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On this day in 2004, The funeral took place in Arlington, Texas for Damageplan and Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. Eddie Van Halen placed Darrell's original black and yellow stripes guitar into the KISS Kasket he was buried in. Several thousand fans and friends gathered at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, to mourn the guitarist's death. Darrell was shot five times in the back of the head during a gig at the Alrosa Villa Club in Columbus on December 8, 2004 by a mentally ill former U.S. Marine. Damageplan's drum technician, John Brooks, and tour manager, Chris Paluska, were both injured in the incident. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here

Big Four 2011: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax Teaming Up Again

(Gibson) After delivering a run of acclaimed shows earlier this year, the "Big Four" will be back together in 2011. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, the so-called "Big Four" of thrash metal, will headline the first night of next summer's U.K. Sonisphere Festival on July 8.

"As soon as the 'Big Four' gigs started rolling across Sonisphere festivals in Eastern Europe last summer, we all felt we were part of something special," Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement. "The vibe within the bands was more than anyone had anticipated and the vibe with the fans was so next level, it completely blew our minds... there was no way this should not happen again!!! So I am beyond psyched that the first 'Big Four' show in Western Europe will take place on the hallowed grounds of Knebworth, where so many unique and special gigs have happened over the years."

Members of the other bands also weighed in on the news. Slayer's Kerry King: "Always excited to do 'Big Four' shows. Now England is in line to be devastated by this heavy metal powerhouse!"

Megadeth's Dave Mustaine: "The 'Big Four' concerts are the most important, most exciting event to happen in the history of live concerts in our genre, and perhaps the entire music industry. I am glad to be a part of this enormous celebration of thrash, speed, and good ole heavy metal!"

Anthrax's Scott Ian: "Merry early Xmas present for us... more 'Big Four' shows!!! The shows we did together with our brothers in Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth were not only the high point of 2010, but also some of the best shows Anthrax have ever played. Getting to share this with our friends in the U.K. will be amazing." more on this story

A Real Highway To Hell For Bon Scott

(Gibson) If fans get their way, a lane in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine might soon be named after Bon Scott. The late AC/DC singer was a resident of Sunshine, and a group of fans have launched a campaign to name a street after him, according to Brimbank Weekly.

Scott lived in Sunshine between 1951-56 and attended Sunshine Primary School. Former Sunshine resident Paul Murphy is advocating for the Brimbank council to christen an unnamed lane, between Derby Road and Corio Street, Bon Scott Lane.

"More people know AC/DC than they do HV McKay and having a Bon Scott Lane will make Sunshine famous all around the world," he said. "Bon lived in Sunshine, went to school there and played one of his first gigs there. He would have walked down the laneway we're looking to dedicate to him, because it was a shortcut for kids to get to Sunshine Tech and Sunshine Primary." more on this story

Dave Mustaine Teams With Anthrax's Dan Spitz

(Gibson) Megadeth main man Dave Mustaine and former Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz are making an album together. Mustaine revealed the news to New Zealand's 3news.co.nz and said that Spitz invited him to work on the record, which will be released under the moniker Deuxmonkey.

"He was working on a little side-project I'd heard a while ago and I asked him, 'Do you think it's done?' He asked me why and I said, 'Well, I would kind of do this and that.'" Mustaine said. "And he said, 'Go ahead.' So I rolled up my sleeves and completely dedicated myself to Danny's record."

Mustaine said the album sounds like Soundgarden, Disturbed and Rage Against the Machine. He also said that Megadeth will begin recording their new album in the new year.

Papa Roach Vs Geffen

(Rock AAA) Papa Roach's new single Burn is a one-fingered salute to their former record label, says frontman Jacoby Shaddix.

The band are still fighting their way through a messy split with Geffen/Interscope in the US – and Shaddix say they're still owed a "good chunk" of money from their former stable.

"There's a lot of two-faced s*** in this business. Geffen/Interscope pissed me off – it was a really bad ending with them," He tells RockAAA. "They released a greatest hits record against our will. We told them we didn't want to do it because we were at completely the wrong point in our career." more on this story

Paramore Plan Next Album

(Gibson) Paramore have been on the road for most of 2010, playing songs off their huge hit album, Brand New Eyes. But 2011 will find the band returning to the studio to record their follow-up release. Singer Hayley Williams told MTV.com that that Paramore will write and record in their home state of Tennessee.

"We like to do it at home mostly," Williams said. "We like to wait and kind of really focus on the records when we have time off." Guitarist Taylor York said it's not easy moving on to a new project: "We're kind of at the end of this record, but it's bittersweet."

But Williams seems a little more gung-ho. "[This year has] just been, like, one thing after another," she said. "[It's been a] high climb, and I hope we get to keep climbing for a little bit longer." more on this story

Coldplay Plan Concept Album

(Gibson) Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has revealed that the band's fifth, full-length studio release will be a concept album. He told BBC News about the as-yet-untitled record.

"It's from the point of view of two people who are a bit lost," he said. "Two like-minded outsiders who meet in a very difficult environment and therefore have a journey together."

Martin said that the sound of the album will be markedly different from the grandiose sounds on Coldplay's previous album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. "It's a concept album but it's supposed to be very personal within a big framework," he said. more on this story

Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass From All Time Low

All Time Low have released a little ditty for the holiday season, "Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass." By signing up for the All Time Low mailing list, fans can get a free download of the song.

Alex Gaskarth (vocalist, guitarist) eloquently the meaning of their Christmas song. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Parrots, Dogs, Cats and Salmon, 'Tis the season to be jolly-- the season of living and giving-- a season to be with family and friends, surrounded by warmth... Right?Right.

But for some, the holiday season is a bit of a mess. It comes as a reminder of the loss of a faithless, bitch lover whose frozen touch left icicles dangling from a broken heart. You know what I'm talking about right? That jerk-off who dumps you right before Christmas, and blames it on something like going back to college, when you know it's really just because they didn't want to fork out the bones to buy you the new version of Rock Band. No? Just me? more on this story

Sammy Hagar Grateful Dead Jam

(Gibson) Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart recently took the stage with Sammy Hagar to play a couple of cover tunes, according to Jambands.com.

Weir and Hart joined the former Van Halen singer on Saturday night during a holiday benefit concert hosted by Hagar.

The boys, along with Sammy's band The Wabos, jammed out to "The Weight" by The Band and "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" by Bob Dylan. Weir is often a guest at Hagar's annual charity show, held this year at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, California.

Check out footage of Weir, Hart and Hagar performing "The Weight" here

Singled Out: Trent Hancock

Today Trent Hancock tells us about "Strong Hands" and "Falling Faster" from his latest latest EP "Ghostbird". Here are the stories:

Strong Hands This was a very emotional song for me. To make a long story longer, I met this girl in NYC two years ago, when I was contemplating the cross country move. When we met, there was this amazing instant connection, and I ended up spending the entire week at her place instead of house hunting as was originally intended. For numerous reasons, I wasn't able to move to NYC following the trip as I'd planned, and lost contact with the girl. Over a year later when i finally made the move, I played a random open mic at a bar in the city and she worked there! The connection was instantly back and stronger than ever. We spent the next week together. Every waking hour side by side. At the time she'd mentioned an abusive ex that wouldn't leave her alone. Turned out they'd just broken up and he wasn't giving up without a fight...literally. One night, he came into her apartment while we were in bed and things got ugly. There was a big fight in which he got physical with her and she ended up coming back to my place in Brooklyn to get away. I though it would end there, but I was wrong. After waking up early at her place in soho we decided to take a walk over the Brooklyn bridge to her old neighborhood where we first met. We spent the entire day together roaming the city streets and that night we went to her roommates birthday dinner. We were going to make it an early night as we'd planned to go to California for a break from NYC the following day. And just before leaving the bar the ex showed up, demanding that she come back with him, to which she actually obliged! I was crushed. So in the aftermath I wrote this song, which as you'll see, quite literally follows this entire experience.

Falling Faster I recently had a friend go through this experience of telling somebody how she felt for them and not quite getting the exact response she wanted. She was really broken up about it, and it made me think of a very similar experience I had, but with the opposite outcome. So for 'Falling Faster' I wanted to write about that moment. The point when you say screw it and bear your soul to somebody you have feeling for. More specifically, the point after you do this, but right before you get their response. 'Falling Faster' is about that moment of uncertainty in between. There's so many emotions that occur in those few seconds, and that is what I wanted to describe through this song.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!

Simon Cowell Horror For Xmas

(Rock AAA) X-Factor fans (or Simon Cowell) have chosen their (his) favourite singer for the karaoke gameshow's traditional assault on the UK Christmas Number One slot.

His name is Matt Cardle and the track is his version of Biffy Clyro song Many of Horror – only it's been renamed When We Collide. Meanwhile, Cowell, who ordered the name change, has taken the credit for people being interested in music, and is now planning to launch his own version of classic TV show Top of the Pops.

And Biffy's Simon Neil has sought to distance himself from the gameshow. He tells Kerrang: "I think when you look at the classic songs they've used in the past, like Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah for example, it hasn't really affected my take on the song. I still think the Jeff Buckley version is the best." more on this story

Will Farrell Channels David Bowie

(hennemusic) Leave it to Will Ferrell to brighten up any occasion. Even Christmas. Ferrell teamed up with partner-in-crime John C. Reilly for a spoof of the 1977 David Bowie/Bing Crosby Christmas duet of "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy."

Bowie (Will Ferrell) visits Bing (John C. Reilly) during the holidays to sing a duet of the two Christmas classics.

The video is posted at Funnyordie.com, and comes with a free mp3. Check out both version here

Radiohead Star Scores Film

(Gibson) When guitarist Jonny Greenwood hasn't been busy enough with his duties in Radiohead, he has also served as composer-in-residence for the BBC Concert Orchestra. Sections of an orchestral piece Greenwood first performed and recorded with that group, "Doghouse," are now slated to become the primary themes of a film score for Norwegian Wood, a feature film based on a novel by Haruki Murakami.

"I wrote this piece mostly in hotels and dressing rooms while touring with Radiohead," Greenwood told Film Score Monthly. "This was more practical than glamorous – lots of time sitting around indoors, lots of instruments about – and aside from picking up a few geographical working titles, I can't think that it had any effect where, on tour, it was written.

There's supposed to be a theme (or at least a source of inspiration) in music like this, but it's hard to pin down." more on this story

Prince Surprise

(Gibson) Viewers of ABC's morning show, The View, got a special, purple wake-up surprise last Thursday when Prince made an unannounced appearance on the program. Even the show's panel of hosts was thoroughly startled when Prince sauntered onto their stage — all the hosts except for Whoopi Goldberg, who had secretly arranged for the visit.

Goldberg interrupted a conversation between the hosts to say, "Oh, my god! Is that Prince?" The studio audience erupted in wild applause. Prince, in dark shades and a sparkly black jacket, took a seat with the panel after debonairly kissing the hand of host Barbara Walters and handing out to each host some tickets for his upcoming concert at Madison Square Garden. The Garden show is one of several Prince will be playing in the New York area this month as part of his "Welcome 2 America" concert series.

Prince began a short interview on the morning program by saying, "These are strange hours for a rock star." When Walters pointed out that Justin Bieber had cited him as a role model and had expressed a desire to have a career as long as Prince's, The Purple One responded by saying, "The key to longevity is to learn every aspect of music that you can." Prince kept the appearance short — claiming that he hadn't had breakfast yet. When swooning co-host Sherri Shepherd told him, "I have wanted to make love to you my whole life," Prince answered, "On that note..." and sauntered off the stage. more on this story

A Day To Remember, Bring Me The Horizon, We Came As Romans and Pierce The Veil Spring Tour

We Came As Romans and Pierce The Veil will be joining A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon on a North American tour this Spring.

We Came As Romans are currently touring Australia and New Zealand alongside Megadeth, A Day To Remember, and more on the No Sleep Til Festival Tour. They will kick off 2011 on the Motel 6 Rock Yourself To Sleep Tour with For Today, The Word Alive, Woe Is Me and labelmates, Texas In July.

Following the A Day To Remember tour, the Michigan-based sextet will continue their non-stop touring as they head back overseas for the 2011 Scream It Like You Mean It Tour in Europe. more on this story

Iron Maiden Star Jams At His Restaurant's Anniversary Bash

(hennemusic) Run to the hills for some Rock N Roll Ribs, anyone? The Coral Springs, Florida restaurant was the place to be for Iron Maiden fans on Sunday, as part-owner – and Maiden drummer - Nicko McBrain took center stage to celebrate his restaurant's 1-year anniversary.

McBrain and two others own Rock N Roll Ribs, a barbecue place that features smokey Southern cooking.

Nicko reportedly posed for photos and signed autographs, and his band, McBrain Damage, played an afternoon set in the parking lot. more on this story

The Decemberists Release Limited Edition Single Today

Today The Decemberists release an exclusive limited edition 7" vinyl single in conjunction with Record Store Day organizers.

The 7" will feature the track "January Hymn" from their forthcoming album The King Is Dead, with a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Row Jimmy" on the b-side.

The King Is Dead will be released January 18 on EMI's Capitol Records in the U.S., and January 17 on Rough Trade Records in the UK and Europe. more on this story

The Day Marvin Gaye Hit The Top

On this day in 1968, Marvin Gaye scored his first #1 single when "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," started a five-week run at the top. It was Marvin's 15th solo hit and also his first U.K. #1 single in March 1969. Gibson takes a look back:

Although there are many who consider "I Heard It through the Grapevine" to be the greatest single Motown ever produced, the song's success didn't come easy. In fact, after first hearing it, label founder Berry Gordy thought the song was unsuitable for release and encouraged the tune's writers to come up with something stronger.

Of course, that version of "Grapevine" wasn't the one that would storm radio in 1967 (as sung by Gladys Knight and the Pips) or the version that would conquer the charts in 1968 (as performed by Marvin Gaye). No, the first edition of the song was one recorded by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles in 1966. The song had come out of collaboration between Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield. Strong, who was the performer responsible for Motown's breakout classic "Money (That's What I Want)," was hired by Gordy as a writer after failing to have a follow-up smash. Gordy paired him with Whitfield, after his success with The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." more on this story

Guns N' Roses Tips For Working Guitarists

(Gibson) Everyone who has ever picked up a tennis racket and rocked out in front of the mirror has dreamed of chucking in their day job to be a rock star instead. And why not? The adoration, the freedom from the nine-to-five grind, the potential for romantic entanglement – it sounds like a pretty fun vocation. Well, the bad news is that not everyone gets to have a career as a rock star, but the good news is that with a little hard work and a lot of covering your bases, you may be able to still carve a living out of six strings and a dream. One guitarist who has managed to do just this is Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.

Thal first made a name for himself in the mid-'90s with his wildly creative solo albums and unorthodox techniques, and since 2006 he's been one of three guitarists in Guns N' Roses, performing on every track of 2008's Chinese Democracy and criss-crossing the world with Axl and Co. While on tour with GN'R in Australia, Thal spoke exclusively to Gibson.com about how to make a career out of music.

He says the key is diversity. "You have to be able to multitask and be multi-faceted," he says. "If you're just going to be a guitar player that plays in a band, your options are going to be very limited. If you're going to play in a band, you should also be able to teach what you know. If you record yourself, then record other people as well and get into the studio thing. If you're taking care of a lot of the business for your band, maybe start doing it for other bands as well and get into that side of things." A lot more here

Bob Dylan Inducted Into Gibson's Revolutionary Hall of Fame

(Gibson) Gibson.com is pleased to present the inaugural class of the Gibson Revolutionary Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honors musical artists whose contributions went beyond mere entertainment and actually altered the art form, the business or the technology of popular music. This year's inductees were chosen in a recent poll on Gibson.com, asking fans and pros to decide the Top 50 Most Revolutionary Artists of the Past 100 Years. The list of inductees is composed of the top five vote recipients from the readers poll, as well as the top five from the overall combined poll of fans and professionals. As there was some overlap between the lists, a total of seven artists have been honored. Today we celebrate one such honoree: the legendary Bob Dylan.

In the early 1960s, Bob Dylan was the mumbled voice of revolution – whether he liked it or not. Amongst all the upheavals, all the excitement and tragedy of that discordant decade, what Dylan said was heartening and poetic, and it made great sense to young people. The mop-haired folk troubadour authored anthems "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They are-a-Changin'," among other masterpieces, that thrust him into the spotlight as a reluctant hero of both the civil rights and anti-war movements. Lyrics like "You better start swimmin' / Or you'll sink like a stone" fed that generation's call for change but also summarizedthe ethos that would steer Dylan's entire profession: Avoid stagnation at all costs.

Dylan began, innocuously enough, as Robert Allen Zimmerman. Born in 1941 to a pair of Jewish parents in Duluth, Minnesota, he was raised on Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Robert Johnson and Little Richard. For 50 years, he's funneled these sundry influences into his own music; time and again, with little notice, he's rolled up his sleeves and rummaged around in genres like folk, country, gospel, rock, blues and jazz. more on this story

Re-Twisted Sister

(Kayos) Eagle Rock has announced re-issues of Twisted Sister's Club Daze, Vol. 1 – The Studio Sessions and You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll, which hits stores January 25.

Hot on the heels of the recently released Live in Wacken – The Reunion DVD/CD (released October 2010), these two albums are epitaphs of the band's early days. Club Daze, Vol. 1 compiles recordings from 1972-1982, when Twisted Sister was a young, hungry pack of hard rockers doing time in clubs around New York City and Long Island. It was during these first ten years that they started brewing up a buzz, refining their stage act, and setting new records in fan attendance in over 50 clubs. Club Daze, originally released by Spitfire Records in 1999, captures a moment in time when TS laid the foundation that would lead them to become one of the world's most intense metal bands.

The long-overdue remaster for You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll (originally released via Atlantic in 1983 and later re-issued by Spitfire in 1999) brings out the punch that wasn't on the original CD versions. Finally presented in an aural setting not available when first mastered for CD, fans will finally be able to hear songs such as the hit "I Am (I'm Me)", "The Kids Are Back" and "Like A Knife In The Back" with the same sonic intensity as the band intended for the world to hear. more on this story

Your Chance To Rock In Space

(hennemusic) Here's a contest that is out of this world. Literally. NASA is currently looking for original submissions for its "Wakeup Song" contest.

The wakeup song has been a part of the space program since the days of the Apollo missions, and now NASA is giving you a chance to be a part of this history.

Entries will be screened by a NASA panel. The top entries will then be posted on NASA's website for a public vote. more on this story

Sky Parade Gran Turismo

(Submitted) Sky Parade's single "I Should Be Coming Up (But I Keep Coming Down)" will be included in Gran Turismo 5.

Sky Parade are thrilled to have their song included in the soundtrack. Taken from Ripple Music's exclusive split 7" single, "I Should Be Coming Up (but I Keep Coming Down)" keeps the adrenaline pacing red hot for modern gamers, jamming to Sky Parade while they navigate the corners and bumps. more on this story

Attackhead Set New Album Release

Attackhead have revealed the track-listing for their new album "Voices in the Dark - Second Attack". The album will be released January 25, 2011 via Twisted Hillbilly Records.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Mark Chapman had the following to say about the new release from Attackhead:

"We had a great time recording the CD back in Tennessee. We wanted to create a CD that was pure old school thrash reminiscent of the 80's era. If you are looking for some straight forward thrash then this is the CD for you." more on this story

Out of Print Testament CD Set For Reissue

Prosthetic Records will reissue Testament's out-of-print 1995 hometown-show album, "Live At The Fillmore," on CD on January 18, 2011.

The "Live At The Fillmore" reissue includes expanded artwork and new layout by Carson Slovak and new liner notes by Robert Deutsch.

Prosthetic previously reissued four Testament releases: the acclaimed late-'90s studio albums "Demonic" and "The Gathering"; the re-recordings compilation "First Strike Still Deadly"; and the vintage live album "Live At Eindhoven '87."

The Boy Will Drown in the UK

(Earache) The Boy Will Drown have confirmed dates for a headlining UK tour, which is set to take place in April 2011.

The Boy Will Drown, who recently completed a European trek and have also announced another European tour for January.

They will be heading round the UK for eight more shows in April, with support from Visions and The Long Count. more on this story

Rooney Announce Headlining Tour

Rooney have announced a headlining tour in February in support of their latest album, Eureka.

The tour will feature Eisley as main support and The Chapin Sisters and The Old Ceremony as openers.

The trek kicks off February 2 in Albuquerque, NM and wraps up in Salt Lake City on February 26. more on this story

The Kill Corps Comic

(EMI) The Kill Corps will release their debut album on Virgin Records in the summer of 2011. In bloody juxtaposition, they will bring their music to comics with the release of The Kill Corps from Image Comics that will hit shelves in March 2011.

Inspired by the music of The Kill Corps, a seasoned team of comic pros is behind the debut book: Award-winning comics scribe Jim Krueger (Earth X, X-Men) pens the enthralling tale, while Eisner Award winner BEN Templesmith (Choker, 30 Days of Night) and Society of Illustrator Award winner Dennis Calero (Cowboys & Aliens, Legion of Superheroes) provide the art and cover.

Marking the first time a band and music will be unveiled within a comic, the book will see release in two formats. The 32-page version includes a download code for the band's first single, "Save Me." The expanded 48-page version includes a download code for the four-track self-titled EP ("Save Me," " Sticks and Stones," "Crash Burn Die" and "Cannibal Romance"), concept art, and bonus images from Templesmith and Calero. more on this story