Marking the much-anticipated return of online play to Rock Band, Rivals mode also represents the most dramatic shift to the Rock Band meta game since the franchise’s introduction in 2007. In Rivals Mode, players band together to form crews of up to ten people to take on other crews around the world in a structured and ongoing series of uniquely themed gameplay challenges. At the beginning of each challenge, crews will be assigned to one of six tiers. When a challenge ends, the best crews will ascend to a new tier, while under-performing crews will face demotion. As crews get promoted they’ll earn badges and face stiffer competition in their quest to earn their place amongst the elite in the highest tier - Bloodstone.

Rock Band Rivals challenges are made up of two distinct gameplay elements - Weekly Challenge Songs and Spotlight Songs. Crews looking to climb the leaderboard will need to focus on both if they want to succeed. Performance in weekly challenges is determined by the overall score earned by all crew members while playing qualifying songs. For example, in the challenge “I Want to Know What Love Is,” playing songs and artists with the word “love” in them will contribute to your crew’s Rivals score for the week. Spotlight Songs are an opportunity for Rock Band’s best players to show their stuff. Here, a crew’s Rivals score is determined by the single best performance achieved by the crew as a whole for each instrument. Balanced crews featuring elite singers, guitarists, bassists and drummers will have an advantage.

Rock Band DLC kicks off July with a pair of heavy hitters – “Down With The Sickness” by Disturbed and Ghost’s “Cirice”.

Both songs will be available on Xbox One and PS4 this Thursday for $1.99.

• Disturbed – “Down With The Sickness” (First appeared on Rock Band 2)
• Ghost – “Cirice”

The full list of content coming to Rock Band in July features chart-topping hits, a Rock Band Rewind track and even more surprises to be announced:

• The Black Keys – “Gold On The Ceiling”
• Disturbed – “Down With The Sickness” (First appeared on Rock Band 2)
• Ghost – “Cirice”
• Wilson Philliips – “Hold On”
• … and more!

“Down With The Sickness”, the immensely popular Disturbed track from Rock Band 2 (and featured on Rock Band VR), is now releasing as Music Store DLC. Breaking into the Top 5 of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, it went on to become the band’s first platinum single. Along with other hit singles “The Game”, “Stupify”, and “Voices”, “Down With The Sickness” helped make The Sickness a 4x platinum album to date. The tom intro is a highlight of the drums, throwing in enough bass pedal to spin the beat into a pattern not found elsewhere. The main guitar riff is a chord pattern centered on the yellow button, creating a fluid progression when learned.

“Cirice” also releases this week after being part of the core Rock Band VR soundtrack. The lead single off of Meliora, Ghost’s third album, “Cirice” has been the spearhead of the band’s climbing popularity in the United States. Playing the song as part of their first US television appearance, it quickly reached #4 on the Mainstream Rock chart. “Cirice” went on to win the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. A slower metal song, the guitar solo speeds it up, providing some quick bursts of notes to practice. The harmonies are very interesting, allowing for an experience metal songs aren’t normally known for.