Motley Crue Going Vegas

As Leach reported, the band will play a three-week series of three-and four-night concerts a week at the HRH starting February 3. more on this story

Metallica Announce More Black Album Anniversary Shows

Metallica have expanded their plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Black Album with two additional dates for their 2012 European Vacation tour with a promise of more to come.

The band's official site had this update on Wednesday: As promised, we're back . . .with two more shows that are part of our 2012 summer run in Europe. First up is Oslo, Norway at Vallehovin on May 23 and then two weeks later in Denmark in Horsens on June 6 at "The Prison" (really a former state prison!!) and we are proud to be playing at the first show ever at this new venue.

Those of you have been following along know that this year's European vacation features 'The Black Album' in its entirety to celebrate the 20th (ish!!!) anniversary of its release in August of 1991. We just can't stay away from this anniversary stuff!! We're not done yet . . . more on this story

Grammy Response To Van Halen No Show

(hennemusic) After weeks of teasing, The Grammys failed to deliver on their promise to have Van Halen on Wednesday's Nominations Concert special.

Reuters.com reports The Recording Academy Pesident Neil Portnow did not confirm it was Van Halen that the teases were hinting at but had the following to say:

"In the world of creativity, everything is fluid," he said. "In the process of discussions that we had been having with an expectation that perhaps we would be at a point tonight where the artist involved and we, moving forward, would be ready to announce [a reunion], they weren't quite at that point. So it's live television, we go on to the next act. It's rock and roll and so on. That being said, we were genuine about the intention and we are genuine about the discussion." more on this story

Thy Will Be Done Head Dimebag Tribute Event

Thy Will Be Done are set to headline the inaugural late "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott tribute event 'Strength Beyond Strength' on December 8th at the Palladium in Worcester, MA.

A tribute to the late "Dimebag", the proceeds from the event will be donated to help after-school music programs in the Worcester area.

The Palladium has been the home of the annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival for thirteen years, of which Thy Will Be Done has been a part of four. "We were honored when the Palladium promoters asked us to headline such an event. Conceptually, its a wonderful sentiment to Dime's legacy.", says vocalist J. Costa. "What better way to keep that flame burning than by celebrating life and helping provide a creative environment for the youth after school." more on this story

Bruce Springsteen To Keynote SXSW

Bruce Springsteen has been named as the keynote speaker for the 2012 South By Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival.

The keynote will take place on Thursday, March 15, 2012 at the Austin Convention Center, the hub of SXSW Music events.

In the tradition of legendary artists delivering the main event at SXSW, Springsteen joins notable keynote alumni including Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Lucinda Williams, Robert Plant, Pete Townshend, Smokey Robinson and Neil Young.

Tool Recording New Album

Tool fans will be very thankful for the news that the group begin tracking their new album over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The band's latest newsletter had there humorous details: At a time when the headlines are dominated by frenzied Amish beard clippers, whooping cough and Occupy Wall Street (Forget that - how about Occupy the Playboy Mansion, all you 69 per centers!), rather than discuss the thawing permafrost, Sandusky, or baffling Gamma ray bursts, how about some exciting TOOL-RELATED NEWS... That's right - while most of you were still digesting your Thanksgiving bird, highly acclaimed recording engineer and producer (not to mention vintage candy aficionado!) 'Evil' Joe Barresi was seated at the mixing console in the band's home studio - the only evidence of the holiday being a bowl of pumpkin-pie cheesecake Kit Kats that was placed there by one of the girls from Tool's business management. Believe it! Hours after your cranberry sauce was still jiggling, members of the band had gathered at the loft to begin tracking.

For these VOLTO! sessions, the place looked like a gear-junkie's wet-dream, and with the 'evil' one deftly punching in bars on the remote control, as the night wore on, song after song -in all their musical complexity - were being captured on tape (Yes, tape! For this record, a Studer A827 "Gold Edition" analog tape recorder had been trucked in.) By the time of my much-anticipated arrival on Tuesday, almost all of the tracks were finished, as were the holiday confections. With the loft now littered with empty Tommy's burger wrappers and spent cans of Red Bull, as guitar riffs processed through an antique Echoplex wailed over the KRKs, stories were being told about Danny recently making a daring escape in his orange Lambo from Mastros steakhouse in Beverly Hills (where a side of lobster mashed potatoes goes for $30.00) - the entire thing caught by TMZ's cameras... although the crowd cheers are probably still lying on the proverbial cutting room floor. And now, with you being down to your last leftover turkey sandwich, with but a few overdubs to add, you can bet that the boys will be back at it tonight... Read more of the fun tale on the band's site

Kid Rock To Rock CNN Heroes Special

CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute is now set to feature Kid Rock performing his song "Care" from the "Born Free" album.

The special will be hosted by Anderson Cooper live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA, on CNN, Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 8:00 PM ET.

CNN has also announced that Miley Cyrus has also been added as a celebrity presenter along with Dancing with the Stars winner, J.R. Martinez, The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, global maternal health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts, Christy Turlington Burns, and NFL Super Bowl champ and MVP quarterback Kurt Warner, all of whom were confirmed last week. more on this story

Corey Taylor Talks New Slipknot and Stone Sour Albums

(Banana 101.5) Corey Taylor opened up about the status of new albums from both of his bands (Slipknot and Stone Sour) to Fasterlouder.com . After admitting that talking about the passing of his friend and Slipknot bassist Paul Gray is helping him deal with the loss, Taylor said that he's hesitant to rush back into the recording process with Slipknot:

"You know, I'm not even thinking about writing another [Slipknot] album right now. I'm just not there yet you know. But I mean, we're going to put together a really good set, but right now, it just makes more sense to trample together with the band, and not run into a studio, and do things for the wrong reasons, let's put it that way."

Stone Sour has been at work on a new project that Taylor previously said may become a double-disc concept album. The singer shed a little more light on the shape that their latest endeavor has been taking. Read about it here.

UFO Set New Album Release

UFO has set a February 28th North American release date for their new studio album, Seven Deadly.

The album will be released as a limited edition digipak (incl. 2 bonus tracks), a Double Gatefold LP with printed innersleeves and coloured vinyl, standard edition and download.

We were sent these details: What is this bold thesis based on - in view of the countless classics the band has produced throughout its history? Not only on the fact that UFO have that perfect mix of talent, charisma and experience, but also on each individual band member, who currently all seem to be bursting with a zest for action and a wealth of ideas. Seven Deadly is an atmospherically dense fabric consisting of classy guitars, tight rock grooves and vocals which are unique to UFO. So it's no wonder that sound engineer Tommy Newton, in whose Area 51 studio in Celle, Germany, the new tracks were recorded, commented: "I've never heard a better Phil Mogg!" more on this story

Anthrax To Get Icon Release

(Gibson) Anthrax will be highlighted in a new series of albums, called Icon, that will strive to feature, "the greatest hits, signature tunes and fan favorites of the most popular artists in music history," according to a release.

The series was initiated by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) in 2010, and now, the run is ready to bring fans the best of Anthrax.

Set to drop on January 10, 2012, the 11-track Anthrax Icon compilation (Island/UMe) features Anthrax tunes "Madhouse," "A.I.R.," "Armed and Dangerous," "I Am the Law," "Got the Time" and more. more on this story

Of Mice & Men Member Sidelined By Illness

Of Mice & Men has announced a temporary lineup change for As I Lay Dying's A Decade of Destruction Tour with The Ghost Inside, iwrestledabearonce and Sylosis.

The tour kicked off their week but without bassist/vocalist Shayley Bourget who is sitting out the tour due to illness. Joel Piper (solo artist/Confide) will be stepping in as a replacement.

Of Mice & Men frontman Austin Carlile explains, "Unfortunately Shayley will be unable to perform with us on our upcoming tour with As I Lay Dying, but we are very excited to announce that our good friend, solo artist Joel Piper, will be filling in for Shayley on bass guitar and vocals for the remainder of 2011." more on this story

Biohazard Map Out North American Tour Dates

Biohazard have announced the first North American leg of their world tour in support of their forthcoming album Reborn In Defiance.

The string of northeast shows starts on January 15th in Albany, New York and ends February 18th in Sayreville, New Jersey.

The run includes a hometown show at NYC's Gramercy Theater on January 17th which will celebrate the release of their new album Reborn In Defiance. More details on this show are forthcoming. more on this story

Slash 2nd Chapter

(hennemusic) Slash's bassist Todd Kerns checks in with an update on the progress of the former Guns N' Roses guitarist's new solo album.

"I'm back in LA, two weeks or so into the 2nd chapter of the new Slash record," writes Kerns. "The first three songs we did some time ago are recorded, mixed and mastered."

"'Bad Rain' is a sexy drop D number with me on 8 string bass and squawking along with Mr Kennedy. 'Standing In The Sun' crept up from behind to be my favorite of the 3 and if you're gonna listen to 'Halo,' make sure you have your home insurance paid up cuz it'll rip the roof off. All of these will be out into the public consciousness in the spring of 2012." more on this story

The Stone Roses Add More Reunion Concerts

(hennemusic) The Stone Roses 2012 reunion tour has added more shows. Six weeks ago, following their official press conference announcing the reunion, the band initially sold out three homecoming dates at Manchester's Heaton Park next June.

Since then, Stone Roses have been confirmed as headliners for three festivals: Spain's Benicassim, Scotland's T In The Park and Japan's Fuji Rock Festival.

Now, the band has announced another two festival appearances for next summer, and the shows will actually precede the homecoming gigs be a few weeks. The Roses will play Denmark's NorthSide festival (June 15–17) and Sweden's Hultsfred festival (June 14-16). more on this story

Jimmy Page Limited Edition Release

(Gibson) Jimmy Page's Death Wish II Collectors' Edition album was released yesterday, December 1, exclusively through JimmyPage.com.

Explaining his reasons for re-releasing this classic record, Jimmy Page said: "In 1981, Michael Winner asked me if I would compose the soundtrack to Death Wish II. The songs with vocals were only going to appear in the film for a matter of seconds but I had recorded full versions of them anyway – which is how I ended up doing my first soundtrack and soundtrack album. I've re-released this because I wanted it to be available again."

According to Page's website, there are just 1,000 individually numbered copies available, with Page personally signing the first 30 copies. more on this story

Hawthorne Heights Ink Twilight Deal For Hate

Hawthorne Heights has inked a new deal with Twilight Records in Japan who will release the band's Hate EP in January with bonus alternate versions of "Hate" and "Oceans."

Hawthorne Heights will be announcing dates for a Japanese tour which is tentatively scheduled for April 2012.

The band is currently on a UK/European co-headline tour with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. more on this story

Foo Fighters Domination Grammy Nominations

(Gibson) The Grammy Awards committee has spoken, and Foo Fighters are on top. Dave Grohl and the Foos scored a whopping six Grammy nominations for the 54th annual event, including Best Rock Album for Wasting Light, Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for "White Limo," Best Rock Performance for "Walk," Best Rock Song for "Walk," Best Long Form Music Video for "Back and Forth" and the coveted Album of the Year for Wasting Light. Fingers-crossed Grohl and the guys take home all six!

Foo Fighters producer Butch Vid is up for Producer of the Year (non-classical) for his work on Wasting Light, and Deadmau5 is nominated for Best Remixed Recording (non-classical) for "Rope."

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder also is earning some fanfare this year, with a nomination for Best Folk Album for Ukulele Songs. Who would have thought back in the '90s that Vedder would ever be mentioned in a Best Folk Album category? more on this story

Megadeth Reacts To Grammy Nomination

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has issued his reaction to the group's tenth Grammy nomination.

The band received a "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance" nomination for their current single "Public Enemy #1" off their latest album Th1rt3en (Roadrunner Records). Megadeth PR people point out that the "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance" category is, eerily, category #13.

Of the nomination, Mustaine says, "In such uncertain times, it's just an honor to be recognized by our peers, and anything above that is remarkable."

The 54th annual Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Feb. 12, 2011. The event will broadcast on CBS. Check out the song's video here

Kasabian North American Tour

Kasabian have announced a North America tour for next spring in support of their latest album Velociraptor.

The tour will kick off on March 12th at South Side Music Hall in Dallas, TX and will wrap up on April 22nd at The Summit Music Hall in Denver, CO.

The trek follows Kasabian's current European tour, which includes two nights at the O2 Arena in London on December 13th and 14th. more on this story

Sting Bringing Music To Disadvantaged Kids In His Home Town

(Gibson) Sting is about to give something back to his home city of Newcastle in England. The Daily Express reports that Sting is backing a new£1.3 million music center for disadvantaged kids.

Sting said, "Having grown up on Tyneside, I'm pleased to support this appeal for The Arches project and The Sage Gateshead's ongoing commitment to creating opportunities for today's young musicians and music lovers in the North East."

Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, Chair of the Sage Gateshead, said, "Sting has always been a great friend to this organization so for him to cement his support by becoming patron of this hugely important project is a milestone for The Sage Gateshead and greatly appreciated by all the people connected to it." more on this story

Girl On Fire Hitting The Road With Rev Theory

Girl On Fire will hit the road this month for a series of North American tour dates with Rev Theory.

The will return to the road to support their debut EP, Revenge, which was produced by WiL Francis - front-man of Aiden and William Control.

"We're excited to announce our upcoming tour with Rev Theory that starts early December!" says vocalist Austin Held. "We'll be playing mostly west coast to mid-west cities and we're very excited to spend the better part of this holiday season with an incredible rock band and everyone who's planning on coming out to the shows. It's been a little over a month since we've been back from our first national tour that ended in mid October. We hope to make some new friends and see some familiar faces while we take another trek through this awesome country. Make sure to check out the dates and rock out the end of the year with us! We'll see you soon." more on this story

In Flames To Headline Wacken

In Flames are ending the year with big news for next year. The band has been confirmed as a headliner for Germany's Wacken Open Air 2012.

"We are happy to announce that we will headline the Friday night at Wacken 2012. It's gonna be great. Expect loads of pyros, loads of good music and five beer drinking heavy metal guys on stage."

The band's newest release Sounds Of A Playground Fading was just certified Gold in their native home of Sweden, the band is currently on a highly successful tour with Trivium, Ghost, Rise To Remain and Insense

Enuff Z' Nuff Kick Off Tour and Plan Anthology

(superLOUD) Enuff Z' Nuff kick off their 2011-2012 North American tour tonight, December 2nd in Janesville WI.

Enuff Z' Nuff (who's current lineup includes original founding members Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff) has also announced that they will be releasing a best of anthology next year.

The release will include all of the bands best known songs including "Fly High Michelle", "New Thing" and "Baby Loves You" as well as over 20 previously unreleased tracks. more on this story

The Naked And Famous Score KROQ No 1

(Sub) The Naked And Famous are making waves at rock radio with their debut single, "Young Blood", claiming the no 1 spot this week at KROQ in Los Angeles.

Beating out heavyweights including Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bush, the band continues to infiltrate their beyond-catchy synthtastic sound across America, via radio and touring.

Touring in support of their debut album "Passive Me, Aggressive You", The Naked And Famous will be touring the country till the end of 2011 including an appearance at KROQ's legendary Almost Acoustic Xmas concert and once again in Spring 2011. more on this story

Make Do and Mend Plan Next Release

Make Do and Mend have inked a deal with Rise Records and will begin recording their label debut full-length in February with producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Rocky Votolato, Minus The Bear, Botch). T

he forthcoming LP will serve as the follow-up to the band's End Measured Mile, which was released in October 2010. Watch for a summer 2012 release date.

Drummer Matthew Carroll says, "So it is true, we have signed with Rise Records. We are so excited to be a part of the hardest working record label in music today. We are going to go into the studio in February and make the best MDAM record to date for you all. Thank you so much for your continued support." more on this story

The Library Is On Fire To Deliver New Album Next Month

The Library Is On Fire have set a January 31, 2012 release date for their new album, Works on Paper.

Culminating from a studio session with famed producer Perry Margouleff (Rolling Stones, Page/Plant, Aerosmith, Brian May, Soundgarden), who took an instant liking to the band for their hard working, no-nonsense studio ethic, he invited the band back to record the album, sharing production duties with Todd Tobias (Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard) in their native Ohio where the other half was recorded during an especially brutal Winter.

No strangers to artistic collaborations with some of rock n' roll's finest, including poetry swaps with Tom Verlaine of Television and whiskey-soaked art shows with Guided By Voices (the bands' greatest inspiration) and support from the legendary Lou Reed on his infamous "New York Shuffle" radio show on The Loft SIRIUS and XM Channel 30 with Hal Willner, Works on Paper features a smattering of appearances including: Ian McDonald (King Crimson), Matt Mottel (Talibam!), William Whitman (Cyndi Lauper) - to name a few. more on this story

Daylight Debut New Video and Set EP Release Date

Daylight have set a January 3rd release date for their new EP, The Difference In Good And Bad Dreams.

But you don't have to wait until then to get a taste as a music video for the track "Damp" is premiering exclusively on Altpress.com here.

The Difference In Good And Bad Dreams is Daylight's third proper EP in as many years and a precursor building up to next year's debut full-length.

Suffocation To Headline Manitoba Metalfest

Suffocation has been tapped as a headlining act for the 11th annual Manitoba Metalfest.

The music festival is set to take place at The Zoo on Friday, February 24th and Saturday, February 25th.

Suffocation will close out the festivities on Saturday night, while Into Eternity will headline Friday's show.

Cerebral Bore Kick Off Mini Tour

Cerebral Bore kicked off a mini UK tour last night at The Borough in Sunderland.

The four-date mini tour marks the last shows that Cerebral Bore will play this year, before returning in full force in 2012. Joining Cerebral Bore on the road are Scordatura and Laceration.

Cerebral Bore guitarist Paul Mcguire had this to say: "This is our last tour of 2011 and it's great to do it alongside a couple of up-and-coming Scottish bands. It's usually pretty hellish touring at this time of year in a sh*t van, sleeping on floors and dealing with the freezing wet weather. But we will bring the metal regardless, and hopefully the other bands will supply some good local banter and keep the spirits up." more on this story