US

The world's biggest heavy music touring festival, the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival enters its eighth year with another fantastic heavy metal and hard rock line-up, featuring 13 bands performing on the Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage and the Victory Stage records
 

One of the summer’s most interesting classic rock tours will showcase a pair of stellar UK bands – Nektar and Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash – that have joined forces on the “Legends of U.K. Classic Rock” tour.

 

Both bands feature original founding members and each have decades-long histories of success in the worldwide touring markets, so seeing them together is sure to be a treat for concert-goers fortunate enough to catch one of the shows.

 

The Rolling Stones, who rocked London and New York in 2012, announced today that they will kick off their 50 & Counting tour in Los Angeles at the STAPLES Center.  (Date TBA pending NBA/NHL playoff schedules.) The tour debut will be followed by performances in Oakland, San Jose, Las Vegas, Anaheim, Toronto, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia.

 

50 & Counting continues the exhilarating celebration of the band’s first 50 years—five decades of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood bringing their iconic music and ground-breaking stage shows to audiences around the globe.

Brooklyn Metal Merchants MARTYRD will support guitar god YNGWIE MALMSTEEN on select North American tour dates beginning April 26th in Toronto, ON. The band will also perform with SINGLE BULLET THEORY on May 11th in Queens, NY and June 1st at Mojo 13 in Wilmington, DE.  

 

MARTYRD released the critically acclaimed "The Mortal Coil" in 2012. Guitar World's Josh Hart praised the album, comparing the band's sound to acts as varied as KREATOR, and SYMPHONY X, while also affirming comparisons to the likes of MEGADETH, PAIN OF SALVATION, and SYSTEM OF A DOWN. 

 

Dallas heavy metal act on the verge, Seeker, has commented on the band's upcoming string of February U.S. tour-dates with headliner, Corelia, and I, Omega.

 

QUEENSRYCHE — featuring original lead singer GEOFF TATE at the helm — have just signed a worldwide record deal with Los Angeles-based independent record label, Cleopatra Records.

 

Although a line-up was originally announced in the fall of 2012, things have changed.

 

Prepare for a thrashing with the return of COLDSTEEL! New EP "America Idle" breaks the 20-year hiatus of this New York City Underground Thrash Metal band. "America Idle" will be released on February 20th on Stormspell Records. Conceptually, "America Idle" expresses current societal anxiety and proclaims an anthem to rouse the unbreakable spirit of America.

 

Melodic Metallers FIREWIND have announced Kelly Sundown Carpenter (Darkology, Outworld, Adagio, Beyond Twilight etc.) as new vocalist for their upcoming North American touring activities, after longterm vocalist Apollo Papathanasio parted ways with the band. Even though Papathanasio has been temporarily replaced for some touring activities in the past, he has appeared on all FIREWIND releases since 2006’s “Allegiance” album and the band’s upcoming live-album will feature recordings from his recent final shows with the group. 

 

FIREWIND have checked in to comment the news as follows:

Bay Area thrash metal legends, TESTAMENT, are proud to announce their first U.S. headlining tour since their phenomenal chart success with their new album, "Dark Roots of Earth".

 

The trek promises to be one of the best thrash metal lineups of the year, with support coming from the world renowned OVERKILL and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, as well as Australian thrashers 4ARM.