Former Delain vocalist Charlotte Wessels has shared a new video along with the following message:


"Hi friends! I'm starting a new chapter on my journey and I'd like take you along! Please take a look at my page at  Please take a look at my page at patreon.com/charlottewessels."







On February 15th, 2021 Delain keyboardist Martijn Westerholt announced big changes in the band, saying they had split up and that he would continue Delain as a solo project. Charlotte issued the following statement:


"Delain has been my world for nearing 16 years, which is half of my life and my entire career. So it is with a heavy heart that I am confirming that Delain will continue as Martijn’s solo project, and my involvement with Delain ends here.


At this time, I know that you might have questions about the ‘why’ in all of this. I fully understand and respect that. Simply put, it is the sad conclusion of more than a year of trying to find solutions to built up grievances. Part of me feels like I’m letting all of you down, I’d like you to know that this decision was not taken lightly and I apologise to those of you who had high hopes of seeing all of us together live on stage again after lockdown. Until recently, I thought this might still be in the cards for us as well.


In the last 15 years we have released music that we have poured our heart and soul into. We have toured the world, rocked so many stages and met so many wonderful fans; I cherish all of that beyond measure. Every eye locked during a lyric, every front row high five, every after show hug (remember hugs?) From the sweaty hole in the wall to the Wembleys, Wackens, and Paradisos of our career. The memories we - band, crew, fans - have made together, will last forever. And in the end, they are more important to me than the differences that we couldn’t overcome, so that’s where I’d like the focus of the narrative to be.


So where do we go from here? Otto, Timo and Joey are also leaving Delain, but will carry on making music with their own projects. Make sure you’re following what they’re up to. I can’t wait to see and hear how they will take the world by storm. Martijn will continue with Delain, and although it may be painful at first to see a Delain that I’m not a part of, I do wish him the very best in this new chapter. Like any relationship, our creative partnership has required work at times, but it has also been incredibly fruitful and I am grateful for all the things that we made together. Finally, I hope that Delain remains a positive force in everyone’s lives. We Are The Others, always will be, and none of this changes that.


As for myself, I’ll keep writing and performing music. It is the thing that gives me joy and purpose. I’m beyond grateful for my amazing community on Patreon, something that was supposed to be a side project from Delain, but will now be the primary place that I release music and create art and community.


This platform allows me to keep creating independently and I am thankful for all patrons that make this possible. I am dedicated to bring you my absolute best, and look forward to making magic with all of you.


I welcome the future with open arms, and I hope to see you on my journey. You can find the latest at charlottewessels.nl."





Following is Westerholt's announcement that Delain had split up:


"For the last year or so, the collaboration within the band ceased to work as well as it once had. Some of us were no longer happy with the current roles in the band. We all tried very hard to find a solution for over a year, but sadly we were unable to find one.


"As a result, we will all be going our own ways and pursuing our own endeavours. I am very sad our cooperation has come to end, but at the same time I am very grateful for all the years we were able to work together. Together we toured the world, shared highs and lows, and met with many successes as well as times that pushed us to learn and grow. We all enjoyed meeting our fans and making new friends all over the globe. I would like to thank my fellow bandmates and wish Timo, Otto, Joey, and especially Charlotte the very best for the future. And I hope that will mean onwards and upwards to new musical adventures for each of them!


"That being said, Delain will live on. The others have chosen to pursue different paths. I have decided to keep Delain alive by continuing on with writing and producing the music for Delain as I always have. I started Delain as a project in 2002 and for the next album I will take it back to a project form, releasing music with special guests. As it looks now many familiar faces will be returning to join me on this journey.


"I can’t express my gratitude enough to all of you Delainers that have supported us over so many years. Your dedication to the music and the community you created for us has been overwhelming. Even though this situation is not ideal, change never usually is at first, I hope you will continue to join Delain on its new journey. This is not the end of Delain. It’s the end of a chapter, but also the beginning of a new one."

SEVENDUST guitarist Clint Lowery is working on an instrumental EP that he hopes to finish this month and have out shortly after.

Earlier today (Thursday, January 4),the 52-year-old musician, who lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife Tara and their two children, took to his social media to write: "For awhile now I've been very interested in film scoring, sound design and programming. Instead of focusing on another typical release I thought it'd be cool to write and release a few of these rough pieces I've been cutting my teeth on. Most of it is very moody, dark and cinematic, but still somewhat in traditional song format. It has been very fulfilling to work on not to mention refreshing creatively. I can experiment with sounds, textures and arrangements I enjoy.
"I got the inspiration while listening to NIN 'Ghosts' release and thought it would be a good exercise to just write and record something everyday or at least every other day just to flush things out, learn more about the process.

"I like to announce these things to stay accountable and I always work better under a deadline pressure, even if its one I put on myself. I plan to mix and master this myself (something I’ve never done). So please be open minded and take it for what it is…sharing musical ideas, the process where I'm currently sitting and where I want to go.

"I'm hoping for 5-7 songs to be complete by the time [SEVENDUST] tour starts. I'll probably mix it on tour and have out in March.

"I'm excited to tread on some new ground. Very humbling yet gratifying journey so far.

"No title yet and will probably just release this out of the blue."

Lowery released a solo EP, titled "Ghostwriter", in February 2023 via Dark Blanket Records. The five-track effort was the follow-up to his debut solo album, "God Bless The Renegades", which came out in January 2020 via Rise Records.

In addition to SEVENDUST, Lowery has been a member of, written, recorded, or performed with CALL ME NO ONE, DARK NEW DAY, KORN, RED, Tommy Lee's METHODS OF MAYHEM, SNOT, 10 YEARS and DIGITAL SUMMER, among others.

Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann

Hello there,
Wanted to wish you a happy new year!! And also give an update on my next project. I’m currently working on...

Posted by Clint Lowery on Thursday, January 4, 2024

Orange Goblin has completed work on their as yet untitled tenth studio album - which serves as the follow-up to 2018’s The Wolf Bites Back, and is the first for new label, Peaceville Records. The English heavy metal band recently released the following update:


"Happy New Year! The new Orange Goblin album is now in the can and due to be released sometime around May / June 2024, via Peaceville Records. Our first live show of the year will see us travel to Switzerland for Plug Out Festival Vol.1: at KIFF in Aarau on Saturday March 9th. We may even be playing a new song or two for the first time EVER!"







In additional live news, Orange Goblin have announced that they will finally return to Japan and Australia in April 2024, whilst also adding their first ever shows in New Zealand. These will be the band's first shows in Japan since 1999, and their first in Australia since touring there as part of Soundwave Festival in 2013. Confirmed dates, along with the official tour poster, can be found below.


April
6 - Cyclone (Shibuya) - Tokyo, Japan
7 - Soccer Factory - Osaka, Japan
9 - Lions Art Factory - Adelaide, Australia
10 - The Basement - Canberra, Australia
11 - The Zoo - Brisbane, Australia
12 - Crowbar - Sydney, Australia
13 - The Croxton - Melbourne, Australia
15 - Mothership - Auckland, New Zealand
16 - A Rolling Stone - Christchurch, New Zealand
17 - Valhalla - Wellington, New Zealand


Support in Tokyo from Church Of Misery
Support in Australia from Dr Colossus and Astrodeath
Support in New Zealand from Pieces Of Molly


Tickets for all shows are on sale now.





(Poster Artwork: Dominic Sohor Design)


 

In a recent interview with rob wog, former MANOWAR guitarist Ross "The Boss" Friedman reflected on the band's classic debut album, 1982's "Battle Hymns", saying, "It was the start of a lot of things. It was the start of a new vision, a new force in music called power metal."

Asked if he knew MANOWAR was going to become as iconic as it later turned out to be, Ross said: "Joey [DeMaio, MANOWAR bassist] and I knew that our imagery and the messages we were putting out were strong — were really strong — but we didn't realize how strong it was. For some reason, it's embedded itself in Europe and Eastern Europe, and other places. In America, not so much — America in pockets. Because they can't play and demand the same money they get in in Europe. I have my own reasons for why that happened — because we didn't tour enough in America. And while the buzz was on, we let METALLICA, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, all the other bands, tour and get all the fricking jack. But MANOWAR is MANOWAR."

A founding member of MANOWAR, Ross recorded six albums with the band before leaving after 1988's "Kings Of Metal". His work with MANOWAR included such classic LPs as the aforementioned "Battle Hymns", 1983's "Into Glory Ride" and 1984's "Hail To England".

Speaking about MANOWAR's loincloths-and-oily-pecs image, Ross said: "We always thought that starting with 'Denim And Leather' — SAXON, all those bands… People would go, 'Why don't you wear leather and denim?' We'd go, 'We're not that.' We told people we were just not that. I said animal skins is a lot wilder. It's a lot more brutal and wilder than denim and leather, as much as I like denim and leather. So we were coming from a much different spot than those bands."

Recalling MANOWAR's third studio album, Ross said: "That record 'Hail To England' was — I mean, not that 'Sign Of The Hammer', not that 'Into Glory Ride' was a piece of shit. But that record really started to congeal, started to come together, of all of the MANOWAR ideas. 'Cause that session we recorded most of 'Sign Of The Hammer' as well. Those are back in the days that we had plenty of songs and it was never a problem. Between Joey and I, it was never a problem of songs. People would call us like the [John] Lennon and [Paul] McCartney of metal songwriting, because we did six records in six years. Think of that. Now how many have they [MANOWAR] done after that? 13 years between records."

In 2021, Friedman was asked by Waste Some Time With Jason Green if he would consider playing with MANOWAR again, to which he said: "Well, if the financial arrangements were right. But [Joey is] the kind of scumbag that would never have that… I'll never say no, but you never know. I just called him a scumbag, so… It's not gonna happen. He's secure in the fact that MANOWAR are mediocre fucking pieces of shit right now. What they're putting out to the public [is] just terrible."

After BLABBERMOUTH.NET published Ross's comments from the Waste Some Time With Jason Green interview, he sent a short statement conveying a more conciliatory tone.

"I would like to apologize to MANOWAR, the fans and Joey for the insult," he wrote. "If anyone knows me, you know that's not my style for saying things like that. I violated my own rule. Again, I am truly sorry."

Ross clarified to the "Mike Nelson Show" that he only "apologized to the fans" for his comments. "What I said about him, I just said I went against what I believe in, is to not air that shit out in public. And I apologized to the MANOWAR fans for saying that. I didn't apologize to him."

During the aforementioned Waste Some Time With Jason Green interview, Friedman stated about the circumstances surrounding his exit from MANOWAR more than three and a half decades ago: "When a band gets big and the money hits, greed, avarice and evil takes place. A guy that I thought was my partner wasn't," he said, referring to DeMaio. "So he wanted me [out]. He goes, 'You've gotta go.' I go, 'Really? I've gotta go why? I've gotta go why? We're equal partners, 50 percent. Why do I have to go? Why don't you go?' The whole thing is he was so — his antics and his bullshit was so insane that I had it up to [my neck] with him. When you have it up to [your neck] with someone, you've just gotta go, 'Get the fuck outta here. I can't take this anymore.'

"[It was] ego, greed, avarice, evil [that caused me to depart]," he explained. "When [Joey] met me, I had already four major albums. He had done zero. Joey DeMaio was nobody. When he met me, I had already done four. I had no will to fight him. If I were to fight him, I would have killed him. He's just a fucking pariah… You can't live with that. My heart couldn't take it. I can't take evil. And I know people are gonna be… [It's gonna be] hard [for them] to hear that, but I'm better off now. I really am."

In 2022, Friedman told Sofa King Cool about the 40th anniversary of "Battle Hymns": "It is obviously an iconic record that has pretty much started power metal. We pretty much put power metal on the map with that record. 'Cause there really wasn't power metal before that. I mean, [Ronnie James] Dio did some things amazingly, and Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW, of course, but I think 'Battle Hymns' was the first real, true power metal record. That was my baby."

Asked if there were any plans to reissue "Battle Hymns" for its 40th anniversary, Ross said: "That record has been reissued so many times. I was asked to leave MANOWAR in 1988, right after the release of 'Kings Of Metal'. And [DeMaio] has repackaged everything up so many times… He re-recorded 'Battle Hymns'; he re-recorded 'Kings Of Metal'. Both suck. 'Cause you can't re-record a record; you can't redo it. It's like TWISTED SISTER redoing 'Stay Hungry'; you just can't do it. Especially, he did it without me. I mean, I could see if he had the original lineup playing 'Battle Hymns' and the original lineup playing 'Kings Of Metal', with just [drummer] Donnie [Hamzik] instead of Scott [Columbus]; Scott's not with us no more. But without me? And you tune down those songs. They were written in standard pitch. And then MANOWAR's tuning 'em down for [singer] Eric [Adams]. Those songs lose all their energy. No. Nah nah nah nah nah nah. You've gotta leave genius alone, leave greatness alone. They're untouchable."

Ross was one of the pioneers of both punk rock and heavy metal. First crashing on the scene with THE DICTATORS and with such classic albums as 1975's "Go Girl Crazy!", 1977's "Manifest Destiny" and 1978's "Bloodbrothers", Ross helped trailblaze punk rock (just to put it all in perspective, "Go Girl Crazy!" arrived a full year before the RAMONES' debut, and two years before THE CLASH's and SEX PISTOLS' debuts). By the end of the '80s, Ross had reconnected with his DICTATORS bandmates in MANITOBA'S WILD KINGDOM, which served as a bridge between his love of punk and metal, as heard on the group's popular 1990 debut, "…And You?" Throughout the remainder of the decade, Ross also played with such groups as THE HELLACOPTERS and THE SPINATRAS, before THE DICTATORS reunited, which resulted in several new releases starting from the late '90s all the way through the early 21st century. Also around this time, Ross joined forces with former of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT drummer Albert Bouchard in the band BRAIN SURGEONS. With Ross's main focus turning to metal music at this time, two additional projects were launched — DEATH DEALER and his solo outfit, ROSS THE BOSS.

On November 25th, 2023, Toto performed live at the Night Of The Proms in Antwerp, Belgium. Pro-shot video can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"Stop Loving You"
"I'll Be Over You"
"Rosanna"
"Africa"
"Hold the Line"







Toto, featuring singer Joseph Williams and guitarist Steve Lukather, recently announced new North American headline dates within their planned itinerary with Journey, from February through April, 2024. Additional planned shows will be shared in the coming weeks.


The band's European tour will be staged in June and July, with seven performances in Germany also announced. The entire itinerary will be announced shortly which includes the band’s return to the UK.

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing has shared a new video message in he reflects on the band's classic album "Defenders Of The Faith". In the clip, which can be seen below, the 72-year-old musician states (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hello, everyone. It's K.K. here, just checking in, because today is a very special day. It is exactly 40 years since the release of this record here, 'Defenders Of The Faith'. Anybody remember that? For those who were around at the time, yeah, it was 1984. We were recording this — let me see — the mainstay of it was in Spain and then we moved to Florida to do some more recording and mixing. I remember it well. We had a great time, and little did we know — little did I know — I think this is probably one of my favorite albums. We've got on here 'Freewheel Burning', 'Jawbreaker', 'Rock Hard, Ride Free', 'The Sentinel', and it goes on. Yeah, killer first four tracks — really full-on metal."

He continues: "But anyway, you guys, I just wanted to say a big hello and congratulate the album, 'Defenders Of The Faith'. It made it 40 years.

"And, yeah, but let me know. I'm trying to think what are my favorite tracks here, but what are your favorite tracks? Let us know. Drop us a line on Instagram, Facebook. And hopefully I'll see you guys in another 10 years, and we'll do exactly the same with the 50th anniversary. Until then, see you soon. Keep it metal, and rock hard, ride free."

PRIEST's platinum-certified 1984 release "Defenders Of The Faith" spawned such headbanging classics as "Freewheel Burning", "Jawbreaker", "The Sentinel", "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" and "Love Bites".

In March 2015, an expanded three-CD version of "Defenders Of The Faith" was unleashed via Columbia/Legacy, featuring the original ten-track album remastered by producer Tom Allom, and a complete live recording from the "Defenders" tour, recorded at the Long Beach Arena in California, on May 5, 1984.

Nine years ago, Downing posted a message in the "blog" section of his Steel Mill web site in which he wrote: "In 1984, PRIEST 'Defenders Of The Faith' tour sold out Madison Square Garden! Now that was what you call a memorable gig, exuberant fans decided to fill the stage with foam cushions from their seats. It was crazy, but full-on metal. In the end of the night, [the stage] was completely two to three cushions deep, making it impossible for us to walk on as it became like one big trampoline. However, it was great fun. I remember how we laughed so much, it was difficult to continue to play, but, of course, we did!

"The result of this amazingly unusual gig was a ban for life from the venue, but we did not care, as it was truly a night to remember.

"I think that you may all agree that the 'Defenders' stage set was possibly the most metal of all PRIEST sets and also the most synonymous with both PRIEST and with metal!

"It was a tough task to follow the success of 'Screaming For Vengeance', but I think it is testimony to PRIEST that there was no conscious effort to write single-orientated songs for 'Defenders'. In fact, we never did that. If a song became popular for radio, it was just what happened. As the title and song says, 'we are defenders of the (metal) faith' and very proud of it.

"The opening two tracks on this album, for me, are seriously the way to open a metal album; 'Freewheel Burning' and 'Jawbreaker' are a combination that for me is hard to get tired of. It was also great to play most of this album on the tour, which, I guess, also pays tribute to the album, as it is always difficult to present new material live. It is usual to allow a record to be well digested and to see what tracks become favourites before risking putting too many songs in the set list. For example, in 1990, I think we put five songs in the set list from 'Painkiller', but after a week or so on tour, we dropped tree songs. Such was the demand for our established songs. Now I guess PRIEST would be well received if the whole 'Painkiller' album was played. Now there's a thought?

"I must say a big thank you to [producer] Tom Allom and [engineer] Mark Dodson for their part in 'Defenders' as they too are real defenders of the faith."

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

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

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

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

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KK’s Priest (@kkspriest)

Yiannis Dolas from Greece’s Rockpages did a recent interview we did with Krokus' co-founding member, bassist Chris Von Rohr. He talks about the band's farewell tour, the reasons they are not releasing a new album, about Lars Ulrich listening to early Krokus albums, Lemmy, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford checking out the Swiss band when they played in England and being kicked out of their tour with Def Leppard.


"Recently I spoke to Lars Ulrich from Metallica…he came to me holding To You All, the album that I sing on,” said Rohr about Metallica. “That’s a more bluesy and experimental album. Definitely, the style before Metal Rendez-vous was totally different. Lars told me that when he was still in Denmark we would listen to that early Krokus stuff and let’s face it even the Metallica logo was slightly inspired by the Krokus logo." 


"[In the early '80s] we found out that there’s a big interest for Krokus in England. That was a big surprise for us, too, because we had only started to get bigger in Switzerland. England seemed like a really scary place for us because all our heroes were from England and the truth is that we weren’t really prepared for such a jump…from a club level band to all those legendary places in England like Hammersmith, Apollo or Liverpool’s Empire etc. These were places where all the famous bands played. That was a challenge for us and a test to prove that we weren’t simply another regional band. It was a learning process for us but also a great time period for us. Everybody was coming to see us…Lemmy, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford. It was a perfect timing for us…the beginning of the ‘80s."  




Getting kicked off the Def Leppard tour: “The problem was that our singer was breaking some rules…things you don’t do when you are a special guest on a tour. The guys in Def Leppard were great…they came to us and told us that we shouldn’t copy Joe Elliott’s raps or we shouldn’t go to some areas on stage which are reserved for the headliner. But Marc [Storace, Krokus singer] didn’t listen and he did it again. Next thing we know, our manager had a fist fight with Def Leppard’s drummer who had, of course back then, both his arms.”


(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)

In a new interview with "Disturbing The Priest", the heavy metal-themed podcast run by comedian Brandon Battick, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about how he has managed to focus on new projects and move on with his career since his exit from the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit nearly three years ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I've had just overwhelming, really unanimous support for that, just going, 'Man, keep going, brother. 'Because, look, it's rock and roll. I was in one of these tumultuous, certainly very storied bands for most of my career. How could you expect it to be anything else? It's like being in the SEX PISTOLS. So, the reality of it is now it comes this time of division.

"I was here before 20 years ago when the band when [MEGADETH] was disbanded and I had F5 and some things that I was working on. But it wasn't my time yet to really kind of be out on my own I feel like now it is. I went back to MEGADETH, obviously, for 11 years, [and] a lot of great stuff [happened], including that Grammy win, but I feel like there's just a lot that I never got to say. And it's fine — look, groups are what groups are; you go along to get along — but I feel like now is moments in time. I've written a lot of music. I've partnered with a lot of different people — Jeff Scott Soto, the DIETH guys, me and [former MEGADETH guitarist] Jeff Young are back together working on stuff, [ex-MEGADETH guitarist] Chris Poland — so there's not only the brotherhood of the past family tree, but there's now new forks and branches to extending and widening that family tree into some other stuff."

He continued: "For me, it's always just, first of all, do I like the people and do I like the music? That's always the first thing. It's kind of back to that, when we all got started in this. Remember when we all thought, 'God, wouldn't it be great to be in a band? We'll take on the world. We'll all be best friends.' And then you get into — if you work in radio, it's the same for you — you get into the business of music and you realize, yeah, it's not about that at all. This is a job and do your job to get your check. And playing the bass and being in a band is the same thing, man. It's like, do your job, make the biscuits. And I hate that mindset. I've never used that dirty four-letter word called 'work' in this. I use the other one — 'play' — you know, 'Let's go play music.' Me and Jeff Young were just on the phone this morning talking about some stuff, and we get each other excited. It's like, yeah, man, we didn't pick up our guitars to have to fucking go to the factory and go to work. We picked up our guitars to do this — get up with our friends and sit here and talk about music all day. Let's do that. That's more fun."

In February 2024, Ellefson will embark on his inaugural "Bass Warrior Tour". Accompanying him on the European trek is Italian guitarist and musical director Andy Martongelli, a longtime friend and collaborator who has been by Ellefson's side during his solo ventures, "Basstory", ELLEFSON-SOTO and ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE tours across Europe. On drums will be Roberto Pirami (Michael Angelo Batio, Rowan Robertson, Gus G.),on vocals Titta Tani (EHFAR, ex-drummer of Claudio Simonetti's GOBLIN),and on rhythm guitar Walter Cianciusi (Geoff Tate band).

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

Shortly before Ellefson was dismissed from MEGADETH, he released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders.

Dave Mustaine — who formed MEGADETH with Ellefson in 1983 — released a statement on May 24, 2021 announcing the bassist's departure from the band. In the statement, Dave said: "We do not take this decision lightly. While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward."

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

In a new interview with The Prog Report, Mike Portnoy was asked about the status of some of his other projects, including THE WINERY DOGS and SONS OF APOLLO, and how they will be affected by his recent return to DREAM THEATER. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did first 25 years with DREAM THEATER and then I'd spent 13 years, which is almost half that time, with the post-DREAM THEATER chapter and I did so much. I mean, it's gotta be 50 albums or whatever with dozens of bands. I could not have been more fulfilled with how I spent those dozen years apart from DREAM THEATER. I could not have possibly written a more productive script than what I was able to do and achieve and create. So, some of those projects and relationships will continue into the future, but obviously DREAM THEATER is now my home again, and that's my priority. And surely for these first couple of years back, that's gonna be my focus, and I will be devoted to that primarily, probably without much distraction. Down the years, maybe I could revisit some stuff with some of those relationships and bands and projects and people. We'll see. But I'm just kind of looking where I'm at now, and where I'm at now is back in DREAM THEATER, and that's gonna be the focus."

He continued: "We start working on a new album after the New Year. And I cannot wait to tour and get on stage with those guys again. That's gonna be the most exciting thing about it, of it all. So where the future lies for any of my other bands and projects, time will tell. Some will probably slip away, some will survive. And we'll see; it might have future chapters. But right now my focus is just on DREAM THEATER. But I do have a tremendous sense of closure for all of that stuff I did do over the last 12, 13 years. And it was an amazing adventure and an amazing ride and I couldn't be happier with the fruits of my labor. Really, it was an incredible time. But I'm ready for this — I don't wanna say 'final act,' but the reality is if you look at our ages, it probably is the final act… And there's really no better place that I should be spending it than where it all began with my brothers in DREAM THEATER. We formed that band when I was in college. The three of us formed it in college as teenagers. It's poetic justice that we should ride off into the sunset together and end it together as well. It really seems like that's the way it should be."

Portnoy previously talked about his return to DREAM THEATER last month in an interview with Drumeo. Regarding how he ended up back in the band, Portnoy said: "It's been 13 years, and I think time heals all wounds, as the expression goes. It's been many, many years now of kind of rekindling my relationships with the guys, starting with [DREAM THEATER guitarist] John Petrucci… Maybe five, six, seven years ago or so, we just reconnected. Our families — his wife and my wife were in a band together even before we knew our wives. Our kids have grown up together. My daughter and John Petrucci's daughter shared an apartment together in New York for the last five years. So the families were still close. So John and I inevitably reconnected on a personal level. And I guess it really started to gain some traction during COVID lockdown because I couldn't tour and DREAM THEATER couldn't tour, so John decided he wanted to do a solo album and he asked me to play on it. So that was the first step, I guess, in this direction. So I played on John's solo album. And then a few months later, we did an LTE [LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT] album with, with JohnandJordan [Rudess, DREAM THEATER keyboardist]. So that brought three of us back together. And then the following year I ended up doing John's solo tour, and our wives' band were opening for us. So we had the wives out with us. So it just seemed like it was all starting to come together on a personal level and then the musical level as well. And then I think the final piece was me reconnecting with [DREAM THEATER singer] James LaBrie 'cause James and I hadn't spoken for over a decade."

He continued: "I went to see DREAM THEATER play in New York, I guess around 2022, and that was my first time seeing James in over a decade. And literally, I'm not exaggerating, within five seconds of seeing each other, it was hugs, kisses and it was like any of the drama and bullshit that happened during all of those years of the split, it just melted away immediately. And with James and I buddying up again, it kind of just… it began to seem like an inevitability. It wasn't ever, I don't think, in either of our plans to eventually reunite. In fact, if you would have asked me this five years ago, I probably wouldn't have put money on it. But with the developments of everything I just laid out for you, then it started to really feel like, well, maybe this is inevitable. It just seems like we're in the right place and the right time at this stages of our lives. All those years of DREAM THEATER, we were in our twenties and thirties and forties. And now here we are, most of us in our fifties and some of the members in their sixties, and it just seems like life is too short to not be with the people you love and play the music that is part of your life and your heart and soul. So, yeah, here we are."

 Portnoy went on to say that he had no hard feelings for Mangini, who has been publicly very supportive of Portnoy's return to the band.

"It was nice to see something like this happen with taking the high road and class and grace and dignity and not a war of words and drama and B.S.," Portnoy said. "This was really handled so well, and I have to give Mike Manginiall the credit in the world for that, 'cause it's not easy being replaced. I can't imagine. He handled it really well, and I guess the things he said were so classy. So, yeah, I was really glad to see how well he took it. 'Cause I was a little concerned about that. But it couldn't have come off any better."

Portnoy noted that he had been "friends with [Mangini] before he even knew any of the guys in DREAM THEATER. He and I were friends in the '90s when he was still playing in EXTREME and stuff like that and we would do clinics together and stuff," he said. "So, yeah, he's an old friend. And I could never get mad at the guy for taking the gig. I mean, how could you not? It was a great opportunity and a great gig. So, yeah, it was nice when all those resentments and all that stuff melted away, because it was a tough couple of years in the start of the split."

As for Portnoy's role during DREAM THEATER's new era, the drummer said: "I think that was the one discussion that John Petrucci and I had. We still to this point even haven't talked about business or money or finances or any of that. It was all about, okay, we know we love each other. We know we wanna play together again. But what is the new dynamic gonna be? Because for all those first 25 years, John and I produced the albums together. We kind of led the band together. I was handling the bulk of the responsibilities and decisions making and things like that. And so when I left the band, I was very much a control freak. And then now the last 13 years or so, obviously they've had to re-design their inner structure and how they function, how they work. I think John produces the albums himself now. So it remains to be seen how the 'new old' DREAM THEATER will function. But I think we're all older and wiser."

He continued: "When I left the band 13 years ago, I was a control freak — absolutely. I'll be the first to admit it. And I think as time has gone on, I've loosened up on all that. All the bands I've done over the last 13 years, I've had to learn how to compromise, how to collaborate, how to let go of things. I've even had these hired-gun gigs with TWISTED [SISTER] and AVENGED [SEVENFOLD] where I just play drums. So, we're just gonna have to find our feet in the new dynamic. I think there will be many areas that I hope I could regain some control, like writing the setlists, it was always a big one for me. But then there's other areas that I'm more than happy to step away and not even be involved with. I'd be happy to not write any lyrics again, which is what I used to always write a lot of lyrics back in the day. But I'd be fine with not doing that. It's a lot of things — designing the artwork or the merchandise. You've gotta pick your battles, and I guess we'll find our feet and see where everybody kind of fits into the structure of the new dynamic."

Portnoy attended DREAM THEATER's concert in March 2022 at Beacon Theatre in New York City. It was the first time he witnessed his then-former bandmates perform live since his exit from the iconic progressive metal outfit 13 years ago.

When Portnoy's return to DREAM THEATER was first announced on October 25, Mangini said in a statement: "I understand DREAM THEATER's decision to get Mike Portnoy back at this time. As was said from Day 1, my place was not to fill all the roles that Mike held in the band. I was to play the drums in order to help the band carry on. My main role of keeping our live show working tightly on a nightly basis was an intense and rewarding experience. Thankfully, I got to experience playing music with these iconic musicians, as well as some fun times laced with humor."

Mangini joined DREAM THEATER in late 2010 through a widely publicized audition following the departure of Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER 38 years ago. Mangini beat out six other of the world's top drummers — Marco Minnemann, Virgil Donati, Aquiles Priester, Thomas Lang, Peter Wildoer and Derek Roddy — for the gig, a three-day process that was filmed for a documentary-style reality show called "The Spirit Carries On".

In a recent interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern", former MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell reflected on the final days of the band's leader Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister who passed away in December 2015 at the age of 70, shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer. Phil said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We got a call, 'You'd better come over, better fly over to see Lem. He's not doing too well.' But we never got a chance. So we never managed to say goodbye, unfortunately. But it's like any other… when someone passes away, it's not good. But we rocked, and Lem rocked till the end, till he could do no more. 'Cause we were trying to get him to take a rest, but he wouldn't listen to us. He did it — right to the end, he did it his way, which I'm really proud of. I'm glad did it like that as well."

Phil added: "He said years ago that's all he wanted to do, was create an unforgettable rock and roll band. So I think he definitely managed that. So, he can sleep upstairs or downstairs, wherever he is now, a happy man."

Almost a year ago, Campbell was asked by Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind if he and his then-MOTÖRHEAD bandmates knew "things were not going well" when they were forced to cancel a number of shows due to Lemmy's declining health in the months leading up to his death. Phil responded: "Yeah, we knew, but Lem wanted to just carry on then. I know the last tour in Germany, I think one or two shows were canceled 'cause I ended up in hospital. And I came back out and we finished the tour. And that was the last tour then; the last show was in Berlin. So the last week of MOTÖRHEAD, actually I was the one in bloody hospital. But we never thought — when we parted at the end of the tour, we never thought that would be the last time we'd see each other. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye, me or Mikkey [Dee, MOTÖRHEAD drummer], or nothing. I couldn't even go over to the funeral, 'cause my doctor advised me not to, 'cause I was pretty ill myself in them days."

In March 2023, Dee told Sonic Perspectives that Lemmy didn't have any idea he was dying in the months leading up to his December 2015 passing. "I don't think that he had those — I know he didn't have these thoughts at all," Mikkey said. "But he did struggle with his health, and that was a pain in the ass for Lemmy, because he wanted to live his normal life so much. But he had some good days and bad days. And '15 was a tough year for Lemmy, and for all of us, obviously. But I know for a fact that he had no idea that he would actually pass away — I mean, die — by the end of that year; he had no clue about that."

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Back in May 2021, Dee told the "Waste Some Time With Jason Green" video podcast that Lemmy refused to quit touring in the weeks leading up to his death, even when his health was clearly deteriorating.

"We played the last show the 11th of December [of 2015] in Berlin, and he passed just [two] weeks later," Mikkey recalled. "And that tells you, the guy died with his boots on. And both me and Phil [Campbell, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist] were trying to talk him out of starting the second part of the European tour after Christmas. But there was no way in hell we could do that. And I said to Phil, 'Look, instead of arguing with Lemmy or pushing him not to do this,' because we said maybe we should break for a couple of months for him to catch his wind, basically. I said, 'Let's not push him anyway. Let him decide what he wants to do. He knows best what he wants to do.' And he wanted to be on stage. So we said, 'Let's just support him instead,' and that's what we did. But we never made it to the second leg of that European tour, unfortunately. It was the U.K. that was on the next part of it, I remember that."

Asked if he knew when he came home to Sweden that it would probably be the end for Lemmy, Mikkey said: "No. Not at all. Because I talked to Lemmy after that show in Berlin. We were all gonna go separate ways, obviously. I was gonna just fly out to Sweden, and Phil went back home to Wales. Lemmy was flying back to L.A., but I believe he was gonna fly to London and stay one night or two or so and say hi to friends and then fly back home. And I spoke to him right after the show. I went down to Lemmy's dressing room, and I said, 'All right. Go back to L.A. and figure out, maybe, another two songs from [MOTÖRHEAD's final album] 'Bad Magic' that you think that we should do. And we take out the two songs that we already played on this leg, and we put in two new songs from the record.' And he said, 'Yeah. All right. I'll check that out.' And I said, 'Let's hook up after Christmas.' Because it was the 11th of December at that time, and I figured we'd talk between Christmas and New Year's Eve and decide which two songs that we agreed on on playing on that next leg. And he said, 'Yeah, I'll go back and work on that.' And that was it. He had no intention of not coming back to Europe and touring. So we did a little finger hook, as we always did, and that was the last time I saw him, actually. Very sad."

Dee went on to say that Lemmy had made some changes in his life to improve his health after dealing with several issues over the last few years of his life, including heart trouble. "But my personal belief is that it was maybe a little too late," he said. "He should have maybe changed a little earlier. But knowing Lemmy, he was not for that. He was doing it his way or the highway, basically. And that made him to what he was. He never compromised with his music, he never compromised with friendship, he never compromised with what way he was gonna go for anyone else in that way, which is why MOTÖRHEAD was MOTÖRHEAD, and still is MOTÖRHEAD. But with that said, of course, the three of us were talking a lot about stuff, and it was not like he was some kind of a boss here. But we all worked so good together, and that's what created the magic, I would say."

JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford is celebrating the 38th anniversary of his getting sober.

Earlier today (Saturday, January 6), the 72-year-old singer shared a video message in which he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " Hello, everyone. One day at a time for 38 years. Thank you, higher power, family, friends, metal maniacs, my sponsor Bob for gifting me these commemorative coins I treasure.

"Each one of you make this sober birthday happen. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is uncharted. Today is all that matters. Prayer, self-inventory, amending, holding out your hand — the simple things in life mean the most.

"To those of us on this same path we walk together, keep walking. To you who may be ready to take the first step, there's a wonderful new life of unconditional blessings filled with love and acceptance waiting for you with open arms. I'm lifted up and grateful for every moment I live with you all.

"Thanks again, everyone. I love you very much."

In 2022, Halford spoke to Spain's Mariskal Rock about how he has managed and avoided the urge to relapse since 1986. "I think about it all the time," he said about drinking alcohol. "It's an addiction. When I'm watching the Phoenix Cardinals play on TV the other day, there's constantly adverts for beer and for alcohol and stuff. And I know it's there. And it's a temptation. So you have to have all of the mental tools ready to get you through that instance. 'Cause it's all about instances. And I live one day at a time. I've lived one day at a time for 35 years now. And that's all that matters. It's the moment. You live in the moment — not yesterday, not tomorrow; it's now. And you have to be ready for when that little beer devil comes on your shoulder and goes, 'Come on, Rob. Have a little drink of beer.' 'Fuck off.' [Laughs] Because I don't wanna feel that way again, man. I don't want to be that person. I was miserable. I wasn't happy. I was bad to people. I don't wanna go through that again. So that's also part of my finding a balance in my day-to-day life."

Rob previously spoke about how he manages to stay clean on the road in a 2020 interview with the "Across The Board" podcast. "It's not easy," he said at the time. "It's very much a day at a time. You're given all the tools and resources from your rehab experience. I use 'em every day. A lot of it is just like mental notes — talking things through. Sometimes I speak 'em out; a lot of it is internal. So that's really vital on a day-to-day level of sobriety.

"When I was in rehab [in 1986], there's anonymity in rehab, but at the same time, you have to tell everybody your life story, so everybody knew what I did. And I remember we talked about the fact that I'm gonna go back to this world of sex and drugs and rock and roll and booze. I don't know how I'm gonna be able to cope, because it won't be a gradual reimmersion into society, so to speak. I won't be able to go tiny steps; I'm just gonna go straight into the deep end. I cannot go to work and say to my bandmates, 'You can't drink. You can't do this. You can't do that,' because it's control. Accept your powerlessness.

"I don't think we ever in the band had a sit-down conversation about this, but I think that there was caring and understanding — as there still is," Halford continued. "But I'd be the last person to say that I have to set a set of rules, because then this whole business of living my life on my terms [turns into something] you push on to other people: 'Well, now, you can't do this,' 'You can't do that.' That's just hypocrisy on the highest level.

"Even now, when we're flying after a show, and the guys are having a beer or a cocktail or whatever, man, I would love that cold beer. I would love a slug of Jack and Coke. I can smell it, 'cause we're in a plane together. It's like this little angel on one side and the devil on the other side. My instant thought is I never wanna be sick again. I never, ever wanna feel that bad ever again. I never want to be in that terrible, dark, lonely place ever again. So it's fleeting. But, again, it's always there.

"When I'm home, especially [during] this COVID thing, [my longtime partner] Thomas doesn't drink. When I first met Thomas, he quit drinking. So that's a support to me. I'm never really around alcohol that much, or drugs, when I'm not working. But, yeah, when my fans, or when PRIEST fans come to see us, yeah, they're gonna have some drinks; they might have a couple of spliffs [and] do whatever else recreationally. They're entitled to. And they are living their lives and they are partying and they are having the time of their lives, as they should. They don't have an alcohol problem; they don't have a drug addiction. There are people that can enjoy these things in life and it [has] no effect on them, in a physical sense and in a mental sense.

"So, it's an absolute miracle," Halford added. "I can only say it's a miracle that I've got that far from January the 6th, 1986 to December the 1st, 2020 without slipping once. And I'm not boasting, because it's all the past — that's the past; it's gone. I live in the moment. I don't think about yesterday or tomorrow; I'm living now. But I'm grateful that I've been able to get this far without failing. Not failing — that's the wrong word. Without a slip off the wagon — whatever the term is. I'm grateful that I've been able to get this far and stay clean and sober. Because if I didn't, who knows where I would have gone and where I would have ended up?"

Halford credited his belief in a higher power for helping him in his recovery. "When I got clean and sober, that was a major change in my life," he said during an appearance on HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta's official podcast, "The Jasta Show". "And part of my recovery is just having this higher-power belief. And it works. It works, man. It really, really is important."

Halford added: "There probably will be people listening to [this] podcast who don't have anything like that in their life, and that's great; it's all about acceptance. But I always say to people, if you're thinking about it, the simplest thing I do is I pray. I pray quite a bit, actually. And even if you don't believe in prayer, just have a go. Pray for a good day, or just pray for your friend, or whatever it might be. And it's amazing, man, 'cause it absolutely works. I guarantee, it genuinely does work. And now I'm sounding like [American evangelical Christian evangelist] Billy Graham, but I'm just trying to express some of the things that are important to me on a day-to-day basis that make me able to walk out on that stage each night and do my work."

In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Halford said that he quit using substances because he "was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I will always remember the first show I did clean and sober… It was in New Mexico, in Albuquerque," he recalled. "I literally felt elevated, as everything was coming with such clarity. I was able to really… enjoy the performance of JUDAS PRIEST without having all of the other things in front of it. Since that day, it has been a miracle."

Halford added, "Everybody has to face things in their lives at some point. It [doesn't have to] be booze and drugs. You can eat too much, or you can not exercise, or whatever… It is not easy staying clean and sober in rock and roll. There are temptations galore from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep, especially when you're on the road. [But] I think we're some of the strongest people, my friends and my sober brothers in metal."

Rob's autobiography, "Confess", in which he discusses his journey to sobriety, arrived in September 2020 via Hachette Books. It was written with Ian Gittins, co-writer of "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Metal God (@robhalfordlegacy)

In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick confirmed that he "wasn't asked to be" at the band's final show last month and "wasn't invited" to attend the event, which was held at new York City's Madison Square Garden. He said in part: "I think the tone for that, I was kind of well aware of, back when they announced the final shows. They were saying, 'The final 50 — here it is.' Doc [McGhee, longtime KISS manager] went on one of the good podcasts that I know and someone asked, 'What about Bruce Kulick?' 'Well, KISS isn't a jam band,' is kind of where he went with it. In other words, pooh-poohing me getting up there and playing with them. Well, you know, I played with them on the Kiss Kruise, okay? I played with them with Ace [Frehley, original KISS guitarist] on the Kiss Kruise. All right, granted, it was unplugged and it was a sail away show, which on the Kiss Kruise, is supposed to be unique. Then, I played electric with them too. I don't jam."

He continued: "Doc doesn't love my era or get my era, because he had nothing to do with that and that's fine. Doc's always been really cool with me and I know how important he is to the big vision of what KISS has done past my era. But I just felt like, if he's going to say that KISS doesn't jam … and to get Bruce up there, that would be jamming, it's just a nice way of saying, 'We're not putting anybody else on stage with them.' I get that, okay? I do. I wasn't looking for a magical [moment to] plug in and play with them on stage, even though the fans would lose their mind — I really believe that. But it doesn't matter. I tried to sit back and look at the last night and see what the fans were going to say. Because I already knew that I wasn't invited.

"I will admit, it was a bit awkward when some friends who I know get the opportunity to be backstage. 'Hey, Bruce, are you in New York? Am I going to see you later?' 'No, but have a great time.' You know what I mean? What am I supposed to say, other than that? I do want everyone to have a great time. It means a lot to me to see that the fans [still enjoy it]. It was ironic that right before the big event, I was flying back from a GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD] show when everybody was heading to New York. I said to [my wife] Lisa, 'Hey, that's kind of like the Kiss Kruise I didn't get invited to.' Because everyone's going somewhere. It's like, the port is now Madison Square Garden and New York City.

"For me, the final show, the fans really have spoken," Bruce added. "I really think a lot of them were disappointed leaving the show. I know that some of them knew that probably Ace, Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer] or maybe even me wouldn't be there. But they never said anyone's names. They didn't even mention all of the other important people in their career like Bill Aucoin or even Doc McGhee or other important [figures] that are part of Kisstory — the people that helped the band be so successful. I'm not going to crash the party and go when I wasn't invited. It was certainly their night. I really celebrated their last night with my post on social media, congratulating them on their final show. You know, it's their night to do what they wanted."

In 1984, Bruce joined KISS, where he remained as their lead guitarist for twelve years, accompanying the band on the "Animalize" tour and continuing with the band until the 1996 reunion tour. Bruce is heavily featured on "Kissology – Vol. 2" and "Vol. 3", the band's DVDs spanning their historic 45-year career.

In an April 2020 interview with Sleaze Roxx, Kulick said that he was "relieved" he wasn't approached to rejoin the band after Frehley left for good back in 2001.

"When I had to leave in '96 after the success of the KISS 'Unplugged' performance, people were aware of the musicianship that existed in the band between Eric Singer [drums] and I, but after 20 years of people hearing about KISS in makeup, it was kind of like 'Star Wars' when it was rebooted people went to see what it was all about," he said. "I understood that it was the original guys, they put the makeup on and people were excited to either see it again or see it for the first time. That carried on, then it carried on and it carried on. [Laughs] It then reached a point where Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] couldn't continue with Peter [Criss] so they called on Eric Singer to step into the role and the makeup.

"Eric is such a tremendous drummer," he continued. "I was genuinely happy for him. I still am. Then when Ace started dropping the ball, it was seamless for them to go with Tommy Thayer who does such a fantastic job as the 'Spaceman.'

"If I had been asked to step into the 'Spaceman' role, it would have been really awkward for me. I get asked by the fans a lot, 'Well, why aren't you there?' I think Tommy stepping into the role was a lot more natural than Bruce Kulick becoming the 'Spaceman' and shooting rockets off of my guitar. I would have had to play the songs note for note like Ace. I don't think I could do that and remain happy in the band. Tommy does that to perfection. I was never required to learn the classic stuff note for note, but if you're going to be the 'Spaceman,' it would have to stay true to the way Ace plays it. That's not to say that I don't play the classic songs with respect. I play the GRAND FUNK RAILROAD songs with respect, while injecting my own style into them, like I did in my time in KISS. I would lose my 'liberties' if I stepped into the 'Spaceman' role.

"I'm friends with Tommy, Bruce added. "We've gotten closer over the years on the 'Kiss Kruise'. We've spoken a lot on the 'Kruise'. He once said to me, 'Hey, I never got into the Floyd Rose whammy bar thing. How do you play 'Crazy Nights'?' I said, 'Don't worry about it. Play it how you play it. It's what works for you. I don't take any offense and you don't need to copy how I do it.'

"Tommy's style is so much closer to Ace's than mine. I have a unique style to my approach you can hear it on 'Tears Are Falling', 'Who Wants To Be Lonely', 'Unholy' and even the acoustic solo on 'Forever'. I am proud of my body of work for that era of KISS. I'm embracing it. The fans are embracing it. It's all good."

Kulick went on to say that he is at peace with the fact that he will never be part of the makeup era of KISS.

"I was relieved [when they didn't ask me to step in after Ace left]," he said. "I think if I had been asked and done it, I think it would hurt. I know that Tommy and Eric avoid… I'm close to both but I'm closer with Eric. They avoid reading things online. Their best medicine is to just do a great job every night and not read that stuff. I'm shocked that sometimes someone will leave a snarky comment toward me. I'm, like, 'Really?' I don't get into that stuff and I don't like anything negative on social media and I never do or post anything negative. I won't allow anything negative. There's times I read something and I choose to ignore it. Everyone has a voice these days. They have a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone.

"I was relieved, but how could I not have 'entertained' the idea if I was asked? At the time when they swooped Tommy right in, I was already in GRAND FUNK RAILROAD and I was and still am pretty happy with my role in the band. Sure, it wasn't KISS, but it's a great gig. Now think of it from this angle. Let's say they made the right proposition and I took it, then Ace wanted back into the band. Where would that have left me? No KISS gig and no gig in GRAND FUNK."

During an appearance on "Strombo's Lit", Apple's book club curated by Canadian media personality and Apple Music Hits host George "Strombo" Stroumboulopoulos, RUSH bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee reflected on the number of musicians who reached out to him in the days after the passing of Neil Peart in January 2020. "Oh, yeah, I heard from all kinds [of people]," Geddy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "That was a very weird moment. My little black book got filled up really quickly." When Stroumboulopoulos noted that these were "people you thought were friends," Lee said: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was, like, 'Whoa, that's just so inappropriate right now. Dude, wait two months. At least two months — if ever.' It still happens, now that the clickbait freaks are out there talking about Alex [Lifeson, RUSH guitarist] and I getting a new drummer and starting RUSH again."

Lee and Lifeson previously talked about the possibility of playing music together again last month in an interview with "CBS News Sunday Morning" correspondent Jim Axelrod. Regarding what "the next chapter" might look like for him and Lee without Peart, Lifeson said: "Yeah, it's difficult to figure out what that chapter is without him."

Asked if he and Alex have ever talked about, "Let's go get one of the great drummers and tour again", Geddy said: "Have we talked about it? Yeah." Pressed about whether it will happen, Lee said: "It's not impossible, but at this point, I can't guarantee it."

Alex, meanwhile, struck a more hopeful note, saying: "It's just not in our DNA to stop."

Added Geddy: "Do what you believe, because if you do what someone else believes, and you fail, you've got nothing. If you do what you believe, and you fail, you still have hope."

In November, Geddy was asked by the Los Angeles Times if there could ever be another RUSH show. Geddy said: "There could be a show that paid tribute to the songs of RUSH. I would never say there will never be another RUSH show. We get approached all the time."

Pressed about whether drummers ever say, "If you continue without Neil, I'm available", Geddy said: "Again, all the time. At the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert [in September 2022], Alex and I played with Dave Grohl and a bunch of other drummers. Neil would have loved it. I know he was looking down at us — or looking up at us [laughs] — and thinking, 'Fuck, that would have been fun.'"

Lee also discussed the possibility of making new music in a separate interview with Long Island Weekly. During that chat, he said: "I recently discovered a couple of songs that had been left off my solo album [2000's 'My Favourite Headache'). Listening to them was really quite fun and I decided that I wanted to see about fixing those up and just breathing some fresh air into them. And that experience reminded me of how much fun I have in the studio. So of course, my lifelong buddy and bandmate Alex and I would like to get back into the studio together and see what might happen. I have ideas that I'd like to flesh out on my own too. Once I finish all this crazy crap that I agreed to do — the book tour and the TV show and find some space for myself — I'd certainly like to start playing something. But I can't tell you right now because I'm just book touring it until I drop. And then I'll see where I land after I have a nice holiday with my wife and we'll go from there. I don't like to plan too far ahead anymore. I was scheduled up the wazoo with my partners in RUSH for over 45 years. Now, I have to prioritize other things."

In an interview with The Washington Post, Lee spoke about reuniting with Lifeson for 2022's star-studded tribute concerts — one in London, one in Los Angeles — to pay tribute to late FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins. They enlisted a few drummers — TOOL's Danny Carey, Omar Hakim, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Chad Smith and Dave Grohl — to join them at the gigs. At the after-party, Paul McCartney congratulated them and urged them to get back on the road.

"It had been a taboo subject, and playing those songs again with a third person was the elephant in the room, and that kind of disappeared," Lee told The Washington Post. "It was nice to know that if we decide to go out, Alex and I, whether we went out as part of a new thing, or whether we just wanted to go out and play RUSH as RUSH, we could do that now."

Geddy also revealed that in October 2022, for the first time in years, Lee and Lifeson went down into Lee's home studio and jammed.

Although Lifeson was "excited as offers rolled in after the Hawkins shows," he ended up undergoing surgery in July 2023 for his long-standing stomach problems.

Asked if he plans on nudging his pal to get back onstage, Lee told The Washington Post: "He needs to feel good and feel healthy and strong. And then maybe we have a discussion."

Less than two years ago, Lifeson told Guitar World in an interview that he hadn't ruled out making new music with Lee. "We're not putting any pressure on it or anything," he said. "We had a lot of good years together and we still love each other very much. I talk to Geddy every other day — we're best friends. There's more to our life together than just writing music. So if it happens, it happens. And it'll happen when it happens."

Peart died in January 2020 after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

RUSH waited three days to announce Peart's passing, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

Lee's memoir, "My Effin' Life", was released on November 14 by HarperCollins. The book, which was edited Noah Eaker, is 512 pages and is available as a hardcover or as an e-book.

In a recent interview with Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules, Doro Pesch was asked what it is about playing heavy metal that still excites her more than 40 years after she launched her career. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I love it so much. For me, it's a total freedom. It's like the whole metal lifestyle I love. I think the people are so awesome people. They have their heart in the right place. You can trust the metalheads. I trust them with my life; I always have. Yeah, I think metal is great.

"To me, everything's metal — like a fast song or heavy song, anthem, ballad, whatever you feel," she explained. "And you could say whatever you wanted. Yeah, to me, it was total freedom.

"When I started, my first band, we didn't even know that it was heavy metal. It was so new. And I had my very first band in 1980. That band was called SNAKEBITE, then [I had a band called] BEAST, then ATTACK, and then WARLOCK was formed in '82. And that was when metal started to become bigger and bigger and bigger. But in the beginning, we just did what we wanted to do, and it was actually not much different than what we do now.

"I like the whole spectrum," Doro added. "I like it from super hard, heavy, hardcore to super, super sensitive, soulful, emotional. And I always wanna make people feel something and give them good, positive energy and power and strength."

Last month, Doro announced the digital release of "True Metal Maniacs", an exceptional song that tells about the deep connection with her fans. It comes along with a very special video with live footage from Wacken Open Air, the Monsters Of Rock festival in Brazil and her anniversary show in Düsseldorf.

"True Metal Maniacs" is one of the five bonus tracks from the recently released album "Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud", so far only been released on the physical products, and is included in the digital EP "Conqueress - Extended", which will be released on March 1, 2024.

"Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud" came out on October 27, 2023 via Nuclear Blast. The LP is described in a press release as "the result of intensive hard work that took the incomparable singer and songwriter back to studios in Miami, New York and Hamburg, amongst others. The album presents Doro at the height of her creative powers."

In June 2023, Doro released "Time For Justice", the first single from "Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud", along with a "Mad Max"-style video. The clip was filmed with director Mirko Witzki.

"Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud" arrived one day before Doro's 40th-anniversary concert at the Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf.

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, have shared a clip of upbeat moments from 2023. Check it out below.





Toyah recently revealed in an interview with eonmusic that a movie of the Sunday Lunch series is in the planning. The weekly event, which sees Toyah and partner Robert Fripp cover songs from across the rock spectrum, started during the lockdown of 2020, and has grown into a "phenomenon," according to the singer.




Toyah made the revelation while speaking to eonmusic's Eamon O'Neill ahead of her performance at Rewind South in Henley-on-Thames in August.  


Speaking about how Sunday Lunch has taken off; Toyah said; "Well, the Sunday lunch phenomenon, which is a worldwide phenomenon, it's basically, we picked up on classic rock, and our treatment of rock is; if you can teach Mozart and Beethoven in schools, then why can't you teach classic rock? Because that's what it is now; rock from Led Zeppelin, rock from Black Sabbath; it's classic, it's never going to go away. And it's something that I think, kids would really love learning about. That's not that we're going on the road and being educational, but our show kind of goes on a journey with artists we know, artists who visit us in our homes."


Going on to reveal that a movie about Sunday Lunch is on the way, Toyah said; "We have a documentary crew following us, and we have quite a big production company scripting an idea at the moment. Obviously we won't be in it. It's for actors to play, but that's all in the back kind of pool of what do you call pre-production. All of that's going on."


Asked when the movie might see the light of day, she was however, less committal; "I mean, movies take years, you know, for the even scripts to be accepted, so who knows what will happen?"


Read the interview here.

Wolfgang Van Halen is featured in Amoeba Music's "What's In My Bag?" segment in which the MAMMOTH WVH frontman talks about some of the records he is into. The first LP he picked was "Immutable", the latest effort from Swedish extreme tech-metal pioneers MESHUGGAH. He said about it (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "MESHUGGAH is my favorite. It's funny — there was a story that came out where it [quoted me as saying], like, 'MESHUGGAH puts me to sleep,' and that was taken out of context. I said I can fall asleep listening to MESHUGGAH, which is a compliment, because it relaxes me. It brings me peace. It brings me zen.

"As a drummer first, I tend to intake music in a more rhythmic manner," he explained. "I'm all about rhythm, and MESHUGGAH is rhythm. It's like dinosaurs fighting."

The former VAN HALEN bassist named 2002's "Nothing" as "probably my favorite MESHUGGAH album. It's where they really started getting sort of groovy and sludgy with their sound," he said. "A lot of people like the one before, [1998's] 'Chaosphere'. An amazing album too. It's more thrashy, but I really like their groovy sort of sludgy aspects, and this one ['Nothing'] is all sludge and groove."

Van Halen also picked MESHUGGAH's 2012 LP "Koloss" and called it "just another great album."

When Wolfgang, the 32-year-old son of VAN HALEN legend Eddie Van Halen, married his fiancée Andraia Allsop last October at their home in Los Angeles, the wedding playlist included MESHUGGAH.

Wolfgang explained: They're very progressive metal, I think to anybody, to the non-informed crowd though, it would probably just sound like death metal. Anyone over 40 will be terrified. But you know what? It's my wedding and I'll do whatever I want."

In July 2023, Wolfgang told Primordial Radio about his love for MESHUGGAH: "I could fall asleep listening to MESHUGGAH; it relaxes me so much.

"If you're familiar with MESHUGGAH, you probably know the song 'Bleed'.

"MESHUGGAH is just one of my favorite bands," he continued. "They are unbelievably heavy — there's nothing heavier than them — but you get lulled into their rhythm. As a drummer first, I just am in love with rhythmic music, and there's nothing more rhythmic than MESHUGGAH.

"After hearing ['Bleed'], you probably couldn't fall asleep to that, but, man, I could, 'cause I love it," he added.

In November 2022, Wolfgang told TellUs Rock that he listens to MESHUGGAH when he is not writing, recording and performing. "I love MESHUGGAH," he said. "I tend to listen to, at least recently, more heavier music. Like all the new stuff that's come out. ANIMALS AS LEADERS had a new album come out this year, and so did MESHUGGAH. But MESHUGGAH is one of my favorite bands. [They're] nothing like MAMMOTH."

When the interviewer asked what kind of stuff he draws musical inspiration from for MAMMOTH WVH, Wolfgang said: "On the next album, there actually is some MESHUGGAH-inspired songs — just through the lens of MAMMOTH, though. So it's not as super heavy."

Back in 2021, Wolfgang told RockSverige that he was fans of bands like GOJIRA and MASTODON. He said: "Oh, yeah. I love GOJIRA. And I'm crazy about MESHUGGAH. PERIPHERY, I'm friends with those guys and they're a phenomenal band."

Wolfgang, who played all instruments on the first two albums from his MAMMOTH WVH project, was also asked if he can work out the MESHUGGAH song "Bleed" on drums. "Oh, yeah. I can play it," he said. "As a drummer, MESHUGGAH is just like my favorite because it's like a math problem, as a song. As a drummer, it's really fun to figure out the polyrhythmic stuff going on in each song. It's a treat, and I love it."

Wolfgang attended MESHUGGAH's October 2022 concert at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California. The following day, he tweeted out a short video of the performance, and he captioned it simply: "MESHUGGAH is therapy".

MAMMOTH WVH released its sophomore album, "II", last August via BMG.

In a new interview with Terrie Carr of the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA, Ace Frehley has confirmed plans to work on "Origins Vol. 3", the sequel to Ace's 2016 and 2020 collections of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist.

Ace said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We can get some great guest stars and pick some really great songs I haven't done. Because remember, in the late '60s and early '70s, there was so many great songs. Lita Ford called me up the other day; she wants to be involved again. I've gotta give Slash a call. That's all I can say at the moment… 'Origins Vol. 3' is gonna be the next release."

Released in September 2020, "Origins Vol. 2" featured cover versions of THE BEATLES' "I'm Down", DEEP PURPLE's "Space Truckin'", LED ZEPPELIN's "Good Times Bad Times", THE ROLLING STONES' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", THE KINKS' "Lola" and THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's "Manic Depression", among others. A cover of the 1975 KISS tune "She" also appeared as a bonus track. Guests on the set included CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Lita Ford and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

Released in April 2016, "Origins Vol. 1" debuted at No. 23 on The Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 16,000 equivalent album units. The CD featured KISS frontman Paul Stanley joining Ace on FREE's hit "Fire And Water", Slash trading leads on THIN LIZZY's classic "Emerald", Ford singing and playing lead on THE TROGGS staple "Wild Thing", then-ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 playing guitar alongside Ace on the classic KISS composition "Parasite", and PEARL JAM's Mike McCready playing guitar with Ace on KISS's "Cold Gin".

In a 2016 interview with The Aquarian Weekly, Frehley admitted that doing the first covers album was "the record company's idea. To be honest with you, initially, I wasn't that excited about the project, because I had just come off the high of the success of 'Space Invader', which is all originals except for a cover of 'The Joker'," he said. "It was almost, like, 'Okay, I'm going to go through the motions and get this out of the way and then jump into the studio for my next real studio album.' But I've gotta tell ya, man, once I started the process and started remembering the groups that influenced me, narrowing down which songs I thought were going to be best for the record, and then started the recording process; I really started getting more excited about it."

Ace will release his new solo album, "10,000 Volts", on February 23, 2024 via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music). The official music video for the LP's title track — directed by Alex Kouvatsos from Black Wolf Imaging — was released in late November.

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

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

Photo credit: Jayme Thornton

In a new interview with Hear 2 Zen, FILTER frontman Richard Patrick revealed that the song "Be Careful What You Wish For" from the band's latest album, "The Algorithm", was written about "a fan that has gone way too far and has stalked some of my friends and has said some really bad things about them. And they're all figments of his imagination," Richard said. " And I tried to explain this to him very, very gently, just, like, 'Hey, bro, that did not happen.' He was saying things that were just insane. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. He was saying things that were just delusional, and I had to kind of bring him back to reality and just tell him, like, 'Dude, this might be in your head.' And it's scary."

Patrick added: "You get famous and then, all of a sudden, there's all this stuff out there that happens."

Richard was also asked what it feels like for him walking through an airport or getting something to eat and being approached by fans for a picture or an autograph. He said: "It's scary at the same time, but it's also very charming. Most of the people I meet at the airport are very sweet and they just want an autograph or a thousand. And I'm always, like, 'Sure, I'll just do it.' 'Cause if they're selling it on eBay, then that's their hustle, that's their business. That's what's keeping them afloat. If my signature on something can help someone eat, then great. Why not? I don't mind."

Richard previously discussed the lyrical inspiration for "Be Careful What You Wish For" last August in an interview with Troy Culpan of May The Rock Be With You. At the time, Richard said: "I read a lot of the messages that come in through iMessage or Instagram or Twitter. And I get some DMs, and I got one that was really, really scary; the guy was a nut. He was name-dropping friends of mine and saying stuff that he was gonna do. And I was really distraught over it. Unfortunately, this is kind of the sad part of being famous, is that there's people that know everything about me, but I don't know anything about them. And it's kind of scary. And be careful what you wish for, 'cause with success in music comes fame and stuff like that, and you have to be very careful because there's some crazies out there, for sure."

He continued: "I get myself into trouble because politically, I kind of say what I wanna say; I don't really hold back. And I get a lot of terrible things said back to me from [Donald] Trump supporters or people that are really kind of crazy. So I just have to be kind of careful what I put out there, unfortunately. I mean, they've said some terrible things to me."

Patrick has been very vocal with his political views in recent years as an outspoken opponent of the Republican Party's hard-line stance on social issues.

Back in March 2019, FILTER's concert in El Paso, Texas was canceled after Richard posted an anti-Donald Trump video on Facebook.

At the time, Patrick said the venue informed FILTER that it "didn't like" the Facebook comments and said it had received threatening phone calls over the anti-Trump post. The venue also claimed that it was "illegal" to display the American flag upside down, which the band had planned to do during the show.

In a statement to Billboard, the venue confirmed what it told Patrick about the threatening phone calls in response to FILTER's Facebook video about Trump. The venue's general manager also noted that his staff was uncomfortable with FILTER's plan to display the American flag upside down and turn the concert into what he called a "political rally."

In October 2020, FILTER released the official music video for its then-new single, "Murica", featuring a character that Patrick told Alternative Press was "a Trump-supporting, gun-loving, unmedicated, super-freak 'merican unhinged and at his wits' end. And he's trying to take control of something that is not out of control." He said. "And he's afraid. He's the super-afraid white male. The Trump-supporting nutbag that I hope I can reach. These guys that are so far right that they think CNN, NBC, ABC, MSNBC [and] BBC are all out to get 'our President Trump.' Like they're all in a conspiracy to be super-left-wing, crazy liars. I'm trying to make an attempt to show them what they look like. These are the guys that can only listen to Fox News and Breitbart and that type of news outlet. They believe every fucking thing that the Rush Limbaughs, the Alex Joneses [say] and listen to only the right wing, 'the truth, man.' They do their 'own research' and believe 9/11 was an inside job, President Obama wasn't a real citizen and the lunar landings were faked. Hillary Clinton personally went out and killed people in Benghazi and it's her fault, she's [a] criminal and 'lock her up.' It's those people that I'm portraying in the video."

"The Algorithm" arrived on August 25, 2023 via Golden Robot Records.

On January 3, BRITISH LION, the side project of IRON MAIDEN bassist and founder Steve Harris, performed at the Cart & Horses pub in Stratford, London, England where MAIDEN made its live debut in 1976. The show marked the opening night of BRITISH LION's 17-date U.K. tour to kick off the new year. Video of BRITISH LION's Cart & Horses performance can be seen below.

BRITISH LION will perform on the 2024 Monsters Of Rock cruise, which sets sail from Miami on March 2 for six nights.

Last summer, BRITISH LION completed a 15-date tour throughout Europe. It included 13 headline tour dates, as well as festival appearances at Hellfest and Sweden Rock Festival.

BRITISH LION's second album, "The Burning", came out in January 2020 in digipack CD, double gatefold vinyl and digital download formats via Explorer1 Music (E1). The LP was recorded, engineered and mixed at Barnyard Studios by Tony Newton and produced by Steve Harris.

BRITISH LION's first U.S. tour took place in January and February 2020.

BRITISH LION comprises singer Richard Taylor, guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, Harris on bass and keyboards, and drummer Simon Dawson.

Asked by the Tampa Bay Times what the itch is that BRITISH LION scratches that he doesn't get in his job with MAIDEN, Harris said: "I suppose playing small clubs and being close and personal with the audience. I love playing big places as well. I enjoy them all, and I'm very lucky that I can do them all. But also, it's clubs that I never played with MAIDEN, even in Europe. There's a famous club called the Milky Way in Amsterdam, which I managed to play with BRITISH LION, but I never did that with MAIDEN. There's places that I'm playing on [the U.S.] tour that I've never played before. So it's all new ground. It's a challenge. It's nice. I like a challenge."

In a 2020 interview with Bass Player magazine, Harris said that he loves playing small clubs. "I'm very lucky that I can play all types of gigs; massive gigs and small ones as well," he said. "It's a change. I'm not trying to conquer the world with this band; there's not enough years left in me to do that anyway."

Asked if the different venues present a different set of challenges, Steve said: "I actually think it should be the same, whether you're playing for 200 or 200,000 people, you know. To me, there's no difference. You still give 110 percent wherever you're playing. We had one gig where the promoter just didn't do [anything]. I think we had, like, 95 people in there, but it was still a great gig, one of the best of the tour. It doesn't matter. We're still going for it, and I was proud that we went out there. It was fantastic."

David Isberg, the Swedish musician best known for having founded the seminal progressive metal band OPETH, will release his second poetry book on January 10, 2024 via Swedish publisher Stevali.

The Swedish-language book, "Numerisk Kaos - Stokastiska Svärtor & Variablar" (English: "Numeric Chaos - Stochastic Darkness & Variables")", contains dark and emotional poems about different phases of life that have seen a lot of hope and despair, melancholy, dystopia and self-pity. The book also features poems interpreted and illustrated by debutant Kristin Sjökvist.

"Numerisk Kaos - Stokastiska Svärtor & Variablar"will be released through a ceremony on January 10 at 5 p.m. in the basement of the ancient and rustic Scala Theatre in central Stockholm where David will take part in a live spoken-word performance, reading poems from the book and talking about emotions, robots and musical nerdery.

Isberg, who is currently the lead singer of the brutal doom death metal band BLOODOFJUPITER, formed OPETH in 1990 with some friends from Täby, Sweden. Longtime friend Mikael Åkerfeldt was in a band called ERUPTION but was considering a departure from this group. One day David invited him to play bass for OPETH and Åkerfeldt accepted the offer. When he came to the rehearsal, however, none of the other members of the band knew Mikael was coming and they didn't want to kick out the bass player they already had. The ensuing argument played out with all the members of OPETH (apart from David) leaving. They renamed themselves CROWLEY and released a demo tape called "The Gate" in 1991. David remained with OPETH until 1992, when he left, citing creative differences. The lead vocal duties in OPETH were subsequently taken over by Åkerfeldt.

Press photo by Robin Kuusela

BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi is mourning the death of John Diggins, a U.K. guitar luthier known for his shop Jaydee. Diggins "died suddenly but peacefully in hospital" on January 2, according to a statement on the shop's official Instagram page.

On Wednesday (January 3),Iommi took to his social media to share a photo of him with Diggins, and he included the following message: "What a terrible shock to hear from JDs wife last night that my old pal John Diggins had passed away! He was a very dear friend to me and we'd known each other since the 70s. He's built many guitars for me over the years and he was a superb craftsman who loved what he did. He will be sadly missed but not forgotten. My deepest condolences go out to his wife and family. R.I.P John."

Diggins began his career in the guitar-making business working for John Birch. John went on his own in 1977 and Jaydee Custom Guitars was formed, primarily as a customizing and repair service. The name Jaydee came after working with other guys called John, and in order to get the attention of the right person without everyone turning around when called, initials were used, hence JD.

Jaydee released the following statement regarding Diggins's passing: "It is with deep regret that we have to let you know of the sad passing away of Jay Dee (John Diggins). He died suddenly but peacefully in hospital on the morning of Tuesday 2nd January, following complications in battling a long-term illness. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him, especially his wife Helen, sons Michael and Andrew, and grandsons Jake and Toby."

A few years ago, Diggins told Home Of Metal about working with Iommi: "I was first introduced to Tony back in 1970 when working with John Birch, who was a pioneer of custom made pick-ups making them in such a way that they were mechanically noiseless. In those days, Tony used a beautiful Gibson cherry red SG special that had been fitted with some of John's early pick-ups in the stainless steel covers. It was this guitar that I used as the blueprint for the contours on our own SG.

"In the following years, Tony and I became good friends as I was able to solve some of the niggling intonation problems that he had suffered for many years. He also had some of the early prototype John Birch guitars, such as a 24-fret Les Paul shape and the first 24-fret black SG with crucifix inlays
and stainless steel scratchplate, which he used up until about 1980.

"I couldn't make the guitar in John Birches time so I made it at home. It was made on the kitchen table and was completed in about two weeks. The lacquer was still soft when it was taken to the U.S., and it was this factor combined with severe changes in temperature and humidity that caused the paint to crack and flake off, giving the 'Old Boy' the well-worn look that it has today. The guitar was not given a proper unveiling until I had produced the pick-ups that could deliver the sound that Tony was happy with. The Jaydee 'Old Boy' SG has become one of Tony's favorites and it is still used today."
What a terrible shock to hear from JDs wife last night that my old pal John Diggins had passed away! He was a very dear friend to me and we’d known each other since the 70s. He’s built many guitars for me over the years and he was a superb craftsman who loved what he did. He will… pic.twitter.com/XDopY4c8i1

— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) January 3, 2024

The house owned by the late ZZ TOP bassist Dusty Hill and his wife, actress Charleen McCrory Hill, is on the market for $3.995 million, $505,000 less than the original asking price of $4.5 million.

Built in 2016, the one-story, 5,800-square-foot glass-and-metal house is located in College Station, Texas, about 107 miles northeast of Austin and 95 miles northwest of Houston.

According to an October 2023 listing, the property offers "unparalleled vistas of 78 acres of unspoiled wilderness.

"Wrapped in glass, this property allows one to wake up every day to acre upon acre of unspoiled land and a glimmering lake," the listing said. "Sunrises and sunsets are equally as captivating, as this home provides a private front-row seat to the natural show."

The 72-year-old Hill died on July 28, 2021 in his sleep at his Houston, Texas home. ZZ TOP has continued playing shows since Hill's death, with the group's longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis taking over on bass.

ZZ TOP played its first show following Hill's death on July 30, 2021 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Francis made his live debut with ZZ TOP on July 23, 2021 at the Village Commons in New Lenox, Illinois after Hill was forced to return to Texas to address a hip issue.

Hill joined ZZ TOP a year after its formation in 1969.
ZZ Top Bassist Dusty Hill’s Texas Home Lists for $4.5 Million https://t.co/HVaZNbmyMZ

— Mansion Global (@MansionGlobal) November 16, 2023

Ahead of their upcoming USA performances, Lord Of The Lost have debuted at #2 on the Official German Album Charts with their new covers album, Weapons Of Mass Seduction. This news arrives just as label mates Dominum also reached a new benchmark, landing at #18 on the same charts with their debut, Hey Living People.


Lord Of The Lost wrapped up their most successful year so far by releasing their very first full covers album, featuring songs from legendary Michael Jackson, Judas Priest and Billy Idol, among others, on December 29, 2023. Lord Of The Lost’s latest studio album of original songs, Blood & Glitter, was released exactly one year prior and entered the Official German Album Charts at #1, marking just one of many significant highlights for the band in 2023. The band also represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest finals, broke into mainstream media, joined Iron Maiden as special guests on tour for the second time, and performed countless sold-out headline shows. The #2 chart entry is the perfect finish in an exceptional year for the band.


Despite an extremely busy 2023, Lord Of The Lost is continuing full speed ahead into 2024, with their fast-selling “15 Years of Lord Of The Lost” tour kicking off in March. In addition, the band has plenty of big festival shows coming up in the summer and has been confirmed for two dates in the US later in the year. Secure your copy of Weapons Of Mass Seduction now and make sure to get your tickets to the upcoming shows! 




Chris Harms states:         


"With the release of a covers album, we entered the chart week with absolutely no expectations at all. Our main goal in creating this album was to make ourselves happy by playing and recording a selection of our favorite songs by other artists. So, the charts were actually secondary. However, starting the year at #2 on the Official German Album Charts is sensational, phenomenal, and unbelievable! We congratulate our colleague Ikke Hüftgold on his well-deserved #1!"





While Weapons Of Mass Seduction is entirely composed of covers, Weapons Of Mass Seduction confirms Lord Of The Lost’s creative ability to make even unexpected songs their own, and further confirms their status. The covers album comes in various different formats – some of them containing a second CD with 11 covers that are already released or have been played live. The deluxe boxset includes a third CD with 10 acoustic tracks, exclusively available in this format.





Weapons Of Mass Seduction is available in the following formats:             


- 3 CD Boxset, incl 2 CD 6 pages Digisleeve (Ltd Deluxe Edition) and CD 3 incl 10 acoustic songs, exclusively available in the Deluxe Box + pink Sweatband with black logo, sharped patch and sticker - Napalm Records Mailorder and Lord Shop exclusive – strictly limited to 1000 copies worldwide
- 2 LP Recycled Color Vinyl - Die Hard Edition incl Slipmat, record butler and 12 inch booklet – Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive – strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide
- 2 LP Recycled Color Vinyl incl 12 inch booklet - Lord Shop exclusive – strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide
- 2LP Gatefold Recycled Black Vinyl
- 2 CD 6 pages Digisleeve (Ltd Deluxe Edition), 12p booklet
- 1 CD 6 pages Digisleeve, 12p booklet
- Cassette (Pink w/ Black print) - Napalm Records Mailorder and Lord Shop exclusive – strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide
- Digital Album


Order here.





Weapons Of Mass Seduction tracklisting:


CD1
"Shock To The System" (Billy Idol Cover)
"Unstoppable" (Sia Cover)
"Smalltown Boy" (Bronski Beat Cover)
"Turbo Lover" (Judas Priest Cover)
"Hymn" (Ultravox Cover)
"Give In To Me" (Michael Jackson Cover)
"River" (Bishop Briggs Cover)
"Somewhere Only We Know" (Keane Cover)
"(I Just) Died In Your Arms" (feat. Anica Russo) (Cutting Crew Cover)
"High" (Zella Day Cover)
"House On A Hill" (The Pretty Reckless Cover)


CD2
"The Look" (feat. Blümchen) (Roxette Cover)
"Ordinary Town" (Celebrate The Nun Cover)
"Cha Cha Cha" (Käärijä Cover)
"Judas" (Lady Gaga Cover)
"Children Of The Damned" (Iron Maiden Cover)
"Wig In A Box" (Hedwig and the Angry Inch Cover)
"Bad Romance" (Lady Gaga Cover)
"The Most Radical Thing To Do" (The Ark Cover)
"This Is The Life" (Amy MacDonald Cover)
"It's A Sin" (Pet Shop Boys Cover)
"Ordinary World" (Duran Duran Cover)


CD3 - Ltd Deluxe Edition only
"Starman" (David Bowie Cover)
"Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" (Neil Diamond Cover)
"The Days Of Pearly Spencer" (David McWilliams Cover)
"Hey You" (Pink Floyd Cover)
"I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night" (The Electric Prunes Cover)
"Where Do You Go To My Lovely" (Peter Sarstedt Cover)
"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)" (The Byrds Cover)
"In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" (Zager & Evans Cover)
"All I Have To Do Is Dream" (The Everly Brothers Cover)
"Perfect Day" (Lou Reed Cover)


"Shock To The System" video:





"The Look"





Lord Of The Lost are:


Chris Harms – Vocals, Guitar
Pi Stoffers – Guitar
Class Grenayde – Bass
Gared Dirge – Piano, Synths, Percussion, Guitar
Niklas Kahl – Drums


(Photo - Jan Season)

The new digital single taken from Manticora’s upcoming record Mycelium is the title track of the album, and a grandiose adventure into the more melodic and soft-progressive side of the band. An extremely catchy tune and another fitting appetizer for what is one of the most awaited records of early 2024.


Thrash, prog, power, black, death, plus pure heavy metal and everything else your metal heart desires, put into one album, is usually what Manticora is all about. The band, that started out in 1997 - nine albums ago - as a power metal outfit, has transformed and thereby developed their own unique style of heavy metal - a melting pot of everything you want to hear, as a genuine metal fan. Welcome to Mycelium.


After their grandiose two-album concept from 2018/2020 plus a 334-page novel (written by the band's singer Lars F. Larsen), which the albums were based on, the Danes have scaled down a bit and written another majestic concept album, but this time only spanning a 48-minute mark, in total.




Mycelium, the new opus, is less symphonic and with an angrier, raw approach, with aggressiveness as the main-focus. Manticora has created a DIY album, where the only outside influence has been the mastering (done by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios). Everything else is crafted by the band: concept, lyrics, music, production, artwork - you name it, Manticora provides. High-octane metal, which is only recommended for the strong at heart.


Mycelium will be released on CD, LP (black vinyl, limited to 500) and digital formats via Mighty Music on January 26. Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Winter Solstice"
"Necropolitans"
"Demonday"
"Angel Of The Spring"
"Golem Sapiens"
"Mycelium"
"Beast Of The Fall"
"Equinox"
"Mementopolis"
"Día De Los Muertos"


"Mycelium" video:





"Necropolitans" lyric video:





Lineup:


Kristian Larsen - guitars
Lars F. Larsen - vocals
Stefan Johansson - guitars
Kasper Gram - bass

RFK Media artist Ron Keel has chosen the intimate personal ballad “The Last Bottle On Earth” as his first single of 2024. The new album Keelworld promises to combine Keel’s ‘80s metal roots with melodic rock, southern rock, and this acoustic piece which he claims is “one of the best songs I’ve ever written.”


The album features many hard and heavy tracks recorded by the Ron Keel Band, Keel, and Steeler, but “The Last Bottle On Earth” is all Ron, alone with an acoustic guitar. It’s a format that he’s become extremely comfortable with the past twenty years, having toured the world as an acoustic artist, and he insists some songs are just better that way.

Finland's Battlelore have shared a new live video along with the following message:


"Happy New Year, friends! For a New Year's gift, we're releasing a recording of our live gig from Lappeenranta on 21st of October 2023. Special thanks to Tuomas Ralli & our own Honkamies for the video footage, Honkamies for editing, and for recording and mixing the music Harri Hyytiäinen."







Following their much-acclaimed, latest studio album, The Return Of The Shadow (released June 2022 via Napalm Records), Finnish fantasy metal masters Battlelore unleashed a lyric video for the song "True Dragons" in June 2023. Check it out below.





The Return Of The Shadow marked the band's first offering in more than ten long years, and immediately showcased the incredible energy the Tolkien-inspired band delivered on their seventh album; making this record one of their strongest, heaviest and best works to date. Named after Tolkien’s original, shelved title for his legendary epic fantasy novel, Fellowship Of The Ring, Battlelore’s latest album features nine Middle-earth themed songs, shining with the blistering aura the band has become known and loved for. Enter "True Dragons", a song the band has just unleashed a brand new lyric video for.


"Behold the 'True Dragons'! Creatures of legend and fearsome power! Born of fire and magic, imbued with the wisdom of the ages," the band comments, "These mysterious beasts played a huge part in the history of Middle-earth and surely deserve a mighty hymn! Let us stand in awe of these magnificent guardians of the skies and keepers of ancient knowledge!"





The Return Of The Shadow was recorded by Janne Saksa at the Sound Supreme Studios, Finland, and was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studios. As a special gift to fans, the album includes a bonus EP, entitled 'Lost Lands' that features three songs written around the beginning of the band’s hiatus that, sound wise, are different from the tracks on the main album.


The Return Of The Shadow was released on June 3, 2022 through Napalm Records and can be ordered here.

Portuguese heavy metallers Toxikull have shared the video for "Around The World". The track is the second to be revealed from the band's third album, Under The Southern Light, set for international release on February 23rd via Dying Victims Productions.


  


Stomping and strutting with absolutely authentic mid / late ‘80s swagger, Under The Southern Light is an unabashed throwback to the era where heavy metal ruled the airwaves and arenas alike. Some might’ve doubted whether such Sunset Stripping sounds could come from Toxikull after the all-pistons-pumping speed metal overdrive of Cursed And Punished, but the ten tracks comprising the 41-minute Under The Southern Light are all anthems in the making: larger than life, heavy and spacious, moody and dynamic.




Bright and burning-hot metal pumping blood from a (metal) heart of darkness, Under The Southern Light takes the party down dark, dirty back streets… dare you drink with Toxikull?





Tracklisting:


"Night Shadows"
"Around The World"
"Under The Southern Light"
"Battle Dogs"
"Ritual Blade"
"Ghost Of A Dream"
"Knights Of Leather"
"Going Back Home"
"They Are Falling"
"Filhos Do Metal"





 

"'Dirty Love' - the first single off our upcoming album, The Body Electric, is finally here," states Paralandra. "Go add it to your favorite music listening platform and crank it!"


The song was recorded, mixed and produced by Michael Elvis Baskette (Mammoth WVH, Sevendust, Alter Bridge, Slash). The video, which can be seen below, was created by Exceleration Media.










Catch Paralandra live at the following shows: