FOREIGNER's Mick Jones has expressed his excitement about finally being inducted into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

On Sunday (April 21),it was revealed that FOREIGNER is among the 2024 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The induction ceremony will be held on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited version will run on ABC at a later date, and will be available on Hulu the day after.

"I think it means more to me now than perhaps 20 years ago," Jones told Billboard. "I've had a great career, and this is like the whipped cream and cherry on top. It's something I will savor over the years. It's a great honor to be included amongst all these great artists that have been inducted over the years."

The 79-year-old Jones added that he will have no problems reuniting at the induction ceremony with original FOREIGNER frontman Lou Gramm, with whom he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame with in 2013.

"On a personal level, I have no hard feelings toward Lou," Jones said. "We did perform together at the 40th-anniversary concert. It has been so many years now since Lou left FOREIGNER; I like to think that those ill feelings are in the past. There is power in letting go of hard feelings and getting on with your life. Why carry the burden of hard feelings? It serves nothing in the long run.

"I do plan to attend," Jones confirmed. "I'm sure my whole family will be there. As to whether I get up on stage and perform hasn't really been decided as yet. In some ways it might be nice just to be there to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy being inducted."

When FOREIGNER was first nominated for the Rock Hall in February, Gramm released a video message expressing his gratitude. In the one-minute clip, which was posted to Lou's social media, the 73-year-old singer said: "I'd like to thank the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for the honor of nomination. And I'd like to acknowledge Mick Jones for his courage as he faces Parkinson's. I'd like to thank my friends in the music and the acting industry for their support, especially over the last two or three weeks in helping us to receive the nomination. Now I've seen a lot of the videos and I've definitely been feeling the buzz. It's really exciting and it means a lot. It means a lot to me and all the guys in the band. Now [multi-instrumentalist] Ian McDonald and [bassist] Ed Gagliardi were vital contributing members of the early FOREIGNER, and I know they're somewhere in the hereafter fist pumping and cheering for this nomination."

Earlier that same month, Jones's stepson, Oscar-nominated producer/songwriter Mark Ronson enlisted Dave Grohl, Jack Black, Slash, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Josh Homme (along with Ronson himself) to create a video campaigning for FOREIGNER's Rock Hall bid.

"Yes, Mick is my stepdad and I love him more than anything," Ronson wrote in a message accompanying the video. "But I'm also a MEGA fan just like Dave, Jack, Slash, Chad and Josh… Enjoy this video and VOTE BABY VOTE!"

In the clip, Homme said: "You want to know what love is? Love is putting FOREIGNER in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame." Smith added: "I can't believe they’re not in already — oh my God."

"I've loved FOREIGNER since I got their debut record," Grohl said. "There's one drum riff that I have used in more than a few songs."

Black sang parts of FOREIGNER's "I Want To Know What Love Is" before pleading, "Hey, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, open the door! FOREIGNER's waiting outside. Let 'em in."

In his Instagram message, Ronson shared a brief history of FOREIGNER's influence, writing: "Everything that made me want to be a record producer came from being in the studio watching FOREIGNER make records. I'm still completely in awe of the sound of those first five albums. Guitars with swagger and bite. Heavy drums that groove like a mutha with the bass. Wide layers of synths. And then there’s that voice. And those songs. It's really crazy. It's also kind of crazy that this is the first time they've ever been on the ballot for the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame — after 20 years of eligibility."

He added: "Fun Facts: FOREIGNER are the most played band on classic rock radio to not be in the hall of fame. They've been sung by our fave characters from the Simpsons, The Office, I, Tonya, Stranger Things and Wet Hot American Summer. They've been covered by Diana Ross and Mariah Carey (what the rock band can boast that??). They were sampled and turned into HOT FIRE by M.O.P. (remember that Cold As Ice joint?) and Tone-Loc who used them to concoct some Funky Cold Medina."

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to have been released in 1999 or earlier.

Eligible since 2002, FOREIGNER has had a huge number of rock hits, including "Cold As Ice", "Double Vision", "Hot Blooded", "I Want To Know What Love Is", "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent", and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, with no wins.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the FOREIGNER members that will get inducted include only the classic-era musicians Jones, Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Gagliardi, Al Greenwood, McDonald and Rick Wills. McDonald and Gagliardi died in 2022 and 2014, respectively.

Ozzy Osbourne has expressed his excitement about being inducted into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for the second time.

Earlier today, it was revealed that Ozzy is among the 2024 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Ozzy, along with the rest of the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH, was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2006, but the legendary heavy metal singer will now be recognized for his solo career.

The induction ceremony will be held on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited version will run on ABC at a later date, and will be available on Hulu the day after.

Speaking to Billboard, the 75-year-old Osbourne said getting a second induction "feels big. I'm more than honored."

He went on to reflect on his solo career, saying: "With every new music venture there's always a certain amount of surprise that comes when you see the fans embrace it, because no one wants to make a record and have it flop. I feel like I was invited to a party in 1980, and it hasn't stopped. Not bad for a guy who was fired from his last band."

Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne discussed his absence from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist during a recent appearance on "The Adam Carolla Show". Asked by host Adam Carolla how the nomination process works and whether she has to lobby to get Ozzy in as a solo artist, Sharon said: "There are people on the board, and the people on the board have to go in, and it has to be on their list, and it has to be on more than, I think, half of the votes. More than half."

Sharon went on to say that she doesn't like to "beg" anyone for anything. "I will never beg, and I will never ask for favors," she explained. "I've never asked anyone for a favor. So, my thing is fuck you if you don't realize that somebody really deserves to be here. And you don't recognize that? Then, see ya."

When Adam pressed Sharon about whether she has done "any lobbying" to get Ozzy into the Rock Hall, she said: "We went to a dinner last year for the people who had been inducted in last year. They invited us to the dinner and we went. And people were saying to Ozzy, 'Oh, you've been inducted in,' and we were, like, 'No, actually. We were just invited for the food, so we're here.' That's as near as we've got, but no."

Sharon added: "They know that Ozzy deserves to be there. They know he's been a solo artist. You've gotta be doing it for 25 years. He's been 43 years as a solo artist. He sold nearly a hundred million albums as a solo artist. So where is he? Induct him."

Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.

In 1999, Ozzy attempted to take BLACK SABBATH's name off the Hall Of Fame's nomination list that year, deeming the institution's nod "meaningless."

In an October 1999 letter to the Hall Of Fame, Osbourne said: "Just take our name off the list. Save the ink. Forget about us. The nomination is meaningless, because it's not voted on by the fans. It's voted on by the supposed elite for the industry and the media, who've never bought an album or concert ticket in their lives, so their vote is irrelevant to me." He added, "Let's face it, BLACK SABBATH has never been media darlings. We're a people's band and that suits us just fine."

Back in 2005, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi told Launch he was not happy that SABBATH had not yet been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. "I'm pissed off about that," he said. "I think that's... you know, I don't normally go round blowing our own trumpet saying we are this and we are that. I'm not that kind of person but I really think we deserve... you know, to be in that. Because without us that kind of music wouldn't have existed. 'Cause a lot of bands that have sparked off from us wouldn't be around and there probably wouldn't be this king of music."

When BLACK SABBATH finally earned its induction in 2006, the band went in with LYNYRD SKYNYRD, Mike Davis and BLONDIE.

Legendary Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads was posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during the 2021 ceremony. Rhoads, who played in Ozzy's band more than four decades ago, received the Musical Excellence Award at the October 2021 event.

Ozzy Osbourne, FOREIGNER and Peter Frampton are among the 2024 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Other inductees in the Performer category are Mary J. Blige, Cher, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, KOOL & THE GANG and A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.

Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield will be presented with the Musical Excellence Award; Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton will receive the Musical Influence Award; and Suzanne de Passe is getting the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The induction ceremony will be held on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited version will run on ABC at a later date, and will be available on Hulu the day after.

"Rock & Roll is an ever-evolving amalgam of sounds that impacts culture and moves generations," John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation, said in a statement. "This diverse group of inductees each broke down musical barriers and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps."

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to have been released in 1999 or earlier.

Ozzy, along with the rest of the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH, was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2006, but the legendary heavy metal singer will now be recognized for his solo career.

Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2014.

JUDAS PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the 2022 Rock Hall event.

Legendary Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads was posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during the 2021 ceremony. Rhoads, who played in Ozzy's band more than four decades ago, received the Musical Excellence Award at the October 2021 event.

In a new interview with Gruff Gushnowski of Stingray, Jeff Pilson was asked if being part of DOKKEN in the 1980s was as chaotic as it seemed to be and fans were led to believe by the media. The bassist responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Sometimes. Yeah, sometimes it was. But what's sad is that there was also a certain camaraderie and a certain energy that we had which you can see it if you ever watch our home video, which is called 'Unchain The Night' that we released in the late '80s. You can see the fun part of DOKKEN, 'cause I always think that that's underreported, is that we did have a lot of fun. Yes, there was chaos. Yeah, there was crazy egos — egos and drugs — on everybody's part, but there was also something very special, and, like I say, go watch the 'Unchain The Night' video and you'll see the fun part that kind of sustained us through most of it."

Hailing from Los Angeles, DOKKEN released a string of platinum albums throughout the 1980s, and toured the globe with the biggest names in hard rock and heavy metal, including VAN HALEN, AEROSMITH, METALLICA, SCORPIONS and KISS. The band had several hit singles on the Mainstream Rock and Billboard Hot 100 charts, and were all over MTV with their videos for "Breaking The Chains", "Alone Again", "Into The Fire", "In My Dreams", "It's Not Love", "Burning Like A Flame" and especially the theme from "Nightmare On Elm Street 3", "Dream Warriors", where the DOKKEN members starred alongside Freddy Krueger.

In October 2016, the classic lineup of DOKKEN — singer Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, Jeff and drummer Mick Brown — reunited to play the Loud Park festival in Japan. Fortunately for fans outside of Japan, cameras were there to capture the performance and Frontiers Music Srl issued "Return To The East Live 2016" in April 2018. In addition to the Japanese performance, the set featured footage from the classic lineup's only U.S. show in September 2016 at Badlands in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The package also included a new song called "It's Another Day", the first DOKKEN track featuring the group's classic lineup since 1997's "Shadowlife", and two acoustic re-workings of classic tracks.

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — including bassist Chris McCarvill, guitarist Jon Levin and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).

DOKKEN's 13th studio album, "Heaven Comes Down", came out last October via Silver Lining Music. The follow-up to 2012's "Broken Bones" was produced by Bill Palmer and Don Dokken and was mixed by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, IRON MAIDEN).

In an October 2023 interview with Real Music With Gary Stuckey, Lynch addressed Pilson's comment that "egos" were the downfall of the band's classic lineup. Asked if he would agree with Pilson's observation, George replied:  "Oh, I wouldn't say 'egos', plural, no. Listen, everybody has an ego. Ego is a strange word. It can mean a lot of different things. There's, like, a blanket word that means — I don't know exactly what… I think I know what he means by that. But, yeah, without driving down that rabbit hole, I would say I think some of us had the best interest of everybody at heart and some of us — or less than some of us — had the interest of just themselves at heart. So that was really the struggle."

Fan-filmed video of OVERKILL's April 19 concert at The Metal Fest at Parque Bicentenario in Quito, Ecuador can be seen below.

In a recent interview with The Metal Podcast, David Ellefson spoke about the announcement that OVERKILL recruited him to play bass on the New Jersey thrash metal veterans' "Scorching Latin America 2024" tour. The former MEGADETH member is filling in for original OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni, who is unable to make the shows as he is recovering from shoulder surgery.

Expressing the excitement about being asked to fill in for Verni, Ellefson said: "They're dear friends of mine. I haven't played with Derek [Tailer], the other guitar player, but it's funny, me and Dave Linsk [OVERKILL guitarist] actually wrote some songs together after a NAMM show 15 years ago maybe; it was a while ago. And he and Joe Comeau, who was the singer in ANNIHILATOR for a while, me, Dave Linsk, Joe Comeau and Jimmy DeGrasso [ex-MEGADETH drummer], they all came out here to Phoenix and we wrote a bunch of songs under a band name called ATOMIC 66. And they're great songs. Dave's been reluctant to put 'em out. I've gotta beat on him a little bit here this next month when we're together to put these songs out, if we just put them up digitally. They're fricking cool, man — super good. And then, of course, me and Blitz [OVERKILL singer Bobby Ellsworth], we've jammed METAL ALLEGIANCE all the time and me and [Jason] Bittner [OVERKILL drummer] have done clinics and stuff and jammed together. So, I'm excited about it."

Elaborating on his long personal friendship with the members of OVERKILL, Ellefson said: "It's funny, [MEGADETH] had OVERKILL on the 'Peace Sells' tour — OVERKILL was out with us in 1987 — so, yeah, we're all brothers from the same neighborhood. And I always said, look, if there's the 'Big Four', if you added EXODUS on the West Coast and OVERKILL on the East Coast, there's your 'Big Six' right there."

As for the challenge of learning the OVERKILL material over the course of several weeks, Ellefson said: "Look, I've gotta say, digging into these songs — they've got, what, 20 records out — consistently they have probably made the best, most consistently great albums out of all of us. And I mean, all of us. There's not a dud in the bunch, you know what I mean? They don't have a 'Risk' or a 'St. Anger' anywhere in their catalog. And EXODUS has got good stuff too, but I think OVERKILL, now that I'm really digging into it and really understanding it, it's just that. And 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… Again, we're all buddies, we're brothers, and, look, I'm in a position and schedule allows for me to go do it. So, that's what it is."

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

In a separate interview with Metal & Rock Zone, Ellefson stated about how he ended up being asked to fill in for Verni: "I got approached before the end of the year. It was just brought to my attention that D.D. was going to go through this surgery. They didn't know if he was gonna be better or not. So I was kind of put on alert that, 'Hey, we may need some help.' And we grew up together, OVERKILL and MEGADETH. I remember the 'Peace Sells' tour, OVERKILL was our direct support. So we've been good friends, all of us. And I always said, look, if there were gonna be two more added to the 'Big Four' [of 1980s thrash metal], it would be EXODUS in California and OVERKILL on the East Coast. So, to me, these are brothers in arms. So, when they hit me a few weeks ago about it, I said, 'Sure. Count me in if you need me to do it.'"

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

When Ellefson's addition to OVERKILL's touring lineup was first announced, OVERKILL singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth said in a statement: "South, Central America and Mexico, with D.D. on the mend from surgery and the opportunity in front of us, where to go but back to the roots of THRASH! Please welcome Mr. David Ellefson to the OVERKILL, touring ranks this April 2024! 'David, can you help?' The answer: 'Yes, let's go!' We can't wait to see you guys! Horns up!"

Verni commented: "Bummed to not be able to thrash it up with our Latin America fans, but gotta get this wing workin!!....but who better than one of the great original thrash bass players, and old friend, David Ellefson to fill in."

Ellefson said: "It's an honor to fill in for my friend, the mighty D.D. Verni, as he takes time to heal up right now. OVERKILL always brings the fury and I'm looking forward to scorching Latin America with them!"

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH nearly three years ago. MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine ended up hiring TESTAMENT's Steve DiGiorgio to re-record Ellefson's bass parts on MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!"

In May 2022, MEGADETH announced bass player James LoMenzo as a permanent member of the band. LoMenzo was MEGADETH's bass player in the mid-2000s and initially stepped back in as a touring member for "The Metal Tour Of The Year".

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

During a recent appearance on "The Jasta Show", the video podcast hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd was asked to name a metal band that he "gets down with." He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, wow. I don't know. I mean, do you consider SLIPKNOT metal? I don't know. I really like SLIPKNOT. I really got into SLIPKNOT. I kind of missed the whole boat on them. And then I had a tech, a merch guy, actually; his name is Bubba. And he was really into SLIPKNOT. He was from Iowa. And I was, like, 'I don't know. I missed the whole thing. Tell me why it's great.' And he is, like, 'You've gotta watch 'Disasterpiece'.' So I watched it, and I was, like, 'Fuck, man. This is so incredible.' I really got invested in every aspect of how cool they were. I really liked the lyrics. It was very dangerous, in my opinion, and I hadn't seen a band that had really kind of intimidated me for a while. And when I saw the crowd react to them, it was like they had their own little planet that they were on, and they still do. And I just thought it was amazing. And I became an instant fan. And then I started really digging in deep to their first record. And I really like 'Iowa'; that's my favorite record. And then we got an opportunity to be on stage with them and DEEP PURPLE and us in Japan, and SLIPKNOT was headlining, and I got to be sidestage. And it was fucking just amazing."

Last November, BUCKCHERRY released a new holiday song called "Tell 'Em It's Christmas".

BUCKCHERRY previously released another holiday song, "Christmas Is Here", back in 2010.

BUCKCHERRY's latest album, "Vol. 10", came out in June 2023. The 11-song LP features 10 new BUCKCHERRY originals and, as a bonus track, a cover of the Bryan Adams classic "Summer Of 69". The album was produced by Marti Frederiksen and recorded at Sienna Studios in Nashville. The album was released in North America by Round Hill Records, in Japan by Sony Japan, and by Earache Records for the rest of the world.

Frederiksen previously produced 2021's "Hellbound" as well as BUCKCHERRY's fourth album, "Black Butterfly", and co-wrote "Sorry", among other songs, with the band.

In the summer of 2020, BUCKCHERRY recruited JETBOY's Billy Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July of that year.

In 2019, BUCKCHERRY enlisted Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint".

FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl has joined forces with ANTHRAX's Scott Ian and Charlie Benante to record a cover of the BAD BRAINS' 1982 classic "The Regulator". The resultant recording, which was laid down late last year at Grohl's Studio 606 in just two live takes, has been made available under G.B.I. (Grohl, Benante, Ian) banner for Record Store Day on April 20. The seven-inch single, limited to 6,000 copies, comes complete with cover art by Benante.

Proceeds from G.B.I.'s rendition of "The Regulator" will benefit BAD BRAINS singer Paul "H.R." Hudson, who has been suffering from an excruciating type of rare head affliction known as SUNCT headaches for the past decade.

The official music video for G.B.I.'s "The Regulator", which contains footage of the actual recording of the song, can be seen below.

Regarding how the project came together, Ian said: "ANTHRAX were recording our new album at 606 and the FOOs were there rehearsing at the same time. Dave had popped into the studio to hang and listen to what we were doing and we'd gone over to hear the FOOs rehearse. I texted Dave the next morning and said: 'Hey! Good to see ya the other day. Are you rehearsing today? I'll be there doing guitars. Wanna record a MINOR THREAT song? BAD BRAINS?' He replied immediately with the Spotify link for 'The Regulator'. I said I'd be there at 12:30 p.m. and he said, 'See you at 1.' It was that simple.

"We recorded at 606. Charlie and I asked Dave if he'd play drums and sing as well, he was in. Charlie plays bass and I'm on guitar. GBI.

"The spark to do this was to raise money for HR's healthcare. All the proceeds will be donated to him for that. And what better day to do it than Record Store Day? It helps Indie stores as well, win/win.

"We ripped 'Regulator' live in two takes, the way it should be! It was so much fun to get to play with Dave on drums and to hear his voice with my guitar! We're all such huge BAD BRAINS fans and have asked WWBBD? (What would BAD BRAINS do?) many times."

Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1,400 independently owned record stores in the U.S. and thousands of similar stores internationally. The first Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008. Today there are Record Store Day participating stores on every continent except Antarctica.

A Record Store Day participating store is defined as a brick-and-mortar retailer whose main primary business focuses on full-time, standalone physical store locations, with a major commitment to music retail, and whose company is independently owned, and not publicly traded. (In other words, we're dealing with real, live, physical, indie record stores — not online retailers or corporate behemoths).

Photo credit: Greg Caputo

Professor Reggie Almeida of the Gracie Barra Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Spring Hill, Tennessee, who has been traveling with MEGADETH on the band's recent tours, has uploaded backstage and performance video of MEGADETH's April 6 concert at Arena 1 in Lima, Peru. The show marked the kick-off of the band's South American tour and the first time MEGADETH has played in Peru in 14 years. Check out the video below.

Finnish guitarist Teemu 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.

Legendary rockers HEART kicked off their "Royal Flush" world tour Saturday night (April 20) at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

In addition to HEART's classic tracks, the setlist for the concert included some tracks from of Ann and Nancy Wilson's solo albums and a new song called "Roll The Dice". The latter cut was written with longtime collaborator Sue Ennis.

The current members of HEART feature Nancy Wilson (rhythm, lead and acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals),Ann Wilson (lead vocals and flute),Ryan Wariner (lead and rhythm guitar),Ryan Waters (guitars),Paul Moak (guitars, keyboards and backing vocals),Tony Lucido (bass and backing vocals) and Sean Lane (drums and bike).

The setlist for the Greenville concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Bebe Le Strange
02. Never
03. Love Alive
04. Roll The Dice
05. Magic Man
06. This Is Now (ANN WILSON & TRIPSITTER song)
07. Little Queen
08. Straight On
09. Let's Dance (David Bowie cover)
10. These Dreams
11. Dog & Butterfly (acoustic)
12. Dreamboat Annie (acoustic)
13. Going To California (LED ZEPPELIN cover) (acoustic)
14. 4 Edward (Nancy Wilson song) (acoustic)
15. Drum Solo
16. Mistral Wind
17. Alone (I‐TEN cover)
18. What About Love (TORONTO cover)
19. Barracuda

Encore:

20. The Ocean (LED ZEPPELIN cover)
21. Crazy on You

Fan-filmed video can be seen below (courtesy of Greg Perry).

Last December, HEART played its first three concerts in more than four years — in Highland, California, at Greater Palm Springs in Palm Desert, California, and in Seattle, Washington.

Prior to HEART's December 27, 2023 show in Highland, the band's last performance took place in October 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

"Royal Flush" features CHEAP TRICK as support on most of the North American leg, while SQUEEZE will open a handful of HEART's summer European dates. HEART will also join DEF LEPPARD and JOURNEY for summer stadium shows in Cleveland, Toronto and Boston and will make an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival on April 28.

Since HEART's formation in the early 1970s, the band has sold 35 million albums, including seven that made the Top 10, and notched 20 Top 40 singles. The band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013.

In a recent interview with Billlboard, < Ann and Nancy Wilson said that they were hoping to work on new music in the near future.

"The thing that we really hope to achieve is to maybe write some more stuff together," Ann said. "We don't have plans for that right now. We don't really plan too far in the future; we're not calculating like that. We're just gonna do this tour and see what comes. But I think if a song comes out of a situation, it'll be a real good one, 'cause it'll be authentic. It's just a matter of me and Nancy getting our heads around that."

Nancy said that she has been going through some of the HEART demos and listening to unreleased material with an eye toward possibly reworking it for future release. "There's a couple unfinished things I'd like to finish off with Ann and [longtime collaborator] Sue [Ennis]," she said. "There's one really, really cool song called 'Sweet Deceiver', but the words were never right, so we never recorded it properly. I think I might want to finish that song; I've been trying to think of new chorus lyrics ever since I heard the demo. I would love to write some new stuff, too.

"If we have a song or two that comes out of HEART, that would be really great. These days, it's kind of like one song at a time, but you can still do a whole album, which is cool. I love albums," she added. "When I can put on an album in its entirety, in the sequence it was intended, that's the best to me."

English doom metal pioneers MY DYING BRIDE, who have just released their 15th studio album, "A Mortal Binding", have issued an official statement regarding the recent revelation that they were canceling all of their previously announced 2024 tour dates, including an appearance at this year's Maryland Deathfest.

Earlier today, MY DYING BRIDE's social media was updated with the following announcement: "The production of this latest album was arduous and challenging to such an extent that it has revealed fractures within the band. These tensions had already been observed during the creation of the previous 2 albums and were only exacerbated during the Covid period. Over the past few months, they have intensified, causing a profound sense of discontent among the band members. The resulting stress and the pervasive feeling of burnout, along with the physical and mental malaise it creates, necessitated a period of time off which unfortunately impacts on live shows.

"The reason for the lack of an official statement until now is because the band has truly hoped to resolve these internal issues and perform some shows this year while trying find a resolution in time to satisfy all parties involved. Sadly, this resolution is yet to be found.

"Regrettably, a lack of understanding and poor communication from our professional partners has resulted in an untimely and chaotic mess from which a recovery is challenging. However, the promoters have now been officially contacted and it is hoped that steps can be taken to minimise the impact on you all.

"We apologise for keeping you in the dark, but these are indeed challenging times."

In a recent interview with Lindsay C of This Day In Metal, MY DYING BRIDE guitarist Andrew Craighan stated about the band's 2024 concert cancelations: "Well, Maryland Deathfest, firstly, shouldn't have said [what they said in a statement announcing MY DYING BRIDE's withdrawal from the event], and they know that and have since apologized — well, privately apologized.

"We have some live problems, which we're — how best to say it? — massaging, I would say. They're not insurmountable. I don't have all the facts just yet, which means I don't wanna blab too much. But we're in talks with everybody who has the facts, and we will be putting out a statement, basically, that either will explain or at least calm people down as to what's going on.

"It's all a bit weird right now, so it's difficult to talk about — mainly because I don't wanna say anything out of turn and then everything you say will be used in evidence against you and all that," he added.

The follow-up to 2019's "The Ghost Of Orion", "A Mortal Binding" came out on April 19 via Nuclear Blast Records.

MY DYING BRIDE hired "The Ghost Of Orion" studio wizard Mark Mynett to produce, mix, and master "A Mortal Binding". The group holed up at Mynett's Mynetaur Productions (PARADISE LOST, ROTTING CHRIST) in Manchester, U.K., where they tracked the album consecutively from July to September 2023.

MY DYING BRIDE is:

Aaron Stainthorpe - vocals
Andrew Craighan - guitars
Lena Abé - bass
Shaun MacGowan - keyboards, violin
Neil Blanchett - guitars
Dan Mullins - drums

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On Friday, April 19 at 9:00 p.m., the ashes of MOTÖRHEAD's legendary frontman Lemmy Kilmister were enshrined at West Hollywood, California's famous Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip. Fans were also invited "to raise a very unique toast to Lemmy and MOTÖRHEAD with the unveiling of brand new Motörhead Whiskey," according to a social media post from the Rainbow. Check out video and photos below.

Back in November 2016, Rainbow Bar & Grill dedicated its patio to Lemmy and re-named it "Lemmy's Lounge." It was a fitting gesture from the Rainbow, as when Lemmy wasn't touring or recording, the majority of his waking hours were spent on said patio. There was already a life-size bronze statue immortalizing Lemmy at the Rainbow, which attracts fans from all over the world, and Lemmy's Lounge allows hardcore fans and casual patrons alike to sample the wares and atmosphere that Lemmy loved so much.

To celebrate Lemmy's Lounge, Roxy owner Nic Adler and Goldenvoice's Paul Tollett kindly agreed to allow the painting of a celebratory mural commemorating the life of Lemmy and MOTÖRHEAD on the side wall of the Roxy, opposite Lemmy's Lounge and statue.

According to Visit West Hollywood, Lemmy loved the Rainbow so much that he moved to West Hollywood to be closer to it. In the last two decades of his life, he was a daily fixture at the Rainbow whenever the band was not on tour, and he was often seen playing the bar's video poker machine.

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

In a 2015 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Lemmy was asked how it makes him feel when people call him a legend. He responded: "As long as they don't believe it, that's alright." He continued: "Who wouldn’t want a hero somewhere in their lives? And it might as well be me, 'cause I don't take the piss out of them for it, and I don't laugh at them because of it." But he added, "I'm not a legend. I never thought of myself as being special in particular. Maybe I make brilliant music, but that's about it."

As previously reported, Lemmy will be permanently memorialized at the Bloodstock Open Air festival in the United Kingdom. Some of Lemmy's ashes will be housed at Bloodstock — one of only a few places globally — in a unique urn, with the festival commissioning a bust of Lemmy to incorporate the ashes. Fans will be able to view the installation and pay tribute to Lemmy and his legacy in the RAM Gallery on site. Once the festival is over, the bust of Lemmy will move to Nottingham's Rock City venue, where fans will have access to the ashes; they will return each and every year to their primary home on the hallowed turf of Bloodstock at Catton Park.



Great to see many friends at the RAINBOW BAR AND GRILL last night enshrining Lemmy! Rainbow was packed with family and fans!

Official Motörhead ♠️🌈

Posted by Jessica Chase on Saturday, April 20, 2024

Lemmy Kilmister’s ashes enshrined at RAINBOW BAR AND GRILL tonight 🤘🏻🤘🏻 ♠️🤘🏻🤘🏻

Posted by April Mancuso on Saturday, April 20, 2024

RAISE A TOAST!
MOTÖRHEAD
LEMMY ♠️FOREVER
FRIDAY APRIL 19th @9pm

Please join us as we enshrine Lemmy’s Ashes at the...

Posted by RAINBOW BAR AND GRILL on Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The Crosscut Films YouTube Channel has shared superscaled to 4K live videos of Van Halen's "5150" and "Finish What Ya Started". Check them out below.










Sammy Hagar will be joined by rock heavyweights and longtime bandmates Michael Anthony (bass, backing vocals), Jason Bonham (drums) and Joe Satriani (guitar) on The Best Of All Worlds 2024 Tour.


Produced by Live Nation and featuring special guests Loverboy, the 28-date The Best Of All Worlds tour will commence on July 13 in West Palm Beach, FL and will conclude on August 31 in St. Louis, MO. For tickets and more details, go to RedRocker.com.


The tour follows on the heels of the chart-topping success of The Collection II, the box set released in October 2023, featuring newly remastered versions of the four consecutive #1 albums released during the Hagar era of Van Halen: 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988),  For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge  (1991), and Balance (1995). A reminder to fans of the arsenal of hits, many which haven’t been played live since the band’s 2004 reunion tour. Collectively, Anthony, Satriani and Bonham have played together in nearly every phase of Hagar’s career including Van Halen, Chickenfoot and The Circle, so fans can expect a setlist which draws from some of the biggest rock anthems of the last 4-decades, including, "Finish What Ya Started", "5150", "Your Love is Driving Me Crazy", "Best of Both Worlds", "Poundcake", "Sexy Little Thing", "One Way To Rock", "Right Now", "Good Enough", "Eagles Fly" and more. They’ve also enlisted legendary Australian musician, Rai Thistlethwayte on keyboard and backing vocals. The tour represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this band of brothers deliver one of the most legendary hits-packed live shows of their career.


“It’s crazy to think that it’ll be 20 years since Mikey and I played these songs with Van Halen on the 04’ Best of Both Worlds Tour,” said Hagar. “With Joe on board, we can take a deeper dive into those years. We’re going to touch on some hits from my entire career but seeing fans old and new really embrace the new collection set off something in Mikey and I. We were at my Birthday Bash in Cabo for my 76th and looked at each other and high fived, like ‘let’s do it.’ We pulled out a couple of them and it was an instant lovefest with the fans from our first riffs. The music we created is going to outlive us all. They deserve to be heard so it's time we go out and serve the fans that music, while we still can."





Tour dates:


July
13 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
14 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre          
16 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre                                   
19 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
20 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
22 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC  
24 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater                       
26 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
27 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center                                
29 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center                                
31 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage                             


August
2 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
3 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
9 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena                         
11 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre               
13 - Spokane, WA - Airway Heights, WA BECU Live at Northern Quest
14 - Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Style Resort Amphitheater            
16 - Wheatland, CA - Toyota Amphitheatre
17 - Concord, CA - Toyota Pavilion at Concord            
19 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
20 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resorts Amphitheatre           
22 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
23 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion   
25 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP                      
27 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
28 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena                          
30 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
31 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

In a new interview with Chris Akin Presents, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about the band's nearly decade-and-a-half-long working relationship with British producer Andy Sneap, who is also a touring guitarist for JUDAS PRIEST. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "He's kind of a member of the family. He's the go-to guy to give us that sound that we're looking for, to work with us in the way that we're comfortable. And we know each other so well over the years, it's really a fantastic way of working. A lot of times when you have worked with somebody for a long time, you don't really have to express a lot of the whys, and you sort of just do it with a blind understanding of we both understand or everybody understands what we're going for and we're all on the same page. So it makes life quite easy, or work easy."

Asked if Andy offers suggestions for how to tweak the music before it is laid down in the studio or he serves more as a "guide" during the recording process, Wolf said: "I'd say it shifts over time a little bit. I mean, I think we all evolved from when we first started to get… I remember when we first started to work together with Andy, he came from more of a background of thrash and heavier stuff. And we were kind of an almost old-school band that was slightly different because we have songs that are very much melody-based. We have sing-along vocals and backing vocals and we have proper choruses and pre-choruses. And I think now that he's working with other bands along those, or more of those bands, like JUDAS PRIEST and SAXON and all that, he's more adapted to our style of songwriting. And I think he makes suggestions and hints that are more suited to us"

He continued: "The good thing about [Andy], he grew up being an ACCEPT fan. He very much understands what an ACCEPT fan would like because he is one, or he was one. So I really like the fact that he's hasn't changed much over the years. You can still see the sparkle in his eyes when we come up with a cool riff or something really pops and we all go, like, 'Oh, fuck yeah. That's amazing.' That kind of thing. So he's genuine. He's great. I love it."

Due on April 26 via Napalm Records, ACCEPT's new album, "Humanoid", was once again produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Sneap.

Fans can immerse themselves in the upcoming album on an interactive web site, where they can reprogram the robot that is featured on the album cover, and discover different parts of the album in the process. Pre-save "Humanoid" now to gain access to the web site here.

ACCEPT recently announced a massive European headline tour, with more than 20 shows across the continent for autumn 2024. This summer, ACCEPT will also return to some of the world’s most important rock and metal festivals, like Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and more, following their South American spring tour.

In February 2022, it was announced that ACCEPT had inked a worldwide deal with Napalm Records.

ACCEPT's latest album, "Too Mean To Die", came out in January 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, the aforementioned Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

Mark Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last five studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017) and "Too Mean To Die".

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST kicked off the U.S. leg of their "Invincible Shield" world tour last night (Thursday, April 18) at Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut.

PRIEST's 18-song setlist included three songs from the band's latest album, "Invincible Shield": the title track, "Panic Attack" and "Crown Of Horns".

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Panic Attack
02. You've Got Another Thing Comin'
03. Rapid Fire
04. Breaking The Law
05. Lightning Strike
06. Love Bites
07. Devil's Child
08. Saints In Hell
09. Crown Of Horns
10. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise
11. Turbo Lover
12. Invincible Shield
13. Victim Of Changes
14. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown) (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
15. Painkiller

Encore:

16. The Hellion / Electric Eye
17. Hell Bent for Leather
18. Living After Midnight

Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

In a recent appearance on The Break Down With Nath & Johnny podcast, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill was asked who in the band has the final say when it comes to picking a setlist for the PRIEST live shows. He responded: "Well, it is probably Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer], really. But then again, we've got a whole spectrum now. You've got the younger element with Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist]. He's the same age as my eldest son. And then comes Scott [Travis, PRIEST drummer] and you've got Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist], of course. He can't do it anymore [due to his battle with Parkinson's disease]. [But] he's still sharp as a pin between his ears. Then Andy [Sneap, PRIEST touring guitarist] and Rob and myself. So you've got a full spectrum there of ages. So everybody has their own favorites and their own types of JUDAS PRIEST song. We all sort of [go], 'Yeah, like that. No, don't like that one.' And then we'll go. If someone's adamant that they really don't wanna do something, well, you don't wanna do something, and vice versa — if someone really wants to do a particular track, you do it. Like I say, you've got the ring-fence tracks there that you've gotta do — the 'Breaking The Law's and the 'Living After Midnight's and things like that, that you have to do. It's what brings people to the shows, basically. And then you've got your other sort of classic PRIEST songs, which is a little bit easier because you can swap and change those between — do a month maybe using one song, change it to another one of a similar kind. And then try to get some new stuff in there — three, maybe four maximum is about as much as you can get at any one time. I'm sure there'll be more than that, that we'll go through. And just swap and change as we go."

Asked if there are any songs that he can think of straight off the top of his head, in the PRIEST back catalog that he really loves to play live but never has, Ian said: "Ah, there's one that we have played live that we haven't played for a while and that's 'Dissident Aggressor'. I still say that's probably my all-time favorite song. It's just so raw — it's just pure rock, really. It's one of those songs that, even in the studio, I can remember it being — it's two guitars, bass, drums and vocals. And I think there might be one extra guitar on there through the lead break. Other than that, it's totally raw. It's exactly as it would be on stage. And I love that song, apart from it being a great song. And there's always other things. We've never really done 'Before The Dawn' — from the other point of view, the other end of the spectrum, if there's a quiet part in [the show]. These days people tend to prefer the more upbeat stuff rather than the quieter pieces. But that would be cool to do as well. It's only about two and a half, three minutes long anyway, so it wouldn't take much time. But there's loads in there — there's loads of them. 'Sinner' we haven't done, so it'd be great to do that again. We haven't done that for a while. But we'll see."

In a separate interview with Metal Pilgrim, Halford spoke about the setlist for the European leg of PRIEST's tour with SAXON and URIAH HEEP. He said: "We've had this conversation before as far as trying to put the setlist together. And after 19 studio albums, it's, like, 'Oh my God. Where do we go?' If we didn't play 'Breaking The Law', there'd be a riot. If we didn't play 'Painkiller', there'd be a riot. There are certain songs that you are indebted to your fans to play, because they're part of the fabric of who you are as a band. Without naming names, there are certain bands where you know you wanna hear that song when you go to a show. So there's a portion of the setlist that already writes itself. Having said that, yeah, we are gonna go quite deep, and we found some songs from previous albums that we're gonna work with and we're gonna bring out. So there'll probably be at least two or three deep cuts on this setlist."

Rob continued: "At any given moment, we've got 60 to 70 songs we can play — at any given moment. And then we're gonna add more into the mix. It's fun to see the texts and the e-mails flying through: 'Well, I'll give you this one if you give me that one.' 'Cause you've gotta find a balance. When a band plays on stage, every single bandmember has to agree on the set list. There's no place for, 'Oh, dude, I've gotta play this one.' There's no place for that. You've all gotta be believing in that particular song as you go through the show. And it's gonna be fantastic. And this is gonna be a really eventful tour as we're about to kick off in Europe, with our friends SAXON and URIAH HEEP."

Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Original guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

"Invincible Shield" entered the U.K. chart at No. 2, just behind Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine".

Prior to "Invincible Shield"'s arrival, PRIEST's highest U.K. chart achievement was with 1980's "British Steel", which reached No. 4.

PRIEST's 2018 album "Firepower" entered the chart at No. 5.

"Invincible Shield" is JUDAS PRIEST's fifth Top 10 album, after the aforementioned "British Steel" and "Firepower", as well as 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" (No. 6) and the 1979 live album "Unleashed In The East" (No. 10).

"Invincible Shield" landed at No. 1 in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as No. 5 in France, No. 8 in Italy and No. 16 in Australia.

Singer Eddie Sutton (real name: Edward Anthony Pomponio) of the legendary New York hardcore/metal act LEEWAY has died, four years after he was diagnosed with cancer. He was 59 years old.

Earlier today, Eddie's Instagram page was updated with the following message: "Edward Anthony Pomponio passed 4/19/24 peacefully in his sleep.

"We would like to invite all his extended family to come say good bye to our son and brother. The wake will be held Tuesday, 4/23/24 at Farenga Funeral Home, 3808 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, Queens NY 11105 from 3pm-8pm".

Earlier this month, Eddie shared the following update via his social media: "I've now been in hospice care for about 6 days and I'm still trying to prove the professionals wrong and try to keep hope alive. The problem is my appetite....as much as I want to eat and crave so many foods I just can't seem to swallow it or the smell becomes nauseating, to me. It's quite a torture....try to imagine wanting to eat but your taste buds make it taste different or there's something in the food that makes you feel sick. I have to rely on the same things; Ensure nutritional drinks and fruit cups to supplement whatever I can stomach and even that is minimal because my stomach muscle is so infantly small."

He added: "I'm still fighting folks I'm not stopping".

Back in October 2022, Sutton told Mark Kadzielawa of 69 Faces Of Rock stated about his efforts to keep LEEWAY alive: "Now that I'm battling cancer, to just play and perform is everything to me. And I think it's more special now simply because I know this is going to end at some point.

"I have a spreadable form of cancer called squama carcinoma," he explained. "It started in my right lung, and I have two masses in the back of my left kidney, the top part, called the adrenal gland. And to be removed 13 lesions from my brain.

"I'm winning the fight and battle after battle, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to win the war," Eddie admitted. "Very much like an underdog, like Ukraine up against Russia at this time. It's okay. I've taken responsibility for it with my lifestyle, smoking all my life. It is what it is. So I'm gonna have fun with it until it's time to call it a day."

A GoFundMe campaign was launched more than three years ago to help Eddie deal with the cost of his treatment.

Formed in 1984 by Sutton and guitarist A.J. Novello, LEEWAY has released four studio albums — "Born To Expire" (1989),"Desperate Measures" (1991),"Adult Crash" (1994) and "Open Mouth Kiss" (1995) — and broken up and reformed several times over the years. Despite never achieving notable commercial success, LEEWAY is considered to be an integral part of the 1980s New York hardcore and crossover thrash scenes.

LEEWAY launched its debut demo, "Enforcer", in 1984. The songs would later appear on the band's debut album, "Born To Expire", in 1989 on Profile Records, a record label known for rap and club music, with RUN-DMC as their labelmates. "Born To Expire" showcased stronger musicianship and greater production value than their counterparts in the NYHC scene and highlighted Eddie's melodic and harmonious approach in delivering his lyrics.

Eddie stated: "I grew up on R&B, so it's naturally in my style. I was also a big fan of singers like David Bowie, Ozzy [Osbourne], Phil Lynott, David Lee Roth and even Lemmy, as well as punk and hardcore punk singers like Pete Shelley and H.R. Each of these vocalists taught me to be an individual."

"Born To Expire" was well received among fans and critics, launching them into the national performing circuit, sharing the stages with LIVING COLOR, BAD BRAINS, CIRCLE JERKS, EXODUS and TESTAMENT, as well as many others. "Born To Expire" was also documented as the first NYHC band to be added to the Grammy Awards first-round ballot nomination vote list, where music insiders vote on each musical category; LEEWAY made the list in 1989 and it was unheralded.

LEEWAY's sophomore release, "Desperate Measures", continued to push the envelope and provided a new level of sound with classic songs like "Make Me an Offer", "All About Dope" and "Kingpin". In 1994, when LEEWAY's third album, "Adult Crash", was released, the band was at an influx, but they were still able to stay the course and prove that hardcore could be more than just a sound. As Eddie recalled: "To me, hardcore was about passion and heart. It wasn't simply about three chord thrash and mosh parts. To me, Billie Holiday was hardcore."

With catchy riffs and fan favorites, LEEWAY experimented with its sound with "Adult Crash", but it was their final release, "Open Mouth Kiss", where they really got things right.

"Despite the troubles with myself and the band," as Eddie stated, "we still wrote strong songs like 'Hornet's Nest' and 'Foot The Bill', but I never felt more like an accomplished recording artist until we wrote that album."

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A post shared by Eddie Leeway (@eddie_leeway_official)

With the blessing of late FIREHOUSE frontman CJ Snare's family, his bandmates honored the singer, his music and legacy at their performance on Saturday, April 13 in Greeneville, Tennessee at Niswonger Performing Arts Center.

Nate Peck, 2023 "American Idol" golden ticket recipient from Season 21, handled vocals at the show. With CJ's full support, Nate has been singing with the band in CJ's absence over the past six months.

Making special appearances at the Greeneville concert were CJ's partner Katherine Little and his daughter Heather, who handled lead vocals on the song "Here For You", which CJ originally wrote for her when she was just two years old. (Heather is the singer in the Florida-based covers band AUDIO EXCHANGE.) Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

Snare died on April 5 at the age of 64 following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2020 and took a hiatus from the band in 2023 to undergo abdominal surgery. However, his daughter is reported to have stated the official cause of death was cardiac arrest, according to TMZ.

CJ planned to rejoin FIREHOUSE for the band's summer tour in 2024.

In a statement on FIREHOUSE's social media, Snare's bandmates said he died "unexpectedly" despite his long illness.

They shared their "great sorrow" at losing their "brother… the rock and roll warrior.

"We are all in complete shock with CJ's untimely passing," they wrote.

"CJ was was arguably one of the best vocal talents of a generation, touring the world with FIREHOUSE non stop the past 34 years.

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Snare family, Katherine Little, friends, and all our beloved fans all over the world."

FIREHOUSE hasn't released a studio album since 2011's "Full Circle", which featured re-recorded versions of some of the band's older songs. The group's last collection of new material, "Prime Time", came out in 2003.

FIREHOUSE reached stardom during the early '90s with hits like "Reach For The Sky", "Don't Treat Me Bad" and "All She Wrote", as well as its signature power ballads "I Live My Life For You", "Love Of A Lifetime" and "When I Look Into Your Eyes".

At the 1992 American Music Awards, FIREHOUSE won the award for "Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist". They were chosen over NIRVANA and ALICE IN CHAINS.

Formed nearly four decades ago, FIREHOUSE's classic lineup consisted of Snare, guitarist Bill Leverty, drummer Michael Foster and bassist Perry Richardson. Richardson left in 2000 and was replaced by Allen McKenzie in 2003.

Our boss lady Heather Snare Brown is the absolute best 🥇 Paying tribute to her father C J Snare and singing with his...

Posted by Audio Exchange on Sunday, April 14, 2024

Fan-filmed video of ANTHRAX's April 17 concert at Club Pepper in San Jose, Costa Rica can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Among The Living
02. Caught In A Mosh
03. Madhouse
04. Metal Thrashing Mad
05. Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)
06. Keep It In The Family
07. Antisocial (TRUST cover)
08. I Am The Law
09. In The End
10. Medusa
11. A.I.R.
12. Got The Time (Joe Jackson cover)
13. Indians

Late last month, ANTHRAX announced that, due to personal reasons, bassist Frank Bello would not be able to accompany the band on its South American tour, which kicked off on Saturday, April 13 at MXMF The Metal Fest in Mexico City. Filling in on those dates, as well as two U.S. festival shows in May, is ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX's debut album "Fistful Of Metal", was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian.

Asked in a recent interview with Metal Mayhem ROC when he was first approached about reuniting with ANTHRAX for the aforementioned shows, Lilker said: "I was actually contacted, I guess, about a month ago… I had a lot more advance notice than when everybody just found out a couple of days ago. It was just that's when the press release went public. So, yeah, about a month, 'cause I needed some time to learn some of the material, obviously, to play it correctly and play it with authority, too. You don't wanna just learn it; you wanna play it with confidence and look like you're up there being metal and not tentative. So, yeah, you could say late February, early March, something like that."

Pressed about whether there was a reason given as to why Bello isn't able to commit to these shows, Dan said: "Well, we're just saying personal reasons. I am not at liberty to say. But Frank is fine and the picture of health, and it's nothing like that. But [it's] nothing I can go into; it's not my place."

Regarding what his initial reaction was to being asked to play these ANTHRAX shows, Lilker said: "I got a text from Scott when he was in Japan on tour with MR. BUNGLE. And I was actually at work. I work in precision optics [at the Rochester, New York-based company called Sydor Optics], because I've realized that playing the type of music I played for the most part wasn't lucrative enough to not have a job. But point being that, yeah, I was just [having] a little smoke break at work at, like, 8:13 a.m. on a Monday or something, and I got a message from Scott going, 'Do you think yo'd be able to do some shows with us next month?' So, yeah, it would have been the very beginning of March. And it's funny. I just looked at my boss who's also a metalhead — that's that's how I ended up working for the company — and said, 'Hey, I just got asked to be do some ANTHRAX shows next month.' And he goes, 'You'd be fucking crazy not to.' And so I knew it would be cool there. And I said, 'Sure. Sounds like fun.' I looked at the tour dates and said, 'I've never been to Uruguay before,' so I can cross that off the list.' Everybody at [the] company [I work for] has been really super supportive about that. So I'm very lucky in that aspect."

On the topic of how long it took him to accept the invitation, Lilker said: "Oh, I just pretty much said, 'Sure, that sounds cool.' I informed my wife, but I can't imagine that she would have said, 'No, don't do that. That's crazy.' So, I'm pretty sure the order of things was replied and said, 'Yeah, that sounds cool.' And then I went about clearing it with the people I have to talk to here [at home and at work]."

Asked what he is most excited about when it comes to playing with ANTHRAX again, Lilker said: "Well, one thing that's cool is since we haven't done S.O.D. for a while, it was always fun jamming with Scott and Charlie, because the other guys are cool, but remember in 'Fistful Of Metal', that was pre-Joey [Belladonna, current ANTHRAX singer] and everything like that. So we were like the nucleus of the early, early ANTHRAX and, of course, S.O.D., which had one guitar, so in that aspect, jamming with those guys. But also the other dudes — I've never been on stage with Joey or anything like that. And, of course, Jon [Donais], the new [ANTHRAX guitarist], who's been very helpful with showing me riffs. So it'll be that. And also, some of the stuff on [ANTHRAX's third album, 1987's] 'Among The Living', it's real heavy, fast thrash metal — I actually have a couple of riffs I wrote on some of that stuff — so it'll be fun to actually play that stuff too. And, of course, the latter-day stuff from the '90s is fun because it was actually really easy to learn because it was more kind of slow. So, obviously, for me, playing grindcore and death metal and black metal, some of this stuff is going to be nice and easy. I have to make sure I don't start daydreaming."

Regarding what fans can expect from the setlist for the ANTHRAX shows that he will be a part of, Dan said: "I would just say that if you look at recent ANTHRAX setlists, subtract a song or two and add another song or two, that would be pretty close. And as far as subtracting songs, nobody's going to be rapping on stage too much."

After one of the interviewers expressed hope that ANTHRAX will play a "Fistful Of Metal" deep cut like "Subjugator", Dan said: "That's a pretty deep fucking cut, dude. You might get something else that ends with an 'R.'"

Lilker later confirmed that ANTHRAX will perform some material from "Fistful Of Metal" at the upcoming shows. "I mean, that's not many beans to spill there," he said. "They've always played 'Metal Thrashing Mad', and since I already [said] we'll be doing another song that ends in 'R', that would be the song before it ['Deathrider'] on 'Fistful Of Metal'. And, yeah, that's kind of our one thing toward acknowledging me doing the stuff, because that was a pretty primitive album for what ANTHRAX ended up progressing into, some of that having to do with my writing style."

Asked about his current relationship with Scott, Charlie and Frank, having attended Ian's 60th-birthday party this past New Year's Eve in Van Nuys, California, Dan said: "Well, we've always had a relationship. It's just been more kind of like one of those off-on things because you're not traveling in the same circles or whatever; they're out doing something and I'm doing something else. So [at Scott's birthday party], it was more just kind of like getting to see old friends again, catching up with them. Frank, I hadn't seen Frank for a long time; I've seen Scott more recently than that, I believe. And, yeah, it was a really good time going out there with my wife and celebrating his birthday and playing a few tunes."

He added: "But, in general, yeah, I'm looking forward to sharing a stage with those guys, helping them out and having some fun, playing some metal. 'Cause I'm not really playing in bands anymore, which is by choice, and so just getting to do occasional little forays like that are cool with me."

Asked if there are any long-term future plans for him to play with ANTHRAX again, Lilker said: "Well, as far as I know, I'm just doing the 10 shows that I was asked to do — the eight that are in Central and South America and then the two U.S. fests. It's just filling in for Frank — I wanna make sure and stress that. I am not [rejoining] the band, even though I formed it before. This isn't gonna be, 'Finally after 40 years, my plan…' I'm doing my friends a favor. And if that situation changes in the future, it will not have anything to do with me taking any steps to do so, let's put it that way."

Lilker has not been idle over the past four decades, having played in a wide variety of bands. He was the bassist for the thrash/metal band NUCLEAR ASSAULT and the grindcore band BRUTAL TRUTH. He also plays bass for EXIT-13, MALFORMED EARTHBORN, THE RAVENOUS, OVERLORD EXTERMINATOR, VENOMOUS CONCEPT, and more.

Remaining ANTHRAX shows with Lilker:

April 19 - The Metal Fest, Quito, Ecuador
April 21 - The Metal Fest, Santiago, Chile
April 23 - Sala de Museo, Montevideo, Uruguay
April 25 - El Teatro Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina
April 28 - Summer Breeze Open Air, São Paulo, Brazil
May 09 - Welcome to Rockville, Daytona Beach, FL
May 17 - Sonic Temple Festival, Columbus, OH

To celebrate ANTHRAX's 40th anniversary in 2021, the band's social media accounts offered a series of video testimonials sent in by former bandmembers, fellow musicians, colleagues, and industry veterans sharing behind-the-scenes stories of working with the band and what ANTHRAX's legacy has meant all these years on. These videos honored each album in chronological order beginning with the original release, "Fistful Of Metal". The 11-week series included video contributions from former ANTHRAX bandmembers Lilker, Dan Spitz, John Bush, Neil Turbin and Rob Caggiano.

Lilker, who played bass on "Fistful Of Metal" and wrote most of the music for the record, told Knotfest about ANTHRAX's 40th anniversary: "I'm definitely proud of that whole thing. I think it's great that those guys are still going… That was real good memories back then. I know people go, 'Oh, they fucking threw you out after that,' and blah blah blah. But, obviously, I got over that and formed NUCLEAR ASSAULT. And next year we were doing S.O.D. So I'm not the kind of guy who stays bitter forever. But, yeah, the memories of those times, writing that record and recording it and everything was... 'Cause there was no blueprint or anything; we just had influences and just tried to put our own stamp on 'em back then. So, yeah, it kind of sucks being thrown out three days before [it got] released, but it gave me an excuse to do something else."

When interviewer Daniel Dekay noted that it was "really cool" of ANTHRAX to allow Lilker to tell his side of the story in the above-mentioned documentary series, Dan said: "There was times in the past where I might have been a little neglected on some of the stuff. So I think they wanted to make sure to just have a nice, inclusive vibe and not forget any particular details. Like the fact that I wrote 75 percent of 'Fistful Of Metal'. You know, a minor detail."

A number of years ago, Lilker told Voices From The Darkside that he was fired from ANTHRAX due to "a conflict" with the band's then-vocalist Neil Turbin. "He was an egotist (like most singers, haha) and it bothered him that I was taller than him," Lilker explained. "Also, he had no sense of humor, so if you busted his balls he took it seriously. So, he told the other members, 'I can't take Lilker anymore. It's him or me.' They decided he was more important as a familiar frontman to the fans, so they threw me out, even though I wrote 75 percent of the music on 'Fistful…'. Oh well. He was, of course, thrown out seven months later, and I played with Scott and Charlie in S.O.D. the next year."

In his 2014 autobiography "I'm The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax", Ian described Lilker's dismissal from ANTHRAX 30 years earlier as "the worst moment for me in the history" of the band. He went on to say that the decision to kick Dan out ANTHRAX was made by Turbin and not the other members of the group.

"The biggest dick move Neil ever pulled was when he fired Danny Lilker behind our backs after 'Fistful…' came out in January 1984," Ian wrote. "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 frontman 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 recent years, Ian has voiced his appreciation for the role "Fistful Of Metal" played in giving ANTHRAX its start, telling Metal Hammer: "Let's face it, 'Fistful Of Metal' gave us our career. It got the band some attention, made people all over the world aware of what we could do — and for that reason alone I have to be grateful to everyone involved. The record was vital in launching us, and everything we've done, and become, since stems from that debut record. I may be critical of it in some ways, but I could never do anything other than admit we owe it all to 'Fistful Of Metal'. If that had never happened… well, perhaps you would never have heard of ANTHRAX."

In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the "Scars And Guitars" podcast, DEICIDE frontman Glen Benton was asked if he would ever consider writing an autobiography. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know, man. I'm a pretty private person. You know what I tell people… I would rather tell my stories in the backstage area and make people laugh at 'em than write it all down. I think it loses a lot in translation, man. So maybe a spoken book or something, I could do it."

When McKaysmith noted that Benton's book "would be a heck of a tale," Glen said: "Yeah, I get every ghostwriter out there [approaching me], man. Like this weekend, at [DEICIDE's] Philly show [at Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest], [legendary 1990s death metal producer] Scott Burns was there, and we were all telling stories and that. And I could just see the ears of the ghostwriters in the room. their ears were just standing straight up, man. [Laughs]

"Like I say, I'm just not… I don't know, man," he added. "If I could do the book tastefully and that, [have it] be about me and from my perspective, that's where it would have to be."

DEICIDE's new album, "Banished By Sin", will be released on April 26 via Reigning Phoenix Music.

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".

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.

Previous DEICIDE guitarist Chris Cannella amicably left the band 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: Deidra Kling

Fan-filmed video of Bruce Dickinson's April 18 concert at Teatro Diana in Guadalajara, Mexico can be seen below.

The setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Accident Of Birth
02. Abduction
03. Laughing In The Hiding Bush
04. Afterglow Of Ragnarok
05. Chemical Wedding
06. Many Doors To Hell
07. Tears Of The Dragon
08. Resurrection Men
09. Rain On The Graves
10. Frankenstein (THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP cover)
11. Gods Of War
12. The Alchemist
13. Darkside Of Aquarius

Encore:

14. Navigate The Seas Of The Sun
15. Book Of Thel
16. The Tower

After playing two warm-up shows at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California, Dickinson officially kicked off his first solo tour in more than 20 years on Monday, April 15 at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California.

As was the case with the two Whisky A Go Go shows, the IRON MAIDEN singer was joined at The Observatory and Teatro Diana by his current backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass),alongside the group's latest additions, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who played on Dickinson's "Rain On The Graves" single). Bruce's longtime guitarist and collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez is not part of the touring lineup.

Prior to the April 12 Whisky A Go Go show, Bruce last performed with his solo band on in August 2002 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.

During an appearance on the April 16 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Bruce was asked if there are plans for him to stage a full U.S. tour in support of his recently released solo album "The Mandrake Project". He responded: "I brought the [booking] agents and the promoters, and everybody came down and saw the Whisky show [in West Hollywood, California over the weekend], and now they know what they've got to deal with in terms of doing a U.S. tour. So, we're looking at it, we're planning it.

"I absolutely wanna do a full U.S. tour with 'The Mandrake Project'," he added. "I obviously can't do one for the rest of this year [due to commitments in other parts of the world and MAIDEN's upcoming touring activities], but there's '25 and there's numerous opportunities that will crop up. So the answer to that is yes, of course, we wanna come and do the U.S."

Roy played guitar on Dickinson's 1994 album "Balls To Picasso" and went on to produce, co-write and perform multiple instruments on Bruce's subsequent three solo albums, "Accident At Birth" (1997),"The Chemical Wedding" (1998) and "Tyranny Of Souls" (2005).

O'Callaghan is an Irish musician who joined WHITESNAKE in 2021 and toured with the David Coverdale-fronted outfit the following year. She also hit the road with Dickinson last year as part of a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates in Europe and South America.

Californian drummer Moreno previously played on "Tyranny Of Souls" and has worked with BODY COUNT, Jizzy Pearl, Dizzy Reed and Steve Stevens, among others.

Italian keyboard wizard Mistheria has collaborated with an array of artists live and in the studio, including Rob Rock, Mike Portnoy, Jeff Scott Soto and Joel Hoekstra.

"The Mandrake Project" arrived on March 1 via BMG.

Bruce and Roy recorded "The Mandrake Project" largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's last solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.

In a brand new interview with The Hook Rocks!, singer Michael Starr of California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER spoke about the challenge of combining raucous comedy with undeniably catchy rock tunes. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's the thing about our music, is we know we're poking fun and we're cracking jokes. We have to play good to be able to do that. You can't just like not be able to play and just be comedians. You have to be able to play. And then the other part that we think we're good at is making people laugh and have a good time."

Asked about the task of balancing comedic timing with putting on a high-energy rock show, the 58-year-old Starr, whose real name is Ralph Saenz, said: "I think for us, it really is just how we are as people. After doing this for so many years, we do have a set of jokes that we use a lot, but we also have stuff we haven't used in years and it just ends up popping up and we just say it. But a lot of it's really organic. I mean, we play off the crowd and we're able just to interact with them.

"When we were a cover band and doing the same type of show as a cover band, we learned that you still have to have some sort of structure to it," he explained. "You can't just talk the whole time. 'Cause we did that stuff, and people were throwing shit at us, like, 'Play some fucking music, man.' And so we learned, when you're a major touring act, you've gotta have some sort of structure. So, we structured it out and we have holes for improv and we have holes for whatever we wanna do. But at the same time there's curfews, there's people that are relying on you ending at a certain time and starting at a certain time, so it's a little bit different, but at the same time, it's still organic. And I think that's what makes us unique."

On the topic of whether he and his STEEL PANTHER bandmates work out the jokes in advance, Michael said: "We work them out while we're hanging out together, just in general. Even when we're offstage, we're still riffing. I don't know what that is, but we still just do it. We'll just riff the whole time, be different people and just fuck around with each other. And especially if we have people on the bus or we're hosting a backstage party, then we just start performing because we just can't help ourselves."

Formed in 2000, STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Sixteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", was released in February 2023.

In September 2022, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.

Photo credit: David Jackson

In the Metal Injection clip below, In Flames / ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick takes you through all of the riffs that "schooled" him. He plays riffs from the following songs:


Ratt - "Lay It Down"
King Diamond - "Mother's Getting Weaker"
Yngwie Malmsteen - "I Am A Viking", "I'll See The Light"
Racer X - "Scarified"







In Flames are set to infiltrate the US for a spring headlining US tour with special guests Gatecreeper and Creeping Death. The skull crushing lineup will kick off the excursion on May 1 in Portland, ME and will wrap it up on May 26 in Dallas, TX.


Commenting on the tour, vocalist Anders Fridén says: "We are very excited to have these two killer bands, Gatecreeper and Creeping Death, on this run. I foresee a night of huge riffs, blast beats, head banging, mosh pitting, people loosing their minds and more. Come on down, lets have a good time!!!"


Gatecreeper frontman Chase Mason adds: "We are very excited to tour with In Flames. We have been fans for a long time and got the opportunity to meet and play with the band last summer. In Flames has been a huge influence on our newer material and hitting the road with them after working on our record is an ideal scenario for us."


Purchase tickets here.


Dates:


May
1 - Portland, ME - State Theatre
2 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
3 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
4 - Wilmington, DE - The Queen
5 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
7 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall
8 - Greensboro, NC - Piedmont Hall
9 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead
10 - Daytona, FL - Rockville
12 - Huntsville, AL - Mars Music Hall
14 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre
17 - Buffalo, NY - The Town Ballroom
18 - Columbus, OH - Sonic Temple
19 - Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Metal Fest
21 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews
22 - St. Louis, MO - The Hawthorn
23 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
24 - Austin, TX - Emo's
25 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
26 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues





In Flames are:


Anders Fridén - Vocals
Björn Gelotte - Guitar / Vocals
Chris Broderick - Guitar
Tanner Wayne - Drums
Liam Wilson - Bass

German metal legends Blind Guardian have shared a recap video of their April 14th show in Kentish Town, London, England. Check it out below along with fan-filmed video from the gig.










Blind Guardian kicked off The God Machine North American 2024 tour on April 18 at The Fillmore in Silver Springs. The tour will make its way to Dallas, Seattle, and Toronto before the final performance at Milwaukee Metal Fest on May 17. Joining the band as support is Night Demon.


Vocalist Hansi Kürsch states: "We heard your calls! We are more than just thrilled to finally announce that highly anticipated North American run of shows.  Let me tell you that the band will be on fire and that we are very grateful to have a fantastic opening band such as Night Demon on our side to bring the full Metal blast to your town. I recommend not to miss this chance, we will perform Beyond Imagination. You don’t want to see it, you have to see it! The God Machine is in sole and full magic mode."





Dates:


April
20 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground
21 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
23 - Dallas, TX - The Factory
24 - Austin, TX - Emo’s
26 - Phoenix, AZ - Cresent Ballroom
27 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco
28 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
30 - Portland, OR - The Roseland Theater


May
1 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox Market
3 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
4 - Denver, CO - The Summit Music Hall
6 - Minneapolis, MN - The Varsity Theater
7 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly’s
9 - Toronto, ON - Rebel
10 - Montreal, QC - L'Olympia
11 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
12 - New York, NY - The Palladium
14 - Harrisburg, PA - HMAC
16 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater
17 - Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Metalfest

The cinematic progressive metal band Sunburst has released a music video for "Hollow Lies", the first single from their new album "Manifesto". The single contains the elements that Sunburst are known for, like impressive instrumental parts, intense guitar riffing, dramatic orchestrations, soaring melodic vocals and emotional and memorable melodies. "Hollow Lies" is available on all digital platforms and a music video is available below.


Manifesto will be released on CD, limited vinyl editions and digital via Inner Wound Recordings on June 14.


Sunburst was formed in 2010 and inspired by bands like Dream Theater, Nevermore, Conception and Symphony X they started to write songs and play shows. Their debut album Fragments Of Creation was released in 2016 by Inner Wound Recordings and received fantastic feedback from fans and media around the globe.




After the album came out Sunburst played a number of successful shows in Greece and Europe, and started to work on material for the follow up to "Fragments of Creation". During the following years the members of Sunburst kept busy touring and recording with other bands, but late 2023 they finally completed their sophomore album entitled Manifesto.


When you listen to the new album, it's clear that the band stepped up their game. The material is more progressive, heavy, complex and melodic compared to the debut album. The songs are more dramatic and there are more orchestral arrangements and parts on Manifesto, which gives the album a movie-like, cinematic vibe.


You will also find the elements that Sunburst are known for on the album, like impressive instrumental parts, intense guitar riffing, soaring melodic vocals and emotional and memorable melodies.


The album was produced by Sunburst and Steve Lado, who also mixed and mastered the album. Bob Katsionis performs all keyboards on the album and John K came up with the orchestral arrangements on the songs "The Flood", "Hollow Lies" and "Nocturne". The artwork was created by Sunburst vocalist Vasilis Georgiou (HALO Creative Design Lab).





Tracklisting:


“The Flood”
“Hollow Lies”
“Samaritan”
“Perpetual Descent”
“Inimicus Intus”
“From The Cradle To The Grave”
“Manifesto”
“Nocturne”


"Hollow Lies" video:

Following the successful release of "Never Dawn" (over two million streams),Italian goth metal veterans LACUNA COIL are back with their new single, "In The Mean Time", featuring Ash Costello of NEW YEARS DAY. The song’s title is a reference to the mean times the world is living in, as well as a reference to the state the band itself is in, between cycles.

LACUNA COIL states: "'In The Mean Time' is a reflection on how much our society has generally 'lost the plot'. We are living in really mean times filled with unhappy people: lonely, anxious, depressed, destructive. The pressure that crushes from the outside doesn't allow us to see things with the right clarity.

"This song is like group therapy: not a lamentation, but acceptance that once broken, it's hard to put oneself back together again.

"We need to take our minds off all the inescapable toxicity and find that there's so much more to this life… and know that in the meantime, everything cannot be aligned.

"We invited Ash Costello from NEW YEARS DAY to feature on the track and we're thrilled she came on board adding exactly what we needed for this song with her warm voice and charisma."

Costello said: "I am deeply honored to join LACUNA COIL on tour for the first time, to have the incredible opportunity to lend my guest vocals to a new track and appear in the music video. Working alongside the powerhouse vocalist Cristina has been a privilege, and I may be biased in saying that 'In The Mean Time' has quickly become my favorite by LACUNA COIL. Its message about embracing individuality and not conforming deeply resonates with me."

LACUNA COIL will embark on the "Ignite The Fire" U.S. tour next month with support from NEW YEARS DAY and OCEANS OF SLUMBER.

Last July, LACUNA COIL released the official lyric video for the band's single "Never Dawn". For the track, LACUNA COIL partnered with CMON, the renowned board game publisher behind the popular game "Zombicide".

LACUNA COIL has spent some of the last couple of years promoting "Comalies XX", the "deconstructed" and "transported" version of the band's third album, "Comalies".

"Comalies XX" was made available on October 14, 2022 via Century Media Records.

LACUNA COIL celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert on October 15, 2022 at Fabrique in Milano.

"Comalies" was originally released on October 29, 2002 through Century Media Records. The LP, which featured the band's breakthrough single "Heaven's A Lie", has reportedly gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States alone.

Photo credit: Patric Ullaeus