Former Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who was with the band from 2015 - 2023, has shared a new video where he plays and breaks down one of his favourite Megadeth riffs, "Killing Time".





Previously, Loureiro shared a video where he plays his "most famous" guitar riff. Check it out below.




Loureiro: "Tabs for this riff,  a complete Guitar Riff Mastery course, and much more can be found on my Guitar Academy here."








Loureiro recently spoke with Guitar World about his departure from Megadeth. He commented on his replacement, Teemu Mäntysaari - whom he found to fill his shoes in Megadeth -  and revealed that he made another suggestion to management during the scouting process.


Loureiro: "Actually, I even mentioned to management and Dave (Mustaine) that I thought bringing Marty Friedman back would be amazing. I have no idea if they’re talking about it or talking to him, but I did say that. But again, I have no idea beyond that, and I don’t want to make anything more complicated."


"The fans never said anything bad about me or complained, which was amazing, but I’m a fan, and I always understood that Marty was a part of those iconic albums like Rust In Peace and Countdown To Extinction. I understood that Marty was the guy who helped create that sound and style, you know? From the moment I joined Megadeth, I knew the fans could show me love, but I would never win their hearts over Marty." 


Read more here.

Brazilian horror metal outfit, Alchemia, unleashes the live video of their song "Mind Prison" today. The electrifying performance was captured at the 2023 Horror Expo Festival in São Paulo, Brazil, a location steeped in special significance for the band.


"Horror Expo is where Alchemia played live for the first time in 2019, opening for Therion," explains vocalist and founder Victor Piiroja. "Returning to the festival was truly special, and we felt compelled to capture the energy as this event holds a special place in our hearts."







While captivating audiences worldwide with their live presence, Alchemia is currently recording their highly anticipated new album, Become Human, in Germany. Fans can expect to experience the band's sonic mastery firsthand at the upcoming Summer Breeze Open Air Brasil festival, taking place April 26-28 at Memorial da América Latina in São Paulo, Brazil.


Alchemia is a Brazilian horror metal band formed in São Paulo in 2018. The band’s debut album, Inception, was released in 2021 by Italian label WormholeDeath Records and helped Alchemia become one of the most promising horror metal bands in the world. The band’s music is dark and cinematic, with lyrics that explore themes such as reflection, consciousness, mental imprisonment, phobias, and psychological disorders.

During this year's Monsters Of Rock cruise, legendary DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and THE DARKNESS frontman Justin Hawkins teamed up for a karaoke performance of "The Power Of Love", a song co-written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Jennifer Rush in 1984 and later covered by Celine Dion. Video of their rendition can be seen below.

On Wednesday (March 6),Hawkins took to his Instagram to share a photo of Hughes performing with his solo band on Monsters Of Rock, and he included the following message: "Ok there are many great things to see on the @monstersofrockcruise but as soon as this guy opens his mouth to sing, I'm transfixed and there's nowhere I'd rather be.

"If you haven't seen @glennhughesonline perform, rectify that immediately. He is not human. He is something else. An absolutely extraordinary vocalist, and his bass playing Is perfection.

"What a band?! One of the best things I've ever seen! What's more, he's so full of love and positivity that you have to smile. Every aspect of this individual is inspiring.

"GOAT.

"I'm blown away. Can you tell?"

"The Power Of Love" was released as the fifth single from Rush's debut album, "Jennifer Rush", and has since also been covered by AIR SUPPLY and Laura Branigan.

Dion recorded "The Power Of Love" for her 1993 album "The Colour of My Love". It established her as a power ballad singer, and some critics thought her strong-but-vulnerable performance made it better than the original.

Dion's version peaked at No. 1 in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and hit Top 10 in several more countries in 1994. The song has been translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard.

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Melodic power thrashers Among These Ashes have released "Restless Gypsy," a cover of the W.A.S.P. classic on all major streaming platforms.


Guitarist/Backing Vocalist Richard Clark released the following statement on the decision to cover the song:


"W.A.S.P. embodies so much of what I love about metal, and at that band's core has always been masterful, memorable songwriting. Restless Gypsy has long resonated with me as a great song, and JP [Abboud] and I have been discussing covering this track since we started this band in 2020. We've slightly reconfigured a few of the riffs to put our stamp on the song while prioritizing staying true to the original recording. Matt Ries from Traveler gave us an awesome guest solo on it. Also, Matt Roach gave us an excellent mix and master that perfectly captures the atmospheric elements of the 1980s recording. We intentionally dropped this cover so that we could make a content release prior to the release of our second album. The new album is completely tracked, and we expect to drop it in summer 2024."







(Photo – Aaron Lumsden of Akuro Productions)

In a new interview with Metalshop, Wednesday 13, who has been on the road celebrating his former band, the revered glam punk icons MURDERDOLLS, has confirmed that his tenth solo album will arrive in 2025. Regarding what fans can expect from it, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a good question. I'm excited to see where it goes too. I started demoing some songs before this [European]tour, just to see what came out of my head. And I have, like, six or seven ideas and it's a little more MURDERDOLLS-ish, I guess, because I've been playing these songs. And it's got more of a free-spirited rock and roll, punk [vibe], so that's sort of in my brain again. So the music's sort of reflecting that. Will it stay that way? I don't know. That's what's fun for me, is that I can do whatever I want. And I don't ever try to do one thing; I just write what I write and let it come out. If I ever try to think about something and focus on it, I feel like it's not as good."

He continued: "This next record is gonna be special to me. It's the tenth one. It can't just be the tenth album. This one has to be as good as the first one for me. And I want to make it like that. So, I'm gonna put a lot of work into it. And when we get home from this tour, I'm gonna spend all the time we have, probably up till end of August, writing and recording this album."

Wednesday 13's latest album, "Horrifier", came out in October 2022 via Napalm Records.

In an October 2023 interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, Wednesday 13 said that his next album would include song called "I Have This Knife" inspired by his and his late MURDERDOLLS bandmate Joey Jordison's love of the classic horror movie 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre'.

Wednesday 13's current band features MURDERDOLLS alumni Roman Surman and Jack Tankersley.

After the completion of the touring cycle for "Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls", MURDERDOLLS went on hiatus so that Jordison could focus on his other band SLIPKNOT. In 2010, MURDERDOLLS released a sophomore album, "Women And Children Last", which did not feature guitarist Acey Slade, bassist Eric Griffin and drummer Ben "The Ghoul" Graves, all of whom toured in support of "Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls" but did not appear on any of MURDERDOLLS' records.

Wednesday 13 reunited with Griffin and Slade on stage for the first time in over a decade in August 2018 at Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood. The event, which celebrated the life of Graves, saw the trio performing some of MURDERDOLLS' classic songs.

Graves, who also worked with PRETTY BOY FLOYD and DOPE, passed away in May 2018 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was only 45 years old.

The MURDERDOLLS did a number of major tours in support of "Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls". By the summer of 2003, the tenacity of the band was paying off. Tours with IRON MAIDEN, PAPA ROACH and the FOO FIGHTERS around the world and a Top 40 U.K. single with "White Wedding" made the band fan favorite in Metal Hammer, Metal Edge, Kerrang! and Rock Sound magazines.

On March 3, during a question-and-answer session with Downtown Julie Brown aboard this year's The 80s Cruise, Sebastian Bach once again spoke about the possibility of a reunion of the classic SKID ROW lineup. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET; video by Grant's Rock Warehaus): "There's no reason SKID ROW can't be together. I honestly think that it's a business thing at this point. But we're all still alive, and let's get the hair band back together while we've still got hair. I have no problems… I play with everyone — except for them. That's really weird."

He continued, addressing the audience directly: "How many of you guys watched METALLICA's 'Some Kind Of Monster' movie? It never gets old. It's all about them having a therapist. And James Hetfield [METALLICA frontman] can't rehearse past 4 p.m., and Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] is all mad, slamming the door. But that whole movie is about METALLICA working with a therapist. And nobody helped SKID ROW or anything. It was, like, 'You guys are on your own. Figure it out.' And every book I read — AEROSMITH, MÖTLEY CRÜE, every one — is about having somebody helping them. So maybe there's some therapist that wants to get paid some money and put the band back together. There's no reason that we're not together."

Referencing his 2016 autobiography, "18 And Life On Skid Row", Sebastian said: "When I first wrote my book, there was a lot of rotten shit in there. But right when that book was about to come out, we were talking about reuniting [the classic SKID ROW lineup], I swear. I know that seems crazy, but it's true. And my manager, Rick Sales, goes, 'Sebastian, take all that rotten shit out of your book right now.' I go, 'Really? I think people wanna read that.' He goes, 'No, take it out.' And I go, 'Okay.' So there's a file on my hard drive, my computer, that's called 'Rotten shit that I took out of my book.' And that might be the next book."

Asked if he is still hoping to get the classic lineup of SKID ROW back together, Bach said: "It's not that I'm hoping, but there's no reason why not to. There's no reason. They're, like, 'Oh, man. He was hard to work with in 1996.' 1996? Who remembers 1996? Sorry about 1996. Sorry. It's 2024. Can we move on or…?"

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I. Theart was fired from SKID ROW in February 2022 and was replaced by Erik Grönwall, who was previously a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T.

Two years ago, Sabo told Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11 about the possibility of a reunion with Bach: "It's not even a part of any sort of thought process. This is SKID ROW. And that conversation is 23 years old [since SKID ROW reformed without Bach]. And I have no desire to… I'm not interested; none of us are. It comes down to happiness, and we're really, really, really happy where we're at and how the band sounds and feels. I love playing our music, and I love playing it with the guys that we're playing it now with. And so I don't wanna change that. I'm in a great place personally, and I think we're all in a great place as a collective."

In March 2022, Sabo was asked by Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio how he feels about people still calling for a reunion with Bach. He said: "Well, it's been 23 years [since SKID ROW reformed], so to say that I'm over it would be an understatement. We attempted [a reunion] slightly [back in 2016]. We dipped our toes in the water and realized that it didn't feel so good. It's just one of those things where we still could not see eye to eye; we couldn't even get past the point of simple texting.

"I am really, really happy where we are," Snake continued. "I'm very proud of our past, and all due credit to everybody who's been involved in every aspect of our career, whoever that may be, 'cause it all led to where we are now.

"I've been asked a thousand times: 'What about the payday [of a reunion with Sebastian]?' And that's all well and good, but if that's why I did this — if that's why we did this; I can speak for everybody — we probably wouldn't be doing it," Sabo explained. "I wanna be happy, and I am very, very happy. And so are the guys; everybody's really happy.

"The music climate is what it is, and we're a classic rock band, and I'm proud of that. And we're still able to make music. I mean, Jeez — I live a very, very blessed life, man," Snake added. "I have nothing but gratitude and humility for what we have achieved and for what we're able to continue to do. So while there may be people out there who are flashing dollar signs with a lot of zeroes, I still have to be happy doing it, and I am. And that's what's most important. I need to be happy being in a band with the people I'm in a band with. A lot of other bands can go out and they don't see each other till they're on stage and travel on separate buses and all that stuff, and that's all well and good, but I don't wanna live my life like that. I don't wanna be up onstage and kind of living a lie; it just doesn't feel good. So, while I'm thankful for people's interest and whatnot, I'm even more thankful that we still get to play music for a living under our terms."

In the summer of 2021, Bach told Florida's 98.7 The Gater radio station that "there's no reason" for the classic SKID ROW not to reunite. "When those guys [in SKID ROW] try to say [about me], 'He's difficult to work with,' let me just say this one more time. We have not been in the same room together since the year 1996," he said. "Shut the eff up about you thinking you know what I'm like. You don't know anything about what I'm like. And the 'Gilmore Girls' think I'm okay to work with; Broadway thinks I'm okay to work with; the 'Trailer Park Boys' think I'm okay; GUNS N' ROSES think I'm pretty cool. We're not getting any younger."

Sebastian went on to say that a SKID ROW reunion "should" happen "for the fans. And we are absolutely running out of bands — bands that can play in sheds," he said. "The fact that we are all still alive and we are all in our 50s — some closer to 60 than others — but that, to me, is selfish that we're not together.

"I can play with anyone. I do play with everyone [laughs] — except for them."

Four years ago, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan also confirmed that he and his bandmates "were entertaining the idea" of reuniting with Bach following Harnell's departure. But Rachel shot down the possibility of a rekindling of his friendship with Sebastian, explaining: "Well… Here's the soundbite for Blabbermouth. I wouldn't say we were friends [when we were in a band together]. We were bandmates. You know what I mean? We're two very different people." Bolan added that he hadn't seen Bach "in years."

Five years ago, Bach was asked by Rolling Stone what it would take for SKID ROW to be reunited. He responded: "It would take those guys to realize that I have a lifetime manager. His name is Rick Sales. I've been with him since 2006. They don't want to deal with a guy like that. They want to give some singer who doesn't have a manager $700 to $800 bucks a week. I've got a team that's worked with me and don't allow me to get fucked around. I didn't have that team when I was 19 years old."

In response to Bach's statements about the earnings of SKID ROW's singer, Sabo told Rolling Stone in an e-mail: "I guess fact-checking isn't in his skill set… The five of us go on that stage as a band and we all get paid equally. We're in this together. There's no egos."

Sebastian went on to say that SKID ROW was "close to reuniting, but then it didn't happen. The fact that it didn't happen obviously makes me somewhat bitter, because life is only getting shorter, as the song says," he added.

"I wouldn't say 'came close,'" Bolan told Rolling Stone in an e-mail response to Bach's account of the reunion talks. "We entertained the idea. Snake and I went as far as talking with agents and promoters about money. But we quickly learned after a few text conversations, why we fired him in the first place. Nothing is worth your happiness and peace of mind."

Sabo added: "It was already a miserable experience, and we didn't even get on the phone."

In 2021, Bach completed a U.S. tour during which he celebrated the 30th anniversary of SKID ROW's sophomore album, "Slave To The Grind".

Video below by Grant's Rock Warehaus

We can't wait to see you all back next year! Check out next year's lineup, and don't forget, open booking starts March 21st at 10AM central time. Don't miss out! https://ecs.page.link/b3xSS
#onlyonthe80scruise

Posted by The 80s Cruise on Friday, March 17, 2023

In celebration of their milestone 30th anniversary, KORN will perform a once-in-a-lifetime show at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 5, 2024. This one-night-only performance will feature special guests EVANESCENCE, GOJIRA, DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY, SPIRITBOX and VENDED.

KORN changed the world with the release of their self-titled debut album in 1994. It was a record that would pioneer a genre, and blur others-leading into a larger cultural movement. Since forming, KORN has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, collected two Grammys, toured the world countless times, and set many records in the process that will likely never be surpassed. KORN has continued to push the limits of the rock, alternative and metal genres, while remaining a pillar of influence for legions of fans, and generations of artists around the globe.

KORN singer Jonathan Davis states: "Reflecting on thirty years of KORN fills me with such immense gratitude for our journey, the growth we've experienced, and the incredible bond we share with our fans. It's humbling to see how our music has touched so many lives across the globe. From our small club beginnings to now headlining stadiums, it's been an unforgettable ride, and we owe it all to our amazing, undying, loyal community that's made it possible. I'm really looking forward to this incredible night to celebrate together." -

Tickets will be available starting with a Citi presale (details below) beginning Wednesday, March 6. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale beginning Friday, March 8 at 10 a.m. PT at ticketmaster.com.

Citi is the official card of the KORN 30th-anniversary show. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Wednesday, March 6 at 10 a.m. PT until Thursday, March 7 at 10 p.m. PT through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com.

A "30 Years Of Korn" VIP Experience package will also be available for purchase, which includes the following: one (1) VIP pit ticket to see KORN; invitation to an exclusive 30th anniversary museum curated by KORN including an immersive experience with opportunities to recreate iconic photos, explore never before seen memorabilia from the archives, art displays, props from music videos, instruments, one of a kind wardrobe and custom Adidas pieces, Korn Koffee signature drinks, KORN hot sauce signature menu items; private cash bar; one (1) exclusive anniversary merch item; early merch shopping; one (1) commemorative laminate; dedicated venue entrance; and an on-site VIP host.

CRANKFISH, the long-running band featuring former DROWNING POOL singer Jasen Moreno, will return to the stage on Friday, March 22 at Trees in Dallas, Texas.

A new CRANKFISH song, "Do Or Die", can be streamed below.

Established in 2002, CRANKFISH is a five-piece band from Dallas, made with one common goal in mind: creating high-energy music that moves the listener. Having shared the stage with the likes of SEVENDUST, DROWNING POOL, FEAR FACTORY, AVATAR, SALIVA, NONPOINT, TAPROOT, LOVE AND DEATH (featuring Brian "Head" Welch of KORN),SOIL, STATIC-X and SOULFLY, among others, CRANKFISH consists of Julien Moreno and Justen Moreno on vocals, Jasen Moreno on bass/vocals, Rojo Johnson on guitars/vocals, Heath Shults on guitars/vocals and Mike Moya on drums/vocals.

Jasen, who joined DROWNING POOL in 2012, exited the group a year ago, making way for the return of Ryan McCombs.

In an October 2023 interview with "The Logan Show", DROWNING POOL guitarist C.J. Pierce stated about Moreno's split: "Yeah, [Jasen] was in [DROWNING POOL] for 10 years and we did three amazing records with him. And a lot of great times and great songs with Jasen. He's like a higher-register stuff, where he sings. It's still us in DROWNING POOL doing our thing. Yeah, man, especially the last record, [2022's] 'Strike A Nerve', I'm really proud of that record. That's just the way of the earth, man — music business, managers and all that fun stuff. But here we are now in 2023 with Ryan, so I guess all things are meant to be, for whatever reasons."

Asked if Moreno's departure is something that C.J. and his bandmates saw coming for a while or if it was a sudden development, Pierce said: "Yeah, we felt it coming for a while. I'll let Jasen speak for himself. It's a lot of different factors involved in it, but just to sum up real quick, I think part of it, him being home — a lot of people were home during COVID with the family — he does have a big family, and I think a big part of it [was that he felt] that's where he needs to be, with family right now. So I totally understand that. And also, he got pretty — all of us got pretty burned by the music business constantly, beyond burned, and it's frustrating as well. So I think with those two factors, he was, like, 'All right. I'm not gonna do this right now.' And understandably so. But here we are, like I said, with Ryan McCombs back in the fold."

McCombs played his first shows back with DROWNING POOL in March 2023 at Club L.A. in Destin, Florida and the inaugural Throwdown At The Campground festival in Fruitland Park, Florida.

DROWNING POOL's first new record since 2016, "Strike A Nerve", came out via T-Boy/UMe. It marked the band's third album with Moreno.

DROWNING POOL addressed Moreno's departure in a social media post on March 16, 2023, writing: "We appreciate everyone asking about Jasen. We can't speak for him but we believe he was just ready to move on to other things in life. Maybe he will make a statement. Maybe he won't. Regardless, we wish him the best."

New show! Serosia with special guests Crankfish, and Pleasant View on March 22nd. Get your tickets now at TreesDallas.com Serosia

Posted by Trees Dallas on Thursday, March 7, 2024

3 of 4 hanging out. Jasen, Mike and Rojo. Lots of new music in the works.. 🤛🏼👊🏼🤜🏼

Posted by Crankfish on Saturday, September 17, 2022

Guitarist Thomas Zwijsen has released the new video below, featuring a cover of Iron Maiden's "Flight Of Icarus", performed on classical acoustic guitar.





Zwijsen previously shared acoustic guitar covers of of Metallica's "Enter Sandman", and Bruce Dickinson's new solo song, "Rain On The Graves". Check them out below:

Hellish Expectations, the newest offering from Cleveland’s favorite filth metal alchemists, Midnight, is out today on Metal Blade Records. A visualizer for opening track “Expect Total Hell” is streaming below:





Dirty, hostile, and alluringly obnoxious, Midnight makes music to start fights to. One-man-army, Athenar, has been churning out an ungodly racket, dropping countless demos, splits, and EPs and ultimately slaying the metal/punk underground with his own addictive brand of lust, grime, and sleaze for over two decades. And in 2024 he’s with the band’s sixth full-length, the blackened heavy metal rumblings of Hellish Expectations.




“It’s a knuckle-dragger with a fat cutoff,” notes Athenar, “Probably the most concise and straight to the point Midnight album to date, and all written in a weekend.”


Hellish Expectations is available on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants: 
Sangria (US)
Metallic Marble (US)
180g Black (EU)
Crimson Red w/ Black Smoke (EU)
Orange/Red Splatter (EU)


 


Order the new album here.





Tracklisting:


"Expect Total Hell"
"Gash Scrape"
"Masked And Deadly"
"Slave To The Blade"
"Dungeon Lust"
"Nuclear Savior"
"Deliver Us To Devil"
"Mercyless Slaughtor"
"Doom Death Desire"
"F.O.A.L."


"F.O.A.L." video:





(Photo - Hannah Verbeuren)

Bay Area natives Aenimus have released trailblazing progressive death metal since 2011. Today, the band offer fans a farewell in the form of a track video for the single “Phoenix Rise”.





Seth Stone comments, "To my fans, friends and family… With over a decade of moments shared together and infinite memories that will live with me forever, I have made the difficult decision to put Aenimus on an indefinite hiatus. Thank you all, for the support and love over the years, in making many of my dreams come true. 




"Thank you to all the amazing musicians who performed and wrote these magical songs with me. Never, did I fathom I would perform and write music alongside some of the best and most humble musicians that I now consider family. I could not have accomplished any of this without a single one of you. 


"Thank you to Nuclear Blast Records, Continental Touring, and everyone else within the music industry who guided Aenimus and gave us opportunities of a lifetime. 


"With that, I give you all one last song, 'Phoenix Rise' a farewell to celebrate the time we spent together and a song to inspire hope to whoever needs it. 


"Thank you, Brian Gosling (guitars/production), Cody Pulliam(drums), and John Flynn(bass) for sharing your amazing talents and writing 'Phoenix Rise' with me.”


The track video was created by Brian Gosling:





“Phoenix Rise” was written by vocalist Seth Stone, guitarist Brian Gosling, bassist John Flynn, and drummer Cody Pulliam. The single was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Brian Gosling at Grimzee Studios.

Friends Of Hell have shared "Gran Inquisidor", the first single from their upcoming new album God Damned You To Hell due out April 5 on Rise Above Records.


The follow-up to Friends Of Hell’s demonically thrilling debut, God Damned You To Hell is a scorched earth campaign against all that is holy. Even more defiantly old school and obnoxious than its predecessor, its primitive barrage of horrified heaviness owes a ghoulish debt to the greats of heavy metal and doom while summoning some abominable demons of its own. Songs like "Bringer Of Evil" and "Let The Devil Take You" harbor ruthless hooks that draw from all manner of leather-clad and spiked sources, while the blasphemous rituals of closer "All The Colours Of The Dark" cement Friends Of Hell’s burgeoning reputation as harbingers of tangible, tumultuous darkness.


“This second album is way superior to the first one,” avows Danazoglou. “The songs are better, and the music is heavier and more evil! That was the plan from the beginning. The only surprise was that the line-up changed. Hellbutcher’s vocals are just devastating and Beelzeebubth and Sprits are just amazing guitarists! Most of the recording took place here in Cyprus with Sprits at the helm of production. This time things were easier [to complete] than the first album. We were more focused and willing to deliver a devastating blow to weak and fake metal music!”




Heavy metal has a long history and profound connection with devilry, deviance, and the dark side. The ignominious return of Friends Of Hell can only strengthen that bond.


Steeped in purest old-school metal and the dirtiest doom, the new album God Damned You To Hell is a rusty spike in the eye of unbelievers.


As they begin their infernal mission in earnest, Friends Of Hell has grown from a spontaneous idea into a fearsome force for guitar-driven infamy. God Damned You To Hell takes a pick-axe to modernity and builds a new monument to Satan in its place. As Danazoglou explains, there really is no other way. Hails!


“Our song themes are and always will remain the same,” Taz Danazoglou states. “Satanism, witchcraft, horror, and death! If the public loved the first album, the second one will blow their minds. It’s on another level. Another level downwards into the pits of hellfire! The one thing that has really changed is that with this line-up, we will play live and bring mankind to its knees. We want to play and destroy stages. Other than that, we will then focus on the third album which will be the final nail in the coffin lid for mankind!”


Preorder at riseaboverecords.com.





Tracklisting:


“God Damned You To Hell”
“Gran Inquisidor”
“Bringer Of Evil”
“Snakes Not Sons”
“Arcane Macabre”
“Ave Satanatas”
“Let The Devil Take You”
“Cross Inverter”
“All The Colors Of The Dark”


“Gran Inquisidor”:

With word getting out about the new studio album Ride Of The Iron Horse from muscle-bound heavy metal icon Thor as well as a string of special live performances already underway, Thor-mania 2024 is in full swing. This year marks a historic milestone for the prodigious purveyor of punishing power metal, an incredible five decades since embarking on a solo music career that took him from the competitive bodybuilding tournaments of his youth to leading the charge of metal gods in the ‘80s and keeping the holy metal flame lit through the 21st century. 


Fortuitously, some of the tracks on Ride Of The Iron Horse have their origin in the halcyon days of the ‘80s. “Flight Of The Striker,” for instance, was originally written and demoed in 1987, just a couple of years after Thor’s mammoth 1985 album Only The Strong. The song is suffused with classic ‘80s metal energy and imagery and includes performances by two members of the classic Thor line-up - guitarist Steve Price and drummer Mike Favata, along with bassist Mike Kischnick. “Flight Of The Striker” only serves to highlight just how far Thor has come as both an artist and metal music pioneer.


Not only does today mark the release of “Flight Of The Striker,” but it is also the date of Thor’s headline performance at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, CA. Thor will be joined by special guests including Cherie Currie, famed lead vocalist of The Runaways, as well as Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre.







Ride Of The Iron Horse, the album, is set for full release on March 22 and will be available on both CD and vinyl. In a nod to the vibrant visuals that have always accompanied Thor's music, the album features original art design by internationally renowned comic book artist Timo Wuerz. With his dynamic illustrations, Wuerz captures the essence of Thor's larger-than-life persona, bringing a visual dimension to the sonic onslaught.


Buy the CD/vinyl here; pre-order/pre-save the digital here.





Tracklisting:


"Ride Of The Iron Horse"
"Lightning Rod" feat. KHEMI$T
"5-0 Let's Go"
"Peace By Piece"
"Unlock The Power"
"No Time For Games"    
"Bring It On"
"Flight Of The Striker" (Unreleased 1987)
"Had It Been Another Day" (Unreleased 1986)
"Watch Your Back" (Unreleased 2002)
"Hit And Run" (1979 Demo)
"100%" (1979 Demo)
"Shields Up"


Bonus Tracks:
"Thunder On The Mountain" (Unreleased 1979)
"To The Extreme" (Unreleased 1999)


"Flight Of The Striker" lyric video:





"Ride Of The Iron Horse" lyric video:





Fans eager to experience Thor's magnificent stage presence firsthand will have the opportunity to do so as he embarks on a tour this March, joined by special guests Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre. From the rocky terrain of Colorado to the sun-drenched shores of California, and across the border to the metal-loving masses of Canada, Thor's tour promises to be an unforgettable celebration of metal music at its finest.


Tour dates:


March
2 - Hi Dive - Denver, CO
4 - Aces High - Salt Lake City, UT
8 - Whisky A Go Go - Los Angeles, CA
15 - Hollywood Theater - Portland, OR
16 - Coffin Club - Portland, OR


April
12 - Modern Love - Calgary, AB
13 - The Starlight - Edmonton, AB

SLIPKNOT has apparently commenced rehearsals with a new drummer following the departure of Jay Weinberg last November.

On Saturday (March 9),SLIPKNOT shared a photo of a broken drumstick on social media, along with the caption "Rehearsal.", suggesting that Jay's replacement has already been secured.

Although SLIPKNOT has offered no hints about the new drummer's identity, several fans have noted that the Promark drumstick indicates that the new man behind the kit could be former SEPULTURA drummer Eloy Casagrande, who is a Promark endorsee.

SLIPKNOT's first concert of 2024 is scheduled to take place on April 27 at the Sick New World Festival in Las Vegas, to be followed by appearances at Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida on May 12 and Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio on May 19.

Last month, SEPULTURA announced that Casagrande had left the band to join "another project", with some fans speculating that he will be the new drummer of SLIPKNOT.

The news of Eloy's exit from SEPULTURA came just two months after the band announced it would celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024 by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe.

On November 5, 2023, SLIPKNOT released a statement via social media in which it said it had "decided to make a creative decision and to part ways with Jay."

Six days later, Weinberg, who replaced Joey Jordison, SLIPKNOT's original drummer, in 2013, shared on Instagram that he "was heartbroken and blindsided to receive the phone call", "the news of which, most of you learned shortly after."

Jay played his final show with SLIPKNOT on November 3 at the Hell & Heaven festival in Toluca, Mexico.

When SLIPKNOT announced Weinberg's departure, the band thanked Jay "for his dedication and passion over the past ten years." The group added: "No one can ever replace Joey Jordison's original sound, style or energy, but Jay honored Joey's parts and contributed to the last three albums and we, the band, and the fans appreciate it. But as ever, SLIPKNOT is intent on evolving. We wish Jay all the best and are very excited for what the future holds."

Jay discovered SLIPKNOT when he was a pre-teen, through his father, Max Weinberg, of Bruce Springsteen's E STREET BAND, and leader of the house band on Conan O'Brien's talk show. He was hooked immediately and was a huge fan of SLIPKNOT by the time he was invited to Los Angeles to try out as replacement for Joey Jordison in 2013.

For the first few months after the release of 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter", the members of SLIPKNOT had declined to name the musicians who were playing drums and bass on their tour, despite the fact that their identities were revealed as Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella by a disgruntled former drumtech for SLIPKNOT who posted a picture of a backstage call sheet on Instagram.

".5: The Gray Chapter" went on to score a trio of Grammy nominations, including two for "Best Metal Performance" and a nomination for "Best Rock Album".

Weinberg also played on 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind" and 2022's "The End, So Far", both of which topped Billboard's rock albums chart.

Rehearsal.

Posted by Slipknot on Saturday, March 9, 2024

In a new interview with El Planeta Del Rock, Marko "Marco" Hietala, who is currently on the road in South America as part of the "Living The Dream – The Hits Tour 2024" with his former NIGHTWISH bandmate Tarja Turunen, was asked if there is any chance of the two musicians launching a new project together. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I won't close that option off. We haven't talked about it, putting up a group together or anything like that. But at the moment, it seems that we've got a different kind of connection than it was [in the] past. Because then the camps were really divided already when I stepped into [NIGHTWISH]. And it was hard to find the truth of things, because a lot of it was like a managerial turf war where we got told certain things by one side and told certain things by the other side and lots of confusion — blah, blah, blah — and in the end, yeah, what we already realized a few years back when we were all together there doing the Christmas shows in Finland that after all the hassle has died and the noise has died and everything, you still find out that you lost a friend. And that was the main [reason] why we are basically doing this together again."

In a recent interview with Thiago Rahal Mauro of Brazil's Metal Musikast, Tarja spoke about what it was like to team up with Marko to perform a cover of "The Phantom Of The Opera" during their special open-air concert in July 2023 at Z7 Summer Nights in Pratteln, Switzerland. Tarja and Marko both played individual sets at the event, with their rendition of the main theme from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical coming during Turunen's portion of the show.

"I got a call from a promoter to take part in one festival in Switzerland last year in a European summertime in July," Tarja said. "And then I got to know, when I had accepted to be the artist of the evening, then I saw that they had also invited Marko and Marko's band to perform in the same festival. So I thought, 'Hmm.' And I was actually sending a message that I wished to reach Marko, because I didn't have his contact any longer, to ask him to perform with me 'The Phantom Of The Opera' in my show. And he responded 'yes.' So, after 18 years [laughs], we were about to sing the song together. And it was super exciting. It was really beautiful. The people got very emotional about this.

"We had met already before — we had been singing on a few occasions in Finland a few years before — so we kind of cleaned the table on that occasion already," she explained. "So we were in good terms, so to say, but now singing 'The Phantom Of The Opera' together after all these years was amazing. So we did it twice, actually — we did it in Switzerland and then in Finland. And now we are going to do it — that and a lot more [laughs] — there in Brazil [during our upcoming joint tour]."

Tarja also elaborated on her friendship with Marko, saying: "It's a new relationship with him, because he's not the same person anymore than he was in the band. He has changed a lot, and many years have passed by. I've changed myself. Life has changed us. So it is a new relationship, let's say. And it had made me very happy to get to know him better after all these years."

Last November, Tarja admitted to Chaoszine that she was "nervous" before performing "The Phantom Of The Opera" with Marko at Z7 Summer Nights. "I believe that he was nervous as well to meet up with me, but we were both very excited to go back to the stage and to sing the song," she said. "We sang 'Phantom Of The Opera' in Switzerland for the first time. Then we went over to Finland to perform it again, did a show together there — he with his band and me with my own. Wow. It was pure emotion. I think it was really beautiful, but it made me kind of… I was, like, 'I'm in peace,' sort of. The feeling was great. I think it was even more for Marko, because I saw him standing there after my concert, when I finished my set, and he came like almost in tears, saying that this was important. We reconnected, and it's great. Now I'm really looking forward to have this tour [with Marko] in South America in March [2024], and I'm sure you will see something else happening also. Yeah, you'll hear."

Turunen was fired from NIGHTWISH at the end of the band's 2005 tour by being presented with an open letter which was published on the NIGHTWISH web site at the same time. In the letter, the other members of NIGHTWISH wrote: "To you, unfortunately, business, money, and things that have nothing to do with emotions have become much more important."

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen later called the decision to part ways with Turunen "the most difficult thing I ever had to do." For her part, Tarja said the way she was kicked out of the group proved that her former bandmates were not her friends. "Maybe one day I'll forgive, but I will never forget," she said.

In 2019, Turunen dismissed Internet chatter about her possible return to NIGHTWISH after her December 2017 onstage reunion with the band's then-bassist/vocalist Hietala during a "Raskasta Joulua" concert in Hämeenlinna, Finland.

"I know a lot of fans would love to see something happen, but it's a very long distance away," she told Kerrang! magazine. "Personally, I don't see anything happening with me and them, to be perfectly honest. Marko came a little later into the band; he wasn't there since the beginning. He was always a guy I was close to. Me and Tuomas Holopainen, however, haven't seen each other in a long time… but we have been in touch. It's not bad. The past is what it is; we can't change that. We can only change the future."

NIGHTWISH's authorized biography, "Once Upon a Nightwish: The Official Biography 1996-2006", was published in Finnish in 2006 and in English three years later.

Turunen's husband, Marcelo Cabuli, and his business partners later sued the parties behind the book for defamation. Named in the lawsuit were the publishing house Like Kustannus Oy and the author of the book, Marko "Mape" Ollila. Cabuli and his Brazilian business partners argued that the book includes false accusations and insinuations that have caused them suffering and financial problems.

The book blamed Cabuli for the events leading up to Turunen's dramatic expulsion from the band in late 2005.

In 2011, the Helsinki District Court dismissed Cabuli's lawsuit, ruling that the book — which criticized Cabuli on only a few of its 380 pages — did not detrimentally affect his work or reputation in South America. In addition, the court determined that Ollila did not maliciously portray Cabuli in a negative light.

Nearly two years ago, Tarja was asked in an interview with Top Link Music manager and concert promoter Paulo Baron and music critic Regis Tadeu if she would consider doing a tour with NIGHTWISH if all of her former bandmates apologized to her about how their split happened and invited her to share the stage with them again. She responded: "It is very, very hypothetical that all what you said will happen, first of all — it's very, very hypothetical.

"I'm living in a world, like we are all living in a world, that things happen without us noticing," she continued. "I mean, I can't really close any doors in that sense; I'm not that kind of person any longer. I learned so many things in this life already. I take them as they are.

"So I don't know. It would be very hypothetically possible," she added. "It would be unlikely to happen."

Hietala announced his departure from NIGHTWISH in January 2021, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now." He has since been replaced by session bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN),who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences.

In an August 2022 interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Hietala revealed that he went through a dark period in his life, which included depression, insomnia, anxiety and an eventual attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Speaking about how he eventually came to the realization that exiting NIGHTWISH was the right thing to do, Marko said: "It was a long process. Of course, the COVID year that was there, where I had a lot of time for soul searching, it obviously gave me the last incentive that I need something else, that if I just continue with this I'm just gonna get sicker and sicker. But, of course, it's a process.

"I've been chronic depressive since 2010 [or] 2011, so I've been on a permanent medication ever since," he revealed. "Sometimes you get used to the meds [and] you will need more. We did raise [the dosage] during the years also, but it just didn't work. And now that I started to do… I had psychotherapy for over four years now, and then I also talked to psychiatrists and some doctors and did that also in Spain. Then my psychiatrist here in Finland said that I should do these ADHD neuropsychological tests, which I then did in Spain. And, okay, I got it."

Hietala reiterated that he "had been thinking about" leaving NIGHTWISH "for a while" before making the final decision. "Because I had a lot of weight. And I tend to… With the attention disorder, it tells me that when there are lots of trouble, then the disorder makes it into a real chaos," he explained. "There's a shitload of stuff coming and going and no peace anywhere. And for a year or two, I was already waking up every night at three o'clock to bad dreams and anxiety. So I'd say that the whole process probably started already with my former divorce [in 2016]. That was a very sad time when you think about your kids and your broken homes and all that. And then, when I started to get clear from that, then there were, well, all kinds of things. I don't really wanna go any deeper to what kind of things I'd gone through, but I'd gone through enough."

Acknowledging that making NIGHTWISH's latest studio album, 2020's "Human. :II: Nature.", was a "difficult" experience for him, Marko denied that his mental state at the time resulted in a diminished role for him on the final LP. "I think the original idea was to have that… we'll do a couple of [solo vocal appearances], or one solo for me and Troy [Donockley], and the rest Floor [Jansen], and then the harmonies; that was the idea originally for that," he said. "So I don't know if it affected. I think it was sort of as planned. But at that time I already had serious trouble with concentrating and serious trouble with a constant black cloud over my head."

In July 2022, Hietala told Finland's Iltalehti that he had not kept in touch with NIGHTWISH since his departure or followed the activities of his former band.

In May 2021, Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave NIGHTWISH "came as a bit of a surprise." He told Finland's Kaaos TV: "Marko informed us in December [of 2020 that he was leaving the band]. And even though he has been very open about his state and problems during the past years, it still came as a bit of a surprise for us. So it was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."

Tuomas elaborated on NIGHTWISH's reasons for carrying on, saying: "I think we still have something to give, and that's the main point. The music is still there. We felt that there's still so much music that needs to come out from this band that, 'Okay, let's give it one more shot.' And then finding the new bass player was really easy."

He added: "It's not like we do this just because we need to do it and there's nothing else to do. On a personal level, I feel that there's still so many stories and melodies that I want to share with the world with one lineup or another, so that's why you want to continue and keep on going.

"I've said this a million times, that a lineup change is the ultimate energy vampire, and that's how it really felt and still feels."

In June 2021, Jansen spoke about Hietala's exit from the band in an episode of her "Storytime" YouTube video series. She said: "That was a very sudden surprise that, of course, was not fun at all. But we understand — I understand — it was a necessary thing for him to do. And from there, we had to think of how to continue without him, and that also, in preparations towards the virtual show, that was a huge challenge."

In December 2020, Hietala was crowned the winner of the fall 2020 season of "Masked Singer Suomi" — the Finnish edition of the popular masked singing contest. He was disguised as Tohtori — the Doctor.

In the summer of 2021, Holopainen said that NIGHTWISH would split up if the band's current singer Floor Jansen ever chose to leave. Holopainen, who formed NIGHTWISH in 1996 with guitarist Emppu Vuorinen and Turunen, made the comment while discussing the departure of Hietala.

Pressed by U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about his 2019 statement that NIGHTWISH would disband if another member opted to depart, Tuomas said: "That's how I felt back in 2019, and that's also how I felt when Marko left. I take my words back when it comes to that. But if it would be Floor leaving, that's it, it's the end of NIGHTWISH. Absolutely, 100%."

In a new interview with Good Company, former MACHINE HEAD and VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel, who is currently playing with Kerry King in the SLAYER guitarist's solo band, discussed the first single released from King's upcoming solo debut "From Hell I Rise", a song called "Idle Hands", which was made available in early February. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was the first song I heard, and it was the first song that I wrote a solo for. So the solo in that song was the first one that I wrote here in the studio. So it's kind of cool to hear that being the first one released. And I'm gonna be name-dropping here a little bit, but I was going back and forth a little bit with [METALLICA guitarist] Kirk Hammett today. 'Cause he had told [DEATH ANGEL and KERRY KING singer] Mark Osegueda, 'Hey, the solo is awesome. It's the solo of the year,' or whatever. So I thanked him. I said, 'Hey, I heard that you dug the solo on the song.' And he's, like, 'Oh my God. I thought that was Kerry. I didn't know.' He didn't put it together. And I missed his call, but he left me this awesome fucking voicemail, dude, saying, like, 'It's the best solo of the year so far,' and all these just glowing things that Kirk Hammett is telling me. [He's] one of our heroes, and to hear him glow about the solo that's…. It's one of my least favorite solos on the record, actually, but to hear him say that it was really personal…"

Demmel went on to talk about his general approach to the solo playing in Kerry's project. "I wanna bring that to this band," he said. "I wanna bring that sense of — I don't know if it's melody or… I hate the word 'controlled chaos,' but some sort of lineage between the music and the solo sections that kind of make 'em — those solo sections in SLAYER and in Kerry's music before are really frenetic. What Gary [Holt, SLAYER and EXODUS guitarist] was doing [while playing with SLAYER], it matched all that brutality, and I think that my solos are less brutal in nature. And I had to check with him. So I had to tell Kerry, or ask him, or broach it with him that, 'This is what I'm doing.' I tracked my leads here first and played them 50 times to where I'm just playing them single pass and playing them best as I can and sent them away, and was, like, 'Hey, this is me and this is what I am going to do here,' of course, if it's okay with him, 'cause it's his trip. And 'Is that okay?' And he said, 'Yeah, I love it.' He's all, in true Kerry fashion. 'I don't hate it.' So that was a compliment to me getting that out of Kerry King."

"From Hell I Rise" will be released on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music. All material for the LP was written by the 59-year-old musician, who was accompanied during the recording sessions by Demmel, drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH) and vocalist Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL). Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

In an Instagram Live video, Demmel spoke about how he ended up being approached to join Kerry's new band. He said: "The way that this came about on my end was SLAYER was on its way through the [San Francisco] Bay Area [during the band's farewell tour] and they played San Jose. I think it was with maybe — NAPALM DEATH opened that one and LAMB OF GOD, and maybe even TESTAMENT played. I think it was maybe the last day of [that leg of] the tour. And this was maybe the summer of [20]18. And I knew that I was on my way out of MACHINE HEAD, and I had approached Kerry kind of, like, 'Hey, what are you doing after SLAYER ends? What do you got going?' And he was kind of, like, 'Ah, I'm sure I'm gonna keep playing with Paul. I'm probably gonna ask [then-SLAYER guitarist] Gary [Holt to play with me in my new band as well].' And that was about it. And so fast forward to my announcing that I was quitting MACHINE HEAD [in September 2018], and the same day Kerry shoots me a text, like, 'That's why you were asking me what I was doing next.' So it was no secret to Kerry that that's what I was interested in doing after. And when the call came to fill in for Gary [at several SLAYER shows in Europe in December 2018] and the way that I came through in that spot really showed those guys a lot. So, Kerry [and me], I remember we at a Raiders game against Denver, which was probably 2019, that he had said, 'Hey, this is what I'm thinking,' and where he committed to me being in the band. So it was pretty fucking awesome."

Phil continued: "So I've been waiting since August of 2019 to be able to announce [that I was in Kerry's new band]. A couple of people knew. [Kerry] wanted it to be a secret, so we didn't kind of share. So that was four and a half years of holding on to the secret. Some would say that it was the best worst-kept secret or the worst best-kept secret. But we're all pretty stoked to get this started."

Regarding how "From Hell I Rise" came together and his contributions to the album, Phil said: "Kerry wrote all the music. He wrote all the lyrics. They had pretty much all of it done for a while. Him and Paul worked on everything. He sent me parts. It was the slowest of the slowest rolls that I've ever been involved with, just due to the quarantine and the singer search. So it took a bit, and it's taken a bit for all of the reasons. I mean, there was a reason for all of it. So it got to a point to where all of us, the guys in the band, were, like, 'Have you heard anything?' 'No, I haven't heard anything.' It was almost like the swimming instructor when you're learning how to swim, and then the instructor keeps backing up. 'Come on, you can make it.' And you're swimming and you're swimming and you're swimming, and they keep backing up. And [it was] all worth it. They recorded the record. I was structuring solos at home. I have a home studio, and I was constructing my leads. And I had 'em done for a bit. And he'd give me a couple of more: 'Hey, why don't you see if you can come up with something over here?' And I wrote a couple of little harmony bits that you don't hear a lot in SLAYER. So I think that that's what sets this band apart, other than Mark's vocals, of course, is the melody in some of my solos. I wrote a few things and I sent 'em to him, and the solo you hear in 'Idle Hands' is the first one that I wrote. And so I had to ask him, I said, 'Are you gonna be okay with my style?' It's kind of different than from what [late SLAYER guitarist] Jeff [Hanneman] and Gary had done, and he was digging it. So I was glad that that was [the case], 'cause it's kind of what I am and what I can bring."

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Kerry stated about how Phil came to his new project: "Demmel came out with SLAYER at the end of 2018 to fill in for Gary for four shows. What he did for us, I don't think I could do for any band on the planet. He had basically two days to watch [SLAYER] play so he could know where the pyro was and the tempo of our set. I couldn't do that for JUDAS PRIEST, and I'm a giant PRIEST guy. With this, Bostaph said, 'Hey, what about Demmel [for the new band]?' I texted him. He's like, 'Yeah, I just got done with MACHINE HEAD the day before yesterday.' I went, 'Well, that's kind of perfect.'"

Asked how he and Phil play off each other, Kerry said: "He's more technical than I thought he was. He comes from California thrash like I do. He'd be, like, 'Do you think this solo is too melodic?' I'm, like, 'It's your lead. Unless it's offensively lame, I'm not going to squash it.' I like what he brought to the record, even though it wasn't much, since I didn't let him play rhythm guitar."

KERRY KING will be special guest on the upcoming LAMB OF GOD/MASTODON North American "Ashes Of Leviathan" co-headline tour. The six-week run will launch on July 19 in Grand Prairie, Texas and will wrap on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska. KERRY KING will make the band's 2024 concert debut in May, first at the Welcome To Rockville festival (May 9),followed by Sonic Temple Arts & Music Festival (May 16).

Warner Records and Rhino Entertainment honour Deep Purple's Machine Head, the album which featured “Smoke On The Water”, with a comprehensive version introducing new mixes and previously unreleased live recordings. Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition will be available on March 29 as a 3CD/LP/Blu-ray and available digitally for streaming and download.


Members of Deep Purple unbox Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition below:







In addition to the newly-remixed original album, which is included on LP and CD, The Super Deluxe Edition also contains two captivating live performances. The first, recorded on March 9, 1972, at the Paris Theatre in London, captures the group’s unrivalled stage presence during the Machine Head Tour. The second, previously unreleased, was recorded in April 1971 at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland, before the events depicted in “Smoke On The Water.”


Order your copy of Machine Head Super Deluxe via the following links:


- US, Canada & Japan
- World Excl. US, Canada & Japan





Tracklisting:


LP: 2024 Remix


Side One
"Highway Star"
"Maybe I’m A Leo"
"Pictures Of Home"
"Never Before"


Side Two
"Smoke On The Water"
"Lazy"
"When A Blind Man Cries" (B-Side)
"Space Truckin’"


CD1: 2024 Remix
"Highway Star"
"Maybe I’m A Leo"
"Pictures Of Home"
"Never Before"
"Smoke On The Water"
"Lazy"
"Space Truckin’"
"When A Blind Man Cries" (B-Side)


2024 Remaster
"Highway Star"
"Maybe I’m A Leo"
"Pictures Of Home"
"Never Before"
"Smoke On The Water"
"Lazy"
"Space Truckin’"


CD2: In Concert  ’72
Introduction
"Highway Star"
"Strange Kind Of Woman"
"Maybe I’m A Leo"
"Smoke On The Water"
"Never Before"
"Lazy"
"Space Truckin’"
"Lucille"
"Maybe I’m A Leo" (sound-check)


CD3: Montreux ’71
"Swiss Yodel"
"Speed King"
"Strange Kind Of Woman"
"Into The Fire"
"Child In Time"
"Paint It Black"
"Wring That Neck (Hard Road)"
"Black Night"
"Lucille"


Blu-Ray:


2024 Atmos Remix
"Highway Star"
"Maybe I’m A Leo"
"Pictures Of Home"
"Never Before"
"Smoke On The Water"
"Lazy"
"Space Truckin’"
"When A Blind Man Cries" (B-Side)


Quad Mix
"Highway Star"
"Maybe I’m A Leo"
"Pictures Of Home"
"Never Before"
"Smoke On The Water"
"Lazy"
"Space Truckin’"


5.1 Mixes
"When A Blind Man Cries"
"Maybe I’m A Leo"
"Lazy"


LP1: All tracks previously unreleased
CD1: Tracks 1-8 new remix previously unreleased
CD1: Tracks 9-15 new remaster previously unreleased
CD2: Previously released 2012
CD3: All tracks previously unreleased
Blu-ray: Tracks 1-8 new remix previously unreleased
Blu-ray: Tracks 9-15 previously released 1974
Blu-ray: Tracks 16-18 previously released 2012


"Smoke On The Water" (2024 Remix) video:

Former PIG DESTROYER member Blake Harrison has died at the age of 48. An official cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Harrison was best known for his work with the aforementioned American grindcore masters from 2006 to 2022, in addition to having played and recorded with TENTACLES OF GOD, TRIAC, ZEALOT R.I.P., DAYBREAK and HATEBEAK. He was also a regular contributor to Decibel for the magazine's "For Those About To Squawk" column.

Baltimore extreme metallers NOISEM paid tribute to Harrison, writing in a social media post: "It's with heavy hearts we have to say goodbye to our friend Blake Harrison today. He was a fixture in the scene when we were cutting our teeth as a young band in Baltimore. Blake was always great fun to hang and chat with and if it weren't for the chance encounter meeting him we wouldn't be where we are as a band. If it wasn't for his enthusiasm and belief in us as a band we would have never put out our first record on a label or done any of the crazy shit that's followed. Blake and PIG DESTROYER took us under their wing and stuck us on sick bills frequently which gave us a massive push when we needed it. We can't thank Blake enough for being the kind, funny and generous guy he was over the years and we will miss him dearly."

Reptilian Records owner Christoper Xavier Donovan also mourned Harrison's death, writing in part: "It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to one of my favorites, Blake Harrison, a true friend and creative comedic genius. Blake was always proud of how many times he appeared on Reptilian releases, having been a member of DAYBREAK, TRIAC, and the brains behind HATEBEAK, before touring many countries in PIG DESTROYER. We spent years watching B-movies, discussing the Zodiac Killer, laughing together, and having whole conversations made up of Longmont Potion Castle quotes. We had kept in frequent contact since I moved south and he even visited a few times. He was an original, a character, a hilarious creative force, and a loyal and trustworthy friend. This is a loss to us all, he will be missed and will live on in the hearts, minds, and record collections of many. Hail Blake 'The Snake' Harrison!"

In a 2020 interview with Hazy Eye Music Media, Harrison stated about how he joined PIG DESTROYER: "I've known the guys forever. I booked one of their early shows, and after getting to know them, I'd travel with them out of town sometimes. We did a three-day run with WHITEHOUSE and Donna Parker/Jessica Rylan joined them doing some noise onstage. Scott [Hull, guitar] decided he wanted to add more of that element to the band, so I raised my hand and offered up my very novice services. It's still a growing and learning process for me."

Regarding how he was staying busy in the early days of the pandemic, Blake said: "I'm fortunate enough to still be working. I'm an engineer for an AV consulting firm, so I've been busy doing that. I've been writing a fair amount of music for my H.P. Lovecraft-inspired project TENTACLES OF GOD. I've added/had some collaborations with KRINKLES (featuring Jay from CROWHURST),MATMOS, STERILE PRAYER, and I'm remixing some stuff for a project called TRACE AMOUNT. I always have to keep busy. Other than that, just trying to keep the house clean and hang on to my sanity. I've been going on a lot of hikes with my girlfriend and the dog."

Photo credit: Jay Dixon

It's with heavy hearts we have to say goodbye to our friend Blake Harrison today. He was a fixture in the scene when we…

Posted by Noisem on Sunday, March 10, 2024

The entire Nasum family mourns the passing of Blake Harrison of Pig Destroyer. Very sad news indeed. Here’s a clip of...

Posted by Nasum on Sunday, March 10, 2024

Blake Harrison was easy to spot at a show. He always seemed to be having a good time. Lots of laughter, surrounded by...

Posted by Vinyl Altar on Sunday, March 10, 2024

It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to one of my favorites, Blake Harrison, a true friend and creative comedic...

Posted by Christopher Xavier on Sunday, March 10, 2024

In a new interview with French digital-media company Brut., IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson admitted that he is uncomfortable with the "rock star" label that he has been associated with for more than four decades.

"What's a rock star? I mean, what is that?" he asked (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Actually, it's nothing. It's just an invention of the media and the socials and whatever picture you took and if you're popular. It's actually nothing. If you said 'I'm a storyteller,' that's something.

"I don't go around with bodyguards," Bruce revealed. "I don't drive around in limousines. I take the metro or I walk. I don't own a car. I have a bicycle and I take the metro — in London and in here [in Paris] all the time."

Later in the interview, Dickinson said that MAIDEN's iconic mascot Eddie — the ghoulish figure which has appeared on the band's album sleeves since MAIDEN's inception — is "what has defined us — because you think of IRON MAIDEN, you think of Eddie," he explained. "And although I'm the singer, you don't automatically think of me, you think of Eddie, which is fine. Because it goes back to the earlier question of being the rock star — we have Eddie, so we don't have to be the rock star. We don't have to go and take some overdose and be found lying outside some Paris nightclub and go into rehab and have all these things and go and have like six porn-star girlfriends and all that shit, which is just like nothing to do with music. We've got Eddie. And Eddie is more radical and cool than any of them."

As previously reported, Dickinson will likely land his highest-charting solo album in the U.K. with his latest effort "The Mandrake Project". The singer's first solo effort in 19 years occupied the No. 2 slot at the midweek stage, according to Official Chart Company figures.

"The Mandrake Project" 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.

Last month, Bruce revealed the addition of two new guitarists to his solo touring band. 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 Moreno, Mistheria and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass). Roy Z 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.

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.

Interview de Bruce Dickinson, leader d'Iron Maiden

On était venu interviewer une rockstar connue dans le monde entier. Et puis, on est tombé sur un type un peu dingue mais super simple qui prend le métro, roule à vélo et surtout qui est incroyablement sympathique. On a discuté avec Bruce Dickinson, icône du heavy metal, leader du groupe Iron Maiden.

Posted by Brut on Friday, March 1, 2024

On the red carpet of the 2024 BRIT Awards at London's O2 Arena on Saturday (March 2),BRING ME THE HORIZON singer Oli Sykes and drummer Mat Nicholls spoke to NME about the status of the band's long-awaited new album, "Post Human: Nex Gen". The LP was originally due last September, but was pushed back due to "unforeseen circumstances", with Sykes and the rest of BRING ME THE HORIZON "unable to complete the record to the standard we'd be happy with".

"It's nearly finished, but it's not finished yet," Oli told NME earlier today. Mat concurred, saying: "It's not quite finished, but it's closer than it has ever been. We came back off tour and built a studio in Sheffield and, yeah, just cracked on, got our heads down and everyone pulled together. And, yeah, we're getting there. It's this close. [holds two fingers very near each other]"

When the interviewer noted that BRING ME THE HORIZON has been promising the new album "for a while", Oli said: "Every time we think we've got it, we get another song, and it's, like, 'Oh.' It's gonna be very good though. It's like the best album ever. So it'll be worth the wait."

Mat added: "It does sound really good, and we're really happy with it. It takes time, doesn't it? You can't rush these things."

In January, BRING ME THE HORIZON released a new song called "Kool-Aid". The track was the first to arrive following the departure of longtime keyboardist and percussionist Jordan Fish in December.

Earlier this week, BRING ME THE HORIZON teased "Kool-Aid" by sharing a brief snippet in an Instagram story. The band also revealed in an official newsletter that the song was "coming soon" and available to pre-save/pre-add for fans.

Fish joined BRING ME THE HORIZON in 2012 and appeared on the albums "Sempiternal", "That's The Spirit" and "Amo", which he helped write.

BRING ME THE HORIZON has been called one of the most forward-thinking metal bands in the world. As it has grown, BRING ME THE HORIZON has undergone a musical progression from its earliest days as a metalcore band, in large part because of the production talents of Fish.

Jordan had been a major influence on BRING ME THE HORIZON's sound, inspiring many of the edgy guitar riffs and other elements on the "Sempiternal" album. His music production fingerprints can be found all over "That's The Spirit", which offered a stylistic departure from the metalcore genre.

When BRING ME THE HORIZON announced Fish's departure, the band said in a statement: "BRING ME THE HORIZON has decided to part ways with Jordan Fish. We want to thank him for the musical journey he took with us and wish him luck with everything in the future. Meanwhile we continue to work on 'Nex Gen', with brand new music coming very soon."

Fish added in a separate statement: "I'm really grateful for my 11 years with the band, and extremely proud of all that we have achieved together. I look forward to hearing what they do next, and wish them every success in the future. I'm excited to start this next chapter in my career."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Joel Stroetzel spoke to Mathias Henrixon of A Swedish Fika With… about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2019's "Atonement" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We just finished all the final bits of tracking over the last couple of weeks. So the guitars are done, all the vocals are now done. Everything's there. So Adam's [Dutkiewicz, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and producer] just kind of piecing things together. So, if there needs to be any edits, he's gonna do those. And then we'll just figure out if he wants to mix it or if we wanna send it off to some fresh ears. We haven't decided. But everything sounds good so far, I think — at least we think. We hope."

Joel went on to say that he and his KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bandmates recorded "too many" songs for the new LP. "[It's a] good problem to have," he added. "That'll be the tricky part, is once they're all mixed, we'll have to decide what's gonna be on the record and what we can maybe save or B-sides or special things. We'll figure that out. At least it's done being recorded. That's the big thing for us."

Asked about KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach's recent comment that the band's upcoming LP has been the most difficult KILLSWITCH album for the singer to make, Joel said: "Yeah. He came back and retracked a lot of stuff because he had… Over the past few years, he's kind of trained his voice to do the fry technique live, which, it's been great. It's been kind of a godsend for him live, because he never blows his voice out anymore. But I think him and Adam were finding when he was tracking, using that technique, he wasn't getting all the different growls and things he used to get. So, he decided to go back and kind of revisit things, maybe swallow some glass and go for it. [Laughs] He's been doing great."

Stroetzel continued: "So we're all really excited about it. They went back and kind of retracked a few things here and there, just to beef it up. And things are sounding really good — at least we hope so. Hopefully people like it when it comes out… I think it's good. I think it could potentially be a strong record. At least we hope. Yeah. All we can do is do the best we can and hope that other people like it. Step one, I guess — make sure we like it [laughs] and hope that other people like it. We'll see what happens."

Regarding the musical direction of the new KILLSWITCH material, Joel said: "It definitely sounds like a KILLSWITCH record. I think a lot of the songs are on the heavier side. A lot of fast songs. There's still all the melody and stuff that we normally do, but there's a lot of aggressive stuff on this one."

Last month, Leach wrote in an online post about KILLSWITCH's upcoming LP: "This album has been a great challenge for me. Now that it's almost complete I can say I wouldn't change a thing! All the trials, difficulties and deep anxieties were all worth what this record is shaping up to be.

"I don't ever half ass anything in my creative life. I can say this with the utmost confidence, I gave this my everything and it will show.

"I've said it before and I'll say it until the day I die, Adam D is my musical soulmate and a FORCE in my life as an artist, writer and musician," he continued. "His role in my growth as a writer can't be overstated. The man just knows how to get that performance out of me. I just don't think I'll ever have the synergy with anyone else in my life as a musician.

"Also the lessons, insights and support of [renowned vocal coach Melissa Cross] saved me and continue to guide me. I've learned new techniques (fry) that I use here and there but more importantly I've been able to really rediscovered my original style (false chord) on a whole other level because of her. The blend and the knowledge of the over all inner workings of the voice have empowered me to do things I didn't think I could still do. I've also really learned to sing with more ease and confidence and it's been super liberating to me. Pure POWER, grit, intensity and smooth big Melodie's are the result of all of it. I pulled out all of my arsenal of vocal weapons and left it all on this recording. Even if people don't like or naysay what we've done I could die happy knowing I gave this shit my ALL.

"I feel a true sense of satisfaction," Jesse added. "I stood my ground when I needed to and I acquiesced and changed when it was needed. The end result is the culmination of 2 years of hardcore work."

In January, Leach wrote in an Instagram post that the upcoming KILLSWITCH ENGAGE record had "taken its toll" on him. "It is by far the most difficult album I've ever worked on for various reasons," he said. "That being said as I see the distant light at the end of this long tunnel. I can truly say it has all been a much needed growing experience. When I say that I mean it personally, lyrically and vocally. I've been able to take any criticism from my dudes and separate it from my being to push through and rise to the occasion.

"This has been a work in progress as everything I write is always deeply personal and for the most part difficult to write," he continued. "It's always hard to let go of my work. I'm very pleased I've learned to separate my emotions from the work. It's been liberating! I've also been able to stretch the limits of my voice mixing techniques and hues of sound (still working on this as a full time student of the voice via @zenofscreaming).

"Lastly, lyrically I've crafted some songs to feel more like a story, which I believe makes the material more interesting," he added. "Adam has helped a great deal as usual being a great producer and a good friend throughout. Talking me off the cliff and making me laugh when need be. It can't be overstated how crucial he is (even when I can get thrown sideways at times). He always sees the bigger picture and pushes me to my limit for better or worse. The outcome however is always far better than I imagined."

"Atonement" was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc featured guest appearances by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marked the band's third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

In July 2021, Leach and Dutkiewicz released the second album from their TIMES OF GRACE project, "Songs Of Loss And Separation", via the band's own imprint label, Wicked Good Records, distributed by ADA Worldwide.

Louisville, Kentucky's KNOCKED LOOSE, which plays a blend of hardcore and metalcore music, will release a new album, "You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To", on May 10 via Pure Noise Records.

On "You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To", KNOCKED LOOSE have honed in on a diverse, cohesive and savagely aggressive album that sums up the massive strides they've taken during their decade as a band, and asserts their boundless potential going forward. Internally, there was the need to challenge themselves as songwriters while retaining the merciless intensity and unflinching honesty that have always been their calling cards. Externally, there was a whole new set of eyes on the hard-touring quintet, following a banner year on the road, during which they'd brought their underground-seasoned sound to some of the world's biggest stages.

From the start, "You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To" plunges listeners into a cauldron of mental and spiritual anguish. But the album's title contains a note of reassurance amid the turmoil. The phrase originates from an experience that frontman Bryan Garris, who suffers from what he calls a "borderline phobia of flying," had during a particularly trying flight. As he battled his nerves during takeoff, the vocalist found himself talking to a woman seated next to him. When he confided in her about his anxiety, she assured, "You won't go before you're supposed to."

But glossing over negative emotions isn't what KNOCKED LOOSE are about. The new songs find them plumbing through new depths of loathing — directed both inward and outward. Their raging lead single "Blinding Faith" skillfully wields whiplash tempo changes in service of a scathing indictment of religious groupthink, and the hypocrisy that can sometimes accompany an outwardly pious life.

"It was just hilarious how many people showed up to church that I knew were rude, horrible, selfish people," guitarist Isaac Hale reflects of attending church with his mother in his younger years. "They knew that it made them seem like a better person — or if they said the words, it would redeem them of any negative quality just because they showed face."

"Blinding Faith" is available today alongside a video directed by Kevin Lombardo. Watch below.

Across 10 tracks and 27 gripping minutes, "You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To" leans into KNOCKED LOOSE's most extreme impulses, from blastbeat-driven fury, chaotic turbulence and seismic breakdowns, while seasoning the mix with ear-catching auxiliary percussion, evocative samples and shout-along hooks, all interwoven to perfection by Grammy-nominated, pop-savy producer Drew "WZRD BLD" Fulk.

"You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To" is filled with boundary-pushing textures and samples the band has collected over the years. On "Suffocate", Garris teams up with pop-meets-metal trailblazer Poppy, for an effort that contrasts an oppressive heaviness befitting the title with a dance-y, syncopated groove and the most concussive reggaeton rhythm you've ever heard. Samples of what sounds like meditative singing bowls open the album to "Take Me Home", with its spoken-word intro, ear-catching auxiliary percussion and brief yet evocative concluding country-song snippet. Elements like these only make the breakneck blur of a track like "Moss Covers All", a song that Garris says deals with his ever-present longing for the comfort of home, feel that much more urgent.

"On this album, we go the fastest we've ever gone; we go the scariest we've ever gone. We also go the catchiest and the most melodic that we've ever gone, and that's the point," Hale says. "Instead of branching off into a specific direction, we want to encompass ALL directions."

There's no ceiling for hardcore in 2024 — even an outfit as uncompromising as KNOCKED LOOSE can turn up in mainstream-adjacent spaces and win over new fans (see 2023's viral Coachella and Bonnaroo sets). But there's a center to what they do that will never change: uncompromising heaviness, both sonically and thematically. What is evolving is their drive to find new ways to convey that heaviness, and add tasteful variety that only highlights their undiminished ferocity. Everywhere KNOCKED LOOSE have been is here on this record — but so is everywhere they may yet go.

KNOCKED LOOSE are currently wrapping a sold-out European run and hit the road again late April on a headlining North American tour. The run hits both coasts and includes two sold-out nights in New York City at Brooklyn Steel and Terminal 5 plus sold out shows at Austin's Stubb's Amphitheater, The Shrine in Los Angeles and more. SHOW ME THE BODY, LOATHE and SPEED will support.

"You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To" track listing:

01. Thirst
02. Piece By Piece
03. Suffocate (ft. Poppy)
04. Don't Reach For Me
05. Moss Covers All
06. Take Me Home
07. Slaughterhouse 2 (ft. Chris Motionless)
08. The Calm That Keeps You Awake
09. Blinding Faith
10. Sit & Mourn

Photo by Brock Fetch

Vocalist Ken Tamplin, founder of the Ken Tamplin vocal academy, has shared a new performance video along with the following message:


"This is one of Axl Rose's more poignant pieces, in my opinion. He always has a way with his songs to take you on a wild ride, and this one is no exception. Sometimes, he likes to take a few twists and turns, and you never know where we'll end up. Let's see where the GNR magic takes us this time, and enjoy the ride. With Axl, you know there will always be some great singing!"







In the clip below, courtesy of the Ken Tamplin Music Academy, vocalist Gabbi Gun teams up with  Ken Tamplin for a vocal cover of the Iron Maiden classic  "Two Minutes To Midnight".


Ken Tamplin: "Taking on Iron Maiden is no small task, and especially songs like 'Two Minutes To Midnight'. But Gabbi and I did not stop there: we decided to raise the key higher to make it even more challenging!


I have heard Bruce Dickinson say many times that one of his greatest vocal influences was Ronnie James Dio, and I found that to be especially true on 'Two Minutes To Midnight', so I tried to play into the spirit of that, as much as seemed appropriate and as best as possible.


Gabriela also did an incredible job of singing in the spirit of Bruce while still sounding like herself!"

German legends Scorpions have uploaded footage performing Animal Magnetism track “Make It Real” from Rock In Rio 1985.





Scorpions are returning to the Las Vegas Strip in 2024 with a brand new exclusive headlining residency show in celebration of the 40th anniversary of their iconic album, Love At First Sting, performing the album plus all of their biggest hits.




Scorpions - Love At First Sting Las Vegas kicks off on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The new show follows the band’s popular “Sin City Nights” residency which sold out all nine performances at the venue in 2022.


"We're very excited to return to Las Vegas in 2024 for nine more concerts at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s Bakkt Theater. We can't wait to share our new show with our fans in the US, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the iconic Love At First Sting album along with our biggest Hits! Get ready for another Desert Sting … it's gonna be a Hell of a Ride!!!" - Klaus Meine


Tickets are on sale now via The-Scorpions.com/RockZone.


The nine performances going on sale are:


April 2024: 11, 13, 18, 20, 24, 26 & 28
May 2024: 1 &  3








(Photo - Marc Theis)

In a new interview with Greg Prato of AllMusic, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill was asked if he is still in touch with former PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing and whether he would ever consider working with K.K. again. Ian responded: "I think he's gone a bit too far for that now. I gave him a couple of chances to basically say hello, and he blanked me. So, he ain't going to get another chance. It's a pity the way it's turned out. But things are what they are."

Downing performed with PRIEST at the 2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the November 2022 event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

The JUDAS PRIEST members that got inducted include current members Hill, Rob Halford (vocals),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members Downing, drummer Les Binks and late drummer Dave Holland.

Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by Binks, Downing and current guitarist Richie Faulkner for a three-song medley consisting of "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

Three weeks after the aforementioned Rock Hall induction, Hill was asked by Alamo True Metal what it was like to reunite with Downing and Binks at the ceremony. Ian responded: "The whole thing was magical. It was way different to what I thought it was gonna be. I didn't know it was gonna be such a large event, for start. It was loads of people — your paying public, if you know what I mean, not just the stars and the celebrities down at the tables in the front there. So that was a real big surprise — the actual scale of it all.

"It was a joy to do at the end of the day," he continued. "It was great to see Ken again. I hope he feels the same. [Laughs] It was very, very quick. We saw him for an hour or so on rehearsal day [two days before the induction] and then another hour or so on the show day. And then everybody went their separate ways. But it was nice to see Ken. Les, I hadn't seen Les — wow — since 1980, probably; 1979, 1980. But it was good to see him again and good to shake everybody's hand."

Speaking about the first time he saw K.K. and Les just prior to the Rock Hall rehearsals, Ian said: "I went over and said hello to Ken, said hello to Les. That's about as far as it went, really. So did Rob. Glenn, he was rather frail on the day, so he just sort of sat on the sidelines until he had to do his thing. And, of course, Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist] — Richie's gregarious; he was on the same side of the stage anyway, so he was talking to Ken a lot. But yeah, it was all very professional. It was all well done. At the end of the day, we put on a great performance, and we all got the gong, which was great news. [Laughs] "

Last September, Downing told "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" that he was particularly disappointed that fellow founding PRIEST member Hill had seemingly decided against having K.K. rejoin the group. "Honestly, the worst thing about the whole thing is that Ian has denied me the opportunity to step back into the band," he said. "I mean, we went to kindergarten together; we were like brothers. And we spent many years at the back of the bus complaining about everybody else. [Laughs] I always thought it was me and him for many years. But I just don't know how that can happen, like I say. And Rob left the band for 14 years. And when I was instrumental in inviting him back into the band. How can he deny me the opportunity to go on stage and play my songs? They're saying, 'We're gonna do it, but you can't.' Because Ian and Rob never wrote any of the music for this band."

Asked if he thinks Ian has been pressured by the PRIEST management or by Rob and guitarist Glenn Tipton to keep Downing from returning to the band, K.K. said: "Something's wrong somewhere. It doesn't make sense. How can Ian, the bass player that's never written any songs, deny me the opportunity of being in the band? All of those years, and I've written all of those songs and riffs, but how can he stand over there and play bass and not allow me to play the guitar to those songs? It doesn't make any sense. And it doesn't make any sense not to have the original guy back from the trademark lineup. It doesn't make any sense. Am I that bad? [Laughs] But anyway, so I've gone ahead and made two albums [with KK'S PRIEST] in two years, and those guys have done two albums in 14 years. I just don't get it. I don't get it."

Pressed about whether he thinks it's attorneys and management causing all the issues between the members of the classic PRIEST lineup, Downing said: "Well, somebody out there has decided that 'I am gonna change history and I'm gonna be the one that's gonna decide what the fans hear and what they don't and who they see and who they don't.' Somebody in that band is making those decisions. But they only have it on their conscience, really, because we all know what the fans… I mean, [former PRIEST vocalist Tim] Ripper [Owens] is a great singer and he made two great albums with us. We did so many tours and he's a lovely guy and he's great, but the fan demand to have Rob back in the band was just too overwhelming, really, because Rob, I guess, their assertion is Rob is the voice of the band, just like Freddie Mercury with QUEEN or Bruce [Dickinson] with [IRON] MAIDEN, and the list goes on and on and on. So that's undeniable. And I think that Tim would be the first to acknowledge that and get that. Even if he sang the songs better, as we spoke, Rob is the voice of JUDAS PRIEST. But now gladly Ripper is the voice of KK'S PRIEST, because that guy is singing so much better than even I've ever heard him before. It's fantastic. So I'm so fortunate to have him back in the saddle with us."

Asked if he would consider rejoining JUDAS PRIEST if the band was going to make one final album and he was approached about playing on it, Downing said: "One thing's for sure: that will never happen ever… I know Glenn's retired from touring. But whether he can write and record, I don't know. I haven't had an update on Glenn's health, sadly. I really don't know. But it's only because I'm so close and in the industry, I heard an awful lot of things from a long time ago, but, like I say, unconfirmed.

"I would have to say, at this point. I spent a lot of time and effort trying to work things out in a way," he explained. "It's pretty complicated stuff. Like I say, I wasn't happy with a lot of things. The 50th-anniversary book and everything that's done, I don't get anything, any money from any of that whatsoever. So it gets tough to see all the merchandise with all these images that I paid for and was a part of creating, a lot of these images. It gets very commercial, the whole thing, and maybe that's what it's all about anyway. The first three, four years of JUDAS PRIEST, the 50 years, Glenn and Rob weren't there, so how does it become a 50th-anniversary book if you don't include the first years? And it wasn't right to do that. And they asked the fans to pay five hundred dollars for a book that's not accurate. But there's so many things, grievances, it gets to be a quagmire.

"In 2010, we all, as friends, as directors of the company, as businessmen, as bandmates, all of that, we all decided to end the band. We all decided to retire in 2010," he continued. "The management — and I've got the e-mails — said, 'We need you to think of a tour title that means the definitive end of the band.' So the tour title was the 'Epitaph' tour. So, because of certain circumstances, I was being asked to write an EP to support the tour. So I'm saying, 'So you want me to end my career on an EP? I'm not gonna do it.' So, there was a lot of disgruntlement then, and I eventually went, 'Right. If nobody's gonna listen to me, you can do the farewell tour on your own. I'm not doing it.' And so I opted out to do the farewell tour. 15 years later, it's easy to say now, but if the idea was then to carry on, I should have known about it, I should have been told about it. Or at least if the option was that they were gonna carry on, I should have had the option to… They should have said, 'We're carrying on. Will you step back in?'"

Downing added: "But then they quickly announced, and maybe they were surprised that Richie [Faulkner, Downing's replacement in PRIEST] would bring a newfound energy to the band, because that's what they said in statements to the press. And they also said, 'Well, none of the fans are missing K.K.' so maybe they felt — I don't know — reborn without me. Which is a bit odd, because I actually felt at the time, in 2010, that I was the energy in the band, that everybody else seemed to just go through the motions. I didn't know about Glenn's illness at the time. But something didn't seem right. I do know that Rob released two studio albums in 2010 and did a world tour, including the Ozzfest, singing JUDAS PRIEST songs, and everybody was in fear that he was gonna take off again. So we thought that all of these reasons were why we needed to fold the tent, really, on JUDAS PRIEST. And that's what we planned. Someone moved the goalpost on me, I'm afraid."

When the interviewers told Downing that they, and other PRIEST fans, miss seeing him up on stage with the band, K.K. said: "Thank you so much, guys. And I can understand why. I was there so long. [Laughs] I was like an old shoe or a wart on your neck or something. I was a part of life. The last tour that they just did, I saw the setlist and they were playing one song off the last two albums. All the rest were my songs."

He continued: "I can only surmise that there's commercial aspects [that are standing in the way of me returning to PRIEST] and just… I don't know. I don't know. Maybe Glenn didn't really ever want me to be there and him not to be there. I don't know. Maybe he saw that as an end of an era, and I think he's right, as far as I'm concerned."

Faulkner, nearly three decades Downing's junior, joined PRIEST after K.K. left in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

After announcing a release accompanying headlining appearance at 420 Stoner Metal 'O' Doom, St. Louis based metal quartet Voidgazer have issued an audiovisual impression of what's to expect from their debut album Dance Of The Undesirables, which will hit the shelves on April 19, 2024 through Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). “Jesus Take The Needle” absorbs listeners with its slowly ascending intro before transforming into a brutal yet gloriously progressive monster track. On top, Sam Beck has produced a music video for the heavy hitting single which can be viewed below.


Mastermind Manny Watts (guitars) explains: "'Jesus Take The Needle' is a bleak tale of the messiah returning to modern day earth and failing his mission to save humanity, ultimately defaulting to living a miserable life of abject failure and drug use. It's a commentary on religious con-men and the bleak reality of life as the common man."


Preorder the album in the physical format of your choice, presave it on your favourite DSP or preorder it digitally to receive “Jesus Take The Needle” instantly now here.




Dance Of The Undesirables formats:
- jewelcase CD
- limited edition pink vinyl
- digital





Tracklisting:


“Jesus Take The Needle”
“Dance Of The Undesirables”
“Expectations Management”
“Blast Equalizer”
“Sexual Sadist Serial Slasher”
“Grand Appeasement”
“From Nothing”


“Jesus Take The Needle” video:





Voidgazer:
Omar Olivares II - vocals
Manny Watts - guitars
Mitchell Bussone - bass
Kyle Hammer – drums


(Photo – Danny Tilson)

In a new interview with Showsha's Yatamanyu Narain, Ian Paice was asked how he hopes DEEP PURPLE will be remembered in 50 years. The 75-year-old drummer, the only member of the British rock figureheads to have been in the group continuously from their inception in 1968, responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a tough one. I just hope people will look back at the better things we did. 'Cause not everything you do throughout a whole career is as good as you'd want it to be. I mean, I look back at like an amazing artist like Prince. He'd make a great record, then he'd make an average record. Then he'd make a great record. It's almost like when he ran out of money, he'd make a great record."

He continued: "In 50 years' time, I hope people will find things we did that they can find a connection with, even if it's a generation that are long gone.

"I think some of those wonderful records that came out from that period of time do have that human connection," Paice added. "And I think that goes beyond the years. I hope that is still a possibility for some of our music in the future."

Paice suffered a minor stroke in 2016, forcing him to miss the band's shows in Sweden and Denmark — the first time his medical condition prevented him from performing with the group.

Paice and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2016.

In July 2022, guitarist Steve Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who is battling cancer. He has since been replaced by Simon McBride.

DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "Turning To Crime", came out in November 2021 via earMUSIC. The LP contains DEEP PURPLE's versions of great rock classics and musical jewels — including songs originally recorded by Bob Dylan, FLEETWOOD MAC, Bob Seger, CREAM and THE YARDBIRDS — carefully chosen by each member of the band.

Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess has shared a new video from his home studio. Check it out below.


Rudess: "Music has this incredible power to paint beauty in our souls. This pure improvisation, a blend of piano and guitar, is my humble attempt to add a stroke to that canvas. Dive in, feel the beauty, and let me know where it takes you. What emotions does this melody evoke for you?" 







Back in September 2023, Rudess shared the video below along with the following message:


"Zaach Page and I joined forces using Lava Music guitars. The new Lava Me 4, with its onboard effects and sharing capabilities, brought a whole new level to our sonic exploration. This instrument is a deep source of inspiration, and it really amplifies the magic that happens when music and technology meet."





Go to Lava Music for information on the Lava Me 4. Check out the trailer below.

In the video below, John 5 plays Les Paul and Mary Ford's “How High The Moon”, exclusively at the Guitar World studios in NYC.





John 5 and his band, The Creatures, released the single, "Strung Out", in early 2023. The Mötley Crüe guitarist recently stopped by the Guitar World studio to give a playthrough and lesson of the song. Watch the video below:







Mötley Crüe will perform at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Thursday, August 29. This show is a part of the 2024 Grandstand Concert Series sponsored by Sleep Number. Learn more and find ticket links here.


The band will bring their legendary live show to the Iowa State Fair for the first time ever in August. The Crüe will perform with special guest Pop Evil on Wednesday, August 14, at 8 PM. Tickets available at iowastatefair.org.


Mötley Crüe previously announced that they will kick off the 2024 North Dakota State Fair on Friday, July 19. Tickets are on sale in March.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD launched the 2024 leg of its acclaimed "Life Is But A Dream…" North American tour last night (Wednesday, March 6) KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

Returning to Buffalo for the first time in 10 years, the group added five new songs to its setlist for 2024, including "Cosmic", a fan favorite from AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album "Life Is But A Dream…"; "Shepherd Of Fire"; as well as the first live performance of "Save Me" in 13 years; the first live performance of "Blinded In Chains" in 18 years; and the live touring debut of "Roman Sky" from their seventh studio album "The Stage". AVENGED SEVENFOLD also performed several other selections from "Life Is But A Dream…", including "Nobody", "Game Over", "Mattel", "We Love You" and classics "Hail To The King", "Bat Country", "Nightmare" and "Afterlife".

The setlist was as follows:

01. Game Over
02. Mattel
03. Afterlife
04. Hail To The King
05. We Love You
06. Shepherd Of Fire (first performance since 2018)
07. The Stage
08. Roman Sky (live debut)
09. Blinded In Chains (first performance since 2006)
10. Bat Country
11. Nobody
12. Nightmare
13. Unholy Confessions
14. Save Me (first performance since 2011)

Encore:

15. Cosmic (live debut)

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's "Life Is But a Dream…" North American tour will continue in Toronto, Ontario tonight with the band's first performance in the city since 2017 at Scotiabank Arena. The trek then proceeds across the U.S., performing in several markets for the first time or returning to several markets for the first time in years.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's 2024 run includes the group's first-ever performances in Manchester, New Hampshire; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Newark, New Jersey. The group is performing in Des Moines, Iowa for the first time in 18 years; Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the first time in 15 years.

During a recent appearance on the "Marvin" podcast, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows was asked which he prefers: headlining arenas or performing at huge festivals. "I think both have their perks," the singer, whose real name is Matt Sanders, said. "Both are interesting. I think in terms of knowing that you sound good and having control over everything, it's gotta be smaller places. Even if you do some of those like warehouse sort of like — something like the Forum [in Los Angeles], which is built out for music now or things that are smaller than that, those have the sweat and the energy, and you know it sounds good 'cause you can kind of get a vibe. Some of those festivals, it's just being projected and then projected again and then projected again, and you're seeing like the fist raise up and then everyone's on like a four-second delay and you're just, like, 'I don't know what these people are hearing. Maybe it's good, maybe it's not.'"

He continued: "A lot of stuff for artists is just confidence, and if you know it sounds good and you know you're killing it, then that that feeds into this sort of circular energy back to the audience. And festivals, you can get it, but I definitely find myself questioning while I'm on stage, like, 'What is even going on here?', 'cause sometimes stuff's just getting hit back at you. But there's great festivals and then there's ones that you just know are just awful, and you're just, like, 'Please get me out of here.' I can tell by our sound guy back there just… You can tell if he's doing this [makes vigorous motion with both of his hands over an imaginary sound board], we're in trouble."

Back in April 2023, M. Shadows reflected on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's experience of sharing the stage with METALLICA on an entire U.S. tour seven years ago. He told Jason Bailey of Audacy Check In: "Well, that was definitely a little more uncomfortable, because you're not in your setting and you're in the daylight and you don't have your toys with you and you're playing a quick set. And you're the opening band. So it's a different thing. Because when you're headlining, everybody's in the palm of your hand before it even happens. When you're opening for METALLICA and the place is sort of like slowly filling up, half the venue's full, you're in the daylight getting hit by the sun, so you almost have to go to war. You might have some people in the pit that are into this, but there's a lot of skeptical arms crossed, like, 'I don't like these new bands. I don't want anything to do with this. I'm waiting for the real metal gods to show up.' And so it's really a lot more feeling like you're going to war."

Shadows also explained why he and his AVENGED SEVENFOLD bandmates initially turned down the opportunity to open for METALLICA before finally agreeing to support the San Francisco Bay Area metal legends on their 2017 "WorldWired" tour.

"We have only headlined for so long," he said. "And one of the things that we heard early in our career, and one thing we respected immensely about certain bands, is if you headline, people think of you as a headliner, and if you go and open for people constantly, they'll always think of you as second fiddle. So the idea of opening and taking all the toys away, everything everyone had ever seen — my question to [METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich] was, 'I don't think this is the right look for new people getting into AVENGED SEVENFOLD. This isn't where we're at.' But to a lot of mainstream people, it was, 'Oh, you're the band that opened for METALLICA,' which put us on a higher pedestal, which was weird to me. And so the conversation just went, 'We're not gonna do that.' Then they would call [our agent] and offer more money, and we were, like, 'We're not gonna do that.' Then it eventually became, like, 'Okay, we're gonna do that because we'd be idiots not to.' But I still walked away from that tour extremely grateful but extremely, I think, right about taking that tour. It did put us in that weird position of, 'You're second fiddle to this.'"

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Life Is But A Dream…", which sold 36,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD made its first festival appearance in five years on May 19, 2023 at Welcome To Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first concert since June 2018 took place on May 12, 2023 at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The second leg of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's extensive "Life is But A Dream…" North American tour included stops in Nashville, Denver, Austin, and more before concluding at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena on October 15, 2023. Produced by Live Nation, the trek featured support from FALLING IN REVERSE.

To date, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has sold over 10 million albums worldwide and earned two consecutive No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart (2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King") to go along with over a billion video views and a billion-plus Spotify streams, as well as multiple No. 1 singles on rock radio.

Avenged Sevenfold kicked off their tour at KeyBank Center last night and it was AMAZING! Check out photos from last night's show!

Posted by KeyBank Center on Thursday, March 7, 2024

Who's excited for Avenged Sevenfold with special guests Poppy + Sullivan King?! Tour kicks off TONIGHT!

Tickets still...

Posted by KeyBank Center on Wednesday, March 6, 2024