Evanescence Planning To Take Another Break

Fans had to wait five years between the release of the band's latest album and "The Open Doors". Lee explains her view on the band taking long breaks. "Taking long breaks is seen as a bad thing, but I don't think it's a bad thing. People have the idea that you have to keep putting stuff out while people remember you. But I'd rather make something that's awesome and then make people remember again. I hope it doesn't take five years, but I don't want to put a timeline on it either." more on this story

Metallica Beats Black Sabbath For Top Metal Album Honors

(hennemusic) Metallica's 1986 album, "Master Of Puppets," has been named the Greatest Heavy Metal Album Of All Time in a new online poll by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.

Metallica dominated the poll, which launched last Friday, by taking four of the top ten spots. "Metal fans are a very passionate bunch," wrote the Rolling Stone editors. "They're also very opinionated, so when we asked them to vote for their favorite metal albums we expected a huge response. We also expected a big debate about the very definition of 'heavy metal.' Some metal fans say that groups like Led Zeppelin and Guns N' Roses are metal. Others think that's completely insane. We aren't here to settle these debates. We're merely here to count the votes."

Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and 1970 self-titled debut took second and third, respectively; Iron Maiden's 1982 album, "The Number Of The Beast" landed in fourth, with Metallica's "…And Justice For All" rounding out the top 5. more on this story

Deftones Giving Away New Song

Deftones are offering their fans a free download of their new song, "Leathers" on their official site.

"Leathers" is the first track released from the band's forthcoming studio album Koi No Yokan, which comes out November 13th. You can grab the free download here. But act fast as it will only be available for a limited-time.

Koi No Yokan was recorded in Los Angeles, CA with Nick Raskulinecz (Alice In Chains, Foo Fighters, Rush) who also produced Diamond Eyes. more on this story

Turner Apologizes To Van Halen's Anthony For Supergroup Rumor

(Classic Rock) Joe Lynn Turner and Carmine Appice have apologised to Michael Anthony after rumours circulated the three were forming a supergroup.

The story made headlines after Melodic Rock said former Rainbow frontman Turner and drummer Appice had started work on a musical project, and Chickenfoot bassist Anthony was involved.

Turner has dismissed the rumor as just that and states he didn't speak to the press or send out a news release on the subject. But he does admit they've discussed the possibility and that Anthony's name was mentioned.

A press statement says: "Turner and Appice would like to specifically apologise to Anthony and his fans for any confusion this rumour or any casual conversations might have caused."

Read the rest of his statement and find out where the story originated (which was taken out of context and not properly sourced in the report which sparked the news) here.

Rex Brown's Surprise Reunion Jam With Down

Down fans in Dallas received a special treat this week when the band reunited with former bass player Rex Brown during their show on Tuesday night.

Brown jumped on stage to jam 'Stone the Crow' and 'Bury Me in Smoke' with the band during the encore. Video footage of the jam has been posted online.

Brown left the group last year, which also features his former Pantera bandmate Phil Anselmo. Rex went on to join another metal supergroup, Kill Devil Hill. Watch video here.

Black Country Communion Giving Away New Song

(hennemusic) Black Country Communion are gearing up for the release of their third studio album, "Afterglow" and are offering a free song download.

The band is made up of bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath), blues rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater).

Black Country Communion are offering a free download of the track, "Confessor," from the new album, featuring lead vocals by Hughes. more on this story

Pearl Jam and Joseph Arthur Group RNDM Set Album Release and Tour

RNDM, featuring Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament along with Joseph Arthur and Richard Stuverud, have set an October 30th release date for their debut album, Acts, in CD, vinyl LP and digital formats. The band will also be hitting the road for a North American tour.

Fans can get a taste of what's to come with the release of a video for the first single off Acts, "Modern Times." silent film style video here which was shot on a rooftop in Brooklyn all in one day and shows the band's transformation into RNDM. Watch it here

Joseph Arthur comments about the making-of and concept for the video: "The video acts as an introduction to the band. I had the idea about us shaving our heads when I was in Mexico and figured Jeff and Richard wouldn't be into it but much to my chagrin they were! But instead of shaved heads Jeff suggested mohawks. I've never had a mohawk so I figured it would be an exercise in abandoning vanity in front of the camera." more on this story

The Acacia Strain and Veil of Maya Fall Tour

The Acacia Strain will be teaming up with Veil of Maya for a North American coheadlining tour this fall.

The tour is set to kick off on November 24th in Albany, New York and will feature support from Upon A Burning Body, Volumes and Twitching Tongues.

Before this trek, The Acacia Strain will launch a record release tour in support of the October 9th release of Death is the Only Mortal. more on this story

Tremonti Wanted Wolfgang Van Halen All Along

(hennemusic) Last week, Wolfgang Van Halen joined Tremonti as bassist for the band's fall tour when Brian Marshall notified the group that he was unable to hit the road with them due to personal matters.

"Wolfgang had been a bass player that we had considered for the band in the first place," revealed Mark Tremonti to Horns Up Rocks! "But he was on tour with Van Halen. The situation just came up and he happened to be in New York and had his bass gear – he was hanging out with the guys from Sevendust – and I called him up and said hey man, we have a show tomorrow night and we need a bass player, whaddya think? He's like,'Let me call you back.' Calls me back and says 'I'll be there in an hour.'"

"We rehearsed for an hour and a half, two hours," continued Tremonti, "Went through another rehearsal the next day, and within 24 hours he's up on stage with us playing in the band. He's a kick-ass musician and he's learned faster than anybody I've ever seen. He's amazing and he saved the day." more on this story

The Jam To Reissue The Gift For 30th Anniversary

The Jam will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of their final studio album, The Gift, with a special reissue.

NME spoke with Paul Weller about the album and has some details about the reissue plans which include a remastered album, bonus tracks, a previously unreleased concert recording from the band's final tour on DVD along with additional live clips and TV appearances. The feature did not mention a release date

"I don't remember any feeling at first of it being the last record, when we first went into it anyway," Weller tells NME. "It was done in two halves, we started it in '81 before Christmas and we finished it off after Christmas. But I think it was alright, there were a lot of tunes written upfront and there was a pretty positive atmosphere among everyone."

More from Weller and more details on the reissue here.

Thirty Seconds To Mars Release New Single

Thirty Seconds To Mars have released a new single entitled "Night Of The Hunter (Shannon Leto Remix)".

The single which was originally on the Thirty Seconds To Mars' 3rd album This Is War has been re-worked for the dance floor by the band's drummer Shannon Leto.

"'Night Of The Hunter' is one of my favorite songs to play live with my band [Thirty Seconds To Mars] and I really wanted to reinvent it, to shed a different light on it by bringing a dance element to it. I'm excited share the remix out there in the world!" expressed Leto. more on this story

New George Martin Documentary Released

Famed Beatles producer George Martin is the focus of a new DVD, Blu-Ray and digital video released by Eagle Rock entitled, Produced By George Martin. We were sent these details and a link to the trailer.

The documentary is a feature-length profile of Britain's most celebrated record producer. In this very personal film, Sir George talks about his childhood, his war experience and his early days as a music student. Originally broadcast to great acclaim in 2011 as part of the BBC's "Arena" series, this version contains over 50 minutes of additional interviews not included in the TV broadcast version. These extras include contributions from Rick Rubin, T-Bone Burnett, Howard Goodall, Jimmy Webb and Ken Scott.

Truly, George Martin has had a career like no other. In the early '50s, he joined EMI/Parlophone and started working on orchestral music, music for children and single handedly pioneered a range of hugely successful comedy records with Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Peter Ustinov and others. Then, in 1962, he signed The Beatles and everything changed. Together, George Martin and The Beatles revolutionized pop music and recording techniques, forging probably the greatest producer/artist collaboration there will ever be.

Produced By George Martin features numerous classic clips of the artists he has produced, and new interviews with many of them including Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Michael Palin, Jeff Beck, Rolf Harris, Cilla Black, Millicent Martin and Bernard Cribbins. A fascinating man, and a compelling film. Watch the trailer

Pink Floyd House Going On The Block

(hennemusic) A north London house where Pink Floyd lived in the 1960s is to be auctioned.

The BBC reports all four founding members of the band lived at 39 Stanhope Gardens in London's Highgate, although Roger Waters, Syd Barrett, Nick Mason and Rick Wright weren't all there at the same time.

The property has not been changed since the band left, Savills auctioneer Russell Taylor said, and it may even have pieces of drummer Nick Mason's Aston Martin in the garden. more on this story

Go Camping With Animals As Leaders

Animals As Leaders plan to host their very own winter retreat entitled "Camping With Animals".

The retreat will feature their current line-up - Tosin Abasi, Javier Reyes, and Matt Garstka, as well as The Faceless bass player Evan Brewer and other guest appearances.

The retreat will consist of four days of seminars from January 2nd to 6th at the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, New York. Participants will have the chance to get one-on-one instruction from the band members, workshops, seminars, gourmet meals, exclusive performances, and of course regular camp activities. More info and registration is here.

Doro Pesch Plans North American Tour

Doro Pesch will be launching a North America tour early next year in support of her forthcoming album.

The tour will kick off on February 1st in Tampa, Florida and will feature support from Sister Sin.

Doro will be touring in support of her new album, Raise Your Fist, which is due out in North America on November 6 and features guest appearances by Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister as well as Ozzy/Firewind guitarist Gus G. more on this story

Young Buffalo Announce New EP and Tour

Young Buffalo will release their new self-titled EP on October 9th, 2012 in the US and November 5th, 2012 in the UK.

The band has a number of live dates lineup for later this month and October including a run of dates with Admiral Fallow.

They will kick off the live action by joining White Arrows for a show in St. Louis, MO on September 26th. more on this story

Steve Vai Releases Ocean Way Microphone Locker app

Favored Nation sent over this big news for Steve Vai fans: Vai has released the new Ocean Way Microphone Locker app, based on the renowned CD-ROM created in the 90s, and long unavailable.

Utilizing Allen Sides' microphone collection at Ocean Way Recording studios in Hollywood, this new app allows the recording engineer to easily find the right microphone for the right instrument .

"When the app revolution hit, I remembered that great CD-ROM and knew it would make an extraordinary app," explained Steve Vai. "I acquired the rights for the Ocean Way Microphone Locker CD-ROM contents and worked with Allen Sides, who is a very good friend, and Metal Sidecar, LLC to build an app from the material. Metal Sidecar did a fabulous job and the app is phenomenal. You can actually access Allen's mic collection and match them with a complete range of musical instruments. You get tips on the best miking techniques and can listen to samples played by top session cats like Hal Blaine on drums." more on this story

B Sides

Singled Out: Miss Anderson

Today guitarist Peter Rundh from Swedish country rockers Miss Anderson (you read that correctly) tells us about their debut single "Love For You All". Here is the story:

The first single "Love For You All" is a story about night life, that most people can relate to. It is my somewhat cynical reflection on the unwritten social rules that exist everywhere in society, and it is a reflection on how you can sometimes feel lonely even though you are among people. In the middle of all this there are individuals searching for love in life, and my main message with the song is that I hope everybody will find real love.

As a songwriter I am mostly driven by the secrets and surprises of life. I am also a philosopher who is constantly thinking about, and reflecting on, life events and personal encounters with an impact on us.

The recording took place in western Sweden's forests, as well as in Nashville, USA.

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

More Q&A With Whitesnake

(hennemusic) Whitesnake are sharing part 2 of a Q&A session with singer David Coverdale and guitarist/songwriting partner Doug Aldrich.

The video is the fourth episode of material from the band's recently launched online TV channel, WSTV.

During the conversation, the two players break into improvised, acoustic performances of "Slide It In," the title track of Whitesnake's 1984 release; a brief take on the Stevie Wonder classic, "Superstition"; and, "'Til The End Of Time," from Whitesnake's 2008 album, "Good To Be Bad." Watch the video here.

Miggs Releases Stars Video

Miggs have released a new music video for "Stars," the latest single from their new album 15th & Hope.

The band enlisted 14-time Grammy Award winning producer Phil Ramone, who has worked with artists such as Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, and Billy Joel, to record the album. Watch the video here.

Miggs will be hitting the road in support of 15th & Hope later this month including a number of dates across North America with Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers. more on this story