News agencies around the world are reporting that Denny Laine, co-founder of bands Wings and The Moody Blues and longtime collaborator of The Beatles legend Paul McCartney, died on Tuesday morning (December 5th), according to Laine’s wife Elizabeth Hines. He was 79.


Hines wrote in a post on Laine’s official Instagram account that Laine had "been in ICU on a ventilator this past week." She said Laine had Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), which "is unpredictable and aggressive. He fought everyday. He was so strong and brave, never complained."


In 1971, Laine helped form Wings alongside Paul and Linda McCartney. They released their debut album Wild Life that same year, and followed up with their second album, 1973’s Red Rose Speedway, which brought them their first No. 1 hit with "My Love".




Wings’ most iconic musical offering was their 1973 album, Band On The Run. The album became one of the top-selling British albums of 1974 and reached #1 in US. It includes hits such as the title track, "Band On The Run", "Jet", "Let Me Roll It" and "No Words", a track that Laine co-wrote.


Read the complete CNN report here.


Paul McCartney has issued the following statement:


"I am very saddened to hear that my ex-bandmate, Denny Laine, has died. 


I have many fond memories of my time with Denny: from the early days when The Beatles toured with the Moody Blues. Our two bands had a lot of respect for each other and a lot of fun together. Denny joined Wings at the outset. He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player. His most famous performance is probably 'Go Now', an old Bessie Banks song which he would sing brilliantly. He and I wrote some songs together the most successful being 'Mull Of Kintyre', which was a big hit in the Seventies. We had drifted apart but in recent years managed to reestablish our friendship and share memories of our times together.


Denny was a great talent with a fine sense of humour and was always ready to help other people. He will be missed by all his fans and remembered with great fondness by his friends. I send my condolences and best wishes to his wife, Elizabeth and family.


Peace and love, Denny. It was a pleasure to know you. We are all going to miss you."

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing's new band KK'S PRIEST has released the official music video for the high-energy anthem "Sons Of The Sentinel".

Downing says about "Sons Of The Sentinel": "Following the epic 'Return Of The Sentinel', it was inevitable that this sequel would evolve. The history of these intergalactic mercenaries has to justifiably continue as long as there is metal in our veins.

"It was with great sorrow that our first great father, and warlord, met his demise upon his return, but the powers of those that would be have initiated an even more powerful force to be the protectors of the entire universe. Though — heed the warning — you must always beware to never stand in their way because they are a force that are like no other and have never been seen before! They are the 'Sons Of The Sentinel'."

"Sons Of The Sentinel" is taken from KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", which came out in September via the Austrian label Napalm Records.

Joining Downing in KK'S PRIEST are former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, as well as guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Mind Art Visual

The Dead Daisies, currently on tour in Europe, have released a recap video for December, Week 1. Watch below:





The Dead Daisies' next show is Tuesday, December 5 at Simm City in Vienna, Austria. Their complete live itinerary can be found here.

KISS brought their decades-long career to a close on December 2nd with a final show at Madison Square Garden in New York. Guitar legend Steve Vai has shared the following message paying tribute to the band: 


"Deep appreciation goes out to KISS for their 50 years of intense confidence and historical contribution. Back in the '70s when they hit the scene, they offered a completely alternative style of no excuses rock ‘n’ roll and delivered unflinchingly until last night, which was their last show.


It’s impossible to quantify what our rock ‘n’ roll music landscape would be like today without them. They are an example of the hard work and dedication necessary for any musician who is considering a career in the music business. And they sure did Rock Hard.




Thank you guys."





In the wake of the final show of their career, KISS shared a video clip along with the following message:


"The end is only the beginning. KISS have been immortalized and reborn as avatars to rock forever. Get exclusive access to the full story, including behind-the-scenes material and the making of the avatars, and be part of the New Era only on kissonline.com." 





KISS made the announcement they would continue as digital avatars at the end of their final show. After the band left the stage, the virtual KISS performed "God Gave Rock And Roll To You". Check out the fan-filmed video below.


Paul Stanley: "What we've accomplished has been amazing, but it's not enough. The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than we are. It's exciting for us to go the next step and see KISS immortalized."


Gene Simmons: "We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we've never dreamed of before. The technology is going to make Paul jump higher than he's ever done before."





The KISS avatars were created by ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) and financed / produced by Pophouse Entertainment, who are responsible for the ABBA Voyage show taking place in London. Pophouse Entertainment was co-founded by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus.

Canadian tech / prog death metal act Apogean has announced the details of their inaugural full-length, Cyberstrictive, scheduled for March 8, 2024 via The Artisan Era physically (vinyl, CD) and digitally. Marking the debut with the new vocalist Mac Smith (who recently served as the live vocalist of Decrepit Birth), the upcoming album poignantly explores the dark side of technology, shedding light on its poisonous effects on our lives. 


As the first preview of the album, the genre-defying Toronto-based group is currently streaming “Thousand-Yard Glare”, which accompanies an action-packed music video to visualize the song’s theme. 


Apogean informs: “‘Thousand-Yard Glare’ is a story of the damage of overconsumption and the dangers of desensitization in media. The general populace, on a daily basis, is bombarded with endless electronic stimulus, which drastically affects every aspect of our lives and induces a pseudo-PTSD via photo-radiation. This track is incredibly important to us for a multitude of reasons. Being our first single from our debut album, we feel that we had to best represent our musical style, while also encompassing a theme that we genuinely care about; we feel that this offering absolutely conveys Apogean to its most intrinsic roots.”







Apogean is a five-piece band from Toronto, Ontario, seeking to transcend metal’s traditional realms with their musical machinations. Drawing inspiration from a broad spectrum of artistic influences, this Canadian ensemble is set to embark on an unending journey, exploring the intersections of progressive metal, technical death, deathcore, and blackened death, positioning themselves at the forefront of heavy music’s ever-evolving landscape. 


Despite their recent formation, Apogean features members bringing years of honed skills, diverse collaborations across genres, endorsements from leading musical instrument brands, and notable ventures into video game collaborations and licensing original compositions featured on ESPN. Their debut EP, Into Madness, was released in June 2021 through Blood Blast distribution, with mixing and mastering from renowned metal producer Zack Ohren (The Faceless, All Shall Perish, Immolation).


Cyberstrictive, the debut album, is Apogean’s first venture with the new vocalist Mac Smith, known for his involvement in various projects and recent stint as the live vocalist for Decrepit Birth. Beyond his vocal responsibilities, Mac, with a background in managing notable metal bands, also independently oversees the management of Apogean.


Across ten songs, Cyberstrictive discloses the dark aspects of technology, taking a broader look at its impact on our minds, bodies, and souls. Drawing significant inspiration from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and echoing the dystopian excerpts of George Orwell’s 1984, the album explores the hazards of modern technology, covering risks such as sensory damage, psychological trauma, desensitization, information paradoxes, predatory practices targeting children, addiction complexities, and the erosion of creativity. Ultimately, the album culminates in a reflection on overarching manipulation and concludes by addressing the burdensome aspects of technology, employing wordplay and metaphor to illustrate the overwhelming drawbacks outweighing the benefits in the modern digital world.





Tracklisting:


"Bluelight Sonata"
"Thousand-Yard Glare"
"Distance (Of Walls And Wails)"
"With Which Ear You’ll Listen"
"Imposter Reborn"
"Within The Bounds Of A Simile"
"Hueman (The Pleasure Of Burn)"
"Polybius"
"Spinthariscope"
"An(t)imus"


Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.


 


 

Finnish melodic death metal act, Swansong, have released their debut full-length album, Awakening, via Noble Demon. Order here.


To celebrate the album release, Swansong have unleashed a brand new and captivating lyric video for the track, "Become". Watch the clip below.


Combining the beautiful with the brutal since 2020, Swansong have never shied away from breaking boundaries. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Dark Tranquillity, 90s melodeath, death and black metal, as well as Shadow Of Intent's modern sound, the band's vocals are a force to be reckoned with. The composition of the album is heavily influenced by iconic bands such as Iron Maiden, Children Of Bodom, and the neo-classical metal of the 80s. These ingredients, combined with kick-ass riffs, will transport you back to the vibes of the golden era of metal, while the Finnish four-piece adds its very own new twist to these elements with low female death growls and high pitched screams.







Tracklisting:


“Burning Flames”
“Become”
“Furiosa”
“Shot In The Heart”
“Frost Of Winter”
“Maiden Of Death”
“One With The Waves”
“Awakening”
“Blood Widow”
“Fight Or Die”
“Fury Of The Witch”


“Become” lyric video:





“Burning Flames” video:

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Joe Satriani was asked if he plans to try to replicate Eddie Van Halen's guitar tone on the upcoming summer 2024 tour with vocalist Sammy Hagar, bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Jason Bonham that will focus largely on the music of VAN HALEN. He responded: "It's really interesting. There's an interesting period with Ed, which he starts with an old Marshall [amp] head and he moves forward into the late 1980s, getting more and more complicated with these Marshall heads. And then at some point it flips and he goes to a Soldano [amp] and he starts developing the 5150 with Peavey, and then he keeps moving forward. And then the new era of the [EVH] 5153 starts up.

"For a guitar player, this is a remarkable set of changes that affords you different ways of pulling things off," Joe explained. "And one doesn't work for the other. Using one of the brand new amps to represent something from the first album, it's very difficult. And it's difficult playing later songs with the earlier setup. So in the last week, my idea is the setup he was using in 1986 on 'Live Without A Net'. He was still using Marshalls, but it was really complicated.

"If you've ever seen pictures of the rig, how he was using the amps, he wasn't just plugging in and turning them up. They were going into Power Soaks. They were going into effects loops, and sophisticated effects processors, and then going into power amps. It was a complicated setup, but at the heart of it was his incredible touch. He just had a beautiful touch on the guitar. He played with such intensity. I don't want to generalize and say that he made everything sound good, but he did. [Laughs] You notice that when you have one of his guitars and his setup or his model, he just can't be replaced.

"But in direct answer to your question, I'm going to try to get close to the sound of each of those eras," Satriani added. "Primarily, it'll be for me. It'll help me get in the mood to play the parts the way he did. And he played them one way on the album, and then every night he played them live. As far as I can tell, he changed them every night. He just could not be contained. That was what was so beautiful about his enthusiasm about playing guitar and being a musician. He just kept reinventing the parts and the chords and how he would embellish it and how he would solo over it. If you've been tasked with the job of imitating him, it's like, 'Well, which moment?'"

Hagar and Anthony previously worked with Satriani in the supergroup CHICKENFOOT. They recorded two albums between 2009 and 2011 and toured across America but never performed any VAN HALEN material. More recently, Hagar and Anthony have played some of the VAN HALEN catalog with guitarist Vic Johnson and Bonham in SAMMY HAGAR AND THE CIRCLE.

Hagar mended his relationship with Eddie Van Halen months prior to the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's October 2020 passing.

Sammy, Eddie, Alex Van Halen and Michael last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

Produced by Live Nation, the 28-date "The Best Of All Worlds" tour will commence on July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida and will conclude on August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri.

"We're gonna go deep into the VAN HALEN catalog," Hagar told "The Howard Stern Show". "If you're gonna go deep into the VAN HALEN catalog, you need Joe Satriani."

Although Hagar and Anthony normally play five or six VAN HALEN songs" on the road with THE CIRCLE, Sammy told Stern they are planning to only play "five or six of my songs" alongside VAN HALEN classics and deep cuts.

"When we go out next year in July, it will be almost exactly 20 years since Mike and I did a reunion with Ed and Al in '04," Hagar said. "Mike and I just said, 'We can't wait another 20 years. How long can I even sing these songs? How long can I do this stuff? I just thought it's time to serve the fans."

"There's stuff we're going to do on this next tour that we haven't played since that tour in 2004," Anthony added.

Regarding the challenge of learning legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen's parts, Satriani said: "There are things that are so iconic, you have to nail it. But if you go deep with what he did live, he never played the same thing twice. He kept evolving; he kept pushing. He'd do the recorded version a little bit, but then he moved on.

"It's a daunting task when you do the deep dive into what he did," he continued. "But it's good to start at the beginning, and then you just learn all his little improvs and you get the idea of what he was trying to do. It's thrilling; it's fun."

Eddie died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

In a new interview with Brazil's 92.5 Kiss FM radio station, Bruce Dickinson reflected on IRON MAIDEN's appearance at the Power Trip festival in Indio, California this past October. Dickinson and his bandmates kicked off the event on October 6 by playing the same 15-song set they had been performing throughout their "The Future Past Tour", featuring previously unperformed songs from the band's most recent studio album, "Senjutsu", along with a focus on 1986's "Somewhere In Time" LP, plus other classic cuts.

Bruce said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Power Trip was a slightly strange experience for us. And we did a good show, and actually at Power Trip, we did a MAIDEN show. We didn't do the, 'Oh, 'cause it's Power Trip, we have to suddenly do greatest hits.' No — we did the MAIDEN show with all the stuff we're doing on the 'Somewhere Back In Time' tour; 'Death Of The Celts', everything else like that. And it was a little bit strange because people had been standing out in the heat all day. There was no support band. Completely cold, go on stage. Well, cold as in no warm-up. But, no, I think we sounded pretty good. But it was an unusual situation.'

He continued: "I think what was a little bit strange for us was that the people who should be down the front of the stage, because the tickets for the festival were so expensive, they were at the back, and the people who were at the front were just like rich people that wanted to film everything on their phone. But the kids who you wanted to play to were at the back. And that sucks, actually. It wasn't our festival; it wasn't our organization. We're going into America next year and we're doing our own tour. And the people who are down the front are gonna be the people who deserve to be down the front. They're gonna be the real fans, which is gonna be great."

Asked if that's why he mentioned Brazilian audiences and other South American fans from the stage at Power Trip, Dickinson said: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's, like, yeah. Go take a look at some real rock and roll fans — not a bunch of posers who wanna go down the front. 'I paid 3,000 dollars for my ticket. Look at me.' Fuck off."

GUNS N' ROSES was the closing band at the three-day Power Trip on October 6. AC/DC and JUDAS PRIEST played on October 7; TOOL and METALLICA closed the event on October 8.

As previously reported, IRON MAIDEN will return to the United States and Canada with "The Future Past Tour" next year. Tickets can be purchased now at IronMaiden.com.

"The Future Past Tour" played to over 750,000 fans at more than 30 sold-out shows across Europe in the summer of 2023. The band also performed in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver alongside their highly praised appearance at Power Trip which had Consequence stating: "IRON MAIDEN set the bar high at Power Trip" and The Desert Sun saying "IRON MAIDEN didn't disappoint and delivered a hard-hitting performance to open the festival on a high note." Featuring one of the most spectacular stage productions of the band's career, it has received rave reviews in every city and country that IRON MAIDEN visited.

"Senjutsu" came out in September 2021. It marked MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.

IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, "Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.
 

Extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE is featured on Beat Saber's Original Soundtrack 6 with their new song, "Power of the Saber Blade", originally composed for the best-selling, award-winning VR game. DRAGONFORCE's "Power Of The Saber Blade" will be the fastest song ever introduced in Beat Saber at a mind-blowing 10.66 NPS (notes per second). The song comes alongside a gripping music video, drawing the listener into the exciting Beat Saber universe.

"Power Of The Saber Blade" is part of the sixth installation of the Original Soundtrack, affectionately known as OST, which is a free release for all players. OST 6 will feature four songs, including other high-profile artists such as Lindsey Stirling, Camellia and FAR OUT. All songs were exclusively composed for Beat Saber and will be world-wide premieres. DRAGONFORCE has been a community request for a long time, so the Beat Games team is honored to have a completely original song by them in Beat Saber.

DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li says: "It's truly an honor for DRAGONFORCE to create an exclusive track for Beat Saber, a game we are wholeheartedly passionate about. We hope fans will discover the exhilaration of 'Power Of The Saber Blade', finding it both enjoyable and challenging across all levels. We're eagerly anticipating the skillful attempts on Expert+"

All OST songs (including OST 6) are Content ID free. This means that influencers, streamers and regular players can stream the songs without limitations or fear of getting copyright claims or strikes on social media or platforms like YouTube, Twitch, etc. None of the OST 6 songs are limited by UMPG restrictions, so tracks can be posted to any platform without limitations.

DRAGONFORCE will release its new album, "Warp Speed Warriors", on March 15, 2024 via Napalm Records. On "Warp Speed Warriors", DRAGONFORCE explores a wider range of varying musical styles than ever before, evolving its sound throughout the exciting musical journey while still staying true to its roots.

"Warp Speed Warriors" was produced, mixed and mastered by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited in Los Angeles, California with Sam Totman and Herman Li.

In November 2022, DRAGONFORCE released a music video for the song "The Last Dragonborn". The track was taken from DRAGONFORCE's latest album, "Extreme Power Metal", which came out in September 2019. Produced in Los Angeles, California by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited, the LP was also recorded, in part, on Li's livestream channel on Twitch with participation from the fans.

"The Last Dragonborn" was the first DRAGONFORCE music video to feature bassist Alicia Vigil, who first joined the band as a touring member in January 2020.

DRAGONFORCE's platinum-selling single "Through The Fire And Flames" brought the London-based Grammy-nominated extreme power metal group international acclaim and was featured as the most challenging song on "Guitar Hero III".

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

DRAGONFORCE is:

Herman Li - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Sam Totman - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Marc Hudson - Vocals
Alicia Vigil - Bass, Backing Vocals
Gee Anzalone - Drums, Backing Vocals

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

A Georgia mansion once owned by LYNYRD SKYNYRD guitarist Gary Rossington has been listed for $12 million.

The 7,500-square-foot house atop an 80-acre estate in the Atlanta suburb of Milton is named "Free Bird's Nest" and it features five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half bathroom. There is also a guest house and two barns.

"Surrounded by mature trees and forest, the property has two versatile barns ready for storage or conversion into animal spaces," according to realty agent Cynthia Chandlee's listing. "Two docks (one covered with two slips and another floating) provide direct access to the spring- and creek-fed lake that teems with major fish varieties. The meticulous landscaping and hardscaping include a built-in custom pool and spa with a waterfall. An incredible natural waterfall behind the house, adorned with large boulders, relaxes the senses.

"Sunlight spills through abundant windows onto gleaming hardwood floors throughout the interior of the elegant five-bedroom, five- and one-half-bathroom main house‚" Chandlee's listing says.

"Commencing with a two-story entrance foyer flanked by a formal dining room and a study, the main level showcases a timeless, refined quality. Straight ahead, at the opposite end of the fireside great room, French doors offer direct access to a sweeping back deck with a fire pit, complemented by string lights and stairs leading to the inviting backyard pool area. The eat-in kitchen, complete with professional-grade appliances and a light-filled breakfast nook beneath a vaulted ceiling, opens to the warm fireside family room. It offers breathtaking views of the pool and the lake beyond. Additional conveniences include a screened porte cochère that connects to the au pair suite above the two-car garage and plenty of private decks throughout that extend the living space outdoors."

Rossington and his family lived in the "Free Bird's Nest" mansion for 30 years before his passing in March 2023.

Rossington was the last surviving founding member of LYNYRD SKYNYRD. On March 5, his bandmates announced the news of his death in a statement shared on their social media.

"It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today," they wrote.

"Gary is now with his SKYNYRD brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does," the group continued. "Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family's privacy at this difficult time."

No cause of death was disclosed.

The guitarist had previously dealt with various heart problems throughout the years, including emergency heart surgery in 2021.

The 80 acre Milton estate of Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd's legendary guitarist, is officially on the market, listed...

Posted by Kristi Robison Buschi on Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Former DEATH and MASSACRE guitarist Frederick "Rick Rozz" DeLillo says it has been an "honor" to perform songs from DEATH's revered first two studio albums, "Scream Bloody Gore" and "Leprosy" as part of LEFT TO DIE, the band featuring fellow DEATH alum and bassist Terry Butler (also formerly of MASSACRE and currently in OBITUARY),alongside GRUESOME founders Matt Harvey (EXHUMED) and Gus Rios (ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION).

In a recent interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Rozz was asked whether he had any trepidation over learning material he hasn't played since 1989, which is the year he was dismissed by DEATH leader Chuck Schuldiner. "It was quite terrifying at first, especially when I saw we were doing a full tour," he said. "I had my taste of anxiety before the East Coast run that we did. I was like, 'Holy crap. I have to learn all of these songs and some 'Scream Bloody Gore' songs, and we're playing in front of people. I was like, 'Ugh.' Other than that, it's cool. It's chilled out a little bit."

Rozz then went on to discuss whether he has come "full circle" in his career by playing the songs that helped start his musical career. "It's been a blessing," he said. "I've made some new friends and rekindled my friendship with Terry. We room together. It's pretty cool. Then, getting to know Gus and Matt. They're so good at what they do. They're so passionate about the music and the songs. It's a really good feeling. It's an honor. There's nothing full circle about it, but it's pretty cool."

Rozz was also asked whether he has noticed increased fan support for DEATH, particularly the band's early period. "Definitely, especially these first two DEATH records," he said. "Not that people aren't passionate about the other records. There seems to be something with these first two records. It's an honor. It's flattering. It's a blessing. All of it all wrapped up into one. Those guys could have said, 'Nah. I'm good. We have enough on our plate.' They didn't have to learn all these songs and do a tribute to these records, but they did. It really is cool. It's been a lot of fun. When you're doing something with cool people — nobody is on their high horse or thinks they're owed something from someone else, that's the coolest thing about it. Everyone is doing their thing and gets along. There's no baloney."

LEFT TO DIE recently completed a run of West Coast dates that included a guest appearance from "Scream Bloody Gore" drummer Chris Reifert (also of AUTOPSY) in Oakland, California. Reifert performed the DEATH classics "Infernal Death" and "Evil Dead".

LEFT TO DIE completed its first U.S. tour in July 2022. A European run of shows followed this past March and April.

Butler previously stated how LEFT TO DIE came together: "After the recent Chuck tribute shows that Matt, Gus, and myself did, Rick posed the question, 'Would anyone want to see some 'Leprosy' shows?' With a resounding 'yes!', the masses had spoken. Matt and Gus threw their hats in immediately and, in my opinion, they were the only real choice to bring this thing to life."

Schuldiner died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band BON JOVI has shared an official video for the new original holiday song "Christmas Isn't Christmas", released last month on Island Records. Watch the festive new clip below.

BON JOVI frontman Jon Bon Jovi said of the songwriting and recording: "'Christmas Isn't Christmas' is a song that I wrote about family. The sentiment that Christmas really isn't Christmas without YOU which can bring up a lot of memories for people. I also liked to turn it around and know that because of you Christmas IS Christmas."

Over an illustrious career spanning more than three decades since their formation in 1983, BON JOVI has earned their place among global rock royalty and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as well as the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. With over 130 million albums sold worldwide, and extensive catalog of hit anthems, thousands of concerts performed in more than 50 countries for more than 35 million fans, and ticket grosses well over $1 billion around the world in the last decade alone, BON JOVI is the consummate rock and roll band.

BON JOVI's latest album, "2020", was released in October 2020 via Island Records. Once again co-produced by John Shanks and Jon Bon Jovi, the record features the entire touring band — keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, bassist Hugh McDonald, guitarist Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley, and guitarist John Shanks.

Press photo courtesy of Lauren Schneider of Island Records

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and RUSH lead vocalist, bassist and keyboardist Geddy Lee has shared "The Lost Demos", two previously unreleased solo songs available today on all streaming platforms.

Geddy originally recorded this pair of demos — "Gone" and "I Am…You Are" — during the writing sessions for his 2000 solo debut, "My Favorite Headache". Today, with the help of producer/engineer David Bottrill, he has unearthed them for the first time properly mixed and mastered.

Commenting on the project, Geddy shared: "I'm excited to see these two 'lost demos' released. I loved the songs when they were written and in some ways they feel as fresh and perhaps more relevant all these years later."

Both songs conjure the spirit of the classic "My Favorite Headache", which originally arrived on November 14, 2000. Taking the reins as co-producer, Geddy cut the album in Toronto, Vancouver, and Seattle joined by multi-instrumentalist and co-producer Ben Mink and drummer Matt Cameron (SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM). It has since emerged as a fan favorite.

In a recent interview with Q104.3's "Out Of The Box With Jonathan Clarke", Lee talked about how he rediscovered two unfinished demo songs made in the late 1990s.

"During the course of writing the book, my co-writer on 'My Favourite Headache' came across these demos that we had sort of forgotten about," Geddy said. "And there are two songs. I talk about them in the book a little bit. One of them is a song called 'Gone' that I had written just after Neil's [Peart, RUSH drummer] daughter, Selena [Taylor], had passed away tragically in that car accident [in 1997 at the age of 19]. [Editor's note: Peart's wife died less than a year later of cancer.] And when you lose somebody, you relive a lot of your other losses. And I was thinking about how does one deal with a sudden disappearance of someone from your life, especially a daughter. So I wrote this song with Ben [Mink]. It was the first song we wrote for 'My Favourite Headache', and we demoed it, but it just felt — it was beautiful, but I felt it was too raw. It was too close to the bone. I didn't think it was appropriate to release it, out of respect for Neil and the way he was. I didn't feel it was right. So we shelved it. And the other one was a song that we had left sort of incomplete, but most of it had been recorded. It was called 'I Am... You Are', and it was about relationships. And it's about me in the midst of a difficult conversation with my wife, which happened more than once in my life."

He continued: "I think the personal nature of that made it also maybe something I wasn't prepared to follow through with, but hearing them last year when I discovered them again, it was, like, 'Wow.' I was amazed how they stood up. So I asked my friend and part-time RUSH producer David Bottrill to come in and have a listen to him. And he came over and sat down and, well, he loved them and he loved how raw they were and he loved how honest he thought the vocals were — very different from the other things that are on the album. And he just said, 'Leave it with me. Let me play with them and see if I can clean them up,' without changing too much, because he didn't want to lose all the guitars original. My vocals were original. They were done almost 24 years ago. We put new drums on it, and we got a friend of mine to play drums on one song. And then we called Benny up, Ben Mink, 'cause David thought the song really needed a violin solo and Ben is so amazing; he's like the Jeff Beck of the violin. And he just pulled off a corker of a solo. Anyway, he mixed them and sent them to me, and I was really shocked. And it really lifted me up and made me remember how much fun it is to make records. And so they're on the ['My Effin' Life'] audiobook, and they will be released to radio, and I hope people get a kick out of them. I call them the lost demos — 'cause that's what they were, really. I'd forgotten completely about them."

To date, Lee has only released one solo album, the aforementioned "My Favourite Headache". The disc was recorded during a time when RUSH's future was uncertain. The band was in the midst of what would be a five-year break from the road following the tragic deaths of Peart's daughter and wife.

In a 2015 interview with the A.V. Club, Lee stated about what it was like writing an album without his longtime RUSH bandmates Peart and Alex Lifeson: "That was a real interesting period for me. It was tough, because I had planned to do some jamming with my dear friend Ben Mink, who is an amazing musician, producer, and songwriter in his own right, and a violinist and guitarist. Because we had been friends for so long, and we had never actually made a record together aside from him playing on the song 'Losing It' from our 'Signals' album, we had always planned that some time when the band was on a break, we would just get together and start writing together and see what happened. We were planning to do that, and suddenly tragedy struck Neil's life. His daughter was taken from him in a car accident, and everything got really weird and it was just a horrible period. So I decided after a few months this idea of working with Ben might be a real tonic for me, because I didn't know really whether there would ever be another RUSH album. I had no idea; it was not something we were focused on, and people get through tragedies in different ways. I was kind of going crazy and needed something to focus on, so this project that was sort of in the back of my mind with Ben suddenly became critical so we started getting together in my home studio in Toronto and I would go to his place in Vancouver and over a series of months we gathered a whole bunch of material together and then we decided to go for it and make the record."

"The Lost Demos" arrives in tandem with the premiere of Geddy's brand new docuseries, "Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too?", streaming exclusively on Paramount+ today in the U.S. and Canada. It expands to further territories tomorrow, going live in the UK, Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The docuseries finds Geddy immersed in fascinating conversations with iconic bass players, including Les Claypool, Krist Novoselic, Robert Trujillo and Melissa Auf Der Maur.

Earlier this year, Geddy released his acclaimed autobiography, "My Effin' Life". It debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times Bestseller List upon arrival. He notably launched a popular "In Conversation" and fan question-and-answer series across North America joined by surprise moderators and avowed RUSH fans such as Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Eric McCormack, Jay Baruchel, Matt Cameron, Krist Novoselic and more. The accompanying audiobook notably features "Gone" and "I Am…You Are".

In 2024, RUSH celebrates the 50th anniversary of its gold-certified self-titled full-length debut, "Rush". The band will reveal news of various celebrations in honor of R50 very soon.

Nuclear Blast Records has announced the signing of the new Finnish metal band CROWNSHIFT.

Born as the longtime idea of four friends, CROWNSHIFT's members come from the ranks of Finland's finest exports such as NIGHTWISH, CHILDREN OF BODOM, WINTERSUN and FINNTROLL, are thrilled to start a new journey together and spread their authentic sonic print across the globe.

Seamlessly covering a diversity of styles, the quartet has a unique signature to their modern sound. Hypnotizing melodies paired with ripping riffs, from moody mid-tempo songs to fierce prog-death-metal opuses, CROWNSHIFT was born to be master of all trades.

Their forthcoming debut album will undoubtedly be a showcase of relentless ambition that will take you through a wide musical spectrum, with no compromises or boundaries, proving that the band are on a quest to put a striking mark on the map.

CROWNSHIFT's first single and music video will be released on January 17.

CROWNSHIFT commented: "We're super happy to start this new chapter in our career with Nuclear Blast. Their history, reputation and devotion as a metal label is incomparable and it is a privilege to embark on this exciting journey together."

Nuclear Blast Records added: "It's a pleasure to start working with this highly talented group of musicians.

"We wouldn't call it an all-star band but it's a five-star result of their collective experience from various bands. And sometimes it takes a while until the right musicians are coming together and find the perfect chemistry. Jukka, Heikki and Daniel already played together in the last NORTHER lineup until 2012. Since then, they went different ways but always crossed each other's paths, and finally came back together as CROWNSHIFT with the addition of the amazing vocal talent of Tommy Tuovinen from MYGRAIN.

"Their music is, of course, rooted in the very unique style of Finnish melodic death metal, but CROWNSHIFT enrich it with their admiration for Devin Townsend, both his raging STRAPPING YOUNG LAD era, as well as the epic prog side, and combine it with a timeless yet modern heaviness similar to the most impressive aspects of metalcore and bands such as KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. Sounds ambitious? Yes, but that's what it' s all about: being ambitious. Welcome CROWNSHIFT!"

CROWNSHIFT recently joined the roster of Till Dawn They Count Ltd management (NIGHTWISH, BEAST IN BLACK, SONATA ARCTICA).

CROWNSHIFT is:

Tommy Tuovinen: Vocals
Daniel Freyberg: Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jukka Koskinen: Bass
Heikki Saari: Drums

In a new interview with Brazil's Omelete, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson spoke about his upcoming solo album "The Mandrake Project", which will be released on March 1 via BMG. Bruce Dickinson and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy "Z" Ramirez recorded the LP largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's last solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Regarding the lyrical concept for "The Mandrake Project", Dickinson told Omelete (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So 'The Mandrake Project' is, one, is an album. It's the name of the album. The comic is a 12-episode graphic novel, kind of adult. There's lots of stuff in it — there's lots of sex and drugs and violence and all kinds of stuff. But it's basically a story about a guy who is looking for his identity, Dr. Necropolis. He's an orphan, he's a genius, and he hates it, and he hates life, but he's involved in The Mandrake Project. And The Mandrake Project aims to take the human soul at the point of death, capture it, store it and put it back in something else. And the guy that's running the project, Professor Lazarus, he has one vision of what's gonna happen with this technology, and Necropolis has other ideas. And on we go with the story."

Asked how he came up with the idea to mash together music and comics, Bruce said: "Well, I think they do kind of go together. They really do. Music and games, music and comics, comics and games, they're all related."

He continued: "Years ago, IRON MAIDEN, we were doing some cover art, and I said, 'Why don't we do a comic?', like the comics that I used to read when I was a kid… When I suggested doing some covers, comic covers, we did some single artwork for IRON MAIDEN, and I thought, 'You know what? This is kind of cool.' Then later, MAIDEN had a video game called 'Legacy Of The Beast'; we still do. But what came with a video game, somebody produced a series of comics. And I thought they looked fantastic, but they lacked a story. And that got me thinking, what if you had an album that had a story that could be turned into a comic and the two things would work together? As it happened, they've actually grown apart. So, the [original] album, in 2014, was gonna be one comic with the album — that's it. Then, COVID happened, other things happened, seven years went by, and I had a 12-episode graphic novel. And I went, 'I don't wanna restrict the album to being like a script for this.' These two things exist separately, but they inform each other. So you can look at the album and go, 'Oh, yeah, that's kind of related to the comic.' And you look at the comic and go, 'Oh, I see that might be a little bit related to the album,' but they're not dependent on each other. So you can buy the comic or you can buy the album — or both."

On November 30, Dickinson unveiled the dramatic, action-packed video for "Afterglow Of Ragnarok", the first single to be taken from "The Mandrake Project". In front of a packed audience on the opening day of CCXP23, Brazil's huge Comic-Con event in São Paulo, the IRON MAIDEN frontman premiered the spectacular film and revealed further details about the album and forthcoming comic series in partnership with Z2, including releasing 2,000 CCXP-exclusive versions of the comic to the delight of the international comic community.

"The Mandrake Project" track listing:

01. Afterglow Of Ragnarok (05:45)
02. Many Doors To Hell (04:48)
03. Rain On The Graves (05:05)
04. Resurrection Men (06:24)
05. Fingers In The Wounds (03:39)
06. Eternity Has Failed (06:59)
07. Mistress Of Mercy (05:08)
08. Face In The Mirror (04:08)
09. Shadow Of The Gods (07:02)
10. Sonata (Immortal Beloved) (09:51)

Fans of both Bruce Dickinson and IRON MAIDEN will notice that the album features the curiously named "Eternity Has Failed", which first appeared in a different form titled "If Eternity Should Fail" on IRON MAIDEN's 2015's album "The Book Of Souls", illustrating how long the creative process for "The Mandrake Project" has been in the works.

Bruce has previously described lead single "Afterglow Of Ragnarok" as "a heavy song and there's a great big riff driving it… but there's also a real melody in the chorus that displays the light and shade that the rest of the album brings." And the track is brought vividly to life in the cinematic video which premiered last night.

Directed by award-winning director Ryan Mackfall, written by Dickinson and acclaimed British writer Tony Lee (whose lengthy credits include "2000AD", DC and Marvel ranging from "Dr. Who" and "Star Trek" to "Spider Man" and "X-Men"),the film unveils Dr. Necropolis, the main protagonist at the heart of "The Mandrake Project". It also sets the scene for the story to come, reflecting the dark narrative contained in the eight-page comic book prequel which features in the seven-inch gatefold vinyl release of the single.

Ryan Mackfall comments: "Many years before I was a director, I have fond memories of various music videos that spoke to me and one of those was 'Can I Play With Madness' by IRON MAIDEN. For me it defined what a music video is. Little did I know, many years later I'd be on a call with one of the stars of that video, Mr. Bruce Dickinson, discussing ideas for a music video. Bruce has felt like a kindred spirit from that moment and it was therefore only right that we attempted to bring the story of 'Afterglow Of Ragnarok' to life in a live action form. Naturally the music is a big part of the engine of the music video and this track was a heavy hitter from the first play. But beyond that I firmly believe it's also the passion of the artist that defines the results — Bruce's passion is unmatched. I really hope the fans find themselves taking Necropolis' journey with the mandrake juice time and time again. This is just the start of something very special!"

"The Mandrake Project" is not just an album, but a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius. Created by Bruce Dickinson, the comic series is scripted by Tony Lee and stunningly illustrated by Staz Johnson for Z2 Comics, released as 12 quarterly issues that will be collected into three annual graphic novels. The first episode will be released in comic shops on January 17, 2024.

Bruce Dickinson and his phenomenal band will bring the music of "The Mandrake Project" to life with a major headline tour next spring and summer.

Bruce's touring band features guitarist Roy Z, drummer Dave Moreno, bass player Tanya O'Callaghan and keyboard maestro Mistheria.

"The Mandrake Project" will be Dickinson's seventh solo album and his first since "Tyranny Of Souls" in 2005. It will be released via BMG worldwide on multiple formats.

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

Onward guitarist Toby Knapp's ninth full length album, Transmission To Purgatory, will be released worldwide by Moribund Records in February 2024. A series of solo shows will be announced near the release date.


In addition, Onward have begun writing music for the follow-up to last year's critically acclaimed comeback album, Of Epoch and Inferno. Onward have recruited Necrytis drummer, Shane Wacaster, to handle all percussion duties for this record. The album will be released on cd format by Moribund Records with Alone Records Greece once again handling the vinyl pressing.


Stay tuned for updates.




Knapp's long running Black Metal project, Waxen, released its sixth album, Die Macht Von Hassen, July 9 via Moribund Records.  The official video for the track "Holocaust Lights" is available below.


States the guitarist: "Die Macht Von Hassen is the result of a kid who grew up listening to Yngwie's Malmsteen's Marching Out and Bathory's The Return of Darkness And Evil and took equal inspiration from both.”


Die Macht Von Hassen (German for The Power of Hate) is loaded with traditional thrash metal riffing that turns into black metal shredding, then sways towards a neo-classical heavy metal solo or segments of brutal death metal tremolo. Toby Knapp’s innovative and eclectic style and talent for writing real songs surpasses and sets him apart from all other shredders.


Die Macht Von Hassen is Knapp’s personal response to a black metal scene which has been diluted and distilled for far too long into something unrecognizable by its creators, founders and followers. A comprehensive tome of ceremonial magic put forth to re-instill the vigor, vinegar and vitriol of days of old. Days when black and thrash metal, were about creating hateful art aimed against the world’s major religions and contempt towards humanity as a whole, instead of being socially correct. 





Tracklist:


"Die Macht Von Hassen"
"God of All Endings"
"Those Reviled"
"Your Kingdom Will Bleed
"Holocaust Light"


"Holocaust Light":





"Those Reviled"