Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Sabbath, KISS, Def Leppard, Motley Crue Supergroup Tour

The tour will take in dates in Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala and Costa Rica. There is no word yet on whether the tour will expand to dates in North America, but one thing's for certain: it's going to generate more YouTube traffic than "Charlie Bit My Finger" and Rebecca Black's "Friday" combined. more on this story

Axl Rose Had Stage Fright Says Former Guns N' Roses Manager

(Gibson) Manager and producer Alan Niven is currently telling his side of the Guns N' Roses story in a three-part interview with Metal Sludge.

In Part 2 of the interview, published over the weekend, Niven talked about the band's big breakthrough, which came on the back of a strong live reputation and a few late night MTV plays. "MTV put the band on overnight, when you had to use an alarm clock to see the videos," Niven said. "But even in overnight, 'Welcome to the Jungle' got a reaction, so MTV started moving it up. By March of '88, it had gone gold. Then on April 7, 1988, it went platinum."

Niven also opened up about talking Axl Rose through his stage fright, which threatened to cripple the crucial tour with Aerosmith that proved to be a key turning point for the band. "He's a singer, and singers who have to go out there three, four or five times a week, they invest their spirit in what they're singing," Niven said. "The guitar players have something in their hands. They're not naked. The singer is out there naked, and sometimes that's hard to do. Obviously, Axl still has problems with it because he's still late." more on this story

Metallica, Slayer, Motorhead, Mastodon Festival

(hennemusic) Metallica have announced their final 2012 summer vaction tour date. Here's the news, as posted by the band: "This is it, our final addition to the summer vacation in Europe with a Sonisphere date at Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland on May 30, 2012.

"You guessed it, the 'Black Album' will be performed in its entirety (yeah, yeah, that 20th Anniversary thing) and the line-up for the day is out of this world as Slayer, Motorhead, Mastodon, Gojira, and Eluveitie will all be joining us!"

The Metallica European tour kicks off May 7 in Prague and wraps June 10 in Nickelsdorf, Austria…..following that, the band headline their own Orion Music + More Festival for two dates in Atlantic City June 23 and 24. more on this story

Van Halen Go Top 10

(hennemusic) Van Halen's new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth," entered the UK charts with a No 6 debut this week.

All eyes are on the Billboard charts as Van Halen wait to see if they secure a US #1 debut.

Industry sources suggest that "A Different Kind of Truth" could be a #1 album for the band, with speculation that it may sell about 180,000 to 200,000 copies in its first week, lining up a battle with Adele. more on this story

Fear Factory Recruit Chimaira and Six Feet Under Member

Fear Factory have replaced departed bass player Byron Stroud with former Chimaira and Six Feet Under bassist Matt DeVries.

DeVries says of joining the group: "I have been asked by Dino and Burton to join one of my favorite bands. I have been a fan of Fear Factory since 1992 and I could not be more excited to be part of this incredible band. We have shared the stage many times together and now I'm beyond stoked to be on the same stage playing together. Thank you to all my fans worldwide for sticking by me and I will be seeing you all on the road very soon."

Guitarist Dino Cazares and vocalist Burton C. Bell note: "We are very excited to have Matt playing bass for Fear Factory. We feel he is a great addition to our touring lineup. He has been a friend for a very long time and he's a great musician who will be a perfect instrument in the FF machine." more on this story

Avenged Sevenfold Set New Tour Dates

Avenged Sevenfold will hit the road for new tour dates this spring including a spot at Metallica's music festival and a tour of the Far and Middle East.

The tour begins April 16th in Tokyo, Japan, for a tour that will culminate in a special show in Dubai, UAE on May 4th. "We are excited to go back to the Far and Middle East," said Avenged Sevenfold front man M. Shadows. "We played to some of the most amazing crowds when we toured the album there, and we can't wait to bring our live show back to our friends in those regions."

Metallica have asked Avenged Sevenfold to perform at the first ever Orion Music + More at Bader Field in Atlantic City, NJ, on June 24th. M. Shadows had this to say: "We really hadn't planned to play the United States in 2012. But after Lars called to describe their plans for Orion and asked us to join them, we decided there's no way we would miss it." The band toured with Metallica in 2006 as part of Metallica's "Escape From The Studio Tour" and that year M. Shadows and Metallica's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich were featured together on the cover of Revolver Magazine. 3 years later, Avenged Sevenfold toured with Metallica on their "World Magnetic" tour. more on this story

Slash Issues Studio Update

(hennemusic) Slash's as-yet-untitled album is due May 22 and the Velvet Revolver/ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist issued a new video update from the studio.

"The way everything started with this record," explains Slash, "was when the tour ended and Myles [Kennedy, Alter Bridge singer] took off on the road, I got [drummer] Brent [Fitz] and [bassist] Todd [Kerns] together and took them to Mates rehearsal studio…which is a studio in the valley that I've been using since the late 80s. That's, basically, where we did pre pre-roduction, where you just rehearse the s**t out of the songs until you can perform them live, which is how I wanted to record the record."

Slash updated fans on the record's progress this week, saying "The rough mixes sound great. It's a really solid record. [I] can't wait to get it out there!" Full mixing starts Monday, February 13. Check out the video here.

Zakk Wylde, Steve Vai, Matt Sorum, Warren Haynes Going To Rock Camp

Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers), Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne), Steve Vai (guitar legend), Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses), Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals), Lita Ford (The Runaways), and more are headed to Rock Camp this week.

The next installment of the Rock Camp is taking place in Hollywood, CA on February 16th-20th. We were sent these details:

Campers will record an original song at world class recording studio with Led Zeppelin's and the Beatle's producer, Eddie Kramer, and take home a professionally produced DVD and mp3 of their final performance. They'll also cruise through the sunset strip jamming with rockstars and performing live at major venues in Hollywood including the Gibson Showroom in Beverly Hills and the legendary Whisky-A-Go-Go.

Now in their 15th year, Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp™ was created by veteran music producer David Fishof to be the ultimate music-making experience. Providing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for musicians of all skill levels, campers get the life changing experience of jamming with legendary rock stars, write and record an original song and play live on stage at a major concert venue in front of family and friends. http://www.rockcamp.com/

Paradise Lost Giving Away New Song for Valentine's Day

Paradise Lost's new album, Tragic Idol, is a couple months away from release but you can hear a new song today!

As a special Valentine's gift, the band is giving fans a free download their new song, "Crucify", today (February 14th). Grab it here.

The album was recorded at The Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, England. Vocals were recorded at the Fascination Street Studios in Orebro, Sweden by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia, Devin Townsend Project), who also produced, mixed, and mastered the album. Tragic Idol is scheduled for a worldwide release through Century Media Records on April 23rd, 2012 in Europe and April 24th, 2012 in North America. more on this story

God Forbid Return With New Album Next Month

God Forbid have set a March 26th release date for their sixth full-length album, Equilibrium.

The forthcoming effort is their first for Victory Records and was produced by Mark Lewis (The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel), Jason Suecof (Bury Your Dead, Chimaira) and mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth).

"With the new album, we focused on writing tight, hook-y metal songs," commented guitarist/vocalist Doc Coyle on the creative process for Equilibrium, "There are some really fast, super heavy, groovy songs – some of the catchiest, most melodic songs we've ever written. We wanted a modern, but organic-sounding album that was tight but still captured the intensity of the band. The album sounds huge!" more on this story

Peter Frampton's Comes Alive Les Paul Making Comeback This Week

Peter Frampton will play his restored 1954 Gibson Les Paul for the first time in 32 years at the Beacon Theater in New York on February 18th.

Sacks &Co sent over these details: His long-lost guitar was recently discovered on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao after its disappearance in a plane crash 32 years ago. Frampton was reunited with the guitar in an emotional meeting in Nashville this past December.

Now, with the help of the Gibson Guitar's Custom Shop, Frampton will debut the recovered guitar during his NYC stop on his world tour celebrating the 35th anniversary of multi-platinum selling live album Frampton Comes Alive!. more on this story

Walter Trout Going Back To His Roots

(Gibson) Blues rock guitarist Walter Trout will release a new studio album, Blues for the Modern Daze, which represents a return to his hardcore blues roots.

The album is Trout's first fully fledged blues album in 23 years as a bandleader, drawing on his experiences playing with legends such as John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, Finis Tasby, Pee Wee Crayton, Lowell Fulsom, Percy Mayfield and Joe Tex when he first arrived in Los Angeles in 1973. By 1981 Trout had joined Canned Heat, and soon went on to play with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, joining a lineage that includes Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor.

"My main inspiration for this album was the country bluesman Blind Willie Johnson, an early blues innovator who recorded such timeless gospel informed blues numbers as 'Soul of a Man' and 'Nobody's Fault But Mine,'" Trout says. "His music is beautiful, primal, direct and deeply spiritual. The album explores a side of my music that's rooted in my first musical love, and it reveals something about me, too. It sums up the thoughts and attitudes of somebody who is getting a little older and is feeling like he's a part of another era, with different values and a different perspective on life that's prevalent today."

Blues For The Modern Daze is released by Provogue Records (a division of Mascot Label Group), in the U.K. on Monday, April 23, followed by U.S. release on April 24. more on this story

Queen Classic with a Twist For TV Ad

(hennemusic) A new television advertisement for a Las Vegas hotel features a Queen classic.

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas premiered their new commercial during The Grammy Awards on Sunday.

The "Just the Right Amount of Wrong" campaign ad features Queen's classic "Bohemian Rhapsody," and the song is delivered with a twist. Watch it here.

StoneRider Releasing Double LP This Month

(FP) StoneRider have set a February 28th release date for their sophomore album Fountains Left To Wake.

In keeping with the band's fondness for 70's era double-LP's Fountains Left To Wake will mainly be issued as an audiophile double-LP.

The band, comprised of Matt Tanner on guitar and vocals, Neil Warren on bass and Jason Krutzky on drums and vocals, takes a very direct musical approach on the album and the result is a genuine document of Georgia rock and roll. Fountains Left To Wake contains moments of homage to the state's rich musical heritage with boogie-woogie piano nods to Little Richard and the soulful influence of Otis Redding. more on this story

Journey Flashback for State Farm

(hennemusic) A Journey classic is being featured in a new tv campaign for State Farm insurance.

A customer calls up his SF rep to discuss plans and the two end up talking about the band. "We just had ourselves a little Journey moment there," says the caller. "Saw 'em in '83 in Fresno…place was crawling with chicks."

"Any Way You Want It" originally appeared on Journey's 1980 release, "Departure." Written by frontman Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon, the single peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Watch it here.

Big Up Festival On Hold

We were sent this news: The Big Up Music and Arts Festival will be taking a one-year hiatus.

The festival organizers have stated that unforeseen circumstances have driven the need to take the summer of 2012 off, and insist that plans are underway for a large scale festival event for 2013.

The Big Up Music & Arts festival held on July 28, 29 and 30, 2011, at Sunnyview Farm in Ghent, New York, attracted some 5,000 festival-goers from all over the country, featured a revolutionary mix of live entertainment, arts and activities. Over 70 musical acts from all over the world performed throughout the three-day event including Big Gigantic, EOTO (featuring String Cheese Incident players Michael Travis and Jason Hann), Tipper, Abakus, Digital Tape Machine (featuring Joel Cummins and Kris Myers of Umphrey's McGee), RAQ, Ott and Marco Benevento. more on this story

The Day The Who Went Live at Leeds

(Gibson) On this day in 1970, The Who appeared at Leeds University, England. The show was recorded for the band's forthcoming Live at Leeds album. Gibson looks back: Leeds University, Leeds, England. It was Valentine's Day, 1970 and The Who were about to enter the '70s with one of the greatest live performances in rock and roll history. Fortunately, the band had already decided to record the gig. It was one of the best decisions Pete Townshend ever made.

The Who were back in England after an impressive U.S. tour, a climactic appearance at Woodstock and the universally lauded and pioneering Tommy album. As musical contemporary Rick Wakeman recalls, "The Who were at the time the loudest band in the world. They had just conquered America, played at Woodstock and Tommy was being hailed as a work of genius. And what did they do? Arrived at Leeds Uni and recorded what I reckon to be the best live album ever."

The Who had more than 80 hours of tapes from assorted U.S. shows that they'd recorded but Townshend and Co. couldn't face the chore going through all those tapes and, fearful of bootleggers, destroyed all the American recordings.

A live album would come from two new shows. Using the same engineers who worked with Ginger Baker and Cream they would record two gigs. One in Leeds on Valentine's Day, the other at Hull the following night. Both were recorded but, as Roger Daltrey explains, only the first was usable.

"We recorded the next night's gig too – at Hull. To be honest, that was a great gig too – but when we listened back to the tape we hadn't recorded the bass!" more on this story

Keith Moody Singled Out Week: Long Way Up

Keith Moody releases his new album, "Dreaming Out Loud", this week. To celebrate we asked him to tell us about some of the songs from the album. Today he tells us about, "Long Way Up". Here is the story:

Long Way Up is realizing you are at point of no return. And while it may be tough sledding ahead; you have already gotten through things of equal difficulty in the past. With this realization, you gain a "vulnerable strength". There is also an undercurrent of the cynicism that comes with getting older and wiser. I think everyone has that period in their life, where you have to look at yourself and say "Why did I believe that? And you make a resolution to try and avoid it in the future." It 's that Art of War kind of epiphany "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger sort of thing" My initial inspiration was my career and the climb all musicians are on, but I also drew from the angst surrounding the supposed decline of Western Society and the bleak outlook for the American Dream and ideal. I guess on both fronts you have to just say hey it's been a long way up just to come back down, and things may frustrate me, but I must keep climbing and moving forward, why go back?

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