Ayreon performed at 013 in Tilburg, Holland on September 15, 16 and 17, 2023, bringing the album 01011001 to the stage. A live Blu-Ray and CD from the show was released on May 17. Order here, and watch a video for "Fate Of Man", below.


Mastermind Arjen Lucassen comments:


"And here's the final preview video from the last Ayreon Live beneath The Waves DVD/BluRay: 'Fate of Man'. Maybe it's weird to not pick a song from the 01011001 album, but this song really stood out for me... such energy on stage! The band is just amazing as we all know, I'll never know how they manage to play this complicated song with such unflappable ease. And what about these breath-taking vocals from Brittney Slayes? She's unbelievable, right? Let me know if you agree... thanks and enjoy!"







01011001 - Live Beneath The Waves formats:


- Artbook (Webshop only) - 2CD+2DVD + Bluray incl. Behind The Scenes (BTS)
- 3LP - Green vinyl
- 2CD+DVD: Full show on 2CD and DVD
- Blu-ray: Full show + BTS


"The Sixth Extinction" video:





01011001 - Live Beneath The Waves features the following performers:


Original 01011001 cast:


Hansi Kürsch
Tom Englund
Daniel Gildenlow
Jonas Renkse
Anneke van Giersbergen
Simone Simons
Wudstik
Marjan Welman
Liselotte Hegt
Maggy Luyten
Phideaux Xavier
Arjen Lucassen (yeah, sorry for that)


Special guests:


Damian Wilson
Brittney Slayes
Michael Mills
John Jaycee Cuijpers


Backing vocals:


Marcela Bovio
Irene Jansen
Jan Willem Ketelaers


Band:


Marcel Coenen - guitar
Timo Somers - guitar
Johan van Stratum - bass
Joost van den Broek - keys
Ed Warby - drums


Ensemble:


Ben Mathot - violin
Jurriaan Westerveld - cello
Jeroen Goossens - woodwinds

Metal band Dystopica drops their first full-length album, entitled Infinite Reflection, via Pavement Entertainment. Produced by Nick Bellmore (Dee Snider, Corpsegrinder, Ripper, Hatebreed, Toxic Holocaust, Many Eyes), it is much heavier and more progressive than Dystopica’s EPs – 2021’s Perception and 2022’s Deception. Listen to Infinite Reflection here.


Singer Becky Brideau says, “Infinite Reflection is about reflecting on the past, taking hold of the present, and redefining the future.”


Heavy, aggressive, and melodic, Infinite Reflection elevates the band’s sound to a whole new level. It combines the strength of heavy metal, the driving force of thrash metal, and the complexity of progressive metal in a way that is unique and catchy.




With harmonized guitar riffs, epic guitar solos, vigorous drumming, and powerful female vocals, the band stays true to their core sound while further expanding upon it. Each song is very distinct from one another, but together they tell a story of evolving through time that parallels the evolution of Dystopica’s sound.


Catch Dystopica live on May 18 at The Beeracks for their album release show in East Haven, Connecticut. Special guests include Ellimist, A Well Oiled Machine, and American Amnesia. Doors open at 5:30 PM and tickets are $10.00.


Formed in 2019, Dystopica is made up of Becky Brideau on vocals, Rob Muller on guitar, and Erich Bender on drums. Lucas Dellaporta (bass) and Connor Sperry (guitar) will join the lineup on live shows. The band’s unique sound is a perfect blend of melodic, harmonizing guitar riffs and powerful female vocals while still pulling influences from classic heavy metal.





Tracklisting:


“Images Reflecting Within”
“Revenge”
“Awaken”
“I Am A Gemini”
“Far From Perfect”
“Episodic Waves”
“My Fault”
“Animosity”
“Infinite Reflection”
“The Dent In My Life”
“Insidious Onset”
“Blackout” (Scorpions cover)


“The Dent In My Life” video:





“Blackout” video:





“Far From Perfect” video:

In a new interview with Metal Hammer Greece's TV show "TV War", SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was asked if he has ever had a negative experience meeting one of his musical idols. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah. Only once. And I won't even tell you who, because he doesn't deserve it. But nine times out of ten… The last one that I'll say I got over the hump with, 'cause I was still such a fan, was [BLACK SABBATH's] Tony Iommi. And it was very late in our careers, but it's fucking Tony; he's the godfather of all this shit. I think it was, like, 2006, finally. And I knew him before that, but I couldn't talk to him. It was Tony Iommi; I just couldn't do it."

Kerry continued: "in 2006 I went to the Classic Rock Awards in Britain. And I was presenting Tony with an award, and I was nervous as fucking all hell. I was out of my environment. I've done metal shows, I've done the [Revolver] Golden Gods billions of fucking times, but at the Classic Rock Awards, I was out of my element. Fucking Steven Tyler's [AEROSMITH] out there, AC/DC's out there, DEF LEPPARD's out there — people that I've admired in my history but didn't know any of them. So I'm fucking shaking up there. I hit the mic when I'm talking. And I was just a fucking idiot. [Laughs] So, I get to give Tony his award, take a picture with him. Then I felt like we were bros. I was over the Tony hump, and that was cool."

King added: "I've had a lot of heroes, be it from [JUDAS] PRIEST to SABBATH and whoever the hell, [DEEP PURPLE's] Ritchie Blackmore. But, yeah, Tony was the one. I had to climb that mountain and get over it."

Back in 2017, King picked BLACK SABBATH's 1975 effort "Sabotage" as one of his 10 favorite metal albums, telling Rolling Stone magazine: "'Sabotage' is just a very heavy record. There's so much good stuff on there. As I picked these records, I picked the ones I'm compelled to play if I'm working out or driving, and 'Sabotage' was my choice for BLACK SABBATH. It has 'Megalomania', 'Symptom Of The Universe', which has definitely got attitude, 'Hole In The Sky'. And it has the instrumental 'Supertzar'. I love that one. It grips me for some reason."

King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", was released on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music.

Joining Kerry in his new band are Mark Osegueda (vocals; DEATH ANGEL),Phil Demmel (guitar; MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE),Kyle Sanders (bass; HELLYEAH) and drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS).

Earlier this month, the KERRY KING band performed its first live show, totally sold out, at Reggies in Chicago. The concert was described as "dark, packed, and exceptionally loud," everything you could ask for at such a landmark show as this one… a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience." In the days following, the band went from playing an intimate venue to performing at the huge U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio),treating the audience to an incredible experience of pure metal firepower.

Now the KERRY KING band is ready to embark on a European tour that will start on June 3 — on King's 60th birthday. The trek will combine headline shows in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain but also festival appearances such as Rock Am Ring, Hellfest, Tuska, Download, Sweden Rock Festival and many more.

All material for "From Hell I Rise" was written by the 59-year-old SLAYER guitarist. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

KERRY KING will be special guest on the upcoming LAMB OF GOD/MASTODON North American "Ashes Of Leviathan" co-headline tour. The six-week run will launch on July 19 in Grand Prairie, Texas and will wrap on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Richmond, Virginia metal-punk trio Bat welcomes the release of their second full-length album Under The Crooked Claw via Nuclear Blast Records. The brainchild of Municipal Waste guitarists Ryan Waste & Nick Poulos, Bat ascended from the underground a decade ago on a dark, leather-winged trajectory. The band delivers their own blood-spattered horror leaning heavily on the dirtier side of speed metal.


To celebrate the release, Bat offers fans the single, “Revenge Of The Wolf”. The band once again returned to horror director Norman Cabrera to create the perfect visuals. The video included cinematography completed by Rob Lucas, editing handled by Mike Mendez, and Maya Kay was responsible for the production.


Ryan Waste states, "The wait is finally over as our creation takes flight, sinking its claws into the airwaves. It was a true test of our will, caging this beast for what felt like an eternity. I’d especially like to thank my bandmates, Nick and Chris for their hard work and patience through the entire process. We wrote these songs during grim times and their ferocity is certainly emulated by that. Unleashing these tales of terror gives me a sense of fulfillment that is completely unmatched.”




Chris Marshall states, “I still bear the scars from The Claw.”


Nick Poulos comments, “From note to note, speed on speed, to say I’m proud of Under The Crooked Claw is an absolute understatement. We poured our hearts, minds, and souls into this record and I’m so proud of what we accomplished. My favorite Bat offering to date!”





Order/stream Under The Crooked Claw at this location.


The power trio, completed by drummer Chris Marshall, decamped to Philadelphia in June 2021 where Arthur Rizk recorded the basic tracks for Under The Crooked Claw. Yavé Rust tracked lead guitars and vocals later when the band was back in Richmond, ultimately to be mixed by Rizk and mastered by Joel Grind. The artwork for the album was inked by Brandon Holt and colored by Margaret Rolicki.


Jam-packed with tight, concise songs loaded with punchy choruses and lightning-laced leads, each of the 13 tracks offers a new horror short story mixing the perfect blend of heavy metal, punk, and rock ‘n’ roll or as Waste coins it "primitive heavy speed".





Tracklisting:


“Una torcia illumina il cielo”
“Vampyre Lore”
“Rite For Exorcism”
“Streetbanger”
“Just Buried”
“Warshock”
“Horror Vision”
“Battered”
“Revenge Of The Wolf”
“Marauders Of Doom”
“Electric Warning”
“Bastardized Force”
“Final Strike”


“Streetbanger” video:





“Rite For Exorcism” video:





Headlining dates:


May
30 – St. Louis, MO – The Sinkhole
31 – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge


June
2 – Denver, CO – The Crypt
3 – Salt Lake City, UT – Aces High Saloon 


June (supporting Necrot)
5 – Berkeley, CA – The Cornerstone
6 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
7 – Los Angeles, CA – First St. Billiards
8 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
9 – Phoenix, AZ – Nile Underground
10 – Albuquerque, NM – The Launchpad
12 – Austin, TX – Parish
13 – Dallas, TX – Three Links
14 – San Antonio, TX – Vibes Underground
18 – Tampa, FL – Orpheum
19 – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
20 – Atlanta, GA – Boggs Special
21 – Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern
22 – Raleigh, NC – Chapel Of Bones
23 – Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo
24 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
25 – Bensalem, PA – Broken Goblet
26 – Brooklyn, NY – The Meadows
27 – Boston, MA – Sonia


(Photo – Jeff Howlett)

Veteran midwest metal outfit, Conquest, have released their new album, Paradox. Available as two vinyl records or a single CD (plus available on all streaming services), the album continues in the same direction as their previous studio offerings, as evidenced by such standout tracks as "Walking Dead" and "The Writings on the Wall" (both of which have already been issued as music videos), as well as a cover of the Rainbow classic, "Man On The Silver Mountain”. Order here.


Comprised of Derrick Brumley: Lead Vocals and Guitar, Mike Crook: Vocals and Guitar, Rob Boyer: Vocals and Bass, and Lee Skyles: Vocals and Drums, Paradox was also produced and mixed by Derrick (and engineered by Adam Long), the band's latest album is getting rave reviews via metal media.
 
"This was a record that took 3 years to make had many different obstacles," admits Derrick. "But we made it through and it was a blast to put together. All the band members did an outstanding job from The melodies on the bass to the blazing guitar solos and the strong aggressive drumming…these guys helped me put it all together. And it turned out in my opinion over the top."
 
And the singer/guitarist/producer also has some favorite tracks in mind. "Lots to choose from. The obvious tracks 'Walking Dead,' 'Writing on the Wall,' there are all kinds of different heavy metal tracks on this record. 'Babylon America' and 'The Killing Time,' two different styles but very, very complimentary to each other."
 
Additionally, the cover of "Man on the Silver Mountain" is certainly a standout. "'Man on the Silver Mountain' for me was always one of those tracks when I was a kid that just stood out. My dad always played it and my friend's dad's always played that song, it was just one of those songs in the midwest that really had some grit to it.”


Lee Skyles added "Recording the Paradox album in the studio was rewarding in the sense it felt to be very organic in nature with the even flow of the songs as we wrote them and recorded. As some songs were done with such feeling between us in the room together and other tracks we laid the drums later on the fly like 'Babylon America' and 'World of Hate' which gave it more of what you would want it to be like. Paradox was truly a metal masterful piece of work in which keeps the old school metal flavor in a modern form.”







Tracklisting:


“Of The Devil’s Creed”
“Walking Dead”
“Save Me”
“He Shall Return”
“Celtic Mist”
“Love Amplified”
“Valley Of The Damned”
“Dying To Live”
“World Of Hate”
“The Writing's On The Wall”
“King Of The World”
“In The Heavens”
“Babylon America”
“The Killing Time”
“Last Goodbye”
“Man On The Silver Mountain” (Rainbow cover)


“The Writing's On The Wall” video:





"Walking Dead” video:





"Man On The Silver Mountain":





Having already shared concert stages with the likes of Slayer, Rob Halford, Testament, Iron Maiden, and Yngwie Malmsteen, the band can certainly deliver the goods on stage – which the band will soon be doing with shows in support of Paradox.


And fans will get a chance to experience Conquest live on stage on July 12, when the band performs with Burning Witches at Diamond Music Hall in St. Peters, MO.


For more information/to order tickets, head here.

In a new interview with the Heavy Demons radio show, DEICIDE drummer Steve Asheim addressed the controversy surrounding the cover artwork for the band's latest album, "Banished By Sin". Released on April 26 via Reigning Phoenix Music, the LP features art that some people believe was generated by artificial intelligence (A.I.). When the cover artwork was first unveiled in February, speculation over how it was created led to backlash from fans on social media, as well as memes mocking it and DEICIDE.

Asheim said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, from what I understand, the label said, 'Hey, we want to get a cover that is reminiscent of the first record,' some kind of medallion or something like that. So, working with… Glen [Benton, DEICIDE bassist/vocalist] has a guy in — I think he's from Sweden, and he is a jewelry designer, and he's an artist, because, obviously, he has to craft the jewelry, he has to design the artwork for whatever. Anyway, so he asked this guy, 'Hey, create a medallion for the artwork for the record. And then we can tie it in with jewelry that we're gonna sell also.' And so that was this guy. So when people get all bent out of shape about how it's A.I. generated, I mean, we had a human artist design this thing. An artist, they use computer software to design it, and whether or not he ran it through some program to clean it up, I don't know. I mean, some people who know more about art than I do seem to have a real problem with it."

Steve continued: "Everyone's all up in arms about the whole thing. And I don't really understand why. I mean, I guess I see that point about, 'Hey, an artist who paints could have gotten paid.' Well, you know what? An artist did get paid for this artwork. Our fucking guy. I mean, it's not like he's not an artist. So, I don't know what everyone's all up in arms about. I think people just like to have something to bitch about. That's cool. I get it. I like to bitch, too.

"But anyway, that's my take on it," Asheim added. "And I think that's pretty cool. I've heard plenty of people bitch about it. I've heard plenty of people say, 'I don't see what the fucking problem is.'

"Anyway, we made super-huge banners of the artwork for live. So everyone who hates it is really gonna love that."

Benton discussed the "Banished By Sin" artwork last month in an interview with The Brutally Delicious Podcast. At the time, he said: "Well, people don't understand that the album cover that we did, it was done with Photoshop and with some A.I., but it's a more modern version. It's like 'Legion' [DEICIDE's second album, released in 1992] — when I did the 'Legion' album cover, computers were still fucking new. Nobody knew anything about three-dimensional artwork or any shit like that. And I was the first person to even fucking fuck with that when I designed the 'Legion' album cover. Now I've been in the computers and all that shit since they all came about. So I may be ahead of a lot of people when it comes to computers. I have two iMacs and MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. So I'm a little versed with the whole computer age and in Photoshop and all that stuff and that.

"I like to do something different and provocative," Glen explained. "And I know the whole A.I. thing, everybody's [up in arms about it]… But it was meant to stir. People don't understand. It's a modernization of… It's a sign of the time that we're in. People just can't — their first [reaction] is, like, 'Oh, he's trying to put all of us artists out of work. And I'll be stuck drawing penises in men's bathrooms for the rest of my life.' So everybody's up in arms and thinking that this is the end of the fucking world. And it's really ridiculous, man. It's just a form of art and expression. So I think people should just really stop being ridiculous and accept it for what it is, man. It's a sign of the times.

"I don't do the same album artwork over and over and over again, and I don't use these scribble artists to create these logos that you cannot read or make out," Benton added. "I'm just not into that shit. All these wannabe Rembrandts and shit, man. You know what? I design artwork around the whole thing, man. And I don't take other people's feelings or their ideas or I don't sit here and think, 'Well, what's this blue-haired kid in Nebraska gonna think about the album cover?' I do what I do because I like it, and I don't give a shit what anybody else thinks. So if it pisses people off… And it's really more like these bandwagon little shitheads; they all wanna jump on the bandwagon, 'Boohoohoo.' But here's the thing, how hypocritical it is, because my art was being stolen [through illegal downloading] and stepped all over in the '90s. METALLICA had seen it come and they tried to stop it. But all these wannabe mercenaries for artists and all these idiots out there, they were the same people right there stealing my art back then. So where were all you guys at to defend my art being stolen and taken advantage of? So, all I did was just did an album cover, really, that just focused on the whole modernization of the modern time and, really, it's just a reflection of the age that we're in right now. I can't spend my days trying to explain this. I have a saying: I don't try to convince stupid is dumb and I don't try to convince dumb is stupid. So I just let it do its thing and piss people off. I have a great time with it. It's hilarious. Yeah, it is what it is, man. It's meant to stir the shit paddle, and that's what I do."

This past February, DEICIDE released the second single from "Banished By Sin", a song called "Sever The Tongue". The track was recorded at Smoke & Mirrors with engineer Jeramie Kling, while the mixing and mastering was handed by Josh Wilbur.

DEICIDE collaborated with David Brodsky from My Good Eye: Music Visuals for a visually arresting video for "Sever The Tongue" that complements the track's blasphemous undertones.

To close out 2023, DEICIDE celebrated Christmas with another blasphemous song called "Bury The Cross...With Your Christ".

In August 2022, Benton told "The Garza Podcast" that DEICIDE's new music "is really anthem-style stuff. It's really good, man. There's a lot of prog stuff in there, mixed in there. Steve's [Asheim, drums] our prog guy, man; he's the progressive rock guy. He likes to write those really black metal riffs and the progressive stuff. He's an amazing talent, man. He plays piano. He can play sweeps on guitar. He's a drummer. Yeah, he can do it all."

Benton went on to say that the next DEICIDE album was written in 2021 before he and his bandmates agreed to embark on a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of DEICIDE's sophomore album, "Legion".

DEICIDE played its first show with new guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, INHUMAN CONDITION) on May 21, 2022 at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Two years ago, Nordberg spoke about how he landed the DEICIDE gig in an interview with "The Zach Moonshine Show". He said: "In 2019, my band THE ABSENCE toured with DEICIDE in the U.S. And we got to know the guys and got along really well. And I actually found out that Glen lives, like, two streets over from Jeramie [Kling, THE ABSENCE drummer] and I, where we live. So Jeramie and Glen became good buddies and they ride bikes all the times. It's a funny little thing, thinking about that. But long story short, [previous DEICIDE guitarist] Chris [Cannella], I believe he's the head of A&R at Dean Guitars so he's focusing on that for right now. I heard that they needed a guitar player, so I learned a couple of songs, made a couple of videos, and Glen saw 'em and liked what he saw. So we had a couple of practices, and bing bang boom, here we are."

Cannella amicably left DEICIDE in January 2022 after a three-year run.

Chris joined DEICIDE in 2019 following the departure of guitarist Mark English.

English became a member of DEICIDE in 2016 after the exit of longtime guitarist Jack Owen.

Photo credit: Gene Smirnov

Some of you might already have seen the new cover artwork for the upcoming Deicide album. Besides being not very...

Posted by Misanthropic-Art on Wednesday, February 14, 2024

AI please generate me some album covers.....

Posted by Jim Wertman on Saturday, February 10, 2024

To all my friends in bands, in the music industry, in art, or any related field:

If you make an album cover with AI,...

Posted by Ridge Deadite on Saturday, February 24, 2024

Look, I don’t have anything against the music released by both artists. I’ve heard the new Kerry King stuff, and it...

Posted by Felix Sydonai on Sunday, February 11, 2024

Blackjacket, the dynamic ensemble of seasoned musicians from the vibrant Los Angeles music scene, has announced the release of their electrifying hard rock rendition of Weezer's iconic hit, "Say It Ain't So" via TLG|ZOID. This high-energy cover is set to captivate audiences with its modern twist on a beloved 90s classic.


Inspired by the timeless appeal of Weezer's original masterpiece, Blackjacket embarked on a musical journey to reimagine "Say It Ain't So" with their signature style and flair. The result is a dynamic fusion of raw power and infectious melodies, showcasing the band's unparalleled talent and creativity.


"The search for a song to cover led us to Weezer - 'Say it Ain’t So!' Great track with an incredibly catchy hook. We had a blast putting a modern spin on a true ‘90s classic!" exclaimed the band, reflecting on their exhilarating collaboration.

In a new interview with Spain's Metal Journal, EXTREME guitarist Nuno Bettencourt weighed in on a debate about people using an AI (artificial intelligence) music generator as a tool to create melodies, harmonies and rhymes based on artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and machine learning (ML) models. Nuno said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Everybody's worried and everybody's scared, and how it's gonna change anything. I love it, man. You know why I love it? I'm, like, bring it on. Do more of it. Because what that does, the people who do that and use it and think they can emulate emotion, the bigger, to me, rock and roll is gonna get. Because rock and roll, if you notice — look at all the technology that's happened since the 1930s, everything from telephones to television, to cell phones, to computers to synthesize everything else, what has changed in the guitar? Nothing. Zero. What has changed in a drum set? Nothing. What has changed in a bass guitar? Nothing. A microphone.

"Rock and roll, to me, is, is always there because it's broken," he explained. "It's not artificial. It's not perfect. It's all the imperfections, is what makes us shine. It's the danger of it. A.I. can do all you want — to write lyrics, to write song, to do whatever, even record, to do whatever — but it's always gonna sound sterilized, even when they try… Because even if they tried to sound like, let's say, I don't know, LED ZEPPELIN… LED ZEPPELIN didn't even sound like LED ZEPPELIN every night. Sometimes they were great, sometimes they were sloppy, sometimes it was amazing, and that's the danger, and that's the thing of rock and roll that you will never be able to capture with A.I. I don't give a fuck how much they're gonna try.

"You could see just with the [latest] EXTREME album [2023's 'Six'] — fuck EXTREME; it didn't even matter that it was EXTREME — you could see with just doing an album, people were just thanking us, 'Thank you for a rock album,' 'Thank you just for some rock and roll.' That's how starved and famine that we have. So, to me, the more sterilized pop music, which it's always kind of been already for the last 10, 20 years anyways, it's been very sterilized and very Auto-Tuned and very all that, the bigger rock and roll is gonna be.

"Sometimes I feel like Keanu Reeves in 'The Matrix'," Nuno added. "Rock and roll will always outdo any technology or anything that anybody throws at it, because, you know why? Getting in front of an audience will never — A.I. will never be able to step on stage and replicate what we do at any given second or moment, what we say, the sweat, the love, the passion, the audience. That relationship is untouchable by A.I. Period."

In April, EXTREME announced the addition of 15 new dates for a month-long September run of the band's global "Thicker Than Blood" tour. After wrapping several highly anticipated, sold-out shows for their spring 2024 dates, EXTREME will once again hit the road with special guests LIVING COLOUR to bring the show to even more stops across the U.S. and Canada. Dates kick off on September 4 in Billings, Montana and will keep the band on tour for the duration of the month, before wrapping on September 28 in Montréal, Quebec, Canada.

"Six" came out in June 2023 via earMUSIC. The LP landed at position No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with first-week sales of 12,500 copies. The set marked the band's first studio album since 2008. The act was last in the Top 10 with "III Sides To Every Story", which debuted and peaked at No. 10 back in October 1992.

In a new interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, former TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta spoke about his decision to leave the band more than two and a half years ago. He said: "First of all, the COVID thing happened, and that shut us down. That gave me time to take some time off and reflect and really think about where I was at in my life and re-evaluate it. And I couldn't be more grateful for the guys in the band, all those years. I love all of them, and it was a remarkable 30-plus years — 36 years, I think it was. And for me, there wasn't really much left for me to do there, quite honestly, other than tour and play and do the same shows and do everything that they're [currently doing], which is great. It's nice that that legacy has gotta go and continue to move, but it gave me an opportunity to step back."

Troy is currently a member of RIZZ & THE BELIEVERZ, which has just released its debut EP, "Everyday People", on Blessings & Love Records with distribution via Select-O-Hits. The EP is available on all digital outlets.

In September 2021, Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He has since been replaced at TESLA's gigs by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

TESLA bassist Brian Wheat discussed his longtime bandmate's absence from the group's concerts during an April 2023 interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series. Asked if Troy is still a member of TESLA, Wheat said in part: "He's not touring [with us]. There'll be an official statement soon — very soon. But no. He's kind of doing his own thing, and we're kind of doing our own thing. And we're working out all that stuff.

"Listen, I love Troy Luccketta; he's my brother," Brian continued. "We all love Troy. It just came to a point where we just weren't on the same page anymore as to what we wanted to do. It's not like we had this big massive fight or anything. It's just you start out like this [holds two fingers close together] and then sometimes you go like this [holds two fingers wide apart]. And that gap just got too wide. And he said, 'Look, maybe it's better if I don't do this.' And we said, 'Okay. Maybe it is.' He's out, I think, playing with THE GUESS WHO or something… So he's out playing. So it's not like he retired. He's not playing in TESLA. And who knows? Maybe one day there'll be some reunion tour — [when we do] the last final lap… But that's not now. And who knows? Things always could change and whatever.

"So, to answer your question, Troy is not playing in TESLA," Wheat repeated. "Will he ever come back? Who knows? We'll see. Maybe one day [he will]. But right now we're sorting out all the shit that you've gotta sort out. And there's no bad blood."

In February 2023, Brian told Waste Some Time With Jason Green that Troy was "not coming back" to TESLA. "I don't think he's gonna come back," he said. "He wanted time off. People just do things like that. You start out like this [holds two fingers close together] and it just grows apart. I think that we've probably come to a point in our professional relationship that we've just grown too far apart on things.

"Look, I love Troy. He's my brother, just like [former TESLA guitarist] Tommy Skeoch is my brother. Will we play together again? I don't know. Probably one day, yeah. I mean, look, I'm the kind of guy that… And I know this is gonna funny to anyone, and I'll go ahead and say it… And I haven't even said this to Frankie [Hannon, guitar] and Jeff [Keith, vocals] or Dave [Rude, guitar] or anybody, but when there's one last lap around the track for this band, I think we owe it to our fans that everyone plays together. And I'm not saying Tommy without Dave; I'm saying Dave and Tommy. And Troy too, if he would be up for it. And go out with class and dignity and style, and say, 'Okay, listen. We've been through a few changes. We're gonna do 40 more shows,' or whatever that is. Not turn that into a five-year tour or anything. But I, as I sit here today… And that can change, Jason… And I'm sure Blabbermouth's gonna be all over this tomorrow and say, 'Brian Wheat wants to put the original band back together'. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying when there's one last lap left, and we all know there's one last lap, I'm the one guy that'll stand up in the room and say, 'I'd like us all to go through it all together.' If that means having two drummers and three guitar players and Jeff Keith, I'm in. Now, I can't speak for the rest of the band. This is me speaking. I'm that guy that would like to do that. So, Blabbermouth, if you're out there, don't fucking misquote me, because that's all you ever do."

Wheat didn't specify exactly how BLABBERMOUTH.NET "misquoted" him in the past, but he added that TESLA should eventually stage a final tour with all current and former members in order to make it special for the fans. "I think we owe it to 'em," Brian said. "They've been such a loyal and diehard fanbase, I think they would love the fact that we went out playing; if that's how we're gonna go out, that that's how we would do it."

Pressed about Troy's reasons for no longer playing with TESLA, Brian said: "I don't know. The bottom line is, we wanted to go out and he said he didn't. And after being off for — what was it? — 18 months with COVID, we had to go out. We couldn't just sit home. We're not independently wealthy guys, We make our living from playing concerts. We work. That's our job. We were never fortunate enough to have, like, a 'Hysteria' or a 'Pyromania' or an 'Appetite [For Destruction]' or 'Slippery When Wet' or the Black Album or 'Back In Black'. We quietly would sell a million, a million and a half records, and we've got this diehard fanbase, and every year we have to go out and earn our living. So we couldn't sit home. And that's where it came to the thing."

Wheat added: "[Troy] had his reasons [for leaving TESLA]. And I respect that. And we just decided we were gonna continue to go out and play."

Troy previously discussed his absence from TESLA's gigs during a September 2022 interview with Tulsa Music Stream. Asked if he was still taking a break from the band, he said at the time: "I am. I'm on a bit of a break. Personally, there's a lot of things going on in my life that I'm… This thing that we do doesn't cater to families. So at the time that this had gone down and COVID and everything, it just really gave me some time to step back and kind of look at things.

"I'd been running hard with the band for 36 years," he continued. "And I love the guys and I love the band. I'm a fan and always will be. I've got nothing but praise for them. They gave me a great life and I think we all share in that."

Luccketta was also full of praise for his replacement in TESLA, saying: "He's a great, great drummer, a great person, a great guy. And we're not best of friends or anything, but I've always known Steve over the years and I always knew he was the right choice. I had him pegged out years ago before I even had to make the phone call. So it's perfect. It's really great because, if you think about it, it's a win-win. And I think it's even a breath of fresh air probably for the guys right now. And it's like having a new girlfriend [laughs] for a minute."

As for his future with TESLA, Troy said: "Will we ever play again together? I don't know if that will ever happen or not. I don't know what we will do moving down the road. But right now Steve is the drummer and it's his gig. And I'm happy for everybody. And I'm happy for me."

In an August 2022 interview with Canada's The Metal Voice , Hannon was non-commital about Troy's return to TESLA, saying: "We're just allowing the time for things to work themselves out. He's got things that he's dealing with.

"Touring is not an easy life, man," he explained. "It's a very difficult thing being out there on a bus, with everybody crammed in that tight situation. And when you've got stuff going on at home, those things need to be taken care of. But hey, man, he's a long-standing member of the band.

"We'll work it out," Frank added. "Time will work things out. He's a brother, and, like I said, time will work things out. The founding members of the band are together and Steve Brown is playing drums for us at the moment and really doing a great job. And we're just happy to be able to keep on working."

Hannon went on to praise Steve's contributions to TESLA, saying: "Steve is not only 'Wild' Mick's little brother but he's also a member of our local community here in Sacramento. We've known him since he was a little guy. He used to come watch us play when he was a teenager. And he has done other shows for us in the past, filling in for Troy. So he's a member of our family as well."

When Luccketta first shared the news of his decision to stay off the road, he wrote: "I am happy and well, and couldn't be more grateful to my bandmates for this opportunity. I am also looking forward to some musical ventures closer to home. In my absence please show some love to Steve Brown. Steve is a dear friend, and great drummer! He has played with OLEANDER, Ronnie Montrose just to name a few. He is one of Sacramento's finest, The perfect choice so to speak!"

MEGADETH appears on the latest Pollstar's Live75 chart, which tracks active tours by the average tickets sold for shows that happened over the past 30 days.

According to Pollstar, five of the 12 MEGADETH concerts from the band's just-completed Latin American "Crush The World" tour moved a total of 73,372 sold tickets and grossed $4 million to enter the Live75 at No. 6. The shows include the April 9 performance at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile (14,828 tickets sold),the April 21-22 two-night stint at Bogotá, Colombia's Movistar Arena (21,074 sold tickets for a $1.4 million gross),the April 25 concert at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico (18,706 tickets sold) and the April 27 show at Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico (18,764 tickets sold).

The day before the final show of MEGADETH's Latin American tour, which took place on April 30 in San Salvador, El Salvador, the band's leader Dave Mustaine took to his social media to write: "We have had the most righteous time down here in Latin America. The fans have been insanely loud. Every city has had a different set list, and we've practiced our fingers off on this tour! We hope that the fans got to hear their favorite songs, as well as some deeper tracks that we haven't play for some time.

"Fast forward to today. I was looking down at some papers on the hotel suite desk. and noticed something different about the rooming list. It stated that we are going home from here and I always feel melancholy when we do.

"The four of us have become such good friends, and we are all thriving together in MEGADETH. If I may elaborate...

"Dirk [Verbeuren] is an amazing drummer, and I often wonder how I got so fortunate to play with him (he is a lot like [late MEGADETH drummer] Gar [Samuelson]),he is a wonderful, humble man who I've learned a lot from.

"James [LoMenzo, bass] has been our anchor and my mentor for singing out here. He is a killer bassist, who sings so confidently that I can easily accept direction and criticism from him. He has learned every song we play live, note for note, and I love seeing him every morning out here.

"I can't say enough about Teemu [Mäntysaari, guitar], and I don't have to, because you have no doubt seen footage of us together. He is a mad scientist on guitar, he plays ALL previous guitarists parts effortlessly with finesse, and the utmost respect for his predecessor.

"The four of us play, and go over songs every day, reviewing, perfecting, and building up our repertoire to play for you. By the time we reach Europe this summer, we will have even more songs added, to provide the variety to our playlists of songs played in concert.

"Well, that's it for now. I have to get some rest for my body. Tomorrow we are going to take back the night in San Salvador! Mother Nature tried stopping us last time, with insane wind and sideways torrential rain, but the sun is out and we're back!

"Hasta mañana chicos!"

MEGADETH recently announced a North American tour "Destroy All Enemies", produced by Live Nation. Support on the 33-city trek, which includes stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston and St. Louis, will come from MUDVAYNE and ALL THAT REMAINS. The tour begins in Rogers, Arkansas on August 2 and runs throughout the month before wrapping in Nashville, Tennessee on September 28.

Finnish guitarist Mäntysaari joined MEGADETH last September after the band's longtime axeman Kiko Loureiro, announced earlier that month that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland. It was later revealed that Mäntysaari would continue to play guitar for MEGADETH for the foreseeable future, with Loureiro seemingly having no plans to return.

The 37-year-old Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

MEGADETH played its first concert with Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick's exit from the group.

Since its inception in 1983, MEGADETH has ascended from its raw thrash metal roots to become an unstoppable force in the heavy metal world. With founder Dave Mustaine at the helm, MEGADETH's journey has been marked by a penchant for pushing the boundaries of speed, technicality, and complexity in their music. Their groundbreaking album "Rust In Peace", released in 1990, is frequently cited as a seminal work in the thrash metal genre. Along with the critically acclaimed "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", it cemented MEGADETH's place in the annals of metal history.

Over four decades, the band's discography has earned numerous certifications, including platinum and multi-platinum awards, with albums like "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia" achieving widespread critical acclaim. 2016's "Dystopia" not only marked a high point with their first Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" after twelve nominations but also set the stage for their latest triumph, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" in 2022. MEGADETH's status as part of the "Big Four" of thrash metal underscores their trailblazing role in the genre, laying the groundwork for countless bands and musicians who have followed in their wake.

METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation has donated $100,000 to Direct Relief to provide critical local services in Brazil.

Rio Grande Do Sul urgently needs assistance as it faces a devastating flood caused by torrential rain. Authorities report more than 1.45 million people affected by the disaster across 417 cities. At least 105 people have been killed, with another 130 still missing. Over 230,000 others have been displaced from their homes.

Reaching a new level, the river has risen 16 feet this week, filling the streets with muddy water and submerging buildings. As a result, flights have been grounded, and roads have been blocked, leaving Brazilians without basic necessities.

All Within My Hands is committed to supporting the flood relief efforts carried out by Direct Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian organization, and long-standing partner in All Within My Hands' mission to provide critical local services during disasters. Currently, Direct Relief is coordinating with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to deliver critically needed aid.

All Within My Hands was established in 2017 by METALLICA to invest in the people and places that have supported the band. It also allows METALLICA's fans to engage in philanthropy and volunteerism. The Foundation is dedicated to creating sustainable communities through workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services. All expenses of the Foundation are covered by the band, the board, and a few special friends so that 100 percent of donations go to the organizations it supports. AWMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Last year, All Within My Hands donated a portion of all ticket sales from METALLICA's "M72" world tour back into the communities visited during each tour stop. In partnership with local promoters, the Foundation worked diligently to find organizations that aligned with the AWMH mission and actively put funds to use to better the lives of people in need.

The METALLICA family and the All Within My Hands foundation board members are committed to running an organization of the highest integrity where expenses are kept to a minimum and are paid for entirely by the band, the board, and friends who have worked with the band over many years and are excited to help in this mission. As such, 100% of all donations from fans and third parties go to the organizations AWMH supports.

In January 2022, METALLICA announced the appointment of Peter Delgrosso as executive director to All Within My Hands. Pete had served on AWMH advisory board since 2018 and is focused on the future of the foundation.

METALLICA's 2021 "The Metallica Blacklist" compilation generated more than $1 million in donations. All the profits from the "Blacklist" project were divided evenly between All Within My Hands and charities chosen by the participating artists.
Facing the worst flooding in recent memory, Rio Grande do Sul is in urgent need of support and relief. Nearly 1.5 million people have been affected by the disaster, including at least 105 people who have lost their lives, another 130 still missing, and over 230,000 displaced from… pic.twitter.com/pF97YG2tee

— Metallica (@Metallica) May 10, 2024

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx says that one of his stalkers has been re-arrested for violating a restraining order.

The 65-year-old musician, who resides in Wyoming with his family, took to his social media earlier today (Friday, May 10) to write: "Stalker one from Tennesee has been arrested (again) for breaking the restraining order (again) and is also being charged with resisting arrest. Been a hard month. Happy to be home with my family. Thank you to my legal team and the court system."

This past February, Nikki said that he and his wife, Courtney, had been awarded legal fees in an ongoing case involving a woman who allegedly has been stalking them and their four-year-old daughter. The bassist wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: " People can’t do whatever they want when it comes to my family. It's important to hold these people accountable."

Sixx previously said that he and his family had had two stalkers during recent years. He said sentencing for the other stalker was delayed, but it was also coming.

"We are asking for three years in jail," he wrote. "We are using the legal system to hold bad people accountable. When your daughter and wife get threatened all bets are off."

When Sixx first revealed last November that he had been stalked and harassed by at least two people in recent years, he wrote: "Like many other public figures, myself and my family were harassed and threatened by a stalker. A deranged woman from Tennessee, who I have never met or seen before, targeted my wife and child with threats of death and bodily harm. This was not some Internet troll but someone who was convinced that she was somehow connected to me. Her harassment went on for a long time and got progressively more scary, forcing me to go to court several times and obtain restraining orders. She violated the restraining orders multiple times. As a result, the court found the conduct serious enough to hold her in contempt of court and order that she be arrested.

"I want to thank the judge, the court staff and my legal team for protecting my family.

"Now another stalker from a different part of the country started doing the same thing, going so far as to travel to my house and threaten our lives again," he continued.

"It's one thing to threaten my safety but when it comes to serious threats against my wife and children, it just becomes beyond alarming. They do not deserve this.

"Thank you to the FBI, law enforcement, the detectives and the legal and court system for treating these threats with the severity and urgency they require. I will go to any lengths to protect my family."

Thousands of celebrities across the world are occasionally confronted by fanatics who give them intimidating attention.

Last year, research published in the journal PLOS by Idaho State University identified factors that are associated with the tendency to engage in stalking, such as having frequent personal thoughts about a favorite celebrity and being prone to boredom.

Another study showed almost half of the threatening fan letters had writers that believed they already had some kind of personal relationship with the celebrity, perceiving themselves as a friend or acquaintance.

Sixx and his family moved to Wyoming in 2020, leaving Los Angeles, a city he had called home since MÖTLEY CRÜE's earliest days. He later said in an interview that the city was starting to feel overpopulated.

Photo courtesy of Jason Shaltz / SiriusXM

Posted by Nikki Sixx on Friday, May 10, 2024

Premier Guitar's latest video features former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora running through the solo for the band's 1985 single, "Only Lonely", taken from the 7800° Fahrenheit album


Sambora joins Shifty subterranean-style, from his mother’s basement in New Jersey, where he’s equipped with a reverse-headstock Charvel, complete with a Floyd Rose system. He recalls that he used just a 50-watt Marshall and a yellow Boss overdrive pedal to push it to the limit. Producer Lance Quinn captured the performance at the Warehouse in Philly in spring 1985. They don’t leave it at "Only Lonely"; as an added bonus, they run through Sambora’s famous licks from "Bad Medicine", too


Between solo runs, Richie talks about his current rig and addresses the rumors: Will he rejoin Bon Jovi after 11 years gone?










Richie Sambora has shared “I Pray”, the first of four brand-new tracks to be released weekly through May on all digital platforms. Listen to the song below.


Produced with Sambora’s longtime collaborator, Grammy Award-winning producer Bob Rock (Bon Jovi, Metallica), “I Pray” will be followed next month by “Livin’ Alone” (May 3), “Songs That Wrote My Life” (May 10), and “Believe (In Miracles)” (May 17).


Richie Sambora said, “I’m at that point in my life where I am truly happy and a big part of that joy comes from writing songs and making music. There’s a tremendous freedom with these songs because I don’t have to think about charting #1 or what’s happening on the radio but I still put the same craftsmanship, care and love into it as I did with Slippery When Wet or New Jersey and I hope they bring a similar happiness to those that choose to listen and push play on streaming services.”

In a new interview with United Rock Nations, P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval was asked about the status of the band's longtime drummer Noah "Wuv" Bernardo, who hasn't recorded or toured with the group since 2021. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wouldn't say he's not in the band anymore. We've said this before that he'll always be the drummer of this band. But we're all going through stuff right now that it takes personal attention to dive in and to figure it all out so that we can all get along. He's my cousin, he's family. But we're not trying to put anybody's business out there. We're all grown men and we have to take responsibility in our own lives to just figure things out. And for quite some time now with, there's just been tension in the band."

Referencing P.O.D.'s latest album, "Veritas", which was released on May 3 via Mascot Records, Sonny said: "When we had to write this record, it was just with the mindset of, like, 'Hey, we'll start the record. Maybe we'll just get things going and we'll figure this out. COVID, all this stuff — life is crazy right now. But everybody wants to be in this band and so we'll fight for it.' And then, as things happen, it hasn't happened yet. But [Wuv] will always be the drummer of this band. The seat is his when he wants it. It's just, I think all these years later, we just all have to be on the same headspace together. So I hope that that's sooner than later."

Regarding how P.O.D.'s current touring drummer Alex Lopez (ex-SUICIDE SILENCE) came to be involved with the band, Sonny said: "I think he had reached out to Marcos [Curiel, guitar] a while ago, just as friends, even just to help out drum teching or doing whatever. I think he was tired of that world that he was in, 'cause he's been grinding for a long time. And he's married to Tatiana [Shmayluk] from JINJER. And I think Marcos and him just started hanging out. I was supposed to hang out, too. Tatiana came down, and instantly they all became part of the P.O.D. family, the JINJER/P.O.D. family. And then when the time came to start doing live shows, we just said, 'Hey, would you wanna give it a shot? We need a drummer right now.' And so he helped us out. He's been filling in for about two years now. But again, like I said… I love playing with Alex and it's been so much fun, but we're still waiting to see what happens with P.O.D. as P.O.D. Maybe it's just this album cycle. Who knows? But in the meanwhile, Alex is amazing and he's such a talented drummer and, along with him, we've been able to know Tatiana and the whole JINJER camp. So it's been awesome."

Last fall, the band debuted the video for "Drop", which features a vocal cameo from LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe. It earned quick press accolades from Metal Injection, Consequence, Revolver, Idioteq, The Pit, Yahoo! and Knotfest. They followed with the video for single "Afraid To Die", featuring Shmayluk.

"Veritas" was written over the course of several years, with the band typically writing a tune or two at a time with the Los Angeles-based production duo called the Heavy (Jason Bell and Jordan Miller).

Last October, Sonny revealed to the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire" that renowned session drummer Robin Diaz laid down the drum tracks for "Veritas", marking the first P.O.D. LP that doesn't feature Bernardo. Regarding Robin's contribution to "Veritas", Sonny said: "He tours with all the bands, but he's pretty much one of the — I would say next to Josh Freese, he's probably the main man in Hollywood. And he's an old-school friend of ours, and, dude, he came in and just nailed it. So there's a different feel on that too, because it's the first time without my cousin Wuv. So it's a rocking feel."

In a new interview with Jesse Camp, BIOHAZARD bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld and guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei spoke about what it has been like to reunite the band's classic lineup, also featuring drummer Danny Schuler and guitarist Bobby Hambel. Billy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We finally put the O.G. lineup of BIOHAZARD back together. With all due respect to Anthony Meo [original BIOHAZARD drummer, who died last July], and thank you for Scott Koenig [longtime BIOHAZARD manager, who died in October 2021] for helping to be the catalyst for all of us coming back together; rest in peace. And in all honesty, we're getting along better than we ever did… So, it's awesome. It's great to be back with the guys. We look forward to playing every day. We all have our things that we're doing aside from the band, but being on stage together, hanging out during the day, we look forward to seeing each other. We all text back and forth, like, 'I can't wait to see you guys.' Oh, it's awesome. It's great to be here."

Added Evan: "It's crazy. Life just keeps going. You never know where you're gonna be. You have your vision of, 'When I'm this age, I expect my life to be some way.' And we'd been apart for 12 years. And the universe speaks loudly. The signs are all there, if you open your eyes. And the timing was just really interesting. And, man, it's reborn, because everybody's out here because we love doing it. None of us need to do it. You know what I mean? This isn't like we have to do this. We have to do it because it's inside of us.

"When you are not doing it from your heart… You see people out there playing music, they're phoning it fucking in," he continued. "You can tell they're not into it. And none of us wanted to be inauthentic. And sometimes you need some time away from something to learn to appreciate it. And speaking for myself, I have never appreciated playing with these guys and getting on that stage more in my life because I know what it's like to have it and not have it."

Last month, Evan was asked by El Planeta Del Rock if there are any plans for the reunited classic lineup of BIOHAZARD to release new music in the not-too-distant future. The bassist/vocalist responded: "We just begin writing. We're working on our process on a couple of really cool songs, and when something is special enough and we are excited about it, I imagine we'll release a single before release an album, but there's a full-length album in the works. That's the mission… We wanna go into the studio and really lock ourselves down, like we used to do in the '90s, and spend some time really [making a strong album]. For us, it's not about one song, one song. Making an album is still something that we care about."

He continued: "I know it's not the popular [way of doing things]. How many people buy new albums by artists and listen to the whole album from beginning to end? Young people don't really ingest music like that so much. But BIOHAZARD is about authenticity. We do what we do, and we're gonna make the best album we can make in 2024, and hopefully get it out by the end of the year."

This past March, Evan explained to Battleline Podcast how the classic lineup of BIOHAZARD managed to come back together last year for a series of festival appearances and headlining shows. He said: "I left the band in 2012, and the other guys toured around [with a replacement bassist/vocalist] for like about two years, three years after that, but that was 10 years ago. They hadn't played together in 10 years, and nobody was really talking to anybody. And it wasn't something that I was even thinking about. I was going through the airport and my drummer, Danny, who I've known since I'm 12 years old, his brother, Richie Schuler, from East 94th Street in Canarsie [Brooklyn], who was also a drummer, who also I used to play with, I hear his voice, 'Yo, Evan.' I turn around. It's Richie Schuler, Danny's brother. I'm in the airport changing planes somewhere, coming back from Los Angeles to Tulum, to Mexico. And I love Richie. We started talking."

He continued: "It's one of those things like… I was so living in my ego that I was attached to a bunch of resentment about a bunch of things that were a bunch of stories that I made up in my head about thinking how other people should react to things…. I didn't even remember anymore what the real reason was the band wasn't together anymore. But I ran into Richie, and he said, 'My brother would love to hear from you.' And I thought to myself, 'We were like best of friends, all of us at one time, and my life's a lot different now.' And I picked up the phone and called Danny, and we just started talking. It wasn't about putting the band back together. I wanted to reconnect with my brothers.

"If I hadn't been working on myself and learning that resentment only hurts you, only hurts me… If I got a beef with you, you don't necessarily know it. I'm carrying it around like a boulder in my backpack, weighing me down.

"A band is hard — it's a bunch of egomaniacs with low self-esteem. It's a bunch of guys who are fighting to get to the top together and fighting with each other for every inch of creativity, input of stardom, of fame, of contribution, of acknowledgement. People wanna be seen, people wanna be acknowledged, and when you're doing it in a group setting, not everybody gets the same out of it. Everybody might put in the same. And it's complicated, but right about the time I ran into Billy and I got on the phone with Bobby. I actually talked to Bobby first during the pandemic. He called me out of the blue and we had a really cool conversation, but there was no intention behind it. And somebody started a rumor that we were putting the band back together because people had seen us talking. And next thing I know, I run into Andy Gould and Paul Gargano, the band's managers… Andy used to manage Rob Zombie for 25, 27 years, and he used to manage LINKIN PARK — big bands. PANTERA he worked on. And Andy said, 'There's this incredible opportunity right now for an iconic metal band with all its original members, that everybody's really good shape and got their chops up. You guys can really make some impact on the scene.'"

Seinfeld added: "We got together in a room, we broke some bread, we had a rehearsal. It sounded incredible. It was revitalized. It needed to go away for 10 years for everyone to get rejuvenated and excited about it. The fans are hungry. We just did a huge European tour, and if you look at my Instagram, there's a shot from this festival in Poland with 600,000 people. To stand on a stage in front of that many people and have them like chanting or jumping, it's another level of experience. I don't know that I ever appreciated it… I now have a huge amount of appreciation for everything I do. I have gratitude and a positive mindset. It doesn't matter if I'm sitting in my house or if I'm on a big stage, I tend to appreciate everything more, and that's a gift, man."

The first reunion gig from Graziadei, Hambel, drummer Schuler and Seinfeld took place on May 26, 2023 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Last August, BIOHAZARD confirmed that it was working on material for a new studio album.

"The inspiration's coming from these shows," Bobby told Le Coin Metal in an interview. "Being back together, celebrating and doing all these shows, it's great. We're having a good time, but now we're getting the vibe from the crowd and we're feeling it, and it's getting in our bones. We're getting that hunger and the ideas are starting to come out off of these shows."

Added Billy: "For me, it's kind of cool because the other reason I did [my solo project] BILLYBIO is because there was no BIOHAZARD, and the songs that I would've been showing these guys just [ended up] BILLYBIO songs. So being back with these guys is, like… It's cool to have another outlet for my music."

In 2022, Graziadei said in an interview that there had been "talk" about putting BIOHAZARD back together.

The group, which is acknowledged as one of the earliest outfits to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip-hop, had been out of the public eye since Scott Roberts left the band eight years ago.

Roberts, who played guitar on BIOHAZARD's 2005 album "Means To An End", rejoined the group in June 2011 as the replacement for Seinfeld. Scott fronted BIOHAZARD for nearly five years before exiting the band in February 2016.

In an August 2020 interview with the "Aftershocks" podcast, Roberts said that he left BIOHAZARD because he "wasn't happy" anymore. "There was one guy that I wasn't getting along with very well, and it made touring not fun anymore for me," he said. "My reason to stick around was to make a new record that was great and I'd be proud of and all that stuff, and then it became kind of clear that wasn't gonna happen, so I was, like, 'What am I doing it for?' So I quit."

Seinfeld made his last recorded appearance with BIOHAZARD on 2012's "Reborn In Defiance" album, which marked the first LP featuring the band's original lineup in 18 years.

Graziadei is currently a member of POWERFLO, which also features Christian Olde Wolbers (FEAR FACTORY),Sen Dog (CYPRESS HILL) and Rogelio Lozano (DOWNSET).

Billy's solo project, BILLYBIO, released a new album, "Leaders And Liars", in March 2022 via AFM Records.

Innovative New York-based progressive rock band Izz is thrilled to announce the release of their latest album “Collapse the Wave” available for pre-order now on Bandcamp and on all major streaming services on June 11, 2024. This inventive new work plunges listeners into a deep exploration of existential themes, such as the “death of the ego,” the relinquishing of “self,” and the idea of parallel realities.


Collapse The Wave marks a significant evolution in Izz’s musical journey, melding intricate rhythms and complex harmonies to craft a narrative both compelling and transformative. The album, produced by Izz keyboardist and vocalist Tom Galgano, features a collection of eleven tracks that challenge conventional perceptions and invite listeners to explore beyond the boundaries of traditional rock.


John Galgano, co-founder and bassist of Izz, describes the album as "a sonic exploration of the self and the universe." He adds, "We tried to weave together each of our musical influences with philosophical, spiritual, and scientific ideas to create an album that explores both personal and universal themes."




The album’s lead single “There’s Hope!” is accompanied by an animated short story created exclusively for the track by talented NYC-based animator, Julie Morris. 


Collapse The Wave is not just an auditory experience; it’s a journey through the self and the cosmos, making for a listening experience that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining and fun.





Tracklisting:


“We Are The 3rd”
“So Many Voices”
“Brace For Impact”
“Deep Inside”
“Collapse The Wave”
“Sometimes Sublime”
“There’s Hope!”
“Brethren”
“Not About Me”
“Soak Up The Sunlight”
“And We Will Go”


“There’s Hope!” video:





Izz:
Paul Bremner: Electric & Acoustic Guitars
Brian Coralian: Electronic & Acoustic Drums and Percussion
Greg DiMiceli: Acoustic Drums and Percussion
John Galgano: Bass Guitar, Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Tom Galgano: Keyboards, Vocals
Laura Meade: Vocals

Guesting on Final Resonance TV, veteran drummer Gregg Bissonette discussed his new band, The Reddcoats, and reflected on working with former Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth from 1985 - 1992.


On working with Roth as part of the Eat 'Em And Smile touring band in 1986 - also featuring Steve Vai (guitar) and Billy Sheehan (bass) - Bissonette said "Dave gave me a great chance to play anything I wanted. He said, 'Why don't you do a crazy thing here? Why don't you play a solo? Instead of the normal drum solo that only appeals to dudes with Zildjian shirts, why don't you play a solo on top of your drums, standing on your drums? Make your bass drums twice as long, get up, put a little 'Shyboy' beat in a drum machine, and stand on your drums.'"










The Reddcoats, featuring Matt Bissonette, Gregg Bisonette, Andy Timmons, Mike Medina, Wally Minko, and Ron Pedley, have returned with a new studio album, titled The Reddcoats 2, released today. Watch a lyric video for “All For Me” below.


Matt Bissonette shares, “The Reddcoats has been a labor of love for the last five years, and we are so happy to be done with our second album with the extra thought out title The Reddcoats 2. What a blast to be playing challenging, fun music with our friends.  They are like family, and the good thing is they don’t live with us! I love this band…”


Ron Pedley offers, “Matt and I met right after high school in college at North Texas. We became fast friends and had a mutual love of both jazz and rock music. This music is genre busting, super creative and extra original. I’m proud to have played my small part.”  


Mike Medina adds, “Ron Pedley and I went to school back in the late 70s at the University Of North Texas. I remember him being a part of a select pop group called The Zebras. He was into the synthesizer thing very early on.”


Drummer Gregg Bissonette states, “Andy Timmons is an incredible musician, singer-songwriter, friend and human! I first heard about Andy years ago when he was playing with Danger Danger.  I then heard about his phenomenal playing from every great guitarist I knew.”


Guitarist Timmons shares, “Wally Minko is an incredibly gifted keyboard player that brings a lot to the table with his wealth of music knowledge. And he’s a snappy dresser!”


Matt Bissonette adds, “Mike Medina is a ten trick gift shop! He does it all, not only is he mixing and co-producing The Reddcoats, he plays bass, drums, guitar and the flambazoid.  And, most importantly he is a great humanoid!!!”


Lastly, Wally Minko offers, “Gregg’s a very nice fellow, and he’s starting to sound pretty good on the drums. But the really cool thing about him is that every time he opens his mouth, he sounds EXACTLY like Winnie the Pooh. It’s shocking, actually.”


Boasting one of the most powerful collective pedigrees in rock ‘n’ roll, the have individually logged thousands of shows alongside history’s biggest icons, millions of records sold, and dozens of awards between them. After circling each other for years, these five musicians came together in 2020 releasing a self-titled independent EP. This new album continues to build on the vision these five players set in to motion over the pandemic. While they individually navigate multiple on-going commitments creatively apart from one another, the spark that started to burn has only become more intense versus fading. This lead track “All For Me” exhibits a musical collaboration that is just beginning to build and broaden the potential of prolific setting that has no boundaries. Representing a confluence of influence and experience, they manage to surprise on each and every track.


“When I go see a concert, I typically want to hear something different after a half-an-hour,” explains Matt. “I always thought it would be interesting to have a band where everyone gets the spotlight and does his own thing. I love funk, heavy metal, jazz, bebop, and Latin, and you’ll hear all of that. It can be really earthy and greasy one minute and heavy the next. Since everyone is so proficient, it’s like we’re always switching the radio and reaching for the next level. The instinct is to do something that will stick in your head.”


As the story goes, the Bissonette brothers began playing together as kids and simply never stopped. They initially met Mike at North Texas State University and “promised to do a project someday.” In the middle of a three-night stand in Dallas with Elton John during 2018, Mike urged Matt to join him at a club for a gig. Taking over the spotlight, guitarist Andy Timmons immediately caught Matt’s attention as the perfect axe-slinger for what would become The Reddcoats. Putting the final puzzle piece in place, Matt welcomed Wally on keys after intermittently performing together throughout the years. They immediately locked into an undeniable chemistry, drawing on a seemingly endless myriad of genres. “We’re throwing all of these styles in a big bag, whipping it around, and tossing it out to the people to see if they like it,” smiles Matt.


As if meant to be, The Reddcoats might just give music what it needs most right now.


“When you hear us, I want you to feel good,” Matt leaves off. “This is optimistic music. To me, that’s the most important thing. At the same time, we’re giving fellow musicians something challenging to listen to. We’re not afraid to play different styles. This group of guys can do it all, and I love that.”





Tracklisting:


"Reddcoat Stew"
"All for Me"
"Tilt a Whirl"
"Mask on Mask Off"
"All I Wanna Do"
"Still Waiting"
"Another World Another Time"
"Pump the Brakes"





Photo by Neil Zlozower / Atlas Icons

According to Variety, the official LED ZEPPELIN documentary "Becoming Led Zeppelin" has been acquired for release by Sony Classics Pictures for North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia (except for Japan),the Middle East and Benelux.

A "work in progress" version of "Becoming Led Zeppelin" screened at the Venice International Film Festival in Italy in September 2021, and the "now completed" cut features "a brand-new sound mix (and) newly unearthed material from the archives of all four band members," according to the Sony Classics announcement.

"We have spent years designing this film to be experienced on the big screen with the best possible sound," director Bernard MacMahon said in a statement. Producer/co-writer Allison McGourty added: "Sony Pictures Classics are the perfect partners because they are true believers in the theatrical experience and are passionate about giving the millions of LED ZEPPELIN fans a chance to see and hear them on the greatest screens and sound systems in the world."

No time frame was given for the film's release.

The first clip from "Becoming Led Zeppelin", as well as a short interview with LED ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page about the documentary (conducted by FRED [Film Radio Entertainment & Dialogue]),can be seen below.

Speaking about his original goal for LED ZEPPELIN, Page said: "I was looking for a band with four… I didn't want to have a band with just the guitarist and the other guys are bit players. There was a lot of bands like that. I wanted each and every musician in it to be equally as strong. So then when they came together, they would feel the contribution by the others and up their game; everybody is upping their game. I believe that the first album, the musicians — Robert Plant, John Bonham… Certainly John Bonham, but Robert Plant, myself and John Paul Jones had never played at that level of intensity as to the quality of how good they could play. But it all joins together into something really special. And that never stops."

MacMahon said in a press release: "With 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' my goal was to make a documentary that looks and feels like a musical. I wanted to weave together the four diverse stories of the band members before and after they formed their group with large sections of their story advanced using only music and imagery and to contextualize the music with the locations where it was created and the world events that inspired it. I used only original prints and negatives, with over 70,000 frames of footage manually restored, and devised fantasia sequences, inspired by 'Singin' In The Rain', layering unseen performance footage with montages of posters, tickets and travel to create a visual sense of the freneticism of their early career."

"Becoming Led Zeppelin" features new interviews with Page, Plant and Jones, as well as rare archival interviews with the late drummer John Bonham. It marks the first time members of LED ZEPPELIN have participated in a documentary about the group.

MacMahon previously directed the Emmy-nominated music documentary series "American Epic" about the early American roots music recordings of the 1920s. Page praised the film back in 2019, saying: "When I saw everything Bernard had done both visually and sonically on the remarkable achievement that is 'American Epic', I knew he would be qualified to tell our story."

Plant added: "Seeing Will Shade and so many other important early American musicians brought to life on the big screen in 'American Epic' inspired me to contribute to a very interesting and exciting story."

Jones stated: "The time was right for us to tell our own story for the first time in our own words, and I think that this film will really bring this story to life."

An official LED ZEPPELIN book, "Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin", came out in October 2018.

Brutal tech-death stalwarts Malignancy have released "Biological Absurdity," the second single from forthcoming album and first in 5 years, ...Discontinued.


"Malignancy's new album, ...Discontinued, is a post-apocalyptic auditory assault on the listener from beginning to end. ...Discontinued captures all the ingredients of what makes a great extreme metal album. It's Thrashy, Grindy, Techy, and Brutal, all in one! Mixed and mastered by one of the best, Lasse Lammert (Abigail Williams, Raven, Alestorm, Acranius), this is one for the books!" - Malignancy


...Discontinued will be released on CD, vinyl, and digital forms on June 14 via Willowtip Records. Bandcamp.







Tracklisting:


“Existential Dread”
“Binary Paradigm”
“Irradiated Miscreation”
“Purity Of Purpose”
“Ancillary Biorhythms”
“Haunted Symmetry”
“Decomposing Divinity”
“Oppositional Defiance”
“Biological Absurdity”


"Biological Absurdity":

Original OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni, who was forced to miss the band's Latin American tour while he was recovering from shoulder surgery, returned to the live stage this past Friday (May 17) at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of WORT Mosh Pit Radio).

For the Latin American tour, OVERKILL recruited former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson as Verni's temporary replacement.

In a recent interview with The Metal Podcast, Ellefson was full of praise for Verni, saying: "D.D.'s amazing, man. Look, I may be David Ellefson, but I ain't no D.D. Verni, man. I mean, that guy, he's a masterful songwriter. His arrangements are killer and his parts are very clever and cool. And so, yeah, it's got my thrash chops up and it's an honor to just step in and help them out."

Ellefson made his live debut with OVERKILL on April 11 at C3 Stage in Guadalajara, Mexico.

OVERKILL's 10-date "Scorching Latin America 2024" tour wrapped on April 28 in São Paulo, Brazil.

The band is continuing to tour in support of its twentieth studio album, "Scorched", which was released in April 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Scorched" offered a new recording environment for OVERKILL as all members were able to record on their own. The mixing of the record was handled by Colin Richardson and his assistant engineer Chris Clancy. Johnny Rodd helped with producing vocals, and finally, Maor Appelbaum took over mastering and adding finishing touches. The band returned to artist Travis Smith to create the album cover art.

Richardson previously worked with OVERKILL on 1997's "From The Underground And Below", 2000's "Bloodletting" and 2003's "Killbox 13" albums.

In a new interview with Almost Human, former ANTHRAX singer Neil Turbin addressed the oft-repeated claim by the band's guitarist Scott Ian that Turbin "fired" original ANTHRAX bassist Dan Lilker for being "too tall". Neil said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, if you believe that, then I can tell you about the Brooklyn Bridge, and I'll tell you about the moon landing. But there's some bullshit that people wanna keep gaslighting and flipping the script.

"Dan Lilker had one fifth of an opinion in that band, and I only had one fifth," Neil explained. "And there was three other guys [in the band who had a vote]. Now, they could have said, 'Fuck you, Neil. We're gonna take Dan and put him right back in the band.' But they didn't want that. They had a different agenda. Charlie [Benante, ANTHRAX drummer] wanted his nephew [future ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello] in the band. Scott wanted to do that for Charlie."

According to Turbin, who was the vocalist on ANTHRAX's 1984 debut album, "Fistful Of Metal", musicianship was also a factor in ANTHRAX's decision to replace Lilker with Bello.

"Let me just make it very clear," Neil said. "I mean, I've made it clear before, but it's not clear enough. So, [Dan] left his bass in rehearsal. He never took it home and practiced. Is that important to a band to have someone that practiced and sounded good? … There was … a lot of noise and there wasn't a lot of accurate playing. To me, Dave Ellefson [former MEGADETH bassist], what a phenomenal bass player that understands thrash metal and understands not making a lot of noise on the bass. He's very accurate; he plays really well."

Asked what he thinks about Lilker rejoining ANTHRAX for less than a dozen shows in South America and the U.S. this spring and summer while Bello is sitting out the dates due to personal reasons, Turbin said: "Good for him." Pressed about whether he has spoken to Lilker at all in recent years, Neil said: "Oh, he was never my friend in the first place. Some people, they seem like they're wonderful on the outside until you find out what's on the inside. And he was never nice to me — never a friend. There was never any warm and fuzzes. And I always wondered, why didn't we hang out back in Bayside [Queens, New York, where ANTHRAX was formed]? Why didn't we go hang out, have a few beers, get together and hang out? But that's not who he was. He wasn't interested in that. Actually, in the old days, the very old days, the very beginning, I actually did hang out with Scott. I actually went to Great Adventure amusement park with him and his girlfriend. We hung out a few times. We went to the Village. There was a few times we hung out. I did go with him and we drove to Jonny Z's [founder of '80s metal label Megaforce Records who was also managin ANTHRAX] flea market, which was [the famed record store] Rock N' Roll Heaven in the beginning. So, you know, we did those kinds of things, but then it became more like — it wasn't about fun; it was about business. There was a purpose for it. It wasn't just, like, 'Let's go have some fun.' And then I stopped being included in many of these meetings. So, I was excluded. So that seems to be the M.O. So, that is what some people think like. They're thinking from a place of their ego, and they think, 'Well, how does it make me look? Well, I wanna exclude this guy.'"

Turbin added: "They didn't like the fact that I was a singer. I mean, it sounds strange, but they didn't like the fact that I… I think certain people in the band wanted to be the singer — not for the singing part of it, but they wanted to have control, and they wanted to be the person that gets a pat on the back. But I don't care about a pat on the back. I never did, and I still don't. I'm not there for that. I don't give a shit."

In his 2014 autobiography "I'm The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax", Ian detailed his tensions with Turbin and the band's split with Lilker, a period of time that Scott describes as "the worst moment for me in the history of ANTHRAX."

"As soon as we started touring to support 'Fistful Of Metal', Neil got ultra-cocky," Scott wrote. "He felt like he was the boss man, and he became inflexible. His attitude was, 'I'm the singer and it's my way or the highway.' He thought we'd be dead without him. The shitty thing is, he was right. We were on the fast track. Jonny Z was managing us, and he was bringing RAVEN back in the summer of 1984 to tour like they did the year before with METALLICA opening, and this time we were scheduled to open all the dates, starting May 30. Everything was already announced and planned, and if we lost our singer, we'd have had to cancel. Jonny wasn't going to wait around for us. There were other bands he was talking to like OVERKILL and LEGACY (which became TESTAMENT). We had to strike while the iron was hot, and that gave Neil the ability to pull all these power plays.

"The biggest dick move Neil ever pulled was when he fired Danny Lilker behind our backs after 'Fistful' came out in January 1984," Scott added. "The main reason he did it, in my opinion, was because Danny is taller than him. He honestly didn't think someone should be taller than the front man onstage. He thought it made him look bad, so he tried to stand as far away from Danny as possible, which was hard when we were playing stages the size of ping pong tables."

In a 2009 interview with VoltageMedia.com.au, Turbin stated about his departure from ANTHRAX: "I was a member of ANTHRAX from August 1982 up until August 1984. I was a member of ANTHRAX for exactly two years. The reason I left… well, there were a number of things, actually. The whole relationship started to deteriorate after a while, there was definitely backstabbing from certain people who chose to hang around with other people instead of focusing in the band. I was into metal… focused on music while Scott Ian and Charlie Benante formed an alliance, and Dan Spitz [guitar] just followed. In a matter of months, it was simply a case of them versus me. It was very difficult to deal with them, because it was obvious that we wouldn't get along and they were also more interested in other things than music… at least back then. We didn't establish a trusted friendship within the band, that's for sure."

ANTHRAX has had a number of vocalists — including Turbin, Joey Belladonna, Dan Nelson and John Bush — over the last 43 years, with Ian and Benante remaining the sole bandmembers who have appeared on every one of the group's studio albums.

Turbin sang on "Fistful Of Metal" before getting booted and being replaced by Belladonna. Belladonna performed on four ANTHRAX albums, including the fan favorite "Among The Living" (1987) before he himself was fired over creative and stylistic differences. Bush fronted ANTHRAX between 1992 and 2005 but was sidelined when the band reunited with Belladonna for a 20th-anniversary tour. When that collapsed, and relationships disintegrated with next frontman Nelson, Bush returned for a time before Belladonna took the job back in 2010.

Turbin performed and recorded with ANTHRAX on the original demo recordings and "Fistful Of Metal". He wrote the lyrics to all songs on that LP with exception of the cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen", and also has writing credits on five of the seven songs on the band's "Armed And Dangerous" EP, as well as two songs on "Spreading The Disease".

In April 2023, Turbin celebrated the 40th anniversary of "Fistful Of Metal" by embarking on a three-date tour of Brazil.

The story of Loverboy is akin to a Hollywood movie. Overcoming rejection to eventually become one of Canada's most successful rock bands of all time and selling millions of albums in the process is a feel-good story for the ages.


For more than 40 years, Loverboy have been "Working For The Weekend" (and on the weekend), delighting audiences around the world since forming in 1979.


The year 1982 represented a triumphant 12 months for the rock band with extremely successful arena shows in the course of their second studio album, the multi-platinum awarded US Top 10 record Get Lucky (featuring various hit singles such as the aforementioned "Working For The Weekend," "When It's Over," "Lucky Ones," and "Take Me To The Top"), and winning no less than six Canadian JUNO Awards — a record that still stands today.




Today's release of their 1982 live performance "Working For The Weekend" is another exciting foretaste of the incredible live show Live In '82 becoming available for the very first time in high definition on June 7.





June 7 sees the release of Live In '82 on limited CD+Blu-ray, limited LP+DVD as well as digital streaming and download. Pre-order the live album here





Tracklisting:


"Intro" (LP Side A)
"Jump"
"Lucky Ones"
"Lady Of The 80'’s"
"Take Me To The Top"
"It’s Your Life"
"Gangs In The Street" (LP Side B)
"Turn Me Loose"
"The Kid Is Hot Tonight"
"When It's Over"
"Working For The Weekend"








Loverboy will embark on a Live Nation promoted North American tour supporting Sammy Hagar, starting in July. Tour dates can be found here.


Foreigner recently announced the next leg of their farewell tour this fall, with special guests Loverboy and Lita Ford on select dates. Tickets at Ticketmaster.com or Foreigneronline.com.


"It’s not very often you get a chance to play on the same stage as one of your all-time favorite bands...and how many hit songs can you play on the same stage every night of a tour?... it’s going to be amazing... I can’t wait," said Mike Reno of Loverboy.


Check out the tour at any of the stops listed below.





September
23 - Charleston, WV - Charleston Civic Center (Special Guest Loverboy)
25 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center Arena (Special Guest Loverboy)
27 - Duluth, MN - Amsoil Arena (Special Guest Lita Ford)
28 - Mankato, MN - Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center (Special Guest Lita Ford)


October
1 - Casper, WY - Ford Wyoming Center (Special Guest Loverboy)
2 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunset Amphitheater (Special Guest Loverboy)
4 - Camdenton, MO - Ozarks Amphitheater (Special Guest Loverboy)
5 - Bonner Springs, KS - Azura Amphitheater (Special Guest Loverboy)
8 - Rio Rancho, NM - Rio Rancho Event Center (Special Guest Loverboy)
9 - Las Cruces, NM – Pan American Center (Special Guest Loverboy)

Former SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera joined MR. BUNGLE on stage during the latter band's May 17 set at the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio to perform the SEPULTURA classic "Territory". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

MR. BUNGLE's current lineup consists of original members Trevor Dunn, Mike Patton and Trey Spruance, along with Scott Ian (ANTHRAX, S.O.D.) and Dave Lombardo (DEAD CROSS, SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES).

Patton and KORN singer Jonathan Davis were the featured guests on the song "Lookaway" which appeared on SEPULTURA's classic 1996 album "Roots".

In an interview with ARTISTdirect, Max recalled working with Patton and Davis during the "Lookaway" sessions. He said: "Mike Patton was on the song, and Jonathan's a huge FAITH NO MORE fan. He was actually freaking out that Patton was there. He was really nervous, which was actually kind of funny. He kept chewing on his hair the whole time he was in the studio. Ross Robinson teased him at one point and told him to calm down. [Laughs]"

He continued: "'Lookaway' came out of a jam. It's a really heavy riff. Patton started singing this Indian chant, and it gave me goosebumps in the studio when he did that. It was so intense. He showed up in the studio with a Samsonite briefcase. I was like, 'Mike, what's up with the briefcase?' He said, 'It's what I need to record.' It had an echo pedal inside for his voice and a bottle of wine. He opened the wine and we drank it. At one point, the three of us were on the floor of the studio going crazy and making weird noises and sounds. Jonathan took it to another level. He's singing about people with a fear of pussy, which is a crazy concept. It came out as a really cool, obscure song on 'Roots'."

"Roots" was certified gold in 2005 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for U.S. shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

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Legendary hard rockers AC/DC kicked off their "Power Up" European tour last Friday night (May 17) in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can now be seen below.

The debut show of the band's first full tour since 2016 took place at the 62,000-capacity Veltins-Arena and saw AC/DC deliver a 24-song set that began with "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and closed with "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)".

The Gelsenkirchen show marked AC/DC's first with the band's new touring lineup consisting of singer Brian Johnson, guitarists Angus and Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and the latest addition to the group's touring lineup, bassist Chris Chaney.

Featured songs in video below:

01. Intro + If You Want Blood (You've Got It) 0:00 - 6:18
02. Back In Black 6:19 - 10:03
03. Demon Fire 10:04 - 13:40
04. Shot Down In Flames 13:41 - 16:57
05. Thunderstruck 16:58 - 22:10
06. Have A Drink On Me 22:11 - 26:44
07. Hells Bells 26:45 - 31:37
08. Shot In The Dark 31:38 - 34:42
09. Stiff Upper Lip 34:43 - 38:20
10. You Shook Me All Night Long 38:21 - 42:09
11. Rock 'N' Roll Train 42:10 - 46:19
12. Shoot To Thrill 46:20 - 51:43
13. Sin City 51:44 - 56:35
14. Givin The Dog A Bone 56:36 - 1:00:20
15. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 1:00:21 - 1:04:50
16. Dog Eat Dog 1:04:51 - 1:09:14
17. High Voltage 1:09:15 - 1:14:45
18. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be 1:14:46 - 1:18:56
19. Riff Raff 1:18:57 - 1:24:29
20. Highway To Hell 1:24:30 - 1:28:25
21. Whole Lotta Rosie 1:28:26 - 1:34:14
22. Let There Be Rock (with Angus guitar solo) 1:34:15 - 1:51:16
23. Encore: T.N.T. 1:51:17 - 1:55:03
24. Encore: For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) + Outro 1:55:04 - 2:02:42

The 24-date "Power Up" European tour will run through August. The trek will hit Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland before landing at London's Wembley Stadium for a pair of shows on July 3 and 7, then moving on to Germany, Slovakia and Paris and winding down at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. The European tour is the first run of gigs since AC/DC's return to the stage at last year's rock Power Trip festival in Indio, California.

AC/DC's last tour took place in 2015 and 2016 and had a $180 million gross, with 2,310,061 sold tickets reported to the Pollstar box office.

Laug is an American drummer who has played with many bands/artists such as Alanis Morissette, Alice Cooper, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and Vasco Rossi. Matt moved to Los Angeles after graduating from South Florence High School in 1986 and after attending college in L.A., Matt became a sought-after studio drummer.

In 2001, Laug supported AC/DC as part of SLASH'S SNAKEPIT on the North American and European legs of the "Stiff Upper Lip" tour.

In its announcement about Laug's addition to the band's Power Trip lineup, AC/DC offered no explanation for the absence of the band's longtime drummer Phil Rudd, who rejoined AC/DC for the recording of the group's comeback album, "Power Up", which came out in November 2020.

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession. He was replaced on the band's "Rock Or Bust" tour by Chris Slade, who had previously served as AC/DC's drummer between 1989 and 1994, playing on the album "The Razor's Edge".

Rudd, who appeared on all but three of AC/DC's 18 previous studio albums, toured in support of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job". It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd's arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.

AC/DC postponed the last 10 dates of its spring 2016 North American trek after Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss." The band went on to complete the European and North American legs of its "Rock Or Bust" tour with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose as a "guest vocalist." At the time, Johnson had been AC/DC's singer for 36 years, ever since replacing the late Bon Scott in 1980 and making his debut on the classic "Back In Black" album.

To enable him to perform live with AC/DC again, the now-76-year-old Johnson worked with audio expert Stephen Ambrose, who said he could help resolve the singer's hearing problems.

Ambrose, who invented the wireless in-ear monitors that are widely used by touring artists today, claimed to have invented a new type of ear-bud that would allow Johnson to perform without causing further damage to his eardrums. After three years of experimenting and "miniaturizing" the equipment, Johnson previously said the technology could allow him to tour again.

Chaney is best known as the bassist of JANE'S ADDICTION and as a member of Alanis Morissette's touring and recording band. Chaney was also a member of TAYLOR HAWKINS AND THE COATTAIL RIDERS and CAMP FREDDY, as well as being a prolific and versatile session musician, having played with artists including Joe Cocker, Shakira, Slash and Avril Lavigne to Sara Bareilles, Gavin Degraw, Cher, SHINEDOWN and Celine Dion. Chaney is also a founding member and partner in the all-star supergroup ROYAL MACHINES along with Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION),Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY),Josh Freese (FOO FIGHTERS) and Billy Morrison (BILLY IDOL).

Bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement at the end of AC/DC's 2015-2016 "Rock Or Bust" tour, which also saw Johnson leaving. However, Williams — and Johnson — took part in the recording sessions that resulted in "Power Up". Both of them were also part of the AC/DC lineup that performed at Power Trip.

During an October 2020 interview with Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk" podcast, Cliff was asked if Johnson's departure from the road was what led to his desire to stop touring. Cliff responded: "It was before then. I spoke to Angus about it initially. I was at a point — and this is at the beginning of the 'Rock Or Bust' tour — that I just felt, for me, it was time to hang it up. I knew that I didn't wanna keep doing these two-year tours, and I didn't wanna hold them back, so I made them aware of the fact that this was gonna be my last go-round. It was a tough tour to finish. God bless Axl for coming in and helping us out, finish it up. He did a great job. And at the end of that, I was definitely — that was it for me. Done — just done. That compounded the whole thing."

According to Williams, he wanted to take part in the recording sessions for "Power Up" as a tribute to Angus's late brother, founding AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who died in 2017 from effects of dementia at age 64. Malcolm is credited as a writer on all 12 tracks on "Power Up".

"If 'Back In Black' has [late AC/DC singer] Bon Scott all over it, for me, 'Power Up' has got Malcolm Young," Cliff said. "This is for him. And it's the band that we played together with for 40-plus years. And I wanted to do that — I wanted to come back and do that.

"We did some rehearsals earlier [in 2020] before this darn COVID thing popped up, and we had great rehearsals," he continued. "The band was playing really well. So [they asked me], 'Do you wanna do a few shows? 'Sure'. A few shows. We were planning on doing that. Everyone goes home to their respective homes, and bang, we've been here ever since [because of the coronavirus-related shutdown]."

Cliff went on to confirm that his commitment to AC/DC was only for "a few" dates in support of "Power Up".

"For both [my mental and physical] health," he said. "I definitely have some physical issues, which I won't bore you with the details of. But, yeah, it's tough. I'm very grateful for everything. It's been fantastic. But I just don't wanna do that anymore."

Williams previously revealed that a "terrible" bout with vertigo contributed to his 2016 retirement. He also admitted the return of both Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd convinced him to rejoin the group. "It was like the old band back together," he told Rolling Stone. "It was not like starting over again, but as close to the band that's been together for 40-plus years as we can possibly make it. I didn't want to miss that."

The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust", "Power Up" was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and "Rock Or Bust".

In a new interview with Greg Prato of Ultimate Guitar, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked for his opinion on the recent announcement that SLAYER was reuniting for three festival appearances this September and October. He said: "It's inevitable. Look, I don't know their reason for it, other than I can't sit still. I can't sit home and not go play. At some point, this is what you're on the planet to do."

He continued: "They're my friends, so I'm happy for any successes they have. If they're worn out and they want to quit, I'm happy for that, too. But if they're rested up now and getting ready to go play — go play.

"There's all this controversy around PANTERA [reforming with a new lineup and going back on the road], and as I found out with KINGS OF THRASH [Ellefson's project with ex-MEGADETH guitarist Jeff Young celebrating that band's early material], fans still want to hear these songs. Regardless of what you call it, people still want to go hear those songs. Farewells are just a temporary goodbye."

Back in June 2018, Ellefson was asked by Inquisitr about SLAYER's decision to call it quits after completing one final world tour. He said: "Look, groups retire for all kinds of different reasons. Either they've just lost interest, their heart just isn't into it anymore, maybe it's a health issue, for who knows what reasons. And I don't know why SLAYER's hanging it up; I've not talked to Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] or Kerry [King, SLAYER guitarist] about it to know. It's great to see them have this big last hurrah of success. I'd like to think they're not gone forever, on some level, y'know what I mean? Many farewell tours have made for a hell of a reunion tour later."

He continued: "But they've also lost their dear friend Jeff Hanneman [late SLAYER guitarist], and he was a key writer for SLAYER. Me and Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] have been through that; past members have passed away. We've been through a lot of lineup changes and stuff, and when lineup changes happen, it's always kind of a shot in the dark whether you're going to be able to capture lightning twice and recreate the magic. Some of our lineups did and some of them didn't.

"Again, a lot of different reasons for doing it," he added. "Now we're making 50-year-olds' decisions, we're not making 20- and 30-year-olds' decisions, which are fight and kill at all cost when you're younger. When you get a little bit older, for all of us, we look back at the roller coaster ride we've been on; some days you go, 'Do I want to get back on that roller coaster again or not?' It's like skydiving. 'I've jumped a couple of times and I've survived. Do I want to really go do it again?' Sometimes you count your blessings; sometimes it's okay to leave Vegas and leave a little on the table."

Five years after SLAYER played the last concert of what was being billed as the band's farewell tour and just weeks after Kerry unveiled the details of his solo project, King and his longtime bandmates announced that they will play at the Aftershock, Riot Fest and Louder Than Life festivals.

When Kerry's solo project was first announced, King told Rolling Stone that he was almost positive he and Tom would never resurrect the band. "I can pretty much a hundred percent say no because I have a new outlet, and it's not SLAYER, but it sounds like SLAYER," King said of a potential SLAYER reunion.

The lineup for SLAYER's comeback will be the same as the one which last toured in 2019: Araya and King, along with guitarist Gary Holt (also of EXODUS) and longtime drummer Paul Bostaph.

Days after SLAYER's reunion was announced, Tom Araya's wife wrote on social media that she "harassed him for over a year" before he "agreed finally" to play more shows with the band. "We shared that news with SLAYER's awesome managers and they did the rest!" she explained. "So yes without Tom it wouldn't have happened.. without me BUGGING HIM it wouldn't have happened."

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles.

Japanese metal band Bridear have announced their new album Born Again out June 28 via Psychomanteum Records. The album will be released on CD and all streaming platforms, with a vinyl release later in the year. A CD and merchandise bundle is available to preorder now at psychoshop.net.


Marking the announcement the band have released a video for the powerful lead track ‘Still Burning’. With pounding drums, incendiary guitars and ferocious growls, all alongside an infectious anthemic chorus, Bridear delivers a scorching first taste of the upcoming record.


The quintet from Fukuoka, Japan jetted out to Gothenburg, Sweden to record their sixth studio album with the legendary metal producer Fredrik Nordström (In Flames, At the Gates, HammerFall, Bring me the Horizon) at Studio Fredman.




The video for ‘Still Burning’ was also filmed in Gothenburg and gives a taste of their epic live performances, captured by Patric Ullaeus (Amaranthe, Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy).


Lead singer Kimi comments, “We are very honoured to work with Fredrik Nordström on ‘Born Again’. He has worked with the top names in metal and we are proud he wanted to produce the album! Working with Patric Ullaeus on the video was also a great privilege. I think it shows us moving up to the next level. It captures the energy of this album and presents us in such a powerful way!”


Fredrik Nordström adds, “I really enjoyed working with Bridear. ‘Born Again’ is for sure in my Top 5 albums of my career! They are an amazing band and this is a world-class album.”


Bridear deliver a mission statement of raw and unapologetic heavy metal on Born Again. It is the ultimate showcase of their unique blend of captivating melodies and intense atmosphere alongside unforgiving no-holds-barred walls of mighty riffs, epic solos and bone crushing drums. The album also features the band’s first ever guest with Dream Evil’s Nick Night providing his high-flying vocals on “Die Like This” which closes the record.


Born Again is sure to see the band continue their trajectory into the upper echelons of metal worldwide.





Tracklisting:


“Still Burning”
“Braver Worlds”
“Born Again”
“Cult”
“Empty Mind”
“Scar Of Reunion”
“Real Is Real”
“Fight It Down”
“No Angels”
“Die Like This”


“Still Burning” video: