After a great tour kickoff in Minsk, Belarus [18th April], BELPHEGOR dealt with heavy opposition and censorship within Russia resulting in three shows being cancelled. We apologize to Russian supporters. The troop tried everything to secure the shows. The St. Petersburg concert was canceled just a few hours before BELPHEGOR was scheduled to enter the stage on the 19th of April. We arrived in Moscow hoping for the best on the 20th. We were ordered to remove the already hanging backdrop, then told that stage props such as sculptures and crosses were forbidden, and Helmuth was not allowed to do vocals for the track "Lucifer Incestus". During the second track, the sound engineer had been forced to mute the vocals for the rest of the show because of our lyrical content. We were outraged by the entire experience. Afterward, we were informed that we would be unable to play in Ekaterinburg [21st April] and Krasnodar [23rd April].

Helmuth adds: "We've toured Russia three times since 2006 and always had amazing experiences. We've ignored all protests including death threats during the past few weeks. I was aware many black and death metal bands were having trouble recently, but we still marched in. To people who think they know everything: When that waste of oxygen approached us at the airport on the 19th, he had a hand in his pocket. I expected him to have a weapon. If I had hit him, I would have been thrown in jail, and he would have ended up in the hospital. That was their plan; he had that other degenerate filming the entire thing. Special thanks to brother Mr. Karl Sanders, who had the courage to block him as he continued to harass me. I'm a musician, not a fighter, especially in Russia. I've survived Typhus and have already been dead for six hours, hanging on only by machines followed by open-heart surgery. I do not fear anyone other than myself. No excuses to anyone!! End of story. It is of the utmost importance that artists have freedom of expression. Throughout history religions and governments have and continue to censor creative works all around the world. Thank you very much to all metalheads who loyally stand behind us and fight against oppressors and hypocritical moralizers. Russian supporters, be prepared!! BELPHEGOR are unstoppable and will return."

Soilwork frontman Björn "Speed" Strid is featured in a new interview with Dead Rhetoric, conducted on their current North American tour supporting Fear Factory  An excerpt from the discussion is available below.

Dead Rhetoric: Being the only original member left, how does it feel to have twenty years of Soilwork under your belt?

Strid: "It’s just hard to grasp. I’ve changed so much, but at the same time, I’m the same person. It’s weird. It’s been such an interesting ride, musically and on a personal level, and I’m really proud of just about everything we have released and that we have been able to develop our sound. We have grown a lot as songwriters even though there have been line-up changes. There have always been people who brought something new to the table. We have been able to develop our sound and still sound like Soilwork. We never forced things, and when there have been line-up changes we haven’t done things like 'Oh, can he write like Peter, does he sound like Peter?' for example. We’ve been a democratic band and we have always been open to new people writing and so far it has been working really well. For me, it’s a lot more fun too since I have been there since the beginning and people throw me some new stuff. I don’t know what to do with it initially, and through that I have developed as a singer in having to step outside my comfort zone. I really like that challenge."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Soilwork released their masterpiece 10th album, The Ride Majestic, to great praise last year, and now the wait is finally over for UK fans to experience it live. Soilwork will support Arch Enemy across the UK before playing a headline London show this August.

Vocalist Bjorn 'Speed' Strid states: "We are very excited to announce this UK run together with our fellow Swedes in Arch Enemy. For the first time since Ozzfest 2005, we are once again sharing the stage! It will be one hell of a riff-and shred fest, ladies and gents! We're also announcing a special one off headline show at the Underworld in London on August 25th. It's been a long time coming... do not miss out! See you in August!"

Soilwork dates:

August
21 - Norwich, UK - Waterfront (with Arch Enemy)
22 - Sheffield, UK - Corporation (with Arch Enemy)
23 - Cardiff, UK - Tramshed (with Arch Enemy)
24 - Southampton, UK - Engine Rooms (with Arch Enemy)
25 - London, UK - The Underworld

Greece's Rockpages.gr recently conducted an interview with legendary hard rock vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). You can now watch the chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the setlist for his solo shows:

Joe: "I've been getting a lot of requests, and a lot of negative feedback sometimes from people saying, 'Oh, why don't you do your own solo songs?' I'm, 'Oh, okay.' Here's the big thing: I plan to change the whole program. After I get off tour this year, I'm changing the whole program. I'm going all original; I'm going all my stuff. I don't even know if I'll play RAINBOW or PURPLE; I don't think so. But people always wanna hear 'I Surrender'. You know, they always wanna hear 'Can't Let You Go', they always wanna hear 'Stone Cold', 'Street Of Dreams'. So, I mean, you can't get away from it. And I think it's terrible when artists have a hit with their songs and they refuse to play them; they get tired of it. Of course we get tired of it. But you must play it for the fans. They are the important ones."

On his upcoming projects:

Joe: "I'm currently writing for another project of mine that is pretty secret, and I can't divulge too much of this now. It's with a very famous Swedish producer, and it's gonna change my sound completely, which is really interesting to me, because I believe that it's time for me to be born again, in a way, and I have so much material. So I've been busy writing with this producer and recording some things. We're nowhere near done, but we're in the beginning stages."

On the demise of his OVER THE RAINBOW touring project, which consisted of former RAINBOW members performing some of the band's most classic songs:

Joe: "Well, bands are like bad marriages sometimes. And the egos fly, and people get full of themselves and everything happens. The guys are great guys; they're all still my friends. But it was getting out of control, and I was getting very tired of the attitudes that I was hearing. I made everybody a full member, and maybe that was my mistake, being a generous person. Because then I could have just said 'no,' and controlled it all. But everybody had a vote, and the votes were getting crazy. So, to make a long story short, I just said, 'Look, I'm gonna drop out, okay? You guys want the project? You can keep the project. You can get another singer, whatever.' But not promoter would have it. They tried [another former RAINBOW singer] Doogie [White], they tried Graham [Bonnet], but nobody wanted to buy it after that. So that says a lot for me."

On Ritchie Blackmore's decision to go out and perform classic RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE material with a new group musicians instead of reforming RAINBOW with a more "authentic" lineup:

Joe: "I think Doogie said it best to me. He said, 'You know, Joe, it's not RAINBOW unless they do an album and a tour.' And I said, 'I have to agree with you, Doogie,' Because that's the truth. Until you can write the songs, make some sense out of it all, do some greatness to earn the name RAINBOW… Otherwise, our legacy, whether it's Ronnie [James Dio] — God bless him — or Graham or myself, or even Doogie, our legacy comes down in stature. Because then anybody can be in RAINBOW like this? So I don't agree with it. And I'll answer probably another question of yours right now. I wanted to create an authentic RAINBOW reunion. I was talking to Carole Stevens, [Ritchie's] management, over a year and a few months — no kidding. Everyone called me delusional [because I said] that Ritchie would rock again; everyone called me this, that… I took a lot of crap in the press. I'm pretty sick of that, by the way, 'cause you're a bunch of idiots if you don't realize that. And she didn't wanna go along with the multi-million dollar deal that I had set up, with UMG — Universal Music Group, if you don't know who that is — with Rock Fuel Media for an HD 3D DVD, who just went to No. 1 with the Axl Rose 'Appetite For Democracy' DVD. So it's great people. We were gonna have repackaging of our box sets, etc. And I was talking to Rick Franks over at Live Nation, and he wanted to put us on the biggest festivals going. And to my surprise, and to my shock, I found out [Ritchie] didn't wanna do it. Why? I'll never know. I have my suspicions, and I've read a lot of fan comments on their suspicions, and some of them, I think, are correct. But I really don't know why. It's a shame. Because I believe the fans deserve it. I believe RAINBOW deserves it. I wanted to do something like an extravaganza — you know, sing Dio songs, Bonnet songs… you know, everybody. Get Bob Daisley on bass… And I talked to people. And they were all into it. So I don't know. It's a shame, really."

Frontiers Music Srl will release SUNSTORM's fourth album, titled "Edge Of Tomorrow", on May 13. SUNSTORM is Joe Lynn Turner's successful AOR/melodic rock project, something that came about for the first time in 2006 when Frontiers president Serafino Perugino wanted to dig up some unreleased gems that Turner wrote during the late '80s and early '90s.

Metal Wani conducted an interview with BUTCHER BABIES frontwomen Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey on April 22 at the Underworld in London, England. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On how the writing and recording of 2015's "Take It Like A Man" was different from the making of 2013's "Goliath":

Carla: "Well, it was different, because with 'Goliath', we had our whole lives to write that album. We had lyrics from when we were teenagers on that album, and we had been together as a band for years, so we had songs stockpiled. With 'Take It Like A Man', we had been on tour for so many years that we didn't have that same, you know, [batch of already completed] songs to go to, so we had to write the album on the road and stolen moments on days off, and then we had a little bit of time in the summer and then we wrote it in the studio. So it was a very different process. And I was really worried about it. It was a little frustrating to actually do it in that small amount of time. But that added pressure just kind of helped us really dig out this great stuff. And I'm so proud of the album and the way that it came out. And lyrically, the album, it has a lot of different emotions on it than 'Goliath' did, because on this album, we wrote a lot about these new feelings that we've had, being alienated away from our family and friends at home, with being on the road so often. So while it still kind of tips into how we felt growing up and different emotions, it definitely kind of has more adult emotions about, like I said, our current situation."

On being females in a male-dominated industry:

Heidi: "I think right now we're in a really, really interesting time with females in the metal genre, in the rock genre. You see more females involved in metal now than, I think, you've ever seen, and it seems like girls are feeling more comfortable being, like, 'Yeah, I love this and I can do it.' And other girls do it. And I think that there's a shift happening where it's becoming more accepted and people are very open-minded to [the idea of females in rock bands]. They don't think just 'cause you're a girl that it's gonna be, you know, shitty. [Laughs]"

On BUTCHER BABIES' plans for a new album:

Carla: "We are taking the whole summer off to write a kick-ass third album and get some rest and relaxation."

Heidi: "We're so excited. When we get back from this tour, we have two days [off] and then we're out with LACUNA COIL for a couple of weeks. But we're excited to really dive in and write a really, really great third album. We are so lucky that we have this ability to… that people allow us to actually write music and put it out. It's so cool. So, I think, for us, the writing process is really, really fun, and we're excited for the summer. And then in the fall, we'll be back out, and we'll probably be back over here at some point. [Laughs]"

"Take It Like A Man" was produced by Logan Mader, who has previously worked with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DEVILDRIVER, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and GOJIRA.

Ex-MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi has responded to Nikki Sixx's description of the band's self-titled album as "very unfocused," saying that he is "extremely proud" of the record and insisting that he has "nothing but mad respect" for his former bandmates.

In an interview with Sweden Rock Magazine, the MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist said that writing the "Mötley Crüe" LP with Corabi was a prolonged and difficult experience. He said: I think it was a very unfocused record. It was painful for me, because John Corabi can't write lyrics, and I had to do all that work.

"It was the first time I ever had to work with somebody that wanted to participate in the lyrics. And my standard is so high that it was so hard, it took months. Usually, I write a set of lyrics in an hour.

"It's all about having pent-up information and aggression and just [letting it out]. It was just hard, because he was a nice enough guy, but he just didn't have that fire, and it was hard for me."

After Nikki's comments were first published by BLABBERMOUTH.NET on Wednesday (April 20), Corabi took to his personal Facebook page to offer the following response: "As my email, texts, and phone is blowing up over this, I'd like to publicly retort to this.

"Thank you to MÖTLEY CRÜE for the five years we had together. I'm extremely proud of the record we recorded TOGETHER!!!! And your phone call to me asking to join your band has honestly helped my career immensely. I have done everything since, MY WAY, under MY TERMS, and I'm happy knowing I haven't followed any trends, caved to any record label, and just basically been myself. I am who I am, I write the way I write, and I'm beyond happy being the person I am... I have nothing but mad respect for MÖTLEY, including Mr. Sixx... And wish them ALL the best with their future endeavors..."

He added: "I REALLY don't give a shit about any of this nonsense!!!! (This is it, kids... Enjoy your day!!!)"

In the Sweden Rock interview, Nikki also offered his theory as to why MÖTLEY CRÜE members Micks Mars (guitar) and Tommy Lee (drums) have both publicly expressed their fondness for the Corabi-fronted album. He said: "I think Mick and Tommy love that record, 'cause it's [got] great drums, great guitars. And, yeah, I think there was a freedom in having a different singer, you know. But it was just hard for me to have to go slow. I'm just not a good 'slow' guy in the studio. I've been in sessions with other artists where [someone is working slowly] and I've just gotta bail; I've just gotta go. It's, like, you can create on the spot or you can't create. That's it with me. I just don't have patience for that."

Released in 1994, "Mötley Crüe" ended up being a commercial failure in the wake of grunge despite a Top 10 placing on the album chart.

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx says that the band's self-titled album, which featured John Corabi on vocals instead of Vince Neil, was "very unfocused," with most of the songs lacking the "big" choruses that the group is known for.

Released in 1994, "Mötley Crüe" ended up being a commercial failure in the wake of grunge despite a Top 10 placing on the album chart. Since then, many fans, as well as MÖTLEY CRÜE members Micks Mars (guitar) and Tommy Lee (drums), have voiced their opinion that the effort never got a fair shake.

During an interview with for a cover story in the latest issue of Sweden Rock Magazine, Nikki was asked for his thoughts on the album more than twenty years since its release. He said: "I've gotta tell you, I think it was a very unfocused record. It was painful for me, because John Corabi can't write lyrics, and I had to do all that work. It was the first time I ever had to work with somebody that wanted to participate in the lyrics. And my standard is so high that it was just… It was so hard, it took months... Usually, I write a set of lyrics in an hour. And it's all about having pent-up information and aggression and just [letting it out]. And it was just hard, because he was… a nice enough guy, but he just didn't have that fire, and it was hard for me. And I just felt like [producer] Bob Rock really got us… 'Cause we just really wanted to get the riffs going and stuff, and he captured that. But in general, there's like… 'Hooligan's Holiday''s a good song. 'Poison Apples', I think, was a good song. But in general, it felt like a great-sounding record, but a little bit unfocused. That's just me. Like, the choruses weren't big enough. But it was just hard."

Nikki also offered his theory as to why Mars and Lee have both publicly expressed their fondness for the Corabi-fronted album. He said: "I think Mick and Tommy love that record, 'cause it's [got] great drums, great guitars. And, yeah, I think there was a freedom in having a different singer, you know. But it was just hard for me to have to go slow. I'm just not a good 'slow' guy in the studio. I've been in sessions with other artists where [someone is working slowly] and I've just gotta bail; I've just gotta go. It's, like, you can create on the spot or you can't create. That's it with me. I just don't have patience for that."

In a 2012 interview, Mars stated about "Mötley Crüe": "I thought that was probably… To me, and I can only speak for me, I think that was probably the best album we've done. Musical-wise, the songs, I felt, were strong. And just musically, to me, it was, I guess, my BEATLES 'White Album'; that's kind of how I feel about that one. I'm not saying that any of my other albums are crummy or anything like that — I love every album that we did — but that one just has a special thing for me."

Lee echoed Mick's sentiments, telling Australia's Beat about the CD: "It's huge. Honestly, dude, it's one of my favorite CRÜE records. Sonically, the songs and the playing on that record is gnarly. We worked our asses off on that record. We had so much to prove: Vince was gone, we had a new singer who also plays guitar and writes and he brought a whole new element to this. But once fans are used to a certain thing, they just didn't want to know about any other version of MÖTLEY CRÜE. That's understandable, but when you break it down, that record still sounds rad today."

One of the most emotionally charged tributes to legendary singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer Prince on the day of his passing came from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor, who was scheduled to perform that night at the very club that Prince helped turn into a must-see mecca after featuring it in his breakthrough 1984 film "Purple Rain": Minneapolis's First Ave. Taylor paid his respects by taking the stage and opening his show with a cover of "Purple Rain", followed by a rendition of "Little Red Corvette".

The next day, Taylor spoke to Carlota of the KOMP 92.3 FM radio station in Las Vegas about what Prince has meant to him and the experience of playing Prince's hometown on the very day the Grammy-winning icon was found dead.

"It was intense, as is to be expected," Taylor said. "I mean, obviously, waking up, and you get that news, and then it kind of slowly dawns on you that not only are you in his hometown, but you're playing the house that he helped build. You're kind of, like, 'Ah, Jesus.' It was one of those things where you can either bow out or you can step it up. And for me, growing up as a massive Prince fan, there was no way that I was not gonna show respect to that man. And it seemed, to me, like the audience enjoyed it, and it seemed like people understood the respect that I was trying to show. I'm just glad I was a part of it. I'm just glad I was a part of history, to be able to show respect to a man that inspired me the way he did."

Taylor also talked about Prince's exceptional musical talent and how its influence spanned genres. He said: "There wasn't a genre that [Prince] didn't touch on. And not only that. There wasn't a genre that he could kind of shoot through the Prince filter and make even better. It was just like, 'Whoah!' I mean, the guy was… he was incredible. Every song that you can think of was not only different and creative, but it was just… it was amazing."

According to Taylor, Prince managed to appeal to music fans of different colors and backgrounds, including fans of SLIPKNOT, many of whom were in attendance at Thursday night's concert.

"I've been very vocal about being a fan of Prince for a very long time, but I think [Thursday night] was the first time I was able to really show my appreciation," he said. "And it was crazy. I'm in First Avenue, on that stage, with all of these fans, who, some may be Prince fans, some may be more heavy metal fans but appreciated Prince because he came from Minneapolis. And, I mean, I don't know if you've seen the video [of my performance], [but] it was so loud when it gets to the chorus. People were losing their minds, because that was the affection for him and his creativity and the fact that… Even if you were a hardcore metal guy… There's so many people I know out there who were maybe even secretly Prince fans, and [Thursday] was time to just give up the secret and embrace it, and that's what it was all about."

Taylor, who had previously performed "Little Red Corvette" as part of his solo appearances, described his mindset going into Thursday night's concert. He said: "It was heavy. Getting into it was heavy. The couple of things that went through my head was… obviously, first of all, 'Don't mess it up.' And second of all, 'Just kind of let the emotion happen.' 'Cause, I mean, honestly, I've known the words to ['Purple Rain'] for going on thirty years, but I'd never sat down and played that song before. So I literally learned it [Thursday] afternoon with the idea of, you know, that would be my tribute to him. So it was a little nerves, a little of trying to get a handle on the moment. And also, I didn't wanna say anything; I just wanted to play the song. Because, to me, that was the most respectful way that I could, you know, just show it. I was just, like, 'Don't even set it up. Just let the song breathe and let it do what it needs to do.' So that was me just kind of preparing myself for that."

The SLIPKNOT frontman admitted that he got very emotional when he first heard the hugely acclaimed and influential musician's lifeless body was found at his mansion in Minnesota.

"I bawled my eyes out," Taylor said. "I was crying the entire time watching CNN. I was okay up until the point when they confirmed it. Because there was that split second… Even after TMZ was reporting it like they do, there was that split second where it hadn't really been confirmed yet on any of the 'reputable' news feeds. And as soon as they confirmed it, I lost it; I really did. And I think the reason why is because when you're dealing with someone as poignant and as incredible of a talent as Prince, you not only flashback to his music, you flashback to the first time you heard it, you flashback to almost every time a song of his came on and it was like a special moment, you flashback to sometimes like the first time you saw him play live… just all of these things. It was the same thing when [David] Bowie died; I had the same exact reaction. And I remember I was just crushed by all of these memories. Like the first time I held the cassette tape for '1999' in my hand, the first time I watched him perform on a live video, on MTV, for 'Baby I'm A Star' and 'I Would Die 4 U'; I remember that video so vividly. The first time I saw the video for 'Batdance'. Like all of these crazy, crazy memories of this guy who I worshipped, for lack of a better term. You're bombarded with all of those memories, and then you kind of come to the realization that those memories are at a close, and it's a crushing idea. But the one thing that helps you get through it is the fact that you not only have those memories but you have all of these songs that you can use as a touchstone to come back to."

Prince has won seven Grammy Awards, and he won an Oscar for the original song score to the classic film "Purple Rain", in which he also starred.

He recorded some 39 studio albums, recording and touring prolifically even after a very public battle to get out of his major label contract threatened to derail his career.

Fan-filmed video footage of EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA project performing on April 15 at Playstation Theater in New York City can be seen below.

The AVANTASIA lineup for the show consisted of the following musicians:

* Tobias Sammet - Vocals* Michael Kiske - Vocals* Eric Martin - Vocals* Ronnie Atkins - Vocals* Jorn Lande - Vocals* Amanda Somerville - Backing vocal/vocals* Herbie Langhans - Backing vocal/vocals* Sascha Paeth - Guitars* Oliver Hartmann - Guitars* Miro Rodenberg - Keyboards* Andre Neigenfind - Bass* Felix Bohnke - Drums

AVANTASIA released its seventh studio album, "Ghostlights", on January 29 via Nuclear Blast. The twelve-song CD was produced by Tobias and Sascha Paeth at Gatestudio in Wolfsburg, Germany. Paeth engineered and mixed "Ghostlights", while the mastering was done by Michael Rodenberg.

AVANTASIA released a digital single, "Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose", on December 11, 2015.

Commented Tobias: "In my humble opinion, ['Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose'] is the perfect overture to the seventy-minute journey which the full album is going to be.

"Although 'Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose' is a rather short composition compared to most other AVANTASIA songs, I wanted to embellish and amplify it with flamboyance and all AVANTASIA trademarks. I wanted to make it a detailed piece of fantasy art, but at the same time it was a big challenge to make that painting look inherently consistent if you view it from the distance. The layered choirs took us forever to record and yet nothing distracts from the main theme and flow of the song. Every time you give it a listen, you will discover something else going on.

"I have a feeling that I have never managed to create such an epic and dreamy atmosphere in just four minutes. I've gotta admit I am slightly proud of it!"

"Ghostlights" features guest appearances by:

* Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER)* Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE)* Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH)* Sharon Den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION)* Michael Kiske (HELLOWEEN)* Ronnie Atkins (PRETTY MAIDS)* Bob Catley (MAGNUM)* Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN)* Bruce Kulick (KISS)* Robert Mason (WARRANT)* Herbie Langhans (SEVENTH AVENUE, SINBREED)* Oliver Hartmann* Sascha Paeth

The instrumentalists on "Ghostlights" are as follows:

* Sascha Paeth - rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, additional keys* Michael Rodenberg - orchestration, keys* Tobias Sammet - additional keys and bass* Bruce Kulick - lead guitar* Oliver Hartmann - lead guitar* Felix Bohnke - drums

In an exclusive interview with People, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler talks about the tragic loss of musical icon Prince Rogers Nelson, who was found unresponsive on the morning of Thursday, April 21st at his home at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, a Minneapolis suburb, and later declared dead. The Grammy/Oscar/Golden Globe winning artist was 57. An autopsy was conducted Friday at the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Ramsey, Minnesota, but it could be weeks before results are complete.

"I've certainly had my moments of crying about him," Tyler says. "He was a saint. He was a musician and he spoke my language so it's a little harder to take. I would love to just tell you I'm crying because we're going to miss him and his music, but I think it's deeper than that."

Read more at People.

A rep for Prince told TMZ yesterday that “Prince was celebrated by a small group of his most beloved: family, friends and his musicians, in a private, beautiful ceremony to say a loving goodbye. Prince's remains have been cremated and their final storage will remain private. We ask for your blessings and prayers of comfort for his family and close friends at this time. The cause of death remains unknown and it will be at least four weeks before we receive the results of the autopsy. An announcement will be made at a future date for a musical celebration."

 

Lorenzo Gandolfi of Italy's Chitarre magazine recently conducted an interview with Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about the changes in the music industry and his decision to have more control of his releases by making them available through his own record label imprint, Gus said: "I'm the kind of guy who always had to… I embrace it. I don't have a problem. I mean, of course, you can bitch about it, or you can just work around it and find your way somehow. Yeah, whatever that means. Forming my own label was one of those changes that I did. And I didn't do it only for this album; I did for the last FIREWIND album four years ago."

He continued: "Yeah, I mean, basically, the market is open these days. You just have to pick and choose which platform and channel you choose to release your music. You don't have to be tied into any kind of deal you're not comfortable with. Okay, it depends also on what type of artist you are. If you're a young band, you definitely still need the channels of a proper record label to go through to go through the first steps. For somebody like me, who's been doing it for almost fifteen years now, probably more, I know who my audience is and I know how to reach them."

According to Gus, he hasn't completely freed himself of outside record-label influence. He said: "I'm still with Century Media for this record [Gus's latest solo album, 'Brand New Revolution'], so I kind of work with them and also on my own in America. In America, what I did, I picked my own team, basically — my radio team or the publicist or the distribution and all that stuff — but I also work through the same team that I've had for more than fifteen years with Century Media as well. When it came to that, nobody ever kind of pushed me to do something different than I didn't wanna do."

He continued: "These solo records are just another platform for me to explore other things and just co-write with different people. You know, being in a band for so many years, it's me and the guys and we just do our thing and we have our own sound. And you can't step right out of that box so much; there's a certain kind of area that you design in your sound, and I think the fans expect you to… Everybody expects you to do a certain thing, in a way, to put it kind of very bold. But doing a solo record doesn't have to follow any rules or boxes, so to speak."

"Brand New Revolution" was released in Europe in July 2015 via Century Media. The CD was made available through Century Media in Australia and South America, Dismanic/eOne in North America and King Records in Japan. The cover artwork was once again created by Gustavo Sazes, who previously worked with Gus on the guitarist's debut album, "I Am The Fire", and also took care of artwork duties by such bands as ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT and FIREWIND.

"Brand New Revolution" features guest vocal appearances by Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY, TALISMAN), Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE), Jacob Bunton (ADLER, LYNAM) and Mats Levén (CANDLEMASS, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, TREAT).

Fan-filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES' April 23 performance at the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, California can be seen below.

Even though it had been rumored prior to last night's show that GUNS N' ROSES was planning on paying tribute to Prince, the band only reportedly dedicated the concert to him. In addition, GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan used a bass that was adorned with a purple version of the unpronounceable "love symbol" Prince used for seven years, until he reverted back to his given name in 2000.

GUNS N' ROSES' setlist for Saturday night's show was as follows:

01. It's So Easy02. Mr. Brownstone03. Chinese Democracy04. Welcome to the Jungle05. Double Talkin' Jive06. Estranged07. Live and Let Die08. Rocket Queen09. You Could Be Mine10. New Rose11. This I Love12. Coma13. Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather)14. Sweet Child O' Mine15. Civil War16. Better17. Wish You Were Here18. November Rain19. Out Ta Get Me20. Knockin' on Heaven's Door21. Nightrain22. Don't Cry23. Used to Love Her24. The Seeker25. Paradise City

For this, GN'R seventh appearance since the reunion of singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and Duff McKagan, Rose was still confined to a throne after snapping his metatarsal bone while singing during the Troubadour reunion show on April 1. It is apparently the same custom throne Dave Grohl used last year for FOO FIGHTERS concerts after breaking a leg.

A full GUNS N' ROSES North American tour is on tap for this summer.

Only Rose, Slash and McKagan from GN'R's "Appetite For Destruction"-era lineup took part in the seven shows the band has played this month. They were joined by keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer. Also appearing with them was second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

GUNS N' ROSES got a reported $8 million for its two appearances at Coachella and will make an average of $2.75 million per show on the tour.

By comparison, Rose's most recent pre-reunion lineup of GUNS N' ROSES was getting somewhere between $350,000 and $500,000 per show, according to Billboard's industry sources.

L.A. GUNS frontman Phil Lewis paid tribute to late superstar Prince by giving a controversial speech about the supposed lack of diversity in the type of music that is performed by African-American artists.

Lewis's comments came during the opening concert of L.A. GUNS' current U.S. tour, which kicked off Friday night, April 22 at Fish Head Cantina in Arbutus, Maryland.

While introducing L.A. GUNS' breakthrough hit single "Ballad Of Jayne", Lewis — who was born in England but has lived in the U.S. since the 1980s — spoke about Prince's passing and recalled L.A. GUNS' first performance at the club that the iconic artist helped turn into a must-see mecca after featuring it in his breakthrough 1984 film "Purple Rain": Minneapolis's First Ave.

"I don't wanna bum you out," Lewis began (see video below). "You know who just died, and I don't wanna make a big… I don't wanna bring it down or anything.

"I remember when we were working on [L.A. GUNS' 1989 album] 'Cocked & Loaded', we were on tour, and they said there was a venue that we could play in Minnesota; it was called First Avenue. And I didn't know too much about it at the time. But after I saw the movie, and I got it; I was with the program.

"We were all into that Prince, right?! 'Purple Rain'. It was so cool, because, you know, you had all your heavy shit, and then you had the pop shit, and there was Prince doing his own fucking thing.

"The problem is, right now — and I'm not gonna be a racist about it — but black people are all one-dimensional. We need more Princes, man. We need less fucking rappers and more people like Prince.

"There, I said it.

"Anyway… When we first played First Avenue, nobody knew whe the fuck we were; we were opening for someone. I don't know. And it wasn't going very well, I'll be honest. You never know with these things. And then we played this song and it changed everything."

Video of Lewis's entire speech, including a performance of the song "Ballad Of Jayne", can be seen below.

Metal Wani editor in chief Owais "Vitek" Nabi recently conducted an interview with guitarist Wolf Hoffmann of German/American metallers ACCEPT. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the progress of the songwriting sessions for ACCEPT's follow-up to 2014's "Blind Rage" album:

Wolf: "[It's coming together] a little bit slow, but we're getting into it. We started writing riffs and songs and all that, and sometimes there's this initial phase where we struggle a little bit to come up with really meaningful stuff, and then we'll go through it and all of a sudden, this wave of ideas comes crashing in, and that's what we're getting into right now. We're just getting warmed up, so to say. We're not constantly writing. We usually have a different approach. We sort of set time aside and then really get into it and lock the doors and don't wanna be disturbed and eventually we'll come out with an album. But it's not like we're constantly writing on the road, and every other day we have a new riff and always collect ideas. It doesn't work that way for us, for some reason. We're different."

On taking the time to make sure the songs on the album are as strong as possible:

Wolf: "Actually, 'Blind Rage' wasn't too bad. It was the album before, 'Stalingrad', where we were really striggling with the time, because we had already committed to a tour and time was running out and we had to get this album finished no matter what, and that was tough. 'Blind Rage' wasn't so bad — we actually had enough time — and we wanna make sure we have enough time this time as well. Because what happens is you get so deep into the writing process that you lose objectivity very easily, and everybody knows what. But it's great comfort to just sort of let songs simmer for a while and not listen to them for a week or two and then go back to them and think, like, 'Oh, this is really good,' or, 'Oh, this is terrible,' with fresh eyes, or ears rather."

On making music that will keep the ACCEPT fans happy:

Wolf: "We always try to write what fans wanna hear from ACCEPT. At the end of the day, our criterion is always, 'Is this really ACCEPT or is this just something that we like?' 'Cause a lot of times we'll write stuff and I think it's good and I love it personally, but at the same time I know it's not quite right for ACCEPT stylistically, and it sounds maybe like somebody else too much, or it may be a little bit too off course, and we toss it aside. And you have to be brutally honest. At the end of the day, we're making music for the fans and not just to satisfy us. I mean, we're never gonna make a jazz album just because we feel like it. Not that we could, but even if we could, we wouldn't do it."

On whether any of the ideas that will appear on his upcoming solo album were originally written for ACCEPT:

Wolf: "Not at all, because the solo stuff that I'm doing is all based on classical music. Just like the first album that I did, it's all existing classical melodies that I just metal up and just sort of rearrange as metal instrumentls. One has really nothing to do with the other, and there's no overlap. And I've never felt like I have a ton of ideas that I couldn't use with ACCEPT, because Peter [Baltes, bass] and I, we are the heart of the band, and everything we wanna out out, we do. If it's right for the band, we will, but there's not a ton of… You know, I don't have any other side projects other than this classical thing. [But the new solo album] is actually in the can, it's delivered to the label [Nuclear Blast], and it will see the light of day sometime this year, probably towards the summer. This new one will actually be a lot more metal than the first one I made, which was more of a studio production, no strings, and not as big of a production as this one. It will maybe even surprise a few people how heavy it is. And even though it's classical music, yeah, but some of it is quite heavy, yeah."

Ahead of their dates down under in May, Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain spoke with Australia’s MusicFeeds about the upcoming shows, the band’s new album The Book Of Souls, and more. A couple of excerpts follow:

MusicFeeds: What is the key to keeping up stamina as a performer, for you? Most of the band is in their 60s now, and you’ve been playing at fairly high speeds across quite a big drum-kit for over 30 years. An Iron Maiden show is a big enough task in and of itself, but one can only imagine the gruelling nature of doing it almost every single night…

Nick McBrain: “The answer to that is that I stopped drinking. May 25th last year, I stopped. My brother had a clean bill of health, and I realized that I had a massive world tour to come up. That influenced my decision to get off the grog for a month. One month lead to two, and then after that I decided to look after myself a lot more. I focused on setting aside an hour to play drums every single day. I would rehearse the six new songs that we would be playing on the tour, and I would play them through twice. It was almost like playing half a gig. “The Red And The Black” is 13 minutes – playing it through twice is nearly half an hour of playing right there! I got myself match-fit, so to speak. I started changing my diet a bit, and I lost weight. That’s how I’m coping right now.”

MF: Australia is up next on The Book Of Souls tour, as well as New Zealand. It will be the first time the band has been out here since headlining the 2011 Soundwave festival, and your first headlining tour since the Somewhere Back In Time tour in 2008. Of course, Maiden has been coming to Australia for years – do you have any special stories or vivid memories from early on in the band’s visits here?

NM: “Cor blimey, mate, that was back in my drinking days! [laughs] I do remember when I got to Melbourne, and the first thing that I did was get in 18 holes at Royal Melbourne Golf Course. That was special for me. Not only was I so excited about playing these shows with the band, but I was getting to experience my second passion – which is golf – on the other side of the world. There was one tour we did, back in the early 90s, and I had a drum-kit that I trashed. We were doing shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong… am I saying that right? Wool-en-gong?”

Read the full interview at MusicFeeds.com.au.

Iron Maiden’s live itinerary can be found at this location.

KFMA conducted an interview with DISTURBED at the KFMA Day on April 16 in Tucson, Arizona. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked about the incident last month when he called out a fan for texting during the band's show in Dallas, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman said: "In all honesty, and to hopefully finally put this baby to bed, it was all meant tongue in cheek, in all honesty. I don't know if you actually ever saw the video clip that went viral, but I was lighthearted and laughing about it on stage. I was only trying to draw her in and engage her, not really attack her for doing whatever she was doing on the cell phone; that's her own business. And truth be told, that's my bad. Truth be told. Because I had no idea what she had going on, I wasn't privy to the kind of crisis she was dealing with, and I meant it all in good fun. She, unfortunately, took it the wrong way, and I feel bad about that, and that's the truth."

He continued: "We never wanna make anyone who comes to any of our shows feel like they're not welcome or that they leave with any kind of negative feeling. So that really wasn't the intention. The whole thing got spun from all kinds of directions inappropriately, 'cause that's what people do. But I genuinely don't want to make any DISTURBED fan feel like they don't belong. They all belong and they've certainly earned the right to do whatever it is that they wanna do during our performance. And me, as the frontman, I just try to bring everybody in."

Added DISTURBED bassist John Moyer: "David's always had a long history of, anybody who seems distracted or not into the show, he engages them, and that's part of what makes him a great frontman. And what happened with this cell phone incident, for whatever reason, turned into a bigger deal than, really… We were just blown away by it, because he's always… Anytime you come to a DISTURBED show, you know that David's paying attention. I mean, she should be, like, 'Oh my God! I can't even believe this guy even noticed me.' And that he does. He notices everyone in the crowd. He not only sings to the audience, but he makes sure that everyone is part of the experience. And when you're not, he focuses on you and he brings you in, and that's all that was about."

The woman, Shannon Pardue, told the Dallas Observer that she was texting her 14-year-old daughter to calm her down as a hailstorm raged outside their house in a Fort Worth suburb. Pardue said she began texting during the break between DISTURBED's main set and its encore.

It was during this time that Draiman called her out from the stage, saying: "Up in the balcony...what is so important going on in the world that you need to be texting the entire fucking show? The whole show! You're right up front; I can see you clear as day. You've had your face in your fucking phone the whole goddamn show."

Pardue said she tried to shout to the singer that she was texting her kids, but he couldn't hear her. He also said to her, "Don't tell me to go fuck myself... I'm not wrong. Am I wrong? If you were up here and I did that to you, how would you feel? Seriously! It is fucking rude. It is!"

Draiman later explained his actions in a post online, saying: "That woman was not a fan. She was the date of a real fan who was standing next to her. She was face in phone from the moment the show started 'till the very end."

He added in a later post, "You may not agree with my calling out the girl texting/tweeting/Facebooking the entire show the other night… But when we musicians go up on stage, bleed for our art, leave everything up there, and someone doesn't even have the decency to watch for even one song, it's like a slap in the face."

After video of the exchange went viral, Pardue told the Dallas Observer: "At first, it ticked me off. But then I just wanted to go away. I told my husband, 'The most embarrassing thing in my life just happened to me.'"

She added: "Rock stars wouldn't be where they are without people who come to pay for the show. Whether I had my eyes on him or not, I am still there and I can hear them. He's an amazing singer, and they were good, but it was just his attitude. I'll never pay to see him again nor will my friends."

Pardue, who said her husband purchased the tickets for the show six months earlier, concluded that Draiman was a "jerk" and that DISTURBED "just lost two big fans."

The celebrations continue for Record Store Day ambassadors 2016 Metallica who - after performing at the record store Rasputin Music for Record Store Day (April 16th), - headed to El Cerrito, CA, to revisit their home from 1983 through 1986 where classics Ride the Lightning and Master Of Puppets were born!

“We thought it would be cool to come over here and buy the garage (at 3132 Carlson Boulevard),” Lars Ulrich remarks in the video below. “We were going to put it inside HQ in Marin, but the garage is long gone. Whoever has the garage please return it. Maybe we would finish the new record quicker if we were in that fucking garage!”

“This is unbelievable be back in this place,” Hetfield added. "I think we've all forgotten a lot of stuff that has happened in our history, but this is a great way to jog our memory.”

Brian Lew (co-author of Murder In The Front Row: Shots From The Bay Area Thrash Metal Epicenter) detailed the event on a Facebook:

“The band found a way to rent the old Metallica Mansion in El Cerrito for the weekend and brought in a production company to recreate the theme of the old Metal Days when James, Lars, Mark Whitaker, and Clive The Dog called it home. Beyond amazing. Sadly THE Garage is long gone and a three unit apartment / garage sits on the spot behind the house now... but it was one last party at 3132 Carlson.. and they amazingly rented out the new three car garage to serve as the bar for the event. Metal.

It was special that each of the band guys said something about what the house and those times meant to them. Kirk almost broke down. It was heavy and a celebration at the same time. Rob commented that he was 11 years old when parties raged in the house. Awkward.”

Read more on Facebook.

El Cerrito mayor Greg Lyman was also on hand to present Metallica with a proclamation, recognizing their close-knit ties to the city.

 

Potter of Charleston, South Carolina's 98 Rock radio station recently conducted an interview with HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Asked how she ended up dressing up as a nun for an onstage appearance during GHOST's October 6, 2015 performance at The Pageant in St. Louis, Missouri, Lzzy said: "One of our crew girls is dating one of their crew guys. So we had this day off and they just so happened to kind of cross paths. But we were just kind of go see the show. And then they asked both me and my friend, 'Would you like to be our 'sisters of sin'?' So we had to dress up like nuns. They had the costumes and everything all ready, and they were, like, 'Here you go.' So we fed people Communion."

HALESTORM's first two albums, 2009's "Halestorm" and 2012's "The Strange Case Of…" were both officially certified gold in March by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales of more than 500,000 copies. The certifications came after RIAA started including on-demand audio and video streams and a track sale equivalent in gold and platinum album award.

The band's third effort, "Into The Wild Life", debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 56,000 copies in its first week of release — more than double the first-week haul of their second CD — but has not reached gold yet.




(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));



Sometimes you have a day off in St. Louis on the same day that Ghost is playing in town. And sometimes Ghost not only...

Posted by Halestorm on Wednesday, October 7, 2015

ALICE IN CHAINS singer William DuVall is fronting a new act called GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA, which is also comprised of members of MASTODON and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. While the lineup has changed since the project was launched in 2012 — with actress and singer Juliette Lewis allegedly fronting it at one point — DuVall has apparently settled into the lead vocalist position.

GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA founder Ben Weinman (also of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) said that Juliette Lewis was never the singer but had contributed some material, adding: "She did some cool vocals on some of the GTO stuff. Actually, William from ALICE IN CHAINS is who has been singing with us."

Weinman noted that most of the music for GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA's ten-song debut album had been written before DuVall joined the band. "But everybody is definitely in this band," he said. "It's a real democracy."

He added: "It's a little different for me. It's been great. Because DILLINGER has obviously been my baby since the beginning. You know while everyone contributes, it has always been my vision and baby. So, with GTO, it's really a combination of all the elements, all the pieces. So it's really interesting. It's been great for me to collaborate like that. And I think when you hear it, it really does sound like all of us in one band somehow."

GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA — whose lineup also includes Brent Hinds of MASTODON — will make its live debut at this year's Reading (August 27) and Leeds (August 28) festivals in the United Kingdom.

From adventurous progressive-metal epics like "Crucifixion", "Broken Lines" and "Fragments & Ashes" to pounding rock anthems like "Adapt Or Die" and "Back To The Light" (featuring a vocal cameo from Lewis), to future crossover classics like the gorgeous power ballad "All We Have Is Now" and the electrifying made-for-radio dance-rock of "Everyone Gets Everything They Really Want", and the album's equally propulsive first single, "Blood Moon", GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA's debut album promises to be one of the most exciting releases of 2016.

On April 21, DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover was interviewed on the "Quinn & Cantara" morning show on Albany's classic rock radio station PYX 106. You can now listen to the chat using the widget below.

Asked what the "true story" was behind former DEEP PURPLE guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's absence from the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Glover said: "The true story is that Ritchie was free to come, but he was never gonna come. He always said he was never gonna come. I've read reports as well saying that we banned him. And that's ridiculous. We didn't ban him The word 'ban' never passed our lips."

Pressed about his current relationship with Blackmore, Glover said: "I'd be happy to be friends with him, but he's isolated himself. It's very difficult to reach him. That's his decision."

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony seemed like a rare opportunity for DEEP PURPLE to reunite with Blackmore, who wrote many of the band's most memorable riffs, but hasn't played with the group since 1993.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich inducted DEEP PURPLE into the institution, after which the current lineup of DEEP PURPLE performed a mini-set that included "Hush", "Highway Star" and "Smoke On The Water".

Blackmore later posted a statement on his Facebook page in which he said: "I have my reason for not attending the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, although I appreciate the award.

Despite Blackmore being a no-show at this year's Rock Hall, he was given several shoutouts during the induction speeches of the DEEP PURPLE members in attendance. In addition, Ulrich praised "Ritchie fucking Blackmore" for one of the most memorable guitar riffs of all time on "Smoke On The Water".

Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME) paid tribute to Prince by performing a snippet of the iconic artist's classic song "Purple Rain" this past Thursday, April 21 at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida during the "Generation Axe" tour.

After the concert, Nuno posted a message expressing his grief over Prince's death and thanking the fans in Orlando for joining in during the "Purple Rain" performance. He wrote: "Tonight was supposed to be a night of guitars... So I have to thank you, Orlando, for giving me just a few minutes of your time and your voices and your hearts, to help me heal... and allow me to shed a few tears. I really needed that. And I know he heard you."

He added: "Prince... The joy you have given me throughout my life, the way you made me move. You taught me to learn all instruments, not just to be a guitarist, but a musician, an individual. That the priority wasn't the skill, but the emotion behind it. And the songs, the way you'd make my pain go away when I couldn't bear it. The songs you have given all of us to play for the ones we adore when we couldn't find something deeper to say than just... I love you. You truly are and will always be an actual prince... Love you."

In addition to Bettencourt, the "Generation Axe" tour features Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde and Tosin Abasi.

Prince's body was discovered this past Thursday, April 21 in the elevator of his Minnesota estate Paisley Park. The sheriff's office later released a statement saying they were "continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death," but had no further details. Foul play and suicide are not suspected.

On May 30th, Swedish stoner rockers Spiritual Beggars are back with a new 7" vinyl featuring two classic cover versions, previously only available on the Ltd. Mediabook Sunrise To Sundown.

Limited up to 450 copies: 80 on brown / 150 on green and 220 on black vinyl.

Tracklist:
Side A: “Thumbsucker” (Mountain cover)
Side B: “Stoned Woman” (Ten Years After cover)

Thumbsucker/Stoned Woman (H42-032) by Spiritual Beggars

 

Fan-filmed video footage of BLACK SABBATH's April 17 performance at the Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Australia can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Black Sabbath02. Fairies Wear Boots03. After Forever04. Snowblind05. Into The Void06. War Pigs07. Behind The Wall Of Sleep08. N.I.B.09. Hand Of Doom10. Rat Salad11. Iron Man12. Dirty Women13. Children Of The Grave

Encore:

14. Paranoid

SABBATH is playing dates in Australia and New Zealand this month, with European festival shows taking place during the summer. The band will then return to North America for its final stint.

BLACK SABBATH recently revealed that it is selling a new limited-edition CD titled "The End" at the shows on its farewell tour. The disc features four previously unheard studio tracks left off the band's 2013 reunion album, "13", as well as live versions of four songs from the world tour the band did in support of that disc.

The four studio cuts are "Season Of The Dead", "Cry All Night", "Take Me Home" and "Isolated Man". They feature drums by Brad Wilk.

The live tracks, with drumming from Tommy Clufetos, are "God Is Dead?", "Under The Sun", "End Of The Beginning" and "Age Of Reason". The live cuts were recorded in Sydney, Australia, Auckland, New Zealand and Hamilton, Ontario.

Wilk and Clufetos had to get involved after founding SABBATH drummer Bill Ward withdrew from the reunion after initially agreeing to participate in it.

"13", the first SABBATH full-length studio album in 35 years to feature original members Geezer Butler (bass), Tony Iommi (guitar) and Osbourne, also became SABBATH's first No. 1 album in the U.S. when it was released in June 2013. The band abandoned plans for a follow-up after deciding that the current trek would be its last.

Vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), guitarist Glen Drover (MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND, TESTAMENT, EIDOLON), drummer Shawn Drover (MEGADETH, ACT OF DEFIANCE, EIDOLON) and bassist Adrian Robichaud (EIDOLON) joined forces to perform heavy metal classics under the "A Special Night Of Metal" banner on March 5 at The Rockpile in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Owens recorded two studio albums with JUDAS PRIEST — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before the band reunited with Rob Halford.

Drover left MEGADETH at the end of 2007 and was replaced by Chris Broderick, who previously played with NEVERMORE and JAG PANZER.

Shawn joined MEGADETH in 2004 as the replacement for Nick Menza, who had only just rejoined the group. Drover performed on four MEGADETH studio records: 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame", 2011's "TH1RT3EN" and 2013's "Super Collider".