This Week's Top stories

Here are the top stories from this week's Day in Rock and the top Day in Rock digest stories

Velvet Lindsay Lohan Revolver- Haste The Day Break Up- KISS Idol- Iron Maiden Supergroup- Chimaira Lose Member- Mike & The Mechanics Return- more

A look back at the top rock stories of the week of November 26th: With the holiday coming up, it's a bit of a slow news day but a reader did send over a tip on a fun article about who should replace Scott Weiland in Velvet Revolver. The Chinese Democracy blog have come up with an interesting suggestion for a new singer for Velvet Revolver. Get this: Lindsay Lohan. If you care to read their reasoning, go here

To continue the goofiness: Gene Simmons wants Simon Cowell's job - he's convinced he would make a better judge on the TV mogul's reality singing contests because he has real experience in the music industry. more.

Haste The Day will disband following one final tour this winter. Formed in 2001, the band has released five albums with Solid State Records. The official word from the band is here

Weeks before the 30th anniversary of his assassination outside the Dakota in New York City on December 8, 1980, the album that John Lennon signed for Mark David Chapman hours before he killed the former Beatle is going back on sale for $850,000. more

The Chariot has announced a small batch of U.K. tour dates set to take place in March. Support on the tour will come from Mychildren Mybride. more

Chimaira has announced the departure of bass player Jim Lamarca. The group announced that "Emil Werstler [of Daath] will be handling the bass duties for the rest of the year, and we'll see you on the road!" more

Shawn "Clown" Crahan of Slipknot has a new group The Black Dots Of Death which have just launched their official web site TheBlackDotsOfDeath.com which features their first single "Let's Get F**ked Up". more

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals have announced that Dec. 14 will be the drop date for their double length album "III/IV." more

Despised Icon, who announced in April that they were splitting up after an eight-year run, advise fans: "The original Despised Icon lineup (2002-2006) will make its appearance and play a few songs from the first two albums! We're also happy to announce that our brothers in Ion Dissonance and Beneath The Massacre will be supporting their new records for the first time at home and Abacabb will also be playing one of their last shows ever with us. Our homies in The Acacia Strain, Oceano and Mychildren Mybride will also be part of the event." more

Boxingwater have announced two reunion shows this weekend. more

Look What I Did have recently begun writing a new extended-play concept record. This new offering will be entitled Zanzibar III: Analog Prison. This unique release will never be sold on a digital format more

Ozzy Osbourne will play five concerts in Brazil at the end of March/early April. more

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds plan to release new album in 2011 Although frontman Nick Cave admits: 'I haven't written anything yet' more

Drummer Dimitri "Dimman" Jungi of Spazmosity was recently involved in a motorcycle accident. As a result, all of the band's remaining concerts in 2010 have been canceled. more

Circa Survive are back with a brand new EP, Appendage, out Nov. 30. Hear the song "Stare Like You'll Stay" at Spin.com

Former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell says he's happy that Steven Tyler will take his place. more

Asbestos Records is currently auctioning off four copies of rare Bomb The Music Industry! and Arrogant Sons Of Bitches records on eBay. The pressings were meant to be exclusive to The Fest 9, in Gainesville, Florida this past Halloween, but a few copies went unsold. more

A year after breaking up, Salt The Wound has reformed and will be releasing a new album in March 2011 on Rotten Records (Acid Bath, DRI, Goatwhore). more

Last and least: Vince Neil finishes dead last on Skating With The Stars premiere. He managed to stay on his feet in his performance - but only managed to come last in the judges' grades, with just 28 out of 60. See it here

According to AlternatorGigs.co.uk, three members of Sikth - including dreadlocked frontman Mikee W. Goodman - and Adrian Smith, guitarist of Iron Maiden, have joined forces along with members of Murder One and Vacant Stare to form a new "metal supergroup." The band will make its live debut on Saturday, January 15 in High Wycombe at Bucks Student Union. more

Must see video of the week: Check out a YouTube video of a house covered in lights synchronized to Slayer's classic "Reign in Blood" here. Looks like the metalhead dad who did this plans to include Pantera this year! It's pretty amazing, so check out the video.

Mike & The Mechanics return in 2011 with a new line-up, album and tour. Joining Mike Rutherford (guitar/bass) are vocalists Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar. New album The Road is due in April on the Arista label. Tour dates

"After a strenuous sold-out tour across main land Europe and Scandinavia, Volbeat are regrettably forced to cancel their first week of scheduled U.K. shows. The band did personally not want to cancel this tour, but, unfortunately, [guitarist/vocalist] Michael Poulsen was ordered by doctors not to fly or travel until his medical condition is stabilized to their satisfaction." more

U2 are giving U.S. independent record stores a big boost this holiday season by releasing a new three-track vinyl EP on Friday. more

Apocalyptica, which was recently forced to postpone their North American tour due to issues with Perttu Kivilaakso's health, has issued the following update: "To ensure that Perttu has enough time to recover, we decided to move the French dates and the Swiss date back to April." more

Rush have revealed more dates for its forthcoming tour of the United Kingdom and Europe. The tour, being dubbed the 'Time Machine Tour,' will feature over three hours of live material from the band including a performance of its classic album 'Moving Pictures' in its entirety. more

Diabolical have signed with Abyss Records for the worldwide release of their upcoming full-length album, Ars Vitae; due out in February of 2011. more

Voodoo Johnson have parted with vocalist Kev Bayliss. The band have already lined up a replacement more

The 14 track follow up to Agnostic Front's 2007 release Warriors will be titled My Life, My Way and be recorded with Erik Rutan and produced by Freddy Cricien of Madball. more

Malevolent Creation have announced European tour dates for next April. more

Royal Thunder will see the re-release of their self-titled EP this December via Relapse Records Mailorder. more

The release date of "Rev-Raptor", the new album from U.D.O., the German metal band led by former Accept frontman Udo Dirkschneider, has once again been pushed back - this time to May 20, 2011 more

Outcast has finished recording its third album, "Awaken The Reason", for a tentative early 2011 release via an as-yet-undicslosed record label. more

Noah And The Whale will release their new album in March next year and tour the UK and Ireland around its release. more

Motorhead have launched their own iPhone Remix App courtesy of music developer Bounce Mobile.more

Veteran Chicago blues guitarist and vocalist Albert "Little Smokey" Smothers has died, his record producer said Tuesday. He was 71. more

In keeping with their annual tradition of re-imagining classic Christmas songs such as 'Carol Of The Bells' and 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel,' August Burns Red have released a cover of holiday favorite 'Little Drummer Boy' - available to purchase now on iTunes and streaming on the band's MySpace page. more

Image Say-10 Records has detailed an upcoming collection from The Riot Before. The release, which is now nearly a year in the making, will include the band's recorded output from 2005-2007 and the band's side of their split with Broadway Calls-as well as unreleased material. more

Gene Simmons returns to A&E with brand new episodes of his [supposedly] unscripted series, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, premiering with a special one-hour episode on Sunday, December 5th at 9 PM ET/PT. more

If you're looking for some rockin' stocking stuffers (or just want to treat yourself) Day in Rock provider hennemusic has updated their online store with more rockin' stuff. Plus they have expanded their music apps and hot apps section (including Thanksgiving apps!) Check it out here

On this day in 1991, Eric Carr (Paul Charles Caravello) drummer with Kiss died aged 41, of complications from cancer in a New York hospital. Carr replaced Peter Criss in 1980 and remained a band member until he became ill in 1991. For his Kiss stage persona, Carr was known as "The Fox." Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Disturbed have premiered the brand new video for the track "The Animal," the latest single from their current album Asylum. Check it out here

Vince Neil says he is "taking a beating" on Skating With The Stars "I don't know who stuck their hand in the hat and pulled out my name and said, 'How about Vince Neil?' " the Motley Crue frontman says more

Iron Maiden have just added a second night in London to their summer UK/Irish tour next year. It's at the O2 Arena on August 6 more

Funeral For A Friend has revealed the dates for its first U.K. tour of 2011. Support on the tour will come from Rise To Remain. You can view the full list of dates, cities and venues more

Rob Halford has released the official music video for the song "Like There's No Tomorrow", from the new Halford CD 'Made Of Metal'. more

A documentary based around Jimi Hendrix's legendary gigs at the Royal Albert Hall is to be released next year. There's footage from those shows, in February 1969, as well as from the great guitarist's European tour that year. more

Ratt vocalist Stephen Pearcy is about to hit the studio to start work on his 4th solo release and the heavy metal guitar driven project 'Battering Ramm'. Pearcy says; "Expect the unexpected, It's time to pull out all the stops on this one, no f*#kin' around. We've got more then enough material, and the material is ass kicking!" more

SLASH - "Everybody asks questions about what happened with Axl and I'm forced to come up with answers, but there's really nothing much to say" more

Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Opeth, Anathema, Black Label Society and Kreator are among the newly confirmed bands for next year's edition of Hellfest, set to take place June 17-19, 2010 in Clisson, France more

'Hey Jude' is most popular Beatles song Classic track is biggest seller on iTunes more

Kinks legend Ray Davies is to appear at the Royal Variety Show this year. He'll perform the classic song Lola, with Paloma Faith, at the London Palladium on December 9 more

Kreator frontman Mille Petrozza and Mercyful Fate guitarist Michael Denner joined Volbeat on stage on November 19 in Copenhagen, Denmark to perform the Volbeat song "7 Shots". Fan-filmed video footage of their appearance can be viewed here

This Or The Apocalypse has revealed the dates for its first scheduled tour of 2011 more

Pantheon I announced today that guitarist Aethyris McKay, who recently quit Absu, will be joining the line up as guitarist. more

Seahaven have revealed information on a forthcoming acoustic EP. It's appropriately titled Acoustic Sessions and is due for a self-release on December 7 in both limited CD-R and digital formats. more

Y&T will be holding a special New Year's Eve Benefit Concert for original bassist Phil Kennemore who was recently been diagnosed with metastatic cancer. Special guests who have volunteered to perform include: Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche) Don Dokken (Dokken) Bobby Blotzer (Ratt) Vinny Appice (Dio, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell) Sean McNabb (Dokken, Montrose) Loren Gold (Roger Daltrey) Paul Bostaph (Testament) more

F**k The Facts are back in the studio this week recording a bonus EP, that will only be available with the vinyl version of the band''s upcoming full-length album, "Die Miserable." more

Requiem will enter Stage One studio in Buehne/Borgentreich, Germany December 6 with acclaimed producer Andy Classen (Legion Of The Damned, Dew-Scented, Disbelief, Krisiun and many more) to begin recording the follow-up to last year's "Infiltrate... Obliterate... Dominate", titled "Within Darkened Disorder". more

Ex-Trans-Siberian Orchestra violinist Anna Phoebe has updated her live schedule with several new dates with Roxy Music set for Australia and New Zealand in February / March 2011. more

Wonder why the music business is in such dire straights? The answer just might be here
-

System of a Down Reunion Show?

(Gibson) The longstanding System of a Down will-they-or-won't-they-return-from-hiatus guessing game just got a little more interesting, with a report out of France that the band will play at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy in Paris in June 2011.

The news comes from the blog of Francis Zégut, host of Pop Rock Station on France's RTL2 radio station.

The succinctly phrased blog post was simply "System of a Down, Paris Bercy, 6 juin 2011. Tout est dans le titre," which translates as "System of a Down, Paris Bercy, June 6, 2011. Everything is in the title." - more on this story

Slash Picks A Singer

(hennemusic) Slash plans to use Myles Kennedy on his next solo album, but – unlike the list of stars on the current self-titled project – Kennedy will handle all the vocals, according to a report by SundayMercury.net.

Slash was interviewed after receiving "Album Of The Year" honors at the 2010 Classic Rock "Roll Of Honour" Awards in London on November 10.

Kennedy appeared on some of the album, but has responsibilities with Alter Bridge, who have just released a new record of their own, "Alter Bridge III." Kennedy will continue to tour with Slash in 2011, juggling both projects. - more on this story

AC/DC Nab Top Performance Honor

(hennemusic) Earlier this month, AC/DC took home the "Top Boxscore Award" at the 2010 Billboard Touring Awards ceremony in New York, honoring the band's three sellout shows at Sydney's ANZ Stadium.

Last Thursday night, AC/DC received more hardware, picking up the "Headline Performance of the Year" award at the 2010 UK Festival Awards.

AC/DC's performance at Donington's Download Festival was the comfortable winner in the category; having brought their own stage set-up with them and not played at a UK festival since the early Eighties, it was always going to be difficult to beat the rock gods. - more on this story

The Allman Brothers Returning To The Beacon

(Gibson) The Allman Brothers Band have confirmed that the group will return to the Beacon Theatre for a run of shows throughout next March.

The group have announced that they will perform eight shows between March 10-19.

The March 12 show will be a special event, marking the 40th anniversary of the recording of the band's pivotal At Fillmore East live album - more on this story

New Van Halen Deals Inked

(hennemusic) Van Halen may be busy these days in the studio, plotting their plans for 2011, while their reps continue to deny it and admit to little of anything.

Meanwhile, lots of VH-related business is getting done behind the scenes. Warner/Chappell recently inked deals with Sammy Hagar, David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony, all of the VH family.

As part of the new agreement, Warner/Chappell acquired the entire catalog of songs written by Sammy Hagar – songwriter/guitarist, and former lead singer of Van Halen (1986 through 1996) - including his work with the bands Van Halen, Montrose and Chickenfoot, as well as his music as a solo artist. - That's not all

Metallica Admits Going Too Far

(Rock AAA) Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich says the band have accepted the "slaps on the wrist" they received from the rock and metal community over the years.

He understands people think the thrash giants lost their way, especially in their troubled period around the late 90s. But they still enjoy making music – and importantly, they still do it for themselves.

"It got out of control in the 90s. We were putting an album out every half an hour or something. We've certainly got our wrists slapped a couple of times by the community when we've gone too far." Lars tells FasterLouder. "I'm not going to give you the crap about doing it for the fans – we do it for ourselves. But the best thing about music is when it's a shared experience. So that's why we've tried to give the fans so much access. - more on this story

Ray Davies Cancels Tour For Medical Reasons

(hennemusic) Ray Davies of The Kinks has had to cancel his upcoming US tour due to an undisclosed "medical condition."

A statement was issues on Davies' behalf: "Ray Davies' U.S tour dates have been cancelled.

"Ray, personally, did not want to cancel this tour but was ordered by his doctors not to fly or travel until his medical condition has stabilized to their satisfaction." - more on this story

Unreleased Syd Barrett Jam Gets Release

(Gibson) The late, legendary Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett remains one of the most enigmatic figures in rock music, and a new anthology of his work, An Introduction to Syd Barrett, is only likely to further the myths and mysteries surrounding the iconoclastic artist, who died in 2006.

Of particular interest to Barrett fans will be the anthology's inclusion of a never-before released track, "Rhamadan," which is available as a bonus download to those who purchase the album.

The track is drawn from the tumultuous sessions for Barrett's 1970 solo album, The Madcap Laughs, and is a prime example of Barrett's most noncommercial instincts. "Rhamadan" is essentially a 20-minute, freeform jam, with Barrett forsaking melody and structure as he solos on a variety of instruments. - more on this story

Korn and Disturbed As A Weapon

Disturbed are bringing back their Music As A Weapon tour for a fifth trek which will be co-headlined by Korn. The outing will reportedly feature "special guests" In This Moment and Sevendust but Disturbed's announcement made no mention of them.

"We are thrilled to launch the Music As A Weapon 5 Tour with our good friends from Korn," says Disturbed's singer David Draiman.

"Every year we try to up the ante, and this year, by having Korn co-headline, we really think it's going to be our best tour yet. When the idea first came up, one of the main things both bands agreed upon and wanted to focus on was hitting a lot of smaller markets. - more on this story

Anniversary of Freddie Mercury's Death

(Gibson) Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of British rock band Queen, died on November 24, 1991 at his home in Kensington, London. He was only 45 years old. His publicist announced that Mercury had died of bronchopneumonia resulting from AIDS.

Mercury had looked terribly ill for some time over the past two or three years and there had been a glut rumors circulating as to his health. The day before his death, however, Freddie released this statement: "Following enormous conjecture in the press, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private in order to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has now come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth, and I hope everyone will join me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease."

Mercury, according to longtime companion and confidante, Mary Austin, decided to take his own life by ending his medication: "It was Freddie's decision to finally end it all. He chose the time to die," Mary told OK magazine in 2000. "He knew it was coming. The quality of his life had changed so dramatically and he was in more pain every day. He was losing his sight. His body became weaker as he suffered mild fits. It was so distressing to see him deteriorating in this way. One day he decided enough was enough and stopped all the medical supplements that were keeping him going. The overwhelming thing for me was that he was just so incredibly brave. He looked death in the face and said, 'Fine, I'll accept it now – I'll go.' But it was peaceful and he died with a smile on his face." - more on this story

Beatles Sell Over 2 Million iTunes In A Week

(hennemusic) Billboard reports that the initial iTunes Beatles sales figures are in: More than 450,000 albums and 2 million individual songs were sold on iTunes worldwide, according to Apple, since the Beatles catalog was made available Tuesday (Nov. 16).

U.S. album sales totaled 119,000 units, which included 13,000 digital box sets, while individual digital track sales reached 1.4 million, according to industry sources.

Each digital box set included 13 studio albums, the two-volume "Past Masters" compilation and the "Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964" concert film. Sources say the U.S. album sales tally of 119,000 counts each box set as one unit, while Apple's worldwide album sales tally counts each box set as multiple sales units - more on this story

Ozzy, Slayer, Marilyn Manson Make Controversial Song List

(hennemusic) A new survey conducted by PRS for Music, the organization that collects and pays royalties to its 75,000 songwriting and composing members, has revealed the top 10 most controversial songs, as voted by the British Public.

The list includes songs from Ozzy Osbourne, Eminem, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Slayer, Marilyn Manson and more with Prodigy's "Smack My B*tch Up," topping the list. Released in 1997, the un-censored version attracted a ban from the BBC and attracted criticism from feminist groups.

In second spot, The Sex Pistols' 1977 track, "God Save The Queen," attracted great controversy over the way the Queen and the future of England was portrayed - Check out the full list here

Lemmy Movie Preview

(Gibson) A new video trailer for a film documentary that examines the life and career of Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister is now available for viewing. The film, titled "Lemmy: 49% Mother F**cker. 51% Son of a B*tch", features appearances by Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, Alice Cooper and many other friends and admirers of Kilmister.

Directors Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski spent three years following Kilmister around the globe, capturing the punk-metal legend in behind-the-scenes moments and in performance. Lemmy will be released on two-disc DVD and Blu-ray set by Entertainment One on January 24, 2011. The film made its world premiere in March 2010 during the South by Southwest Film and Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

2010 marks the 35th anniversary of the inception of Motorhead, which also includes guitarist Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee. For more information about the film, and to view the trailer, click - here

Velvet Revolver Facing Challenge

(hennemusic) In a new interview with Artisan News Service, Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan talks about the challenge of finding a new frontman who will measure up.

"It's gotta be better than it was; it's gotta be as good, at least," says Duff. "And for us, it's gotta be better. And Scott is an amazing vocalist and frontman, so it's gotta be as good or better than that. We can't [step down a notch]."

"It's one of those things, if you concern yourself with it [too much, it starts to work against you] because there's a not a lot to pool from out there — for our particular band. There's some great talent — we've heard some really, really good guys — but to get all of us to agree on what that… I don't know if the guy that all four of us want is ever gonna exist, but we've gotta get close." - more on this story

Drunkest Rock Stars of All Time

Metal Sludge has published another one of their controversial top 10 lists. This time around it's for the "Top 10 Drunkest (Living) Rock Stars of All Time" with Sebastian Bach taking the top prize. Here is part of what they had to say:

1. Sebastian Bach (Former Skid Row frontman & current side bitch to Axl Rose) We're proud to present the Drunkest (living) Rock Star of all time. This guy can sing like a mothertrucker, but he can drink like one too.

He also has a temper. Kind of like a tall kindergartner. At 6'3" this guy is all legs, arms and bottles. That's right, he can swing the mic like a pro, but also has thrown a bottle into the audience and hit a fans face back in 1989. - Find else why else Bach topped the list and see who the other 9 drunks are

Axl Rose Vs Guitar Hero Over Slash?

(Rock AAA) Guns N' Roses mainman Axl Rose has filed a $20m lawsuit against the makers of Guitar Hero because Slash appeared in the 2007 version of the game.

Guitar Hero III included the GnR track Welcome to the Jungle, but Rose says he only gave permission for its appearance as long as Slash and his new band Velvet Revolver weren't featured.

The singer is furious that manufacturer Activision broke the deal, and especially because the guitarist appears on the game's cover. Rose's legal papers say: "Activision span a web of lies to conceal its true intentions to not only feature Slash and VR prominently in GH III, but also promote the game by emphasizing an association between Slash and Guns N' Roses, and the band's song Welcome to the Jungle." - more on this story

Flyleaf Cover Themselves By Request

Flyleaf have announced a December 7th, 2010 release date for Remember to Live (A&M/Octone).

The release is a seven-song album featuring new recordings of fan-requested tracks from the Flyleaf catalogue.

Recorded with Mark Lewis (Chimaira, Trivium, Adrift) while on the road during their Unite & Fight tour, Remember to Live is a rare collection of tracks that fans have been demanding for years. - more on this story

Porcupine Tree and Opeth Stars Bonded Over Love of ABBA

(Rock AAA) Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson says the secret to making good music is to avoid having a "limited listening diet" – and recommends experiencing ABBA tracks if you want to avoid being dull.

And the prog metal mainman says Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt shares his appreciation for the 70s Swedish pop four-piece. In fact, that's the reason the pair began working together.

"Mikael and I bonded on ABBA – he's a huge fan too," Wilson tells MusicRadar. "If you want to understand how to produce great records and great pop songs, and how to write great pop songs, listen to ABBA's music from the 1970s. They're amazing. - more on this story

KISS Army 35th Anniversary Special

(hennemusic) The KISS ARMY turned 35 on Sunday. November 21, 1975 marks its "unofficial" start date in Terre Haute, Indiana, when KISS played a sold-out show, thanks to the efforts of fans Bill Starkey and pal Jay Evans; the pair began contacting local radio station WVTS in an effort to get KISS music played.

After being repeatedly turned down by program director Rich Dickerson, Starkey and Evans began calling WVTS claiming to be "the KISS Army."

To mark the anniversary, KA co-founder Starkey was spinning KISS tunes as a guest DJ on 105.5 The River in Terre Haute, Indiana - the town where it all began. - check it out here

Early Van Halen Live Recording Posted Online

The Metal Den has posted a rare master audience recording of the classic Van Halen lineup jamming "On Fire" live at Theatre Mogador in Paris, France on May 10, 1978.

This show was played only three months after they released their legendary debut Van Halen.

Van Halen sold over 10 million copies in the United States alone, proving to be an extremely explosive album that would introduce "Eddie" and his incredible heavy metal guitar talents to millions of fans all over the world. - check it out here

Roger Daltrey Slams Simon Cowell

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey is the latest star to have a go at the X Factor / American Idol mastermind Simon Cowell.

The veteran rocker believes the music industry is in crisis - and he blames Simon, according to an article in the Sun newspaper. Roger said: "We really need to break away from The X Factor and American Idol - that Simon Cowell thing....I really think the music industry will beat this slump and come back stronger.

"Groups like The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles wouldn't have made it past the audition stage, let alone be shown on TV. That's the joke of it. The music they make on the shows is absolute tripe. He's made a good industry out of it, but it's belittled the power of music. He wouldn't know what the 'X Factor' was if it bit him on the b******s." - more on this story

The White Stripes Reissues Coming

(hennemusic) Jack White's Third Man Records have announced the long-overdue reissues of the first three LP's by The White Stripes starting November 30th.

Out-of-print in North America since 2005, TMR says the utmost care was taken in presenting these records in the best way possible:

"We started by mastering each LP from the original analog master tapes, the first time this process had been used for any of these titles. While extremely labor-intensive, this method ensured that the material was never converted into a digital signal. The result is an audio quality that stiffens the hairs on the back of your neck." - more on this story

The Klaxons Surfing the Void Soon

The Klaxons are back with their new album, Surfing the Void, which is set for physical release on January 18th via tinyOGRE Entertainment.

The release includes a bonus disc, featuring an acoustic live performance of "Echoes" and three other previously unreleased tracks.

Produced in Los Angeles by rock legend Ross Robinson (Sepultura, Slipknot, At the Drive In, The Cure) and written over the course of a three year musical journey, the ten-track album is a brilliantly diverse and engaging alternative rock record. - Check out their new video

Kelly Shaefer's Velvet Revolver Experience

Our very own Mark Hensch caught up with Kelly Shaefer to discuss the first Atheist album in 17 years but they also discussed how Kelly's fans viewed him auditioning for Velvet Revolver. Here is that part of the exchange:

antiMusic: You also tried out for the lead singer position in Velvet Revolver. Did you ever worry that metalheads would accuse you of "selling out?" Why or why not?

Kelly: Initially I sent the Neurotica record to Slash (Velvet Revolver's guitarist) and he called me three days later and said he and Duff McKagan (the group's bassist) liked what they heard from my voice so they sent me three tunes to write for. I did just that and they called me back and brought me to Los Angeles to write and rehearse. They had been looking through 650 singers before getting to me. I hit it off well with Slash and we wrote some cool music together, but in the end Scott Weiland got the gig. It was amazing being able to cross to the other side and jam with what is really The Rolling Stones of our generation. I've got nothing but great things to say about all those guys.

What about me "selling out," you ask? I don't worry about that. No one is going to tell me that if Slash calls them and asks them to sing on a tune, or if Brian Johnson from AC/DC asks you to sing some tunes he wrote, that they are not going to sing. I have no regrets – for a death metal guy from Sarasota, Florida, it was a crazy experience for me and I loved it. I love trying to fit myself around situations outside my comfort zone. I highly recommend it to broaden your horizons musically. - Check out Mark's full interview with Kelly here!

Metallica Wrap Up Massive World Tour

(hennemusic) Metallica wrapped up their 2-year long World Magnetic Tour on Sunday, with the third of three shows at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena.

The numbers are impressive...Metallica issued the following tour summary: "The World Magnetic tour crossed 45 countries, 143 arena shows, 34 festival shows, 29 stadium shows, 4 club/theater shows, three tv/radio shows, two hall of fame shows, 3790 songs, and not a single setlist was the same."

That's 216 shows in 992 days. The tour opened with a European promo show on September 12, 2008 in Berlin, and hit virtually every corner of the globe - including

Nine Inch Nails and Filter's Liesegang Teams With Chris Holmes for Ashtar Command

Ashtar Command, formed by DJ/producer Chris Holmes and former Nine Inch Nails member and Filter founder Brian Liesegang have released "Gravity," the debut video from their forthcoming album American Sunshine Vol. 1.

On American Sunshine Vol. 1, Holmes and Liesegang are joined by an array of like-minded performers including Berg, Alex Ebert (Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros), Joshua Radin, Har Mar Superstar and Rachel Yamagata on vocals, guitarists Stephen Fitzpatrick [Veruca Salt] and Johnny Radtke [Kill Hannah], drummers Matt Walker [Filter, Smashing Pumpkins] and Joey Waronker [Beck, R.E.M.], Solomon Walker [Morrissey] on bass, Mike Garson [David Bowie] on piano, Oliver Kraus [Beth Orton] on cello, and Stewart Cole [Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros] on horns.

"Gravity" is inspired by interviews Holmes conducted with members of the Heaven's Gate cult in 1994 before their mass suicide in 1997 , and features Z Berg, lead singer of The Like, on vocals. The video disseminates the message that if you want to reach the kingdom level above human, you have to leave everything you know behind - and only then can you become an ascendant master. The video is the first in a series of short films that will coincide with the release of the LP over the next year. - Check out the video here

Motorhead To Rock Conan

(hennemusic) Motorhead have announced that they will perform on the January 26, 2011 episode of Conan O'Brien's new TBS show, "Conan."

A day earlier, Motorhead will play the Anaheim, California House of Blues' 10th-anniversary show.

The appearances are part of Motorhead's ongoing 35th Anniversary celebration, and in support of their new album, "The World Is Yours." - more on this story

Anniversary of INXS' Michael Hutchence Death

(Gibson) On November 22nd in 1997, INXS singer Michael Hutchence was found dead in his hotel suite in Sydney. He was 37. Hutchence's body was found at 11: 50 a.m. naked behind the door to his room. He had apparently hanged himself with his own belt and the buckle broke away and his body was found kneeling on the floor and facing the door. Gibson takes a look back:

Being a performer was always in Michael Hutchence's blood. Born Michael Kelland John Hutchence on January 22, 1960 in Sydney, Australia, the Hutchence family moved to Hong Kong when Michael was four. His first real taste of performing happened when he appeared in a local toy store commercial when he was eight. The Hutchence family moved back to Sydney when Michael was in his late teens, and he soon befriended Andrew Farriss at Davidson High School, who convinced him to join his band, Doctor Dolphin.

In 1977, Andrew's older brother, Tim, invited Andrew, Hutchence and Doctor Dolphin's bass player, Garry Beers, to join him and his schoolmate, Kirk Pengilly, in a new band. With the addition of Andrew and Tim's younger brother, John, they formed the Farriss Brothers, with Andrew on keyboards, Jon on drums, Tim on lead guitar, Geoff Kennelly on drums, Pengilly on guitar and sax, and Hutchence on lead vocals. The Farris Brothers made their debut in August of 1977 at Whale Beach, just north of Sydney. - more on this story

AC/DC Trading Cards Put on Ice

(hennemusic) Collectible and trading card company Press Pass have announced the postponement of the new line of AC/DC Trading Cards that were originally scheduled release this month.

A statement on the company's website says: "We regret to announce that the AC/DC product has been postponed indefinitely. We will let you know if the situation changes. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us."

The 100 card set was designed to follow AC/DC through the band's history, from their Australian beginnings to the recent "Black Ice" tour – the top selling trek of 2010. - more on this story