|
He's likely to face a judge-alone trial with no jury. Judge Tom Ingram ruled that a decision will be made in February. The media were ordered not to report details of the case.
Rudd, 60, was arrested last month and originally charged with procuring a murder before the accusation was dropped less than 24 hours later. He appeared at Tauranga High Court last week for a short but dramatic hearing, at which the case was sent down to a lower court since the most serious charge had been removed.
His status in AC/DC remains in doubt, with the band having insisted they'll tour next year regardless of the results of his trial. Read more
here.
But in the meantime it was revealed that his wife had filed for divorce, citing his heavy drug use, threatening behaviour and a suicide attempt. Now Stapp has opened a Fundly page and hopes to raise nearly $500,000.
His intro reads: "Raising funds 4solo album #3. Using same team, Howard Benson (producer) & Chris Lord-Alge (mix). At the same time, my first book in the fiction category. Need 2fund both projects." To date, 74 people have pledged a total of $422. The story doesn't end there. Read more
here.
Last week guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover quit the thrash giants, leaving Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson the only current members.
Asked on Facebook whether he'd consider going back, Young says: "I have zero interest in 'the Megadeth situation.' The band is done. But a fork in it." Read more
here.
The special available now on demand here and will also be broadcast on December 8 - exactly a decade on from the shooting which took the metal icon's life.
Paul says: "I do my best to carry on that same torch and that flame - I know he would kick my ass if I didn't. That's why I continue to do what I do. I'm happy that I'm part of HellYeah - it's part of the legacy that me and him started a long time ago."
The radio special also features contributions from Machine Head, Halestorm, In This Moment, Phil Anselmo and music from the guitar icon. Read more
here.
The drummer is the victim of a fraudster who's created a false account and may use it to acquire personal information that could be used in financial crimes.
Portnoy says: "Beware - I've been informed by several people that somebody made a fake Mike Portnoy page and has been writing to people, as me, with scams.
"If you've received an inbox message from me in the past few days, it's not me." Read more
here.
"Steve's got this wonderful character and he lets out these bellowing laughs and you need that in any situation," Johnson tells Absolute Radio. "He came in to do this album and I've just got to applaud him. Every night he was learning his chops and it was wonderful to see the weight lifting off his shoulders and he felt really part of the band."
Although no tour dates have been announced, Johnson says he's eager to hit the road as it's a great way to connect with the fans. He adds: "As you get older, you take things for granted and you start realising what a great gig you have." Read more and stream the interview video
here.
The frontman tells HTZ-FM: "I don't think we'd want to. I always think back to when Kiss took the makeup off. I know why they did it - they kind of hit a wall and it was time to evolve.
"But for us, the masks always evolve and our look always evolves. We don't feel that pressure to take them off because we allow ourselves to roll with the times and to change with the albums.
"So even though I think we could, I don't think we will. Because it's not just about the masks - it's about everything." He had a lot more to say on the subject
here.
Attorney Marc LoPresti helped the group set up the limited liability company (LLC) and he says this could just be the start of similar projects. He tells the Seattle Times: "We think it's a first. If it's successful, which we expect it to be, we may do it again with other bands."
LoPresti reckons the stock sale could replace a label's usual role in financing tours and album recording sessions - and would mean more money for the band and investors as the label wouldn't be taking such a big slice of the profits. Read more
here.
The project is aimed at engaging leading thinkers, public figures and Americans from all walks of life to explore how the United States became the nation it is today.
One of the campaign's goals is to foster a national conversation through a series of free public events across the U.S. The kick-off event on January 14 will feature former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Anna Maria Chavez, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA, at the Heard Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate in Phoenix.
Eddie Van Halen will headline the next event at the National Museum of American History in February. Read more
here.
Grohl will promote the band's new album, "Sonic Highways", which recently debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 after opening week sales of 190,000 copies.
Produced by Butch Vig, "Sonic Highways" was recorded in 8 American cities - Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Read more
here.
Mullin was discussing the band's early days when he made the revelation. He said, "I think when we first started, it was kind of a new music form. American hardcore and punk rock were new things; there was a small scene, but everybody was tight and knew each other. When we did it, it certainly wasn't a thing where we thought we were going to make money. To us, the biggest bands in the world were Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, The Misfits, and they didn't make that much money. It's not like today. We did it just to do it, and when we were first playing, influences from Deep Purple and Black Sabbath seeped in, and we kind of morphed into this punk-metal flavored kind of thing. We became really good friends with the Metallica dudes and Slayer. Slayer got us our first record deal."
He explains, "We had known them from playing out in LA, and when they went on their first US tour, they played Baltimore, and they asked us to play. It was a great show. They knew we had put out our first album ourselves, and they mentioned getting us signed. We thought they were just being nice. This was the Haunting The Chapel Tour. Tom and Dave Lombardo said they were going to get us on Metal Blade. I gave those guys my parents' business scoop; my dad had a fax machine.
"Sure enough, that Monday morning, there was a contract for Metal Blade Records. From there, we did a little more stuff. Then, the punk version broke up, and Woody and I put the band back together. We did a one-off with a singer named Karl for Relativity Records-an album called "Blind," which is much more metal. Then, we started doing all the stuff with Pepper.
"We've had an interesting career. It gets a little confusing for our fans, particularly those who like certain eras. Some like all of it, but there's a lot of people who just like Pepper stuff or the punk stuff. Our name definitely makes sense."
Read the full interview
here.
Instead, they'll focus on completing their seventh album to their satisfaction. Johnston tells NME: "I think we'll have a quiet one - we don't like to be in people's faces too much. That last thing we want is for people to get bored of us. So you could almost call it a year off."
He adds of the follow-up to 2013's Opposites: "It's coming along. We're not in any massive rush; we don't want to do anything that's not perfect. We've got too many songs, which is a great place to be at." Read more
here.
The Blackout say: "We feel the time is right to bring it to a close. This is the hardest decision we have ever had to make as a band - and although we do it with heavy hearts, we also do with our heads held high.
"We are all extremely proud of Wolves, and are eternally grateful to each and every one of you who helped it get made." Thanking fans for their support, they add: "We achieved more than we ever dreamed of when we started. We play our farewell shows in March 2015 - there are no plans for anything more for The Blackout, so we hope you would like to come and party with us for the final time."
Check out the dates
here.
Trower says of the new album, the follow-up to 2013's acclaimed Roots And Branches: "I can't remember ever being so happy with a finished album before."
He's recorded bass parts for the first time, reflecting: "As a songwriter and a performer, you use everything at your disposal to put into songs. There's some sort of feeling of emotional release when you play a note that rings out right." Read more
here.
He tells Ultimate Guitar: "I don't even know what genre we would fall into. We are coasting on our own edge of hard rock and heavy metal. I don't really care much for these sub-genres and that's one of my peeves with heavy metal.
"At one point it was all just one big genre and it wasn't broken down to these crazy sub-genres - and all these sub-genres don't like each other any more. It was just one big brotherhood but that's gone - it's segregated into these little sub-cultures."
He adds: "We still incorporate other styles so in some ways it's accessible to a lot of people as there are a lot of elements from everywhere. Some people don't like it because they say it's not true to one specific genre." Read more
here.
The Sheffield metallers will play warm-up show at The Underworld in Camden on Wednesday (December 3) - two days before their appearance at Wembley Arena, where they will be supported by Young Guns, Issues and Sleepwave.
Bring Me The Horizon will release new single Drown on December 7 and are set to record a new album - the follow-up to 2013's Sempiternal - next year. Read more
here.
The Porcupine Tree mainman recently announced a run of six-UK dates to promote the new record and revealed he was working on making the shows a spectacular experience.
He said: "We're currently developing a show that I hope will raise the bar musically and visually from my previous tours. The setlist will be based around the new album, of course, as well as casting the net further back for a few surprises."
Check out the track details and tour dates
here.
The album features a host of stars including Elvis Costello and Marcus Mumford, who recorded tracks based around Dylan's 'lost' lyrics penned during his Basement Tapes sessions in Woodstock, New York in 1967.
And Dylan reveals that while the US was enjoying the Summer Of Love that year, he and guitarist Robbie Robertson found musical inspiration from more conventional sources.
He says: "The events of the day seemed to be a million miles away. We weren't really participating in any of that stuff, well it was the Summer of Love, but we weren't there. So we did our thing where we wrote Million Dollar Bash. We had nothing else to do, so I started writing a bunch of songs.
"I wasn't going to write anything about myself - I didn't have nothing to say about myself that I'd figure anybody else would be interested in. You look for ideas on TV and just any old thing would create the beginning to a song: names out of phone books and things." Read more
here.
He tells NorthJersey.com: "I remember going home to my house in Queens the day we played. Producer and composer Paul O'Neill insisted I didn't because he was worried about me traveling on a show day.
"I snuck home and took the subway back to the Garden. I walked off the train with a tonne of fans who had no idea I was there, hidden in a ski hat. I looked at the huge marquee and it flashed, 'Tonight Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Sold Out.' I stood there and cried." Read more
here.
The singer last month called off a series of appearances after being diagnosed with viral laryngitis, making it impossible for him to perform. It followed the cancellation of earlier dates as a result of guitarist Robin Boult's own illness.
His December UK dates, in support of acclaimed 2013 album A Feast Of Consequences, remain unaffected. Fish says: "Shows that aren't in this schedule did not have available dates or did not fit into the routing - which, as you can see, is demanding to say the least.
"For 'days off' read 'travel days.' Manager Yatta and the promoters did a marvellous job saving what we could. No more shows will be added to this itinerary." Read more and see the new dates
here.
Shooting will take place on January 22 and 23 at Under The Bridge in Chelsea, London. Most of the audience will consist of those who supported the Pledge fund, although some tickets will go on general sale soon.
Lifesigns say: "Thanks to everyone for helping us reach our goal. We understand people are already making plans from far afield to fly in for the event, and we look forward to welcoming you." Read more
here.
He'll be joined by PJ Olsson, Alastair Greene, Danny Thompson, Guy Erez, Manny Focarazzo, Todd Cooper and Dan Tracey, with support to be confirmed.
The show is billed as an evening of greatest hits, with Old And Wise and Don't Answer Me to be on the setlist. Artist, engineer and producer Parsons recently spoke of the studio apprenticeship that led to his work with the George Martin and the Beatles at Abbey Road Studios, and his later work on Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon. Read more
here.
U2 opened the event with Martin handling vocals on "Beautiful Day" and "With Or Without You"; guitarist The Edge then joined Underwood for a song before she played her set, which was followed by West's performance.
Springsteen wrapped up the hour-long show by teaming up with U2 on "Where The Streets Have No Name" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", which he dedicated to the absent Bono as he recuperates at home in Ireland after facing surgery following a bicycle accident in New York's Central Park recently.
"This year is a World AIDS Day like no other," said Bono, speaking from Dublin. "The world reached a tipping point in the fight against AIDS - more people were newly added to life-saving treatment than were newly infected with the virus. A lot of people are calling it the beginning of the end of AIDS."
"We wouldn't be at this point without American leadership, people from the left and the right," he added. "Today, 13 million people have access to life-saving treatment, up from 300,000 just over ten years ago. Americans don't know the role they've played in this fight. Tonight's event is to inform them and thank them."
Check out video of the full broadcast
here.
Hosted by Sugarland vocalist Jennifer Nettles, the two-hour program celebrated the holidays with some of the biggest names in music performing holiday classics.
Joining Tyler and Paisley were Alan Jackson, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Sara Evans, Lucy Hale, Hunter Hayes, Little Big Town, Idina Menzel, Nettles, LeAnn Rimes, Michael W. Smith, and Carrie Underwood.
The special was taped in front of a live audience last month at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Watch video of the Tyler performance
here.
Queen recently released "Queen Forever", a new compilation that presents a mix of the group's hits and classic tracks, including three previously unreleased songs featuring Freddie Mercury.
The package includes a long-anticipated track from Queen and Michael Jackson, "There Must Be More to Life Than This", a previously unfinished Mercury-Queen tune, "Let Me In Your Heart Again", originating from the band's "The Works" album recording sessions, and a new stripped-down ballad take on "Love Kills."
"Queen Forever" is available as a 20-track single CD and as an extended 36-track, two-CD set. Watch video from the TV performance
here.
Daltrey teamed with The Milestone Band at the Mar Hall resort in Bishopton, Scotland during the wedding celebration of Susan and Carl Smith.
"Basically we were coming towards the end of our set and we were sort of halfway through a song," lead guitarist Graeme Allan told the BBC. "I remember looking over to the side of the dance floor and a wedding guest was actually walking with Roger, coming towards the band. Roger came up and he took the mike and he congratulated the bride and groom."
"Because the groom had served in the parachute regiment he also mentioned them as well," he added. "Then he turned to the band and he said, 'I was through next door and I heard the band and they're brilliant, so I had to come through'."
The newlyweds spoke of their joy at the experience on Facebook, with Mrs. Smith posting: "Absolutely overwhelming! The story we will be telling for the rest of our lives. Thank you so much x." Read more and watch video
here.
In the clip, mainman Mariusz Duda reveals: "My music is born from unspecified fragments - I only have a general idea, a colour and a main concept and for me that's how working on an album begins."
The band have also released a promo for album track The Fear Within. They previously issued a promo for Shutting Out The Sun and released a stream of Cold. Check out the new song and the documentary teaser
here.
One of the most legendary bands to have emerged from the forging fires of black metal, San Francisco's VON were arguably the genre's first band to have emerged from the US. Much like Finland's Beherit, their ultra-primitive sound horrified many yet enthralled a legion of devout worshippers. Their rare, ritualistic live shows, featuring animal skulls and copious amounts blood nigh on two decades before it became de rigeur and initial demo release (not releasing a studio album under the name until 2012) tapped into dark and irrational and rudimentary regions of the human psych. In the process, they setting out a path that's been in large part responsible for the current wave of occult-steeped death and black metal, not least for Watain, who named themselves after the track on 1992's Satanic Blood cassette, and Dublin's rising underground metallers and wielders of capitalised letters, ZOM.
VON's history since has been as tempestuous as their music, lurching from long hiatuses through internal fights, splits and more, but now they're back in a new incarnation fronted by VENIEN, and with both a new album, Dark Gods: Birth Of The Architects, released on VON Records next March, and a comic book Dark Gods, written and illustrated by VENIEN himself, that will be published in 12 parts on a weekly basis from December 1 through to February 6, and each one coming with an exclusive CD single.
Check out the new song
here.
Speaking about the new video, guitarist Max Comby said: "We are so stoked to reveal our brand new music video for A Chance To Change with Metal Hammer.
"It's much heavier than our first single, Gone For A While and far more intense and fast! We hope that you enjoy it." Their latest album Gone For A While was released last week via Red-Light Records.
Check out the video
here.
Speaking to Metal Hammer about the video, frontman Luke Davis says: "Wonder & Delirium is probably one of the most melodic tracks on [debut album] Sleep Dance."
"So naturally we felt that this rather 'unusual' video to accompany and compliment would be most appropriate. Don't be fooled!" Check out the unusual video
here.
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Christmas Time Again: Deciding a southern rock Christmas was in order, Skynyrd recruited guests 38 Special and the Charlie Daniels Band to help fashion this inspired collection. Skynyrd gives Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run" a Stones-like, garage band treatment, and tosses in a bit of Yuletide lasciviousness with the original tune "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'." The Daniel Band's version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is basically a rewrite of "Devil Went Down to Georgia."
Beach Boys - Christmas with the Beach Boys: Originally released in 1964, this album mixes holiday standards with original songs penned by Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson. The group's trademark vocal harmonies are in full bloom on "Frosty the Snowman," and their a cappella version of "Auld Lang Syne" is pure magic.
Twisted Sister - A Twisted Christmas: Here we have Dee Snider delivering "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" in his own inimitable way. Actually, this 10-song collection comes off as reverent in spite of itself. True, "Deck the Halls" sounds like a Ramones outtake, and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (sung by guest Lita Ford) is pure arena rock, but the disc has a goofy charm. On "Twelve Days of Christmas" (rechristened "Heavy Metal Christmas"), Snider replaces the refrain "partridge in a pear tree" with the words "a tattoo of Ozzy."
Elvis Presley - Christmas: Recorded in 1957, when the King ( was in full rock and roll flight, this disc rates just a tad below the Spector album on the classic scale. "Blue Christmas" is embedded in the national consciousness, but Presley's magnificent takes on "White Christmas" and the Leiber/Stoller original "Santa Claus Is Back in Town" are nearly as good.
Jethro Tull - Christmas Album: Tull frontman Ian Anderson's goal on this 2003 disc was "to find some uplifting traditional Christmas carols, some new songs, and to re-record some old Tull pieces on the Christmas topic." The eccentric minstrel was obviously inspired by the process, as he and his Tull 'mates delivered their finest folk-prog album since the '70s. Guitarist Martin Barre's acoustic work is especially dazzling.
Read the rest of the list
here.
Share this article
Travel News, Trips and Tips: Road Trip Essentials
Hot In The City: Carin Leon Will Open For The Rolling Stones in Arizona
Caught In The Act: Ministry Rocks Chicago
Sammy (Hagar) Super Sunday Coming To TV
Anthrax Reuniting With Dan Lilker For Upcoming Live Dates
NEEDTOBREATHE To Livestream Red Rocks Concert
Bruce Dickinson Making Appearance At WonderCon For
Joe Bonamassa Plays Jimi Hendrix's A Vintage 'Band of Gypsys' Rig At Nerdville
Vampire Weekend Stream 'Mary Boone' Visualizer
Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse Deliver 'Stop The War' EP
The Exies Return With 'For What It's Worth'