In a new interview with Mexico's OsvAlex Comunicación, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was asked if there are any plans for him to work on a new album once he and his bandmates have finished touring in support of 2022's "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're not on tour right now. We're getting ready to go on tour. We're preparing. I am also preparing the studio and all of the equipment, getting it ready to start writing. I'm not writing new music at the moment, but I'm getting prepared. And that process — the last couple of records have taken a little bit longer than usual, because of personnel stuff, moving. pandemics, cancer, all that stuff that happened. I don't think it's gonna take as long this time from when we start till when we're finished creating a record. I feel like I still have the mojo in my hands. Probably by the end of this year I'll be ready to start recording some new stuff."

He added: "You've gotta live life in between records, man, and we've been living life so fast right now, I've gotta take notes so that I can actually remember a lot of the stuff that goes on on a day-to-day basis. I mean that — I actually have to journal my life so that I can look back and say, 'Shit, look at everything I did there, man. That's crazy.'"

In September 2022, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", debuted at the top of the charts during its first week of sales, taking the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 as well as number ones on Top Album Sales, Top Current Albums Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was the highest-charting MEGADETH album of all time around the world, notching No. 1 In Finland, No. 2 in australia, poland, Switzerland, and Scotland, No. 3 in the U.K., and more.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

MEGADETH received its thirteenth Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "We'll Be Back" from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

MEGADETH won the 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of the band's 2016 album "Dystopia". This marked the group's twelfth Grammy nomination in this category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category).

Mustaine revealed his throat cancer battle in June 2019 on social media, saying the doctors had given him a 90 percent chance of beating the illness.

He later shared that he went through 51 radiation treatments and nine chemotherapy treatments, determined to overcome the disease so he could continue to play music.

MEGADETH played its first concert with new guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The 37-year-old Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

Mäntysaari stepped into MEGADETH as the replacement for the band's longtime axeman Kiko Loureiro, who announced in September that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland.

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

In addition to Mustaine and Mäntysaari, MEGADETH's current lineup includes former SOILWORK drummer Dirk Verbeuren and bassist James LoMenzo.

Swedish heavy metal band Lion’s Share has made a new song, 'Live Forever', available on streaming services and digital service providers.


Lion’s Share singer Nils Patrik Johansson commented: "This song is truly about how you can stand up for yourself while still being someone who cares for others. It's something we should all think about in this crazy world."


Lion’s Share guitarist Lars Chriss adds: "Classic Lion’s Share heavy metal, blending bone-crushing riffs, powerful vocals, blistering solos, and an anthemic chorus. The song is crafted with endless love for classic heavy metal. Just the way we like it!" 







In late 2018, Lion’s Share released a new five-track EP, plus its complete catalog - remastered with new artwork - on streaming services and digital service providers for the first time. The band have since released several more digital singles, some of which will and some of which won't end up on the forthcoming full-length album.


Both Johansson and Chriss remark that they have always worked very well together, and at this point it feels the most natural to keep Lion’s Share as a duo, with friends helping out wherever needed.


The Lion's Share catalog features appearances by members and ex-members of KISS, Megadeth, King Diamond, Hammerfall, Symphony X, Chimaira, Therion, Yngwie Malmsteen, Candlemass, etc. Mixers include top engineers such as Jens Bogren (Arch Enemy, Opeth, Symphony X, Amon Amarth), Niklas Flyckt (one-time Grammy Award winner and four-time nominee), and Ronny Lahti (Roxette, Europe, Glenn Hughes).


Lion's Share has toured with bands like Motörhead, Manowar, Dio, Saxon, Iced Earth, Nevermore, U.D.O., Dee Snider, and has played many of the major rock and metal festivals.





Credits:
Nils Patrik Johansson – vocals
Lars Chriss – guitar
Andy Loos – bass
Nils Fredrik Johansson – drums
Anuviel – keyboard

Heavy metal outfit Out Of Darkness has released the new single “Terraform” together with an official video. The song, taken from the upcoming self-titled album out on February 23, is an absolute banger for those who love bands like Iced Earth, Nevermore, and Symphony X.


"Terraform" shows not only the great songwriting skills of the Florida-based quartet, but also how heavy metal can be powerful and fresh nowadays. Supported by a riff full of groove and an alternative flavour, the song finds its climax in the chorus dominated by Eric Barrios, whose voice expertly mixes the power of Tim "Ripper" Owens and the expressiveness of the late Warrel Dane.


Out Of Darkness will feature 11 tracks for over 48 minutes of playing time. The album demonstrates the evolution of the band, showcasing a wide variety of styles and dynamics within the metal realm. While playing homage to bands like Iced Earth, Nevermore and Symphony X, the band also forged its own sound. The lyrical content can at times be personal and dark, though the overall message of the band is intended to be positive and uplifting. The intended audience would range from lovers of classic American progressive/power metal to fans of modern metal. The band has put their influences and growth thoroughly on display in their second release.




Out Of Darkness was formed in 2020 by Brent E. Smedley (former Iced Earth drummer and percussionist) and Eric Barrios, vocals and guitar. They released the debut EP Seize The Day that same year to much critical acclaim and began to grow their following. Playing live shows first in their home state of Florida, then followed up by doing three tours up the East Coast as far as New Jersey and even reaching as far West as Las Vegas. The song "Think Again" reached #23 on The Billboard Rock Indicator chart, #8 on the Foundations Rock Chart Top 10 Greatest Gainers and received substantial airplay on many FM radio stations throughout the United States. 


The band received over 100,000 views for the "I Surrender" video and has over 16,000 followers on Facebook. This epic metal masterpiece seeks to redefine their sound and broaden the spectrum of true heavy metal. This album features powerfully crafted songs with crushing riffs, catchy vocal melodies, thought provoking lyrics, and powerful rhythms that take the listener on an audio journey through dynamic and colorful musical soundscapes. It is Out Of Darkness's intention to become a legendary metal band like no other.


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


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





Tracklisting:


“Cosmic Conclusion”
“CREEPER”
“Terraform”
“Out Of Darkness”
“Prelude To Eternity”
“Entity”
“Open Wound”
“Soul Dreams”
“Breathing Fire”
“Via Dolorosa”
“In A Dream”


“Terraform” video:





“Via Dolorosa” video:





Out Of Darkness is:


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


(Photo - Bill Staley)

The metal world is going wild: Orden Ogan, one of the leading acts of the scene, have made a groundbreaking pact with Reigning Phoenix Music. This historic union doesn't only promise an exciting future for the band but also a highlight for their loyal fans.


Internationally recognized outfit Orden Ogan paved their way to the top of the metal scene, kick-started by their well-received debut album Vale [2008]. The group's impressive career was built on their mix of steady dedication and unparalleled quality over all these years, which culminated in hitting no. 3 of the official German album chart with latest offering Final Days in 2021. Even in the digital world Orden Ogan belong to the spearhead: Peaking at more than half a million monthly listeners on Spotify, these numbers impressively underline the attraction of the band within the scene. And now it's time to continue this success story with Reigning Phoenix Music.


Sebastian "Seeb" Levermann, Orden Ogan's visionary vocalist, states, "Orden Ogan are thrilled to announce that we have signed with the upcoming giant in the heavy metal scene: RPM! We will be working with old and new friends and we're extremely excited for the things to come. We also want to take this opportunity to thank our former label AFM Records for all the great times and all the things we have achieved together."




RPM label strategist Nils Wasko says on the (re-)union, "Orden Ogan are one of the hottest current power metal acts out there. Their energy and drive fits perfectly to the quintessence of Reigning Phoenix Music. The band and I have a long and faithful history together which started back in 2010 and with the new setup and options we will manage to take them to the next level with full force!"


Jochen Richert, managing director of RPM, adds, "I'm also very happy that I can further support Orden Ogan on their way to worldwide success. Besides being a great human being, Seeb's art speaks for itself."


The band's upcoming masterpiece The Order Of Fear will be nothing but a sheer triumph and a vivid proof to their enormous creative work. Orden Ogan mastermind Sebastian "Seeb" Levermann describes it as "clearly downscaled, more metal and to the point," standing for the beginning of a new dark power metal era. The record is a brilliant addition to their strong catalogue and continues the epic saga of Alister Vale, a cursed character, in a mesmerizing and intense way.


Collaborating with Reigning Phoenix Music, Orden Ogan's future holds many great possibilities and successes to come, while fans can look forward to their upcoming tour alongside Feuerschwanz in April/May as well as new music. The Order Of Fear is set for release this summer and marks the first milestone. There's no other way: The future belongs to Orden Ogan!





“My Worst Enemy” is a special pick as first single from The Order Of Fear since ballads aren't the usual way to evoke excitement for a new record. But there's always two layers when it comes to Orden Ogan lyrics: On one hand, they tell the story of Alister Vale, an undying character spreading death and sorrow; on the other hand, they appeal to humans who fight anxiety and depression and tell them that they're not alone. Simply put: “My Worst Enemy” deals with being one own's worst enemy most of the time by being trapped in negative thoughts and making the same mistakes over and over again.


Pre-save “My Worst Enemy” here.


"Seeb" concludes, "I've been thinking of this track for years, and I always wanted to record it. Now I'm glad that it finally found its way out of my head."


Find all tour information at ordenogan.de/live/.


(Photo – Nat Enemede)

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Sebastian Bach was asked if he knew that SOUNDGARDEN was "going to blow up" when the Chris Cornell-fronted outfit opened for SKID ROW on the "Slave To The Grind" tour in 1991. The former SKID ROW singer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, I didn't, because… I come from a time where rock and roll was nothing but fun — having fun, having a good time, having a great time, with a smile on your face and your fist pumping in the air, getting into the fun of rock, smiling, laughing, having fun. And I never understood the depressing side of rock. I didn't get into rock and roll to be depressed. I got into rock and roll to escape depression. If I feel in a rotten mood, the first thing I do is I go to a record store. There's a bunch of record stores here in [my hometown of Las] Vegas. People are, like, 'You remember record stores?' I go, 'What do you mean, do you remember?' There's tons of record stores. When I'm on the road and I've got a day off, me and my guitar player, Brent Woods, the first thing we do is we go on Yelp and we put in 'vinyl records' and we go to the mom-and-pop record store and hunt down vinyl and stuff like that. And rock and roll always makes me feel like in a great mood. So when I think of Chris Cornell opening for SKID ROW at the Fox Theater [in Detroit] on 'Slave To The Grind' tour, I remember those days, and I remember Chris, after the show, having a beer, and I would go have a beer with them and we would talk and stuff like that. And, and it was a fun time back in '91. I don't know what happens between '91 and whenever things go wrong for him, but it's so sad to me that I remembered the fun times of Detroit, the Fox Theater."

Sebastian went on to say that his "goal" with his upcoming solo album "is to bring fun back to rock. That's what I'm trying to do. And I really feel like that first video and first song, we knocked it out of the park on the fun," he said. "And that's what I wanna do. I want people to have fun listening to my music. That's what it's all about to me."

Back in 2016, Bach talked about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s contributed to the decline of glam metal and party rock and roll. Asked during an appearance on the Fox Business program "Kennedy" when he realized that there was a "shift" taking place and how he felt about it, Bach said: "I think I realized it when I saw the video for [NIRVANA's] 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. And there was never any video or song like that before; it was a new sound, and people were responding to it. But what goes around comes around. I mean, now the biggest tour in town is GUNS N' ROSES or AC/DC, who have the same singer," he said, referencing the fact that Axl Rose was the guest vocalist for AC/DC's 2016 tour. "So, you know, music is cyclical, and people will always love rock and roll, 'cause it gets passed down through the generations. IRON MAIDEN has never been bigger than right now. It's kind of crazy."

This past November, Bach released a new single, "What Do I Got To Lose?" The song's official music video was directed by Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera. For the clip, Sebastian is joined by his former SKID ROW bandmate, drummer Rob Affuso.

"What Do I Got To Lose?" was co-written by Sebastian, Myles Kennedy and producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette at Elvis's studio, Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida.

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),Brent Woods, Eli Santana and Jeremy Colson.

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.

Former Sodom guitarist Andy Brings, who now fronts Double Crush Syndrome, has released a new Andy Brings & Band single, "Nicht Mein Zirkus". Check out the official video below.










"Nicht Mein Zirkus" and the previous single, "Das Herz Und Die Seele", are the follow-up to the Andy Brings & Band album, Süden, released in June 2022.





Tracklist:


"Armee der Mädchen"
"Rette Mir"
"Schlaflos"
"Tik Tak"
"Tut Mir Leid"
"Anker"
"Monster"
"Lass Das Licht Noch An"
"Wildes Mädchen"
"Raumschiff Nach Hawaii"
"Rock 'n' Roll"

Trivium frontman Matt Heafy has shared  a guitar playthrough video for  "Emntrance Of The Conflagration", which can be viewed below. The song is taken from Trivium's seventh album, Silence In The Snow, released in 2015.





On January 12, Samurai metal band, Ryujin, finally reveal their self-titled album in full. The Japanese group deliver heavy metal and blazing guitar wizardry in spades.




On the cusp of the album's release via Napalm Records, today the band have shared one further single with fans - their very first ballad - titled "Saigo No Hoshi." The massive track features backing vocals by Matt Heafy and cello expressions by Mukai Wataru of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, and excels with an emotive chorus, a rock-opera-worthy guitar solo, and traditional instrumentation.


"This is our first ballad, so it's very special for us," comments Ryujin frontman and mastermind Ryoji Shinomoto. "This song is about a samurai who was about to die after the war, thinking about his family and praying for peace. A lot of very sad wars are currently happening on the planet too, families are being separated, and so on. I put that feeling into it. Also, I am inviting everybody to enjoy Mr. Mukai's outstanding cello performance. The album also includes a version sung by Matthew in English, so I am curious which version people are gonna like more!"





Ryujin features production by Matthew Kiichi Heafy and mixing/mastering by Mark Lewis, with guest appearances by Heafy (vocals and conducting on various tracks) and Mukai Wataru of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra (cello). Blending both Japanese and English lyricism, Ryujin’s tracks feature titles based on the words of the Ainu people of Hokkaido (Ryujin’s home region), as well as famous Japanese paintings and idioms.


Opening instrumental track “Hajimari” sets an ominous stage for blistering burner “Gekokujo” - a tastefully thrash-ified death metal riff-fest colliding with expressive folk-inspired passages and head-spinning technique. Ryoji’s blazing leads are met instantly with the peerless skills of drummer Shuji Shinomoto and bassist Aruta Watanabe. First single “Raijin & Fujin” is an epic power metal storm featuring guest vocal contributions from Matthew Kiichi Heafy, shifting into a swirling tornado of rattling double bass and catapulting solos, while “The Rainbow Song” also features soaring clean vocals by Heafy blended between modern melodic heavy metal and power metal innovation. Tracks like “Dragon, Fly Free” and “Kunnecup” invite the listener to sing-along with Ryujin as they paint musical canvases of adventure and positivity. “Scream of the Dragon” returns to extreme influences amid uplifting choruses and a story blending English and Japanese lyrics, before “Gekirin” ventures into darker death metal influences - cascading into nautically-inspired melodies (as “Ryujin” is a dragon god of the sea in Japanese mythology, these oceanic musical themes weave seamlessly throughout the album).


The album nears the end with three heart-gripping, primarily Japanese-language opuses - the rock-opera-like ballad “Saigo No Hoshi”, the powerfully victorious and traditionally-inspired “Ryujin” and a cover of Linked Horizon’s “Guren No Yumiya” - widely known as an opening theme of popular anime series Attack On Titan. The album finishes with a bonus English-language version of “Saigo No Hoshi”, with vocals once again performed by Matthew Kiichi Heafy.


Pre-order Ryujin here.





Ryujin tracklisting:


"Hajimari"
"Gekokujo"
"Dragon, Fly Free"
"Raijin & Fujin"
"The Rainbow Song"
"Kunnecup"
"Scream Of The Dragon"
"Gekirin"
"Saigo No Hoshi"
"Ryujin"
"Guren No Yumiya"
"Saigo No Hoshi" (feat. Matthew K. Heafy) (Single Edit)

In the world of hard and heavy sounds and impressive theatrical live stage shows, Gothminister have earned themselves a reputation of being “one of the most iconic gothic/industrial metal acts”. Not only has their power-laden gothic/industrial metal with its remarkable atmospheric density inspired their audiences since 1999, its eloquent fantasy stories have also transported them to uncharted territories. Now the band surrounding mastermind Bjørn Alexander Brem has announced its latest coup: Pandemonium II: The Battle Of The Underworlds. The brand-new album release by the four-piece from Norway, is set to be unleashed on May 3rd 2024, taking up where its 2022 predecessor ‘Pandemonium’ left off. That recording – like the single This Is Your Darkness – made it to number one on the German Alternative Charts and was voted Album Of The Year 2022 at the Dark Music Awards. And if that was not enough – Gothminister´s music videos for "Pandemonium" and "Demons" won stunning 19 film awards worldwide.


To ease the wait for their fans, Gothminister released the first single/video clip "I Am The Devil" on August 4th, 2023, followed by the second single "Battle Of The Underworlds" on October 27th. The arrival of the third single, "We Come
Alive" January 6th received massive international attention because the single got chosen to compete in the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix (MGP) to represent Norway at Eurovision Song Contest 2024. In the grand final of MGP, Gothminister achieved a great fourth place and won the hearts of many new fans. The next singles "One Dark Happy Nation" and "Tonight" will follow on March 15th and May 3rd respectively.


Singer and creator of Gothminister, Brem, recalls the initial inspiration for the new record: "It all started in autumn 2022 after a festival in Helsinki. On our flight back to Norway, I suddenly came up with the chorus of 'Battle Of The Underworlds': 'They sent a witch, we brought a monster.' With that, the Pandemonium successor was a done deal for me. An end to the story would have been just too easy."




In the subsequent weeks and months, Brem wrote the sequel to his Pandemonium story and continued to develop the band’s music: "The new material is faster and catchier than that of the predecessor album, but at the same time it sounds even more complex and modern, with more sophisticated vocal melodies and challenging breaks," he explains, adding, "at the same time the driving beats for the dancefloor and the concept of ultra-low-sounding, tough guitar riffs are still present and link both recordings."


All songs were composed and written by Bjørn Alexander Brem, who also produced the new release. The mix is courtesy of Henning Verlage (Unheilig, Eisbrecher) and Norwegian sound engineer Morten Lund, who has worked with Morten Harket (A-ha), among others, was in charge of mastering the material. The album´s final track, ‘In The End’, is an exciting collaboration between Brem and Jesper Borgen (Alan Walker, Coldplay). Brem says: "We had a lot of fun challenging each other and pushing each other to find the perfect hybrid between Jesper´s dance and pop influences and my industrial gothic metal influences. Pandemonium I helped me gain lots of valuable experience as a producer, which I was able to put to good use on The Battle Of The Underworlds. That’s also why our overall sound is heavier than ever before."


The narrative of The Battle Of The Underworlds takes place both before and after the death of the evil King Gothminister in Pandemonium I. During his time as emperor, his kingdom was attacked by an enemy underworld. During this battle between the two underworlds, we learn things which will put King Gothminister´s death in a new perspective. What did really happen? 


King Gothminister has risen from the dead and returns to put things back in their rightful place. 


Brem comments: "Pandemonium I left some important questions open, which we now answer on Pandemonium II!"





Tracklist:


"Battle Of The Underworlds"
"We Live Another Day"
"Creepy Shadows"
"One Dark Happy Nation"
"I Am The Devil"
"The Procession"
"I Will Drink Your Blood"
"Aftermath"
"Tonight"
"We Are The Heroes"
"Monostereo Creature"
"We Come Alive"


 


Check out the official video for "We Come Alive" below.


 





 

Los Angeles provocateurs Classless Act had a special gift for all the music lovers this Valentine’s Day—a cover of “Toxic”, Britney Spears’ classic heart stomper.


Says the band of the song: "We grew up listening to the original tune as a punk song. And 20 years later we’re honoring ‘Toxic’ with our knives out. It’s how she would’ve wanted it. Admit it: We all love giving into our toxic traits. It’s what makes us human and weird. And we ain’t here to celebrate any toxic behavior, we’re just here to own up to it through Spears."







Produced and mixed by the band's bassist, and songwriter, Franco Gravante, the new track comes after a whirlwind two years for Classless Act beginning with their debut album Welcome To The Show, released in the summer of 2022 that kicked off a huge breakthrough cycle for the five-piece, racking up millions of streams and logging more than 100 live shows, playing the blockbuster Stadium Tour opening for Motley Crue and Def Leppard, supporting Dorothy and Giovannie and the Hired Guns, as well as an appearance at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert where Classless Act frontman Derek Day joined Dave Grohl and members of the Foo Fighters. 





Classless Act is currently in the studio working on new material that will follow up Welcome To The Show, with more details to be announced soon.


Classless Act returns to the road beginning February 29, on a series of dates that include headline shows and supporting guitarist John 5, as well as rock act Adelitas Way. The band has been hailed as “a live show that “sets the air ablaze” (BraveWords). Confirmed venues are as follows:


February 
29 - Mesa, Arizona - The Nile 


March 
1 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th St 
2 - Overland Park, KS - Vivo Live Music 
3 - Joliet, IL - The Forge 
4 - Columbus, OH Rumba Cafe 
7 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop 
8 - Lakewood, OH - The Winchester 
9 - Pittsburgh, PA - Hard Rock Cafe 
10 - Syracuse, NY - The Song & Dance 
12 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz 
14 - Mechanicsburg, PA - Lovedraft's 
15 - Winchester, VA - Blue Fox Billiards 
16 - Knoxville, TN - The Concourse 
17 - Destin, FL - Club LA 
18 - Dallas, TX - The Sundown at Granada 
20 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar 
21 - Lubbock, TX - Jake's Sports Cafe 
22 - Roswell, NM - The Liberty 
23 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studios Live 
24 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater


For further details, visit Classless Act on Facebook.


(Photo: Enzo Mazzeo)


 

In a new interview with RichardMetalFan, AMORPHIS drummer Jan Rechberger spoke about the band's plans for the follow-up to 2022's "Halo" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " Well, there is ideas and some schedules coming. So it would be fair to say that the next record will be out somewhere during next year. So I think probably after we're done with some touring with 'Halo', 'cause there's still some touring left, [we'll] probably hit the studio with a new producer somewhere November, December this year, I guess. So there's some writing happening at this very moment. And, yeah, it's coming your way."

AMORPHIS's fourteenth studio album, "Halo" came out in February 2022 via Atomic Fire Records.

Produced by Jens Bogren, "Halo" was previously described in a press release as "progressive, melodic, and quintessentially melancholic heavy masterwork."

As had been the case with AMORPHIS albums in the past, "Halo" featured the imaginative and poetic storytelling of renowned lyricist and "Kalevala" expert Pekka Kainulainen.

Two years ago, AMORPHIS guitarist and founding member Esa Holopainen told Westword that the band is "not as radical" as it once was.

"Back in the day, I think we did too much of what we wanted to do," he said. "For us as musicians, we needed to do that, because we never wanted to get stuck in one form. Today we blend all the new nuances and influences pretty nicely into our music. Even though there's a lot of different elements from different genres and the musical world, even from ethnic music, I have to say, we're pretty good to blend all of those elements into our music without sounding too different."

Photo credit: Sam Jamsen

JETHRO TULL founder Ian Anderson will make a guest appearance on the next album from the Swedish progressive metal band OPETH.

The veteran flutist, singer, songwriter and guitarist, who will turn 77 in August, revealed his contribution to the OPETH LP while talking to Italy's "Mystery Tour" radio show. Asked about his non-JETHRO TULL musical activities, Ian said: "Well, from time to time I play on other people's records, if they're interesting to me. I just did — last week I played on three or four tracks from a prog metal band called [OPETH]. [They're] Swedish."

Back in 2021, OPETH leader Mikael Åkerfeldt told Prog that he originally approached the JETHRO TULL leader about playing the flute on the band's 2011 album "Heritage". "I did e-mail Ian Anderson but I never heard back from him," he told the magazine. "Funnily enough, when I went down to Steven's [Wilson] place to mix the album, we're sitting on his couch and he says, 'Oh, I just got an e-mail from Ian Anderson,' and I was, like, 'What?!' And he just said, 'He just wants me to look into mixing [JETHRO TULL's 1971 album] 'Aqualung'. I'm really happy in retrospect that we have Björn [J:son Lindh playing on 'Heritage' instead] because it fits with the vibe of the record."

OPETH's latest album, "In Cauda Venenum", was released in September 2019 via Moderbolaget / Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Recorded in 2018 at Stockholm's Park Studios, the effort was made available in two versions, in both Swedish and English languages.

Regarding the decision to release "In Cauda Venenum" in Swedish, Åkerfeldt told Revolver: "Doing it in Swedish was just an idea that popped into my head, like, 'Maybe I should fry my egg in the morning instead of boiling it.' It wasn't any deeper than that. And I figured the music climate has changed so much, does it really matter which language it's in? That was it. And it didn't have me writing more lyrics — it just had me writing more music. And the music didn't sound more Swedish or anything like that. But it was a gateway that opened, and it was fun.

Mikael added that he was "not regretting" the fact that "In Cauda Venenum" was also recorded in English. "A lot of people [in the U.S.] are saying they only listened to the English version," he said. "So I was proven right, in a way. I can say a thousand times that the Swedish version is the original version, but it's up to people to choose. I can just hope that they check out both versions. But I do think the Swedish version is slightly better — only because it was first. It's more innocent. With the English version, regardless of what you think about it, that's me trying to copy a vocal line I had done in another language. So it's less exciting to me."

In May 2022, OPETH issued "In Cauda Venenum (Extended Edition)" via Atomic Fire Records. This release, available on digipak, contained the English and Swedish versions of "In Cauda Venenum", with new illustrations by internationally renowned Travis Smith in the booklet. In addition, there was also a third CD including three previously unreleased bonus tracks, both in English and Swedish: "The Mob" / "Pöbeln", "Width Of A Circle" / "Cirkelns Riktning" and "Freedom & Tyranny" / "Frihet & Tyranni".

OPETH played its first concert with new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen (PARADISE LOST, BLOODBATH, BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT) in September 2022 at Helitehas in Tallinn, Estonia. Väyrynen replaced stand-in drummer Sami Karppinen who had been the temporary replacement for Martin "Axe" Axenrot since the fall of 2021.

In August 2022, one of Axenrot's BLOODBATH bandmates told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the drummer's refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 led to his exit from OPETH.

Axenrot has not publicly commented on his exit from OPETH and it is not clear if his vaccination status was the only reason he is no longer playing with the band.

Axenrot officially joined OPETH more than a decade and a half ago as the replacement for Martin Lopez, who left the band in May 2006 after being plagued by illness and anxiety attacks, which forced him to miss several of OPETH's tours.

Mikael Åkerfeldt photo credit: Anne C. Swallow for Atomic Fire Records

Danish rock and rollers VOLBEAT have commenced the songwriting process for their ninth studio album. The follow-up to 2021's "Servant Of The Mind" is tentatively due in 2025.

Earlier today, VOLBEAT members Michael Poulsen (vocals, guitar),Jon Larsen (drums) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass) shared a new video update in which Michael said: "We're together again in the VOLBEAT rehearsal room, working on our fourth new song."

In a caption accompanying the video message, VOLBEAT wrote: "We've been busy writing new music….new album in 2025? #VOLBEAT2025".

Last October, Poulsen underwent a throat surgery. A month earlier, he told "Paltrocast" host Darren Paltrowitz about the procedure: "It's an operation I've been through before. This one is just a little bit bigger and it's gonna take some time to get back in vocal shape. So, VOLBEAT is not playing [in 2024]. I'll use a lot of time to get my voice back after the operation. But at the same time, I will actually be writing a new VOLBEAT album. So hopefully later [in 2024], I can put down the vocals for the next VOLBEAT album. But in the meantime, I will go out and play shows with [my death metal side project] ASINHELL."

Asked if this means that he might have to change his singing approach to where he will start doing the vocal warmdowns after each show, Michael said: "I do warm up before a show, but there's no way I'm gonna use my voice after a show. I'm very optimistic about the whole thing. As I said, I tried before and I got good people around me. I've got a great coach in Melissa Cross who has been helping out a lot of singers. She will help me out again to get my voice back in shape after the operation. So I like to stay positive, and I'm pretty sure everything's going to be all right."

Back in January 2021, Poulsen told Denmark's BT.dk that he underwent an operation during the coronavirus pandemic to remove a large polyp. He added: "I have managed to retrain my voice so much that there has been time to record a new album," referencing "Servant Of The Mind", which came out in December 2021.

VOLBEAT parted ways with longtime guitarist Rob Caggiano in June 2023 and replaced him for the band's recent tour with Flemming C. Lund of the Danish extreme metal outfit THE ARCANE ORDER.

VOLBEAT played its first concert with Lund on June 10, 2023 at the Rockfest festival in Hyvinkää, Finland.

Just five days earlier, VOLBEAT announced that it had officially parted ways with Caggiano. No reason was given for the split, but the remaining bandmembers said that they wished their "brother Rob all the best with everything he does in the future." They went on to thank Rob "for ten amazing years."

Caggiano played on VOLBEAT's last four studio albums: 2013's "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", 2016's "Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie", 2019's "Rewind, Replay, Rebound" and "Servant Of The Mind".

ASINHELL's debut album, "Impii Hora" (Latin for "Ungodly Hour"),arrived last September via Metal Blade. Poulsen is joined in the project by ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and RAUNCHY drummer Morten Toft Hansen.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin (courtesy of Q Prime)
We’ve been busy writing new music….new album in 2025? 😈🫰🫰 #VOLBEAT2025pic.twitter.com/PuQXdAlyV6

— Volbeat (@VOLBEAT) February 16, 2024

"Some Assembly Required" is a collaboration project conceptualized by ALICE COOPER guitarist Nita Strauss and her fiancé, manager and drummer Josh Villalta, combining some of the top guitarists in the world to do something incredibly special in tribute to this once-in-a-lifetime musician — Jason Becker.

Utilizing an unreleased demo of Becker's, Strauss, along with Zakk Wylde, Steve Vai, Chris Broderick, Phil Demmel, Jennifer Batten and many more, came together, lending their hearts and souls into what's become an unforgettable, unmissable display of guitar mastery.

"Some Assembly Required" has quickly turned into a powerful display that is equal parts a six-string love-story and a call for action for us all to take a closer look at what can be done to help others suffering from the same degenerative disease that took hold of Becker.

"The original idea Josh put forward was to work together on a song for my own album," Strauss shares. "We poured through lots of Jason's demos until we landed on this track, which was originally recorded with Gregg and Matt Bissonette. However, as the idea materialized, we realized this could be a much bigger project and more importantly, have a bigger impact to help Jason raise awareness and funds. From there, it took on a life of its own. The incredible Billy Sheehan came down to the studio and played bass, and we reached out to tons of Jason's friends and peers, from all genres and eras, and amassed an army of friends to trade solos on this track. We left Jason's original demo solo where it was, where it shines to this day alongside so many of the players that love and look up to him. We were able to send this video to Jason on Christmas Day and bring some holiday cheer to him and his family! He loved it and christened it with the name we have today — 'Some Assembly Required'."

Jason says: "So, I wrote this song in early 1990, hoping that David Lee Roth would want to use it. I went to Matt and Gregg Bissonette's place and recorded it with them. It was a lot of fun. Dave passed on it. Cool, because now all these fantastic players get to jam on it.

"A few years ago, Nita and Josh came over to go through some of my unreleased music to see if they wanted to do some kind of collaboration. This Christmas they surprised me with this beautiful video. Man, what a gift! Not only from them, but from everyone involved. I am such a big fan of you all! Thank you all so very much."

For an insider's look on how Becker's guitar family came together for this harrowing tribute, allow Strauss to explain in the exclusive short below.

For those who may not know of Jason Becker's legacy, we'd have to travel back to 1985 when 16-year-old guitarist Becker partnered up with Marty Friedman as the duo CACOPHONY. His success at such an early age was no coincidence, his metal mastery becoming a talking point amongst his peers, going on to support some of the biggest names in rock including David Lee Roth and create some huge guitar moments as a solo artist.

As Becker's career began to blossom, Jason was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 1989 — at just 20 years old. As the disease progressed, Jason no longer could hold on to the instrument, but the urge to continue pushed on as he, amazingly, engineered his own way of writing music, a technique using "eye geometry" and chin movements, described further in the documentary on Becker's journey.

A trailer for the film "Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet", a compilation of interviews, live footage, and more on the unbreakable spirit and the ingenious songwriting ability of the guitarist that influenced so many can be seen below.

The guitar community has spoken and is asking for all of us to stand up and be an ally to Jason Becker and his family as he continues fighting this battle. There is an ongoing struggle to find a full-time caregiver, making proper help seem a hugely daunting challenge. Already saddled with the daily task of staying alive against all odds, there comes additional stress and worry for Jason and his family for all of the many out-of-pocket medical fees.

Keeping positive and consistently creating is essential for Becker, so we invite you to keep up with his latest creations through his web site, www.JasonBecker.com, where you can also donate to the Jason Becker Special Needs Trust.

A full list of guitarists and friends included in the creation of "Some Assembly Required":

Chris Broderick
Joe Bonamassa
Gus G
Paul Gilbert
Angel Vivaldi
Steve Vai
Steve Stevens
Rob Scallon
Jennifer Batten
Nili Brosh
Richie Kotzen
Marc Rizzo
Lari Basilio
Zakk Wylde
Alex Skolnick
Phil Demmel
Nita Strauss
Jason Becker
Marty Friedman
Herman Li
Steve Lukather
Jared Dines

Drums were recorded by Josh Villalta; bass by Billy Sheehan. Mixed and mastered by Nick Sampson.

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Frank Bello (ANTHRAX), Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, THE WINERY DOGS), Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL, OVERKILL), Jon Dinklage ("Clockwork Angels" string ensemble), Joe Bergamini (drum instructor, author), John Wesley (PORCUPINE TREE) and Seven Antonopoulos (OPIATE FOR THE MASSES) are among the guests who performed with YYNOT, considered one of the premier RUSH tribute bands, at this year's "Bubba Bash 2024", a charity concert in celebration of RUSH's late drummer Neil Peart on the fourth anniversary of his passing. Proceeds from the show, which was held on January 6 at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania, will go to benefit Cedars Sinai Hospital in memory of Neil.

More professionally filmed video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of YYNOT).

The progressive rock band YYNOT was the coming together of award-winning guitarist/songwriter/producer Billy Alexander and Florida-based virtuoso bassist Tim Starace. In 2015, after seeing Tim post videos of his mind-blowing and accurate RUSH bass covers, Alexander approached him about forming an online collaboration. With the addition of drummer Mike Hetzel and vocalist Adi Argelazi, YYNOT delivers a well-deserved "throat punch" in both their live shows and recorded material with their original progressive rock and "note-for-note" vintage RUSH covers while adding their own swagger to the mix. Their debut album and latest release, "Resonance", have garnered praise from the rock world including Prog magazine and Classic Rock. The records have continued to sell in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Brazil and more. YYNOT has accumulated devoted fans all over the U.S. and abroad.

In February 2020, Bello commented on Peart's passing, telling the "Come To Where I'm From" podcast: "I didn't expect that. I didn't see this coming at all. That's one of my guys. And as a bass player, too, I'll say that. That's the guy I try to lock in bass with… Just think about these crazy things that he did outside the box and experiment and made it look easy. I mean, think about it.

"I'm so sorry I didn't see that last [RUSH] tour. I wasn't home. That last tour, I was never home when they were [near my hometown], and I regret that.

"Man, talk about a loss," he added. "It just breaks my heart. You just want more. 'Cause I don't think there are people like that around. There's never gonna be another RUSH. That came organically.

"Growing up in the Bronx, I'd come home from school, [go over] to my Uncle Joe's deli, worked till eight o'clock. Eight o'clock, eight thirty, I'd grab something to eat, go right to my room and learn a RUSH song."

RUSH announced Peart's passing on January 10, 2020, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

This is happening TONIGHT!!! A tribute to our hero, the late great Neil Peart, and the music of Rush…The show is already...

Posted by Mike Portnoy on Saturday, January 6, 2024

Starting off 2024 in style with our SOLD OUT Bubba Bash!

Posted by The Keswick Theatre on Saturday, January 6, 2024

Mark your calender!
Bubba Bash 2024 - 1/6/2024 at The Keswick Theatre
Tix - https://bit.ly/3t5RW8h
Featuring YYNOT,...

Posted by YYNOT on Friday, November 10, 2023

THE BLACK CROWES have released a new single, "Cross Your Fingers". The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Happiness Bastards", which will arrive on March 15. The band's first full-length LP of new material in 15 years will be released via THE BLACK CROWES' own record label, Silver Arrow Records.

THE BLACK CROWES leaders Chris Robinson (lead vocals) and Rich Robinson (guitar) worked on the follow-up to 2009's "Before The Frost… Until The Freeze" with producer Jay Joyce.

The first single from "Happiness Bastards", a song called "Wanting And Waiting", came out on January 12.

In a statement, Chris said: "'Happiness Bastards' is our love letter to rock 'n' roll. Rich and I are always writing and creating music; that has never stopped for us, and it is always where we find harmony together. This record represents that."

Rich added: "This album is a continuation of our story as a band. Our years of experience writing and making music and touring the world are represented in this record, and we were brilliantly guided by one of the best producers in the business, Jay Joyce. I am incredibly proud of what we put together."

"Happiness Bastards" contains 10 tracks, including a guest appearance by Lainey Wilson, a Grammy-nominated country singer and songwriter who rose to prominence after her music was featured on the television drama "Yellowstone". She was named the 2023 CMA Entertainer Of The Year.

"Happiness Bastards" track listing:

01. Bedside Manners
02. Rats And Clowns
03. Cross Your Fingers
04. Wanting And Waiting
05. Wilted Rose (featuring Lainey Wilson)
06. Dirty Cold Sun
07. Bleed It Dry
08. Flesh Wound
09. Follow The Moon
10. Kindred Friend

THE BLACK CROWES' 2024 headline tour is set to hit 35 cities in North America and Europe this spring in support of their forthcoming studio album.

The "Happiness Bastards" tour will kick off at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on April 2, making stops in major markets, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, New York, and Boston, before ending the North American run in Philadelphia on May 7 at The Met Philadelphia.

The "Happiness Bastards" tour international run will begin May 14 in Manchester, U.K., at the O2 Apollo, making stops in London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Berlin and more before wrapping up the expansive tour on June 9 in Mérida at the Stone & Music festival.

THE BLACK CROWES released an acoustic collection called "Croweology" in 2010. An EP, "1972" — a collection of covers — arrived in May 2022.

Joining Chris and Rich in THE BLACK CROWES' most recent touring lineup were returning bassist Sven Pipien, who played with the band live from 1997 up until the band's hiatus in 2015, along with Brian Griffin on drums, Joel Robinow on keyboards and Isaiah Mitchell on guitar.

In celebration of the culmination of their 2021-22 reunion tour, THE BLACK CROWES released "The Black Crowes: Shake Your Money Maker Live", an ode to the band reuniting and following an epic two-year anniversary tour with over 100 dates worldwide.

A deluxe reissue of "The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion" arrived on December 1, 2023. The set included previously unreleased studio recordings, rare B-sides and a live performance from 1993 at Houston's Sam Houston Coliseum.

THE BLACK CROWES' debut album, 1990's "Shake Your Money Maker", was re-released in multi-formats sets in February 2021 through UMe/American Recordings. The album, fueled by singles "Jealous Again", "Twice As Hard", "She Talks To Angels" and a cover of fellow Georgian Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle", has sold over five million copies.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

Former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley will release his new solo album, "Circle Of Stone", on February 23. The official music video for the LP's third single, "Mind Reader", can be seen below.

Blaze states: "I wish to thank the guys at Lion Island Media for their brilliant work shooting & editing the video, & thanks also to Paul at the fantastic Priory Park Boxing Club for allowing me to use the gym as the perfect location for shooting this video & for the guidance given whilst shooting."

"Circle Of Stone" track listing:

01. Mind Reader
02. Tears In Rain
03. Rage
04. The Year Beyond This Year
05. Ghost In The Bottle
06. The Broken Man
07. The Call Of The Ancestors
08. Circle Of Stone (feat. Niklas Stålvind)
09. Absence
10. A Day Of Reckoning
11. The Path Of The Righteous Man
12. Until We Meet Again

The official music video for the LP's second single, "Rage", was released late last month. "Rage" tells the story, from Welsh folklore, of Gelert the faithful hound and his unfortunate demise at the hands of his beloved owner Prince Llewelyn. The animation for the video was developed by Hot Frog Animations. The song features violinist Anne Bakker who also worked with Blaze during the "Infinite Entanglement" trilogy (2016-2018).

Also available is the official music video for the LP's title track, "Circle Of Stone", featuring a guest appearance by Niklas Stålvind of the Swedish metal band WOLF. Bayley said about that song: "I wish to thank especially Niklas Stålvind of Swedish band WOLF for his wonderful performance adding vocals to this song, the guys at Lion Island Media for their brilliant work shooting & editing the video, & my backing band ABSOLVA for their dedication & talent, including my co-producer Christopher Appleton. Thanks also to Paul Hume (owner) & Dean Cowan (sound engineer) from Eleven (Stoke-on-Trent, England) who were kind enough to let us shoot the video at their fine venue."

The 60-year-old Bayley fronted IRON MAIDEN from 1994 until 1999. The two MAIDEN albums he appeared on, "The X Factor" and "Virtual XI", sold considerably less than the band's prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group's home country since 1981's "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN in 1999, Bayley has released a number of albums, including several under the moniker BLAZE and more than a handful under his own name. He also appeared on 2012's "Wolfsbane Saves The World", the first album of new material by WOLFSBANE since the group's self-titled 1994 effort, and a follow-up LP, 2022's "Genius".

Blaze's latest studio album, "War Within Me", came out in April 2021. The LP was recorded during 2020 with work split between Blaze's studio at home in the West Midlands and Christopher Appleton's studio in Greater Manchester.

Last March, Blaze underwent a quadruple bypass surgery following a heart attack. He later shared details of the massive outpouring of well-wishes he received after his heart attack, including messages from his former MAIDEN bandmates.

"The thing I feel most lucky about is the incredible support I've had from my fans," he told BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "All over the world. My WOLFSBANE, Blaze Bayley, the MAIDEN fans. Everybody bought a t-shirt for a tour that was postponed. They still bought it to support me. I'm just incredibly lucky. And the letters people wrote to me. Hundreds of cards from all over the place. It's very humbling."

Blaze continued: "I've always put my whole life into music. It is my life. When people get in touch with you and say, 'I wish you well because your music has gotten me through tough times,' 'Your music meant this to me,' 'I first saw you way back when and it's been the soundtrack to my life,' it's incredible. I got a massive card from the MAIDEN fan club. The [MAIDEN] guys all sent me a message. I'm always in touch with Steve Harris [MAIDEN bassist] anyway, but everyone sent messages of support."

A heart bypass surgery, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, is used to improve blood flow to the heart. A surgeon uses blood vessels taken from another area of the body to bypass the damaged arteries.

The term quadruple bypass refers to the number of coronary arteries bypassed in the procedure. In other words, a quadruple bypass means four coronary arteries are bypassed.

Grammy-nominated musical activists FEVER 333 have released a new single, "Ready Rock", streaming today at all DSPs.

With this month (February) being Black History Month, "Ready Rock" pays homage to black artists of the past that unequivocally built rock 'n' roll into what it is today. FEVER bring light to the lineage of iconic rock sounds and sonics that have often gone uncredited to their proper black creators, with the assertion that rock music is black music.

"Ready Rock" was produced by FEVER 333, with co-production from the Grammy Award-winning Beach Noise (Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem) together with GLASSJAW's Justin Beck.

"Ready Rock" is an initial taster of FEVER's upcoming second studio album set to arrive later this year, as well as being the first new music since their 2023 single "$wing". The hotly anticipated collection will arrive via their own 333Wreckords Crew label, via an exclusive collaboration with Century Media.

FEVER 333 recently kicked off their latest series of U.K. "functions" as special guests to ENTER SHIKARI. The run began at Leeds's First Direct Arena and culminates tomorrow night at London's OVO Arena Wembley.

Jason Butler is joined in FEVER 333 by drummer Thomas Pridgen (THE MARS VOLTA, THUNDERCAT, TRASH TALK),viral sensation bassist April Kae and guitarist Brandon Davis. Their supercharged live show is the stuff of legend, with the four musicians captivating audiences internationally with their energetic stagecraft and unique sound. Summer 2023 saw them wow crowds at numerous festivals around the globe, including the U.K.'s Download festival, France's Hellfest, Las Vegas's Sick New World and Germany's Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park.

Explicitly devoted to a revolutionary cause and delivering aggressive advocacy through their molotov cocktail of punk, hip-hop, and thrash, FEVER 333's activism serves as a banner for their continued focus on community, charity, and change.

Photo credit: Djay Brawner

Christian metallers Stryper are gearing up for a new release on February 24th. They have issued the following message below:


"The band's first acoustic album and video recorded and filmed at SpiritHouse Studios in 2021. This is a very limited pressing collector's-edition and features 11 beautifully recorded fan-favorites and hits, including a never before heard version of the spiritual classic 'Amazing Grace'.  This album is not available on streaming services.


The video captures an intimate set of Stryper performing the album live in the studio. Includes original members Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, Oz Fox - along with long-time member Perry Richardson."







Tracklist:


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


Go to the official Stryper website to order here.


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


Confirmed dates:


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


June
4 - City Winery Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA
6 - Narrows Center For The Arts - Fall River, MA
7 - Tupelo Music Hall - Derry, NH
20 - Warner Vineyards - Paw Paw, MI
21 - The Hobart Art Theater - Hobart, IN
22 - Danenberger Family Vineyards - New Berlin, IL

Longtime HELIX drummer Greg "Fritz" Hinz has died after a nearly year-long battle with cancer. He was 68 years old.

Hinz joined HELIX in 1982 and stayed in the band until 1996, before returning to the group 13 years later.

Earlier today (Friday, February 16),HELIX frontman Brian Vollmer posted the following message on social media: "Greg 'Fritz' Hinz: January 23rd/1956-February 16th/2024. R.I.P.

"It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the passing of Greg 'Fritz' Hinz, drummer for HELIX since 1983, after a 10 months fighting Cancer.

"At a future date there will be a Memorial Service. Traci (Fritz's common law wife) hasn't slept in six months, so I'm going to give her a couple of days. She's been an ANGEL throughout this whole ordeal. I don't know what Fritz would have done without her. Right now I'm respecting HER wishes. This is NOT up for debate. She's cared for Fritz since he found out he had Cancer last April. She has the right to do whatever-and whenever-she wants. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT TRACI-GIVE HER SPACE AND LET HER HEAL. When she wants to talk to everyone she will.

"Fritz was like a brother to myself, Brent, Kenny, and many other people who worked for the band.

"Traci has asked me to write something to post. I could go on for hours about the guy, but right now I'm devastated, as are the other guys in the band. We've known about this since last April, but were unable to tell anyone, at Fritz's request. He wanted his privacy through this. He was a proud guy and tough as f**k.

"When he fell off the ladder a couple of years ago and nearly died, I thought that was the end there. Fritz surprised everyone by coming back less than 8 months later for gigs in Vancouver & Calgary in one weekend. This meant lots of driving and flying-something that's extremely bad for someone who has suffered a major concussion. He played great that weekend and didn't complain. Many months later he told me that at the end of the Vancouver show at the Hard Rock, he nearly stood up and fell forward through his drums at the end of the show 'cos he had vertigo so bad. Like I said, 'One tough guy.'

"I met Fritz way back around the late 70's when he played for the Cambridge based hard rock band STARCHILD. We both used to laugh over the fact that's Fritz's big part on the STARCHILD record 'Children of the Stars' was in the song Johnny Groover. The line in the song went '...here comes Johnny Groover in his Vet-he's got to get it wet…' to which Fritz would then add a squirting sound: Pht-t-t–t–t-h!...'

"Fritz was the funniest guy you'd ever want to meet. We could be in the seriousest of situations and he could say something and everyone would burst out laughing. He had that kind of personality everyone wanted to be around. Add to that his ability to attract scores of women at our gigs. Fritz was HELIX's 'David Lee Roth.' The most frequent question asked by girls outside the buses on the QUIET RIOT/WHITESNAKE Tour in 1984 was, 'Do you know where your drummer is???' As a result, Fritz was frequently in 'movies' as he called them. This meant that one of his relationships had gone sideways and was becoming a soap opera. The funny thing was that no matter how much he would piss off the girl, they would always forgive him, come back, and shower him with gifts.

"Fritz was the consummate rock drummer: It was his craft. He prided himself in his playing, and well he should have. He had a style all his own. Check out the bridge to the chorus in Heavy Metal Love. Such a simple lick-playing on the off time, but Fritz learned that playing his first instrument-the accordion-in an 'oom-pah-pah' band.

"Over the next couple of days I'll be putting up pics (as I'm sure hundreds of other people will) some video, and even Super 8. Here's the first batch of stuff I've found. There's so much.

"Fritz joined the band in 1983. This means that he's been in the band for over 40 years, with the exception of when he moved to Florida for a couple of years.

"The world has lost one of it's GREAT rock drummers. As I was telling Jamie on the phone today: The public has no idea the sacrifices that musicians make for their craft. You think of the music business as be a fairly low-impact kind of job. In reality, you give up your personal life, your financial life, any type of regularity in your life, and…not to mention the physical scars. I've yet to meet a drummer who hasn't ripped his rotator cuff. Guys with guitars and basses-ditto. We've stayed in the coldest rooms, the hottest rooms, gone without sleep, and made shit money. All for this thing called 'making music.' Fritz definitely did that. He loved his drums and he loved drumming and performing. He took great pride in everything he did. I'm going to miss him so much.

"My heart is breaking now. Gotta go."

HELIX is one of the most successful Canadian rock bands, especially after the release of 1984's "Walkin' The Razor's Edge" album, which sold more than 100,000 copies in Canada, and more than 400,000 internationally.

HELIX has shared the stage with some of the world's best hard rock and heavy metal bands, including KISS, AEROSMITH, RUSH, MÖTLEY CRÜE, ALICE COOPER, WHITESNAKE, HEART, QUIET RIOT and MOTÖRHEAD.

HELIX has released 14 studio albums, including its latest, "Old School", which came out in 2019.

Posted by Helix The Band on Friday, February 16, 2024

In a new interview with The Chuck Shute Podcast, Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., who spent eight years as a hired gun in Ozzy Osbourne's solo band, was asked if he ever got approached by any other bigger artists to join them. "I had offers to… Actually, I've never told that anybody — in the press, at least," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I've had offers to audition for other bands and stuff — not to join but to audition — but I didn't do it. During my time with Ozzy, actually, MEGADETH reached out [in early 2015]. I was still with Ozzy and they were looking for somebody. And I said, 'Well, I can't really leave Ozzy for that,' even though I'm a huge MEGADETH fan. Back then, they were scouting guitar players, and then two weeks later, Kiko [Loureiro] was in the band. And Kiko was a buddy of mine; we've known each other. His old band ANGRA and FIREWIND have toured together, so I knew him and I thought he was a great fit. And in 2019 — who else? MACHINE HEAD asked me to audition once."

He continued: "I'm not sure if I'm really made for being like a hired-gun kind of guy. I'm enjoying calling my own shots, I guess. 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.

Ace Frehley has once again slammed Paul Stanley for the comments the KISS frontman made about the original KISS guitarist on "The Howard Stern Show".

Back in March 2023, radio host Howard Stern asked Stanley why he and fellow original KISS member Gene Simmons didn't perform with Frehley and drummer Peter Criss at the Rock Hall induction in 2014. Stanley said: "[The Rock Hall organizers] were demanding, quite honestly, that we play with the two original guys, Peter and Ace, and at this point, that would be demeaning to the [current KISS] band, and also would give some people confusion. 'Cause if you saw people on stage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS."

Ace addressed Paul's comments in a new interview with the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know what caused or went through Paul's head when he made that statement, if me and Peter performed with them on stage, we'd sound like piss. But it really aggravated me and I got really mad and I went on the Eddie Trunk show and promised to come back in a month or two weeks and spill some dirt. And speaking to my attorney and my manager and my agent and my close confidants, they all said, 'Why don't you take the high road?' And I did. And I really didn't spill anything that most people didn't know already."

Circling back to whether he and Criss could have performed with KISS at the Rock Hall, Frehley said: "Peter isn't the drummer that he used to be. I love the guy to death. We were always closest friends and partied together, but he's had several injuries and he's just not the drummer he was way back when. I mean, he can still get up there and play three, four, five songs. There was no reason why when we got inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame that Peter couldn't have performed three songs flawlessly, because he's still got the chops; he just can't play two hours."

As for whether he thinks he will ever get a chance to play with Gene and Paul again, Ace said: "I really don't think it's ever gonna happen again. I think too much water has gone under the bridge. And I'm super busy with my new career, just as KISS ends up winding down their career, which makes no sense whatsoever. They must think it was some kind of master plan that as soon as they did their last show, I was gonna… And it wasn't; it wasn't at all. There was no master plan. It's just that I was rushing to finish my [new solo] record ['10,000 Volts'] because it was six months behind and, finally, we just cut some corners. The album would have been a lot better if I had another month to do, but I'm still very happy with the record. I don't think there's any filler. And there's a large variety of songs on the record — there's a ballad, there's an instrumental, there's a cover."

The 11-track "10,000 Volts" LP was produced by Ace and Steve Brown (TRIXTER) and will be released on February 23, 2024 via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music).

Ace released the single "10,000 Volts" on November 28, 2023. The track's music video — directed by Alex Kouvatsos from Black Wolf Imaging — has garnered more than a million views on YouTube.

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

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

Photo credit: Jayme Thornton

Trafalgar Releasing, Gimme Sugar Productions and Submarine Entertainment will bring "Hate To Love: Nickelback", a feature-length documentary film about one of Canada's most iconic and globally celebrated rock bands, to cinemas worldwide for two nights only on March 27 and March 30.

Premiering last September at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF),the film tells the authentic story of the band from their humble beginnings in Hanna Alberta to their explosive global success in 2001 and the highs and lows that followed. Directed by Leigh Brooks and produced by Ben Jones, the film celebrates the loyalty of NICKELBACK fans and delves into the years of online vitriol while exposing the personal impact it had on each of the band members. The film also unveils the rock group's decision to return after a five-year break with a new record and a hugely successful sold-out tour, finding themselves riding a sudden wave of online love that has introduced their music to an army of new fans and audiences worldwide.

Tickets for the global theatrical release go on sale beginning February 22 at 10 a.m. ET at NickelbackFilm.com. The feature-length documentary will be distributed to over 1350 locations across 30 countries.

NICKELBACK states: "We are very excited to finally bring this film to theatres this spring. It's been a long road to get this project across the finish line and we must thank Ben Jones and Leigh Brooks for all of their hard work. We hope everyone enjoys our story, fans, friends or otherwise."

"Hate To Love: Nickelback" offers fans and audiences 90 minutes of translucence — an unvarnished and emotionally revealing look into the career of one of the world's biggest rock bands. Combining never-before-seen archival footage, concert footage, interviews and enthusiastic celebrity advocates like actor Ryan Reynolds and SMASHING PUMPKINS' Billy Corgan, NICKELBACK's Chad Kroeger, Ryan Peake, Mike Kroeger and Daniel Adair don't shy away from the band's topsy-turvy legacy as they share compelling and real-life stories alongside life-changing moments that have never before been divulged publicly.

"Hate To Love: Nickelback" is produced by Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Productions and directed by British filmmaker Leigh Brooks, who has previously worked on films about LIFE OF AGONY and TERRORVISION.

Brooks finished working on "Hate To Love: Nickelback" in June 2023. At the time, he wrote on LinkedIn about the experience: "Wow. 6 years filming the NICKELBACK doc and today was the last day, NICKELBACK and everyone one of the Nickelteam are fine fine people," he wrote. "Eternally grateful the band let us document this amazing film. There were times I didn't think this day would come, and although it feels like a freight train grinding to a halt, I'm really excited for what is pulling up at the station as we speak."

In a February 2023 interview with "Rock Hard With Phil And Tish", Brooks stated about how he got involved in the NICKELBACK documentary: "Well, basically, funnily enough, I just finished TERROVISION when a friend of mine that I work with quite a lot got a call from Ben, the radio presenter, and he was the first person to play 'How You Remind Me' in the U.K. And [he] said, 'Look, I've gotta do this. I got an EPK to do — electronic press kit — about the [then-]new [NICKELBACK] album 'Feed The Machine'. Do you know anyone that could come over and shoot with me and do a piece about the album? So through the TERROVISION doc, it actually landed me this gig.

"At the beginning, I knew nothing about NICKELBACK," Leigh admitted. "I knew 'How You Remind Me' and I remember I loved the tune at the time. I was one of those people that thought… I didn't, didn't agree with [NICKELBACK frontman] Chad's [Kroeger's] hairstyle, I didn't agree with some of his dress sense. To be honest, looking back at some of my hairstyles and dress sense at the time, I had no right to throw shade, man… And that was really all I knew. 'Cause I was [into stuff like] BIOHAZARD, I was [into] LIFE OF AGONY. I was [into] METALLICA, which, ironically, these guys [in NICKELBACK], when they grew up, they, they were bang into SLAYER and ANTHRAX and METALLICA. And yeah, we went over and did this thing on 'Feed The Machine', and it quickly turned out, it looked like we [were] gonna do like a longer version about all of the albums. And then that morphed into, 'Ah, let's go back and shoot a bit more concert stuff.' And then I found out the guys were going back to Hanna [Alberta, Canada], which is their hometown. And I'm, like, 'What for?' And they're, like, 'We're gonna go play a gig?' I'm like, 'Really?' 'Yeah. The place we used to play when we were really, really young. It was like two and a half thousand people in Hanna. That's it. And I was, like, 'We should be going to film that.' And then all of a sudden it just went from there. Every opportunity, there was a bit more to film or a bit more to explore. But, yeah, the controversy [surrounding NICKELBACK] definitely intrigued me, 'cause I was, like, 'Well, there's gotta be more to this that meets the eye.' And man, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. They paved the way for everyone else to get their asses handed to them on the Internet, basically."

In an interview with Robin Nash of Tucson, Arizona's KFMA-FM radio station, Chad Kroeger was asked why he thinks so many people love to hate his band. He responded: "That kind of used to be a thing. I shouldn't say 'that kind of used to be' — that was definitely a thing for a long time. And I think there's been a softening — there really has, thankfully. I'm not sure if it's because we receive a ton of love on TikTok or whatever the hell it is, but for whatever reason the teeth have kind of been removed. It's really nice, it's really nice to not be Public Enemy Number One.

"I think that with the range of songs that we write — from rock to all the softer, melodic stuff, all the way down to… Well, I know that 'Far Away' got played on country stations even and I know that 'Rockstar' — the heavily redacted version — got played on CMT," he continued. "So when you're going that far and the scope is that wide, it makes it tough to get away from the band if you're not into the band. And if you're trying to switch the radio station three times, and it's just, like, 'Ah, there they are. There's their rock song on the rock station. There's their pop song on the pop station. And oh my God, I can't even go to the country station and get away from these guys.' That type of oversaturation could piss people off. But at the end of the day, we're just a band that makes music.

"I can't stand a couple of bands, but I don't go online and turn into a keyboard warrior and just start hating on them," Chad reasoned. "I just change the channel or I put on something that I wanna listen to."

In February 2023, Chad told "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, that all the negative attention surrounding NICKELBACK has actually contributed to the band's longevity. "Well, I've been saying that for years," he said. "All the detractors, all the haters, all the keyboard heroes, they have no idea how much they keep us in the press loop. It's hilarious. Those people that would love to see us go away, if they really wanted to see us go away, they would just shut up. Because all those bands that came out with us at the same time are all gone, because nobody said anything about them. They all just sort of disappeared. But we've really kind of spun this whole negative thing into a positive thing. And here we are. [Laughs]"

Kroeger also talked about all the memes poking fun at NICKELBACK that regularly pop up on the Internet, explaining that "if it's music oriented and we think it's funny, we just leave it there, 'cause the band, collectively, has a great sense of humor. I mean, funny's funny. Just rude and ignorant, that's different. And yeah, obviously, there's tons of that too. But funny is funny. And as the Brits would say, we have no problem taking the piss out of ourselves."

Arguably the most disliked band in America, NICKELBACK has earned a type of hatred so potent it's hard to fathom what they did that was so terrible to the public consciousness. It's gotten to the point that people who enjoy NICKELBACK are denying their fandom and hiding their CDs like criminal contraband.

Asked by Jorge Botas of Portugal's "Metal Global" if he understands how NICKELBACK came to be so disliked by so many people, Chad said: "I think I've got a pretty good grasp of where things kind of went off the rails for us. I think that because we write so many different kinds of music, I think that if you were listening to a radio station any time between 2000 and 2010, '11, '12 even, we were kind of tough to get away from," he explained. "'Cause if you didn't wanna hear it and you changed to a different radio station, you'd probably hear it on there, and then changed to a different radio station, you probably were gonna hear it in so many different places. And we were really tough to get away from. And that's not my fault. [Laughs] We just write the songs. And so with that comes backlash. And then what happens is then comedians start making jokes, and then it starts making it on to TV, and then it makes it into movies and stuff like that. And then it just turns into this wave of, it's fun to pick on and it's an easy joke. And I get it. I understand. There are bands that when I hear them on the radio, I… And they're very popular bands… I mean, we all have those. No one is exempt from that. There are certain bands where you just hear them and you just don't like 'em. And other people may — half the world may love them, and I'll just be, like, 'No. I just cannot hear this band one more [time].' And just like everyone else does, I just change the channel. But we became the whipping boy of the music industry for a while there. But whatever. It's just part of the history of the band."

According to Chad, NICKELBACK is not the first group to experience the kind of severe backlash that has earned him and his bandmates the title of "the most hated act in the world."

"It's funny because we were at the American Music Awards, and we were presenting, and we presented to DEF LEPPARD," Chad recalled to "Metal Global". "And when we walked backstage afterwards, Joe Elliott and Phil Collen turned to me, and they were just, like, 'Dude, thank you so much.' I'm, like, 'For what?' They were, like, 'For taking the trophy. We get to pass the baton to you for being the most hated band in the world now.' And I was just, like, 'Oh, yeah. 'Cause I want that.'

"And it's funny — we went for dinner with AC/DC in Chicago years and years and years ago," Chad added. "And this whole thing came up. And Brian Johnson said when they released 'Back In Black', they were the most hated band on the planet. So I feel like we're in good company. [Laughs]"

In December 2022, Chad's brother, NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger was asked by Germany's Rock Antenne if he pays attention to all the online comments about his band. He responded: "I don't really do social media anymore. I have my own Instagram, but I got off Twitter. I never did Facebook, thank God, but I got off Twitter a couple of years ago — three years ago, I guess, now. I'm thinking about getting back on, just because since Elon Musk bought it, it looks like a hilarious, fun time. All these people are so scared, I love it. I might even rejoin, just to see what happens with that guy at the helm, so to speak.

"I'm not scared of comments 'cause I think sometimes even the ones that are assholes can be really funny," he continued. "To me, if something is truly funny, it's funny. Obviously, just to throw hate at something, like us, that's not kind of funny; that's just negative. But sometimes the haters can say some pretty funny things.

"There's a lot of times when you see people… And that's one thing that the Internet kind of has fostered with sites like Reddit, et cetera, is giving people a platform to try to be funny," Mike added. "And a lot of people try to be funny, and that's kind of the problem, because a lot of people aren't funny. So I have to kind of weed through the amateurs to get to the good ones, 'cause there are some good ones in there. There are people who make fun of our band and are funny about it — I'll have a great laugh when I see that — but there is also a contingent of people online who, they want to be funny, but they're just not. And that's just very sad to me."

Back in 2016, a student named Salli Anttonen at the University of Eastern Finland conducted a study to find out why there is so much hate directed towards NICKELBACK. Anttonen analyzed Finnish reviews of the band from 2000 through 2014 for her paper, which was titled "Hypocritical Bullshit Performed Through Gritted Teeth: Authenticity Discourses In Nickelback's Album Reviews In Finnish Media".

Anttonen found that critiques of the band became harsher as they became more popular, noting: "It became a phenomenon where the journalists were using the same (reasons) to bash them, and almost making an art out of ridiculing them."

Even though the study was based solely upon Finnish reviews of the band, the critics' animosity toward the group has been a global phenomenon.

Anttonen concluded: "NICKELBACK is too much of everything to be enough of something. They follow genre expectations too well, which is seen as empty imitation, but also not well enough, which is read as commercial tactics and as a lack of a stable and sincere identity."

NICKELBACK's latest album, "Get Rollin'", was released in November 2022 via BMG.

Original FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm has commented on the news that the band is among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2024.

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to have been released in 1999 or earlier.

Eligible since 2002, FOREIGNER has had a huge number of rock hits, including "Cold As Ice", "Double Vision", "Hot Blooded", "I Want To Know What Love Is", "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent", and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, with no wins.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the FOREIGNER members that would get inducted include only the classic-era musicians Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Ed Gagliardi, Al Greenwood, Ian McDonald and Rick Wills.

Lou discussed FOREIGNER's nomination for the Rock Hall during an appearance on the February 13 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Asked how he thinks it happened now that FOREIGNER finally got on a ballot, Gramm said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I think the person that had the vendetta is no longer associated with the Hall Of Fame. And there's some people with real rock sensibilities now running the show and they know very well that we belong there and they're doing the right thing… I think that when [Rolling Stone co-founder] Jann Wenner was finally removed from his position [last September at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's board after sexist and racist comments], the dark clouds started thinning out a little bit and somebody saw something in a different light and put us up for nomination this year."

Asked what his reaction was when he heard the news, Lou said: "I had very strange, mixed feelings about the fact that we were nominated. Well, I'm happy about it now, but all the stuff that went down for years while our rock compatriots from our era were getting in the Hall left, right and center, and I don't even know if we were even nominated once or maybe once, but decades went by and there was no word about us and it just seemed that obviously our credentials warrant the nomination and it just seemed something was strangely wrong and I got the sickening feeling that it was personal."

Gramm went on to say that he has not been in contact with his former bandmate, FOREIGNER founder Mick Jones, about the Rock Hall nomination. "No. Not at all," the singer said. "The last time Mick and I talked was the night we were inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame [in 2013]. That was 2012, I think, or 2013. I felt that I was very friendly towards him and he was so-so towards me, and I wasn't surprised, after that evening was over, that I didn't hear from him. I didn't expect to."

When host Eddie Trunk pressed Gramm about the fact that he shared the stage with singer Kelly Hansen and other members of the current and original FOREIGNER lineup in 2017 and 2018 to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary, Lou seemingly had no recollection of the fact, saying: "All the other guys from the original band that are left have made numerous guest appearances, but I haven't made one. [FOREIGNER manager and former Atlantic Records executive vice president] Phil [Carson] asked me to come to the big outdoor venue in Buffalo, and I had heard that Dennis and Rick were performing with them on a semi regular basis, and I just couldn't see my way clear to make an appearance out there, and that's the last I heard from anybody."

Asked if he would be okay going up with Mick and the surviving members of FOREIGNER who are inducted into the Rock Hall and performing at the ceremony, Lou said: "Yes. I don't know what the vibe would be with Mick, 'cause the funny thing is when I left the band in 2003, we hadn't communicated at all until that Songwriters Hall Of Fame. And so that was almost 10 years. And then after the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, we haven't communicated until now, if we make it in, and I'll be anxious to see if he's willing to communicate then."

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

The 73-year-old Gramm left FOREIGNER for good in 2002 and has battled health issues in recent years, including the removal of a non-cancerous tumor. He told the Democrat & Chronicle in 2018 that he was planning to retire, but still reunited with FOREIGNER for several shows that year.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Hansen in 2005. Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012.

Gramm and Jones's June 2013 performance of "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Juke Box Hero" at the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in New York City marked the first time the pair performed together in a decade after Gramm left FOREIGNER for a second time. Hansen has fronted the group for the past 19 years.

In July 2017, FOREIGNER reunited with Gramm, Greenwood and McDonald during a concert at Jones Beach, New York. Gramm sang lead with the band for the first time in 14 years, while multi-instrumentalist McDonald and keyboardist Greenwood, both founding members of FOREIGNER, had not performed with the group since 1980.

FOREIGNER's October 2017 reunion shows — featuring Jones, Gramm, McDonald, Elliott and Wills — performing all together for the first time since the early '80s, as part of the group's 40th-anniversary celebration were filmed and were released as the "Double Vision: Then And Now" CD and DVD in 2019.

Back in 2019, Gramm and Jones took part in an joint interview with Dan Rather's AXS show "The Big Interview", discussing everything from their multiplatinum-selling success to personal difficulties (including battling serious health issues) to lighthearted moments, like the time the band inadvertently left Jones behind at a 7-Eleven outside Kansas City while on tour.

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In a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Robert Plant spoke about his performance of the LED ZEPPELIN classic "Stairway To Heaven" last October during a charity concert for The Cancer Platform at Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire, organized by DURAN DURAN's Andy Taylor. It marked Robert's first time singing the song in public since LED ZEPPELIN's 2007 performance at the O2 Arena in London, which was later released as the "Celebration Day" concert film.

Plant said about the Soho Farmhouse performance: "It was cathartic. People go, 'Oh, that's good. He never was going to do that.' But I didn't really do it! I just blurted it out. 'Cause it's such an important song to me for where I was at the time and where I was with Jimmy [Page] and with John [Paul Jones] and Bonzo [John Bonham]. So on that night, it was what it was. It was a trial by fire, but I felt better at the end than at the beginning."

When the interviewer suggested that it could be the last time he ever sings that song, Plant said: "Yeah, I think you're probably right. I haven't got around to doing the ice-skating rinks in Finland yet with a small orchestra. [Laughs] So I don't think I'll be doing that, but I don't know. Who knows? Something could change somewhere. Spirit and heart could come back in the soul. It's a long song. Who can remember all those words?"

In an October 2023 interview with Led Zeppelin News, former REEF and current GOLDRAY guitarist Kenwyn House, who played alongside Plant at the Oxfordshire event, said that he had no idea "Stairway To Heaven" was on the setlist until he arrived at rehearsal.

"It was a combination between über excitement and terrifying," House said. "I literally only had four days to learn everything" after receiving a phone call from Taylor's guitar technician on October 15, 2023 asking if he would be available for a charity performance less than a week later.

"When Robert Plant walked into the room and I had to play 'Stairway To Heaven' with him for the first time in a small enclosed environment, that was probably the most pressured professional situation I have ever, ever come across. I'm in a small room with my hero playing the most famous of his songs."

House went on to say that Plant — who has shared somewhat conflicting feelings about the track during interviews throughout the years — only agreed to perform "Stairway To Heaven" after it was requested by someone who donated a significant amount of money to the aforementioned The Cancer Platform.

"Someone bid a huge amount of money for him to sing this song," House said. "There is a good circle of karma around it. That raised a six-figure sum for the charity, that one song."

Plant, Taylor and House were joined at the event by PINK FLOYD/David Gilmour bassist player Guy Pratt, Rod Stewart drummer David Palmer, Taylor's son Andy J. Taylor on guitar, Danish singer Anne Rani and Croatian multi-instrumentalist Dino Jelusick (WHITESNAKE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) on keyboards and backing vocals.

Back in 2019, Plant said that he could no longer "relate" to "Stairway To Heaven". During an appearance on the "Ultimate Classic Rock Nights" radio show, Plant spoke candidly about his feelings regarding the "Led Zeppelin IV" classic. "Of course, it was a good song," he said. "The construction of the song, the actual musical construction is very, very good. It's one of those moments that really can stand without a vocal — and, in fact, it will stand again without a vocal, I'm sure, because it's a fine, fine piece of music."

Plant went on to say: "Lyrically, now, I can't relate to it, because it was so long ago. I would have no intention ever to write along those abstract lines anymore. I look at it and I tip my hat to it, and I think there are parts of it that are incredible. The way that Jimmy [Page] took the music through, and the way that the drums reached almost climaxed and then continued... It's a very beautiful piece. But lyrically, now, and even vocally, I go, 'I'm not sure about that.'"

Several years ago, LED ZEPPELIN had to defend itself against a copyright lawsuit alleging "Stairway To Heaven" was stolen from an obscure 1960s instrumental. Jurors in the 2016 trial, which included testimony from Plant and Page, decided that "Stairway" did not infringe on "Taurus", written by the late Randy Wolfe and performed by his band SPIRIT.

During the trial, Plant recalled how he and Page had worked on "Stairway To Heaven" at Headley Grange, a former poorhouse in Hampshire, England. He said: "One evening, Jimmy Page and I sat by the fire, going over bits and pieces." He recalled leaving the rest of the band to work on the song while he went to his bedroom to write the song's lyrics, which he told the court were based on Celtic mythology and "the pastoral areas of Britain I love."

Photo by David McClister