Beastie Boys Come Back Album in May- Blues Legend Killed- Zakk Wylde Explains Band Shakeup- Pretty Hate Game- Six Feet Under Chimaira- 96 Tears Star Dies- more

Gene and Paul's current incarnation of KISS have announced seven shows in Japan this April. more

Slayer's Tom Araya Rushed To The Hospital

(Rock News Desk) Slayer frontman Tom Araya was rushed to hospital in Australia on Saturday night after the band's first concert with stand-in guitarist Gary Holt.

The thrash giants decided to leave axeman Jeff Hanneman at home to recover from flesh-eating bug necrotising fasciitis, because they'd already cancelled dozens of shows during 2009 and 2010 due to Araya's back problems.

But they managed just one show of their Australian tour – in Brisbane, on the first night of the touring Soundwave festival – before Araya required medical attention once again. Festival organisers say Araya contracted a severe ear infection, which they hope will clear up in a few days. It's not known whether the band will be able to appear at the three remaining shows of the tour. more on this story

Vince Neil Out of Jail Early

(hennemusic) 15 days in jail for a DUI was too much for a repeat offender. At least in soft-on-crime Las Vegas.

TMZ reports that Vince Neil was released Friday from the Clark County Detention Center in Vegas, after serving just 10 of 15 days for a guilty plea deal on a DUI charge from last June.

The guilty plea helped Neil avoid a possible maximum sentence of six months in jail if he had been convicted at trial. more on this story

Sebastian Bach Vs Skid Row

(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach was on hand last week at the press conference to announce the details of the 2011 Revolver Golden Gods awards show.

At the press conference, Sebastian was asked if he would ever consider a Skid Row reunion. And that's when the sparks started flying…

"No, because I don't base my life in 2011 on, like, 30 years ago," said Bach. "And I also... I was kicked out of that band. Like, if you worked at Pizza Hut and you got fired, would you be knocking on the door of the Pizza Hut, 'Please let me back in.' You'd be, like, 'F**k Pizza Hut! F**k you!' I'd be, like, 'F**k you! You wanna f**king kick me out? Go f**k yourself!' [Laughs] I'm always perplexed by that. You don't want me to sing in your band? Kiss my f**king ass! Don't hurt yourself finding someone that can. [Laughs]" more on this story

Rob Halford, Alice Cooper and Dave Grohl To Tribute Dio

(Rock AAA) An all-star rock n' roll cast have been confirmed to appear on a forthcoming tribute album to the late Ronnie James Dio.

His widow and former manager Wendy revealed to Noisecreep that some of rock music's biggest names have agreed to contribute to the project including Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Lemmy Kimister (Motorhead), Alice Cooper, Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) and Chris Jericho (Fozzy).

Apparently Grohl will cover Black Sabbath track 'Mob Rules', Halford will put his spin on 'Long Live Rock N' Roll' and Cooper is set to cover a song from the Elf days. more on this story

Slipknot Discuss First Show Since Paul Gray's Death

(Gibson) Slipknot fans will be treated to an amazing show when Slipknot return to performing live this summer, according to drummer Joey Jordison. The percussionist talked to Kerrang! magazine about the band's first concerts without bassist Paul Gray, who died last year.

"[The concerts] will be the ultimate triumph," he said. "I'm already just thinking about... when we step onto that [expletive] stage, the eight of us... I don't even know if we're gonna make it through one song. We might destroy everything."

But Jordison also acknowledged that playing without Gray was not going to be easy. "It's going to be bizarre. I think, honestly, Paul's with us in spirit... It's going to be a really, really explosive show," he said. "It's gonna be good for all of us... I think Sonisphere is going to be an exorcism." more on this story

Queen Kick Off 40th Anniversary

(Universal) Queen's 40th anniversary is now upon us, and the band plans to pull out all the stops to celebrate this historic occasion.

"2011 is an important year for Queen," said Brian May "and there will be a lot of activity." Adds Roger Taylor, I can't believe it's been that long and that we are still around in such a big way. I'm amazed and grateful!" This yearlong event will be marked by a series of releases, re-releases, special limited-edition items and events around the world.

As the centerpiece in the 40th anniversary celebration, Queen's entire 15-album studio catalog is being reissued in a series of deluxe editions. Every note is being tweaked, every piece of artwork is being cleaned, freshened up and resourced, wherever necessary, with the legendary Bob Ludwig doing the remastering, working from the original source material. The albums will be released in three waves, staggered over the next year, with the first wave—comprising the first five LPs—coming this spring. more on this story

Def Leppard Announce More Tour Dates

Last week, Def Leppard confirmed rumors that they plan to hit the road this summer with 70s hard rockers turned 80s pop-cheese-mongers Heart. On Friday the band mapped out most of those tour plans.

"After having had the last 18 months off, Leppard are ready to get back on the road! Add Heart to the bill and it truly makes for a special evening," says singer Joe Elliott.

The band also advised on their official site that more dates are in the works: "Of course, these are not ALL dates that make up the tour! More dates will be announced along the way, so don't be upset if your area is not included -- it may very well be soon enough!" dates

Alice Cooper's New Nightmare Delayed

(Gibson) Alice Cooper has said his new album, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, is finished but that it won't be released until the Fall, according to Blabbermouth.net. Cooper is delaying the release of the sequel to his 1975 album, Welcome to My Nightmare, because of what he wants to do with his live show.

"Well, we have a whole big tour of big outdoor festival shows coming up and I didn't want to get that confused with that album," Cooper said at the press conference for the Revolver Golden Gods awards. "So even though the album's in the can right now ready to go, Bob's got to mix it and everything like that. I don't really want it to come out until probably next fall and then we'll be able to do the brand-new show with it."

The "Bob" Cooper referred to is producer Bob Ezrin, who is working on this album and helmed many classic records with the original Alice Cooper band. Speaking of the band, Cooper has reunited with the surviving original members (bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and guitarist Michael Bruce). All will be present for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in March, after which they will tour with Cooper. more on this story

Bob Seger Releases Not So New Song

(hennemusic) Bob Seger's current version of "Downtown Train," freshly recorded for an upcoming new album, was released to radio Monday morning.

Sometimes it's better to keep good ideas to yourself. That's probably one of the lessons Bob Seger learned when he shared his love of a Tom Waits song with Rod Stewart, back in the summer of 1989.

Seger recorded "Downtown Train" in early '89, and mentioned it to Stewart during a visit to London that summer. more on this story

Former Journey Singer Steve Perry Working On New Tunes

(hennemusic) A lot of music fans have been wondering what former Journey singer Steve Perry has been up to these days.

A few months ago, there was a false rumor - reported by a British tabloid – that Perry had asked his former bandmates if he could rejoin Journey. Never happened, according to reps for everyone involved.

However, Perry did give an extensive interview to Classic Rock magazine in December, in a profile about the classic Journey album, "Escape." In the same session, Perry spoke about some new music he's been working on. "A little over a year-and-a-half ago," said Perry, "I felt I could maybe come back to it. I have been writing. I have about 50 songs, in a little over a year. I never thought I'd do it again, but I decided to open up that room and see what I could find." more on this story

Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart May Tour

(Gibson) Jeff Beck has finished his part of the collaboration album with old mate Rod Stewart. He told Gigwise: "Last week I was in San Francisco to just do some recording with my drummer. Then there was one point when it went from Jeff Beck over to Rod Stewart, in terms of the direction.

"Immediately I started doing bluesy riffs and a record that was suitable for Rod. Rather than mess about for a week, we decided to get straight to it – and we cut 11 songs and backing tracks ready for Rod."

He also talked to Classic Rock magazine, speculating that he and Rod might tour with the album. "And then of course it makes no sense not to tour it, have to! Take it out on tour. It will be enjoyable anyway," Beck said. more on this story

Deftones Go Pop

(Gibson) Deftones are releasing a new covers album, to celebrate Record Store Day on April 16. The album is simply titled Covers, and will be limited to 5,000 copies, according to antiquiet.com. Covers will only be available in independent music stores.

On the album, the band take on such diverse tracks as The Cars' "Drive," The Smiths' "Please Please Let Me Get What I Want," Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" and Sade's "No Ordinary Love."

Many of the songs on the album have been previously available as B-sides or iTunes bonus tracks, but they will be compiled for the first time on the vinyl LP. more on this story

Lemmy Rules

(Rock AAA) Motorhead's Lemmy is hot these days. The Lemmy documentary film, "Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son Of A Bitch," sold around 3,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 1 on Billboard's "Top Music Videos" chart.

In addition, both the DVD and Blu-ray disc were among the top 10 best-selling documentaries on Amazon.com. The New York City theatrical release was also extended into its sixth straight week due to popular demand.

Fans and critics alike are devouring the DVD and Blu-ray extras, which stretch to a staggering 4.5 hours of bonus content. Leading the list of extras (the full list is below), is Lemmy and Metallica's full intimate backstage rehearsal and riveting performance of the Motorhead classics "Damage Case" and "Too Late Too Late" — all in 5.1 Surround Sound. (Only "Damage Case" appears in the film.) more on this story

Deluxe Rush Moving Pictures in April

(hennemusic) Rush have announced details for the 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of their 1981 classic, "Moving Pictures."

The deluxe treatment means audiophile surround sound mix, music videos, rare photos, liner notes & more; the package will be available April 5.

Rush's "Moving Pictures" celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with a spectacular "Moving Pictures - Deluxe Edition" via Mercury/UMe. more on this story

Former Ratt Won't Go Back

(Rock News Desk) Original Ratt bassist Juan Croucier says he'd love to return to the band but can't because they're stupid and their political issues are unbearable.

The Sunset Strip sleaze stars returned in 2010 with acclaimed album Infestation, featuring Robbie Crane in Croucier's place. Despite the success of the release, the band are now on hiatus with singer Stephen Pearcy saying he's not sure if he wants to return and drummer Bobby Blotzer having recently slated Pearcy in public.

"I'd love nothing more than to be in Ratt. I love what we did and I helped build the band. Why would I walk away from something that successful to play local clubs for a dozen people? I'm being honest here," Croucier tells Guitar International. "But we just couldn't reach an agreement. We had a lot of issues with alcohol abuse and personal issues. It's one thing to have them when you're a young man in your twenties, but it's entirely different in your mid-forties. more on this story

Dream Theater Venture Over Without Portnoy?

(Rock News Desk) Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy says he doesn't think the band's Ytsejam Records label will continue in its previous form without him, since the parties are no longer talking to each other.

He explains: "I handpicked every title, compiled the CDs and DVDs and oversaw the artwork and liner notes.

"Guitarist John Petrucci's side consisted of dealing with the manufacturing and staying on top of the payments and deliveries." more on this story

Tom Waits Working On New Album

(Gibson) Tom Waits' official Twitter page revealed that the troubadour is back in the studio taking a crack at a new album.

"Good news," stated the Tweet. "Tom is currently in the studio working on his next album. Stay tuned."

In 2009, Waits released a live album called Glitter and Doom Live and prior to that he presented fans with Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, a three-disc collection of old and new songs that earned him a Grammy nomination. more on this story

NHL Team Promoting Fake Ace Frehley

(hennemusic) Ace Frehley will be playing a post-NHL game concert following the Tampa Bay Lightning home game against the Ottawa Senators on March 11.

At least, we're pretty sure it's Ace that's playing, but we're not sure the Lightning promo department knows.

You see, the team has posted a banner outside the arena to promote the performance, but it's not Ace – it's an image of Tommy Thayer, who plays Ace in KISS these days. more on this story

Sammy Hagar Heads North

(hennemusic) Sammy Hagar is gearing up for the release of his autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock." The book is due on March 15 via It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

As part of Canadian Music Week, Hagar will be making the rounds in Toronto next month. On Friday, March 11, Sammy's new film, "Go There Once, Be There Twice," will screen in Toronto at The TIFF Bell Lightbox as part of CMW's Film Festival. Hagar will be present to introduce the documentary to fans in attendance.

The following day – Saturday, March 12 - Hagar will be featured in an exclusive interview at CMW at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. more on this story

The Battle Over Led Zeppelin

(Gibson) On this day in 1970, Led Zeppelin played a gig in Copenhagen as The Nobs after Eva Von Zeppelin, a relative of the airship designer, threatened to sue if the family name was used in Denmark. Today, Gibson takes a look back: By February of 1970, Led Zeppelin had released their first two albums and had become one of the big names in rock and roll. But the legendary band didn't use their name when they played a show in Denmark on this day in 1970. For the first, and only time, Led Zeppelin were billed as The Nobs.

The name change stemmed from an incident from when the group played Copenhagen the year before. Eva von Zeppelin, a descendant of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (creator of the famous aircraft), was unhappy that a rock band was becoming famous off of her family's name. She even tried to prevent Led Zeppelin from recording a performance for Danish television, saying that the band sounded like a bunch of "shrieking monkeys." The attempt didn't work and the boys performed for the TV Byen cameras, as planned.

But Jimmy Page and company weren't upset with Frau von Zeppelin, and invited her to have tea with the band after the taping, just to prove to her that they were a bunch of decent guys. By all accounts, the meeting went very well and everyone got along very well. Unfortunately, things went south quickly as von Zeppelin was leaving. more on this story

Yes, Zappa, Capt. Beefheart and Alice Cooper Members Appear on New Ant-Bee Album

Ant-Bee has released a new cd featuring members of Yes, Focus, Gong, Zappa, Capt. Beefheart, Utopia and the Alice Cooper Band. Here is the rundown:

After a 12 year gap between albums, and fans holding their breaths, avant-garde music pioneer ANT-BEE, best known for recording ex-members of the Mothers of Invention and Alice Cooper Group together on the critically acclaimed 1998 release 'Lunar Muzik', has finally released what could be considered the artist's masterpiece. Possibly the most unique and innovative album to be recorded in decades, ANT-BEE 'Electronic Church Muzik' is an exploration into the spirituality of man (and woman) in a steam-of-consciousness psychedelic trip.

Featuring legends of progressive rock and classic rock, ANT-BEE's new opus boasts guest appearances by by Jan Akkerman (Focus), Peter Banks (Yes/Flash), Daevid Allen & Gilli Smyth (Gong), Michael Bruce (Alice Cooper), Napoleon Murphy Brock (Zappa), Zoot Horn Rollo & Rockette Morton (Capt. Beefheart's Magic Band), Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, Buzz Gardner, Motorhead and Jimmy Carl Black (Mothers of Invention), Moogy Klingman (Todd Rundgren's Utopia). more on this story

The Ramones Lifetime Achievement Award

(hennemusic) The Ramones were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Grammy Awards earlier this month.

Don't worry, you didn't miss it during the exhaustingly-long TV broadcast; it was one of the pre-show awards that were handed out the day before.

A few members of the band's extended family were on hand to pick up the honor. The late Johnny Ramone's wife, Linda, accepted on his behalf; Osaka Popstar vocalist John Cafiero spoke for the late Dee Dee Ramone; Joey Ramone's brother, Mickey Leigh, accepted on his behalf; and, lastly, the band's original drummer and sole survivor, Tommy Ramone, was on hand to accept the award presented on behalf of himself and his bandmates.
more on this story

Early Rock and Roll Drummer Dies

(Gibson) Early rock and country drummer, Harrell "Buddy" Jones, passed away on Sunday at the age of 70, according to Tulsa World.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native began playing drums in high school and went on to back up several country acts, including Patsy Cline, the Louvin Brothers, Roy Acuff, Red Sovine, Faron Young, Webb Pierce and Carl Smith.

Jones moved into rock 'n' roll in the late '50s, when he played behind J.J. Cale (when Cale was still performing as Johnny Cale) and Wally Wiggins. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he became Leon Russell's manager, and also produced and co-wrote lyrics for The Gap Band. more on this story

Thunder Reunion Backlash

(Rock News Desk) Thunder are astonished that their decision to reunite for a one-off show has angered some fans who thought they'd gone for good.

They'll be making an appearance at the High Voltage festival in London's Victoria Park on July 24, just two years after completing their farewell tour. But even though they maintain the show doesn't herald a full comeback, the reaction from some quarters has been furious.

Guitarist Luke Morley tells Total Rock: "We never actually said we weren't going to do it again – so I can't understand why some people are angry with us, as if we misled them. It is a one-off at the moment. What happens after that, well it happens." more on this story

Another Day and Another Foo Fighters Secret Show

(hennemusic) The Foo Fighters played their first big show of the year on Friday, at the NME Awards Big Gig at London's Wembley Arena.

By Saturday, the Foos were itching to perform again, so they did just that - playing a secret club show Camden's Dingwalls.

The NME reports the band played the 500 capacity venue as a special fan show under the alias White Limo. more including video

KISS Star Expecting A New Addition

(hennemusic) People reports that KISS singer/guitarist Paul Stanley and wife Erin are expecting a new addition to their household this summer: a baby girl.

This will be the third child for the couple, and fourth in the Stanley house, as the new baby will join Sarah (2), Colin (4), and Evan (16), Stanley's son from a previous relationship.

The new one is expected sometime in August. "There is nothing greater in life than family, and my accomplishments as a father rank at the top of my successes," Paul told People. more on this story