Here they are:

Megadeth

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy

Black Label Society

Kyuss Lives!

As I Lay Dying

Steel Panther

Billy Talent

Rise Against

Fear Factory

Five Finger Death Punch

Terrorvision

Periphery

Ginger Wildheart

Reckless Love

Find out more at www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Words: Malcolm Dome

Bands doing classic albums live has become de rigueur. But in the case of Styx you get two of their finest albums on Live (Eagle Vision). Available on Blu-ray, DVD and CD, there’s the whole of The Grand Illusion followed by the entire Pieces Of Eight album, each in the proper track order. Truly brilliant. A pomp haven.

Metallica have now made the EP Beyond Magnetic (Mercury) available on CD. It features four tracks from the Death Magnetic recording sessions, all of which are previously unreleased. In all honesty, any could have made it onto the album without any drop in quality.

Ronnie Montrose, whole career has been coloured by the classic Montrose self-titled debut album. But he has been involved in other highly desirable projects. Gamma 2 (Rock Candy) was the second album from Gamma, the band he formed almost immediately after Montrose. Originally released in 1980, it mixes blues and a slightly more contemporary state-of-the-art hard rock edge. Definitely a CD to play while roaring down an American highway, or sunning yourself in a Clacton back yard.

Lillian Axe are in splendid form on XI – The Days Before Tomorrow (AFM). Their stylish, creative grip of AOR is as firm as ever on a set of songs that traverse from intricate ballads to more balls-out thumpers.

In theory, the combination of Lacuna Coil and top pop-rock producer Don Gilmore should have made Dark Adrenaline (Roadrunner) a stunner. So, why is it so mediocre? For a start, the songs seem overly airbrushed, losing the gothic sparkle of the band at their best. Secondly, there appears to be little rapport between the musicians and the producer. It all sounds a little lacklustre, without the drive or panache of Lacuna in their prime.

The Evil Dead are from Argentina and have a reputation in the extreme metal arena. But Pronounced The Evil Dead (Rising) shows that, take away vocals which sound like an angry Chihuahua with a raging ulcer, and you’re left with a surprisingly melodic metal band who nod at Megadeth and Iron Maiden  and can certainly carry a tune.

Tony Ashton was a cult figure on the rock scene, thanks to his involvement with Ashton, Gardner & Dyke and Paice, Ashton, Lord. A real character who lived and loved life to the maximum, he died in 2001. The memoir Zermattitis: A Musicians’ Guide To Going Downhill Fast (Wymer Publishing) captures his humour, quirkiness and sheer effrontery brilliantly. Unlike so many autobiographies from more high profile figures, this hums with affection and truth. It’s not full of self-aggrandisement and hubris. A lesson for others on how to write such a book. This comes with a bonus DVD, featuring previously unreleased footage of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke.

Young Brummies Capital Sun have recorded three songs with producer Chris Tsangarides. The first of these, Forgotten Songs, is now available through their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/capitalsun). It goes back to the mid-to-late 70s British hard rock style, bringing to mind Thin Lizzy, UFO and Budgie. Very promising.

“If you look at how much work went into making it all happen in the first place, then I really doubt we can do the same thing again,” says guitarist Kerry King.

“You had four headlining bands – Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and us – touring together and that takes so much organising.

“I know there are some parts where they’re angry not to have gotten the chance to see it. The Bay Area will probably never forgive us. And we could go on and on doing it for ages.

“But I honestly doubt we can get our schedules to coincide like that again.”

Slayer are currently writing songs for their next album, with the aim being to have it out in the summer.

They also are one of the headline attractions for the All Tomorrow’s Parties I’ll Be Your Mirror event at London’s Alexandra Palace, where they’ll play the whole of Reign In Blood. This happens from May 25-27.

Find out more at www.slayer.net

Dream Theater – On The Backs Of Angels

Foo Fighters – White Limo

Mastodon  – Curl The Burl

Megadeth –  Public Enemy No. 1

Sum 41 – Blood In My Eyes

The Foo Fighters have also picked up a further four nominations, These include Wasting Light in the Best Rock album category, where they’re up against Jeff Beck (for Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Honoring Les Paul) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (I’m With You).

The Grammy Awards happen at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 12.

If you fancy seeing the whole list of nominees, go here.

Words: Malcolm Dome

Peter Gabriel has never been a man to stand still and do the obvious. He proves it again on New Blood Live In London (Eagle Vision). This is a DVD and Blu-ray filmed during two shows in London in March this year. Gabriel totally overhauled his songs, adapting these for an orchestra, and in the process reinvents them. It’s a tour de force performance from a unique talent.

Deep Purple don’t quite get as radical as Gabriel, but Live At Montreux 2011 (Eagle Vision) does see them working with an orchestra, and it’s certainly effective. The way the band and orchestra bond together seems natural enough, and it brings a fresh life to Purple, who seem to have been on the road forever. This is available as a DVD or a double  CD.

ELP’s performance at High Voltage last year is reckoned by many to be the final time we shall see these prog greats. So the release of this gig on DVD as Emerson Lake & Palmer…Welcome Back My Friends (Concert One) is just a touch poignant. Still, it’s proof that the band that night really were at their best and worst. There are moments of bathos, as well as those times when they were truly inspirational. As such, it would be the appropriate way for ELP to bow out, having summed up their career with this last hurrah. There’s also a bonus documentary covering their history and including new interviews with all three.

Lindsey Buckingham is at his most spellbinding on the live DVD/CD Songs From The Small Machine Live In L.A. (Eagle Vision). The man proves once more that he’s a hugely gifted artist. Onstage he has a flowing, low key way of playing that accentuates the quality of his songs. Here he spans his solo discography, as well as nodding towards Fleetwood Mac.

NWOBHM veterans Bitches Sin have never quite fulfilled their potential. But The Rapture proves they’re still a band who can deliver unfussy British metal. There’s a good version of Simon & Garfunkel’s Sound Of Silence (which they’ve titled Sounds Of Silence, for some reason), and is that really Gary Moore doing a guitar solo on Save Me? Bitches Sin do deserve to be heard. Find out more at www.bitchessin.co.uk

Irish rockets Glyder have totally revamped their line-up, and in the process given their bluesy melodic rock approach a real shot in the arm. Backroads To Byzantium (SPV/Steamhammer) is possibly the band’s best album yet. The songs have a vigour and the musicianship an edge that really does convince you of Glyder’s worth.

It’s almost incredible to believe that Aqualung (EMI) is 40 years old. But that’s the case with Jethro Tull’s masterwork. It’s been reissued with a new 5.1 surround sound mix from Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson, and in various formats. The reality, though, is that there’s no need for anything additional. The original still stands supreme.

Finally, there’s a new version of the classic Diamond Head debut album Lightning To The Nations (Universal). This time it comes with a bonus CD featuring various singles released by the band around the time of the album. It’s become a cliché to regard this record as a prime example of NWOBHM virtues, and let’s not forget the impact it had on aspiring musicians such as Metallica and Megadeth. But sometimes we have to be reminded of just how special Diamond Head were back then. This’ll do the job. Nicely.

Words: Malcolm Dome

It appears to have become a habit to slag off the Lou Reed and Metallica collaboration, even before hearing a note of Lulu (Vertigo). Metallica fans seem to hate the very idea of their faves working with Reed. And this isn’t recognisable as a Metallica album. But why should it be? It’s something separate. Perhaps if a project name had been used instead of the various protagonists being so readily identified, then people would have more of an open mind. The truth is that the album is interesting and arresting. Far from being instant, there’s enough here to keep you returning. What does it sound like? It’s Lou Reed with a heavy, progressively atmospheric rock approach. In some respects, not far removed from Opeth taking on board a Peter Gabriel influence. Not the disaster some believe. And if you want to listen to the whole album before buying a copy, it’s being streamed at www.loureedmetallica.com

Far more obvious is the new Megadeth album Th1rt3en (Roadrunner). Yes, the spelling of the title is either cunning or just plain daft, but the music is vibrant on what is the best Megadeth album in years. The return of bassist David Ellefson has given everything a lift, and the band have returned to a style not far removed from Rust In Peace The future for this lot now appears healthier than ever.

Last year Alter Bridge put out the AB III album. Now they’ve got a deluxe edition called AB 3.5 (Roadrunner). There are three extra tracks on the CD, all of which are the equal of anything on the original. Plus a bonus DVD titled One By One, which is a documentary featuring interviews with all the band. One could argue that the whole thing is a gratuitous attempt to exploit an old album. However, nobody’s forcing you to buy a copy. And with those extra songs, not to mention a new DVD, the package is worthwhile.

Foreigner are the latest band to revisit their back catalogue. On Acoustique (earMUSIC), they present some of their great moments in an acoustic setting, It doesn’t all work, but the approach pays dividends more often than not, and Long, Long Way From Home and Starrider are particular triumphs. There’s also new song Save Me, which proves this line-up don’t just have to rely on past glories.

Black Widow will always be known for Come To The Sabbat, and for once having a daring occult stage set. But can they still offer anything these days? Perhaps against the odds, Sleeping With Demons (Cargo) is more than decent. The blues-rock approach is intact, added to which is lustre of foreboding in both the lyrics and the music. Some of it is patent, camp nonsense, but if the impact is more Hammer than Crowley, then it’s still entertaining.

Jane’s Addiction have their own style, which makes The Great Escape Artist (EMI) unmistakably them. And this band really don’t make bad albums. However, while the songs are strong enough to match anything on 2003’s Strays, nonetheless it does fall short of Nothing’s Shocking or Ritual De Lo Habitual. Maybe the problem is that the musicians fall so easily into the Jane’s groove and are a little too comfortable with it all.

Armored Saint are one of those bands who should have been so much bigger than they were.The reissue of second album Delirious Nomad (Rock Candy) proves the point . Orginally put out in 1985, it has an intelligent approach to metal that transcends genres such as thrash and power metal. This lot wrote and delivered multi-faceted songs, which set them apart from most of their contemporaries, and the quality still shines through.

There’s a perceived wisdom that the second album from Lone Star was far superior to their debut. Well, both have now been re-released by Rock Candy, and it may make people reassess their evaluation of the fine 70s Welsh band. The self-titled debut actually sounds really strong, full of powerful moments, and possessed of a vibrancy and expertise that underscores why so much was expected of this band on the album’s release in 1976. However, second album Firing On All Six (first put out in 77) hasn’t fared quite so well. Despite having the evergreen Bells Of Berlin, the production here (from Gary Lyons) is stilted and stuttering, which means the album now sounds rather dull. A pity, because there are some fine songs here, and the band clearly were playing at a high level. But while Roy Thomas Baker got his production spot on for the debut, Lyons is way off the mark.

The band will put out new record Th1rt3en through Roadrunner on October 31. It marks the return of bassist David Ellefson to the line-up. He joins Dave Mustaine (guitar/vocals), guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover.

Produced by Johnny K, the album’s track listing is:

1. Sudden Death
   2. Public Enemy No. 1
   3. Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
   4. We The People
   5. Guns, Drugs & Money
   6. Never Dead
   7. New World Order
   8. Fast Lane
   9. Black Swan
   10. Wrecker
   11. Millennium Of The Blind
   12. Deadly Nightshade
   13. 13

Now, for just 24 hours you can download the song Whose Life (Is It Anyways?) for free right here.

Find out more at www.megadeth.com

To celebrate this landmark, Eddie, Stone, Jeff, Matt, Mike and others take you through the 20 songs that built the band. Watch the trailer for the new Cameron Crowe doc Pearl Jam Twenty here: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/pearl-jam-twenty/trailer

Also in thjs packed issue:

Lou Reed/Metallica

“It’s not a party album.” Lou Reed and Metallica tell us all about their collaboration album, Lulu. Listen to the first taster here: http://soundcloud.com/loureedmetallica/the-view

Rod Stewart

Every Picture Tells A Story. The in-depth, eye-witness tale of Rod’s classic album that arrived by accident. Watch Rod’s classic TOTP Maggie May appearance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcoWUt51zaU&feature=fvwrel

Sham 69

Too punk for punk? Too working-class for a fashion-led London media? As they prepare to re-form, frontman Jimmy Pursey and guitarist Dave Parsons look back. See Sham play Borstal Breakout at Reading 1978 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6utdlMvuD74&feature=related

Opeth

Goodbye death metal beginnings, hello new, metal-free album Heritage. We sneak a peek inside the Scandinavian progsters’ strange world and weird head-space. See their creey video for new track The Devil’s Orchard here: http://pitchfork.com/news/44090-video-opeth-the-devils-orchard/

The Answer

To celebrate the release of their third album, Classic Rock takes the Northern Irish boys for a night on the tiles in their hometown. You should hear the tales they told… See videos on the making of the album here: http://www.theanswer.ie/

Tony Iommi

Knife-carrying gang member, heavy metal pioneer, rock icon, classic-riff architect… Life has had its moments of both heaven and hell for the Black Sabbath guitarist. Watch CR’s Malcolm Dome interview him here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLoJ92y8Zk0

Jani Lane

He wanted to be more than ‘The Cherry Pie guy’. But alcohol, demons and ridicule led to his demise. Watch him talk about why he hates that song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR1xpknCHCQ

The Dirt

Jeff Beck hints at teaming up with Robert Plant; Blackmore, Paice, Frampton, Schenker and Wylde among the guests on William ‘Captain Kirk’ Shatner’s new album of classic rock covers; Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan to rejoin Quo? Welcome back Lindsey Buckingham, Slim Chance and Girlschool…

The New Blues Rock Super-Duos

We speak to Beth Hart about her new album with Joe Bonamassa, and Susan Tedeschi about the Tedeschi Trucks Band (a collaboration with her husband and Allmans guitarist Derek Trucks):

Watch Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa being interviewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU3nwMRXxZg Hear them playing Tom Waits’ Chocolate Jesus at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TkitGRoGM8&feature=related

See the Tedeschi Trucks Band interviews here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-_EYXYR8RY. Watch them performing Midnight In Harlem here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7czlanjaObs&feature=related

Photo Pass

Brian May

“I had this image of Brian as this sort of ‘time lord of fruit’.” Patrice De Villiers recalls photographing the grapefruit-loving Queen guitarist at his home in Surrey.

The Stories Behind The Songs

Anthrax & Public Enemy

Between the paint-guns, the cross-dressing and the late-night philosophy, it’s a wonder this 1991 crossover thrash-hop masterpiece even got made.

Q&A

Peter Gabriel

“The first time I got a phone call from space, I was out.” The former Genesis man on technology, cracking movies, pop stardom (briefly), and almost riding the Space Shuttle.

Fly On The Wall

Rolling Stones

When the Stones staged their spectacular Rock And Roll Circus comeback in 1968, they ended up being upstaged by The Who and looking like clowns. Watch The Who blowing everyone away here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ku7QNRudg

Heavy Load

Gene Simmons

The Kiss man on Gene Simmons, making money, wasting money, and how if he was in charge the police would have baseball bats and drug dealers would be dead.

Plus there’s a massive reviews section. With new albums from Lou Reed & Metallica, The Union, Foreigner, Megadeth, Johnny Winter… Reissues from The Who, Dream Theater, Yes, Nazareth, Whitesnake, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix… Books on Frank Zappa, The Kinks, progressive rock, Captain Beefheart… DVD on Mott The Hoople… Live reviews of Pearl Jam, Jane’s Addiction.

There’s also a great free DVD, featuring live  performances from Roy Harper, Van Der Graaf Generator, Caravan, The Zombies and others. That’s in the UK. Overseas it will be a 14-track free CD, featuring such artists as Donnie Vie, Vain, Shy and Amebix. The covers for both are below.

All this and so much more in the new issue of Clsssic Rock. On sale right now!

Released by Roadrunner on October 31, the track listing is:

1. Sudden Death
   2. Public Enemy No. 1
   3. Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
   4. We The People
   5. Guns, Drugs & Money
   6. Never Dead
   7. New World Order
   8. Fast Lane
   9. Black Swan
   10. Wrecker
   11. Millennium Of The Blind
   12. Deadly Nightshade
   13. 13

There will also be a limited edition picture disc version.

Find out more at www.megadeth.com

The nature of this announcement is currently a mystery, but the band are doing a countdown on their website.

New album Thirt3en is due out through Roadrunner on October 31. It was produced by Johnny K.