Fear Factory Escape Bus Fire

Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares released the following comment moments ago: "We had just finished playing a sold out show in Sheffield and we were on our way to London. Everyone was asleep except for two of our crew. At about 3:30am the bus driver noticed smoke coming from the back right wheel. He stopped, jumped out and noticed a flame underneath the wheel well. He tried to extinguish it but the flames were too much. Everyone on the bus was woken up by one of our crew yelling 'Get everyone up and out of the bus.' Everyone grabbed their bags and ran off the bus. We stood on the side of the freeway going 'thank god we all made it out' until someone noticed our merchandise guy was still asleep on the bus. A good friend of ours ran back on the smoked-filled bus and got him out just minutes before the bus was completely in flames." - more on this story

A Perfect Circle Reunion?

Could A Perfect Circle be teasing and puzzling fans with the prospect of a reunion? Gibson.com reports: It appears that hard rock supergroup A Perfect Circle will be reuniting soon. Earlier this week, the band's recently activated Twitter account began posting cryptic messages that tagged members of A Perfect Circle.

In the meantime, founding guitarist Billy Howerdel tweeted, "The APC dust is shaking off!" and drummer Josh Freese wrote on Facebook, "I'm happy to report that A Perfect Circle is waking up from its six-year slumber… and we're going to be 'doing stuff' soon."

But there's been no official announcement and nothing said by frontman Maynard James Keenan, who's recently been on tour with Tool and promoting another one of his bands, Puscifer. - more on this story

Dave Mustaine Declares Megadeth Metallica Feud Dead

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has proclaimed that his feud with Metallica is over. Rock Reports that Mustaine says the Big Four shows with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax should prove to everyone the quarter-century feud has been put to rest. And he asks: "What do I need, a love-child?"

Discussing his self-titled autobiography he tells ExploreMusic: "I was fired from Metallica because I punched James Hetfield. But we just made up when we did the Big Four thing. There's no feud. Anyone who perpetuates that stuff is just going for tabloid sensationalism.

"There's so many great things happening in my career. Do you have to go back to that? There's nothing there. If someone can't tell there's no feud after we played together... What do I need, a love-child? Come on!" - more on this story

Arcade Fire Heading To The Top

Arcade Fire are poised to hit the top of the U.S. album charts this week. The Canadian indie rockers' third album, The Suburbs, is tracking to take over the top slot from Avenged Sevenfold, whose Nightmare album looks to hold that spot for only one week, according to Hitsdailydouble.com. The website is estimating sales for The Suburbs to come in around 125,000.

It is certainly an eventful week for the band, as award-winning filmmaker and erstwhile Python Terry Gilliam directed the band's performance for the kick-off concert of "Unstaged: An Original Series from American Express" last night. The show was live-streamed on YouTube, with fans tweeting questions and requests to the band.

Arcade Fire will appear at Lollapalooza on Sunday, August 8 and at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Monday, August 9. -

- Michael Wright of Gibson.com

Phil Anselmo and Hank III's Arson Anthem Set Album Release

Arson Anthem, the new hardcore punk supergroup featuring Philip H. Anselmo (Pantera, Down, Superjoint Ritual), Hank Williams III (Superjoint Ritual, Assjack), Mike IX Williams (Outlaw Order, Eyehategod), and Collin Yeo (Ponykiller), have announced their debut release.

Here is the announcement: Arson Anthem is pleased to announce the October 12th, 2010 release of their brand new, first ever full-length release, entitled Insecurity Notoriety.

"I'm not sure what it is... but when Hank III, Colin, Mike and I get into "Arson" mode, time stops. We know the mission is to write unforgiving hardcore inspired by a slew of '80's bands... but the result is its own animal, yet not too terrible removed from the genuine article," describes Anselmo. "With that said, Insecurity Notoriety is like listening to an old favorite blast from the skanking past... vicious, snotty, grating and anthemic! I know it's typical to call a modern-day hardcore band 'fresh' or 'different', especially when it's your band, but... it is! This effort makes our first EP sound like child's play, as it should. Play it over and over! Piss everyone off!" - more on this story

Black Label Society Fans Have Plenty of Options

Black Label Society's new album, Order Of The Black, hits store next Tuesday, August 10th and will be available in multiple configurations from various retailers.

At Target, an exclusive limited edition CD/DVD combo package will contain the CD plus 50 minutes of bonus video. The CD/DVD configuration will be available while supplies last.

A special version will also be available from Best Buy as a limited edition package to include the CD with two bonus tracks and a Black Label Society t-shirt. - more on this story

AC/DC, Avenged Sevenfold, Ozzy, KISS Go Madden

Madden NFL 11 will be released on August 10th, 2010 and will feature an impressive soundtrack. Here is the announcement: This year's Madden NFL 11 soundtrack features 23 tracks that recreate the ultimate live gameday experience via a collection of crowd favorites, stadium classics, and official NFL team fight songs.

After 10+ years of being a foremost showcase for introducing new artists - including Franz Ferdinand, Avenged Sevenfold , Bullet For My Valentine, Yellowcard, Wolfmother, Jet, The Bravery, B.O.B., Good Charlotte, Ok Go, Fallout Boy and 30 Seconds To Mars

The Madden NFL 11 soundtrack focuses on stadium authenticity with classic fan-favorites by AC/DC, Queen, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne (including his new hit 'Let Me Hear You Scream'), Guns N' Roses, The Hives, Gary Glitter, Blur, Ying Yang Twins and Todd Rundgren. Adding to the unprecedented authenticity are official team fight songs of the Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and more. - more on this story

Weezer Go Indie for New Album

We had this as a rumor is yesterday's digest but it is confirmed today: Weezer have left Geffen. Bryan Wawzenek of Gibson has the report: Weezer have a new album coming out in September on a new record label. Less than a year after releasing Raditude (the band's final album with Geffen/Interscope), Rivers Cuomo and friends will release Hurley on California punk label Epitaph.

"At this moment in our career, it feels like we don't need a major label, and the major label culture isn't inline with our values," Cuomo told Rolling Stone. "We like [Epitaph head] Brett Gurewitz and it feels like a smaller and more appropriate operation for what we like doing at the moment."

After teaming up with artists as diverse as Kenny G and Lil Wayne recently, Weezer worked with Ryan Adams and songwriting legend Mac Davis on Hurley. Davis, famous for "In the Ghetto" among other tunes, co-wrote "Time Flies," which Cuomo calls a "classic '60s pop song with huge crunchy guitars." The '60s vibe continues elsewhere on the album with "Hang On," a song that "sounds like Frankie Valli but mixed with Metallica guitars," and "Smart Girls," which Cuomo compares to The Beatles "Back in the U.S.S.R.," because it's a "cheesy Beach Boys type of song." - more on this story

Guns N' Roses Appetite for Success

Bryan Wawzenek of Gibson.com gives us an in-depth look at Guns N' Roses slow climb to No. 1 on the anniversary of Appetite for Destruction topping the charts. Here you go! It was a long, slow climb, but on August 6, 1988 Guns N' Roses finally hit #1 on the Billboard album charts with Appetite for Destruction. Over the course of a year, "the world's most dangerous band" had become the kings of rock and roll.

The Los Angeles-based hard rockers had released their debut album on July 21, 1987, but it took a while to catch fire. It's hard to imagine now, but when "Welcome to the Jungle" (written by Slash and Axl Rose) was first released, the single was practically a flop.

It wasn't until Geffen Records President David Geffen put in a good word with MTV that the song, the album and the band started to take off. Geffen personally convinced executives at the music video channel to try showing the "Welcome to the Jungle" video during the late night or early morning hours. Initially, the video only was played once at 4 a.m. on a Sunday, but that was all it took for some rock fans to take notice. Calls and requests started to come in and, steadily, "Welcome to the Jungle" got bumped up in MTV's rotation.

Then the floodgates really opened. "Welcome to the Jungle" became a hit and Appetite for Destruction began shooting up the charts. - more on this story

Singled Out: Big Head Todd and the Monsters' Beautiful

Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today Todd Park Mohr from Big Head Todd and the Monsters tells us about "Beautiful" from their brand new album "Rocksteady". We now turn it over to Todd for the story:

As a songwriter I've learned that one can never predict what kind of life a song is going to take and how it is going to be received. The track "Beautiful" took a meandering course and then ended up being the first single. But I certainly had no commercial success in mind when I wrote the song.

I should say that I have had an extraordinary love relationship with my wife that has had many a dramatic turn over a 20 year period. Of course I tell her that every song I write is for and about her. When she had first listened to "Beautiful" she grabbed me by the arm and told me that I was in a lot of trouble. "you are in trouble if this song is about me, and you are in trouble if it is not!" The chorus goes "Your still beautiful when you're wrong/ Still so beautiful when you're wrong!". I suppose everyone can relate to this sentiment on some level.

The song is really a comedy where the point of view is someone who is really screwed over by the beloved, but also really hopelessly hooked. The vocal style I would say is a pleading soul shouter, so musically I would say it is pretty arresting. But what drives the song home is the chorus of course but also the emphatic railing in the verses of protest along the lines of "You left me up a creek in the storm/ I needed you - and you were gone!" How many times have you wanted to say that to your lover - but in the end its not such a good idea is it?"

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself (along with the other songs on the album - click on the music link and select "Rocksteady" album) and learn more about the album, grab tour dates - right here!

Singled Out: Young the Giant's My Body

Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. You may have seen Young the Giant on recent tours with Minus The Bear, Kings of Leon or The Whigs but the band is taking over Southern California this month with a string of residencies. To celebrate we asked frontman Sameer Gadhia to tell us about their new single "My Body," the first taste from their forthcoming album. Here you go:

We wrote "My Body" when we were all still living together in this condo loft on Sunset in Hollywood. We have quite a strange writing chemistry/ritual. All five of us are mutual writers, and most of our songs start from free form jams that everyone equally takes part in, so it makes sense that some of our most honest stuff comes from the inspiration of cooperated living. After a long day, however, the chaos of a five-way song-writing session can be tough to say the least, and so some songs take days/weeks to complete. My Body was completely different. Eric had the guitar riff stored away somewhere in the back of his brain, like most of his best work. It was a hot day in fall, and all of us were tired from playing in the heat of the amplifiers and sound system. We had spent a long time trying to write this slow building song that we were all getting a little tired of, so in semi-jest, Eric popped out the original guitar riff. It was something aggressive, vibrant; completely different from what we had been working on, so we immediately gravitated towards it. Fran added the four on the floor, and within ten minutes, the song was finished in its entirety. Ironically, "My Body" was the least edited track in pre-production—I guess it said something for us that really needed to come out. I started some aggressive yelps and yells, something different than a normal smooth delivery. From there, almost immediately, the words for the chorus popped out of my mouth. It was graphic and somewhat comical to me, and provoked a second listen, so I stuck with, "My body tells me no, but I won't quit, I want more!" I found it funny because, normally, it's the mind that tells the body not to do things—don't do this, you'll regret it. But in this role reversal, it was the body that attempts to restrain the mind from imagining things, as if it were it's own separate consciousness. From inside out, the song is all about the power of youthful aggression and resilience.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself, check out the video and grab those residency dates - right here!

The Pixies Heading South

The Pixies are heading south for the very first time. South: as in Latin America. Six dates have been confirmed, with the first being on October 6 in Buenos Aires, winding up with the last of three shows in Mexico on October 19. The Mexico trek will also include a co-headline spot (with Interpol) at the Corona Capital Festival.

On these Latin American dates, fans can expect the Pixies to play a wide selection of their most beloved songs from the band's five legendary albums, including "Here Comes Your Man," "Bone Machine," "Debaser," "Gouge Away," "Monkey Gone to Heaven," Hey," "Where Is My Mind," and "Wave of Mutilation," as well as some special covers and other surprises.

Back here in the U.S., the band's second leg of the "Doolittle Tour" has gone from an initial 11 dates to 16, including the just-announced addition of a September 16 show at the Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, NE. - more on this story

Spin The New Posies Song

Spin.com have posted an exclusive preview of the first song from The Posies new album, Blood/Candy.

The single features guest vocals from Lisa Lobsinger (lead singer of Reverie Sound Revue and vocalist of Broken Social Scene).

Ryko will be releasing the album on September 28th (the same day they kick off their world tour) but you can check out "Licenses To Hide" right now, - right here.

Enter Shikari and Haste The Day Fall Tour

Enter Shikari and Haste The Day are teaming up for a fall tour of North America that also feature Sleeping With Sirens, Ms. White, and Lightsgoblue.

The tour, which takes in a full loop of the continent over the course of six weeks, marks the end of a full 18 months of touring for Enter Shikari following the release of their second album 'Common Dreads'. The previous year+ has seen the band completing North American tours with August Burns Red and Alesana in 2009 and touring the US with A Day To Remember (and, in return, having A Day To Remember support them on a Japanese tour) in March 2010.

Most importantly, for those who have seen Enter Shikari on these recent North American jaunts, this tour will also mark the return to the drum stool of Mr Rob Rolfe, who has been unable to play US shows with the band for over two years due to visa issues (now, finally, thankfully, resolved). - more on this story

Anberlin Fall Tour

Anberlin have announced a North American headlining tour that kicks off at New Orleans' House of Blues on September 28th.

Crash Kings and Civil Twilight will open on the outing, which includes stops at Los Angeles' House of Blues (October 8th) and The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza (October 30th).

Anberlin will also play a show with 30 Seconds to Mars on September 30th in Oklahoma City. - more on this story

Alice Cooper's Brain Part of Salvador Dali Exhibition

(PR) This week sees the opening of Dali: The Late Work, the first major exhibition of the artist's work after 1940 at Atlanta's High Museum of Art. The exhibition renews a connection between the 20th century's greatest surrealist artist and Alice Cooper, whose own surrealistic vision changed rock and roll for all time.

The exhibition is scheduled to run through the first week of January next year and is focused on Dalí's art and his influence on artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Willem de Kooning. And it has catalyzed a multi-media reunion between the rock legend and his "brain."

One of the exhibition's highlights, among the over one hundred works on display, is the Dalí-conceived piece entitled "First Cylindric Chromo-Hologram Portrait of Alice Cooper's Brain" created in April of 1973, which depicts a three-dimensional Alice Cooper who sat for the artist wearing two million dollars worth of jewelry including a tiara and necklace while holding a statuette of Venus De Milo as if it were a microphone. A plaster sculpture of Alice's brain, topped by a chocolate éclair covered in ants, another Dalí oeuvre, was placed behind the cross-legged rock star and the set-up was documented by Dalí using (then) cutting-edge hologram technology. - more on this story

AC/DC In The Studio: The Stories Behind Every Album

(PR) On September 5th, John Blake Publishing will release AC/DC In The Studio: The Stories Behind Every Album by music biographer (and former antiMusic columnist) Jake Brown.

Featuring exclusive interviews with producers, engineers, as well as extensive, sourced commentary from band members on the making of such classics as 'Highway to Hell' and 'Back in Black', AC/DC: In the Studio is the definitive account of the making of the greatest hard rock anthems of all time. - more on this story

Bob Wayne's Devil's Son Set Album Release

Century Media has inked The Devil's Son which features Bob Wayne and will release Outlaw Carnie on October 26th. Here is the announcement:

One can always best gauge success by the number of people their music touches and has a positive impact on, not by the sheer amount of units sold. This has never been more evident than in the case of the immensely talented singer/songwriter/performer and dynamic storyteller Bob Wayne, who has just inked a worldwide deal with Century Media.

Best known for his leather vest, bandana and revolving crew of banjo players, fiddle players and upright bassists, Bob Wayne carries the torch for the outlaw country tradition with a modern punk snarl. His fanbase runs the gamut and his music offers something for everyone and always starts a party. - more on this story

Sargeist Will Let the Devil In This November

Moribund Records will release Sargeist's new album, Let the Devil In, on November 9th, 2010.

Says Shatraug regarding the imminent release of Let the Devil In, "The forthcoming Sargeist album took us more than five years to make. After two albums, the standard we had raised was needed to be met with a liturgy surpassing the previous works, and for that reason alone, it took such a long time to complete the new work. - more on this story

The Dandy Warhols' Dandy Comp

(Filter) The Dandy Warhols, quite possibly the epitome of urban bohemia, are back with a compilation album spanning their years at Capitol Records.

The album, entitled The Capitol Years 1995-2007, will be release in the US on August, 24th.

Compiled of 14 rocker hits and one new tune, This is the Tide, The Dandy Warhols are keeping bohemia alive and well. - more on this story

Captain, We're Sinking Mini Tour

This weekend Captain, We're Sinking are set to embark on a two week summer tour in support of their latest release, the It's A Trap 7".

The record was released on May 18th through Kind Of Like Records and is available for free download through If You Make It here.

August 7, 2010--Lock and Key Birthday!--Pittsburgh, PA
August 8, 2010--Malibu Barbie Beach House--Philadelphia, PA
August 9, 2010--Bar Code--Wilmington, DE
August 10, 2010--Exit 76--Richmond, VA
- more dates

Enthroned Tour Kick Off Delayed

We received word from the Enthroned camp on Thursday that the kick off of their tour has been delayed. Here is the statement: Due to reasons beyond the band's control, Enthroned were forced to postpone the first two dates of their North American tour.

The trek, which will mark the band's first time on US/Canadian soil in nine years, was originally scheduled to kick off Wednesday at Club Europa in Brooklyn, NY and hit Jaxx in Springfield, VA Thursday. Both shows have been rescheduled for August 30 and September 1 respectively.

The shows scheduled for Raleigh, NC and Atlanta, GA will go on as planned without Enthroned and feature only Deströyer 666 and Pathology, who will provide support through the rest of the tour. - more on this story

Evile One Off

Evile have announced a one-off club show in the UK before the band heads off to North America for a massive tour lasting nearly three months.

Evile will be heading across the Atlantic in late September to take part in a number of tours which will see the band playing with the likes of Overkill, Forbidden, Dri, Bonded By Blood, Gama Bomb and Early Man.

Evile will be performing at the UK's Bloodstock festival on 14th August, before playing their only UK club show for the rest of the year on 29th August at The Crypt in Hastings. - more on this story

Dengue Fever Fantasy

Fantasy Records have inked Dengue Fever and will release the groups new album next spring.

Dengue Fever is currently recording their fourth full-length, as-yet-untitled album at the renowned Village studios in West L.A. and their own Shoebox Studios in Los Feliz with a target release date of Spring 2011.

The forthcoming record features all new material and tracks in both Khmer and English as does their most recent offering, 2008's highly acclaimed, Venus on Earth. - more on this story

Powerworld Set New Album Release

Ex-Freedom Call/Ex-Moondoc bass player Ilker Ersin's new group Powerworld have signed a global deal with SPV/Steamhammer.

The label has announced that the group's new album, Human Parasite, will be released in Europe on October 22nd and in North America on November 9th and the band will embark on a European tour in early 2011.

The group also features singer Andrew McDermott - Vocals - (ex-Sargant Fury/ex-Threshold), Barish Kepic - Guitars - (ex-Jaded Heart), Nils Neumann - Keyboards - (ex-Freedom Call) and Achim Keller - Drums - (Victory). - check em out here

Boulevard Albums Set For Reissue

(MMP) Boulevard is considered as one of the most important arena rock bands in the history of Canadian music. Their two classic albums – the self-titled "Blvd" and "Into The Street" – brought a fantastic mixture of 80's pop and rock, similar to what bands such as Toto, Mr. Mister and Glass Tiger had to offer. Sadly, their career ended with the birth of the grunge movement, which pretty much dominated the entire rock scene in the 1990's…

The band's story began around 1983, when Mark Holden (saxophone/vocals) started working at the Thunderhead recording studios in Calgary, Alberta. There he met guitarist Randy Gould and together they joined forces with vocalist David Forbes, forming a group which they called Blvd. In 1985 the studio was closed and the band moved to Vancouver, where they recruited Jerry Adolphe (drums), Randy Burgess (bass) and Andrew Johns (keyboard) and recorded their first demos. The effort paid off in 1987, when Blvd was offered a recording deal by MCA. The band released their debut self-titled album in 1988. "Blvd" was recorded with producer Pierre 'Baz' Bazinet at Ocean Sound studios and mixed by legendary rock producers Bob Rock (known from working with Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, The Cult) and Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Dio, Joe Satriani, Poison). - more on this story

Lordi iPhone Game Coming Next Week

Lordi will soon be available on your iPhone. Lordi The Game will be released worldwide on Monday August 9, 2010 on the same day as "This Is Heavy Metal," the first single to be released from Lordi's upcoming album, Babez For Breakfast out September 14 in North America on The End Records. The game features two songs the album, This Is Heavy Metal and I Am Bigger Than You.

In the game, the player takes the role of Mr. Lordi, who has to banish the undead from the underworld. The milieu of the game varies from a cemetery to a flight crash area and at each level of the game, monsters are seen in a different look. Players will hear Mr. Lordi himself encourage better performance and reward skilled gameplay.

The game includes six levels with three levels of difficulty each. When the player has passed one level of difficulty, the game will present exclusive images of the band members, which are not available elsewhere. - more on this story