Accept have announced a new guitarist and drummer, ending months of speculation, they are Uwe Lulis on guitar and Christopher Williams on drums. German guitarist Uwe is best known for his work with Rebellion and Grave Digger and American drummer Christopher has worked with many bands and artists including Kid Rock, Lee Greenwood, and Peter Stroud.
Watch a video for Fall Of The Empire below.
Accept will be starting their tour on April 18th in Chihuahua, Mexico and currently winding down on December 12th in Geiselwind, Germany. Thus far no North American dates have been announced.
Babymetal–the Japan-based all-girl-fronted “Kawaii Metal” (mix of J-Pop Idol and Heavy Metal) group–has signed with RAL/Sony Music Entertainment for the U.S. release of their 2014 critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. The album’s re-release will feature two bonus tracks (cover art and tracklisting below) and be available digitally on Tuesday, May 12th and physically on Tuesday, June 16th.
Says Bill Richards, VP of Marketing at RAL/Sony Music Entertainment, “After witnessing the band’s sold-out New York show, we knew we wanted to be involved. The core metal fans and metal press seem to get Babymetal, which shows how the language of music transcends boundaries. They hit all the entertainment buttons and are really fun to watch.”
Since forming in 2010, Babymetal–the young trio of 17-year-old Su-Metal (Vocal, Dance) and 15-year-olds Yuimetal (Scream, Dance)and Moametal (Scream, Dance), backed by a four-piece band packing a heavy metal arsenal–have already achieved two major debut singles: Ijime, Dame, Zetta! and Megistune, both of which ranked in the Top 10 Oricon Chart in Japan. Their first studio album Babymetal also earned the #1 spot on Japan’s album chart and Billboard’s World Album Chart The official live music video for their debut album’s lead single Gimme Chocolate!! has garnered over 24.5 million views on YouTube. Watch it below. Now the band will re-release their chart-topping debut album via RAL/Sony Music Entertainment.
Babymetal Death track listing:
Megitsune
Gimme Chocolate!!
line!
Akatsuki
Doki Doki ☆ Morning
Onedari Daisakusen
Song 4
Uki Uki ★ Midnight
Catch me if you can
Rondo of Nightmare
Head Bangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!
Ijime, Dame, Zettai
*Road of Resistance
*Gimme Chocolate!!-(Live at O2 Academy Brixton, London)
*Bonus tracks
Babymetal’s The Dark Knights Begin world tour 2015 dates here:
5/9 Circo Volador Mexico City, Mexico
5/12 Danforth Music Hall Toronto, Canada
5/14 House of Blues Chicago, IL
5/16 Rock of the Range Columbus, OH
5/29 Rockavaria Munich, Germany
5/30 Roc Im Revier Gelsenkirchen, Germany
6/1 La Laiterie Strasbourg, France
6/3 X-Tra Zurich, Switzerland
6/5 Estragon Club Bologna, Italy
6/6 Rock In Vienna Vienna, Austria
6/21 Makuhari Messe Chiba, Japan
Megadeth have launched a PledgeMusic campaign for their upcoming 15th album.
The band are in the studio working on the follow-up to 2013’s Super Collider – and are giving those who pre-order the album through their Megadeth have launched a PledgeMusic page access to bonus content and exclusive bundle packs.
A statement on the page reads, “Megadeth has entered the studio to begin recording their 15th album and the band wants to bring you along for the ride.
For the first time, Megadeth is going to bring you into the process. No matter what you order, you will get access to a variety of behind-the-scenes content such as photos and videos from the writing and recording sessions. You’ll get full access to the process in real time.”
Along with digital and CD versions of the album, Megadeth are also offering incentives including t-shirts, vinyl pressings, a signed Dave Mustaine book, autographed drumsticks, handwritten lyric sheets, a songwriting session with Mustaine, guitar lessons, and a day in the studio with the band.
Earlier this week, Mustaine revealed that 15 songs had been written for the as-yet-untitled album.
Their lineup was recently completed after months of speculation, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro and Lamb Of God’s Chris Adler joining mainman Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson after the recent departure of bandmembers Chris Broderick and Shawn Drover.
A photo book box set celebrating the life of rock icon Ronnie James Dio has been released.
Rufus Stone originally published the Ronnie James Dio Photo Biography in 2011, created by his official photographer and friend PG Brunelli.
Now the company have launched an “upgrade” to the first print run titled Ronnie James Dio Unseen to mark the 5th anniversary of his death. The vocalist died on May 16th, 2010, from gastric cancer.
The new book contains previously unseen images of the singer and is available in two limited-edition volumes.
Version One is aimed at those who already own the previous release. It comes in LP-sized packaging with silver embossed Dio logo, a copy of the new book, a hand-numbered print drawn by tattoo artist Bob Tyrrell and a t-shirt with the same image. There’s also space in the box for the 2011 book to slip into.
Version Two contains everything found in Version One along with the original book.
When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee meets in New York every September, they nibble on sushi and Carnegie Deli sandwiches, and decide which artists to place on that year’s election ballot. The committee members — successful musicians, record executives, writers and historians — remain cordial even when they disagree, with one exception: the annual arguments that raged about KISS.
Whenever KISS was mentioned, “there were fireworks,” says one attendee. Several people in the room recall hearing the phrase “over my dead body.” Some on the committee see membership in the Rock Hall as the ultimate stamp of credibility; they viewed KISS, a popular and crass band, not with skepticism, but with disgust. Dave Marsh, an author and committee member, said KISS embodies “music at its most mercantile and shallow.” Then Tom Morello, from Rage Against the Machine, joined the committee as part of an effort to make it younger and more diverse (he’s African-American). At his first meeting, in 2013, he launched into what one witness calls “a rant” in praise of KISS. He persuaded the committee to nominate the band, and a few months later, welcomed KISS into the Hall of Fame.
…Because there’s little transparency in the [voting] process, conspiracy theories abound, especially ones that portray [Jan] Wenner as a puppet master. The Hall of Fame Foundation’s two staff members work in the offices of Wenner Media, and the foundation pays rent to Wenner Media for the space it uses. “Jann has completely taken over,” says a disillusioned committee member, pointing to Wenner’s influence on board membership and foundation employees. “He doesn’t try to rig anything, but it’s the Jann Wenner show.” Though Wenner is not on the nominating committee, it is stacked with current and former Rolling Stone writers and editors, which perpetuates the magazine’s vision of rock’s Great Works. “I understand the basis of [the conspiracy theories],” says Wenner, “but I don’t care about the speculation. After doing this for 30 years, nobody’s ever found any credible charge of chicanery or undue influence.”
..The committee has often been justly criticized for being homogenous — “too old, too male, too white, too rich,” says a former member. There are six women and seven people of color among the 41 members. In the last decade, “we’ve made a conscious effort to diversify it,” says Wenner. In 2006, several stalwarts were dethroned: “I was fired for being too old. That’s what I was told,” says one. (Wenner counters that anyone who was kicked off “wasn’t being useful.”) Younger members have been added, including Morello, 50, and The Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, 44.
Morello’s successful advocacy for KISS shows how influential new members have been. In his first year, Questlove pushed pop act Hall & Oates onto the ballot, after others had tried and failed; “he worked the room like Frank Underwood works Congress,” one member says. And yet, the source adds, the balance of power is still with the elders: “Like anything boomer-centric, people are going to hold on to it as if their lives depend on it. You’ll have to pry the Hall of Fame from their cold, dead fingers.”
..Gene Simmons of KISS sums up the frequent criticism that the Hall neglects hard-rock and prog-rock bands. “Patti Smith is in before Deep Purple?” he exclaims. “Talking Heads, but not Yes? It started as a great idea, but it has become a sham.”
Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon has posted the following thoughts on his official website about Van Halen’s new live album, Live At The Tokyo Dome:
“Ok, after all the flames have settled down from people burning up David Lee Roth’s vocals on Jimmy Kimmel, here’s my thoughts on the new Van Halen: Live At The Tokyo Dome CD.
If you are a fan of truly “LIVE” albums as I am and have stated, this album rules! Just to hear Eddie’s guitar tones on Romeo’s Delight, Beautiful Girls, Women in Love alone is worth the $16. As for Dave, well he’s included a 6 page book with lyrics to read the words he don’t sing..and to hear him tell of the spotlight operator in Ice Cream Man is priceless, not to mention all the Japanese BS he rambles.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this CD while driving my 17 yr old to school this morning remembering hearing VH when I was his age and loving it!!!
For those of us who anxiously waited in line at Tower Records to get VHII, Women and Children First, and Fair Warning…this album will tickle your fancy…for those who want perfect vocals, buy a One Direction live album!!!”
Hannon currently has some live shows scheduled in support of his latest solo album, World Peace. See the dates below.
Apr 18 Monsters of Rock Cruise Miami, FL
May 16 Red Hawk Casino Placerville, CA
May 21 Black Oak Casino Tuolumne City, CA
May 22 Cesar Chavez Plaza Park Sacramento, CA
Jun 6 Thunder Valley Casino Resort Lincoln, CA
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