Today's Top Stories

Report: AC/DC Recruiting Axl Rose To Replace Brian Johnson

Simmons tells Rolling Stone: "I discovered the band. I saw them, signed them, flew them to New York and put them in Electric Lady Studios. They were signed to my company, Man Of 1000 Faces. I produced their 24-track demo - 15 songs - which I still own.

"It has everything from the first record and also faster versions of House Of Pain. It's a lot of cool stuff, but the band just doesn't want it to come out. The back and forth with David Lee Roth complicated matters."

After being assessed by a doctor and diagnosed with an advanced viral infection and larynx and trachea inflammation, gigs in Cologne, Leipzig, Frankfurt and Berlin have been pulled.

Scorpions have vowed to announce rescheduled dates for the gigs, including the Hamburg show, in the coming days. Meine says: "Sorry to all our fans. Thanks for your understanding. Hope we can make up for the concerts soon."

"The title track starts unsurprisingly enough with a crisp power chord and catchy riff," highlights the National Recording Registry entry, "but halfway through, the tempo slows and a clean arpeggiated progression, accompanied by cello-like tones, introduces Hetfield's mid-tempo lead which eschews tapping, sweep picking and, other metal guitar techniques.

The record was was in the possession of Gerry And The Pacemakers pianist Les Maguire since The Fab Four's manager Brian Epstein gave him the disc in 1963.

Described as a "holy grail item," it was made at London's HMV store on Oxford Street and given to producer George Martin at EMI in a bid to secure a record deal for the band in the early 60s.

Three Days In Auschwitz is Mora's personal exploration of the Nazi death camp and its lasting impact. His mother would have been sent there, almost certainly to die, if she'd been processed by Nazi officials one day earlier, while many of his father's family were murdered during the Holocaust of the Second World War.

Mora has visited the scene three times between 2010 and 2014, in an attempt to understand and commemorate what happened there. He describes the movie as "a unique and trusting collaboration between old friends" and adds: "I was blown away by Eric's score for the film, which combined the tragedy of the events with a celebration of life. He created music with great dignity and emotional power.

Wallgren made his debut with the Swedish outfit in London last night, following the departure of Fredrik Andersson in 2015. Their 10th album, Jomsviking, was recorded with sessions sticksman Tobias Gustafsson.

The band had this to say: "Welcome to Amon Amarth, Jocke. Jocke will be joining us as drummer for our upcoming tours, and we're happy to have him."

The festival's founder Perry Farrell said in a statement, "It's our 25th Anniversary and we wanted to do something really special and different for our fans.

"When the party can't wait for the weekend, the movers and shakers make it happen on Thursday! So, we've put together an entire additional day of music to celebrate our milestone year. It's going to be a fantastic party!"

Other acts confirmed include Good Charlotte, Falling In Reverse, Coldrain, State Champs, Sum 41, Motionless In White and Issues. Tickets are available now.

The project sees Frampton deliver reinvented, unplugged versions of many of his best-known songs and one brand new tune, "All Down To Me." Alongside "Show Me The Way", fans will hear stripped-down takes on Frampton classics like "Wind Of Change", "Do You Feel Like I Do" and "Baby, I Love Your Way."

"Show Me The Way" originally appeared on 1975's "Frampton"; a version from 1976's "Frampton Comes Alive" was a Top 10 US hit while the project went on to become one of the best-selling live albums in the US with sales of more than 6 million copies and 11 million worldwide.

The new preview clip includes snippets of the tracks A.D, Looking Down The Barrel Of Today and The Apex Within. Frontman Jamey Jasta previously described the record as "no glitz, no glam, just pits, all slam."

But the teenage metallers have found the most unlikely of allies in Grohl who has penned a letter to the authority after the band got in touch with him. Asking the council to 'reconsider the restrictions,' Grohl recounted his own youth spent developing his musical craft in a garage.

In his open letter, which he shared with his band's more than 12 million followers, he wrote: "Music is not only a healthy pastime, it is a wonderful, creative outlet for kids, and fosters a sense of community necessary to the emotional and social development of any child."

Trower says: "It ranges from rock to funky soul, with some epic blues grooves. The title track is me reflecting on my life and career, and how we have no idea how our lives might unfold.

"In terms of influences I felt I was channelling a combination of James Brown and John Lee Hooker on the funky The Fruits Of Your Desire and album closer Delusion Sweet Delusion. I'm really looking forward to playing those on tour."

It's the first video to feature on the band's new YouTube channel, with the group promising further clips in the "coming days and weeks." Speaking about how he chose which songs to feature on the album, frontman Danzig said: "There's so many artists that I love: I had to have Elvis and Black Sabbath on there because without those two there's no Danzig.

He added that it would be a "new chapter" for the band and redefine their music. Now he says in an Instagram post that he's playing "dark stuff" on his Gretsch White Falcon guitar.

The label say: "Forster's dystopian vision of the future is brought to life with characteristic Hawkwind style - an atmospheric, musical interpretation beginning in tunnels deep beneath the earth, where every need is controlled and catered for by the machine.

He tells 98 KUPD: "Once we got back in the room together and we started tossing around ideas, it was just like riding a bike, back to the same old routine. The chemistry was there.

"The routine changed, because we wanted to go back to how we did in the beginning. Even though we live in different states now, the technology of Pro Tools and sending files is a great tool to have, but it could take away that human element, that chemistry you have being in a room together.

Stephen Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Barry Goldberg release the follow-up to 2013 debut Can't Get Enough on May 6 via Provogue Records. They've already streamed their tracks Virtual World, Kick Out Of It and I've Got To Use My Imagination.

He says: "Turntail is exactly what Caligula's Horse is about. It's powerful, energetic, melodic and forthright. This is a song about taking a stand, about fighting for freedom in whatever way you can.

Lord Of Misrule was recorded at London's Toe Rag studios. Guitarist Sean Kennedy tells TeamRock: "It's a very unique studio, and we felt Liam Watson could help us achieve the sounds that we were hearing in our heads while we prepared for the new record.

"This will be the first Blood Ceremony album that follows a completely analogue process from the amplified performance in the studio straight through to the cutting of the vinyl lacquer.

Turunen said: "I am very excited to finally be able to share the first details of my new heavy rock album with all of you. The Shadow Self is full of songs that are very dear to me.

Craven says: "Last Chance To Hear is loosely inspired by the end of the music industry as we knew it. There's never been a time when so much new music was being made by so many people and being listened to by so few people.

"The concept of paying for new music is now alien to a lot of the audience. Digital downloads have made physical media virtually obsolete. Streaming services mean that anybody making new music is now competing with the whole history of recorded music - and the album format is in danger of becoming extinct. There's never been a time full of more 'opportunity' than now. So I made an album about it."

A Fat Wreck - The Punk-U-Mentary is set to be shown at various film festivals this year. It explores the 25-year history of the record label run by NOFX frontman Fat Mike and his ex-wife Erin Kelly-Burkett.

Inspired by bands including WASP, Guns N' Roses, Skid Row, Ratt and Motley Crue, the record was made possible thanks to a successful PledgeMusic campaign and is said to be "edgy, raucous and fun with a constant trail of danger."

The band say of the track: "This song shows one of many different colours on Trips combining our roots with a new vibe. Enjoy and get trippin'." Trips is available for pre-order via Amazon and iTunes, while the band issued a video teaser for the cover art last month.

Frontman Sacha Dunable said: "On the past couple of records, we were really exploring some musical aspects that were experimental, melodic, and less of a primal heavy metal assault.

On the album, frontman Kavus Torabi previously said: "One aspect of Bottled Out Of Eden is the idea of a self-made heaven or a self-imposed hell, that agony or ecstasy are often a choice.

"I look back on the 25 years of making the kind of music I do, particularly the last six with Knifeworld and just feel so fortunate for the friendships, experiences and absolute joy it has brought.

Joining Diamond Head in today's announcement are Swedish industrial metallers Misery Loves Co. They'll appear on the Ronnie James Dio stage. Say the band:

Regular appearances on Top of the Pops followed before a well publicized row with their then-label East West saw the band lose their momentum. But perhaps that was for the best reveals Ginger during an exclusive chat with Eric Mackinnon of the New Rock Times. He says: "I kind of know what would have happened if we'd got big as a band, at least one of us would have died. No doubt about it. Probably two of us.

"If we'd had the money that success would have given us we'd have killed ourselves with overuse of drugs and alcohol. I'm not bragging about up being debauched or anything, we were just that way. We'd have kept doing drugs until they killed us. Fortunately we used to run out of money quite regularly."

Ginger is the man of a thousand bands where, in addition to the Wildhearts, the multi-talented musician regular performs with other artists and has roles in other projects.

"Bad Habits" is the first single off our new album and is actually the first song I had written for it. I sat down to write and just started strumming a kind of country shuffle thing. I was singing whatever came to mind and the first time through the words "I wonder what comes next, bad habits or bad checks" came out and I just started building around that.

Being a working musician is not the easiest road! Picking up what odd jobs you can between tours and album releases. I have felt the sting of that tag line more than once, and I imagine there is a good portion of the population that have as well. So I started putting together words that reflected my situation as well as the people around me. I suppose it is a bit of a blue collar tale.

The song starts "her eyes could always see, a better part of me, I wonder just how much I have left." How many people have looked in the eyes of their loved ones and forced a smile, trying to live up to something and falling a little short. "Money can't buy smiles, but it could hide the pain a while, instead of working three jobs to live in debt." I grew up with slightly hippie parents. That was kind of the motto, Love is all you need��.I agree it is, but if you have love already, a little less stress and more time with the people that mean most to you would be nice and sometimes money is the what can make that happen.

The chorus starts getting a little more personal, the tiredness of working so much, the nightlife running into the daytime, Being a dad, chasing a dream, trying to be a good husband, it all comes back to that tag line and wondering how much longer a person can continue to chase a dream before the price you pay is more than the prize at the end.

The rest of the song continues through the woes of a traveling musician or any father really that works hard and long hours to hopefully make a better life for his family. In the bridge I try to touch on the reasons why he continues a bit, or at least my reasons. "All who wander are not lost, and you can't avoid the cost, of the stories you can't throw away." I hope it's a small glimpse as to why to keep going.

The song ends with "So, I wonder what comes next, bad habits or bad checks, cause lately I've been too damn tired to fight." I hope it leaves the story a little unresolved. In a way it allows people to write their own ending. For me the fight keeps going. For the listener, well that is their call. We all go through the hard times, it is what you chose to do with the experience that creates the ending to any story.