On June 7, one of Loverboy's most incredible live performances will be released for the very first time in high definition. Live In '82 has been lovingly restored by Paul Dean from his personal archive of 16mm film, and the joyous energy of a band who helped define the golden era of '80s music is captured like lightning in a bottle.


After taking the audience on an initial trip back to the golden era of the '80s with the first musical foretaste, the powerful live performance "Turn Me Loose", Loverboy are now presenting their second single, "Lady Of The 80's".


As of today, the song is available for download and streaming. The single release is being accompanied by the launch of the music video, inviting fans to re-live the live performance of "Lady Of The 80's" at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, back in 1982.




"Lady Of The 80's", initially released on the band's self-titled debut album in 1980, showcases Loverboy's energetic and catchy signature sound and is a true gem for all AOR and hard rock fans.


Listen to "Lady Of The 80's" here, watch the video below:





With their great music, colorful clothing, outrageous hairstyles (and headbands!), and terrific soundtracks for movies like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Top Gun, Loverboy have stood the test of time.


June 7, 2024, sees the release of Live In '82 on limited CD+Blu-ray, limited LP+DVD as well as digital streaming and download. Pre-order the live album here





Tracklisting:


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





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


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


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


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





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


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

American rockers, Warrant, have shared recap videos from their shows on March 22 in Kansas City, MO, and March 23 in Florence, IN. Watch below:










Warrant performs next on April 19 at Honeywell Center in Wabash, In. Find the band's tour dates and VIP Meet & Greet packages here.

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., who played on Ozzy Osbourne's 2010 album "Scream", was asked if there is a "signature song" on the LP where he "really put [his] stamp" on. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think the main single, the lead single, 'Let Me Hear You Scream', that's the one. Because I remember recording the album in Ozzy's studio and spending four or five weeks there doing guitars. And I remember flying back to Greece, 'cause that's where I live, and I remember, I was, like, 'Okay, I'm done with guitars. Everything is done.' And then I got an e-mail from Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager], and she was, like, 'We need you to come back to re-record one solo for 'Let Me Hear You Scream'.' And I'm, like, 'Why? I thought it was great.' And she's, like, 'Well, look, this is gonna be the first song that people will hear you on. You're gonna be the new guy and people will be checking you out on that one. So, I just think you can do better.' And, man, she was right. I was taken a back for a little bit. I was, like, 'What?' But then I sat down — I don't know. I just dissected each part down. It was a different vibe of going into it. Like, 'Okay, I have to think that this is gonna be the first thing that somebody is gonna hear me on that has no idea who this guy is. So we have to grab their attention.' So I think that solo is very representative of my style. There's a lot of those kind of things that I do a lot on my playing. And it's just such a cool track. It's a big song, man. So I'm really proud of that."

Asked if he is a guy who normally writes out the solos or he just "freeforms" it, Gus responded: "I do write the solos. I do. I come from the Randy Rhoads kind of school — construct the solos part by part. I do think the parts out. I mean, I do improvise a little bit over the backing track to get some initial ideas and stuff, and then I kind of narrow it down to what it would be like and then piece it all together."

Back in November 2019, Gus was asked during a clinic in Copenhagen, Denmark about the experience of recording the "Scream" album. He said: "You can say it was nerve-racking. They made sure that I was very comfortable. We were recording in Ozzy's house. He had this amazing million-dollar studio in his basement. And they were, like, 'Just take your time. Play your guitars. Take as long as you like.' So it was cool. I was hanging out there for a few weeks with his producer, Kevin Churko. It was great times. He didn't stress me. He just let me do my thing down there. We had a lunch break, and he would come down and take a listen to what I'd done for the day and tell a joke.

"It was also an interesting album for me, because I'm so used to writing the stuff," he continued. "But [the basic music] was already there. It was kind of weird, because the songs were there — the basic song structures — but they had no solo parts, and the riffs were not really there either; just like themes. The producer would come and chop them in Pro Tools. So my job was to come in and replay this and make it sound as natural as possible. I redid all the stuff. I did all the solo sections; there was no solo parts or melodies or anything like that. So it was a very fun experience.

"Of course, when you're there, you can't help but think of all the guys that were there in that band," Gus added, referring to previous Ozzy guitarists like Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde. "You're, like, 'Oh my God. How are we gonna release this? How can that thing compare to any of that?' So it's always there; that ghost is there somehow. But at the end of the day, you just do your best. It is what it is for the time being.

"I look at music albums as photo albums, in a way, of your life and where you are at a certain point, how your playing is, how your style [is], how your feelings come out. At the end of the day, you do what you can do for the time being, and then you obviously want to get better for the next album."

In 2018, Gus told TrueMetal.it that "it was a little bit of a relief" to find out that Ozzy was getting back together with his longtime axeman Zakk Wylde seven years ago. "I was just kind of tired of waiting around for all these years, not hearing anything about potential tours or recording activities," Gus said at the time. "Of course, [Ozzy] was very busy with BLACK SABBATH — I understand that — but then in between of all that, there would be all these one-off [solo Ozzy] shows popping up and I had to make myself available for that. But there was never any… I felt like there was no… I didn't see stuff coming up for the future, you know? So, as much as I loved being in that band and working with him, in a way, it was a little bit of a dead end for me, speaking personally. Of course, now he's gonna go on a big tour again and do his farewell thing, and that's great for him, but it was not a creative thing for me."

Gus's band FIREWIND released its latest studio album, "Stand United", in March via AFM Records.

In a new interview with Colombia's Colonia Records, DEATH ANGEL guitarist Ted Aguilar spoke about what it was like to see one of his bandmates, DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll, coming close to death after contracting COVID-19 in March 2020, making Will one of the first metal musicians diagnosed with the disease. Ted said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, that was rude for everyone. I remember we came home from [touring] Europe with TESTAMENT and EXODUS. Everyone got sick. And a few days later, Will went into the hospital and he went into an induced coma. We were all worried for him. I mean, his whole family was worried. The whole band was worried, but I'm speaking for myself, I've known the guy since I was 15 years old. He's one of my best friends in the whole world. So, yeah, it was scary. He got out of it, and I'm just glad he did. We're all glad he did. I just get emotional, 'cause we didn't know if he was gonna make it or not, but he did, and I'm glad he did. He's here with us."

Last year, Carroll battled COVID-19 for the second time, telling Fast Eddie of Capital Chaos TV about the experience: "Obviously my second bout with COVID was nowhere near as intense as my first, but it kicked my ass, for sure. I was down for about a week. [It happened] right after we got back from our Japan/Philippines trip. I was getting weird recall of how I felt the days leading up to my coma. Not a pleasant experience.

"As I do this interview, I'm packing for our European co-headlining tour with SACRED REICH," he added at the time. "It's obviously going to be an amazing tour and I'm excited about playing for all of our Euro fans, but I'm not gonna lie, a part of me is dreading going across the pond. I almost died from a virus/disease I contracted over there so I will always equate Europe with my COVID ordeal, which is unfortunate, as I love Europe."

Carroll first revealed his second COVID-19 battle in an October 3, 2023 post on his Facebook page. At the time, he wrote: "Well, my second bout with Covid wasn't nearly as dramatic as the first but it still kicked the living shit out of me. I've been in quarantine pretty much since I got back from Japan/Philippines but today I'm happy to say I tested negative and am feeling much better."

He added: "Oh, and anyone who feels they need to chime in on how Covid is a farce or the tests don't mean anything or any conspiracy laden train of thought can go fuck right off."

Carroll, who spent almost two weeks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit at a Northern California hospital in March 2020, first got sick when he and the rest of DEATH ANGEL spent more than a month on the road in Europe with TESTAMENT and EXODUS as part of that year's "The Bay Strikes Back" tour.

The now-50-year-old musician was hospitalized at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco after catching the virus on the aforementioned European tour. While comatose at the facility, Carroll said he saw himself leave his body and plummet down to hell, where Satan — a woman in his case — punished him for the deadly sin of sloth, morphing him into a Jabba The Hutt-like-monster who vomited blood until he had a heart attack. He also said his near-death experience gave him a new outlook on life, with plans to live a healthier life as well as a belief in a higher power.

When Carroll initially discussed his vision in a May 2020 interview, a number of mainstream news outlets picked up his story and focused on the "Satan" angle, with the New York Post running the headline "Death Angel Drummer Says He Met Satan During Near-Death Coronavirus Coma"

Carroll later took to his Facebook page to chastise the media, explaining that his supposed encounter with the devil was only a small part of his experience.

"It seems a lot of news outlets are taking my story and completely missing the point of it," he wrote. "They're focusing on my dream, vision, hallucination, whatever, which is a small part of a bigger story. What they should be focusing on is what it took for me to beat this horrible virus. And the doctors and nurses that worked so hard to make this happen. This whole 'Satan' thing is getting blown wayyy out of proportion."

A few days earlier, Carroll wrote on social media that he was not quite ready to embrace "the God thing."

"To make things clear. I'm not some holy roller all of a sudden," he said. "I won't be attending church every Sunday and I won't be quoting scripture. I still like and have an interest in evil music, movies, art and literature. But this experience was quite frightening to the point where I truly believe a higher power saved me. What that higher power is I haven't quite figured out.

"I strongly believe that everyone's collective prayers and positive energy played a big part in my recovery," he continued. "Before this nightmare I didn't think something like that was possible and I know for sure that Satan had nothing to do with me being alive today. The vision I had was horrifying and it will stay with me forever. But let's not get carried away with the God thing."

Carroll woke up from a medically induced coma on March 30, 2020 after spending nearly two weeks on a ventilator. Doctors told the San Francisco Chronicle he was in critical condition and came close to dying.

"He still was near the limits of what we could do with our supportive care, and we were very worried about him," said Dr. George Horng, a pulmonologist.

"He wasn't getting worse, but if he were to get worse, there wasn't much more that we could have done."

DEATH ANGEL had been touring in support of its ninth album, "Humanicide", which came out in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

The band was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the "Humanicide" title track. It was the group's first Grammy nomination.

Carroll joined DEATH ANGEL in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original drummer, Andy Galeon.

Will can be heard on the last four DEATH ANGEL studio albums: "Relentless Retribution" (2010),"The Dream Calls for Blood" (2013),"The Evil Divide" (2016) and the aforementioned "Humanicide".

Tales Of Woe, the album from Dutch black metal band Codex Mortis, tells about an evil spirit that tortures a man through demonic possession and mind control. With horrific visions of its previous victims, the evil spirit tries to turn the man into a murderer. The man escapes its hold by taking his own life, as a desperate attempt to end the circle of terror...


In Tales Of Woe, a harrowing history filled with injustice, agony, violence, and death unfolds as a tortured soul, the antagonist of the story, finds itself in an undying state, compelled to inflict suffering and death upon others trying to undo its own misery. It describes the troubles of its latest victim, the protagonist, as he is possessed and haunted by horrid visions.


The album was mixed and mastered by Björnström Ljud & Produktion. Artwork by Vladimir 'Smerdulak' Chebakov. Tales Of Woe is out June 21 via Black Lion Records.




“Upon death, the soul passes on to unknown places. On very rare occasions, some claim because death occurred under circumstances of extreme sorrow and misery, the soul remains to roam our realms. Most of these souls seek to find passage in whatever way possible. Others, however, have the undeniable urge to exact revenge, not seldom on innocent victims, sustaining a perpetual chain of grief.” – Codex Mortis





Tracklisting:


“Forsaken”
“Capricious Disembodied Villain”
“Chosen”
“Trenched In Blood”
“Fire Screams And Death”
“It Dies With Me”

Canadian metal legends, Anvil, have released the official music video for "Feed Your Fantasy", the first single from their 20th studio album, One And Only, out June 28 via AFM Records on three different vinyl versions and as a digipak CD. Pre-order the album here, and watch the video below.


As pioneers of the genre, Anvil has forged a path of uncompromising metal excellence for over four decades, and One And Only is a testament to their enduring power and influence. Their 20th studio album showcases Anvil at their finest, delivering a relentless onslaught of blistering riffs, thunderous drums, and anthemic choruses that will leave you electrified. With tracks that resonate with the raw energy and passion that define their sound, One And Only solidifies Anvil's place as true masters of heavy metal.







Tracklisting:


"One And Only"
"Feed Your Fantasy"
"Fight For Your Rights"
"Heartbroken"
"Gold And Diamonds"
"Dead Man Shoes"
"Truth Is Dying"
"Rocking The World"
"Run Away"
"World Of Fools"
"Condemned Liberty"
"Blind Rage"


"Feed Your Fantasy" video:








Anvil will play a rare concert at the El Mocambo, the legendary venue in Toronto, ON (Canada), this Saturday, April 6. Support will be provided by Devilwitch and Buffalo Bill.


About the event: The legends return! The Canadian trio Anvil belongs to one of the most distinctive bands of their genre, often cited as having influenced notable metal acts such as Slayer, Megadeath, Metallica or Anthrax! After 40 years in the music industry, touring the world in sold-out venues, and garnering critically acclaim for Anvil! The Story of Anvil - the number #1 music documentary of every metalhead.


El Mocambo is a fully accessible venue, and only 375 tickets are available for the 19+ event. Doors open at 8 PM.


Get tickets here.

Swim The Current, the electrifying rock band featuring Greg Antine, Marcos Leal (Ill Nino), George Pond (Disciples Of Verity), Chris Moore (George Lynch, Autograph) and Joe Gareri, has just unveiled their latest single. The band's rendition of Koe Wetzel's hit track, "So Low," is now available for fans to stream and enjoy, released through TLG|ZOID / Virgin Music Group.


Swim The Current has injected their signature energy into "So Low," infusing it with their unique style and musical prowess. With this cover, the band offers a fresh perspective on the original song. To complement the release, Swim the Current has premiered the official music video for "So Low" exclusively on BraveWords today.







Marcos Leal talks about the single, “Anyone that knows me knows I am a true country boy at heart, from my cowboy boots to my down home roots. I’ve always wanted to do something country, but mixed with my style and some fuckin metal! 


“'So Low' is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite artists of all time, Koe Wetzel. It embodies all the feelings I felt going through one of the most painful losses of my life, losing my dad Joe Leal. It’s a testament to those who have lost someone so close and still found the courage to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and keep going even when you have nothing left. I'm so low it’s fuckin awesome. This one is for you dad, rest in peace!”





Having played in numerous bands throughout the years, Guitarist Greg Antine came to a point in his career where he wanted to branch out and write songs that had more depth and were inspired by his personal life experiences. Having worked with Bassist George Pond for several years in previous projects including, Disciples Of Verity, Greg expressed his concept for Swim The Current to George in hopes of collaborating with him on this new music venture. The two began to flesh out ideas in George’s home studio and realized quickly that they were on to something special, but still needed something more to see their ideas through to complete their concepts. 


Greg was introduced to Joe Gareri, guitar/keyboards, by George during the Disciples Of Verity debut album recording sessions which Joe is also featured on as a guest artist. The three of them immediately hit it off and worked extremely well together. Greg and George realized that Joe’s cinematic writing style would be a perfect match for their concepts and Joe was then brought in as a full time member. After two songs were completed and demo’d in George’s studio utilizing programmed drums, it was suggested by their friend Allyson Song River Jaynes, that they reach out to her friend, drummer Chris Moore of Ultraphonix, Rock Of Ages, to see if he would be interested in working with the project. Upon hearing the strength of songwriting and musicianship of the band, Chris was all in and signed on as the fourth full time member of STC and now the band, from an instrument’s perspective, was complete.


The final missing piece for STC was a lead vocalist who could capture the sound they envisioned for their music. After working in the studio with a few different vocalists, George ultimately reached out to his friend Marcos Leal, of legendary international touring band Ill Nino. Marcos loved the music of STC as well as having the freedom and creativity of writing lyrics for the project. After recording their first song together with Marcos, "We Are Not The Same", everyone new that this lineup was something special and Swim The Current was now complete! The release of "We Are Not The Same" took off instantly, and amassed thousands of streams, YouTube views and followers through a total organic DIY social media campaign.


Swim The Current’s sound is influenced and reminiscent of many of their favorite artists including, Deftones, Faith No More, Sevendust, POD, and Stabbing Westward. They continue to write new music and look forward to sharing their future releases with the world.

In an interview with 4GQTVconducted at last weekend's WonderCon in Anaheim, California, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson spoke about the three-year, 12-episode comic book series which is accompanying his latest solo album, "The Mandrake Project". Asked if comic-book writing is a lot different from songwriting, Bruce responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, it is a lot different to songwriting. It has some similarities. Comic writing has similarities to all writing — screenplay writing and songwriting and book writing and art, obviously. But it is different to all of them. I mean, I approached writing this the same way I would approach writing, say, a screenplay. And then as soon as I went to turn it into a comic, my scriptwriter, Tony Lee, a very experienced comic writer —I realized that script writing, screenplay format is not comic format. Screenplay dialogue is not comic dialogue. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And you've just gotta have a feel for what's gonna work in a comic. And it's really exciting for me to see the script that we do turn into the art and then the art and the script work together. So as I'm going through, I feel like I'm getting more of a handle on writing comic script. I mean, I've written the story, I've written the characters, I've written the backstory, but now the characters are starting to write the story, which, for me, it's, like, wow, that's really cool."

Regarding whether he is a fan of comic books, Dickinson said: "Well, I was when I was a kid. I liked a good story, and for there to be a good story, you need complex characters. So I made a distinction between art. I mean, if I'd have been able to draw when I was a kid, I'm sure I would've been an artist. But I can't — I mean, I'm like little stick people; I have no ability at art at all, except I love it when I see it. And I can visualize things. I just can't draw them. Which is good for artists, because you can have maniacs like me create the ideas, and then they draw them. So, if I could, I'm sure I would have been an artist. But without that, then you turn into a storyteller just through whatever medium you can get your hands on."

For the last decade, Dickinson has been developing the story of "The Mandrake Project", his saga about the century-long battle for the human control of immortality.

"The Mandrake Project" comic book project is scripted by Tony Lee and drawn by Staz Johnson. It is being published by Z2 Comics in 12 episodes, collected into three graphic novels, and is described as "a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius."

"The Mandrake Project" album was released on March 1 via BMG. Bruce and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy "Z" Ramirez recorded the LP largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

This past February, Dickinson revealed the addition of two new guitarists to his solo touring band, which will hit the road in April in support of "The Mandrake Project". Swedish-born guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who incidentally played on Dickinson's latest single, "Rain On The Graves") will accompany previously announced members Dave Moreno, Mistheria and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass). Ramirez will not be part of the touring lineup.

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

ARTE Concert has shared pro-shot video of Volbeat's entire August 2017 concert in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was officially released in 2018 as Lets'Boogie! Live From Telia Parken. Check it out below.


The show features guest appearances by Mille Petrozza (Kreator), Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Danko Jones and more. 


Setlist:




"The Devil's Bleeding Crown"
"Heaven nor Hell"
"Radio Girl"
"Lola Montez"
"Let It Burn" (with Mia Maja) 
"Doc Holliday"
"Sad Man's Tongue"
"16 Dollars"
"7 Shots" (with Mille Petrozza)
"Fallen"
"Crowdsurfer"
"Slaytan"
"Dead but Rising"
"Goodbye Forever"
"Maybellene I Hofteholder"
"The Everlasting"
"For Evigt" (with Johan Olsen and Mia Maja)
"Evelyn" (with Barney Greenway)
"Lonesome Rider"
"Seal the Deal"
"The Garden's Tale" (with Johan Olsen)


Encore:
"Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood" (with Lars Ulrich)
"Enter Sandman" (Metallica - with Lars Ulrich)


Encore 2:
"A Warrior's Call" (with Mikkel Kessler)
"Black Rose" (with Danko Jones)
"Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza"
"Still Counting"

Making his name in ground-breaking heavy metal bands such as Black Label Society, Sixx:A.M., and Filter, Jeff Fabb decided to pioneer his own sound with his debut album released in November of 2023, and plans to release more original music this year. Following the success of his most recent release, "See No Evil", his heavier new single and music video for "Love And War" now. 


Inspired by Fabb’s move to Los Angeles after high school, "Love And War" is about embracing the human experience, and how the path to success is often marked by many obstacles to overcome. With slamming drums and opening lyrics like "Everlasting, adulation, will you let me empty my feelings? Waiting in the black…" the song and accompanying music video embody the feeling of being a small fish in a big pond and being unsure of what’s to come.


 The song continually balances the feelings of the pain and the pleasure that comes with chasing your dreams. On one hand, Fabb speaks to the painful and uncomfortable feeling of the unknown, with powerful lyrics like, "No matter the road, lonely and so cold. Never thought I’d be so lost at sea. My mind is the catch tangled in the net." These sorrowful lyrics are accompanied by dark, heavy metal instrumentation and solo shots of Fabb to highlight these isolated feelings.




Later in the song, however, he shifts out of focusing on this pain by highlighting the beautiful nature of the unknown, and embracing your destiny, with uplifting, fast-paced guitar and lyrics like, "It’s written in the stars above, it’s inevitable." The lyrics and instrumentation are accompanied by vast shots of the city of Los Angeles, and a teen coming to terms with his fate.


With a full-length album on the way, Fabb states that this record will be more dynamic than any of his previous work and will continuously center around themes of overcoming hardships through perseverance. "Love And War" is a sneak peek into Fabb’s journey and is a message to welcome a “don’t play the victim” mindset, speaking to his ability to overcome uncertainty to pave his own path and success in his musical career.


 "Love And War" will be followed by "Into Thin Air" and a full-length album later this year. 





Highly respected drummer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Fabb found his path in heavy metal and hard rock scenes, with his “claim to fame” in drumming for iconic rock bands such as In This Moment, Filter, and Sixx AM, and Black Label Society.


Starting his drumming career at the ripe age of 11, Fabb has a long history of music that’s followed him throughout his whole life. Beginning his journey growing up in Long Island, Fabb played in various bands throughout high school and eventually formed the band Tripface.


After spending much of his early career on the East Coast, Fabb moved to L.A. in 1998, to dive head-first into the music scene of Silver Lake. From there, he contributed to many esteemed bands in the rock and metal circles, always known for shaping the sound of each group he is a part of with his masterful drumming techniques.


Covid was a big catalyst for wanting to pursue his solo project, and he worked tirelessly to release his heavily anticipated solo album Stealing Souls in 2023. His debut album is highly regarded for combining a booming voice with slamming guitar and drums to create an album full of textures such as hard rock, rock, metal, grunge, and alternative rock. With slower tracks like “As the Wind Blows”, Fabb tunes into his more classic influences, and tunes into his harder rock influences with “Reaper”.


With influences ranging from Alice In Chains, Mad Season, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, and Tool, to Led Zeppelin, Fabb creates a unique sound reminiscent of many great names in rock, while adding his own unique flair to everything he creates.


His diverse musical capabilities have allowed him to succeed in the rock and metal communities, making him a highly respected, and multi-faceted artist.

In an interview with the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station, singer Brian Fair discussed the status of new SHADOWS FALL music, two and a half after he and his bandmates reunited for a concert at The Palladium in Worcester in their native Massachusetts. The 48-year-old singer, who now lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and their two kids, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're working on new music right now that's — you can tell it's SHADOWS FALL, but, man, it's got new vibes, it's got new influences and it's just kind of a very fresh approach.

"When we first started working on it, we were worried," Brian admitted. "We were, like, 'Is this gonna sound like us?' We hadn't written songs together in five to six years, where it's gonna be. And, man, right out of the gate, we were, like, 'This is the SHADS. We're back.'"

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new SHADOWS FALL material, Fair said: "Honestly, it's gonna be everything that we've always done, plus more. And we're probably about — I'd say we've got six or seven songs that are actually songs. They're still gonna get some some tweaks here and there, with a few other ideas still floating around that need to be worked on. But I don't know what time frame — we're not pushing any sort of deadlines on ourselves 'cause it's been, man, since 2014 since we dropped any new music so we're not in a rush. We wanna get it as perfect as we can, we wanna be as happy with it as we can, and [we're] not having label pressure to finish by a certain time. It's also a new day and age where you can release it in such different ways than we were used to back then, and that's really exciting as well. I don't know if we'll drop some songs here and there and then put it all out together on vinyl at the end. I have no idea about that stuff yet. We'll work all that out, but I'm super excited about these songs. I've also been pushing myself as a singer to really expand my range to try new ideas, and having the time to work through that has been really helpful. 'Cause even when SHADOWS FALL was doing downtime, I was doing different projects and trying to really bring some new elements to what I do, and I'm putting all that into this record. So it'll sound like SHADOWS FALL, but there'll definitely be some some new interesting ideas and approaches and stuff. So it's really exciting."

He added: "For us, it's just been great to be back in the room jamming on new material, 'cause when we got together to do these [reunion] shows, when we're rehearsing, we were, like, 'If we're putting this work in, why not see what happens with new music?' And I couldn't be happier with how it's coming out. So, really exciting."

Last December, Fair told RichardMetalFan about SHADOWS FALL's decision to reunite: "We'd wanted to play shows again for a while and we just wanted the time to be right. And once the pandemic kind of hit, we sort of realized, like, 'Why are we waiting around? It's the time.' So we were lucky that we were able to kind of get everyone's schedules together. And it was incredible. As soon as we started jamming together again, it just felt fun, it felt right. So the shows were a blast. We really rehearsed like crazy for it. And we're probably better prepared for that than anything we'd ever been for before that. And we also realized, like, man, we should have been practicing more when we were together. We used to hate practicing. We always were, like, 'Ah, we tour enough. We don't need to.' And then after we practiced a bunch, we were, like, 'All right. Maybe we really should have.' [Laughs] But then also when we started practicing, we figured if we have ideas, why not write new music as well? If we're gonna get together, let's see what we've got. So that started leading to some new stuff. So [I'm] looking forward to seeing where it heads."

Asked if the next SHADOWS FALL release will be stylistically similar to the band's last album, 2012's "Fire From The Sky", or if it will be "a new beginning" for the band, Brian said: "If you heard these songs, you'd be, like, 'Oh, that's SHADOWS FALL.' But no, it doesn't sound like… It's different. It definitely sounds different."

Fair previously discussed SHADOWS FALL's plans for new music during an episode of "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ. At the time, he said: "We're pretty deep into the process. I'd say I'm kind of a slacker, but I'm really focusing on getting things as good as I can vocally because we have no agenda. We have no time frame. We have no record label pressure. We're just trying to write the best music we can. And it all kind of came about as we started jamming to do the reunion shows. And these guys have — Jon's [Donais, guitar] been playing in ANTHRAX and Jason's [Bittner, drums] been playing in OVERKILL, so their chops are still at top-notch level. But they had riffs, man. And I was, like, 'If we've got riffs and they sound like SHADOWS FALL, if we're gonna get together and jam, let's make some new music.'"

He continued: "It's been a blast, man. It's funny, 'cause the older we've gotten, it's gotten a little more brutal, which was not a surprise, 'cause I just figured that would happen. We're, like, 'If we're gonna do it, we're gonna drop the hammer.' So it's been fun, man. I forgot how much of a riff machine Jon was. And he's just like — ideas are just flying out of him. And also in ANTHRAX, he just gets to solo in the studio. So he's just, like, 'Finally I get to write some riffs.' [Laughs]"

SHADOWS FALL, which was at the forefront of the New Wave Of American Metal scene that dominated the '00s, will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its "The War Within" album by playing a show at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, the site of the band's many classic shows. It also marks the first time the band has performed in the Garden State in a decade. The show is set for Saturday, March 16.

In July 2023, Bittner told the "Nothing Shocking Podcast" about SHADOWS FALL's decision to work with Zeuss again: "[Zeuss] did all of our records except for… Well, he had a hand in all of them except for 'Fire From The Sky'… So he's always been involved with SHADOWS FALL in some way, shape or form. Once this whole reunion thing kind of morphed from being just a one-show thing, we started talking with him, 'cause he still lives two minutes away from Paul [Romanko, bass]. So, it's, like, 'All right. Well, if you guys are getting back together, what's the next step? Are we making another record?' We're, like, 'Well, we don't know.' And he was, like, 'Whatever we're doing, let's get on it.' So kind of, like, we just sort of figured, 'We don't have any money to pay you, because we don't have any money because we don't have a record label or anything.' But he was just, like, 'Well, let's just start doing this and let's do it together.' So that's pretty much where we're at right now. We're just gonna start recording some material that we have and we're gonna keep working at that as the year goes on."

During an appearance on "The Jasta Show" podcast, Fair said that SHADOWS FALL is not currently signed to any record label. "We're free and clear," he explained. "We were luckily free and clear for a while, so even our last couple of records were done kind of on our own terms."

Fair and his SHADOWS FALL bandmates have played a few other reunion concerts, including at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia, at the Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama, and at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Asked by "The Jasta Show" host Jamey Jasta if SHADOWS FALL would be open to going out on a more extensive tour, possibly as the support act for an arena band, Fair said: "We're not averse to that. It takes a lot of logistics now, with the rest of my guys being in legendary thrash bands, like ANTHRAX and OVERKILL and whatnot. But if we can do it, we would love to. Right now, festivals have been something we can pull off. But I would love to do short tours or even a month-long tour. Or at least some long weekends where we hit each coast or do New England and then Midwest and then a West Coast thing. But we'll see. We're not saying 'no' to anything. We're gonna listen. So we'll see, if things make sense and if we can make it work."

He added: "I've been in dad mode, just working nine to five for a while, so getting back on the pirate ship is pretty enticing at this point."

SHADOWS FALL released a statement in August 2014 in which the bandmembers explained that financial difficulties made it virtually impossible for the group to continue as a full-time concern.

In August 2015, SHADOWS FALL played a few reunion shows on the U.S. East Coast, one year after completing what was being billed at the time as the band's "final" European tour.

"Fire From The Sky" was released in May 2012 via Razor & Tie. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart.

In a new interview with The Logan Show, LIVING COLOUR singer Corey Glover was asked if fans can expect the follow-up to 2017's "Shade" album at some point in 2024. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Maybe not 2024, but definitely 2025 we'll have something for you. And I say that and then it doesn't happen. We go in the studio next month to work on some new stuff and hopefully we'll get it out by 2025. I could be lying. I could be lying to you and it could be [later]. So, who knows?"

Glover also confirmed that there are plans to make a LIVING COLOUR documentary, to be helmed by W. Kamau Bell, a comedian, director and producer. "We'll see how that works itself out," Corey said. "We're in the beginning stages of that."

Glover was then asked about LIVING COLOUR's breakthrough single "Cult Of Personality", a pointed, politically charged tune which opens the band's debut album, 1998's "Vivid". The track includes audio snips of political speeches and references to John F. Kennedy, Gandhi, Stalin and Mussolini, and it became LIVING COLOUR's signature tune and the accompanying music video was an MTV hit. A searing indictment of politicians that readily addressed the concerns of an electorate during the mudslinging Bush-Dukakis presidential campaign, "Cult Of Personality" hit No. 13.

"I think if it weren't for that song, I'd be working for UPS," Corey said. " How about that? If it weren't for that song and the evergreen nature of that song, because it seems like every so often it pops up in very interesting places — with CM Punk or the video games or 'Guitar Hero' or even within the political discourse, where people use it and quote it on newscasts. It has a weird sort of continuing life that I am very happy and very grateful that it exists."

"Vivid" went on to become the first album by an all-black rock band to win a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance" and the video for "Glamour Boys" was the first to be closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

LIVING COLOUR disbanded in 1995 but reunited in 2000. (Original bassist Muzz Skillings left the group in 1992 and was replaced by Doug Wimbish.)

In June 2020, LIVING COLOUR released a video for its classic song "This Is The Life" featuring footage of the peaceful protests that swelled across the U.S. and around the world over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. The original version of "This Is The Life" appeared on LIVING COLOUR's 1990 album "Time's Up".

"Shade" was released in September 2017 via Megaforce Records.

Glover's side projects in recent years have included some acting, touring as a member of jam band GALACTIC and, more recently, forming the jazz-rock supergroup ULTRAPHONIX with legendary DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch. Guitarist Vernon Reid, for his part, has released solo albums and been involved in side projects with Masque and YOHIMBE BROTHERS; collaborated with Mick Jagger, Bill Frisell, Jack Bruce and Ronald Shannon Jackson, among many others; produced albums for Salif Keita and James Blood Ulmer; and composed film scores.

Following their massive UK & EU tour with Nothing More, Denmark’s favorite modern rock outfit Siamese, releases their new single "Through My Head."


Vocalist Mirza Radonjica comments:


"‘Through My Head’ is done with our good friend Anthony from Resolve who is doing an incredible job. The song is about that state of mind you enter once everything has been said and done. That bittersweet moment of regret. It’s a more classic rock song compared to our recent releases, and it feels good to go back to basics for a little while."







With over 55 million streams worldwide and top placements on some of the biggest influential Spotify playlists including Kickass Metal, New Core, and All New Metal, Siamese is quickly becoming one of Denmark's most popular new musical exports.


Coupled with ever-growing support from media and fans alike, Siamese have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.


Siamese live:


June
21-23 – Ferropolis, Germany – Full Force Festival
22 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Copenhell Festival


July
26 – Manchester, UK – Radar Festival
27 – Herzogenrath, Germany – Rodarock


August
15 – Dinkelsbuhl, Germany – Summer Breeze Festival
30-31 – Obererbach, Germany – Pell Mell Festival


December
5 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega

UK death metallers, Ingested, will release their new full-length, The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams, tomorrow (Friday, April 5) via Metal Blade Records. Find an advanced album stream below.


Not many top-tier death metal bands can record and release an album a year and follow it with an extensive tour. That's hardly ever been the case for Manchester, England's crushing, visceral Ingested. Since the release of their fifth album, 2020's Where Only God May Tread, the band has been on a creative tear that has produced almost a full record every year - even through the COVID-19 pandemic - but has resulted in the kind of musical growth that only comes from constantly practicing, playing, and writing.


The band's latest output, The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams, is not only as innovative and brutal as their last disc - the bleak, firestorm Ashes Lie Still - it showcases a band willing to expand its creativity without sacrificing the ferocity that made it one of the most impressively destructive, technical death metal bands on the scene. The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams is proof that once Ingested sniffs out a trail of musical blood, they ravenously follow it until they've uncovered a festering feast.




Produced by the band with the guidance of recording engineer Nico Beninato, the record includes a guest appearance by Chimaira's Mark Hunter who provides guest vocals for the track "In Nothingness" and Sylosis singer Josh Middleton who contributes to "Expect To Fail," as well as the striking cover art of David Seidman.


Whether pummelling listeners with double-bass rolls, blast-beats, and grinding rhythm; breaking it all down with jagged, staggered riffs, and piercing harmonics; or flooding the mix with rapid-fire bursts of minor key melodies, Ingested has injected all of their experience, skill, and artistry into the ten trenchant new songs on The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams. Where the new album differs from its predecessor isn't in its brutality or melodicism, it's in the songwriting and the way the tunes flow together in a way that's vicious, but not morose.


"Ashes… was constructed in the COVID period, and the mood of that album definitely reflects that time," the band notes, "With The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams, we wanted to bring the energy up a bit. As much as we like what we did with Ashes…, its depressive tone isn't something we wanted to continue to explore quite as much. There are definitely some dark moments on …Tide…, but for the most part, we took a more upbeat approach to the songs this time round."





The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams will be released on CD, digitally, and LP in the following color variants:


- Pulverised Viridian (US)
- Wounded Scarlet (US)
- Sapphire Shards (EU)
- Empty Crimson (EU - ltd. 500)
- Shattered Harlequin (EU - ltd. 500)


Find pre-order options here.





Following the release of The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams, Ingested will embark upon a European headlining tour with support provided by Fallujah, Vulvodynia, and Mélancolia.





The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams tracklisting:


"Paragon Of Purity"
"Endless Machine"
"Where No Light Shines"
"Expect To Fail" (feat. Josh Middleton of Sylosis)
"Starve The Fire"
"Numinous"
"In Nothingness" (feat. Mark Hunter of Chimaira)
"Pantheon"
"Kingdoms Of Sand"
"A Path Once Lost"


Album stream:





"Pantheon" video:





"Paragon Of Purity" video:





Lineup:


Jason Evans - vocals
Sean Hynes - guitars, backing vocals
Lyn Jeffs - drums


(Photo - Eduardo Ruiz)

Black Sabbath changed the world we know and love with Paranoid. Candlemass defined their career with Ancient Dreams. Pantera were four albums in before they heavily shifted paradigms on Cowboys From Hell. And Mayhem weren't even a band when De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas slithered into metaldom's cellar. Now, Crypt Sermon stand at their crossroads with The Stygian Rose, out June 14 on Dark Descent. It's their time—the culmination of their journey. 


Featuring guitarist Steve Jansson (Daeva, Unrest), vocalist Brooks Wilson (Unrest), drummer Enrique Sagarnaga (Daeva, The Silver), guitarist Frank Chin (Daeva), bassist Matt Knox (Horrendous, The Silver), and keyboardist Tanner Anderson (Obsequiae, Majesties), the Philadelphia-based sextet parlayed their time away into a grander, more mysterious Crypt Sermon. The interflow of doom and heavy metals underpins The Stygian Rose, but these boundaries are effortlessly transcended. "We feel unrestrained now," Wilson says. "We thought, if the word 'epic' in doom metal means anything, it's without constraint. What's more vast than being unconstrained?" Sagarnaga continues, "There's a lot of variety on the album, and I think that's not just because we get bored easily—which we do, actually—but rather this is who we are."


From the commanding rhythm of "Heavy is the Crown of Bone"— which premieres today alongside a ravishing music video by The C.O.I.N..— Crypt Sermon brandish their musical and conceptual prowess.  The song thunders in on cloven hoof before giving way to Crypt Sermon’s muscular doom and stomp.  




Singer Brooks Wilson shares, "This song follows our unnamed protagonist summon an entity from 'The Ars Goetia' as he seeks sacred consummation with the Divine Feminine. We were happy to work with The C.O.I.N. in achieving our concept, adding a visual element to our music that incorporates much of the esoteric symbolism embedded in The Stygian Rose."


The songwriting for The Stygian Rose started in late 2022.  Sagarnaga says, "This is the most prepared our band has been, especially going into the studio. It's about respect for each other's time. We were more patient with one another regarding how we expressed musical ideas. We committed to practicing on a regular schedule—that was important. And as we get older, we hopefully have become better musicians. 'The Stygian Rose' is also the longest time we've had with Arthur Rizk in the studio. Every little detail you hear in the final result of the record is very deliberate."


Crypt Sermon tracked The Stygian Rose at Redwoods in Philadelphia. Arthur Rizk produced, mixed, and mastered, and Aidan Elias (Blood Incantation, Wayfarer) engineered. Since the band and Rizk had previous history, they dialed in sounds quickly and got to work. In contrast to the sporadic two-month process of their last album, The Ruins of Fading Light, Crypt Sermon had just over a week to capture their The Stygian Rose. "We knew we wanted an aggressive sound," says Wilson. "'The Stygian Rose' has way more depth than anything we've done before."


The Stygian Rose follows a character inspired by Paschal Beverly Randolf, an early American spiritualist and sex magician. In The Stygian Rose, the unnamed character seeks to reconnect with his now maybe dead, definitely lost (though intentionally left vague) idealized female, embodying the Sophia/Shakti/Persephone divine wisdom/feminine concept. This lost love is believed to be waiting for him, calling for him from 'the hollow.' Conceived by Wilson, the protagonist's harrowing jaunt starts with album opener "Glimmers in the Underworld" and ends naturally with the title track. The story, as unfurled in the lyrics, is directly connected to the album's artwork and booklet, painstakingly painted and illustrated by Wilson. Clearly, The Stygian Rose and its lyrical and artistic regalia were thought through from the onset.


"I didn't want to feel burdened by heavy metal tropes," reveals Wilson. "I wanted to be able to use them but not be bound by them.”  Jansson continues, "We wanted The Stygian Rose to scratch a lot of itches that aren't being scratched.  That's my goal when I make music. I want to make things that I don't hear other people doing or at least don't hear others doing all in one package. I agree, it also has to have staying power and replay value. That addictive feeling you had when you listened to records as a teenager."


Preorder at the Dark Descent Records webshop.


Artwork by Brooks Wilson:





Tracklisting:


“Glimmers In The Underworld”
“Thunder (Perfect Mind)”
“Down In The Hollow”
“Heavy Is The Crown Of Bone”
“Scrying Orb”
“The Stygian Rose”


“Heavy Is The Crown Of The Bone” video:





Record release shows:


June
14 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
15 – Washington, DC – Pie Shop


(Photo – Scott Kincade)

In a new interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, LYNYRD SKYNYRD guitarist Rickey Medlocke spoke about the possibility of new music from the iconic rockers. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Johnny [Van Zant, LYNYRD SKYNYRD singer] and I have been talking. Well, this started before Gary's [Rossington, late LYNYRD SKYNYRD guitarist] passing. We started talking about doing a new record, because we've got all these songs that we wrote together or we co-wrote with other people. Oh my God, we've got a ton of material. And we said, 'Look, let's get this material and let's put it together and let's do another record.' And you know what? Johnny and I have been talking about it. And I think you might see it materialize at some point, because I would like to see some of these tunes that Gary was a part of [getting released]. I mean, we've got tapes, man — we've got tapes of where we're sitting and we're talking and laughing and joking around, and you hear Gary talking. It's great."

Last month, Medlocke told Iridium Rock And Metal Reviews that he and his bandmates had "a dozen and a half, two dozen songs that are just kind of laying around there" for a possible new LYNYRD SKYNYRD album. But he clarified: "It's not in the plans yet. There's a there's quite a few songs — I shouldn't say quite a few; there's quite a lot of songs that we had written, that we had part demos to, maybe started a verse and a chorus, that Gary was involved in. And, man, we've got that stuff laying around."

Medlocke went on to say that LYNYRD SKYNYRD may not go down the traditional route when releasing new music. "I do have I do have a thing about putting out whole albums now, because I think that people will go online or go to iTunes or go to Spotify or whatever, they'll see a whole album, but they're only gonna play one or two songs," he explained. "They might scan over the rest of them, but they'll pick out one or two of their favorite and then that's it. My thing is that's one of the reasons why I like putting out one song at a time, and you see how people would accept it, react to it, or maybe they don't react to it at all. Maybe they don't like it for whatever reason. But I find that you get a lot of mileage out of one song instead of a collective of 10 to 12 songs or more… You can release one every three months or whatever and then you get a collection of it and release the collection. So, all of a sudden, everybody's got a collection of five songs that they can go and grab after they've loved, like, maybe three or four of 'em. And then you've got the collection and you're all the better for it. But we have thought about that. And we've also thought about how long are we gonna take this?"

Elaborating on how long he thinks LYNYRD SKYNYRD can carry on, Rickey said: "I will put this out there. There's one more guy — he's such a hero to me. And I know you're gonna laugh about this, but Gary, Johnny and I figured, people used to ask us, 'How long are you guys gonna take this?' And I always said, 'Hey, look. If THE ROLLING STONES can do it, we can do it.' And I'm telling you — come on, Keith [Richards]. If you can do it, I know I can do it. Come on, Keith. Join us in LYNYRD SKYNYRD and play on stage with us, because there's another one I'd love to see climb up there with us."

If a new LYNYRD SKYNYRD album materializes, it will be the group's first since 2012's "Last Of A Dyin' Breed". The band released a single, "Last Of The Street Survivors", in 2020.

"Last Of The Street Survivors" — which shares its name with what was the time of the song's release supposed to be LYNYRD SKYNYRD's farewell tour — was penned by Rossington alongside Van Zant, Medlocke and songwriter Tom Hambridge, and found the Southern rockers reminiscing about their career and the bandmates they lost.

After four SKYNYRD members were killed in an October 1977 plane crash, Rossington recruited Johnny to fill his brother's shoes a decade later.

Medlocke, who played drums in SKYNYRD in 1970-71 before leaving to lead his own band BLACKFOOT and coming back to SKYNYRD in 1996, defended LYNYRD SKYNYRD's decision to carry on, telling Cleveland.com in May 2023: "People have beat us up over the years: 'Ah, you guys ain't nothin' but a freakin' tribute band' and blah, blah, blah.

"There's a lot of tribute bands out there to LYNYRD SKYNYRD, but none of them holds it as dear to their hearts as the guys who have been there as long as we have," he explained. "We have the history; I played on the first (recording) sessions. We just know that we have to portray the music with the integrity and the sound and the love as close as we can to when it was originally created."

Rossington was the last surviving founding member of LYNYRD SKYNYRD. On March 5, 2023, his bandmates announced the news of his death in a statement shared on their social media.

The guitarist had previously dealt with various heart problems throughout the years, including emergency heart surgery in 2021.

During a press conference in Paris, France to promote ACCEPT's upcoming album "Humanoid", guitarist Wolf Hoffmann addressed the positive side of A.I. (artificial intelligence),particularly as it relates to the potential to drive innovation, streamline processes, enhance productivity and improve decision-making across industries. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET; video by Loud TV): "I wouldn't go out and say it's all good or it's all bad. It's always a mix of everything. Modern technology in general, all the digital aspects of our daily life, there's some amazing aspects of it. I'm traveling a lot, and no matter where I go, I have my little iPhone with me and it has GPS on it. And I can just type in — I don't know; 'Indian restaurant' — and I'm gonna find one two blocks down the street. I would never find that without it. I wouldn't even know where to go. I'm at the airport. I can communicate on the plane with other people. All this is beautiful, I think. Of course there's a negative side of everything. And artificial intelligence sounds a little scary right now, but I'm quite hopeful that we will find a way to deal with it that enables us to take advantage of it without having it all just be negative. I mean, there's always two sides to everything, I believe."

He continued: "The thought of artificial intelligence creating art, that is something that concerns me. I wouldn't say I'm afraid of it, but at the same time, being an artist, I'm thinking, like, 'Is it gonna take all our jobs away one day?' I'm quite hopeful it won't, because I still think only humans can really express emotions.

"I hope that artificial intelligence is not gonna advance that much more that it can actually replace human thoughts and emotions. But am I a hundred percent sure? No," he added. "I never thought it would be that good already, but it's amazing what it can do already. There's gonna be visual art being created, music's gonna be created by it. Of course there's the aspect of it that it's basically you're ripping off existing songs and existing artwork to create the new stuff. When they create 'new' NIRVANA songs, they look at all the old songs and sort of use it as a reference. Will it ever be able to create original 'original' stuff? Maybe. I don't know. I hope not. But can I help it? No. Can I stop time? No. Technology marches on, whether we want it to or not. So it's an interesting time that we live in, I believe. And we yet have to find a way to deal with it. And I think anytime, in history, that there's new technology introduced, whether it's just something like the automobile, people were scared of it. Initially, they thought, like, it's gonna be harmful to people to travel at that speed, you know, because they were just used to horses and buggies. And so the same is true with all this… Anytime something new comes along, people are always like, 'Oh, God. It's gonna destroy everything.' But I don't think it will destroy everything. We have to just catch up and deal with it."

Last month, Wolf told Appetite For Distortion, that he tried using A.I. for lyrical ideas. "And it's scary good, to be honest," he admitted. "You can just say, 'Hey, write me a song lyric' or something, [and] it spits out some pretty amazing stuff. But, of course, you have to say, 'Is this really what I wanted to say? And is it me? Well, then how would I really say it?' So you still have to tweak it and stuff. And we ended up never using any of it, but for songwriting and demoing stuff, I was quite intrigued; I found it intriguing. It gives you a bunch of ideas that you hadn't thought about. And, of course, I've seen some images that were done with A.I. that I thought, 'Whoa.' A designer or a human would have to spend a lot of hours creating that thing, but it spits it out like that."

He continued: "The shadow and downside of this is, of course, that people might lose their jobs over it. And the downside is also that it's not really, truly original. A.I. doesn't really think of this stuff. It just looks at all the other stuff that was created by people and turns it into a different, new version. It uses, in the case of music, for instance, existing songs and creates a new version kind of like it, but it doesn't do it out of the blue sky; it looks at your stuff that somebody created. And there's all kinds of legal issues that come up. So I'm a little concerned about all that, yeah."

Asked if he and the rest of ACCEPT would consider using A.I. in the future to make a music video, Wolf said: "Actually, we are making one right now. It's gonna be released — I don't know — in about a month or so. But you'll see it, and it's interesting. I think it's fantastic just to see it. Of course, we thought, even the first video [for ACCEPT's upcoming album, 'Humanoid'] we made, [for the] 'Humanoid' [title track], has got, in the background — we're performing in front of a gigantic video wall, and the artwork that runs in the background, that was all created by A.I., just because here we are. That's what we're talking about on this album, 'Humanoid', so it seemed to be just a fitting tool to use."

Circling back to the idea that artificial intelligence poses some risks to humanity, Wolf said: "We still haven't quite figured out how this is gonna turn out, how this is gonna pan out in the future. How much of it is good, how much of it is bad. We're still at the infancy."

He added:  "This digital revolution, as they call it, I think it's bigger than the industrial revolution was, and I think it has more far-reaching consequences on society than anything… One thing is for certain: we can't stop it. It's gonna happen whether we want it to or not. It's out, and it's gonna get used. We just have to see how to deal with it. That's what we haven't figured out yet, 'cause technology is so fast. We can't keep up with how society deals with it."

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".

Nightrage is back once again, delivering one of their best albums in their 23 years of existence, without stopping creating uncompromising music for their devoted fanbase. Remains Of A Dead World is the 10th album of the band and this time they returned to where everything had started, since Nightrage was born in Greece in 2000.


With the great help of their past bandmate and now producer, sound engineer, Fotis Benardo (Rotting Christ, Septicflesh, Sakis Tolis, Nightfall, On Thorns I lay, Suicidal Angels) at his Devasoundz studio in Athens Greece, and with his great producing skills, Remains Of A Dead World is a mixture of all the things that makes Nightrage a beast of integrity, they prove to be one of the last remaining true masters of the melodic death metal genre, fully unstoppable riffing, and great hooks with bigger than life guitar melodies with brutal vocals that represents the honesty and pure musical delivery, that comes straight from the heart.


The album has been mastered by a great friend of the band George Nerantzis (Abbath, Dark Funeral, Pain Of Salvation, Sakis Tolis) and his great skills gave the album a huge sound with clarity, power and analog flavor.




The new album will be released on May 31 via Despotz Records worldwide as CD, LP and digital. Watch a video for the digital single, "A Throne Of Melancholy", below.


About the new single the band had the following to say:


Marios Iliopoulos: "We love great hooks and melodies, and I feel that this song has these 2 elements that we are always trying to portray on our songs, trying to find the perfect balance between ethereal melodies and big metal riffing. The song structure is pretty simple and almost coming to the heavy metal territory, love Konstantinos vocals are very melodic and aggressive with nice overtones, and the chorus hits hard with mine and Fotis Benardo clean vocals, something that I’m trying for the first time on a Nightrage album. The song talks about the fact that even if we are on our worst possible state in our life's journey, there is a lot of hardships that we have to face every day in our lives, but we need to remember that there's a light always shining for us at the end of the tunnel, and no matter what how many times we are down, we need always to find the inner power to stand up and face our fears and live our life for what it is, with courage and patience, with no darker corners and no agendas."


Konstantinos Togas: "The song 'A Throne Of Melancholy' is one of the most melodic songs of our album.  When I first listened to the melodies and heavy riffs that Marios came up in the guitar I instantly realized that this is a song that requires more colorful brutal vocals. Also, the clean vocals that Fotis Benardo and Marios did, enhance this melodic feeling even more without changing the origins of the song.  The lyrics of the song, are dark and gloomy as always, are about seeking hope in a dark state of self and overcoming sorrow.  The balanced combination of the above elements (melodic heavy riffs, colorful vocals and dark lyrics) is what fascinates me the most and proves to be the perfect recipe of a great melodic death metal song!"





Tracklisting:


"Euphoria Within Chaos"
"Persevere Through Adversity"
"Nocturnal Thorns"
"A Throne Of Melancholy"
"Dark Light"
"Echoes Of Broken Words"
"Deadliest Sin"
"Pierce The Soul"
"Obey The Hand"
"Remains Of A Dead World"


"A Throne Of Melancholy" video;

AC/DC have released the video below, stating, "Not aired in 40 years, check out this promo clip of the band performing 'Jailbreak', shot in London in July 1976, remastered in HD!"





On April 1, 1980, AC/DC announced that Brian Johnson would be their new lead singer. In the video below from AXS TV, Brian opens up about the daunting task of filling Bon Scott's legendary shoes on This Week in Music History.







AC/DC’s Power Up Tour launches in Germany in May with support from The Pretty Reckless. When the band announced their first tour in eight years, they said: "We are thrilled to finally announce the 'Power Up' European Tour. Angus, Brian, Stevie, and Matt will be joined by Chris Chaney to carry the torch for Cliff. The tour will see us play shows across Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, England, Slovakia, Belgium, France & Ireland this Summer. We can't wait to see you all out there."





Tour dates:


May
17 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Veltins Arena
21 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Veltins Arena
25 - Reggio Emilia, Italy - RCF Arena
29 - Seville, Spain - La Cartuja Stadium


June
1 - Seville, Spain - La Cartuja Stadium
5 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Johan Cruyff Arena
9 - Munich, Germany - Olympic Stadium
12 - Munich, Germany - Olympic Stadium
16 - Dresden, Germany - Rinne
19 - Dresden, Germany - Rinne
23 - Vienna, Austria - Ernst Happel Stadium
26 - Vienna, Austria - Ernst Happel Stadium
29 - Zurich, Switzerland - Letzigrund Stadium


July
3 - London, England - Wembley Stadium
7 - London, England - Wembley Stadium
13 - Hockenheim, Germany - Ring
17 - Stuttgart, Germany - Wasen
21 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Old Airport
27 - Nuremberg, Germany - Zeppelinfeld
31 - Hannover, Germany - Messe


August
4 - Hannover, Germany - Messe
9 - Dessel, Belgium - Festivalpark Stenehei
13 - Paris, France - Hippodrome Paris Longchamp
17 - Dublin, Ireland - Croke Park

Earlier this year, Orange Goblin announced that they had completed work on their tenth studio album, the follow-up to 2018’s The Wolf Bites Back, and the first for new label, Peaceville Records.


The English heavy metal band have issued the following update: "The greatest rock n’ roll is always simple, catchy and straightforward, see AC/DC and Motörhead for example. We are delighted to bring you our first single from the new album. ‘(Not) Rocket Science’ is a straight-ahead, no nonsense rocker with zero pretension and maximum impact. A pounding, foot-tapping anthem that we wrote specifically for you to play loud and bang your head! If this doesn’t get us on Top of The Pops, nothing will! Enjoy!"


"(Not) Rocket Science" will be released on Friday, April 5. Pre-save the single here, and watch the official lyric video, by Matthew Vickerstaff, below:

A new force is awakening, stretching the boundaries of consciousness, and devouring everything in its path. In Aphelion is now ushering in their sophomore album, Reaperdawn, which is due on August 9, 2024 via Century Media Records. 


The black metal brainchild of guitarist/vocalist Sebastian Ramstedt (best known as guitarist and songwriter with Necrophobic) is now unleashing the dark and icy first single from the offering, "When All Stellar Light Is Lost." The song can be found along with a blistering music video, which was created by Claudio Marino and Artax Film.


“This was the first song to be written after the last album,” says Ramstedt. “It's a quite chaotic beast where the music matches the lyrics (written by former Necrophobic member Martin Halvdan) perfectly. Even though it's a short track for In Aphelion, it gives the listener a taste of where the album is going. It is a first glance at a truly epic and violent album.”







Darker, stranger, more epic and progressive than admirers of his work were expecting, this new outlet for enigmatic and artistic expression emerged firmly tethered to the white-knuckle viciousness of benchmark, Northern European black metal, while also exhibiting a profound affiliation with both classic, traditional heavy metal and the black magic of psychedelic repetition. Based around a core line-up of Ramstedt (guitar/vocals), drummer Marco Prij (also Cryptosis), rhythm guitarist Johan Bergebäck (Necrophobic) and bassist Tobias Cristiansson (Necrophobic, ex-Grave), In Aphelion have taken the uncompromising DIY route to their current status as new Century Media signees.


The atmosphere of Reaperdawn is a swirling maelstrom of obsidian sparkle and iridescent grime.


Artwork by Sebastian Ramstedt:





Lineup:


Johan Bergebäck - guitars
Tobias Cristiansson - bass
Marco Prij - drums
Sebastian Ramstedt - vocals, guitars


(Photo - Leo Bergebaeck)

Lake Of Tears guitarist and composer Daniel Brennare embarks on a new sonic adventure with the release of “The Secrets of The Rain” (Movement I), his first solo composition.


This instrumental, orchestral track marks a significant departure for Brennare, showcasing his talents outside the realm of the acclaimed gothic metal band. “The Secrets Of The Rain” also serves as the debut release on Brennare’s own label, roQon, and will be available on all major digital platforms.


Brennare has hinted at a “second movement coming still, and then some,” suggesting that “The Secrets Of The Rain” may blossom into a larger work. For fans seeking a physical memento, the complete composition is included in the limited Forever Autumn Boxset from The Circle Music, available here, as a 7” vinyl. 







The Circle Music express their deepest gratitude to Lake of Tears and Brennare’s fans for their “great love, trust and understanding” throughout the creative process, particularly in light of unforeseen health challenges that Brennare has recently faced, which has resulted in a delay in the release of the limited 7” vinyl. 


As The Circle Music states, “there are far more important things in life than meeting a release date. Certainly, one of them is a composer’s health and vision.”


“The Secrets Of The Rain” is a testament to Brennare’s artistic spirit and unwavering dedication to his craft. Experience this captivating composition for yourself and set your imagination adrift in a world of sonic wonder.

Legendary American rock band DIXIE DREGS will hit the road across the East Coast this spring beginning in April. The lineup of Steve Morse, Andy West, Rod Morgenstein and Allen Sloan will once again be joined by keyboardist Jordan Rudess (DREAM THEATER) for these special shows. Opening the dates will be the STEVE MORSE BAND with Steve Morse, Dave LaRue and Van Romaine.

In a new interview with Indie Power TV, Morse was asked about the possibility of new music from DIXIE DREGS. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I don't know about that because I don't know… We always did it as a band thing rather than as fulfilling-a-contract thing. And the band is a little bit uncertain, 'cause Jordan is doing this [upcoming tour]. Jordan's full time with the DREAM THEATER; they're just taking some time off, I think… So he's gonna be back with them. So we don't know — we don't know exactly how to handle that, and whether that's… We don't have a full-time keyboard player right now. T Lavitz died, and Steve Davidowski had another commitment already for this [time period]. And so we'll have to see. But there's always music being set aside for the band to do."

DIXIE DREGS' last studio album was "Full Circle" in 1994.

The band's fourth LP, 1979's "Night Of The Living Dregs", garnered DIXIE DREGS their first Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance".

2024 tour dates:

April 17 - Macon, GA - Capitol Theatre
April 18 - Nashville, TN - CMA Theater
April 20 - Atlanta, GA - Variety
April 21- Durham, NC - Carolina Theatre of Durham
April 22 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall
April 23 - Winston-Salem, NC - The Ramkat
April 25 - Ponte Vedra, FL - Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
April 26 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
April 27 - Clearwater, FL - Capitol Theatre
May 13 - Red Bank, NJ - The Vogel at Count Basie Center for the Arts
May 14 - Patchogue, NY - Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts
May 15 - New York, NY - The Town Hall
May 17 - Boston, MA - Somerville Theatre
May 18 - Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse
May 19 - Albany, NY - Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre
May 21 - Collingswood, NJ - Scottish Rite Auditorium
May 22 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre

2018's "Dawn Of The Dregs" tour saw the original lineup return to the stage for the first time in well over a quarter of a century. Six years later, in 2024, an amended lineup featuring original members Morse, West, Sloan and Morgenstein alongside familiar contemporary Jordan Rudess of DREAM THEATER, returns once again. A Grammy winner and Music Radar's "Best Keyboardist Of All Time", the Juilliard School of Music-trained keyboard wizard will now rejoin some of his longest-tenured peers for a can't-miss celebration of music. The "Anachronicity Tour 2024" brings some of music's most legendary performers to intimate stages, offering an up close and personal opportunity for long-standing and new fans alike to revel in musical proficiency and history, night after night.

Over the course of 40 years, the DIXIE DREGS have released eleven commercial albums of original material, and a number of compilations, reissues, and countless live bootlegs. Along the way, they have garnered six Grammy nominations, an acknowledgement of their elevated status among the musical community. The band has played with several well-known alumni and guests — among others, Jerry Goodman (MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA),Alex Ligertwood (SANTANA),as well as original bandmembers playing and recording on well over 300 releases, including DEEP PURPLE, KANSAS, FLYING COLORS and STEVE MORSE BAND (Steve Morse) and WINGER, JELLY JAM and JAZZ IS DEAD (Rod Morgenstein).

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson spoke about the stripped-down nature of the upcoming tour in support of his latest solo album, "The Mandrake Project". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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, Dickinson revealed the addition of two new guitarists to his solo touring band, which will hit the road in April in support of "The Mandrake Project". Swedish-born guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who incidentally played on Dickinson's current single, "Rain On The Graves") will accompany previously announced members Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass). Bruce's longtime guitarist and collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez will not be part of the touring lineup.

Earlier this 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 first chance to see the six-piece live will now be at The Observatory in Orange County, California on 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. Since then, Dickinson has only released one more solo album (the aforementioned "Tyranny Of Souls") but has previously said that his solo career is not over.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

Pophouse has today concluded a landmark agreement with the iconic band KISS. Pophouse is the Swedish entertainment and music investment firm renowned for its development of brand-building activities in music and entertainment, such as the groundbreaking "ABBA Voyage" show in London, in which Pophouse is the founding investor.

Pophouse has acquired KISS's artist share of the master recordings and publishing rights. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Fortune reports that the band is being paid over $300 million.

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

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

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

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

Gene Simmons, bassist and co-founder of KISS, said: "We have always been breaking new ground in popular culture, and this partnership will ensure that we continue to do so for years to come. Because what Pophouse is doing, is breaking rules. We already have several plans in development, where the avatar show is one, a biopic another and a KISS-themed experience a third. The future could not be more exciting!"

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

The partnership with KISS marks Pophouse's second investment outside of Sweden, following the acquisition of Cyndi Lauper's music catalogue, adding a truly global brand with a diverse and dedicated fanbase to the firm's portfolio of international artists.

Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and Neil Young are some of the iconic musicians who have recently sold off substantial rights to their music, whether it's just for publishing or the original recordings, known as masters. Investors, major music companies and private equity firms have poured billions of dollars into buying song catalogs, believing that the rise of streaming and growing music revenues will make song rights acquisitions highly lucrative in the long term as they can be exploited for up to 70 years after a musician's death.

Asked in a January 2022 interview with A Journal Of Musical Things if KISS would ever sell its catalog to anyone, Simmons replied: "How much have you got? Bob Dylan sold his stuff for $300-400 million. The problem — and I love the guy and worship the ground he walks on — but [his music] isn't going to mean a lot to a 20-year-old. They don't care about 'The Times They Are A-Changin'', 'Maggie's Farm' — they just don't. Very few pieces of music stand the test of time. What KISS has that no other musical entity has is trademarks. Our faces are bigger than the music, bigger than anything.'

The KISS bassist/vocalist continued: "Springsteen just sold for $500 million and what you get is the music, not the imagery. I've never seen a Springsteen cartoon, comic book, or action figures. KISS is the only one. So what you're buying into — if anyone does the right price — you're into buying the imagery that has stood the test of time. Our analogy is Santa Claus/Superman: imagery that is trademarked so that no one can reproduce. And no other musical act has that."

A year earlier, Stanley told Ultimate Classic Rock that the idea of older musicians selling their publishing rights in multimillion bundle deals made perfect sense to him. "As far as I know, we only get one trip on this earth, and you can't take it with you, so I totally get it," he said. "If there's money to be had and it's going to make your life better, then why not? It's a different business model, but it makes total sense... At some point in your career, you look at what you've created and what it's worth. Artists do that; it's what painting's about. You don't stash your artwork — you sell it."

KISS continues to be among the most merchandised bands in history and a pioneering force in the music merchandise and licensing industry, with KISS-branded merchandise available in major retailers around the globe, including Nordstrom, Macy's, Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic, Torrid, Tilly's, Pacsun, Cotton On, Revolve, Nasty Gal, Princess Polly, Target, Walmart and Kohl's, among many more.

Recent KISS deals in North America include Dead Sled Coffee, for pre-packaged coffee in the U.S.; a fashion and accessories collaboration with Robert Graham in the U.S.; high-end apparel with Lauren Moshi in the U.S.; a line of seasonal apparel with Ugly Christmas Sweater for Holiday 2021 in the U.S. In the international marketplace, recent strategic partnerships include Brands For Fans for gin and dark rum in Europe, Japan, and Australia; Metal Departments for real money gambling worldwide; Fexpro for apparel and accessories in Mexico, Central America, and South America; Konnekt for apparel and accessories in Japan; and EastPak for bags, backpacks and accessories in U.S. Europe, Middle East, Asia and Canada; among many others.

BUCKCHERRY's debut album turns 25 this year and the band is celebrating all through 2025.

Beginning April 6, frontman and founding member Josh Todd will take us down memory lane through a series of "The Story Behind The Song And Album" confessionals, giving insight of the songs and the history behind some of the moments writing and recording the album. The videos will be released on the band's socials and web site through the coming months.

Released on April 6, 1999, by DreamWorks Records, "Lit Up", "For The Movies", "Dead Again" and "Check Your Head" were released as singles. After peaking at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers, the album has sold in excess of a million copies worldwide. The album was certified gold by both the RIAA in U.S. and in Canada, making it DreamWorks' first gold album.

"Lit Up" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for three consecutive weeks and No. 33 on the Modern Rock Tracks in mid-1999 and peaked at No. 74 on Billboard's Top 200. The song was not without controversy due to the lyrical references to cocaine, which even led to MTV censoring the video for broadcast, but that didn't stop it from becoming one of the most popular rock songs from the era and has since accrued nearly 70 million streams on Spotify and 23 million views on YouTube. It even made VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" in January 2009, landing at No. 98.

Visit Buckcherry.com and let the celebration begin.

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

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

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

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

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

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

GHOST has shared the first teaser for the band's film project.

According to the 30-second spot, which can be seen below, the movie will be "coming soon to cinemas worldwide".

Last October, GHOST leader Tobias Forge confirmed that footage from the band's September 2023 two shows at the Forum in Inglewood, California will be used as part of the film.

"When I first started putting it together, I was, like, 'Oh my god, I'm going to faint because there's so much to think about,'" Forge told Metal Hammer magazine. "Then it was, like, 'No, no, just don't think about it at all.'"

Both GHOST shows at the Forum were device-free experiences. Use of phones and smart watches was not permitted in the performance space. Upon arrival at the venue, devices were secured in individual Yondr pouches that were opened at the end of the event.

"I have never seen a crowd interact the way that they did since I was in a club band," Forge said. "They were the best shows I've ever done with GHOST, just because I didn't have to see those fucking mobile phones."

Tobias went on to say that GHOST was "essentially shooting a film. And we used two nights of crowds as extras," he explained. "It's going to be a film with a concert element. So a lot of what you experienced [at the two L.A. shows] is going to be part of this project."

Tobias was also asked if the GHOST film will be similar to METALLICA's "Through The Never", which starred members of the iconic rock band and Dane DeHaan ("Chronicle", "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"). DeHaan played a young band crew member who is sent out on an urgent mission while the band is playing a rousing live set in front of a sold-out crowd and unexpectedly finds his world turned completely upside down. Forge replied: "In the sense that it's a concert with something else combined."

At the Forum shows, GHOST performed the song "Twenties" live for the very first time live. They also played their cover of Roky Erikson's "If You Have Ghosts", which was originally reimagined by GHOST for their 2013 EP "If You Have Ghost". The band's version of the track at the Forum featured two cellists with a piano playing, and it was performed on a separate stage from the rest of the set.

Back in 2019, Forge told Revolver that there was a GHOST feature film in the works. He added, however, that this wouldn't be your typical "rockumentary" or even a concert film, but something else entirely.

"Most films about bands are biographical, and I see no reason to tell our story yet," Forge said. "It's a little bit like premature ejaculation. You have to have a career first and then you can tell the real story, so that was never an option. And when you yank away that, what do you have? Well, that would be a fictional story."

When Forge spoke to Revolver about the GHOST film four years ago, he explained that it would be a while before the project came to fruition.

"The cog wheels are turning on that one," he said. "We're just trying to figure out a lot of the practicalities. Making a film is a big endeavor. Another problem that I have had over the course of my career is that I don't have a shit-ton of time. I've learned over the years that it's really important not to do everything at once."

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