Today's Top Stories

Metallica Expand Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning For Reissue

Paparazzi footage shows the all-star trio attempting to get into the Argyle club in LA after the awards ceremony - and they were rejected by door staff twice.

After being denied access again, 21-time Grammy winner McCartney says: "How VIP do we gotta get? We need another hit, guys! We need another hit," before he adds jokingly to Beck: "Work on it!"

It's been reported that the rock icon and co had gone to the Argyle bash by mistake. The group later went to the Republic Records party hosted by Mark Ronson at Hyde Sunset And Kitchen cocktail bar.

Tyga said on Twitter: "Why would I deny Paul McCartney? Stop it. He's a legend. I don't control the door. I had no knowledge Sir Paul was there. I just performed and left."

He was fired by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield for his outlandish behaviour, and replaced by Kirk Hammett. He went on to form his own band, partly as an act of revenge at the time.

But they've long since settled their differences, although some bad feeling appears to remain in some parts of the metal world. Mustaine tells Westword: "I think a lot of it goes back to the breakup. There are people who have picked up that feud - and they don't even know why they're choosing sides.

"I have nothing against Metallica fans. I was in both bands. I like Lars and I like James. And contrary to what people say, I do think Kirk is a good guitar player."

Now guitarist Weinman says DuVall is the man on the mic as the band work on their upcoming debut album. He tells Riffing With Christina (via Loudwire): "Juliette is actually not our main singer. She guested. But me and her have been working on songs, some of which are for Giraffe Tongue, some of which were just jams that we were working on. And she did some cool vocals on some of the GTO stuff. Actually, William from Alice In Chains is who has been singing with us."

The first set of the show will feature the band performing their classic sophomore album "The Blurred Crusade" in full and the second set will feature classic tracks along with songs from their latest album "Further/Deeper."

The tour is scheduled to kick off on April 8th in Dallas, TX at the Sons of Herman Hall and the trek will conclude with a two-night stand in Evanston, IL on April 25th and 26th at SPACE.

Detroit's blue-collar bars and cheap motels along Woodward Avenue may be less than 200 miles away from the steps of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, but it turned out to be a four decade odyssey for Alice Cooper. Only in Rock'n'Roll can a preacher's son named Vincent Furnier dress up in make-up, leather, and fishnet stockings while simulating his own execution by hanging, beheading, and electric chair as 10,000 mesmerized fans gladly pay for the macabre experience.

In 1969, five friends from Phoenix moved to Los Angeles as a band named Alice Cooper, but after recording two unsuccessful albums, Pretties for You and Easy Action on Frank Zappa's Straight Records label, Alice Cooper headed for Furnier's birthplace of Detroit in hopes of better luck. Inking a deal with Warner Brothers, they actually released two albums in 1971, Love It To Death and Killer , with both albums becoming instant successes because of hit songs "I'm Eighteen","Under My Wheels",and "Be My Lover".

With InTheStudio host Redbeard , Alice shares his fond memories of an early concert which illustrate the fact that the Alice Cooper band was unlike anything before.

The new headline dates will be kicking off on March 12th in Columbus, OH at The Summit and include over a dozen stops before concluding on April 28th in Oklahoma City, OK at 89th Street Collective.

The Contortionist tour, which will also feature Entheos and sleepmakeswaves is set to begin on March 21st in Albuquerque, NM at the Launchpad and will wrap up on May 1st in Detroit, MI.

The band had the following to say, "We're stoked to be returning to the US with our friends in the Contortionist, Entheos and new friends Sleepmakeswaves. We've been non stop writing for the past few months, it will be great to break up this process to give us some perspective by playing for all you wonderful people out there.

"Hey you might even get to hear some new material and some old material we've never played in America if you come along! We also have some headliner shows on the run that you can check [the tour date listing] to see if we make your city!"

Yseult previously said: "Jay, Rob and I have been working on a box set with Numero Group. It's coming out in spring or summer. We've been working on it for over a year. There's 50 pages of liner notes - they've been interviewing us for months. They've done a beautiful job on the booklet. It's going to be all vinyl, all the early records.

The band say: "Over the course of the last two-plus years, we have had our lives filmed with the intention of creating the most honest, exciting and real documentary, showing our fans our truest selves.

The mini-tour is scheduled to kick off on April 15th in Rock Island, IL and will include stops in Michigan, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Canadian shows in Ottawa and Toroto.

He had the following to say about the trek "I'm very excited to play my first US and Canada shows in support of my new album Brand New Revolution! I purposely decided to do select, VERY exclusive and intimate shows for my die-hard followers. I know it's been long overdue and I hope to see you all there for some loud, hot and sweaty rocking nights.

The band say: "Motherless Land is a song about escape and it's full of questions about what we're collectively doing in 2016. It's about striving for peace, love and truth.

Bonnet says: "I played here 49 years ago and it's really strange to be here - but it's kind of cool." The 18-minute documentary also shows the singer and his band touring the town, along with footage of his show in Glasgow, where Bonnet paid tribute to Scottish bassist Jimmy Bain who died last month.

The collection contains the work he did with the label following his split with The Nazz, including Runt, The Hermit Of Mink Hollow and A Wizard, A True Star.

Rhino Records say: "It was 1972's seminal Something/Anything? - on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts and acted as his own producer - that catapulted Rundgren into the superstar limelight.

Singer Ash Costello says: "This video was so much fun to make. We are big fans of Mad Max and have always wanted to make a post-apocalyptic style video so I'm glad we pulled it out for I'm About to Break You.

"The location we filmed at was a few hours away from Los Angeles and they put on a festival every year called Wasteland Weekend that is dedicated to the post-apocalyptic lifestyle.

Marcello says: "I'm really excited about this album. I'm making a new departure from the Le Baron Boys era, bringing it into the future. I've always felt that there was something magic about the material that Sony mysteriously refused to release on Prisoners In Paradise - and now the time has come to put things right. It's time to complete my unfinished symphony. This is the album that Europe never managed to record after Prisoners In Paradise."

Bassist Kerry Chicoine says: "All of us are excited to be partnering with Bad Elephant Music for the release of our live album. For a relatively new label with an incredibly diverse and unquestionably talented roster, BEM have forged their own unique path and they're now at the forefront of the progressive rock music scene.

The former Orphaned Land man has also promised a number of surprises, as pre-ordering begins to help fund the recording process. Sassi says: "This release hopefully includes more vocally-driven songs than before, featuring some guest vocalists that you haven't seen before in my project. Overall it really shows a nice evolution from the material I used to compose for Orphaned Land, and my solo work. I think you'll appreciate it."

Jones has also provided lead vocals on Red Bazar album Tales From The Bookcase, which is scheduled to be released on March 15 via White Knight Records.

The 747 jumbo was expected to land in Wales at 10pm tonight (Wednesday, February 17) but bad weather has delayed the flight by about two hours. It will be piloted on the world tour by frontman Bruce Dickinson.

Maiden say: "Ed Force One, our new 747 jumbo, is all branded-up, ready to go and Bruce has his shiny new 747 type rating so he can fly the plane. Ed Force One flies into the UK on Wednesday evening and IronMaiden.com will be at Cardiff Airport, stepladder and phone in hand, to bring you the first footage live on Periscope. Keep an eye on the website or our social media channels for details - we're @ironmaiden on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

He tells Music Radar: "If I don't work out in the day and play a show I can feel groggy. If I work out it makes me feel good, my body feels ready. If I'm sat around all day doing nothing and I've eaten crap, I feel sluggish. Working out makes you feel energetic and positive, and you take that on stage with you."

The trainer is a friend of frontman Oli Sykes and he puts the band through their paces on a daily basis. Nicholls adds: "It's just general working out. When we first started touring we were kids and we were just like, 'Give me loads of beer, give me loads of food.'

Motohead guitarist Campbell and his All-Star Band will be heading to Catton Park to headline the Sophie Lancaster Stage on Thursday night, as a treat to all the early campers. He's also officially opening Lemmy's Bar at 5pm.

The March 26 event at the Norris Theater and Pavilion mixes rockers with world-renowned classical musicians to take the audience on a journey from 17th century to today's modern hits, with proceeds to be donated to the Peninsula Education Foundation (PEF).

Also confirmed for the events are Mumford & Sons, Amanda Palmer, Jherek Bischoff, Anna Calvi, Nancy Wilson and the Donny McCaslin Group - featuring Mark Guiliana, Jason Lindner and Bowie producer Tony Visconti who will act as the band leader and musical director at the gigs.

The events had been planned before his death on January 10, with Roots, Laurie Anderson, the Mountain Goats, Bette Midler, Perry Farrell and others having signed up earlier.

Art-rock musician St Vincent has partnered with MusicMan to create her signature STV six-string, describing it as "ergonomic, lightweight and sleek" - and adding: "There is room for a breast or two."

McGregor tells the Telegraph: "There are certain brands I can't use. They sound amazing but they have thick necks, and I have small hands. Not all girls have petite fingers, but many do, and it can make it a lot harder to play.

"Then there's the strap issue. I like to wear vest-tops, btu the fabric of the strap can cut into you. I have mine specially made in corduroy - but I really shouldn't have to.

Barker and Mark Hoppus split with Tom DeLonge last year and brought in Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba. And the sticksman says Skiba's input has been invaluable. He tells radio station KX 93.5: "I knew he was going to be a great fit - but I didn't know it was going to be this great. The writing has been amazing. We actually wrote 16 songs and we trashed everything. We got back in the studio and did everything over."

Barker reports the material is the best they've created in over a decade - and they're still on track for a release later this year. He continues: "We're probably about 70-80% finished with the album and I think it's the best Blink album since 2003 - and I think fans will agree once they hear it.

The new "Threat Level No. 3" video was written, directed, and animated by Adam Avilla. He had the following to say, "It isn't often that a band that you have listened to for fifteen years approaches you and wants you to draw four minutes of sheer madness for their new record. It's insane. Such a great honor. And the song rips!"

Frontman Trevor Strnad adds "Adam has done an amazing job of bringing the fiendish character behind 'Threat Level No. 3' to life in all his despicable glory. This is by far the best video we've ever brought forth and the best part of all...You don't have to look at our ugly faces once!" Watch the video here.

The song is one of three bonus tracks featured on the just-released deluxe edition of the band's 2015 self-titled debut, which presented covers of classic tunes by T. Rex, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Doors and more. "As Bad As I Am" is joined by covers of The Who's "I'm A Boy" and Love's "7 And 7 Is" on the expanded release.

Led by the trio of Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, the group delivered the new single on the Grammys broadcast that also saw them pay tribute to late Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister, who passed away at his Los Angeles home on December 28.

The band's live lineup includes Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, Tommy Henriksen and Bruce Witkin. The group will play the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on May 24.

Crossfaith mainman Kenta Koie says: "Wildfire is the sound of Crossfaith live shows. It's crazy, heavy and a real party. And this collaboration with the legend Benji from our boys Skindred is a proper banger that we just love to play. So if you want the best night of your life, come see us on the Xeno world tour soon in the UK and Europe."

The follow-up to 2014's The Unravelling will be issued on April 22 via InsideOut Music. An album launch party will be held at London's Bush Hall on May 12, with tickets available via SeeTickets from 10am on February 17 (Wednesday).

Frontman Kavus Torabi says: "The beautiful artwork has been executed, once again, by Steve Mitchell at 57 Design. He's been responsible for all of our graphics since the beginning and, for me, his work really defines the look of Knifeworld."

The 36-minute clip shows drummer Lars Ulrich meeting fans, the warm-up session prior to the band hitting the stage, their photoshoot with Ross Halfin and live footage from the band's first live performance of 2016, including their track Master Of Puppets.
Video screens at the side of the stage declared: "Metallica, too heavy for halftime" after Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Beyonce got the nod to appear at the game itself. And frontman James Hetfield acknowledged that chances of them ever appearing at the sporting event were slim.

The updated version will appear on the band's debut album Outside The Box, due out on March 4 via UNFD and Rise Records. Vocalist Ben Marvin says: "This song is about the illusion of success in mainstream music - how people can be loved one day then hated the next.

"There's nothing wrong with starting from the bottom and working to where you want to be. You're way more likely to last longer at the top and be remembered if you don't sell yourself out."

The Emperor frontman worked with guests including Einar Solberg of Leprous, Matt Heafy of Trivium, Jorgen Munkeby of Shining, Tobias Ornes Andersen, also of Shining, and Norwegian author Hans Herbjornsrud on the album.