Today's Day in Rock Stories

Slipknot Being Replaced At This Year's Knotfest

Carlile left the band late last year over his health issues related to Marfan syndrome and took to Twitter to updates fans. On June 30th he tweeted, "It's been a while, but here I am. Week 3 in hospitals, flew from Costa Rica last week back to CA to be w/ my specialists here... progress...".

Ritter was a member of the band from 2008 through 2011 and was featured on the group's 2009 album "Waking Into Nightmares". Kevill initially broke the news to fans via his personal Facebook page on Friday. He wrote, "Got some awful news last night- Nic Ritter has died. I spent about 2 years on the road with this guy, and probably about 350-400 gigs. It really shook me up to hear he is gone. I had spoke to him recently but not seen him for many years and I'm kicking myself for it now.

It's the fifth track previewed in concert from the band's forthcoming album, "Concrete And Gold," following the live premieres of the lead single, "Run", "La Dee Da" and "The Sky Is A Neighborhood" at the Secret Solstice Festival in Iceland on June 16 and "Sunday Rain" at the Lucavsala festival in Riga, Latvia on June 21.

Due September 15, the group's ninth release was co-produced by the band and Greg Kurstin (Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Sia) and mixed by Darrell Thorp (Beck, Radiohead).

This track was one of the last tunes written and exercises a little creative freedom; a departure from the standard PHEAR sound where guitars are being 'pushed'. This one has more openness; 'air'. It was not premeditated however; there was a natural inclination to simply break free from the well-oiled machine.

It allowed the band to 'sing'; allowing vocal harmonies to take center-stage. The end result, sounding more akin to an Alice In Chains vibe despite its main riff being inspired by King's X. Most of our tracks utilize 7-string guitars and this one is no exception. The difference is that due to the hard-rock approach when the extended range is utilized it sounds extra dark and heavy.

Frontman M. Shadows had the following to say about why the band decided to record the cover, "We're massive fans of Mr. Bungle. 'Retrovertigo' is one of their softer songs and a particular favorite of ours and we thought it'd be a fun twist to make a heavy version.

"Not only do we tour a lot on the back of records, but we also tour even when there's no records," says Ulrich. "Touring is obviously an important thing for us - to get out and run away with the rock and roll circus, and increasingly now, with more of the far corners of the world opening up in terms of infrastructure and production elements. So there are more places you can play and more countries you can visit. You can play your own shows, you can play festivals."

Now performing dates in their fourth decade on the road, Ulrich reveals that Metallica has found a work/life balance that keeps things in perspective for all involved. "We kind of found a way to do it in a way that's tolerable," he explains. "We do it in two-week increments so we never leave home for more than two weeks and no one goes off the deep end or loses their mind. You minimize the risk of the whole thing derailing into the black abyss. We managed to get a functioning, balancing dynamic. We never feel like we're away from our domestic situations for too long. It's working for us.

Hallowed was created by Robinsons' Master Brewer Martyn Weeks and Iron Maiden's lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson. "What makes this brew pretty special is that we're adopting a Belgian yeast for the first time," explains Dickinson.

Friedman will be releasing the new record, entitled 'Wall Of Sound', on August 4th. "Whiteworm" following the release of the new studio effort's first single "Self Pollution".

Marty spoke about the new song to Guitar World, telling them, "There are many unique playing, composing and arranging concepts on each song [on Wall Of Sound], and they are quite different from each other. In Whiteworm, it starts with an element that I like, which is to do something that 'doesn't sound like me'. I tend to sound like myself even when I'm not trying to, so it is a little thrill to come up with something that doesn't smell like me at all.

The special package will include liner notes from frontman Ed Kowalczyk as well as an unreleased studio track entitled "Born Branded" which was recording during the album sessions.

Greg Lake first won acclaim as lead vocalist, bass guitarist and producer when, together with Robert Fripp, he formed King Crimson. Their first album, the landmark In the Court of the Crimson King, co-produced by Greg, featured the iconic song "21st Century Schizoid Man." King Crimson pioneered progressive rock and paved the way for many famous bands that followed, from Yes and Genesis to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

In December 1969 Greg met fellow legend Keith Emerson at the Fillmore in San Francisco during a North American tour; the two shared common bonds: European musical influences and a desire to reinterpret classical works while creating a new musical genre. After being introduced to drummer Carl Palmer, they formed the first progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

To date ELP has sold over 50 million records. Lake produced "Emerson, Lake & Palmer," "Tarkus," "Pictures at an Exhibition," "Trilogy," "Brain Salad Surgery," "Works Vol. 1 & 2," and two different live albums. All went platinum and featured a series of hit singles, most written and all sung by Lake. The three created a unique live theatrical performance which featured Emerson attacking his keyboards with knives, Palmer playing a 2.5 ton stainless steel kit and Lake performing on a �6,000 Persian rug which had its own roadie. One of their very first performances was at the historic Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 and they went on to headline California Jam, one of the biggest concerts of the 1970s, attended by 350,000 people.

The band's 23-song set mixed tunes from their latest album, "One More Light", alongside classic tracks at the annual four-day event, which also featured headliners Kings Of Leon, Radiohead and Foo Fighters.

The date is part of Linkin Park's month-long European tour, which closes with a July 6 show in Birmingham, UK before the group return home for North American dates starting in Boston, MA on July 27.

Co-produced by vocalist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda and guitarist Brad Delson, "One More Light" earned Linkin Park their sixth US No. 1 when the record debuted atop the US Billboard 200 upon its release in May.