The guys in Gojira have put together a playlist of some of their favourite songs for Deezer. This is what the band had to say about their selections; “Hey everybody, Deezer asked us to create a playlist with a bunch of music we love to listen to. We came up with a selection of songs ranging from electro to brutal death metal. We are music lovers, and have always listened to a diverse variety of music.”

LISTEN RIGHT HERE ON DEEZER!

“We are very pleased to have ‘Strength of the Mind’ finally released,” said singer Jesse Leach. “It is a big moment to have this be the first listen to the album. The video visually captures a bit of the anxiety and chaos that the song touches on lyrically. It is almost a bit surreal and dream-like with the camera effects, called ‘whacking’ It is always a pleasure to work with McFarland and Pecci, as they are both artists who give it their all with no shortcuts. Watching Mike work the camera live, while Ian paces around and directs, is a very involving and creatively satisfying experience.”

Leach furthered, “We are all also very excited to have the pleasure of being on the cover of Revolver dressed as a characters from Star Wars! We had a total blast dressing up and trying not to laugh the entire time. It is such a fun cover and represents who we are as people. I am just very grateful to see the beginnings of an album cycle that I feel will define a whole new chapter for us.”

Killswitch Engage’s video for “Strength Of The Mind”, from forthcoming album due Spring 2016 on Roadrunner Records. “Strength of the Mind” will be available at all digital retailers and streaming services tomorrow December 11.

Make sure you tune into the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show this Sunday from 7pm to hear Creeper live in session!

The guys at Zildjan caught up with Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg whilst on tour this past summer. In the interview which you can watch in full below, Jay takes us through his current set up as well as how he got into drumming & more.

Last night it was announced that Roadrunner Records bands The Amity Affliction, Down, Gojira and Killswitch Engage would all be playing Download 2016. The legendary festival, which is being headlined by Rammstein, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden is looking like an absolute beast already!

Dream Theater, one of the most prolific and iconic progressive rock bands of the last thirty years, are set to release their eagerly awaited double concept album, ‘The Astonishing’, on January 29th via Roadrunner Records. Yesterday the band premiered the album’s lead single, ‘The Gift of Music’, in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone in which founding guitarist John Petrucci discussed the origins of the conceptual double album.

Consisting of 34 tracks spread across 2 Acts (approximately 2 hours 10 mins of music), woven around an absorbing story written by Petrucci, ‘The Astonishing’ is available now for pre-order at all DSP’s, with all orders accompanied by an instant grat download of ‘The Gift of Music’, which is currently streaming on Dream Theater’s official YouTube. ‘The Gift of Music’ plus additional Dream Theater material can also be streamed here.

The Astonishing will be available in a range of distinctive formats, including standard 2-CD set, 4-LP vinyl box set and a limited edition deluxe box set. The limited edition box set contains a 32-pg screenplay, a poster, a map, 20 trading cards, and a 3D figure of a NOMAC (from Petrucci’s story), as well as the 2-CD album, all housed in a special box. All formats are currently available for pre-order in the Roadrunner Records UK store.

In addition, Amazon UK are running a very limited exclusive pre-order offering customers the choice of a free patch (while stocks last) with their 2-CD purchase. There are two patches fans can choose from, representing the two sides in the story, which fans have gradually learnt about via the band’s microsite, new character-based Twitter handles, and email missives. Links as follows: With The Great Northern Empire patch & with Ravenskill Rebel Militia patch

The double album was recorded at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York, with John Petrucci producing, studio luminary Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Rush) engineering/mixing and legendary arranger, composer and conductor David Campbell orchestrating (whose extensive credits include work for film, Broadway, and more than 450 gold/platinum albums by the likes of Paul McCartney, Adele, Rush, Beyonce, Muse, My Chemical Romance, Justin Timberlake, and Campbell’s son, Beck). Campbell comments, “Probably the most ambitious album project I’ve known, for its stylistic scope and epic forces. In addition to being ace musicians at a stellar level, Dream Theater are masters of melodic and rhythmic excitement, which is dramatically demonstrated when you hear their music accompanied by full orchestra and choirs.” ‘The Astonishing’ paints a tale of a retro-futurist post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by medieval style feudalism. It’s a place aching for a Chosen One to rise above the noise and defeat an Empire defined by the endless drone of noise machines and the illusion of safety in bland conformity.

Dream Theater kick off their first tour of ‘The Astonishing’ album cycle in the UK in February 2016, with 2 momentous nights at the Palladium in London. The band will perform the double album in its entirety while transforming venues into immersive and interactive settings for a unique and unparalleled live experience. European dates are already announced with US dates to follow shortly. For up-to-the-minute news and ticket information, please visit the official Dream Theater website.

The Astonishing follows 2013’s worldwide smash album ‘Dream Theater’ which earned a second Grammy nomination for the band, topping Billboard’s “Hard Rock Albums” while simultaneously entering at #7 on the Billboard 200. The extraordinary chart position marked the group’s third consecutive top 10 debut, and also saw the record making top 5 chart debuts in Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada, Argentina, Switzerland, Holland, and Finland, as well as top 10 debuts in Denmark, Austria, and Norway, plus career high debuts in the United Kingdom and Australia. Rolling Stone touted the legendary collection as “…the birth of a new era in the band’s career.”

Watch the brand new video for The Amity Affliction ‘Shine On’ right here! The single is available now on iTunes & Spotify.

“I got to go in the Tardis and touched everything. I was a nut. Being in the Tardis is the closest I’ll ever get to being in the Millennium Falcon.” Corey Taylor recently spoke to the good people at Classic Rock about his love of Doctor Who. He talks about watching the show as a kid in Iowa as well as his experiences on the set of the show. You can read the full interview which includes Corey’s ranking of every Doctor Who on Classic Rock!

Next month The Amity Affliction head out on the road for The Big Ass Tour with A Day To Remember through out New Zealand and Australia. In the build up to this monstrous tour the bands have interviewed each other across the world, via the wonders of modern technology. Check out part 1 below!

“Take care of your instruments and they’ll take care of you.” This is just one piece of advice to all young guitarists out there. Check out Stone Sour’s Josh Rand’s 5 Top Tips for guitarists over at Music Radar.