American radio station 93X caught up with COREY TAYLOR at SLIPKNOT’s festival KNOTFEST and they spoke about his second book (it’s about ghosts and god!), STONE SOUR’s upcoming releases – the ‘House Of Gold And Bones’ double release project – and much more. Check out the video interview below:

Keep up to date with STONE SOUR’s ‘House Of Gold And Bones’ releases by clicking here.

BLACK STONE CHERRY caught up with Digital Tour Bus to give them a tour of their home away from home, their tour bus. Apparently the guys can’t live without their Xbox, Call Of Duty and a ton of snacks – watch the tour with Ben and Jon below:

Click here to keep up to date with all things BLACK STONE CHERRY.

Click here to pick up a copy of BLACK STONE CHERRY’s latest album ‘Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’.

WITHIN TEMPTATION have announced that they’ll be celebrating their 15th anniversary with a special concert at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium on November 13. The band had this to say about the event:

“We are celebrating our anniversary with an incredible concert on the 13th of November in Sportpaleis Antwerpen, Belgium. The anniversary show, ‘Elements,’ will be the most significant event in the history of Within Temptation. The title represents the kind of music and live shows we are known for — the melodius, crystal clear voice of Sharon [den Adel], the massive guitar riffs, the orchestral and Celtic influences and the always surprising musical collaborations.

“Energetic performance, musical mastery, and visually thrilling elements ranging from impressive set designs to fireworks and specially made films and videos. Everything you have witnessed in the last 15 years will be topped during the anniversary show in Antwerp. We will share the stage with some unexpected guests and can already tell you that we will also be accompanied by the renowned Il Novecento Orchestra.”

Check out a trailer for the show below:

Ultimate Classic Rock caught up with LYNYRD SKYNYRD vocalist Johnny Van Zant in South Dakota recently where the band was set to take to the stage to entertain the motorcycle loving masses at the annual Sturgis Rally. Johnny spoke about the band’s latest release ‘Last Of A Dyin’ Breed’, which was released as a Classic Rock fanpack on Monday. The album was also released digitally via iTunes on Monday, with the Roadrunner physical release coming out on the 17th of Sept. Check out some extracts from the interview below:

After a successful run with the last album, it seems like you guys had a simple goal to make a record that sounded like 100% Lynyrd Skynyrd — nothing more, nothing less this time out. Where did you guys start with this one?

Oh man, well, we started right after (2009′s) ‘God & Guns,’ we started writing and we had a ton of songs. When we finally decided to do it, we actually started in February of this year and ended up doing it in March really, pretty much. We used Bob Marlette, who has worked with Shinedown and a bunch of different bands, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, etc.

We just went in and hit and pulled it up and said okay, great! Because the last album ‘God & Guns’ that we did, we had lost Billy [Powell] and [bassist] Ean [Evans] during the making of that record. This album man, we said okay, let’s go have some fun and let’s knock this thing out like the old days and have a good time doing it. And we really did, man. Hey, the proof’s in the pudding, I guess that’s the way you would say and hey, if the fans love it…..you know, we love it. But sometimes, if the fans love it, that’s where it’s all happening at. That’s your end goal anyway, is to make the fans happy.

What songs are you excited to play live from this record?

‘Last of a Dyin’ Breed.’ It’s really cool. [Live,] we’ve been letting [guitarist Gary] Rossington go out, since he starts it off with the slide thing. He was in the studio just warming up, playing some slide on that particular song and I was in the break room and I came running in and I said “dude, we need to put that at the beginning of it,” you know, because that’s a Gary Rossington thing. So he just did a few tracks like that and the last one, we said “okay, that’s it,” that’s the song, you know? [Laughs]

We’re playing ‘One Day At A Time’ and a song called ‘Good Teacher’ that’s a lot of fun to play live. So we’ve started out with those three and we’re getting ready to work up ‘Mississippi Blood’ and ‘Homegrown’’ and I don’t know if we’ll do one of the ballads yet. But there’s a song on there called ‘Start Livin’ Life Again’ that I’d love to just break down and set up some chairs and just sing it to the audience. It’s still a work in progress [as far as additional songs that might be featured from the new album], but we’re working at it.

You mentioned ‘Homegrown,’ which is one of two songs back to back on the new album which really hit me for different reasons. What struck me about ‘Homegrown’ is that it is very much a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, but there are elements that also sound very current, like a Seether or Theory of a Deadman song that you might hear on the radio. Were there particular things influencing where you went with that one?

You know man, it’s ironic that you said Seether, because we actually wrote with Shaun (Seether lead singer / guitarist Shaun Morgan) and we’ve got a song called ‘Sad Song’ [which was recorded during the sessions for the new album]. The thing about Lynyrd Skynyrd is that we go over to Europe and we play these heavy metal festivals – we just did Hellfest in France and to be honest with you, I didn’t even know the band before us, but the guy was like [Van Zant imitates “Cookie Monster” heavy metal vocals of the singer] [Laughs] And I’m looking at the audience going “how the hell are we going to fit into this?”

[But then] we went out and had a killer gig. And you know, one of our best friends is John 5 and that’s how we met Bob Marlette and another good friend, Rob Zombie. Everybody in Lynyrd Skynyrd loves different styles of music and our minds are very open when it comes to writing our songs and making the band true to what the band is, but also stepping out and doing something current.

When we got down to that song, the little effect on the voice, it was kind of like “hey, that’s cool – that sounds current, let’s do it, let’s step out.” So there’s a line [with that effect], “I can’t forget how she tastes on my lips/ she’s as good as it gets” and you know, we’re having fun with it. And again, we’re in touch with a lot of the newer bands. Two of my favorite bands, Blackberry Smoke and Black Stone Cherry, I just think both of those bands are a good new progressive kind of Southern Rock, that’s a little different than us but still has a rootsy thing going on. So we’re pretty much in touch with a lot of different things.

Can you tell us a little bit more about ‘Sad Song,’ the song you wrote with Shaun?

It’s not on the regular album – we’re doing it as a bonus track, because we wanted to really….you know, a lot of times people give sh-tty songs as bonus tracks. And our tracks that we have to do for different corporations like Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy or whatever — each one of them wants a bonus track and something that’s not on the actual CD. We think our bonus tracks are pretty kick ass, so we said “hey, let’s give ‘Sad Song’ as one of the bonus tracks.” Shaun’s just a great guy, man. We sat down and wrote with him and he’s a very intelligent guy, if you ever really talk to him. He’s very intellectual and a very cool guy. I really enjoyed writing with him and I hope to do it again.

Click here to read the full interview – it makes for a great read!

Get ‘Last Of A Dyin’ Breed‘ here via iTunes: http://smarturl.it/LynyrdSkynyrdLOADB

Get your Classic Rock Lynyrd Skynyrd Fanpack here: http://smarturl.it/LynyrdSkynyrdFanpack

MACHINE HEAD’s Dave McClain caught up with MK Ondergrond at Wacken Open Air festival and MK Ondergrond has animated the conversation, which you can watch below. Dave discusses how he ended up joining the band, recording his first album with them, MACHINE HEAD’s last album ‘Unto The Locust’ and so much more. Check it out below:

Click here to pick up a copy of MACHINE HEAD’s latest album ‘Unto The Locust’.

Rocksins has decided to revisit Download this week by posting an interview with the man behind the sticks in TRIVIUM, Nick Augusto. They spoke about a range of things including the difference between US and UK fans, touring in the UK, the Defenders Of The Faith tour and much more! Check out that interview below and a video interview that Nick did with Rhythm Magazine about drumming tips on getting to grips with blast beats. BOSH!

Rocksins: From your perspective how are the American fans different to the English fans, if one can possibly answer such a question?

Nick: There’s a pretty hardcore fan base for Trivium over here. When we come to England we can headline a lot easier than we can in the States. This is the place where Trivium has been embraced the most and the UK is the most hardcore of our fanbases. The difference…I think that there’s a lot more dedication over here. People will remember the band from way back as opposed to sometimes when we play in the States it’s not like that. I love the UK.

Rocksins: Is it something that you really noticed when you joined the band, that the first time you came to the UK you could really notice or feel the difference?

Nick: Oh definitely! This is the spot where I think we’re the biggest, and it definitely shows. I think it’s fucking awesome! Rocksins: Was your first UK run in the band the tour you did with Chimaira and Rise To Remain? Nick: Yeah back in 2010. Rocksins: I saw one of the Koko shows on that tour, awesome awesome tour. Nick: Yeah that was an unbelievable tour! Rocksins: Did the Defenders Of The Faith Tour (at the end of 2011) go well? Nick: Oh totally. Both of those tours you just mentioned pretty much every show we did was packed out. It just kinda picked back up where we left off in 2010, we came back and destroyed it again!

Rocksins: And you’ll be back in the UK again this October with Caliban and As I Lay Dying?

Nick: Yup, and Upon A Burning Body. We’ll be back, I’m not sure how many dates are on it for the UK, maybe 7 or 8 shows I think. Rocksins: Is that tour going all over mainland Europe as well? Nick: Yeah I think the whole tour is a month and a week or something like that. We’re going to be taking that tour all over.

Rocksins: On a slightly different note, how did it come about for you to join Trivium?

Nick: I’ve known Paolo the bassist…man we’ve known each other since we were like six. We went to school together and grew up together, we live in the same area and we pretty much picked up our instruments around the same time. So I’d known the guys for awhile, and when their old drummer (Travis) separated Paolo called me first and asked if I’d like to fill in. Originally I was just supposed to fill in and then it turned out I could be permanent in the band so I stuck with it. I used to actually tech for the band, I was Travis’s drum tech for awhile. Literally right after I stopped teching for them I got a call two weeks later.

Rocksins: That must be quite surreal in some ways.

Nick: Totally. When he (Paolo) called me and asked me to fill in I was “fuck yeah I’m gonna do it! Of course I’ll do it.” It’s better than working at a fuckin’ bowling alley. That’s what I was doing before I joined *laughs*.

Click here to read the full interview on Rocksins.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION revealed the official video for ‘Chasing Ghosts’ last week and in case you missed it, you can now watch the video below:

LYNYRD SKYNYRD released the Classic Rock fanpack and digital version of their new album ‘Last Of A Dyin’ Breed’ on Monday and in anticipation of the release, Classic Rock have been revealling webisodes from the studio. They have posted four clips and you can find them all below. Enjoy!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Get ‘Last Of A Dyin’ Breed‘ here via iTunes: http://smarturl.it/LynyrdSkynyrdLOADB

Get your Classic Rock Lynyrd Skynyrd Fanpack here: http://smarturl.it/LynyrdSkynyrdFanpack

Pick up the summer issue of Rhythm Magazine to read a first-hand account by SLIPKNOT’s Joey Jordison on the writing and recording the SLIPKNOT classic ‘Metabolic’. Below are a few choice extracts of what the masked metaller had to say:

No Triggers

“People are like, ‘You must have used triggers on that record.’ No I didn’t. A lot of it had to do with that small room. We were all in there headbanging just like we do live. We record with our masks on. We were dripping with sweat.”

Super Fast

“In the bridge part with the really super-fast 32nd-note double bass, when I was recording that I did that part by myself. I didn’t want to hear any guitars or nothing, I just wanted to play it alone.”

Super Heavy

“That’s one of my favourite Slipknot songs of all time. It’s super heavy, it’s very technical, very dark and has a certain hatefulness to it. All the beats are in different time signatures, it is pretty much a Black/Death Metal song but super catchy of course with Corey’s vocals. That’s one I’m proud of whenever I listen to it.”

You can read the full interview in the Summer issue of Rhythm, which you can buy online or at the Apple Newsstand.

ARTISTdirect have posted story about bands who have survived the nineties and included the likes of SLIPKNOT and KORN in their selection. The website describes anyone who was cool having’ long, grungy hair, usually seen wearing a torn flannel shirt and basically looking like someone you’d see living under the motorway today’ – as a few of us RR UK staff members grew up in this particular era we can testify to the truth in this statement and we think the guys at ARTISTdirect have picked an ace selection of bands. See what they had to say about SLIPKNOT and KORN below:

Releasing their legendary debut in 1999, Slipknot capped off the century with an album that revolutionized heavy metal forever. They were the first to merge death metal technicality and instrumentation with a hypnotic melodic sensibility. They were the most intense band to emerge from the ’90s, and they’re more intense than ever.

Eighteen years into their career, this seminal hard rock/ metal band is still reinventing themselves. Originally, Korn melded metal, funk, hip hop, and several other seemingly disparate genres together in an all-together unique blend of music. Over the years, they have gained fans of all ages- and almost nine million Facebook fans to prove it. Their latest masterpiece, The Path of Totality, features plenty of EDM producers such as Skrillex, 12th Planet, Flinch, Excision, Datsik and more- proving that even today, Korn remain on the cutting edge of music.

Click here to read the full selection over on ARTISTdirect to see who else made the list.

Buy SLIPKNOT’s latest album ‘Antennas To Hell’ by clicking here.

Buy KORN’s latest album ‘The Path Of Totality’ by clicking here.