I See Stars, 'Digital Renegade' May Be the Best Album of the Year

It's only April so the year is still pretty young, but I'm just massively impressed with the new I See Stars album Digital Renegade. No, the band isn't Glam. They are more in the vein of Asking Alexandria. A mix of metal, electronica and screamo.

I See Stars is a young band and they are on Sumerian Records, just like Asking Alexandria. They formed in 2006 in Michigan, so much Midwestern mad love to them.

Digital Renegade was released March 13, 2012. Digital Renegade has 10 tracks. Every single one of them is awesome. Yes, this means Digital Renegade is one of those rare albums where you can sit, listen all the way through, and not skip. Also, I've found Digital Renegade is a great running companion.

I hope my dear, die hard Glam fans are still reading this... and that you will give I See Stars a chance. If you want to preview some tracks, my favorites from Digital Renegade are the title track, "Endless Sky," "NZT48" and "Gnars Attacks." I like the song writing, the pop layers underneath and the metal guitars. I wish I See Stars was playing Rock on the Range this year -- maybe that will happen in the future. For whatever reason, Digital Renegade brings me immense happiness.

Give it a chance and let me know what you think.

Tickets Now Available For Unofficial M3 Kick-Off Party

If you are planning on attending M3 Rock Festival next month in Columbia, Maryland, you might consider showing up a night early for the official-unofficial pre-party.

BBG! readers can purchase tickets now. The pre-party goes down May 10 at Sonoma's in Columbia. The party features Wildstreet, Sin 4 Sin and Streetlight Circus. Tickets are ten bucks each and you can have them in your hands within seven days of payment. There will be a $2.00 charge per order (not per ticket) for shipping and handling.

Email dtoxinproduction@aol.com with questions. You can also order tickets via PayPal to that email address.

Remember, this pre-party is not an M3 Rock Festival sanctioned event.

No Joke: One Racy Commercial

Happy April Fool's Day.

Vince Neil just recorded a commercial for his new strip club, "Girls, Girls, Girls." Really, there are no words. It's just... I don't even know what it is, actually. Just watch. Geesh.

The Cult, 'For the Animals'

Have you heard the new Cult song, "For the Animals?" The song is dark and mysterious - seemingly a theme from the upcoming record Choice of Weapon. The new record will hit stores May 22. In interview after interview, guitarist Billy Duffy continues to reiterate that the band is "growing." Usually this is nothing more than PR-speak but this time... I honestly think it is true. Check out the sample of "For the Animals" below... and you can stream the whole tune on Rolling Stone.

You can also download the song "Lucifer" as well.

Sonisphere Knebworth Festival Cancelled

This is a stunning development: the Sonisphere Knebworth festival, which was to feature performances by Kiss, Marilyn Manson and Queen with Adam Lambert, has been cancelled.

Here's the statement from promoters:

It is with very heavy hearts and much regret that we announce the cancellation of Sonisphere Knebworth 2012.

Putting the festival together in what is proving to be a very challenging year was more difficult than we anticipated and we have spent the last few months fighting hard to keep Sonisphere in the calendar. Unfortunately circumstances have dictated that we would be unable to run the festival to a standard that both the artists and that Sonisphere’s audience would rightly expect.

We want to express our deepest regrets to the artists and to thank all the staff, suppliers and contractors who worked so hard with us to try and pull off what has proven to be an impossible task and we know how much they share in our disappointment. We also want to send a huge thanks to the Sonisphere fans who stuck by us and we are so sorry that we can’t fulfill what we set out to do. Ticket holders will automatically receive a full refund direct from their ticket agents. Team Sonisphere.

Sonisphere Knebworth was set to take place at Stevenage, England on July 6-8th.

Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen also released a statement:

"We are disappointed to hear of the cancellation of the Sonisphere Festivals as we were very much looking forward to performing with Adam Lambert and particularly as the venue was Knebworth, our last stand with Freddie. We apologise for the disappointment to all those who were looking forward to seeing us. We are working to see if we can redress the situation at some other venue."

Are You A Veteran? KISS Needs A Carpenter

This is very cool of KISS. As part of the NBC Hiring our Heroes event, KISS will hire a veteran to fill an open slot among their touring ranks for this summer.

KISS is looking for a carpenter for their tour with Motley Crue this summer. No previous carpentry experience is necessary. You will work long (I'm betting super long) hours, assemble the KISS stage set, run effects and tear down after the concerts are over.

To apply for this job, send an email to hiringourheroes@uschamber.com with your resume and contact details.

If you are the lucky veteran who lands this job - and you happen to get it because you saw this post - you better send me an email to tell me about it!

The New Crazy Lixx Will Be Epic

Crazy Lixx, one of my fave Swedish Glam bands, will release Riot Avenue April 24. The first single from the new album is "In The Night." The song is awesome, has a sleaze swagger and just screams glam metal.

If you haven't heard it yet, check it out below. I'm planning to interview the band soon and will also have a full album review here.