“Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)”, the new video from Jacksonville, Florida rockers SHINEDOWN, can be viewed below. The song is a digital single, written for the 2010 movie “The Expendables”. The song was released on iTunes on June 15, 2010, and to other online retailers on June 21, 2010.

Regarding how the song came about, SHINEDOWN lead singer Brent Smith stated in a 2010 interview, “A few months ago we got a phone call from a very interesting individual. It’s not every day that Rambo and Rocky call you at the same time. Sylvester Stallone wanted a song for his new movie, called ‘The Expendables’. He said write me something that will personify not only the South, but what rock truly is.”

SHINEDOWN issued a deluxe CD/DVD reissue of its 2008 album, “The Sound Of Madness”, on November 23, but the band isn’t finished putting out DVDs just yet. Brent Smith told The Pulse of Radio that a massive double-disc set documenting both the band’s “Carnival Of Madness” tour last summer and its current acoustic run will come out sometime this year. “We’re gonna give both the shows at the same time in one package, so you’ll have the electric show and you’ll also get the acoustic show,” he said. “And there will be, you know, another disc involved in that which is just gonna be the last two-and-a-half years, all the behind-the-scenes footage and all the flipcam stuff and, you know, all the places we went all over the world and this, that and the other. We’re gonna compile that down to, I’d say, an hour and a half of just bonus material and just features and getting to see, you know, us, what it’s like behind the curtain.”

A release date for the double DVD has not been confirmed.

The new reissue of “The Sound Of Madness” features limited edition B-sides, alternative versions of several album tracks, and songs previously heard only on movie soundtracks. The DVD portion of the set contains all the music videos from the album, plus live performances filmed in 2009 in Atlanta.

Legendary guitarist George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB, SOULS OF WE) will reunite with original DOKKEN drummer “Wild” Mick Brown for the first time in 15 years for a full North American LYNCH MOB tour.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, George Lynch has recorded over 20 albums, toured the globe multiple times, and is universally acknowledged by his peers as one of the most influential players of his time.

For this once-in-a-lifetime trek, Lynch and Brown will be joined by original LYNCH MOB vocalist Oni Logan and current RATT bassist Robbie Crane for what is truly an all-star band, playing a very special career retrospective set encompassing the best of LYNCH MOB, DOKKEN and rarely performed Lynch solo material.

As a “thank you” to George‘s fans, one fellow guitarist in attendance at each show will be randomly selected to jam on stage with LYNCH MOB. In addition, there will be a meet-and-greet at each venue open to all ticket holders as an alternative to the high-priced “VIP packages” other artists of Lynch‘s stature offer. Support on all dates will come from WILLIE BASSE.

The details are as follows:

Jan. 14 – Santa Ana, CA – Galaxy Theatre (Georgy Lynch only – NAMM Jam)
Jan. 21 – West Hollywood, CA – Key Club
Jan. 22 – Tucson, AZ – Branding Iron Bar & Grill
Jan. 24 – Denver, CO – Casselman’s
Jan. 25 – Lincoln, NE – The Grove
Jan. 26 – St. Paul, MN – Station 4
Jan. 27 – Indianapolis, IN – Rock House Café
Jan. 28 – Westland, MI – Token Lounge
Jan. 29 – Boilingbrook, IL – Tailgaters
Jan. 31 – New York, NY – B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
Feb. 02 – Cambridge, Ont. Canada – 515 Concert Club
Feb. 03 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance
Feb. 04 – Springfield, VA – Jaxx
Feb. 05 – Newark, DE – The Cube
Feb. 07 – Greensboro, NC – Arizona Pete’s
Feb. 08 – Buford, GA – 37 Main
Feb. 10 – Kansas City, MO – Crosstown Station
Feb. 11 – Oklahoma City, OK – Samurai’s
Feb. 12 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
Feb. 13 – Dallas, TX – Trees

In a recent interview with Metal-Rules.com, Lynch stated about the much-rumored DOKKEN reunion plans, “Don [Dokken, vocals] has been making noises, and we’ve been having meetings, and we’ve been doing shows together with LYNCH MOB and SOULS OF WE, we did [the] Loud Park [festival] in Japan together and all this stuff, and it’s like, and he said, ‘Okay, I’m committing to it,’ but we never put it on paper, and so my last few conversations with him is that he sounds like he’s trying to get me to be a hired gun. And I told him, ‘Dude, I told you from the first moment I’ll never do that, I’m not a hired-gun guy.’ . . . That was always my problem with him — that he was not an honest, trustful person, and I… He never said what he meant, and never did what he said. And that, to me, is a lack of character, and I don’t like playing with people with no character. . . It was that, and that was all related to money. So, it’s all a bad way to conduct yourself.”

TIMES OF GRACE — the new project that reteams KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and producer extraordinaire Adam Dutkiewicz with original KILLSWITCH ENGAGE vocalist Jesse Leach — is featured in the new video podcast from U.K.’s Kerrang! magazine. You can now watch the four-minute clip below.

TIMES OF GRACE is getting ready to take the show on the road for the very first time. The band will embark on its inaugural tour, beginning February 1 in Baltimore, Marylnand and wrapping up in its native Boston, Massachusetts on February 27. STRAIGHT LINE STITCH and WAR OF AGES will round out the bill, making for an evening of eclectic hard rock and metal.

Commented Leach: “We are excited after all of these years to see TIMES OF GRACE become a live band! We have a solid group of musicians on board and some killer bands in the works. This is shaping up to be a tour to be remembered, and the first that reunites Adam and I on one stage together again! I couldn’t be more pleased to present this band to the world.”

Added Dutkiewicz: “Jesse and I are wicked excited to be able to bring our songs to fans live…FINALLY after all these years. We hope you all get a chance to check out the record and come sing along with us when we come to a town near you. Thanks to all of those who support this project, and we hope to see you all very soon!”

The dates are as follows:

Feb. 01 – Baltimore, MD @ The Quarter
Feb. 02 – Atlanta, GA @ the Masquerade (downstairs)
Feb. 04 – Dallas, TX @ The Door
Feb. 05 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
Feb. 07 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Nile
Feb. 08 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Feb. 09 – San Francisco, CA@ Bottom of the Hill
Feb. 11 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Feb. 12 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Ballroom
Feb. 14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex – Grand Room
Feb. 15 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
Feb. 17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Station 4
Feb. 18 – Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge
Feb. 19 – Detroit, MI @ Eagle Theater
Feb. 20 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Feb. 21 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
Feb. 22 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
Feb. 24 – West Chester, PA @ The Note
Feb. 25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls
Feb. 26 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
Feb. 27 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

TIMES OF GRACE‘s debut album, “The Hymn Of A Broken Man”, will land in stores on January 18 via Roadrunner Records.

Dutkiewicz and Leach worked together on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE‘s benchmark album, 2002’s “Alive Or Just Breathing”. That record has become definitive for an entire generation of American metal, with Leach‘s voice and uplifting lyrics serving as one of the key elements that propelled the album to “modern classic” status. Leach, who went on to sing for the more classic-rock leaning SEEMLESS and who currently sings for the metal band THE EMPIRE SHALL FALL, was always remembered fondly by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE fans, even though he left the band shortly after “Alive Or Just Breathing”‘s release.

While fans will no doubt be thrilled at the concept of the duo reuniting, TIMES OF GRACE is not interested in fashioning “Alive Or Just Breathing Part II”. It’s an entirely new project and represents a different musical path for both Adam D. and Leach! It is an album of cleansing and catharsis for each of them, where internal demons were exorcised and set to music that’s as aggressive as it is melodic.

“In all my life. I have yet to write a record that bares my soul as much as this record does,” Leach said. “Adam and I had a real spiritual connection while making this and I know that it comes through in the performances and lyrics. This record has our blood, sweat and tears flowing through it. It is painfully honest at times. In short this record is our catharsis.”

Adam D. also commented on what TIMES OF GRACE means for him personally, saying, “Making this record was something completely new for me. It documents some of the most difficult-yet-spirited times of my life in the past three-and-a-half years. A lot of the music and lyrics just came out of me while going through several internal struggles, and writing these songs were the only comfort I could find. I reached out to Jesse to help sing and write these songs with me because of my respect for his musical abilities, and because of our great friendship…one that seems to not change no matter what happens in our lives. In the end, I am very proud of this record, and I feel it has helped me through some of my darkest days. I’m hoping that people will enjoy it, and also that it can maybe help others to keep the most positive mindset, even through the most trying of times.”

The track listing for the album is as follows; the song titles reflect the sentiment of catharsis that is the common thread running through “The Hymn of a Broken Man”.

01. Strength In Numbers
02. Fight For Life
03. Willing
04. Where The Spirit Leads Me
05. Until The End Of Days
06. Live In Love
07. In The Arms Of Mercy
08. Hymn Of A Broken Man
09. The Forgotten One
10. Hope Remains
11. The End Of Eternity
12. Worlds Apart
13. Fall From Grace

Kerrang! interview:

Planet Rock has announced the results from its annual end-of-year listener survey. The survey, conducted throughout December, had listeners vote for their rock music highlights of 2010.

Planet Rock listeners named AC/DC‘s appearance at Download Festival‘s as the top rock event of the year while BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION — which features vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, TRAPEZE), drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN), Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER) and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa — beat ALICE COOPER, IRON MAIDEN and MUSE to top “Band Of The Year”, as well as taking the “New Band Of The Year” category. Bonamassa was also named best “Live Act” and “Guitar Hero” for 2010. Elsewhere, “Festival Of The Year” was taken by newcomer High Voltage Festival, narrowly beating two-time winner Download Festival. Finally, former GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Slash won “Album Of The Year” with his self-titled effort.

For the full results, go to this location.

Planet Rock broadcasts on digital radio, Sky 0110, Virgin Media 924, Freesat 730, online www.planetrock.com and on iPhone.

Published by rbtaleman

Heavy metal (fiend/friend?) Writer, frustrat(or), frustrat(ee), decorated U.S. Navy veteran, Husband(twice), father(three times), grandfather(of seven), FM radio veteran, Concertgoer, music collector, muscle car aficianado. Grown up since five. Child since 45. View all posts by rbtaleman