In a new interview with The Times, original JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing was asked what he thinks makes metalheads unique. He responded: "It's just getting into those bands that evolved, that took music from blues and progressive blues in the late '60s and early '70s. We didn't even have rock until 1970 or thereabouts. That was the first time that I saw bands like LED ZEPPELIN and DEEP PURPLE and a few of the other bands first became labeled 'rock' bands, not progressive blues. And then, of course, followed hard rock and heavy rock into heavy metal, so metal fans inevitably got on there at the time and traveled that journey with us or maybe discovered these bands later on, which is fine, too. I guess you can label the whole thing 'classic rock' or 'classic metal', and it's anything from DOKKEN, VAN HALEN, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and SCORPIONS, and it goes on. ACCEPT and SAXON and UFO. All these bands that created and took us into the '90s where you started to get some new and different kind of metal, whether it's MEGADETH, PANTERA, METALLICA and so many more bands that took it to a different place. And from there you had thrash metal, death metal, Christian metal, so much more. That great evolution that led us to where we are today has been a fantastic journey. And I'm glad to say a lot of metal fans do like classic metal and they do like new metal bands, which is a great thing to see. It's potentially in jeopardy of becoming extinct at some point. We're at an age where we're losing lots of people and dear friends like Eddie [Van Halen] and Jeff Beck, but we'll do this as long as we can. I will, anyway. And add to the collection and really hope fans will enjoy that."

Less than two years ago, Downing spoke to Rhys Bowler about the advent of thrash metal in the early 1980s and the impact that it had on the evolution of PRIEST's sound. "Other than heavy metal, I think thrash metal, obviously because around about the time in the '70s and early '80s, we saw some very good stuff coming around [from] the U.K., with bands like VENOM, but obviously we had METALLICA, which had a great relevance and [later on] great bands like MACHINE HEAD," he said.

"MOTÖRHEAD, to me… I have to say MOTÖRHEAD was to blame for all of that, I think," he continued. "Well, I say 'to blame' — I'd change that to 'thank' for that, 'cause I think Lemmy and MOTÖRHEAD were responsible for the creation of thrash and speed metal, definitely. And obviously, we can't leave out MEGADETH… And obviously, we had the likes of PANTERA coming through [in the late 1980s and early 1990s]. And we had a lot of great bands in the early '80s that were kind of, 'Okay, we're the new kids on the block. Move aside.' So us bands that had been around through the late '60s and '70s, we had to kind of listen up and go, 'Hang on. Not too fast, you guys.' But you can't keep good bands down; they're gonna push their way forth. But the thing is that was a very, very healthy thing."

Downing also talked about the fact that PRIEST served as a major influence on many of the bands on the then-emerging thrash metal scene.

"I must say that we did — myself and Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist] — we did push the boundaries with the speed picking with some of our songs; they were pretty difficult to play, really," he said. "[We had the attitude of], 'Okay, you're not gonna overthrow us just yet; we've got plenty of things to do.' And I think we had to kind of stake our claim with the 'Painkiller' album… And of course, we went out on tour with the 'Painkiller' album around the world, and it's strange how many bands that we had on that were like the bands we were just talking about. We went out with PANTERA, ANNIHILATOR, and obviously in North America and Canada we had MEGADETH and we had TESTAMENT. Isn't it strange that we were put together with those kinds of packages?

"It wasn't good for us that Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer], in particular, was very attracted to that hard-hitting metal, which I think led him away from the band, because at one point he did say that JUDAS PRIEST wasn't heavy enough," K.K. continued. "But obviously then he formed his own band, FIGHT, and stuff like that and went in that direction; he was very particularly taken with that heavier side. And yeah, I can see the attraction, because… I mean, Rob was responsible for us taking PANTERA out on tour, I think, because he became good friends with them. But what a great band, great guys. I will always consider them great friends 'cause we had such a good time… But the memories of those guys will live on forever and obviously their music. And of course now we'll never see the likes of the mighty PANTERA as they were ever again. They're etched in stone with the all-time greats."

KK'S PRIEST features former JUDAS PRIEST members Downing and Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals),alongside guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST will embark on its first-ever U.S. headlining tour next month. The trek will kick off on March 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and will feature support from L.A. GUNS and BURNING WITCHES. The tour will be the first of at least a two-leg USA run of shows, planned to continue later in 2024.

KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6, 2023 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

KK'S PRIEST kicked off a five-date "Priests, Killers & Witches" U.K. tour on October 7, 2023 at O2 Institute in Birmingham.

KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", came out in September 2023 via the Austrian label Napalm Records.

The art for "The Sinner Rides Again" was created by talented artist Andy Pilkington.

K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.

KK'S PRIEST released its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the 1980s.

Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in November 2022 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

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

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

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 Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

Photo credit: Mind Art Visual

In a new interview with Marko Syrjala of Metal Rules, former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. bassist Peter Baltes was asked about the songwriting process in U.D.O. and how it compares to that of ACCEPT. He said: "Everyone is involved in songwriting in U.D.O. It's great because so many different writing styles come together to create something unique. In ACCEPT, it was always just Wolf [Hoffmann, ACCEPT guitarist] and me. Herman Frank [former ACCEPT guitarist], Udo [Dirkschneider, former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. singer] or Mark Tornillo [current ACCEPT singer] didn't write music, which is why the albums started to sound the same towards the end. I didn't like it anymore and felt like we were always just doing the same album or concept again and again, only with different lyrics. I was thinking, like, 'This is just the same. It's not growing.' In contrast, I still grow as a bass player. I listen to other bass players and other types of music, whatever it is. I practice my bass every day because I want to become better. The growing never stops."

When Syrjala suggested to Baltes that ACCEPT's first album with Tornillo, 2010's "Blood Of The Nations" is "amazing", Peter said: "'Blood Of The Nations' was different because all the material I wrote for the album had accumulated over the years. Once that was gone, we had to write the next album from scratch, and we only had a year, and so on."

Circling back to his involvement with U.D.O., Baltes said: "With U.D.O., we'll see how it goes, but I really hope we can capture the band's essence as it is now. I think it's very different than it was before. I have a completely different style than the bass players they had before. That doesn't mean it's better; I'm just saying my style is different. I try to play the songs how I would play them, so I just do it. Udo said, 'Do whatever you want,' and everyone is extremely happy. My writing gives it a slightly different touch, and we'll see if we can capture that next time."

Last October, Peter spoke to Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global about his decision to exit ACCEPT in 2018 after spending more than three decades with the Hoffmann-led outfit. He said: "Everybody knows now. I did a lot of interviews, and I really don't wanna talk about it anymore, but basically we used to go up as a band, as friends and stuff, and then these things change business-wise and music-wise. And then it always seems that somebody wants all the influence. Once you're not involved anymore in the decision making, what's the point? I'm not interested in that. So I left."

He added: "In order to be creative and in a good spirit, you have to feel good about what you're doing. That's the number one reason you're doing it in the first place that you started. If you go back, when you were really little and how you started, it was just a love for music. You had no idea how good you were. If you ever had talent, that all didn't matter because you just worked hard on it, and that's where you ended up.

"I had a lot of fans write, 'Why did he leave the mighty ACCEPT and join the little U.D.O.?' And they just don't get it. It doesn't matter — it really does not matter."

In September 2023, Udo told Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules that he was "not surprised" to see Peter leave ACCEPT. "I knew what was coming up already a long time before it was official," Udo said. "But Peter did already some interviews [where he talked about it]. I don't wanna make any comments about this."

In June 2023, Baltes discussed his departure from ACCEPT in an interview with Rock And A Hard Place. The 65-year-old bassist said: "I wasn't the happiest person in ACCEPT before. In my life, every day counts. When you reach my age — I'm 65 now — I wanna enjoy my life and I don't wanna do anything I don't like. I have that right now."

Asked if Udo's exit from ACCEPT was caused by the singer's disagreements with Wolf and Hoffmann's then-wife Gaby Hoffmann, who also managed ACCEPT for several decades, Peter said: "The problem was always between Wolf and his wife and Udo. I never had a problem with Udo. I guess [Udo] wasn't sophisticated enough. He was a blue-collar guy. He was a singer. It never worked out between them. They just hated each other.

"I said that in another interview a while ago, I said here we made the biggest mistake," he continued. "I was asked, actually, by Metal Hammer [what I thought] the worst ACCEPT album [was], and I said it must have been [1989's] 'Eat The Heat' [which featured David Reece on vocals], because we left our true destiny. The singer, which was the sound of the band, is gone, and we try with an American singer to sound like DEF LEPPARD. What a stupid idea there.

"I think in 2005 we did a reunion tour with Udo. But I kept in touch with Stefan [Kaufmann, former ACCEPT drummer], and through him with Udo. Wolf and Gaby always had their [spats with Udo] back and forth in the media, and I kept out of that."

Peter added: "I told the guys in the [later version of ACCEPT], because they all chimed in, 'Eff Udo,' this and that. And I'm thinking, 'Without Udo, you wouldn't be in this band. You're the singer now and you're drummer. You're all humping on Udo. You never met the man, first of all. You never said a word to him. It is so easy to judge somebody. Without him, you would be nowhere.'"

Asked if he felt like he was stuck in the middle between Hoffmann camp and Dirkschneider, Peter said: "Of course. You grow up together, and you have a band. Fans — people who follow a band — for them it's hard to fathom and understand what you're going through, because you spend half a lifetime together or even longer. And you trust people. And then trust is betrayed. And you think, 'Why? What is there to gain? A little bit more money? Power? Is that it?' And I guess that is what it is. Certain people need control; they can't let go. And if they don't have it, they're not happy."

Baltes also reflected on the Mark Tornillo era of ACCEPT, which began with the aforementioned "Blood Of The Nations" album and has produced four more LPs so far.

"In the end, when you mention ACCEPT albums, yeah, the first one was really good because that was stuff that mostly I had accumulated over the years," Peter said. "So Wolf and I wrote that first album together; that was killer. But after that, it was so predictable — it was the same riff; it's the same thing. So we were very divided. One side just wanted… I'll never forget that — he said, 'We can just do this and ride in the sunset together.' And I said, 'I think I have a different sunset in mind,' because I wanna be relevant with my music. I don't wanna just keep my fans happy and don't go anywhere else and just keep doing this. I wanna evolve; I wanna explore things. I come from a progressive background — EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER, things like this. So I was, like, 'This is the same stupid riff again, the same vocal line. Just another word.' I didn't wanna do it. [There were] too many things that were just bad — financial situations, trust issues, musical [ideas]. Everything was wrong. So that's why I left."

Baltes previously discussed his departure from ACCEPT in an interview with Finland's Chaoszine. At the time he said: "Well, it was… maybe the last two years, it started to go down. I didn't like it anymore. And I found out some things — I don't wanna elaborate — but I found out some things that are really not nice. I'd been together with Wolf my whole life, and that wasn't really necessary. Some people have to have all the control, and when it started going into the artistic control, then it really bothered me more. So I really wasn't into it anymore. And I was glad I did it, because it was 2018, and it was the last tour. And then corona happened anyway, so I got to record a lot of different albums. I played on Mick Mars's [MÖTLEY CRÜE] solo album. I did so many different things. And I was writing music for television and radio anyway, so I had two years of working [on] other stuff that I wasn't used to. And then, on the other hand, sitting at home for two years, when Udo called [and asked me to join U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER], that's why I took about five minutes to answer."

Peter's latest comments are similar to those he made in March 2023 in an interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music. At the time, he said about his exit from ACCEPT: "The statement that came from the band literally five minutes after I announced that I'm leaving [back in November 2018], that I wanna spend more time with my family, well, that wasn't true. No, no. I was extremely unhappy. And I found out a few things. I'd been in the band forever, and I found out in the end, in this incarnation of ACCEPT, I wasn't even really a member; I was a hired gun. And it's these things that come out where you don't have any input, insight, and you start getting bitter. And there's no reason to, but somebody else's ego is just so big or whatever — two of 'em — that it just takes them there, and they just need to control everything and have everything and you name it. That's what got Udo out back then, and I think in the end it hit everybody. So I was the last one standing, but I couldn't stand it anymore. I needed happiness in my life, and there was no happiness there. It was just a dead horse. So I left after the tour. And in my case, it was the best I ever could have done."

Baltes also talked about what it was like to play bass for U.D.O., on the group's fall 2022 European tour after U.D.O.'s then-bassist Tilen Hudrap was hospitalized after the band's show in Munich, Germany.

"In retrospect, when I stepped on stage in Berlin [in September 2022] with Udo after so many years — the last time was 2005, I think — it was a moment that I can't even describe it," Peter said. "We went on stage first, and then Udo comes, and he starts singing. And the first note brought me back instantly to our days when we played little clubs. The man is such a legend, and his voice… And it's nothing to do with you're short, you're tall, you're fat, you're skinny, none of that — you're in shape or you're not — none of that matters to me, to him and the audience. [What is important is] when something is authentic. And that's what got me at that moment. I was, like, 'Man, this is the real deal.' I wasn't used to that; I wasn't. I totally forgot. And you can into this where you think, 'We've been doing this all our life.' No, we didn't. We played kind of like it, with people that kind of sound like it. But no. He's the real deal, and the power that comes out of his voice is second to none. Sheer power, meaning volume, power. Bruce Dickinson [IRON MAIDEN] has power. When he sings, you can see it — he has power. Some singers, they have power. And Ronnie [James Dio] had power. Udo has power. That's certain power that just captivates you in your ears, in your stomach, and you go with it."

Baltes was replaced in ACCEPT by Martin Motnik.

Three years ago, Hoffmann was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he had had a chance to talk to Peter since his departure from ACCEPT and if he had gotten clarification on why Baltes left the group. Wolf said: "No, man. That's kind of the sad part about it. He kind of made that decision alone, and we never really had a sitdown and a man-to-man talk that I was hoping we'd have. He just announced it to the world, and that was it, and at that point, it was almost too late. I have to respect his decision.

"I miss him very much, and I think he's always gonna be my buddy or whatever," Wolf continued. "But right now, we don't really have much in common. Because when somebody leaves the band, it's usually that we never really see them much again, as sad as it is. I wish we would, and maybe one day we will. But right now, we don't, really. But we didn't have any fights or anything. I can only speculate why he left the band, but I'd rather not."

Hoffmann was also asked if he was surprised to see Baltes working with Udo on some new music in 2020. He responded: "Yeah, I probably shouldn't say much about that. Again, I can only speculate what that was all about. At the end of the day, we do our thing, and everybody has to know for themselves what they wanna do. Yeah, let me not say as much about that as I can, please."

In January 2021, Hoffmann told Australia's Metal Mal that he was "a little bit heartbroken" when Baltes left ACCEPT. "I felt it was not only a sad day for ACCEPT, it was also a sad day for rock and roll, or heavy metal, in general, because I thought we were gonna be doing this until the sun goes down — I don't know; until forever," he said. "But he all of a sudden decided otherwise, and he made that decision, and that was it. And that's sad, but what can you do, man? I decided, along with everybody else, the show must go on, and we continue without him. So this is what we did. And here's the new album — without Peter. But it's still sad. I still miss him sometimes. It's just the way it is."

In November 2019, Hoffmann told Powermetal.cl that he no longer kept in touch with Baltes after the bassist exited the group a year earlier. "Unfortunately, when somebody leaves the band, they're always kind of out of sight, out of mind," Wolf explained. "It's very sad. I wish it wasn't that way, because we've been friends for so long. But the reality is I haven't really heard from him — even though I reached out a couple of times. He's almost like he wants to disappear or he wants to leave the music business altogether. It's sad and I still don't quite understand what really happened. But it is what it is, and we move on."

A new U.D.O. album, "Touchdown", featuring Baltes on bass, was released in August 2023 via Atomic Fire Records.

Photo credit: Martin Hausler / Atomic Fire Records

A young "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott lookalike joined PANTERA on stage during the band's February 24 concert at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland to sing the PANTERA classic "Fucking Hostile".

Prior to launching into the track, PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo pointed out the fan, whose name is Hunter, and his distinctive hair in the crowd, saying: "Some people might believe in reincarnation and stuff like that. There could be a younger Dimebag right up front… Dude, just shake your head like that and everybody in the whole place will see it. Hey, turn up the lights here. Show 'em. Look at that guy."

Anselmo added: "When I was first met Dime, his lid was exactly that length."

Hunter then joined PANTERA on stage where he was given his own microphone and told to sing along to "Fucking Hostile", which originally appeared on the band's 1992 album "Vulgar Display Of Power".

Dimebag and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, formed PANTERA in the mid-eighties in Texas. The band recorded four independent albums before their 1990 major label debut, "Cowboys From Hell", introduced a heavier sound and made them a favorite with metal fans. 1994's "Far Beyond Driven" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 without benefit of a commercial hit single.

The group splintered In 2002 following the departure of Anselmo. Dime and Vinnie regrouped with DAMAGEPLAN, releasing the band's debut album, "New Found Power", in February of 2004.

Dimebag, one of the most beloved and respected musicians in hard rock, was shot onstage during a DAMAGEPLAN concert on December 8, 2004 at the Alrosa Villa club in Columbus, Ohio by a 25-year-old ex-Marine named Nathan Gale. Gale murdered a total of four people and wounded three others before being killed himself by police officer James D. Niggemeyer, who arrived on the scene minutes after Gale began his rampage.

DAMAGEPLAN was touring in support of "New Found Power" at the time of the shootings.

Dimebag was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk in May 2007 in a ceremony attended by Vinnie Paul, their father Jerry Abbott and Haney, along with members of ALICE IN CHAINS, ANTHRAX, KISS, SLAYER and Ozzy Osbourne's band.

The reformed PANTERA kicked off its U.S. headlining tour with LAMB OF GOD on July 28 at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.

PANTERA's 2023 lineup includes two surviving members from the band's classic formation, Anselmo and Rex Brown (bass),along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, are headlining a number of major festivals across South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They are also supporting METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by Dimebag and Vinnie Paul's estates.

This is Dimebag Darrell, how did he get an Afro??

Posted by Michael ThomasFan on Sunday, December 8, 2013

Savatage / Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery has shared the photo and message below via social media:





"Saw this little piece of Metal Monday history an actual ticket shared on a page by my metal brothers in the band Overkill.
 
My band at this time was called Anti. I was just 16 years old and a senior in high school. I had multiple high school classes in the 8th grade, so I was able to graduate at 16! I made that choice to exit my life as a kid to hopefully my life as a professional guitarist.
 
This was one of Metallica’s very first shows on the east coast. My band had already opened a show with Overkill the year before in this same theater. We had a pretty big following and were going over very well at these shows. 




There are some classic stories attached to this show. 


Metallica didn’t have huge budget at the time and they were having trouble finding them affordable hotels. I was called by my good friends from the Megaforce Records / Metallica camp, Harold and Shari Risch, and they asked me for help. They asked if Metallica could stay at my house that night. My mother said no! My life and career could have possibly been a lot different if we had said yes! 


At the show that evening my extremely obnoxious lead singer decided to plant pyro on the stage to use in our set. Metallica didn’t know this. A few songs into our set the pyro went off. Shortly after I saw a huge guy on the side of the stage with a sign that said 'This is your last song.' We were going over extremely well; that didn’t help. I’m guessing, however, if they were staying at my house we could have finished the set!
 
How many kids do you know whose band would open for Metallica and Overkill, then go to high school days later? Pretty crazy! By the end of the next summer I had gotten the gig playing guitar in CBS Recording artists, Heaven, who were managed and produced by none other than Paul Oneill. All this before I was even 18 years old! This led to me going on the road with Savatage opening for Dio and Megadeth when I was 19! 


They always say follow your dreams. My dreams seemed to follow me! I was pretty fortunate that my cards all lined up in the right places. I did have the talent to push me forward but I definitely had a decent amount of good luck and timing as well!" 

Fan-filmed video of JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE's February 16 performance at Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below.

Russell exited GREAT WHITE in December 2011 after he was unable to tour with the group due a series of injuries, including a perforated bowel and a shattered pelvis. Jack largely blamed these injuries on his alcohol and painkiller addictions as well as the prednisone drug he was prescribed.

Russell sued his onetime bandmates in 2012 over their continued use of the GREAT WHITE name after Jack had taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons. A short time later, Russell was countersued by guitarist Mark Kendall, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie and drummer Audie Desbrow, claiming the vocalist's self-destructive behavior was damaging the GREAT WHITE name (they also alleged he was charging promoters less for his own touring version of GREAT WHITE). The parties settled in July 2013 without going to trial, with Russell now performing as JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE while the others are continuing as GREAT WHITE.

Last month, Russell told Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic that he was "probably about three months away" from completing his long-awaited autobiography. He added: "But I've been hearing that for the last nine months. [Laughs] 'We're three months away. We're three months away. We're three months away.' No, it's actually, it's getting real close. It's really, really good. I'm very excited about it. The young lady who's been working on it with me, Katelyn [Louise] Doty, she's just a fantastic writer. And we really got to be good friends, and she really got the gist of who I am as a person. So it came out, or it's coming out, really spectacularly. I'm really proud of it."

Back in December 2021, Russell told Tulsa Music Stream that he gets along with Doty, who is Chip Z'Nuff's wife, "like peas and carrots. So it's gonna be a really great book," he added. "What I've read is really great. We've got a lot of people that have done interviews for it. Even [A&R guru] John Kalodner came out of the closet [to be interviewed for it]. No, he didn't come out of the closet — I didn't mean the 'closet' closet."

Russell previously discussed his book in a 2016 interview, saying: "I'm just dumping everything in this book. And there might be a couple of lawsuits out of it, I would imagine. I'm gonna have to have my lawyers check it out before I release it. But, I mean, I don't really think that's gonna happen. 'Cause the book is about myself and what I've [gone through] and not so much about other people. But there are gonna be spots where somebody might raise an eyebrow and go, 'Hmmm….' It's gonna make some people upset. But it'll make more people laugh. If you're the butt of the joke, that's just the way it goes. [Laughs]"

Six years ago, Russell said that one of the main reasons he was writing a book was "because I want people to know that no matter how far down the ladder you fall you can always climb back up. You don't have to stay down," he told Daily Boom. "Whether you have a drug an alcohol problem or anything else for that matter, you can pull yourself out of it. You can accomplish so much in life if you just believe in it and visualize it. Nothing happens by chance, and I believe that everyone that you meet has some sort of message for you, if you listen closely enough. It might be a stranger that says something random to you that you shrug off, but if you sit and think about it, maybe they said something that you were supposed to hear. You just never know when you are being used as that voice of encouragement for someone else. I don't believe that anything happens by coincidence; it's all for a reason, both good and bad. Life isn't random; it's very well choreographed and we're here to learn."

In a new interview with "The Plan B Show With Brock And Hunter" on the Rock 107 WIRX radio station in Southwest Michigan, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked what he thinks an 18-year-old metalhead who is just discovering PRIEST might take away from the band's upcoming album, "Invincible Shield". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, they're embracing something that is, I would suggest, unique in the way that we've kind of broken the rules, if there were any, as to how heavy metal should sound and feel and what it should say.

"And so, firstly, if you're a new heavy metal maniac and you're just turning 18 or you're just turning 12 or 14, whatever, thank you," he continued. "God bless you for coming to this band, because… I know you guys at WIRX, you play a multitude of metal, you play a multitude of rock and roll, so to have this opportunity to make a connection with a new metalhead from that particular part in your life, it's such a thrill. And I would say embrace everything that this PRIEST band does, because, as you know, we can take you everywhere — we can break the law, we can go living after midnight, we can do some painkilling. We can take you on this incredible journey in this world of heavy metal that is exclusively unique to PRIEST.

"This band has done many, many things," Rob added. "One minute we're the Sentinel and the next minute we're gonna be a turbo lover. It's a wild ride, man. It's a wild ride. And so we really love to have this opportunity, particularly reaching new metalheads, to bring you into our metal community and give you some of the best times in your life that you're gonna have."

Asked if he has a favorite track on "Invincible Shield", Rob said: "I still keep going towards that opening cut, 'Panic Attack'. It's got so much substance, and I think that for a lot of fans that are excited about their favorite band and that they're gonna drop a new song, and more importantly, they're gonna drop a new album — 'This is my band. This is what I'm looking forward to. This is the PRIEST that I cherish. I've got all their music. I've been to all their shows. What is this new record gonna sound like?' So that first track has to do a lot of things — it has to do a lot of reinforcing, it has to have a lot of responsibility, it has to have a lot of the things that your fans are eager to listen to for the first time. So 'Panic Attack', which is the title of the opening cut from 'Invincible Shield', really carries a lot of weight. So that is my favorite. But if you ask me five minutes from now, I'll give you a different song. But I just love the energy and audacity of that particular track, the way it opens up, 'cause it opens up with these really cool — 'What are these? Is this 'Turbo' again? These synthy-sounding guitars. And is that Scott [Travis, PRIEST drummer] on Syndrums?' There's a lot of, 'Oh my God. What's gonna go off?' And then — bang! The track opens up, that riff that Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist] put together. It's just mind-blowing. And Scott's work, Ian's [Hill, PRIEST bassist] work, and then yours truly wailing on the mic. It's, like, 'Oh my God. Thank God for that. That's still the PRIEST that we love.' So let's go with some 'Panic Attack' and keep that side of PRIEST alive and proud."

"Invincible Shield" will arrive on March 8 via Sony Music.

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

PRIEST will hit the road next month in support of "Invincible Shield". They kick off a European tour in Glasgow, Scotland on March 11 and will bring the tour to the U.S. starting April 18 in Wallingford, Connecticut.

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

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

Ross Valory, regarded as one of rock's best bass guitarists and an original member of the multi-platinum band JOURNEY until his 2020 departure, has released the official music video for "Wild Kingdom". It's the second single from the bassist and songwriter's debut solo album, "All Of The Above", due out on March 1 via OID Music.

Valory said: "'Wild Kingdom' is definitely a good example of the variety of songs on this first album. I wrote the piece on a Calliope keyboard patch in the mid-'80s and had the privilege of developing the arrangement with Karl Perazzo, master percussionist with SANTANA, in 2012. 'Wild Kingdom' became my first venture in recording with authentic Latin rhythms as well as the first project I worked on with keyboardist Eric Levy."

Valory always had pieces of music tucked away that he had written, although songwriting contributions to JOURNEY slipped away after the first three "experimental" albums. As a member of JOURNEY, Valory concentrated on shaping the rhythm section and contributing his baritone vocals to the background blend.

During the band's second coming following the 1995 reunion album "Trial By Fire", Valory began sorting through his files and polishing up some of his old notes. In between tour dates, he pulled together a tight-knit group of collaborators and slowly began to finish what he started. After a lifetime in music, Valory scrupulously etched "All Of The Above". The album was produced by Valory and co-produced by Jacob Stowe and Eric Levy.

Valory developed a repertory company of musicians over the years that came together at his studio. He cultivated individual numbers like sprawling projects, experimenting with different arrangements played by an assortment of musicians. Sometimes spending years jamming on these ideas, the pieces took shape slowly. Different ideas were tried and discarded, remodeled and refurbished. The basic concept was to find the heart of the material and expand upon it until Valory could refine and shape the music's path to his supreme satisfaction. He cast specific musicians to specific parts. The studio became his laboratory and the compositions his experiments.

From the Latin-fired intensity of "Wild Kingdom" to the ethereal dirge of "No One Wins A War", the raucous party on "Low Rider" or the brilliant reprise of SANTANA's "Incident Of Neshabur", the album presents an evolved artist fully in command of his vision, a lifetime of experience behind the project, augmenting his core associates with guest musicians such as Gregg Errico of SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, drummer Steve Smith, and saxophonist Marc Russo. The nine tracks on the album represent the full maturity of Valory's musical gifts, cutting a broad swath through the instrumental territory the music travels. He plays keyboards, guitar, and, of course, many basses in a display of cultivated virtuosity across a palette far broader than could be found in his work with JOURNEY. He is stepping out from behind his bass and, for the first time in his more than half-century as a professional musician, representing his vision and his compositions.

Ross says: "I have been revisiting material that has been accumulating, and I am sharing some of my favorite songs for the first time!"

Valory left JOURNEY in 2020 and the bandmembers worked out their issues in a peaceful mediated settlement. Valory, who spent most of his life as a member of JOURNEY, has no regrets. He counts his blessings at having spent an amazing career with a remarkable group of musicians who succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

"All Of The Above" track listing:

01. Wild Kingdom
02. Nightflower
03. Tomland
04. Touched, Part II
05. Windmill
06. Incident At Neshabur
07. Low Rider
08. No One Wins A War

Photo credit: Jérôme Brunet (courtesy of SRO PR)

Blues rock guitar virtuoso Orianthi wanted to create something special to celebrate her 25th anniversary as a professional musician. The Australian-born, Los Angeles-based Orianthi entered THE DOORS guitarist Robby Krieger's Love Street Sound studio where she wrote, produced and recorded her debut single for Woodward Avenue Records. The official music video for "First Time Blues" was directed by Alex Brown and can be seen below.

Orianthi has been performing "First Time Blues" in concert with her band for the past year and was able to cut it live in the studio in just a few takes. She burns up "First Time Blues" with her impassioned vocals and blazing guitar licks. Joining her on track are Justin Andres (bass, vocals),Carey Frank (keyboards),Nick Maybury (electric and acoustic guitar) and Elias Mallin (drums).

Orianthi said: "'First Time Blues' is about that feeling of when you first feel brokenhearted. It doesn't change throughout life if you really have the strength to love and be all-in every time. I'm guilty of that…throwing myself into the fire just to get burned, heal, then get burned again…or not. You never know. Love is a gamble!"

To add a second guitar solo to "First Time Blues", Orianthi invited a friend to record with her: three-time Grammy-nominated blues rock guitar prodigy Joe Bonamassa. They had played together many times, but "First Time Blues" is their first recording together.

"My good friend and legend Joe Bonamassa put down his fire leads on the second solo section. Joe is such a great musician. We have jammed many times in the past and I'm grateful he came in and added his magic to 'First Time Blues'," said Orianthi who also wrote, produced and recorded her second single for Woodward Avenue Records, "Bad For Each Other" (release date to be announced),at Love Street Sound.

Orianthi (Orianthi Panagaris) looks as much like a rock star as she does a supermodel. But it's her extraordinary guitar chops that turn the most heads. She began playing professionally when she was thirteen years old before going on to perform and/or tour with Carlos Santana, Steve Vai, Alice Cooper, Richie Sambora and Dave Stewart. She was hired by Michael Jackson for his "This Is It" tour before his untimely death and was a member of the supergroup HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES (Cooper, Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and Tommy Henriksen). Orianthi's debut album, "Violet Journey", was released in 2005 and she has issued five solo albums to date. She was featured accompanying Carrie Underwood during a Grammy Awards telecast, performed on "American Idol", and appears in Jackson's documentary concert film, "This Is It". Elle magazine named Orianthi one of the "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" and she won the 2010 "Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year" award from Guitar International magazine.

The Florida-based Woodward Avenue Records is a boutique independent label committed to producing and distributing unique, collaborative musical projects that masterfully fuse genres. From jazz, R&B, soul, blues and gospel to rock, pop, country, Americana and Latin music, Woodward Avenue Records supports standout artists releasing exceptional recordings.

Woodward Avenue Records founder and president Mark Nordman said: "As a label, we've always been about supporting great artists in making the kind of music that's in their heart and soul, without commercial or arbitrary requirements to simply 'fit' in some preconceived genre box. We believe that if the music is great and created with passion and excellence, it will find its own lane with our help. There is no one who represents those ideals more than Orianthi, and we are absolutely thrilled to be working with her and her team. I promise you, there is some really awesome and memorable music on the way, and we can't wait for people all over the world to hear it!"

In a recent interview with Larry Mac of the 96.1 KLPX radio station, Orianthi stated about the musical direction of her new material: "Well, I wouldn't say it's a complete direction change. It's going more in the blues-rock sort of Americana vibe, sort of less poppy than the stuff I put out before.

"I love all sorts of genres of music, but I think what really connects with me the most is the blues, that kind of blues, sort of Americana rock vibe and a bit of country there too, and that kind of resonates with me more than anything," she explained. "So I'm just kind of going back to that. 'Heaven In This Hell', that record I did with Dave Stewart [in 2013], has a lot of that in there. Even my first record, 'Believe', had quite a bit of blues in it as well. So with this new album and the singles that are going to be rolling out, people are gonna hear more of that, a bit more of an edge and a bit more of the music I'm gonna be playing for the rest of my life."

Speaking specifically about "First Time Blues", Orianthi said: "We've been playing that song live actually, and it just really connects with people, and it's a brand new song. We just see the reaction and it's, like, 'Okay, we should probably record this pretty soon and put it out.' So, we had a blast in the studio."

As for the experience of recording at Krieger's studio, Orianthi said: "He's a dear friend of mine for many years and a legend. And I'm a big DOORS fan. So having the opportunity and the honor of recording at his studio and Robby coming in and giving the thumbs up, that means the world."

Orianthi's latest studio album, "Rock Candy", arrived in October 2022 via Frontiers Music Srl. The LP followed 2020's "O" which was Orianthi's first new studio album in seven years and her first new music as a solo artist in six years. Sonically, "Rock Candy" was described in a press release as "a hard-rockin', blues-tinged, display of Orianthi's dazzling guitar playing and her soulful vocals."

Joining Orianthi on "Rock Candy" was the multi-talented Jacob Bunton, who produced the album. Additionally, he provided guitar, bass, keyboard, piano and violin playing through the course of the LP. Drummer Kyle Cunningham rounded out the recording lineup for "Rock Candy".

On Saturday, February 24, former EXODUS singer Rob Dukes performed a full set of the band's songs under the SHOVEL HEADED KILL MACHINE banner at Dingbatz in Clifton, New Jersey.

SHOVEL HEADED KILL MACHINE's setlist included the following tracks, most of which were originally recorded during Dukes's era of EXODUS:

* 44 Magnum Opus
* Iconoclasm
* I Am Abomination
* March Of The Sycophants
* Children Of A Worthless God
* Dethamphetamine
* The Ballad Of Leonard And Charles
* The Sun Is My Destroyer
* Burn, Hollywood, Burn
* Now Thy Death Day Come
* Shovel Headed Kill Machine
* A Lesson In Violence

Dukes joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

In June 2014, EXODUS announced the departure of Dukes and the return of his predecessor, Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal legends from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Dukes addressed his relationship with EXODUS in a summer 2022 interview with Scott Penfold of the "Loaded Radio" podcast. He said: "When EXODUS fired me, it took me about a year to not be angry about it. It was unexpected — I didn't see it coming — and it was a hard time in life. I'd just moved; I'd just gotten married. It was a heavy burden. And it took me a while. And about a year later, after Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] called me and we spoke, they flew me up to San Francisco and I sat down with them. And we laid it out on the table. And it made it better — just to clear the wreckage of that. And I moved on with my life, and they moved on with their life. I did one show with them — I did a few songs up in San Francisco — and then I just started living my life."

Dukes went on to say that he no longer dwells on the negative circumstances surrounding his departure from EXODUS.

"[EXODUS] was definitely a part of my life, but I don't rely on it," he said. "So I just move forward. But our friendship is good, man. I went up there to see… After Tom [Hunting, EXODUS drummer] got sick [with cancer in early 2021], we were talking the entire time and I was aware of his situation. And then when the time was right, after he had done some chemo sessions and was feeling a little better, I flew up and spent a couple of days with Tom. And I saw Gary, and I went and had lunch with Lee [Altus, EXODUS guitarist].

"Look, man, we lived together for 10 years. That bond is very difficult to break," Rob explained. "Especially when the reason I got fired, it wasn't personal; it was business. I took it personally in the beginning. But this is a harsh business, man, and there's a lot of fucking snakes out there and there's a lot of weird people who want their little piece. And it's kind of what happened. It was just business. Looking back on it, it was all for the best."

Three years after he was fired from EXODUS, Dukes performed with the band during a July 2017 concert in San Francisco, California. He sang several songs with the group on the second of EXODUS's two-night stint at The Chapel in what marked the band's first headlining Bay Area club shows since late 2013.

Rob previously discussed his split with EXODUS during a December 2020 pay-per-view video conversation with Souza, recorded earlier that month at Zetro's studio in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of Souza's "Zetro's Toxic Vault" YouTube interview series. At the time, Dukes said that the seed for his exit from EXODUS was planted during the songwriting and pre-production sessions for the band's 2014 album "Blood In Blood Out". "One night, before a show, me, Lee, Tom and Jack [Gibson, drums] were sitting, and we said, 'You know, we should do this [album] different. We should do this one where we actually rehearse together and we go through the songs like a band would do 'em in the old days' — go through 'em and maybe pick apart parts, maybe make 'em better, do it that way," he said. "[I thought it was] a great plan; I agreed. I come home, fly back out a couple of weeks later and everything is done. They're doing the drums, but Jack is doing the engineering, and [longtime British producer] Andy [Sneap] is not doing the vocals. And at that time, nothing against Jack — I love Jack — but the difference was, working with Andy, I didn't have to sing the whole line all the way through over and over again. Jack wasn't able to, at this time, edit in a word if I fucked up; I had to start all over. And the dissent had started with me. I felt a lot of the songs were very repetitious.

"Now, I could have just kept my mouth shut and just went along with it if I wanted to keep my job, even though it wouldn't have mattered, because the business decisions, I think, were being made behind the scenes with Metal Maria and Chuck [Billy, TESTAMENT singer]. I, actually, in front of everyone, challenged Chuck. 'Cause Chuck was now managing the band. We're halfway through the record, and they said, 'Well, Chuck's gonna manage the band.' I go, 'You don't see that as a conflict of interest — a little bit?' And I said this to Chuck, to his face. I said, 'You're telling me, if you get an opportunity, you're not gonna have TESTAMENT [take the gig]; you're gonna give EXODUS the gig? Get the fuck outta here, dude! I wouldn't do that, so I know you're not gonna do that.' He's, like, 'I wouldn't do that.' I go, 'You're not being honest with me. You're not being honest with yourself.' And it caused, like, a thing. And everyone was mad at me, 'cause the boys don't like confrontation. And it wasn't the songs. The songs were the songs. I thought 'BTK' was killer. Dude, you did 'BTK' awesome," he said, complimenting Zetro. "There were certain things about it. I don't wanna shit on it, but some of it just seemed regurgitated. I was, like, 'This song sounds like that song,' and, 'This song sounds like this song,' and it started to weigh on me. Like I said, I could have just kept my mouth shut and just played the game and not rocked the boat, but it wasn't my nature. My nature was, 'No, man. We're better than this. We need to top ourselves over the last thing we did,' and I didn't feel like it was doing that — I felt like it was actually declining a little bit, in my eyes, from my position. But it didn't mean that I didn't give everything I had — I gave everything I had on vocals — but Jack was beating me up, because I was constantly not able to… Especially with some of the timing stuff — you've never done it before, and now you're expected to do it forever. This is the CD, man — this is forever."

Explaining why he was angry for such a long time about his dismissal from EXODUS, Dukes said: "Look, man, [I was] 47 years old [at the time]. I got married five days before. And you fucking fire me. If I was by myself, if I was just me, I would have been okay with it. I was responsible for another human being. I just moved my entire life from my comfortable New York upbringing to a place [in Arizona] where I know one person, and I don't even know him that well; I know him from touring and watching him when I was a kid. I knew Roger Miret from AGNOSTIC FRONT; it's the only guy I knew [in Arizona].

"I remember telling my wife, 'We're gonna be okay. It's fine. We're fine. I'll sell my car. And that'll get us, like, a year rent, and we'll be okay. I'll figure it out. We'll be okay.' But in my head, I was fucking terrified," he admitted. "And I felt like [the EXODUS guys] took something from me that I earned, that I deserved. But I was looking at it wrong. I didn't deserve anything. I didn't earn anything. I was grateful to be there. And I tried to do the right thing. I remember writing a statement and putting it out there. I was grateful — I was grateful for going to over a hundred countries in my lifetime, playing in front of the millions of people that I got to play over 10 years. I was grateful for every opportunity that was given to me; I was honestly grateful. But also, I was angry, and I had every right to be angry. But I wasn't able to see it for what it was until a year later — it took me a year."

Dukes said that he wishes he had been more vocal in the earlier stages of the making of "Blood In Blood Out", particularly as it relates to EXODUS's choice of producer for the sessions.

"The truth was that my part in it, had I been honest from the beginning and I had said — 'cause there were times when I didn't wanna rock the boat — 'We are making fucking mistakes. And if you guys all wanna go to this next level that you all talk about, then let's put our fucking money where our mouth is and change it the way we're doing it,'" he said. "You've done it this way all this time and you've always gotten what you got. But if you change the game… Nothing against Andy, but if we bring in Colin Richardson, bring in fucking Zeuss [Chris Harris], bring in somebody [from] outside the game who had his own ideas of looking at things and maybe corral some of the chaotic stuff that was going on. And maybe go, 'You know what? The song does sound like that song. Maybe we should fucking take this riff…' Let producers do what they do… I thought it would have been awesome for somebody like Colin Richardson or Zeuss to come in and take Gary Holt [EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter] and sit him down and go, 'This is awesome. But we can make this better. Let's try this and try that.' And that's what the plan originally was."

Looking back on how his split with EXODUS went down, Rob said during the "Zetro's Toxic Vault" chat that he was "glad that everything worked out the way it did. And I was glad that Gary called me a year later and I spoke with him," he said. "And he was legitimately sorry; I knew he was. And he said, 'I want you to come to San Francisco.' And then I was, like, 'Well, how does Zet feel?' And he goes, 'It was Zet's idea.'"

Dukes also addressed the speculation that his substandard vocals on an early version of "Blood In Blood Out" were proof that he wasn't sufficiently inspired to deliver the goods on the album. "That assumption has been said to me a bunch of times," he said. "Even Lee has said, he goes, 'Your heart wasn't in it.' And my ego, which I don't have a big ego — it's not like I'm an egotistical dick — but I can tell you that when I was on the microphone, I was giving my best, I was giving all I had. What I felt inside was that the songs weren't as good. To me, they felt rushed. I felt some of the lyrics felt rushed.

"Me and Gary look at music very differently, and I think that's why we kind of worked," he continued. "Gary will write the lyrics before he writes the music, and he fits it in, where I write the music, write the melody and then fill in the words to the melody.

"It's hard to say it without sounding like a dick, but it was very… I remember singing one song and going, 'Dude, this is that other song.' And then, hearing the lead, going, 'That's the lead from that other song.' And I think that alone, trying to take my ego out of it, maybe my heart wasn't it. I wish that it was.

"At the moment, I knew I was giving all I could, but the factors against me was I didn't think the material was as strong as what we had already done," Dukes added. "I wanted it to be better. It's like setting bar for yourself and then not giving at least that measure. And then I thought that, as much as I love Jack, he wasn't Andy Sneap. And working with Andy, there was something to working with Andy that pulls it out of me.

"I remember talking to [Rob] Halford about it, 'cause [Andy recorded] Halford with PRIEST. He made me do fucking 10 fucking takes of each line. When you do 10 takes of each line, and then he fucking pieces them together. And then you get back something and you're, like, 'Wow, that's the way I sang that, huh? Cool.' No, it wasn't. It was the way Andy put it together. And then, all of a sudden, now you have a template. 'Well, now I'm gonna do that live, 'cause that's better.' 'Cause Andy knew what the fuck he was doing. But now you're just leaving it to me raw. And I thought not having Andy there for the vocals made me mad — not mad; it just made me a little disheartened, I guess. Because working for two albums with Andy, I knew what to expect. No matter what template I was given, I knew that Andy was gonna make me do it the right way. And when we were doing it, it wasn't that."

Dukes still resides in Arizona, where he works as a mechanic specializing in car restoration.

@rob_dukes and @generationkillband will be @dingbatznjofficial doing a one night only set of Dukes-era Exodus. See you there #exodus #robdukes

Posted by Generation Kill - the real on Friday, January 26, 2024

The DeadMike.com YouTube channel has uploaded video of Marty Friedman's entire February 23 concert at the White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas as the support act for John 5's early 2024 tour with the MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist's solo band THE CREATURES. Check out the clips in the YouTube playlist below.

According to Setlist.fm, the setlist for Friedman's show was as follows:

01. Stigmata Addiction
02. Devil Take Tomorrow
03. Rock City
04. Amagigoe (SAYURI ISHIKAWA cover)
05. Tornado Of Souls (MEGADETH song)
06. Whiteworm
07. Dragon Mistress
08. Band Intro
09. Guest jam with audience member
10. Kaze Ga Fuiteiru

Marty recently completed recording his new solo album. The former MEGADETH guitarist spoke about the LP last November during the question-and-answer portion of Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp's "Metalmania III" in Los Angeles. He said: "I've got 15 solo albums now, and each time I try to do something new and something I've never done before. I don't want ever to be heard as one of those guys, 'Ah, his early albums were great.' You know what I mean? I used to say that about my favorite guitarists — sadly — and I never wanted that to be said about me. So I'm always challenging myself on new stuff. On this new album that I'm about 70 percent done with, the closest thing I can relate it to is an album I had called 'Scenes' [1992], which I released quite a while ago. It was very dramatic and orchestral, and there was a lot of other type of instruments — violins, cellos and all that type of stuff. So it's more of a dramatic, orchestral concept. But everything that I've learned since that 'Scenes' album has just exponentially grown, so it's a much bigger scale. So if you like that 'Scenes' album at all, I think this one will be right up your alley."

Marty also talked about his next solo LP in October in an interview with Chris Akin Presents. At the time, he said: "I've been recording my upcoming album for almost a year now. And it's gonna be finished by the end of the year, and it's gonna come out in the spring of 2024. And boy, it's an ambitious one. But, of course, I say that every time. But every time I have to top the one that was before it, so the task keeps getting more and more insane. And right now I would say I'm about 75 percent done with that."

As for some of the other projects he is currently involved with, Marty said: "I'm editing my autobiography, which will come out also next year. And also, I just did the most exhaustive instructional video series for TrueFire — the most exhaustive one they've ever done and the most exhaustive one I've ever done by far. It's the deepest dive into just the way I see music, which apparently is not the same as how others see it. Not that it's better or worse, but it's just completely different. So for the first time ever, including any of my other instructional things, for the first time ever, I've really actually worked hard on it and created this thing. And I did it at the end of the tour, the U.S. tour that I did earlier this year, and now it's just about finished. [We're] just putting the last edits on and just about done with that. So, it's kind of a lot of post-production work at this point."

Asked what challenges and motivates him to keep pushing forward with his music, Marty said: "I'm not really so much into trying something that I haven't done for the sake of trying something I haven't done. I'm trying to impress me with something that I've never done before. It's not like I'm gonna suddenly wake up one day and say, 'Okay, I'm gonna be a rapper' or something. I do what I do and I have my musical vision and sound. I just try to do deeper things with it. I try to make more complex emotions, deeper emotions in the music, more interesting, melodic twists and turns, more adventurous things, things that I wasn't deep enough to do last year or two years ago, or five years ago, things that I couldn't hear back then, things that I can only hear because life has given me more experiences since then, and, of course, more musical experiences, and just to consciously be aware of stuff that I've already done and not repeat it. It's a natural challenge that I've been doing forever, and the hardest part is that blank sheet when I just start from zero. It's, like, 'How am I going to top that last thing that I just did? I worked my ass off. I'm completely done. I have nothing left. I've got zero.' And so that's the challenge. But now that I'm about 70, 80 percent done with this new record, I'm pretty confident with it. And I really am looking forward to letting everybody hear it."

Last April, Friedman told Justin Hunt of The Entertainment Outlet he "recorded about half" of his upcoming album in the summer of 2022. "I went over to Italy and I recorded about half of an album."

Regarding what fans can expect from his upcoming LP, Marty said: "I think it's gonna please a lot of people who liked my album 'Scenes', one of my earlier albums. It's kind of in that vein, but much more modern. And it's got all the things that I've added to my musical — I don't know how to say it — palette, or what I'm trying to do musically. It's basically a grown-up version of 'Scenes', really, so far. But I haven't finished it. It's taking a long time, but, you know, tender love and care. And it's coming along great."

Friedman went on to say that his 2023 U.S. tour as the support act for QUEENSRŸCHE was a "perfect" way to inspire him to complete his new album. He explained: "This tour I'm playing really my most aggressive music with my most aggressive band. And that is perfect for my mentality for writing stuff like 'Scenes'. That's how 'Scenes' happened in the first place, because I was touring with MEGADETH like a maniac, and I was playing all this really, really heavy stuff every single night, and now I'm doing the exact same thing with my band. And so what I write is the complete opposite. So it's kind of like a really good creative time. And things are moving along really nice."

Marty's latest album, "Tokyo Jukebox 3", came out in April 2021 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group. The record, which was made available in Japan in October 2020, is the third in a series that began with "Tokyo Jukebox" in 2009, and then "Tokyo Jukebox 2" following in 2011. The trilogy presents Friedman's inspired performances to Japanese repertoire he's chosen to cover.

Marty's presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.

Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy "Hebimeta-san" ("Mr. Heavy Metal") and its spinoff, "Rock Fujiyama", which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan's mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.

🔥 Heads up! Clervelend and Columbus will sell out shortly, Derry NH and Las Vegas not far behind - Don't sleep on your J5 tix!!
john-5.com

Posted by John 5 on Monday, January 22, 2024

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach performed his new single, "What Do I Got To Lose?", live for the first time during his February 24 concert at Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of Melvin Zoopers).

Bach released the official music video for "What Do I Got To Lose?" in December. The clip was directed by Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera.

"What Do I Got To Lose?" was co-written by Sebastian, Myles Kennedy (ALTER BRIDGE, SLASH) and Michael "Elvis" Baskette (MAMMOTH WVH, SLASH),the latter of whom also served as the track's producer. For the video, which shows Bach cruising through the desert in a convertible and performing with a full band, Sebastian was joined by his former SKID ROW bandmate, drummer Rob Affuso. The clip also features an appearance by actor and comedian Craig Gass and Sebastian's wife Suzanne, who plays a scantily clad car wash attendant.

"To me, 'What Do I Got To Lose?' is the perfect sentiment for me right now," Sebastian said about the track. "It's an anthem for coming back and crushing it. It's time to lay down the law and put the hammer down old school-style."

For the release of "What Do I Got To Lose?", the singer, songwriter, author, Broadway star, and actor teamed up with Reigning Phoenix Music. It marks Sebastian's first new music in ten years.

"I cannot express enough how happy I am to have a full and complete team of rock and roll professionals on my side with RPM music," Sebastian added. "We have been working on this record together for over eight years and I could not be more proud of the results."

Among the other musicians who have assisted Bach during the writing and recording process for his new music are Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, Michael Jackson),John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Steve Stevens (Billy Idol),Devin Bronson, Brent Woods, Eli Santana and Jeremy Colson.

Four years ago, Sebastian told The Aquarian Weekly that his new album would be "heavy. In many ways it is my follow-up to [2007's] 'Angel Down'," he said. "I am trying to make the best record I have ever made. There will be a lot of heavy [music] coming your way."

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

Although Bach had said in some of his interviews a few years ago that his next record would be less musically aggressive and it would be "more uplifting and fun," he told WRIF in 2018 that he has since had a change of heart.

"Well, before [the new record deal] happened, I was thinking of doing more of an acoustic-based record because I've done a lot of solo records," he said. "I've done 'Angel Down', which I'm very proud of that album,. Then 'Kicking & Screaming', which is a great album. 'Give 'Em Hell'… Not to mention 'ABachalypse Now', which is a three-record set. 'Forever Wild' DVD, 'Bring 'Em Bach Alive!'… I've put out a lot of records. And putting out the last one, when I put so much time and effort into it and it doesn't get the attention that it deserves, for me as an artist, I'm, like, 'Fuck!' So I was, like, you know what? If I'm gonna put out another heavy metal, hard rock album, I need help. I need a company around me that's gonna put the same kind of attention and time and effort into it as I am. So now that looks like it's happening. So now I'm changing the way I'm looking at things."

Stormborn, the melodic heavy metal powerhouse from Kent, UK, has officially joined forces with Rockshots Records. Drawing inspiration from metal titans like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Dio, Stormborn blazes a unique trail in heavy metal, crafting a sound that fuses classic elements with bold, modern innovation.


Today, they're unleashing not one, but TWO explosive singles: "Fear Of A Monster" and "Serpentine", in anticipation of Stormborn's upcoming album Zenith coming out on April 26, 2024.


Stormborn is a melodic heavy metal band from Kent in the UK. While drawing inspiration from the titans of metal – Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, and the rest, Stormborn blazes a unique trail, adopting influences from across the metal spectrum. Their sound is a fusion of classic elements and bold, modern innovation. Stormborn isn't just walking in the footsteps of giants; they're crafting a new path in heavy metal, dominated by great riffs, a strong melodic backbone, and powerful vocals that you can't help but sing along to.




After the release of their first album, Stormborn cut their teeth gigging up and down the UK, especially in London where their regular appearances at the legendary Intrepid Fox were attended by the likes of Herman Li from DragonForce and Mark Cross - ex Helloween and Firewind. They were soon chosen by Rob Chapman to support his band Dorje as well as Phil X & The Drills on a UK tour in 2013, playing at various O2 Academys around the country.


Career highlights include supporting Rhapsody of Fire at the Camden Underworld in 2023, winning the 2012 Metal 2 the Masses for London, playing at Bloodstock festival, winning the 2013 Summer Breeze New Blood award, and opening the main stage of Summer Breeze Festival 2013.


Preorder at the Rockshots Records webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Call Of The Void”
“Land Of The Servant King”
“Fear Of A Monster”
“The Unending Night”
“Dawn Will Come Again”
“Out In The Weird”
“Serpentine”
“Death Incarnate”
“Echo”


“Serpentine”:





“Fear Of A Monster”:





Stormborn are:
Andrew Felton (Drums)
Laurence Armitage (Guitar)
David Viner (Guitar)
Simon "Steve" Ball (Bass)
Christopher Simmons (Vocals)

A U.S. judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit accusing Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler of sexually assaulting a former teenage model twice in one day in Manhattan nearly 50 years ago.


U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said Jeanne Bellino waited too long to sue the 75-year-old Tyler, who has "vehemently" denied her allegations, under a New York City law protecting victims of gender-motivated violence. The judge said Bellino did not qualify for a two-year window to pursue claims that would otherwise extend beyond statutes of limitations, because she did not allege that Tyler's conduct posed a "serious risk of physical injury."


And in a ruling that could affect other cases, Kaplan said two state laws, the Child Victims Act and Adult Survivors Act, preempted Bellino's claim, "substantially for the reasons" given by Tyler's lawyers. The lawyers said those laws, whose windows to sue have expired, "occupy the field regarding the revival of claims derived from state penal sexual assault law," and Bellino showed a "lack of diligence" by not suing under the Child Victims Act.




A lawyer for Bellino did not immediately respond to requests for comment. David Long-Daniels, a lawyer for Tyler, said: "We agree with the judge's reasoning, and are grateful for this result on behalf of our client."


Bellino, a former child model claimed to have met Tyler in New York in the summer of 1975 when she was 17, alleged in the suit that Tyler, then around 27, violently assaulted her twice the only day they’d encountered one another. 


Bellino alleges that she met Tyler after a friend had arranged for them to meet Aerosmith at the Warwick Hotel following a fashion show Bellino was working in Manhattan. After Bellino and her friend met Tyler and several unnamed members of his entourage, they all walked down Sixth Avenue together. While walking, Bellino claims she asked Tyler a question about a song lyric, which frustrated Tyler, leading to him forcing her into a phone booth.


“While holding her captive, Tyler stuck his tongue down her throat, and put his hands upon her body, her breasts, her buttocks, and her genitals, moving and removing clothing and pinning her against the wall of the phone booth,” the suit alleges. “As Tyler was mauling and groping Plaintiff, he was humping her pretending to have sex with Plaintiff. Others stood by outside the phone booth laughing and as passersby watched and witnessed, nobody in the entourage intervened.”


Bellino further alleges in the suit that “Tyler’s penis was erect and it was evident to her as he rubbed it against her that he was not wearing underwear and wearing thin pants.” Eventually, the suit says, she freed herself and left the phone booth after raising up her knee and pulling on Tyler’s hair. She allegedly ran out of the phone booth “in shock and fear.”

In a new interview with Forbes, SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo and bassist Rachel Bolan discussed the band's general approach to the business side of music.

"One of the things that I think we both prided ourselves on is that we didn't want to just be the dumb guitar player in the corner," Sabo said. "We wanted to be on top of SKID ROW and everything that goes on. And we always had this idea that we always wanted to surround ourselves with people who were better and smarter than us — so we were always learning and always applying it to our partnership in SKID ROW.

"When we were negotiating a new deal with Atlantic Records, and we were sitting in with Doug Morris who was the president of the label at the time and wielded a ton of power, we were able to go in there and were both able to sit there and understand these conversations. We understood the terminology. Now, you can understand the terminology, [but] that doesn't always protect you from knowing what's right and what's wrong. That just comes through experience."

Bolan added: "We always ask questions. Are we the best businessmen in rock and roll? Not by far. Are we better than a lot? Yes. Better because we ask questions. The main thing I tell people or bands is know your worth. And that got passed down to us from people like [KISS's] Gene Simmons… And the BON JOVI guys. Know what you're worth and know what your brand means. When you're 23, you're trying to get your head around it. 'Brand? We're a band not a brand!' But you are a brand.

"I like to think that the thing that we're doing right the most is that we have never motherf—ed anybody — anybody," he continued. "We have been above board, transparent and absolutely honest with everybody that we've come in contact with and done business with. That's the way everyone should do business. Unfortunately, not a lot of people do. But that's the way Snake and I have always done business."

Back in 2022, Bolan and Sabo were asked by The Telegraph writer Ian Winwood whether Ian was "in the company of wealth." According to Winwood, both men answered, without hesitation, with the word "yeah." Millionaires, Ian wondered. "Yeah," they said. And how about multimillionaires? "Yes," was the response from Bolan, while Sabo said: "Almost."

Rachel added: "There's a very popular American DJ, who will remain nameless, who talked shit about us on his show saying that we all live in tents. And I'm, like, well, then I've got two very nice tents."

Bolan previously touched upon people's misconceptions about SKID ROW's financial status in July 2022 in an interview with Fistful Of Metal magazine. Asked if it is still viable to make a living as a musician these days. Rachel responded: "People have this misconception that everyone in the band is broke, and we're not. We had some massive songs, which I guess they forgot about, and we sold nearly 23 million records [laughs], so we're not broke by any means. I heard some woman say, 'Oh, they live in tents', and I'm, like, 'Okay. I've got a couple of tents, one in Jersey and one down in Atlantic City, and they're nice tents, y'know?'

"We never had to go back to day jobs; the albums keep selling, and we make good money on the road," he explained. "That's another misconception that we play for peanuts; it's a lot of peanuts. [Laughs] Don't slip on the fucking shells."

Back in 2015, Sebastian Bach told Rodney Holder of Australia's Music Business Facts that only three of the members of SKID ROW's classic lineup were part of the band's record deal with Atlantic: Bach, Bolan and Sabo. "And so, those agreements are done before you go into the studio," the singer said. "You have entertainment lawyers that speak to each other about what's happening and then you sign everything and then you go do it. And the ironic thing is, I haven't been in a room with Rachel Bolan in [more than] 20 years, but we are still in a business relationship together. We have the same accountant, and I get statements and we get… It's very strange, 'cause we are close together in a business sense — still, and forever — but I don't even have any relationship with the guy. So it's very strange and weird."

Asked if he "did okay" financially as a member of SKID ROW, Sebastian said: "We all did okay. When you sell 20 million records, everybody does okay. I mean, that's how many albums we sold and videos, singles… But, you know, we signed a publishing deal with [Jon] Bon Jovi's company, which gave him an extremely large cut of the first album. And when that happened, none of us realized it, really, and we were very bitter when we found that out. But our next record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, so quit your fucking whining. [Laughs] It's, like, I look back… He took us on tour… Nobody thought we'd make it. There was a million bands. We could have been BANG TANGO or TIGERTAILZ or… We could have been… There's a billion bands. We could have been BABYLON A.D. … Anyway, so, the fact that we were one of the bands that did make it was like a needle in the haystack. So for Bon Jovi to put us on the road in front of his crowd every night, that's how we made it. So he deserved to get paid for that. He could have taken any other band. So we re-did all those deals after the first album — for 'Slave To The Grind' and 'Subhuman Race' and the best-of album. We re-did all those."

Regarding whether he sees himself as a businessman, Bach told Music Business Facts: "Definitely. I am the president of Get Off My Bach Productions, and I am the boss in my band. I have a crew, I have a guitar tech, drum tech, soundman, tour manager, monitor man, band members… So, yes, I am a businessman. It depends on what interview I'm doing, you know, how I'm gonna answer that, as I said before. But, of course I am… Here's one thing that I should tell you: I sign my own checks. If this is a business article about business, here's something I'll tell you: you be the person that signs your checks. And that took me years to figure out. I had, in SKID ROW, accountants that sometimes I didn't even really know that would handle all the money and sign my checks for me. And you know what? That's not cool. I would say one of the greatest feelings I have is I'm the guy that signs my checks for my company — nobody else has that power, and people have tried to get it. And I'm, like, 'No, I'm the guy that signs checks for Sebastian Bach.' And so that would be a piece of advice that I would say would be good to keep."

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 Bolan, guitarists 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.

SKID ROW's latest album, "The Gang's All Here", was released in October 2022 via earMUSIC.

In a new interview with The Logan Show, Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., who spent eight years as a hired gun in Ozzy Osbourne's solo band, confirmed that he was approached about auditioning for MEGADETH in late 2014.

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What happened was [then-MEGADETH bassist] Dave Ellefson gave me a call and he was telling me that Chris [Broderick] was stepping down and they were looking for somebody to come in and replace him. He said, 'I know you're with Ozzy doing his thing.' So I don't know if David Ellefson, his role was to scout guitar players and talk to people and see who was available. Maybe that's what it was; it was just early stages. I never got to talk to management; I just spoke to Ellefson directly, 'cause I've been buddies with him before. And I was just getting ready to do a South American tour with Ozzy and JUDAS PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD, the 'Monsters Of Rock' tour, and there was talks about doing more things. And I was, like, 'I love MEGADETH. I'm a huge fan. But it will probably clash with if this continues or something.' I don't think mentally I was ready to just jump ship [and] do that. And so that that was a discussion that just basically didn't go anywhere. And he knew, yeah."

Asked if MEGADETH reached out to him again last year when Kiko Loureiro left the band and they once again needed a replacement guitarist, Gus said: "So, actually, I spoke to Kiko a little bit, and he already had [current MEGADETH guitarist] Teemu [Mäntysaari] in place. And he was asking me, like, Kiko was saying, 'Well, do you have a visa or something? If there's any problems.' I think they were looking for somebody that might be like some kind of a backup thing, in case it doesn't work out, or visas don't work out or passports. And I was, like, 'I don't have a visa, no. Not right now.' I think I had some other gigs scheduled, and I think Teemu was already in place. But, yeah, me and Kiko have been buddies for a long, long time — almost 20 years. And I think he found the guy that was gonna fill in for him, who is incredible, by the way."

Gus also talked about the time he was approached about possibly auditioning for MACHINE HEAD as a replacement for Phil Demmel back in 2019. He said: "I like MACHINE HEAD, I have to say. It's a fucking killer band. And I know Robb [Flynn, MACHINE HEAD frontman] and Phil as well and the guys — not very well, but we met a few times and we hung out a couple of times and they're super cool.

"I think that whole thing came out, I think MACHINE HEAD was gonna come to Greece and do a show, and they had a tour planned," he explained. "And we were talking about maybe going up on stage and jamming a couple of songs — some covers or whatever. And then, I don't know, the discussion went, like, 'How about doing this tour?'

"But, yeah, would it be a good fit? I'm not sure," Gus added. "I'm not a thrash guitar player. And then again, I was in a totally different phase in my life. I was getting ready to do some FIREWIND stuff and all that. And I think actually a few months after, the world shut down anyway; everything got canceled anyway [due to the] pandemic."

Earlier in the month, Gus told The Chuck Shute Podcast that he wasn't sure if he was "really made for being like a hired-gun kind of guy. I'm enjoying calling my own shots, I guess," he said. "It's two different worlds doing those things. I mean, doing your own thing, of course, involves a lot of risks — financial, of course, because you don't know if things will work out. You have to put tours together and you have to front your own capital to do things, to get things going. And you don't know if it's gonna work out, if people are gonna like it. So it's just very competitive, of course, out there, especially nowadays. And then, of course, being a hired gun for a band, you don't have to worry about any of that. But, of course, you're also disposable."

Last November, Gus shared his cover of Marty Friedman's impressive lead section in MEGADETH's "Tornado Of Souls". In a statement accompanying the YouTube release of the video, Gus wrote: "After posting my recent cover of Yngwie's [Malmsteen] 'Trilogy', someone requested MEGADETH's 'Tornado Of Souls'. Happens to be one of my favorites and it got me practicing again.

"We all know Marty Friedman is 'out of this world' level player, the rest of us can keep trying.

"MEGADETH always had insane lead guitarists in their ranks. For me it's an inspiration."

Gus, whose real name is Kostantinos Karamitroudis, joined Osbourne's band in 2009 after building a name for himself as one of metal/hard rock's most exciting new shredders in his own melodic metal act, FIREWIND. The guitarist would go on to play on Osbourne's 2010 studio album "Scream" and managed to start a solo career while Ozzy was touring and recording with BLACK SABBATH.

In a 2018 interview with "The Right To Rock" podcast, Gus was asked if he saw any similarities between his situation in joining up with Ozzy in 2009 and Loureiro getting the call to join MEGADETH in 2015. Like G., Loureiro was a recognizable figure in guitar shred circles and in the European metal scene because of ANGRA but was a largely unknown commodity in America before joining MEGADETH.

"Kiko's a friend of mine," said Gus. "Our bands toured together [in 2007], ANGRA and FIREWIND. It's a great thing, it's a wonderful thing that a guy like that, a great musician like him, he joined an iconic band like MEGADETH. A lot of people are hearing about him in America now. The guy has had a great career in Asia, Europe and South America for many years. Yeah, it's been a great opportunity for him and I was very happy to see him in MEGADETH. It was kind of a similar situation when I joined Ozzy [in 2009]."

FIREWIND will release a new studio album, "Stand United", on March 1 via AFM.

In a new interview with WNST and Baltimore Positive founder Nestor Aparicio, TRIUMPH guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett was asked if he can foresee himself ever going back on the road again. He responded: "I am a guy that wrote a song that said 'never say never', and, and I do find it dangerous to take a really big paintbrush and paint brushstrokes, but I should tell you, I've been struggling with some arthritis in my hands, and that's changing things. I don't know how much it will."

He continued: "I've gone through a sort of a cancer treatment. Now I'm sort of trying to deal with this advent of rheumatoid arthritis, and I don't know how much it's gonna knock a hole in my ability to [play]. So certainly going out on the road and traveling and hotels and airports, that does seem like a grind to me. And I've gotta admit, my wife has been patiently sitting around for decades waiting for, 'Hey…' She's gonna go on a safari — she's going to like Kenya and Nairobi this year. I'm not going with her. That's not my idea of fun."

On February 5, Rik revealed that he had just completed radiation treatment for prostate cancer. He added in a social media post: "For you gentlemen out there north of age 45-50, please do yourself a favor and get checked. If you catch it early, there's an excellent chance it can be treated; and treatment doesn't always have to mean surgery or chemotherapy either. Consider this a PSA to get your PSA checked!"

Emmett went public with his prostate cancer battle last November, telling John Beaudin of RockHistoryMusic.com: "I have to take medications and stuff. I've just had another biopsy done. I'm gonna find out in a couple of weeks whether or not it's gonna have to come out or stay. Men my age, everybody should be getting checked regularly. You've gotta try and stay ahead of it. And I am ahead of it. But my dad had it for, like 20 years at the end of his life. I'm hoping I've just got that slow-growing kind of…

"There's a statistic — I think it's like 80 percent of men's bodies when they're old, when they do autopsies, they have some form of prostate cancer," the 70-year-old Emmett, who was promoting his then-just-released memoir, "Lay It On The Line - A Backstage Pass To Rock Star Adventure, Conflict And Triumph", explained. "It's just if you live long enough, you're probably gonna get it. So it doesn't freak me out. It would freak me out if somebody sat me down and said, 'Yeah, it's moved. We're finding it in other places now.' 'Cause I've been there with my brothers and my mom. And you go 'Well, that's not good. How much time have I got?'"

Although prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer found in men and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, it can also be one of the most treatable forms of cancer.

If elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is identified early, there are treatment options that have been shown to extend survival. It is important for men to be informed about different treatment options and their side effect profile so that they can have educated treatment conversations with their doctor.

On average, approximately one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.

Both JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE bassist Tim Commerford have spoken out publicly about their prostate cancer battles.

Emmett, who quit TRIUMPH — acrimoniously, in 1988 — over music and business disputes, went on to pursue a solo career, while TRIUMPH carried on with future BON JOVI guitarist Phil X for one more album, 1992's "Edge Of Excess", before calling it a day the following year.

Emmett was estranged, both personally and professionally, from the two other members of the legendary Canadian classic rock power trio for 18 years before they repaired their relationship.

"Lay It On The Line - A Backstage Pass To Rock Star Adventure, Conflict And Triumph" came out on October 10 via ECW Press.

Gil Moore (drums),Mike Levine (bass) and Emmett formed TRIUMPH in 1975, and their blend of heavy riff-rockers with progressive odysseys, peppered with thoughtful, inspiring lyrics and virtuosic guitar playing quickly made them a household name in Canada. Anthems like "Lay It On The Line", "Magic Power" and "Fight The Good Fight" broke them in the USA, and they amassed a legion of fiercely passionate fans. But, as a band that suddenly split at the zenith of their popularity, TRIUMPH missed out on an opportunity to say thank you to those loyal and devoted fans, a base that is still active today, three decades later.

After 20 years apart, Emmett, Levine and Moore played at the 2008 editions of the Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma. A DVD of the historic Sweden performance was made available four years later.

Back in 2016, Moore and Levine reunited with Rik as special guests on the "RES 9" album from Emmett's band RESOLUTION9.

I just finished my radiation today and got to ring the bell. For those who might not have been aware, I had a bout with...

Posted by Rik Emmett on Monday, February 5, 2024

Multiplayer action horror game Dead By Daylight has teamed up with legendary heavy metal band IRON MAIDEN to bring their beloved figurehead, Eddie, to the game in an electrifying new collection.

A true metal icon, you know Eddie as the shapeshifting figure gracing nearly all of IRON MAIDEN's album covers, t-shirts, and merch. Where their heart-pounding music plays, you can be sure Eddie is not far behind.

Eddie enters The Fog as Legendary Outfits for The Dredge, The Doctor, The Deathslinger, and The Oni. IRON MAIDEN fans are sure to recognize the inspiration behind the Outfits, as each one draws from one or more of Eddie's iconic iterations throughout the years. Survivors also get to join the mix, with Very Rare tour shirts for all the game's original Survivors.

"What an incredibly exciting new collaboration for us to explore," shares Kirby Taylor, product manager on Dead By Daylight. "Eddie is such an icon, and flipping through some of his famous appearances to see which Killers we could pair them with was a dream come true. We're also glad our Survivors can get in on the fun with some killer tour t-shirts. A couple of those even have a little surprise as well, depending on the Survivor, but we'll leave that up to players to find."

As an additional treat for fans, IRON MAIDEN's classic track "Fear Of The Dark" will play once any of these cosmetics are equipped in the match lobby — helping set the mood for the face-melting challenge ahead.

Having appeared in bloody battlefields, dystopic futures, and the deep reaches of hell, Eddie will be right at home in the twisted world of Dead By Daylight.

Created by Behaviour Interactive, Dead By Daylight is a multiplayer action horror game of hide and seek, set in a dark fantasy and drawing from all corners of horror, where each match is a different experience. Dead By Daylight boasts 60 million players both globally and across all platforms. On any given day, up to two million players step into The Fog, whether on PC, console, or mobile. Since its release in 2016, the game has become a place where cult classic horror survives and thrives, having welcomed legends from TV, movies, and video games. For more information, please visit deadbydaylight.com.

Behaviour Interactive is the largest Canadian gaming studio, with more than 1,300 employees worldwide. Behaviour is best known for its flagship franchise, the multiplayer survival horror game Dead By Daylight, which has entertained 60 million players across multiple platforms. The studio is currently expanding its portfolio of original IP with multiple projects, including the acclaimed building and raiding title Meet Your Maker. Behaviour has also established itself as one of the world's leading providers of external development services. The company has partnered with many of the gaming industry's leaders, including Microsoft, Sony, EA, Warner, Netflix and Take-Two, among many others. Over 30 years, Behaviour has developed an unparalleled, award-winning culture. The company was named one of the Best Places to Work in Canada by GamesIndustry.biz, and has been recognized with Deloitte Canada's Enterprise Fast 15 and Best Managed Company awards. Headquartered in Montreal, Behaviour has expanded its global presence with studios in Toronto (Behaviour Toronto),Seattle (Midwinter Entertainment),the United Kingdom (Behaviour UK - North and Behaviour UK - South) and the Netherlands (Behaviour Rotterdam).

In a new interview with "Loudwire Nights", IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson, who is promoting his upcoming solo album, "The Mandrake Project", spoke about his hectic recording and touring schedule after coming out of a two-year pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We all got locked up for three years, so in that time, it gives you a lot of things — perspective, a chance to let ideas breathe, and a chance to discriminate against what's truly important and what's really not important. Now, of course, the world is back and we are just crazy busy.

"This year is gonna be nuts for me, which I don't have a problem with," he continued. "As long as my legs stay attached to the rest of my body, I'm gonna be okay. Don't go swimming with sharks. I've got basically 90 shows this year, just under, between the solo tour, which goes up to 21 of July, and then the MAIDEN tour that starts at the beginning of September and goes right the way through to just two weeks before Christmas. So that's full-on. There's like a three-week break in the middle, but that's it, during which time we'll be doing absolutely nothing — lying down somewhere going, 'Okay.' Recharge the batteries and off we go for round two. But it's really exciting, the intensity of it all."

The 65-year-old singer, who is also releasing "The Mandrake Project" 12-issue comic book series, added: And, yeah, it's not over. I mean, the comic's gonna go on for three years, just under. And in terms of music, obviously 'The Mandrake Project', the album is done, out March the 1st, and then we'll see how people take to it. But I'm going to be writing music in two or three weeks, I hope, with [longtime guitarist and collaborator] Roy['Z' Ramirez] again, because we've got more stuff we wanna do. So, yeah, there'll be another album, because we already have 10 or 12 different ideas for it."

"The Mandrake Project" will arrive via BMG.

Earlier this 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 Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass). Roy 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.

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

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith. Since then, Dickinson has only released one more solo album (the aforementioned "Tyranny Of Souls") but has previously said that his solo career is not over.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

In a new interview with Zisis Petkanas of Rock Overdose, former HIM frontman Ville Valo spoke about his plans for the coming months, including work on a possible follow-up to his debut solo album, "Neon Noir", which was released in January 2023 under the VV banner. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's only a few weeks [of touring] to go to [in support of 'Neon Noir']. We're gonna fly over to Australia and New Zealand and then over to Athens. And then we're playing about 32 shows and finishing the tour in London in early May. And after that, I don't know. And that's the cool thing about it. I'm probably gonna start working on new music. I've already started humming and strumming a couple of new ideas."

He continued: "I'm sort of like a racehorse with the blinkers on. So I wanna concentrate on the tour. And that's the important thing now. And then once the tour is over, then 'Neon Noir' is over for me. I don't have to think about that album anymore, and I don't have to think about the songs, which means that I'm free to do whatever I choose. And if I'm reading the horoscope right, I think that I'm gonna be working on music, and it won't be that much different. So it will still be emotional, it will still be melancholy. But I have no idea yet when that music might come out and in which form. But I'm definitely gonna be working on some music. And I think the quicker, the better.

"I'm excited about the fact that people have been interested in what I do," Ville added. "If it wouldn't have gone so well, it might be that I wouldn't be as keen on doing it more. So, it's a matter of survival. It has to be."

Earlier in the month, Valo told The Rockpit about the response to "Neon Noir": "Well, the operation in its entirety has been quite — I've been awestruck and I've been exhilarated. I'm really pleasantly surprised because there were so many things… HIM was such a big part of who I am and still is such a big part of who I am, I wasn't sure whether I can pull off writing a good song by myself, or to perform it with a new set of lads behind me playing it. And I didn't know how people were gonna react. For obvious reasons, I was hoping that it wouldn't be a tribute act in a way and that it wouldn't be just about the HIM songs. And I've been really pleasantly surprised that there seems to be this new generation that never had the chance to see HIM, and some of the newer generation, they seem to be gravitating towards 'Neon Noir' more than the HIM tracks, which is great. So there's all sorts of people in the audience. There's people from between 18 and, let's say, 68. It's great that there's all sorts, and that makes each and every night a bit different. Not to say that there would be grannies on Tuesdays and teenagers on Wednesdays, but it keeps on changing. Also, the cool thing about HIM was the fact that different albums had different levels of success in different parts of the world. So, an album called 'Dark Light' was quite a success in the States, then an album called 'Love Metal' was quite a success in the U.K., and an album called 'Razorblade Romance' was a huge success in the Central Europe area. Then the 'Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666' was quite massive here in our home country [of Finland]. So, different songs have different meanings to different audiences and people, and that makes it always a positive struggle."

He continued: "It's been really, really nice because I couldn't really wish for more. And then the fact that we've been able to travel quite a bit. We played 120 shows last year, which is a lot for me. I've never been a part of a tour, like an IRON MAIDEN sort of thing, the way you do 300 shows in five years. So, there's 30 more or so to go before we finish off a Royal Albert Hall in London on, I think the 10th of May. And, yeah, it's been… I couldn't really hope for anything more. It's been amazing, especially after the pandemic. And there's so many things that influence the overall exhilaration, so to speak."

HIM completed a farewell tour in 2017, closing the final chapter on the band's 26-year career.

A little over a year ago, Ville told Radio Bob! about HIM's split: "I think it was the right call to call it a day with HIM. We'd done it for a long, long time and it started to sort of, like, wither away a bit. It was maybe our interest and maybe just sign of the times. We'd been together for such a long time that we were ourselves really surprised that it lasted for such a long time."

"Neon Noir" came out via Heartagram Records, distributed by UMG/Spinefarm.

Valo's show at the iconic and historic Royal Albert Hall in London on May 10 will mark the end of his promotion around "Neon Noir". The concert will not only be the "Neon Noir" finale but also wrap up Valo's reincarnation.

"The idea behind VV and 'Neon Noir' was to symbolically finish what HIM started, and after the bangs and whimpers at the Royal Albert Hall, it's time to reshuffle the pieces of the puzzle once again and give Herbert West a shout," he said in a press release.

"I had no expectations whatsoever when releasing music under the banner of VV, so I've been quite shocked to see people still find my kind of racket enjoyable, warts and all. Touring has been way less painful than I dared to hope, and as we say in Finland, it fits my arse like a glove. A mourning glove from a bygone era."

The story of Loverboy is akin to a Hollywood movie. They overcame rejection to eventually become one of Canada's most successful rock bands of all time and selling millions of albums in the process, and it's a feel-good story for the ages.


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


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




Live In ‘82 will become available on limited CD+Blu-ray, limited LP+DVD and digital streaming and download. Today’s announcement coincides with the launch of the first live track. "Turn Me Loose" is available as digital single and live video.


Watch the "Turn Me Loose" video below, stream the single here.


For more than 40 years, Loverboy have been "Working For The Weekend" (and on the weekend), delighting audiences around the world since forming in 1979, when vocalist Mike Reno was introduced to guitar hot shot Paul Dean — both veterans of several bands on the Canadian scene — at Calgary's Refinery Night Club. Along with Reno and Dean, Loverboy still includes original members Doug Johnson on keyboards and Matt Frenette on drums, with Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve replacing the late Scott Smith on bass.


With their trademark red leather pants, bandanas, big rock sound and high-energy live shows, the band has sold more than 10 million albums, earning several multi-platinum awards. Their string of hits includes, in addition to the anthem "Working For The Weekend," such arena rock staples as "The Kid Is Hot Tonight," "Take Me To The Top," "Turn Me Loose," "Jump," and many more. Loverboy are not only masters of their craft as songwriters, but also renowned for being a formidable touring act, spending years on the road sharing stages with everyone from Def Leppard to Journey.


In 2009, the group was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and more recently the Canadian Walk of Fame, in the fall of 2023.


And there is no stopping the band this year, as they embark on a Live Nation promoted North American tour supporting Sammy Hagar, starting in July.


Tour dates can be found here. Pre-order the live album here.





Tracklisting:


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

The MrRogerRocks2 YouTube channel has uploaded fan-filmed video of ZZ TOP's Billy F Gibbons performing on February 23 aboard this year's Rock Legends Cruise XI on Royal Caribbean's Independence Of The Seas. Accompanying Gibbons during the set were Austin Hanks on guitar and Matt Sorum (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) on drums. Check out the clips below.

With his signature beard and African headgear, Gibbons is instantly recognizable. He's best known as the centerpiece and one third of ZZ TOP, the band that came together in 1969 and has stayed part of the American musical landscape ever since. Billy and bandmates Dusty Hill and Frank Beard were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2004, most appropriately by Keith Richards of THE ROLLING STONES, a longtime friend of Billy's.

His singular look notwithstanding, Billy's even more notable for having been recognized as one of the most inventive and dexterous guitarists of the rock era. Gibbons is widely regarded as one of the world's finest guitarists working in the blues-rock idiom. ZZ TOP's sound owes much to his uncanny knack to squeeze unheard of sounds out of the electric guitar that resonate with the blues, pop, R&B, country, gospel, western, hillbilly and West African influences that coalesced when rock and roll was born. His almost subconscious awareness of this heritage makes his an approach that is, at once, innovative and authentic. As a vocalist, his down-and-dirty growl is unmistakable; he sounds ominous and mirthful at the same time, as listeners to such hits as "La Grange", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Cheap Sunglasses" can attest.

Before ZZ TOP, who would go on to become a living symbol of the State of Texas, Billy fronted several bands during his formative years growing up in Houston, and soon became a local phenomenon. THE MOVING SIDEWALKS was his psychedelic pre-ZZ TOP group and had occasion to open for Jimi Hendrix, who was so taken with young Gibbons's fretwork that he called it to the attention of Dick Cavett on national TV.

Now, as then, Billy Gibbons is much more than an iconic guitar slinger with a monumental length of chin whiskers. He's an internationally recognized collector of guitars and cars, a fact chronicled in the best-selling book he wrote about his collecting obsessions, "Rock + Roll Gearhead" (MBI Publishing).

His guitar collection today numbers more than 800 instruments and includes the famous "Furry One," as seen in the "Legs" video, and his most cherished guitar, "Pearly Gates," a Gibson Les Paul that he values above all others. Years ago, when Gibbons visited the childhood home of Muddy Waters on Mississippi's Stovall Plantation, he noted that a massive cypress timber that had been part of the shotgun shack's roof had fallen. He was gifted with the huge piece of lumber and commissioned a guitar to be made out of it in tribute to Waters, a longtime hero of Billy's. Thus was born the "Muddywood" guitar that was soon donated to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale where it is on display to this day.

The cars he's built over the years have become stars in their own right: Eliminator, CadZZilla, Kopperhead, Whiskey Runner and others have been major attractions on the car show circuit and have been seen in numerous videos. They are works of art — literal museum pieces. Eliminator has been on display at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, and CadZZilla, Coupe de Grace, Slampla and HogZZilla were part of the Petersen Automotive Museum's Cars & Guitars Of Rock 'N Roll exhibition in Los Angeles, for which he served as creative consultant. Beyond guitars and cars, Gibbons has a renowned collection of African art, and an abiding interest in both the paranormal and cutting-edge technology.

Apart from his work with ZZ TOP, he's recorded with such notable artists as B.B. King, Les Paul, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, Shemekia Copeland, Kid Rock, Alice Cooper, Johnny Winter, John Mayall, Sue Foley and others.

This lineup is on fire! Rooms are selling out fast for Rock Legends Cruise XI setting sail for the Dominican Republic,...

Posted by Rock Legends Cruise 2024 on Thursday, February 22, 2024

SUM 41 has shared a new single, "Waiting On A Twist Of Fate", taken from the Grammy-nominated band's upcoming final album, "Heaven :x: Hell". The second single from the double album's pop-punk "Heaven" side, "Waiting On A Twist Of Fate" harkens back to the earliest days of the band's pop punk roots. The track opens the album the only way long-time fans would expect SUM 41 to open an album — a flurry of guitar riffs, drum fills, and vocals powerful enough to raise the dead.

"Waiting On A Twist Of Fate" is paired alongside a brand new music video, available to watch now below. The video, filmed at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas, pays homage to the music that inspired the formation of SUM 41 that the members hold close to their hearts to this day. The video features a cameo from CJ Ramone, as well as footage of SUM 41 inside of GREEN DAY's infamous tour bus the Bookmobile.

Due on March 29 via Rise Records, "Heaven :x: Hell" is the most ambitious album from SUM 41 yet — "Heaven" is 10 tracks of snarling high-energy pop punk, while "Hell" consists of ten heavy metal anthems spiked with fret-burning solos, thrashing riffs, and fist-pumping hooks. The band has been straddling the line of pop-punk and metal for their entire career, and "Heaven :x: Hell" is a testament to their innovative sound and unmatched skill, proving them as pioneers 27 years after the bands inception.

SUM 41 previously shared "Rise Up" and "Landmines", from "Heaven :x: Hell"'s metal "Hell" side and pop-punk "Heaven" portion, respectively. The tracks have gained the attention of notable outlets such as Entertainment Tonight, Revolver, Consequence, NME, Exclaim!, Brooklyn Vegan, Alternative Press, Knotfest and countless others. The band also made an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to perform "Landmines". The track is currently at No. 2 on U.S. Alternative radio charts and No. 1 on Canada Alternative, Active Rock, and Big Picture radio charts.

Last year, SUM 41 announced their breakup after 27 years of making music together. The news was reported on by The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, CNN, Bloomberg, Pitchfork, "Today", CBS, Billboard and countless other major news outlets globally. "Heaven :x: Hell" is aiming for nothing short of greatness, a perfect parting gift from the band to the fans that have supported them endlessly.

"I love SUM 41, what we've achieved, endured, and stuck together through, which is why I want to call it quits," vocalist Deryck Whibley said. "There were so many times we could've broken up. For some reason, we kept sticking it out. I'm proud of that. It's the right time to walk away from it. I'm putting all of my energy into what's ahead. This is going to be the biggest tour of our lives, and I want to make it the best show we've ever done. That's it."

Speaking to CJAY 92 's Jesse and JD about the upcoming album, Whibley said: "The intention was with this new record — it's a double record, 'Heaven :x: Hell', and the 'Heaven' side is 10 songs of what would be old-school SUM 41 pop punk, and the 'Hell' side is the newer sort of heavier metal side that we've done for about 16, 17 years now — maybe even longer. But anyway, yeah, I think that song does have the spirit of, say, [2001's] 'All Killer No Filler' and [2002's] 'Does This Look Infected?', but played by a band that's been playing for 30 years now."

Asked how much pressure was there for him and his bandmates to make this final album exactly how they wanted it, Deryck said: "There was no pressure, because we didn't really know that we were going to make this the last record. When I started writing songs for this record, I didn't even know I was writing songs for SUM 41. I thought I was writing for other people, because at the beginning of the pandemic, I was getting asked by managers and record labels if I'd work with some of their artists. They were looking for pop-punk stuff. And so I just started writing songs, and I just happened to like them and I didn't wanna give them away. So I kept them. And I didn't even know we were making a double album. I didn't even know it was going to be what it became. It wasn't until all the music was just written. I was just writing for the sake of writing, and when I listened to it all back, it just kind of spoke to me."

Regarding the decision to put SUM 41 to rest after the upcoming LP and tour, Deryck said: "I'm a big believer in that the music tells you what to do, and it just told me this should be a double album. Once that album was finished, I'd realized, and I'd been thinking this for a while, that I felt like after all these years with my 1,000% focus on SUM 41 all day, every day, I felt like I don't have much more of that in me to continue past this record. I've been in this band since I was in tenth grade, and I just... I'm getting to a point where I'm thinking, I'd like to put some focus and energy into something else. And I felt this is probably the best record we've ever made. And I think this version of the band is the best we've ever been live. And I thought, what a way to just go out on this one."

Whibley previously talked about "Heaven :x: Hell" in an interview with TheresaRockFace of the Houston, Texas radio station 94.5 The Buzz. At the time, he said: "It's two totally different records. It's 10 songs each side. I would call like early SUM 41 pop punk, and the 'Hell' side is like newer, heavier SUM 41 that we've kind of done the past couple of records, that sort of style. I don't wanna call it metal, but it's our version of what we do that's heavy and metal influenced."

He explained: "Over the years, we've done both sort of styles. We've had more heavy music than pop-punk music, but since we started with that on those first two records, it's kind of like you're labeled that for the rest of your life. But there are fans of ours that don't really care for any of the pop-punk stuff and only like the heavier stuff, and vice versa."

According to Whibley, "There are no guests" on "Heaven :x: Hell". "There was some talk about it," he said. "We've never really done that. And as the record starts moving along, it just gets finished, and we're, like, 'Well, I guess we've done the record now.' Those ideas come up early on, and then once the songs are done, we're, like, 'I don't know. Maybe we'll just leave it as is.'"

Whibley also talked about the songwriting process for "Heaven :x: Hell" and how it came to turn into a double album. He said: "It wasn't really that fast [to make], but it also wasn't intentional. There was no thought or idea to make a double album. The music just kind of came out that way. And I'm always a believer in the music tells you what to do. So I didn't have this idea of, like, 'I'm gonna write a bunch of pop-punk songs and write a bunch of heavy songs.' I was just writing stuff and collecting music, and I didn't know what it was for. And one day I just decided, 'Okay, I've got all these songs. I'm gonna put 'em on a disc and go drive around in the car and listen to just see what I have.' And once I listened to it all, it kind of spoke to me. It was just, like, 'This needs to be a double album, 'cause they're two separate albums.' There was no thought of it. And even with the band, I didn't tell them, 'Hey, I think this is a double album.' I just sent them the music and said, 'Listen to everything that I've been working on. Tell me what you think.' And one by one, each guy came back and said, 'What do you think about doing a double album?' So the music spoke to all of us."

SUM 41's storied 24-plus-year career includes over 15 million records sold worldwide, multiple Billboard-charting releases, a Grammy Award nomination, two Juno Awards (seven nominations),a Kerrang! Award in 2002, as well as multiple Alternative Press Music Awards.

In September 2023, Whibley was discharged from a hospital after being treated for pneumonia.

Back in 2014, Deryck collapsed in his kitchen and was rushed to the hospital, before doctors revealed his liver and kidneys had failed. He was placed in a coma for a week to help his body detox from alcohol and went on to get sober and lead a healthier lifestyle.

SUM 41 recently announced its last headlining world tour, "Tour Of The Setting Sum", to celebrate the upcoming release of "Heaven :x: Hell". SUM 41 will be making stops in the United States, Japan, Mexico, Germany, Italy, and more, as well as performing their largest show to date to a sold-out crowd of over 35,000 people at Paris La Défense Arena in France later this year. SUM 41 will play its final show as a band in Toronto, Ontario, at Scotiabank Arena on January 30, 2025.

In a new interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was asked if he thinks it was necessary for him to leave the band in order to achieve the sobriety that he has now maintained for over 17 years. Ace responded: "It's a lot easier being sober away from those guys. They know how to push my buttons, and we don't always see eye to eye on everything. But once Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer] left the band, Paul [Stanley, KISS frontman] and Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] always overrode my point of view."

He continued: "When Peter was in the band, it was a democratic group. And I didn't even realize it, but when Peter left, I realized I had lost all my power in the band because pretty much Paul and Gene are workaholics and like to do things their way. So, if I don't like the way something is happening, I get outvoted. I was dead set against 'The Elder' [KISS's controversial 1981 LP 'Music From 'The Elder']; I didn't think it was the right album for the right time. It's not a bad record; I don't think our fans were expecting a record like that. And I kept telling him during the recording process, I said, 'I think it's a big mistake.' And, of course, it bombed. Because I'm the kind of guy that has this feeling of — I'm a street kid, and I have a sense of what kids wanna hear. And that's why I think this new album is gonna be successful."

Last month, Ace spoke to Rock Candy magazine about why he never made it on stage one last time with KISS for their final show at Madison Square Garden last December after last leaving the band back in 2002.

"Fans would constantly reach out to me and say, 'Ace, please come back to the band,'" Frehley explained. "So the fans were and are my primary motivators, and I want them to know that I did try, but I couldn't make it happen. They never asked me."

Frehley dismissed the idea that his well-documented troubles with drugs and alcohol could ever have been a reason for Simmons and Stanley not reaching out to him.

"I'm sober, and all my friends and associates will tell you as much," he stated categorically. "I got to the point in life where drugs and alcohol had taken me over, and I'm just so happy to be away from all that."

Despite the much-reported rifts with Simmons and Stanley over many years, nevertheless Frehley insisted that he still had affection for both of them.

"I want people to know that I do love Paul and Gene," he said. "I wish things would have been different, but it wasn't to be…" Nor does Frehley hold any animosity towards his replacement Tommy Thayer.

"He's a good guy and deserves a break," Ace said. "He's not me, but he was never going to be me. In a lot of ways, his task was impossible."

Last November, prior to KISS's final concert, Frehley told Mark Strigl of SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard that he didn't hold a grudge against KISS, despite all the badmouthing that had gone on between him and some of the other original KISS members in recent years.

"I wish KISS the best, all the best on their final shows for the 'End Of The Road' tour," he said. "There's really no hard feelings. We say things sometimes in the heat of passion or sometimes our memory isn't… [we don't] recall things. But I love those guys. We're all getting old, our memory isn't what it used to be, so I just let it roll off my back."

Ten months ago, Frehley told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was still open to playing with KISS at the band's final shows in New York City. "Money motivates me, just like it motivates them, but I don't put money before God," he explained. "If I got a quarter of a million dollars a night, and I can make half a million dollars for playing three or four songs, five songs, I'd take the money. [I'd] buy a Ferrari… buy a Maserati. [Laughs] I don't really wanna play with those guys ever again after what they've done, but money can change my mind."

Frehley continued: "Look, I'm a capitalist. I grew up in America. But I'd never put money before people's feelings. I like money as much as the next guy does, but money isn't my God, like it is theirs. They're all atheists. Whatever they can do or say, whether it's true or false, as long as it makes them the most amount of money, they're gonna do [it]."

Ace also addressed the issue of whether he would have performed with KISS at the band's final concerts while wearing his trademark "Spaceman" makeup — the same makeup his replacement Tommy Thayer had been sporting for more than two decades. "Sure. For a quarter of a million dollars," he said, explaining that "I'm a good-looking guy. I don't need the makeup."

When Trunk pressed Ace about what he thought the odds were of him playing with KISS at the final concerts in New York, Frehley said at the time: "It all depends on money. If I get a formal invitation with a check, I'll be there. But they've gotta have deep pockets… If they don't wanna pay me, I won't be there, ladies and gentleman."

Ace also once again confirmed that he had never received a formal invitation to join his former bandmates at their last-ever shows. "Absolutely not," he said. "From what I understand, the shows are sold out. The only reason they sold out is they made innuendos that me and Peter were gonna be there, [that] they invited us. I wasn't invited. They lie all the time. Haven't they said, 'We're inviting Ace and Peter to come up and play?' Or at least me? Multiple times. So, people bought the tickets. But I haven't been given a formal invitation or given an offer monetarily. And I'm probably not gonna get one now after this interview. And guess what: I don't give a shit."

Despite everything that had been said between all the parties, Ace claimed that he still looks back fondly on his time with KISS and he doesn't hate his former bandmates.

"Look, the bottom line is this: deep down in my heart, I love those guys, because we created something so special that it will be remembered for years," he said. "When we're all dead and buried, there will still be people listening to KISS music. And I'm overjoyed. But I want my legacy to be cleared of any of this bullshit and lies."

Founding BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward has shared a new original poem called "In These Days". Check it out below.

Ward has released a number of poems in recent years, some inspired by the coronavirus pandemic and others celebrating the fall–winter holiday season, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Bill was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced more than 12 years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, something that Iommi confirmed in 2017 during a question-and-answer session about SABBATH's "Ten Year War" box set.

In 2015, Ward released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

In November 2017, Ward's band DAY OF ERRORS released its first two songs, "Day Of Errors" and "Blaspheming At Creation", via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and Google Play. Two more tracks, "Dark" and "Ghost Train", followed in 2019.

In March 2021, Ward revealed that he was working on an autobiography.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🕊⬛️Bill Ward Official⬛️🕊 (@billwarddrummer)

Former SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg has shared video of a reunited INFECTIOUS GROOVES rehearsing the song "Infectious Grooves" in preparation for the funk metal band's 2024 concert dates.

Jay wrote on his social media: "Here's a look at our first run-through of the song 'Infectious Grooves'.

"After my first week back on drums following my hip surgery in November, it felt so great to play with these shredders. Can't wait to rip it up in Orange County and all over Australia next month!"

Three months after Weinberg was fired from SLIPKNOT, the drummer announced that he will be joining INFECTIOUS GROOVES, the long-running outfit formed more than three decades ago by now-METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo alongside Robert's then-SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bandmate Mike Muir.

INFECTIOUS GROOVES has scheduled two U.S. shows next month — March 23 and March 24 at the Garden Grove Amphitheater in Garden Grove, California — before embarking on a short tour of Australia in late March and early April.

Weinberg was recruited by INFECTIOUS GROOVES for the band's first live appearances since a one-off show in 2019 due to longtime drummer Brooks Wackerman's commitment to AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

"IG is beyond stoked and honored to be able to have the incredible Jay Weinberg to be the driving force as he beats the funk out of the drums on this run!" INFECTIOUS GROOVES announced on Instagram.

Added Weinberg: "It's an absolute honor to play with the legendary INFECTIOUS GROOVES on this incredibly exciting Australian tour! Playing with some of my favorite musicians, in one of the most beautiful countries, for some of the greatest fans of heavy music in the world…I couldn't be more thrilled to get started. See you all soon!"

In addition to Weinberg, Muir and Trujillo, INFECTIOUS GROOVES' 2024 lineup includes guitarists Dean Pleasants (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) and Dave Kushner (ex-VELVET REVOLVER).

INFECTIOUS GROOVES was formed soon after Trujillo joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES in 1989. Muir and Trujillo got together with some friends to write song that centered more around the bass, but with the intent of giving everyone else a whole lot of freedom.

"SEX PISTOLS and PARLIAMENT were my two favorite bands when I was young," commented Muir. "People think they're completely different but I saw a lot of similarities, even if musically they were categorized as completely different styles. There's something beautiful about breaking rules that never should have been made."

INFECTIOUS GROOVES 2024 tour dates:

March 23 - Garden Grove, California @ Garden Grove Amphitheater
March 24 - Garden Grove, California @ Garden Grove Amphitheater
March 30 - Melbourne, Australia @ Forum
March 31 - Brisbane, Australia @ Fortitude Music Hall
April 01 - Byron Bay, Australia @ Bluesfest
April 04 - Adelaide, Australia @ Hindley Street Music Hall
April 05 - Sydney, Australia @ UNSW Roundhouse

In a new interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked if there is any up-and-coming band that has "got [his] ear" at the moment. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, there's a lot of importance being put in the direction of this band called SLEEP TOKEN. And they're a really curious band in what they're putting out in terms of all of these different textures. They're very difficult to pin down. That's what I find intriguing as a musician listening to their music. It's going to a lot of different places, and I think that there isn't any other band out there right now that's able to do that. Because most bands have a specific sound and direction and idea that they project. And then you kind of fine-tune into that. But you can't really nail them down, if that's the expression. And, of course, the guys have been around for a few years; they're not, like, suddenly here they are. They've worked hard to get to this place of recognition. But I really like all the extra textures of the way that they look and the way that they're talking."

Rob added: "They have a [singer] called Vessel. One day The Metal God and Vessel will take a selfie together; I predict that. So, there's something cool."

Back in 2014, Halford dismissed Gene Simmons's claim that "rock is dead", telling Canadian journalist Mitch Lafon in an interview: "No, I've heard that statement a number of times through the decades that I've been in metal. I don't think it is. I think it's absolutely in incredible shape right now. [It's] never been stronger."

He continued: "I think we're surrounded constantly by new talent and the enthusiasm that surges from new bands of all kinds keeps rock alive and strong, and I think it'll always be that way. So, for me, when I check out the metal sites that I do every day — I check out a dozen metal sites from different places around the world — I see the strength and the power there, and it's tremendously exciting. It's a different world now, for sure, in terms of the way the industry side of the business works. That is a whole new perspective compared to how it was even twenty years ago, with the advent of the Internet, which created an enormous amount of… a change of perspective. It affected everybody in a great way.

"So what I'm saying is rock isn't dead. It's alive, it's thriving, and it's exciting."

SLEEP TOKEN released its third studio album, "Take Me Back To Eden", last May via Spinefarm. The band also enjoyed a completely sold-out North American tour this past fall.

"Take Me Back To Eden" has generated 400 million streams, while standout single "The Summoning" has generated 150 million streams alone, causing the track to trend on Twitter and take the No. 1 song spot on a host of international Spotify viral charts, as well as being selected as a "YouTube Trending Artist On The Rise," featuring on YouTube's homepage, viewed by millions of people every day.

JUDAS PRIEST's new album, "Invincible Shield", will arrive on March 8 via Sony Music.

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

SLEEP TOKEN photo credit: Andy Ford

In a new interview with Audacy Check In, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars spoke about why it has taken him more than four decades since the band's inception to release his debut solo album. He said: "Well, it took me 40 years 'cause MÖTLEY was priority… and now that I'm retired, I'm just me. I mean, if MÖTLEY wanted me to write songs with them again, of course I would… But right now, I'm just me, so I'm writing, and it's not MÖTLEY, and it's how I feel — my ideas and my kind of thing and kind of trying to reinvent myself or bring myself up to date."

Although CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx is responsible for penning the lion's share of the band's material, Mars did have a hand in co-writing some of the group's most famous tracks, including "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)", "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Dr. Feelgood".

The only credit Mars has on the first two MÖTLEY CRÜE albums is the instrumental "God Bless The Children Of The Beast" on 1983's "Shout At The Devil".

Mick's debut solo album, "The Other Side Of Mars", has just been released via his own label 1313, LLC, in partnership with MRI.

Birmingham, Alabama rocker Jacob Bunton collaborated extensively with Mars on "The Other Side Of Mars".

Bunton had previously worked with former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler and CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer, and has songwriting credits with Mariah Carey, Steven Tyler and Smokey Robinson, among others.

Bunton sings lead on all but two of the 12 songs on "The Other Side Of Mars".

Other guests on the LP include WINGER/ALICE COOPER keyboardist Paul Taylor, KORN drummer Ray Luzier, and Brion Gamboa, who handled lead vocals on the songs "Undone" and "Killing Breed".

Bunton previously fronted the Alabama bands MARS ELECTRIC and LYNAM.

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, he has since filed a lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach says that he is in the middle of "the final few recording sessions" for the band's upcoming follow-up to 2019's "Atonement". In a social media post on Wednesday (February 21),the 45-year-old musician, who lives in Woodstock, New York with his fiancée, Corinne Paris (a.k.a. Philia Porphyra),wrote in part: "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 [Adam Dutkiewicz, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and producer] 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."

Last month, Leach wrote in an Instagram post that the upcoming KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album 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."

Last summer, Adam told Rock Antenne about the progress of the songwriting sessions for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's next LP: "[It's going] very slow, but we're taking our time with the demoing process. We're gonna start recording right after this tour, actually. So, I would like it to be done by the end of the year, but it will most likely be completed early next year. And then we've gotta wait for the vinyl, and you know how that works. And so it'll probably be like mid-to-late next year. It takes that long."

Regarding what fans can expect from the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE LP, Jesse said: "I think it sounds like KILLSWITCH, but we're really pushing to do different lyrics, different themes, different sounds. None of it's gonna be phoned in. And that's why it's taken so long — just rewriting stuff and really just doing quality control."

Added Adam: "We made an effort to have everyone spend more time together writing instead of separately. Because we live so far from each other, it's hard for us to get together and jam. And we made an effort to all meet up and write music together this time. So there's that too. So it's gonna feel a little different, for sure. [It will be] more collaborative."

Last September, Dutkiewicz told TotalRock's Neil Jones that KILLSWITCH ENGAGE was "still at demo stages" for the upcoming album, "but we have quite a bit of demos. And Jesse's been writing and rewriting and going back to the little chopping block. We decided to have everybody in the band become a part of the lyric writing too. So Jesse will bring ideas. We say, 'We like this. We don't like this. This is the idea. Carry on with that.'"

Asked how the process of making a KILLSWITCH ENGAGE has evolved over the years, Adam told TotalRock: "In the past, I took a lot of it on my shoulders, to handle a lot of the duties. But I think the last record, in particular, everyone was just — they felt like a bit detached almost, because I was doing almost everything on my own. And I think they're just, like, 'We don't even feel like we made a record.' So they wanna be more of a part of the production process and the writing process. So I've made sure to keep everybody looped in and in the same circle. Communication's key to anything."

He continued: "I do my best to try to make something that we're kind of proud of. So, at the end of the day, it's up to me to make sure that everybody in the band is happy and we're all going in the same direction."

As for the musical direction of the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE material, Adam said: "We're still doing what we do. We're just trying to push the boundaries and shake it up a little bit and make it not the same thing we've been doing for 20-something years."

In a separate summer 2023 interview with Ore Bihovsky of TotalRock's "Louder" radio show, Adam said that he and his bandmates were still "demoing" and "writing" material for the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album. "We've been kind of busy with other side hustles and whatnot," he said. "But, yeah, [we've] just been taking our time and wanting to get Jesse in the right head space and get him comfortable. But we're pretty much ready to record now. We've just gotta wedge some time in between shows and tours and things going on within everybody's lives."

Asked if the challenges of staying productive during the coronavirus lockdown contributed to it taking this long for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE to come up with enough material for a new LP, Adam said: "Not necessarily. I've got a bunch of stuff going on. I've been writing a ton. But it was just more so pushing Jesse to get a little more, I guess just to vary it up a little bit more and maybe try to pull from other places for inspiration and just try to get some different lyrical content."

In August 2023, Leach told The Razor's Edge that KILLSWITCH ENGAGE had 14 or 15 demos ready for the next LP. But he added: "We're gonna be tossing out, like, four or five of them already to redo some stuff and to rethink some stuff just to make sure that everybody in the band feels like we're doing the best we can, and it does sound fresh yet familiar. So it's a challenge… You wanna please your fans, but you also wanna please yourself as an artist and as a band. So we're focusing on us first. And then my hope is that the fans will in turn be pleased with what we're doing because we are putting the effort in to ensure that it's something that isn't just a remake of something we've done before."

Asked if Dutkiewicz would once again be in charge of the production of the band's new LP, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE drummer Justin Foley told Forever Loud: "Yeah. We're pretty sure that we're gonna do it with Adam and Adam's gonna be the producer. I mean, it just makes sense. He knows what we're doing. We know how to work with him. We all know how to work with each other real well, and he obviously gets the band and what we're trying to go for. So it just makes too much sense not to do."

In July 2023, Leach told Oran O'Beirne of Bloodstock TV about the band's next album: "I think we made some headway. Definitely some good ideas, some good demos. I'm revisiting some ideas. We had a great little meeting where all of us got together and listened and talked, which, to me, has been a great process. And I think it's gonna make this album a lot different than what we've done in the past, 'cause everyone sort of has their voice. We're taking more time with it. So, yeah, it is taking a bit longer but it gives me hope that the end result will be that much better because it is taking a little bit more time to do it. But I'm stoked, for sure. There's some bangers on there already."

During the same chat, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio revealed that he wasn't feeling very inspired in the early days of the coronavirus downtime. "During the pandemic, for me, I kind of wasn't able to do much at all," he said. "You'd think that that would be the best writing process, to be nervous about your future and not sure what's gonna happen next. But I was just locked in some sort of a mode where I couldn't even do graphic design; for about six to eight months, I didn't do anything. But I think after that, it definitely seemed to start flowing. Especially when we did the live gig at the Palladium [in Worcester, Massachusetts], the livestream that we did [in August 2021], that kind of helped make the juices work a little bit more. We learned a lot of songs from 'Atonement' that we actually never played live together before, so that was an experience. And I think that's what kind of jarred us into, 'Okay, let's get this thing moving again.'"

In June 2023, Leach told Pete Bailey of Primordial Radio that the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album was "taking a lot longer than, I think, any of us anticipated, because there's a lot of quality control going on. And making sure that it's fresh; we're not repeating ourselves," he explained. "So that process has been a little arduous but I think necessary because we don't wanna put out something that people are gonna go, 'Oh, yeah. Another KILLSWITCH record. Whatever.'"

Regarding where he and his KILLSWITCH ENGAGE were with respect to the writing process, Jesse said: "We're solidifying a lot, but there's still some back-and-forth and looking at parts and rewriting the music. And then I'm revisiting a lot of the lyrics. I've actually rewritten a bunch of stuff. 'Cause we all got together and had a meeting, and all of us just kind of gave our input on everything, and I took notes. It's the first time, really, I think we've done that. But, again, I do believe that it's necessary at our stage in our career to really just kind of get all of our heads together to make sure that this record is gonna be what we all feel is a good representation of who we are right now."

On the topic of the lyrical inspiration for the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE material, Jesse said: "Initially, for me, I really wanted to put out something that was healing, something that could help people cope. But it's kind of turned into anger, it's kind of turned into frustration, it's kind of turned into seeing the greater deceptions of everything that's going on, the struggles of humanity. So I've kind of taken a turn for a little bit more of a darker topic than I initially had hoped for, but I think it's necessary. I think once I really sort of dug into myself, I realized that there was a lot that I was not tapping in to. And when I got honest with myself, I [said], 'You know what? There is a lot to be pissed off about.' And maybe that's the route; maybe that's the good therapeutic way to deal with it. You don't always have to sugarcoat things and let people know there's gonna be hope. Maybe it's just time to get your hands dirty and talk about some of the harder-to-deal-with topics, and that's kind of what I've been doing lately."

"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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by J E S S E L E A C H (@jesse_d_leach)

Ahead of the release of Aaron Lewis's next country album "The Hill" (out March 29 via The Valory Music Co.),the STAIND singer today drops "Made In China", the second single from the upcoming project.

"Made In China" — written by Lewis and Bobby Pinson — offers the loud-and-proud declaration that some things (like Lewis) are still made in the USA. With a dusky dose of down-tuned acoustic balladry, Lewis tributes a brash sense of patriotic pride, built to last and not ashamed to say so.

"I Ain't Made In China" features such lyrics as "I ain't made in China / From all the cheapest parts / I ain't one for driving them imported foreign cars / I'm more like American muscle from 1966 / I ain't made in China / I'm American as it gets / I ain't made by Uyghur kids for pennies on the dollar / I'm made in the USA / It says so on my collar / Tried and true, red, white and blue / My roots run way too thick / yeah, I ain't made in China / 'Cause I'm American as it gets."

"The best songs come from a place of authenticity," explains Lewis. "This one started as a conversation with friends as we picked up items around the room with 'Made In China' stamped on the bottom. And we put pen to paper."

"The Hill" track listing:

01. Let's Go Fishing (written by: Aaron Lewis, Bobby Pinson)
02. Over The Hill (written by: Aaron Lewis, Matt McGinn, Bobby Pinson)
03. Made In China (written by: Aaron Lewis, Bobby Pinson)
04. Spinnin' (written by: Aaron Lewis, Ira Dean, Jeffrey Steele)
05. Over Me (written by: Aaron Lewis, Ira Dean, Jeffrey Steele)
06. Outlaw (written by: Aaron Lewis, Matt McGinn, Bobby Pinson)
07. Up To Me (written by: Aaron Lewis, Bobby Pinson)
08. That's My Life (written by: Aaron Lewis, Ira Dean, Jeffrey Steele)
09. Only In My Mind (written by: Aaron Lewis, Ira Dean, Jeffrey Steele)
10. Little More Mine (written by: Aaron Lewis, Matt McGinn, Bobby Pinson)

The "Let's Go Fishing" lyrics find the 51-year-old Lewis — an outspoken conservative rocker who reinvented himself as a solo country artist in the last decade — singing about "making America great again", "turning off CNN" and using the "Let's Go, Brandon!" catchphrase, which was coined by American conservatives to criticize President Joe Biden.

According to Fox 26 Houston, the "Let's Go, Brandon!" phrase, which originally stemmed from a NASCAR interview, is a G-rated substitute for "Fuck Joe Biden" chants that were popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. The explicit saying was recited at sporting events across the country in defiance of the president's coronavirus mandates.

After Brandon Brown's victory at the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on October 2, 2021, a crowd unleashed "Fuck Joe Biden" chants during the young racer's TV interview. NBC reporter Kelli Stavast appeared to misunderstand what the fans were shouting, claiming instead they were saying "Let's Go, Brandon!" — unintentionally coining the phrase.

In November 2021, Lewis claimed that he beat COVID-19 by taking ivermectin, a drug with no evidence of being a safe or effective treatment for the novel coronavirus. He said he also used Z-Pak, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections by inhibiting the growth of bacteria in the body.

Lewis made headlines in September 2021 when he urged his fans to chant "Fuck Joe Biden" during a STAIND concert in Pennsylvania.

In March 2022, Lewis told the Los Angeles Times that he doesn't blindly listen to information that is delivered by the mainstream media.

"I'm not uneducated; I'm actually really smart, and I look for myself. I seek other options of information," he said. "I refuse to believe that a huge, gigantic corporation has our best interest in mind."

Asked where he gets his news, Lewis said: "I have news feeds and people that I follow on Telegram. Dan Ball. Andrew Wilkow. Mark Levin. If I'm gonna watch any sort of news source on television, it's Tucker Carlson."

At some of his solo concerts, Lewis has been taking the stage while wearing a black hat with white mesh and white lettering on the front clearly stating "FUJOE," an expletive directed toward Biden.

Photo credit: Jim Wright

Porcupine Tree frontman-turned-solo-artist, Steven Wilson, is featured in a new interview on the Gas Masks & Hand Grenades podcasr alongside Tom Bowness to discuss their project, No-Man. Duting the chat, found below, Wilson offered some information on his next solo album, due out in 2025.


Wilson: "The follow up (to The Harmony Codex) is almost finished, can you believe. Bear in mind The Harmony Codex was finished in December 2022, so it's been over a year since that, and I've almost finished the follow-up. It's very different again. I work very quickly and I'm still excited by making music. This is just two 20-minute long tracks, so it's very conceptual, and I think that'll be finished and ready to come out early next year."







In November 2023, Wilson has shared a stunning official music video for the brooding centerpiece of The Harmony Codex. The clip for the claustrophobic and hypnotic "Beautiful Scarecrow" was directed and animated by long-term collaborator Jess Cope alongside Venkatram Viswanathan. Cope previously directed videos for Wilson's tracks "The Raven That Refused to Sing," "Routine," "People Who Eat Darkness," and "King Ghost." 


A gothic horror story set in a post-apocalyptic world where a deadly pandemic has led to the human race being divided, with the infected rounded up and forced to live in underground quarantine, Jess’ extraordinary film continues to play on the mind long after the credits have run, showing how a simple gesture of kindness can resonate with profound meaning for years afterward.


“The video is a completely new approach for Owl House Studios," says Jess Cope. "I wrote the original idea with my partner Jonathan Main and in conjunction with Venky Viswanathan and Shaheen Sheriff, we decided to pursue a 3D animation route. Our aim was to build a computer–generated world but give it the 'feel and texture' of a stop-motion animation. As always, Steven’s track was so exciting to work with, as the more you listen to the track the more your ears discover. The song has so much depth and richness, it allowed us to freely explore an intriguing visual narrative.”





Written, performed, and produced by Steven Wilson, The Harmony Codex includes the singles "What Life Brings," “Impossible Tightrope,” “Rock Bottom” (featuring Ninet Tayeb), and “Economies of Scale,” all available now alongside official music videos streaming on YouTube. The album is available now via Spinefarm Records in a wide range of formats – including CD, 2LP, Blu-ray, and digital download. Order here.





"What Life Brings" video:





"Economies Of Scale" video: