INXS Calls It Quits

INXS will tour no more, but the band has left things vauge when it comes to new music. 

The Australians made the retirement announcement Monday. The band was together 35 years and released 11 studio albums.

"We understand that this must come as a blow to everybody, but all things must eventually come to an end," the band members said in a statement.

Original INXS frontman Michael Hutchence died in 1997 and the band continued on after his death with a variety of different singers.

One of my favorite albums of all time is Kick, which INXS released in 1987.

Def Leppard Announce Las Vegas Residency

So add Def Leppard to the list of bands doing a residency at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Def Leppard has named their residency "Viva Hysteria" and they will play all of Hysteria live during the show!

“Viva Hysteria!” is set for March 22-23, 27, 29-30 and April 3, 5-6 & 10.

Let's do a roll call: who is going to see this? I am!

Tickets go on sale this Friday.

Let's Guess What Sebastian Bach Is Up To These Days!

On Friday, Sebastian Bach posted a note on his Facebook page. This wouldn't be newsworthy except for the contents of said note. In it he wrote that he is currently working on a "top secret project that will revolutionize popular music."

That's a pretty big statement. To really revolutionize music, he'd 1) need to record an album better than the entire Beatles catalog or 2) completely change the structure of the music industry from the ground up.

I can't see either thing happening. Now, Bach may well be working on a new album and that is great. Will a new solo Bach album change the music industry? I highly doubt it. Is he reuniting with Skid Row? Again, I doubt it, considering the band just announced United World Rebellion - Chapter 1 as the title of their new record. Skid Row is also set to tour the UK this spring. Even if Bach and the Skids reunite, I don't see that as revolutionizing the music industry. Do you? Heck, maybe Bach is a technical genius and he created some software better than ProTools for recording. Who knows.

Do you have any guesses on what Bach will do to revolutionize the music industry?

Happy National Metal Day!

Last year, Vh1 Classic declared November 11 as National Metal Day. While Macy's isn't running any special sales on towels to commemorate the event, we can have our own party and rock out to some great jams. Of course, you could always tune in to Vh1 Classic and see what they have cooked up for the day... after all, they did declare the holiday.

That Metal Show will reflect on 11 seasons with "That Metal Special." The special premieres at 8 p.m. - check your local listing. After That Metal Show you can watch Judas Priest at the US Festival in 1983. Then Vh1 Classic will re-air the documentary Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (in which you can see our own Christian right at the barrier in one of the shots).

Personally, I think I'll spend the day listening to a mix of my favorite old and new metal acts. The best part of National Metal Day? No gifts!

A New Michael Schenker CD & DVD Is Coming Soon

The new Michael Schenker CD & DVD Temple of Rock: Live In Europe is due December 3. The release is from Schenker's performance in Tulburg, The Netherlands from May 2012 and London's High Voltage Festival in 2011. You'll be able to get the DVD in the blu-ray format as well.

The DVD features Michael Schenker (lead guitar), Doogie White (vocals), Herman Rarebell (drums), Francis Buchholz (bass) and Wayne Findley (rhythm guitar, keyboards).

Lizzy Borden Celebrates 30 Years of Metal

For the Lizzy Borden fans, this press alert just appeared in my inbox:

Lizzy Borden’s 30 years of American metal tour is a brand new show, created from the ground up just for this monumental 30 year anniversary. The new show will encompass songs from each and every Lizzy Borden record to date, including classic songs like "Me against the World,""American Metal," "Master of Disguise" plus songs the band has never performed live.

Tour dates/cities will be announced on the band's website. I'm pretty sure this means we'll see Lizzy Borden at M3 this May. You agree?

Don't Play Metal For Your Dog

Apparently dogs love classical music.

A new study out of Colorado State University finds that music from Mozart and other classical masters may reduce stress in dogs. The study was published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior. I don't have a dog so I don't know too much about this, but apparently companies exist for the sole purpose to make pet CDs! But wait! The study also says that heavy metal music may cause anxiety and unrest in your four legged friends. You know what this means? No Black Sabbath for Fido!

Because YouTube makes the world go 'round, there's actually video evidence that this study is probably very true. Thus concludes your epic randomness news for Thursday.