During an appearance on the latest episode of "The Jasta Show", the video podcast hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, AS I LAY DYING's founding vocalist Tim Lambesis was asked about the status of the band's recently recorded new studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we have a label. We're sort of like ironing out the details, so I guess I can't really officially announce [it]. But in terms of — we do one of those things where we projected when the album will be coming out and then we booked this July-into-August [U.S.] tour that we already announced for AS I LAY DYING. And then we thought, 'Well, should we make it the album-release tour?' Well, we're kind of like on the verge of not having — we'll have the singles out for sure, but we might not have the album out. So I don't wanna market it as an album-release tour. But clearly, the singles will be out and it will be leading to the album. And then we have a European tour we're working on [that] we haven't announced yet. Hopefully I'm not causing any problems talking about it. But that will be our European album-release tour. So it's definitely happening this year. But there's a few behind-the-scenes issues to iron out with the label."

AS I LAY DYING's upcoming LP will be the band's first with its new lineup, featuring Lambesis and longtime guitarist Phil Sgrosso alongside drummer Nick Pierce (ex-UNEARTH),bassist vocalist Ryan Neff (MISS MAY I) and guitarist Ken Susi (ex-UNEARTH).

AS I LAY DYING's summer 2024 U.S. tour will kick off July 9 on the West Coast with major market performances in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles before concluding at a hometown show on August 10 at The Observatory Northpark. Support on the tour will come from CHELSEA GRIN and ENTHEOS.

In a recent interview with the Today's Boondoggle podcast, Lambesis stated about the musical direction of the new AS I LAY DYING material: "No disrespect to some of these other bands, but some bands, when they get to as far along in their careers as we are, they start lightening up or putting out records that are, I think, less exciting than their previous material. And I think for us, it's really cool. I feel like a second with AS I LAY DYING to where it's, like, this record has a lot of really cool intense parts, a lot of really great intricate melodies and cool guitar work and stuff. And so just showing people that we're just as passionate and energetic about where we're at as we've ever been, that, to me, is what's important."

Last June, Tim told Graspop Metal Meeting about AS I LAY DYING's upcoming LP: "We partly self-produced [it], and then we also worked with another producer. So we spent about a year working on the album by ourselves before we gave it to the producer."

Regarding how the addition of new members Pierce, Neff and Susi has affected AS I LAY DYING's sound, Tim said: "Well, [Nick, Ryan and Ken are] new for us, but, obviously, the guys have been around playing music for 20 years themselves. We're familiar, just having spent so much time with UNEARTH, and then MISS MAY I having a pretty similar sound.

"The songwriting within AS I LAY DYING has historically been mostlyPhil and I," he continued. "Josh [Gilbert], our previous bass player, helped. But the core of the songwriting is the same. So this additional layer that we get from these new guys is almost like breathing fresh new air… a breath of fresh air."

In September 2022, Lambesis addressed AS I LAY DYING's recent lineup changes in an interview with Metalshop TV. He said: "I think for our fans, they think that the changes happened all in a very short period of time, but they actually happened over the last two years. The first change was on guitar we invited Ken Susi to fill in for us. And that was [around 2020] that we invited him. But then, of course, the pandemic happened and so we had a lot of breaks until we had a tour again. So Ken's been rehearsing with us, or talking about rehearsing with us, for the last couple of years. And on drums we have Nick Pierce, who joined us. Nick Pierce was previously in UNEARTH; Ken is from UNEARTH as well. And Nick stopped playing with UNEARTH and coincidentally at the same time we needed a drummer, because our previous drummer hadn't been communicating with us; he went very isolated once the pandemic hit. And so there wasn't an argument or anything like that; it was just a situation where when the pandemic hit, he decided to take a new direction in life and kind of cut himself off from the rest of us. And we decided we wanted to keep going forward. Phil and I had been the ones writing the songs all these years, so when Nick Pierce left UNEARTH, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to have him perform with us. And then Ryan came from MISS MAY I. He was the last guy to come in. And he didn't come in until a couple of months ago. Our bass player, Josh, previously left, and he's with SPIRITBOX now. And when he decided to go perform with SPIRITBOX, we called up Ryan, who was with MISS MAY I. And Ryan Neff was on tour at the time. And then we asked him, 'Can you start touring with us as soon as this tour is over?' And he said, 'Well, I'm only gonna have three days off to rehearse in between tours.' He said, 'If you guys want me to do it, I'll make sure I come prepared.' And he had a lot to learn in three days, but he pulled it together. He's a very, very hard-working guy."

AS I LAY DYING's new album will be the follow-up to "Shaped By Fire", which came out in September 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

In June 2022, longtime AS I LAY DYING drummer Jordan Mancino announced that he would sit out the band's tour due to "a number of ongoing internal issues" that "have not yet been resolved."

Mancino's announcement came less than a month after AS I LAY DYING's longtime bassist/vocalist Josh Gilbert revealed that he was leaving the band. In a statement, the remaining members of AS I LAY DYING said that Gilbert "decided to exit" the group "to pursue other musical opportunities."

Josh was the second AS I LAY DYING member to leave the band in less than a year. In August 2021, guitarist Nick Hipa confirmed his exit from AS I LAY DYING, explaining that he could no longer justify being part of "a superficial pursuit" of the "story and meaning" that the band's 2018 reunion was built upon.

Lambesis was famously convicted in 2014 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his estranged wife.

In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — on December 17, 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

In June 2018, AS I LAY DYING played its first show with Lambesis in five years and released a new single. Lambesis also owned up to his crimes in a long apology on the band's Facebook page after his release.

The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since Hipa categorically denounced the band's disgraced frontman as a "sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation" in a social-media post back in 2014.

In September 2021, AS I LAY DYING released a new song called "Roots Below" which was originally a B-side leftover from when the sessions for "Shaped By Fire".

Photo credit: Randy Edwards (courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records)

Former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach headlined the Rainbow Bar & Grill 52nd-anniversary party on Sunday, April 14 in West Hollywood, California. Fan-filmed video of his performance can be seen below.

In April 1972, Mario Maglieri, along with Whisky co-founder Elmer Valentine, Lou Adler and others, started the Rainbow Bar & Grill with a party for Elton John. It has been a second home for actors and musicians, their fans, friends and entourages ever since. Celebrities including John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Keith Moon, John Belushi, Grace Slick, Ringo Starr, Neil Diamond, LED ZEPPELIN, Alice Cooper, GUNS N' ROSES, VAN HALEN, MÖTLEY CRÜE and B-Real have all been sighted there, and the restaurant and bar continue to draw customers from around the world. Late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy reportedly moved to West Hollywood to be able to walk to the bar. A memorial statue to him was erected on the back patio in 2016, and a mural of him graces the exterior of the building.

A documentary about the Rainbow Bar & Grill was released in 2019. Titled "The Rainbow", the film featured Lemmy, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, Gene Simmons and others, and explored the history of the Hollywood establishment and Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip. Both iconic venues were founded by Maglieri.

Truly a lover of music and the arts, Mario — known as the King of the Sunset Strip — helped hundreds of artists get their start in Los Angeles. Hopefuls from all over the world came to the Rainbow with the desire of being discovered. He frequently came across talented musicians who went on to become platinum sellers. Their pictures line the walls of the Rainbow.

Bach's new solo album, "Child Within The Man", will be released on May 10 via Reigning Phoenix Music. The LP was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Michael "Elvis" Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate and mastered by Robert Ludwig of Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album's 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals.

"Child Within The Man" features guest appearances from John 5 (MÖTLEY CRÜE, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, MICHAEL JACKSON) — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy ("What Do I Got to Lose?" and "To Live Again"). Devin Bronson (guitars),Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Colson (drums) round out the players on the album. The album will be available on jewelcase CD, cassette, and double LP in a variety of colour options.

The album's first single, "What Do I Got To Lose?", was co-written by Sebastian, Kennedy and Baskette, the latter of whom also served as the track's producer.

In advance of the album's release, Bach will hit the road in 2024 for an international tour with dates in Latin and North America. The "What Do I Got To Lose?" tour is a mix of solo gigs and festival appearances that kicks off with an international run of performances in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile before North American shows in the U.S. and Mexico. The stateside tour gets underway May 10 in Jefferson, Louisiana before wrapping June 29 in San Diego, California.

Bach performed "What Do I Got To Lose?" live for the first time during his February 24 concert at Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Bach released the official music video for "What Do I Got To Lose?" in December. The clip was directed by Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera. For the video, which shows Bach cruising through the desert in a convertible and performing with a full band, Sebastian was joined by his former SKID ROW bandmate, drummer Rob Affuso. The clip also features an appearance by actor and comedian Craig Gass and Sebastian's wife Suzanne, who plays a scantily clad car wash attendant.

Bach hasn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014. Like its predecessor, 2011's "Kicking & Screaming", the disc was released through Frontiers Music Srl, the Italian label which specializes in what's commonly called AOR, a term that once signified a popular radio format ("album-oriented rock") but nowadays applies to acts whose airplay is marginal.

The Chelo Sv YouTube channel has uploaded video of ANTHRAX's entire April 15 concert at Anfiteatro ITCA in Santa Tecla, El Salvador.

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. Deathrider
11. Medusa
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 17 - Pepper's, San Jose, Costa Rica
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."

PEARL JAM's twelfth studio album, "Dark Matter", will be released on April 19 via Monkeywrench Records/Republic Records. The LP's latest single, "Wreckage", can be streamed below.

In 2023, PEARL JAM retreated to Rick Rubin's Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California where they simply plugged in and played under producer Andrew Watt's watch. Writing and recording in a burst of inspiration, "Dark Matter" was born in just three weeks. As a result, "Dark Matter" channels the shared spirit of a group of lifelong creative confidants and brothers in one room playing as if their very lives depended on it.

PEARL JAM guitarist Stone Gossard states about "Wreckage": "That one probably has the biggest build for me personally, in terms of hearing it at first and thinking, it's kind of an Ed [Vedder, PEARL JAM singer] song. I wasn't quite aware of its potency until later. Andrew encouraged me to play this little harmonic, acoustic part almost like a CURE melody. I've been playing along with the song to relearn it and I'm really looking forward to playing it live. It's a really powerful lyric and I think we did a really great job of taking something and really pushing it to its limit."

Watt adds: "['Wreckage'] started with the riff and everyone kind of formulating sections together. That song just came to Ed right away. Within the first couple takes before the music was even right, his vocals were right. His melodies and words are so strong in that song. Once the initial spark was there and there were a few sections, it was just really about following him."

The album's packaging features light painting art by Alexandr Gnezdilov. The album cover art was crafted using a large self-made kaleidoscope. Each letter visible on the cover was individually captured and handwritten midair with a specially designed flashlight to create the pearlescent effect.

PEARL JAM will celebrate indie record stores with the release of a special edition of "Dark Matter" on April 20, only at participating stores as part of Record Store Day. Get more information and find stores at www.recordstoreday.com.

PEARL JAM reportedly held a listening party for "Dark Matter" in late January at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, during which Vedder told those in attendance that he considered the LP to be "our best work."

"Dark Matter" track listing:

01. Scared Of Fear
02. React, Respond
03. Wreckage
04. Dark Matter
05. Won't Tell
06. Upper Hand
07. Waiting For Stevie
08. Running
09. Something Special
10. Got To Give
11. Setting Sun

In a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine, PEARL JAM guitarist Mike McCready stated about collaborating with Watt, the multi-Grammy-winning producer who has also worked with Dua Lipa, Post Malone and Justin Bieber, as well as Ozzy Osbourne and THE ROLLING STONES: "When we were in the studio with him this past year, he really kicked our asses, got us focused and playing, song after song. It took a long time to make 'Gigaton', but this new one didn't take long. Andrew was, like, 'You guys take forever to make records. Let's do this, right now.'"

Regarding the musical direction of PEARL JAM's new material, Mike said: "It's a lot heavier than you'd expect. There's the melody and energy of the first couple of records. Andrew pushed us to play as hard and melodic and thoughtful as we've done in a long time. I feel like Matt Cameron's drumming has elements of what he did in SOUNDGARDEN."

He added: "For better or worse, you're gonna hear a lot more lead guitar from me — stuff I haven't done in a long time. I went crazy, like with Chris Cornell and TEMPLE OF THE DOG on 'Reach Down' [1991] all those years ago. I got to do it again. Usually the first or second takes are best. After that I start thinking about it and it doesn't have the feel. But Andrew caught the lightning in a bottle, as they say."

McCready also discussed how the current situation in America has affected Vedder who has had a career full of activism and advocacy for political causes.

"I think Ed has always been very aware of everything that's going on and always fighting for the underdog," the guitarist said. "Certainly America has got so many fucked-up issues. Guns. Racism. That idiot Trump. All that stuff has always been there, but you have to be aware of it and consciously fight it, because you want this to be a better world, if you're a good human. And I see Ed as that, and hopefully we are. We try to be proactive and solution-oriented, and not sit back and do nothing."

Asked what he thinks are the best and worst things that could happen in 2024, Mike said: "Oh god. Well, if Trump got elected, that'd be the worst thing in the world to me. I'd rather think about the best things that can happen. We have to come together. We have to be compassionate. We have to take care of the environment. We have to not be racist. We have to not be idiots. There's all these things we can do. But we have to choose to think that way."

Last September, McCready was also full of praise for Watt, telling Guitar World magazine: "Andrew Watt brought an energy and a youthfulness and a great ear to us that I think we needed. He kind of kicked us in our asses a little bit. Like, 'Okay, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go go go!' He's the most hyper guy I've ever met besides myself. But he's a giant fan of our band, and he's a really smoking guitar player in his own right. He got us into a room and just pushed us as hard as we could be pushed."

He continued: "You know, it's hard for a quote-unquote outsider to come into our world because we've done things a certain way. We're open to new things, but we are also in our own world. We've done things for 30 years. So we know the dynamics of our band very well. But sometimes we need to get pushed and questioned, and Andrew did a great job of that."

In June 2023, PEARL JAM bassist Jeff Ament told Kyle Meredith about the inspiration for the band's new material: "Well, we've talked a lot about, in the last three or four years, how we've sort of earned the right to do whatever the fuck we want to right now. And so why wouldn't we go all the way with that? Saying, like, 'Everybody, make a list of the 10 things that you wanna do in this band before we're done. Where is the city that you've never played? Or where is the venue you wanna go back to? Or what's the kind of song you wanna write? Or what's the cause you wanna get behind within the context of the band?' Those are sort of the things I talk about.

"It feels like we're sort of at this point where we should be able to turn a big corner," he continued. "We've earned the right to sort of, like… And that's tough, because there's five of us that are pulling the cart. And so sometimes you end up pulling the cart in opposite directions. It's, like, just embracing all of that — embracing everybody's ideas and everybody's hopes and dreams and wishes and styles.

"We have this amazing community as a band and the families within the band, and the people that we work with and the people that have worked with us for, like, 32 years in some cases. It's taken us this long for it to work this efficiently. We should be killing it right now in every way. I think that's what we hope for musically. I think we wanna turn the corner and I think we wanna access all the best parts of each other and we wanna flourish within that. We just wanna support the best parts of each other so we consequently make the best music.

"Sometimes there's a lot of ego involved, and if somebody feels like they're working harder than the other person, or whatever the stuff is, but if you can just leave that stuff behind and focus on how do we support each other so each person brings the best to the song we're working on right now," Ament added. "And I think that's what we're trying to do. The stuff we've been doing the last couple of years, it sort of feels like we've hit on that in a few instances."

2020 officially marked 30 years of PEARL JAM performing live. Eleven studio albums, hundreds of unique live performances and official live concert bootleg releases later, the band continues to be critically acclaimed and commercially successful — with over 85 million albums sold worldwide. PEARL JAM was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017.

"Gigaton" was released in March 2020. Featuring fan favorites "Dance Of The Clairvoyants", "Superblood Wolfmoon" and "Quick Escape", the album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums, and Billboard Vinyl Albums Chart. In addition, it hit Top 5 on Billboard 200 chart, No. 2 on Billboard Top Album Sales chart and to date has reached over 200 million global streams. The album was critically acclaimed, with Entertainment Weekly raving, "It's a sturdy rock album from five guys who know what they're doing, took time till they had something to say, are interpolating new influences and sound stoked to be back together in a room."

Photo credit: Danny Clinch

GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin recently spoke to SWOMP about the band's recently launched "Vibez Tour". The trek sees frontman Sully Erna and his bandmates deliver a series of intimate evenings featuring acoustic/electric performances and untold stories in theatres across North America. The second leg of the tour will kick off April 9 in Valley Center, California.

Shannon said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The 'Vibez Tour' is my favorite one yet. It's the coolest thing, because it's a completely… After doing eight months on the road last year playing the same set, 'cause on the big shows… Growing up, we all liked our bands to try and play as much like the record as possible. And we famously don't use tracks or any kind of backing, click tracks and all that shit. So, playing last year, I pretty much played the same thing every night all year. So, to come out and do this 'Vibez Tour', which is a completely different set list, And we're playing in smaller venues after beating up the country last year — we played A, B and C markets — so we knew this year, if we wanted to go play, we would have to do something different and do it in small venues. We did this one other time in 2004 when we put out 'The Other Side', which was an EP, an acoustic EP. And so this tour, 'Vibez', is kind of based on that premise of lava lamps and mushrooms, a cool, mellow trippy vibe. But this time we implemented some cover songs in there that we all grew up and were influenced by — some [LED] ZEPPELIN, some PINK FLOYD, BEATLES and stuff like that. And it's not a fully acoustic show either. It's electric guitars and all, but there's no aggressive songs. There's fun songs — don't get me wrong, it's a fun show and it has energy, but it's not aggressive rock metal, like GODSMACK is known for. And so for me, that, alone with being in the smaller venues, 'cause being the drummer, you're so far from the crowd anyway, and that's kind of the payoff, is performing live. You get that energy from the crowd, and being the drummer, especially at these big festivals, there's 60-by-40-foot decks, I'm probably 50 feet from the front row even, where in these theaters, I can see every face. And so I urge everybody to come out and check it out. It's the coolest thing, I think, we've done in many years."

Elaborating on the intimate nature of the shows on the "Vibez Tour" and how different they are from playing huge rock festivals, Shannon said: "We added a couple musicians for this, on keyboards and on guitar. And so it even is a different band, really. We still throw in a couple of the big hits and stuff. But, like I said, it's been my favorite thing yet because of being a drummer.

"You talk about 200,000 people [at some of the festivals]," he continued. "Yeah, there is a big wall of energy that I feel back there, but there's no personal intimacy with even the front row. 'Cause, again, I'm 50 feet from even the front row. Well, we're playing these 2000 theaters, and I can literally look up in the balcony and see people mouthing the words to a song or just smiling or crying or in it with me."

In a recent interview with Houston Life, Sully stated about the "Vibez Tour": "We actually haven't done this kind of a show since 2004. When we were touring with METALLICA, as that tour ended, we went out and we did an acoustic tour, just kind of stripped it down. And it went over really well and people really enjoyed it.

"It's a nice kind of event to even take your family to — your moms, your dads," he continued. "If you're a kid or a teenager or in your 20s or 30s, and you happen to like GODSMACK for the big, powerful rock shows that we usually do, then this is kind of the other side of that. This is the actual, the more intimate, sexy side, we can say, of the band versus the big angry 'grrr' [side]. This is something you can come to, take your parents or whoever you want, a date or your wife or whatever, have a nice glass of wine and watch a really cool musical performance, hear some cool stories, and just kind of take the journey with us. That's what we wanna do on this tour, is really create a way to take the audience on a journey, a musical journey."

Erna previously talked about the "Vibez Tour" last December during an appearance on "The Mistress Carrie Podcast". Asked what the trek is all about, Sully said: "Well, the 'Vibez Tour', it's almost kind of like a break from the big-show touring. We went out all last year and we worked a lot and it was the big show — it was the show that we did in the arenas and the amphitheaters. And when we go out with the big show, as people know, we have this big double-drum battle we do, there's moving lighting and pyro and it's just a big arena show like we grew up on when we were kids. It's the kind of show I always wanted to put out there for the people. But as we get older, the body needs to heal. But we didn't wanna take a break from when we wrapped up at the end of October until summer hits again, when they open up amphitheaters and we start doing these big festival shows or whatever again. There's just too much of a gap there. We wanna be loyal to our crew, so we wanna keep them working. And we also wanna kind of stay tuned up, but to try to do those kind of shows in the winter, it just doesn't make sense. So we wanted to come back to what we did back in — it was like '03, '04, right around the time we were doing the METALLICA thing. And we did an acoustic tour in theaters."

He continued: "People have asked us about when we would ever do that again for so long now — almost 20 years it's been since we did that. So we decided, like, why not do a couple of quick runs, keep us tuned up, play some of the other stuff that we don't get to play on the big show? 'Cause the big show fires up and you wanna hit people and make it the big rock songs, but there's so many cool songs that we also enjoy playing from our catalog that we don't ever get to do 'cause we don't have time. So that this 'Vibez Tour' is gonna be exactly that — we're gonna set a vibe in the theater. Incense candles. We're gonna bring in some of the old memorabilia from other tours, like the gargoyles that we had on the 'Awake' tour and the brass sun that we used on the 'Faceless' tour. And we're gonna try to decorate the stage with all these elements and hopefully take people through the history of the band, so it becomes really cool vibey songs with some storytelling behind it that helps educate the new generation that's been turned on to the band, and just give people a different experience of what else, the other side of what we do as a band."

Erna added: "So it won't be fully acoustic — there's gonna be electric performances as well — but it's gonna be a blend of all that: piano songs, acoustic songs, electric songs. We're gonna mix in some really cool vibey covers. I don't wanna give those away because we haven't done 'em yet, for one, practiced them, so we wanna make sure that we can pull the ones we wanna do off. But I can tell you that it will fit in that same vibe of what we're doing with the 'Voodoo's and the 'Serenity's and the 'Spiral's, and even some of the stuff on the new record, like 'Growing Old' and 'Truth' and 'Under Your Scars' and all that stuff. So we wanna just create like a really cool night of music and storytelling."

When GODSMACK last embarked on "An Evening With" tour 20 years ago, the stripped down acoustic-based performance was aimed at showing the group in a different light and offering it the opportunity to play its music with different arrangements. The show featured the GODSMACK members performing while seated on stools, a la "MTV Unplugged", and included some creative staging and lighting, dim candles and a few spooky props, Times Leader reported at the time.

GODSMACK's eighth studio album, "Lighting Up The Sky" was released in February 2023 via BMG. The LP was co-produced by Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER).

The first single from "Lighting Up The Sky", "Surrender", which arrived in September 2022, marked the first release from GODSMACK in four years, following their globally acclaimed and gold-certified 2018 album "When Legends Rise", which earned the Erna-fronted outfit a No. 1 spot across U.S. Hard Rock, Rock, and Alternative album charts.

On May 17, 2024, horror punk metal act Zombeast will return with its heaviest, darkest, and most frenzied material to date with their new album Heart Of Darkness. Slated for release via Massacre Records – licensed from Fiend Force Records – the album will be coming out on CD Digipak, Ltd. Vinyl LP and Digital formats, the pre-sale is available at this location.


Following the previously-released, first single "Red Ripper", today Zombeast are presenting a music video for new album track "The Cycle".


"This song lyrically focuses on lycanthropy and the frenzy that consumes. This is some of Mario Montechello’s most aggressive singing on the record. It’s the fastest song we’ve ever written and the double bass action of Kyle Smith during the pre-chorus just creates a massive wall of sound reminiscent of Metallica’s ‘Dyers Eve’,” says guitarist / bassist Jared Smith. "The dueling guitar breakdown was also written the night before the studio and I think we nailed it considering it was written in the 11th hour. The music on my end was heavily inspired by AFI’s ‘Black Sails In The Sunset’."




Influenced by Danzig, AFI, Mercyful Fate, and ‘80s punk, death rock, and thrash metal, Zombeast has crafted a perfect crossover blend of dark punk and thrash. The lyrics, written by Mario Montechello, explore everything from the true horrors of life to the occult and lycanthropy. With the addition of Alex Young (lead guitar) and Kyle Smith (drums), this album also breaks new technical ground that's never been seen before by the band.





Tracklisting:


“Devil’s Whore”
“Red Ripper”
“Call Of The Wild”
“Torso”
“The Cycle”
“Heart Of Darkness”
“Cold Embrace”
“The Witching Bell”
“Night Demon”
“Dark Path”


“The Cycle”:





“Red Ripper” video:

As they prepare for the release of their sixth studio album Coagulated Bliss— out next Friday, April 26— Full of Hell have shared the album's powerful title track. While the focus on songwriting already makes Coagulated Bliss the most grounded album in band's catalog, it’s also the first Full of Hell record that tries in earnest to reflect the world around it—not in some broad, monotony-of-evil way, but the everyday horrors of life in small town America.  


Vocalist Dylan Walker’s lyrics have always framed their suffering with what he calls “fantastical, metaphorical shit,” but on Coagulated Bliss his writing is clear and direct.  Walker comments, “This song is a lyrical summation of the record as a whole. Seeking the unattainable. Drowning in it.”


The songs on Coagulated Bliss feel huge, totemic, groundshaking, and the title track is no different.  Guitarist Spencer Hazard states, “Dave [Bland, drums] and I wrote this song with a band like Today is the Day in mind. Noisy guitar and jazzy drums but a riff that gets stuck in your head.”




Full of Hell burst forth with incredible force from the small, dagger-shaped city of Ocean City, Maryland, 15 years ago. Over five full-lengths, five collaborative full-lengths, and countless splits, EPs, singles, and noise compilations, they’ve evolved at extraordinary speed, their music becoming more complicated and technical without ever slowing down or losing its soul. Everything on a Full of Hell album feels like a blur: smears of guitar, harsh noise shaken like gravel in a bag, singer Dylan Walker’s snarl and bite carrying him into outer space or into the core of the earth. They’re coiled, interlocking, impossible to penetrate, and they move with alarming speed. 


They have now reached terminal velocity. Having created their own context, they’re now able to walk around within it, to survey its terrain, to visit far corners and see who’s nearby. Their forthcoming album, Coagulated Bliss, sounds like Full of Hell, but it’s nothing like any Full of Hell record that’s come before it. These songs are trimmer, less freighted with anxiety, more interested in opening up than speeding away. Its bile is sometimes funneled into traditional song structures.


It never shies away from the extreme harsh noise, unrelenting spirit, and pitch-black sadness of previous Full of Hell records; if anything, the leanness of these songs makes them feel even heavier. Nevertheless, there are tracks here you might find yourself whistling hours after listening. It’s an extraordinary and unexpected evolution in sound for a band who made their name on rapid metamorphosis, and it’s the logical endpoint of everything Full of Hell has covered so far.


Coagulated Bliss is out April 26 via Closed Casket Activities and is available for pre-order here. See Full Of Hell on the road in April + May with Dying Fetus (dates below) and look for more news soon.


Coagulated Bliss,cover art by Brian Montuori.





Coagulated Bliss tracklisting:


"Half Life Of Changelings"
"Doors To Mental Agony"
"Transmuting Chemical Burns"
"Fractures Bonds To Mecca"
"Coagulated Bliss"
"Bleeding Horizon"
"Vomiting Glass"
"Schizoid Rupture"
"Vacuous Dose"
"Gasping Dust"
"Gelding Of Men"
"Malformed Ligature"


"Coagulated Bliss" video:





"Doors To Mental Agony" video:





Full Of Hell is Spencer Hazard (guitar/electronics), David Bland (drums/vocals), Samuel DiGristine (bass/sax/vocals), and Dylan Walker (vocals/electronics/lyrics), with new guitarist Gabriel Solomon joining following the album’s completion.


Full Of Hell tour dates:


April
25 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore ^
26 - Sayerville, NJ - Starland Ballroom ^
27 - Syracuse, NY - The Song & Dance ^
28 - Albany, NY - Empire Live ^
30 - Quebec City, QV - Theatre Capitole ^


May
1 - Montreal, QC - Beanfield Theatre ^
2 - Ottawa, ON - The Brass Monkey ^
3 - London, ON - London Music Hall ^
4 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre ^
5 - Buffalo, NY - Electric City ^
7 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot Ballroom ^
8 - Columbus, OH - The King of Clubs ^
9 - Joliet, IL - The Forge ^
10 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave ^
12 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre ^
13 - Saskatoon, SK - Louis ^
14 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room ^
15 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre ^
17 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre ^
18 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon ^
19 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater ^


July
13 + 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Exposition Park (Sound & Fury)


^ with Dying Fetus


(Photo - Zachary Jones)

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", Brendon Small, co-creator of "Metalocalypse", the hit animated series on Adult Swim featuring the fictitious metal band DETHKLOK, was asked which METALLICA album he thinks is better, "Ride The Lightning" or "Master Of Puppets". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I would always say 'Master Of Puppets' because I think the music is honed, the music is unique — everything from 'The Thing That Should Not Be' to 'Battery'. There's a darkness, there's evil, there's old-school fire-and-brimstone gravitas that's almost neoclassical. Whether or not they know it, they're using these traditional harmony chords to elevate and accentuate everything. It's just great riff writing."

He continued: "I love METALLICA because, especially in those days, and I would also put '…And Justice For All' in that category too, where they are doing this wonderful kind of beautiful… Thrash can get at this tempo where it just drops you off in one place and it zigzags you through this labyrinth and drops you off in a completely different place and you don't know what happened, but you went on some epic journey. And that's what I love about METALLICA, is they really create the journey, they create the labyrinth. They start you off slow, they lift you off fast. There's a breakdown somewhere along the way, but there's so much musical experimentation that I wish they never, ever stopped and kept getting more intense and heavy. But I also respect that they go where they want to go, because that's what the artist should be doing. Anyway, so long answer short, I always think 'Master Of Puppets', though 'Ride The Lightning' is 'Ride The Lightning'. I mean, there's 'The Call Of Ktulu', which is one of the most epic songs, I think, in the world too. So it's hard to compare a great band to itself. But I would also say that there's so much rage and anger and darkness and inside of '…And Justice For All' that it's, it's hard for me to not even mention that one with the other two. So much time has passed, I see that as a real masterpiece too."

Elaborating on his love of "…And Justice For All", Small said: "It's a dark album. They've lost an important family member [referencing the death of METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton] and they're wrestling with it. And you can hear that. There's humanity all throughout that. Plus there's darkness. It's militaristic. Again, it's epic. METALLICA is epic — when they're really, really epic, they're not screwing around. And then, for some reason, one of the craziest songs ever, 'One', is the one that broke through, and it has elements of a ballad, but then it turns into this crazy… It's a story of a person with no arms or limbs who doesn't wanna be alive anymore. And that's the song that everyone's, like, 'Bring it on. That's the song we wanna hear — the one with the person with no limbs. Give it to us.' And America opens up its arms to METALLICA. What a strange, strange story. But that record's also important because I was discovering heavy metal around that age too, and that was the record that came out. That's an important thing, when you're thinking of your own favorite records. Some of them are just going to mean a little bit more to you because that was your record… So it may be surprising to some people, but that's where I was when I discovered [heavy metal]. It was '…And Justice For All', then 'Master Of Puppets' and 'Ride The Lightning'."

Asked to name his favorite METALLICA song, Brendon said: "Oh, Jeez. My favorite METALLICA tune. I don't think I can answer this question in any kind of rational way… Let's go with 'Blackened'. That is just that crazy upbeat on that thing. It's so nutty. I don't know how the hell they play that live. I don't know how James Hetfield comes up with these riffs.

"It's so funny. I play an Explorer [guitar]," he continued. "I love James Hetfield. There's a reason I play and Explorer, and there's a reason I keep it low these days, is because it's the James Hetfield way. He's figured something out about the right arm and keeping it slung low, 'cause there are guitar players that keep their stuff up high. And it also works — it really does — and I do that too on other guitars, but my Explorer needs to be low because the center of gravity needs to be low for your right hand [for] all those down strokes.

"There are so many great rhythm guitar players in that era, and James Hetfield may reign above them all," Small added. "I'm not sure if I even have the authority to say that… I think he really was just constantly asking himself, 'What can I do that's different? What can I do that's faster? What's SLAYER doing? How can we make our own version of stuff?' And they were always putting their personality into their music. And that's not easy to do, to find a voice inside of your — even your own band. But they certainly did. I mean, if you took his actual voice away and you just listened to his decisions on guitar or how they were derived between Kirk [Hammett] and Lars [Ulrich] and, I guess, Jason [Newsted] at the time, how did that come together? And it's that great, beautiful decision-making process and the fact that they just pushed themselves to go harder and more intense, especially on that record."

"Metalocalypse" is a cartoon series about a fictional death metal band called DETHKLOK that's bigger (and far more powerful) than THE BEATLES. The show ran for seven seasons, with the final episode being an hour-long rock opera, "The Doomstar Requiem".

After "Metalocalypse"'s rise in popularity, Small assembled DETHKLOK as an actual live band to play the music featured on the show, with Small himself handling vocals and guitar.

DETHKLOK's first three albums charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and the third release, "Dethalbum III", peaked at No. 10, making it the highest-charting death metal album of all time. In addition, "The Doomstar Requiem: A Klok Opera Soundtrack" made it to No. 7 on Billboard's soundtrack chart in 2013.

After several years of dormancy, DETHKLOK returned last year with a new album, "Dethalbum IV" and an animated movie, "Metalocalypse: Army Of The Doomstar". It was hard fought since Adult Swim abruptly pulled the plug on "Metalocalypse" show a decade ago, despite its rabid following amongst the metal crowd, many of whom came to appreciate the show's regular easter eggs and voice appearances from the likes of King Diamond, METALLICA's Kirk Hammett and CANNIBAL CORPSE's George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. Indeed, "Metalocalypse" may be the only quasi-mainstream show to be truly catered to a metal audience, which can explain its enduring popularity and the steady drumbeat of requests for its revival.

As previously reported, DETHKLOK has just embarked on the "Mutilation On A Spring Night" tour. Running from April 7 through May 3, the trek, produced by Live Nation, is seeing support from DRAGONFORCE and NEKROGOBLIKON.

Last year's "Babyklok" co-headlining trek with BABYMETAL was the first DETHKLOK tour in over a decade.

Original QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Geoff Tate says that it is "a great idea" for singers to rely on backing tracks to enhance their lead vocals during their concerts.

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

Tate addressed some rock acts' reliance on pre-recorded tracks in a video message uploaded by the Syncin' Stanley YouTube channel. Asked for his opinion on singers using backing tracks for their lead vocals, the vocalist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's a great idea. I wish I would have thought about it sooner."

Pressed by Syncin' Stanley to give a more "serious" answer, Geoff replied: "I'm totally serious. I'm totally serious. It would make our jobs so much easier."

Addressing the fact that some pop singers are too busy dancing onstage to be able to deliver a strong vocal performance, Geoff said: "Well, I can't dance, so I've gotta sing."

In 2022, Tate, who has spent some of the last few years on the road celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Empire" and "Rage For Order" albums, as well as the 35th anniversary of Operation: Mindcrime", confirmed to "The Jasta Show" that his backing band was playing the music tuned a half step down to accommodate his aging voice.

"I can't hit those high notes like that anymore in standard tuning. Jesus Christ. I mean, not doing a show," he laughed. "I could do it on its own if I was just gonna sing the song, but doing it night after night, no. You'll kill yourself. I could barely do it when I recorded it. [Laughs]"

According to Tate, tuning down a half step "doesn't make a big difference at all" when it comes to the way the music is represented and the fans' enjoyment of the live shows. "It's mostly to save the singer's voice," the former QUEENSRŸCHE vocalist explained. "And also, my backup singers, they have to hit all those notes too. And we're doing it night after night after night. It's hard on you as a singer to do that. So you find ways of… Tuning down a half step makes a huge difference 'cause you're not just killing yourself to hit the note, and you can do it consistently seven days a week. But if you are tuned up to standard tuning, I think you'd probably only get three shows before you'd have to take a break. And economically, that's just really, really hard to do, to make it work. So we tour just about seven days a week, if we can help it. It depends on the travel."

Back in 2014, Tate's replacement in QUEENSRŸCHE, Todd La Torre, said that the fact that he sings the band's songs in their original key is one of the reasons he has been able to win over so many of the QUEENSRŸCHE fans following Geoff's departure.

"We don't drop-tune," he said. "When I first got in the band, [the other guys in QUEENSRŸCHE] said, 'Hey, if you want us to tune down a half a step, if it's easier for you, don't be afraid to ask us.' And I said, 'No. I wanna do this the best way that I can to represent the songs the way that they really go, and if it's a struggle for me, I just have more work to do for me. But let me keep trying to do this.' So I think the fact that those old songs weren't being played [in the last few years with Geoff in the band]… I mean, some of them were played, but a lot of times they were tuned down or songs were not played in their entirety, like 'Roads To Madness'; we play that song in its entirety. We play 'NM 156' in its entirety. And those fans, they really love hearing that. So the fact that that wasn't happening, and then when I came into the band, it started happening, it really kind of made it easier, I think, for fans to kind of rally around and go, 'Awesome!'"

In June 2022, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet admitted that he and his bandmates no longer attempt to perform their songs in the original key.

"We finally dropped down a half step (D) and I have found that it's not only much easier to hit the 'high' notes but it's just much easier to sing these songs," he said. "We did an 18-show run and I made it through without any vocal issues. I was able to retain my range and high end and sing much more consistently night after night."

Five years ago, IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson said that he takes pride in the fact that he and his bandmates perform their songs in the original key. "We don't detune, like some other people do," he said. "We don't do any of that. I suppose if one day we have to, we have to, but we don't have to do it now, and I think the songs sound better as a result of it. They're meant to be played in that key."

SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine told the Phoenix New Times in a 2017 interview that the aging process has forced him and his bandmates to scale down their touring activities — they no longer play three shows in a row or even attempt to perform some of the earlier songs in the original key. He said: "When you listen to songs from 'Blackout', like 'No One Like You', [or] 'Big City Nights', it's physically impossible [now] to do those songs in the original keys. You want to play those songs, but you want to survive 100 shows a year. So some of the songs we play in different keys, but the energy is still there. You're still at the top of your voice. Even now, you've got to go to the edge, but maybe the edge has moved a little bit."

Ancient Settlers has released "Coven Gardens", second single taken from the new album "Oblivion's Legacy" to be released on May 17 by Scarlet Records.


The sophomore record of the Venezuelan/Spanish band was produced, mixed and mastered by Fredrick Nordstrom at Studio Fredman; Jon Toussas (Suicidal Angels, Nightrage, W.E.B.) took care of the shining artwork.


Ancient Settlers quickly gained a fierce reputation in the melodic death metal European scene thanks to a relentless live activity, and are now eager to raise the bar with their second studio album.




Guided by the demoniac vocals of frontwoman Argen Death, they master the melodeath subject with absolute confidence through storming heavy riffs, thick grooves and catchy hooks (just like the Swedish godfathers taught us all).


Oblivion's Legacy is a conceptual work that delves into the profound depths of human existence, exploring the legacy we leave behind as individuals and as a species. The lyrics contemplate the impact of our actions, the struggles we face, and the ultimate fate that awaits us all.


Set against a backdrop of cosmic wonder and existential introspection, each song serves as a chapter in the unfolding narrative of humanity's journey through time and space.


Oblivion's Legacy will be released in the following formats:
- jewel case CD
- vinyl LP
- digital


Preorder/pre-save here.





Tracklisting:


“The Circle Of Misanthropy”
“Oblivion’s Legacy”
“Stardust Odyssey”
“Wounded Heart”
“Subversive”
“Coven Garden”
“The Mechanical Threats Paradox”
“The Last Battle In The Earth”
“Cosmic Farewell”
“Redemption”


"Coven Gardens":





"Wounded Heart" video:





Tour dates:


July
5 – Lucerne, Switzerland – Brunch Brothers
7 – Prachatice, Czech Republic – South Of Heaven Open Air


September
7 – Bree, Belgium – Metal Babes & Queens Festival
8 – Paris, France – Le Klub 


(Photo – Juan Lopez)

Canada’s The Blood Of Christ is an epic dark metal band that has been around since the early ‘90s. To date, they have released three full-length albums, and their new EP Sworn Trilogy is set to come out on April 23, 2024. The concept record tells a story about a man who, by means of his own cowardice in the face of oblivion, sentences his entire bloodline to commit evil acts on behalf of abyssal demons for all time. 


Ahead of the EP, to give fans of black and death metal a taste of what’s in store, they are releasing a lyric video for the single “Oath Breaker”, which they comment on:


“‘Oath Breaker’ was the last song we wrote for this trilogy and it might have just turned out to be one of our best yet. It has a lot of emotion and moods and resolves the trilogy in classic death metal, climaxing pit riff fashion. We have a feeling that this song will be a staple in our live set for several years to come and can’t wait to see the reaction to it.”




While the band’s influences favour the shocking approach with lyrical themes that were rampant with gore, Satanism, and often-abhorrent imagery, The Blood Of Christ chose to focus on the more abstract and poetic subject matter. Their songs are often rife with human suffering, lust and longing, time travel, astrology, historical battles, and the human struggle for personal freedom. In “Oath Breaker” we see the protagonist flinging himself into the abyss, removing his own scourge from the earth and ending the curse his ancestors placed upon him.


The Blood Of Christ’s brooding, unique, and crushing sound has made fans out of underground metal lovers from many genres, creating an appeal that defies genre borders.


Fiends who were raised on the sheer brutality and boundary-smashing efforts of Morbid Angel, or the pioneering and challenging progressive grind-core of Liverpudlian innovators Carcass, the epic and majestic sounds of Viking artisans Enslaved, or even the groove-laden proto-death of Brazilian legends Sepultura will find something rousing and engulfing within The Blood Of Christ.


Sworn Trilogy is due out on April 23 via CDN Records.





Tracklisting:


“Sworn 1 – The Vow”
“Sworn 2 – Feeding The Abyss”
“Sworn 3 – Oath Breaker”


“Oath Breaker”:

Doom metal legends TROUBLE have announced Garry Naples as their new drummer. Naples has already begun rehearsals with TROUBLE and will be recording drums for the band's upcoming studio album, the details of which are still pending and will be announced separately.

Naples, a Chicago-based drummer, has been playing in metal and rock bands for over 20 years. After joining his first band at the age of 15, Garry joined Prophecy Productions recording artist NOVEMBERS DOOM in 2011. He has since recorded three full-length albums with them, and has performed in Europe, North America, and South America. Garry co-founded the band WITHOUT WAVES in 2010. After signing to Prosthetic Records in 2016, the band released two albums under that label, and has done several U.S. tours. Additionally, Garry has toured and recorded with several other bands, including WOLVHAMMER, CHROME WAVES and BEAR MACE.

TROUBLE founder and guitarist Rick Wartell stated: "The band is very excited to have Garry join us as a permanent member. He's an accomplished musician, with extensive recording and touring experience, and his playing style is a perfect fit for TROUBLE.

"We're scheduled to head into the studio to work with him, and eager to have him lend his talents and creativity on our upcoming album. We're also looking forward to bringing this lineup out live for some shows, and then on tour in support of the new record when the time comes."

Naples had occasion to share the stage with TROUBLE back in October 2023, playing with NOVEMBERS DOOM as one of the acts on the opening night of the inaugural launch of Heavy Chicago Fest, a three-day event hosted at Avondale Music Hall. The new music festival featured TROUBLE as the headliner, and also showcased ACID KING and BONGZILLA.

TROUBLE has released nine studio albums to date, and is in the process of recording its tenth, which will be released on Hammerheart Records in 2025.

TROUBLE is an American metal band noted as one of the pioneers of their genre. The band created a distinct style taking influences of the British heavy metal bands BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST, and psychedelic rock of the 1970s. A critically acclaimed group, their first two albums, "Psalm 9" and "The Skull" are cited as landmarks of doom metal.

TROUBLE's current line-up is: Kyle Thomas (vocals),Rick Wartell (guitars),Bruce Franklin (guitars),Rob Hultz (bass) and Garry Naples (drums).

TROUBLE's first studio album in six years, "The Distortion Field", landed at position No. 25 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. Released in Europe in August 2013 via FRW Records, the 12-song follow-up to 2007's "Simple Mind Condition" was helmed by veteran producer Bill Metoyer (SLAYER, W.A.S.P., ARMORED SAINT, DARK ANGEL, SACRED REICH, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, D.R.I.) and marked the recording debut with Thomas following the departure of the group's frontman of four years, Kory Clarke (of WARRIOR SOUL fame).

TROUBLE formed in 1979 and released several classic albums like "Trouble", "Manic Frustration" and "Plastic Green Head".

Singer Eric Wagner left TROUBLE in April 2008, citing his disdain for the touring life as the main reason for his departure.

Eric, who was TROUBLE's original singer, died in August 2021 after a battle with COVID pneumonia. He was 62 years old.

According to Wagner's TROUBLE and THE SKULL bandmate Ron Holzner, Eric was generally opposed to institutionalized medicine but he wouldn't make an exception for the COVID vaccine.

"We argued about it, and he stood his ground on the matter," Holzner told the Chicago Reader. "I always joked, 'The World According To Eric Wagner — you should write a book.' He lived his life his way."

Wagner, who smoked cigarettes and occasionally drank and vaped, had health issues, but had begun taking better care of himself and switching to a plant-based diet, Holzner said.

MEGADETH surprised fans in Argentina earlier today (Tuesday, April 16) by performing a three-song acoustic set outside Hotel Madero in Buenos Aires.

Fan-filmed video of guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist James LoMenzo, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and drummer Dirk Verbeuren playing "Trust", "Angry Again" and "Symphony Of Destruction" can be seen below.

MEGADETH previously played a short acoustic set for the band's fans outside the Four Seasons hotel in Buenos Aires in August 2016. Less than two years later, in May 2018, Mustaine played a surprise acoustic set for fans outside his hotel in Mendoza, Argentina. The MEGADETH leader was in town for a few days of relaxation, as well as visits to local wineries, after playing a couple of shows in Mexico earlier that month.

MEGADETH played the first two shows at the 15,000-capacity Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Saturday, April 13 and on Sunday, April 14.

After the first concert at Movistar Arena sold out in a matter of minutes, the band added another date at the same venue. That concert sold out in two hours, according to concert promoter Ake Music Productions. MEGADETH later announced that it would play a third show at Movistar Arena on April 16.

MEGADETH's concerts in Argentina are taking place 30 years after the band's first appearance in the country, which was held on December 2, 1994 at the Obras Sanitarias stadium. It was at that gig that the chant "Aguante Megadeth" was started during the song "Symphony Of Destruction", loosely translating to "MEGADETH rocks".

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.

From now through next Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., fans can preview the gear that will be available to purchase from famed former MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro via the official Kiko Loureiro Reverb shop.

Known for his time in both the legendary thrash metal band MEGADETH and the Brazilian power metal band ANGRA, as well as his solo projects, Kiko is finally willing to part with a number of pieces of stage-and-studio-played gear — along with personal items like sweatbands, t-shirts and his Gracie Barra Brazilian jiu-jitsu gi — all of which will be available to fans and fellow music makers alike when the items in the shop become available for purchase next week.

Highlights from the official Kiko Loureiro Reverb shop include:

* A surprise Gibson Les Paul Modern that Kiko played on two songs every night during the 2022 MEGADETH tour;
* A few acoustic guitars, including a Godin Multiac ACS SA Grand Concert used on the on tour all over the world in 2023, a Godin Arena Pro CW, and an Ibanez GA6CE-AM used on tours in 2019, '21, and '22 as well as backstage and in hotel rooms for practice;
* A couple of well-used Kramer models, like a SM-1;
* A super portable DV Mark Neoclassic 1x12 guitar speaker cab, and DV Mark Multiamp from the MEGADETH jam and rehearsal room;
* Several Neural DSP Quad Cortex units that have been main pieces of Kiko's touring rig since 2022;
* Some non-gear extras, like Kiko's sweatbands, a few shirts, and even a Gracie Barra Brazilian jiu-jitsu gi.

To preview all of the gear that will be available for purchase in the official Kiko Loureiro Reverb shop on April 17, click here.

Last November, the Brazilian-born Kiko, who lives in Finland, announced his decision to "extend" his absence from MEGADETH's touring activities, explaining that he didn't want to "hinder any of the band's plans or the hard work of all the incredible people involved in the tour."

Kiko revealed in September 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.

One day after Kiko's announcement that he was "extending" his absence from MEGADETH's touring activities, band leader Dave Mustaine released a statement in which he said that he loves Loureiro and respects and fully supports Kiko's decision. He described Kiko as "a top-notch professional, a maestro" and thanked the guitarist "for his dedication and hard work these past nine years, helping us to achieve a Grammy on 'Dystopia' and the additional awards we have received on this latest record 'The Sick... The Dying...And The Dead'." Mustaine added: "I could not have done this without Kiko Loureiro."

MEGADETH played its first concert with Kiko's replacement, Teemu Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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.

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

In a new interview with Steve King of the 105.3 The Bone radio station, JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain spoke about the band's current working relationship with its longtime vocalist Arnel Pineda. Pineda was a bar and club singer working in Manila, Philippines in 2007 when he got an e-mail from JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon who had seen videos of Pineda performing on YouTube and asked him to come to San Francisco and audition to become the band's new frontman.

"Yeah, Arnel's 16 years celebrating — this is his 16th year [with JOURNEY]," Cain said. "[It's] probably the longest tenure of any lead singer for the band. So, he's been crushing it for us. He's got his kids on the road with him this time, and he seems really content and happy. And we're really proud of everything he's done up to this point. And we see some years left. There's definitely still some gas in the tank. But we're very happy with Arnel. He's amazing."

Classic JOURNEY singer Steve Perry left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Steve Augeri. Jeff Scott Soto replaced Augeri in JOURNEY in December 2006 after Augeri began suffering throat problems on the road. But Soto lasted less than a year, and in December 2007, JOURNEY hired Pineda, who fronts the band to this day.

Back in August 2022, Schon was asked what it had been like to work with Pineda for the prior 15 years. He responded: "Arnel is just a gem. He's more amazing right now than he was when I first found him in Manila 15 years ago, when he was homeless and he was in dire straits. I was searching for the new singer for JOURNEY and I chose YouTube to look all over the world for the singer. When I heard his voice, I knew that he was it — with no other thought. It hit me emotionally in my heart. I went, 'That is the voice. He is the voice. I know he can do it.' And so I stuck to my guns, with a lot of resistance from many — from within the band and from management. They all thought I was crazy. I said, 'I know I'm right. So get him over here.' We got him over. And he proved that I was right again."

Neal continued: "The show we just played the other night, he sounded phenomenal through the whole show. We finally got his in-ears sorted out; we've got a great mixer in front now. It sounds like a record every night. And he's sounding phenomenal every night. And he's very excited about some of the new direction that we took that allows him to show how creative he can be without having to emulate our other albums, which is a requirement for any singer that would come into JOURNEY. It's either that or you throw away all your hits that you ever had. And what do you do? Start from ground zero again? It doesn't make sense.

"So I knew when I found Arnel that I had found a true chameleon like no other singer I've ever heard. He is amazing. I love him. He's a true warrior."

Born in the Philippines, Pineda has been fronting the legendary rockers since 2007. A vocal doppelganger for JOURNEY's longtime vocalist Steve Perry, Arnel has helped put JOURNEY back in arenas once again. But some fans were not happy about the addition of Pineda, complaining about his ethnicity and dismissing his voice as a "copycat" of Perry.

Pineda and Perry finally crossed paths when JOURNEY and its former singer shared the stage at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2017. While accepting the award, Steve spoke warmly about his former bandmates, as well as the man who replaced him. "I must give a shout-out to a man who sings his heart out every night, Arnel Pineda," Perry said.

Although Pineda did not get inducted with his bandmates, he did get up and join them at the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, singing "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Lights".

Six years ago, Perry told SiriusXM that he didn't perform with JOURNEY at the Rock Hall ceremony because he is "not in the band. I haven't been in the band for quite some time," he explained. "Arnel's been in the band for almost 10 years, I think. He's a sweet kid — he's a wonderful kid. He sings his heart out every night. It's his gig."

As for meeting Pineda before the induction, Perry said: "There was something endearing about the way he looked at me. He was meeting, like, a grandfather. [Laughs] He's got the gig. It's his gig. He's doing great."

Pineda has overcome a tremendous number of obstacles throughout his life, including the loss of his mother at a young age, homelessness and borderline starvation, making him an inspiration and providing hope for millions of people around the globe. Blessed with the ability to give back, Pineda mobilized his team to join the battle against poverty and its ensuing havoc on Philippine youth.

In a new interview with Concrete Spew, DOWN guitarist Kirk Windstein spoke about the musical direction of the material he and his bandmates have been working on for their next release. The long-running heavy metal supergroup hasn't issued anything since the arrival of the "Down IV – Part Two" EP in May 2014.

"It just sounds like DOWN," Kirk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I mean, it sounds refreshing because we haven't done it in so long, gotten together with me and the guys and done it in — fuck — 12 years or something. So it sounds like DOWN, I think, to me, it sounds more old-school DOWN. And the reason I say that is I think we got to a point where… Like, the 'NOLA' record is so simple, and it just wrote itself; it was so simple. And that's how this is coming about, which is great. We're not overthinking it. We're not trying to make things too complex. Phillip's [Anselmo, DOWN singer] not trying to write so many lyrics and things. We just kind of got away — I hate to say 'got away', 'cause anything we do is DOWN, but, to me, we kind of got a little bit… We needed to go back and look at each other and just go, 'Let's just get in a room and do it like we did from the beginning.' And that's what it feels like to me. It's very magical. The ideas and the working together, just bounce off of one another, it's a natural thing."

Windstein went on to say that DOWN has "seven songs" written "right now," but he noted that he hadn't heard them with lead vocals yet "because I was on tour with CROWBAR in the U.K. and Ireland. And so Phil and [his wife] Kate had [a get-together] over at the house and on the property where the studio is and all while we were on tour. And everybody got to hear it with vocals, except me, and I haven't heard it. So I guess I'm gonna have to try to make a trip over there. But Pepper [Keenan, DOWN guitarist] also built kind of a home studio thing in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He's got like a beach house out there — well, really two that are next door to one another. And I talked to him about that right before we left. So we wanna do guitar solos, at least demo 'em or whatever, have ideas, and what we call sweetie tracks, which is little licks and things between vocal lines. So in order to do that, we're gonna have to get have the vocals, 'cause nobody's got the tracks with Phil's vocals except Phil."

Last month, DOWN drummer Jimmy Bower told Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's new release: "We got together about a month or two ago, and we were practicing with just me, Pat [Bruders, bass], Kirk and Pepper. Phil lives on the other side of the lake [in Louisiana]. We got together over at his house for a weekend, and we have seven songs, man. We're supposed to get together again in April, and then talk about recording, trying to get this thing out."

Asked whether Anselmo, who has spent most of the past year and a half touring with the reformed PANTERA, comes in with a book of lyrical ideas when they are working on music, Bower said: "He's got notebooks and stuff that he definitely writes and keeps stuff for, but he's generally a writes-for-the-song kind of thing.

"Phil's amazing to write with because he's really good with arranging, and he's just really witty with his arrangements and bridges and stuff like that, that, I'd be, like, 'Damn, I would have never thought of that.' And that's the beautiful thing about DOWN — it's a room filled with dudes that are witty with their songwriting and stuff like that. We can write all day without Phil, but when he's there, it's that much better. It really is. 'Cause he'd be, like, 'Do this four times. Go into the bridge, then go back to the verse, and then we'll do a pre-chorus, and next thing you know, you've got a killer song."

Jimmy went on to praise Philip's skills as a composer, saying: "He's such a songwriter, it's ridiculous. And he's super, super fucking talented. Sometimes I read comments about people's misconceptions, and I just hold my tongue. 'Cause I know the truth. The dude can jam his ass off. It's just really fun to write with Phil. He's always in a killer mood, especially when we're being creative. We've been in so many bands together."

Last October, Windstein, who also plays guitar and sings in CROWBAR, told Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio about the DOWN songwriting process: "When you have five guys — well, Phil, of course, will be kind of out of the picture for now but me, Pepper, Jimmy and Pat — in a room together, when you've got all these guys writing riffs off of each other… And that's the way I like to write — I like to write spontaneously off the cuff. I don't like to [go], 'Okay, this is my new song. Boom. Here y'all go,' or whatever. I like to write off the cuff, on the spot. I feel what the other guys are giving me vibe-wise and whatnot. And that, to me, is a winning formula. It really is."

Regarding how long he thinks DOWN can keep going, Kirk said: "When we got DOWN together in 1991, that was the first demo tape. We wrote 'Bury Me In Smoke', 'Temptation's Wings' and 'Losing All' in a day. We recorded it. Phil sang. We mixed it off on a four-track or some shit, and that was it. Phil flew back to Texas and Pepper flew back to North Carolina with C.O.C. So when we got together, we always joked, but it's no longer a joke that this is the kind of band we can grow old with. It doesn't matter what we look like. We can be fat. We can be bald. We're not attracting 18-year-old girls. If they wanna be a fan of the music, great. If you're a [Taylor Swift] fan, hey, more power to you. It's all good. Whatever. But that was not our intention. And it's kind of ironic or whatever that it's kind of come full circle where we see ourselves going, 'Hey, guys, we're closing in on mid-50s to 60s. This is a band that we can actually do and kill it and then retire with it maybe.'"

DOWN made a handful of rare live appearances in the spring and summer of 2022. The band launched a three-date U.S. run of shows in May 2022 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. After playing in Atlanta and Dallas immediately after Rockville, DOWN took a three-week break before regrouping for three European festival appearances in June. An appearance at that year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival followed in September 2022 in Alton, Virginia.

In August 2021, DOWN took part in a very special in-person live and virtual experience. "NOLA Town Throwdown" was held at the Fillmore in New Orleans, Louisiana and featured fans attending the show in person as well as watching it in real time from the comfort of their living room.

In August 2020, DOWN celebrated the 25th anniversary of "NOLA" with a special livestreamed event. Dubbed "The Quarter Century Throwdown", the high-production, multi-camera event took place using cutting-edge streaming technology to create a one-of-a-kind virtual concert experience.

A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER),and HONKY.

Windstein announced his return to DOWN in 2019, with the band confirming a number of festival appearances for 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "NOLA", all of which were later canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which swept the globe.

Prior to the August 2020 livestream, DOWN's last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas.

"Down IV – Part Two" sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release in May 2014 to debut at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous EP, "Down IV Part I – The Purple EP", opened with around 12,000 units in September 2012 to land at No. 35.

"Down IV – Part Two" was recorded at Nodferatu's Lair — Anselmo's home studio — and produced by Michael Thompson. It was released via Down Records/ADA Music.

During an April 12 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker confirmed that there was no more talk of retirement within the band, as there was back in 2010 with what was purported to be a final album and a farewell tour that never quite took hold. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You have to think about that what we didn't know when we made [that] farewell tour [almost 15 years ago], it was exactly the time when WhatsApp came up, when all this new technology [on the] Internet came, that people watching the SCORPIONS on WhatsApp and seeing young kids between 16 and 24 or whatever, [they were] finding [out about] the SCORPIONS. So, and what was happening on the final tour, on the tour, kids were in front of the stage. We said, 'What's happening here?' The older [fans] were up in the balcony or whatever, and we said, 'Hey, it's a complete new feeling on stage.' So then 'MTV Unplugged' came and then we said, 'Hey…' The chemistry was right, no question about this. That's a very important point, when the band has a great chemistry. And then you have fun when you go on the road."

Last September, Rudolf also seemingly dismissed any talk of possible retirement but acknowledged that SCORPIONS would not be able to continue indefinitely. The 75-year-old guitarist told Vikram Chandrasekar of Tales From The Road: "It's not a never-ending road. The road will be finished sooner or later; it's up to you and to our gods. But in 2025, that could be a great time for our 60th anniversary. 2025, it's the time when SCORPIONS is 60 years old. So, then, to celebrate 60 years of SCORPIONS could be a possibility, because I'm in contact with our very old drummer, who was playing on [SCORPIONS' 1972 debut album] 'Lonesome Crow', and the bass player, and use them also on stage to see the different kind of states we went through. Because we are very much connected still in all the different musicians, and that shows again, when we can make it, that music is always there for making friendships."

Back in May 2022, SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine told Jorge Botas of Portugal's "Metal Global": "We scratched that word [retirement] out of our [vocabulary]. It's not there. We don't think about it and we don't talk about it and we take it as it comes.

"We're just growing older and we do what we do and we hope our fans enjoy it as much as we do," Klaus continued. "But who would have thought we're still around after celebrating 50 years of being recording artists — our first album came out in 1972 and now 'Rock Believer' looks like it hits the big time with the fans and so many positive reviews from all over the world. And after all these years, who would have thought? And it's a wonderful thing.

"But all we know is [that] the road ahead is way shorter than what's behind us," Meine added. "And we never take it for granted — we never take success for granted. We work hard on what we do because we still love it and we still enjoy it. But it's what it is. And I think every artist knows what I'm talking about, because to go out there, play a great show for the fans and not let 'em down, it takes a lot of preparation, takes a lot of work. And being the singer, you try to make sure your pipes are in a good condition.

"It's a lot of things," Meine said. "And we don't know what the future will bring. Take a look at the next corner, and you never know what's going on. But right now, life is good. We have a great new album out there. And we have a lot of fun. We enjoy it."

Meine previously discussed SCORPIONS' aborted retirement in a 2018 interview with SiriusXM. "The thing is we have a much different view now," Klaus said. "And it's a young generation — that's the fuel that keeps us going, and it's really motivating.

"To be honest, every other year, you take a look around the corner: 'Can we do this?' 'Can we still deliver on the same high level, the way we used to do it?'" he admitted. "And that's the only way, and it's only fun if you can go out there and play a great rock show, wherever you do it. Like in the last couple of weeks, we had so much fun. But then you get sick on the road, like I did last year with the severe laryngitis. What can you do? There's not a chance. And then sometimes, of course, you ask yourself, 'How long can we do this?' Especially for singers — and I know I'm not the only one. But it's always, sometimes you ask yourself, 'Klaus, c'mon, how long can you keep up this level?' And then you go out there, everything feels good."

Circling back to SCORPIONS' 2010 "farewell tour" announcement, Klaus told SiriusXM: "Of course, we had our moment of doubt when we said, 'Okay. Maybe we should retire. Maybe this is a good moment.' And then we realized we were wrong, because there's still a lot of sting in the tail, so to speak, and it still feels good. There's such a demand for the SCORPIONS, and we're one of the few bands who play this global stage. If there wasn't this kind of demand, of course, there's no point after so many years, and you'd better go, 'Well, I go home and take it easy.' But there's such a strong demand and that really feels good and challenging — it's a challenge. Of course, you don't do it for the business. It's a good business, yes, but you don't do it for the business and for the money — you do it for the fun, you do it for what's inside of you, what's in your blood, what's in your veins, and that's the rock and roll music. And you wanna go out and play in front of an audience, because that's what it's all about."

SCORPIONS' only continuous member has been Schenker, although Meine has appeared on all of the band's studio albums, while guitarist Matthias Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016, respectively.

SCORPIONS' latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February 2022. The album was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN's John Dolmayan has uploaded drum-cam video of him and his bandmates rehearsing the song "Cigaro" off their album "Mezmerize" on April 16 for their upcoming appearance at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. Check out the clip below.

Last November, SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian addressed his comment from a year earlier that he wasn't interested in touring due to some health issues. Asked if those issues are still affecting him, Serj told Revolver magazine: "Some of my back stuff is a lot better, in terms of health, which is cool. I have some other things I'm dealing with right now, which may or may not be affected by travel or touring.

"It wasn't just a health-related decision as far as cutting down on touring, but also a lifestyle decision," he explained. "Based on family and vision.

"I've been touring for 20-something years, on and off, of course. Not every year. And it's fun, it's profitable, it makes a lot of people happy in terms of being out there and sharing the music and [seeing] the reaction, and people really enjoying it and getting that feedback. But after years of doing it and the travel that's involved, it's one of those things where it's not the top priority on my list in life."

Asked if that means that he wants to spend more time with his son, Serj said: "Travel takes you out of… you could take your family with you if you're doing a small tour, I guess. And that's something that we have done, even when our son was really young. But it's just about prioritizing life and what you really want to do.

"Some people like to tour until they're ready to go from this plane, and that's not how I see myself going," he explained. "To me, doing different things in measured form allows me to be more creative than to take something that's repetitious and do it for a long period of time. And that includes everything that I do."

As previously reported, Serj's memoir, "Down With The System", will be released on May 14, 2024 via
Hachette Books.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN vocalist/guitarist Daron Malakian has resurrected his SCARS ON BROADWAY project for its first live appearances in five years: October 5 at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles as the support act for KORN, and October 11 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

Soul Sign is an all-star group comprising members of Quiet Riot, Scorpions’ Uli Jon Roth, Yngwie Malmsteen, Ted Nugent, Player, Dokken, DIO Returns, Leatherwolf and Unida delivering heavy, melodic rock that will touch your soul. BraveWords is premiering the new music video for “Out Of The Dark – White Room Cover” – check it out below. 





Video notes:
Directed & Editing - John Haggard  
Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Bjorn Englen   




The group, based out of Los Angeles, was founded with the intention to deliver strong, honest, organic modern and classic rock through world class musicianship. All members are extraordinary musicians & personalities who have had their craft perfected through many years of extensive world-wide touring & recording with world famous, multi-platinum selling artists. They deliver an energetic live show suited to a wide range audience. 


Mark Boals - Vocals
The legendary voice of Yngwie Malmsteen, Ted Nugent & Scorpions’ Uli Jon Roth. Mark has also sung with Don Dokken, The Rock Vault, Ring of Fire & Royal Hunt. Bigger than life vocals with a range that is hard to beat! 


Rob Math - Guitar
Rob’s unique & tasteful style is combining blues with great chops. He has recorded with Seal, Toni Braxton & many more. He has been a recording & touring member of Player (“Baby Come Back”) & metal classics Leatherwolf. 


Bjorn Englen - Bass
Extraordinary virtuoso bass player mainly known for decades with multi-platinum Quiet Riot, DIO Returns, as well as guitar gods Yngwie Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth & Tony MacAlpine.


Mike Cancino - Drums
A much experienced world class, “work horse” drummer who grew up in the California desert & has toured internationally for decades with Lynch Mob, stoner rock legends Unida & many more.


Head to soulsignband.com for more information about the band.

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford says that he misses "terribly" the band's guitarist Glenn Tipton who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 10 years ago — after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier.

Tipton has been rejoining PRIEST on stage at select shows during the band's recently launched "Metal Masters" European tour with SAXON and URIAH HEEP. Tipton usually appears with PRIEST for the encore, performing "Metal Gods" and "Living After Midnight".

Tipton announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of JUDAS PRIEST's "Firepower" album. He was replaced by "Firepower" and "Invincible Shield" album producer Andy Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Halford said: "It was very, very difficult for me when we went out for the first time without Glenn. God bless Andy Sneap — he's done a brilliant job and no disrespect to him — but I do miss Glenn terribly when we play live. So when he does come out to have a bang, it's, like: 'My God!' It feels so great."

Also full of praise for Tipton was PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner, who joined the band in 2011 as the replacement for founding guitarist K.K. Downing.

"It's absolutely vital that Glenn is part of the songwriting team," Faulkner said. "Rob, Glenn and me, we go into a room with ideas and throw them around. Whatever challenge Glenn has got, that's what he deals with. If he could play, he would play. If he couldn't, then I'd take it on. We helped each other out like that.

"Glenn's like an older brother," he continues. "When I joined he took me under his wing as the other guitar player. When we were on the road, we'd go out together. So when he pulled back from touring, I did feel like my brother wasn't there. But I know what it's like to have something threaten your future career or your ability to play guitar."

Glenn recently spoke to Total Guitar magazine about his contributions to PRIEST's latest album, the aforementioned "Invincible Shield". He said: "I played what I could and am very proud of the whole album. Richie helped a lot. I think his strongest attribute is his ability to adapt to different styles whilst maintaining his own very strong character. PRIEST require a guitarist who can shift from out-and-out metal to more melodic tracks."

Glenn continued: "Obviously the drawback for me now is Parkinson's, and I've had to pass a lot of work onto his shoulders. I keep pushing myself because I believe in 'no surrender'. This disease won't beat me, and I will continue writing and playing for as long as I can."

Faulkner also spoke to Total Guitar about the "Invincible Shield" and how it was affected by Tipton's illness. He said: "With Glenn's situation, he wasn't playing as much lead as before. But that's okay, we didn't want that to impede the process. If Glenn was having a good day, he'd play the part. If he couldn't, I'd do it.

"We didn't want him to worry," Faulkner explained. "He brought songs to the table like 'Sons Of Thunder' which is a classic three-minute track in the style of 'Hell Bent For Leather'. Glenn is the master of that stuff. He was as involved as he could be and it was important for us to involve him."

In a separate interview with Bryan Reesman of The Aquarian, Faulkner spoke about Tipton's contributions to "Invincible Shield". Asked how many ideas Glenn worked on and how Richie collaborated with him on all the guitar parts, Faulkner said: "We all go away separately after a tour and put down riff ideas and song ideas and melody ideas. He was the same, really, so when we get in a room together — me, Glenn and Rob — we get those ideas out. We put those ideas on the table, we play them back for each other. Glenn did the same. He had a few more ideas that were more developed — 'Sons Of Thunder', 'Escape From Reality', 'Vicious Circle', stuff like that — so we worked on those. It was no different in that regard. He was able to sit in a studio [to] take time and play the ideas that he was putting forward. And when he had an idea and we were together, if he couldn't play it that day, then he would translate it through me and we'd hash it out.

"If Glenn can play it, then he'll play it, and if he can't play it, then I'll take on the workload," Richie explained. "I mean, what's wrong with that? I'm a guitar player and I'm a fan. I love the guys. That's your duty — if something needs to be done, guitar or otherwise, you do it. You step up, you know? That applied to the recording, as well. There are some things on there that he played, and he could write. It was important to us to involve him, and it probably was just as important for him to be involved as much as he could after doing it and being a genre-defining guitar player for the last 50 years."

Asked where Glenn's soloing pops up on "Invincible Shield", Richie said: "Glenn's influence is more than just the solos. There are solos on 'Sons Of Thunder' and 'Vicious Circle', and it goes beyond that. As we said before, the little twists and turns musically… and the vibe. When you play songs and solos by both K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton on an intimate level for 13 years, I don't think you can help but have that become part of your DNA, as well, so I think you can hear stuff from Glenn in my playing as well as what I've learned from him in the last 13 years. On something like 'Panic Attack', there are some sweep picking stuff that was never part of my repertoire. Playing songs like 'Painkiller' on an intimate level becomes part of your repertoire, so it shows up on the record. So apart from the songwriting ideas he had, the songs he had, some of the solos he had, it's in my playing as well. He's infiltrated my DNA in that sense — along with Ken [K.K.], of course, and along with Zakk [Wylde] and Michael Schenker and people like that. I think [Glenn's] influence can't be overstated either."

In his first interview since revealing his condition in early 2018, Glenn, who turned 76 last October, told Guitar World magazine about his diagnosis: "It was upsetting, but I wasn't really shocked because I sort of thought it was Parkinson's. I probably hoped it wasn't but the doctor said it was."

Regarding being told by the doctor that he had likely already had the disease for between 10 and 15 years, Glenn said: "Hearing that I already had Parkinson's for a long time made me even more determined to fight. I could still play, so I just continued recording and touring."

About a month before the opening date of PRIEST's "Firepower" tour, Tipton realized he could not guarantee that he would be able to execute an energetic, precision performance with the band night after night and "decided that it was really going to be too much for me," he told Guitar World. "With the medication and the time zone changes and everything else, I realized it was time to retire — from touring at least. I don't ever want to compromise JUDAS PRIEST. It's too big a part of my life.”

"Invincible Shield" arrived on March 8 via Sony Music.

On April 9, IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson spoke to KTLA 5's Doug Kolk about his first solo tour in 20 years. "The Mandrake Project" trek officially kicks off tonight (Monday, April 15) at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California. Dickinson also played two back-to-back warm-up shows at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on April 12 and April 13.

Asked what it's like to play a small venue like the Whisky after performing at stadiums around the world, Bruce said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, it's brilliant. Honestly. I mean, not just — you can see the audience, and you can smell 'em. It's fantastic. No, no. I mean, it's great. It really is great, because, honestly, it's what it's all about. It's the source code of music, is that kind of — well, I have to use the term 'analog' because, as opposed to digital and stuff like that, and as opposed to bands or entertainers now that do everything like to a click track or to time code or whatever. None of that. So, we are back in 1972, which is, most people say, 'I wasn't even born then.'"

Dickinson played the two Whisky A Go Go shows under the banner of THE HOUSE BAND FROM HELL, Bruce was joined by his 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 Friday night's (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.

In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, Bruce spoke about the stripped-down nature of tour in support of "The Mandrake Project". He said: "Well, we're doing a mix of festivals and headline shows so far in Europe up till July 21, about 40 shows. Luckily, I think most of the headline shows are almost sold out or sold out now. So we're gonna be sold out in most places in Europe. About two-and-a-half-thousand seaters — the average is probably about two and a half thousand, so they're cool-sized venues.

"For me, the whole essence of this is letting the music do the talking, let the music do the storytelling," he explained. "And so I'm not planning on having monsters or pyro or any of that stuff. There will be a screen, and, of course, we'll have a lot of stuff to put on it because we've got a great director and he'll be able to give us some content. But even then, I'm not going to have a show that's choreographed to like a time code or a click track or something else like that. This is gonna be a show where the music and the musicians take the story to people. So, I'm not thinking 2002, I'm not thinking 1982. I'm thinking 1972."

Last month, Bruce told Paul Anthony of Planet Rock about Roy's absence from the touring band: "[It] is disappointing, but there you are. He had a lot of stuff going on at home. And, basically, there's stuff he could be doing in the studio. We are in the middle of doing Dolby Atmos mixes for all of my back catalog, and that requires quite a lot of stuff, 'cause we're not just remixing; we are also — what's the expression? — reimagining some of the albums. So some of the albums that should have been, frankly, a bit heavier, like 'Balls To Picasso', we can stick some new stuff on, and there's some stuff that didn't get mixed on to the album that was recorded that we can take a view on as well. So there's quite a lot of exciting stuff going on there, so there's gonna be lots for him to get on with whilst we're touring."

He continued: "But we've got two fantastic guitar players, Philip Näslund from Sweden and Chris Declercq, who actually is already on the record, because he played the solo on 'Rain On The Graves'. So he's based in L.A. He's a Swiss guy, but he lives in L.A., [is] based in L. A. And Philipwas based in L.A. but now lives back in Sweden. So it's gonna be an incredible band. I jammed with both guitar players. And I was, like, 'You know, I'm just gonna take both of them.' Obviously, there's a lot of twin guitar parts on the record. And there's also quite a bit of keyboards on the record and lots of stuff. So there'll be no idle hands on stage. But it'll sound magnificent. I've already jammed with Tanya and Chris and Philip and Dave Moreno when I was out in L.A., just to give it a quick once around the houses with some of the tunes, and it was so exciting. It really was."

Asked how many of the songs from "The Mandrake Project" will be performed live on the upcoming tour, Bruce said: "Well, I wanna make sure that people come to the show and just go away going, 'Well, that was great, cracking. You can't expect people… I mean, it's not like the Sermon On The Mount, where you turn up and it's, like, 'And you're gonna have this, whether you like it or not. So I'm gonna play certainly four tracks off the new record, and we'll just see how it goes. It's not a situation like a MAIDEN situation where, because we have a big show, because we have everything coordinated with the lights and monsters and pyro and everything, once we get out there, the show is pretty much set in stone, what we're gonna play. Well, this one, we can swap it around a little bit. I mean, if we start doing rehearsals and we go, 'Wow, this feels great. Why don't we chop in another song?' I wasn't gonna play anything off 'Skunkworks'. Now I'm not so sure, 'cause it turns out that both guitarists and the drummer are mad, keen fans of that album. So I'd just done an Atmos mix of 'Skunkworks' with the blessing of [the LP's original producer] Jack Endino, and it sounds brilliant. And I was in there with, with Chris and he's, like, 'Oh, can you play that track?' I went, 'How'd you know that track?' He goes, 'I love this album.' 'Wow.' So, there'll be a lot of stuff. There'll be stuff off 'The Chemical Wedding', obviously, gotta play 'Tears Of The Dragon' and so on and so forth, there'll be stuff off 'Accident Of Birth'. So it's gonna be a smorgasbord of the best-of, 'cause it's been 19, 20 years since I've toured live [as a solo artist]. So lots of people have either never seen me live or the ones that have seen me live have forgotten how bad it was, and have bought tickets. [Laughs]"

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.

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson talks 1st solo tour in decades.

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson spoke to KTLA 5's Doug Kolk about his first solo tour in 20 years. The Mandrake Project tour kicks off on April 15 at The Observatory in Orange County. Dickinson also announced a surprise show at the Whisky a Go Go on April 12. For tickets and information head to TheMandrakeProject.com.

Posted by Eddie The Head Fan Club on Friday, April 12, 2024

Legendary rock guitarist, Steve Hackett, was forced to miss his scheduled show on Saturday (April 13) at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona after he was hospitalized.


The former Genesis guitarist took to social media on Sunday to share the following message:


"Hello everyone, I’m so sorry for the scare. I’d hoped to power through the Phoenix show but I had a bronchial infection and a last minute adverse reaction to medication. Consequently, the Medics took me to hospital. I am now recovering and glad to be feeling okay. I was very sad to miss the show and I will return to play in Phoenix as soon as possible. My thanks to you all for your understanding and support.




"With warmest wishes, Steve"

Hackett recently released his new studio album, The Circus And The Nightwhale, via InsideOut Music.


The Circus And The Nightwhale is Steve’s first new music in over two years. It follows the beautiful acoustic LP Under A Mediterranean Sky from January 2021 - which rose to #2 in the UK Classical chart - and, in September of that year, his metallic masterpiece Surrender Of Silence, which hit the UK Top 40. His 2023 live album, Foxtrot At Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton, reached #2 in the Rock & Metal Chart. Steve’s new LP promises ballads, blues, blistering progressive rock… and healthy measures of theatre and fantasia.


Recorded between tours in 2022 and 2023 at Siren studio in the UK - with guest parts beamed in from Sweden, Austria, the US, Azerbaijan and Denmark, the lineup for The Circus And The Nightwhale includes some familiar faces alongside Steve on electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass and vocals. Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums) and Amanda Lehmann on vocals. Nick D’Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt return as guests on the drumstool, engineer extraordinaire Benedict Fenner appears on keyboards and Malik Mansurov is back with the tar. Finally, Steve’s brother John Hackett is present once more on flute.


The new album is available to order on several different formats, including a Limited CD+Blu-ray mediabook (including 5.1 Surround Sound & 24bit high resolution stereo mixes), Standard CD Jewelcase, Gatefold 180g Vinyl LP & as Digital Album. All feature the stunning cover painting by Denise Marsh. Order here.





Tracklisting:


"People Of The Smoke"
"These Passing Clouds"
"Taking You Down"
"Found And Lost"
"Enter The Ring"
"Get Me Out!"
"Ghost Moon And Living Love"
"Circo Inferno"
"Breakout"
"All At Sea"
"Into The Nightwhale"
"Wherever You Are"
"White Dove"


"Circo Inferno" visualizer:





"People Of The Smoke" video:





"Wherever You Are" video:





For Steve Hackett's upcoming live dates, head here.


(Photo - Tina Korhonen)

In a new interview with Henrique Inglez de Souza of Brazil's Rockast, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons spoke about the band's recent decision to sell its music catalogue, brand name and likeness to Pophouse, the company behind ABBA's hologram concerts. A biopic, an avatar show, and a KISS-themed experience are already in the works, with Simmons and fellow KISS founder Paul Stanley playing key roles in the development of all these projects, working closely with Pophouse.

"There will be movies, cartoon shows, all kinds of things, but the avatars are the future of KISS," Gene explained. "And to say they're concerts is too small. It's bigger than that. And I don't wanna say too much. I'm not allowed to. Not yet."

Using cutting-edge technology, Pophouse Entertainment Group, which was founded by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus, will create digital versions of KISS. The project was previewed at the final KISS show in New York in December 2023.

Regarding KISS's apparent willingness to fully embrace modern technology, Simmons told Rockast: "Well, everything evolves. We didn't always stand up on two legs. A few million years ago, we were on four legs. Everything evolves, and you either evolve or you become obsolete or you die. So technology is here. A.I. is here. Virtual reality is here. Everything is here. And we don't wanna be yesterday's news. So even the end of something can be the beginning of something. But we're very excited — and proud. I keep saying proud, because that's what it is."

Earlier this month, Simmons told People magazine that KISS's decision to sell its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Pophouse was the "natural thing" to do. "Life happens while you're busy making important plans," he explained. "We were planning our respectful, proud walking off into the sunset, because we've been touring, we had been touring for half a century.

"If you take a look at Mother Nature, you either evolve or you become extinct," he added.

While terms of the Pophouse deal were not officially announced, Bloomberg and Associated Press said it was worth upwards of $300 million. However, Simmons insisted that financial gain is "not what [the sale is] about. It's about enjoying life," while adding, "I'm certainly blessed."

In a separate interview with TMZ, Simmons defended KISS's plans for an avatar concert similar to ABBA's with digital versions of the group.

"A.I. [artificial intelligence] is here to stay," he said. "Technology is here to stay. And you either join in and try to adapt and try to figure out how that works with you or you're just yesterday's news in a very real way.

"Truthfully, KISS has stopped touring," he continued. "We will never tour as KISS again. However, the end is also the beginning. We're gonna do things that will blow your socks off. But we couldn't do this without our new best friends for life Pophouse. They're really remarkable people."

When the interviewer asked if fans will embrace the concept of a concert that is A.I.-driven and consists of nothing but holograms, Gene said: "It's not just, 'Okay, they're gonna show up on stage just like they did before, but it's holograms. No. That's an archaic term. Technology has advanced so far, you won't believe it.

"We spent some time at George Lucas's place and did motion capture stuff secretly," he continued. "We didn't talk to anybody — media or anything — about it, because we wanted this to be like nothing anybody's ever seen. And I will tell you, if you've seen the ABBA show in London, which is phenomenal, this is gonna be beyond anything you've ever seen.

"So the future is here, and with our friends at Pophouse, who are visionaries, we're gonna be doing things that no band and no musical — nobody's ever done before," Gene added. "Our events are going to be multi, I wanna say multidimensional. You just won't believe your eyes. Things are gonna be so much larger than life in front of you. You won't believe it. We've already seen the first fragments of that. It's just jaw-droppingly amazing."

Working closely with KISS, Pophouse will follow its unique, value-add approach of drawing upon its world-class, in-house creative and storytelling expertise to unlock new audiences and revenue streams. Pophouse will use its proven, industry-defining playbook to create new content and experiences to enrich the KISS catalog for fans, old and new, actively seeking to enrich and add value to the brands and artists it partners with. Inclusivity and community have always been vital to the KISS experience, and Pophouse is committed to nurture the close relationship between KISS and its devoted fans moving forward.

Johan Lagerlöf, head of investment at Pophouse, said: "KISS is one of the most recognized and iconic bands in the history of music. They redefined the concept of rock shows and have always taken their artistry to new uncharted territories. The band has consistently been able to appeal to new generations of fans and our mission is to fulfill the band's vision to become immortal, and to let new generations discover and be part of the KISS journey and carry it forward. With the help of the fans' energy, the band, our expertise, and creativity we will make that vision happen."

Per Sundin, CEO at Pophouse Entertainment, said: "KISS has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and has throughout their 50-year career continued to push the boundaries in popular culture. The band's enigmatic personas, unparalleled band attributes, and iconic imagery have made them a cultural force and a legendary act with multigenerational appeal. We will safeguard and enrich this legacy through future global endeavors, by breathing new life into their characters and personas while also leveraging and elevating the visual world of KISS."

As part of the partnership, Pophouse will create digital versions of KISS that will allow the band and their unique personas to live forever. The project, already underway, was previewed at the final KISS show in Madison Square Garden, New York on December 2, 2023, when, to the audience's surprise, KISS avatars closed the night with a rendition of "God Gave Rock And Roll To You" (resulting in international headlines). Through a magical combination of cutting-edge technology and unrivalled creativity, Pophouse will bring the full, authentic KISS experience to both existing and new fans for years to come. The avatar show is planned to launch in 2027.

Stanley said in a statement: "Our journey with Pophouse is fueled by the desire to eternally resonate across diverse facets of global culture. As we embark on this venture, we aim to weave our legacy into the tapestry of different worlds, ensuring that the KISS experience continues to captivate both our devoted fans and those yet to discover the thrill. This partnership is not just a chapter; it's an eternal symphony of rock 'n' roll immortality."

Today, Grand Slam unleash the video for “Spitfire”, the ferocious second single from the new studio album, Wheel Of Fortune, out on June 7 via Silver Lining Music.


“I simply can’t wait for you guys to listen to this track. It’s a complete monster!,” exclaims frontman Mike Dyer. “We had the music and the lyrics weren’t quite breaking through. I went to bed that night in the studio under considerable pressure from the boys and I read an incredible story about a young 12-year-old who had a fear of heights, he overcame his fear by jumping off a high board. Eventually, he moved from South Africa to Oxford, England, and became a Spitfire ace, at age 19!”


“I had a rough arrangement idea down for ‘Spitfire’,” adds guitarist and co-founding member Laurence Archer, “but it was only once we all got together in the studio that we found the true feel for the song and it transformed into the monster that it is.”




Watch the "Spitfire" video below:





Grand Slam’s story has been a true journey of destiny, one where early unions ended up leaving unfinished business on the table, and one which finally sees the band attending to said business with the brand-new album Wheel Of Fortune. From Archer’s faultless, fearless fret-driven song architecture on "Spitfire" to Dyer’s swagger and style on "There Goes My Heart". There are moments such as "Come Together (In Harlem)" where the moody strut of original co-founder Phil Lynott is unmistakable, yet the multi-layered steamy swing of "Pirate Song" makes it very clear Grand Slam is firing forward with all guns blazing. Joined by Benjy Reid on drums and Rocky Newton on bass, the creative vigor and will to propel Grand Slam is stronger still, with the new album Wheel Of Fortune being the true statement to this.


“We have a direction that is in my heart, it’s a tribal thing,” Dyer explains, “and the Wheel Of Fortune album is Grand Slam in big boy pants without any scaffolding. This band is something very special; I’m slightly biased I know, but God, I’m really proud of that.”


Wheel Of Fortune will be released in digital and physical formats on June 7. The album will be available in a variety of formats and pre-orders can be placed here.





Wheel Of Fortune tracklisting:


"There Goes My Heart"
"Starcrossed Lovers"
"Come Together (In Harlem)"
"Trail Of Tears"
"Feeling Is Strong (Jo's Song)"
"Spitfire"
"I Wanna Know!"
"Pirate Song"
"Afterlife"
"Wheel Of Fortune"


"There Goes My Heart" video:





Grand Slam will also re-release their debut album, Hit The Ground. Originally released in 2019, the record has been given a makeover.


“I stopped playing for a while and started a film career,” recounts Archer of Hit The Ground. “In 2018 I was working on location in Guadalupe, and I arrived at the decision to record the Grand Slam songs properly, because essentially, what has been out there has not really been representative of what we did back then. Phil and I had done some work-in-progress demos in his backyard studio, and unfortunately, someone stole them and released them. So, it’s always been a goal of mine to re-visit those songs and do them properly, and I had been thinking about showcasing them fittingly for over 30 years, instead of hearing these horrible demos that people put out.”


Re-mixed, re-mastered, and featuring new artwork, Hit The Ground – Revised, will be released on May 10 in digital formats and June 7 in physical formats. Pre-orders can be placed here.





Hit The Ground - Revised tracklisting:


"Gone Are The Days"
"Nineteen"
"Hit The Ground"
"Military Man"
"Crazy"
"Dedication"
"Long Road"
"Sisters Of Mercy"
"Crime Rate"
"Grand Slam" *


* not available on vinyl


Grand Slam are:


Mike Dyer – vocals
Laurence Archer – guitars
Benjy Reid – drums
Rocky Newton – bass


(Photo - Frank Noon)