Following last week’s highly successful return of That Metal Show featuring Rush’s Geddy Lee and Dream Theater’s John Petrucci (the Season 14 premiere was the second most watched Season Premiere in the history of the series) VH1 Classic’s centerpiece in original programming returns with an all-new episode this Saturday at 9:00PM ET/PT, repeating at 11:00PM ET/PT. This week Frank Bello, Charlie Benante, and Scott Ian of Anthrax stop by the acclaimed hard rock/heavy metal talk show, hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson, and Jim Florentine. The guys from Anthrax give us an update on their new album, their side projects, and share stories about their longtime relationship with Eddie. The hosts get the Anthrax guys to Rank their own albums, to Put It On The Table with answers to some serious questions, and engage in a passionate debate in the Throwdown when it’s KISS Unmasked vs. KISS Dynasty. Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna checks-in from the recording studio in Los Angeles via the Metal Modem. Joey updates everyone on how the recording is going for Anthrax’s new album while taking a break from tracking his vocals.

The episode also features Testament’s ace shredder, Alex Skolnick, making his return to the show. The guitar wizard discusses his latest acoustic solo album Planetary Coalition. He also fills the hosts in on the upcoming Testament/Exodus tour, and how much he’s looking forward to those shows. Alex even donates one of his ESP LTD signature guitars to the Box Of Junk for one very lucky and excited winner.

Stump The Trunk gets dramatic this week when Eddie melts down after he mishears a question. TMS Top 5 discusses the Top 5 Cover Songs, and this week’s Take It Or Leave It has the guys discuss the increase of bands recording and releasing cover albums these days, which leads to another tirade from Eddie about the Grammys.

This week’s That After Show consists of everyone discussing what music was important to them growing up. It makes for an interesting discussion and offers unique insights into the music that inspired the guys in Anthrax to make music. Fans can watch “That After Show” as well as previous episodes and other exclusive bonus clips at ThatMetalShow.VH1.com and the new VH1 app.

Audience tickets for upcoming tapings are now available via Gotham Casting at gothamcasting.com/gothamrsvp.

Upon exiting the ranks of Megadeth, the world eagerly awaited news as to what was next for Chris Broderick (guitars) and Shawn Drover (drums). The duo are now excited to announce their worldwide signing to Metal Blade Records for their new group Act Of Defiance, which is rounded out by Henry Derek (ex-Scar The Martyr) on vocals and Matt Bachand (Shadows Fall) on bass. They are currently recording their debut offering with world renowned producer Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall). Look for this album to be released sometime this summer. However, in the meantime, Listen below to a sneak peek into a rough demo snippet of the track Throwback.

Broderick states, “I am so excited to finally be able to announce Act Of Defiance to the world. Shawn just finished tracking drums the first week of February and his performance and tones are simply incredible. I have started tracking rhythms and leads, as well as working with Henry to get final vocal takes while Matt will record bass at his studio. The final mix and mastering will also be handled by Zeuss.

“I am also very honored to announce that we have signed with Metal Blade Records. There is not a better label to be on than one where the employees (and owner) still understand and listen to METAL! They have shown a loyalty, backing and drive for their artists that few other labels have. As for our music, I am really enjoying the ability to create what is a killer mix of thrash and modern metal. It has a unique combination ranging from thrash to classical influences. I am very proud of what we have written and hope that you all dig it.”

Drover adds, “Having our new band, Act Of Defiance, sign with Metal Blade Records is a real thrill for me. I started my musical career with Brian Slagel and the Metal Blade family many years ago, so to come full circle at this point is a real musical home-coming, of sorts. I couldn’t be happier about that.

What thrills me the most is the fact that myself, Chris Broderick, Henry Derek and Matt Bachand all have in common is that from the get-go, we wanted this band to be 100% PURE Heavy Metal! No compromises, no ulterior motives other than making the best HEAVY METAL music we can. Metal Blade shares this vision, which really puts us all on the same page, musically.”

Bachand states, “I couldn’t be more excited to begin this new adventure with Act Of Defiance. The positive energy that has collected between the four of us in such a little amount of time has been nothing short of incredible. Writing bass lines is something new for me as well, and I am looking forward to the challenge. All the songs are coming together great and I can’t wait for the world to hear this.”

Derek comments, “I’m extremely honored and excited to be a part of AOD. Everyone has been super cool and supportive, which is always a huge plus. I know this is going to be an awesome musical experience and the fact that I’m embarking on this journey with good people means everything. Cheers.”

Brian Slagel further comments, “I am super excited to welcome Act Of Defiance to the Metal Blade family. I have known Chris and Shawn over the years and really admired their work. I am honored to be able to work with these two legendary musicians. Really excited to work with all the guys on this exciting new band.”

For more information, visit facebook.com/actofdefiancemusic.

The Monsters Of Rock Cruise, the world’s largest and longest running Heavy Metal and Hard Rock cruise, has only 34-cabins available before selling out its fourth consecutive year. Tickets for the remaining 34-cabins aboard this musical playground will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at $1,099 per person (double occupancy) and are available at MonstersOfRockCruise.com.

Sailing the Bahamas this April 18th-22nd aboard the MSC Divina, the four-day-and-night cruise celebrating the original legendary Castle Donington music festival held in England in 1980, will showcase Heavy Metal and Hard Rock music icons (including artists on the original festival bill)–such as Tesla, Europe, Night Ranger, Tom Keifer of Cinderella, Extreme, KIX, Queensryche, Krokus, Stryper, Lita Ford, Black Star Riders, Y&T, plus many more (full lineup below)–and feature a full schedule of events and activities designed to encourage interaction between artists and fans.

This year’s cruise itinerary is kicked off by a two-night pre-party event at Miami’s Magic City Casino on April 15th, featuring performances by Queensryche and Lillian Axe, and April 17th, featuring performances by Stryper, Tyketto, Gabbie Rae and a special surprise guest artist. The fun continues the moment fans board the ship, meeting new friends poolside during the kickoff Sailaway Concert featuring cruise alumni, Tesla. This will set the tone for the next four days of events, including: Artist Meet & Greets, all-day stops at the private Monster Beach at Poseidon’s Grotto and the cosmopolitan resort mecca of Nassau, Bahamas, the Hot Tub Time Machine 80s Prom, So You Think You Can Shred fan competition, Fantasy Night Masquerade, Rock Anthems Fan Jam hosted by Izzy Presley, Cooking With Rock Stars, plus more events to be announced.

The official line-up for the 2015 Monsters Of Rock Cruise is as follows: Tesla; Europe; Night Ranger; Tom Keifer of Cinderella; Extreme; KIX; Queensryche; Krokus; The Winery Dogs; Stryper; Lita Ford; Black Star Riders; Y&T; Zebra; Black ’N Blue; Faster Pussycat; Honeymoon Suite; Tyketto; Keel; John Corabi; Kip Winger; Michael Sweet; Richie Kotzen; Mike Tramp; Joel Hoekstra; Derek St. Holmes; Ron Keel; Leatherwolf; Babylon AD; Bang Tango; Heavens Edge; Frank Hannon Band; Lillian Axe; Rhino Bucket; Pamela Moore; Gabbie Rae; Atomic Punks; and AJ’s Bravehearts.

In addition, Eddie Trunk, host of VH1’s That Metal Show and The Trunk Nation on Sirius XM, is returning this year as Master of Ceremony. Eddie will be assisted by an all-star lineup of personalities including Luc Carl from XM’s “Hair Nation,” Nikki Blakk from 107.7 FM’s “The Bone,” Keith Roth, host on Sirius XM’s “Hair Nation”/”Boneyard,” Don Jamieson, comedian, co-host of VH1’s That Metal Show; Craig Gass, comedian/actor from Howard Stern’s channel on Sirius XM and DJ Will, music supervisor of VH1’s That Metal Show, In addition, this year’s cruise will feature a “Monster” version of the world famous Cathouse nightclub, complete with original proprietors Taime Downe of Faster Pussycat and Riki Rachtman of MTV’s Headbangers Ball.

Says Larry Morand of On The Blue, “The Monsters of Rock Cruise has always been about fan and artist interaction and we have more bands and events this year than ever before. Fans don’t just watch the artists perform, they make music with the artists. If you’re looking for all things Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, this is the cruise for you.”

Visit MonstersOfRockCruise.com, or connect on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to know about upcoming announcements.

The Scorpions‘ 50th anniversary tour will bring them to North America in September. The new dates begin in Boston and continue through a total of 11 cities before closing on October 2nd in Los Angeles. Queensryche will be the opening act. See the tour itinerary below.

The Scorpions, who’ve been busy since putting aside retirement plans, are touring in support of the just-released album Return to Forever, which reunites the band with Sting of the Tail producers Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen. The group recorded 19 new songs in a flurry of activity. Twelve made the standard edition of Return to Forever; the deluxe edition boasts 16. The iTunes version of the complete album can be streamed below.

The band also released a series of behind-the-scenes clips and song previews as excitement grew for their first original project in five years. Up next is a video, only available in select countries, for the song We Built This House.

“In the end, it tells our story,” frontman Klaus Meine has said of the track. “We’ve built this house called Scorpions brick by brick and often quite arduously. From the first days in Hannover, the first concerts abroad, until this very day. We’ve weathered severe storms, but the house withstood everything, turned out to be wheatherproof and stable. However, building the house was never just cumbersome, but joyful as well. The joy of music, the joy of having experienced and still experiencing it all, the joy of — and the thankfulness for — the fans’ affection.”

Return to Forever, the Scorpions’ 18th studio album, was preceded by 2013′s MTV Unplugged: Live in Athens and a 2011 collection of re-recordings and covers called Comeblack.

Scorpions 2015 North American Tour

9/10 – Boston, MA
9/12 – Brooklyn, NY
9/13 – Gilford, NH
9/18 – Toronto, ON
9/19 – Montreal, QC
9/22 – Columbus, OH
9/23 – Cleveland, OH
9/25 – Windsor, ON
9/26 – Chicago, IL
10/1 – San Jose, CA
10/2 – Los Angeles, CA

additional source: ultimateclassicrock.com

The New York Post’s Page Six reports:

Rocker and philanthropist Jon Bon Jovi is sponsoring a community restaurant in a Jersey Shore community still struggling mightily to recover from Superstorm Sandy.

Through his Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, he is providing financial backing to Spoon Full of Hope. The church project began serving meals in January in a firehouse in Union Beach, New Jersey, near his childhood home of Sayreville.

It lost its funding last summer.

Patrons can either pay a minimum donation or volunteer an hour of time to earn a dining certificate for the volunteer and four family members.

It’s similar to the JBJ Soul Kitchen, a community restaurant Bon Jovi founded in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 2011.

Bon Jovi says the project gives hope to people still rebuilding their lives.

source: pagesix.com

Rock icons Whitesnake are set to return with their 12th studio album this spring. The Purple Album will be released in North America on May 19th via Frontiers Music SRL. The Purple Album is a re-imagination of classic songs from David Coverdale’s time as the lead singer for Deep Purple’s Mark 3 and Mark 4 studio albums. The album is currently available for pre-order on Amazon in a deluxe edition format featuring two bonus tracks, four music videos and a Behind The Scenes featurette on the recording of the album. A standard edition and a double LP vinyl format will be available in the near future. Plans are also underway for a special limited box set edition with memorabilia and merchandise. All details will be announced soon.

“It’s a tribute. A homage. It’s a huge thank you from me to Deep Purple for the opportunity I was given over 40 years ago,” states Coverdale. “As I said to Ritchie, you guys set me on an incredible journey that continues today and I couldn’t have asked for better teachers. The University of Deep Purple was an extraordinary, amazing school to learn from. We can’t wait to play these songs in concert!”

From the opening notes of the classic track Burn, to album closer Stormbringer, Whitesnake are back and better than ever. Songs like Lady Double Dealer, Soldier of Fortune and Sail Away are given a new energy in the very capable hands of the current Whitesnake lineup featuring David Coverdale on vocals, Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra on guitars, Michael Devin on bass and Tommy Aldridge on drums. A video for the first single Stormbringer can be seen below.

The Purple Album track listing:

1) Burn
2) You Fool No One (interpolating Itchy Fingers)
3) Love Child
4) Sail Away
5) The Gypsy
6) Lady Double Dealer
7) Mistreated
8) Holy Man
9) Might Just Take Your Life
10) You Keep On Moving
11) Soldier Of Fortune
12) Lay Down Stay Down
13) Stormbringer

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:

14) Lady Luck
15) Comin’ Home

DVD Content:
Lady Double Dealer – Music Video
Sail Away – Mix Music Video
Stormbringer – Music Video
Soldier Of Fortune – Music Video
Purple Album Behind The Scenes
Purple Album EPK

Whitesnake will hit the road this summer on a headlining world tour. See dates below.

May:

28 Airway Heights, WA Northern Quest Casino
29 Tacoma, WA Emerald Queen Casino
31 Vancouver, BC Hard Rock Casino

June:

2 Santa Rosa, CA Wells Fargo
4 Las Vegas, NV The Joint
5 Scottsdale, AZ Talking Stick Pool Amp
6 Pala, CA Pala Casino Starlight Theater
9 Beverly Hills, CA Saban Theatre
11 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
15 Colorado Springs, CO Pikes Peak Center
17 Shawnee, OK Grand Events Center
19 Biloxi, MS Hard Rock
22 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theater
23 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theater
25 El Paso, TX Socorro Event Center
27 Greeley, CO Greeley Independence Stampede

July:

2 Rama, ON Casino Rama
3 Sterling Heights, MI Freedom Hill Amphitheatre
5 Northfield, OH Hard Rock
7 Huber Heights, OH Music Center @ The Heights
8 Wabash, IN Honeywell Center
10 Mahnomen, MN Shoot Star Casino
11 St. Paul, WI Myth
14 Clear Lake, IA Surf Ballroom
18 Merrillville, IN Star Plaza
20 Greensburg, PA Palace Theater
22 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino
24 Lincoln, RI Twin River Casino
25 Atlantic City, NJ Trump Taj Mahal

As previously reported, Slash and his band Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators will launch their U.S. tour Saturday, April 25th in Orlando FL. Today, (February, 24th), the group announced new shows (New Orleans, Sioux City, Austin and Dallas) that have been added to their U.S. trek encompassing headlining shows and festival appearances. The month-long tour is the first solo trek supporting the group’s acclaimed studio album World On Fire which is Slash’s third straight solo album to debut in the Top Ten in the U.S and the second album with his official band The Conspirators which features Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass) and Frank Sidoris (touring guitarist). In addition to festival appearances at WJRR Earthday Birthday, Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville, Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion, Rise About Fest and Rock on the Range, the global rock heavyweights will headline New York City (Terminal 5), Baltimore (Rams Head Live) and Chicago (Concord Music Hall), among other cities, before wrapping Sunday, May 24th in Dallas (Southside Ballroom). Tickets for the new dates will go on sale starting Friday, (February 27th) at www.slashonline.com.

U.S. Tour Dates:

4/25 Orlando, FL Central Florida Fairgrounds – WJRR Earthday Birthday
4/26 Jacksonville, FL Monster Energy Welcome To Rockville (Festival)
4/28 New Orleans, LA House of Blues

5/3 Concord, NC Rock City Campgrounds – Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion
5/5 Stroudsburg, PA Sherman Theater
5/7 New York, NY Terminal 5
5/8 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
5/9 Bangor, ME Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion – Rise About Fest 2015
5/12 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
5/13 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
5/15 Columbus, OH Columbus Stadium-Rock on the Range (Festival)
5/18 Chicago, IL Concord Music Hall
5/19 Sioux City, IA Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
5/21 Austin, TX Stubb’s Waller Creek Outdoor
5/23 Houston, TX House of Blues
5/24 Dallas, TX Southside Ballroom

To Slash’s entire tour itinerary and to read more about this tour, please click here.

Guitar virtuoso, singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, and producer Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal has released his 10th CD entitled Little Brother Is Watching today. The album is an eccentric, upbeat collection of modern epic rock with haunting melodies, huge choruses and witty lyrics about life in the digital age and beyond. Specifically, his own life and coming to terms with what we all face – beginnings, endings, and moving on. The album was composed, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Bumblefoot at his studio in New Jersey, and also features drummer Dennis Leeflang and a crowd of 100 fans stomping, chanting and singing backing vocals recorded at a listening party in New York.

Bumblefoot has over 20 years of releasing music, performing at international festivals, headlining solo tours, won many album of the month/year awards and has appeared on the covers of numerous music magazines as a solo artist. As lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, Bumblefoot toured sold-out shows all over the world, headlining festivals with crowds up to 150,000 people. Bumblefoot’s unique ‘fretless guitar’ can be heard throughout GNR’s 2008 Chinese Democracy album.

Bumblefoot has current collaborations that include DMC from the iconic rap group Run DMC, and Scott Weiland in the supergroup Art Of Anarchy. His music is often heard in TV, film and video games including the theme song to VH1’s That Metal Show. Bumblefoot also works with U.S. Embassies around the world on cross-cultural music programs, has his own line of award-winning hot sauces, and works with dozens of international charities visiting orphanages and children’s hospitals with guitar in hand.

Little Brother Is Watching track listing:

1. Clots
2. Little Brother Is Watching
3. Argentina
4. Don’t Know Who To Pray To Anymore
5. Livin’ The Dream
6. Cuterebra
7. Higher
8. Women Rule The World
9. Sleepwalking
10. Eternity
11. Never Again

For more information, check out Bumblefoot’s web properties:

bumblefoot.com
twitter.com/bumblefoot
facebook.com/bumblefoot
instagram.com/bumblefoot
youtube.com/Bumblefoot
reverbnation.com/bumblefoot

For forty years, Krokus has produced high-quality, honest-to-goodness, hand-made power rock playing over 2,000 shows across five continents. Now, for the first time in over two decades, the band returns to US shores.

On April 18th, the Swiss rockers board the MSC Divina for the Monsters Of Rock Cruise with a cast of seminal rock and metal acts, including Tesla, Europe, Night Ranger, Extreme, KIX, and Queensrÿche. Following the cruise, the tour continues through a series of US cities, leading to the legendary Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, CA on May 6th.

Tour dates:

April:

18-22 – Miami, FL – Monsters of Rock Cruise
24 – Houston, TX – Concert Pub North
25 – San Antonio, TX – 210 Kapone’s
26 – Dallas, TX – Trees
28 – Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard
29 Kansas City, MO – The Scene

May:

1 – St. Charles, IL – Arcada Theatre
2 – Columbia, MD – M3 Festival, Merriweather Pavillion
4 – El Paso, TX – Speaking Rock Entertainment Center
5 – Las Vegas, NV – Count’s Vamp’d
6 – Los Angeles, CA – Whisky A Go Go

Krokus’ back catalog and album sales are like no other Swiss rock band. To date, the band has already sold over 14 million records, receiving gold and platinum discs in the US and Canada. The milestones in their rock career are dotted around the world from Australia and the US, to Mexico, Russia, Japan, and China.

Krokus latest release was Long Stick Goes Boom: Live From Da House Of Rust, a live recording of the group’s sold-out hometown show at the House of Rust on August 30th, 2013, was released in North America via The End Records in 2014.

additional source: bravewords.com

Blabbermouth.net reports:

Former Whitesnake and Dio guitarist Doug Aldrich says that Dee Snider “didn’t know what he was talking about” when the Twisted Sister frontman questioned Aldrich’s relevance with his time with Whitesnake and the releases he appeared on.

On February 9th, Snider posed the following question for his 124,000 Twitter followers, “What Whitesnake album of importance did Douglas Aldrich play on? I’m just sayin’.” He added in a separate tweet: “I’m tired of musicians who joined famous bands after their heyday claiming they are from those bands. They had NOTHING to do with success!”

Aldrich responded with the following tweet, “Dee Snider, dude, I just did my best to keep the band moving forward. Was blessed to compose 30 tunes. You are a total jackass though. Haha!”

Aldrich then appeared on the February 16th edition of Eddie Trunk’s SiriusXM satellite radio show, Eddie Trunk Live, where he elaborated on his exchange with Snider and what he really thinks about the Twisted Sister singer.

Aldrich said, “We’ve done gigs together — Twisted and Whitesnake — [but] I never really met Dee that I can remember. We’ve done a couple of tribute things together where we did… I think we did [Ozzy Osbourne’s] Crazy Train for a tribute record together and it turned out pretty cool. But I’ve got no problem with the guy.”

He added that Dee’s original tweet “hit me out of the blue. I was up late scouring eBay, looking for old guitars, as I do at night a lot, and I got a message that Dee had posted something. And I went on there, and I was just, like, ‘That is just bizarre, man. What is up with that?’ Normally, Dee… Everybody knows Dee is a super-smart cat, he’s a huge star, and… I just thought, ‘This is weird.’ It was, like, he was not educated at all and just kind of spouted out this thing. So I just tried to educate him a little bit of where I came from with Whitesnake and then I just tagged it with a little smackdown quick.”

According to Aldrich, he is not looking to gain any publicity from a public war of words with Snider. He continued, “[After] the Dee thing happened, somebody said that he said that I was getting all this fame, or something, from his tweeting about me. And I don’t give a s–t. I don’t want that kind of press. I mean, I felt like I was in a tabloid for a second.

The thing of it is… Look, man, everybody knows what I’ve done with Whitesnake, I’m super proud of what I did with Whitesnake, and I definitely put my stamp on the band. It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t work it out schedule wise and I had to leave, but I’m very proud of what David [Coverdale] and I did, and David is my bro. It’s all good. Dee can talk about other guys to them, but he was talking about me and Whitesnake, and he didn’t know what he was talking about.”

Doug continued, “The bottom line is David is Whitesnake, and he’s always had great players, and he’s got new great players now. But the thing is, I get it, what Dee is talking about. [But] he could have called somebody else out. Calling me out was a mistake. And that’s where, if I was Donald Trump [real estate magnate, businessman and host of American reality game show The Celebrity Apprentice on which Snider was a contestant], I’d tell him, ‘Dee, you’re fired.’ [Laughs]”

Aldrich also defended his right to use the Whitesnake name when promoting his current projects. He explained, “You look at sports, and you look at, for example, the [New England] Patriots, and [quarterback] Tom Brady, and what he’s done… I’m not comparing myself to Tom Brady by any stretch — it’s nothing to do with that — but it’s, like, an example… Okay, in a few years, maybe Tom Brady goes away and they get a new guy. Listen, man, the Patriots were famous before Tom Brady, and the Patriots will be famous after Tom Brady, but when Tom Brady goes to do a signing, he’s gonna go, ‘Tom Brady of the Patriots,’ right?! And that’s exactly what I do.”

He adds, “I love [Dee’s] singing, I love the early stuff he did. I was just rocking out with my boy in the car to ‘I Wanna Rock’ and those videos are classic. But, I mean… I get the point that he’s saying… It’s businesss, man. All these guys… There are a lot of guys out there that are not like Dee, and they are guns for hire. They’ve gotta do what they’ve gotta do, and they may use a name. But I definitely do no take liberties with… I pay full respect to David and what he’s done, but I also know that most people who know me know me ’cause of David and Whitesnake. So that’s what I would say: I’m formerly of Whitesnake.”

Aldrich left Whitensake in May 2014, explaining in a statement that he “had several recording and live commitments, so [he] needed a more flexible schedule to conclude these before going full force as normal.” He added: “Unfortunately, my schedule was not workable.”

The guitarist is currently in band with bassist Jack Blades (Night Ranger, Damn Yankees) Deen Castronovo on drums/vocals (Bad English, Journey, Ozzy Osbourne) called The Revolution Saints. Their self titled debut album will be released on February 24th. To listen to the song Turn Back Time click here and to listen to the song Back On My Trail, click here.

source: blabbermouth.net