As previously reported, Saxon will be releasing their 22nd album, Thunderbolt, on February 2nd. The band has released a video of the title song, which can be viewed below.
Thunderbolt is the follow up to the critically acclaimed 2015’s, Battering Ram.
Thunderbolt Track Listing:
1. Olympus Rising
2. Thunderbolt
3. The Secret of Flight
4. Nosferatu (The Vampires Waltz)
5. They Played Rock and Roll
6. Predator
7. Sons of Odin
8. Sniper
9. A Wizard’s Tale
10. Speed Merchants
11. Roadie’s Song
12. Nosferatu (Raw Version)*
*not available on vinyl
Thunderbolt will be available to pre-order on December 1st in the following formats:
– CD Album in Digipack
– 180 gms coloured vinyl in a Gatefold
– A Special Edition Boxset
– Tape Cassette
– Digital Download
Thunderbolt 2018 European Tour – Part 1:
February 23 – UK, Cardiff University
February 24 – UK, Cambridge Corn Exchange
February 25 – UK, Hull City Hall
February 27 – Holland, Tilburg 013
February 28 – Germany, Saarbruecken Garage
March 1 – Germany, Hannover Capitol
March 2 – Germany, Frankfurt Batschkapp
March 3 – Germany, Dresden Schlachthof
In a recent interview with The Aquarian Weekly, KISS” Gene Simmons said he would never work with former guitarist, Vinny Vincent, ever again.
Simmons stated, “No. No. He’s a very talented guy. Everybody’s got their troubles in life. You can’t fix everything. I’m a big supporter of his talent. You know, go with god. Enjoy life, be happy. But I don’t need more dark clouds over my life. It’s nice and calm. Eric [Singer, KISS drummer] and Tommy [Thayer, guitar] have been with us for a very long time, and it’s professional to the highest degree. Everybody is happy to be together. Everybody shows up on time. There’s no, ‘The dog ate my homework.’ None of that crap.
“When you use drugs and alcohol and other bullshit things, it’s everybody else’s fault,” he continued. “You’re always the victim. You never take charge of your situation, and I’m sick of it. I don’t tolerate any of that. I won’t have any of those losers around in my life. That includes regular people too. If somebody I work with in other areas drinks, they’re gone. By the way, they don’t care about you. They just want what they want.”
“It’s a shame,” Simmons added. “He’s talented beyond most people that you’d meet, but you get to sleep in the bed you make.”
Vincent has released a statement responding to Simmons’ comments:
“I love and respect Gene Simmons like a brother, and have nothing but the fondest of memories working with him and Paul Stanley. Ours was a very special chemistry. We made one hell of a great band, and the magic we made together is timeless. I am proud of our work and the songs we wrote that appeared on the Creatures of the Night, Lick It Up and Revenge albums that became KISS classics, and are staples of their live shows to this day. We brought happiness to the fans with performances and songs that will live on. I am appearing in person at the Atlanta KISS Expo to celebrate KISS, embrace our music and our time, and share goodwill with the fans. And for all of the above, I wish both Gene and Paul nothing but the best.”
For more information about the Atlanta KISS Expo, and Vincent’s appearance, please go to here.
Sons Of Apollo–former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force)— will be hitting the road in 2018 for their first-ever highly anticipated worldwide tour, which kicks off in Tampa, FL on February 3rd as part of the Cruise To The Edge, which will be sailing to Belize and Costa Maya. Once the cruise concludes, they’ll be performing in Miami, FL on February 9th as part of the Monsters Of Rock Cruise Pre-Show party. Tickets for the upcoming tour dates go on sale Friday, December 1st at 12pm local time.
As Mike Portnoy declares, “Ever since this lineup assembled to make Psychotic Symphony, the thing I’ve been most excited about is anticipating how insane I know this band is going to be on stage. Well, the wait is almost over. Here are the first U.S. dates that will get to witness this ‘five-headed musical spectacle’ live on stage in February. We plan on being on tour all year long, all over the globe, with plenty of dates now being announced for summer festivals throughout Europe, but these are the very first shows that will get to witness this amazing lineup in person for the first time. We can’t wait.”
Released October 20th through InsideOutMusic/Sony, Psychotic Symphony is available as a 2CD Mediabook (featuring a second disc of instrumental mixes and extended booklet with an exclusive Studio Diary), Gatefold 2LP vinyl + CD (which comes with an etching on side D and the entire album on the CD), Standard Jewelcase CD & digital download. It was produced by the dynamic production duo of Portnoy and Sherinian, also affectionately known as “The Del Fuvio Brothers,” which is the nickname given to them over 20 years ago during their time together in Dream Theater.
Click on titles to listen to previously released songs.
3-8 Tampa, FL Cruise To The Edge
9 Miami, FL Magic City Casino/Monsters Of Rock Cruise Pre-show
11 Orlando, FL Plaza LIVE Orlando
13 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
15 Asbury Park, NJ House of Independents
16 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
17 Battle Creek, MI The Music Factory
18 Joliet, IL The Forge
Bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Foreigner) recently spoke with Glide Magazine, and he revealed that he has a new project in the works, called Super Stroke. The band includes Pilson, along with his Dokken bandmates, guitarist George Lynch and drummer Mick Brown, along with former Lynch Mob, and current Warrant singer, Robert Mason. Pilson discusses the band below.
“…I have a project that we’ll be announcing soon that is George Lynch, Mick Brown and I, from Dokken. We have a project with Robert Mason called Super Stroke. It won’t be coming out until well into next year but we’ve already written a lot of songs for that and it’s absolutely stupendous. I am really proud of that and real excited.
Glide: What does it sound like? Is it leaning more towards the Dokken sound?
Pilson: There’s definitely some Dokken in there. There is a little bit of the straight-ahead Lynch Mob-ness in certain aspects but then another aspect we get quite musical. It’s not progressive but very musical. Some of the songs are pretty epic in their musicality. George is playing his ass off. I mean, the whole band is playing great, I got to say. And Robert is just an amazing singer and it’s so much fun. Robert is in Warrant right now, and he was the second singer for Lynch Mob. There’s a lot of connections in there. So I’m doing that.
Also, probably March, there is going to be a Dokken DVD and CD coming out from the live tour we did in Japan. There is a bonus new song that we’re going to be doing a video of in December.
AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young has been laid to rest after a funeral ceremony attended by former bandmates including his brother Angus, singer Brian Johnson, bassists Cliff Williams and Mark Evans, and drummer Phil Rudd.
Young was celebrated as a “generous” man with “immense talent.” The 64-year-old died earlier this month after suffering dementia and other health issues for several years, having retired from the band he co-founded in 2014.
The traditional Catholic funeral took place at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, Australia. Among the many family, friends and fans who attended were Australian rock singers Jimmy Barnes and Angry Anderson.
Young’s 1963 Gretch guitar, known as “The Beast,” was placed on his coffin in the cathedral. Guests were given a memorial booklet which included a black guitar pick, with one side featuring the letters “M” and “Y,” split by the AC/DC thunderbolt graphic, and the other carrying Young’s birth and death dates of Jan. 6, 1953 and Nov. 18, 2017.
“Malcolm’s family thank you for your love, support and overwhelming outpouring of kindness during this time,” a statement in the booklet read. “They ask that you remember Malcolm as a man who was generous and had immense talent. His enormous legacy to his family and music industry worldwide will never be forgotten.”
While no one from the family spoke during the funeral, 9 News reported that friends offered some lighthearted memories of Young, including his passion for boating – even though he was apparently never very good at it, and kept losing anchors at sea.
One observed that “not since Jaws were people so afraid of going into the water.” Another recalled a clothes shopping trip that ended as soon as Young had bought two pairs of jeans and six black t-shirts.
Lead guitarist Angus Young carried his elder brother’s guitar from the church as the coffin was placed in a hearse, with no flowers or notices other than the nameplate on the top of the casket. The cortege was led by the Scots College Pipes and Drums Band, who played a medley including AC/DC classic It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll). A private family burial followed the service.
“He loved spending time with his family,” friend Bradley Horsburgh told ABC. “Malcolm has left us all too soon – but the spark of his talent will live on forever.”
Avenged Sevenfold have earned a Grammy nomination for “Best Rock Song” for The Stage.
It’s the first-ever Grammy nod for the multi-platinum-selling, Southern California-based group comprised of vocalist M. Shadows, guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ and drummer Brooks Wackerman.
The Stage is the title track of Avenged Sevenfold’s newest release, The Stage (Capitol). The companion video for The Stage has amassed over 22 million views and can be viewed below.
On December 22nd, Avenged Sevenfold will release a deluxe version of the critically acclaimed album featuring seven additional studio songs + 4 unreleased live tracks recorded during recent shows at The O2 Arena in London. Among the 7 bonus tracks is the band’s stunning cover of the Pink Floyd classic, Wish You Were Here. Both the digital and physical deluxe versions of The Stage can be pre-ordered here.
The band will be performing fan favorites from The Stage (along with classic hits, of course) during their 2018 North American arena headlining tour, which kicks off January 12th at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with special guests Breaking Benjamin and Bullet For My Valentine. The band has partnered with CID Entertainment to offer VIP Tour Experiences, including access to a VIP-only viewing area, an official signed show setlist, an invitation to the pre-show lounge featuring Avenged Sevenfold memorabilia and an exclusive A7X tour book including never-before-seen photos. For full package details, please visit CID Entertainment.
An international tour will kick off June 1st in Germany – for a complete list of overseas dates, please visit avengedsevenfold.com/tour.
Avenged Sevenfold’s tour dates:
January 12 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
January 14 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Van Andel Arena
January 16 – Reading, PA @ Santander Arena
January 17 – University Park, PA @ Bryce Jordan Ctr – Penn State University
January 24 – Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center
January 25 – Peoria, IL @ Peoria Civic Center
January 27 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford Premier Center
January 31 – Biloxi, MS @ Mississippi Coast Coliseum***
February 2 – North Little Rock, AR @ Verizon Arena
February 3 – Evansville, IN @ Ford Center
February 6 – Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena
February 8 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
February 9 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ US Cellular Center
February 11 – Fargo, ND @ Fargodome
 recently spoke with Glide Magazine, and he revealed that he has a new project in the works, called Super Stroke. The band includes Pilson, along with his Dokken ... )
