DISTURBED frontman David Draiman has elaborated on his previous Twitter rant regarding parents who would take young children to see a midnight screening of the new Batman film, "The Dark Night Rises".

After it was revealed that a 6-year old girl, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, was one of the victims of last week's Colorado movie theater massacre, and a 3-month-old was among the injured, there has been some online criticism of parents who would bring a baby to such a film.

Draiman, who apparently received a number of negative responses to his earlier comments on this topic, took to Twitlonger.com (a related Twitter site that allows one to send tweets that require more than 140 characters) earlier tonight to clarify his views on the matter, stating, "OK, since apparently my rant is 'news' to some people, and since the braindead tend to pull what they want from whatever is said, let me be crystal clear.

"I have nothing but the deepest condolences for the families of the Denver Batman massacre. It is shocking beyond belief, and may the perpetrator of the crime be forced to toss Hitler's salad in hell for eternity.

"However, separate from the catastrophic event is the notion that somehow it is alright to take a three-month old infant (not a six-year-old child, although that is still questionable) to a showing of any movie is preposterous. Forget the fact that a three-month-old should be safe in bed at midnight, forget the fact their fragile immune systems shouldn't be subjected to the bacterial petri dish that is a movie theatre. The primary issue is the effect that movie theatre sound often at dangerous levels of [decibels] can do permanent damage to a three-month-old infant's still-developing hearing.

"This is separate from the massacre, and it is and will remain my opinion that those who would subject a three-month-old child to it are not only irresponsible, shitty parents, but they should also be charged with child endagerment.

"As Chris Rock said, 'You can drive a car with your feet if you want to. That don't make it a good fuckin idea.'"

Veronica was named on Saturday as one of the 12 victims of the Aurora cinema shooting. Another 58 people were injured when suspect James Holmes opened fire during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises".

Draiman revealed in a December 2011 interview that his plans during DISTURBED's current hiatus included an attempt to "impregnate my wife and have a baby."

The singer married Lena Yada — a Japanese-American model, actress, professional tandem surfer and professional wrestler — on September 25, 2011 in Texas.

Shadows Promotions conducted an interview with the reactivated original lineup of SPINESHANK — featuring Jonny Santos (vocals), Tommy Decker (drums), Mike Sarkisyan (guitar) and Rob Garcia (bass) — on July 19 in Marietta, Georgia. You can now watch the chat below.

SPINESHANK's long-awaited fourth album, "Anger Denial Acceptance", was released on June 19 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Sarkisyan and Decker and mixed by Mike Plotnikoff (PAPA ROACH, BUCKCHERRY).

In a recent interview with FrontRowRock.com, Decker stated about "Anger Denial Acceptance", "It's three of the stages of grieving, rearranged a bit. I think it's something a lot of people can relate to; things ending, relationships, people. Members of this band have been through a lot in the last few years and it all came out in this record. This is the most personal record we've ever done. Everything you hear is real. The pain, anger and sadness come from a real place. It was not a fun record to make."

When asked about the recording process for the new CD, Decker said, "The recording process was a lot different this time. It was the first record where we didn't have an outside producer come in, we did it completely on our own. We also did it in different sessions. We'd write three or four songs and then go record them. Write three or four more and record them in a different studio. We actually took our Pro Tools rig to a cabin in Big Bear and did a lot of the vocals there. We were totally isolated from the outside world; we were able to fully focus and concentrate on the songs. It was a really cool way to record."

SPINESHANK's third album, "Self-Destructive Pattern", was released on September 9, 2003. The album's lead single, "Smothered", was nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Metal Performance".

Following his departure from SPINESHANK, Santos formed SILENT CIVILIAN, which released its debut album, "Rebirth of the Temple", in May 2006. A follow-up effort, "Ghost Stories", came out in May 2010 via Mediaskare/Century Media.

Interview:



"Nothing Left For Me" video:

TheMetalUnion.com recently conducted an interview with vocalist Vincent Bennett of Western Massachusetts metallers THE ACACIA STRAIN. You can now watch the chat below.

THE ACACIA STRAIN will release its new album, "Death Is The Only Mortal", on October 9 via Rise Records. The CD is being produced by guitarist Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz at his Western Massachusetts studio.

Regarding the decision to have Laskiewicz helm the new album, vocalist Vincent Bennett previously said, "You all love DL, so it makes sense for us to go ahead and do the album this way and keep it heavy right from the source of where this all comes from."

THE ACACIA STRAIN in April released a new song, "Servant In The Place Of Truth", via iTunes and Amazon.

Having recently signed a new deal with Rise, the band wanted to put out something new in between labels for fans to enjoy.

THE ACACIA STRAIN's latest CD, "Wormwood", sold around 6,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 67 on The Billboard 200 chart.

THE ACACIA STRAIN's previous effort, "Continent", opened with 5,600 units to land at No. 107.

THE ACACIA STRAIN released its first live album, "The Most Known Unknown", in June 2011 via Prosthetic Records.

Lisa Berigan of 100.3, Washington D.C.'s home for bigger and better classic rock, recently conducted an interview with virtuoso guitarist and visionary composer Steve Vai. You can now listen to the chat in two parts below.

Vai will release "The Story Of Light", a new solo album of original material, on August 14. The title comes out on Favored Nations Entertainment, the label Vai founded in 1999. The sprawling and expressive 12-song set continues a conceptual and cosmic narrative arc that began with the artist's most recent studio release, 2005's acclaimed "Real Illusions: Reflections".

Although "The Story Of Light" is largely instrumental, the album does feature guest vocalists, including singer-songwriter Aimee Mann — dueting with Vai on "No More Amsterdam", which she also co-wrote. Beverly McClellan, a season one finalist on "The Voice", appears on "John The Revelator", a track inspired by a vintage recording of blues singer Blind Willie Johnson, whose acid-soaked vocals are in the mix as well. Other highlights include the title track (which opens the album), "Gravity Storm", "The Moon And I", and "Velorum".

Throughout, three-time Grammy-winner Vai's lead guitar is as lyrically resonant as it is technically masterful, his licks and solos bending sounds and in listeners' minds in equal measure. "The Story Of Light" follows the journey of a man driven mad by grief, intertwining tragedy, revelation, enlightenment, and redemption.

"I'm always pursuing knowledge, I'm a seeker of spiritual equilibrium-and music is a big part of that," says Vai. "I've been obsessed with these kinds of ideas for years." Looking ahead, Vai envisions a third set of songs that will unravel the mysteries and reveal truths that swirl through both 'The Story Of Light' and 'Real Illusions: Reflections'. The completed trilogy, intended to be cinematic-even operatic-in scope, will include lyrics and narration.

"The Story Of Light" is available as of today for online pre-sale orders. This special pre-sale selection of bundled packages is offered exclusively through Vai's web site, Vai.com, where complete details on the products and ordering information are available. Each package includes an instant download of a track from the new album personally selected by Vai, "Gravity Storm".

"The Story Of Light" is Vai's 16th solo effort, and the follow up to 2009's live effort, "Where The Wild Things Are". In support of its release, Vai will begin a tour of North America on August 15 in Fort Lauderdale Florida, accompanied by his band — who are also featured on the new album: Dave Weiner (guitar), Jeremy Colson (drums), Philip Bynoe (bass), and Deborah Hensen (harp, vocals, keyboards).

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Part 2:

Josh Rundquist (a.k.a. That Drummer Guy) conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Doc Coyle of New Brunswick, New Jersey's melodic, thrash-metal warriors GOD FORBID before the band's July 18 concert at at Station 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

GOD FORBID's new album, "Equilibrium", sold 3,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 156 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort landed at No. 7 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Equilibrium" was released on March 27 via Victory Records. The bulk of the CD was recorded by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM), with Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER) stepping in during the the vocal-tracking stage. The effort was mixed by acclaimed Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with such acts as KATATONIA, OPETH, PARADISE LOST and AMON AMARTH.

Interview (audio):



"Equilibrium" video:

During the July 11 concert by ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA — the national touring project that finds guitar virtuoso Dweezil Zappa recreating the music of his late great father, Frank Zappa — at the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh, North Carolina, Dweezil shared one of his favorite childhood-hero memories before tackling the most memorable and incredible guitar solos of all time, Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption". The 11-minute clip, which can be seen below, also includes a follow-up cover of VAN HALEN's "Somebody Get Me A Doctor", complete with a spandex-wearing David Lee "Sloth" parody.

In a recent interview with NWITimes.com, Dweezil stated about ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, "I'm not sure I went into it with any expectations. My goal musically, was to just let the music speak for itself. To learn it as well as we could and to perform it as well as we could. To play it as Frank wrote it."

He added, "A lot of people have the idea that Frank's music was comedy music or some sort of novelty music, but that is not the case. His music really has a lot of depth and variety in it with all the different things that he did. While there is certainly comedy aspects and elements in the music, the majority of the music he made doesn't have any of that. A good deal of his music was instrumental."

HardRockChick.com conducted an interview with STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static and his wife Tera Wray on July 21 at Backstage Live in San Antonio, Texas. You can now watch the chat below.

The new touring lineup of STATIC-X consists of the following musicians:

Wayne Static - Guitar, Vocals
Sean Davidson - Drums
Ashes - Guitar
Brent Ashley - Bass

Original STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos — who is currently on the road with SOULFLY — issued a statement last week indicating that he had "no interest in working with Wayne Static, now, or anytime in the foreseeable future."

Speaking to Loudwire, Wayne stated about his new bandmates, "We all get along really good, actually. It's kind of a different vibe behind the scenes. As far as onstage, though, it's all business. We all have a great time as always and put on a great show. This tour in particular, we're playing a lot of old stuff off of the first two records."

Regarding his decision to resurrect STATIC-X, Wayne said, "I really just wanted to go back to old-school STATIC-X since the band has been gone for a few years. The last tour I was on I did a lot of my solo stuff, and I'm ready to get back to old-school STATIC-X stuff, which is actually new again."

STATIC-X's current trek marks the band's first outing since they announced a hiatus in 2009.

Athough none of the other original members — Tony Campos (bass), Koichi Fukuda (guitar) and Nick Oshiro (drums) — are joining Wayne on this tour, Tony previously said that he was supportive of his former bandmate's decision to reform the group, saying, "I'm proud of my years with STATIC-X, and want to see the name of the band stay alive and well. I hope that all of our fans will continue to support both Wayne and I in our individual endeavors."

"Cult of Static", the latest album from STATIC-X, sold 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 16 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Interview:



Performance footage (July 16 at Dos Amigos in Odessa, Texas):

Brazil's Wikimetal podcast recently conducted an interview with keyboardist Alex Staropoli of Italian symphonic metal masters RHAPSODY OF FIRE. You can listen to the chat using the SoundCloud player below.

RHAPSODY OF FIRE 2012 is:

Fabio Lione - Vocals
Alex Staropoli - Keyboards
Roberto De Micheli - Guitar
Tom Hess - Guitar
Oliver Holzwarth - Bass
Alex Holzwarth - Drums

The new RHAPSODY OF FIRE lineup made its live debut on April 6 at the PPM Fest at the Lotto Mons Expo in Mons, Belgium.

Staropoli and RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli last year announced their decision to go their separate ways.

Due to legal reasons, Staropoli is continuing under the RHAPSODY OF FIRE name. Turilli, on the other hand, is making his efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE's original name), in which he is joined by guitarist Dominique Leurquin, bassist Patrice Guers, singer Alessandro Conti (TRICK OR TREAT) and drummer Alex Landenburg (AT VANCE, ANNIHILATOR, MEKONG DELTA, STRATOVARIUS).

RHAPSODY OF FIRE's latest album, "From Chaos To Eternity", was released in North America on July 12, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. Described by the band as "the natural evolution" from 2010's "The Frozen Tears Of Angels", the CD marks RHAPSODY OF FIRE's final release based on the fantasy saga started in 1997 with the group's debut album, "Legendary Tales".

Former American recording artists MANMADE GOD reformed for a Bay Area appearance last night (Saturday, July 21) at the New Parish in Oakland, California. It marked the first time all four members played together since January 2005 when they abruptly and unexpectedly called it a day.

Fan-filmed video footage of last night's concert can be seen below.

MANMADE GOD's self-titled debut album was released in 2004 under Rick Rubin's guidance while co-produced by Brian Joseph Dobbs and later mixed by Sean Beavan. The CD was acclaimed by fans and critics but extremely underexposed and not properly supported after its release. That turned into the frustration that led to their inevitable breakup.

Singer Pann Reed, guitarist Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN, SPIRALARMS), bassist James Walker (formerly of SPIRALARMS) and drummer Steve Jacobs (formerly of FORBIDDEN and former SPIRALARMS) got into the same room together and felt at ease with one another immediately. There was undeniable chemistry.

Commented Locicero: "Sometimes emotions are painful things to bury and other times it helps to dig them up. MANMADE GOD reforming for this show has been nothing but therapeutic for me. It feels great mostly because how quickly everything ended the first time. We feel we wrote music from our souls for everybody else to enjoy as much as we did making it. I'm very fortunate to have a lot of great music in my life and believe there is always room for more with my bros."

Added Reed: "I feel like the time is right. We are all mature enough to really enjoy the experience that lays before us... All of it, in all of its complexities and forms. It's good to have my brothers back by my side."

Finnish melodic death metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM have entered the studio to begin recording their sixth album for a tentative February 2013 release.

Commented the band: "The drumming madness of Jarmo 'Kammm' Pikka was already caught on tape at Nordic Audio Labs studio in Vaasa by engineer Sami Koivisto (AMORPHIS, SOTAJUMALA). Now we are in the middle of other recordings at Teemu Aalto Productions and OmG studio in Kotka, where the recordings are made with our trusted man Teemu Aalto. The mixing and mastering will be done again by Dan Swanö at Unisound studio — so expect nothing more but the best!

"Joonas Koto will be making his OMNIUM GATHERUM album debut on this album with his awesome flawless action-Jackson guitar skills, so the guitar duo Vanhala/Koto is on fire here like never before! The bass parts will be played by Eerik Purdon, the legendary man behind the bass lines of 'The Redshift'.

"We've done a huge amount of pre-production for the album in the shadows, during the gig break on the first half of this year and all we can say is… sounding astoundingly gooooood! The new album will surely continue from where 'New World Shadows' left, but there'll be also some stylistic echoes from the 'The Redshift' past as also lots of new spices and flavours. The next chapter of adult-oriented death metal that is…"

OMNIUM GATHERUM's fifth album, "New World Shadows" (2011), entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 5. This marked the highest chart entry in the group's history, having previously landed at No. 24 with 2008's "The Redshift" and No. 31 with 2007's "Stuck Here On Snakes Way".

American/German/Swedish symphonic metallers KAMELOT have posted the first in a series of webisodes featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the band's recent European festival appearances. Check it out below.

KAMELOT's new album, "Silverthorn", will be released on October 26 (Germany), October 29 (rest of Europe) and October 30 (North America) via Steamhammer/SPV. The CD will mark the band's first release with new singer Tommy Karevik, the 30-year-old Swede who previously fronted SEVENTH WONDER (a group that he is still a member of).

In a brand new interview with RockLiveBG, KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai stated about the band's new vocalist, "[Tommy] was already with us on some tour dates as a guest singer, and he was singing on one or two songs. And in the past year, we were considering which singer to take. I was strongly on Tommy's side because he made a huge impression on me. Personality. of course. is really important. and he is a little bit introverted and I like this 'Scandinavian feel' about him and he fits KAMELOT really well."

He continued, "The final decision for him was sending in vocals, lyrics and recorded melody on a ballad that I wrote which is on the album. And it was so great and impressive. We all had goosebumps and when we heard that for the first time we knew immediately that was 'it.' He wrote most of the vocal melodies in the album also."

On the topic of the upcoming CD, Palotai said, "The cover was done by Stephan Heilemann. He also did covers for EPICA and my other band, SONS OF SEASONS. He is one of my best buddies, living in the neighborhood, and in my opinion, he is one of the greatest designers in the whole world. The amount of songs is ... I think 9 or 10 without the interludes. . . It's a concept album and it has a story. In the special edition you will get a little book where the story is described. All the songs will be around the story. It will be something like [2005's] 'The Black Halo'.

Regarding how the upcoming CD compares to 2010's "Poetry For The Poisoned", Oliver said, "To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of 'Poetry For The Poisoned'. For me, 'The Black Halo' is a bit like a reference also when I produce bands in my studio. So we wanted to go back to 'The Black Halo' but also include modern elements, which we included since then. You will never hear from a band, Our new record sucks,' but this record is a real killer and brings KAMELOT back on track. It is exactly what I wanted, and I'm really happy with it. I hope the fans will like it as well."

KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood previously stated about Karevik: "We had around 800 candidates for the vacant position, among them a number of really renowned musicians, and having to reject them really wasn't easy."

In KAMELOT's search for a new singer, Youngblood found YouTube to be an amazing tool. "I listened to a clip of a studio production featuring Tommy and have to confess that his performance really amazed me," he said. "His approach to melodies and themes suits KAMELOT perfectly, and during our European shows we had plenty of opportunity to find out what a great guy he is."

Tommy first appeared as one of the guest singers on KAMELOT's very successful 2011 Pandemonium World Tour.

Youngblood on the style and content of the forthcoming KAMELOT concept album: "The new songs sound more symphonic and melodic than our last two studio recordings. The material brings to mind albums such as 'Karma' (2001) and 'The Black Halo' (2005). In addition, this will be the best production that KAMELOT have ever delivered. Because while other acts tend to opt for low-budget productions due to the difficult market situation, we have gone the opposite way: the new album will be a real statement, in terms of our compositions as well as in terms of our sound."

KAMELOT will support Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH on a North American tour in September and October.

A short video clip of Belgium-based classical guitarist Thomas Zwijsen and British heavy metal singer Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE) playing an acoustic version of the IRON MAIDEN classic "Hallowed Be Thy Name" can be seen below.

Zwijsen who has recorded an acoustic IRON MAIDEN tribute album called "Nylon Maiden", will join forces with Bayley for an acoustic tour at the end of this week. Thomas says, "We will play [the BLAZE BAYLEY song 'Soundtrack Of My Life'] along with some other Blaze songs, some WOLFSBANE songs, many IRON MAIDEN songs and, of course, some of my 'Nylon Maiden' arrangements."

Bayley contributed his vocals to a cover version of IRON MAIDEN's "The Clansman" for the "Nylon Maiden" album.

Zwijsen is one of the musicians who backed Bayley on Blaze's most recent European "The King Of Metal" tour.

Bayley's new studio album, "The King Of Metal", was released in March. The CD was recorded at Fear Studio in Ravenna, Italy.

The 49-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, was the original frontman in WOLFSBANE, but left in 1994 to replace Bruce Dickinson as the lead singer of IRON MAIDEN.

Ned of the WGRD 97.9 FM radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan recently conducted an interview with former PANTERA and current HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott as well as Vinnie's HELLYEAH bandmate Tom Maxwell. You can now listen to the entire 11-minute chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow.

On Vinnie Paul's recent comment that if PANTERA ever reformed, Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) would be the man to replace the band's late guitarist — and Vinnie's brother — "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott:

Vinnie: "There was a whole lot more that was said before that. It was from a station [97.1 The Eagle Rocks] that I did an interview with in Dallas, with Cindy [Scull], who's a really good friend of mine. We were just talking about being down in Australia. We had just done some shows with HELLYEAH, also with BLACK LABEL while we were down there, and we had done some hanging. I think the bottom line is Zakk's a great friend of mine. Obviously, he was a really great friend of Dime's. But the truth of the matter is Dime was PANTERA. He was such a huge part of it, and I just think it would tarnish the legacy of the band and everything that he was all about to try to have somebody else get up there and play. That's how I feel about it. I'm very, very proud and happy to be doing what I'm doing with HELLYEAH. It's called moving on in your life. You've gotta move forward, and that's what I'm doing."

Tom: "I have absolute respect for Zakk and all these other guitar players, and as a fan of PANTERA, I would have loved to have seen that happen again, but nobody can fill those shoes; it would not be the same, even for a fan. You might be able to get some kind of nostalgic thing out of it, but you're not getting Dime. Pretty much, man, as a guitar player, when I went and saw [PANTERA], [Dimebag] is who I wanted to see."

On whether he would show up to a hypothetical PANTERA Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction knowing that his former bandmates — vocalist Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown — were also going to be there:

Vinnie: "Well, until that day comes along, I won't be able to answer that question for you."

In a recent interview, Wylde was asked about Vinnie's comment that Zakk would be the man to replace Dimebag in an imaginary PANTERA reunion. "My thoughts on the PANTERA thing… Everybody's been asking me about it now, too. Which is cool," Zakk said. "I love [Vinnie Paul]. Rex I saw at my roast [in January]. It was great seeing Rex again. And Phil, I know. . . Put it this way, if the guys were ever to do that and they asked me to… Obviously, it would be to honor Dimebag's greatness and the band's amazing achievements. I mean, to me, as far as I'm concerned, if the guys were to do it, it would just be a celebration of everything they achieved and a celebration of Dime's life and Dime's greatness. So, of course, I'd be honored to play my fallen brother's stuff, without a doubt. And I know he'd be getting a kick out if it, too. That's for sure; he'd be laughing his ass off. But that's all up to the guys. So whatever… I'd always be there for them. Without a doubt."

In May, Anselmo was asked by Ned of the WGRD 97.9 FM radio station about the likelihood of a PANTERA reformation with Wylde, "That's an interesting question," he said. "Well, look, before anything like that could possibly happen, Vince and I would have to actually be in the same room, we'd have to sit down, hash out whatever differences, demons… whatever… we'd have to hash it all out. And as far as Zakk Wylde goes, I'm not so sold on all that, because I think he and I have to sit down and hash some crap out. That day has not come yet, and [when] that day comes, I can comment further on it. As of right now, it's just talk."

Former PANTERA bassist Rex Brown also addressed the possibility of Wylde taking Dimebag's place in a reformed PANTERA. He told the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner in May, "You know, we keep hearing rumors about a reunion with Zakk Wylde on guitar, and that is such bullshit. You can't replace my brother."

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian believes that steps should be taken to expand gun control so that firearms don't end up "in the hands of people not responsible enough to own one."

Last week's Colorado theater shooting left 12 dead and dozens more wounded, with the shooting suspect, James Holmes, allegedly having used a semiautomatic weapon and a high-capacity ammunition magazine to commit the crimes.

In a series of tweets, Ian offered his opinion on the matter, writing, "To those asking, I am a gun enthusiast that has a big problem with how easy it is for people that have no business owning a gun to get one. The old argument of 'if guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will have guns' means nothing. The 'outlaws' get their guns illegally and use them to perpetrate crimes that get them paid, they don't go shooting innocent people in movie theaters. There's no money in that. Inhuman maniacs get their guns legally and plan their murders to the letter. That is what I have a problem with. So to all my fellow gun enthusiasts, I don't want your guns, I don't want guns in the hands of people not responsible enough to own one. How do we make that work? I have no idea. Have a nice Sunday with someone you love and hope that what happened in Aurora never happens again."

"Weapons of war don't belong on the streets," Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, of California, said on "Fox News Sunday", according to Bloomberg.com. "We've got to sit down and really come to grips with what is sold to the average person in America."

During an appearance on the same program, Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said, "I don't think society can keep sick, demented individuals from obtaining weapons."

According to the Los Angeles Times, a Gallup poll conducted in January found that 50 percent of people are at least somewhat satisfied by the state of America's gun control laws, while 42 percent either very or somewhat dissatisfied.

MÖTLEY CRÜE played its new single, "Sex", live for the first time at the opening show of the band's North American co-headlining tour with KISS — simply dubbed "The Tour" — this past Friday, July 20 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

Written when the band was together during their residency in Las Vegas last February, "Sex" is the first studio track from the CRÜE since their June 2008 release of "Saints Of Los Angeles". The song was recorded at MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee's studio called The Atrium in Calabasas, California.

Speaking to VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner in March, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist and main songwriter Nikki Sixx stated about the band's new track, "It sounds very much like it's off of the first record [1981's 'Too Fast For Love']. And that was definitely on purpose. I've been writing very simple riffs for the last year and focusing on how these riffs would work for Vince [Neil, vocals], basically, and took it in the studio with Tommy and Mick [Mars, guitar] and the thing just came alive."

In an interview with AOL's Noisecreep, Tommy stated about "Sex", "I think Nikki is partially right. It's got a retro CRÜE kind of vibe to it — a simplistic riff. But I also think the song has a modern sound to it. There's some cool analog synths in it and a beat that is really funky and modern. So I guess you can say that it has a retro yet modern sound."

He added, "Overall, I think that 'Sex' sounds like 2012 and that makes me really happy. It turned out killer! Not that I'm not into some retro-sounding stuff, but it is 2012 kids — let's keep it moving. At the end of the day, it's a great summertime song that's going to have everybody screaming along to it on this tour."

After it was revealed that a 6-year old girl, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, was one of the victims of last week's Colorado movie theater massacre, there has been some criticism about parents who would take young children to see a midnight screening of the new Batman film, "The Dark Night Rises".

DISTURBED singer David Draiman, who has never been afraid to voice his opinion on controversial topics, took to his Twitter account and tweeted a link to a CNN report which posed the question if infants were too young to be at late-night movie showings. Draiman first wrote "Yes, they are," before further elaborating on Twitlonger.com (a related Twitter site that allows one to send tweets that require more than 140 characters), stating, "All you parents out there that think it's OK to take your infants out on the town with you, to a movie theater or otherwise, do the world a favor. Give your children up for adoption to parents who know what it is to be a responsible parent, and sacrifice on behalf of their children. Get a damn babysitter.”

He added, "Maybe we should take infants to nightclubs and restaurants in the late hours of the night as well? Honestly, fuck off. This is why only certain people should be allowed the gift of a child. Too many simply aren't ready for the responsibility.”

After apparently receiving several negative responses to his rant, Draiman wrote, "anyone who doesn't like what's being said on here, simply unfollow," before tweeting, "Wow … Multiple-choice question, kids. People either 1. Can't read 2. There are more shitty parents out there than I thought 3. All of the above."

Veronica was named on Saturday as one of the 12 victims of the Aurora cinema shooting. Another 58 people were injured when suspect James Holmes opened fire during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises".

"Above The Ruins", the new video from Tel-Aviv, Israel metallers HAMMERCULT, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut album, "Anthems Of The Damned", which was released on April 20 through Sonic Attack Records.

HAMMERCULT recently wrapped up a European tour during which they shared stages with SEPULTURA, HATEBREED and MALEVOLENT CREATION. Their next live show will be at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany in early August.

Since its formation in the politically-charged country of Israel in late 2010, HAMMERCULT has created a violent mixture of extreme thrash metal with a nasty punk approach, delivering crunching riffs, furious vocals, pounding drum skins and sickening lyrics. In a matter of months, HAMMERCULT managed to gather a loyal hardcore fan base through the band's intense live show attitude — "no bullshit, just metal!"

After conquering the hearts of the Israeli metalheads, HAMMERCULT emerged victorious at the international Metal Battle competition at Wacken Open Air in summer 2011. But this was just the beginning — they also signed to the German label Sonic Attack Records, founded by Karl Walterbach, and embarked on a European tour with crossover legends D.R.I.

German death metallers GRIND INC. will enter almighty Catacomb Productions in December to begin recording their as-yet-untitled fifth album for an early 2013 release. The band states, "At the moment, we are heavily focused on the songwriting process, so expect some brutal results from Krefeld."

GRIND INC.'s fourth album, "Lynch And Dissect", was released in 2010. The CD was recorded at Catacomb Productions in Germany by Thomas Granzow and GRIND INC. and was mixed and mastered by Jörg Uken at Soundlodge studios. The cover artwork was once again handled by Björn Goosses of Killustrations.

GRIND INC. in 2009 parted ways with Thomas Strater (one of GRIND INC.'s two vocalists) due to "musical differences and circumstances of life."

The band did not search for a replacement singer and decided to continue as a four-piece.

GRIND INC. started out in 2001 as a side project of HATE FACTOR and NIGHT IN GALES members. The point was "to make the most brutal music possible without neglecting groove and having shitloads of fun," according to the band's official bio.

Ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Izzy Stradlin joined his former band on stage last night (Saturday, July 21) to perform almost a dozen songs during a hastily scheduled concert at a private wedding in Saint-Tropez, France. Izzy and the current lineup of GN'R reportedly played the following tracks: "You're Crazy", "Welcome To The Jungle", "It's So Easy", "Mr. Brownstone", "Used To Love Her", "14 Years", "Dead Flowers", "Nightrain", "Patience", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Paradise City". Also performed last night — without Stradlin — were the songs "This I Love", "Rocket Queen", "Estranged", "Live And Let Die", "Street Of Dreams", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Don't Cry".

The Saint-Tropez concert was a last-minute addition to GN'R's itinerary, following the band's performance at Costa De Fuego festival in Benicassim, Spain on Friday and before tonight's gig at Son Fusteret in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Reports suggest the event was a private wedding for a billionaire and that Bryan Adams was also on hand to perform before GN'R hit the stage.

After last night's show, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist DJ Ashba tweeted, "Just finished playing a private concert in St. Tropez, France. It was great having Izzy back on stage with us."

Fellow GN'R axeman Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal appeared less enthused about the prospect of playing a last-minute concert, tweeting before the show, "Wow. Diverted without info (or gear or clothes or sleep) to play a wedding in France. Yep. Guess it's not *one show left*." He added, "Crew working dangerously nonstop due to added show. Not ok with that..."

Afterwards, Thal tweeted, "That was actually fun as fuck & everybody was so sweet :)"

Stradlin previously performed with GUNS N' ROSES on May 31 at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Both Izzy and GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose skipped the band's recent induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Stradlin issued a statement the week before the induction, thanking his bandmates, the Hall Of Fame for "the acknowledgment of our works over the years," and the fans who "have supported GUNS N' ROSES from day one."

Former GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan joined Axl Rose on stage for the first time in seventeen years at the band's October 14, 2010 concert in London.

For the Rock Hall induction performance, McKagan, guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler were joined by guitarist Gilby Clarke and drummer Matt Sorum for three songs — "Mr. Brownstone", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City" — from the band's classic 1987 debut, "Appetite For Destruction". Providing vocals in the absence of Axl Rose was Myles Kennedy, the singer for ALTER BRIDGE and Slash's current solo band.

Sorum played drums for "Mr. Brownstone", while original drummer Adler took over for the other two songs.

Photo below courtesy of GUNS N' ROSES Facebook page

On July 18, Fuse TV's Juliya Chernetsky conducted an interview with MOTÖRHEAD at the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma stop of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour. You can now watch the chat below.

MOTÖRHEAD will release "The Wörld Is Ours – Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else" in Germany on September 21, three days later in the rest of Europe and October 9 in North America via UDR/EMI. The follow-up to 2011's "The Wörld Is Ours – Vol 1: Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else" will feature the band's 2011 Wacken Open Air headline appearance as well as highlights from Sonisphere (United Kingdom) and Rock In Rio (Brazil) shows.

"The Wörld Is Ours – Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else" will be available as a digipack (DVD plus two CDs), double-CD, double-vinyl (Wacken Open Air show), Blu-ray and direct-to-consumer version featuring 2 CDs, a DVD/Blu-ray and a special booklet.

MOTÖRHEAD's latest album, "The Wörld Is Yours", sold 7,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 94 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous effort, "Motörizer", premiered with 6,400 units back in 2008 to debut at No. 82, while 2006's "Kiss Of Death" registered a first-week tally of 3,500.

"The Wörld Is Yours" was released in North America on February 8, 2011. The CD is a vital, scorching statement of intent from the band as they launch Motörhead Music, their very first record label.

Written and performed by Lemmy Kilmister, Philip Campbell and Mikkey Dee in both Los Angeles, California and Wales, with production once again by Cameron Webb, "The Wörld Is Yours" serves to remind everyone that you should never stop questioning or critiquing a society that would surely chew you up and spit you if given half a chance. And with 10 soul-scorching testaments to the unbridled power this world-famous trio continually maintain, "The Wörld Is Yours" delivers some of the finest, most important Motörmusic yet.

Maryland rockers CLUTCH played three brand new songs on July 18 at Vinyl Music Hall in Pensacola, Florida. Fan-filmed video footage of two of the tracks can be viewed below. The entire concert is available at Tyronehood.tv.

CLUTCH released a new limited-edition picture-disc single, "Pigtown Blues", on June 5 via Weathermaker Music. The A side is "Pigtown Blues" and the B side is an acoustic version of the track "Motherless Child". The disc is available at your favorite record store as well as online at IndierMerchStore.com and Pro-Rock.com. This is the first new studio material from CLUTCH since 2009's "Strange Cousins From the West" and the first simultaneous worldwide release for Weathermaker Music.

CLUTCH is currently taking part in a headlining tour with special guests PRONG and LIONIZE. The run kicks off July 11 in Fayetteville, Arkansas and wraps up tonight (Sunday, July 22) in Richmond, Virginia.

CLUTCH will also be playing select dates in August with LIONIZE. These shows are scheduled for August 9, 10 and 12.

CLUTCH has also rescheduled the two shows that were postponed this May. These dates are now scheduled for November 1 through November 3. LIONIZE will be providing direct support and MONSTRO will open these dates.

DREAM THEATER's August 19 and August 20 concerts at Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina will be professionally filmed and recorded for the band's next live DVD, to be released sometime next year.

Speaking to Tri-State Rock, LaBrie said (hear audio below), "We're pretty stoked. We're actually gonna be using Mike Leonard, who was the production, filming company that we used for 'The Spirit Carries On' documentary. So they're coming back into it. And we're using Rich Chycki, who's worked on the last few RUSH albums as engineer and mixer, and he also worked on the ['R30'] 30th-anniversary DVD with RUSH. And so we have him involved; he'll be doing the audio recording. And we have some technological things that are gonna be going on this DVD that should make it quite interesting. But it is a two-night shoot. It's in a place that we've played before called Luna Park in Buenos Aires, and it's a beautiful, beautiful area, and it will be outside, so hopefully the weather gods will work in our favor. But yeah, it's a really great place. We thought it was the perfect venue for us to do this DVD. And we're pretty stoked. I think it's gonna be very cool, very unique, and I think it should step it up, once again, from our last official DVD, which was 'Score', [filmed] at Radio City Music Hall. So, yeah, it'll be great. We're really excited about it, and it should be something I'm sure that our fans are going to appreciate immensely once it's all done and out there."

DREAM THEATER — James LaBrie (vocals), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitar and vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards and continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — launched a major North American headlining summer tour on June 15 in Rochester, New York. The tour included stops at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey plus a two-night engagement at the Paramount Theater on Long Island, New York. They were touring behind their 11th studio album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", which had 14 Top 10 debuts around the world. It also produced the band's first-ever Grammy nomination for "On The Backs Of Angels" in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category.

Fan-filmed video footage of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS/ex-VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland's July 18 performance at The Independent in San Francisco, California can be seen below.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS last month released the concert Blu-ray and DVD "Alive In The Windy City", which documents a March 2010 performance at Chicago's Riviera Theatre. The 18-song set includes STP staples like "Vasoline", "Interstate Love Song" and "Sex Type Thing", all filmed in high-definition video, while the bonus features include exclusive interviews with each band member that bring the disc's total running time to 92 minutes.

The release of "Alive In The Windy City" coincides with the band's late summer tour, which now begins on August 18 in Pontiac, Michigan and extends into late September. A number of shows on the tour will find the band playing its 1992 debut album, "Core", from start to finish in celebration of the record's 20th anniversary.

San Francisco Bay Area metallers EXODUS inaugurated their summer festival season with a performance on June 2 at the Scion Rock Fest in Tampa, Florida. With Gary Holt still handling guitar duties for Jeff Hanneman on SLAYER's North American and European tours, EXODUS invited out none other than former bandmember Rick Hunolt to fill in for Scion and other shows.

Longtime EXODUS fans will recall that Hunolt — the other half of the famed EXODUS "H-Team" who is on every studio recording from 1985 through 2004 and co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs such as "A Lesson In Violence" and "Deliver Us To Evil" — left EXODUS after the band's highly-acclaimed 2004 reunion album, "Tempo Of The Damned". "Murder In The Front Row", the recent photo book documenting the pinnacle of the Bay Area thrash scene, aptly documents Hunolt's tenure in the band.

Following his departure, Hunolt was replaced by HEATHEN guitarist Lee Altus.

Holt joined his EXODUS bandmates for their Graspop Metal Meeting performance in Desel, Belgium on June 23 for a special lesson in violence with a three-guitar attack! Check out fan-filmed video footage of the performance below.

Hunolt previously rejoined his former bandmates at a special concert in celebration of Holt and Lisa Perticone's wedding on September 24, 2011 at Avalon in Santa Clara, California. He also performed with them at "Bonded By Baloff: A Decade Of Remembrance", a special concert which marked the 10-year anniversary of former EXODUS singer Paul Baloff's passing. The event took place February 4 at the Oakland Metro Operahouse in Oakland, California.

GetYourRockOut.com conducted an interview with MINISTRY guitarist Sin Quirin prior to the band's July 21 concert at the Academy in Manchester, England. You can now watch the chat below.

MINISTRY's new album, "Relapse", sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 193 on The Billboard 200 chart. Issued on March 26, the CD was recorded last fall at mainman Al Jourgensen's industrial compound studio in with his favorite co-conspirators Mike Scaccia (RIGOR MORTIS), Tony Campos (STATIC-X, SOULFLY), Tommy Victor (PRONG) and Casey Orr (RIGOR MORTIS, GWAR).

MINISTRY's current touring lineup:

* Al Jourgensen - Vocals, Guitar
* Mike Scaccia (RIGOR MORTIS) - Guitar
* Casey Orr (RIGOR MORTIS) - Bass
* John Bechdel (KILLING JOKE, FEAR FACTORY) - Keyboards
* Aaron Rossi (REVOLTING COCKS) - Drums
* Sin Quirin (REVOLTING COCKS) - Guitar

SOULFLY bassist Tony Campos is not performing with MINISTRY due to scheduling conflicts.

Thirty years and 12 albums later, as well as a near-death experience in 2010, Jourgensen rises as a phoenix from the ashes with "Relapse" — still angry, still political and very very pissed off. Relapsing back into the music industry after a four-year hiatus, Jourgensen launches his audio assault with "Ghouldiggers", a no-holds-barred metal bullet aimed directly at the pitfalls of the industry he has survived. Everything Jourgensen predicted on "Houses Of The Molé", "Rio Grande Blood" and "The Last Sucker" has transpired and as we approach the Mayan calendar of the End of Days in 2012, Jourgensen, re-invigorated by the global 99 Percenters and Occupy Wall Street movement, navigates through "Relapse" once again as a reluctant prophet accusing, dissecting, cajoling and exhorting greed, corruption and lies.

Reaching back to his punk rock roots, Jourgensen and his MINISTRY pirates cover S.O.D.'s "United Forces" — a track written 20 years ago still relevant today as a call to arms for the unrighteous and to those who feel disenfranchised by the "system" as it stands today.

Cited as the driving force behind a cross-section of metal genres from industrial's NINE INCH NAILS and STATIC-X to nu metal's KORN, LINKIN PARK and LIMP BIZKIT, and receiving six Grammy nominations for "Best Metal Performance", Jourgensen returns with his greatest achievement to date with "Relapse".

Interview:



Performance (July 6 at Getaway Rock Festival in Gävle, Sweden):

ACCEPT guitarist Herman Frank and I AM I/ex-DRAGONFORCE singer ZP Theart were interviewed on the latest edition of "Rich Davenport's Rock Show". The program can be streamed using the Mixcloud player below. (Note: The Frank interview begins around the 20-minute mark; the Theart chat at around one-hour, 15-minute mark.)

Herman Frank released his new solo album, "Right In The Guts", on June 22 via Metal Heaven. The CD is described in a press release as "a total metal brochure full of energy, determination and pure adrenaline." Frank's "compositions are impressive for the boiling mixture of rock, metal and blues influences, while his playing combines taste, technique and profound ideas. The same holds true for the musicians who joined him in the studio: Born in Sweden, singer Rick Altzi, with his distinguished rock voice, contacted Herman Frank after learning of his search for a front man. Bassist Peter Pichl was already involved in Frank's solo debut, 'Loyal To None', and is one of the most-sought-after bass players on the scene. Mamalitsidis Cristos has already appeared onstage with Herman Frank as a second guitarist and plays top-quality metal guitar. Drummer Michael Wolpers' keen sense for grooves and precision can be heard clearly and he has belonged to Frank's group of friends for years."

"Right In The Guts" recording lineup:

Guitar: Herman Frank
Vocals: Rick Altzi
Bass: Peter Pichl
Drums: Michael Wolpers
Guitar: Mamalitsidis Cristos

I AM I last week announced the addition of drummer Phil Martini (DOWN 'N' OUTZ, TOKYO DRAGONS, THE QUIREBOYS) to the group's ranks.

With things really starting to build momentum after the release of their debut album, "Event Horizon", the members of I AM I found themselves in need of a professional, talented drummer with the same desire, humour and passion for their music as they had, and it didn't take long before they found themselves the ideal man.

Following a chance meeting at a CLAYTOWN TROUPE gig, ZP and Phil found they got along famously and once Phil had heard the album, he was in!

As previously reported, I AM I recently signed a worldwide publishing deal through Sony/ATV Music. Their deal, via Albam Songs, means they join a roster that includes Bob Dylan, THE BEATLES, Robert Plant, PEARL JAM, BON JOVI and Lady Gaga.

I AM I's next live appearance will take place on August 11 at this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Hall in Walton On Trent, Derbyshire, England.

I AM I released its debut album, "Event Horizon", independently on May 26. Written and produced by Theart and Jacob Ziemba and mixed and mastered by Roland Grapow (HELLOWEEN, MASTERPLAN), the CD is described in a press release as "an absolutely blistering slice of heavy rock liberally infused with Theart's passion, energy and soaring vocals."



Photo below: Herman Frank and Rick Altzi

Photo below: I AM I