Aerosmith Future in Doubt- Arcade Fire Put You In New Video- Dimebag Tribute Song- Chickenfoot Complications- Pearl Depp Patti Smith Jam- New Pantera Song- more

Sex Slaves have revealed their tour plans for the remainder of 2010. Confirmed dates are here -

Kid Rock Will Be Born Free in November With New Album Release

Kid Rock has announced the follow-up to his block buster triple platinum 2007 album 'Rock and Roll Jesus.' Rock's new album "Born Free," was produced by Rick Rubin and mixed by Greg Fidelman and is set to hit stores on November 16th from Atlantic Records.

Here is part of the announcement with some comments from Kid Rock: The first single from the album will be, appropriately, "Born Free" which hits radio September 14th. "Born Free" is in many ways a transformational album for Kid Rock. While there is still the edge, wit, and swagger of previous albums, he doesn't rap, there's no metal – there isn't even a parental warning sticker.

Says Kid Rock, "The catalyst for this record was Detroit, and my thoughts on the world through the lens of Detroit. Watching everything go downhill over the past few years, the economy, the loss of jobs everywhere, I wanted to make a record that reflected the times but that still had soul." - more on this story

Depeche Mode Founders Martin Gore and Vince Clarke Working Together Again

The chief songwriter for Depeche Mode's first album is collaborating with the man who took over songwriting duties in the group after he left. Martin Gore is collaborating again with his Depeche Mode co-founder Vince Clarke (who went on to co-found Erasure with Andy Bell and Yazoo [known as Yaz in the U.S.] with Alison Moyet).

depeche-mode.com reports that Gore is working on a new project with Clarke and that so far very little is known, apart from one a single title: "Zaat".

The site reports that Clarke broke the news to fans via Twitter last Friday with this message, "Am working on the track 'Zaat'. Collaborating with Martin (Gore) (from Basildon)." - more on this story

Blink-182 Exploring New Sounds For New Album

Rock Radio caught up with Tom DeLonge at the Leeds Festival over the weekend and learned that not only are new Blink-182 songs coming, the band is branching out musically.

Discussing the follow-up to 2003's self-titled release, DeLonge explains: "The record will be very modern, relevant, fast and fun. It'll be a mixture of drum'n'bass, indie rock and stadium rock. I can't say we've done that before, but you can see the tip of the iceberg on the last record.

"Anyone who listens to my band Angels and Airwaves will know where I sit musically. If you imagine that, mixed in with what the other guys do in their spare time, you get it. It's going to be a really great collaboration of the best of three different genres of music." - More from Tom here

Queens of The Stone Age's Hard To Find Debut Being Reissued

Queens of The Stone Age mastermind Joshua Homme is giving fans a special treat this fall with the reissue of QOTSA's hard to find self-titled debut album.

The album is being released by Homme's Rekords Rekords which has also announced the release of Alain Johannes' Spark (Oct. 5), Mini Mansions self-titled debut (Nov. 2).

Queens of The Stone Age Queens of The Stone Age is highly sought after, out of print album, the debut release from Queens of The Stone Age has been recreated by Homme as it was initially envisioned, with three tracks that were initially cut from the record reinstated. - more on this story

The Day Metallica Went Mainstream

On this day in 1991 Metallica started their four-week run at the top of the U.S. album chart with their self-titled album, better known to fans as the Black Album. To mark the anniversary, Gibson takes an in-depth look at the album:

In the fall of 1990, guitarist/vocalist Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich and bassist Jason Newsted went into the One on One studio in North Hollywood to start on what would be Metallica's fifth album. Partially inspired by the success of "One," the band went to work on a set of concise, radio-friendly songs that would bridge the gap between thrash and mainstream metal.

Impressed with his work on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood, Metallica enlisted producer Bob Rock to help in this vein, although they initially only wanted him to mix the album. They eventually changed their minds, and let Rock helm the whole process. "We felt that we still had our best record in us and Bob Rock could help us make it," Ulrich once said. The sessions for Metallica were as tense and angry as any that the band had experienced at that time. The members blamed Rock for this, largely because he changed their usual working schedule and forced them out of their comfort zones. For instance, he encouraged the band to play together, rather than record their parts separately, as they had become accustomed to doing. (Despite swearing never to work with the producer again, Metallica and Rock continued to collaborate for more than a decade.) Multiple takes, months of recording and no less than three different mixes resulted in the final album costing more than $1 million. - more on this story

Social Distortion Going Acoustic For Animals

Punk icons Social Distortion are about the last band you would expect to go unplugged but when a good cause arises the band answers the call.

Social Distortion announced last Friday that they will be performing a two song acoustic set at the Animal Acres Gala 2010 on September 11, 2010.

According to the band's statement, Animal Acres is a farmed animal sanctuary and compassionate living center just north of Los Angeles in Acton. Last year's Gala raised over $185,000.00 for farmed animal rescue and protection efforts. - more info here

Paul Rodgers Confirms Aerosmith Offer

Back in January when Aerosmith were considering replacing Steven Tyler, a writer for Classic Rock overheard Joe Perry recruiting Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers for the gig. (see that story here). Now Rodgers confirms that it did take place in a new interview. Gibson reports:

"Well, yes, I was, actually. Joe Perry came up to me at another awards celebration. And he said that Steve was not really interested in touring anymore at the moment, and they were all ready to tour and that they were looking for somebody to take that slot. And I said to him, 'You know, maybe you guys ought to rethink that.' And I'm happy to see that they're up and running now because they're a fabulous band."

Rodgers said that part of the reason for his hesitance to join the Boston rockers was that he had already done something similar with Queen: "Queen was an exception -- joining forces with an actual band that existed. Because in the past I've always formed a band and then written a whole catalog of songs for that band." - more on this story

Ozzy's Diary and Blizzard Reissues Delayed

Fans who were hoping to have the 30th Anniversary reissue editions of Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo albums in hand around Thanksgiving won't be thankful for this news.

The Metal Den reports that the 30th-anniversary editions of Ozzy's first two solo albums, 1980′s "Blizzard Of Ozz" and 1981′s "Diary Of A Madman", have been apparently postponed, this according to CD Japan.

This is important to fans because these editions are said to have the original drum and bass tracks restored (unlike the 2002 reissues of these albums, which saw the replacement of the original bass and drum tracks by Osbourne's then-drummer Mike Bordin and -bassist Robert Trujillo).
- Read more at The Metal Den

Avenged Sevenfold Keep Making History With Nightmare

The title track to Avenged Sevenfold's new album, 'Nightmare,' has hit the top of the Active Rock Radio chart in the U.S. this week.

According to their label, Warner Bros. Records, this is the first time the band has achieved Number 1 in radio airplay.

It has enjoyed airplay at Active Rock, Mainstream, and Modern Rock radio stations across the country and was the No. 1 Rock Song on iTunes in the U.S. and the U.K. in its debut week. - more on this story

Bob Dylan Song Inspires Film Script By Scorsese Collaborator

(Gibson) A Bob Dylan song soon might be its own movie, according to Pajiba.com. Screenwriter and Martin Scorsese collaborator Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York, The Age of Innocence) is working on a script based on Dylan's epic "Brownsville Girl." The rock legend wrote the song with playwright/actor Sam Shepard and released it on 1986's Knocked Out Loaded.

The song – which runs more than 11 minutes – is a mixture of a western tale and romance and includes references to Gregory Peck movies. Apparently, Dylan himself asked Cocks to write the script, which is now rumored to be attached to Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper. Brad Pitt is being asked to star as the lead, Henry Porter. Johnny Depp was previously offered the role.

If the "Brownsville Girl" movie does get made, it will join Harper Valley PTA, Alice's Restaurant and The Gambler in the rare category of movies based on a song. It will also join Dylan's movie-making escapades, alongside 2003's Masked and Anonymous (which he co-wrote) and 1978's Renaldo and Clara (which he wrote and directed). - more on this story

U2 Spaced Out with NASA

You thought NASA was all about launching people into space. That's only part of it. Today they seem to have a changing mission. We won't get into the recent controversy as it has nothing to do with music but the space agency working with a top selling band is noteworthy. Here is official word on that: NASA and U2 released a commemorative video highlighting a year's worth of collaboration in space and on the band's 360 Degree tour.

U2 approached NASA in 2009 with an idea to include a dialogue between the band and the crew of the International Space Station during U2's world tour. The astronauts of Expedition 20, the crew then living aboard the space station, agreed to participate and spoke with U2 several times before recording a video segment the band incorporated into its concerts.

The space station crew members were Michael Barratt of NASA, Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency, Bob Thirsk of the Canadian Space Agency, Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Gennady Padalka and Roman Romanenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency. - more on this story

Rolling Stones Monopoly Game Coming In Time for Christmas

The Beatles did it a couple years ago and now following historical precedent, The Rolling Stones are next to release a branded version of Monopoly that is set to hit stores in time for Christmas.

Gibson reports: In Rolling Stones Monopoly, the famous streets and avenues of the original edition are replaced with Stones releases. Baltic Avenue becomes Sticky Fingers and Park Place turns into A Bigger Bang.

But it's not just the street spaces – the entire game has been given a Stones makeover. Chance and Community Chest cards have become Lyrics and Licks, the four railroads are now different Stones tours and instead of paying a Luxury Tax, players will now have to purchase concert tickets. There are no houses or hotels, but gold and platinum records to add to your properties. Plus, while you play the game, you won't be guiding a racecar or a thimble around the board, but a tour bus, a drum set or a bunch of wild horses. - more on this story

Singled Out: The Other's Back To The Cemetery

Hey all, this is Rod Usher from "Europe's No. 1 Horror Punk band" The Other. Please notice the quotation marks because this was a description that I lifted from a review of our new album and not something I made up myself. Speaking of our new album: which is our fourth CD/LP "New Blood" is out [today/ August 31st] in North-America on Steamhammer/SPV/E1 Entertainment and for those of you who like Horror-influenced Punk-Rock-Metal-Goth with inspirations drawn from bands like The Misfits, Danzig, The Damned and countless horror movies and books, you may want to check it out.

It's hard to single out one track from the album really because every title has a little history to it. But I think "Back To The Cemetery" is the one that is most interesting and diverse… It all started out years before we founded The Other at a time when I was working in the intensive care unit of a hospital. Patients died all the time but I usually had nothing to do with this until one day I had to help the coroners after an autopsy. They took the corpse and I had to clean up the steel-tub after that. Lots of blood and pus....not very pleasant. The corpse looked all messed up and since we don't have open casket ceremonies in Germany it was going to be buried just like that. Too many horror movies made me think "Man, imagine some graverobber digging up THAT corpse…".

A few years later I went to see Gunther von Hagens' "Body Worlds" which I found to be both fascinating and sick and I thought: "Well, at least those dead bodies are put to a good use" and that again reminded me of Ed Gein, who also used parts of the women he killed to stitch up some "nice" chair covers. I was reminded of all that again when watching "Fight Club", where soap was made from human fat… When coming up with the chorus for "Back To The Cemetery" – just because it sounded good - I had to find a reason for somebody to go to a cemetery and keep coming back. And in these times, where everything needs to have a reason, a use and a value, the idea came to me, that even dead human bodies can be a natural resource that hasn't really been exploited yet. Graverobbers could make a damn good business by digging up corpses and selling that fat to make fake boobs, selling the testicles in Asia as an aphrodisiac, making lamp-shades out of skin…well, you get the idea. Obviously this is not meant to be a serious song, but rather a satire on a society that will use everything to make a profit. Hmm, this could actually be a good videoclip or maybe a horror-movie. But until then, please check out the song – or rather the whole album – and let other monster-fans know about The Other. Stay scared! Rod Usher - www.theother.de

Guns N' Roses, Chili Peppers, Heaven and Hell and Scorpions Stars To Tribute Led Zeppelin's John Bonham

Gibson has some more details about this story today: Thirty years after his death, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham will be remembered with a tribute concert by some of Los Angeles' finest drummers, including his son Jason.

The Daily Express reports that former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, Heaven and Hell man Vinny Appice and Scorpion James Kottak will be part of the tribute show, entitled Bonzo: The Groove Remains the Same, at the Key Club in Hollywood on September 25.

The event has been organized by Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy, who told Blabbermouth.net: "Not a day goes by where I don't think of John Bonham's snare sound, and it hit me – 'Why isn't there a Bonzo tribute where every drummer gets up... and plays their favorite Zeppelin song?' I thought of all the drummers I know that worship at the altar of John Bonham and being in L.A., there are so many here." - more on this story

The Acacia Strain's To Catch a Predatour To Feature The Red Chord, Terror, Gaza, and The Contortionist

The Acacia Strain will headline the "To Catch a Predatour" which will feature The Red Chord, Terror, Gaza, and The Contortionist.

The tour is set to hit the east coast and Canada and The Acacia Strain are touring in support of their new album, "Wormwood," which hit stores last month and debuted at No. 67 on the Billboard 200.

According to their label, In typical The Acacia Strain fashion, the guys plan to bring the fun each night by hanging out at their merch table thirty minutes after doors to meet the fans and socialize. There will be a special tee shirt available for purchase only during this time in addition to all their new tour merchandise. If you are in the Holyoke, MA area on the 20th of November, be sure to come out to the Waterfront Tavern as this show will be a benefit for a dear friend of the band who recently passed away due to a decade long battle with cancer. - more on this story

Meshuggah's Fredrik Thordendal Solo Album Being Reissued

Metal Mind Productions have announced a limited edition reissue of Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects' Sol Niger Within.

In 1997 Fredrik Thordendal took some time off from Meshuggah and concentrated on a solo project which he called Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects. Under that flag he released the album "Sol Niger Within" – a frantic, yet fascinating outpouring of musical dementia. Metal Mind productions presents the exclusive reissue of the album that invites you for a trip to the edge of sanity and beyond…

The new digipak edition of the album is limited to 2000 copies. Remastered using tube technology, digitally edited on a golden disc. Metal Mind productions set up the release date for 11th October in Europe and 7th December in USA (via MVD). - more on this story

Built to Spill To Kick Off Tour This Week

Built to Spill are following up their tour with Kings Of Leon with their own headlining tour.

Built to Spill are touring in support of the current Warner Bros. Records album There Is No Enemy.

Dates kick off this week in Omaha and conclude November 20th in Seattle. All dates are listed - here

Todd Rundgren Goes From Banging On The Drum All Day To College Professor

Steve Miller won't be the only classic rocker joining the faculty at a University this coming semester. Gibson reports that his fellow '70s rock legend Todd Rundgren has announced that he is doing the same.

The guy who once sang, "I don't want to work, I just want to bang on the drum all day," will be donning the professorial robes this fall at Indiana University. (Miller will teach at the University of Southern California).

"Call me Professor Henry Higgins," Rundgren joked with IndyStar. The "Hello It's Me" star will teach a class for students in the prestigious Wells Scholars program. He is expected to deliver a lecture at the Bloomington, Indiana, campus on October 28 and a storyteller-like concert on October 31. The shows were set up by the university's rock history professor, Glenn Gass, who has a summer home near Rundgren's in Hawaii. - more on this story

Dark Funeral Lose Another Member

Dark Funeral played their last show with frontman Emperor Magus Caligula at the Summer Breeze Festival a week and half ago and today they announced that B-Force is also leaving the group.

Here is the official message from Dark Funeral guitarist Lord Ahriman: "Ave! The dawn of a new dark era has risen, and a new hellish chapter has begun. Despite the circumstances, I must say that the band and I are extremely motivated and excited to start a new chapter in the saga that is Dark Funeral. We already have some killer plans for the future. And all I can say at this point is that we'll be moving forward with full force and without mercy.

Those of you who've followed Dark Funeral since the beginning in 1993, surely know that this is not the first time we've undergone a major lineup change. And whatever some people may have thought or whined about, no one can deny the fact that I/we've always succeeded in recruiting new and amazing musicians to move forward and reach new heights with the band. There is absolutely no doubt in our mind that this will again be the case. - more on this story

Clapton Hates His Own Singing

(Gibson) Give Eric Clapton a guitar, and old slowhand has no fear. But it's another thing entirely when the rock legend has to sing.

"I hate my singing. I don't like the way I sing," Clapton recently told Mojo. "It all sounds like I'm 16 years old from Surbiton. I do my best to try and feel it. You know, when I watch Ray Charles sing, I think, 'That's it, that's how it's done.' He remembers thousands of songs and he sings them all as if they're the most important song he knows. He does it from the bottom of his heart, every time, every song. And that's, that's the inspiration. That's my influence.

"But I'm imbued with so much self-doubt about my singing, that it's very difficult for me to get to that freedom that those kinds of singers have." - more on this story

Major Leaguer Randy Johnson Turns Megadeth Photographer

This one should interest metal fans and baseball fans alike: Former Major League Baseball starting pitcher Randy Johnson traded in his baseball glove for a camera at Megadeth's show at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, AZ last Friday night (August 27).

Johnson--one of the most dominant pitchers of his generation--was a special guest of Megadeth at the "American Carnage" show, which also featured Slayer and Testament.

Johnson is an avid metal fan and concert-goer with a passion for photographing his favorite artists. Randy Johnson's photos of Megadeth at the Dodge Theatre (performance and backstage) can be found - here

Constants War Is Coming

You wouldn't think that the genre terms shoegaze and indie-metal would go together but that is how Science of Silence describes Constants.

The label has sent word that they will be releasing the Constants new album, If Tomorrow The War on September 7.

The vinyl will be limited to a run of 250 (125 Black/125 Translucent Red) with alternative artwork to its European counterpart. - more on this story

Biffy Clyro Plan US Invasion

Biffy Clyro are making a splash at home in the UK with a Mercury Prize nomination and they now have their eyes now set on the US.

Their first US headlining tour is set to kick off in Allston, MA on September 13 and they'll make their way across the states to Las Vegas where the tour will wrap up on October 1st.

Their latest album, Only Revolutions, will be released in the US on September 21. - more on this story

Dropkick Murphys Going Down Under with Megadeth, NOFX, Gwar and Announce Charity Event

Last week we told you that Gwar was heading Down Under to rape hobbits on the No Sleep Til Fest along with Megadeth, Dropkick Murphys and NOFX. Dropkick Murphys sent over word of the tour today but they also announced The First Annual Claddagh Fund Celebrity Golf Tournament. Here are both announcements:

Dropkick Murphys have announced December tour dates in Australia and New Zealand as part of the No Sleep Til…Festival 2010. Touring in support of their Live On Lansdowne, Boston MA CD/DVD (Born & Bred Records/ILG), which captures the intensity and camaraderie of 2009's sold-out St. Patrick's Day week hometown shows in Boston, Dropkick Murphys will join Megadeth, NOFX, Parkway Drive, Gwar, Frenzal Rhomb and more at each festival date. Tickets go on sale Thursday, September 9.

Dropkick Murphys also continue their work with The Claddagh Fund, the charity established by DKM founding member Ken Casey in support of non-profits that champion the causes of children, veterans and those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. The First Annual Claddagh Fund Celebrity Golf Tournament co-hosted by NHL Hall Of Famer Bobby Orr will take place September 10 in Falmouth, Massachusetts. - more on this story

Mars Attacks Filter's Richard Patrick

Victor M. Ruiz sends us word that the latest episode of his "Mars Attacks Podcast" features an interview Filter mastermind Richard Patrick.

Items discussed are the pressures or lack thereof that were felt when writing Trouble With Angels, the selection of Bob Marlette as producer for the album, his unique experience at Operation MySpace, etc.

They also briefly touch upon some of the projects Patrick's been involved in, namely The Damning Well, and Army Of Anyone. - Check it out here

Chuck Berry, Tony Iommi, Slash, Jimi Page Among The Most Influential Gibson Guitar Players

Gibson has created a list of who they see as the 10 most influential guitarists to ever strap on a Gibson. Here are three of them: Chuck Berry - Trying to assess the impact Chuck Berry has had on rock and roll is like trying to gauge Shakespeare's influence on English literature – it's that profound and pervasive. With his ever-present ES-335, Berry created a virtual Bible of six-string classics, and established a rhythmic template for countless players who came in his wake. Small wonder that John Lennon famously said, "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry.'"

Tony Iommi - Rob Halford, like many others, hails Tony Iommi as the man who invented the heavy metal riff. With Black Sabbath and beyond, Iommi has employed his SG in crafting slow, menacing leads and foreboding blues-based solos that sound like the aural equivalent of the Frankenstein monster. "Iron Man," "War Pigs," and "Children of the Grave" are among the classics that virtually every metal guitarist counts as gold standards.

Jimmy Page - If the '70s was the decade of the great guitar riff, then Jimmy Page was its master craftsman. Steeped in the work of the great American blues players, and with years of session experience to draw from, Page packed Led Zeppelin's albums with some of the heaviest, hardest and most melodic riffs ever committed to tape. No doubt countless young players picked up a Les Paul – or perhaps even an SG double-neck – as a result of hearing and seeing Page. - Check out the full list here which may disappoint KISS fans