Guns N' Roses Guitarist In Multi-Car Accident

Bumblefoot, 41, posted a photo of the wreckage via his Twitter account and commented: "Thank you Toyota for the functional seat belt, air bags and crumple zone. You saved my skull." He added: "SUV just ploughed into me at full speed. My car is totalled and two other cars she smashed me into. I'm well enough to tweet, which means I'm not dead yet." more on this story

Zakk Wylde Vs Rehab

(Rock News Desk) Black Label Society mainman Zakk Wylde says he has no time for musicians who attend rehab to deal with their drink or drugs problems.

When he was told to stop using alcohol last year as a result of suffering serious blood clots in his legs, that's just what he did: he stopped. And he says that's the approach he expects from his band.

"The complaint department is closed. You don't go to rehab, you just stop drinking. That's Black Label rehab: it's a one-step programme. Shut up and stop drinking," Wylde tells the Press of Atlantic City. "I don't have time for 'I have a heroin problem,' I don't f**king care. I don't care what you did yesterday or six months ago – I got sh*t to get done." more on this story

Metallica Named Most Influential Band

(Rock News Desk) Metallica are the most influential metal band of the past 30 years, according to readers of Kerrang magazine, which is celebrating three decades since its launch in June 1981.

The mag's fans returned a top ten which features Green Day at number two followed by Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Bullet for my Valentine, Blink 182, Ozzy Osbourne and Foo Fighters.

"It gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling that readers have voted us as the band that most changed their lives," Metallica drummer and mainman Lars Ulrich tells the publication. "I remember the first issue of Kerrang in 1981. I had made a pilgrimage to England because I was obsessed with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. I travelled all over the country and that first issue accompanied me everywhere."

Iron Maiden have quite a different opinion about who is the best

Judas Priest Didn't Sell Out For American Idol

(Rock News Desk) The debate over music-themed TV gameshows struck at the core of heavy metal last week when Judas Priest appeared on American Idol to perform with contestant James Durbin.

While a number of acts have risked being labelled "sell-outs" by guesting on big-budget talent shows, it's the first such appearance for a band with the level of integrity Priest are perceived to have.

But singer Rob Halford has brushed all doubts aside and thanked producers for the opportunity to be seen on primetime TV in the finale of the series which features Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler as a judge. Halford says: "It's just amazing. We'd like to say thank you to James and to American Idol for putting heavy metal music into 30 million homes week after week. He's become a hero of ours." more on this story

Vinnie Vincent Denies Animal Abuse

(Rock News Desk) Former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent has slammed claims of animal cruelty following his arrest last month on suspicion of assault.

The 58-year-old says four dead dogs were found on his property because he hadn't had a chance to bury them. He explains he's spent years providing shelter to any and all animals he found who needed it, and he'd never be violent towards his "babies."

But he doesn't discuss the aggravated assault charges pressed after police believed he'd attacked his wife and dragged her through broken glass. Vincent, real name Cusano, says: "My dogs and cats have been, are and will be the most important thing in my whole life. I love them more than words can say – I look at them as 'perfect little people' that I believe God gifted to us to help comfort us through our lives, which always seem to be filled with pain in one way or another. more on this story

Arctic Monkeys' Censored

(Gibson) Arctic Monkeys' new album, Suck it and See, has drawn the ire of some American store chains, according to band members. Alex Turner and Matt Helders said their fourth albums hasn't "traveled very well," in an interview with Xfm.

Apparently some chains aren't happy with the album cover, which is fairly plain, and simply features the record's title in black on a cream background. Arctic Monkeys wouldn't name which stores were taking action.

"They think it is rude, disrespectful," Turner said. "They're putting a sticker over it in America in certain stores, big ones." more on this story

Megadeth Resume Work On New Album- Blue October Go Indie- Tesla, Cinderella and Kix Cruise- Burnt By The Sun Farewell Gig- Dream Theater New CD Vocals Done- more

(Metalrage) Megadeth has resumed recording its new album at mainman Dave Mustaine's Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California after the sessions were briefly "halted" when producer Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis; Disturbed, Sevendust, Machine Head, Staind) was "suddenly struck ill." more

(AA) After reportedly refusing a 360 deal with Universal, Blue October will return to their independent roots with their brand new album Any Man In America, due out Aug 17th via the band's own Up/Down Records with the combined energy of RED Music/Sony Distribution, MRI Associated Labels and longtime partner, Brando Records. more

(Lambgoat) Amon Amarth and As I Lay Dying will team up for a Fall tour of Europe more

(Lambgoat) Burnt By The Sun will apparently play their final show on July 20th at the Studio at Webster Hall in New York City. more

(The 1st Five) The Swellers and Fake Problems will be touring together later this summer with support from Daytrader. more

(BW&BK) Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie has completed the vocal recordings for the band's forthcoming album with Rush producer/engineer and former Winter Rose bandmate Richard Chycki. In an exclusive interview with BW&BK, LaBrie stated that "I didn't want anyone else around when I recorded my vocals for this album, I wanted a relaxed atmosphere, so I did them up here at home in Canada rather than in New York. The results speak for themselves, and they're fantastic." Watch for the complete interview, due to hit the BW&BK site this Sunday, June 6th. more

(SRX) Tesla, Cinderella and Kix have been named as the headliners on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise taking place in February 2012. It will also feature Y&T, Firehouse, Stryper, Black N' Blue, Lynch Mob, Keel, Eric Martin, John Corabi, Faster Pussycat, Bang Tango more

(SRX) Dio Disciples, a new band dedicated to keeping the legacy and music of Ronnie James Dio Alive, are in rehearsals to embark on their first European tour. more

(FMQB) Death Cab for Cutie, Trey Anastasio Band, Ben Harper, Ween and Thievery Corporation will headline the Langerado Music Festival in Sunrise, FL more

(Lambgoat) Lionheart and I Declare War will co-headline a summer tour of North America with support from Molotov Solution and Armor For The Broken. more

(Metalrage) "Juggernaut Of Justice", the new album from Anvil, will be released in Europe on June 20 (three days earlier in Germany) via Spv/Steamhammer. more

(BW&BK) Lizzy Borden has confirmed they will be touring the US this summer on the Lizzy Borden summer Of Blood tour (USA) 2011. more

(Sub) The Jewish Daily Forward gets to the core of the many comparisons between musical icons Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. In their lyrics, Simon's "I" refers to himself and explores his personal anecdotes, while Dylan's "I" reflects the spirit of the time and exposes society at a meta-critical level. Musically, Simon's songs use many strange guitar chords, while Dylan's typically stick to three simple chords with a fairly consistent melody throughout the song. Simon seeks to bring the song and listener together in an emotional and rational way, while Dylan takes a more mystical approach. Read more

On this day in 1976, Wings set a new world record when they performed in front of 67,100 fans in Seattle, the largest attendance for an indoor crowd.

On this day in 1981, Prince made his live British debut at The Lyceum Ballroom, London, (he did not play the U.K. again for five years).

On this day in 2008, U.S. guitarist and singer Bo Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida aged 79. The legendary singer and performer was known for his homemade square guitar, and influenced artists from Buddy Holly, to Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and U2. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and Neil Young For Pearl Jam

(Gibson) Rock stars of the highest order are contributing to Pearl Jam 20, a book that looks back on the grunge band's two decades of existence.

The tome will be available September 13, and will coincide with the release of the Cameron Crowe-directed documentary of the same name, according to NME.com.

The book was put together by editors/authors Jonathan Cohen and Mark Wilkinson and is being called an "aesthetically stunning, definitive chronicle of the band's past two decades." It will feature interviews with Pearl Jam's friends and collaborators, such as Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and Neil Young. Crowe wrote the foreword and selected songs for a companion album. more on this story

Iron Maiden Dominate Greatest Albums of the Past Decade

(hennemusic) The readers of Sweden Rock Magazine, the country's biggest-selling music magazine, have voted for the 50 greatest albums released in the past 10 years for the publication's 10-year-anniversary issue.

Clearly, according to readers, Iron Maiden rule, as their 2006 "A Matter Of Life And Death" record was named the greatest album of the last decade, while 2003's "Dance Of Death" came in at No. 2, and last year's "The Final Frontier" landed at No. 5.

"Wow, that's amazing," says bassist Steve Harris. "There have been polls before where we've had albums in top 20 or top 10, but never before top one and two. Three albums in the top five is outrageous." more on this story

Soundgarden Voodoo

(Gibson) Soundgarden are the first headliners to be revealed for this year's Voodoo Experience fest. The three-day music and arts event will take place in New Orleans' City Park on October 28-30. Soundgarden will headline the festival on October 28.

The lineup for the 13th annual Voodoo Experience will be rolled out in the coming months, prior to the Halloween weekend event. Tickets are available now at www.thevoodooexperience.com.

Soundgarden, who reunited last year, have a run of dates planned in July in North America. The summer tour begins July 2 in Toronto, Canada, and continues through July 30 in George, Washington (a show that also features Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon and the Meat Puppets). more on this story

Deep Purple New Album Plans Unclear

(Rock News Desk) Deep Purple can't decide whether to make another album but bassist Roger Glover believes they must, even if there's no money in it.

The band are poised to tour with a 28-piece orchestra on their Songs That Built Rock production, and despite the challenges associated they don't plan to rehearse before hitting the stage in Canada tomorrow night. Glover tells the Toronto Sun: "Rehearse? I don't even remember that word. We haven't rehearsed for years. We all know what we're doing – we're good musicians. So, like most Purple things, it'll be done by the shirt-tails and it'll somehow fall together. Besides, if something goes wrong, people love it."

And although they've started writing material for a potential follow-up to 2005′s Rapture of the Deep, the bassist reveals there's an amount of doubt over whether, or how, it will see the light of day. "There's been disagreement in the band about whether to do another album," says Glover. "They really don't make money any more. My opinion is we're an album band and we should make them even if it costs us money, because that's what we do. Maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I believe we should stay where we are. More from Roger here

Ex-Iron Maiden Singer Out of Jail

(hennemusic) Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno has been released from a UK prison after serving just over two months of a nine month sentence for benefit fraud.

Di'Anno - real name Paul Andrews - pleaded guilty in March to eight counts of benefit fraud amounting to more than £45,000; he was expected to serve at least four-and-a-half months in prison before being eligible for parole.

Di'Anno was charged after investigators at the Department of Work and Pensions received an anonymous tip-off that he was still performing live, despite saying he was unable to work. They reviewed YouTube videos of him onstage as recently as 2006, despite him claiming incapacity benefit since 2002. more on this story

Linkin Park, Staind, Mastodon, Paramore Lead Transformers Sounds

(Gibson) Some of the biggest bands in rock will be part of the soundtrack to the new Transformers movie. The Transformers: Dark of the Moon album will include selections from Linkin Park, Staind, Mastodon, Paramore, Theory of a Deadman and more. It will be released on June 14.

The soundtrack includes an exclusive remix of Linkin Park's "Iridescent," which marks the third time the band have worked with director Michael Bay on a Transformers movie. Also of note, Mastodon's contribution is a cover of ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid."

Transformers: Dark of the Moon hits theaters on June 29. Check out the album's tracklist here

Yes Announce First Album in a Decade

(Gibson) Yes will release their first studio album in 10 years on July 1. Fly From Here will be the veteran band's 20th studio album. It's the follow-up to 2001's Magnification and sees the band back with producer Trevor Horn.

The current Yes lineup is Benoit David on vocals, Steve Howe on guitars/vocals, founder Chris Squire on bass/vocals, Geoff Downes on keyboards and Alan White on drums. Roger Dean, the artist behind Yes' best-known album covers also returns for Fly From Here.

"At last we have some shape and dynamics within these tracks that are truer to the original idea of what a Yes recording is about," Howe said in a statement. more on this story

Eddie Vedder Solo Album Started As A Joke

(Rock News Desk) Eddie Vedder admits his ukulele-powered solo album started out as a joke – and says the only reason Pearl Jam are making a new record is to avoid becoming a nostalgia act.

His upcoming solo release Ukelele Songs features no other instruments except one track with a cello, and Vedder reveals his fascination with the small instrument came about when he borrowed part of a Who song.

"The opening chords to Pearl Jam's Soon Forget are unabashedly from the Who's Blue Red and Grey. Hearing that song when I was 13 legitimized the instrument – it was just a beautiful piece of music," Vedder tells Rolling Stone. "After that I felt like I almost had to make a whole batch of songs to make up for the fact that one was 30 seconds of plagiarising… I thanked Pete Townshend profusely, but I should probably send him some dough – or a nice ukulele." more on this story

Coldplay Releasing New Song On Friday

(Gibson) Coldplay will unveil their comeback single on Friday, June 3. "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" will stream from the band's official website, with the download going on sale this weekend.

Rumors have been rife about Coldplay's new songs. Drummer Will Champion recently posted on the band's site: "We're about to play a bunch of summer festivals so it's as good a time as any to put out a new song." Among the lyrics: "I turn the music up/ I got my records on/ from underneath the rubble" and "Every siren is a symphony/ every tear's a waterfall."

Speaking to Q magazine in November 2010, frontman Chris Martin said the follow-up to Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends is inspired by "'70s graffiti art and Germany's anti-Nazi White Rose movement." He added that the new album will be "group-y" and "guitar-y," with a title that "will probably begin with an M." more on this story

Jefferson Starship Concert With Youth Orchestra and Youth Chorus Set For HD Broadcast

HDNet have announced a special live concert event featuring Jefferson Starship and the 115 member Cleveland Contemporary Youth Orchestra and 65-member Youth Chorus this Sunday, June 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET with an encore presentation later the same evening.

In this inspiring, once-in-a-lifetime performance, Jefferson Starship and the CYO play songs by Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, the Byrds and more, including hits like "White Rabbit," "Count on Me" and "Somebody to Love." The incredible and unique arrangement will give a new turn to these classic, fan-favorites.

The concert, broadcast live from the Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica in Cleveland, Ohio, is HDNet's third collaboration with the Cleveland Contemporary Youth Orchestra. Concerts airing previously also featured these talented teens performing with both Jon Anderson and Styx. Check out a special behind-the-scenes clip

Jackson Browne Extends Unplugged Tour

Jackson Browne's 2011 Solo Acoustic Tour has just gotten longer with an additional string of U.S. dates this fall.

The new dates begin with a September 23 show in Interlochen, MI and travels to the east coast for most of October, and continues on to Northern California, concluding November 12 with a concert at the Fox Theatre in Hanford, CA.

Jackson Browne's 2011 Solo Acoustic Tour began in February. Playing guitar and piano, he plays songs spanning his entire body of work, with varying set lists each night. One of the many guitars Jackson has brought on the road this time out is the just-released Gibson Acoustic Jackson Browne Signature acoustic guitar. The handmade instrument, inspired by Gibson's legendary 1930s-era Roy Smeck model, is the first guitar to bear Jackson Browne's name. more on this story

The Day Franz Ferdinand's Frontman Was Mistaken As A Spy

(Gibson) On this day in 2005, Franz Ferdinand's frontman, Alex Kapranos was detained by Russian police after being suspected of being a spy. Gibson takes a look back: Bizarre and unusual events and rock and roll have always gone go hand in hand but when rock band Franz Ferdinand headed to Moscow in the summer of 2005, lead singer Alex Kapranos was about to become embroiled in an espionage saga straight from the pages of Ian Fleming 007 frolic.

On this day in 2005, singer Kapranos and band had played to packed crowds in St. Petersburg and Moscow and were now preparing to jet off to New York to work on tracks for their next album. Not so fast.

Immigration officers at Domodedovo airport in Moscow stopped Kapranos, having seen his name flagged on a "no-fly" list of passengers not to be allowed to travel to the U.S. The official told Kapranos he was a "high level security risk." more on this story

Mick Jagger Still Got The Blues

(Gibson) Earlier this year, when Mick Jagger was tapped to pay tribute to late soul legend Solomon Burke at the Grammys, the rock star picked an unlikely choice to join him on guitar. Not his fellow Rolling Stone Keith Richards or past collaborator Lenny Kravitz – but former Tony! Toni! Toné! member Raphael Saadiq. The R&B/rock guitarist recently spoke to Spinner.com about his time with Mick.

"When Mick Jagger called me, it was just kind of funny – because it's Mick Jagger," he said. "He's a blues guy, that's what I grew up playing, so it was kind of surreal because he's such a regular guy. Even though he's like the Holy Grail to what he does, he doesn't come off like that."

Saadiq said that, musically, Jagger was a perfect fit for the situation. "That's why he's so dope, because he just walks in, hops out the car, says 'what up' to the whole band real cool, picks up a harmonica and starts blowin' some Howlin' Wolf," he said. "It don't get no better than that. So, getting the phone call is funny, because it takes a British guy to come all the way to America to find me and say 'Let's do the Grammys,' when I wouldn't have got that call from the Grammys to say 'come play with Mick.' Mick called me and said, 'Let's go to the Grammys' and didn't tell the Grammys, just said, 'I'm taking you, let's roll.'" more on this story

Black Veil Brides Release The Legacy Video

Black Veil Brides have released a new music video for "The Legacy," the second single of off Set The World On Fire due out June 14th.

Black Veil Brides have dedicated this next video for "The Legacy" to their loyal fanbase affectionately known as the BVB Army. "In life, everyone wants to leave a legacy.

"This song is about when we first started touring together as a band and the absolute love and devotion we have received from the BVB Army. Together we have created something amazing. This will be our Legacy," says lead singer Andy Biersack.

The video was directed by Patrick Fogarty and you can check it out here

Skeletonwitch Begin Recording New Album

(Prosthetic) Skeletonwitch hit the studio yesterday with producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Machine Head, Kreator) to begin recording their new album.

The as-yet-untitled album, expected to be released this fall, features the track "The Infernal Resurrection," the demo version of which appears as the B-side on the soon-to-be-released final 7-inch of a limited-edition vinyl trilogy. This will mark the first recording with their new drummer, former Demiricous member Dustin Boltjes.

Axe-man Scott Hedrick commented: "Waiting f***ing sucks! So, after months of writing, it's great to finally be in the studio tracking the new album. It's not rocket science...it's epic, it's brutal, it's f***ing Skeletonwitch! We can't wait for everyone to hear it. more on this story

Black Skies Forced Off The Road

(Earsplit) Black Skies have been forced to their current U.S. tour short due to a family emergency.

Said the band in a collective statement: "This has been BLACK SKIES' best tour to date. The shows have been consistently awesome and we have been well received everywhere. We owe huge thanks to all the promoters, venues, bands, friends and fans who aided in making this a successful tour.

"With heavy hearts, we regretfully have to cancel the rest of our tour so that one of our members can tend to a family emergency. The shows will still go on, so please go out and support Caltrop and Royal Thunder, two amazing live bands. more on this story

Pop Evil Set New Album Release

Pop Evil tore up their old record contract on stage during their performance at Rock On The Range festival. Today we receive word of a new deal and a new album

Pop Evil's new album "War Of Angles" will be released on July 5, 2011 on their new label eOne Music.

Grammy Award nominated producer/engineer Johnny K produced the effort. While you wait you can watch video of frontman Leigh Kakaty tearing up their old deal at Rock on The Range right here.

The Get Up Kids New Video and Free Song Download

The Get Up Kids have released a brand new video and announced a free download for another song.

The band have released their third video from new album There Are Rules, for the song "Regent's Court." The video was compiled from found footage by director Pat Vamos, and can be viewed here

Another track from There Are Rules, "Rememorable," is being featured as Amazon's Free Song of the Day today (June 2). Grab that here

The Get Up Kids' summer U.S. tour also kicks off today more on this story

The Jim Jones Revue Will Be Burning Your House Down This Summer

Punk Rock Blues Records have set an August 16th release date for The Jim Jones Revue's new album, Burning Your House Down.

Burning Your House Down was produced by Jim Sclavunos (of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds/Grinderman.

The Jim Jones Revue will hit the road in support of the effort on September 1st in Vancouver, BC at The Biltmore Cabaret. more on this story

Without Mercy Announce Festival Dates and Free Album Download

(Submitted) Without Mercy has announced they will be performing at the 2nd Annual Hell Mend Ya Festival in Prince George on Canada Day July1st, along with confirmed dates at Armstrong Open Air in Armstrong, BC and at this year's Metal Mountain in Hinton, AB.

"As a band it's always astounding to get the chance to play any kind of festival. The opportunity to share your material with a large audience or to even be a part of a wicked cause is nothing short of humbling. This year we have the honor of being invited back to play a festival that has a cause, which is really important to us and we even get the chance to play two of the biggest festivals around this summer! All in all it's a very rewarding and humbling experience." commented Without Mercy guitarist DJ Temple.

Without Mercy released their self-titled album in October 2009 with the first single "Chasm", which is available for free download here.

In addition to Without Mercy's festival dates the band will be kicking off their Western Canadian tour in mid-summer with confirmed dates to be announced soon. more on this story

Barren Earth Begin New Album

(Fresno) Barren Earth entered Helsinki's Sonic Pump Studios to record their sophomore album which will be released by Peaceville Records this fall.

The band has written 12 new songs, and is currently laying them down with engineer/co-producer Jukka Varmo. Dan Swanö (Katatonia/Opeth) will once again be at the mixing helm. Artwork will come courtesy of Paul Romano (Hate Eternal, Mastodon, Withered).

The tracks mainly continue in the vein of the previous record, having perhaps even more 70's prog influences, but maintaining the basic heaviness and brutality one has come to associate with Barren Earth.

The band has uploaded an in-studio album trailer, which can be seen here

Singled Out: Dead Sara's We Are What You Say

Today Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara tells us about "We Are What You Say" from their self-titled debut which will hit stores in August. Here is the story:

'We Are What You Say' was the fastest written song on the album. The skeleton of the song was written in about an hour. Lyrically, the chorus came to me first with, "you can't back down kid" followed by "we are what you say". I knew right then what the song was going to be about. I had been through a lot – including some lows with the band. At this time in our career we were getting a lot of "I think you should do this" or "if you want to succeed, this is what you have to do". After deciding not to sign with a label, I felt we had failed, but at the same time made the right choice - because we clearly didn't even know what we wanted.

Around this time, Siouxsie and I were not getting along too well, and it took a while for us to say, "WTF are we doing? This is not us. f*** what anyone has to say because in the end, it's going to be all up to us". The advice I'd give to anyone is to know what you want (or at least have a concept) before diving into anything head first.

"We Are What You Say" is just a sarcastic way of saying 'whatever we are to you, we'll never change'. Its a triumphant song about getting away from all the confusing advice coming from every direction, and the pain that comes with the thought of giving up.

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

. Xerath - II

The writing and playing are excellent, great riffs abound, and the symphonic scope places it a step above its peers. The downside is that it drags in places. Still, even with that nitpick, this is a killer prog metal album. (4.5 stars) - Read the full Xerath - II review