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Dimebag Will Be Featured On New Hellyeah Album

The Dusseldorf show will mark the third German date of the tour following upcoming gigs in Hamburg on May 26 and a June 1 appearance in Leipzig. Tickets for the June 15 Dusseldorf concert are on sale now via eventim.de

Menza, who part of the band's iconic 'Rust In Peace', 'Countdown To Extinction' and 'Youthanasia' era lineup, passed away while performing with his band Ohm at The Baked Potato in Los Angeles. He was 51 years old.

Band leader Mustaine had the following to say about Menza's passing: "I woke up this morning to a text message from my son, with the news of Nick Menza's passing. Shocked, devastated and saddened don't begin to describe my feelings.

"Originally a tech for the band, Nick soon displayed such talent and personality, it didn't take long for us to realize he belonged on stage with us, behind the kit. We asked Nick to join Megadeth as our drummer in 1989. At the time, the band already had its first platinum album, which only served to stoke the fire.

"We all wanted world domination -- with so much of our lives and dreams ahead of us. As we navigated through the pitfalls of life and the music business, our first album with Nick, 'Rust In Peace', and subsequent albums 'Countdown To Extinction' and 'Youthanasia', kept up the momentum. We parted ways after 'Cryptic Writings'. We, like all brothers, would disagree at times, but our bond was strong throughout.

"As a player, Nick had a very powerful jazzy flair, unpredictable and always entertaining, And as great a drummer as he was, the time spent with him as a person, a bandmate, and a friend was even more fun.

"There were several times we discussed him coming back to the band, but for various reasons, it never came together. We've been in touch all along, he had come out to our shows recently, and he had remained a great friend, a true professional and a larger-than-life personality.

"The Megadeth family take care of each other, and expect to hear soon about an initiative to help Nick's children. All of us in this community are connected, take care of yourself and your loved ones. My deepest condolences go out to Nick's family."

Mustaine also left the door open for other former members of the band to join them at the upcoming benefit show. He said during a radio interview, "We're hoping to leave an open stage for all of the alumni from Megadeth to come onstage and play with us so we can leave behind something for Nick's children, which I think have been left in a bad way. We wanted to get that stuff all set up and that's where the wheels are turning."

The sticksman tells One On One With Mitch Lafon: "There's talk of us doing something in Japan at the end of this year and if that happens and we make it through, then there could be talk about something. Let's just get through six shows and if we can do that, then maybe we can go ahead. It's just up in the air."

Frontman Don Dokken and guitarist George Lynch have a volatile relationship, with both sides trading barbed comments in the past. And when asked how he sees the pair getting on when they're reunited, Brown says: "It was something that was there since day one and it's never going to go away - and that's what's making me feel hesitant about getting together again.

The 29-minute masterpiece helped launch the punk rock scenes in both America and Britain, and went on to inspire countless other artists to find their own voice.

A new 3CD/1LP deluxe edition will present a remastered stereo version of the self-titled project, a new mono mix and a pair of live sets from the summer of '76 and can be preordered here.

The project has been overseen by the album's original producer and mixer Craig Leon. "The earliest mixes of the album were virtually mono," says Leon. "We had an idea to record at Abbey Road and do both a mono and stereo version of the album, which was unheard of at the time. I'm thrilled that now, 40 years later, we followed through on that original idea."

The anniversary edition's second disc spotlights single mixes, outtakes, and demos. Several of those recordings have never been released, including demos for "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," "53rd and 3rd," and "Loudmouth."

The third disc captures the band performing two full sets live at The Roxy in West Hollywood on August 12, 1976. While the band's first set has been available before, the evening's second set will see its debut in the new package.

Rounding out the set is a vinyl LP containing the new mono mix of "Ramones", all packaged in a 12 x 12 hardcover book. The 3CD/1 vinyl LP set is a limited edition of 19,760 individually numbered copies.

The group have offered up first looks at performances of their 1983 hit "Lick It Up" and their 1976 classic "Shout It Out Loud" from The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino as part of a 9-date run at the venue.

"KISS Rocks Vegas" promises to deliver an expanded version of their live set rounded out with exclusive interviews and footage available exclusively in theaters.

"See us on the big screen with the awesome power of surround sound," says Paul Stanley. "Feel like you are in Vegas and don't be shy to 'shout it out loud!"

"Totally Stripped" sources three complete Stones concerts from 1995 - the Paradiso in Amsterdam, L'Olympia in Paris and London's Brixton Academy - and is rounded out with an overhauled version of the documentary of the same name, which gives viewers behind the scenes look at the making of the original package.

"Totally Stripped" will be available in a variety of formats, including DVD or SD Blu-ray, DVD+CD or DVD+LP, single CD / 2LPs and Deluxe Editions on DVD or SD Blu-ray complete with a 60 page hard book set containing 5 discs which boasts hours of previously unavailable music and can be preordered here.

He tells Q103: "We're working on out eighth record right now. We haven't started recording yet. We're working on the writing process. We start recording in June, and then June and July we'll be in the studio."

They are also planning a series of select reunion shows next year with Waldo's current band New England - which features former Alcatrazz bassist Gary Shea. It will be their first time performing together since 1986.

The song features on the ex Orphaned Land guitarist's third album Roots And Roads which is out on May 25. Last month, the group issued a stream of The Religion Of Music, featuring vocalist Zaher Zorgati of Myrath.

Harnell says: "We're happy to be working together creatively again and hope our fans are are as excited as we are.

"We're already booking shows in the US and across the world in 2017 and also hope to play in as many countries as possible over the next couple of years. Hopefully many countries that we haven't been to in a long time or perhaps ever."

Bleach is described as "a succinct, driving track that builds into a pummelling breakdown - a powerful song which leaves the listener wanting more."

Reynolds tells Alt Press: "I would tell my younger self: don't listen to just one type of music and dress one way. Listen to lots of different types of music and really explore it.

Guitarist and vocalist Matt Page says: "We decided we needed help realising the vision we had for the new album. The songs were different enough from our earlier material that we felt they needed a new treatment and a fresh set of ears to help pull out the strengths and tighten up the ambiguities of each song.

The bassist says he's learned so much from watching his bandmates on their long road to recovery - after the road accident left them with life-changing injuries and killed both drivers.

He says: "I went to bed last night knowing today was going to be emotional. On November 19 I woke up to a living nightmare. I knew something bad had happened but no clue the extent.

"I checked to make sure I wasn't impaled by anything and got myself out that back window. I was the first person out of the bus and the first to see the scene. The next two hours were a blur. Everything was confusion. Fearing for the lives of my best friends and learning of the two drivers' lives lost.

"One by one the other guys emerged from the wreckage, a couple on their own but most on backboards. I remember feeling lost and helpless."

Asked about how the band might go about topping the work, Rudess tells Dream Theater World: "I don't think it's a question of necessarily topping it. I think this is a particular creative adventure for us, to write a concept album very much like a musical or a rock opera.

This track is actually the only song on this album that had certain riffs written around vocal patterns, which gives it a very unique feel. The story is somewhat of a fable I invented, about a mighty serpent that was entrusted with guarding the gate to ascension. If anyone is to progress past this life, they must first go through him. However, instead of being fair and balanced, he has allowed the power to go straight to his head. His ego is so inflated that he sees no one as worthy of passing, so he denies everyone entry.

When a dove attempts to cross, he says that he would sooner kill himself than allow a lowly dove to ascend, even though doves are a universal symbol for purity and light. The snake tells the dove it can turn and walk in the opposite direction forever, because it has no chance of passing. The dove looks for a chink in the serpent's armor - a missing scale - and sees exploiting that weakness as the only way to prevail. This weakness is a metaphor for the snake's pride and lack of humility, which the dove can use to its advantage.

The concept of an eyeless needle is simple, though. If you are using a threaded needle, you are sewing something together, or mending a tear. If there is no thread, you are simply stabbing without the intention of repairing anything. Using this metaphor, the snake is wielding the eyeless needle, because he is drunk on power and causing only harm.

When we play this song live, during the drone-y bass solo part, I light a smudge stick (sage) and write passages in the air above the crowd. This is one of the slowest tracks on the album, which really adds to the atmosphere.

Humility is something everyone should have, regardless of their position or the power they wield. Hopefully, you won't have to become wounded beyond repair or self-destructive to discover that ego can become one's downfall. Keep a level head and you should be alright.