The family of late POWER TRIP frontman Riley Gale says that it was caught "entirely by surprise" by the fact that surviving POWER TRIP members Blake Ibanez (guitar, vocals), Nick Stewart (guitar, vocals), Chris Whetzel (bass) and Chris Ulsh (drums) played a surprise five-song set last night (Friday, December 1) at Mohawk in Austin, Texas. They were joined for the performance by SKOURGE vocalist Seth Gilmore, who also plays with Ibanez in FUGITIVE, which was the official headliner of last night's gig.

After FUGITIVE finished its set, Gilmore and Blake remained on stage and were soon accompanied by Stewart, Whetzel and Ulsh for performances of POWER TRIP songs "Soul Sacrifice", "Executioner's Tax", "Hornet's Nest", "Manifest Decimation" and "Crucifixation".

Earlier today (Saturday, December 2),the Riley Gale Memorial Foundation and Gale family released the following statement: "The Riley Gale Memorial Foundation & Gale family are aware of the event that took place at Mohawk in Austin, TX on December 1st, 2023. It caught us entirely by surprise.

"At no point in the planning or lead up to that moment was anyone in the Gale family consulted, or even invited. We were not asked our thoughts or feelings about it taking place. If we were, we would have liked to discuss who would fill in on vocals, since Riley had laid out very specific requests for this exact scenario.

"We would have requested it take place in Dallas, where Riley and POWER TRIP were born, and where Riley was instrumental in building up the Dallas hardcore and metal community before even setting foot on stage as a performer. We would have liked it to be a surprise and wonderful addition to the Riley Gale & Friends Day concert, the main fundraising event for the Riley Gale Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that supports the causes Riley cared about as well as aiding up-and-coming bands through the Riley Gale Band Touring Grant.

"Riley's family would have liked the opportunity to show our appreciation to you, Riley's fans who continue to support him by listening and buying albums because we know how much his lyrics and music meant to his fans.

"As Blake said on stage at Mohawk, they owe a lot to Riley, and the Gale family agrees wholeheartedly.

"Riley's family was not included, and that's unfortunate, but for those among you who love Riley and what he stood for, you can show your love by buying albums directly from Southern Lord Records and becoming a part of the Riley Gale Memorial Foundation at the link below.

"Keep an eye out for our announcement of Riley And Friends Vol. 3 early next year — it will feature bands that Riley knew and loved along with hundreds (hopefully thousands) of Riley's fans and family.

"'Birth. Life. Death. Repeat. The goal is to manifest higher than before.'

"REST IN POWER. www.rileygale.org ".

Prior to last night's gig, featuring openers DRESSCODE and NINTH CIRCLE, the Mohawk venue teased a "special guest" on the concert flyer and added, "Less than 100 tickets left, trust us you don't want to miss this show."

Gale died on August 25, 2020. An autopsy report for Gale ruled that he died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, while the manner of death was ruled accidental.

Following the news of Gale's death, a number of other artists shared tributes to the frontman, including members of CODE ORANGE, ANTHRAX and COHEED AND CAMBRIA.

Riley guested on the track "Point The Finger" on BODY COUNT's "Carnivore" album, released in March 2020, and BODY COUNT frontman Ice-T later suggested in an interview with Stereogum that Gale's death was opioid-related. Ice-T said in December 2020: "When we shot the video [for 'Point The Finger'], he looked healthy. It was a good vibe. That's why I got blindsided when I got the call from his dad, who said that Riley passed away. Apparently, he was dealing with the same bullshit everyone is — this opioid stuff. He'd gotten clean, and when you relapse, you go back to the same dose you're used to and it kills you. It was a really sad thing."

Gale's autopsy report noted that he died from pulmonary edema — a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs. This was caused by "the toxic effects of fentanyl" in Gale's system. The fentanyl in Gale's blood was measured at 22.5 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter),and he tested negative for all other drugs and alcohol.

The report went on to note that Gale had a "history of Xanax abuse" and a "history of depression," and revealed Riley was found "unresponsive on the floor at home."

In October 2020, plans were announced for the Riley Gale Library at the Dallas Hope Center — the city's sole shelter for LGBTQ+ youth.

POWER TRIP released two albums on Southern Lord, 2013's "Manifest Decimation" and 2017's "Nightmare Logic". A rarities compilation, "Opening Fire: 2008-2014", followed in 2018.

"Nightmare Logic" peaked at No. 22 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart.

POWER TRIP was said to be working on its third album at the time of Riley's death.

Photo by Sarah Churchill

Please keep supporting Riley directly by listening to Power Trip and purchasing albums directly from Southern Lord #RGF #RILEYGALEFOREVER #powertrip #powertriptx #cicadas

Posted by The Riley Gale Memorial Foundation on Saturday, December 2, 2023

Surviving POWER TRIP members Blake Ibanez (guitar, vocals), Nick Stewart (guitar, vocals), Chris Whetzel (bass) and Chris Ulsh (drums) played a surprise five-song set last night (Friday, December 1) at Mohawk in Austin, Texas. They were joined for the performance by SKOURGE vocalist Seth Gilmore, who also plays with Ibanez in FUGITIVE, which was the official headliner of last night's gig.

After FUGITIVE finished its set, Gilmore and Blake remained on stage and were soon accompanied by Stewart, Whetzel and Ulsh for performances of POWER TRIP songs "Soul Sacrifice", "Executioner's Tax", "Hornet's Nest", "Manifest Decimation" and "Crucifixation". Fan-filmed video of the set can be seen below.

Prior to last night's gig, featuring openers DRESSCODE and NINTH CIRCLE, the venue teased a "special guest" on the concert flyer and added, "Less than 100 tickets left, trust us you don't want to miss this show."

POWER TRIP frontman Riley Gale died on August 25, 2020. An autopsy report for Gale ruled that he died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, while the manner of death was ruled accidental.

Following the news of Gale's death, a number of other artists shared tributes to the frontman, including members of CODE ORANGE, ANTHRAX and COHEED AND CAMBRIA.

Riley guested on the track "Point The Finger" on BODY COUNT's "Carnivore" album, released in March 2020, and BODY COUNT frontman Ice-T later suggested in an interview with Stereogum that Gale's death was opioid-related. Ice-T said in December 2020: "When we shot the video [for 'Point The Finger'], he looked healthy. It was a good vibe. That's why I got blindsided when I got the call from his dad, who said that Riley passed away. Apparently, he was dealing with the same bullshit everyone is — this opioid stuff. He'd gotten clean, and when you relapse, you go back to the same dose you're used to and it kills you. It was a really sad thing."

Gale's autopsy report noted that he died from pulmonary edema — a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs. This was caused by "the toxic effects of fentanyl" in Gale's system. The fentanyl in Gale's blood was measured at 22.5 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter),and he tested negative for all other drugs and alcohol.

The report went on to note that Gale had a "history of Xanax abuse" and a "history of depression," and revealed Riley was found "unresponsive on the floor at home."

In October 2020, plans were announced for the Riley Gale Library at the Dallas Hope Center — the city's sole shelter for LGBTQ+ youth.

POWER TRIP released two albums on Southern Lord, 2013's "Manifest Decimation" and 2017's "Nightmare Logic". A rarities compilation, "Opening Fire: 2008-2014", followed in 2018.

"Nightmare Logic" peaked at No. 22 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart.

POWER TRIP was said to be working on its third album at the time of Riley's death.

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KISS played the first of its two final shows ever Friday night (December 1) at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Detroit Rock City
02. Shout It Out Loud
03. Deuce
04. War Machine
05. Heaven's On Fire
06. I Love It Loud
07. Say Yeah
08. Cold Gin
09. Guitar Solo
10. Lick It Up
11. Calling Dr. Love
12. Makin' Love
13. Psycho Circus
14. Drum Solo
15. 100,000 Years
16. Bass Solo
17. God Of Thunder
18. Love Gun
19. I Was Made For Lovin' You
20. Black Diamond

Encore:

21. Beth
22. Do You Love Me
23. Rock And Roll All Nite

Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

KISS's final-ever show, held tonight (Saturday, December 2) at Madison Square Garden, will stream live on pay-per-view.

According to a press release, the last stop of the band's "End Of The Road" farewell tour will stream exclusively on PPV.com so fans worldwide can tune into the concert in real-time, starting at 8 p.m. ET.

To stream the show live, fans in the U.S. and Canada pay a one-time fee of $39.99, rather than signing up for a subscription. (Internationally, it costs $14.99 to watch the event.)

KISS's final show will also air live through cable and satellite providers such as Xfinity, Spectrum, Contour, Optimum, Fios, DirecTV, DISH, Rogers, Telus and more in North America.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Gene Simmons insisted that the band's final show on the "End Of The Road" tour will be the group's last.

"My hand on the Bible," he told the magazine. "And I should know because my people wrote that book. In fact, my people also wrote the follow-up book, the New Testament. And so I'll say right here, right now, my hand on the Bible, it will be the final KISS-in-makeup appearance."

Regarding KISS's reasons for hanging it up at this time, Simmons said: "It has nothing to do with ticket sales or anything. It has to do with Mother Nature. And at a certain point, you have to understand that it's going to be a point of diminishing returns because of the kind of band we are. I wear seven-inch platform dragon boots, each weighs as much as a light bowling ball, armor, studs, leather, all that stuff, and that weighs about 40 pounds in total. And I got to spit fire, and fly through the air, and all that, and you got to do it for two hours."

The 74-year-old Simmons also opened up about the emotional weight of the his touring days with KISS coming to an end.

"When I was a kid going to school, my nickname was Mr. Spock," he said. "I've never been much for emotion and stuff like that. I remember my Uncle George, who I loved dearly. I remember standing over his grave, and being sad, but I didn't cry. Tears don't come easy for me. But the few times they have is when I look out at the audience and I see a 50-plus-year-old fan who's been with us ever since he was a kid, wearing KISS makeup. And next to him is his late 20s/early 30s-year-old son wearing makeup, and sitting on the shoulder of his son is his grandson, five-year-old, six-year-old, whatever, wearing our makeup. And that little kid putting up my hand gesture, with the two horns and the thumb out, which actually in sign language means 'I love you,' and sticking his tongue out for the first time. Well, that gets me going every time."

Gene was also asked if there was possibility of a one-off KISS show in the future.

"Paul [Stanley, KISS frontman] has his SOUL STATION band," Gene said. "I'm sure he'd love to play some shows. I've got the GENE SIMMONS BAND. At some point, I may want to jump up onstage and do some tunes. But the physicality of being in KISS says that this is the right thing, at the right place, at the right time. Because B.B. King played until his late 80s. He was sitting onstage. We can't do that. We don't sit down."

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

In a separate interview with Dan Savoie of 519 magazine, Gene stated about "End Of The Road": "This tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand. KISS is a universe of its own — movies, merchandise, maybe even Broadway. The band will end, but the KISS experience… it's immortal." He then clarified: "It's the end of touring."

Simmons went on to detail some of the ways in which the KISS brand will be kept alive.

"KISS will continue," he said. "There's a KISS museum in Las Vegas at the Rio called KISS World, and oh my goodness, we have KISS cruises, a movie coming out, and we're working on a cartoon show, a lot of stuff. And of course, all the fun toys and games that will continue."

As for the future of KISS performances, he said: "The KISS show will live on in different ways. Yes, that's being planned. It'll also be four to ten different travelling shows. So, you'll be able to be in Japan and have Japanese actors, musicians being us, and at the same time you could go to Vegas or New York or London."

Earlier this year, KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee said that a biopic based on the band's early years is tentatively scheduled to hit Netflix in 2024. McGhee also said that while Gene and fellow KISS co-founder Paul Stanley are ending KISS as a touring entity, he didn't see it as the end of the brand, which he compared to the Marvel universe. "Will there be other forms of KISS maybe in the future after I'm gone and after they're gone?" he told "The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn" show. "I don't see that KISS goes away."

Desmond Child, the songwriter and producer behind dozens of Billboard hits including Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer", Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You", Aerosmith's "Dude Looks Like A Lady", and Alice Cooper's "Poison", released his first memoir, Livin’ On a Prayer: Big Songs Big Life, back in September in North America via Radius Book Group. The memoir, which includes a foreword by KISS singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, was released in the UK on November 2, published by Radius.


Desmond Child spoke to Greece’s Rockpages.gr to talk about his autobiography, life, career, and songwriting.


Child on songwriting: "I’ve written say 3000 songs. Of those 3000, maybe half of them got recorded. And out of those, 80 or 90 got in the top 40. Out of those maybe 20 or something were in the top 20. And then, maybe 12 were in the Top 10, and then maybe seven or eight went to No.1. So, it took 3000 songs, and a lot of them bad, to come up with some good ones, that lasted… that stood the test of time.




“Gene Simmons called me a song doctor so that he didn’t have to say I was a co-writer! I never doctor a song. I come in with a blank page. I don’t know what’s going to happen. And we collaborate together. On most of the songs, all of the songs I collaborated with Paul Stanley. So maybe, you know, Gene has had his own collaborators, so then they would come together and choose the best of the songs. So they were working double time. 


“We had pretty good success together… ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’, ‘Heaven’s On Fire’, ‘Uh! All Night’, ‘You Make Me Rock Hard’, ‘King Of The Mountain’, ‘Who Wants To Be Lonely’… I love that song. I think that song’s very profound, you know? And it really wasn’t made for the KISS Army, let’s just put it that way. But, I think Paul had a need to be more expressive. So that’s how that song came about.”





Book description:  Desmond Child is the ultimate hitmaker, contributing to some of the biggest smash global hits that helped ignite the success of music icons KISS, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Ricky Martin, Katy Perry, and countless others. In Livin’ On A Prayer, he reveals how he climbed his way to the top and beyond amid extraordinary circumstances and shares his very personal and unbelievable journey that shaped him into an artist of international renown.


For over half a century, Desmond Child has collaborated with the world’s most celebrated artists creating timeless hits, such as Bon Jovi’s “Livin' On A Prayer” and “You Give Love A Bad Name” as well as Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and “The Cup Of Life” amongst his vast catalog. But in Livin’ On A Prayer, Desmond himself takes center stage to share his transformational story from misfit outsider to cultural pacesetter.


In collaboration with legendary music biographer David Ritz, Child recounts his unconventional upbringing as his colorful family fled Cuba in the 1960s and fell into poverty. He details his shocking discovery at age 18 that the man he called “dad” was not his biological father after all, and he courageously bares his soul about navigating the trials of being a Latino gay man in the macho world of rock and roll. His is a story of willing himself to succeed and overcome impossible odds to establish himself as one of the most influential composers and lyricists of all time.

SKID ROW guitarist Scotti Hill has weighed in on the fact that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) have united with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, are headlining a number of major festivals across South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They are also supporting METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who in 2021 said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

Scotti discussed his views on the PANTERA comeback in an interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We played Sweden Rock [Festival] a few months ago, and they were on the bill same day. So I got to go out and see a couple of songs, but I had to catch the bus out of there. Needless to say, it was great. I knew it was gonna be great before I saw it. Charlie and Zakk are just doing justice to the brothers, to Dime and Vinnie. They're doing a great job. Sounds great."

Scotti continued: "I got to sit with Phil a little bit and he's just as awesome and as funny as he's ever been. He's the greatest guy. He's a little scary to look at, but he's just a sweetheart, man. He's just a really, really good guy. And there's a lot of love there. And Rex too. I mean, we've been friends a long time. So I'm all about PANTERA — all about PANTERA. Always have been."

Asked if he had any "old stories" from when PANTERA and SKID ROW toured together in the early 1990s, Scotti said: "When we went on tour together, SKID ROW, we thought we could drink, we thought we could throw down. Nope. It was a whole new level — a new level of power and drinking. So, yeah, the party was on, and it was just fun. I used to go out every night — every night I would go out and watch their set before I went in to get changed and go do our set. I mean, listen, if you're not on your best, best, best 'A game,' and if that doesn't put you there, give it up — give it up, man, 'cause if you're going on after PANTERA, you've gotta show up. [Dime's guitar tone] was just massive, massive. And I would stand over on his side of the stage and watch him. And sometimes he would even come over and just hand me his guitar. Like they used to do 'Purple Haze', and sometimes he would hand me the guitar and I would go out and play it. Yeah, really cool. Somebody got a picture of me playing his guitar. Or I would go sit behind Vinnie's drum riser and just watch like eye level with his feet. And it would be mindblowing. I'd never seen anything like it."

Hill added: "Those guys [Dime and Vinnie], they had that Van Halen thing, the brother thing. They locked in with each other. [SKID ROW guitarist Dave] Snake [Sabo] always says something about PANTERA, that what set them apart from the other bands, and, in my opinion, made them one of the greatest is they had a groove. They were heavy, but they had grooves. Wow. So amazing."

This past January, Sabo, who manages Anselmo's DOWN project as part of the successful management company McGhee Entertainment (KISS, TED NUGENT) headed up by Doc McGhee, discussed his views on the PANTERA comeback in an interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen & Shane Mceachern". Asked if he supports Anselmo and Brown touring again under the PANTERA name, Snake said: "My gosh, a thousand percent. And it's not a reunion; it's impossible for it to be a reunion. This is like a celebration, in my viewpoint, and I think theirs as well, 'cause I've spoken with them.

"Philip and Rex and Charlie and Zakk are friends of mine, and I've known those guys forever," he continued. "I first met Zakk at the music store in Toms River when he was 18 years old, so we have a history. And I played in ANTHRAX for a short period of time, filling in. And, obviously, Philip and Rex, PANTERA toured with [SKID ROW], and I manage DOWN. So there's very close-knit friendships there.

"When they first started talking about it, they never viewed it as anything other than a celebration of the legacy of the band, a celebration of the Abbott brothers and a chance to put that in front of as many people as possible so people can get a chance to witness this music performed by some of the original members of the band in a setting that is a one-of-a-kind event, in my view. And I love it. I love it.

"Those guys are so invested in it too, and for all the right reasons," Snake added. "It came to a point where they decided, 'You know what? It's 20-some years. And this music has a life of its own. It's our music. Let's go out, put a great band together and go out and perform it and remind everybody of this legacy and how great Vinnie and Dime were and still are, because their music lives on. I think it's really special. And to me, that's the show of the year — is PANTERA."

Last December, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan was asked by Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11 if he will see any of the shows from the reformed PANTERA. He said: "Oh, absolutely, yeah. I'll see it as many times as I can. I see a lot of naysayers, but here's the thing… First of all, Dime and Charlie were best friends. At Dime's funeral, Charlie gave a eulogy that was so incredible, it's giving me chills just thinking about it. And those guys were super tight, Zakk and Dime. And the rest of the guys were super tight. Those two people were like extended family to PANTERA, and PANTERA to them.

"I think it's really great that they're doing this and keeping the PANTERA music alive, keeping Dime and Vinnie's spirit alive," Rachel added. "It's not like they're doing it without the okay of the Abbott estate and everything like that, and Rita [Haney, Dimebag's longtime girlfriend]. So I think it's a great thing. I'm just so happy for Phil and Rex. I'm buds with all these guys, but Phil and Rex… And I've known Zakk for such a long time. I'm really happy for everyone involved, especially Phil and Rex. They're going and playing those songs… I mean, how many years has it been since they played 'em? Especially Phil and Rex together. It's gonna be frickin' amazing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it."

In the summer of 2022, Sabo told the "Talk Toomey" podcast about the PANTERA comeback: "I will say this: in no way is it a reunion at all, obviously. This is a celebration of the legacy of a band that changed music, heavy music. And that's how I believe everybody is treating it. And for me as a fan, I can't wait to witness it, because those songs are amazing, as was the band. So to be able to go out and turn new people on to the machine that was PANTERA, the music that they created, and to celebrate the legacy of the band and to celebrate the lives of Vinnie and Dime, I think everything is right with that. And to be do it in a way — which I know they will — to do it in a way that is nothing but deeply respectful… And I think it's something, too, that gives people a reminder just how influential they were as a band and how influential both Dime and Vinnie were as musicians and songwriters.

"There's a lot to digest here, I guess," Snake acknowledged. "But really, the thing is that… It's really simple. It is a celebration of PANTERA's music and PANTERA's history with really great musicians."

The new PANTERA lineup made its live debut on December 2, 2022 at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest.

Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Cementing their reign as metalcore titans, New York City’s own Locked In A Vacancy will release their much-awaited EP, ...Before The Dawn on December 1. This release marks a significant milestone in the band's fiery journey, embodying a sound that is both brutally incendiary and crushingly innovative. Following the electrifying impact of their recent singles, “The Burden Of Being” and “...Of Church And State,” the EP is set to set the metal world ablaze.


BraveWords is hosting the EP stream and ahead of its release – listen below!







fuzztherapyrecords · Locked in a Vacancy - "...Before the Dawn" EP


 


"I came up with a few potential names for this EP, and we settled on ...Before The Dawn because it both serves as a connection to the name of our last album It's Always Darkest... by completing that phrase, while also conveying that we're continuing to evolve into something greater - that we've not yet reached where we're intending to go. Lyrically, it has one of the most personal songs I've ever written, but also the biting sociopolitical commentary often seen in prior works. Musically, in true Locked In A Vacancy fashion, the songs are incredibly diverse - both from each other and our previous releases, and serve as a snapshot of where we are as a band today, and a glimpse into where we're headed."


-Dyami Bryant, Vocalist


The band’s seminal full-length album, It’s Always Darkest…, released on August 29, 2006, set a profound benchmark in their musical odyssey, before submerging into hiatus. Today, they rekindle that fiery spirit with the release of their latest EP, ...Before The Dawn, marking a pivotal transition from darkness into light.


...Before The Dawn is a relentless barrage of sound, each track meticulously crafted to showcase the band's signature blend of intricate guitar work, earth-shattering breakdowns, and hauntingly fierce vocals. The EP's lyrical content delves deep into the heart of societal discord, echoing the sentiments of disillusionment and resistance that resonate in today's tumultuous times.





In this latest release, Locked In A Vacancy doesn't just revisit the themes of their past work; they reframe them, offering a newfound sense of clarity and purpose. The darkness that once seemed all-encompassing in It’s Always Darkest… now serves as a backdrop to the emerging light in ...Before The Dawn. It’s a testament to the band's journey – not just as musicians but as storytellers, philosophers, and bearers of hope.


True to their roots, Locked In A Vacancy ensures that their music remains a potent form of expression against the backdrop of current socio-political landscapes. The EP’s raw energy and pointed social critique are a testament to their commitment to not just create music, but to spark a conversation, to challenge, and to awaken.


Recorded at the renowned Landmine Studios in Ewing, New Jersey, and released under the banner of Fuzz Therapy Records, this EP represents a crescendo of the band's artistic evolution. Each track weaves a narrative that transcends the confines of genre, inviting listeners into a world where darkness gives way to dawn, both metaphorically and musically.


Fans can expect ...Before The Dawn to be a journey through the deepest hours of night, each song a chapter leading to an awakening, both personal and collective. The EP is not just a collection of tracks, but a comprehensive story – a story of struggle, awakening, and the relentless pursuit of truth.

Former Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin has checked in with the following update:


"I had hoped to have a vinyl version of Thorns out by the end of this year. The delay is purely down to my circumstances rather than any other reason. It's been a hard year in many ways. The deaths of friends and people close. Various illness including this current bout of COVID that I have, has made me focus on time. It seems precious at the moment. My head has switched off. Some  would say it was never switched on!


My mind is running a million miles an hour but my head is very still, if that makes sense. So, being creative is just hard to achieve. I have to say, Scott McClellan is brilliant and has given much to be able to continue the Thorns thing; thank you Scott. And the labels have been extremely patient. So thank you, too Battlegod and Darkstar.  




My intention is very much to do more and finish what I started. Clearly it's not happening this side of Christmas, so I am looking to next year now. Essentially, I am still standing so I assume all things will become focussed again. My apologies to you all for the delay and my absence. Thank you for your support. Keep rockin. Keep healthy. And be excellent to each other." 





Martin recently met up with his former bandmate Tony Iommi in a “great meet” as shared on his Facebook page.


Martin posted a photo of himself with Iommi with the message: "Visited Tony Iommi today... Great meet. He is such a busy bloke at the moment but got to listen to some stuff and also show him some stuff before he had to rush off but ....very cool."





In December 2022, Iommi confirmed that Black Sabbath's I.R.S. Records-era albums, which feature Tony Martin, will be released in 2023. Martin was with Black Sabbath from 1987 - 1991, then again between 1993 - 1997. He recorded five albums with the band: The Eternal Idol (1987), Headless Cross (1989), Tyr (1990), Cross Purposes (1994), and Forbidden (1995).


Iommi confirmed that the reissues would be available in 2023, although no official announcements have been made.

Bad Marriage, the electrifying rock band poised to take the music world by storm, proudly announces the release of their single and music video titled "Dangerous," featuring the exceptional talent of Tommy Skeoch, formerly of Tesla. The single was expertly produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by the acclaimed Mike Fitz. The accompanying music video was directed by Jim Foster.


"Dangerous" encapsulates the raw energy and dynamic sound that defines Bad Marriage, showcasing their unique blend of rock influences and captivating performances. Tommy Skeoch's collaboration brings an additional layer of expertise and brilliance to this explosive track, marking a thrilling milestone for the band's musical journey.







The band is set to embark on an exciting tour starting in February, sharing the stage with legendary acts Glen Hughes of Deep Purple fame and Enuff Z'Nuff. This tour promises to be an unforgettable experience for rock enthusiasts, combining the talents of established icons and rising stars in the music scene.


"We're thrilled to unleash 'Dangerous' and collaborating with Tommy Skeoch has been an incredible experience," says Mike Fitz. "We can't wait to hit the road and share our music with fans alongside Glen Hughes and Enuff Z'Nuff."





Bad Marriage is:
Jonny P - Lead Vocals
Mike Fitz - Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Tommy Skeoch - Lead Guitar
Ian Haggerty - Rhythm Guitar
Todd Boisvert - Bass Guitar
Mike Delaney - Drums

Ozzy Osbourne was honored with the Icon Award at the first-ever Rolling Stone UK Awards on November 23 at London, United Kingdom's Camden Roundhouse.

Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne accepted the award on his behalf from Yungblud, telling the crowd: "Well, sorry guys, you got the booby prize tonight. You got me instead of the legend. But Rolling Stone UK, you have no idea what it means to an artist to be on a cover of Rolling Stone.

"I can remember when Ozzy first got the cover. He said, 'Does this mean I've made it now?' And I'm, like, 'Yeah, I think so. Of all the other music press, Rolling Stone has always been the most important. It's the only music magazine was the only music magazine out there that covered every genre of music. Everybody was included and the journalists were shit hot and you know that if you were covered, you were making an impact on what you love to do — which is music — and it's all Ozzy's ever known his entire life."

Sharon added: "When Ozzy first met Yungblud, he said, 'I've just met myself.' He just adores him, and I'm just so fucked off that he's not here tonight, but it means so much and he's worked so hard his entire life to give back.

"The worst thing for Ozzy is to put him in a studio 'cause he’s confined and he hates it, but he always manages to come out with a winner. He's been making music for 55 years and he’s never had a dud album. He's sold 150 million albums in those 55 years, and I am just so proud of him as a man, and as a musician. It's been my honor to be on his coattails.

"Thank you for constantly supporting him. Ozzy is what rock and roll is all about. He's wild, he's fabulous, he's talented. He's like a fucking uncaged animal, and I adore him and I know you all do. Thank you so much."

Watch video of Sharon's full speech below.

In a video message, Ozzy said: "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there tonight, only something cropped up and I just couldn't make the flight. My wife's gonna be there on my behalf and she's great. The only one bit of advice is keep her away from the bar because she gets very rowdy when she has a few drinks!

"My success is just a dream come true. I'd like to thank Rolling Stone UK and all the readers for this wonderful award. This award means everything to me. I'm just so sad."

Ozzy added: "I never ever thought I'd be a living icon, never thought I'd be doing this for more than a couple of years, but around 50 years on and I'm getting an award from Rolling Stone UK.

"It would mean nothing if it wasn't for the fans. The fans mean absolutely everything to me because without the fans, I haven't got a job, you know what I mean? They're so loyal, they have been loyal to me for many, many years. God bless you all and have a great, great night."

The 74-year-old Ozzy announced in February that his touring career was over as he is no longer "physically capable" of hitting the road after suffering several health setbacks. In July, he withdrew from an appearance at the Power Trip festival in Indio, California.

Osbourne damaged his spine in a major accident nearly five years ago and has since undergone multiple surgeries. He also revealed his Parkinson's diagnosis in January 2020.

M-Theory Audio has announced the fourth reissue collaboration from seminal New Wave of American Heavy Metal group God Forbid. January 26, 2024 marks the release of the oft-inquired rerelease of Earthsblood, the group’s 2009 Century Media record. 


This marks the first time that Earthsblood will be on vinyl and we’re excited to present the album as a 2LP specially colored ‘terrae sanguinem’ edition, limited to only 600 copies. Like the other reissues this one too will include an expanded layout with added photos re-designed by original A+R man and graphic designer Tom Bejgrowicz (Misfits, Beastie Boys, Bad Brains) along with personal liner notes this time from drummer Corey Pierce. In addition, two bonus tracks “Stockholm Syndrome” and “Static Signal” have been added for over 60 minutes of music. Preorder options are available here.







"I couldn't be more excited to announce the release of God Forbid's last album released on Century Media, Earthsblood. This is also the final album featuring the classic lineup with guitarist and backing vocalist, Dallas Coyle, and the first time we worked with the incredibly talented graphic designer, Gustavo Sazes,” states guitarist Doc Coyle. “Earthsblood has never been available on vinyl, so this is a monumental opportunity for fans. I feel like this is God Forbid’s most underrated album. It is the most progressive and adventurous album the band ever made, and being able to experience it in this format will give it a new life."


Earthsblood was produced by Eric Rachel (Every Time I Die, Black Dahlia Murder, Municipal Waste) and Christian Olde-Wolbers (bassist for Fear Factory, Cypress Hill and Vio-lence), along with a mix by Jens Bogren (At The Gates, Opeth, Amon Amarth). It includes guest appearances from Symphony’X’s guitarist Michael Romeo and keyboardist Michael Pinella. And as Doc pointed out, the album features the artwork of Gustavo Sazes (Arch Enemy, Cynic, Exodus). 
 
God Forbid supported this album touring with Lamb of God across the US and Canada, as well as being part of the Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour with Slayer, Marilyn Manson, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, Cannibal Corpse, and All that Remains.


While God Forbid disbanded in 2013 a recent slate of reissues in recent years including Determination, Gone Forever and recently IV: Constitution of Treason prompted renewed interest in the band, as well as guitarist Doc Coyle’s success in Bad Wolves, leading to an invitation to reform for the Blue Ridge Festival, in addition to some headliners in the northeast. 


Just last month God Forbid performed a special run of shows in support of former labelmates Lacuna Coil, as well as part of the Headbangers Boat lineup alongside the likes of Lamb of God, Mastodon, Testament, Shadows Fall, Hatebreed, GWAR and more.

In a new interview with iHeartRadio Canada's Myles Galloway, BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale was asked if he thinks AI (artificial intelligence) is something we need to embrace or it's "quite scary". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's everything. It's the biggest threat ever, and it's potentially the biggest tool imaginable. It's just terrifying, because I tried it. I did sort of… I wanted to write… I did, like, 'Write a love story that involves a horse and a skiing trip and a deli in New York City written the style of David Bowie, Tom Waits and Jack Kerouac.' And I did it to see what it would come up with. And the limitations presently are that it's wild how it has no subtext. Zero subtext. There's nothing. If you can take a [Bob] Dylan lyric, it's nothing but subtext and amazing worlds in every line and all that stuff. And where AI is not anything sentient that knows nuance; there's no nuance."

He continued: "I just don't understand because in theory you could make it understand why we all love THE BEATLES so much, and then once it's figured out how to do subtext and it can do 16 subtexts, it can go back into your DNA; your 400 DNA categories you have or characteristics can be investigated. So, I mean, it's only [a matter of] time before we're all out of a job and AI takes over everything. Where does it end? I don't know how we'd compete once it gets even more advanced. [In] two years, five years, 10 years. Oh my God. Enjoy your time."

BUSH broke up in 2002 but reformed in 2010, and has since released five albums: "The Sea of Memories" (2011),"Man On The Run" (2014),"Black And White Rainbows" (2017),"The Kingdom" (2020) and 2022's "The Art Of Survival".

"Black And White Rainbows" was crafted after Rossdale went through a divorce with pop star/reality TV judge Gwen Stefani in 2015.

The current BUSH members are Rossdale (vocals/guitar),Nik Hughes (drums),Chris Traynor (guitar) and Corey Britz (bass).

In a recent interview with Poland's Pełna Kulturka, former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens was asked what advice he would give to aspiring vocalists and other metal musicians looking to break into the music business. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Pick another career. [Laughs] You have one job, one job to do, if you're a new musician or a new singer, and that is to blow people away. Your job's to go on stage, especially live, and sound like you did on the record or better. That's your job. It's not to drink beer. Your job is to blow people away. And there's nothing better for a musician, a young musician, or any musician, [than] to see the reaction of somebody's face out there when you're delivering it, when you're bringing it out. So that's your job. Everything you do, if you're a musician, you should only worry about promoting your band and delivering the best performance you can."

Asked if he would say the "live performances are the most important thing", Owens replied: "I think so. I mean, you can make a great record, but — and you don't have to go up on stage and… It's not the stage show to me, it's not running around the stage and getting crazy. To me, it's just looking like you wanna be there and sounding great, or at least wanting to sound great. You've gotta try. And to me, that's the biggest thing. I wanna hear somebody that sounds good."

Earlier this year, Owens reiterated his commitment to singing all songs like they were originally recorded, whether it's material from his former band JUDAS PRIEST or his new project KK'S PRIEST. He told DJ Ramo (a.k.a. Omar Rodriguez) of The Metal Mixtape: "Everything you hear on this record I can sing live. I'm so sick of watching singers, and I don't care — I'm 56, [and] I've seen singers in their 50s that still couldn't do it. I'm so sick of watching singers — I know they can do it, but they change their songs; they lower it, they make new melodies and they hit a high note for a second. And it's, like, 'Dude, sing what you wrote. Sing what you wrote.' I understand it gets tougher. But I can sing 'Sermons Of The Sinner'. And these songs, the KK'S PRIEST songs are harder to sing than the classic PRIEST songs, except maybe 'Metal Meltdown'."

He continued: "I pride myself on whatever I did in the studio, I can do live. I mean, listen, we open out of the gate with 'Hellfire Thunderbolt', and if anybody's heard it from these concerts, it goes 'Hellfire Thunderbolt' into 'One More Shot At Glory', and they sound like the record — I mean, close to the record. And that's the other thing about doing these vocals — one minute I want it to be aggressive, one minute I want it to be high and clean, I want it to be soft and beautiful, but I can do all that live.

"These songs are great to do live, man," he added. "I love doing these ones [on 'The Sinner Rides Again'] even better than the first record [2021's 'Sermons Of The Sinner']. 'One More Shot At Glory', 'Reap The Whirlwind', 'Strike Of The Viper' — I mean, man, they sound great live, man. They are unbelievable."

Regarding what he does so that he can perform the songs faithfully, Owens said: "Listen, I don't warm up. It really starts with, are you a good live singer or not anyways? … There's songs I've just heard recently that it sounds so manufactured. Not that it's a bad song, and it sounds great, but it doesn't even — I could just hear where it's pieced [together] and hear where it's Auto-Tuned. And it's, like, you're not gonna sing it live.

"There are some singers out there, they're like the best singers in the world, but they're just not great live singers," he explained. "They're not great live singers at singing what they record in the studio. They're still great live singers; it's just they've changed the version. They've made up their own version to make them be able to sing — which is fine, because there's gonna be times where I'll have to do that to a song or I might lower a word, but I try to stick to it. I mean, you would see singers like Ronnie Dio. He wasn't going off… If he changed the version, he probably made it harder. He would sing it live.

"I record everything at the top of my ability, and I always struggle with my material," Tim explained. "Like when I tour solo, it's pretty easy. It's pretty easy tours. It's okay tours for me, because I'm doing my own stuff. But when my rest comes [is] when I get to sing the classic PRIEST songs, and I imagine it's the same even with Rob [Halford], when he gets to sing 'Breaking The Law' and 'Metal Gods'. I mean, those things are, like — anybody could sing them, it's so easy and it's a break. But this tour, you open up with 'Hellfire Thunderbolt', 'One More Shot Of Glory', 'The Ripper'… I'm doing 'Night Crawler' — 'Night Crawler''s easy. 'Burn In Hell', easy. 'Sermons Of The Sinner' — I was scared of 'Sermons Of The Sinner', to be honest, cause I was, like, 'Holy crap, man. This is gonna be tough.' And it's actually fun to sing.

"I think all singers should be recording to the top of their ability. So my songs are always harder, and that's why, but some singers just can't reproduce it. This record, I had a better feeling I would reproduce easier even than the first, because I sat here [at home] and did it myself. I wasn't told what to do. I was told what the melody is, but I'd use my own voice to do it. But some singers, they don't sing exactly what they do live. I mean, that's just how they are."

KK'S PRIEST, which features Tim alongside another ex-PRIEST member, guitarist K.K. Downing, made its live debut on July 6 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

Owens and Downing are joined in KK'S PRIEST by guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST has been performing tracks from "Sermons Of The Sinner", plus new material from "The Sinner Rides Again", as well as many a PRIEST classic thrown in for good measure.

In a separate interview with "Paltrocast"host Darren Paltrowitz, Owens was asked how he keeps his voice in shape after so many years. "I think I'm just lucky and fortunate," he responded. "I do take care of it. The one thing I always wanna do is sing as good as I can and sing in as many styles as I can. And I think I'm just fortunate that it's held up pretty good throughout these years."

Asked if his routine involves vocal cooldowns and having to sleep a certain number of hours and drink a certain amount of water every day, Owens replied: "There's no warming up or warming down with me, really. On the KK'S PRIEST shows, I warm up singing [the opening song] 'Hellfire Thunderbolt' on stage. So I don't warm up or warm down. I don't talk a lot. I drink a lot of water. I show up and do my show and then get to the hotel as soon as I can. And then I wake up every day hoping I'm gonna be able to sing."

He added: "The voice is a weird thing. Sometimes you just don't have it. You just wake up and it's not there, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"The Sinner Rides Again" was released on September 29 via the Austrian rock and metal empire Napalm Records. The nine-song effort was produced and written by Downing and mixed/mastered by Jacob Hansen.

KK'S PRIEST recently completed a U.K. headlining tour.

"Sermons Of The Sinner" was released in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

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.

In a new interview with Q104.3's "Out Of The Box With Jonathan Clarke", RUSH bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee, who is promoting his newly released memoir, "My Effin' Life", talked about how he rediscovered two unfinished demo songs made in the late 1990s. "Gone" and "I Am... You Are" were originally written for his 2000 solo effort "My Favourite Headache", but they didn't end up on the album. Lee came across them while sifting through the archives for "My Effin' Life".

"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 (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "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."

During an appearance on the latest episode of "The Chuck Shute Podcast", vocalist Joey Belladonna, who was fired from ANTHRAX twice before rejoining the group 13 years ago, was asked if he has "just a business relationship" with his bandmates now. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Um, not necessarily. I mean, look, everything you do in a band, I want it to be fun. I wannabe there every day, wake up each day and not walk on eggshells and feel like people are really not looking at you the right way. That kind of stinks. I know everybody's got their own individualities now; they all roll in their own path of success individually, which — I mean, I do my own thing, but I don't really care as much like that. But there also is a point in time where if you're on the team, you want the other guy to do his part and feel like he's done a whole lot for you too just as well and helps you carry through, without being, like, 'Eh, whatever. It's just part of what we do.' I don't want it that way. I hate it. I hate that part where we're, like, 'We must carry on because it's the only thing we've got.' But we are a band that's tight and it works great. And why not? Find a way. Figure it out. Try to do something that's gonna be long-lasting and enjoy what you have and understand that this is a great situation to be in where you've got four out of five people that are really capable of doing everything they can do musically and live. It's quite good. I mean, even the new [ANTHRAX] stuff [we are working on right now], without even really describing it, it's as good as it gets. It really is."

Regarding the fact that he was fired twice by ANTHRAX, Belladonna said: "Yeah, it just seems rotten. I don't know what to say. Every time I say something like that, it's always this bitter, bitter vibe, but it's the truth, you know what I mean? What else am I supposed to say? I mean, is there a better story? I wish I had one. I don't."

Joey, who joined forces with his longtime replacement John Bush for a cover of THE TEMPTATIONS classic "Ball Of Confusion" for ANTHRAX's greatest-hits collection, "Return of the Killer A's", which came out in 1999, said that the experience of recording with his then-former band "was totally weird. I remember listening to THE TEMPTATIONS song. 'Ball Of Confusion', of all things. I said, 'Why not? I'll come in.' But yeah, it was weird. It was strange. I mean, it wasn't my favorite idea, in the song or just being there 'cause I'm not in the band still. But aside from that, obviously, that whole thing, that follows me everywhere I go. I'm out of the band. What happened? I didn't get any leg up for that. And it still follows me. I can't just shake it away, 'cause it's in fine print."

Asked if he still carries resentment or anger toward his bandmates for the way he was treated, Joey said: "I don't forget. I can't forget. I carry on with [it]. I've been doing it — how long have I been [back] in the band now? 11, 12, 13 years now, on top of it. Things are good, but you know what? It's like anything else — it's still there. And I think everybody is trying to be sincere, and hopefully they are sincere. I don't need a lot of pats on the back because I do my thing. It does suck that I felt like I didn't live up to the dream that that was there. It's like, what am I supposed to do? I thought I was doing great.

"I know that sometimes when you see this later on the backslide, you go, 'Oh, here we go again.' It's, like, well, you know what? The story is there. We can't hide from it," he explained. "It's there. I'm just telling you we're cruising. We're doing our thing. Everything is above and beyond our expectations right now. We still have room to make it better and maybe kind of pull it closer to a better thing versus just to be an individuality business, job kind of crap. Otherwise it's no fun. It's great when you go out there. You forget it for, what? An hour and a half. But then you go back to the same old, 'There it is again.' I hate that. But the rest of it should be a lot better — a lot better — if you want it to work."

Joey added: "I know when people go to work, they don't care for the people they're working for and they have to go through it, but you can quit if you want. And people say, 'Don't go back,' or, 'Why are you there?' It's, like, well, why not? I want the fans to be happy. I think the fans deserve a good band that we were and what we do to make people happy and listen to good music that we make. But at the same time, I earned it. I should be able to be there. So why shouldn't I? But at the same time, I'm just still looking for bigger and better options with us to make it better. And that's what I would say — other than sitting there and having a big… I'm not vindictive. Obviously, it could have been a whole lot worse, or it could have been a lot much more unfavorable situation at the end, which I don't live like that. I try not to live that way. We try to open up our hearts to whatever we can do as a band."

Belladonna, whose most recent return to ANTHRAX was officially announced in May 2010, was originally the lead singer of ANTHRAX from 1984 to 1992, and was considered part of the influential thrash metal group's classic lineup (alongside guitarists Dan Spitz and Scott Ian, bassist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante), which reunited and toured during 2005 and 2006. His voice was featured on over 10 albums, which reportedly sold eight million copies worldwide.

The 63-year-old upstate New York-based singer previously reflected on his initial departure from ANTHRAX during an August 2022 appearance on the "Beer Rum & Rock N Roll" podcast. Belladonna said: "I didn't quit… Like, I wanted to sit around for 13 years while these guys just kept [going]. People don't wanna hear it, but that's the truth. Why would I quit?

"Forget about that record without me," he continued, apparently referring to 1993's "Sound Of White Noise" album, which featured John Bush on vocals. "I could have been on that record regardless of what they came up with. Let's just pretend they didn't even write that record yet. That record would have been cool too regardless of what you're already familiar with. I'm not saying whatever was on there wasn't right. I was in that car that rode into that record. I got sideswiped out of there.

"So, yeah, I didn't quit," Joey added. "I didn't quit anything. I don't want anybody thinking that, 'cause I wouldn't even have the heart to do that."

Belladonna also addressed the fact that he returned to ANTHRAX despite having been publicly dissed by some of the other members of the band in various interviews over the years.

"Some people are, like, 'Why the hell are you back with them? Why would you go back? That's stupid, man. You're an idiot. She cheated on you twice, dude. Don't go back with her. Come on, man. She's just gonna go out with that other guy tomorrow night,'" he said.

"It took them a long time to go, 'You suck. We didn't like you that much. And now you're all right.'

"Every day I walk in their presence in the room knowing that these people felt that way, 'cause I never felt that way about them," Joey admitted. "I don't feel that way about those people. I respect and I highly recommend everything that they do. And obviously I'm back. And I dig what we're doing right now, I dig what we're doing. But it's hard. It's hard. You get a complex, you know?"

Back in March 2010 — just a couple of months before Belladonna rejoined ANTHRAX — Ian and his wife Pearl Aday appeared on an episode of VH1's "That Metal Show" and took part in the program's "The Throwdown" feature, where the guests and the hosts debated who was the best singer for ANTHRAX: Bush or Belladonna. Countering co-host Eddie Trunk's point that ANTHRAX was in a unique position with Belladonna in the band of being able to "play incredible speed metal" while having "someone who could sing like a bird," Ian said: "We didn't need a bird; we needed a lion." After Pearl offered that she was a "huge fan" of "The Greater Of Two Evils", a collection of re-recorded older ANTHRAX tunes with Bush on vocals instead of Belladonna, Ian said: "And that's the way we, as ANTHRAX, wanted to hear those songs."

Speaking to Radio Metal in August 2011, Benante was asked about Ian's "That Metal Show" comments. He said: "I think Scott had to eat some of the words he said about that. But he only said that because I think he left things off with Joey kind of bad, and their relationship wasn't very well back then when he said that. And I think Scott just harbored some ill feelings towards Joey and I think that's kind of why he made that statement, you know?"

In 2021, the members of ANTHRAX opened up about their 1992 split with Belladonna in a 40th-anniversary video focusing on the making of the aforementioned "Sound Of White Noise" album. Regarding the decision to part ways with Belladonna, Ian said: "By the time we finished the year-and-a-half touring cycle — 20, 21 months of touring cycle, and then '[Attack Of The] Killer B's' comes out. I think the last thing we did together as a band with Joey was [our appearance] on [the] 'Married With Children' [TV show]. And then it wasn't long after that when we made the change. But it wasn't a quick decision. We were very much a united front, the four of us. Because otherwise it wouldn't have happened.

"There's never an easy way to talk about this stuff," he continued. "Certainly when you're in the thick of it, when it's happening, it's horrible when you're having to make a decision like this. But it just really came down to, creatively, we all just felt like there was just no way for the band to move forward. We had just hit a wall. It was the heaviest decision in the history of the band, certainly. And even that I feel like doesn't give it the weight that it needs. And there was never anything personal with Joey — it was never personal with him. It just really came down to the creative ability for the band, honestly, to move forward. And I hate that it's something that happened.

"Obviously, things are meant to be," Scott added. "I am somewhat of a spiritual person. I've seen and done enough in my life to know that sometimes shit doesn't just happen randomly. The way everything worked out in the end, with Joey coming back in 2010, and the band, for the last 11 years, being creatively better than we've ever been and in a better place than we've ever been, I have to say that I really believe that it all worked out for some reason. That doesn't make it any easier on Joey certainly; there's nothing I can say that ever would."

Bello said about Belladonna's exit from the group: "It's so strange for me to even talk about this now, because Joey's back in the band now, and it's like he's never been gone.

"It was a hard thing when Joey was out," he admitted. "It was a change, but I think it was best for the band 'cause of where we were going. It was a hard decision. I think we were going in a different way musically, and you could hear it."

Added Benante: "The 1991 me was more arrogant than I am now. Because the problem is I love Joey so much, and at the time we were different people doing it, and we felt this was the only thing for us to take us into the next level or the next chapter of the band. Yeah, it was tough."

Ian previously opened up about the decision to fire Belladonna nearly three decades ago during a 2016 appearance on the "WTF With Marc Maron" podcast. He stated at the time: "I just truly didn't have the patience anymore. I think my biggest problem was I was writing the words, and I couldn't deal with the fact anymore that someone else was singing my lyrics, but I couldn't sing; there was no way I could be the singer of ANTHRAX. I think it really, really did come down to that — that I couldn't stand it anymore. These are my words, these are my feelings, it's my emotions, and you're not me. And even learning the songs and hearing them back, that's not how I hear it in my head. 'No, no. Like this. Like this. Like this. Like this.'"

He continued: "My solution at the time was turning around to the rest of the band and saying, 'It's either [Joey] or me.' I pulled the same shit Neil Turbin [former ANTHRAX singer] pulled years before that. I said, 'I can't do this again. We need to make a change.' And it wasn't just me holding the gun. Everyone was on the same page. Everyone felt like what we had done as ANTHRAX in the '80s into the early '90s, we had already moved past that. The sound was changing.

"If you listen to 'Persistence Of Time' [1990], musically, that record has more to do with 'Sound Of White Noise', the first John Bush record, than it has to do with 'State Of Euphoria' [1988], the previous ANTHRAX album. Musically, we were already going somewhere else, but Joey, for us, I guess at the time, felt like, 'He's not representing us anymore.'"

Ian went on to say that he has since come to see Joey's unique vocal contributions in a different light than he did more than twenty years ago. "Of course, I spent a year of my life writing a book ['I'm The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax'] and looking back on that time and really kind of getting back into those shoes, and… we should have given the guy a shot," he said. "Why we didn't give him the shot, I really don't know why we weren't able to… Because I even remember, I remember Jonny Z, our manager, he was, 'Are you sure? Are you sure this is the decision you wanna make?' 'Yes, yes, yes.'"

The guitarist added that at least part of the reason ANTHRAX made a singer change was to take the sound in a heavier direction, something that they didn't think was possible with Belladonna at the helm.

"I wanted it to be harder," Ian said. "I couldn't do it, but I wanted someone who could almost… I wanted it to be harder. I didn't want Lemmy — I didn't want it to sound like that — I just wanted it to be harder. And John [Bush] brought it, for sure."

Belladonna had been critical of ANTHRAX's decision to fire him at the height of the band's success, telling MikeJamesrRockShow.com seven years ago: "Personally, it sucks just to think all those years went by that I didn't really have a chance to do anything. 'Cause I could have sang on any of those records [that were made during the John Bush era]. Not to say that what they did was… whatever reason and whatever style and all that stuff. I could have easily sang that regardless, no bones. It would have been easy to sing. It's just I think they were chasing some other idea. I always say that, whether they disagree. I don't think there was any reason to move. But you know what? We're here now."

Bush told Metal Talk about the task of replacing Joey Belladonna in ANTHRAX back in 1992: "I respect Joey Belladonna; he did great for ANTHRAX in his heyday and in the years that he made records and they were popular. You know, I think I just went out and did it from my heart and just said, 'Hey, I'm gonna go out and kick ass and sing to the best of my ability.' And I think we made some great records. I just think they were different records than what ANTHRAX did in the '80s."

He continued: "The funny thing is, sometimes there was this, 'Oh, we're the same band. Oh, we're the same band,' and looking back, well, we kind of were a little different band. I think we were. But at that time, we kept trying to convince people, 'Oh, it's the same band. It's the same band.' But when you make a singer change, the sound will change a little bit, which, that was what the intention was at the time."

ANTHRAX's latest album, "For All Kings", which features Belladonna, came out in February 2016 via Nuclear Blast.

Guitar World has shared a report on Led Zeppelin guitar legend Jimmy Page's second Sundragon signature amp, based on Page's go-to modded Marshall, which became the
his #1 studio and stage amp from 1969 onwards.


Page has rekindled his Sundragon brand of signature guitar amps for a new limited-edition offering: the Super Dragon half-stack.


Page: "The Super Dragon is a faithful recreation of my 'Number 1' amp. After recording the first Led Zeppelin record and creating sounds that define rock guitar, I needed an amp capable of reproducing this broad palette of sounds including the light and the shade in the studio and a live setting. 




Not only was the volume and tone important but it needed to have enough power to hear the subtlety of various aspects of my guitar playing. I experimented with different amps until hearing about a fellow in the USA named Tony Frank who was modifying Marshall amps. I sent Frank my favorite Marshall, a 1968 Super Bass and the result was exactly what I was looking for. Frank’s modification enhanced the amp’s power and expanded the dynamic range. This amp became the main amp for live shows as well as the principal amp I would rely on in the studio for all Led Zeppelin records from Zeppelin II onwards."


Read the complete Guitar World report here. For details on Sundragon amps go to this location.





Photo by Sundragon

Alex Lifeson has announced the launch of Lerxst, a new family of amplifiers inspired by the RUSH guitarist's five decades of musical exploration on the guitar while also offering modern players a versatile tonal platform upon which to build their own sonic identity. Lerxst amplifiers offer a diverse palette of sounds that range from crystal-clear cleans to raging arena rock sounds and everything in between, supplemented with key features like power-scaling and serial effects loops to suit the needs of the next generation of sonic explorers, all designed to Lifeson's exacting specifications and hand crafted in the USA by Mojotone. The initial launch includes the Omega amplifier head, CHI amplifier head and combo, and an accompanying range of matching guitar cabinets.

Omega is Lifeson's signature amplifier and the flagship of the Lerxst line. This British-voiced amplifier head features footswitchable clean and lead channels with a shared 3-band EQ, meaning a consistent tonal foundation between sounds while still offering shimmering cleans, gutsy rhythm crunch, and soaring lead tones. The amplifier has a switchable 50/25 watt power section to give it an equally usable powerband on large stages as well as in small clubs and the studio as well as a high-quality serial effects loop perfect for utilizing modulation and time-based effects. Lifeson's signature sounds are easily within reach with Omega, but its versatile, characterful sounds are equally useful for players looking to chase their own creative muses and sonic landscapes. In addition to its standard version, Omega will also be offered in a limited-edition hand wired version for a short time.

Lifeson stated: "I'm very excited about the new, updated Omega amp. It sounds incredible and it's very handsome — you'll want to get one even if you don't play guitar!"

CHI takes the growl and tone of the Omega and places it within a more compact form factor. The 30-watt amplifier is built around 6L6 tubes for excellent headroom and a clear, articulate sound and is available as both a smallbox head and a 1x12 combo amplifier. In keeping with its lineage, CHI also includes footswitchable clean and Lead channels and a serial effects loop, making it equally versatile on stage or in the studio.

"I've used more amps than Dr. Frankenstein did when breathing life into his creature, but the Lerxst CHI is an awesome monster in its own right and one of the sweetest-sounding amps I've ever heard," said Lifeson. "ALL the great character of the OMEGA in a cool, compact package that you don't have to be a seven-foot monster to carry around."

Both amplifiers are also accompanied by a range of guitar cabinets in multiple speaker configurations, including 1x12, 2x12, and 4x12, ideal for any stage configuration or studio application. ALL amplifiers and cabinets are handcrafted to the highest standards with top quality components in Mojotone's Burgaw, North Carolina-based factory. The cabinets, head shells, and combo speaker cabinets are made of voidless baltic birch and finished with a striking race gray and red garnet Levant Tolex finish for a lifetime of gigging and playing.

For more information and to purchase Lerxst amplifiers, visit lerxstamps.com.

In a new interview with Emilee Capogni, German metal queen Doro Pesch spoke about her decision to take a strong stance against cruelty to animals, calling on fans to respect all living, feeling beings by not eating or wearing them. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I turned vegan. I just do it because of the animals. I'm a big animal lover. On [my] new album ['Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud'], there's actually one nice song on it for the animals that's called 'Heavenly Creatures'. The album has 20 songs on it, and 'Heavenly Creatures' is one of my favorites. And I wanna do something with the song, because I love animals and I wanna support them. Yeah. And I turned vegan."

She continued: "I started maybe 20 years ago that all the stage clothes and everything I wear is not any more real leather, because before I wasn't aware —I wasn't conscious about it — but then I learned that lesson. So I thought, 'Yeah, I don't wanna harm anybody — not people, not animals.' And then I started doing all, like, vegan leather, which is great stuff. You can now get it all over. Twenty years ago, it was very difficult to find good stuff, good vegan leather. But, yeah, I started with that. And then I think I was always a vegetarian, pretty much, at least for 10, 15 years maybe. And then seven years ago, I turned vegan. And it's just for the animals. And because of that, I got great connections with so many people who help animals and who get 'em out of really bad situations. And I adopted two horses — actually, not in America, not in Germany; it's in Austria… Yeah, I adopted two horses because I love horses so much. But I love dogs too. And cats. Every animal, they are sacred to me."

Back in 2018, Doro filmed a video for PETA Germany in which she attributed her strength and stamina to her healthy diet.

"I'm always on stage for two hours in high gear," she said. "It's really exhausting, and I really feel that I'm healthier, more fit, have more energy, and have a much, much clearer conscience.

"We are all living beings, good souls," she added. "If you listen to your heart, then you know what is right, and then you also know how important it is that we, as humans, take care of animals."

"Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud" was released on October 27 via Nuclear Blast.

The 20-song "Conqueress – Forever Strong And Proud" LP is described in a press release as "the result of intensive hard work that took the incomparable singer and songwriter back to studios in Miami, New York and Hamburg, amongst others. The album presents Doro at the height of her creative powers."

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

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

In September 2022, Doro released a very unique single — a soulful adaptation of her classic metal anthem "Raise Your Fist In The Air". The track was made possible by the new ZDF (national German TV channel) music show "Music Impossible".

In celebration of 35 years of the "Triumph And Agony" album from her former band WARLOCK, Doro released "Triumph And Agony Live" in various formats, including CD, vinyl, cassette, DVD, Blu-ray, and a huge box set, in September 2021 through her own label, Rare Diamonds Productions. The "Triumph And Agony" artwork centered on Geoffrey Gillespie's famous original drawing of the "Warlock" embracing the blonde rock star.

Photo credit: Jochen Rolfes

STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok has weighed in on Live Nation's new program called "On The Road Again", which aims to financially support developing artists and their teams facing growing costs of touring expenses.

It was announced in late September that Live Nation-owned and operated clubs would provide $1,500 in gas and travel cash per show to all headliners and support acts, on top of nightly performance compensation. Additionally, these clubs would charge no merchandise selling fees, so artists keep 100% of merchandise profits.

Mushok spoke about Live Nation's announcement in a recent interview with V13. Asked what his thoughts were on the program, as a touring band, Mike said: "I have two thoughts about this because I actually am part owner in a venue. It's a 1300-seat venue in Foxborough [Massachusetts] outside of Gillette Stadium. We do live music on the weekends and national acts and we generally have never taken a merch fee from bands at our venue.

"I got home late last night and I saw this article and I need to go back and really pay attention to it. It sounds like it's going to make venues like mine very difficult because, aren't they paying into a fund for the crew, for the bands, to tour? I can't do that as a venue. They already drive the margins up and, as a promoter, it's just very, very hard to compete with that for the bands."

Mike continued: "Now, me coming a musician, it's great, right? I mean, however, it's Live Nation. They're gonna make the money back somewhere. If you think that they're not going to charge you, well… Surcharges are gonna go up, ticket prices. They're gonna make it up somewhere. They're a multi-billion-dollar business. They're not going to just give away money. They're gonna make it up somewhere and then that is a whole different problem.

"I'll tell you, you know, we just spent a summer out on the road and, now that you don't make any money on record sales, merch is a big thing for bands. It's fantastic there are fans who want to support the bands and wear a shirt or buy a bandana or whatever you're selling. It's great, but the venue takes 25% of it.

"I remember '95, we played some like amusement park out our way and I had never heard of this," Mushok added. "We used to sell shirts at shows for about 20 bucks or whatever, and that was the first time, like, 'You're taking a percentage. What do you mean?' It's surreal, a real eye opener, because a lot of fans don't see that side of it, but it seems like this has really come to everybody's attention, so I think it's nice that it's been addressed. I think it has come up because it's just so expensive to tour. It's just expensive to go out on the road. It's really expensive to tour, so I think, for a band playing clubs, maybe not even in a bus because you can't afford it because it's a fortune, when you're selling 1,000 bucks' [worth of merchandise], 500 has gotta go back to the venue or whatever. It's a lot. Consider that over 30 shows. The next thing you know, [it's like], 'Wait a second, I gave you how much?'"

Many venues require bands to pay them a percentage of their merchandise sales. Commonly that split is 20/80, meaning for every dollar a band makes selling a t-shirt, the venue gets 20 cents. It's an accepted industry standard that understandably riles touring bands, especially those acts for whom merch income is still crucial for ensuring that a tour is profitable.

In larger venues, it is often mandatory for a merchandise staff to be employed directly by the venue, meaning a percentage cut can be standard.

STAIND's latest album, "Confessions Of The Fallen", arrived on September 15 via Alchemy Recordings/BMG. STAIND's first new LP album since 2011 was produced by Erik Ron (GODSMACK, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, BLACK VEIL BRIDES).

STAIND has released eight albums since 1995, including 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

David Lee Roth has shared a new solo version of the VAN HALEN classic "Jump". The new recording, like the previously released "Unchained", "Everybody Wants Some!!", "You Really Got Me", "Dance The Night Away", "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", was laid down on May 3, 2022 during a session at Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California. Joining Roth in the studio were Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler on bass and Francis Valentino on drums. A total of 14 songs were recorded in two hours. The music and the vocals were tracked live with "no samples" and without the pitch-correction technology Auto-Tune.

In January 2022, Roth canceled the remaining farewell shows he was set to play in Las Vegas after he vowed to retire from performing live.

In a statement, event organizers said the cancelations were made "due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows."

When Roth's Vegas residency was first announced, organizers promised "a changing set of 26 instantly recognizable songs, including 'Jump', 'Panama', and 'California Girls...'"

In March 2020, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.

Roth's last Vegas residency kicked off on January 8, 2020 with a 15-song set that included 10 VAN HALEN classics and five songs from his solo career. Backing the singer were lead guitarist Al Estrada from the VAN HALEN tribute band ERUPTION, rhythm guitarist Frankie Lindri, bassist Ryan Wheeler, keyboardist Danny Wagner and drummer Mike Mussleman.

Roth explained that he chose Vegas as the place to debut his new band because "this is where you come to celebrate and do the victory dance, whatever that means to you."

In a February 2020 interview with StarTribune, Roth openly wondered whether his first tour since VAN HALEN completed its 2015 run of shows would be the last time he would perform.

"I'm calling it 'The Last Tour'," he said at the time, "and then underneath it in parentheses: 'Unless It Isn't'. ... At my age, everything is a possible farewell tour."

"It's been a long great trip, a long great run," he continued. "But this kind of music requires the kind of energy that people in their 20s bring. You know what NFL stands for: Not For Long. It's similar in rock. I remember the days when we would stand around and say, 'Let's go have a cigarette.' And that's what we did: Four guys having one cigarette. I remember those days. They go by fast, so enjoy them while you're in them."

In February/March 2020, Roth performed as the opening act for the North American leg of KISS's "End Of The Road" farewell tour.

Roth's 2020 Vegas residency wasn't the first time he had set up shop in Sin City. Back in 1995, Roth completed a Las Vegas engagement at Bally's Hotel and Casino and another short run at MGM Grand.

Original KISS drummer Peter Criss has weighed in on the fact that his former band will play its final shows ever this weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He told the Detroit's classic rock radio station 94.7 WCSX in an exclusive statement: "It's hard to believe it's over. I'm truly touched by it.

"There were so many glorious years and the four of us created some really fun tunes and have the most incredible fanbase a band could ever have. We are truly fortunate to have our fans all these years. Thank you KISS Army for the life that you gave me and the life that you gave all of us in KISS."

Peter went on to say that while he is "disappointed" that he and fellow original KISS member Ace Frehley "weren't asked to come out and do a few songs for their fans" in New York to show their appreciation for all their love and support all these years, he added that he is "in a good place in his life and very happy and very proud of what the four founding fathers of KISS created.

"It's truly a blessing," he said. "There's not much more a musician or artist could ask for then what God has blessed us with. And now the end is here. To quote our dear late manager Bill Aucoin, 'onward and upward.'"

This past August, Peter played an impromptu version of the 1930s classic "Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)" at the 15th annual Beauty Ball, presented by The Beauty Foundation For Cancer Care, in Eatontown, New Jersey.

Criss, who will turn 78 at the end of this month, first left KISS in 1980. Since then he's worked with other bands and released solo albums. He teamed up with KISS again for a reunion tour in the 1990s and most recently in 2004. He was replaced by Eric Singer.

In addition to playing drums in KISS, Peter also provided lead vocals for a number the band's most popular and memorable songs, including "Beth", "Black Diamond" and "Hard Luck Woman".

Criss, who was known as "Catman," released his last solo CD, titled "One For All", in 2007. Peter produced the album himself for the first time, and was joined by guest musicians that included keyboardist Paul Shaffer and bassist Will Lee of "Late Night With David Letterman". The album featured a range of styles, from rock and jazz to blues and Broadway, and included covers of "What A Difference A Day Makes" and "Send In The Clowns".

Criss played what was being billed as his final full U.S. concert in June 2017 at the Cutting Room in New York City.

Last month, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons lamented the absence of Criss and Frehley at KISS's final shows, telling 519 Magazine: "I feel sad. I feel sad and angry that both Ace and Peter aren't here. I mean, they're alive, but they're not here to enjoy this unbelievable journey with us. They were there at the beginning and deserve all the credit. And when they look in the mirror, the only reason they're not here with us is themselves.

"Inviting them was as much for the fans as it was for us. KISS has always been about the whole, not the individual. It would've been fitting to have all of us there, one last time."

This past June, Gene was asked by Barbara Caserta of Linea Rock about the possibility of Peter and Ace making guest appearances at the band's last-ever concerts in New York City. He responded: "For the fans — the older, older fans — the ones who've been around for 50 years, they're old, and some of them wanna see Ace and Peter. The newer fans never saw them and they don't know. But the older fans wonder about Ace and Peter. Well, I asked both Ace and Peter a few times: 'Do you wanna come out for the encores? Do you wanna do some shows?' And they both said 'no.' So, I don't know what to say about that… But it's always welcome. But there are many other big stars, superstars, who wanna jump up onstage and play a song. But we're not sure about that. Maybe the best thing to do is to end the way we started: four guys with guitars. No keyboards, no synthesizers — nothing. Just playing."

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but has since been extended to late 2023. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

In a June 2022 interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Simmons was asked if Frehley and Peter would have any involvement in KISS's final concerts. He responded: "We've tried. I keep trying. Paul and I met with Ace, trying to convince him to come back. He said, 'I want this. I want that.' Well, we can't do that. I asked Ace and Peter to be in the documentary ['Biography: KISStory', which premiered on A&E in June 2021]. They said no. They might do it if they have complete control of the edit. I said, 'We can't do that, because even we don't have that. But I won't control what you say; you can say whatever you want.' The answer is no — both of them. I asked Ace and Peter, 'Come out on tour. We'll get you your own room and everything. Come out on the encores.' Ace said, 'No. The only way I'll come out is if I'm the Spaceman and you ask Tommy [Thayer, KISS's current guitarist] to leave.' I go, 'Well, that's not gonna happen.' First of all, I care about Ace, but he's not in shape — he can't play that way and doesn't have the physical stamina to do that…

"Look, we care about them," Gene added. "We started this thing together and they were equally important to the beginning of the band with Paul and I — no question. But as time went on… Not everybody is designed to run a marathon. Some people are designed to be in a band for a year or two, or a few years, and then that's all they can do. And both of them have been in the band three different times. How many chances in life do you get? All I know is when I put my hand in fire the first time, I got burnt; I didn't get a second or third chance.

"So, the answer is the door's always open," Simmons said. "If they wanna jump on stage at any time and do the encores with us, terrific. But no, we're not gonna get rid of Tommy or Eric [Singer, current KISS drummer]. In fact, Tommy and Eric are the best things that happened to us. They gave us new life [and] new appreciation for what we do because they were fans first. And every once in a while, Eric or Tommy will turn around and say, 'Wow! Isn't this great?' And it makes us realize, 'Yeah! Wow! Isn't this great?'"

Gene was also asked if he saw any of the video footage from the May 2022 Creatures Fest in Nashville where Criss, Frehley and fellow former KISS members Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick all performed. He responded: "Somebody showed me about 30 seconds, yeah. It was very sad. I felt sad for Peter… When I called to invite Peter to be in the documentary, his health isn't what it should be. I don't wanna get too specific because it's part of his private life. But no, physically, he wouldn't be able to do it. Neither would Ace."

ATREYU has released the official music video for "Come Down". The song is taken from the final installment of the band's three-part EP series, "A Torch In The Dark", which was made available on November 3, leading into "The Beautiful Dark Of Life" album, out on December 8 via Spinefarm.

"A Torch In The Dark" EP continues the journey set by "The Hope Of A Spark" EP and "The Moment You Find Your Flame" EP, leading into "The Beautiful Dark Of Life", which is a culmination of all three representing pieces of a puzzle, collectively amounting to something far greater.

This EP is about self-discovery, finding your purpose and confidence, and your future again. A victory through the shadows and conquering the darkness — for now.

"Many people remember these moments and experiences that shaped who they are in very formative years," frontman Brandon Saller says. "But for me, that period of my life is one big void. There are things about me as a person and things I do to this day that I don't like, but I don't understand why."

"We draw strength from each other and give each other the space and support to be the best, most creative person we can be," guitarist Dan Jacobs explains. "And together, right now, that makes us the best band we've ever been."

"Everything that we have put out to this point has built up to this moment," concludes Jacobs. "Something special is happening with ATREYU right now. We can feel the creativity and collaboration when the five of us get in the studio. We can feel the confidence we all give each other when we stand on stage together. And we can see it in the audience when they're losing their minds. They're having as good a time as we are ourselves."

"A Torch In the Dark" track listing:

01. (i)
02. Death Or Glory
03. Evermore
04. Come Down

In an interview with Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz conducted at this past September's Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma, Saller spoke about ATREYU's decision to shift their focus away from releasing albums to putting out a series of EPs.Saller said: "The whole project as a whole kind of tells sort of the same story in repeat. And we just wanted a way to kind of just be able to shine a light on the songs a little bit more individually. I feel like a lot of times you put out albums these days and you get three or four songs that get any sort of attention. The rest of them just go by the wayside, which sucks when you're creating art and putting everything you have into art."

He continued: "Each EP goes through the cycles of life, the seasons of life, if you will, to tell one big story at the end. So it's kind of a way that we can get a little bit more in depth with a kind of a story and also a way that we can have our audience really be able to focus on smaller portions of songs at a time."

Asked if he and his bandmates are seeing that sort of engagement and fans following the story, Brandon said: "Absolutely. I feel like, you just see it, just when [you look at] the [streaming] numbers, you see each song kind of getting a little bit more of a limelight and having a little bit more of kind of a day in the sun. So that feels nice for us."

Saller previously talked about ATREYU's decision to release a series of EPs this past July in an interview with the "Brutally Delicious" podcast. At the time, he said: "I care less and less about the traditional kind of methods of things and more about, how do we actually get people to have the opportunity to digest all of the art? … You put out an album, put out 12 songs on an album and four of 'em get a light shined on them and are in the tens of millions of streams and have all this attention and then the other eight are in the hundreds of thousands, if that — maybe they hit a million. They're in the dark and you spent all this time on these songs.

"We're not a band that has historically put out records with a bunch of filler; it's hard to get songs past us," he explained. "So, for us, it's, like, 'Oh, well, man, it just didn't have opportunity to get shown.'

"I'm all about alternative methods of release," Saller added. "I think that physical release really only lies in vinyl and cool, like, collectors' kind of stuff these days. I don't care about CDs. I couldn't play a CD if I wanted to. I don't have a CD [player] in my car. I don't have a CD player in my computer. But as far as just releasing things, I just wanna release things that make it more accessible and easy to actually consume and digest them. And I think that that potentially is in singles and EPs. I don't know everything or anything. So we'll see how it goes."

ATREYU and MEMPHIS MAY FIRE recently joined forces for the "We Want Your Misery" tour, with CATCH YOUR BREATH and ANOTHER DAY DAWNS as support. ATREYU also joined GODSMACK for select dates before embarking on a run of Canadian shows with IRON MAIDEN, starting on September 28.

Photo credit: Micala Austin

During an appearance on yesterday's (Thursday, November 30) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was asked how he feels about the fact that his former bandmates are calling it quits after completing the "End Of The Road" farewell tour this weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, to be honest, I don't really believe they're ending their touring career. How many times have they said they were gonna retire? How many times have half a dozen groups said they were gonna retire and still come back? Personally, I don't know what their plans are."

Asked if he personally has any emotions about KISS coming to an end as a touring entity, Frehley said: "Not at all. I'm so happy I'm not involved. Last night I watched [video of KISS's] Indianapolis show [from the current tour] from front to back on YouTube. They had 10 comments and maybe a couple of thousand views, but compared to what I'm doing right now, you can't hold a candle to it."

He added: "It's probably better they retire, and hopefully I won't have to listen to them put me down anymore."

Ace was also pressed to clarify that he won't be making a special guest appearance at the Madison Square Garden shows. He said: "Look, if Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] calls me up and offers me a million dollars to come up and play a couple of songs, obviously I'll show up. But I really doubt that's gonna happen because pretty much Paul [Stanley, KISS guitarist/vocalist] runs the band and he's already made a statement that if me and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer] got up on the stage, we would mar their performance — ironically."

Asked what prompted him to watch a full KISS performance online from the band's ongoing tour, Ace said: "I was on YouTube looking to say how well my new single was being received, and it's going through the roof. And then I was just curious, so I clicked on KISS [playing in] Indianapolis. And I think they had 10 comments, 2,000 views or something like that. And it just made me realize how karma works, you know?"

Last month, Frehley told Mark Strigl of SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard that he doesn't hold a grudge against KISS, despite all the badmouthing that has gone on between him and some of the other original KISS members in recent years.

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

Also in November, Simmons lamented the absence of Frehley and Criss at KISS's final shows, telling 519 Magazine: "I feel sad. I feel sad and angry that both Ace and Peter aren't here. I mean, they're alive, but they're not here to enjoy this unbelievable journey with us. They were there at the beginning and deserve all the credit. And when they look in the mirror, the only reason they're not here with us is themselves.

"Inviting them was as much for the fans as it was for us. KISS has always been about the whole, not the individual. It would've been fitting to have all of us there, one last time."

This past June, Gene was asked by Barbara Caserta of Linea Rock about the possibility of Ace and Peter making guest appearances at the band's last-ever concerts in early December at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He responded: "For the fans — the older, older fans — the ones who've been around for 50 years, they're old, and some of them wanna see Ace and Peter. The newer fans never saw them and they don't know. But the older fans wonder about Ace and Peter. Well, I asked both Ace and Peter a few times: 'Do you wanna come out for the encores? Do you wanna do some shows?' And they both said 'no.' So, I don't know what to say about that… But it's always welcome. But there are many other big stars, superstars, who wanna jump up onstage and play a song. But we're not sure about that. Maybe the best thing to do is to end the way we started: four guys with guitars. No keyboards, no synthesizers — nothing. Just playing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but has since been extended to late 2023. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

In a June 2022 interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Simmons was asked if Frehley and Peter would have any involvement in KISS's final concerts. He responded: "We've tried. I keep trying. Paul and I met with Ace, trying to convince him to come back. He said, 'I want this. I want that.' Well, we can't do that. I asked Ace and Peter to be in the documentary ['Biography: KISStory', which premiered on A&E in June 2021]. They said no. They might do it if they have complete control of the edit. I said, 'We can't do that, because even we don't have that. But I won't control what you say; you can say whatever you want.' The answer is no — both of them. I asked Ace and Peter, 'Come out on tour. We'll get you your own room and everything. Come out on the encores.' Ace said, 'No. The only way I'll come out is if I'm the Spaceman and you ask Tommy [Thayer, KISS's current guitarist] to leave.' I go, 'Well, that's not gonna happen.' First of all, I care about Ace, but he's not in shape — he can't play that way and doesn't have the physical stamina to do that…

"Look, we care about them," Gene added. "We started this thing together and they were equally important to the beginning of the band with Paul and I — no question. But as time went on… Not everybody is designed to run a marathon. Some people are designed to be in a band for a year or two, or a few years, and then that's all they can do. And both of them have been in the band three different times. How many chances in life do you get? All I know is when I put my hand in fire the first time, I got burnt; I didn't get a second or third chance.

"So, the answer is the door's always open," Simmons said. "If they wanna jump on stage at any time and do the encores with us, terrific. But no, we're not gonna get rid of Tommy or Eric [Singer, current KISS drummer]. In fact, Tommy and Eric are the best things that happened to us. They gave us new life [and] new appreciation for what we do because they were fans first. And every once in a while, Eric or Tommy will turn around and say, 'Wow! Isn't this great?' And it makes us realize, 'Yeah! Wow! Isn't this great?'"

Gene was also asked if he saw any of the video footage from the May 2022 Creatures Fest in Nashville where Criss, Frehley and fellow former KISS members Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick all performed. He responded: "Somebody showed me about 30 seconds, yeah. It was very sad. I felt sad for Peter… When I called to invite Peter to be in the documentary, his health isn't what it should be. I don't wanna get too specific because it's part of his private life. But no, physically, he wouldn't be able to do it. Neither would Ace."

Photo credit: Jayme Thornton