Manowar Star Dies- Metallica WrestleMania- Saving Abel For Free- Anathema US Tour- Classic Ramones Gig Online- Incubus- Esquires Star Dies- Alice In Hardcore Film- more

On this day in 1998, British drummer Cozy Powell was killed when his car smashed into crash barriers on a motorway in Bristol, England. Powell had worked with Jeff Beck, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Rainbow and the ELP spin-off Emerson, Lake, & Powell. The drummer had also played on sessions by Donovan, Roger Daltrey, Jack Bruce, Gary Moore and Brian May. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Steven Tyler Solo Song Confirmed

Yesterday we told you about a rumor that Steven Tyler had recorded a solo single, today we learn that he has and how it is going to be released.

hennemusic has this: Last fall, when the Aerosmith singer was making headlines with news that he was joining American Idol as a judge, Tyler released his first solo single in Japan. Tyler recorded the theme song, "Love Lives," for the live-action "Space Battleship Yamato" movie, which opened in Japan in December.

Now, there's news that another Tyler solo track is on the way. On May 3, Steven will release his autobiography, "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?" – and the book will be accompanied by a new single called "Oxygen (Feels So Good)." more on this story

Evanescence Begin New Album

(Gibson) Five years after the release of their sophomore album, The Open Door, Evanescence are heading back into the studio.

Amy Lee and company will begin recording their third album on April 11, according to Blabbermouth, with Foo Fighters producer Nick Raskulinecz at the helm. Most recently, Raskulinecz recorded with Rush on the Canadian power trio's upcoming Clockwork Angels album.

Lee told Blabbermouth, "We can't wait to show everyone what we've been working on. We've written more than an album of songs. We've been finding ourselves, reinventing our sound, experimenting with things we've never done before – and at the same time embracing the things we love most about Evanescence. This journey has made us the strongest we've ever been as a band, and I am in love with the music. Nick Rasculinecz is the perfect fit for this record, and we are all very excited to get into the studio together." more on this story

Fired Anthrax Singer Speaks Out

(Rock News Desk) Former Anthrax singer Dan Nelson has slammed the band which sacked him for their "cash grab" attitude, and has called on them to release Worship Music, the album they recorded with him in 2009.

The thrash giants sacked Nelson ahead of what was to be their return-to-form tour and release, with those who'd heard the studio work reviewing it positively. After a short stint with previous singer John Bush they recruited classic-era frontman Joey Belladonna for their Big 4 shows with Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth.

Last night Nelson slated the band for not releasing the shelved album, before closing his Facebook and Twitter accounts. "I just listened to Worship Music with my vocals. While I understand the Big 4 cash grab, I hope the fans get to hear this. They more than deserve it," He said. "I won't share it with anyone out of respect for the band. I still respect them and what they accomplished, so no leak from me. It's sad that I still respect them, but that's how I was raised." more on this story

Paul Rodgers Nearly Replaced Jim Morrison in The Doors

(Gibson) Bad Company and Free frontman Paul Rodgers has revealed that he nearly replaced Jim Morrison in The Doors, following the singer's death in 1971. Rodgers told Uncut magazine that he wasn't aware that the surviving members of The Doors – Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore – were interested, and that he just learned the news recently.

"I discovered quite recently that I was lined up to join The Doors, which blew my mind," he said. "Robby Krieger told me that The Doors were all fans of Free and after Jim Morrison's death; they came to England looking for me. [The] thing is, at that time, I had buried myself in the country, working on things, and they couldn't get a hold of me."

Manzarek ended up taking on lead vocal duties on the band's initial post-Morrison music. "My jaw actually dropped like in a cartoon when Robby told me this," Rodgers said. "Would I have joined them? I dunno. It's hard to say, looking back. But I think not. I tend to form bands, that's what I do. Although it's always flattering to be asked!" more on this story

Classic Thin Lizzy Show Coming to DVD

(hennemusic) Thin Lizzy with Phil Lynott was a powerhouse rock band. Now, fans will get to experience some of that heaviness with the May 10 release of Thin Lizzy's "Legends In Concert: Thunder & Lightning Tour DVD."

For Lynott and Lizzy, this DVD captures the 2nd last performance in Ireland of the 1983 Thunder And Lightning tour.

To help add some context to the proceedings, former band members Eric Bell and Brian Robertson, along with producer Nick Tauber, relate their special memories of Phil Lynott, the iconic driving force behind one of rock's greatest live bands. Football legend George Best contributes his own recollections of Thin Lizzy. more on this story

Anniversary of Kurt Cobain's Suicide

(Gibson) On this day in 1994, Kurt Cobain committed suicide at his Seattle home. Cobain's body wasn't discovered until April 8, by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system, who initially believed that Cobain was asleep.

A suicide note was found that read; "I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing … for too many years now."

A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were found in Cobain's body. His death was officially ruled as suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. See what else happened on this day in music

David Bowie Goes Back To His Golden Years

(Gibson) The Thin White Duke is going back to his "Golden Years" for a new release. David Bowie will put out an EP featuring the original version of the 1975 single with four remixes – created by DJs Jeremy Sole, Anthony Valadez, Eric J. Lawrence and Chris Douridas, according to NME.com. The EP will be released on June 6.

In addition, Bowie has also commissioned a "Golden Years" iPhone app, which will come out the same day as the EP. Created by Station to Station producer Harry Maslin, the app will allow fans to craft their own remix of the Bowie classic.

"Golden Years" was the first song completed for the Station to Station album. Bowie said that he offered it to Elvis Presley to perform, but that The King declined. more on this story

Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton Writing Autobiography

(hennemusic) Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton tells the Boston Herald that he's in the throes of writing a tell-all about life as a rock 'n' roll man.

"I've written a few chapters of something I hope will turn into a fun read," Hamilton told the Track. "It's not a book about who (slept with) who and how much coke everyone snorted. It will be inspirational and full of excitement and exhilaration — along with lies, cheating sex, drugs and everything everyone really wants to read about."

Hamilton said the book likely will be a fictionalized version of his memoirs of the past 40 years of rockin' with the Bad Boys of Boston. "I'd like to dream up my own characters and situations but still be able to tell the personal side, the war stories." more on this story

Singled Out: Epigene's The Catch 22

Today Sean Bigler from Epigene tells us about "The Catch 22" from their brand new rock opera album "A Wall Street Odyssey," which is being released today. Here is the story:

The Catch 22 is the 3rd song in our 25-song rock opera, "A Wall Street Odyssey." The lead character, "Yossarian," is an overworked Wall Street analyst who feels trapped by the "Catch 22s" of his modern city life.

Because I had already written out the basic plot of A Wall Street Odyssey first, I already knew what part of the story The Catch 22 was going to tell. I felt pressure to come up with compelling lyrics and a great melody for this song because it's the basic thesis of the plot and explains why Yossarian eventually self-destructs and ends up homeless. So I went to the top of a great mountain and meditated for many days.

After returning I had a shave and then came up with the vocoder 'hook' melody and guitar response for the chorus. I also had a quirky synth-song-snippit I wrote earlier using Reason software. It was very robotic and dancey...I used this theme as the opening of the song. Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey" was in my mind while composing. Remember Peter's painted monkey face sitting behind his desk in the music video?

In the first verse, Yossarian explains that his work pays for his apartment so he can get the sleep he needs to go back to work to pay for his apartment. This is an example of a "catch 22." He also laments that the more he works the less time he has to enjoy the things that working brings...and because of his debt, he can't afford to stop. Sound familiar?

In the second verse, Yossarian explains that he "helps the rich get richer for greed is gold. If I don't do what I'm told, the bank will leave me in the cold." He needs his job and therefore is in no position to resist the corruption and illegality permeating Wall Street. He's got to work to feed the monkey...right?

I composed a dissident arpeggio riff for the bridge and wrote the lyrics with Mark E. Smith in mind. Mark E. Smith is the lyricist and frontman for legendary post-punk band The Fall. In the song "What You Need" (from This Nation's Saving Grace) he chants, "Get up...Make a buck, Get up...Make a buck" over and over again. It's a very depressing & effective lyric to be sure. Yossarian quotes his lyric before finally screaming, "I've had enough!!!"

So...I am very happy with how The Catch 22 turned out. It furthers the plot, makes a big statement and the melody ain't too shabby. Most importantly, it makes me get up, switch and jerk around like a drunk robot on the dance floor.

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

Duff McKagan Has No Regrets About Guns N' Roses Reunion Jam

Music Radar recently caught up with Duff McKagan and one of the topics they covered was his reunion jam with Axl Rose and the current incarnation of Guns N' Roses and whether Duff views it as a mistake, here is his response:

"It wasn't a mistake. Everything happens in life for a reason. See, I have a another business that has nothing to do with music at all, and my partners are with a London-based firm. As a result, I go to London from time to time. So I'm in London on a business trip, and the hotel manager is showing me and my wife to our room. Nothing's odd at all, everything's fine. Then the manager says to me, 'You're playing tonight.' And I'm like, 'No, I'm not playing.' He looked at me strangely, and then he said, 'Is it going to be a problem if your room is next to Axl's?' And I said, 'No, there won't be any problem.' At that moment, I said to myself, 'This is the time when it's gonna happen, that he and I reconnect.'

"You know, say what you want, but some of us guys went through a bunch of sh*t together. You can't take that away, and you can't put yourself in our positions. People have quipped wise about our situation, but what it comes down to is that you're in a room with a guy you went to f**king war with. Everybody said we wouldn't make it, that we sucked. We played gigs to three people. But we believed in ourselves and we got huge, and we went through all of that together, too." Check out the full in depth interview here

Extreme Metal Community Stands Behind Behemoth Frontman As He Battles Leukemia

(Rock News Desk) Behemoth frontman Nergal lost his fiancee but found faith in humanity during his recent battle against leukemia, he says. The Polish blackened metal artist was diagnosed with bone cancer at the end of last year and reports his form of the disease was so fast-moving he had to undergo medical treatment immediately. But he also responded very quickly, and is looking forward to a full recovery.

Nergal, real name Adam Darski, tells Revolver: "It was good to see how everyone really cared about me – it was helpful. My bandmates Inferno and Orion appeared on TV asking people to give blood and do tests for bone marrow. The whole extreme metal community was standing behind me. I wouldn't have expected that. I was happy to see how many people cared about human beings, not just about a guy in a band.

"I don't really value the human race that much – but this experience brought back a lot of faith in human beings. It's very positive at the end of the day." more on this story

Saturday Night Foo Fighters Fever

(Gibson) Although the new Foo Fighters' album, Wasting Light, is supposed to be one of the band's hardest-rocking efforts, frontman Dave Grohl isn't crediting Black Flag or Motörhead as the influences for the record. No, Grohl said he was inspired by disco-era hitmakers ABBA and the Bee Gees.

"I like loads of crazy-ass, dissonant, distorted rock 'n' roll," he told The Daily Star. "But I also love bands whose pop choruses get bigger and bigger. I love anthemic choruses, that overwhelming feeling of release that you can connect with."

Grohl said ABBA and the Bee Gees records were prime examples of anthemic pop hooks. "So whenever I thought I had a big enough chorus for a song, I would use that as the pre-chorus and then I would try and write something even bigger, like they did," he said. more on this story

Between The Buried And Me Streaming New Album Online

Between The Buried And Me will release their new album The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues on April 12.

The three-song, 30 minute effort was recorded at Canada's Metalworks Studios and Rattlebox Studios and produced / engineered by the Grammy award-winning David Bottrill (Tool, Muse, King Crimson, Dream Theater, etc.) with BTBAM.

In advance of its release, you can stream The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues in its entirety here

Get Robbie Robertson's New Album For Just 4 Bucks!

Amazon.com is celebrating the release of Robbie Robertson's first album in more than 10 years by offering it as a daily deal for only $3.99.

'How To Become Clairvoyant 'is being released today and for today only you can get the album at this special price.

Robertson will perform his Top 10 single "He Don't Live Here No More" on "Late Show with David Letterman" tonight. On Wednesday, April 6th, he'll guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline." Get it here!

Aiden, Vampires Everywhere, Eyes Set To Kill Horror Nights 2011 Tour

Vampires Everywhere have announced plans to hit the road with Aiden this spring for a big package tour.

The 'Horror Nights 2011' tour features Aiden headlining with support from Eyes Set To Kill, Vampires Everywhere!, Get Scared and Dr. Acula. Select dates will feature Escape the Fate as the guest headliner.

Michael Vampire comments, "Vampires Everywhere! is excited and honored to be sharing the stage with Aiden on their headlining US Tour. We want to show our evil love to Aiden so we'll be pushing to make our live show extra dark & intense! We will be playing new songs off our upcoming full length Kiss The Sun Goodbye coming out May 17th. The lineup for this tour is amazing & were excited to see all of our fans on the road!" more on this story

Fair To Midland Set New Album Release

Fair To Midland have set a June 14th, 2011 release date for their brand new full length album "Arrows and Anchors".

"We are a band that makes albums and this is the best one that we've ever made. It might be the heaviest non-metal album you will hear this year," says front man Darroh Sudderth.

The band recently signed a worldwide deal with eOne Music. This time they enlisted producer Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens Of The Stoneage, Coheed And Cambria). more on this story

The Cars Hitting The Road

Recently reunited The Cars are hitting the road this spring for a North American tour.

The band have announced the initial dates with the tour due to begin Tuesday, May 10th at Seattle's Showbox SoDo.

The set list will draw from the band's career and include songs from their forthcoming new album Move Like This, set for release by Hear Music/Concord Music Group on May 10th, 2011. more on this story

Beady Eye Do The Beatles For Japan

(Gibson) One of the highlights of Sunday's all-star Japan benefit concert in London was Beady Eye's cover of The Beatles' "Across the Universe."

The John Lennon-penned track concluded a well-received 11-song set by Liam Gallagher and company. Now, the group have announced that a studio version of the track will be released to further aid relief efforts for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.

Beady Eye's website reports that the band spent eight hours in the studio the day before the show to lay down the track, which is available now for a limited time for download. All proceeds will go to the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. Check it out here

Derek St. Holmes Reunites With Ted Nugent

(Gibson) Derek St. Holmes has returned to Ted Nugent's band for the Nuge's forthcoming tour.

Nugent announced the news on his official Twitter account, tweeting "Derek St. Holmes has rejoined Ted Nugent And The Nigerian Rebels. Holy R+B+R+R [expletive]!"

Nugent went on to say the band has "way too many incredible songs" to play, making it "the most powerful 2-3 soulRock [sic] hours on earth." more on this story

Mr. Big Play First U.S. Show In 15 Years

(Gibson) The reunited original lineup of Mr. Big played their first U.S. show in 15 years on Sunday, April 3, at the House of Blues in West Hollywood.

The band's new album, What If..., is their first since with the original lineup of Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan, Eric Martin and Pat Torpey since 1996's Hey Man. Gilbert departed in 1997, with Richie Kotzen stepping into his shoes until the band ultimately broke up in 2002.

What If… was recorded with producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley in September 2010, and was released in the U.S. in February. more on this story

The Ghost of a Thousand Give It Up

(Rock News Desk) The Ghost of a Thousand have split, saying "real life got in the way" after seven years.

The Brighton five-piece had been the subject of rumour for some time following some extended silences, but have now revealed their sold-out London show on January 7 was their last.

In a statement entitled End of the Road the band says: "After nearly seven years of being a band we have decided to call it a day. "It's been increasingly difficult to commit ourselves to being a touring band, and unfortunately 'real life' has finally got the better of us. more on this story

Axl Rose To Be Fined If Guns N' Roses Take The Stage Late

(Rock AAA) Organizers of Brazil's Rock In Rio will be holding Axl Rose financially accountable if he brings his band, Guns N' Roses, on stage late.

Axl and his reps have reportedly signed off on the deal. Guns N' Roses will headline the closing night of this year's festival on Sunday, October 2 in Rio de Janeiro.

It's all done in the name of safety and security, of course, since GNR have a history with the legendary festival: in 2001, the band hit the stage almost 2 hours late, and everyone was fortunate that the fans waited patiently, without incident, for GNR to play. more on this story

Mindless Self Indulgence Get Tight Again

Mindless Self Indulgence's highly sought debut album, Tight, will be reissued by The End Records on April 26th. Here is what the label had to say:

To commemorate the release, the band will be posting a free download of the track "Dickface" on their website today

In 1999, Mindless Self Indulgence burst onto the New York City scene, playing to packed audiences at the likes of the now defunct CBGBs, Coney Island High, Brownies and The Knitting Factory. That same year, they put out their debut album, a 15-track release called Tight. The album was only available for six months, as the band signed to a major label and was asked to shelve it. It has remained out of print ever since its independent release. more on this story

Trail of Dead Spring Tour With Surfer Blood

Trail of Dead are preparing to kick off a US tour on April 29th at the Bowery Ballroom with co-headliners Surfer Blood.

They'll be on the road together until mid-May when they play the Brooklyn Bowl.

Trail of Dead are touring behind their recently released new album, Tao of the Dead. more on this story

Pinback Announce Tour and Special Release

Pinback have announced a new tour, a special Record Store Day release and their new album plans.

Pinback will return to the road for a Spring US Tour which is set to kick off on April 20th in Tempe, Az.

For Record Store Day 2011, they will release a Limited edition two-song 7", their first new music since 2007's Autumn of The Seraphs which will be available on tour as well. more on this story

Gary Moore's Estate Valued At More Than $3 Million

(hennemusic) Work on settling the estate of renowned guitarist Gary Moore continues, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

Moore passed away in his sleep February 6 at the age of 58, from a heart attack while on holiday in Spain.

The guitarist reportedly left an estate worth over £2 million (approximately $3.23 million). Records released last week show that Moore's estate was worth £2.077 million (approximately $3.36 million), but this was reduced after liabilities to a net figure of £1.021 million (approximately $1.65 million). more on this story

Sons Of Aeon Ink With Lifeforce

Lifeforce Records sent over word that they have signed Sons Of Aeon to their roster. The label had this to say:

Despite the fact that the band is quite young, these guys have a long background releasing albums and are very experienced live performers as well with altogether well over 1000 played shows under their belts in bands such as Ghost Brigade, Swallow The Sun, Code For Silence And Endstand among others. Currently Sons Of Aeon is busy writing their debut album to be released on Lifeforce Records early 2012 and no, this is not a project band!

The band comments the signing to Lifeforce Records as followed: "Sons Of Aeon is happy to announce that we have joined the Lifeforce records team! We feel we found a great home for our music and we're looking forward to rolling our sleeves and getting to work. We're currently writing more music for our upcoming debut album, we'll let you know when we have some more detailed information. -Tony, Tapio, Wille, Pasi, Tommi"
more on this story

The 69 Eyes Ditch Goth for Dance

(Rock AAA) Jyrki 69 believes dance music is the new rock n roll which is why his band, The 69 Eyes, are set to release their first ever 'dance rock' album.

The Finnish rockers have been dubbed glam, goth and hard rock in the past but now dance is set to join the list after frontman Jyrki 69 exclusively revealed to RockAAA his vision for the band's forthcoming studio album.

"We are just composing the new album and we just want to make it big songs with memorable tunes and just concentrate on that," he said. "We don't want to repeat ourselves so every record is kind of like a fresh slate and the next one should be so fresh everybody should be excited." more on this story

Anniversary of R.E.M.'s First Gig

(Gibson) On this day in 1980, R.E.M. played their first ever gig when appearing at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia. Gibson takes a look back: Rock and roll bands that changed the course of popular music history always have a story to tell. Over the years, R.E.M. would tell plenty of tales and create a few of their own, but their early days in Athens, Georgia, remain the stuff of the American rock and roll dream.

On this very day in 1980, R.E.M. played their first-ever concert at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Athens. That night they were still called Twisted Kites, the wonderfully incisive moniker R.E.M had not popped into their collective consciousness just yet.

Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass) and Bill Berry (drums) lined up on stage to play music for the birthday party of Kathleen O'Brien, who at the time was the drummer's girlfriend. They gave the assembled students and partygoers over two hours of post-punk, cutting edge rock and roll. more on this story