ZAKK SABBATH, the BLACK SABBATH cover band featuring guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE, PANTERA),bassist John "JD" DeServio (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Joey Castillo (DANZIG, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE),performed at Epic Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Friday, December 29. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of the PaleRider YouTube channel).

ZAKK SABBATH will release a new double album, "Doomed Forever Forever Doomed", on March 1, 2024. The set will contain ZAKK SABBATH's brilliant takes on the Birmingham Four's classic heavy metal masterpieces "Paranoid" (1970) and "Master Of Reality" (1971).

"Doomed Forever Forever Doomed" was recorded at the Black Vatican and Clear Lake Audio studios and was produced by Wylde, with engineering by Jay Ruston and Adam Fuller. Responsible for the artwork layout was Łukasz Jaszak.

"Doomed Forever Forever Doomed" track listing:

Doomed Forever

01. War Pigs
02. Paranoid
03. Planet Caravan
04. Iron Man
05. Electric Funeral
06. Hand Of Doom
07. Rat Salad
08. Fairies Wear Boots

Forever Doomed

01. Sweet Leaf
02. After Forever
03. Embryo
04. Children Of The Grave
05. Orchid
06. Lord Of This World
07. Solitude
08. Into The Void

"Doomed Forever Forever Doomed" is available as a 2CD digisleeve and as a gatefold 2LP on transparent red vinyl, on transparent purple vinyl, on black vinyl, and on tape cassette.

ZAKK SABBATH's "Tour Forever / Forever Tour" launched on December 5 in Sacramento, California and will end on January 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Support on the trek is coming from THE NATIVE HOWL.

ZAKK SABBATH has been playing sporadic shows since 2014 with its take on the Birmingham four's early songs.

"I just laugh because I'm 56 years old, and I'm up there playing 'Snowblind' and 'Into The Void' like I did at backyard keg parties with high school friends," Zakk told News-Herald. "It's pretty awesome. Every time we do one of these runs, I always say these songs are so incredible.

"As soon as I hear the intro tape that starts the show, I feel like I'm 15 years old again. It's just the power of music — it transports you right back to where you were when you first started listening to this stuff."

In September 2020, ZAKK SABBATH released its spectacular tribute to the Birmingham four, a faithful yet supercharged rendition of BLACK SABBATH's first album, via Magnetic Eye Records.

Exactly 50 years later after the release of the original album, ZAKK SABBATH celebrated the first chapter in the SABBATH catalog with a reverently rendered tribute, simply titled "Vertigo". Faithfully recorded in the spirit of the original, live in the studio and with a film crew documenting the process, the session culminated in a new version of a landmark album that celebrates the greatest heavy metal band of all time and the record that started it all.

"We recorded a live EP and were wondering what we could do next as a cover band, so the 50th album anniversary came just at the right time", explained Blasko regarding ZAKK SABBATH's decision to go studio. "Compared to 'Paranoid', which is almost like a best-of record, the bulk of the material on 'Black Sabbath' is deep-cut, really experimental stuff that was never thoroughly explored, so that was a challenge, not to forget that we wanted to meet our own high standards."

Describing the DIY process as "very productive," the three respectfully added their own flair to make for a slightly different flavor, also revisiting various live renditions and "extending a solo here or slowing things down because that's what they tended to do on stage."

Zakk told Rolling Stone about performing SABBATH's classic material: "Going back to high-school keg parties, we'd be playing songs by RUSH, SABBATH, [Jimi] Hendrix, whatever [in a cover band], and one person would sing the RUSH stuff, someone could do THE DOORS, and I'd end up doing the SABBATH or Ozzy stuff. It's hilarious to me, because we were 17 years old playing keg parties at a friend's house and now I'm [56] years old and I'm still playing 'N.I.B.' and SABBATH songs at keg parties, except there's a couple more people."

TONIGHT - ZAKK SABBATH WITH NATIVE HOWL!

This show is going to be CRAZY so make sure you're here to rage with us!

Get your last-minute, advance tickets at EPICGreenBay.com.

Posted by EPIC Event Center on Friday, December 29, 2023

Internationally acclaimed heavy metallers, Sabaton, are gearing up for an epic celebration as they approach their 25-year milestone in the music industry.


Founded in Falun, Sweden, in 1999, Sabaton's journey has been nothing short of legendary. Their music industry adventures have been fuelled by powerful anthems, 10 studio albums, passionate historical storytelling, and explosive international shows and tours, not to mention out-of-the-box initiatives and projects, all of which wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of their dedicated fan base across the globe.


To mark this momentous milestone, Sabaton will embark on a year-long celebration. Fans around the world can look forward to a series of celebratory events and an abundance of surprises.




The band has shared a new video along with the following message:


"Get ready for an epic journey through time and sound as we celebrate 25 years of Sabaton in the best way possible! Join us for a night filled with thunderous riffs, powerful lyrics and the bombastic energy of our very first studio album, Primo Victoria! We'll be sharing our reactions, reminiscing about the making of the album, and exchanging stories that have shaped our legacy as a band. This is not just a celebration – it's a metal extravaganza that you won't want to miss! Grab your favourite beer, crank up the volume and join us on a musical adventure. Let the celebration begin!"





Each month of 2024 will be dedicated to an album from Sabaton’s discography, beginning with Primo Victoria and ending with The War To End All Wars. Special activities and insights will be provided to grant fans a better understanding of each studio album.


Highlights include album stories, song facts, and album listening parties during which band members will reminisce on and discuss their favorite tracks, while sharing never-heard-before experiences with Sabaton fans.


Other exciting initiatives include fun games, contests, and giveaways that will grant fans the chance to win unique prizes, as well as a limited edition 25-year anniversary merch, including some very exclusive items.


Frontman, Joakim Brodén, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming celebration, saying: "This is a massive milestone for us. Our fans have been with us every step of the way and we couldn't be more excited to celebrate this monumental occasion with them. We're planning some great things that we've never done before, and we're confident that 2024 will be one to remember, especially as we are heading to the studio at the beginning of next year to begin working on new music!"


Meanwhile, bassist and band manager, Pär Sundström, stated: “It’s hard to believe that a quarter of a century of us playing music and doing what we love the most has passed already. It’s been one hell of a journey, that’s for sure. We sing about history, but looking back we also wrote some history! Stay tuned!”


The 25th-anniversary celebrations will also include throwback photos, videos, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into Sabaton's incredible journey, taking fans on a nostalgic trip through the band's history.


Follow the band’s social media channels and website to keep up to date with the latest news and celebrations. Keep your eyes peeled. 2024 is going to be an interesting year!


In the meantime, check out this video message from Pär and Tommy:

Massive Scar Era is the brainchild of the visionary artist Cherine Amr, who leads a collaborative journey with diverse musicians in every EP, bringing her unique vision to life. Originating from Alexandria, Egypt, and currently based in Montreal, Canada, Massive Scar Era defies genre boundaries, weaving together a captivating tapestry of progressive rock, post-grunge, Egyptian music, and metal, resonating deeply with audiences across the globe. 


They just released their seventh recording Metal Goes Egyptian this past November and have a video out now for the single "Color Blind", which Amr comments on:


“We decided to rearrange this previously released song for inclusion in this project primarily because of its numerous delicate vocal ornaments. These ornaments provided an opportunity for an Arabic arrangement. Once the Arabic arrangement was introduced, these subtle elements became much more pronounced compared to the original arrangement. I wrote this song after I was denied entry to the USA to play at SXSW with MSE due to the Muslim ban implemented by Trump. Although Egypt wasn’t on the banned list, the border officer was cautious about bands from our region participating, fearing it could add to the ongoing protests at the festival. Fortunately, that’s all in the past now, and I’ve been able to perform many shows smoothly in the USA since the situation has improved.”




The process of selecting the songs for the EP was a collaborative effort between Weka Soliman and Cherine Amr. Soliman, as the Arabic music arranger, played a crucial role in this decision-making process. His expertise and understanding of Arabic music were invaluable in choosing songs that would provide a suitable canvas for the integration of Arabic music elements. To accommodate the range of Arabic instruments and create an authentic and cohesive sound, project consultant, Katia Makdissi-Warren suggested transposing some of the songs. This adjustment allowed them to maintain the integrity of both the original compositions and the Arabic music elements, ensuring a seamless fusion between the two.

During an appearance on the 19th episode of "The Metallica Report", the recently launched podcast offering weekly insider updates on all things METALLICA, Lars Ulrich spoke about some of the music that he has been listening to lately. The 60-year-old drummer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been on two things, which is LYNYRD SKYNYRD, the heavier LYNYRD SKYNYRD songs, most of them deep cuts, one called 'On The Hunt', one called 'Cry For The Bad Man', one called 'Workin' For MCA', which may not be the deepest of cuts, 'Saturday Night Special' and a song called 'Searching'. Those five songs — incredible, deeper, heavier… People that mostly know SKYNYRD from, say, 'Free Bird', 'Sweet Home Alabama', this is sort of like the heavier, less mainstream side to them. Great, great mid-'70s, hard rock songs. Incredible drumming, singing, soloing, and those songs definitely have stood the test of time."

He continued: "The other rabbit hole I've gone down a little bit, which actually on Peloton last night, that was WARRIOR SOUL, which still have made just some incredible records. WARRIOR SOUL is underappreciated. So mostly — I mean, the record that I go back to, but a lot of their early stuff is all great, but there's an intensity and a vibe around 'The Space Age Playboys' album that came out, I think, around — what? — '94, give or take a year, and songs like 'Rocket Engines', 'Let's Get Wasted', 'The Pretty Faces', 'Rotten Soul', 'Fightin' The War', 'The Drug' — all these songs are incredible. There's a sound and a vibe on that record that still perseveres close to 30 years later, and there's an energy in that record and right in that zone between hard rock, heavy metal, but a lot of punk attitude and a lot of kind of not giving a shit and the two-finger salute and really kind of rebellious contrarian energy that that record in particular sounds as fresh today as it did a couple, three decades ago when it came out. I started going down the rabbit hole of YouTube live videos and found a clip from London where they were playing in a big club theater where they were playing…. The last one I was looking at was 'Let's Get Wasted', which is such a great track. The sync was a little off, but the music and the energy was definitely much appreciated."

Ulrich previously discussed his love of WARRIOR SOUL in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone about his 15 favorite metal and hard rock albums, including "The Space Age Playboys". Lars said: "WARRIOR SOUL started off on Geffen Records and had the same management as us. We played a bunch of shows with them. They were dropped by Geffen, and this record came out independently in ’94.

"If you put on 'Rocket Engines', it fucking starts frenetic — it's heavy, it's punky, it's energetic. Kory Clarke, the lead singer, spits out word after word, attitude after attitude, memorable lyric line after lyric line, and it never lets up for a fucking hour or however long the record is. It just does not stop.

"On the early records, he got a little political. He's talking about Native Americans, he's talking about Charlie Manson, and he's talking about the oppressed. But on this record, it almost got punky. It was this weird fusion between punky and a little early New York glam rock, almost like [NEW YORK] DOLLS, STOOGES type of thing. If you've not heard this record, I would encourage you to find this record and check it out as soon as possible."

In a 2020 interview with Vulture, Lars said that he doesn't listen to a lot of METALLICA music. "Part of it is because I'm sort of overly analytical [about the details]," he explained. "It's basically almost impossible for me to listen to a METALLICA song without going, 'Okay, how are the sonics? How's the mix? How does the guitar sound? The vocals are too loud; the bass is too boomy.' It becomes this exercise in analytics. When you hear your favorite band — like if I listened to RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE or something, I just fucking let myself go. But when METALLICA comes on, it's, like, 'Huh?'"

METALLICA's "M72" world tour kicked off in late April in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The first leg in Europe included 10 shows across five cities, followed by a month-long hiatus for the band throughout July. The second phase of the "M72" tour saw METALLICA playing in North America, beginning with the August 4 concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey and ending on November 12 in Detroit, Michigan. After performing in Saudi Arabia for the first time ever in December, the band is currently taking a five-month break before returning to Europe for the third "M72" leg in early 2024.

METALLICA is touring in support of its latest album, "72 Seasons", which came out in April.

GREEN DAY is ringing in the new year with fiery new track "One Eyed Bastard" The electrifying song is the band's final offering ahead of the arrival of GREEN DAY's 14th studio album, "Saviors", coming January 19, 2024.

"'One Eyed Bastard' started off as just a riff that I had — a shuffle, almost like a BLACK SABBATH kind of riff," shared Billie Joe Armstrong. "Lyrically, I was just reflecting on bad times in life. That's the thing about nostalgia — sometimes you think, 'That was an awful time.' Everybody's got that ugly place in their life where they have to deal with ugly thoughts — it could be like revenge or whatever. Thankfully, I have an outlet in songwriting."

"One Eyed Bastard" comes on the heels of GREEN DAY's show-stopping "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" performance, where they performed two fan favorites off "Dookie" and two off "American Idiot", along with "Dilemma" off the forthcoming "Saviors". "Saviors" will also feature "Look Ma, No Brains!" and "The American Dream Is Killing Me", which hit No. 1 on Billboard Rock & Alternative Airplay.

As an added surprise, GREEN DAY has announced free listening parties for "Saviors", happening in over 200 indie stores worldwide starting on January 13. Fans will have the opportunity to listen to "Saviors" ahead of its January 19 release. All events are free and will have exclusive giveaways while supplies last. For more information and to see participating stores, go to listentosaviors.greenday.com.

GREEN DAY has never shied away from vulnerable subject matter in the band's lyrics, and "Saviors" is no different. Recorded in London and Los Angeles, "Saviors" is the latest powerful collaboration between GREEN DAY and Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo, whose notable previous work with GREEN DAY includes two of the band's most iconic albums, 1994's "Dookie" and 2004's "American Idiot". The record comes just ahead of "Dookie"'s 30th anniversary. Celebrations have already begun with the release of a massive deluxe edition of the album and a surprise show in Las Vegas, where the band performed "Dookie" from front to back to a sold-out crowd of superfans.

Recently, GREEN DAY announced a larger-than-life 2024 global stadium tour with support from the illustrious rock luminaries THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, RANCID and THE LINDA LINDAS in North America and NOTHING BUT THIEVES, THE HIVES, DONOTS, THE INTERRUPTERS and MAID OF ACE in Europe. The "Saviors" tour, fueled by Monster Energy, kicks off in Europe next May before making its way to North America in July for an intoxicating summer run through the states.

Formed in 1986 in Berkeley, California, GREEN DAY is one of the world's best-selling bands of all time, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide and 10 billion cumulative audio/visual streams. The five-time Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees released their breakout album "Dookie" in 1994, which sold over 10 million copies and achieved diamond status, is widely credited with popularizing and reviving mainstream interest in punk rock, catapulting a career-long run of No. 1 hit singles. Entertainment Weekly calls GREEN DAY "the most influential band of their generation," while Rolling Stone attests "GREEN DAY have inspired more young bands to start than any act this side of KISS, and that doesn't seem to be changing." In 2004, GREEN DAY released the rock opera "American Idiot" which captured the nation's attention, selling more than eight million copies in the U.S. alone and taking home the Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". Mojo declared "It's exhilarating stuff, the kind of record that sets new parameters as to what is possible from a punk rock'n'roll band in the 21st century." In 2010, a stage adaptation of "American Idiot" debuted on Broadway to critical and commercial acclaim. Released in 2020, GREEN DAY's thirteenth studio album "Father Of All Motherfuckers" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Album Sales chart and No. 1 in both the U.K. and Australia. Pitchfork declared, "GREEN DAY's most fetching and youthful songs in ages. The trio sounds reinvigorated, more like hungry newcomers staking their claim." In July 2021, GREEN DAY embarked on the "Hella Mega Tour" with FALL OUT BOY and WEEZER. The global tour included 29 sold-out stadium gigs, including renowned venues like London Stadium and Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium.

Photo credit: Emmie America

British rockers BRING ME THE HORIZON have released a new song called "Kool-Aid". The track, the official lyric video for which can be seen below, is the first to arrive following the departure of longtime keyboardist and percussionist Jordan Fish last month.

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

One of the behind-the-scenes photos of BRING ME THE HORIZON recording "Kool-Aid" was an an image of singer Oliver Sykes with longtime producer and engineer Dan Lancaster, who previously mixed the band's 2015 LP "That's The Spirit", as well as songs on 2019's "Amo" and the "Post Human: Survival Horror" EP.

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

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

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

BRING ME THE HORIZON will embark on a U.K. arena tour later this month.

The band's next release, "Post Human: Nex Gen", is set to arrive late in 2024. The LP was originally due last September, but was pushed back due to "unforeseen circumstances", with Sykes and the rest of BRING ME THE HORIZON "unable to complete the record to the standard we'd be happy with".

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

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

Featuring one of the best and biggest riffs ever, "Barracuda" became Heart’s signature song and the one that broke them massively into the rock world.


Now, forty-six years after the original was released, New York quartet Plush have unleashed their own, souped-up version, bringing a modern twist whilst being both faithful and respectful to the source.


First covered by singer Moriah Formica on social media during lockdown, public demand has been so high that it had to see an official release, the eviscerating lyrics are belted out with power and passion, the music as blistering as ever.




Find the single now on all platforms here. Listen below:

Just before the dawn of 2024, Graywitch released “God Of War”. This is the first single from their upcoming album, Children Of Gods, to be released by Sleaszy Rider SRL on February 2.





The track was produced at Infected Studios by Geοrge Stournaras, in Thessaloniki, Greece, featuring guest musicians as Dan Baune (Devil’s Train, Lost Sanctuary, Monument) and Jimmy “Sinner” Tairidis (Everflow, Anxiety, Divine Requiem) taking over the guitar solos.




“God Of War” is the first song introducing George Papadopoulos, as the new singer of Graywitch. It is composed by complex time signatures, daring structure, solid guitar work and catchy choruses. Lyrically is inspired by Greek history and mythology.

Extreme metallists, Second Shooter, are readying the release of their latest effort – a brutal full-length debut entitled Fury Made Flesh, which arrives on January 19 via Into Records. The culmination of five years of work for the band - vocalist Melanie Johnson, guitarists Travis Hildreth and Wynn McElwee, bassist Jeff Clark, and drummer Jim Wilinski - was inspired by the craziness going on around the world and in their own lives during recent times.


With all the band members contributing to the writing of the music and lyrics for the album (which arrives in the wake of two earlier EP's, Second Shooter and What Was Left Behind), the tracks were recorded by the band in their studio – with Jim acting as engineer during tracking, and Jeff then mixing and mastering the album.


The album title, Fury Made Flesh, is taken from the lyrics of the song "Bringer Of Death" about the Hindu goddess Kali, who was also the inspiration for the cover art (created by illustrator David Paul Seymour). Tracks like "Diana The Huntress", "Protect And Serve", "Caged", "Gold Plated Pervert", and "For All The Parasites" are topical songs, while "Bleeding Ear", "Set Adrift", and "Suffocate Eternal" delve into personal trauma. "Palm Reader" and the aforementioned "Bringer Of Death" veer into the supernatural to round out the album.




The end result is an album that the band is excited about and that shows who they are today as a band and as musicians. "Much of the previous material we released was partly written by past members of the band," explains the band. "But Fury Made Flesh is the five of us working together to challenge ourselves as artists as we connect with an ever-growing audience. We pull together influences from groove metal, hardcore, death metal, thrash, progressive metal, and even a pinch of doom to make something that is uniquely us."


"As dedicated metal fans ourselves, our goal has always been to perform music that makes people want to move. Second Shooter gives live performances our all, feeding our audiences our energy while feeding off theirs in return. Our overarching ethos is 'No gimmicks, no bullshit, just metal.'"





Tracklisting:


"Protect And Serve"
"Diana The Huntress"
"Palm Reader"
"Bringer Of Death"
"Suffocate Eternal"
"Gold Plated Pervert"
"Bleeding Ear"
"Set Adrift"
"Caged"
"For All The Parasites"


The album can be ordered here.


And on the same date as the album's release, the band will be hitting the road in support of Fury Made Flesh, as they will be touring with Go Ahead And Die on the Unhealthy Mechanisms Tour alongside Body Box - beginning on the 19th in Tucson, and wrapping up on the 28th in Houston.


Dates:


January
19 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
20 - El Paso, TX - RockHouse Bar & Grill
21 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
23 - Lubbock, TX - Jake's
24 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street
25 - Dallas, TX. @Trees
26 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live!
27 - Corpus Christi, TX - House of Rock
28 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar


(Photo - Jeremy Saffer)

In a recent interview with Brazil's Lado Direito Do Palco, Roger Miret spoke about AGNOSTIC FRONT's reputation as a band willing to tackle societal and political issues through its music. The 59-year-old AGNOSTIC FRONT singer said: "The thing is, especially with AGNOSTIC FRONT, we live that life too. We speak about oppression and overcoming oppression, and people can relate to that, whether they're oppressed by the government or at home or whatever. And then they see that we're genuine, we're real and they could relate to us. And that's why I think it's been a secret to our legacy is the fact that we are genuine and people can feel that and they feel that we come from a genuine place; they can relate to us. So I think I see a lot of that definitely in São Paulo and definitely in Brazil and in a lot of South American countries. I see that total relation because I see that life they're living is mirroring my life from New York City."

In September 2021, Miret revealed that his cancer was in remission.

After Miret was diagnosed with cancer in early 2021, a long road of tests and diagnoses led to a complex initial surgery and lengthy hospital stay. Even though the original surgery was complicated, the results were extremely positive.

Born in Cuba, Miret fled with his family to the U.S. to escape the Castro regime. He joined AGNOSTIC FRONT in 1983, and the seminal New York hardcore group released classics like "United Blood", "Victim In Pain" and "Cause For Alarm" over the next several years.

In 2017, Miret released a memoir, "My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grit, Guts, And Glory", which documented his struggles to adapt to life in the U.S. after his family fled the Castro regime. According to the Phoenix New Times, the book delved into many facets of Miret's life: the grinding poverty of his childhood; living as a teenager squatter; becoming deeply enmeshed in downtown New York’s hardcore scene; and later turning to drug-running to support his family.

In addition to fronting AGNOSTIC FRONT, Miret has also played with ROGER MIRET AND THE DISASTERS and is a member of THE ALLIGATORS.

For the past several years, Roger has resided in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In a recent interview with "The Logan Show", SALIVA frontman Bobby Amaru spoke about Live Nation's new initiative called "On The Road Again", which saw the largest live music promoter in the world and the owner of Ticketmaster announcing that it would no longer be asking for a percentage of merch sales from club-level performers at the company's venues, and would also be paying the artists $1,500 on top of their nightly compensation to help with gas and travel expenses. The campaign also announced bonuses to crew members at local venues that have put in over 500 hours of service time, and that Live Nation will be donating $5 million to the Crew Nation relief fund that takes care of behind-the-scenes personnel when they incur unexpected hardships.

Bobby said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They had announced [in late September] that Live Nation wasn't taking merch cuts and they were gonna give bands money and stuff for their merch. And it fucking happened. It was real shit. I showed up [at a House Of Blues] and there was an envelope there for us, like gas cards and money and all this shit. And [they told us], 'Oh, hey, by the way, we're not taking a cut of your merch.' It was, like, 'Can we do like 20 more of these?' [Laughs]"

He continued: "I remember hearing and reading about [the 'On The Road Again' initiative when it was first announced]. And it was literally like two days later we were in House Of Blues and then my tour manager was, like, 'Oh, hey, by the way, this is for you guys.' And I'm, like, 'Holy shit.' It was like a 'thank you' card and this whole thing from Live Nation. They give you the little chocolate candies and shit too. I'm, like, 'Damn, they're really laying it on, aren't they?'"

Amaru also weighed in on widespread speculation that "On The Road Again" could ultimately hurt many locally owned music venues by pulling talent away from them as performers rush to play Live Nation venues to cash in on the $1,500 payments.

"Those smaller-cap rooms, maybe they'll figure out something," Bobby said. "I don't know how they budget shows. But those could definitely benefit — I think all bands could benefit from keeping 100 percent of their merch. Especially us. I pay to have all our stuff printed — everything's paid for by the band, and anytime we do artwork, it's paid for by the band or any of that stuff — and I feel like the venues don't really put in on any of that. And it's kind of, like, 'All right, well, this makes absolutely no fucking sense [for a venue to take a cut of the merch.' But what do you do?"

Bobby went on to praise other bands like BAD OMENS for taking a stand against concert venues lately for taking a cut of artists' merchandise sales.

"I can't imagine how much merch a band like [BAD OMENS] is selling every night. They're probably killing it, like I'd say 50 grand on a bad night," Amaru said. "And that's a lot of money. So for a room to take 20 percent of that for not printing any of it. And then not to mention the band has sold out your room. You've just made an incredible amount of money on bar and booze. But maybe shows like that are the ones — I don't know, man — are making up for the ones that aren't selling as well."

When "On The Road Again" was first announced, it was revealed that more than 70 venues across the United States and Canada were taking part in the initiative, named after the 1980 hit song by Willie Nelson.

The program was created with Nelson to help the live music careers of artists, as well as their crews. Live Nation said there was no limit on the number of qualifying shows an artist could play and the benefits added up as artists performed on tour. By helping with some core expenses, officials with Live Nation said they wanted to "make it easier for artists on the road so they can keep performing to their fans in more cities across the country."

"On The Road Again" is only expected to last through the end of 2023.

Former SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg has shared a video of him walking "unassisted" for the first time since undergoing hip and femur surgery in November.

The 33-year-old Nashville-based musician, who required crutches as he recovered from his operation, wrote in a message accompanying the clip: "2024 is off and running! Well, walking unassisted…but I'll take it! Yesterday was my first full day walking without a crutch since my operation in November, and it ruled.

"Stoked to be making steady progress; not just protecting my hip, but now building back strength in the joint, and my leg overall. Taking that as a win — it feels good".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SLIPKNOT has yet to announce a replacement for Jay.

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In a recent interview with the 80's Glam Metalcast, former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch dismissed Don Dokken's assertion that the band's namesake frontman wrote "a lot" of the group's biggest songs. George said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Bassist Jeff Pilson, drummer Mick Brown and I] wrote almost everything. There was a point where the manager… This is always a thing with Don. He goes off about how he wrote everything. That's bullshit. Jeff and I, and Don and Jeff wrote some things, and Don wrote a thing, something on his own here and there, and important songs, but the bulk of the material was written by Jeff and I, and that's just the truth. And even the lyrics and the melodies and the titles were… Jeff and I joke all the time. There was a thing called the TV Guide, and I would get all my titles and the lyrics, obviously, flowed from the titles, from TV Guide. So you look and see a lot of those early records, they were either reworked XCITER [George's pre-DOKKEN band] songs or new stuff that Jeff and I wrote — sometimes with Mick's help — and then we'd end up with Don too; we'd collaborate with Don at the end of the process. But for 90 percent of material, that was the case. And these titles were out of the TV Guide — they were movies."

He continued: "On 'Tooth And Nail' and the record after that, a lot of these were — I think especially 'Tooth And Nail'; I think it was allTV Guide titles, pretty much. 'Without Warning', 'Tooth And Nail', 'When Heaven Comes Down', 'Don't Close Your Eyes' — those were all movies. I remember looking at the TV Guide and seeing the names of those movies — they were old movies, usually. [And I'd go] 'Oh, that's a cool name. We'll name a song that.' So 'Tooth And Nail' was me and Mick and Jeff sitting around just going ''Tooth And Nail', okay. Run around the streets and start a fight.' Silly fucking lyrics, but whatever. It worked. 'Don't close your eyes or I'll be there.' I remember having that whole hook and that melody and everything in my head. And we based it on that. 'When Heaven Comes Down', I wrote that. I spent a whole night; I stayed up all night. And Jeff had gone home. We were working in Anaheim in my home studio. And I was really frustrated with the song and I wanted to finish it. And I had an idea for 'When Heaven Comes Down'. 'When Heaven Comes Down' was a movie. I stole the title from it. And then I came up with the lyrics. And then I sang it all into a harmonizer, an octave low, so it sounded like the devil, with all this echo on it… I was really proud of it. Of course, that got redone and everything, but… I can't sing."

In a recent interview with the "On The Road To Rock With Clint Switzer" podcast, Don explained why he and his DOKKEN bandmates decided in the beginning to split their songwriting royalties equally between the four members of the group. He said: "DOKKEN was a very unusual band. When I formed the band, even though I'd been DOKKEN for years and years before I met George and Jeff and Mick — I'd already toured Germany twice — but when we finally came together, I said, 'Let's make it simple. You write a hit, you write a hit, you write a hit, we'll just split it four ways. It doesn't matter who writes what. May the best songs win.' And that's how it was. Now, looking back, I could say it was a stupid thing to do, because I wrote a lot of the hits and I gave up 75 percent to the three of them. So instead of me getting four bucks, I got a dollar and Mick got a dollar and George got a dollar and Jeff got a dollar and the management took theirs and the accountants took theirs, and I thought, 'Jesus.' I go, 'I lost millions' writing 'In My Dreams' and 'Just Got Lucky' or 'Alone Again'. I mean, I can name a bazillion songs that I wrote by myself on the guitar and wrote all the music. But that's the deal we made. We were nobody. We weren't famous. Hey, if George wrote a hit, I get money. Jeff writes a hit, I get money. Mick's the one that scored. He didn't write. We rehearsed the songs for a week, go into a rehearsal studio, flesh it all out, pick the 12 best songs, Mick comes in the studio for four or five days, knocks out his drums and he goes to the drug dealer and then he heads off for the Rainbow [Bar & Grill in West Hollywood]. I said, 'Mick, you scored. You made millions of dollars and all you had to do was spend a couple of weeks playing drums.'"

Almost a decade ago, Lynch spoke about the breakup of the classic DOKKEN lineup in 1989, telling Guitar Interactive magazine: "Here's the things that happens in a band… especially in our era, in the '80s, and I don't know, even now probably… But if you have a record deal, or a master deal, for a certain amount of time, and you have increasing record sales, and then you get to the point where the deal ends, your managers come in and renegotiate and you get paid. Then you're set for life — possibly. That's when everything changes. That's what you worked for for those however many years. This is where all your… Everything you've invested in time and energy, you get paid back for. And the singer [Don Dokken], at that point, decided that he wanted it all, he didn't wanna share it with [the rest of] us, and he let us know that. So after this [Monsters Of Rock] tour [in 1988 with VAN HALEN, METALLICA and SCORPIONS], where we were gonna go out and play in front of hundreds of thousands of people and get paid lots of money, [he basically said] 'I'm gonna try to take the whole thing and run with it, and you guys are gonna get left in the dust, and if you're lucky, I might hire you [to play in my band].' And you have to go on stage like that."

He continued: "The reason that we were on fire before that — we were so dedicated, we kept persevering — was because we were all working for something. It wasn't even for the money, it was just to get to that point. And success on all levels — musically and financially, so we could be secure, and all these things, for all the right reasons. And we took care of each other, and we were an equal-split band, and I fought for that. And by Monsters Of Rock, when Don announced that he was gonna, basically, try to grab the negotiation brass ring and keep it to himself, that backfired on all of us. Financially, it backfired on all of us, 'cause we didn't get that massive… At that point, I think, that year MÖTLEY CRÜE got a 25-million-dollar deal, ANTHRAX got a 12.5-million-dollar deal, we would have been fine. Basically, we had a lot of leverage. We were gonna be a free agent, so it was really a shame. It just didn't go right for anybody. So I went on to form LYNCH MOB, which did pretty well."

DOKKEN's current lineup consists of Don alongside bassist Chris McCarvill, guitarist Jon Levin and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).

DOKKEN's 13th studio album, "Heaven Comes Down", came out in October via Silver Lining Music. The follow-up to "Broken Bones" was produced by Bill Palmer and Don Dokken and was mixed by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, IRON MAIDEN).

Seattle rock legends HEART performed during the first intermission of the National Hockey League (NHL) game between the Seattle Kraken and the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park on January 1, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.

Ann and Nancy Wilson, along with their backing musicians, consisting of four members of Ann's band TRIPSITTER — guitarist Ryan Wariner, bassist Tony Lucido, guitarist/keyboardist Paul Moak and drummer Sean Lane — plus guitarist Ryan Waters, who was in HEART's 2019 touring lineup, played the classic HEART songs "Barracuda" and "Magic Man". Also appearing at the event was Sir Mix-A-Lot, who performed "Jump On It".

Last month, HEART played its first three concerts in more than four years — in Highland, California, at Greater Palm Springs in Palm Desert, California, and in Seattle, Washington,.

Prior to HEART's December 27 show in Highland, the band's last performance took place in October 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In a recent interview with the 96.1 KLPX radio station, HEART's Ann Wilson, who has been working on solo projects, and in September of this year released the album "Another Door", billed as ANN WILSON & TRIPSITTER, stated about HEART's reunion concerts: "We're gonna see how it works with the HEART thing, whether it feels like a level up. If it does feel like a level up, then we'll keep doing it. But that's what it has to be. It can't just slide down into jukebox time… It's gotta be real. No going through the motions. No phoning it in. No just getting on some kind of circuit just to take people's money and play the old songs again and again and again. No, we're gonna make it cool, really make it cool."

Ann's sister, HEART guitarist Nancy Wilson made a surprise appearance during Ann's concert on October 10, 2023 in Santa Rosa, California.

Nancy joined her sister and TRIPSITTER on stage at the Luther Burbank Center For The Arts in Nancy's hometown to perform the HEART classic "Barracuda".

Last June, Nancy revealed in an interview with Joe Rock of Long Island, New York's rock station 102.3 WBAB that she was working on fresh music with Ann. The 69-year-old musician, who has spent some of the recent months on tour with her new band NANCY WILSON'S HEART, broke the news of her latest collaboration with Ann while discussing some of her current recording projects, including "Tomboy", which involves covering songs written by her male friends.

"I think right now I've been working on 'Tomboy' the most because I love the title, for one thing; it's almost like 'boy genius' or something," she explained. "But I've got a bunch of new ideas for songs. But I've also been writing new music with Ann too. So it's a real creative time. I think being on the tour right now, when I get home, I'm gonna really dig into the other projects, including finishing some new material with Ann. So it's really a good time to be creative. And I've got a new studio in my house, and so I can't wait to sort of run tape on stuff."

Asked if there is anything that she feels is really exciting because she feels it's something that's so different from what she's done before, Nancy said: "Yeah. Some of the stuff I've been working on with Ann is like that. I've also worked a bit with Sue Ennis, who used to work a lot with me and Ann for HEART music. And so I have some lyrics mainly that I worked on with Sue and took to Ann. And there's a couple of things that I'm really excited about. Very cool. Like stuff that you wouldn't have heard us do in the '80s. [It's] closer to what you would have heard us originally do in the '70s, late '70s. So it's really fun. It's just exciting and inspiring."

Nancy went on to say that she is really pleased to be collaborating on new material with her sister. "It's been a really nice kind of rediscovery of our relationship, working on music together again," she said. "So, yeah, I'm really happy about that."

Last April, Ann denied rumors of a rift with Nancy. In an interview in the 300th issue of Classic Rock, Ann said that she was "not" feuding with her younger sister. "It's a myth," she insisted. "Nancy and I are okay with each other. We just have different ideas for what HEART should be, and we haven't figured out a compromise yet.

"Fifty years on, I still want it to break barriers and rules, and she's more satisfied to ride the L.A. imaging thing and just do legacy stuff," Ann explained. "So that's a real split between us. Things like this will happen, though, but then they'll get better, and we'll love each other more."

Relations between the two sisters were considered to be at an all-time low after a much-publicized incident when Ann's husband was arrested during a HEART tour in 2016. But in an interview with Rock Candy magazine to coincide with the release of her solo album "Fierce Bliss", Ann said: "Things happen in families. And that was a really good example of something that happened within a family, and we worked it out. But the part that made it hard was that it happened in the public eye. If it had happened privately, we'd have got the family in a room and sat down and worked it out between us. Instead, the police were called, and this myth was born that Nancy and I were feuding, and we were at each other's throats all the time. And it's really not like that at all."

A proposed HEART tour fell through in 2022 after the two sisters failed to agree on which backing band to use. Ann wanted her guys, Nancy didn't.

In February 2022, Nancy spoke to Joe Rock about why HEART had been inactive for most of the previous three years.

"HEART had a big offer on the table [in 2021] for a bigger tour, but Ann wasn't interested in going out with my lineup of guys that we were out with before," she said. "She has a new lineup of guys that she wanted me to join up with. And I sort of [thought] I don't really know them and don't have loyalty yet for anybody like that."

HEART toured North America in the summer of 2019 after the aforementioned nasty split that kept the Wilson sisters estranged for three years.

Ann and Nancy had a falling out during HEART's 2016 tour, when Ann's husband Dean Welter was arrested for assaulting Nancy's then-16-year-old twin sons in a backstage altercation at a gig near their hometown of Seattle. He pleaded guilty to two lesser assault charges to avoid jail time.

After completing HEART's 2016 tour, Nancy formed a new band called ROADCASE ROYALE and released an album, "First Things First". ROADCASE ROYALE featured three members of HEART along with Liv Warfield from Prince's NEW POWER GENERATION band and her guitarist Ryan Wilson.

In Nancy's new band NANCY WILSON'S HEART, she is joined in the group by her longtime collaborators, guitarist Ryan Waters, drummer Ben Smith, bassist Andy Stoller and keyboardist Dan Walker, along with powerhouse singer Kimberly Nichole.

Heart at the NHL Winter Classic in Seattle!

What did Julie Hines & I do new Years Day? We were part of the on-field audience for Heart performing live at the Seattle NHL Winter Classic in front of nearly 50,000 people! Oh yeah, the Seattle Kraken beat the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in the first shutout in Winter Classic History!

Posted by Warren Wyatt on Tuesday, January 2, 2024

The NHL Winter Classic - New Years day.
We got to be groupies today during the 1st intermission entertainment with Heart.
Can't get much closer!!

Posted by Bob Peterson on Monday, January 1, 2024