Killswitch Engage Singer Howard Jones Leaves Tour

The vague statement left the door open to rumors to start flying about Jones possibly leaving the band, being ill or injured (see full story for details) But the man who is filling in for Jones, Phil Labonte wrote on Twitter, "Yep, I'm singing for KsE until HoJo gets better. Not sure how long it'll be, but I'm here 'till they don't need me anymore."
- more on this story

Good Charlotte's Benji Madden To Fight MTV Washout Riki Rachtman

(Submitted News) After the hugely successful, sold-out Ellismania 4 – many thought that former pro-skateboarder and radio host Jason Ellis couldn't top himself. At the event, Ellis defeated Nitro Circus star Andy Bell in the card's main event and then took the stage with Good Charlotte's Benji Madden for the Taintstick CD release show – which also featured an appearance of Ozzy Osbourne bassist Blasko performing Ozzy's classic "Crazy Train" with Taintstick.

Now, Jason Ellis is planning Ellismania 5: 'Get These Brawls' and it is certain to blow last year's event away. Ellismania 5 will take place April 2nd and 3rd, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV at the Hard Rock and is set to feature none other than Good Charlotte's Benji Madden taking on TV personality Riki Rachtman (Headbangers Ball, Daisy of Love) in the main event.

This fight is sure to go down in the history books as it pits 'Old School' versus 'New School' in a battle where the opponents truly hate each other. Riki Rachtman has released the following Youtube clip discussing the fight - here

Steven Tyler Talks Led Zep Audition- INXS J.D. Fortune Reunion- Sept Strokes- Big Names for Clapton Gig- Raw Iggy Box- Cops Stop Obituary Show and more

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler has confirmed he tried out as Robert Plant's replacement in Led Zeppelin - and he'll never forget the experience. Tyler insists the rehearsals were a great experience, "The kid in me was dying. I got to sing every song from 'Black Dog' up and down and I'll never forget it as long as I live." He tells VH1 , "I don't think a band like theirs needs a singer like me. They already had the best; they were the best." more

Global's ET Canada reported, in a world exclusive, on Wednesday night, that INXS' publicist had confirmed that J.D. Fortune will "do a special guest appearance" with INXS during the band's Feb. 24 sold-out show at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. more

The Strokes hope to have their long-awaited fourth studio album ready for release by September. more

The Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, John Mayer, B.B. King and more will join Eric Clapton at his third Crossroads Guitar Festival, which will take place June 26 in Chicago. The day-long festival will feature 26 axe-wielding acts in total, details over at Billboard

Roger Daltrey fears he'll have a very fuzzy memory of The Who's Super Bowl showdown on Sunday, February 7 - because he couldn't see a thing. The "My Generation" singer and bandmate Pete Townshend performed a 12-minute medley of hits during Sunday's big game between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts in Miami, Florida - but flashbulbs and camera lights ruined the experience for Daltrey. more

Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher won't be attending the sentencing in Toronto next month for a man who attacked him onstage during a 2008 concert. more

Iggy and the Stooges' 1973 classic album Raw Power will be reissued on April 27 as a deluxe box set. It will house three discs worth of music featuring 15 previously unreleased bonus tracks of never-before-heard songs, demos and remixes. more

Local police stopped Obituary's sound check in Cuenca, Ecuador after fans were waiting outside in the rain for three hours because of production delays. The show was billed for Obituary to start playing at 2:30 pm, but due to the PA company getting a late start in the morning Obituary didn't started to sound check until 3:30 pm. During the sound check the local police decided to make an appearance and stop the entire show from going on. more

U2 drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. will reportedly be a guest voice and appear more than once on the Fox television cartoon series The Cleveland Show. Mullen apparently contacted the creators of the show — which is a Family Guy spin-off — through a mutual friend and asked to get involved, according to BBC News more
Rose Funeral, Wretched, and And Hell Followed With will tour the U.S. together in March and April. more

Hawthorne Heights have announced that their new album, Skeletons, will be released by Windup Records on May 18, 2010. more

EMI has reached an agreement with Dailymotion to deliver the major's premium music videos to the video-sharing service's Web site, mobile site, iPhone app and the Dailymotion channel on Internet-connected TVs. more

Horse The Band has revealed plans to tour South Africa in late-March and early-April. more

Igor Wouters (ex-Backfire!) will be joining Born From Pain from April onwards. more

Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has announced he will be making an in-store appearance in Curitiba, Brazil on March 18th more

In a blog post about the release of Loren Cass on DVD, Leftover Crack mentioned that work towards writing a third full length had begun, though little is known about when (or if) the record will surface more

Speaking of crack, Warner Music will apparently cut off another avenue of exposing their music to fans and thus driving away potential sales. NME reports that the company has announced plans to stop licensing its artists' content on free music software such as Spotify, We7 and Last.FM. The move means that acts including the likes of Muse, REM and Red Hot Chili Peppers may not be available on new streaming services. more -

Ronnie James Dio Cancer Fight Update

Ronnie James Dio's wife and manager Wendy Dio broke the sad news last Thanksgiving weekend that the metal legend is fighting stomach cancer. Since then she has been issuing monthly updates to fans on how his treatment is progressing. Here is the latest:

Since my last update, we have been back and forth to Houston three times for tests and chemo treatments, an emergency run to St. Joseph's for another blood clot, an ultrasound and another cat scan. We met with Dr. Ajani, Ronnie's oncologist, on Monday, and he was very pleased with the treatment so far. Some tumors have gone and some have shrunk. He says we have a long road to travel, but we are on the right path.

Going back and forth to Houston is getting old, with all the cancelled and delayed flights and some of the rude Continental staff, the same boring food at the hotel (I think we have eaten everything on their horrible menu!), but…when we get a good report from the doctor, it is all worth it. The only food Ronnie says he can taste is Indian curry; everything tastes like metal (HEAVY metal?) because of the chemo. We did, however, have a nice breakfast with Carmen and his mother on Friday. [Carmen] is still waiting for his bone marrow transplant. [She mentioned Carmen in her last update here] - more on this story

Judas Priest Behind The Music Remastered This Weekend

(vh1) VH1's Emmy Award-nominated and critically acclaimed series "Behind The Music," returns to continue some of these now iconic stories. This Saturday, February 13 at 10PM ET, VH1 Classic will air eight new half-hour weekly episodes of "Behind the Music Remastered" featuring some of classic rocks seminal artists including: Genesis, Mötley Crüe, Metallica, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, and John Lennon. Picking up where the original "Behind the Music" episodes left off, VH1 Classic will air brand new interviews, footage, and video clips that update the stories of several classic artists over the last 10 to 15 years.

Be sure to catch the latest episode of Behind the Music Remastered this Saturday, February 13th at 10/9C as the series chronicles the colorful history of the quintessential hard rock band of the 80s, Judas Priest. [What follows appears to promote the original BTM episode with no mention of any new material.] Four guys from working-class rural England, rose from the smoke of their heavy industry town in the late 70's to become pioneers of 'The New Wave of British Heavy Metal". Judas Priest washed ashore in the United States in 1977 and catapulted to popularity to become one of the biggest bands in the world. The history of Judas Priest spans 30 years and includes a well-publicized 1990 court case centered around subliminal messages; the '92 departure of the lead singer Rob Halford after twenty years with the band and his surprising 'coming out' in '98 as a homosexual man; the rebirth of Judas Priest with a new singer Ripper Owens; and the return to metal by Rob Halford with his current band, 'Halford'. In spite of everything, the band continues to rock on with the 2001 release of their latest album "Demolition." Includes interviews with: Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, KK Downing, Ian Hill, Scott Travis, the new singer Ripper Owens, management, family and friends flesh out this hour-long documentary on Judas Priest.Heavy metal pioneers, Metallica, will be the focus of this week's show

While all of these artists have previously been featured on BTM, the Remastered series will pick up where those episodes left off with new interviews and footage from the past decade. Behind the Music Remastered will premiere on VH1 Classic on Saturday, February 13th. - preview clip here

RX Bandits Announce Full Album Shows

RX Bandits has unveiled plans to perform three previous albums (The Resignation, And The Battle Begun and Mandala) in their entirety in three successive shows in New York City on March 25th, 26th and 27th during the band's upcoming spring tour. The group will also perform at this year's Coachella music festival on Saturday, April 17th.

RX Bandits once again take to the road this month, first in Australia as the group joins the massive multi-city traveling Soundwave Festival alongside Faith No More, Jane's Addiction, Sunny Day Real Estate and more.

Then, headlining US dates follow in March with The Builders and the Butchers and Zechs Marquise supporting. - dates

Leiana Recruits Members Of Alice In Chains, Walls Of Jericho

Philadelphia based rocker Leiana will enter a Los Angeles, CA studio this week with producer Eddie Wohl to record a cover of "Kool Thing" by Sonic Youth featuring Public Enemy's Chuck D. The track will feature Mike Starr (ex-Alice In Chains) on bass, Sean Danielson (Smile Empty Soul) on guitar, Dustin Schoenhofer (Walls Of Jericho) on drums, and hip-hop artist Famouz, who will be handling the vocal parts of Chuck D who sang on the song.

"Famouz and I have talked about collaborating on a project since we first met," Commented Leiana. "The cover of 'Kool Thing' was suggested to me by someone at my label, and I totally dug it. It was great to finally work with Dustin too, since I have know him a while, and having Mike play on it is a real honor. It was awesome to be able to put a new spin on it, because it is a great, strong, sexy tune."

Leiana is preparing for the release of her new studio album, "Lucky #3", through FOF Label Group later this year. The album is the soundtrack for those that love to surf and skate or just like to rock out, and will feature appearances by Smile Empty Soul, Rob Caggiano of Anthrax, Brett Scallions of Fuel, John Tempesta of White Zombie. Leiana has released a brand new cover of the Lita Ford classic "Kiss Me Deadly" in time for the release of the upcoming biopic "Runaways" featuring Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart. The track can be heard online at
- www.myspace.com/leiana

Far's New Album Details

Far announce a May 18 release date for their fifth full-length and Vagrant debut At Night We Live. The album was produced by guitarist Shaun Lopez at his own Airport Studio in Southern California. It's the band's first release in over a decade.

"I've got ten years of interviews saying this would never happen, that Far would never play together, let alone make a record, so I really have no idea what will happen from here on out,' comments singer Jonah Matranga. "All I know is that I'm really proud of the record, and I think it stands with anything we've made. Really, that's all I cared about as we were making it."

"I think every record we had made in the past, there was always some sort of outside pressure," said Lopez. "Either it was label, or us trying to "make it happen". This writing and recording process was great, since there wasn't any of that. The end result is something we are all very proud of." - more on this story

Skinlab Ready To Rock Again Following Illness

Matt Hensch over antiMusic's sister site Thrashpit recently spoke with Steev Esquivel of Skinlab about their latest effort 'The Scars Between Us,' Steev's health following a canceled tour due to illness, their long-awaited DVD release and a whole lot more. Here is a small excerpt from the conversation:

Thrashpit.com: How has your health been since the illness that caused Skinlab to cancel their US tour was discovered? Esquivel: My lungs are back to normal and ready to rock. We've played a few shows since then. I just need to take care of myself better on the road, between climate changes and temperature changes, second hand smoke...all that sh*t matters. After not touring for a few years, since the ban of smoking in most clubs, it really took the life out of me when we got to the Midwest or back east where chain smoking if off the hook. I never noticed it before as much as the last run we did. Cigarette smoke is f*cking brutal (laughs), and it was tuff watching the guys get to party it up while I'm barely able to breathe. For the most part I'm ready and the boys are ready – we just need to set up a solid tour!

Thrashpit.com: Will Skinlab's long-awaited DVD finally see a release in 2010? Esquivel: Yup! We've been working on it for years it seems like haha. We're looking to shoot an upcoming show with the new line-up and then will begin adding stuff from then on; hopefully by the end of the year we'll be ready with more than enough footage.

- Check out the full interview

Chiodos, Pierce The Veil, Emarosa, The Receiving End Of Sirens Supergroup Set EP Release

Equal Vision Records is pleased to announce the highly anticipated release of Isles & Glaciers' EP, The Hearts Of Lonely People on March 9th. Something of an underground "supergroup," Isles & Glaciers features Craig Owens, Vic and Mike Fuentes (Pierce The Veil), Jonny Craig (Emarosa), Matt Goddard (Chiodos), Brian Southall (The Receiving End Of Sirens, Boys Night Out), and Nick Martin (Underminded). The Hearts Of Lonely People was recorded in just 10 days with Casey Bates (Chiodos, The Fall Of Troy, Portugal. The Man) at his studio in Seattle, WA.

While each member is expectedly busy with their respective bands, Martin asserts that these songs weren't merely throwaways from their other projects. "We got together as friends and just did what was natural to us - we wrote and played music. Eventually it turned into songs that we were all really excited about and just wanted to share."

To date, the group has only performed live once: the 2009 Alternative Press SXSW showcase. "It's not an easy task getting us all together," says Southall, who fills his time tour managing Motion City Soundtrack since his previous bands' splits, "but that doesn't mean we won't do it again." - more on this story

Singled Out: Halo Stereo

Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today Andrew Fry from Halo Stereo tells us about "Blindfold" from their new album "The Invisible War". We now turn it over to Andrew for the story:

It was a colder than usual January and we had been in the studio all of the new year throwing around ideas for a new record. Our bass player Jody played us this Lydian-esc riff he'd written. As soon as I heard it, I loved it and wanted to write a song stemming from that melody. We already had the idea of a businessman lying in a bathtub, wearing a suit, for the cover of the album. So, from that image, we derived the opening lyrics, "Breathe in. Water spills into my lungs…cracked tile makes up my aquarium..."

Lyrically, the song is about the character of album (the aforementioned guy in the bathtub) facing his inner demons head-on. I believe we expressed that turmoil fairly well, there's even a lyric in the second verse that says, "A demon's scratching at my window." The lyrics also have a "stream of consciousness" feel to them, with the character jumping from one setting to another. The chorus opens up musically, and is much brighter and more hopeful sounding. The lyrics go with this feeling too, especially the opening line, "Keep the lights on for me."

The Video Dustin Marcellino directed the video and did a phenomenal job. We never told him our thoughts on the song or any meaning behind the lyrics, he just developed a concept on his own. When he presented it to us, he was so passionate about the storyline and concept for the video that I was immediately sold.

We spent three days at the Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Lebanon, TN shooting the video. It was a lot of hard work but of course, a lot of fun too. We filmed the performance part of the video (where the band is playing) for about 5 hours! We were more worn out after shooting than if we'd played an actual show! There were some other really fun moments, like trying to catch the doves after Sarah (the Princess-esc girl in white) let them go without having the strings on their ankles. They flew up into a tree so we had to let them go. Dustin said something to the effect of "That last take is gonna have to work!" After about a month of post-production, the video was finished. We were all very happy with it.

"Blindfold" is one my favorite songs of ours because it is somewhat of a microcosm of our sound; It starts with electro-drums and ambient vocals, and then goes into full-on rock fury, then into a bright chorus, and so on. This song is what laid the ground work for our album, "The Invisible War." That's probably why we decided to put it as the opening track.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album and watch the video - right here!

Bad Company Download

Bad Company have a new release in stores today titled 'Hard Rock Live,' and are offering a free MP3 download of 'Rock and Roll Fantasy (Live)' from the release. The song was originally released over 30 years ago on the 1979 studio album 'Desolation Angels.'

'Hard Rock Live' is the reunion concert from Bad Company that occurred on August 8, 2008 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. The release can be purchased on iTunes, DVD or Blu-ray -- all of which include a bonus audio CD.

This free MP3 download from Bad Company is only available for two weeks at this - link

Motion City Soundtrack Spring Tour

Motion City Soundtrack have announced a Spring US headlining tour in support of their Columbia Records debut – My Dinosaur Life – which entered the Billboard album chart at #15, the band's highest debut to date.

The band is wrapping its' current headlining tour of the US on the West Coast where they'll be playing the House of Blues in Los Angeles and Anaheim, before heading overseas to tour Japan, Australia and the UK.

They kick off the Spring tour dates on April 6th in Duluth, MN and will be on the road through May 2nd when they perform at the Bamboozle Festival in NJ. For the Spring trek Motion City Soundtrack will be joined by openers Fun., A Rocket To The Moon, and Sing It Loud. - more on this story

New MGMT in April

Columbia Records proudly announces the North American release of Congratulations, the keenly awaited new studio album from MGMT, on Tuesday, April 13.

One of 2010's most eagerly anticipated new releases, Congratulations is the successor to MGMT's Oracular Spectacular, the 2008 debut album which established the band's potential as a visionary force in pop music.

Congratulations is a collection of nine individual musical tours de force sequenced to flow with sonic and thematic coherence: "It's Working," "Song for Dan Treacy," "Someone's Missing," "Flash Delirium," "I Found a Whistle," "Siberian Breaks," "Brian Eno," "Lady Dada's Nightmare," and "Congratulations." - more on this story

Legendary Shack Shackers Set Album Release

The Legendary Shack Shackers will release Agridustrial on April 13th on their own Colonel Knowledge label with distribution and marketing provided by Thirty Tigers/RED.

Agridustrial was produced by LSS bassist Mark Robertson and is the band's seventh full-length album. Agridustrial is also a new style of music according to J.D. Wilkes, the band's energetic front man. Wilkes says, "it's the hard driving roots rock of the Shack Shakers' sound with the industrial background of guitarist Duane Denison (Jesus Lizard, Tomahawk)".

The Agridustrial sound mirrors the harsh realities of our present day recession and is the statement of an American band fighting back against a society gone mad with greed and the usurpation of basic human dignities. There are songs that praise Jesus, "Sin Eater", and southern-fried provocateurs, "Dixie Iron Fist". "Hoboes Are My Heroes" is borne from Wilkes' recent experience of riding the rails. Even the sound of Agrisdustrial is a direct response to the present day recession in foreshadowing the looming collapse that awaits to return us back to self-sufficiency. The band even went to a blacksmith forge and recorded the sounds of hammers, anvils, tongs, cranks and chains for much of the percussion on the album. - more on this story

At The Gates Documovie Screening

Swedish rock magazine Close-Up is offering fans of melodic death metal pioneers At The Gates the chance to get tickets to special screenings of the band's brand new documentary movie, "Under a Serpent Sun - The Story of At The Gates".

The brand new documentary, filmed by AT THE GATES guitarist Anders Bjorler and running over two hours, details the band's entire career from their early days through to their hugely successful reunion tour. The documentary is due to be included in "The Flames of the End", an indispensable three-disc DVD set due to be released on February 22nd through Earache Records.

The documentary screenings are set to take place on February 15th in Gothenburg and February 18th in Stockholm, Sweden. - more on this story

Name Ironically Previewing Internet Killed The Audio Star Online

Californian extreme experimental metal newcomers Name have posted almost all tracks taken from their upcoming Lifeforce Records debut "Internet Killed The Audio Star" on their Myspace.

"Music isn't supposed to be safe, it's meant to catapult you into a risky situation," says Wes of Name, "We want to revive danger in art. We're trying to show that as much as possible."

What is further promising is the band's ability to survive and evolve when reality deals the worst of hands. Having survived member changes, theft, a freeway accident on tour in which the band's van rolled down a steep hill 7 times, and the ensuing hospitalization; the passion prevails. With personality and passion in the portrayal of art, Name restores honesty in music. - Kill Name Here

The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival Lineup

The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival will enter year 12 this April with an eclectic mixture of bands from the metal and hardcore genres. Returning to the Palladium in Worcester, Mass., the event will take place on Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24, with an extra special pre-party sponsored by Atticus on Thursday, April 22.

Bands performing on Friday, April 23 include Mastodon, Between The Buried And Me, Baroness, Cro Mags, Earth Crisis, Death Threat, Death Before Dishonor, COA, American Me, Thick As Blood, Forfeit, XTheWarX, Grave Maker, Rose Funeral, Conducting From The Grave and Howl. Doors open at 3 p.m.

Bands perfomring on Saturday, April 24 include Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth, Job For A Cowboy, Whitechapel, Skeletonwitch, Eluveite, 1349, Impending Doom, Lecherous, Nocturne, Tony Danza, Chelsea Grin, Abacabb, Arsonists Get All The Girls, Malfice, Swashbuckle, Cattle Decapitation, Acaro, Holy Grail, Disembodied, Cruel Hand, Reign Supreme, The Mongoloids, XTyrantX, Foundation, Soul Control, Alpha & Omega, Burning Empires, Mother Of Mercy, Gaza, Across The Sun and Monsters. Doors open at 12 noon. - more on this story

Bonded By Blood Hit The Studio

Pomona, CA thrashers, Bonded By Blood recently began recording the long-awaited follow-up to their 2008 debut, Feed The Beast.

The band has set up camp in Phoenix, AZ to record their new album at Highland Recorders with producer, Ralph Patlan (White Wizzard, Megadeth, UFO). Bonded By Blood's new album is tentatively scheduled for release in Spring 2010.

The band has been keeping a regular studio blog on their MySpace page and posted a update on the 9th about what they've been recording: "Today is day 4 and have a day off today after couple days of hard work. Began tracking rhythm tracks last night and will go back into the studio tomorrow morning to finish them up. Everything seems to be coming out really well. Look out for more updates on the album, more pictures and footage coming soon." - more on this story

Dark Tranquillity Release Bloody Video

The anticipation surrounding the new, highly acclaimed Dark Tranquillity album, We Are The Void, continues to build to epic proportions as the Swedish melodic metal pioneers launch their new video for the track, "Shadow In Our Blood," online today. This is the opening track on the new disc and it is vintage Dark Tranquillity, which should leave the masses begging for more.

Mikael Stanne (vocals) further comments: "Greetings from Atlanta, Georgia. Four days into the tour and finally jetlag has subsided. We are now operating on local time and it feels great. The shows have been awesome so far. We have loved performing every night and the new songs that we have pulled out have gone over really well. We can't wait for the album to come out so that we can start doing more of the new stuff that we are very proud of.

"The new video for 'Shadow in our Blood' was shot by Vasara Films, who also filmed and edited our live DVD, and once again did an excellent job. The clip is all about inevitability, the inability to alter the course of your life. I think they captured the fear and frustration really well and it turned out to be quite a scary video. The filming of it was even scarier though. I flew to Finland in the dead of winter not knowing what I was in for. Hours later I found myself strapped to an off-road motorcycle in the freezing cold being driven further and further into the woods. It was one of the most surreal days of my life. All I could see from my position was the sky, snow and a few Finnish faces from time to time and all I could hear were people talking in a strange language and the song over and over again. The things you do for the art. Check it out and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I loathed making it."

Dark Tranquillity made their much anticipated return to North America last week kicking off the worldwide touring cycle for their new opus, We Are The Void, which is set for a March 9th U.S. release. The group will join the mighty Killswitch Engage and The Devil Wears Prada for this trek. - Watch the video here

Municipal Waste Going South

Having just completed a highly successful run in the UK/Europe, Richmond, VA crossover leaders, Municipal Waste are headed straight back onto the road this March for a number of dates in South America.

"South America has always been on our list of places to spread the Waste;" says guitarist, Ryan Waste. "I know how passionate the crowds are about heavy music down there and we're going to deliver. I'm prepared for some wild shows to ensue."

This being their first major tour of the continent, MUNICIPAL WASTE cannot wait to go and meet some of the wild fans who have waited a long time to see them. Their South American fans have stirred up such a frenzy that some venue changes had to be made to accommodate how intense these shows are expected to become. - more on this story