here's To Us", which shot to No. 1 on iTunes' "Top Rock Songs" chart after being featured in a February 2012 episode of Fox's hit series "Glee".

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, FUCK THE FACTS, THE NEW JACOBIN CLUB and WEST OF HELL are all featured in episode 14 of "Extreme Metal Television". Check out the 20-minute clip below.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's latest album, "Ritual", sold 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 31 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Deflorate", opened with around 12,000 units to enter the chart at No. 43.

Released on June 21, 2011 via Metal Blade Records, "Ritual" is a collection of 12 tracks that see the band staying true to their sound and style while progressing in both writing and musicianship. Guitarist Ryan Knight has delivered truly searing leads that will without a doubt daze and lay waste the ears of both loyal BLACK DAHLIA diehards and burgeoning fans alike. Music for "Ritual" was recorded in early 2011 in Detroit, Michigan, with Mark Lewis (DEICIDE, UNEARTH) and the band producing. The vocal-recording sessions and mixing took place at Audiohammer in Sanford, Florida with Jason Suecof (BENEATH THE MASSACRE, JOB FOR A COWBOY, ALL THAT REMAINS) at the helm.

FUCK THE FACTS's eighth LP, "Die Miserable", was released in North America last October via Relapse Records. Recorded between tours at the group's own studio, the CD features over 35 minutes of FUCK THE FACTS' scorching blend of socio-politically-charged grind, hardcore and metal fans worldwide have embraced for the past decade.

The "America Rocks" tour — featuring JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, FASTER PUSSYCAT, BULLETBOYS, PRETTY BOY FLOYD and LILLIAN AXE — kicked off this past Friday, June 15 at Avalon in Santa Clara, California. Fan-filmed video footage of some of the performances can be seen below.

Jack Russell's GREAT WHITE went from metal/hard rock to mainstream radio airplay with their breakthrough smash "Once Bitten Twice Shy" and haven't looked back, as they celebrate 30 years of the band's history by performing all their hits.

Hollywood's FASTER PUSSYCAT bring their notorious live show back to North American stages, and they promise to go deep into their extensive catalog including "House Of Pain" and "Poison Ivy".

BULLETBOYS perform their numerous smash hits such as "Smooth Up In Ya" and "For The Love Of Money" off their platinum selling classic self-titled debut, which dominated both MTV and radio airwaves, and remain relevant to this day in heavy rotation on VH1's "Metal Mania" and Internet (SiriusXM's Hair Nation, KNAC.COM, etc.) radio throughout the world.

PRETTY BOY FLOYD took the Sunset Strip by storm in hair metal's heyday and continue to have a die hard following to this day! Their classic album "Leather Boys With Electric Toys" will be well represented as well as other surprises.

Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame members LILLIAN AXE have proven their success with over a million albums sold worldwide. They are known for thought-provoking lyrics with their melodic song structure and the musical chops to back it up.

According to People.com, Ozzy Osbourne's 26-year-old son Jack has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Jack and his fiancée, actress Lisa Stelly, welcomed a daughter named Pearl Clementine on April 24.

"I was just angry and frustrated and kept thinking, 'Why now?'" Jack tells People.com. "I've got a family and that's what's supposed to be the most important thing."

Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another.

Fan-filmed video footage of Sebastian Bach's June 14 concert at O2 Academy Islington in London, England can be seen below.

Bach earlier in the month released a video for the song "I'm Alive". The clip is one of three videos (alongside "Kicking & Screaming" and "TunnelVision") that the singer filmed on June 28, 2011 in Hollywood, California with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment (PAPA ROACH, WHITESNAKE, METHOD MAN, TALIB KWELI).

"I'm Alive" comes off Bach's new album, "Kicking & Screaming", which sold 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The singer's previous CD, "Angel Down", opened with 6,400 units back in November 2007 to debut at No. 190.

Video footage of OBITUARY's June 17 performance at Dynamo in Eindhoven, Holland can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Brazil's Radio Evil, OBITUARY guitarist Trevor Peres stated about what fans can expect from the band's next studio album, "It's pure OBITUARY, you know. It's what every fan would expect from us — fast, slow, in between, brutal… [vocalist] John Tardy going [imitating growling sound]."

He added, "We're actually in the middle of writing new stuff now. We've been, actually, writing for probably a year. We've got a bunch of songs. When we get home from this trip [to South America], we're gonna record three songs, and we're probably gonna release a seven-inch [containing] two songs, and then one song is probably gonna be digital release only, through our web site. We're talking to Century Media about possibly doing a deal with them. That's still in the works. Hopefully by the end of the year we'll have the full-length album out."

On some of its recent concerts, OBITUARY's touring lineup included MONSTROSITY drummer Lee Harrison on second guitar.

Guitarist Ralph Santolla, who joined OBITUARY in 2007 as the replacement for Allen West, has not played any shows with the group since last year.

OBITUARY's next album will be the follow-up to the "Darkest Day" full-length CD, released in 2009 via Candlelight Records.

"Darkest Day" landed at position No. 32 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.

Former DEEP PURPLE/RAINBOW and current BLACKMORE'S NIGHT guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (a.k.a. Richard Hugh) and his wife, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Candice Night (a.k.a. Candice Lauren), welcomed their second child, Rory Dartanyan, on February 7. The couple have a two-year old daughter, Autumn Esmerelda.

Ritchie, 67, and Candice, 41, were married on October 5, 2008 at a small gathering of friends and family at Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown, New York.

The third BLACKMORE'S NIGHT DVD release, "A Knight In York", will be made available on DVD, Blu-ray, CD and 3-LP set (limited edtion) in late June/early July.

"A Knight In York" was filmed and recorded during BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's British tour at York Opera House on September 30, 2011.

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's latest album, "Autumn Sky", came out in 2010.

Fan-filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES' June 4 concert at Ahoy in Rotterdam, Holland can be seen below.

GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose skipped the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April and declined to be inducted along with the rest of the group. The singer also reaffirmed that there is no chance of the original lineup reuniting, and seemed to speak directly to fans still hoping for a reunion when he added, "Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense."

In at least a partial nod to his former bandmates, however, Rose wrote, "For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from GUNS their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It's their show, not mine."

Original GN'R members Slash, Steven Adler and Duff McKagan, along with later members Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke, performed three songs at the induction ceremony in Cleveland. They were joined on vocals by Myles Kennedy, who sings in Slash's solo band.

In addition sole original member Axl Rose, the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES includes guitarists Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard Fortus and DJ Ashba, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

Northern California extremists RINGS OF SATURN will release their sophomore album, "Dingir" (din-jeer), on November 20 via Unique Leader Records. The CD, which will have a running time of roughly 42 minutes, will feature the following tracks:

01. Objective to Harvest (4:06)
02. Galactic Cleansing (3:28)
03. Shards of Scorched Flesh (3:08)
04. Feast Upon their Bowels (3:35)
05. Faces Imploding (5:51)
06. Peeling Arteries (4:05)
07. Hyperforms (3:50)
08. Fruitless Existence (3:13)
09. Immaculate Order (4:37)
10. Utopia (instrumental, 5:25)

Commented RINGS OF SATURN guitarist Lucas Mann: "Instrumentally, we wanted to expand on the chaotic sound that we have become known for in 'Embryonic Anomaly', but at the same time wanted to add in new progressive and melodic elements that would compliment all the dissonance found in our music. This is very apparent on the instrumental track, 'Utopia', and on the second-to-last track, 'Immaculate Order', where you will find that we concentrated solely on progressive melody. Lyrically, the album stays true to the subjects that RINGS OF SATURN is known for. The album title, 'Dingir', translates over from ancient Sumerian language, meaning deity, god, or sky. In the stance of the album, Dingir portrays the aliens as gods who created man, and also harvest and ultimately destroy the human civilization."

RINGS OF SATURN is:

Lucas Mann - Guitar
Joel Omans - Guitar
Ian Bearer - Vocals
Sean Martinez - Bass
Ian Baker - Drums

The film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical "Rock Of Ages" — with an all-star cast including Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand — earned an abysmal $15.1 million in its opening weekend from 3,470 theaters for a per-screen average of $4,340. The film reportedly cost $75 million to produce, making it highly unlikely that it will match its production budget domestically.

Director Adam Shankman's "Hairspray" and "Mamma Mia!", both of which were also based on hit Broadway films, opened just north of $25 million.

"Rock Of Ages" didn't fare much better overseas, where it grossed $4.1 million from 10 markets. It came in No. 3 in the U.K. and Australia, earning $1.7 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

Tom Cruise stars in "Rock Of Ages" as Stacee Jaxx, an aging musician whose glory days are long past. The movie is a love story told through the music of PAT BENATAR, BON JOVI, JOURNEY, POISON, TWISTED SISTER and other artists from the 1980s.

The soundtrack to the film adaptation of "Rock Of Ages", which features the cast — Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand and Julianne Hough — singing some of the greatest hits of the "hair-band" era, sold 18,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at opposition No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart. The original cast production of the stage show peaked at No. 118 in 2009.

Jose Mangin, host/producer MTV.com's web-only show "Headbangers Ball" (and program director/DJ on SiriusXM Octane and Liquid Metal), recently conducted an interview with EVERY TIME I DIE. You can now watch the chat below.

EVERY TIME I DIE's latest album, "Ex Lives", sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 25 on The Billboard 200 chart.

EVERY TIME I DIE's previous CD, "New Junk Aesthetic", opened with around 12,000 units back in September 2009 to land at No. 46.

"Ex Lives" was helmed by renowned heavy rock producer Joe Barresi (THE MELVINS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, PARKWAY DRIVE) and offers an unrelenting onslaught of ingeniously composed and furiously executed cathartic hardcore. This is the band’s highly anticipated follow up to their 2009’s raging masterwork "New Junk Aesthetic", which Absolute Punk heralded as a musical "weapon of mass destruction."

EVERY TIME I DIE is currently on tour and will spend the summer adding their patented punk-infused metal to the annual Vans Warped Tour.

While not known for actually naming any of its songs, SUCHTHAUS, the brainchild of sculptor and stage designer Spacebrain, has released a video the track dubbed "DownTown Train" from the band's recent debut album, "The Dark Side And The Bright Side". The song features SKITLIV's Maniac on vocals and marks the first time that the legendary frontman has appeared on a track with his MAYHEM colleague Hellhammer since splitting with the band several years ago and forming SKITLIV. The "DownTown Train" video, which is directed and produced by Spacebrain and features Maniac as the Jesus-loving white trash main character can be seen video.

Spacebrain, who has largely left behind his days as a sculptor to create music which is then visualized through video, commented: "The track started out with me on guitars and bass, which I multi-tracked. I played it to my old friend Maniac and he liked it the moment he heard it, so much so, in fact, that he agreed to perform guest vocals on the track, and within 15 minutes of hearing it he'd written the lyrics. We decided to add some drums, but finding a drummer within our circle of acquaintances who was available and could follow the complex jazz beat we wanted wasn't easy. In the end we realized that Hellhammer was probably the only drummer up to the task. On this occasion, Hellhammer used none of the triggers and gadgets he would normally have used and recorded it on the kind of drum kit that LED ZEPPELIN's John Bonham used, which gave his playing a much jazzier feel. He recorded his part in one take, after which Hellhammer and SUCHTHAUS decided to work more closely together in the future."

SUCHTHAUS itself is formed of the nucleus of Spacebrain and Fruen, with a fluid lineup that varies as the fancy takes them, while the list of guests and collaborators on "The Dark Side And The Bright Side", which was released in December of last year on Rollabigone Records, is as eclectic as the band itself. Aside from Maniac and Hellhammer, you will find CURRENT 93's David Tibet, Ingvar Magnusson of SKITLIV, Fredrik A. Juell of BURNING RUBBER and BERSERK BASTARDS, and Sibob Jawara who has sung the world-over but had never used a microphone before recording with SUCHTHAUS.

According to Spacebrain, SUCHTHAUS is "a reflection of our own musical preferences and you can't therefore squeeze it into some particular genre. Every track on 'The Dark Side And The Bright Side' has its own individual character — the atmosphere changing with our mood and the amount of drugs and alcohol we consume while we're making the sounds and it varies from the very dark to the very bright. Most tracks are an experiment with sounds, and we start each one with no plan or idea of where the piece will lead us. Some tracks are made as a one-man project; others have 7-8 contributors. The best way to describe what we do is that instead of making visual sculptures, we try to make sound sculptures, although we do visualize them with the help of videos."

CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist Roope Latvala and Finnish composer Anssi Tikanmäki have released a collection of metalized versions of some of the most well-known national anthems via Rockadillo Records. The CD was recorded by Eljas Tikanmäki (studio Skyview) and Roope Latvala (studio Bunker) and was mixed by Anssi Tikanmäki and Eljas Tikanmäki (studio Skyview).

"Anthems" track listing:

01. Maamme Oh Our Land
02. Du Gamla Du Fria Thou Ancient, Thou Free
03. Gimn Rossiiskoi (Hymn Of Russia)
04. Das Lied Der Deutschen (The Song Of The Germans)
05. Finlandia
06. La Marseillaise (The Song Of Marseillaise)
07. The Star-Spangled Banner (Anthem Of The USA)
08. God Save The Queen (Anthem Of The UK)

The entire album can be streamed at this location.

"Anthems" recording lineup:

* Roope Latvala - lead guitar
* Eemil Tikanmäki - guitar
* Juuso Nordlund - bass (1-4, 6-8)
* Eljas Tikanmäki - drums
* Anssi Tikanmäki - keyboards
* Lauri Porra - bass (5)
* Masa Orpana - saxes
* Tommi Kolunen - trumpet
* Henrik Perello - violin
* Lotta Laaksonen - violin
* Eemil Tikanmäki - violin
* Pike Kontkanen - violin
* Johanna Rusanen - vocal (4)

For more information, go to this location.

Swedish melodic metallers BLOODBOUND have completed mixing their fifth full-length CD with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY, SONIC SYNDICATE, HYPOCRISY, CENTINEX, CARNAL FORGE). According to the band, "This is BY FAR the best album we've done!"

During the mixing sessions for the new BLOODBOUND CD, "the SABATON boys dropped by and they liked what they heard," according to BLOODBOUND.

A short video clip from the studio can be seen at this location.

BLOODBOUND's fourth album, "Unholy Cross", entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 50. The CD was released on March 18, 2011 via Germany's AFM Records.

BLOODBOUND in 2010 parted ways with lead vocalist Urban Breed due to "musical and personal differences" and replaced him with Patrik "Pata" Johansson (DAWN OF SILENCE) from Finspång, Sweden.

Former TESLA guitarist Tommy Skeoch has released his second solo album, "Brand Of Metal", via CDBaby. The effort will also be available in a few days via Amazon, iTunes and other digital distributors.

"Brand Of Metal" track listing:

01. Fsdsrrmf
02. Scapegoat
03. Hit Away
04. Hate To Hate
05. Destruction
06. Quarter To 3
07. Something Wrong
08. Soul Fucker
09. Hard To Swallow
10. At World's End

Skeoch left TESLA in 2006 to spend time with his family and to receive treatment for substance-abuse issues. He has since been replaced by Dave Rude.

In a 2011 interview with AOL's Noisecreep, TESLA singer Jeff Keith stated about Skeoch, "Look, everyone in TESLA has been through their own substance-abuse issues. But Tommy got in too deep again. So the band told him that the only way we would be able to make this work is if he was clean and sober. I felt like we couldn't ask him to do that if we weren't going to commit to it, too. So I was the first one to say that I wouldn't drink, or do anything else, on the tour. The next thing you know, the other guys did the same thing. Troy [Luccketta, drums] has been clean and sober for over 20 years, so it wasn't even an issue for him. . . Tommy couldn't stay off the stuff he was doing. It broke my heart to see it, but we knew we had to replace him."

Australian/Los Angeles tech-metal masters DEVOLVED have recorded a cover version of the EXHORDER song "Cadence Of The Dirge", to be included as a bonus track on DEVOLVED's forthcoming album, due out in November. "Cadence Of The Dirge" was originally featured on the EXHORDER album "The Law", which was released by Roadrunner Records in 1992.

Commented DEVOLVED drummer John Sankey: "EXHORDER was one of the first metal bands who mixed a modern thrash sound with really powerful grooves. I was so blown away when I first heard them. They are such an underrated band who deserve a lot of credit for being a major influence on a whole new style which dominated the metal scene in the '90s.

"I have always wanted to cover 'Cadence Of The Dirge'; to this day it is still one of the heaviest songs I've ever heard, and since this year is the 20th anniversary of 'The Law' the timing was perfect to record it for the new DEVOLVED album.

"I emailed Monte Conner (Senior VP A&R at Roadrunner Records) the recording we did of the song and he actually sent it on to Kyle Thomas (ex-EXHORDER vocalist who performed on the original version), Kyle contacted me shortly after saying, 'The cover sounds really amazing, you guys did the song justice, great work.'"

All music on the new DEVOLVED album was written and performed by John Sankey and Mark Hawkins (ROBOTS PULLING LEVERS), with lyrics and arrangement by Sankey. The vocals were performed by DEVOLVED's new lead singer, Mark Haggblad (UNVEIL THE STRENGTH), following the departure of Kyle Zemanek (DEADSETT). The CD will feature guest appearances from several noteable artists, including ALL SHALL PERISH guitarist Francesco Artusato. Songtitles set to appear on the effort include "Systematic Avenger", "Collateral Damage", "Accelerated Human Degeneration" and "Terminal Enslavement".

A demo version of "Systematic Avenger" can be streamed in the the YouTube clip below.

Commented Sankey: "This is the fastest, heaviest and most accomplished DEVOLVED album yet. We pushed the boundaries as far as possible with these songs, I can't wait for people to hear it!"

Sankey late last year recorded all the demo drum sessions for the new FEAR FACTORY album, "The Industrialist", and co-wrote and programmed all the drum parts, along with FF guitarist Dino Cazares, for the final CD. He was unable to join FEAR FACTORY as the band's new touring drummer due to visa restrictions.

Cazares previously stated about the new DEVOLVED material, "Systematic brutality at its best. Raising the bar once again with their intellectual song arrangements [and] insane drum patterns that would make any tech metal fan turn their heads. This band just keeps getting better and better. Welcome to the end of everything that you once knew and say hello to the future."

DEVOLVED's last album, "Oblivion", was released in May 2011 via Unique Leader Records.

GetYourRockOut.com conducted an interview with PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION and SIKTH frontman Mikee Goodman at this year's edition of the Download festival, which was held June 8-10 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.

In addition to Goodman, PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION features in its ranks IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith.

PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION's debut album, "Awoken Broken", was released in the U.S. on April 17 and in Europe onFebruayr 27 through Spinefarm Records. The CD was produced by Adrian and Mikee, and mixed by Simon Hanhart, whose previous credits include everyone from TIN MACHINE to SAXON. The album features 12 tracks top to tail, and it will be available on digipak CD, digital download and double colored vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

"Awoken Broken" track listing:

01. No Friendly Neighbour (4:53)
02. No Place Like Home (3:06)
03. I See Lights (4:59)
04. Bright As A Fire (6:21)
05. Savage World (3:38)
06. Tortured Tone (5:08)
07. White Sheet Robes (5:16)
08. As Tears Come Falling From The Sky (0:47)
09. Awoken Broken (4:58)
10. Search For Bliss (4:13)
11. Snake Ladders (4:43)
12. Mirror and the Moon (5:04)

The brainchild of Adrian Smith and Mikee Goodman, U.K. musicians with different stories to tell, PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION is a fresh new project that manages to be both reassuring and unexpected at one and the same time…

On the one side, there's Adrian, a key member of the IRON MAIDEN setup, a band he first joined back in 1980; and since that time, MAIDEN has gone on to become one of the biggest hard rock bands the world has seen, playing to vast and staunchly committed crowds all over the world, opening exciting new doors in parts of the globe many people will never even have heard of! Their last studio album, "The Final Frontier", hit the No 1 slot in over 28 countries!

With MAIDEN's reputation having been forged through their ability to blend well-crafted vocal and guitar melodies with the sheer brute force of prime heavy metal, it will surely come as no surprise that the debut PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION album, "Awoken Broken", delivers fully on both fronts, but with an extra nod to the underground, the alternative and the downright edgy — an aspect of the music that is enhanced from start to finish by the presence of one-time SIKTH frontman / lyric-writer/spoken-word maestro, Mikee Goodman.

With SIKTH now universally lauded as one of the major inspirations of the new "Djent" movement, it's perfect timing for Mikee to return to the music scene in full force, following that band's decision to take a break after their second "Death Of A Dead Day" album back in 2006; Mikee's unique vocal approach — an arresting, signature blend of spoken word plus a wide variety of vocal tones (some dark and disturbing, others that owe a debt to the world of animation) — was very much a part of what made SIKTH stand out from the chasing pack, and fans will be delighted to know that his key vocal mannerisms have been both retained and honed for PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION, in a form tightly bound to the structure of the songs themselves.

Yes, there are spoken-word elements, and yes, there are more extreme vocal moments peppered throughout the tracks, but generally speaking, this is a more mature and experienced Mikee, showcasing a strong, melodic voice plus an impressive vocal range, using the more "adventurous" end of his repertoire as a way of providing contrast and effect.

In essence, PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION is the meeting of different minds, different mentalities and different musical backgrounds, but the end result is very much a cohesive, self-produced whole… albeit one that reflects the individual talents of the musicians involved: Adrian provides the guitars, the bass and the advanced song-writing skills — the sense of drama, of light and shade, of music designed to stir the senses, all of them.

Right from the start, it's been very much a labor of love…

Adrian: "It was great working at my own pace and in my own studio with no time constraints. I think during the making of this album I went around the world twice with MAIDEN, working on the project in between. In the process, it allowed for a bit more of an experimental approach."

Meanwhile, Mikee goes head to head with this renowned player as a full writing & production partner, adding new (sometimes surprising, often experimental) layers to the tracks, and ensuring that the music glistens with an inherent contemporary sheen.

Mikee: "Adrian inspired me in many ways. I learnt the importance and the power of choruses in songs. Adrian also gave me a lot more belief in myself melodically. I think we pulled each other out of our comfort zones, creating something fresh and exciting along the way. We co-produced the album together, and the whole recording process was very relaxed — no deadlines, just honing the songs naturally as we recorded them, a new experience for both of us."

In addition to the PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION pair, there are backing vocals on three of the tracks (delivered by Tarin Kerry, discovered by Mikee while he was acting as producer for a band she was in), viola on the bulk of the songs (provided by Abi Fry of BAT FOR LASHES), plus original SIKTH member Dan "Loord" Foord on drums.

The track "I See Lights" can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

Interview:



"No Friendly Neighbour" video:



"Awoken Broken" audio samples:

MANOWAR performed last night (Saturday, June 16) at OST Fest 2012 at the Zone Arena in Bucharest, Romania.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Manowar
02. Gates Of Valhalla
03. Kill With Power
04. Sign Of The Hammer
05. Fighting The World
06. Kings Of Metal
07. Metal Warriors
08. Sun Of Death
09. Brothers Of Metal
10. Call To Arms
11. The Gods Made Heavy Metal
12. Sons Of Odin
13. Hand Of Doom
14. King Of Kings
15. Sting Of The Bumblebee
16. Joey's Speech
17. Warriors Of The World United
18. Thunder In The Sky
19. The Power

Encore:

20. Hail And Kill
21. Nessun Dorma
22. Black Wind, Fire And Steel

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

MANOWAR's new album, "The Lord Of Steel" — which was mixed and mastered at Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands with the help of longtime collaborators, mixing engineer Ronald Prent and Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Darcy Proper — is blazing with pure power, untamed energy, and a sound as raw and wild as a force of nature. Track titles like "Annihilation" and "Hail, Kill And Die!" set the tone for a record that is packed with surprises. In contrast to the 2007 release "Gods Of War", this new album is not a concept album, yet each song tells a different story, retaining the MANOWAR vision of righteousness, honor and everything MANOWAR fans have come to know and love.

MANOWAR fans should expect to have "their heads completely blown off," said MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio in a recent interview, and explained that "this album is all about brutality and raw power!"

"We were talking about a concept album but then got inspired to go in a different direction. This is where we are right now," explained DeMaio. "I've been doing research on getting the best microphones and pre-amps for the guitars. The bass sound is death defying. We've done a lot of work on drums too, giving Donnie [Hamzik, drums] room to stretch out. And Eric [Adams, vocals] will simply sound bigger than life, as always."

"The Lord Of Steel" includes the track "El Gringo", which will also serve as the theme song for the After Dark Action franchise film "El Gringo", an action western starring Scott Adkins ("The Expendables 2", "The Bourne Ultimatum"), Christian Slater and Yvette Yates ("Without Men").

"El Gringo" marks the first time MANOWAR has written a song specifically for a movie. The song depicts the struggle of a hero torn between his moral code and financial gain, and the challenge of being true to oneself and the real values in life — a recurring theme in MANOWAR's music.

"Everyone loves action movies! Our music, along with ass-kicking visuals and a great story, are a perfect match, not to mention a chance to actually see the music come alive on screen," said DeMaio. "'El Gringo' has been a great experience, the team at After Dark Films has been a pleasure to work with, and we are ready for more!" he continued.

When asked about the long gap between MANOWAR's last CD and the new effort, DeMaio said, "I know that a lot of people don't wanna wait another five years for a MANOWAR record, but we hope that people are gonna think that it was worth waiting the time. Because, you know, you go to a restaurant and you order dinner, if the waiter walks in the kitchen and comes back out two seconds later and puts the dinner on the table, I really don't know what you're gonna get. Every now and then I like McDonald's, too — it doesn't mean something fast is not good — but we're not a fast-food restaurant with MANOWAR. We think it's quality, so we hope you're gonna feel the same way."

Legendary rockers AEROSMITH launched their "The Global Warming Tour" last night (Saturday, June 16) at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis in front of a sold-out crowd of about 14,000.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Draw The Line
02. Love In An Elevator
03. Oh Yeah
04. Walkin' The Dog
05. Livin' On The Edge
06. Cryin'
07. Rag Doll
08. Last Child
09. S.O.S. (Too Bad)
10. Boogie Man
11. Combination
12. What It Takes
13. Legendary Child
14. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
15. Mama Kin
16. Sweet Emotion
17. Walk This Way

Encore:

18. Dream On
19. Train Kept A Rollin'

Check out reviews and photos from:

* TwinCities.com
* StarTribune.com

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

"The Global Warming Tour" will wrap up on August 8 in Tacoma, Washington.

"This tour, in addition to a couple songs we know we're going to play from the new record, we want to bring out songs we just haven't played for years," AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry told Billboard.com. "We'll be playing some of those — songs that were staples in the sets back in the old days that will be new songs to a lot of people if they don't know the albums."

Perry told USA Today that AEROSMITH will likely perform its new single, "Legendary Child", and two or three other new songs during the upcoming shows but that "playing half the record would not serve the audience."

"We have a catalog going back 40 years, and every classic we take out of the set is going to be missed by some kid who hasn't heard it live yet, whether it's 'Walk This Way', 'Dream On' or 'Jaded'," he said. "We have to honor that. It's going to be a real rock 'n' roll show."

AEROSMITH's 15th studio album, titled "Music From Another Dimension", will arrive on August 28. The band premiered the first single from the upcoming CD, called "Legendary Child", with a live performance on May 23 during the season finale of "American Idol". The track was also supposed to be included in the upcoming summer film "G.I. Joe: Retaliation", but that movie was abruptly bumped from its June 29 release date to March 2013.

"Legendary Child" is a reworked version of a song originally written in 1991 during the sessions for the "Get A Grip" album.

Other tunes on "Music From Another Dimension" include "What Could Have Been Love", "Beautiful", "Street Jesus", "We All Fall Down", "Out Go the Lights" and "Up On The Mountain".

AEROSMITH began working on the record — its first all-new effort since 2001 — last year, with the band working on music while singer Steven Tyler tended to his duties as "American Idol" judge.

The group reunited on this disc with producer Jack Douglas, who worked with them on classic early albums like "Toys In The Attic" and "Rocks".

Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based sympho/black/folk/power metallers BLACKGUARD (formerly PROFUGUS MORTIS) have parted ways with lead guitarist Kim Gosselin and have replaced him with Louis Jacques (KEMILON).

Commented the band: "For those of you who have seen us play during our last few tours, this will not come as a shock seeing as Kim has been absent from the live lineup for quite some time.

"Kim has decided not to continue with the band, and we'd like to thank him for his invaluable contribution to this group over the years.

"As hard as it is seeing a brother go, this is truly the best thing for both parties as Kim's interest in touring and writing have been waning over the last year.

"We wanted to wait until we had found a suitable replacement before making any official announcement and we're very happy to finally be able to let everyone in on what’s going on.

"BLACKGUARD is very happy to welcome Mr. Louis Jacques of the band KEMILON to the family as new lead guitarist.

"Louis made his live debut with BLACKGUARD yesterday at the D-Tox Rockfest in Montebello, Quebec. This was an amazing show and a great way to kick off our journey together.

"We're hard at work on our follow-up to last year's 'Firefight' record. We already have songs demoed and we expect an early 2013 release through Victory Records.

"The next few months are going to be very busy for us. We do have a few shows planned so keep your eyes on our tour section of our Facebook and come welcome Louis in style."

Added Louis: "I'm very glad to joining the mighty BLACKGUARD! Together we'll get to a new level. Expect more violence, originality and shred!"

Swedish heavy metal guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Magnus Karlsson has inked a solo deal with Frontiers Records.

Magnus' first critically acclaimed musical project was with the band LAST TRIBE, which has released three full-length albums.

In 2004, Magnus started to work as a session musician in a project put together by Frontiers Records, featuring two acclaimed heavy metal vocalists singing together as a duet — Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X) and Jørn Lande (MASTERPLAN). Dubbed ALLEN/LANDE, the project has released three full-length albums with all music and lyrics written by Magnus Karlsson. That same year Magnus also started to write music for STARBREAKER, a project with singer Tony Harnell (TNT), drummer John Macaluso (ARK, TNT, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and bassist Fabrizio Grossi (STEVE VAI).

Magnus is currently one of the guitarists in the German metal band PRIMAL FEAR. He also teamed up with the band's bassist and leader, Mat Sinner, to work in a number of projects released by Frontiers Records, such as KISKE/SOMERVILLE (another singer-duet project, featuring ex-HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske and American singer and vocal coach Amanda Somerville) and the first solo album by PRIMAL FEAR frontman Ralf Scheepers.