Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com

Has there ever been a singer that’s had a more impressive resume within the genre where he performed? Ronnie James Dio was a true metal icon who showed off his range and talent performing with such acts as Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell and his own self-titled band, Dio.

It’s hard to imagine that the man who began his love of music playing the French horn and trumpet would eventually be the person often credited with creating the now standard “devil horns” sign at metal shows. Even though he was a man of diminutive stature, there may not have been a bigger giant when it came to performing onstage as his personality and passion always shone through.

After his death from stomach cancer in 2010, there was an outpouring of love not only from the metal community, but from musicians and entertainers across all genres and outlets. It speaks volumes that two years later, there are still many that have taken the time today to keep his memory alive by sharing their thoughts on the anniversary of his death (May 16).

Today we want to celebrate Dio’s legacy as well and ask you to tell us what was his best song. We’ve chosen a number of tracks from his vast catalog and ask you to pick a favorite. Choose what you think is the best Ronnie James Dio song in the poll below.

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Facebook: Helmet

It’s not 1994, but Helmet and the Toadies will reclaim their place in the spotlight this summer, teaming up on the road to relive past glories and show off the vitality of their most recent works.

Frontman Page Hamilton has seen the Helmet lineup change over the years, but the group is still rocking as hard as ever. Their last album, ‘Seeing Eye Dog,’ was released in 2010. As for Toadies, they’ve been quite busy since reuniting for the 2008 release ‘No Deliverance.’ Their latest disc, ‘Play. Rock. Music,’ was expected to arrive as an EP by now, but the band’s creative flow was so much that they decided to continue in the studio to complete a full-length disc. ‘Play. Rock. Music’ is now tentatively scheduled for a late July release.

The veteran acts will be supported on the road by buzzworthy upstarts UME, who will take part in all shows with exception of the tour opener in Houston and closer in Denver. The trio’s full-length album, ‘Phantoms,’ was released last August. Tickets go on sale May 18 in most markets, with the Ft. Lauderdale and Denver shows going up a day later.

Helmet/Toadies Tour Dates:

7/20 — Houston, Texas — House of Blues
7/21 — Pensacola Beach, Fla. — Capt’n Fun Beach Club
7/22 — New Orleans, La. — Tipitina’s
7/24 — Jacksonville, Fla. — Jack Rabbits
7/25 — Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. — Revolution
7/26 — St. Petersburg, Fla. — State Theatre
7/27 — Orlando, Fla. — House of Blues
7/28 — Atlanta, Ga. — The Masquerade
7/29 — Charlotte, N.C. — Fillmore
7/31 — Silver Spring, Md. — Fillmore
8/1 — Philadelphia, Pa. — Trocadero
8/2 — New York, N.Y. — Webster Hall
8/3 — Boston, Mass. — Paradise Rock Club
8/4 — Rochester, N.Y. — Water Street Music Hall
8/5 — Lansing, Mich. — Michigan Rock N Brew at Adado
8/7 — Cleveland, Ohio — House of Blues
8/8 — Pontiac, Mich. — Crofoot Ballroom
8/9 — Chicago, Ill. — House of Blues
8/10 — Indianapolis, Ind. — The Vogue
8/11 — Sauget, Ill. — Pop’s
8/12 — Kansas City, Mo. — Beaumont Club
8/14 — Denver, Colo. — Bluebird Theater

Facebook: Official Ronnie James Dio Fanpage / Ethan Miller, Getty Images

In today’s Daily Reload, we pay tribute to the legendary Ronnie James Dio on the second anniversary of his tragic death with a look at five amazing live performances; Slash’s ‘Apocalyptic Love’ New York record release show is set to stream online; and Great White singer Jack Russell and his wife were involved in a boat crash.

Also, black metal band Urgehal’s frontman Trondr Nefas dies at 35; Soundgarden’s ‘Live to Rise’ hits No. 1 on the Active Rock chart; My Chemical Romance decide to continue with Jarrod Alexander on drums; Disturbed’s David Draiman hits the studio for a new industrial project; we talk with Overkill’s Bobby Blitz for an exclusive video interview + much more.

Check out all of today’s stories on Loudwire, plus some favorites from around the Web, in the links below:

Today on Loudwire:

Slash’s ‘Apocalyptic Love’ New York Record Release Show To Stream Live Online
Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament Salutes Late Bassist Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn
New Music Releases – June 2012
Testament Reveal ‘Dark Roots of Earth’ Album Artwork + Track Listing
My Chemical Romance To Continue With Jarrod Alexander on Drums
Urgehal Frontman Trondr Nefas Dies at 35
Great White Singer Jack Russell and Wife Involved in Boat Crash
Papa Roach vs. Tremonti – Cage Match
Duff McKagan: Green Day Singer Was Ready to Handle Vocals at Rock Hall Performance
Crossfade Bassist Mitch James on Working With Fans for ‘Dear Cocaine’ Video Project + More
Ronnie James Dio: Amazing Vocal Performances
Rockers Remember Ronnie James Dio via Twitter
Disturbed’s David Draiman Set to Enter Studio for New Industrial Project
Korn Drummer Ray Luzier Talks ‘The Path of Totality,’ Van Halen, MCA + More
Soundgarden’s ‘Live to Rise’ Takes No. 1 Spot on Active Rock Airplay Chart
Overkill’s Bobby Blitz Talks ‘The Electric Age,’ Ramones Spotting + More

Loudwire also recommends:

World’s Most Surprising Metallica Fan? We Nominate Justin Bieber
‘G.I. Joe’ Promo Site Lets You Sign Up To Join Cobra
Polar Bear Gets Arrested During Routine Traffic Stop
Joey Ramone’s New Posthumous Album ‘…Ya Know?’ Streaming Now
Sugar Is Making You Stupid

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire

New York got a treat over the weekend as Fear Factory played a packed show this past Sunday, May 13, at Gramercy Theater with special guests Shadows Fall, as well as the Browning, Legacy of Disorder and the Devastated, as part of the ‘Noise in the Machine Tour.’

Fans got to see Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell and Dino Cazares together onstage rocking out and the crowd went insane as they opened up with ‘Shock.’ They also played ‘Recharger’ a new tune off of their upcoming record ‘The Industrialist.’

The vigor that Bell, Cazares and bassist Matt DeVries brought was infectious as their fans sang word for word to every song and got some serious mosh pits going. Fear Factory also played ‘Resurrection,’ Edgecrusher’ and ‘Linchpin,’ among many other tunes, and ended their set with ‘Replica.’

Shadows Fall also tore the roof off of Gramercy Theater as the dread-y goodness of Brian Fair got the blood pumping. They kicked off their set with ‘Thoughts Without Words’ and ‘Still I Rise.’

In support of their latest album, ‘Fire From the Sky,’ the band performed new songs such as the title track, ‘The Unknown’ and ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Fair’s stage presence and energy as well as the length of his dreads were out of this world. The band’s chemistry onstage along with Fair’s ability to get right in fans faces and look them right in the eyes was also incredible to see.

The Browning delivered a unique set, as they featured an overwhelming bundle of vivacity in their performance. Their music was as distinctive as they are as they mixed heavy metal with electronic which called for intense synthesizer action and had a dub-step-y vibe.

The New Zealanders of Legacy of Disorder won over these East Coast fans as they played a passionate and forceful set. As frontman James Robinson bellowed out the songs, the band’s brotherhood and sincerity onstage were evident.

The West Coasters of the Devastated kicked off the night of great performances and quality metal with a excellent set of their own. Despite the a small crowd at the venue during their set, their energy never weakened.

To see all of these bands on tour, check out a full list of dates and cities for the 2012 ‘Noise in the Machine Tour’ here.

Check Out Photos From the ‘Noise In the Machine Tour’ Stop in New York City

Liz Ramanand

Before Overkill‘s thrash-tastic New York City show on May 12, frontman Bobby Blitz took some time to speak with us in the luxurious backstage bathroom of the Best Buy Theater. In this exclusive interview, Blitz talks about Overkill’s newest album, ‘The Electric Age,’ the New York City crowd, his punk rock roots + much more.

Although billed from New Jersey, Overkill have also made New York City their home base. After 16 studio albums and well over 25 years of thrashing, the New York / New Jersey fans have gotten increasingly rabid and loyal, with Overkill’s fan base getting older and younger simultaneously.

Blitz spoke with us about his love of the hometown crowd, how New York City’s ’70s punk scene shaped Overkill’s sound and how the Ramones’ self-titled debut changed his life. Blitz also grew up with a pastime called Ramones-spotting, which he nostalgically describes in the interview.

Check out our exclusive video interview with Bobby Blitz of Overkill below:

Overkill’s Bobby Blitz Talks to Loudwire

Facebook: Soundgarden

Soundgarden have roared back into the rock world with a vengeance. Not only will the band release a new album later this year, but the grunge goliaths recently hit fans with their first 100-percent new song in 16 years, ‘Live to Rise.’ Now, the track off the ‘Avengers Assemble’ compilation has taken over the No. 1 spot on the Active Rock airplay chart.

Although ‘Black Rain’ and ‘The Telephantasm’ were both new songs to listeners when they were released on the 2010 compilation album, ‘Telephantasm,’ the tracks were first recorded in 1991 and 1987, respectively. ‘Live to Rise’ proves that Soundgarden still have what it takes to write good music in the studio, even though the band has stated that the track does not necessarily reflect the sound of their upcoming album.

Chris Cornell recently spoke about the upcoming disc with Seattle radio station KISW. “Some of the songs on our new album are pretty far left of center, and sort of zero in on more of a hardcore Soundgarden fan and not necessarily a family that goes to see a film like that,” says Cornell. “Although ['Live to Rise' is] not really what I think of as a necessarily family friendly song, but it’s as close as we’ve ever come.”

As ‘The Avengers’ soared to the top of the box office, ‘Live to Rise’ went right up with it as the track hit the No. 1 spot on its sixth week climbing the Active Rock chart. This tune takes over the top spot from Halestorm‘s ‘Love Bites (So Do I),’ which last week made history as the first song to hit No. 1 on the tally by a female-fronted rock band.

The as-yet-untitled new Soundgarden album is expected to be released in October 2012.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Korn’s latest album ‘The Path of Totality’ saw the band going in a new musical direction, embracing dubstep and utilizing several different producers including Skrillex. We caught up with drummer Ray Luzier backstage before their set at the Carolina Rebellion Festival. That was the show that featured the surprise return of Brian ‘Head’ Welch for one song, the first time he performed with the band since 2005.

We talked about the latest CD and the album of the year award at the Revolver Golden Gods. And since Luzier used to play with David Lee Roth, Van Halen’s newest release was discussed along with the future of the supergroup Army of Anyone and other topics.

What inspired the musical direction you took on ‘The Path of Totality’?

Korn has always had an element of hip-hop, reggae, funk. It’s an extreme direction, but to me it’s a Korn record at the end of the day. Jon [Davis], for the last several years, has been into dubstep music. He turned us onto Skrillex first, and said he was going to write some words on top of one of these songs. I didn’t know if it was going to be a solo project or what it was going to be. He said, “No, I want this to be the new Korn record.” That’s basically what happened. We thought maybe we would just make a five song EP. That was the plan, but it spread like wildfire. It was cool.

How did your part of the recording process work?

Jon would meet with most of the producers first, but a lot of the time the drums were the last things laid down. It’s usually the opposite. The drums are normally the first thing laid down and everything else goes on top of it. On our last record ‘Korn III’ we took time off the road and did it organically in a room, old school. We just sat in a room and wrote a song and recorded it 45 minutes later. On this album, Jon would do a vocal in Seoul, Korea. I would do a drum track in Honolulu, Hawaii.

It was a really different process for me, because I’m all about the song. If it calls for a lot of wacky fills or beats I’m all for it. But these songs are so heavy and powerful. The samples that dubstep people use are so massive, I found myself doing extra stuff, and it would ruin the beat and ruin the song. So I ended up playing really simplistic on this record. And live I wanted to make sure I played everything organically, meaning I played every note. We play our set in thirds. The second set is all dubstep, so I switch out my acoustic snare with an electric snare. We had Viggy, Tommy Lee’s guy, program everything. He did it so when I hit the snare, it’s the verse, and it will change automatically to the chorus snare. So that’s how we do it. I play every note live.

How did the actual fan reaction to the direction of the new album compare to what your expectations were of their reaction?

You’re always going to piss somebody off. You can’t make everyone happy. On the last record we went old school and brought Ross Robinson back (who produced Korn’s first two albums), and some people said, “Come on, it’s the same old thing!” For this one we went extreme. A lot of fans came up to us at the beginning of the tour and said they were still trying to digest it. Now they have seen it a couple of times, and most of them tell us they love it. I’m also getting emails from 16-year-old Skrillex fans who had never heard of Korn, but bought the record because he (Skrillex) was on it. So we’re turning new fans onto it.

You’ve even made the Billboard dance charts with this one.

It’s crazy. We’re still No. 5 in Europe. We won album of the year from Revolver. It’s kind of nuts to go off into left field like that. You don’t know what fans are going to say. Korn fans are so die-hard.

You were in Los Angeles to accept the Revolver Golden God award for best album…

Yes. Me and Fieldy showed up to accept it, but he was with his daughters and ended up leaving early. So I had to accept it by myself. I’ve been in the band for five years, but haven’t been in the band for 19 years like some of the guys. There were a couple of Ray fans there, but most of them were probably looking behind me, wondering where the guy with the dreads was. (laughs) It was an honor. We were nominated for a Grammy for ‘Korn III,’ and then the album of the year for ‘The Path of Totality.’ It doesn’t suck being in this band right now, that’s for sure.

Is there any place you still want to get to and play live?

It’s funny you ask that, because we just added India in August, and I’ve always wanted to go to India. That will be cool. I think it’s the first time there for Korn, too. With my previous bands I never got to go to nearly as many places as Korn has. My first tour was South Africa, Dubai, crazy places I never thought I would end up.

When you have some extra time on the road, do you make an effort to see the local sights?

I do, I like to get out. Sometimes I’m a hermit in my hotel room. This band travels nicely, which is good. We stay in nice hotels. All the years when I was with David Lee Roth we ventured out so much and saw a lot of places in the United States and Europe. I love the culture of Europe and venture out. But stateside I’m sometimes a hermit.

What do you think of Van Halen’s comeback album ‘A Different Kind 0f Truth’?

I didn’t like it at first, but now I love it. You look forward to that next record coming out from your favorite bands. It’s been a while since I’ve had the feeling of a new Van Halen record in my hand. But it’s funny to me, because when I was in (David Lee Roth’s) band he showed me four or five songs from the new record. ‘She’s The Woman,’ ‘Tattoo’ and all those songs I heard 10 years ago. It was a trip when I heard ‘Tattoo’ on the radio, because I remember hearing it at Dave’s house. I had a grin on my face when I heard these songs now.

You recorded an album in 2006 with Army of Anyone (which also included Richard Patrick from Filter, and Robert and Dean DeLeo from Stone Temple Pilots). There have been conflicting reports whether there will be another album. What can you tell us about that band?

It’s possible. We are all really good friends. We have a bunch of tunes in the works. I think if the time ever arose where we all could make our schedules fit, it would work out.

Adam Yauch from the Beastie Boys just passed away. Did you ever cross paths with him?

I met the Beastie Boys when I was with David Lee Roth. They are huge Van Halen fans. They came out to New York City one time for a show and I had the pleasure of meeting him. He was a real sweetheart of a guy. It’s such a shame.  He was only 47.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Disturbed may be on hiatus for an unspecified period of time, but vocalist David Draiman is set to return with an industrial rock project, for which he has just unveiled a whole slew of details via Twitter.

It’s amazing that Draiman can even find time to work on a new project with the feverish amount of interaction the vocalist engages in on his Twitter page. The Disturbed frontman, whose communication with fans used to be solely through his rhythmic vocal assault and trademark grunts, is now using the social networking site to get his voice out to the public, 140 characters at a time.

On any given day you can find Draiman’s lengthy thoughts on everything from his favorite albums to the complexities of the Trayvon Martin case. The singer is also pretty good about responding to Tweets from fans, a few of his recent answers have filled in the blanks on the status of his previously announced project with former Filter axeman Geno Lenardo. Draiman has described the project as being in the vain of Nine Inch Nails and Ministry.

During a recent series of Tweets, it was revealed that a lot of work has been going into the project and they are “almost ready to record” a full album. Draiman also made mention of a book he has in the works and hopes both projects will surface “around the same time.” Tracking for the new project is set to begin May 31 and to the question of when Disturbed will be recording again, the vocalist has a much less specific, saying “not anytime soon.”

Facebook: Crossfade

Crossfade have been very busy since the release of their latest album ‘We All Bleed,’ which was the band’s first disc in five years. They have also been heating up airwaves with singles off of the album such as ‘Killing Me Inside’ and ‘Prove You Wrong.’

When we got to speak with Crossfade bassist Mitch James, he dished on their idea for fans becoming a part of the video campaign for their new single ‘Dear Cocaine.’ James also spoke about what the new track means to him; his love for Alice in Chains and Soundgarden; and much more.

Talk about the fan collaboration for ‘Dear Cocaine’ and where the idea came from.

Well we knew this was going to be the new single and we talked to a lot of people who already heard the song or bought the album or seen it live and a lot of the feedback we were getting was like, “Man I can relate to that song so much.” It doesn’t necessarily relate to it on a drug level, but they certainly feel what we’re feeling in that song and I think a lot of people related to what we were doing. It doesn’t have to be about drugs, it could be anything in your life that brings you down.

So we thought maybe we can get people to be a little more hands on with it and say what they felt – what was their cocaine if you will and write a poster and film it, take a picture of it and we were just going to put it all together and make a cool little [video project].

What does the song ‘Dear Cocaine’ mean to you?

Being in a band for as many years as we have and being on the road we came across a lot of people that had things that weren’t good for us. I guess being famous or popular everybody want to give you stuff whether it was that particular drug or alcohol or pretty much anything so we certainly saw that happening in our lives on the road for a year at a time. Once we got home and shook ourselves awake and realized we were out of shape and felt terrible all the time the next thing to do was to get wise and start acting like we were grownups again.

How did you guys choose ‘Dear Cocaine’ as your next single?

The president of our label was a huge fan of ‘Dear Cocaine’, he called it the 2012 ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ just because it was so long and just different than anything else that was on the radio. He was a big pusher of that song but we all agreed that it would be a cool thing to push to radio, it has a lot of bad words in it and if you don’t get the message you think it’s about something completely different.

What are some of your other favorite songs on the new album?

I do like ‘Lay Me Down’, ‘I Think You Should Know’ is very cool, I can just listen to it over and over again and I’ve had it for two and a half years while it was being recorded. I think they’re all fantastic and I wouldn’t take anything off the album. I don’t really have a particular favorite, I like them all.

This entire album is pretty inspirational, were there any particular albums that have inspired you to get through a specific struggle?

I couldn’t tell you any recent ones, no. Alice in Chains’ ‘Dirt’ I could listen to that every day, ‘Badmotorfinger,’ Soundgarden. Those two albums are probably my two favorites of all time, they’re the go to albums when I’m feelin’ down or when I just want to scream out loud.

You guys will be on tour with Weaving the Fate, what are you looking forward to most about this tour?

We’re great friends with those guys, technically, actually family. Jeremy [Roberson] their drummer is actually playing drums for us on this tour as well so it’s a tight knit group. It’s going to be like having a part of home having those guys with us – we see them every weekend and have fun while we’re at home so it’ll be the same out on the road. We’re trying to get them some much needed recognition, much deserved recognition, hopefully them being out with us they’ll have a whole new crowd of people who never heard them before, they’re amazing.

Click here to find out more about Crossfade’s ‘Dear Cocaine’ project and watch a video message from the band in the clip below.

Watch a Video Message Below From Crossfade About Their ‘Dear Cocaine’ Project

Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was a night of celebration for the attending members of Guns N’ Roses, but Duff McKagan says that after having some separation from the big night, he’s also a little sad about how things went down with his onetime group.

The bassist says in his Seattle Weekly blog, “Watching that HBO special made me sad — for the very first time perhaps — that the original GNR didn’t somehow stay together. It would have been a miracle if we did. If I’d known then what I know now, I would have done my part to try and rid that band of the caustic resentments and outside inputs that finally wore us down to a nub from what we once were, and what we could have come back from. Alas, it just wasn’t in the cards.”

McKagan reflected on what it meant to be inducted with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a band they opened for a few times in their Los Angeles-based early years, and the Beastie Boys, a group he calls “the hardcore East Coast counterpart to what we were oozing over on the West Coast.” Duff says there were even rumors at one point of them and the Beasties brawling against each other at a club, but he marks that up to testosterone.

The bassist says he was awestruck at the reaction not only of the fans, but also their peers as they went into the Rock Hall. He also reveals that a plan was in place for Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong, who inducted the group, to sing whatever was needed if needed. In the end, a last minute decision was made to get Slash’s solo band vocalist Myles Kennedy and former GN’R guitarist Gilby Clarke to join the festivities, but Armstrong was prepared to step in.

Photos: 10th Street / Fret 12

Papa Roach crawled all over the competition by beating Serj Tankian in the last Cage Match, but will they be able to take the win against today’s challenger?

Mark Tremonti, guitarist of Creed and Alter Bridge, enters the Cage Match with his solo project called Tremonti and the new single ‘You Waste Your Time’ off of the upcoming album ‘All I Was’ (due July 10). In the song, Tremonti goes to work on both vocals and guitar riffs; check out our full review of the new tune here. Mark Tremonti is currently on tour with Creed for the Human Clay Tour 2012; for a full list of cities and dates go here.

So will Papa Roach continue to creep their way to the top or will “Time’ be on the side of Mark Tremonti? Get in on the action and vote for your favorite song below:

(This Cage Match ends Friday, May 18, at 8AM ET.)

Listen to Papa Roach, ‘Even If I Could’

Listen to Tremonti, ‘You Waste Your Time’

Rules of Cage Match:

There are no rules … except this one: If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!

Stephen J. Cohen, Getty Images

Great White singer Jack Russell recently found himself involved in a boat crash of all things, but in this case he was happy not to be the cause of the trouble.

The singer told Metal Sludge that he and his wife were kicking back aboard their boat when they heard a huge boom. It was another drunken sailor who had collided into the rear of their vessel. Russell says, “I went onto the back deck and this drunk guy in a sailboat had crashed into the back of our boat. Fortunately the damage to ours was minimal and he had insurance. I took his info and had him shove off before Harbor Patrol showed up. No sense in him going to jail. After all, his boat suffered some serious damage.”

Russell says he and his wife shared a laugh afterward, as he joked, “I’m just glad it wasn’t the other way around.” He adds, “It’s nice to be sober again. Until next time, remember don’t drink and sail.”

The singer and the remaining members of Great White have been at odds ever since Russell left to address his health issues. After hearing he wasn’t welcome back and that the group had replaced him, he formed his own version of the band called Jack Russell’s Great White and the two acts are currently battling over who owns the rights to the moniker.

Great White are known for their 1989 hit ‘Once Bitten, Twice Shy,’ but perhaps are even more known for their involvement in one of the worst tragedies in rock history, when their 2003 show at the Station Club in Rhode Island turned into an inferno that killed 100 people.

Seasons of Mist

Black metal frontman Trondr Nefas from the Norwegian band Urgehal has passed away at age 35. After 20 years of making black metal with Urgehal, Nefas suddenly died in a manner which the band described as “peaceful and natural” in an official statement.

Urgehal’s record label, Seasons of Mist, were the first to announce the sad news of Nefas’ passing. “We are deeply sorry to announce that Urgehal guitarist / vocalist Trondr Nefas just passed away. More news and official statement to follow soon. RIP.”

Having formed in 1992, Urgehal have released six full-length albums and a number of demos, EPs and splits. From their first full-length release of ‘Arma Christi’ in 1997, the band have remained loyal to their raw black metal sound all the way through to their latest release, ‘Death is Complete.’

Earlier today, Urgehal released an official statement, mourning the loss of their frontman.

The greatest is gone. Trondr Nefas, our dearest friend and companion for more than 20 years, suddenly passed away last week. He died a peaceful and natural death at one of his favourite places, surrounded by woods and crystal lakes. Thanks for all the years with friendship, music and madness. For the good times and the bad times. Through your dark devotion for black metal, you have inspired so many. You were a true pioneer. We will miss you, but never forget you, because your legacy will live on. Our deepest sympathy goes to Trond’s fiancée Octavia, and both of their families. We appreciate all of the condolences and support given to us after his tragic death.
Sammen var vi dynamitt!!!

“Sammen var vi dynamitt” is Norwegian for “Together we were dynamite.” In the memory of Trondr Nefas, watch the live video below of Urgehal playing ‘Satanic Black Metal in Hell’ from their 2009 trip to Detroit.

Watch Urgehal Play ‘Satanic Black Metal in Hell’

[button href="http://loudwire.com/adam-yauch-death-2012/" title="See the Rockers We've Lost in 2012" align="center"]

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

My Chemical Romance were forced to make a very quick decision last year after booting drummer Mike Pedicone from the band for stealing in the midst of their Honda Civic Tour dates with Blink-182. But the decision to bring in former Suicide File skinbeater Jarrod Alexander has been a solid one so far.

Guitarist Frank Iero tells Aquarian Weekly that Alexander is continuing with the group into the studio as they begin working on new music. He says, “Jarrod is a rad guy and a fantastic player. It’s been really fun making music with him these past few months. He loves coffee and hitting drums super-hard … and the fact that he’s not a thieving piece of garbage is a breath of fresh air.”

The band stepped in as a last minute substitution for the ailing Blink-182 at this weekend’s Bamboozle Festival, and Iero jokes, “Since we only had a week’s worth of notice to prepare for this show and with scheduling conflicts and all, we decided that instead of using a real-live human drummer, we are going to use the super computer from ‘War Games’ instead. However, we have nicknamed the computer Jarrod.”

As for new music, Iero confirmed that the band has been writing, but that they were at least “a month away from the record button lighting up.” The group will reunite with producer Doug McKean for the album, but do not have a set timetable as to when they expect to deliver their follow up to ‘Danger Days.’

Nuclear Blast Records

Get ready to thrash! Testament are emerging from the studio with a new album called ‘Dark Roots of Earth,’ and there will be plenty of ways to enjoy it.

The band has announced multiple format releases, including a traditional jewel case CD, a CD/DVD combo, and a vinyl offering.

The veteran thrash metal group just wrapped things up with renowned producer Andy Sneap and called upon Eliran Kantor to create the artwork for the set. ‘Dark Roots of Earth’ is due July 31.

Those who get the CD/DVD combo or the vinyl version will be treated to a trio of bonus covers. Testament took on Queen’s ‘Dragon Attack,’ Scorpions’ ‘Animal Magnetism’ and Iron Maiden’s ‘Powerslave’ for both packages.

The CD/DVD combo also comes with an extended version of the album track ‘Throne of Thorns.’ This marks the group’s first release since 2008′s standout effort, ‘The Formation of Damnation.’

Testament, ‘Dark Roots of Earth’ Track Listing:

1. ‘Rise Up’
2. ‘Native Blood’
3. ‘Dark Roots of Earth’
4. ‘True American Hate’
5. ‘A Day in the Death’
6. ‘Cold Embrace’
7. ‘Man Kills Mankind’
8. ‘Throne of Thorns’
9. ‘Last Stand for Independence’

Bonus Deluxe Edition Tracks:

10. ‘Dragon Attack’ (Queen cover)
11. ‘Animal Magnetism’ (Scorpions cover)
12. ‘Powerslave’ (Iron Maiden cover)
13. ‘Throne of Thornes’ (extended version)

Warner

June 2012 is certain to be yet another month when some of this year’s most anticipated releases will be unleashed on your eager ears.

Upcoming albums for June include releases by Linkin Park, Smashing Pumpkins, the Offspring + more.

Linkin Park will reveal ‘Living Things’ next month, their fifth studio album and follow-up to 2010′s ‘A Thousand Suns.’ The first single from the album, ‘Burn It Down,’ was introduced to the world on April 16, receiving mostly positive reviews from critics and fans.

Smashing Pumpkins are also set to debut their ninth studio album, ‘Oceania’ on June 26. The day will also see two more highly anticipated albums from both The Offspring and Gojira.

Other albums set to drop this June include Fear Factory‘s ‘The Industrialist,’ P.O.D.‘s ‘Murdered Love,’ Dying Fetus’ ‘Reign Supreme,’ Rush‘s ‘Clockwork Angels’ + many more.

Check out our list of upcoming rock and metal music releases for the month of June 2012:

June 2012 Music Releases:

June 5:

The Agonist, ‘Prisoners’
Fear Factory, ‘The Industrialist’
Gojira, ‘The Flesh Alive’ (Live Album)
Kreator, ‘Phantom Antichrist’
Marduk, ‘Serpent Sermon’

June 12:

Rush, ‘Clockwork Angels’

June 19:

Chelsea Grin, ‘Evolve’ EP
Dying Fetus, ‘Reign Supreme’
Ihsahn, ‘Eremita’
Lita Ford, ‘Living Like a Runaway’
Lostprophets, ‘Weapons’
Manowar, ‘The Lord of Steel’
P.O.D., ‘Murdered Love’
Smashing Pumpkins, ‘Oceania’
Spineshank, ‘Anger Denial Acceptance’
Whitechapel, ‘Whitechapel’

June 26:

Gojira, ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’
Linkin Park, ‘Living Things’
The Offspring, ‘Days Go By’

Rick Diamond, Getty Images

One of the music’s greats, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, passed away over the weekend and the tributes have been pouring in ever since. Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament is one of the latest to offer his thoughts on the legend that was one of his bass idols.

In a posting at Pearl Jam’s website, Ament writes, “Five years ago, I made a list of my favorite and most influential bassists, and after much editing, decided to put their names on the back of my new favorite bass at the time and the first name on the neck is Duck Dunn. In 1993, the band was lucky enough to open a bunch of shows in the U.S. and Europe for Neil [Young] and his band of Booker T., Steve Cropper, Jim Keltner, and Duck. Our band watched every minute of this all-star band and lessons were delivered nightly. I learned more about how to ‘play songs’ in a band than in my previous 12 years of playing. Duck played deeper and with more economy than most and profoundly effected how I play with PJ.”

Ament thanked Dunn in his note for “the education,” echoing the sentiments of Flea, Nickelback and many more. Dunn was a session musician for the Stax Records label in the ’60s, playing on great soul recordings from Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and Sam & Dave, while also starting his run as a long-time member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s. He would later find success playing bass on rock records from Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Tom Petty among others, but may be known to many of today’s generation for his role in The Blues Brothers band and films. He passed away Sunday (May 13) at the age of 70.

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com

Next Tuesday (May 22) will be a big day for Slash. The guitarist’s second solo album, ‘Apocalyptic Love,’ hits stores, and now comes word that his record-release show that night in New York City will stream live on the Web.

‘Apocalyptic Love’ features singer Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, a.k.a, drummer Brent Fitz and bassist Todd Kerns. The three musicians all came on board when Slash prepared to tour in support of his guest-filled debut solo set, and have become a cohesive unit ever since. As a celebration of the full band, which recently added guitarist Frank Sidoris after the recording of ‘Apocalyptic Love,’ the group will webcast their record release show next Tuesday.

The May 22 show at New York’s Irving Plaza sold out rather quickly, so this will be the best chance for many fans to show their support on record release day. The full concert will air live via Livestream.com at 10:15PM ET.

The concert webcast is just the latest online offering in support of the disc. The guitarist has been revealing tracks via his Facebook page, and just issued the first video off the album for the single, ‘You’re a Lie.’ Slash and his band are currently touring in support of ‘Apocalyptic Love.’

In other news, catch Slash talking about his music career on the radio during his appearance May 20 on NPR’s ‘Weekend Edition Sunday.’