Led Zeppelin Reunion Rumor Addressed

"For me, you can never say never. If you ask me today is it gonna happen immediately, well no, there is no talk of it. But if you said to me in 2007 I would play with Led Zeppelin in December that year I would say you're nuts, so you never know." more on this story

Tonight's Guns N' Roses Concert To Be Webcast

If you are not lucky enough to be Las Vegas this New Year's weekend or even luckier to have tickets to see Guns N' Roses perform at The Joint, you do have the opportunity to catch one of the shows online.

That's the good news. The bad news is the stream isn't being offered for free. The pay-per-event event is for tonight's show at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (December 30, 2011).

The promo says: Playing for over 2 ½ hours at each of its US tour stops, the first of 2 final shows in Vegas promise to feature classics including Sweet Child O' Mine, Paradise City, November Rain, and Welcome to the Jungle.

The pay-per-view stream will be available LIVE from approximately 11 PM US Pacific Time and available to stream for a 24 hour period following the performance. Check it out here.

Metallica Going Old School On New Album?

(Banana 101.5) Metallica are working with producer Rick Rubin on their next proper studio album. You never know with Metallica, but there's a good chance we will see the follow-up to 'Death Magnetic' in 2012.

'Death Magnetic,'s return to form was generally well-received by critics and fans who had felt neglected by their turn to mainstream rock around the time of the "Black Album." Bassist Robert Trujillo gave a hint at the direction of the new material speaking to Gulfnews.com in October:

"We've been busy writing and recording. We've got a couple of new songs we have been working on the past couple of weeks. The writing process for the new Metallica album has begun. We've been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we're going to be recording during the most of next year. We've got a lot of work ahead of us. But the great thing is that we have sort of already jumped off the launch pad and we're swimming. It's happening. It's reality. It's a lot of fun, there are a lot of ideas, and we're really excited about the new record. For me, personally, 'Death Magnetic' was the launch pad for the next record. This is the beginning of something very, very cool." more on this story

Iron Maiden Number of the Beast Narrator Dies

Loudwire had this sad news for Iron Maiden fans: Barry Clayton, the man behind the spoken word introduction to iconic song 'The Number of the Beast,' has died at the age of 80.

Clayton was a quintessential part of Maiden lore, as his deep, booming voice is forever etched in the minds of headbangers, thanks to the way he spoke those famous, ominous words that start the song.

The Islington Tribune reported Clayton's death. He was a resident of the region, which is in Greater London, England, for 40 years. more on this story

Van Halen Rehearsal Secret Revealed

(hennemusic) The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood have spilled the beans on their website about Van Halen's recent activities at the famed club: "For the past 2 months Van Halen has been rehearsing here 2-3 times a week!!!!!!

Do you have any idea how hard that was to not tell you?? When you come in at 10:00AM and David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and Wolfgang Van Halen are on stage with 3 other people in the room playing "Running With The Devil" and you can't say anything?! It's tough, to put it simply.

It all began with a 3 day video shoot for their newest single that you don't know about yet (shhh) and we were all geeking out like never before. Little did we know, the guys had fallen in love with the room and decided to rehearse for their upcoming unannounced tour for the next 2 months!

We couldn't film it for obvious reasons, so we've decided to share some of our favorite VH moments that happened for the next 2 months. Read that here.

Joe Perry Addresses Classic Sound of New Aerosmith Album

(hennemusic) Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry hosted his first Twitter chat Thursday night, taking questions from fans around the globe. As expected, there were lots of questions about the new album and upcoming tour, Steven Tyler, guitar gear and favourite places to play, and eat at, on the road.

Perry was asked which vintage Aerosmith album does the new recording remind him of, to which he replied, "people have said when we play the rough tracks it sounds like it's from the 70s but for me, it's too early to tell."

As for hitting the road to support the new disc, "we are planning on touring this summer in the US and Canada," writes Joe, and "we plan on coming back to South America in 2013, but we have to plan around my lead singers day job." more on this story

Chimaira Announce New Lineup

Chimaira announced on Thursday that Matt Szlachta of Dirge Within and Jeremy Creamer of Daath have become official members of the group.

They also had a post Christmas gift for fans in the form a free EP download. The band explains the new lineup and download: The plan was to build an undeniable string section and we have done just that. Jeremy will be pounding on the bass, and Matt shredding alongside Emil on guitar.

As a way to say hello to the Chimaira fans, Jeremy recently remixed a couple of tracks from The Age Of Hell.
Go here and download the FREE EP and listen to the Allinaline mixes. (We'd also like to thank Dubba Jonny for remixing Year Of The Snake!) More from the band here.

Cheap Trick To Webcast Dream Police Performance for New Year's

Cheap Trick have announced a live New Year's Eve pay-per-view webcast of a live performance of their classic Dream Police album.

The show will be broadcast from the Jannus Live courtyard in St Petersburg, Florida. For this New Year's Eve production, the band will perform their classic Dream Police album in its entirety, as well all the classic hits from their extensive catalogue.

Dubbed the "Best Show of 2011" by Ken Sumka of 93XRT Chicago, this production has pleased audiences in select high-profile venues around the U.S. The production includes an 18-piece orchestra, an ensemble of backup singers, and a lights-and-effects display. More details here.

Rare Pantera and Slayer Jam Goes Online

(The Metal Den) TMD has obtained enhanced audio of Pantera performing the Judas Priest song "Metal Gods" with Slayer's Kerry King during a rehearsal on May 18, 1989 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Basically, this was a a super rare jam session or "warm-up" for their legendary live show together that took place May 19, 1989.

This smoking cover version of the classic Judas Priest cut features all four members of Pantera: Philip, Rex, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. more on this story

Steve Jones Slams Original Sex Pistols Bandmate as a Mommy's Boy

(Gibson) Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones has been talking about the '70s glory days with U.S. magazine Hustler. According to NME.com, Steve Jones called original Pistol Glen Matlock a "middle-class mommy's boy."

He also said he was "tired" of Matlock talking about writing "God Save the Queen," "Anarchy in the U.K." and "Pretty Vacant." He said, "I'm tired of Glen Matlock saying he was the songwriter for the Sex Pistols. I co-wrote as many songs… but I don't go shouting about it… At the time he hated the words, which John [Lydon] wrote. Glen's mom didn't like it… He was a bit of a middle-class mommy's boy, really…"

Recently, Matlock has been serving as the bass player in the Faces, standing in for the late Ronnie Lane. more on this story

Coldplay Making 1.5 Million Dollars For New Year's Gig

(Gibson) Coldplay have lined up an impressive payday for a New Year's bash, picking up a cool $1.5 million for one concert in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the Daily Express, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan booked Chris Martin and Co. to play the Volvo Ocean Race venue in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, December 31.

Having visited the United Arab Emirates before, guitarist Jonny Buckland is especially excited about the luxurious lifestyle on offer, saying, "I've never stayed anywhere like the hotel they put me in and probably never will again. It made Buckingham Palace look like a two-bed semi." more on this story

Tesla Star Rocks National Anthem at NBA Game

(hennemusic) Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon handled the anthem duties on Monday at the Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers basketball game.

The event was held at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, California, the band's hometown.

It was Tesla Day earlier this month in Sacramento, as the band received the key to the city from Mayor Kevin Johnson, who praised the band for raising the city's profile worldwide. Read more and check out video of the Anthem here.

Thrash In The New Year With Metal Evolution

Thrash metal fans tune into VH1 Classic on New Year's Eve at 10 PM PST for the Thrash metal episode of the Metal Evolution documentary series.

Shockwaves Podcast sent over these details: Metal Evolution a new series directed by the great Sam Dunn (director of Iron Maiden's Flight 666 movie and Rush's Beyond the Lighted Stage movies).

The episode will be aired all throughout January on VH-1 Classic if you happen to miss the debut on New Year's Eve. more info and previews

New Editions of Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook Released

Hal Leonard Books sent over word that they have just published a second edition of The Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook by Bill Gibson. They provided these details:

The book is an updated second edition with new text, photos, illustrations, and video examples to specifically address the important, cutting-edge concerns faced by modern sound operators of all types.

High-quality audio is increasingly imperative, whether you're running sound for a rock, country, punk, or jazz band performing in clubs, arenas, or outdoor parks. With the advent and implementation of large-budget multimedia presentations, along with high-resolution multichannel audio for movies, television, and downloads, any live act must sound great to be well received by today's increasingly savvy audience members.
more on this story

Family Angry About Steven Tyler's Engagement

(TMZ) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler's big engagement news did NOT go over so well with several members of his family ... who are telling friends they simply don't like his new fiancee ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the Tyler clan tell us ... several family members have clashed with Erin Brady for years ... and have told friends, "She's just not nice."

One source tells us, "She's just been mean to the family." And to make matters worse -- we're told several family members have griped that they had no idea about Steven's proposal plan until AFTER he popped the question to 38-year-old Brady last weekend ... and they felt slighted by the omission.

Sources tell us ... the family members were hoping they could eventually repair the relationship with Erin, but now, they feel Steven has only widened the divide. more on this story