Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will release his new solo album, "10,000 Volts", on February 23, 2024 via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music). The LP's title track can now be streamed below.

"10,000 Volts" track listing:

01. 10,000 Volts
02. Walkin' On The Moon
03. Cosmic Heart
04. Cherry Medicine
05. Back Into My Arms Again
06. Fightin' For Life
07. Blinded
08. Constantly Cute
09. Life Of A Stranger
10. Up In The Sky
11. Stratosphere

Last month, Frehley told Jeff Napier of Nuvo about "10,000 Volts": "It's probably the best record I've ever done. I'm very excited about it. It's the fIrst time I ended up writing most of these songs with a good friend of mine, Steve Brown. He used to play in TRIXTER and has a group called RUBIX KUBE. Anyway, we live 40 minutes from each other, and my fiancée Lara hooked us up. I'd met him several times over the years, but just briefly, but she knew him when she was in her twenties, and she said, 'You've gotta get together with Steve.' He's a great songwriter and guitar player. He sent me a song, and there was one line that just jumped out from his chorus, and it was 'Walking On The Moon'. So I said, 'Listen, let's get together and rewrite this song, and the hook will be 'Walking On The Moon',' because it wasn't the end of the chorus he had prepared. So, we rewrote the song, and it came out great. We were actually gonna call the album 'Walking On The Moon' until we recorded a song called '10,000 Volts', which came out amazing. I got Anton Fig, my old drummer, who played on my original '78 solo album and most of my solo stuff, to play drums on that. So, working with Steve has made a huge difference in my playing and writing because when he and I put our heads together, it just clicks. If I'm at a loss for a chord or a verse or a line, he comes up with it and vice versa, and within three or four hours, we write a song.

"So that's how the record's been going," Ace added. "Then, once you record the basic track, you gotta do the overdubs and double and triple the vocals, harmonies, and stuff. He's an excellent engineer. So I didn't have to pay an engineer to engineer this record. So I saved money on that, working with Steve as well, which is nice."

Asked if making "Origins Vol. 2", the sequel to his 2016 collection of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist, affected the way he put together the new record, Frehley said: "It's one thing doing an 'Origins' record because you don't have to write the songs. Basically, I was picking songs that influenced me that were written by other people. So it's a lot easier to do than when you do a regular studio record where all the songs are original. On this record, all the songs are original except for one. I did one cover of a song called 'Life Of A Stranger', written by a gal named Nadia. When she did the song, it was Europop, and it was very sparsely recorded. I listened to it and loved the melody, and I loved the lyrics. I played it for Steve, and he said, 'We could kill this song with heavy drums and power chords and stuff and keyboards even.' It came out great. All the other songs did as well. There's really not a weak song on the record. Most people do a record, and they concentrate on three or four songs that they think might be singles, and then the rest of it is a lot of filler. But every song on this album I can hear on the radio. I hope DJs agree with me."

Frehley previously spoke about the recording process for his new album this past March during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". At the time, the 72-year-old rocker marveled at the amount of material he was able to complete, saying: "Within six days I had written and recorded five new songs, which is unprecedented for me."

Ace went on to say that he had also been working on his new LP with Peppy Castro of the BLUES MAGOOS. He added: "Back in the '60s, [the BLUES MAGOOS] had the big hit '(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet'. I grew up with him in the Bronx. He inspired me to become a rock star. I remember going to Orchard Beach in the Bronx, and all of a sudden I hear Peppy's song on the radio. I go, 'Jesus Christ. If he can do that, I can do it. I'm better looking than him.' [Laughs] He actually taught me how to play bar chord in the basement of an apartment building… But we've been friends ever since, and we've followed each other's career. And he's been in my studio a half dozen times. And he also hooked me up with Tommy Denander. He wrote three songs for me that I'm probably gonna rearrange at least one or two of them and add vocals. But me and Steve have been doing a song a day. It's insanity."

Peppy previously collaborated with KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons as a songwriter and performed on Frehley's and Stanley's solo records.

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

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

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

During an appearance on the fifteenth episode of "The Metallica Report", the recently launched podcast offering weekly insider updates on all things METALLICA, METALLICA's Robert Trujillo explained how he ended up playing bass for SUICIDAL TENDENCIES at the Mike Muir-fronted outfit's October 26 concert at House Of Vans in Mexico City. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[My 19-year-old son] Tye has a band called OTTTO, and OTTTO had a corporate gig which had been booked literally a year ago — something that was very important to them. But then there was also a gig for SUICIDAL TENDENCIES that came up, let's say within sort of eight weeks. Tye has been touring with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES for probably close to three years, and there happened to be this one opportunity that came up within sort of the balance between OTTTO and SUICIDAL. And basically it was this date that the schedules conflicted, and it hasn't happened in the three years, which is kind of a miracle, but here's this one date. So I was trying to think of a sub. And then I just kind of said, 'I'll play it.' And he was, like, 'Really?' I go, 'Of course. I know the songs.' It's, like, as long as you play the songs that I had history with, and some of the songs I actually wrote, I said, 'I'll play it. It would be fun.' And he was, like, 'Really? Oh, man. That'd be so cool.'"

Robert continued: "I haven't played in the SUICIDAL TENDENCIES sort of format since 1996, so that was really, really interesting. It was really special in that I obviously haven't been on stage with that version of the band ever, and to be able to reconnect with some of those songs, it was really, really rewarding."

Trujillo, who is of Mexican and Native American descent, also talked about what it was like returning to Mexico to perform once again.

"Mexico City always delivers," he said. "The fans are so passionate there, especially with METALLICA. They just love METALLICA so much. And, of course, they love SUICIDAL TENDENCIES as well. I always feel the love there. It's just genuine, and it's an amazing place to play."

A onetime member of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Robert previously rejoined his former bandmates on stage on September 9 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to perform the song "I Saw Your Mommy...". SUICIDAL TENDENCIES played at State Farm Stadium as the support act for METALLICA at the latter band's rescheduled second concert in Arizona.

Back in 2017, Robert spoke to Records In My Life about SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' self-titled debut album, which was released in July 1983 and which featured the original studio version of "I Saw Your Mommy..." He said: "I didn't play on that album, but I tell you, that was an album that… I mean, before I was in the band, I would wear the hat and t-shirts, and that was even before I knew Mike Muir. I knew Rocky George, the guitar player, 'cause I went to junior high school with him, so I've known him for many years. But that particular album, to me, really represents where I grew up and just the progression of alternative music and multi-racial bands incorporating other styles into hardcore music."

Trujillo was first invited to join SUICIDAL TENDENCIES for a European tour in 1989 supporting East Coast thrashers ANTHRAX. While with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Robert appeared on some of the band's most successful albums: "Lights...Camera...Revolution!" (1990),"The Art Of Rebellion" (1992) and "Still Cyco After All These Years" (1993). During Trujillo's years with SUICIDAL, Muir heard some of Robert's homemade demos and they collaborated on a funkier, more progressive sound under the name INFECTIOUS GROOVES. They produced a number of albums such as "The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move..." (1991),"Sarsippius' Ark" (1993) and "Groove Family Cyco" (1994).

Back in 2021, Trujillo humorously revealed in an interview that before he signed on as the bass player for METALLICA, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES would gobble up METALLICA's leftover dinners whenever they could during a joint 1993 tour. And even though the METALLICA members respected Trujillo's playing with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield admitted that when Robert's name came up during bassist auditions, he thought, "there's no way he's going to join us. He's too amazing, he's too spectacular."

During a recent appearance on the "Conversations That Matter" podcast, John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, weighed in on "queer theory", a field of study that challenges existing traditional ideas about identity, sexuality, and gender — particularly that of heteronormativity, or the belief that heterosexuality is the natural, moral, or "normal" expression of sexuality. The 48-year-old musician, who is promoting his recently released second book, "Wimpy, Weak And Woke", said in part: "I believe that queer theory is literally the end of all things. There will be no meaningful conversations even able to have in the world if queer theory actually becomes as ubiquitous as it seems like it is already becoming. There will be no distinctions between anything. If you embrace queer theory, and you embrace the idea that men can be women and women can be men, or you can be both, or neither, blah, blah, blah, then you will end up having to accept that there really is no difference between mankind and beast. It just follows. And in fact, the queer theorists would probably be, like, 'Yeah, that's right.'"

He continued: "Sexuality, to me, that's the key. If the church does not stand our ground on sexuality, we lose everything. We absolutely lose everything.

"This is just so upsetting to me. A lot of Christians just do not believe that it's as bad as it is… They just refuse to believe it. And they keep saying, 'Guys, there's nothing new under the sun. It's always been this bad. You're making it seem like it's worse.' That's just not true. It hasn't always been this bad.

"Transgenderism is the most civilizational-shifting thing that has happened in I don't even know how long. You're talking about something that could change the trajectory of human nature forever. And, of course, if anybody's done the reading, I'm not gonna get into this, and I don't write about this in the book, but if anybody knows what transhumanism is, we're one step away from transhumanism, which we won't even get into," he added, referencing the position that human beings should be permitted to use technology to modify and enhance human cognition and bodily function, expanding abilities and capacities beyond current biological constraints. "And transgenderism sort of makes that possible. It's a sort of Gnosticism that really will bring us into a man-and-machine kind of thing coming in together. It's absolutely horrifying."

Cooper previously warned against transgender ideology earlier this year in an interview with The Daily Signal.

"We don't even believe in objective reality now," he lamented, referring to American society. "We are saying you can be a Christian as you want to, as long as you privatize it. You can be a Christian at your home. Just don't go around telling people. But in the public sphere, [where] we used to be able to talk about religion and objective reality… In the public sphere, we are going to make people’s personal subjective feelings be public truth.

"So if you say, 'I'm a boy, but I know I'm actually a girl, and I believe it in my heart,' the public has to say your inner feelings are true," he added. "But if somebody says, 'No. I can see objective reality. You are a boy,' that's not publicly true, though it can be a privately held belief if you want.

"That's the way to end all things," Cooper said. "That is the destruction of objective reality."

In various interviews over the years, Cooper has said that he "always had faith in God" and that his mother was a "Jesus fanatic." He also claimed that he was willing to put his career on the line to take a stand for Christ.

In 2021, Cooper was asked by the "Undaunted.Life: A Man's Podcast" what he would say to someone who says that Satan works through rock music, and thus Christians shouldn't play rock music. He responded: "I would say Satan can work through just about anything. I would say that music is created not by the Devil; [it is] created by the Lord. All things were created by God. So instead of thinking that the Devil owns a genre of music, I would say capture that music and bring it back into subjection under the lordship of Christ."

As for what he would say to someone who says it is sinful for Christians to have tattoos, Cooper said: "I understand why Christians think that, because of the Old Testament. I would say it probably takes a little bit of a longer explanation of Old Testament law and what it meant. But a short version would be there are some things in the Old Testament that were a picture of something in the New Testament. There are some things that are not pictures, like murder — we don't murder, we don't steal, so and so forth. Dietary restrictions, things like that, were a picture of something.

"Here's what God wanted: God wants to make his people set apart and holy unto his name," he continued. "And I don't think that God does that any longer from the way that we look; he does that now because of Christ's work on the cross, his resurrection, and he sanctifies us, which sets us apart from the sinner and the pagan."

SKILLET's latest album, "Dominion", was released in January 2022 via Atlantic.

"Wimpy, Weak And Woke" was released on November 14.

John's debut book, "Awake & Alive To Truth", has had over 10 printings and won the Book Impact Award at the 2021 K-Love Fan Awards. His podcast, "Cooper Stuff", continues to grow rapidly as well with over four million downloads and more than two million YouTube views.

John Cooper press photo courtesy of The Media Collective

In a recent interview with Chicago's 97.1 FM The Drive, original FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm reflected on being diagnosed with a type of brain tumor called a craniopharyngioma more than 25 years ago. Although the tumor was benign, the resulting surgery severely damaged Gramm's pituitary gland, leading to a massive weight gain and keeping him off the stage for a year.

Regarding how his tumor was diagnosed, Lou said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just started having bad headaches and short-term memory loss. I [initially] couldn't get anybody to operate on it, because of where it was and how complicated it was that normal surgery would've been just a death sentence. So I went to about two or three doctors and had MRIs, and they all told me that I should get my affairs in order. I kind of went into shock. So I went back from New York City to Rochester to put my affairs in order."

Gramm said that he played a few gigs with FOREIGNER within a few weeks of his surgery.

"My surgeon told me because of the length and breadth of the operation, he didn't want me touring for at least a year to a year and a half," he said. "Now, when I in the hospital, FOREIGNER had to cancel a number of shows. So our manager rebooked the shows for two months after my surgery. The doctor wanted me not to perform for a year to a year and a half…. I wanted to do what the doctor wanted me to do, but FOREIGNER's manager said, 'Look, we had to cancel a number of shows because of your surgery and we have to make them up now or we're gonna be sued.' … But I did the shows. But listen to this: I couldn't remember any of the words. I had to have the first two or three words of each verse written out and taped to the floor in a semi-circle for all the songs that we did. I used to move around a lot when I was on stage [and after the surgery] I had to plant myself and keep looking over at the words to make sure I'd remember everything. I was on massive steroids and within six months, my weight doubled. I was 145 pounds at that time of my life, and I had been for 10, 12 years. Within a year, my weight doubled…. [When I got off the steroids, my weight] went back down. It didn't go back down all the way, but it's gone back down a lot. I had to throw every stitch of clothes that I had been wearing to that point. I just donated them to Salvation Army. I was wearing size 42 waist."

In his book "Juke Box Hero: My Five Decades In Rock 'N' Roll", Gramm wrote about his brain tumor: "It was a non-cancerous tumor, but it was the size of a large egg and it was in my frontal lobe and it had tentacles wrapped around my pituitary and optic nerve."

He revealed that he became aware of the tumor in his 40s after experiencing "incredible headaches — worse than any hangover I'd ever had," as well as issues with memory.

He added: "My long and short-term memory started to become spotty, and my eyes would cross once in a while.

"I went for an MRI and they said it was a large tumor, the size of an egg and that it had been there since birth, growing."

When he returned home after his 1997 diagnosis, Gramm happened to come across a television program about a hospital in Boston where they were operating on brain tumors.

Gramm recalled: "At the end of the segment, it gave his office number and I called it early the next morning and his secretary suggested I get my MRIs, get on a plane and come immediately."

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

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

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

SoundExchange, the premier music tech organization powering the future of music, announced today that legendary hard rock band, Metallica, has been awarded the SoundExchange Hall Of Fame Award as one of the most streamed acts in the organization’s 20-year history.


“Metallica is considered one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and for good reason,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. “They have built and rebuilt themselves, continually honing their epic sound with each album and constantly expanding their appeal without abandoning their roots. Metallica is a once-in-a-lifetime success story. Recognizing Metallica with a SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award is an honor.”


Metallica consists of guitarist Kirk Hammett, lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield, bassist Robert Trujillo, and drummer Lars Ulrich. Metallica was presented with the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award prior to their M72 World Tour’s sold-out performance at Detroit’s Ford Field.




Metallica recently released the official live video for "Wherever I May Roam", filmed at Ford Field in Detroit, MI, on November 12. Watch below.


The full audio recording of the above mentioned concert is now available for pre-order here. Expected availability is January 5, 2024.





Tracklisting:


"Whiplash
"For Whom The Bell Tolls"
"Ride The Lightning"
"Dirty Window"
"72 Seasons"
"If Darkness Had A Son"
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
"You Must Burn!"
"The Call Of Ktulu"
"The Unforgiven"
"Wherever I May Roam"
"Moth Into Flame"
"Fight Fire With Fire"
"Whiskey In The Jar"
"One"
"Enter Sandman"

Former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg, who was fired from the band in early November, recently shared live drumcam footage of himself performing "Everything Ends" at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic on January 27, 2016. The upload coincided with the November 5th statement issued by Slipknot saying Weinberg has been let go.


Weinberg's final show with the band took place on Friday, November 3rd at the Hell & Heaven festival in Toluca, Mexico.







On November 5th, Slipknot released a statement via social media saying they had parted ways with drummer Jay Weinberg. It was later removed from all of the band's social media platforms without explanation but remains on their official website. It can be read below.





On November 11th, Weinberg issued a statement confirming his departure from Slipknot:


"I sometimes wonder what it would be like to pay a visit to my wide-eyed, 10-year-old self — falling head over heels in love with a new and exciting sound and culture — and tell him all about the last 10 years. Even on the hardest days, I’d like to think he’d be stoked about the adventure that was in store for him.


I was heartbroken and blindsided to receive the phone call that I did on the morning of November 5th; the news of which, most of you learned shortly after. However, I’ve been overwhelmed by — and truly grateful for — the outpouring of love and support I’ve received from this incredible community I consider to be my creative and artistic home.


This is not the ending to the journey I’d dreamt of, and committed myself to seeing through — not by a long shot. But, despite the confusion and sadness, there is something that’s provided an equal amount of comfort. For many of you reading this: 10 years ago, we weren’t yet acquainted. And now, we are. For that, I’m thankful in ways I’ll never be able to fully express.


I love playing the drums. I’ll always love playing the drums. I’ll always have a passion for music, art, and creative expression. Nothing will ever change that.


I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but I look forward to creating loud, passionate, and heartfelt music that we enjoy together again. Until then, please know it’s been the joy of a lifetime to spend the last 10 years with you, sharing in our love for this special corner of the music and art world.


This isn’t the end, and I’m thrilled to discover what the future has in store for us.


Thank you."




 

 
 

 


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Former Annihilator drummer Mike Harshaw - who was with the band from 2012 – 2016 - has shared drum cam video of "Brain Dance" performed in Bocum, Germany on the In the Blood European Tour in 2015. Check it out below.





In the wake of drummer Mike Mangini leaving Dream Theater to make way for the return of founding member Mike Portnoy, Harshaw recently shared video from Wacken Open Air 2015, when Mangini reunited with Annihilator to perform "Set The World On Fire". Check it out below.




Mangini was with Annihilator in 1993, returned through 2004 and 2005, then again in 2007.

In a new interview with Jaimunji of Australia's Metal Roos, Wednesday 13 was asked if there are any unreleased demos or songs from his former band, the revered glam punk icons MURDERDOLLS, that could potentially see the light of day at some point in the future. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Unfortunately, the song we have — there's only one song that's finished that was never released, and it was banned by the record company because it was too offensive. It was offensive then, and it's even worse now. So it's never gonna see the light of day. Like I said, it was bad then, but it's even worse now. And the only other song, and I've never… I saw Joey [Jordison, late MURDERDOLLS guitarist who played drums on the band's recordings] tracking it, and I would love to hear it to see if he actually… I don't know if I could actually compose what he did. But we were finishing up 'Women And Children Last'. Joey and I wanted to record a cover of David Bowie's 'Five Years'. That's one of our favorite songs, and that was a song that was special, a bond between us. And one night Joey literally just went, 'I'm going out to the studio and I'm recording this.' And he made our engineer go out at midnight. And he goes, 'I'm tracking drums.' And he went in with headphones by himself and recorded the drum tracks for his version, in his head, what he heard, of 'Five Years'. He recorded [it], and it's just drums. And I don't know — I've never heard it to listen to it. I would love to build on that. But I don't know if it's finished. But I know he tracked it. And you bringing it up, I'm just literally thinking about it now. I wonder if that's a finished track, if that's something we could build upon, 'cause that would be a cool thing. I just don't know if I could transcribe what he had in his head, because he literally played to his own beat, his own rhythm. That's how he did a lot of stuff. So, I would love to hear it, but, unfortunately, that's the only two things, I think, that might exist — one that's just a skeleton and one that's — yeah."

Regarding the aforementioned unreleased MURDERDOLLS song that was "banned" by the band's record company, Wednesday 13 added: "It's all tongue in cheek, but people are a little too offended these days. And I think this would twist the 'cancel' knob a little too hard."

Wednesday 13 has completed several tours celebrating 21 years of MURDERDOLLS. Wednesday 13 and his current band — which features MURDERDOLLS alumni Roman Surman and Jack Tankersley — are performing a full set of MURDERDOLLS songs, taken from the band's celebrated 2002 debut album "Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls" and the 2010 sophomore LP "Women And Children Last", which won them the Revolver Golden Gods "Comeback Of The Year" award. Wednesday 13 was the frontman and songwriter, alongside guitarist and his creative partner in crime Joey Jordison (SLIPKNOT),in the metallic glam punk outfit.

After the completion of the touring cycle for "Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls", MURDERDOLLS went on hiatus so that Jordison could focus on his other band SLIPKNOT. In 2010, MURDERDOLLS released a sophomore album, "Women And Children Last", which did not feature guitarist Acey Slade, bassist Eric Griffin and drummer Ben "The Ghoul" Graves, all of whom toured in support of "Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls" but did not appear on any of MURDERDOLLS' records.

Wednesday 13 reunited with Griffin and Slade on stage for the first time in over a decade in August 2018 at Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood. The event, which celebrated the life of Graves, saw the trio performing some of MURDERDOLLS' classic songs.

Graves, who also worked with PRETTY BOY FLOYD and DOPE, passed away in May 2018 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was only 45 years old.

The MURDERDOLLS did a number of major tours in support of "Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls". By the summer of 2003, the tenacity of the band was paying off. Tours with IRON MAIDEN, PAPA ROACH and the FOO FIGHTERS around the world and a Top 40 U.K. single with "White Wedding" made the band fan favorite in Metal Hammer, Metal Edge, Kerrang! and Rock Sound magazines.

Jordison died "peacefully in his sleep" in July 2021 of an undisclosed cause. He was 46 years old.

On November 19th, Swedish deathglam kings Deathstars performed at Sala Mon in Madrid, Spain. Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"Night Electric Night" 
"Between Volumes and Voids" 
"All the Devil's Toys" 
"Ghost Reviver" 
"Midnight Party" 
"Tongues" 
"The Greatest Fight on Earth" 
"Death Dies Hard" 
"This Is" 
"New Dead Nation" 
"Fire Galore" 
"Metal" 
"Blood Stains Blondes" 
"Chertograd" 




Encore: 
"Blitzkrieg" 
"Cyanide"





Deathstars recently released their fifth studio album, Everything Destroys You, last week via Nuclear Blast Records. Today, the band presents the video for the album’s title track, "Everything Destroys You", which is directed by Damon Zurawski, who also did the video for "Midnight Party". The video was filmed in the cold, hard surroundings of an old, abandoned slaughterhouse in Stockholm.


Whiplasher tells about the video: ”Everything Destroys You” is a video that literally destroys the band. We have killed the band in quite a few of our videos, and for those who want to see us dead once again this is another excellent opportunity to see that happen. On one hand you could see Nightmare busy behind swaying chains in the cellar, while Skinny is working on a double bass at the same time as I got electric shocks from a depraved nurse."





The album is available in the following formats:


- CD jewel case with 16-page booklet
- 1LP Sleeve + A2 Poster white
- 1LP Sleeve + A2 Poster splatter dark green & yellow


Order here.





Tracklisting:


“This Is”
“Midnight Party”
“Anti All”
“Everything Destroys You”
“Between Volumes And Voids”
“An Atomic Prayer”
“Blood For Miles”
“The Churches Of Oil”
“The Infrahuman Masterpiece”
“Angel Of Fortune And Crime”


"Angel Of Fortune And Crime" lyric video:





"Midnight Party" video:





“This Is” video:

During the question-and-answer portion of this month's Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp's "Metalmania III" in Los Angeles, Marty Friedman spoke about his upcoming solo album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET; video by TheSilverdude): "I've got 15 solo albums now, and each time I try to do something new and something I've never done before. I don't want ever to be heard as one of those guys, 'Ah, his early albums were great.' You know what I mean? I used to say that about my favorite guitarists — sadly — and I never wanted that to be said about me. So I'm always challenging myself on new stuff. On this new album that I'm about 70 percent done with, the closest thing I can relate it to is an album I had called 'Scenes' [1992], which I released quite a while ago. It was very dramatic and orchestral, and there was a lot of other type of instruments — violins, cellos and all that type of stuff. So it's more of a dramatic, orchestral concept. But everything that I've learned since that 'Scenes' album has just exponentially grown, so it's a much bigger scale. So if you like that 'Scenes' album at all, I think this one will be right up your alley."

Marty previously talked about his next solo LP last month in an interview with Chris Akin Presents. At the time, he said: "I've been recording my upcoming album for almost a year now. And it's gonna be finished by the end of the year, and it's gonna come out in the spring of 2024. And boy, it's an ambitious one. But, of course, I say that every time. But every time I have to top the one that was before it, so the task keeps getting more and more insane. And right now I would say I'm about 75 percent done with that."

As for some of the other projects he is currently involved with, Marty said: "I'm editing my autobiography, which will come out also next year. And also, I just did the most exhaustive instructional video series for TrueFire — the most exhaustive one they've ever done and the most exhaustive one I've ever done by far. It's the deepest dive into just the way I see music, which apparently is not the same as how others see it. Not that it's better or worse, but it's just completely different. So for the first time ever, including any of my other instructional things, for the first time ever, I've really actually worked hard on it and created this thing. And I did it at the end of the tour, the U.S. tour that I did earlier this year, and now it's just about finished. [We're] just putting the last edits on and just about done with that. So, it's kind of a lot of post-production work at this point."

Asked what challenges and motivates him to keep pushing forward with his music, Marty said: "I'm not really so much into trying something that I haven't done for the sake of trying something I haven't done. I'm trying to impress me with something that I've never done before. It's not like I'm gonna suddenly wake up one day and say, 'Okay, I'm gonna be a rapper' or something. I do what I do and I have my musical vision and sound. I just try to do deeper things with it. I try to make more complex emotions, deeper emotions in the music, more interesting, melodic twists and turns, more adventurous things, things that I wasn't deep enough to do last year or two years ago, or five years ago, things that I couldn't hear back then, things that I can only hear because life has given me more experiences since then, and, of course, more musical experiences, and just to consciously be aware of stuff that I've already done and not repeat it. It's a natural challenge that I've been doing forever, and the hardest part is that blank sheet when I just start from zero. It's, like, 'How am I going to top that last thing that I just did? I worked my ass off. I'm completely done. I have nothing left. I've got zero.' And so that's the challenge. But now that I'm about 70, 80 percent done with this new record, I'm pretty confident with it. And I really am looking forward to letting everybody hear it."

This past April, Friedman told Justin Hunt of The Entertainment Outlet he "recorded about half" of his upcoming album in the summer of 2022. "I went over to Italy and I recorded about half of an album."

Regarding what fans can expect from his upcoming LP, Marty said: "I think it's gonna please a lot of people who liked my album 'Scenes', one of my earlier albums. It's kind of in that vein, but much more modern. And it's got all the things that I've added to my musical — I don't know how to say it — palette, or what I'm trying to do musically. It's basically a grown-up version of 'Scenes', really, so far. But I haven't finished it. It's taking a long time, but, you know, tender love and care. And it's coming along great."

Friedman went on to say that his recent U.S. tour as the support act for QUEENSRŸCHE was a "perfect" way to inspire him to complete his new album. He explained: "This tour I'm playing really my most aggressive music with my most aggressive band. And that is perfect for my mentality for writing stuff like 'Scenes'. That's how 'Scenes' happened in the first place, because I was touring with MEGADETH like a maniac, and I was playing all this really, really heavy stuff every single night, and now I'm doing the exact same thing with my band. And so what I write is the complete opposite. So it's kind of like a really good creative time. And things are moving along really nice."

Marty's latest album, "Tokyo Jukebox 3", came out in April 2021 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group. The record, which was made available in Japan in October 2020, is the third in a series that began with "Tokyo Jukebox" in 2009, and then "Tokyo Jukebox 2" following in 2011. The trilogy presents Friedman's inspired performances to Japanese repertoire he's chosen to cover.

Marty's presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.

Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy "Hebimeta-san" ("Mr. Heavy Metal") and its spinoff, "Rock Fujiyama", which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan's mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, performed Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name" for this week's Sunday Lunch session. Watch the clip below:





Compare with the original:







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


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


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


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


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


Read the interview here. A selection of other recent Sunday Lunch clips are as follows:


Kaiser Chiefs - "I Predict A Riot":





David Bowie - "Heroes":





The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy":





XYZ - "Nice Day To Die":





 

Finland's industrial influenced Kaos Krew, launched in 2005, has returned to its roots as a one-man band with its upcoming sixth album, Blackout. The full length will be released in December 15th via Inverse Records. All of the songs were written and performed by the band's founder, Ulf Skog, accompanied with a number of visiting session musicians.


Listen to the third single "Retribution" on music services here. Watch the official video below.


Ulf Skog on the single: "I would rather leave this for the listener to interpret what this song is about. It could be about a train journey to the front line and the experiences of war, but could also be about a person that feels like an outsider in the society."







Line-up:


Petter Löf - lead vocals
Kai Jokiaho - drums
Ulf Skog - everything else


Photo by Anders Wingren

Metalville Records has announced February 23rd, 2024 as the international release date for Lionheart's highly anticipated fourth album, The Grace Of A Dragonfly.


As soon as the previous album, The Reality Of Miracles, hit the shelves in 2020, Lionheart knuckled down to record the next one, deciding early on that this time they would produce a concept album. The record centres around WW2, but the band very much wanted to make this an anti-war album, while at the same time remembering those who fought for our freedom.


The songs on The Grace Of A Dragonfly are sensational, with Lee Small’s emotional lyrics reflecting not only the pain and grief inflicted by war on ordinary, innocent people in every conflict zone, but also their strength, resilience, and determination. Supported by Lionheart’s superb songwriting, soaring backing vocals, beautiful twin-guitar harmonies, and atmospheric keyboards, Lionheart’s sheer power shines brightly from every one of the eleven songs, culminating in a heartfelt prayer for peace in the world.







Tracklist:


"Declaration"
"Flight 19"
"V Is For Victory"
"This Is A Woman's War"
"The Longest Night"
"The Eagle's Nest"
"Little Ships"
"Just A Man"
"UXB"
"The Grace Of A Dragonfly"
"Remembrance, Praying For World Peace"


Lionheart lineup: 


Lee Small (The Sweet, ex-Shy) - lead vocals
Dennis Stratton (ex-Iron Maiden) - lead guitar/backing vocals
Steve Mann (MSG, ex-Liar) - lead guitar/backing vocals
Rocky Newton (Grand Slam, ex-MSG) - bass guitar/backing vocals
Clive Edwards (ex-Pat Travers, Uli Jon Roth & Wild Horses) - drums, percussion

Trivium frontman Matt heafy has shared live video of the band performing"Torn Between Scylla And Charybdis" on tour. The track is taken from the band's fourth record, Shogun, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.





Bullet For My Valentine wrapped up their North American tour on November 10th at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida. They were joined by Heafy for "Tears Don't Fall", bringing the house down two songs into their first encore. Check out the fan-filmed video below. 

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared a cover of the Meat Loaf epic "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)". Check it out below.





Heavy metal titans Judas Priest have announced their Invincible Shield Tour, with special guests Sabaton. The all-time greats will take over the US this spring with 14 shows.




Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off on April 18 at Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT making stops in Reading, PA; Boston, MA; Rosemont, IL; Washington, DC and more before wrapping up in Syracuse, NY at Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview on May 22. Metalheads are in for the show of a lifetime as few rock or metal acts remain as much of a must-see live attraction as Judas Priest!


Tickets are available at judaspriestinvincibleshield.com.





Tour dates:


April
18 - Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale Theatre
19 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
21 - Reading, PA - Santander Arena
24 - Bangor, ME - Cross Insurance Center
25 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
27 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Center*
28 - Indianapolis, IN - Everwise Amphitheater at White River


May
1 - Rosemont, IL - Rosemont Theatre
2 - Minneapolis, MN - The Armory
4 - Kalamazoo, MI - Wings Event Center*
5 - Maryland Heights, MO - St Louis Music Park
7 - Huntsville, AL - VBC Propst Arena*
9 - Daytona, FL - Welcome to Rockville^
11 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
12 - Mobile, AL - Mobile Civic Center Arena*
14 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
17 - Evansville, IN - Ford Center*
19 - Washington, DC -The Theater at MGM National Harbor
21 - Albany, NY - MVP Arena
22 - Syracuse, NY - Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview


* not a Live Nation date
^ festival performance

The video below features a rare performance of "Another Piece Of Meat", live in Houston, Texas from June 27, 1980. The footage has been carefully restored from the Scorpions archive.





Scorpions have announced five German dates in Germany next September, as part of the band's Love At First Sting Tour 2024.




Says the band: "Very excited to bring the Love At First Sting Tour home to Germany. Join us next September. Tickets and info at The-Scorpions.com/tour.





The new dates are:


September
11 - Arena Nürnberger Versicherung - Nürnberg, Germany
13 - Barclaycard Arena - Hamburg, Germany
15 - Quarterback Immobilien Arena - Leipzig, Germany
18 - Lanxess Arena - Cologne, Germany
20 - Festhalle - Frankfurt, Germany


Scorpions are returning to the Las Vegas Strip in 2024 with a brand new exclusive headlining residency show in celebration of the 40th anniversary of their iconic album, Love At First Sting, performing the album plus all of their biggest hits.





Scorpions - Love At First Sting Las Vegas kicks off on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The new show follows the band’s popular “Sin City Nights” residency which sold out all nine performances at the venue in 2022.


"We're very excited to return to Las Vegas in 2024 for nine more concerts at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s Bakkt Theater. We can't wait to share our new show with our fans in the US, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the iconic Love At First Sting album along with our biggest Hits! Get ready for another Desert Sting … it's gonna be a Hell of a Ride!!!" - Klaus Meine


For more information and and to claim your tickets, visit The-Scorpions.com/RockZone.


The nine performances on sale are:


April 2024: 11, 13, 18, 20, 24, 26 & 28
May 2024: 1 &  3

Master's Call are a force of heavy metal blackened by death from the Black Country, UK - the birthplace of heavy metal itself. The band's debut album, A Journey For The Damned, is out now on CD Digipak and on limited vinyl (300 copies each) in black/white and red/blue marbled, as well as digital. Order the album here.


"We almost can’t believe it - after all the frustrations and delays, the day has finally arrived and our debut album is finally out in the wild! It’s a monumental milestone moment for us, not only as it marks the first full length for the band, but it symbolizes our undying persistence and will to see things through to the end", comments the band.


To celebrate the album release day, Master's Call reveal their third and new single, along with a video clip, for the monumental track "Damnation's Black Winds".




“It is a culmination of the previous two singles "The Serpent's Rise" and "Blood On The Altar", taking the knowledge of the dark influences that surround you and the faith to sacrifice yourself for your beliefs, the true enemy shall be revealed and then destroyed. This track manages to strikes a balance of being both epic and melodic whilst still thundering and kicking-ass throughout. We’re particularly proud of this one, to achieve what we were going for it was probably the most difficult song to write."


Watch the clip below.





Tracklisting:


"All Hope In Fire"
"Beyond The Gates"
"The Serpent’s Rise"
"Blood On The Altar"
"Damnation’s Black Winds"
"Into The Abyss Once More"
"Pathways"


"Damnation’s Black Winds" video:





"Blood On The Altar" video:





"The Serpent’s Rise" video:





Master's Call's debut EP, entitled Morbid Black Trinity, was released in 2019 and was universally well received from the press and metal community worldwide. With invites to perform at multiple metal festivals, the band is proving itself as a visceral dark force in the live scene, despite only a single EP release thus far.


After marching forth through the pandemic and various line-up changes within the band, the long-awaited debut album, A Journey For The Damned, finally reached the end of its long journey to completion. Their next chapter is about to begin and is set to burn their mark on the world! “It’s been a hell of a long journey with many obstacles to overcome, but for us it’s so good to have finally made it to the end with the summation of it all captured and sealed in time”, says guitarist Dave Powell. During the album recordings, the band lost three vocalists in total, ending up having guitar player John Wilcox becoming the final singer. “So three vocalists down was feeling like a curse. We had most of the album written and even had the vocals for a couple of songs recorded with a vocalist we no longer had. In the end John volunteered to switch from guitars to vocals, which was a very drastic change for us dynamically as me and him up to that point were the two guitarists both live and in the songwriting”, comments Dave and adds: “In the end whilst we finished up recording the album we had a new guitarist, Bear, join us to cover live shows at first, but has since become a fully-fledged band member.”


Master's Call convince with a black mixture of everything that is extreme, but with melodies and straight-forward, recognizable songs, that basically can be described as black hymns. “We are an Extreme Metal band that remembers its roots and incorporates them into our “heavy metal blackened by death” message. Whilst all of us in the band may individually branch off on our own voyages into obscure Underground Extreme Metal discoveries we still share that unified mindset”, explains Dave and looks even further back: “When we first started as a 2-man project John was more the Black Metal guy and I was more the Death Metal listener. We still always shared a mutual love and respect for all extreme metal genres and that continued with the rest of the members that joined the band: Watain, Morbid Angel, Immortal, Emperor, Necrophobic, Dimmu Borgir, Slayer, Cradle Of Filth to name a few favorites - and of course the Classic Metal bands, especially those that came from our home such as Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. They started it all and that inspires us to keep that Black Country flag flying!”
 
When it comes to the lyrics on A Journey For The Damned, they all lead into a similar direction. “They mainly deal with the dark and turbulent path through life: the atrocities, struggles and the victories that will be encountered along the way, as well as the spirituality and beliefs that influence us as we journey toward the inevitability of death”, comments John. For the final mix and mastering, the band went down to Germany, working with Kristian "Kohle" Bonifer at his Kohlekeller Studios, mostly known for his work with Powerwolf, but also extreme bands like Aborted, Sinister and Agathodaimon. “The thing that stood out was that he wasn’t a one-trick pony mixing the same sound for all bands. Every band had their own sound whilst still sounding appropriate for the metal subgenre they are in”, reflects Dave and adds: “It was great to work with him, as expected! He was able to cater to our vision whilst still doing things in his way. And it was a great learning experience for us too, he gave us pointers that will no doubt benefit the way in which we approach certain elements on future recordings.”


Master's Call is:


John Wilcox - Vocals
Dave Powell - Guitar
Bear - Guitar
Adam Tricklebank - Bass
James Williams - Drums

Holland based melodeath/thrashers, Insurrection, proudly presents cover artwork, first single, tracklisting and release date for their brand new 4-track Exiled To Earth EP.


Following Catatonic (EP, 2015) and Circles Of Despair (full-length, 2019), Exiled To Earth contains meticulously written and thought out melodeath/thrash songs: equally aggressive, upbeat and melodic, but with an added touch of prog and atmosphere this time.


The forthcoming EP will be available digital and as a very limited digipack CD on Tunnelgeur Records exclusively on December 22. Watch a video for the song "Crimson Skies" below.




Mix and mastering for Exiled To Earth was done by Mendel bij de Leij, who previously helmed efforts for Aborted, Severe Torture, For I Am King, Haliphron, etc.





Tracklisting:


"Hopeless World Below"
"The End Of Honesty"
"In Terram Extorres"
"Crimson Skies"

Professionally-filmed footage of Burning Witches performing three songs at the 2023 edition of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, has been released and can be viewed below:





Burning Witches unleashed their fifth studio album, The Dark Tower, back in May via Napalm Records. On fifteen energetic tracks, Burning Witches ring the bells for a midnight mass in smoky-warm bars. “World On Fire” first gets the listener’s pulse pumping due to the rising tension of flashy guitar work, before melodic six-string solos unite with unbeatable guitar onslaughts and sophisticated drum attacks - underlining conjuring vocal lines that call out for an evening zombie dance! Restless and intense, the fierce women of Burning Witches shred their instruments on The Dark Tower like no other, but with the soft mid-tempo track “Tomorrow”, the witches settle down to gather their strength for just a moment. Bittersweet melodies float up to the sky like weightless feathers, carrying a message of five confident women. Ready again to gradually increase the tempo, “Heart Of Ice” and “Arrow Of Time” ensnare with extravagant guitar tapping and heroic vocals by Laura, while “The Lost Souls” merges devilish staccato and legato riffs, creating an ominous atmosphere amid the bewitching screams of the five Swiss enchantresses. With their new studio album, Burning Witches not only bring back the glory days of heavy metal, but push it beyond - trapping the soul of each listener with energetic performances on The Dark Tower.







The Dark Tower tracklisting:


"Rise Of Darkness"
"Unleash The Beast"
"Renegade"
"Evil Witch"
"World On Fire"
"Tomorrow"
"House Of Blood"
"The Dark Tower"
"Heart Of Ice"
"Arrow Of Time"
"Doomed To Die"
"Into The Unknown"
"The Lost Souls"


“The Dark Tower” video:





"Unleash The Beast"





Lineup:


Laura Guldemond - Vocals
Romana Kalkuhl - Guitars
Courtney Cox – Guitars (stand in/special guest)
Larissa Ernst - Guitars
Jeanine Grob - Bass
Lala Frischknecht - Drums

Fargo were one of Germany’s most important rock acts of the early 1980s, the Hanover-based band achieving true cult status on the strength of four studio releases between 1979 and 1982, and tours alongside AC/DC, Mothers Finest and The Small Faces, among others. Following an extended hiatus, Fargo returned in 2016, bringing out two highly acclaimed studio albums and touring Germany and Switzerland several times.


February 23 will see the re-release of their four early classics - Wishing Well (1979), No Limit (1980), Frontpage Lover (1981) and F (1982) - via Steamhammer/SPV. The Early Years (1979-1982) will be available as a premium 4CD box set including photos and liner notes, as well as all albums as vinyl discs with printed inner sleeves. All four albums have been remastered, their debut Wishing Well also having been remixed.







The band was founded in spring 1973 by Peter ‘Fargo-Pedda’ Knorn, soon to be joined by singer/guitarist Peter Ladwig. The group quickly garnered a loyal fan base and signed a recording contract with music industry giant EMI only a few years later. In the meantime, guitarist Matthias Jabs had also joined the fold, but later proceeded to team up with the Scorpions in 1978, with whom he continues to enjoy global fame. Fargo went on to garner international acclaim in their own right and released four sensational studio albums courtesy of the EMI Group.


The band toured Europe repeatedly, played live alongside international top acts and delivered brilliant TV performances (e.g. on German TV channel ZDF’s “Rock Pop” music programme). Due to their sensational stage act (Knorn’s legendary headfirst somersault being a regular part of the show), even Europe’s most popular teen magazine, BRAVO, dedicated two full pages to the Fargo bassist in January 1981.


After a period of upheaval, the hard rock band Victory emerged from what had been left of Fargo in 1984 and continued its predecessor’s successful career. As Victory’s bassist, Knorn expertly navigated the pitfalls of the international rock circus with his new group. Fargo had initially been put on ice, but returned into the limelight in 2016 and have been an integral part of the rock music scene ever since.


The CD Box and the LPs will be released on February 23 via Steamhammer/SPV and they can be pre-ordered here.