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

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

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

As for the challenge of learning the OVERKILL material over the course of several weeks, Ellefson said: "Look, I've gotta say, digging into these songs — they've got, what, 20 records out — consistently they have probably made the best, most consistently great albums out of all of us. And I mean, all of us. There's not a dud in the bunch, you know what I mean? They don't have a 'Risk' or a 'St. Anger' anywhere in their catalog. And EXODUS has got good stuff too, but I think OVERKILL, now that I'm really digging into it and really understanding it, it's just that. And D.D.'s amazing, man. Look, I may be David Ellefson, but I ain't no D.D. Verni, man. I mean, that guy, he's a masterful songwriter. His arrangements are killer and his parts are very clever and cool. And so, yeah, it's got my thrash chops up and it's an honor to just step in and help them out… Again, we're all buddies, we're brothers, and, look, I'm in a position and schedule allows for me to go do it. So, that's what it is."

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

OVERKILL's setlist was as follows:

01. Scorched
02. Bring Me The Night
03. Electric Rattlesnake
04. Hello From The Gutter
05. Wicked Place
06. Coma
07. Horrorscope
08. Long Time Dyin'
09. The Surgeon
10. Mean, Green, Killing Machine
11. Ironbound
12. Elimination

Encore:

13. Hammerhead
14. Rotten To The Core
15. Fuck You (THE SUBHUMANS cover)

Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

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

OVERKILL's 10-date "Scorching Latin America 2024" tour will include additional stops in Costa Rica, Chile and Peru before closing on April 28 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you, Guadalajara Mexico, it was so great to make my debut performance with Overkill with all of your beautiful...

Posted by David Ellefson on Friday, April 12, 2024

Overkill
C3 stage
Cacique Entertainment
11/04/2020
Canon eos RP

Posted by Rojo WR on Friday, April 12, 2024

Rehearsals begin today for Overkill 's Scorching Latin America Tour!! It's an honor to fill in for my friend, the mighty...

Posted by David Ellefson on Monday, April 8, 2024

VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth has released a new song called "Scotch And Sofa". You can now listen to the track below.

Roth originally left VAN HALEN to pursue a solo career following the success of the band's album "1984", but he returned for a stint in 1996 and then took over as VAN HALEN's frontman again from 2007 until 2020, although the band had not toured since 2015.

In recent months, Roth has been releasing songs from his 2007 sessions with guitarist John 5.

In 2020, Roth included five previously unreleased songs in The Roth Project, an online comic narrated by the legendary VAN HALEN singer, with music from John 5 on guitar and bass, Gregg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion.

In October 2021, Roth announced his retirement, saying he was "throwing in the shoes." His announcement came a year after the death of his VAN HALEN bandmate Eddie Van Halen. In his statement announcing the retirement, Roth added that he had been thinking about his late guitarist and had been "encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter."

VAN HALEN's original lineup was Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen, along with bassist Michael Anthony. Sammy Hagar replaced Roth as vocalist, touring and recording with the band from 1985 to 1996. Gary Cherone was enlisted as VAN HALEN's singer from 1996 to 2000. Hagar rejoined the group in 2003 and lasted only a couple of years before Roth stepped back out front in 2007.

VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007. The band has sold more than 80 million albums internationally.

In a new interview with Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF, STYX guitarist and co-founder James "JY" Young was asked how he feels about the band's hypothetical induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's very East Coast-centric in terms of the people that have a vote. And STYX probably deserves to be in there, but I'm not holding my breath. Our type of music and the audience that basically love our music and buy millions of our records don't have a vote. There's 30 or 40 people that decide who's going in — not 30,000 and 40,000 voting. And, I won't mention names — that might guarantee we never get in — but I don't, honestly… Will I have a smile on my face when I go to my grave if I haven't made it in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? Sure. We've played in front of audiences and people have said so many wonderful things about, 'JY, your music has changed my life. Your music saved my life. It got me through the most difficult times when my girlfriend or my mother passed away and I was listening to your music that helped get me through my most difficult time.' And so what could be more significant than another human being saying that 'You've saved my life. You made my life better. You allowed me to see things in a light that I could still survive and go on.' So that's the kind of stuff that you don't hear about, but it's out there and it's absolutely factual in terms of how people… I mean, music affects everybody differently, and we've made some great records, no doubt about it."

STYX released its self-titled debut album in 1972 and first became eligible for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1997. The legendary group's legacy encompasses a string of multi-platinum and enduring albums that include "The Grand Illusion" (1977),"Pieces Of Eight" (1978),Grammy-nominated "Cornerstone" (1979),"Paradise Theatre" (1981) and "Kilroy Was Here" (1983). They wrote and produced a long list of evergreen hits and classic songs that include "Lady", "Lorelei", "Suite Madame Blue", "The Grand Illusion", "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)", "Come Sail Away", "Miss America", "Renegade", "Blue Collar Man", "Babe", "Borrowed Time", "The Best Of Times", "Too Much Time On My Hands", "Snowblind", "Mr. Roboto", "Don't Let It End", "Show Me The Way" and more. Despite that, STYX has yet to even appear on a ballot for consideration.

Back in 2021, Sterling Whitaker, author of "The Grand Delusion: The Unauthorized True Story Of Styx", stated about STYX's hypothetical Rock Hall induction: "In recent years we've seen some of the internal politics of the Hall change, and they've finally inducted some long-overdue artists including GENESIS, ALICE COOPER, KISS, JOURNEY, RUSH and YES. STYX has long been one of the most critically misunderstood, under-reported and incorrectly reported bands in rock music history. But the music has always been enough to carry the day with the fans, who have supported the band religiously for nearly fifty years now. Their legacy touches on progressive rock, hard rock, arena rock, ballads, folk, blues, European and American influences ... it really is a band with something for everyone , and the music still plays all day, every day across multiple radio formats all across the U.S. and the world," he added. "It's also a fixture of television and movies, a testament to how ubiquitous the music of STYX has truly become. STYX for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is the easiest argument in the world to make. Not only is it high time, it's way past time."

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

Four years ago, STYX guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw told WRIF about a possible Rock Hall induction: "I'm kind of numb to it now. And I've been to some of them before. It was nice to see a bunch of people that I know.

"You know what it's good for? When you go out later and they say, 'members of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.' That's what's great about it," he continued. "But the idea of going there and going through that process, I'm not really looking forward to that. I'd love to be in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and I'd go do it, but that part, it just doesn't appeal to me. It's one of those things where you sit in judgment there, and our fans have voted with their feet and with their wallets time after time. So it's the fans that I respect more than a bunch of guys [going], 'Thumbs up, thumbs down,' year after year.

"I just don't understand their standards," he added. "They'll have some songs that aren't a rock and roll song — one guy had one song, and they put them in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. And I'm not bitter about it. But it's just frustrating to be held up to those kinds of standards when all we really care about is our fans."

Still, if he does one day get the call that STYX is being inducted into the Rock Hall, "I'll be honored, I'll go [and] I'll do it," he said. "But I kind of stopped paying attention to whether we qualify for being in there."

Earlier in 2020, Young told the Arizona Republic that original frontman Dennis DeYoung "deserves" to be in the Rock Hall along with the rest of the band if they eventually get inducted. But he ruled out a possible reunion with the singer, saying: "Highly unlikely. The man sued us in federal court over the use of the name. We settled out of court. So we control the name and he can use it in limited ways, which are very strictly outlined.

"Dennis hates being away from home," Young explained. "I don't need to be next to unhappiness. We have a joyful thing now and I have no economic incentive to do it. It would be throwing the Joker back into the deck to bring him in. And I'm not interested in that.

"A lot of times great works of art come from tortured souls or tortured situations," he added. "And being in STYX was a tortured situation. It really was. A lot of us were very unhappy. In all the success we had, there was no joy. And now there's nothing but joy. From what I've read, a lot of these great works of literature were made by tortured souls. And Dennis is kind of a tortured genius."

Ace Frehley was joined by his collaborator, TRIXTER guitarist Steve Brown, on stage last night (Saturday, April 13) at Carteret Performing Arts And Events Center in Carteret, New Jersey to perform the title track of the original KISS guitarist's latest solo album, "10,000 Volts". Video of Steve's appearance can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, Ace shot down rumors that almost all of the songwriting on "10,000 Volts" was done by Steve. The 72-year-old musician said: "I got aggravated the other day 'cause I heard that people were saying I didn't write any of the songs on the record. And [they were saying] it was all Steve Brown. And Steve, he was doing [the] 'Three Sides Of The Coin' [KISS-centric podcast], and he kind of confirmed that by saying, 'Yeah…' The [interviewer] said, 'Well, how much did Ace bring to the table?' And he goes, 'Well, I pretty much brought about 97 percent.' And I was really shocked when he said that, because that's not the case. And I called him up and he apologized to me."

Ace continued: "[Steve is] a wonderful guy. I love him. He was so excited about the record, and they were asking him questions that weren't rehearsed; he had no idea. Everybody sometimes toots their own horn a little more than they should sometimes without thinking. He was so excited about the record, he made that statement, but he admitted to me last night that that wasn't the case. And I brought up 'Up In The Sky' and several other things. What's that one song that everybody's jumpin' on bandwagon now? 'Fightin' For Life', saying it's one of the best songs on the record. I rewrote the whole chorus for that.

"I'm a very good lyricist," Frehley explained. "I always have been, but when it came to this album, if Steve brought a song to me with lyrics, ultimately I ended up rewriting at least 50 percent of the lyrics, just because I'm a better lyricist, and I think he'd be the first one to admit that. But he's definitely a much better engineer and producer than I am, and a great guitar player. And a good songwriter and very knowledgeable on Pro Tools — much more so than myself.

"I like to give credit where credit's due," Ace added.

Asked by interviewer Jimmy Kay if the songwriting split was more like 50-50 in terms of how much each person contributed to it, Ace said: "We just decided, no matter how much one of us brought to the table, we're gonna split everything in half — because it's a lot easier doing it that way than… Because I don't need the money that bad. And I know Steve worked really hard, because not only did he co-produce it, but he engineered the whole record himself. And I didn't have to pay for an engineer, so that saved me thousands of dollars. Whatever one guy brought to the table or the other guy, it really didn't matter. To me, the most important thing is the end result. I sang lead on all the songs. I played guitar solos on 80 percent of the songs, 75 percent. A couple of solos that he came up with, they were guide solos for me to copy. And I said, 'Steve, those solos are so good, let's just leave 'em.' He goes, 'Well, I don't want any credit.' [He's] humble. And I said, 'I'm gonna give you credit, because I like to give credit where credit is due. I don't wanna take credit for your solo if I didn't write it.' That's the kind of relationship we have. And it really doesn't matter who came up with what first. I always end up Ace-ifying it, putting my stamp on it. You can't get away from my voice; the minute you hear my voice, you know it's Ace Frehley."

Ace went on to bring up a few specific instances on the record where his contributions made a significant difference.

"We did a cover song, which was my idea, a song by [French actress] Nadia called 'Life Of A Stranger' [for the 2002 action film 'The Transporter'], which turned out great," he said. "And I wrote 'Back Into My Arms Again'. I wrote that 20, 35 years ago or something, with Arthur Stead.

"When [Steve] brought me 'Walkin' On The Moon', there was one line in the chorus called 'Walkin' on the moon,' but it wasn't the crux of the chorus. And I said, 'This song has to be called 'Walkin' On The Moon'.' He came over to my house and we worked it up and I rewrote most of the lyrics. And it turned out great.

"As far as I'm concerned, it really doesn't matter who does what, as long as the end result is what I want and what Steve wants," Frehley explained. "And we're always on the same page, for the most part. Of course, we'd have our differences from time to time. I mean, he wrote a song, and I can't remember which one it was, he brought a song to me, and it was kind of finished, but It was like a drum machine, and I wanted to bring in a different drummer and change a few things on it. And I said, 'This song needs a bridge.' And he said, 'Nah, it doesn't need a bridge.' I said, 'Trust me, it needs a bridge. I've been writing songs for 50 years.' I wrote a bridge in 10 minutes, and we inserted it after the second chorus, and he goes, 'Wow, that's really good.' So, that's the way we worked… We didn't use any Auto-Tuning, like some people are saying. I have perfect pitch, so I can tell if I'm singing flat. I just redo it."

Last month, Ace dismissed rumors that most of the guitar work on "10,000 Volts" was laid down by Steve, telling Ultimate Classic Rock: "Listen to previous albums by Steve Brown. Do they sound like this record? I don't think so. Number one, I'm doing all the vocals. Number two, I'm doing the majority of the solos. You know, Steve grew up idolizing me. And he's a wonderful human being and a great producer and a great engIneer and a great guitar player and singer and songwriter. And working with him was such a pleasure. Sometimes he'd come up with his solo idea and I'd recreate it, because he's been studying my guitar style since he was a little kid, you know?"

Frehley did admit that Brown played "a couple of" guitar solos on "10,000 Volts", explaining: "Yeah, he's only 50 or 51. I'm 72. So a couple of times he laid down a solo, but he played it like me, in my style, because he studied my style his whole life. As far as I'm concerned, it really doesn't matter who plays what, you know ... as long as the cut sounds great. A couple of them, I thought Steve laid down so well that I said, 'Let's just keep it.' But that's as far as that goes. I played the majority the guitar solos on the record, absolutely."

A couple of weeks earlier, Brown told Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series about his collaboration with Frehley: "Yeah, it's been an incredible journey, the last year and a half with Ace. Ace and I have been friends for 30-plus years, but it's over the last year and a half of making this record, we've become best friends and brothers and an incredible songwriting and production team."

Steve went on to say that "the response to the record has been overwhelming. And what I love about it — and of course, I knew this was gonna happen — the love for it, and there's also a lot of hate for it," he explained. "I haven't seen this much sort of, let's say, controversy over a record in a long time, so I'm happy to be a part of it. 95 percent of it is all positive. But even the negative, you know what? All you haters out there, first thing, all the hate that you do, it just sells more records because people are curious now."

Regarding his mindset going into the project, Brown said: "I told Ace this the day we started working together, when we finished working on 'Walkin' On The Moon'. I said to him, I said, 'Listen, man. I'm one of your biggest fans. I'm a huge KISS fan. You and Ed Van Halen are the reasons that I started playing guitar, you two guys, and KISS and VAN HALEN were the two bands that got me going in 1978.' I said, 'If you trust me, I promise you, we will make the best record that we possibly can, and it will probably be the best thing that you've done since your '78 solo record.' So, I really, honestly, in my heart, I believe we accomplished that.

"Now, the KISS world and everything, all I've said all along is I made this record, I brought in most of the ideas for the songs and stuff like that, but it was — every idea that I brought in was as a KISS fan, and as an Ace fan, and my whole thing was, I've listened to everything Ace has done since he left KISS. And it's, again — I've said it before and I'll say it again, and I say it with love — there are moments of brilliance, one or two, maybe three great things on some of these records, surrounded by a ton of mediocrity. So my goal, and Ace said this to me the first day we were working, we got done. He said, 'I wanna make sure every song is great. And that was music to my ears, because, look. I told him, I said, 'Listen, brother, I can't do anything if the whole record is not awesome. We're doing 11 songs. They're all gonna be great. Even the cover song and even the instrumental.' And he was all about it."

Brown said that both he and Frehley are thrilled with the final result.

"From day one, we set out to make the record that we made, but in all honesty, in my heart, and I know Ace feels the same way, we exceeded all of our expectations, and the fan response all around the world has just been, it's been spectacular," he said. "So thank you to all the KISS fans out there, all the Ace fans. We love you. And again, like I said, I made this record — I helped, and Ace did too — when we made this record, we made this for all of us. And like I said, as a KISS fan and as an Ace fan, this is not just for me and Ace — this is for the world. This is for all of us fans who have kind of been, like, over the last 30 years, 'Man, yeah, there's some good things there, but kind of missed the mark,' you know what I mean? So, this is for you guys."

Ace reflected on the writing process for "10,000 Volts" in a recent interview with Guitar World magazine. He said: "It was mostly the combination of Steve and me who brought completely new elements. Most of the harmonies are Steve's, and his songwriting and lyrics, along with my guitar work and his combined, took '10,000 Volts' to another level."

Frehley added that "there was a trust factor" between him and Brown. "On the first day, [he] said, 'Dude, if you trust me, I fucking promise you we're gonna make the best record we can make,'" Ace told Guitar World. "And we did. It's possibly the best record of my career."

Ace's first album of original material since 2018's "Spaceman", "10,000 Volts" contains 11 tracks, including the aforementioned cover of "Life Of A Stranger". Frehley and Brown played most of the instruments on the LP, joined by a handful of drummers and other musicians.

"Steve and I clicked so magically that I really I put it into words," Frehley told Billboard. "He lives, like, 40 minutes from me [in New Jersey]. He has a studio in his basement; I have a studio in my basement. We bounce back and forth. He's a great engineer, a strong writer, singer, guitar player. Every song just came together really easily. If I couldn't come up with a great solo, he'd play something that was real similar to the way I would've played, and sometimes I'd double it or duplicate it. I think I left one or two of his solos on the record because they were so good."



TONIGHT !! Ace Frehley at the Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center ⚡️

Posted by Ryan Spencer Cook on Saturday, April 13, 2024

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson played the second intimate concert at legendary Los Angeles club Whisky A Go Go last night (Saturday, April 13) as a warm-up for his upcoming solo tour. Performing under the banner of THE HOUSE BAND FROM HELL, Dickinson played a 15-song set with 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.

Among the tracks Bruce played last night were "The Book Of Thel" and "The Tower", taken from Dickinson's 1998 album "The Chemical Wedding"; and " Starchildren", which originally appeared on 1997's "Accident Of Birth". He also performed four songs from his latest solo album, this year's "The Mandrake Project": "Afterglow Of Ragnarok", "Many Doors To Hell", "Resurrection Men" and "Rain On The Graves". There were also the classic Dickinson solo cuts "Tears Of The Dragon" and "Accident Of Birth", as well as a cover version of THE EDGAR ALLEN WINTER GROUP's "Frankenstein".

Setlist:

01. Accident Of Birth
02. Abduction
03. Starchildren (first live performance since 1997)
04. Afterglow Of Ragnarok
05. Chemical Wedding
06. Many Doors To Hell
07. Tears Of The Dragon
08. Resurrection Men
09. Rain On The Graves
10. Frankenstein (THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP cover)
11. Gods Of War
12. The Alchemist
13. Darkside Of Aquarius

Encore:

14. Book Of Thel (first live performance since 1999)
15. The Tower (tour debut)

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.

Bruce and his band will play another concert at the Whisky A Go Go tonight (Saturday, April 13). Tickets to both shows went on sale Friday morning, only available for purchase at the Whisky box office. The lucky fans who lined up early got a special treat and were greeted by Dickinson in the box office selling tickets and meeting fans.

Commented Dickinson: "As we were holed up in our North Hollywood rehearsal studio preparing for the tour, we thought that since rehearsals were going so well maybe we should have a little fun and do something last-minute here in L.A. Putting tickets for sale at an actual box office should remind people what it used to be like back when I started gigging!"

He added: "We're raring to go and I'm just so excited to unleash this band on the world at the iconic Whisky A Go Go."

In a video message announcing the first Whisky gig, Bruce said: "Hello, a quick update. Oh my God, here we are in rehearsals with the House Band Of Hell, which is actually what is gonna be at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles on Friday. Secret show, not secret anymore. 10 o'clock Friday morning, tickets go on sale. And when you turn up at the box office, you never know who you might meet. But anyway, never mind. So we're gonna be there.

"We are just absolutely stoked for this show," he continued. "I mean, we were ready a week ago. I've been trying to calm them down. Honestly, it's like having a lot of strange horny animals. [I have to] throw buckets of cold water over them. 'Boys, stop' — and girls. All equally. We are just ready to get it on. So ready for this tour."

In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, Bruce spoke about the stripped-down nature of the upcoming 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]"

The third chance to see the six-piece live will be at The Observatory in Orange County, California on Monday, April 15.

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.

Night # 2...
HOUSE BAND OF HELL!!!
Bruce Dickinson, Dave Moreno, Chris Declercq, Tanya O Callaghan, Mistheria and Philip Naund...READY TO ROCK!!!
🤘🎶🥁🎸🤘

Posted by Chuck Walker on Saturday, April 13, 2024

MEGADETH played the first of three shows at the 15,000-capacity Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina last night (Saturday, April 13). The group's 15-song setlist included two tracks from MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!": the title track, which kicked off the concert, and "We'll Be Back"

After the first concert at Movistar Arena sold out in a matter of minutes, the band added another date at the same venue, scheduled for tonight (Sunday, April 14). 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".

MEGADETH's setlist for the first Buenos Aires show was as follows:

01. The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!
02. Dread And The Fugitive Mind
03. Skin O' My Teeth
04. Hangar 18
05. Wake Up Dead
06. In My Darkest Hour
07. Sweating Bullets
08. Trust
09. À Tout Le Monde
10. Tornado Of Souls
11. We'll Be Back
12. Symphony Of Destruction
13. Devil's Island
14. Peace Sells

Encore:

15. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

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.

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 last night (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.

ANTHRAX's setlist for the Mexico City show was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

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

Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

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 15 - Cancha Diamante, San Salvador, El Salvador
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."



Anthrax MxMF

Posted by Kaia Vega on Saturday, April 13, 2024
¡Qué divertido es ver a @Anthrax! #MxMF#TheMetalFestpic.twitter.com/srBmwAwmZs

— El Negro Tito (@RS_Vargas) April 14, 2024


#Anthrax#MxMFpic.twitter.com/me2yMhlXoC

— E̷l̴i̵a̶s̷v̷!̵l̴3̶ // svil3.bsky.social (@svil3) April 14, 2024



Anthrax
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#MXDEMETALCOBERTURAS
#mexicometalfest #MxMFV #MxMf #mxmfvi #monterrey #MxMFVII #comunidadmetalera...

Posted by MX De METAL on Saturday, April 13, 2024

THE ROLLING STONES' Ronnie Wood joined THE BLACK CROWES on stage last night (Friday, April 12) at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles to perform a rendition of "Stay With Me" from Wood's previous band FACES.

Wood's appearance with THE BLACK CROWES came just six songs into the band's set, with frontman Chris Robinson describing the guitarist as a man who "doesn't need an introduction but he's going to get one."

THE BLACK CROWES have previously covered several FACES tracks, including "Stay With Me", as well as "You're So Rude" and "Glad And Sorry", which they played with late FACES keyboardist Ian McLagan in 2010 at a concert in Austin.

Formed out of the ashes of SMALL FACES, FACES released four albums — "First Step", "Long Player", "A Nod Is As Good As A Wink ... To A Blind Horse" and "Ooh La La" — before splitting in 1975. The group was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012.

In 2021, the surviving members of FACES — Wood, singer Rod Stewart and drummer Kenney Jones — said they had recorded 14 songs for a new studio album.

THE BLACK CROWES are touring in support of their first album in 15 years, "Happiness Bastards", which came out in March.

In a new interview with ABC News' Maggie Rulli, HEART's Nancy and Ann Wilson spoke about how they battled sexism during the 1970s and 1980s. Nancy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In the mid-'70s, when we released our first album, in '75, people were kind of jaw dropping. It was, like, 'What?' That doesn't really compute 'cause it's not supposed to really exist at the time. So we were a little bit of an anomaly out there in the culture when we started."

Added Ann: "I don't think people knew what to think of us, because rock and roll was really the province of men; it always was. And they just waited around to see what we do, kind of. So it took several years for us to really catch on."

Continued Nancy: "Our joke was always, like, 'Well, if you give the monkeys some typewriters, eventually they'll type the Gettysburg address.' But we had the typewriters. We typed the address."

Regarding how the music business has evolved in the last five decades, Ann said: "Well, the music industry has changed as to be unrecognizable to what it was then. Music is now pigeonholed into a million little places where you can just check out only the kind of music you wanna hear. Whereas back in those other days, there was a radio station that played it all."

Nancy concurred, saying: "Terrestrial radio was really a connector, a connecting point for everybody, unanimously to kind of hear the same stuff and go to the same shows and hear about stuff on the radio. And now it's all on your phone and stuff."

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

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

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

HEART will return to the road for the first time in five years this spring on the "Royal Flush" tour. The trek, which will kick off April 20 in Greenville, South Carolina, will feature CHEAP TRICK as support on most of the North American leg, while SQUEEZE will open a handful of HEART's summer European dates. HEART will also join DEF LEPPARD and JOURNEY for summer stadium shows in Cleveland, Toronto and Boston and will make an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival on April 28.

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

Internationally acclaimed heavy metallers, Sabaton, are celebrating their 25-year milestone in the music industry. They have checked in with the following update:


"Wow. We're absolutely blown away! 'Ghost Division' has reached over 100 million streams on Spotify! And what perfect timing. We’re celebrating the album it’s featured on (The Art Of War) throughout the entire month of April! Huge thanks to all our amazing fans for your incredible support!"










Founded in Falun, Sweden, in 1999, Sabaton's journey has been nothing short of legendary. Their music industry adventures have been fuelled by powerful anthems, 10 studio albums, passionate historical storytelling, and explosive international shows and tours, not to mention out-of-the-box initiatives and projects, all of which wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of their dedicated fan base across the globe.


To mark this momentous milestone, Sabaton have embarked on a year-long celebration. Fans around the world can look forward to a series of celebratory events and an abundance of surprises.


The band recently shared a new video along with the following message:


"Welcome to The Art Of War listening party, metalheads! As we’re in the fourth month of 2024 we need to shine the spotlight on our fourth studio album! Did you know that The Art Of War was the genesis of a whole new era for us as a band? It marked the first time we explored the realm of concept albums and it would set the tone for the albums to follow. Grab a drink, grab a snack and come hang out with us!"

In a new interview with Lucía Sapena of Paraguay's Trece channel, Dave Mustaine was asked to name his favorite MEGADETH album. The MEGADETH leader responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, that's hard to say. That's like asking somebody to pick their favorite child. There are certain records that we have that were really influential in my life. 'Peace Sells[... But Who's Buying?]' was. I think 'Killing Is My Business[... And Business Is Good!]' was so ahead of its time that people didn't really understand it. And that's when art is at its best, when you get something new that you've never heard before. When you hear a record and it's just the same old crap, nobody wants that. I mean, how long has it been since we heard a new band that was really fantastic, like a new IRON MAIDEN or a new AC/DC or a new MEGADETH or a new GUNS N' ROSES. We haven't heard a band like that in so long that was something that we stopped and went, 'Wow. That's great.'"

Regarding how he views the thrash metal genre today, Mustaine said:  "Well, it's hard to say how I view the genre, because there are so many different subsections of heavy metal. When it first started, it was hard rock and then heavy metal came, and then The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal came and then there was power metal and speed metal and thrash metal and black metal and white metal and death metal and core metal and true metal. God, how many metals can you possibly have? So for me, what I'm aware of is what MEGADETH is doing."

Asked what the secret to MEGADETH's and his longevity is, Mustaine said: "The secret, I think, is being honest with yourself. And I don't try and act like I'm better than other people, because I know I'm not. I know there's a better singer out there than me. I know there's a better guitar player out there than me. So I enjoy what I possess, the gifts I have. I enjoy the friends that I've made, and I love my job, so I can't wait to do it."

MEGADETH kicked off its spring 2024 South American tour on April 6 at Arena 1 in Lima, Peru.

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.

MEGADETH's sold-out shows at Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, 2024 will be broadcast live on Veeps. Fans will also have the exclusive opportunity to snag MEGADETH merch, including a poster and a limited-edition tee, that will only be available for purchase on Veeps during the livestream. Veeps All Access subscribers can access the shows for free as part of their subscription. Otherwise tickets are on sale for $14.99 for each show or $24.99 for both shows on veeps.com/megadeth. The shows will air live on Veeps on April 13 and April 14 at approximately 9 p.m. Argentina Time (ART). The shows will be available on Veeps for two years after the original air dates, with a seven-day rewatch period for individual ticket purchasers.

Earlier today (Friday, April 12),DEFTONES frontman Chino Moreno spoke to the KROQ radio station backstage at Coachella about the band's plans for the follow-up to 2020's "Ohms" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "We haven't really talked much [publicly] about it. We've just sort of been working on and off over the last year and a half from when we started writing to… Basically, where we're sitting right now is we have a whole record recorded all musically. And it's pretty much my job right now to finish up the vocals. And I have, obviously, this show again next week, and then straight after that, I go back home to Oregon and I go in the studio. So as long as that takes… I hate to put a definite kind of timeframe, 'cause we're not really in a rush. We want it to be great. I think that's most important. But it is coming, and, yeah, it's really good. We're really excited with what we've been working on. And everybody's jazzed."

Regarding the musical direction of the new DEFTONES material, Chino said: "I feel like, overall, it's an invigorated kind of sound. We went in and everybody… It's, like, after all these years, you go in, and it's, like, we hadn't written a record since — what was it? Pre-COVID, I think, when we were last in the studio. So it'd been a while since we'd actually… I mean, we've been playing shows, but we hadn't really got into being creative. The creative part, to me, is always kind of the funnest part of being in this band. Performing is great, but coming up with something out of nothing, that feeling cannot be topped. And so when you get in the room with your friends, we're laughing, we're having fun and then someone does something and then I react to it or they react to what I'm doing, it goes in a circle and then, all of a sudden, we lift our heads up and there's something that exists that didn't exist before we walked in that room. That's just great."

Last fall, DEFTONES guitarist Stephen Carpenter confirmed to the "Gnostic Academy" podcast mthat he and his bandmates were working on their new album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (RUSH, MASTODON, ALICE IN CHAINS). This marks DEFTONES' third collaboration with Nick, having previously worked with him on 2010's "Diamond Eyes" and 2012's "Koi No Yokan" LPs.

Asked how the songwriting process works in DEFTONES, Carpenter said: "It's a combination of things. Most often, everything stems from us just jamming out some ideas, messing around, and someone comes up with something that maybe someone else or everyone else likes. And then we kind of just focus in on that for a little bit. That's what Nick's great at doing, too. Where we could just sit and jam aimlessly and plow through idea after idea without even stopping to recognize them, he's great at saying, 'Hey, that idea is really cool. Let's try to work on that for a minute. And then that other idea might be really cool with that one. Let's try putting them together,' and stuff like that. So that's what's awesome about him. He's like an unofficial bandmember at that point and good at giving us direction where we don't normally do that well on our own. I mean, we do it, but it's a much slower process on our own."

Stephen went on to say that coming up with great musical ideas is the most difficult part of the process. "I feel like making the record is easy once you've got the songs, 'cause then we're just talking about arrangement," he explained. "And then if you want to finetune on things, and I'm sure a lot of people do… Once we have the songs done, it's literally just arranging the songs at that point. We don't actually do too much adjusting at that point."

Asked if he is pretty comfortable in the studio after all these years, Stephen said: "I have my moments where I can get stuck in a rut, but generally speaking, no, I'm pretty good and comfortable in the studio. I've always enjoyed that process because it's always been that place where you could really show what you can do as far as, 'The red light's on. Let's make sure we got it.' But otherwise, sometimes it could jam you up, but it's not often."

In 2022, DEFTONES recruited Fred Sablan as their new touring bassist following the departure of Sergio Vega. They were also joined by second guitarist Lance Jackman.

Sablan made his live debut with the DEFTONES in April 2022 at the opening concert of the band's spring 2022 U.S. tour at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon.

Sablan is best known as the former bassist for MARILYN MANSON, having toured and recorded with the shock rocker between 2010 and 2014. He has also played bass for CHELSEA WOLFE and PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT, and is a member of the punk-rock supergroup HEAVENS BLADE alongside YOUTH CODE singer Sara Taylor, former ROB ZOMBIE bassist Piggy D. (on guitar) and SUICIDE SILENCE drummer Alex Lopez.

Vega, who officially joined DEFTONES in 2009, confirmed his exit in March 2022, just days after a new photo of the band without him emerged online on various digital service providers. At the time, he took to social media to share a video explaining his perspective on the split. In the Instagram video, Vega detailed the contractual issues that created a rift between himself and the group's core members.

Jackman is known for his work in Sacramento bands EIGHTFOURSEVEN, HORSENECK and WILL HAVEN.

Fan-filmed video of Lita Ford's April 11 concert at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below.

In a late 2023 interview with Robert Miguel of Uvalde Radio Rocks, Lita spoke about the delay in releasing her long-awaited new studio album. She said: "Well, I just did an interview a little while ago and I was just saying that there's a lot of pieces of the puzzle in moving forward with things, especially now in the music industry, there's so many moving parts and stuff. So I just need to have all my ducks in a row before I try to release this record. And I think just recently, I wanna say just over the last couple of weeks, the missing link and the biggest pieces of the puzzle, besides me, have been found. And we're gonna be moving forward real soon with this record."

Ford's upcoming follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" was once again helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc, alongside the rest of Lita's longtime backing band, consisting of guitarist Patrick Kennison, drummer Bobby Rock and bassist Marty O'Brien.

In May 2022, bassist Marten Andersson (STEELHEART, LIZZY BORDEN, LYNCH MOB) officially joined Lita's touring band. Andersson replaced O'Brien who became the touring bassist for DAUGHTRY.

In a separate interview with "THAT Rocks!", the weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, Lita stated about her next LP: "The problem is we've had so many things happen over the last few years. Our manager died; George Marshall died a year ago, [in] '22. And then my songwriting partner died. And it's just been devastation. But we take all that pain and everything and we just put it right back into the album. And then we recorded the drum tracks in Minneapolis during Black Lives Matter and COVID. Everything was locked down and the place was boarded up and the guys had shotguns and Rottweilers. And then we went in and did drum tracks. And it was awesome."

In January 2021, Lita told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that her new album contains "some of the best guitar playing" she has heard "in decades." She added: "And I'm not blowing smoke up my own ass, but Gary and I just nailed it with the guitar playing on this record.

"I'm a huge fan of people like Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter from Alice Cooper's 'Welcome To My Nightmare'. I mean, there's some really great duo guitar players — [JUDAS PRIEST's] Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing… Those guitar players don't exist anymore — they just don't exist. If you wanna hear them, you have to go back in time a little bit and dig them up into your favorite library, favorite music catalog. But I think Gary and I really nailed it on this next record. It's, like, oh my God. I'm crying — I'm just, like, crying listening to this stuff. It's so badass."

Ford's last release was 2016's "Time Capsule", a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.

Eight years ago, Lita released an autobiography, "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books),an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

TONIGHT! 🔥 APRIL 11th!
Lita Ford

Posted by Whisky A Go-Go on Thursday, April 11, 2024

In a new interview with Niclas Müller-Hansen of RockSverige, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked how he feels about getting older. He responded: "That brings me to the point of [the ACCEPT song] 'Ravages Of Time' [from the band's upcoming album 'Humanoid']. That's why I wrote that song. When I was sitting there writing the first ideas for that song, I had a little guitar melody and I thought it could be a cool, slow song and I thought, 'What could it be about?' and I thought, 'It's time for a little bit of honesty.'

"I joined ACCEPT when I was 16, and now I'm 64 and I'm still behaving like I'm 16," he admitted. "In my mind, I'm still 16, because it takes that or else you wouldn't do what we're doing. At the same time, I know I'm not 16 anymore and I don't look like 16, but nothing lasts forever, as it says in the song. That's why I wrote that song. It could be a bit of an honest reflection on life, and I think that's good, to talk about the truth."

Wolf clarified: "I'm not saying I'm going to retire and I'm not saying I feel old or anything. Time takes its toll, whether you want it to or not. Sometimes you sit there thinking, 'I hope this will last forever,' but I know it won't. That's all.

"I remember when I was a young teenager, there was a moment when I was trying to explain to my parents, 'Mommy and daddy, I want to be a professional musician.' And they looked at me, like, 'What do you mean? You're not a classical musician. You're playing rock music. You can't do that forever,'" he added. "There was a time when there wasn't any old musicians. I mean THE [ROLLING] STONES weren't even 30, for crying out loud, when I started. THE BEATLES had retired, and there wasn't anybody 50 or 60 years old playing loud music and banging their heads. All that was a young man's game. Everybody thought that one day they all would have to get a proper job and do something else. Here we are, all these years later, and I'm almost one of the younger guys still out there. There are guys pushing 80 now. How crazy is that? And I think it's great. Now we all know we can do it and I see bands that start now that are younger and they have a completely different outlook and they know they can do it for the rest of their career and they take much more care of their career long-term. We never did that. When we made these albums, we thought, Okay, we'll make another album, but it's not going to last much longer.' Nobody thought you could do it for that long, to be honest, so there was never anyone thinking ten years ahead. Same for me. I always thought we'd have a bit of fun, but one day it will all have to end. Just a completely different mindset."

Due on April 26 via Napalm Records, "Humanoid" was once again produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by critically acclaimed heavy metal producer Andy Sneap.

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

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

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

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

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville with Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH),who has been responsible for the studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

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

In a new interview with Drumtalk, the video magazine launched by German drummer and filmmaker Philipp Koch, MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake spoke about how PANTERA's classic 1990s albums influenced his band's early sound. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "PANTERA was an important thing early for us, I think, 'cause they were one of those bands there in the early '90s when everything was just grunge, grunge, grunge and all over the place. And they were one of the bands that, at least in Sweden, were doing great and were still selling a lot of albums. But metal kind of died down for a few years there… The 'fuck you' approach of that band was so over the top that you laughed at it, but it was also, like, 'Yeah, that's a pretty hard band.'"

He added: "'Far Beyond Driven', 'Vulgar Display Of Power' and 'Cowboys From Hell' as well, those three albums, I think, they should be on any metalhead's shelf. If they're not, you're missing something."

Haake also spoke specifically about PANTERA's Vinnie Paul Abbott, calling him "another influential drummer. He had a particular style that's not the easiest to emulate," he said. "He wasn't trying to fill every single 16th note with something. Now [PANTERA is] out touring again, and [current PANTERA drummer] Charlie Benante does a great job of it, and they're using the same sounds and samples, so the kit itself sounds PANTERA, so he does a great job of it. But it's definitely… I don't know. [Vinnie Paul] had a particular swagger when he played, and it's a shame it's gone, man."

Back in July 2018, a month after Vinnie Paul died, Haake told Finland's Kaaos TV about the PANTERA drummer's passing: "I was stunned at first. Obviously, he was way too young — only 54, I think. Yeah, it definitely came as a shock. I mean, I don't know him that well, but, of course, over the years, we have run into each other and we have hung out and had beers and talked about life and music and stuff. So it's definitely a sad loss. And what can you say? Too early."

Haake went on to say that the first time he "actually met and hung out with" Vinnie Paul "and talked to him" was around nine or 10 years ago in Australia. And although MESHUGGAH never toured with either PANTERA or HELLYEAH, "we have run into [HELLYEAH] and we played a lot of the same stages around the same time at festivals and stuff like that," Tomas said. "So we definitely ran into them a bunch of times."

According to Haake, PANTERA's music had a "huge" influence on MESHUGGAH in the early years of the Swedish band's career. "I mean, during the grunge years, if you wanna call it that, early '90s, where metal kind of just dipped down and there was not much going on, you had METALLICA, of course, 'cause they were always big, but other than METALLICA, PANTERA was the only band that kind of just got stronger through those years. And for us, early on in our career, they had a huge impact. Of course. Definitely."

Asked what, in his opinion, made PANTERA's music so special, Tomas said: "I don't know. They certainly had a unique style of drumming, unique guitar playing, unique vocals — the best metal singer, probably, on the planet. So just the combination. The songwriting was excellent. It was really brutal, beatdown music and had little hints of hardcore, a little bit of older hard rock, if you look at their early years, before the [major-label] PANTERA stuff. So, I don't know… It was just a really cool mix. Also, their productions really kind of stood out and everything was really clear — you could really hear everything. So [it was] just a combination of all those things that made PANTERA a great band."

Haake also talked specifically about Vinnie Paul's drumming during his time with PANTERA, saying: "That was one of the things that stood out early on too. He had some things that he did, both with his feet and hands, that were kind of a new thing and that I think a whole generation of drummers kind of snipped off on and started using a little bit — where you do, like, three hits on two bass drums, and stuff like that. So definitely signature Vinnie Paul stuff. They basically shaped a whole generation of musicians, for sure, in metal — there's no doubt."

MESHUGGAH's ninth studio album, "Immutable", was released in May 2022 via Atomic Fire. The follow-up to 2016's "The Violent Sleep Of Reason" was recorded at Sweetspot Studios in Halmstad, Sweden; mixed by Rickard Bengtsson and Staffan Karlsson; and mastered by multiple Grammy Award winner Vlado Meller (METALLICA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SYSTEM OF A DOWN). Luminokaya once again created the cover artwork.

Internationally acclaimed heavy metallers, Sabaton, are celebrating their 25-year milestone in the music industry. They have checked in with the following update:


"You guys asked... and asked, so we simply had to deliver! The Swedish version of 'Carolus Rex' is back on vinyl – but not just any vinyl. We’ve pressed it on unique blue / yellow sunburst vinyl as an homage to our Swedish roots! This unique record drops on April 26, 2024, but you can pre-order yours now to make sure you don’t miss out. Pre-order here."







Founded in Falun, Sweden, in 1999, Sabaton's journey has been nothing short of legendary. Their music industry adventures have been fuelled by powerful anthems, 10 studio albums, passionate historical storytelling, and explosive international shows and tours, not to mention out-of-the-box initiatives and projects, all of which wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of their dedicated fan base across the globe.


To mark this momentous milestone, Sabaton have embarked on a year-long celebration. Fans around the world can look forward to a series of celebratory events and an abundance of surprises.


They band recently shared a new video along with the following message:


"Welcome to The Art Of War listening party, metalheads! As we’re in the fourth month of 2024 we need to shine the spotlight on our fourth studio album! Did you know that The Art Of War was the genesis of a whole new era for us as a band? It marked the first time we explored the realm of concept albums and it would set the tone for the albums to follow. Grab a drink, grab a snack and come hang out with us!"

Christian rockers Stryper have checked in with the following update:


"We're here to share a major update: the Stryper acoustic project is being re-released in new and exciting ways!


Initially, when we decided to offer Acousticyzed two-disc sets directly to consumers, we were extremely cautious with production. Since this project was entirely self-funded and independently released, it was crucial for us to assess interest before taking an even bigger leap.




Well, as you may be aware, the sets sold out very quickly, and we can't thank you enough for making that happen. That said, we've heard your feedback loud and clear! You want MORE.


We're thrilled to announce a partnership that will take this project to the next level. We're teaming up with a company to elevate the experience and bring you some incredible new products. This collaboration will allow us to expand our formats to include vinyl, CDs, DVDs / Blu-rays, and even cassettes. Stay tuned for more details and release dates. We'll also have these items available for purchase during our upcoming To Hell With The Amps tour.


We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you for your unwavering support of this project, and we can't wait to share this next chapter with you!"





Tracklist:


"You Know What To Do"
"Soldiers Under Command"
"No More Hell To Pay"
"Make You Mine"
"Loud & Clear"
"Lady"
"Honestly"
"Calling On You"
"Amazing Grace"
"Always There For You"
"All For One"


Stryper recently announced that, for the first time ever, they will be performing the hits and fan favourites, acoustically. "To Hell With The Amps: The Unplugged Tour" is coming to a city near you.


They have added new dates to the tour (**). The complete schedule is available below.


May
30 - MadLife Stage & Studios - Woodstock, GA
31 - Amos' Southend - Charlotte, NC


June
1 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC **
3 - Phantom Power - Millersville, PA **
4 - City Winery Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA
6 - Narrows Center For The Arts - Fall River, MA
7 - Tupelo Music Hall - Derry, NH
8 - Town Ballroom - Buffalo, NY **
9 - Danenberger Family Vineyards - New Berlin, IL **
11 - Cohoes Music Hall - Cohoes, NY **
14 - Diesel Concert Lounge - Chesterfield, MI **
15 - J.D. Legends - Franklin, OH **
16 - The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN **
18 - Mercury Ballroom - Louisville, KY **
20 - Warner Vineyards - Paw Paw, MI
21 - The Hobart Art Theater - Hobart, IN
22 - Danenberger Family Vineyards - New Berlin, IL
23 - Liberty Hall at The Factory - Franklin, TN **


Tickets are available here.

The Drumeo YouTube channel has shared a new showcase video, this time focusing on Toto drum legend, Jeff Pocaro.  


Drumeo: "Jeff Porcaro is one of the most prolific drummers in history. As a session drummer and the drummer for Toto, he has one of the most iconic catalogues of recorded music and his drum parts have become synonymous with the sound of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Join Brandon Toews as he dives deep into what made Jeff such an incredible drummer."







Jeff Porcaro is one of the most recorded session musicians in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions. AllMusic has characterized him as "arguably the most highly regarded studio drummer in rock from the mid-'70s to the early '90s" and says that "it is no exaggeration to say that the sound of mainstream pop/rock drumming in the 1980s was, to a large extent, the sound of Jeff Porcaro."


Porcaro passed away on August 5, 1992, at the age of 38. He was posthumously inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1993.

Former Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his weekly cover, this time taking on Queen guitarist Brian May's "Too Much Love Will Kill You"


"Too Much Love Will Kill You" was written by Brian May, Frank Musker and Elizabeth Lamers. The song reflected the breakdown of May's first marriage and attraction to his future wife, Anita Dobson. It was first recorded by Queen around 1988 or before, and was intended to be on the band's 1989 album, The Miracle, but did not make the cut due to legal disputes following the band's decision that all songs on the album would be written by the group as opposed to individuals. After Queen frontman Freddie Mercury's death in 1991, May arranged a solo version, which he performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, and subsequently included on his solo album Back to the Light that same year. 

The cinematic progressive metal band Sunburst will release their new album Manifesto via Inner Wound Recordings on June 14. The album will be available on CD, limited vinyl editions and digital.


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


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




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


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


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





Tracklisting:


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

Unleashing their fifth studio release vir fortis, a heavy metal-infused history lesson covering Napoleon and Vlad The Impaler, Toronto, Canada’s AxMinister are sharing their latest video with the use of AI to tell a visual story about their track "Vlad The Impaler... Son of The Dragon". The track studies the rich history associated with the infamous despot, as well as the myth pervading hence.





Historically accurate, vir fortis is a journey to a different time. There are two songs about Vlad and an impressive 17-minute saga about Napoleon. 




AxMinister explains further:


“‘Vlad The Impaler…Son Of The Dragon’ studies the rich history associated with the infamous despot, as well as the myth pervading hence. ‘The Age Of Napoleon…The Rise’, which was in the works for five years, sets the stage for the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte; this exciting study of the world that gave birth to the future Emperor, leaves us as he becomes a captain of artillery, in the French revolutionary army.”


vir fortis was produced, mixed, and mastered at Monolithic Productions by Tyler Williams and the EP cover artwork is an oil painting by drummer Bas von Bismark who also writes a majority of the lyrics. Bassist/vocalist Nicholas Klaus writes most of the music, with guitarist Steve Macleod contributing key song elements wherever needed. The songs are then arranged by the band collectively.


Heavy metal fans, especially those with an interest in history and battle, will not be disappointed with this record. It is recommended for fans of Megadeth, Manowar, and Judas Priest.


Order the EP on Bandcamp.





(Photo: Maribeth Chabot – Shootingstarr Rock & Roll Photography)

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson played an intimate concert at legendary Los Angeles club Whisky A Go Go last night (Friday, April 12) as a warm-up for his upcoming solo tour. Performing under the banner of THE HOUSE BAND FROM HELL, Dickinson played a 15-song set with his backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass),alongside the group's latest additions, Swedish-born 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.

Among the tracks Bruce played last night were first-time performances of "Abduction", taken from Dickinson's 2005 solo album "Tyranny Of Souls"; "The Alchemist", taken from Dickinson's 1998 album "The Chemical Wedding"; and four songs from Bruce's latest solo album, this year's "The Mandrake Project": "Afterglow Of Ragnarok", "Many Doors To Hell", "Resurrection Men" and "Rain On The Graves". There were also the classic Dickinson solo cuts "Tears Of The Dragon" and "Accident Of Birth", as well as a cover version of THE EDGAR ALLEN WINTER GROUP's "Frankenstein".

Setlist:

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

Encore:

14. Jerusalem
15. Road To Hell

Prior to Friday night's 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.

Bruce and his band will play another concert at the Whisky A Go Go tonight (Saturday, April 13). Tickets to both shows went on sale Friday morning, only available for purchase at the Whisky box office. The lucky fans who lined up early got a special treat and were greeted by Dickinson in the box office selling tickets and meeting fans.

Commented Dickinson: "As we were holed up in our North Hollywood rehearsal studio preparing for the tour, we thought that since rehearsals were going so well maybe we should have a little fun and do something last-minute here in L.A. Putting tickets for sale at an actual box office should remind people what it used to be like back when I started gigging!"

He added: "We're raring to go and I'm just so excited to unleash this band on the world at the iconic Whisky A Go Go."

In a video message announcing the first Whisky gig, Bruce said: "Hello, a quick update. Oh my God, here we are in rehearsals with the House Band Of Hell, which is actually what is gonna be at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles on Friday. Secret show, not secret anymore. 10 o'clock Friday morning, tickets go on sale. And when you turn up at the box office, you never know who you might meet. But anyway, never mind. So we're gonna be there.

"We are just absolutely stoked for this show," he continued. "I mean, we were ready a week ago. I've been trying to calm them down. Honestly, it's like having a lot of strange horny animals. [I have to] throw buckets of cold water over them. 'Boys, stop' — and girls. All equally. We are just ready to get it on. So ready for this tour."

In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, Bruce spoke about the stripped-down nature of the upcoming 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]"

The third chance to see the six-piece live will be at The Observatory in Orange County, California on Monday, April 15.

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.



Posted by Olga Art on Saturday, April 13, 2024



Posted by Olga Art on Saturday, April 13, 2024



Posted by Olga Art on Saturday, April 13, 2024

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A post shared by TheWhiskyAGoGo (@thewhiskyagogo)



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A post shared by TheWhiskyAGoGo (@thewhiskyagogo)



Here we go! The first of two SOLD OUT shows at the Whisky a Go Go in LA!
#BruceDickinson #TheHouseBandOfHell
#TheMandrakeProject #Tour #LA

Posted by Bruce Dickinson on Saturday, April 13, 2024

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

OVERKILL's setlist was as follows:

01. Scorched
02. Bring Me The Night
03. Electric Rattlesnake
04. Hello From The Gutter
05. Wicked Place
06. Coma
07. Horrorscope
08. Long Time Dyin'
09. The Surgeon
10. Mean, Green, Killing Machine
11. Ironbound
12. Elimination

Encore:

13. Hammerhead
14. Rotten To The Core
15. Fuck You (THE SUBHUMANS cover)

Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Metal & Rock Zone, Ellefson spoke about the announcement that he was recruited by OVERKILL to play bass for the band on their "Scorching Latin America 2024" tour. The former MEGADETH member is filling in for original OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni, who is unable to make the shows as he is recovering from shoulder surgery.

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

OVERKILL's 10-date "Scorching Latin America 2024" tour will include additional stops in Costa Rica, Chile and Peru before closing on April 28 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you, Guadalajara Mexico, it was so great to make my debut performance with Overkill with all of your beautiful...

Posted by David Ellefson on Friday, April 12, 2024

Overkill
C3 stage
Cacique Entertainment
11/04/2020
Canon eos RP

Posted by Rojo WR on Friday, April 12, 2024

Rehearsals begin today for Overkill 's Scorching Latin America Tour!! It's an honor to fill in for my friend, the mighty...

Posted by David Ellefson on Monday, April 8, 2024

US heavy metal band Out Of Darkness has released a new video for the self-titled song, taken from the album Out of Darkness out from February 23.


The title-track is a pure concentration of compositional skill. After a classic heavy start, the feeling changes with a splendid arpeggio, before exploding in bursts of well-constructed guitar solos. Eric Barrios' voice stands out above all, skilled in giving warmth and melody to the song.







The new album Out Of Darkness demonstrates the evolution of the quartet, showcasing a wide variety of styles and dynamics within the metal realm. The lyrical content can at times be personal and dark, though the overall message of the band is intended to be positive and uplifting. The intended audience would range from lovers of classic US progressive/power metal to fans of modern metal. The band has put their influences and growth thoroughly on display in their second release.


Out Of Darkness was formed in 2020 by Brent E. Smedley (former Iced Earth drummer and percussionist) and Eric Barrios, vocals and guitar. They released the debut EP Seize The Day that same year to much critical acclaim and began to grow their following. Playing live shows first in their home state of Florida, then followed up by doing 3 tours up the East Coast as far as New Jersey and even reaching as far West as Las Vegas. 


The song "Think Again" reached #23 on The Billboard Rock Indicator chart, #8 on the Foundations Rock Chart Top 10 Greatest Gainers and received substantial airplay on many FM radio stations throughout the United States. The band received over 100,000 views for the "I Surrender" video and has over 16,000 followers on Facebook. This epic metal masterpiece seeks to redefine their sound and broaden the spectrum of true heavy metal. 


This album features powerfully crafted songs with crushing riffs, catchy vocal melodies, thought provoking lyrics, and powerful rhythms that take the listener on an audio journey through dynamic and colorful musical soundscapes. It is Out of Darkness's intention to become a legendary metal band like no other.


Out Of Darkness was produced by Stan Martell and Bill Staley. Mixed and mastered by Stan Martell at Martell AVP. Artwork and band photos by Bill Staley. Band logo by David Parrish.


Order the album via the band’s official website, here.





“Terraform” video:





“Via Dolorosa” video:





Out Of Darkness is:


Brent Smedley - Drums
Eric Barrios - Vocals, Guitar
Bill Staley - Guitar
Dan Callahan - Bass


(Photo - Bill Staley)

The Michael Steinman YouTube channel has uploaded video of Ace Frehley's April 12 concert at Capitol Theatre in Rome, New York. Check out the clips below.

Ace's new solo album, "10,000 Volts", was released on February 23 via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music). The 11-track LP was produced by Ace and Steve Brown (TRIXTER).

In a recent interview with VRP Rocks, Ace praised "10,000 Volts", saying: "I'm very happy with the way the record turned out. Now, a lot of times I've recorded records where sometimes you look at three or four songs on the album and you consider them not as good as some of the other ones and you kind of consider them as filler. But I don't think there's any filler on this album. I think every song has merit to it."

He added:  "I think it's one of the best albums I ever did. I mean, I think it's probably as good as my solo album in 1978, which everybody seems to think is my best album to date. But I think this new album is equally as good as my 1978 solo album, and I think there's more than one hit single on the album. So, if I was a KISS fan or an Ace Frehley fan, I'd go out and buy it immediately when it's released on February 23rd, because you're in for a treat."

Ace's new all-original album is the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Gene's bass playing.

Frehley recently revealed that his next release will be a third "Origins" volume, covering songs by artists who influenced him. He will once again work with Brown on the project, which is tentatively due in 2025.

In an interview with Billboard, Frehley said that he is at one of the best points of his career. "Y'know, here I am at age 72 and I'm putting out one of the best records I've ever recorded," he said. "The playing is great and the singing is some of the best vocals I've ever done. It really doesn't make any sense, but I'm the kind of guy that’s always broken rules, y'know?"

Ace Frehley is back in the touring groove.

The former KISS lead guitarist is bringing his stable of hits to venues all...

Posted by Rome Capitol Theatre on Monday, October 23, 2023

HALL AFLAME, the rock band led by METAL CHURCH founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, will release its sophomore album, "Amplifire", on May 3 via Rat Pak Records. The official music video for the LP's first single, "The Same Gutter", can be seen below.

Originally formed in 1989, HALL AFLAME garnered commercial success with its debut LP, "Guaranteed Forever", which was well received by fans and industry peers alike and quickly found themselves opening for ZZ TOP on their 1991 "Recycler" tour for a number of dates. As with many bands from that era, facing a decline in interest for AOR rock due to the onslaught of the "grunge" scene, the band went on a lengthy hiatus and reunited again in late 2023 to begin working on a handful of songs.

"Amplifire" offers 12 new studio tracks and reunites Kurdt with original bassist Brian Smith, along with drummer Bill Raymond and frontman Scott Nutter.

Vanderhoof comments: "This album came about as a project to document all the songs that we had written for the second album that never came to be. We revisited the songs and realized they had to be recorded properly. Then it blossomed into something much better than we had even hoped! So that led us into reforming the band instead of just having it be a project."

Smith adds: "I think anyone that is a fan of 'Guaranteed Forever' will see this record as a new and improved 'Part II' of HALL AFLAME. Great songs, great production and we had a ton of fun putting this together!"

Nutter says: "A good hard rock album should lift you, make you want to sing along and rock out! That's what this album does for me!"

From the driving album opener "Helltown" to the powerhouse outro track "Keeping Them All Away", HALL AFLAME shines with its signature brand of rock and roll. Tracks like "Ripcord", "In The Same Gutter", "It Ain't Enough" and "Gunnin'" are filled with memorable hooks and melodies, while songs like "Pullin Me Apart" and "1974" showcase their unique, classic rock songwriting abilities. With influences that range from BAD COMPANY to THIN LIZZY, "Amplifire" is best described as the perfect blend of classic rock with a modern-day edge.

Track listing:

01. Helltown
02. Ripcord
03. 1974
04. This Ain't Love
05. The Same Gutter
06. It Ain't Enough
07. Gunnin'
08. Pullin' Me Apart
09. Long Way Down
10. Keeping Them All Away
11. Cowboy (bonus track) (CD and digital)
12. Paradise On Ice (bonus track) (CD and digital)

In an interview with The Break Down With Nath & Johnny, drummer Mike Wengren of DISTURBED, which recently shared the stage with PANTERA at Knotfest Australia, was asked which band he would "love to fill in for" and play a show with. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, I mean, honestly, if they told me, like, somebody took Charlie [Benante, PANTERA drummer] out tonight, I think I could step in. Actually, you know what? Let me make sure I clarify this. All respect to Charlie, 'cause he's killin it, man. He is doing everything in his power to make it sound like Vinnie [Paul Abbott, late PANTERA drummer] is up there. There's nobody in the world that could actually do that. Charlie was so, so close with the [Abbott] brothers, and it's awesome. So, let me make sure I say that first. 'Cause all those guys are my bros. I'm just saying as a huge PANTERA fan, I think I know most of the songs in the back of my head already. I can probably pull it off. I got probably 80 percent of [the set down already]."

Back in June 2018, shortly after Vinnie Paul's passing, Wengren took to his social media to pay tribute to the PANTERA drummer, writing: "Still can't seem to find the words.

"Vinnie Paul was an idol of mine back in the 90s. He was a huge influence on my playing. Then Ozzfest 2000 PANTERA is on main stage and DISTURBED second stage. It was our first-ever major festival touring experience.

"As a second-stage artist, your laminates were restricted to certain areas.

"We met Vinnie and Dime. They welcomed us into their dressing room regardless of what our passes said. They took us under their wing and showed us how to treat your fellow touring mates. It never mattered that they were headliners and we were openers. To them, we were all brothers. We have continued to follow that attitude throughout our careers and treat our opening bands and crew as family.

"So many stories throughout the years.

"We used to jam together whenever our paths crossed on the road. They would join us during our set when we would cover 'Walk'. I would have Vinnie play my kit and I'd join in on the floor toms.

"To have met him was a dream come true. To become his friend was an honor.

"Vin, I will be forever grateful for your impact on my life. Rest in peace, brother. Say hello to Dime for me. Until we jam again in the afterlife."

Vinnie Paul died in June 2018 of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Vinnie's brother, guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, was shot to death in December 2004 while performing onstage. The Abbotts founded the bands PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN together. After Dimebag's death, Vinnie Paul joined singer Chad Gray and other members of MUDVAYNE and NOTHINGFACE in HELLYEAH, who have released six albums.

Joining Benante in PANTERA's reformed lineup are surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals),along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY).

Nocturna has released "Sapphire", third single taken from the new album Of Sorcery And Darkness to be released on April 19 by Scarlet Records.


The sophomore record of the band founded by the formidable frontwomen Grace Darkling and Rehn Stillnight - featuring the Frozen Crown/Volturian/Be The Wolf mastermind Federico Mondelli as songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist - was recorded, mixed and mastered by Andrea Fusini at Fusix Studio; Rehn Stillnight took care of the delightfully grim artwork and illustrations.


After the success of the 2022 mesmerizing debut album, Daughters Of The Night (which mixed gothic-symphonic and power metal elements, alternating between fast & heavy neck breaking episodes and intense, piano-oriented ballads), Nocturna once again delves into the meaning of the term "duality" and all its more morbid connotations.




The romantic inspiration of the lyrics of Of Sorcery And Darkness combines harmoniously with the band's sophisticated sonic approach, and the celestial voices of Grace Darkling and Rehn Stillnight paint mysterious and sensual portraits of an ancestral time (yet so close to us). It's a solemn, sinister and never so lost paradise.


Of Sorcery And Darkness will be released in the following formats:


- digipack CD
- vinyl LP
- digital





Tracklisting:


"Burn The Witch"
"Sapphire"
"Noctis Avem"
"Creatures Of Darkness"
"Midnight Sun"
"First Disobedience"
"Seven Sins"
"Through The Maze"
"Strangers"
"Last Day On Earth"


"Sapphire":





"Seven Sins" video:





Nocturna are:


Grace Darkling - vocals
Rehn Stillnight - vocals
Hedon - guitar
Antares - bass
Deimos - drums


(Photo - Luca Morselli)

On Göden's latest album, Vale Of The Fallen, the sound is heavier than ever and the title track does not disappoint. The new album will be out May 17 via Svart Records. Preorder at the Svart Records webshop.


Göden creator Stephen Flam is best known for his previous work with the band Winter whose sludgy dirge earned a loyal cult following. One could consider Göden to be the spiritual successor to Winter - Winter is to Göden as Celtic Frost is to Triptykon.


About the new track, Flam had this to say:




"'Vale Of The Fallen' was the first song written and recorded during the pandemic in pure isolation... life was complicated for us in New York. I decided to continue writing to keep my sanity during this very dark time and was not able to record with the other members live like the first album."


And Vas Kallas shared these comments:


"These songs were slowly written starting in 2020 during the pandemic. They are mostly conjured up by the science fiction world we all had to endure as humans on this one planet we share. I believe in individualism, freedom, and self-wisdom. I also believe in finding yourself and escaping into yourself or meditative worlds to understand it all or to just look to the skies from where we all came.. or did we? I don’t expect everyone to understand any of this and I don’t ask anyone to, since it is purely art and up to the interpretation of the individual. Words and lyrics to me are like psychic colors on a paintbrush. It’s either pretty or ugly, soothing or disturbing.


"Since the last 4 years, there has been a lot of darkness in the truth, a lot of hatred, humanity going absolutely mad, and a lot of people striving to find their tribe. I personally strive for hope and seek the higher realm of positivity always, but in the meantime, we find ourselves in the 'Vale Of The Fallen'…."


Göden's debut album, Beyond Darkness stood on its own in creating a distinctive world. Now, four years later, they explore new sonic territories with their second album, Vale Of The Fallen. Where Beyond Darkness was a concept album that propelled listeners into space, both inner and outer, Vale Of The Fallen brings us back to twisted reality. The in-your-face approach intensifies the experience - much like a walk through a post-apocalyptic landscape in the bleakest imaginable conditions.


Sound-wise, Stephen Flam's heavier-than-life riffs, Vas Kallas's sardonic delivery, and Tony Pinnisi's keyboards create oppressive atmospheres atop Jason Frantz's powerful drumming, while in contrast, Margaret Murphy’s violin weaves ghostly motifs throughout. Like its predecessor, Vale Of The Fallen features interludes that provide brief respites between some tracks, only to return to the crushing avalanche of sound.





Tracklisting:


“The Divine”
“In The Vale Of The Fallen”
“Urania”
“Black Vortex”
“Rings Of Saturn”
“Death Magus”
“Zero”
“Manifestation IX”
“Requiem”
“Majestic Symphony”


“In The Vale Of The Fallen”:





Svart Records will also re-release Winter’s Into Darkness once more, putting the album back in print for a new generation of listeners. Into Darkness was a gateway drug to the dark depths of sludge metal, and now awaits a whole new throng of acolytes to bow down before the throne of heavy doom.


Now available for preorders on different limited color editions, classic CD-version, and beautiful c-cassette. Into Darkness will also be released on May 17, 2024. Preorder at the Svart Records webshop.

Italian death metal vanguards, Vomit The Soul have today announced their latest auditory onslaught in the shape of new album, Massive Incineration, which will be released worldwide on June 7 via Unique Leader Records.


Marking this pivotal chapter in their relentless journey, the news of the album erupts with the release of lead single and video, "Annihilate The Infernal Army". A visualizer can be found below.


Massive Incineration is a behemoth of ten tracks that fuses brutal death metal with technical prowess and dark thematic storytelling. The album is a further step in Vomit The Soul's sonic evolution - mature, refined, and seething with anger.




The band states, “Massive Incineration brings 10 punishing tracks of brutal death metal, maintaining the VTS style and groove that represents us. We took care to sew darkness and violence into every single detail, creating the most mature, technically refined and angry work we made so far. The album has got a new explosive mix and master, deliberately chosen to be similar to the characteristics of the sound we wanted.


“As a final bonus track, we have included a new entirely rearranged version of one of our classics, ‘Third’, that was featured on our first album. A gift for those who have been following us for years. The album concept was structured and linked closely to the atmosphere of the record. The sound naturally emerged during the writing of the songs, our apostles of evil (seen on our album covers since the time of ‘Apostles of Inexpression’) find themselves in the repugnant and blasphemous abyss of hell. Their purpose- to dominate the entire ‘Otherworld’, after having enticed the wandering souls in Cold.”


Massive Incineration is testament to Vomit The Soul's relentless innovation and fierce dedication to their craft. With a sound steeped in darkness and violence, this album is set to be their most angry and ambitious work to date. A meticulously crafted descent into the macabre, soundtracked by exceptional technicality and unbridled brutality.


As the single "Annihilate The Infernal Army" rips through the veil between worlds with its accompanying video, fans old and new will be lured into the abyss of Vomit The Soul's making.





Tracklisting:


"Annihilate The Infernal Army"
"Beg For Mercy"
"Bloodtime"
"Call To The Abyss"
"Church Of Losers"
"Endless Dark Solstice"
"Mark of Blasphemy"
"Massive Incineration"
"Repulsive Shores Into Oblivion"
"Third" (2024 version)


"Annihilate The Infernal Army" visualizer:





Formed in 2000 by death metal aficionados Max, Ycio, and Denny, Vomit The Soul quickly moved from rehearsal tapes to live gigs and EP recordings, despite lineup changes. Their relentless drive led them to independently release their EP Human Insanity in 2003 and gain traction with intense live performances across Italy. The pursuit of excellence took them offstage to refine their craft, resulting in their well-received debut album Portraits Of Inhuman Abominations in 2005 under Comatose Music, which catapulted them into the international festival circuit, rubbing shoulders with global death metal giants.


Regrouping in 2021 with original members Max and Ycio, joined by new faces Stefano Rossi Ciucci and Davide Billia, the band's evolution continued with the album Cold, their first with world renowned independent label, Unique Leader Records, which reasserted their dominance in the genre. The current lineup, including Andrea Pillitu and a role shift for Ciucci, entered MK2 Recording Studio in 2024 to create Massive Incineration. Mixed by Billia and mastered at Hertz Studios, this upcoming album promises to maintain the band’s signature slam brutality with a fresh sound, set for global release on June 7 via Unique Leader Records.