Santa Vs The Killers

St. Nick, incensed by the thought of the band bestowing children with music and spreading their message of joy, becomes enraged and goes after the band with a serial killer-like thirst for blood. No Rudolf here, Santa gives up his reindeer and cookies for a Harley and a cigar. After forging his own weapons from steel, he heads out on the road to settle the score. Watch it here.

End of the World Tour

Motley Crue fans can celebrate the countdown to the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012 with a little music.

Motley frontman Vince Neil is kicking off his End of the World Tour tonight in Orlando, Fl with special guest Slaughter.

The tour will include three additional dates, two in California with Great White and then the finale on Dec 21st in Detroit with Queensryche, Great White and Slaughter. more on this story

Metallica Release Master of Puppets Video From New DVD

(hennemusic) Metallica are haring footage of their classic 1986 track, "Master Of Puppets," from their forthcoming live package, "Quebec Magnetic."

"Quebec Magnetic" includes 26 songs plus bonus material, with over three hours of footage recorded live at Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec on October 31 and November 1, 2009.

Filmed by director Wayne Isham, "Quebec Magnetic" is the first project to be released by Metallica under their own label, Blackened Recordings. Watch the video here.

Stone Sour Announce North American Tour

Stone Sour will be kicking off the new year of 2013 by launching a North American tour.

The tour will begin on January 20th Bethlehem, PA and conclude on February 17th in Denver, CO.

Stone Sour will be touring in support of their new release, House of Gold & Bones Part 1, which the first installment of their two album series. more on this story

Masters Of Reality Plan Rare Performances

(Sub) Masters Of Reality frontman Chris Goss and album cover artist/drummer John Leamy will perform live and sign copies of the limited edition re-release of Master Of Reality's classic debut and live albums on Saturday, December 15th, 2012.

The event will be held at the new Delicious Vinyl Record Shop on Sunset Boulevard. And at 10pm that night, Goss and co. will perform an intimate live set at The 3 Clubs in Hollywood.

These performances celebrate Delicious Vinyl's release of a Master Of Reality double-disc pack combining their 1988 debut album Masters Of Reality with 1997's How High The Moon: Live At The Viper Room. more on this story

Porcupine Tree Frontman Steven Wilson Releasing New Album

Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson has set a February 25, 2013 release date for his new solo album, The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories). We were sent these details:

More than merely a collection of songs, Wilson's third solo album is an audio experiment in time travel. Recorded in Los Angeles, in 2012, the six song set channels an early 70's aesthetic from the dawn of progressive rock and jazz fusion. The result is a sonic adventure through dynamic suites and rhythmic complexities.

Recorded using most vintage gear, and inspired by stories of the supernatural, The Raven that Refused to Sing (and other stories) also features several notable nods to 'the age of the album,' – Wilson's lush arrangements, Alan Parsons engineering and the appearance of the legendary Mellotron used to record King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King. more on this story

Texas Is The Reason Plan Final Shows and Anthology Release

Texas Is The Reason will be reuniting for final shows and releasing a new anthology collection.

Texas Is The Reason will play their final North American live shows starting in Chicago, IL, for Revelation Records' "REV 25" festival on Sunday, January 6 and continue in February and March with performances in major markets such as Washington, DC on February 15, Philadelphia, PA, on February 16, San Francisco, CA, on March 29 and Los Angeles, CA, on March 30.

Texas Is The Reason will also be releasing of their entire discography titled Do You Know Who You Are?: The Complete Collection. more on this story

Trey Anastasio To Play Intimate Venue Dates

Phish frontman Trey Anastasio will be hitting the road in January with his solo band for an intimate venue tour.

The tour will be kicking off on January 18, 2013 with a show at Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, ON

The seven date trek will be in support of Anastasio's most recent solo album, Traveler. more on this story

Shadows Fall's Jason Bittner Issues Health Update

Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner has checked in with fans about his recovery from acute pancreatitis with the following:

Well, I'm happy to say that I'm feeling much better, back to playing, and almost feel 100% - too bad my insides are still not 100% but they're healing nicely primarily due to me staying off the road and resting.

I have another round of bloodwork next week, in which the docs think I should be back to all normal internal functions by then, but they still are prohibiting me from leaving until after my endoscope on Dec. 18th (they need to hopefully find the cause of the pancreatitis, and whether or not anything else is going on as well - but I feel pretty confident that I'll be ok). more on this story

KISS Release Box Set Trailer

(hennemusic) KISS released "The Casablanca Singles 1974-1982" box set this week in North America (it will be available around the world in January) and are promoting it with a new two-minute online trailer.

"The Casablanca Singles 1974-1982" covers KISS' eight-year stay on the label, from their very first, "Nothin' to Lose" b/w "Love Theme from KISS", from their self-titled debut to their very first charted 45, "Kissin' Time". The band's subsequent string of hits included "Dressed to Kill"'s live version of "Rock and Roll All Nite" (#12 on Billboard's Hot 100), "Destroyer"'s "Shout It Out Loud" (#31) and the Top 10 ballad "Beth", "Rock And Roll Over"'s "Hard Luck Woman" (#15) and "Calling Dr. Love" (#16), "Love Gun"'s "Christeen Sixteen" (#25), Ace Frehley's solo hit, "New York Groove" (#13) and "Dynasty"'s "I Was Made for Lovin' You" (#11).

"Even I haven't heard some of this stuff, but this is all part of our master plan to celebrate KISS at this milestone in our careers," says Gene Simmons. "This box set represents us at the very beginning of our career, and documents the band's early success and subsequent growth." More details and the trailer.

Atheist Reissues Coming With Bonus Tracks

Season of Mist announced that they will be reissuing Atheist's first three albums digitally and physically.

The three albums "Piece of Time" (1989), "Unquestionable Presence" (1991) and "Elements" (1993), will include bonus tracks.

The label did not give a firm dates, they simply said that the three studio albums will be released digitally before the end of the year, and physical versions will follow in spring 2013. more on this story

Vanna Begin Recording New Album

Vanna have entered the studio to begin recording their new studio album, The Few And The Far Between, which will be released in 2013.

The band is working at Getaway Recordings in Boston (Haverhill) Massachusetts with producer Jay Maas. Maas also produced Vanna's first Artery Recordings release, their 2010 EP The Honest Hearts.

Vanna lead vocalist Davey Muise had this to say, "With all the touring we've done especially this past year and all the time away from home, not only did it make for great writing time and lyrical ammo, it made us want to do the next record at home. For the sound and direction we were going Jay was a no brainer for us. Doing The Honest Hearts EP with jay was so easy and comfortable; we wanted to see what a full record with our dude would be like. We are psyched to see what Jay and the band will do with TFATFB. We will have a full recording blog with pictures and videos all on vannaboston.com so everyone can follow along with this record as it comes alive." more on this story

Stones, Dylan, Sex Pistols and More For Not Fade Away Soundtrack

The Not Fade Away soundtrack will feature music from The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Moody Blues James Brown, The Rascals, Sex Pistols and will be released digitally on December 18th.

We were sent the following film synopsis and soundtrack details: Not Fade Away, the feature film debut from The Sopranos creator David Chase is an ode to the transformative power of rock 'n' roll. In 1964, the Rolling Stones appear on television and three best friends from the suburbs of New Jersey decide to form a rock band. The film stars John Magaro, Jack Huston, Will Brill, Bella Heathcote, Brad Garrett, Christopher McDonald and James Gandolfini.

Because music is so central to the film, Chase worked closely with executive producer Steven Van Zandt in compiling recordings that are evocative of the era and propel the narrative of Chase's screenplay. Van Zandt played Silvio Dante in Chase's The Sopranos over the course of the groundbreaking series' six seasons on HBO and in 2002, created "Little Steven's Underground Garage," a nationally syndicated rock radio show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. He is a long-standing member of the E Street Band. more on this story

Dave Grohl's Sound City Movie To Premiere at Sundance

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl's directorial debut, Sound City, will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next year.

Grohl, who will travel to Sundance next month along with select artists featured in the film and its forthcoming soundtrack album had this to say, "As a first time director, I am humbled to be able to share my passion for songwriting and storytelling with this incredible cast of legendary musicians, as seen through the extraordinary story of America's greatest unsung recording studio, Sound City. Being included in this group of artists is a true honor, and the Sundance Film Festival is the perfect place to premiere a film about craft, integrity, and passion for art. I am over the moon!"

Sound City, the film, was conceived by Grohl after purchasing the legendary custom-built Neve 8028 recording console from Sound City Studios last year. The board, built in 1972, is considered by many to be the crown jewel of analog recording equipment, having recorded such artists as Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Guns N' Roses, Fear, Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Slipknot, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, and countless other musical legends over the past 40 years.

If you missed yesterday's report, you can check out the trailer for the film here.

Lasorda Streaming New Album Online

Lasorda (featuring members of The Get Up Kids, fun., The New Amsterdams, Kevin Devine and The Goddamn Band, and Ghosty) are giving fans an early listen to their entire new album.

Lasorda includes Suzannah Johannes, Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams), Nate Harold (fun., Koufax, The Honorary Title, Waking Ashland), Dustin Kinsey (The New Amsterdams, White Whale, Higher Burning Fire), Mike Strandberg (Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band, Brian Bonz and the Major Crimes), and Josh Adams (Ghosty).

Lasorda's self-titled debut album comes out on 12/11 and is streaming on Spotify with two bonus tracks. Listen here.

Exhumed Announce Impromptu Tour

Exhumed have added a week of new headlining tour dates after being sidelined on their way home from their tour with Napalm Death and Municipal Waste.

The new dates will kick off this Friday in Lafayette, Louisiana and will conclude with two California shows next which are still to be announced.

Elaborates vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey explains: "Since our van decided to blow up and we're stuck in Alabama for a week, we figured we had time to book some fill-in shows for our longer-than-expected ride home. So come on out and rage with us — last chance in 2012! We look forward to making the most out of this opportunity to melt your faces one last time before we f**k off and get ready for 2013." more on this story

Castle Announce U.S. Tour

Castle will begin 2013 by launching their very first headlining tour of the United States.

The tour will kick off on January 5th in Ventura, Ca and will conclude on February 10th in Las Vegas.

Castle have also announced that drummer Rae Amitay (Mares of Thrace, Woods of Ypres, Thrawsunblat) will be playing with them on the upcoming tour. Says Davis, "We had the chance to play together on a bill in Chicago and were blown away by her drumming." more on this story

Hawthorne Heights' Australian Tour Begins This Week

Hawthorne Heights will be kicking off their Australian tour on Friday with Sydney's Sienna Skies and a host of locals joining them in each city.

Hawthorne Heights are touring in support of their new release Hope, the 2nd release in their EP trilogy. Sienna Skies also have a brand new release of their own to celebrate, with The Constant Climb out now via Artery Recordings.

Hawthorne Heights will also deliver a short acoustic instore set at Fist2Face Records, Ringwood, from 2pm on Saturday 8 December, before their full show at Bang later that night. more on this story

Michael Schenker Adds Temple of Rock Date

Michael Schenker has added a new London concert date to his 2013 Temple of Rock UK Tour.

The new show will take place at London o2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on Friday May 31st.

Schenker will he touring in support of Temple of Rock: Live in Europe CD, DVD, Blu-ray and Ltd Deluxe Collector's Edition, released by inakustik on Monday December 10th. more on this story

Osada Vida Recording New Album

Metal Mind Productions will be releasing Osada Vida's new studio album next spring.

The band's bassist says: "We've just started recording the album. The drum parts will be recorded first and, for us, it's the most important element of the new album. We want to have a lot of space in the drum parts and we want them to be dynamic.

"Later in December we will record the bass guitar and the keys. That's all for this year. Guitars and vocals will be handled in January and, hopefully, our new material will reflect the recent changes in the band well." more on this story

Rolling Stones Remix Doom And Gloom

(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones have released a remix of "Doom And Gloom," one of two new tracks on the band's greatest hits collection, "GRRR!"

The song was remixed by DJ and producer Benny Benassi, best known for his summer club hit "Satisfaction", in 2002.

The original "Doom And Gloom" single was recorded in Paris and produced by longtime Stones producer Don Was, who has worked with the band on five previous albums (Voodoo Lounge/ Stripped/ Bridges To Babylon/ Live Licks/ A Bigger Bang). Listen to it here.

State Radio Release Big Man Video

State Radio have released a new music video for the song "Big Man" from their album, Rabbit Inn Rebellion.

Of the video's subject matter, director Michael Gill says, "the video is aesthetically inspired by dystopian sci-fi movies like Brazil and Metropolis, and it is intended to satirize the myth that the wealthiest 1% of America are 'job creators'...and to just generally indict the exploitation of the working class."

While he's always brought it on tour, State Radio frontman Chad Stokes is seen playing the handmade 6-string African oil can guitar, also know as a ram kiekie. A gift purchased on the streets of Capetown, South Africa, the alternative to store-bought guitars is made from a Castrol oil can, bottle tops, plastic and salvaged copper. Nicknamed "Fidel Castrol," the guitar often appears on album tracks. more on this story

Eels Release Peach Blossom Video

Eels have released a new music video for the song "Peach Blossom" from their forthcoming studio album, Wonderful, Glorious.

The video is directed by Los Angeles-based dirctor and photographer Andrew Van Baal, known for his feature documentary Largo which premiered at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival and featured artists including Fiona Apple, Louis CK, Aimee Mann and Sarah Silverman. Watch it here.

To celebrate the release of Wonderful, Glorious, out February 5 on E Works/Vagrant Records, EELS will embark on a world tour kicking off February 14 in Santa Ana, California and include dates across the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Europe. The tour will wrap up on April 24 in Paris. more on this story

Johnny Depp Jams With Aerosmith

(hennemusic) Aerosmith are in the final week of the second leg of their Global Warming tour.

On Monday, the Boston band rocked the Staples Center in Los Angeles with some help from guests Johnny Depp and Izzy Stradlin.

Depp joined Aerosmith for covers of Fleetwood Mac's "Stop Messin' Around," and The Beatles' "Come Together." Watch it here.

Caspian Release Halls of the Summer Video

Caspian have released a new music video for their new single "Halls of the Summer."

The song is from the band's fourth studio release Waking Season, which came out in September on Triple Crown Records. Watch the video here.

The band will be heading on Triple Crown Record's first ever label tour with O'Brother and Moving Mountains. more on this story