Skiba - who joined after Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker split acrimoniously with DeLonge last year - is expected to play a supporting role in most of the new songs, with Hoppus delivering lead vocals.
Producer John Feldmann recently said: "Tom and Mark really were a pair of lead singers, but Mark sings a lot of people's favorite songs." He added: "The guys aren't 23 any more - they're dads now, so they're no longer writing songs about poo and that kind of stuff. But there's still got to be a sense of humor to it. There's got to be growth on the album, and there is. I'd say it's one of the best records I've ever made." Stream the song
here.
And the representatives of California's estate say that future earnings from the credit would be used to provide musical instruments and music lessons for deprived schoolchildren.
The trial is set to begin on May 10 after it was alleged that the opening section of Stairway To Heaven, released in 1971, was based on Spirit trackTaurus, released four years earlier.
Page described the claim as "ridiculous" and recently said he'd never heard California's composition until legal action commenced. Led Zeppelin's lawyers have argued that California signed away his rights to his work and therefore his estate is not competent to sue them, and also that the musical construction in question is so common that it can't be protected by law - although District Judge Gary Klausner disagreed. Read more
here.
The band writes, "Desperate people do desperate things. We are saddened, but not surprised by the recent lawsuit filed by Prospect Park, LLC against the members of Five Finger Death Punch. It is the latest in a long line of exploitative and abusive bullying tactics used by our former manager and current label CEO Jeff Kwatinetz to extract money from and wield power against the band.
"Jeff Kwatinetz is well-known as a former music industry powerhouse whose erratic behavior and affiliated corporate bankruptcies have caused most of his companies' clients, including Backstreet Boys, Korn, Smashing Pumpkins, Janes Addiction and Azalea Banks to flee in droves. In fact, we also fired Prospect Park management four years ago in an effort to escape an arrangement that more resembled indentured servitude. Five Finger Death Punch's recordings are now one of Prospect Park's last remaining and most valuable assets still under contract.
"Five Finger Death Punch is prepared to record and deliver the final album this year under its recording agreement, but instead of allowing us to record, Prospect Park has chosen to sue us, hold us for ransom and squeeze extra money out of its contract rights by attempting to sell an interest in future recordings. What's worse is that Prospect Park very deliberately filed their meritless lawsuit the same week we are trying put our Fall co-headlining arena tour on sale.
"In its lawsuit, Prospect Park states that Five Finger Death Punch has plateaued and that its sound is stale, yet on multiple occasions and in writing Mr. Kwatinetz referred to the most recent album, Got Your Six, as the band's 'best album yet'. Five Finger Death Punch is the best selling Active Rock band of the last 24 months and one of the top selling Active Rock bands of this decade. Every single first week album sales figure has been higher than the last. In fact, there is not one shred of evidence to suggest that Five Finger Death Punch's career remains on any trajectory other than an upward one. Any statement or suggestion that Five Finger Death Punch is suffering from some kind of slump is untrue.
"Prospect Park does not want us to record our next album with Kevin Churko, who at this point is part of our family and who has produced the last five of our six albums. As for the creative process, Mr. Kwatinetz has never been to the studio during the making of any of our albums, he has never met Mr. Churko and Prospect Park repeatedly failed to pay Mr. Churko on time.
"As for our singer, Ivan Moody, his issues are no secret and were recently and successfully addressed with the love and support of his family and bandmates in a rehabilitation facility. Never once did Prospect Park Management or Recordings support any efforts to get him sober, preferring the band continue making albums and touring.
"We are confident that the evidence will expose the allegations in Prospect Park's complaint as completely meritless and that the band will recover substantial damages and be released from any further obligations to Prospect Park based on the cross-complaint that we intend to file."
Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Bobby Z, Brown Mark and Matt Fink have been in mourning since the announcement last week that Prince had died at the age of 57.
Melvoin says: "We have decided, after spending three or four days together now grieving over the loss of Prince, that we would like to come out and do some shows. We want to let you know that we'll be there soon."
The Revolution split in 1986 and have reunited only briefly for various events down the years. Read more
here.
And keyboard player Fish says BMTH have discussed making it more than just a one-off. He tells Metal Hammer: In Residence on Spotify: "I've got this mad idea that we want to take it on tour, but I don't know whether it could ever happen. Our booking agent the other day said, 'Imagine doing this at Sydney Opera House.'
"I guess you just hire a local orchestra because the score is written. You rock up and just do it. It seems almost a bit of a shame to go to all this effort for months and months for just one night.
"In the back of my mind I'm thinking maybe we'll get a chance later on in the year or next year to do a select handful of big cities with a big orchestra. It would be so cool to do these crazy venues like Sydney Opera House." Read more
here.
Howorth says: "I have injured my neck and am unable to move my head more than an inch or two in any direction - and I now have the burden of making some pretty weighty decisions for myself.
"In order to continue performing live, I am aggressively seeking treatment and must remain at home in Los Angeles. I am devastated that our European shows are affected by this but in order to keep moving forward with the band, it's imperative to work on getting better."
Frontwoman Maria Brink says she is heartbroken at having to call off the dates and adds: "The last time we were in Europe, I felt such fire and magic at the shows - I have been absolutely dying to get back." Read more
here.
But he now reports that while Kiss try and curtail "shenanigans" by offering tickets direct through their website, there will always be people out to take advantage of others when it comes to making money.
Simmons tells the BBC: "I don't like it but capitalism is capitalism. If you buy a piece of furniture you're allowed if you sell it for a profit. But we do try to limit that sort of shenanigans. You try to do the best you can but it is a free market system.
"The nature of money is that people tend to abuse it and when there the chance to make hideous sums on somebody who really wants something, people will take advantage of people." Read more
here.
He tells Metal Hammer: In Residence on Spotify:: "If I can't play, if my hands or arms don't work any more, then I'll pass the sticks on to someone else. There's too much great music in this band for them not to carry on if I couldn't do it. I'm not saying that could happen, but I'm not an idiot. I know what my capabilities are and I would never be a parody of myself."
Despite the Book Of Souls tour having months still to run, McBrain is already excited about the prospect of recording a 17th album. "We're a funny breed as a band," he says. "We have a plan but it doesn't really take much to put it together. We've talked about doing another album, I'd love to do another record." Read more
here.
Hear the similarities between the songs? Prince did, too, which is why he called up Journey's Jonathan Cain and asked for his blessing before releasing what would become his signature song.
Cain recalled going to Columbia Records' offices in Los Angeles to take a call from Prince, who said, 'I want to play something for you, and I want you to check it out. The chord changes are close to 'Faithfully' and I don't want you to sue me." "I thought it was an amazing tune," Cain said, 'and I told him, 'Man, I'm just super-flattered that you even called. It shows you're that classy of a guy. Good luck with the song. I know it's gonna be a hit.'"
Journey guitarist Neal Schon recalled Prince's classy move, too. "Prince felt, I guess, it was obvious enough that he was worried we were going to sue him. I think he called our office asking about it and we all talked about it and everybody said, 'Nah, it's the highest form of flattery. Let it go.'" Schon didn't even want a co-writing credit. Read more and check out the two tracks
here.
Letlive say: "It's been a while. We couldn't be happier to announce our first headline tour in two years in support of our upcoming record If I'm The Devil...
"Considering the significance of such a tour, we made it a point to bring along some bands that we can genuinely endorse. We are pleased to announce Seahaven, Silver Snakes, and Night Verses as support. Thank you all so much for making this possible." See the dates
here.
Based on the smash 2003 film of the same name starring Jack Black, Broadway World reports Nicks surprised the audience when she joined the cast after their curtain call for the hit from Fleetwood Mac's self-titled 1975 album.
"To be in the presence of these kids that are so amazing that honestly sometimes I close my eyes and I'm not sure that it's not Fleetwood Mac," Nicks told the crowd. "It's very trippy. They are so good."
After the performance, Nicks admitted that the appearance marked her first time on a Broadway stage. "I think this is my Broadway debut, and I'm thrilled," she said. "It was like being somewhere between eight and 13 again. I can't wait to send a tape of this to Lindsey [Buckingham] and my other guitar player, Waddy [Wachtel], because they're gonna die. They're not gonna believe it. They're so good." Read more and check out the videos
here.
The band say: "We find ourselves looking back at a decade of rocking stages all over the world. Four albums, two EPs, and 10 years later, we feel that we need to celebrate this milestone properly.
"We are planning to go all out for this one. Best of all, the entire show will be recorded and made available on DVD, Blu-ray, CD, vinyl, and digital download." Read more
here.
Taylor and Bulter will be joined by former Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum, Stone Temple Pilots brothers Dean and Robert Deleo, The Cult's Billy Duffy and Toto's Steve Lukather - among others - at the Adopt The Arts event in LA on May 12.
The event takes place at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, with tickets starting at $40 and rising to $500 for meet-and-greet opportunities. A VIP table option is also available for $4500.
An auction will also be held on the night, with all proceeds going to Adopt The Arts' work in Los Angeles elementary schools. Read more
here.
The trek will mark the group's first appearance in Australia in almost a decade, and their first shows in the country with singer Todd La Torre, who joined the lineup in 2012 following a split with original frontman Geoff Tate.
"Australia!!! You've been patiently waiting," says Queensryche, "and we are finally heading down under to see you!!" Ticket presales for all shows start April 28 at 9am local time, with general tickets on sale May 2 at 9am local. See the dates
here.
Frontman Austin Dickinson said: "We're all such tight friends, and this feels like everything is exactly how it needs to be. Whether people listen or not, we're doing it because we're having so much f***ing fun. This is us at our best. Get ready."
It's also been announced that Dickinson, guitarists Conor O'Keefe and Will Homer, bassist Stefan Whiting and drummer Dave Fee, will head out on tour across the US with Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown and Sixx AM in October and November.
Prior to the run of 16 dates, As Lions have several festival appearances lined up this summer, including an appearance at the Download festival. See the dates and stream the song
here.
The first-person shooter is being developed by Id Software founders John Romero and Adrian Carmack under the Night Work Games banner. The pair are known for their work on classic games Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake.
Blackroom is described as "a visceral, varied and violent shooter that harkens back to classic FPS play with a mixture of exploration, speed, and intense, weaponised combat." Read more
here.
The original version of the song appears on the band's latest studio album, entitled Death Of A Bachelor, which was released early this year via Fueled By Ramen.
Panic! At The Disco headline this year's Slam Dunk Festival and play three further UK shows in November. They tour North America with Weezer in the summer. See the dates and check out the remix
here.
Phantom 5 - formerly known as Supremacy - features former Bonfire singer Claus Lessmann and ex-Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz, along with guitarists Michael Voss and Robby Boebel and drummer Axel Kruse.
Lessmann says: "I am very proud of being part of a very fine piece of melodic rock and I hope that many people will like and love it the same way we do.
"Everything came together very naturally and I had the feeling that our flow of creativity never seemed to run dry, just like it should be. After the more than painful situation with Bonfire, it was exactly the right thing, at the right time to do for me and it just felt and feels so damn right." Stream the song
here.
Frontman Zachary Stevens said: "You might say that Reign Of Darkness represents a musical reinvention for us, but the minute you hear each song you know right away that it's Circle II Circle.
"We wanted to pay homage to the past, but we also wanted to create a musical renaissance within our genre that is fresh and energetic. This is an album that will positively pave the way for our future." Check out the song
here.
Frontman Paul Muir had the following to say: "The overall concept of the album is that the songs have a 'trying and failing theme' and overcoming adversity.
"The video portrays this concept vividly - set in the near future where the band find themselves drawn to each other by fate, and embarking on a journey to freedom."
The band will head out on a UK album launch tour next month, with 16 dates scheduled. See the dates and watch the video
here.
The record features Winger's ballet Ghosts, Conversations With Nijinsky, and his new composition A Parting Grace. Winger had the following to say about the project:
"I've spent my life dedicated to music. Since my early days with Alice Cooper, I've always known that my ultimate destination was composing classical music for the orchestra. It's been a great honor to work with Martin West, Leslie Ann Jones and this superb orchestra." Read more
here.
The new clip, is entitled Rob Zombie Raw And Uncut. Explaining the devotion of metal fans, Zombie says: "Metal fans love it forever. No one goes, 'Yeah I was really into Slayer one summer.' I've never met that guy. I've only met the guy that's got 'Slayer' carved across his chest."
He also discusses the importance of image in the music industry and his obsession with all things aesthetic when it comes to his work. Watch the video clip
here.
Horn will join guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, keyboardist Geoff Downes, bassist Billy Sherwood and frontman Jon Davison for Yes' shows at Oxford's New Theatre on May 9 and at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 10.
The band will perform Drama and 1971's Fragile in full on the run of shows. Horn has been rehearsing with Yes at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, UK.
Guitarist Steve Howe said: "This is the first time we'll be performing Drama in its entirety - and most of the songs haven't been performed in 30 years." See the dates
here.
Song For A Friend is described as "a collection of musical short stories" dedicated to a close friend who died last year. Former Genesis frontman Wilson says:
"The meaning of life is the journey. This album encapsulate the journey. This album was written to inspire - when you feel like giving in, when you feel you're losing the will to keep pushing or fighting, this was written to help you dig deep, and fight for joy and peace in your life." Watch the video
here.
They'll join Dave Edmunds, Nine Below Zero, Wille And The Bandits and others at the multi-venue event in Colne, Lancashire, on the weekend of August 26-29.
The festival returns after cost-cutting exercises had put its future in doubt, which has led to an adjustment in format. The popular Acoustic Stage will be incorporated into the International Stage during afternoons, presenting its performers to a bigger audience, while the British Stage will be set in the Pendle Hippodrome Theatre. Read more
here.
Vocalist and guitarist Ally Dickaty says: "This is an incredibly special tour for us. It's going to be so great to get back in front of our home fans again - and really important to us to play some of the towns we've been wanting to come back to for so long. Our fans always do us proud, they are incredible."
Among the dates is an appearance at the TeamRock-sponsored Stone Free festival, which runs from June 18-19 at London's O2. See all of the upcoming dates
here.
It was produced by Paul Reeve and mastered by Geoff Pesche at Abbey Road Studios in London. Fosso says: "Working with a team like this is fantastic. Everyone's unique skills and talents added something special to the album and the final result is powerful.
"Life and people offer a boundless supply of inspiration. Channeling concepts without the support of lyrics might be hard, but it's also very universal. These songs break down the language barriers becoming visceral and direct." Listen
here.
The 80-year-old's album of cover songs instead features the tracklist to Abhorrent Decimation's latest album Miasmic Mutation. He made the record following his appearance on BBC show The Voice.
He tells the BBC he is "fuming and furious" and about the mistake. He adds: "I got the CDs out the box and I looked on the back and here was the tracklist of a death metal group."
Clifton - famous for riding a toy yellow ostrich - eventually saw the funny side. Making reference to his The Voice performance of The Impossible Dream, he says: "We could go on the road, me and the lads. We could do To Dream The Impossible Miasmic Mutation." Read more
here.
Click here to read today's full Day in Rock report
Live: Heart and Cheap Trick Rock Tampa
On the Blue: New Horizons Cruise Days 4 & 5: Starship Lands on the Pearl, Alan Parsons Takes It Home
Kandace Springs - Run Your Race
On the Blue: New Horizons Cruise Day 1: Marbin Gets the Fun Started
Slipknot Announce Knotfest Iowa Lineup
Serj Tankian Shares Teaser For New Single 'A.F. Day'
Kaleo Announce North American Payback Tour
Shallow Side Recruit Elias Soriano For 'Filters'
Kings Of Thrash Announce Anarchy in the UK Tour
William Shatner Announces New Project With Animated 'Elephants And Termites' Lyric Video
Rush In The Studio For 'Grace Under Pressure' 40th Anniversary
Singled Out: Holly Lerski's Nepenthe