SOUNDTRACKS FOR YOUR SOUL

If you've seen any good movies or TV shows lately, chances are you also heard some great music in key scenes. Here's our guide to recently released soundtrack albums that we think you'll love:

Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakuel Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Rhino Records): The furry little singers are back and they now have competition from a female trio. The 15-song record features cute and fun covers of popular hits sung by both the Chipmunks and the Chipettes like Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold," Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive," Peaches & Herb's "Shake Your Groove Thing" and Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is." Additionally, Honor Society, Queensberry and Charice make guest appearances.


Glee: The Music, Volume 1 (Columbia Records): Viewers of Fox's smash hit Glee have already downloaded more than 1 million songs performed by the cast. Now, 17 of the tunes performed on the show during the first half of its inaugural season have been collected on one awesome CD. Hear stars Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester), Lea Michele (Rachel), Cory Monteith (Finn), Amber Riley (Mercedes), Kevin McHale (Artie), Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina), Diana Agron (Quinn) and Mark Salling (Puck) sing songs like Journey's "Don't Stop Believin,'" Kanye West's "Gold Digger," Rihanna's "Take A Bow," Celine Dion's "Taking Chances," Heart's "Alone," Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself" and many other popular tunes.


Glee: The Music, Volume 2 (Columbia Records): Due out Dec. 8, the second CD featuring the cast of Glee has the actor/singer’s belting out songs like Diana Ross and Lionel Richie's "Endless Love," The Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You," John Lennon's "Imagine," Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" and Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You."


NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack—Vol. 2 (CBS Records): NCIS has been a top rated program for seven seasons now and it's no wonder that top artists wanted to fill up its second soundtrack. "California," a never-before-released Bob Dylan song, and NCIS star Michael Weatherly's "Bitter and Blue" are just two notable tracks on this compilation , which also features Norah Jones, Joss Stone, John Mellencamp, Sheryl Crow and Otis Redding.


Pirate Radio (Republic Records): A movie about a rock 'n' roll radio station broadcasting from the ocean in the 1960s has to have a superb soundtrack to accompany it! This 2-disc set highlights classic musicians like The Kinks, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Beach Boys, Smokey Robinson, The Who, Cream, Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie.


Saw VI: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Trustkill Records): The sixth film in the popular horror franchise features 18 tracks from some of metal's heaviest acts, including songs from Hatebreed, Lacuna Coil, Mushroomhead, Chimaira, Suicide Silence, Shadows Fall, Type O Negative and Kittie.


Soundtrack 90210 (CBS Records): There are 14 brand new songs (plus a remix of the show's theme) on this collection of tunes, all of which will be featured in episodes of The CW drama this season. Adele with The Racounters, N.E.R.D. featuring Santigold, Jet, The All-American Rejects, Anberlin and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are among the artists who contributed music.


The Twilight Saga: New Moon—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Atlantic Records): The second film in the wildly popular series about vampires and werewolves is filled with music by bands like The Killers, Muse (one of New Moon author Stephenie Meyer's favorite bands), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, OK Go and Grizzly Bear. Death Cab For Cutie's "Meet Me On The Equinox" is the soundtrack's lead single.

NewsBLITZ: ROB ZOMBIE RETURNS TO MUSIC!

Rob Zombie is returning to his musical roots—and the concert stage—after taking some time off to write and direct the films Halloween and Halloween II!


Zombie's first headlining tour since 2007—The Hellbilly Deluxe 2 Tour—kicks off Oct. 29 in Phoenix with the Nekromantix and Captain Clegg & the Night Creatures (who were in Halloween II) serving as opening acts.

On tour, Rob will be playing fan favorites as well as new tracks from his upcoming Geffen Records release Hellbilly Deluxe 2—Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool. This CD serves as a companion to 1998's original Hellbilly Deluxe disc, which was Zombie's first solo venture after the demise of White Zombie. Rob's backup group is comprised of his longtime bandmates John 5 (guitar), Piggy D (bass) and Tommy Clufetos (drums).

"I am bouncing off the walls like a mental patient," says Zombie "That tells me it's time to take it to the stage and let the demons loose."

Rob Zombie Tour Dates:
Oct. 29: Dodge Theatre—Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 30: The Pearl—Las Vegas, NV
Oct. 31: Hollywood Palladium—Hollywood, CA
Nov. 1: The Grove—Anaheim, CA
Nov. 3: San Jose Event Center—San Jose, CA
Nov. 5: Great Salt Air—Salt Lake City, UT
Nov. 6: The Fillmore—Denver, CO
Nov. 8: Brady Theater—Tulsa, OK
Nov. 10: Austin City Music Hall—Austin, TX
Nov. 11: Verizon Wireless Theater—Houston, TX
Nov. 13: Palladium Ballroom—Dallas, TX
Nov. 14: The Uptown—Kansas City, MO
Nov. 15: The Pagent—St. Louis, MO
Nov. 16: Murrat—Indianapolis, IN
Nov. 17: Civic Theatre—Akron, OH
Nov. 19: Eagles Auditorium—Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 20: Roy Wilkins Auditorium—Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 21: Val Air Ballroom—Des Moines, IL
Nov. 22: Aragon Ballroom—Chicago, IL
Nov. 24: Broadbent Arena—Louisville, KY
Nov. 25: Lifestyles Pavilion—Columbus, OH
Nov. 27: The Fillmore—Detroit, MI
Nov. 28: Sound Academy—Toronto, CAN
Dec. 1: Hammerstein Ballroom—New York, NY
Dec. 2: House of Blues—Boston, MA
Dec. 3: Mohegan Sun Arena—Uncasville, CT
Dec. 4: Electric Factory—Philadelphia, PA
Dec. 5: 9:30 Club—Washington, DC

For all things Rob Zombie, visit his official website: RobZombie.com.

NewsBLITZ: GET STRYPER'S NEW ALBUM, MURDER BY PRIDE, TRACK-BY-TRACK BEFORE IT'S RELEASED

Stryper's new studio album, Murder By Pride, won't be released in its entirety until July 21. However, BIG3 Records is making one new track from the record available each week from now until then via iTunes!

Fans can go to iTunes every Tuesday to purchase a new track. Each song, though, will be sold for one week only; the following Tuesday a new track becomes available. If you make a purchase every week, you will have the full album by July 21.

Here is the release schedule for Murder By Pride:
May 5: "Eclipse of the Son"
May 12: "Murder By Pride"
May 19: "4 Leaf Clover"
May 26: "The Plan"
June 2: "Alive"
June 9: "I Believe"
June 16: "Love Is Why"
June 23: "Mercy Over Blame"
June 30: "Run In You"
July 7: "Everything"
July 14: "My Love (I'll Always Show)"

Besides the 11 songs listed above, Murder by Pride also includes a cover of the Boston song "Peace of Mind," which is already on iTunes.


This fall, Stryper will embark on a 25th Anniversary Tour, hitting 50 cities in North Ameica. The band will play two separate sets during each concert—the first will feature new Stryper material and include current bassist Tracy Ferrie along with original members Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet and Oz Fox; and the second set will feature all four original Stryper members, including original bassist Tim Gaines, and they will be wearing the yellow and black jumpsuits that made them (in)famous while performing the songs fans have come to know and love over the last 25 years.

For tour dates and other information, visit Stryper's official website.

MARCH NEW ALBUM RECOMMENDATIONS!

Here are MusikBLITZ’s top picks from all of the new releases that have come out in the month of March:

The Answer's Everyday Demons (The End Records): Irish rockers The Answer got a big career boost last fall when they opened up for AC/DC's North American tour. Now the quartet’s debut U.S. album—which debuted at No. 25 in the U.K. and No. 8 on Japan's international chart—is in stores. "The future of classic rock is in good hands," says Classic Rock magazine about The Answer.

Burn Halo’s Burn Halo (Rawkhead Records/Warner Music): Former Eighteen Visions singer James Hart's new band bleeds sex, drugs and pure rock 'n' roll. The album’s raunchy first single, "Dirty Little Girl," and the track "Anejo" both feature a guest appearance by Avenged Sevenfold's Synyster Gates. The Alternative Press even loves this band saying: "The songs are way more Mötley Crüe than Nickelback... The first single is dynamic and attractive, chock full of gritty guitar riffs and throbbing drums—and it doesn’t leave you feeling dirty for listening to it.” In April, Burn Halo will hit the road as part of the Sno-Core Tour along with Static-X and Saliva.

Dope’s No Regrets (E1 Music): According to frontman Edsel Dope, the Chicago-based band’s fifth CD is "a record for the fans [that] also has enough hooks, energy and good times to engage a new group of disciples with each and every listen." Lead single "Addiction" has guitar God Zakk Wylde shredding on it. Currently, Dope is on tour with Wylde's Black Label Society and Sevendust.

Filter’s The Very Best Things—1995-2008 (Rhino Records): This 14-track compilation features the band's greatest hits, rare radio edits and soundtrack songs such as "Hey Man, Nice Shot," "Take A Picture," "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" and "Welcome To The Fold."

Papa Roach's Metamorphosis (DGC/Interscope Records): "This record has a huge rock edge with tinges of punk and metal," says frontman Jacoby Shaddix about the band's fifth album. "It has that groove and aggression we''e always had, but there's also a new flare." Adds bassist Tobin Esperance: "The sound of the new record is electric. It's balls-to-the-wall, organic rock 'n' roll with raw, in-your-face emotion. On the flip side, there's melody, vulnerability and honesty." Singles "Hollywood Whore" and "Lifeline" have already garnered major attention.

Queensrÿche's American Soldier (Atco/Rhino Records): Concept album kings Queensrÿche examine the consequences of war from the perspective of soldiers on their latest progressive metal opus. Each song was inspired by an iterview singer Geoff Tate conducted with a veteran. "My father was a career military man, but until very recently he never spoke about what he went through," explains Tate. "I think that reticence is true of a lot of veterans, which means most people never truly understand what it means to be a soldier at war. Hearing what he and some of our fans have endured made me want to share their stories with the world. This is an album about the soldiers, for the soldiers, as told by the soldiers themselves." Fans can hear snippets of songs by calling the Queensrÿche hotline at 206-260-1215.

Static-X's Cult Of Static (Reprise Records): The industrial metal band returns with their sixth album. "Over the years my voice has been destroyed from excessive touring—and I love it," exclaims frontman Wayne Static. "The vocals on the new record are raw and brutal." Highlights include first single "Stingwray" (inspired by the car Wayne's wife, former porn star Tera Wray, drives) and album opener "Lunatic" (originally found on the Punisher: War Zone movie soundtrack, the song has now been rerecorded and features a guitar solo from Megadeth's Dave Mustaine). If you pick up Cult Of Static at Best Buy, you get two bonus tunes and a membership card that allows one to access a special third track and also have the chance to win concert tickets and meet-n-greet passes.

Sum 41's All The Good Shit: The Best Of Sum 41—2000-2008 (Island Records): Fourteen tracks have been culled from the band's five releases for this collection, including tracks like "Fat Lip," "In Too Deep," "Pain For Pleasure" and a live version of "Hell Song." (Two additional tracks can be found on albums purchased at Best Buy.) Plus, All The Good Shit comes with a bonus DVD showcasing 13 of Sum 41's music videos.

Various Artists' Now That's What I Call Power Ballads (UMVD): The latest release in the popular franchise has 18 of the most beloved ballads from the '80s. Favorites from the likes of Poison, Journey, Heart, Cheap Trick, Slaughter, Extreme, Tesla and Warrant are all on this compilation.

Various Artists' Punk Goes Pop 2 (Fearless Records): The eighth album in the "Punk Goes..." compilation series, which debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Top 200, features creative punk-rock takes on some of today's hit pop tunes. Bands like Alesana, Silverstein, Escape The Fate, Bayside and Four Year Strong revitalize songs by Justin Timberlake, Pussycat Dolls, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Katy Perry and more. Check out the music video for A Static Lullaby's cover of Britney Spears’' "Toxic" here.