Green Day Announce New Album, Share New Single 'Bang Bang'

Punk rock icons Green Day are back with brand new music following a three-year studio silence. Their new album Revolution Radio has been given a release date and the band has shared the first single from the record.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Billie Joe Armstrong spoke of the experience that granted the album its title:

“Two years ago, Billie Joe Armstrong was driving into Manhattan when he came across a throng of protesters. Outraged by a Missouri grand jury’s decision not to indict a police officer for the killing of Michael Brown, they filled the streets and backed up traffic for miles. Armstrong was inspired. ‘I got out of my car and marched with the people,’ he says. ‘It was a trip to see people rebel against the old order.’”

— Rolling Stone

Despite it's political background, Armstrong continued to say the album isn't strictly driven as such: there are more personal tracks on it, such as the teased 'Still Breathing' and the relatable 'Too Dumb To Die', but, Armstrong claims there are many tracks that press on current social issues as well. The album's first single, 'Bang Bang' was inspired by "the culture of mass shooting that happens in America mixed with narcissistic social media," and features blistering guitar riffs and a driving beat. The album concludes on the previously revealed 'Ordinary World', a short and sweet track Armstrong has performed live in the past.

The album is also said to contain some experimentation, such as the use of bow guitar on 'Outlaws' and 'Forever Now'. The whole recording process, according to Armstrong, took around six months. The songs on the record evolved from metaphor to having literal meaning, as if the lyrics were predicting the future, as he put it.

Revolution Radio is the band's first record since the infamous trilogy of ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!, and the band's first self-produced record since 2000's Warning. The album is due out on October 7th. The album's artwork can be seen above and the tracklist is as follows:

1. Somewhere Now
2. Bang Bang
3. Revolution Radio
4. Say Goodbye
5. Outlaws
6. Bouncing Off The Wall
7. Still Breathing
8. Youngblood
9. Too Dumb To Die
10. Troubled Times
11. Forever Now
12. Ordinary World

Are you ready for the new Green Day record? Check out the track review for the lead single 'Bang Bang', too!

Is a New Tool Album Closer Than We Think?

Fans waiting for Tool's long sought for follow up to 2006's 10,000 Days may see their long wait come to an end. A Reddit user who goes by 77ohio recently posted a a tracklist, complete with track names and lengths.

He claims Tool will be releasing a double album in October of 2016, titled Decem ("ten" in Latin). Decem will feature twelve tracks, all clocking in above twelve minutes - the shortest track on the alleged tracklist is 12:01 (see the full tracklist below). The album is said to now be in its mixing phases - a good a time as any to get the press ready. The Reddit user claims he has a reliable source (apparently working a position for some press), but cannot reveal what exactly the source is.

The full tracklist for Decem is as follows:

Side 1:

1. Abscissa (13:47)
2. The Awakening (12:03)
3. Gematria (Act I) (14:33)
4. Regresolution (13:56)
5. Divinotus (12:45)
6. Astral (Act II) (12:21)

Side 2:

1. Descending (13:53)
2. Decem (12:22)
3. Lesous (Act III) (12:43)
4. Principles Of March (12:01)
5. Pascal's Wager (13:46)
6. Zeta (Act IV) (14:27)

If this tracklist is real, seems like this album alone is long enough to keep us listening for the next one to come (who knows how long that one will take...). The tracklist has some interesting things going on - a four part piece, perhaps some sort of sonic odyssey? 'Descending' was performed as a short instrumental jam on Tool's recent tour, debuting at the Monster Mash festival in Tempe, Arizona on Halloween day last year.

Something to consider, though, is that this isn't the first time a tracklist has leaked before the album. Back before Lateralus, a fake tracklist with fake files were leaked online to throw off file sharers. A fake tracklist was also released leading up to 10,000 Days, as well. Maybe this is no different. We don't yet have a real source for this yet. Only time will tell.

There's no telling if this rumor is true or not, but as we get closer and closer to a new Tool album, we'll take anything we can get. What do you think about the rumors? Are you excited for new Tool music?

Queens Of The Stone Age Heading Back To The Studio

Queens Of The Stone Age are gearing up to record their follow up to 2013's ...Like Clockwork. Josh Homme revealed last month in the Let There Be Talk podcast that the band's lineup isn't changing and it's all locked in, with plans for recording soon. Most recently, guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen revealed that there are "tons of ideas bouncing around," in his appearance on the 2 Hours With Matt Pinfield.

He continued, "We're going to do something before the end of the year, as far as recording goes." Looks like new QOTSA music will be hitting us sometime next year - maybe a song before the year wraps up. Besides a few isolated appearances, this will be the first time the band has come together since their hiatus began in March 2015. Since then, Josh Homme has been working on projects including Eagles Of Death Metal and with Iggy Pop, while Troy has been busy with his new supergroup Gone Is Gone, who just released their debut self-titled EP. Who's ready for some new music from Queens Of The Stone Age?

Crystal Castles Announces New Album 'Amnesty (I)' + Release New Single

Electronic group Crystal Castles have announced the release of their fourth album, Amnesty (I), and have also released the third single from the album. This is the groups first record following the departure of ex-vocalist Alice Glass and the first to feature Edith Frances.

The album comes as the group's first record since the critically acclaimed Crystal Castles (III) from 2012. The new single 'CHAR' is led by frantic synths and ghastly vocals, dropping the band's previously abrasive sound and adds a more creepy and lighter sound. Previously, the band shared 'Concrete' and 'Frail', and also performed 'Fleece' live. 

Amnesty (I) is due on August 19 via Casablanca Records. The cover is pictures above, and the tracklist is as follows:

1. Femen
2. Fleece
3. Char
4. Enth
5. Sadist
6. Teach Her How to Hunt
7. Chloroform
8. Frail
9. Concrete
10. Ornament
11. Kept
12. Their Kindness Is Charade

The band has an extensive tour booked in promotion for the record - the run starts on July 15 in Austria for the Out Of The Woods festival before making way to the United States for the summer and then back to Europe later in the year.

Of Mice & Men Release 'Pain' and New Album Details

Post-hardcore rockers Of Mice & Men have returned with a brand new single and details of a new album! The band unveiled the unsettling video for 'Pain' earlier today, featuring the band performing alongside unsettling images of dancers.

With the release of a single, the band also announced the release of the fourth record, Cold World, due for release on September 9. The band has spent a good portion of the last year recording the record, which came with some struggle. Austin Carlile, the band's heavy vocalist, faced complications with the rare tissue disorder Marfan's syndrome, as well as electrocution injuries in the studio.

Cold World was produced by David Bendeth, who also worked with the band on their chart-topping 2014 effort Restoring Force, and will be released via Rise Records. The tracklist is as follows:

1. Game Of War
2. The Lie
3. Real
4. Like A Ghost
5. Contagious
6. -
7. Pain
8. The Hunger
9. Relentless
10. Down The Road
11. +
12. Away
13. Transfigured

Fans can get a download of the single by preordering the album here, with multiple options of packages and formats available. The song will likely be a part of the band's set on their upcoming tour with Slipknot and Marilyn Manson, as well. 

Yellowcard Calling It Quits

Alternative rock legends Yellowcard are calling it quits after nearly two decades as a band. A message posted on their website reads:

“Putting this into words hasn’t been easy. When saying farewell, it is hard to know where to start, especially when there are so many reasons not to say it, but the time has come to share this news. After countless discussions and months of thought, we have decided that it is time for Yellowcard to come to an end. This will be our last album and our final world tour.

The decision was an incredibly difficult one for us to make. We considered so many things - our families, our health, our future endeavors. In the end we realized that this was the right time to step away and preserve the legacy and integrity of the band. It is with you, the fans in mind, that this decision was made, We wanted to have the chance to share our farewell with as many fans around the world as we could, and now is the right time to do just that

We went into this record knowing it would be the last, which is why we chose to have Ryan Key and Ryan Mendez produce it. The motivation behind this was to make sure these songs came from a place that was deeply rooted in us. We wanted to push ourselves to create a lasting finale for this incredible story on our own. It is also why we chose to self-title the album. We were lucky to still have our friend and mentor, Neal Avron, on board as Executive Producer and mixer and we’ve made one of the strongest records of our career and a fitting final creative piece.

Once this final chapter for Yellowcard comes to a close, we will all be heading in new directions in our lives, but these memories will never leave us. We can only hope that the memories we have made together with you will stay in your hearts as well You have stood by us through all of the highs and lows on this unbelievable journey.

We will be forever grateful to Yellowcard fans all over the world for the opportunities you have given us. We have played shows for nearly two decades on six continents, and had the chance to keep recording the music we love year after year. While it is with sadness that we say goodbye, it is with gratitude and amazement that we look back on a career we can be proud of, and were so very lucky to have had.

Please come and join us on our last trip around the globe. We hope to share this final record and tour with each and every one of you.

”I won’t be with you, but I won’t be far away and this is goodbye.”

-Ryan, Sean, Ryan, and Josh”

— http://yellowcardrock.com/

The band's tenth and final record, the eponymous Yellowcard will be out on September 30. The band will embark on one final world tour in support of the record, spanning for the rest of 2016 and 2017. Listen to the first single from the record, 'Rest In Peace', below.