Crazy Town Singer Comes Out of Coma

We're told doctors believe he will make a full recovery. more on this story

Hear Soundgarden's First New Song In 16 Years

(Banana 101.5) Soundgarden's first brand new song in nearly 16 years has arrived! Check out 'Live to Rise' from 'Avengers Assemble' — the soundtrack to the upcoming Marvel mega-blockbuster — online right now.

'The Avengers' is expected to be one of the biggest films of the year…possibly the decade. Marvel began setting the stage for this massive project years ago with Avenger-related sub-plots running in previous films like 'Iron Man,' 'The Incredible Hulk,' and 'Thor.' The movie, due in theaters May 4th, has a star-studded cast — it only makes sense that they would draft an impressive list of artists for the soundtrack.

The 'Avengers Assemble' album will feature music from some of rock's biggest names including Five Finger Death Punch, Evanescence, Shinedown and Bush, but the true headliner is Soundgarden. Hear the new song here.

New Randy Rhoads Release Coming From Ozzy

(Gibson) If you missed the news earlier this week, Gibson has the details for you today: Ozzy Osbourne is paying tribute to the late Randy Rhoads with a newly available live recording album, only on vinyl. Ozzy plans to release Live – a 180-gram audiophile vinyl two-LP set – which is a limited, numbered collector's edition recorded live on the 1981 Blizzard of Ozz tour.

"Believer," a live seven-inch single, also will be issued. It is a limited and numbered collector's edition on polka-dot vinyl featuring "Believer" (live) and "Goodbye to Romance."

For Record Store Day, Iggy and the Stooges' album Raw Power will again be available on 12-inch vinyl – as will Paul Simon's Graceland, Lou Reed's Rock N Roll Animal and Transformer and Janis Joplin's Pearl.

Record Store Day takes place on April 21 in independent record stores around the world. more on this story

Marilyn Manson Delivers No Reflection Video

(hennemusic) Marilyn Manson has set an April 30th release date for his new album, "Born Villian."

Marilyn has just released the first music video from the set, for the track "No Reflection."

The clip was directed by Lukas Ettlin, who previously worked with Manson on the award-winning "Personal Jesus" video. Watch it here.

The Cult, Against Me! and The Icarus Line Tour

The Cult have mapped out the first leg of their 2012 North American tour in support of Choice of Weapon, the band's first new studio album in five years, due out May 22nd.

The 20-date trek is set to kick off on Friday, May 25 in San Diego and will feature support from Against Me! and The Icarus Line on most of the dates.

"This is going to be a very intense, high-energy tour," said The Cult's vocalist, Ian Astbury. "We are really looking forward to the time we spend on stage connected to our music and our audience. That's our purpose." more on this story

Slash Band Audition Video Goes Online

(hennemusic) Slash's sophomore solo set, "Apocalyptic Love," isn't out until May 22, but the guitarist has been working hard to get the word out about his upcoming release.

Slash recently performed in Toronto, has been doing tons of press interviews for the project, audio samples of the disc are online, and the guitarist's team has been documenting the album's progress on video.

Two new webisodes have been posted online, each showing parts of the audition process surrounding Slash's need to add a touring rhythm guitarist to his lineup. "To put together this next record, I never planned on using a second guitar player, but as far as going out and doing the tour was concerned, I needed to find somebody local," explains Slash. "We had a whole auditioning process where I think 20 people showed up, and [drummer] Brent [Fitz] and [bassist] Todd [Kerns] picked out who, more or less, was going to be a call-back, and then I went in the next day and played with those 5 guitar players." Check out the videos

Neil Young Plans MP3 Replacement?

(Gibson) Neil Young appears to working on new audio formats. Young is a vocal critic of MP3 quality – he doesn't even like CD audio, particularly – and has designs on something better.

Rolling Stone reports that Young applied for six trademarks in June 2011: "Ivanhoe," "21st Century Record Player," "Earth Storage," "Storage Shed," "Thanks for Listening" and "SQS (Studio Quality Sound)." Included in the filing is a description of the trademarks: "Online and retail store services featuring music and artistic performances; high resolution music downloadable from the Internet; high resolutions discs featuring music and video; audio and video recording storage and playback."

The trademark process could take a year, providing that there are no challenges to Young's application. more on this story

P.O.D. Complete New Album and Streaming New Song

P.O.D. have finished their first new studio album in four years, Murdered Love, which is set for release this summer. Razor and Tie had these details:

Fans can now listen to "Eyez," the first preview track from the new album. The track features special guest vocals from Jamey Jasta here.

"'Eyez' is the first "look" from our new album coming out this Summer. We wanted to come out hard for all our die-hard warriors," adds lead vocalist Sonny Sandoval. more on this story

Escape The Fate and Attack Attack! Kick Off Tour

Escape The Fate and Attack Attack! kick off their This World Is Ours Tour tonight (April 5th) in Buffalo, NY.

The 33-city North American tour will go coast to coast and joining the two headliners on the road will be The Word Alive, Secrets and Mest.

"We have had a rough few years, and this year was probably the toughest," commented Escape The Fate lead singer Craig Mabbitt. "I don't think I personally have been more excited to step foot on a stage and play a show for our fans. We also have so many good friends and family that are sharing the road with us on this tour, so I really hope you're as excited as I am for the 'This World Is Ours Tour'." more on this story

Municipal Waste Blue Limited Edition Release

Nuclear Blast are offering Municipal Waste fans a limited edition 7" blue vinyl as part of their super limited edition pre-order bundle for the band's forthcoming release, The Fatal Feast LP, which features a pop-up gatefold. Only 500 copies are available worldwide.

The 7" will include the "non radio-friendly" version of the song "Repossession" from the band's new album The Fatal Feast plus two re-recorded tracks from deep in the band's discography.

Guitarist Ryan Waste provides details: "The tracks 'Garbage Stomp' and 'Poser Disposer' are from 2002 and were previously recorded for our 2nd release ever: a split 12" with Crucial Unit which is now out of print. We finally re-recorded them with the band. 'Garbage Stomp' is the intro – which we're bringing back on [our upcoming] tour." Order it here.

Guns N' Roses Rock Hall Plague Unveiled

(hennemusic) It's just over a week away until the annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductions happen, and the Cleveland institution continues to chip away at its to-do list to ensure everything is ready to go.

On Wednesday, bronze plaques honoring the newest class of Hall of Fame inductees were unveiled in front of Public Hall.

Each of the 17 plaques reportedly cost around $5,000 to make; featured is the one for Guns N' Roses here.

Taproot Deliver No Surrender Video

(Victory) Taproot have released a new music video for their new single, "No Surrender," which comes from their forthcoming album, The Episodes (4/10).

Using Chicago as the backdrop, "No Surrender", was filmed by Eric Richter and crew at Victory Records. "The video follows the story of the song [No Surrender], in which our main character is in dire need of escaping his dark and mysterious hotel room (not knowing what'd happened there, but feels something bad). He is running away, unsure towards what, but longing for a sense of security and safety…Do or die, No Surrender!" Vocalist, Stephen Richards said.

Taproot will also be playing a series of shows in support of the new album beginning April 10th. Check out the video here.

Shinedown Top The Rock Chart

Shinedown's new album, "Amaryllis," has debuted on top of Billboard's "Rock Albums" chart.

The album simultaneously entering at #4 on the overall Billboard 200 with over 105,000 units sold.

This marks the group's highest ever chart debut which also sees "Amaryllis" debut at #1 on the "Hard Rock Albums" chart as well as #3 on the "Digital Albums" chart. more on this story

Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani Guest on Sonny Landreth Album

Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani are special guests on Sonny Landreth's forthcoming album, Elemental Journey, which will be released on May 22nd.

Conqueroo sent over these details: The new CD is Landreth's first all-instrumental effort and his most adventurous work to date.

"From day one on the guitar, many genres of music have had an impact on me" says Landreth. "For these recordings, I drew from some of those influences that I hadn't gone to on previous albums with my vocals. Trading off the lyrics this time, I focused solely on the instrumental side and all this music poured out. Then I asked some extraordinary musicians to help me layer the tracks in hopes of inspiring a lot of imagery for the listeners." more on this story

Helloween, Gamma Ray, Gotthard Supergroup Unisonic Set Debut

Unisonic, the supergroup featuring former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske and guitarist Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray, ex-Helloween) alongside guitarist Mandy Meyer (Asia, Gotthard and Krokus), bassist Dennis Ward and drummer Kosta Zafiriou (both of Germany's Pink Cream 69), have set a release date for their debut album.

The self-titled will be released in North America on May 22, 2012 via Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records.

Unisonic was recorded at ICP Studios in Brussels, Belgium. The offering features 11 tracks, plus a bonus live version of Helloween classic "I Want Out" only available on the domestic edition, cover art by Martin Häusler (Meat Loaf, Gotthard, Helloween, Motörhead) viewable HERE, and marks the first musical union between Kiske and Hansen in 23 years! more on this story

Chance Encounter Landed Shanks Van Halen Producing Gig

(hennemusic) The task of producing "A Different Kind Of Truth" - Van Halen's first album with David Lee Roth in almost three decades - fell into John Shanks' hands.

In a new interview with Guitar World, Shanks explained how he landed the gig with Van Halen. "I was working in my room, Studio C, and David Lee Roth was across the hall working on solo stuff," says John. "He stays in the studio. He's always in there doing something. It's like a boxer — he's always training. He's always writing and trying stuff and experimenting. He's always creating. It's just staying ready. So he comes in the studio and he's working on a project. I don't know what it was specifically. I introduced myself one day and we chatted a bit and became social. He's very bright and communicative, and we would talk about his dogs, photography, songs, and the current state of pop music."

"I'd met Eddie a couple of times [through a mutual colleague]," continued Shanks. "I got a call, I'm sure through Dave talking to Eddie, because I think collectively they come up with, 'Let's try this guy,' or 'Let's have a conversation with John.' I know they talked to a couple of other people too. Anyway, Eddie called. I went up to the house and met with Alex, Dave, Eddie and Wolf, and they talked about scheduling and what they wanted to do. Somehow we worked it out so we recorded at Henson." more on this story

Gary Moore Exhibition Opens in Belfast For His 60th Birthday

(hennemusic) An exhibition celebrating the life and music of Gary Moore is opening in Belfast this week.

The Oh Yeah Music Centre is hosting the event to mark the work of the exceptional guitarist, songwriter and performer; Moore's solo records are internationally admired, as well as his work with the likes of Thin Lizzy, Skid Row, The Traveling Wilburys, BB King and George Harrison.

Gary was born in Belfast on April 4, 1952; sadly, he passed away on February 6, 2011. To mark what would have been his 60th birthday, the family of Gary Moore is helping with a unique exhibition of his personal effects. more on this story

Ihsahn Sets New Album Release

Candlelight Records has set a June 19th North American release date for Ihsahn's fourth album, Eremita. The sent out these details:

Recorded and produced at Telemark's Ivory Shoulder Studios, with additional tracking completed at Notodden's Juke Joint Studio and Seattle's Envisage Audio, Eremita was mixed by Jens Bogren (Opeth) at Fascination Street Studios in Orebo, Sweden. Alongside Ihsahn, the album features performances from drummer Tobias Ornes Andersen (Leprous), saxophonist Jorgen Munkeby (Shining - Norway), guitarist Jeff Loomis (ex-Nevermore), and vocalists Devin Townsend, Einar Solberg (Leprous), and Heidi S. Tveitan (Star of Ash).

Eremita begins a new musical chapter for the highly regarded musician; his previous album, Norwegian Grammy Award Nominated After, forming the final part of a planned trilogy on its release in early 2010. Offering nine new songs to his growing worldwide audience, Eremita is the longest and most spirited of Ihsahn's solo recordings. Reflecting on the recording process Ihsahn notes, "this is right where I want to be musically, with lots of room for dynamics and expressive variety. Tobias and Jorgen have really added to the organic vibe I was going for and have contributed to the overall feel with their fantastic musicianship. And to have Devin, Jeff, Einar and Heidi adding their special moments, I am very privileged to be able to work with such a talented group of people. I really feel this is some of my most inspired work yet." 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 they appeared 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.

Buck and Stipe had met through a mutual interest in music. Peter worked in a record store, Wuxtry, in Athens and the already colorful Stipe like to hang out there and discuss music. They had much in common, musically at least. When they hooked up with fellow University of Georgia students Mike Mills and Bill Berry, the band that would help rescue rock and roll from the synth invasion of the early '80s were ready to go. They rehearsed around town, wrote songs and finally, feeling ready to debut their music to a couple of hundred revelers, made their public debut

"It was really fun," Stipe told author Marcus Gray. "I don't remember the last half of it." Twisted Kite played for over two hours with a mix of original material and covers like the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen" and Jonathan Richman's "Roadrunner." more on this story

Singled Out: Merrell Fankhauser's Calling From A Star

Today surf guitar and psychedelic folk rock legend Merrell Fankhauser tells us about the song "Calling From A Star" from his new Best Of DBL CD on Gonzo MultiMedia, UK. Here is the story:

In 1974 I went with my group to the top of Haleakala crater on the island of Maui to watch the sunset. After the sun went down we stayed with several other onlookers to gaze at the magnificent array of stars in the clear night sky. Just as we were about to leave a glowing blue green light zoomed into the middle of the crater! We were all trying to figure out what it was as there was absolutely no sound. Then two more glowing orbs came out of it and formed an inverted pyramid! We watched this scene for about four minutes and then they all merged back together as one and went straight up and disappeared in an instant. I went back down to my house on the edge of the rainforest and wrote "Calling From A Star", I recorded two versions of the song, a slow version with my group MU and later a faster solo version. I later went back to Haleakala crater with a film crew and made a video of the song that can be seen on youtube.

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