Iron Savior frontman / founder Piet Sielck, who revealed back in July that he was undergoing cancer treatment, has checked in with the following update:


"Surgery done! All went extremely well. After three nights of intensive care (standard procedure after surgery), I came here where I spent the last days. The docs are super happy with all of my progress and it is very likely that the will send me home tomorrow! For me, it is really hard to believe how fast and how good things are going. 


Almost funny note on the side: two days ago they told me that the chemotherapy worked so extremely well, that all they took out was the remains of a totally dead tumor. No living tumor cells at all!! Now I will recover and do the second safety chemo round to make sure, that absolutely all of the enemy will be destroyed!




Thank you for all your wishes and your energy. This really means a lot to me and gave a lot of extra power to stand this battle!"





Iron Savior released their new studio album, Firestar, on October 6 via AFM.


The album features a wide range of influences from hard rock to pop, all calibrated to heavy metal standards thanks to those typical Iron Savior virtues. But sometimes pure coincidence or seemingly inconspicuous little details can turn a very good album into an outstanding release. In the case of Firestar, it has come as a real surprise even for Sielck that the new songs surpass the material of the impressive 2020-album Skycrest.


In fact, the cornerstones of the current offering were already set and pointed to a successful production within the tried and tested framework, when all of a sudden everything turned out rather differently: “Just before the recordings were finalised, I was inspired by the muse, totally of the blue. I wrote two more songs out of nowhere and changed a third one on the spur of the moment. And suddenly, ‘Firestar’ turned into an even better record,” says Sielck happily, admitting that this unexpected creative surge “triggered great emotions” in him. "In The Realm Of Heavy Metal" was one of these tracks.


Iron Savior have again come up with an exceptional studio album in Firestar, enhanced by Felipe Machado Franco’s impressive cover artwork presenting the Iron Savior spaceship that has been around since 2011. The cherry on the cake is the powerful production courtesy of Hamburg’s Powerhouse Studio, including intelligently positioned keyboard parts and the anthemic background choirs, supported by Sielck’s 17-year-old daughter Frida and her boyfriend. Without any doubt, Firestar promises to be a bonfire in many respects.





Tracklisting:


“The Titan”
“Curse Of The Machinery”
“In The Realm Of Heavy Metal”
“Demise Of The Tyrant”
“Firestar”
“Through The Fires Of Hell”
“Mask, Cloak And Sword”
“Across The Wastelands”
“Rising From Ashes”
“Nothing Is Forever”
“Together As One”


"In The Realm Of Heavy Metal" video:





“Firestar” video:





“Through The Fires Of Hell”:





Iron Savior is:


Piet Sielck (vocals, guitars)
Joachim “Piesel” Küstner (guitars)
Jan S. Eckert (bass)
Patrick Klose (drums)

Skid Row frontman, Erik Grönwall, has shared the video below, featuring a performance of the Helloween classic, "Eagle Fly Free", from the band's 1988 album, Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II.


Says Erik: "A big THANK YOU to Kai and Tim Hansen for joining me on this one. It is truly an honour for me to have father and son feature this version of 'Eagle Fly Free'!"







Skid Row recently announced a necessary adjustment to their upcoming tour schedule. Due to utmost concern for the health and well-being of Erik Grönwall, the band made the decision to move the third leg of their US and Canada tour, originally scheduled for October 2023, to March 2024.


Said Grönwall: “I want to apologize to all the fans, promoters, Buckcherry and the Skid Row team and to my band mates. Due to the stem cell transplantation I did on August 12, 2021 my immune system is still partially impaired, which can result in longer time before clearance of infections and also impaired fitness during infections. It will get better with time and all I can do until then is roll with the punches and ensure I have a better balance in terms of touring.”


Erik details his situation further in the new video below:





The new tour dates will now take place in March 2024, the fourth leg of The Gang’s All Here Tour in December with Buckcherry is still scheduled as planned.


"Both Skid Row and Buckcherry deeply value the support of their fans, promoters and everyone involved in the shows, and understand that this change may inconvenience some people. To those who have purchased tickets, we kindly ask for your patience as all tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Refunds will be available for those who cannot attend the rescheduled shows. Thanks for your understanding and continued loyalty. You are truly the best!" - Snake, Rachel, Scotti, Rob, Erik


"We in Buckcherry send all our support and best wishes to Erik for a speedy recovery and can't wait to get the gang back together for the December run." - Josh, Stevie, Kelly, Francis, Billy





Rescheduled Dates:


February
28 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre


March
1 - Suquamish, WA - Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort
2 - Arlington, WA - Angel Of The Winds Casino Resort
3 - Coquitlam, BC - Hard Rock Casino Vancouver
5 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom         
7 - Enoch, AB - The Venue at River Cree Resort and Casino
8 - Dawson Creek, BC - Ovintiv Events Centre
9 - Calgary, AB - Grey Eagle Casino
12 - Lethbridge, AB - ENMAX Centre
13 - Saskatoon, SK - TCU Place
15 - Moose Jaw, SK - Moose Jaw Events Centre
16 - Cold Lake, AB - Reid Fieldhouse *
17 - Brandon, MB - Westoba Place
18 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
20 - Thunder Bay, ON - Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
22 - Green Bay, WI - Epic Event Center
23 - Sault Ste. Marie, MI - Kewadin Casino
24 - Rochester, MI - The Roxy *


* Buckcherry only


To view Skid Row's tour schedule, visit this location. Buckcherry's tour schedule can be found here.

Longtime TESLA guitarist Dave Rude will release his full-length solo album, "Through The Fire", on November 17 via Rat Pak Records. The LP features 11 new studio tracks and was mixed by TESLA bandmate Brian Wheat at his studio J-Street Records in Sacramento, California.

Regarding the writing and recording process, Dave states, "'Through The Fire' was written all over the world — in dressing rooms, hotels and at soundchecks.

"When I tour with TESLA, I usually have a mobile Pro Tools recording rig with me so I can put down ideas during our downtime. Writing and recording in so many different places over a long stretch of time gave the songs a lot of variety and dynamics. I'm very happy with how it turned out and I'm excited to get this music out there."

From the driving intro of album opener "Hell And Back" to the melodic acoustic outro track "Ship Came In", Rude shines with his signature brand of rock and roll. Tracks like "Drink With The Devil", "By The Blade", "Eye For An Eye" and "Ain't My Time" are chock full of memorable hooks and melodies, while songs like "Bron-Yr-Rude" and "Gotta Pay" showcase his diverse and unique songwriting abilities. "Through The Fire" delivers all the power and punch that one would expect from this high-level guitarist.

"Through The Fire" track listing

01. Hell And Back
02. Gotta Pay
03. Drink With The Devil
04. Ain't My Time
05. Bron-Yr-Rude
06. Through The Fire
07. By The Blade
08. Dying Breed
09. Starlight
10. Eye For An Eye
11. Ship Came In

Rude joined TESLA in 2006, just in time to appear on the band's "Real To Reel" (2007) and "Forever More" (2008) albums.

"I grew up listening to TESLA," Rude told WTOP earlier this year. "I got the 'Five Man Acoustical Jam' record when I was in seventh grade and I had it on a cassette, I had no CD player yet, and I literally wore it out to where the writing was gone and it was like a blank piece of plastic with music inside and followed the band ever since … that was my gateway drug to TESLA … It all just happened really randomly when Frank Hannon found me on MySpace in 2006."

Two years ago, Wheat told "The SDR Show" about how Rude landed the TESLA gig: "Frank Hannon, he does a lot of social media. He found Dave Rude on MySpace. He said, 'I saw this guy. His picture looks really cool. So then I checked him out, and he's got some cool songs.' And I said, 'Well, cool. Get together with him, play and let's see what happens.' And then Dave came to my studio. Frank was there. And him and Frank were out there playing. And I walked in there and listened to Dave playing and I looked at Frank and went [shakes his head up and down]. And then we put Dave in with the band. He did one rehearsal, and we all went [shakes his head up and down].

"Look, Dave Rude I cannot say enough great things about," Brian added. "He saved that band. 'Cause when he came in, we were at a point where the whole thing could have ended again. And he came in and gave us a shot in the arm. I love that kid. He's great."

In a 2007 interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Rude said that it was "really easy" for him to fit in with the rest of TESLA musically. "I am younger but we have the same background," he said. "I was always the odd one out in my generation because I didn't like the new stuff. I listen to the classic radio station all the time. I had been a TESLA fan since I was a little kid so I knew their music. In the FRANK HANNON BAND, we played a lot of TESLA songs and we practiced on the bus a lot to get me ready."

Asked if he was nervous about replacing original member Tommy Skeoch in TESLA, Rude said: "Tommy was a big part of the band and I was a huge Tommy fan and I still am. I was not that nervous, because I felt so at home. I was a little worried that the fans would not take it well because he was such a big figure in the band, but they have been great. The Frank Hannon tour helped, because I met a lot of the fans at the shows. They were in small clubs and we would hang out. Everyone embraced me really well, and when it transferred into TESLA, then everyone already knew me. I was expecting 'Where's Tommy?' signs, but everyone was really cool. TESLA fans love their guys and they love the music. I think they are happy that the band is still going."

Australian metal juggernauts Parkway Drive - Winston McCall (vocals), Luke Kilpatrick (guitar), Jeff Ling (guitar), Jia O'Connor (bass), and Ben Gordon (drums) - played at Resurrection Fest Estrella Galicia 2023 on July 1st in Viveiro, Spain. Pro-shot video of their entire show can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"Glitch"
"Prey"
"Carrion"
"The Void"
"Soul Bleach"
"Vice Grip"
"Dedicated"
"Idols and Anchors"
"Wishing Well"
"Sleepwalker"
"The Greatest Fear"
"Shadow Boxing"
"Darker Still"
"Bottom Feeder"
"Crushed"
"Wild Eyes"







In 2022, Parkway Drive released their seventh album, Darker Still, via Epitaph Records.





Tracklisting:


"Ground Zero"
"Like Napalm"
"Glitch"
"The Greatest Fear"
"Darker Still"
"Imperial Heretic"
"If A God Can Bleed"
"Soul Bleach"
"Stranger"
"Land Of The Lost"
"From The Heart Of The Darkness"


"Darker Still" video:





"The Greatest Fear" video:





"Glitch" video:

Meshuggah have released a new single, "Neurotica", guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping for every headbanger. This rendition is the second track to emerge from the remastered 25th anniversary edition of their monumental album, Chaosphere.


Press play and get catapulted into an unrelenting sonic journey as the track kicks off with an extreme, high-energy beat delivered by drummer extraordinaire Tomas Haake. "Neurotica" showcases intricate and complex rhythms, a signature of Meshuggah, demonstrating the band's mastery.


Stream the track here, listen below:







Originally released on November 9, 1998, the band’s third full-length studio album shows the band toning down some of the thrashier sounds of previous releases in favor of the more technical, polyrhythmic, groove-oriented sound they would go to explore on subsequent albums.


To commemorate the album's quarter-century anniversary, Atomic Fire will unleash a sonically updated version of the album on November 10. The re-release of this masterpiece comes in hi-def audio remastered by Thomas Eberger and Sofia von Hage at Stockholm Mastering on all streaming platforms, as well as a jewel case CD edition (incl. 8-page booklet), and stunning new vinyl colors (most are limited worldwide to under 1500 of each color, 180 grams, 2cLP in 5 mm Sleeve incl. 2-page insert), to complete every collector’s dream.





Pre-order here. Listen to the remastered version of "Sane" below.





Meshuggah will return to US and Canadian stages for a nineteen date tour this fall with support provided by special guests In Flames and Whitechapel. Produced by Live Nation, the journey begins on November 21 in San Diego, California and runs through December 16 in Laval, Quebec. The tour marks the first time in five years Meshuggah has played on Canadian soil. The final show will also include the addition of Voivod. Tickets are on sale now.





Dates:


November
21 - Soma - San Diego, CA
22 - Hard Rock Live Sacramento - Wheatland, CA
24 - Paramount Theatre - Seattle, WA
25 - Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre - Vancouver, BC
27 - Midway Music Hall - Edmonton, AB
28 - Grey Eagle Event Centre - Calgary, AB
30 - Burton Cummings Theatre - Winnipeg, MB


December
1 - The Fillmore Minneapolis presented by Affinity Plus - Minneapolis, MN
2 - The Sylvee - Madison, WI
3 - GLC Live at 20 Monroe - Grand Rapids, MI
5 - The Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana - Gary, IN
6 - The Andrew J Brady Music Center - Cincinnati, OH
8 - The Paramount - Huntington, NY
9 - MGM Music Hall at Fenway - Boston, MA
10 - The Wellmont Theater - Montclair, NJ
12 - Toyota Oakdale Theater - Wallingford, CT
14 - Wind Creek Event Center - Bethlehem, PA
15 - History - Toronto, ON
16 - Place Bell - Laval, QC - w/ Voivod

In a new interview with the Mike Nelson Show, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked if he was surprised to see ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman rejoining his former band onstage a couple of times this year — first at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan in February, and then at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany in August. David responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I stayed in touch with Marty [after his exit from MEGADETH]. We're friends. Look, for Marty, I think it was a good idea because he went off to the far East [to live and work in Japan] for so many years and that is a very… like you're way off, you're off the grid, man. And I know as Marty has tried to kind of come back into the Western world, if you will, to sort of got to get his career restarted here — just 'cause you're big in Japan doesn't connect at all to the Western world; it just doesn't. So I think Marty needed a big look and a kickstart for that. And, look, he's the favored son, right? Nick [Menza, former MEGADETH drummer] and Marty were the favored sons of the [MEGADETH] legacy. So for him to come back out and step on stage again and do it… 'Cause he quit because he didn't wanna do it anymore. He didn't wanna play those songs. He didn't wanna play that music anymore. He wanted to go off and do his own thing. So the fact that he's coming back to it, I admire him. I think it's cool. It's been good for him. It's been good for MEGADETH. So, when I see it, I go… It kind of tickles me a little bit. I'm, like, 'Yeah, it's cool.' Those are songs we were all part of putting together. Those were very pressure-cooker years for us. The pressure was on, we needed to step up, we and we did. Together, as a team, we wrote and created some music that'll live — it'll outlive us. So I think it's all good."

Asked if he ever thinks about the fact that he never got to be part of a reunited "Rust In Peace" lineup of MEGADETH in the years after Nick and Marty left the band, David said: "No, because we tried [to put it back together]. I knew it wasn't gonna work. I just had a feeling Nick was not… It hit me, especially 'cause we're putting Nick's movie [documentary about Menza's life] together now; we're in the final editing of it to try to get it out next year. And it hit me that Nick became a very different person after MEGADETH. He went through his hardships and his transitions, but he ended well. And to me, I don't find it sad that he died on stage [in 2016] playing his drums. I think it's the ultimate victory. Like, what better place to check out. Especially for Nick. That's what he lived for. I think it's awesome. It's, like, 'You know what? I'm out. Done.' Obviously, I wish he was still alive so that we could hang out and do all that, but if he's gonna go, what a great way to go… When he came back to try to put this whole 'Rust In Peace' thing back together in 2015 and, of course, there was managers who were trying to put it together in 2004, and it wasn't meant to be, man. And I knew Marty wasn't in the headspace to do it."

Ellefson continued: "I've gotta say Marty, I think, talking to Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader], he helped change and reshape what [MEGADETH's 2016 album] 'Dystopia' became. 'Cause Dave and Marty kind of became friends during that time. And Marty was, like, 'Look, man, you guys need a drummer who's gonna really fucking kick ass.' Marty was, like, 'Look, I use these young drummers. They're killer.' And he was right. Metal requires healthy, young, driven vital players. And Chris Adler [of LAMB OF GOD] coming in to record 'Dystopia' was a good look. He was a little bit younger. He's obviously known for his own amazing style of drumming. And then getting Dirk [Verbeuren] in the band — again, another young powerhouse drummer. So, Marty really got in Dave's ear and helped change what MEGADETH became. So Marty was kind of a friend from the sidelines without having to be in the band. And I could tell he wasn't ready to come back and to participate. He was on a different path And Nick just wasn't the MEGADETH guy anymore. And it's fine. He was playing with [former MEGADETH guitarist] Chris Poland. He was doing other stuff.

"To go back and play this stuff, man… I mean, you've gotta remember, we were all 25, 26, 27 years old playing this shit — super athletic, high-octane, very demanding performances on the stage, demanding lifestyles, being on the road for 18 months, just really having to just commit your life," David added. "Your bodies change as you get older, your health, the things that are important to you, the things you're willing to sacrifice later in life, your priorities shift, and that's just what life is. So to go back and try to be this ferocious metal band from the '90s… I think we did a great job of it when I went back to the band in 2010. I think that was my benchmark. It's, like, look, if bringing Marty and Nick back isn't going to be better than what we did with [Shawn] Drover and [Chris] Broderick, then we are not gonna go near this again. Let's just leave it in its infamy and just leave it alone and stop trying to go back to that."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH more than two years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

David was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

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

Ayreon played live again in Tilburg, Holland at 013 on September 15th, 16th and 17th, 2023, performing the album 01011001 in full. Mastermind Arjen Lucassen has checked in with the following update:


"My dear Ayreonauts, now that I’ve finally caught my breath after the Ayreon live shows and the smoke has cleared, I want to send a huge and heartfelt thanks once again for your unwavering support! It's astounding that 15,000 of you from over 60 countries made the journey to see us. The whole Ayreon team and I totally recognize how special and unique this is. I know it’s a cliché, but truly, you are the best fans ever. You are what keeps me going.


To those who wanted to come to the shows but couldn't make it happen, we missed you! But there’s a silver lining - we’ve begun working on the live Blu-Ray and CD, and I can assure you, they're going to be fantastic. I’m brimming with pride for all the amazing musicians involved!




And yes, between you and me, we just might already be secretly scheming for..."





01011001 - Live Beneath The Waves featured the following performers:


Original 01011001 cast:


Hansi Kürsch
Tom Englund
Daniel Gildenlow
Jonas Renkse
Anneke van Giersbergen
Simone Simons
Wudstik
Marjan Welman
Liselotte Hegt
Maggy Luyten
Phideaux Xavier
Arjen Lucassen (yeah, sorry for that)


Special guests:


Damian Wilson
Brittney Slayes
Michael Mills
John Jaycee Cuijpers


Backing vocals:


Marcela Bovio
Irene Jansen
Jan Willem Ketelaers


Band:


Marcel Coenen - guitar
Timo Somers - guitar
Johan van Stratum - bass
Joost van den Broek - keys
Ed Warby - drums


Ensemble:


Ben Mathot - violin
Jurriaan Westerveld - cello
Jeroen Goossens - woodwinds

In a new interview with Mexico's Summa Inferno, MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn spoke about how the touring lifestyle has changed since the late 1980s when he first started going on the road as a member of VIO-LENCE. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's certainly different. I started touring when I was 19 years old. It was a totally different world and, it was all the things that you would imagine it would be. It was in the '80s and '90s and stuff, so it was crazy groupies and drugs and partying all the time. And then I think you slow down. Now I've been with my wife for 30 years, 32 years, and so, to me it's about music. And that's what it always was about — it was always about music. But it's about music, it's about putting on the best show.

"We still party," Flynn clarified. "I still drink beer on stage every night. And the rest of the guys — my bass player, Jared [MacEachern], he fucking rages; he rages every night.

"Just speaking for myself — I'm not speaking for anybody else in the band; I'm just for speaking for myself — to me, it's really about putting on a great show and making a connection with the audience every night. Just trying to find that thing that makes everybody go crazy or makes everybody cry or makes everybody just fucking rage or whatever it is.

"To me, I think music is about — it's a giant release in a lot of ways," Robb added. "It's a release of happiness, it's a release of anger, it's a release of sadness, it's a release of joy. And that, to me, is like… when all of that happens, that's like the fucking best shit ever. That's the highest point of my fucking day every day when I'm on tour."

Earlier this week, MACHINE HEAD announced leg one of its "Slaughter The Martour North America 2024" tour. Forgoing their "An Evening With…" format for the first time in a decade, MACHINE HEAD will have Los Angeles's cyber-metal masters FEAR FACTORY, Sweden's ORBIT CULTURE and Louisville, Kentucky's GATES TO HELL in tow.

"Slaughter The Martour North America 2024" will kick off with a "hometown" show for MACHINE HEAD, their first since 2020, in San Francisco on January 19. Then the tour heads north with shows in the pacific northwest as well as eight shows in Canada. Other stops include: Chicago, Orlando, and Houston before concluding in Los Angeles on February 24 at The Bellwether.

This past April, MACHINE HEAD canceled its previously announced spring 2023 U.S. tour "due to work visa issues," explaining that "half the band, as well as a handful of key crew members, reside outside of the U.S."

The 18-date "The Electric Happy Hour (Live)" trek was scheduled to kick off on May 15 in Ventura, California and make its way to Des Moines, Fort Wayne, and Detroit before ending in Los Angeles on June 9.

MACHINE HEAD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which came out in August 2022. The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis" includes the three songs that were featured on the 2021 "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Cult band Mortuary Drape was formed in Italy in 1986 as a trio, including the long-standing/sole-remaining member, band founder and visionary Wildness Perversion. Highly inspired by the dark arts & combining early influences from bands such as Mercyful Fate and Celtic Frost, Mortuary Drape developed their own unique style, defining themselves as black occult metal & releasing the demo Necromancy in 1987 which spread their name throughout the underground; though it was not until 1992 that their first official release surfaced, with Into The Drape. 


This was followed by the debut full-length album, the classic All The Witches Dance in 1994. Since then Mortuary Drape has been revered for their influential and pioneering work in the firm establishment of global black metal.


Returning following 2022’s mini album Wisdom - Vibration - Repent, which gave us a firm dose of what to expect after signing with Peaceville Records, the Italians unveil Black Mirror. An album that is not only a new dose of ritualistic blasphemy but also the quest to explore the abstract link that tethers the past and the present to find who we were in our previous lives.




Black Mirror is Mortuary Drape’s sixth full-length studio album set for a November 3 release, and presents a spellbinding, occult-draped journey featuring haunting passages and dark yet melodic vintage metal mastery, bringing to mind acts such as Mercyful Fate with their eerie, classic metal-rooted compositions and atmospherics, expertly crafted and delivered with the band’s own distinguishable injection of wicked intent.


Lyrically the album centers on themes of magical rites, real events and spells that are in a parallel world that bind us to our past lives. We enter into this world of the parallel through the medium of Deja Vu. The phenomenon where images and actions that we seem to have already experienced resurface in our mind. The real mystery is to find out if they really belong to past lives or are, in fact, premonitions of what will happen next…


Wildness Perversion states:


"Reflected in the black mirror lies down the countenance of thy restless death, lost into the oblivion, waiting for the unction, thy rattle breath, thou art shattered by the secret lost; the mistress of sorcerer only herself will be able to take thy spirit drowned in silence back to life, once she joined the nocturnal coven, conjuring for you the fading flowers spell, so that thou shan’t wander among the unburied…"


He continues:


"We consider Black Mirror an easier album to assimilate for the listener, while for us one of the most difficult in terms of composition and arrangements. It is another step of our personal path, we face different nuances in the Occult world, I can tell you that while writing the songs we had to put aside enough material that will soon be reworked for the next album."


The album was recorded and mixed and mastered by Federico Pennazzato at TMH Studios in Alessandria, Italy with engineering coming from Pennazzato, DC, and Wildness Perversion and the artwork comes courtesy of Misanthropic Art. Preorder here.





Tracklisting:


“Restless Death”
“The Secret Lost”
“Ritual Unction”
“Drowned In Silence”
“Into The Oblivion”
“Rattle Breath”
“Nocturnal Coven”
“Mistress Of Sorcerer”
“The Unburied”
“Fading Flowers Spell”
“Black Mirror”


“Rattle Breath”:

Melbourne, Australia-based progressive metal band, Teramaze, has released a new single entitled “Blemish”. A visualizer, created by Wayne Joyner (Dream Theater, Arch Enemy, Alter Bridge), is streaming below.





The band states: "‘Blemish’ is one of those songs that we do that reminds the fans that we will journey to any genre with our writing, simply because we can. We are not only fans of metal and progressive music we also love bands like Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, which we pay homage to with this new track. 




“We gave ourselves a challenge, to write this song, record it, mix it and master it in time for our new live CD release in only 5 days. Simple, raw and catchy... We bring you Blemish."


Teramaze will release their new DVD/CD, Live At 170 Russell, on October 27. Watch a video for "Jackie Seth" below, and pre-order the title here.


Says the band: "It was one of those opportunities that fell from the sky gift wrapped for us, all we had to do was seize the moment… As Avatar were making their way to Australia for the first time, an email was sent to us with an offer we couldn’t refuse. A three week notice to prepare a fast paced, high energy set that would ignite our home town crowd. We had such an amazing, top quality team working with us to make this live DVD a reality and we couldn’t be happier to share this long awaited moment with you. To all of you who couldn’t be there with us, we give you our full, uninterrupted live experience. Teramaze at 170 Russell."





Tracklisting:


"From Saviour To Assassin"
"Transhumanist"
"Untide"
"Jackie Seth"
"The Heist"
"Sleeping Man"
"Take Your Shot"
"Battle"


"Jackie Seth" video:

Exploring dark truth, along with spewing relentless death and thrash riffs, renowned metal band Narcotic Wasteland, led by the talented Dallas Toler-Wade (ex-Nile) unleashes their latest music video for their chilling new single entitled "Sex, Lies & DNA" featuring guest vocals from Andrea_N_Black. Showcasing the band's signature intense sound, with haunting lyrics, the video delves into the intriguing world of true crime.


Directed by bassist Kenji Tsunami, also of Tsunami Films, the video was shot at various locations during the band's summer tour across the USA and Canada.







"This video has some real grit to it... One of the venues we played at on the tour had an electric chair and a really creepy green room area that looked like a place where someone could be murdered. At that point, the band was like this is perfect! It fits the concept of Sex Lies and DNA. I am very happy with how the song and video turned out, and I cannot stress enough how proud I am of this band and this video!" adds Toler-Wade.


Captivating audiences with its thought-provoking themes and powerful instrumentation, "Sex, Lies & DNA" will be on the band's forthcoming third full-length Digital Cordyceps out on Megaforce Records in 2024 (release date TBD).


An impressive lineup of talented musicians whose synergy produces an electrifying sonic experience, Narcotic Wasteland features Dallas Toler-Wade on guitar and vocals, Brett Lee on lead guitar, Joseph Howard on drums, and Kenji Tsunami on bass.


In additional news, Narcotic Wasteland will be headlining the Beer & Metal Fest in Wichita, KS on October 27, which will feature 20+ Breweries along with musical support from Imajjjin, Parthian, and Suffocate the Skies.











(Photo - Andrea Roberts)

American atmospheric black metal band Abigail Williams is in the process of recording its new studio album. It is expected to be released next year on Agonia Records.


"After two long years of contemplation, we've finally returned to the studio to revisit and refine our upcoming album," comments Ken Sorceron, founder of Abigail Williams. "The path we've walked on this creative journey has had plenty of ups and downs, but our determination to get it right has never wavered. We're aiming for a tentative release in late spring/early summer. Crafting music worth sharing has taught us that time, patience, and meticulous care are essential. We've spared no effort to ensure that this album lives up to the exceptional quality of Walk Beyond The Dark. We're truly grateful for your unwavering support, and we hope you'll find it worth the wait when the album finally lands in your hands. Stay tuned for updates as we labor to bring you our most authentic work yet."


Nearing its 20th year of existence (having been formed in 2004), Abigail Williams has upgraded its formula to a quartet, comprising Ken Sorceron (ex-Aborted, ex-The Faceless, Vale Of Pnath) on vocals and guitars, Vance Valenzuela (Vale Of Pnath) on guitars, John Porada (ex-Nachtmystium, ex-Wolvhammer) on bass and Gabe Seeber (Decrepit Birth) on drums. With Sorceron retaining his leading role, the band intends to continue its evolution and expand on its unique and intensive sound, forged throughout five studio albums, and anchored in black metal with shades of death metal & symphonic metal.




Abigail Williams' drive to create dark and powerful music debuted on the album "In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns" (2008), released on Candlelight Records, who served as the band's label for the majority of its career (excluding 2019's Walk Beyond The Dark, released on Blood Music). Their early style encompassed symphonic black metal, and underwent its first overhaul in 2010, on In The Absence Of Light. The installment saw the band drift towards more traditional black metal, but it wasn't until Becoming (2012) the group unlocked its true potential, and laid foundations for its future sound. Through The Accuser (2015) and the last album, Walk Beyond The Dark, Abigail Williams evolved significantly and dove deep into exploring new sonic perspectives, both powerful and emotionally charged.


The band is known for its intensive live act, and was last seen on stage throughout the North American Devastation of the Nation tour 2022, where it played in support of Rotting Christ and Borkanagar.


Abigail Williams has taken its name after a girl whose false accusations ignited the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The band's logo was crafted by Christophe Szpajdel (Emperor, Moonspell, Borknagar).

In a new interview with Fish of the Q105.1 Rocks! radio station in Fargo, North Dakota, FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho was asked if he thinks releasing music digitally helps bands like FOZZY in the long run or if he believes that the goal is always to get the physical copies into fans' hands. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've never felt that. You've gotta ride the wave. You've gotta be ahead of the curve. It's just not prudent to have physical copies in this day and age. What's the physical copies even of? It's great to have the vinyls for fans who wanna hold those those records in their hands and get them. I'm a big fan of that. But in this day and age, nobody really has anything physical — books and movies and music, it's all on your phone. And that's kind of the way of the world right now, and to kind of want physical copies, you're almost a dinosaur at this point in time and you could probably try and get your 8-track cassettes reinvigorated as well. So, I don't have a problem with the way the world is now."

He continued: "Obviously, I loved buying records when I was a kid, waiting for that record to come out. Things have kind of changed in that way. And it's more about, like I said, the convenience and the short attention spans. And I think right now on TikTok, our new song ['Spotlight'], which is probably about a 15-second version of it, is blowing through the roof. They haven't even heard the whole song, and they don't even want to — 15 seconds is enough. 'We like this 30-, 15-second clip and we'll listen to that.' So, it's just kind of how the world is and the way the new world, the way people consume music. And I'm cool with that. I'd rather be ahead of the curve than fighting behind it."

This past May, Jericho told Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz that he believed FOZZY's "days of doing full-length records" were "done. We spent the better part of three years on [2022's 'Boombox' album] and we had three Top 10 hits — 'Sane', 'Nowhere To Run' and 'I Still Burn' — and we played three other songs live: 'The Vulture Club', 'Purifier', 'Relax'. But the other six songs are kind of gone; they're, like, residing in the FOZZY dead-song burial ground. Because you can't really play them live, 'cause you can only do so much new material live, 'cause we have so many other songs we have to do. And they weren't released as singles, so you spend all the time on 'Army Of One' and 'Omen' and 'The Worst Is Yet To Come' — those are all great tunes — 'My Great Wall', 'Ugly [On The Inside]'; those could all be hits. So instead of releasing those types of songs on an album where they're not gonna be heard, we're gonna, I think, start releasing one song at a time. And instead of waiting two years for a new FOZZY record, there'll be a new song every four or five months. I think that's the way to do it. And that's what we're gonna start doing. We're actually working on our new song right now, which should be out hopefully in the fall."

Jericho previously floated the possibility of FOZZY focusing on singles in an interview in April with the ALT 105.1 radio station. He said at the time: "I think [what] we're gonna try to do [going forward] is just release a single every three or four months and keep the product always there and not waste the songs. 'Cause that's what you're doing when you put out a great record. You spend so much time on every one of these songs, meticulously creating them and they're your children, and then they just never really… unless you buy the record and listen to the record. There's only so many songs you can play live from a new album when you have as many albums as we do. So that might be something we will look [to do] in the future — just doing one song at a time… And then every song you can release as a single and give it its chance to go where it's gonna go."

Jericho added: "I'm from the generation where you would go… When the new IRON MAIDEN [album] is coming out, you'd go down and take the bus every Saturday: 'Is it out yet? No.' And then finally you walk through and you hear the music and you see the wall of MAIDEN records. That was such a great moment in a kid's life. But things have changed. No kid knows what a record store is now. You just go on Spotify and listen to the songs you wanna hear. So you've gotta roll with the times. Obviously, putting out a new record is a piece of art, but I think song by song you can do the same. Plus you get a different cover for every one. So I think it just adds to more of a marketing plan. I think it's just better for the music itself as well."

FOZZY's new single, "Spotlight" was released earlier this week via Madison Records/The Orchard and can be streamed below. An accompanying music video for the track will arrive on Thursday, October 26.

"Spotlight" was helmed by FOZZY's longtime producer Johnny Andrews (THREE DAYS GRACE, ALL THAT REMAINS, HALESTORM) and sonically refined by mixer Jacob Hanson (VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE, ARCH ENEMY).

FOZZY's latest album, "Boombox", came out in May 2022 and featured the song "I Still Burn", which recently eclipsed two and a half million views on YouTube. It also included the Top 10 singles "Nowhere To Run" and "Sane".

This past spring, FOZZY spent time on the road with UGLY KID JOE as part of the latter band's first tour of the United States in 27 years.

In January 2022, FOZZY parted ways with longtime drummer Frank Fontsere and replaced him with Grant Brooks (THROUGH FIRE).

Fontsere was a founding member of FOZZY, having formed the group in 1999 with Jericho and Rich Ward (guitar).

When FOZZY announced Fontsere's departure, the band said that he was "stepping down to focus on his family and other projects."

FOZZY is Jericho, Ward, Brooks, Billy Grey (guitars) and P.J. Farley (bass).

Mosh your way to the forest of thrash where the Coven awaits for you to join "The Serpent's Cycle", the latest music video for the title track from Vancouver, BC's Hyperia forthcoming third full-length out on November 17.


"This is the first song that was fully written for the album. It is a heavy and unrelenting track that encompasses everything Hyperia is about - intricate guitar work, heavy-hitting bass, fast drums, and wailing powerful vocals, a perfect title track to show what the album is all about," adds the band.


Hyperia's new thrash attack The Serpent’s Cycle marks a new era for Hyperia. This album has some of the most aggressive thrash metal the band has ever written paired with lots of melodic vocal and guitar work along with a new invigorating lineup that welcomes Ryan Idris on drums and Jon Power on bass to join husband and wife Colin and Marlee Ryley. It consists of everything Hyperia stands for shred, speed, and intricacy.




Hyperia wants fans to have their faces blown off by The Serpent’s Cycle. The ten-track album (plus a cover of Heart's “Crazy On You”) will be appreciated by musicians and non-musicians alike. The songs vary enough to keep the pacing fresh throughout and there’s something for everyone on it.


When it comes to live performances, Hyperia takes pride in making them memorable and thinks the visual aspect is equally if not more important than the music. Especially with thrash metal, they want to create a party atmosphere - when all of them are having a genuinely fun time on stage they think it encourages the audience to go hard too. This energy is conveyed through The Serpent’s Cycle, which is recommended for fans of Havok, Municipal Waste, Lost Society, and Children Of Bodom.


Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Ego Trip”
“Automatic Thrash Machine”
“Prophet Of Deceit”
“Psychosomatic”
“The Serpent’s Cycle”
“Trapped In Time”
“Spirit Bandit”
“Eye For An Eye”
“Binge & Surge”
“Deathbringer”
“Crazy On You” (Heart cover)


"The Serpent's Cycle" video:





"Prophet Of Deceit" lyric video:





Hyperia is: 
Marlee Ryley - Vocals 
Colin Ryley - Guitars 
Jon Power - Bass 
Ryan Idris - Drums


(Photo – Caitlin Delaplace)

During a recent appearance on "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, THREE DAYS GRACE drummer Neil Sanderson spoke about the fact that his band has had 17 No. 1 singles on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart. Asked if he is someone who pays much attention to the charts, Neil said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes and no. I look at the charts and it's always a reflection of the fans and the music industry and people like yourselves just supporting us on this journey that we're on. And this journey that we're on has had a lot of twists and turns, and we wouldn't have those numbers and that success and those hits and stuff if we didn't have that really big support system."

He continued: "For us, what we try to do is stay true to ourselves, be honest in the lyrics, maintain the fact that THREE DAYS GRACE always writes about what's going on in our heads and in our hearts, no matter how crazy or painful that may be. We try to get it out on the outside and put it in the song. And I think that our fans connect with us on that level because it becomes real to them. And so there's that powerful connection that I think is the nucleus of this whole thing, is that we've been true to ourselves and true to the fans and the fans have been there all along the way. So in that way, when I look at the numbers, I think I'm grateful; pretty much that's the feeling."

THREE DAYS GRACE's latest album, "Explosions", arrived in May via RCA Records.

Sanderson told the Toronto Star the title of the album refers to the crackling tension simmering in our souls.

"This whole record, there was definitely a common thread going through it of everybody having that boiling point inside of them," he explained. "It's not necessarily a boiling point out of anger and frustration, but it's … the need to express yourself and be yourself, and to say what you want and do what you want.

"[The] 'Explosions' [title track] represents that boiling point of something ticking inside of you that's going to come out and explode. I don't know if that's always the best option, if it turns into something that's destructive — and then a song like 'So-Called Life' contemplates the fact that you're at that point and either you are going to explode or you're going to find something to take the edge off, fill that void, distract you or kind of calm you down, whatever that is."

Regarding how he and his bandmates were affected by the pandemic, Sanderson said: "In some ways, we got fairly lucky. We toured so much in 2018-2019, just constantly — we did a lot of stuff in Europe and Russia — and we decided that we were going to take 2020 off of touring. Obviously, it ran into 2021 and, by that time, we had figured out some different techniques to collaborate remotely. So we were able to do a pretty good job of efficiently co-writing over the Internet."

The multiplatinum record-breaking band from Ontario, Canada has amassed billions of streams and millions of album sales, sold out arenas on multiple continents, and reached unprecedented heights. The band's veritable arsenal of No. 1 hits includes "Chalk Outline", "The High Road", "Misery Loves My Company", "World So Cold", "Good Life", "Break", "Never Too Late", "Animal I Have Become", "Pain", "Just Like You" and "Home".

In a new interview with Greece's RockPages.gr, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider was asked if he thinks he will ever release another solo album. The 68-year-old singer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Don't hold your breath, because I'm feeling like I'm done. I'm feeling like I'm done. Now I said that after 'For The Love Of Metal' [2018], and then COVID hit and I called Jamey [Jasta, Dee's collaborator and producer] up and Jamey Jasta said, 'I wanna do another record.' But right now I'm feeling very comfortable in who I am, what I am, what I'm doing and how I'm spending my life. I'm not feeling this urge. And it helps that those last two albums, 'For The Love Of Metal' and 'Leave A Scar' [2021], and then the live record 'For The Love Of Metal Live!' [2020], really, I feel, put an exclamation point on the end of my career. I think, thanks to Jamey Jasta encouraging me to get back to true metal, real metal and what I'm really about. My last two records are very powerful, the performances are there, everything's there and as a legacy, I like seeing those albums at the end of my recording career."

Elaborating on his reasons for not wanting to make another solo album, Dee said: "I'm always very honest, even to the point where I get in trouble with other bands for being too honest, but I've also listened to people being honest about me.

"The end of TWISTED SISTER, as much fun as it was and whatever, but our last record is a Christmas record. And it was fun, and I'm not ashamed of it — I loved it. But then I went and left TWISTED and I did a solo album. Someone challenged me to do a mainstream rock record, 'We Are The Ones' [2016], and it's a good record, but it wasn't really Dee Snider. It was an attempt to do something more mainstream. So, it could have ended with those records and I would have felt that that was really not the way I'd like to go out. It's because of 'For The Love Of Metal' and 'Leave A Scar' that I feel good about walking away and saying, 'Yeah. Take that. That's Dee Snider. Remember that. I was 65 years old or whatever. That's Dee Snider. And good night.' So those records are very important to me."

A year and a half ago, Dee told a fan that his performing days are likely behind him and that he plans to concentrate on non-music-related projects. After the fan, who recently moved to Springfield, Illinois, asked the aging rocker whether he ever tours in the area, Snider said: "No, I don't tour anymore. I don't even think I'll do any more shows. I'm focusing on writing, directing, and producing. Sorry man."

In 2016, TWISTED SISTER embarked on one final trek, titled "Forty And Fuck It", in celebration of its 40th anniversary. These shows featured the band's "core lineup" of Snider, guitarist Jay Jay French, guitarist Eddie Ojeda and bassist Mark Mendoza, along with drummer Mike Portnoy. The band's last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of TWISTED's longtime drummer A.J. Pero.

During an August 2017 appearance on the "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show on SiriusXM, Snider stated about TWISTED SISTER's decision to call it quits: "Basically, the level of intensity that I performed at with TWISTED SISTER, I had to stop while I could still deliver that before I could no longer deliver that. The headbanging, the thrashing, all that energy… Where Alice [Cooper] always seemed like a crotchety old dude, and he's crawling around the stage, that works great for a 72-year-old dude now. But what I did does not work for [someone in his 60s]. I mean, it's just too fucking hard to stay in the shape. Just to keep that going just got harder and harder. I said, 'I wanna stop while people are still smiling and not looking at me saying, 'Oh, remember when he was good?'"

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.

Snider's last two solo albums, 2018's "For The Love Of Metal" and 2021's "Leave A Scar", were both released via Napalm Records.

In 2021, Dee told Ultimate Classic Rock that producer Jamey Jasta helped him find his place in the modern heavy metal scene.

"As I said to Jamey, 'I love contemporary metal. I just don't know where I fit in,'" Snider recalled. "He said, 'Well, I know where you fit in.' He helped me find the sweet spot. Then I found the team, and then I found the band, and then I found my spot. We come to ['Leave A Scar'], and now I'm, like, 'Okay. Now, I know what we're doing and I can join this party and participate in it fully and not be along for the ride,' so to speak."

Snider published his first fictional novel, "Frats" earlier this year. He has described the book as "a period piece/coming of age story set on Long Island, NY in 1972/73 inspired by true event." But he quickly clarified: "No it's not my story."

AMBER WILD, the band featuring Evan Stanley, the son of KISS's Paul Stanley, started in January 2023 with one simple goal: make the kind of music they wanted to hear. Fiery guitars, thunderous drums, and raw vocals filtered through a kaleidoscope of influences make for something that's the right amount of familiar and fresh.

After spending the year developing their sound on the Los Angeles club circuit, AMBER WILD made their festival debut at this year's Aftershock in Sacramento.

Now, October is shaping up to be a big month for the band with the release of their double-A side debut single "Breakout // Silver". These tracks will be out to the world on October 19, which will also be the first date of AMBER WILD's run directly supporting KISS on their "End Of The Road" tour in the United States. And while it may be the end of the road for KISS, it's just the beginning for AMBER WILD.

"Silver" is a love song to a moment. It's realizing you're in something way deeper than you thought and then choosing to just lean in and give yourself over entirely.

Some songs you want to write and some songs you have to.
"Breakout" is the latter.

Evan said: "A little while ago I had this feeling of everyone and everything pushing in on me and squeezing until there was none of me left. I'd lost touch with my own compass almost completely. As an artist, it's a really scary thing to lose that connection and writing 'Breakout' was my way of pushing back."

Born in Los Angeles, California, Evan Stanley has always lived straddling the lines between multiple worlds: growing up, he split his time between school, touring the world with his father's band KISS and working as a delivery boy for his local deli. After school and a stint in New York, Stanley moved back to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music.

Evan's mother is actress Pamela Bowen, who appeared in 35 episodes of the soap opera "Days Of Our Lives" and in a number of TV series, including "Loving", "McGuyer", "Cheers", "Matlock", "Beverly Hills 20210", "Land's End" and "Broken At Love". She also appeared in the KISS movie "Detroit Rock City".

AMBER WILD is:

Evan Stanley: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Marshall Via: Guitar, Vocals
Jake Massanari: Bass
Thomas Lowrey: Drums
You WON’T want to miss AMBER WILD opening for us on our tour. It’s The End Of The Road for us but it’s just the beginning for them! Prepare to be ROCKED. pic.twitter.com/CGRHGoMCkM

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) October 10, 2023

In a new interview with Spain's Made In Metal, Nita Strauss spoke about her collaboration with former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman on the song "Surfacing" from her second solo album, "The Call Of The Void". She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The first heavy metal song that I ever heard in my life was a MEGADETH song with Marty Friedman playing guitar. And that was really my introduction to heavy metal, to the style of music that I love so much. And then, of course, over the years, I discovered Marty Friedman's solo music and CACOPHONY and everything else. And so when it came time to write this record, I didn't want to collaborate with a lot of guitar players because I already had so many collaborations with the vocalists. But I thought, 'How cool would it be to come back full circle and have the very first heavy metal guitarist I ever heard on this record?' So we reached out to Marty."

She continued: "Working with him was just amazing. He is very hands-on. He cares a lot about the song, the arrangement, the song as a whole, not just his one part, but he cares about the whole song, the production, the bass playing, the drum playing — like everything. He was very involved with it, which was a great experience for me learning how he does things."

Nita previously discussed her collaboration with Marty this past summer in an interview with Total Guitar. Asked what she learned from working with Friedman, Strauss said: "Talk about a storyteller. I've learned so much from Marty over the years. He knows what he wants.

"This collaboration was such an education for me, as a sort of young guitar player at the foot of the master. The first metal song I ever heard had Marty playing guitar on it.

"We fleshed out the whole concept together. I sent him some riffs and then he sent back this crazy song with his own ideas. Funnily enough, there was a quote I read from him recently which said something like, 'Nita's not afraid of a little hard work,' referring to how this song went back and forth. I wanted him to critique me."

Regarding what kind of advice Marty gave her, Nita said: "He would tell me how I could make melodies better and what notes I should use instead of the ones I'd initially chosen. I came out the other side a better player. He sent pages of detailed notes and through him I learned you have to know what your story is and what you're trying to say or convey. Pick phrases that help tell the story. Resist the temptation to use your songs to show off your fastest licks. It's about the message of the music rather than a bunch of notes you can play fast one after another.

"I had Marty's 'Exotic Metal Guitar' instructional DVD growing up. Honestly, I learned so much from that — as well as John Petrucci's 'Rock Discipline', Yngwie's 'Play Loud' or Frank Gambale's 'Modes: No More Mystery'… which is how I learned you can go from A natural minor to G Mixolydian or C Ionian and move between those shapes. It's just a case of taking a little walk down the neck through the different modes of the same scale. That's when the whole fretboard opened up for me. All of these greats shaped what us guitar players do now."

Back in 2015, Nita told Cosmo Music that she started playing guitar at the age of 15. "And I think was the first heavy metal song I ever heard, which was 'Trust' by MEGADETH, that really sparked my love of heavy metal," she said. "And ever since then, it was sort of a non-stop train, a non-stop train of heavy metal… crazy train, if you will. [Laughs] And, yeah, I mean, when you feel it, when you really feel a kind of music in your heart, and you know what you're supposed to be doing, it's a beautiful thing. I feel really lucky that I did."

Strauss released "The Call of the The Void" in July via Sumerian Records. The LP is a star-studded affair featuring guest vocals from DISTURBED's David Draiman, ARCH ENEMY's Alissa White-Gluz, HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's Chris Motionless, IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén, Hungarian-born vocalist/writer Dorothy Martin, Alice Cooper and Lilith Czar.

In a new interview with Clint Switzer of the "On The Road To Rock" podcast, former WHITESNAKE guitarist Adrian Vandenberg was asked if he would consider making an appearance with the David Coverdale-fronted outfit at a final concert or some other special event before the legendary singer officially retires from touring. Adrian responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I would absolutely do it if my schedule allows it. But I will do everything I can to make it work because it will be epic to do something like that."

He continued: "As everybody knows, David and I are really good friends still. We're [in touch] almost on a daily basis — we send back and forth politically incorrect jokes and stuff we both like. [Laughs]"

Circling back to the possibility of an onstage reunion with WHITESNAKE, Adrian said: "Yeah, it would be great. Who knows? I'm like James Bond. I say never say never."

Vandenberg was a member of WHITESNAKE for 13 years at the height of the band's fame, contributing the solo on "Here I Go Again". He was also part of supergroup MANIC EDEN, and more recently released a number of albums with VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS.

Vandenberg's namesake band released its comeback album, titled "2020", in May 2020 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. A follow-up LP, "Sin", arrive this past August.

Adrian is joined in VANDENBERG's current lineup by vocalist Mats Levén, drummer Koen Herfst and bassist Randy Van Der Elsen.

The group's fifth full-length offering, "Sin", was produced by Bob Marlette (OZZY OSBOURNE, ALICE COOPER, ROB ZOMBIE).

Recalling his refusal to return to WHITESNAKE when Coverdale resurrected the band in 2002, Vandenberg told "White Line Fever" that the singer "wanted to stop altogether because he was kind of worn out on the road. He didn't want to do it anymore… When he called me up and said he wanted to start it up again, I couldn't do it because I had all kinds of obligations for exhibitions for my paintings. And those are always planned a year ahead, because art galleries reserve the space a year ahead because exhibitions usually last three to six months or something. I couldn't do it but we did keep in touch always. We still do."

The guitarist added that he and Coverdale became "very good friends over the years, [so] you never know what might happen... We actually have pretty specific ideas about maybe doing a blues album or an acoustic thing or whatever… Sooner or later it might happen, but right now we're really involved in [other projects]. So this is probably not the time. But I wouldn't be surprised if, sooner or later, we end up doing something together in some kind of format. I was in WHITESNAKE for 13 years, which is quite a long time. I still hold the record, I think."

Adrian Vandenberg press photo courtesy of Steve Karas / SKH Music

Swedish metallers DARK TRANQULLITY have entered Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden to begin recording their new album.

Earlier today (Thursday, October 19),DARK TRANQULLITY shared a video of drummer Joakim Strandberg Nilsson laying down tracks for the follow-up to 2020's "Moment", and it included the following message: "It has begun! This week officially marks the start of the recording process for the next D.T. album. Have a quick look at Joakim laying down the rhythm foundation at Fascination Street Studios. Stay tuned for more info!"

This past August, DARK TRANQULLITY frontman Mikael Stanne told JJ's One Girl Band that he hadn't yet come up with a possible lyrical concept for the band's next LP. He said: "We're working on the music right now, and I have some ideas. So far the lyrics I've written — it's not a theme. It deals with all the frustration, but I don't know if I can tie it all together or if it's gonna be very separate. Let's see. Normally that's something that kind of either I decide on that theme before the album and then the rest comes naturally. But so far I haven't really decided on one. But we still have some time, and it's gonna work out."

He continued: "It's fun to be in this process where we are right now, where we have all the songs but they need to be kind of finalized and shaped into exactly what we want 'em to be and figure out the emotional kind of impact it needs to have and how it needs to feel for us and how we want it to feel when you're listening to it. So that's where we are right now. And part of that, for me, is to kind of find that right kind of way in, so to speak, lyrically, find a way to kind of enhance what the song makes me feel."

"Moment", which was released in November 2020, was recorded at Nacksving Studios and Rogue Music by Martin Brändström and then mixed/mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios.

This past July, guitarist Christopher Amott announced his departure from DARK TRANQUILLITY. He said in a statement that there was "no bad blood at all" between him and the other members of DARK TRANQUILLITY and explained that it was "time" for him to concentrate on some new music that he was "very proud of".

The 45-year-old Amott, who was a founding member of ARCH ENEMY, alongside his brother Michael Amott, officially joined DARK TRANQUILLITY in 2020 after previously being a member of the band's touring lineup since 2017.

A few hours later, DARK TRANQUILLITY issued the following statement regarding Amott's departure: "We are sad to announce that Chris Amott is leaving the band to pursue his own musical path. It has been an honor and a pleasure to play with him and we are parting amicably. To fill in for him in the near future we will have the awesome shredder Joey Concepcion joining us for the rest of the summer.

"Our mission stays the same - to explore this melancholy that neighbours to rage. A path forged by all members of DARK TRANQUILLITY - past and present. There may be some new faces on stage but in our extended family, much is the same. Niklas Sundin is still setting our visual tonality and Martin Henriksson is still our manager.

"Our next task will be to record our 13th album this fall. We are super excited about the material and can't wait to bring it to you."

Two years ago, DARK TRANQUILLITY parted ways with drummer Anders Jivarp and bassist Anders Iwers.

Jivarp was an original member of DARK TRANQUILLITY, having played on all of the band's releases to date. Iwers joined DARK TRANQUILLITY in 2016 and played on the group's last two albums, 2016's "Atoma" and 2020's "Moment".

Italian label Time To Kill Records will release Mesmerized - A Tribute To Celtic Frost on January 26. “Mesmerized” features various Italian metal bands presenting their interpretation of songs written by Switzerland’s most iconic metal band ever.


After the release of Discharged Vol. 2 - A Tribute To Discharge, Time To Kill Records is now ready to bring the curtain down on another murdersome tribute compilation curated once again by Alberto Penzin (Schizo original founding member and prime mover for the whole Italian extreme metal scene). To quote him, “Celtic Frost was simply the epitome of everything the metal genre had set to demolish. Only Death is real.”


All bands involved have become notorious as some of the hardest working acts around, bringing their volcanic, high energy metal to every corner of the world. Now, as all these bands reach some other crucial milestones, they are taking a moment to look back to one of their main sources of inspiration.




Tracklist:


Barbarian - "A Kiss Or A Whisper"
Bunker 66 - "Juices Like Wine"
CO2 - "I Won’t Dance"
Doomraiser - "Procreation Of The Wicked"
Kryptonomicon - "Morbid Tales"
Necrodeath - "Necromantical Screams"


About the bands:


Camera Obscura Two [CO2] - [CO2] is a new extreme musical project conceived by Alberto Penzin [ex-Schizo] on 09/09/07 and ultimately brought to life on 10/10/10. A one-way pathway to spiritual elevation filtered through a lifetime worth of obsession with metallic transgression.


Bunker 66 - Bunker 66 is an Evil Metal power trio formed in 2007 under the sign of the black mark.


Doomraiser - Formed in 2004, the Rome-based band have evolved into an instantly recognizable figurehead for those pushing doom metal into crushing new directions. Through the years the band have shared the stage with acts such as Electric Wizard, Reverend Bizarre, The Gates of Slumber and Orange Goblin and have been experimenting and contaminating their music with raw heavy metal, psychedelia and other influences.


Necrodeath - The moment you hear it, you know it's Necrodeath. Formed back in 1984, the Italian act is one of the real iconic black-thrash metal bands. With an ongoing career of almost 40 years, the band has helped to shape the Italian metal scene and the international underground as it is today.


Kryptonomicon - Kryptonomicon have been a plague on this Earth since 2019, composing fierce old school metal of death deeply influenced by Celtic Frost and Hellhammer.


Barbarian - Barbarian’s approach to metal is regressive. By means of Metal retrogardism they interrogate the present: do we really need so many sheep and shepherds today? Heavy Metal is the whip, and you bleed.

In a new interview with "The Jeremy White Show", SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan was asked if he ever sees an end for the band at some point. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's funny you say that because I thought I was gonna retire at 40, and that was 19 years ago. And then I was, like, 'I'll retire at 50,' and then I kept playing. And then all this stuff happened in '21, and I'm just, like, 'You know what? I'll retire when I just physically can't do this anymore.' 'Cause I love what I do. I love going out. I love playing on stage. I love creating. That's my lifeblood is — my lifeblood's to create music and then follow that up with playing it in front of people. So I don't see any end. Who knows? Maybe my grandson will take over my spot."

SKID ROW recently postponed the third North American leg of "The Gang's All Here" tour with BUCKCHERRY until early next year. SKID ROW also postponed shows in Huntington, New York and Lynn, Massachusetts — originally scheduled to take place in early September — to later that same month in order to allow singer Erik Grönwall time to fully recover from his recent illness.

SKID ROW's fourth leg of "The Gang's All Here" tour in December with BUCKCHERRY is still scheduled as planned.

Grönwall, who auditioned for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of SKID ROW's "18 And Life", joined SKID ROW in January 2022 as the replacement for ZP Theart. Theart, who had been in the group for more than six years, played his final gig with SKID ROW in February 2022 before being officially given the boot.

SKID ROW's latest album, "The Gang's All Here", arrived in October 2022 via earMUSIC. The group recorded most of the LP in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.

THE BLACK CROWES have dropped a new mix of an unreleased recording of the Memphis soul classic song "99 Pounds", originally recorded by Ann Peebles and written by Don Bryant. The track is just one of the 14 never-before-released recordings off the forthcoming box set of THE BLACK CROWES' chart-topping sophomore album, "The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion", set for release on December 15 via American Recordings/UMe.

"99 Pounds" was originally released on Memphis soul singer-songwriter Ann Peebles's 1972 album "Straight From The Heart". THE BLACK CROWES' cover of the admired track is a classic rock and roll take on a southern soul ballad.

"The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion" entered the U.S. Billboard album chart at No. 1 upon release in 1992, was named after a post-Civil War southern hymnal, and is home to some of the band's biggest hits, including "Remedy", "Sting Me" and "Thorn In My Pride", which were No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for a combined total of 21 weeks. Rich and Chris Robinson, alongside producer George Drakoulias, revisited the archives for the instant classic album and created a special super deluxe edition featuring unreleased studio recordings, rare B-sides, a live performance from Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas on February 6, 1993, and a newly remastered album from the original 1/4" production master. Highlights for the forthcoming boxset include 14 unreleased recordings, including "99 Pounds" and a previously unreleased studio recording of "Miserable".

At the end of "The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion" recording sessions in early 1992, the band performed live on the famed Southern Tracks Studio floor in Atlanta, Georgia on January 4, 1992. The session was captured by a film crew and, true to THE BLACK CROWES form, turned into a party. These never-before-released until now, live studio recordings feature five songs, including their cover of Ry Cooder's "Boomer's Story". Also included in the super deluxe edition is "Southern Harmony Live", featuring all the tracks off the album, performed live in Houston, Texas on February 6, 1993. This legendary and much-bootlegged show has now been mixed from the 24-track tapes and is available alongside the original album, which has been remastered from the 1/4" production master.

"The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion" is available for pre-order now on stunning 4LP, 3CD, 2 CD, and 1LP formats, which will be released on December 15, 2023. An exclusive, limited-edition "Remedy" lyric t-shirt or trucker hat will also be available as fan packs bundled with the 1LP in THE BLACK CROWES official store. A super deluxe digital audio is also available to preorder. Fans who preorder the digital super deluxe will immediately receive a new mix of "99 Pounds".

CD1 - The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion

01. Sting Me
02. Remedy
03. Thorn In My Pride
04. Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye
05. Sometimes Salvation
06. Hotel Illness
07. Black Moon Creeping
08. No Speak No Slave
09. My Morning Song
10. Time Will Tell

CD2 - More Companions: Unreleased, Outtakes And B-Sides

01. 99 Pounds
02. Miserable
03. Rainy Day Women No 12 & 35
04. Boomer's Story
05. Darling Of The Underground Press
06. Sting Me (Slow)
07. Bad Luck Blue Eyes, Goodbye
08. Sometimes Salvation
09. Black Moon Creeping

CD3 - Southern Harmony Live: November 3, 1993 Houston, TX

01. No Speak No Slave
02. Sting Me
04. My Morning Song
05. Jam
06. Thorn In My Pride
07. Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye
08. Black Moon Creeping
09. Hotel Illness
10. Sometimes Salvation
11. Remedy

Upon their arrival on the national music scene in 1990 with "Shake Your Money Maker", THE BLACK CROWES' THE ROLLING STONES-ish/FACES early 1970s throwback sound was far from the pop metal/pre-grunge musical fashion of the day. However, no one could deny the songwriting and authentic rootsy musical craftsmanship of the brothers Chris and Rich Robinson.

Joining Chris and Rich Robinson in the new BLACK CROWES lineup are returning bassist Sven Pipien, who played with the band live from 1997 up until the band's hiatus in 2015, along with Brian Griffin on drums, Joel Robinow on keyboards and Isaiah Mitchell on guitar.

Photo credit: Josh Cheuse

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VAN HALEN frontman David Lee Roth has released his solo song titled "The Shit That Killed Elvis" via YouTube. The track was reportedly recorded in 2007 with guitarist John 5 for an album that has yet to see the light of day.

Roth mentioned "The Shit That Killed Elvis" when he discussed his unreleased John 5 album in a Rolling Stone interview back in 2013. Asked if he wanted to take those songs with John 5 to the stage, Roth said: "Absolutely. That's what it's aimed at. It's autobiographic. 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill' is the opening theme song, and it's about an Indiana kid who goes to sleep — think the Wizard Of Oz — and the characters in his life, the butcher, the baker and the newspaper guy, pop out of posters and sing him a song called 'Giddy-Up!' And he finds his way to all the good things in life, having discovered rock in the '60s, and there's a song titled 'Alligator Pants' — yes, I own a pair, I wore them for the last two tours. And things go horribly left-of-center wrong, of course, when you sell your soul to the devil, and one of the tunes is called 'The Shit That Killed Elvis'. So yeah, it's pretty stellar material."

In 2020, Roth included five previously unreleased songs in The Roth Project, an online comic narrated by the legendary VAN HALEN singer, with music from John 5 on guitar and bass, Gregg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. The recently released "Manda Bala" and the other four tracks — "Giddy-Up!", "Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill", "Alligator Pants" and "Lo-Rez Sunset" — were recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.

John 5 spoke about the recording sessions for the unreleased Roth record in an interview with the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", saying: "We had a great time. We had a blast — a lot of laughs, a lot of fun. I'm just so happy that I had that cool working vibe with Dave that we can just jump into the studio anytime and knock out some songs. And I'm very lucky 'cause not a lot of people get a chance to do that with Dave.

He added: "We were all in there together — I remember we were just all in there together. And that's how it was. We were all just doing it together — kind of like the old days, and he wanted to do it like that. And it really was a lot of fun. We had so much fun doing it. And it's one of my fondest memories."

In August 2021, John 5 told AL.com that the rest of the unreleased Roth record is in the same vein as the songs that have come out, which have a singer/songwriter sound. "[Dave] wanted to do this kind of a more California sessions type of thing," the guitarist explained. "And he's such an artist, I was, like, 'Whatever you want to do, I'm there for you.' So it is that kind of vibe. But there's a lot of multi tracks and different acoustic parts that all work together. It's kind of orchestrated, if you will."

John 5 got his first big break playing on Roth's solo album, "DLR Band", before landing stints with Marilyn Manson and now Rob Zombie. His latest sessions with the iconic VAN HALEN frontman apparently took place a decade and a half ago, with John 5 unveiling a snippet of the album during an interview with Masters Of Shred back in May 2019.

Four years ago, Roth was asked by Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF if his LP with John 5 will be made available at some point. He responded: "It will. There's been a revision of things, and I can start making real plans and start marching into the future. And, of course, you'll start hearing that material. This is material that we wrote variously for me solo and for VAN HALEN, and it's quite a bank of stuff."

Back in 2015, John 5 told Guitar Player magazine that the sessions for his unreleased Roth album were remarkably relaxed. "I would just go to his house and I'd write these songs with him, and he would say, 'Let's go into the studio,'" John 5 explained. "So he would go to Henson studio and record these songs. They came out… They're so good. They're so good. And we've got Gregg Bissonette playing drums on it, and I played the bass, and they're really great songs."

The guitarist said that Roth's vocals on the album sound "like nothing you've ever heard. It's old VAN HALEN — sounds like 'Could This Be Magic?' or anything like that. It's just that sound, that tone."

In a 2014 interview, John 5 described the LP as "11 of the greatest songs you'll ever hear, and it's just me and Dave, and we had Gregg Bissonette play drums on it. And it's unbelievable," he said. "You know, just great, great songs."

Duff McKagan has released his third solo album, "Lighthouse", available now in a wide range of formats including streaming, download, CD, cassette, and LP. A number of deluxe versions and bundles featuring official Certificates Of Authenticity signed by McKagan are also available. In addition, two webstore exclusive vinyl variants – "Transparent Green & "Black Marble" and "Black Velvet" – of the deluxe packaging are on offer, including three lithographs, a 12-page booklet, a sticker, and a guitar pick, all enclosed in a transparent PVC sleeve allowing interchangeability of the graphics displayed on the album's cover. "Lighthouse" — as well as an exclusive line of brand-new "Lighthouse" merch — is available now at www.duffonline.com.

Duff says: "Some of the fruit of my musical travails and triumphs are now available for mass listenership with the release of 'Lighthouse'.

"Over the past fifteen or so years, I've delved into a songwriting area that seems to me, harkens back to my punk days in the simplicity of the chords, and trying to tell truths in the lyrics.

"Like the name of my and [my wife] Susan's radio show, I let 'Three Chords And The Truth' guide me when I sit down with a guitar.

"From the beginning song 'Lighthouse', a sort of illumination of goodness and hope, to the ending track 'I Just Don't Know'…where there is a pondering of what is next, my thought process of the songs that fill in the rest of the album is there is an arc of a story.

"I am a huge reader of good books, and like a good novel, I tried for some rises and falls from beginning to end, lyrically at least.

"I absolutely love my new studio in Seattle and realize I am a fortunate dude to have my own place to constantly create. I'm even more fortunate to have producer Martin Feveyear as my guide and mentor.

"We had that period of the pandemic, where it was just Martin and I in the studio for months on end. These 10 songs on 'Lighthouse' are just the beginning of what we finished song-wise in this time. More to come on that…..but for now, we hope you enjoy this record."

"Lighthouse" sees Duff McKagan baring more of his artistic spirit than ever before, fusing acoustic elements with hard-edged rock 'n' roll to land at the sweet spot between soul-searching reflection and pure energy. The album was first announced earlier this summer alongside its title track, "Lighthouse", joined by an official visualizer streaming now at the official Duff McKagan YouTube channel.

"Lighthouse" was soon followed by "I Saw God On 10th Street", also joined by an official visualizer streaming now. "I Saw God On 10th Street" received immediate praise from such outlets as Kerrang!, Revolver and American Songwriter.

"Longfeather", the latest single from "Lighthouse", arrived next, hailed by Revolver as "folky, elegiac" and joined by an official music video — directed by longtime visual collaborators Connor Ellmann, Kuj Durollari and Arben Durollari — streaming now on YouTube. A new video for the song "I Just Don't Know (Feat. Jerry Cantrell)" is now streaming on YouTube as well.

For more than 40 years, McKagan has been an unstoppable creative force, spanning a multitude of bands, tours, collaborations, and writings. Now, with his long-awaited new solo album, "Lighthouse", the veteran musician proves to be, at his heart, a gifted singer-songwriter with a distinctive knack for authenticity and introspection.

In 2019, McKagan opened his own recording studio, allowing him a long-hoped-for opportunity to "finally explore songs that I may have written the night before or some of those old riffs from years ago. This is a big deal for me." He spent much of the next two years working with longtime producer/collaborator Martin Feveyear (Mark Lanegan, Brandi Carlile),chipping away at a series of intensely personal new songs.

"Lighthouse" now marks the first full-length collection born in McKagan's studio. Songs like "Hope" (featuring veteran Paul McCartney drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and melodic lead guitar from Slash) and the philosophical "I Just Don't Know" (featuring contributions from McKagan's longtime friend, Jerry Cantrell of ALICE IN CHAINS) see McKagan baring more of his artistic spirit than ever before, fusing acoustic elements with hard-edged rock 'n' roll to land at the sweet spot between soul-searching reflection and pure energy. The 11-song collection is further highlighted by an additional take on the title track, "Lighthouse (Reprise)", joined by the one and only Iggy Pop.

McKagan first unveiled his new music earlier this year with "This Is The Song", a three-song EP honoring Mental Health Awareness Month alongside a call to action on Propeller. The EP — which was met by critical applause in Rolling Stone, Consequence Of Sound, Loudwire and American Songwriter, to name just a few — includes the deeply moving title track, "This Is The Song", joined by an official companion video streaming now on YouTube.

Starting at just 15, McKagan has been a part of such diverse and influential bands as THE VAINS (1979),THE FASTBACKS (1980),THE LIVING (1982),THE FARTZ (1982),10 MINUTE WARNING (1983) and LOADED (1998),along, of course, with his historic role as founding member of both GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER. Produced by three-time Grammy Award winner Shooter Jennings, McKagan's 2019 second solo album, "Tenderness", marked a powerful new chapter for the ever-evolving artist, taking on societal ills and his own personal transgressions against a rich sonic backdrop of Americana-fueled arrangements. Named by Loudwire as one of that year's "50 Best Rock Albums" and hailed by Rolling Stone in a three-and-a-half (out of four)-starred rave as "an album full of beauty and heart…It's music of conscience, heavy songs with a light touch," the album includes the volatile rocker "Chip Away", which earned extraordinary praise from the maestro himself, Bob Dylan, who recently declared the song a personal favorite.

"There's a Duff McKagan song called 'Chip Away' that has profound meaning for me," Dylan told The Wall Street Journal. "It's a graphic song. Chip away, chip away, like Michelangelo, breaking up solid marble stone to discover the form of King David inside. He didn't build him from the ground up, he chipped away the stone until he discovered the king. It's like my own songwriting, I overwrite something, then I chip away lines and phrases until I get to the real thing."

Along with his prolific musical efforts, McKagan is The New York Times best-selling author of 2011's "It's So Easy: And Other Lies" and 2015's "How To Be A Man: (And Other Illusions)", and the co-host (with Susan Holmes McKagan) of SiriusXM's popular "Three Chords & The Truth" radio show on Ozzy's Boneyard (Ch. 38). McKagan currently serves as a core member of a modern-day "Wrecking Crew" alongside Grammy Award-winning musician/producer Andrew Watt and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Chad Smith, recording and co-writing on such recent albums as Ozzy Osbourne's "Ordinary Man" (2020) and two-time Grammy Award-winning "Patient No. 9" (2022) and Iggy Pop's acclaimed "Every Loser" (2023). What's more, McKagan — with Watt, Smith, and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Josh Klinghoffer — is part of the recently unveiled IGGY POP & THE LOSERS lineup, who made a high-profile televised debut earlier this year with an electrifying performance of the feverish "Frenzy" on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

"Lighthouse" track listing:

01. Lighthouse
02. Longfeather
03. Holy Water
04. I Saw God On 10th St
05. Fallen
06. Forgiveness
07. Just Another Shakedown
08. Fallen Ones
09. Hope (feat. Slash)
10. I Just Don't Know (feat. Jerry Cantrell)
11. Lighthouse (Reprise) (feat. Iggy Pop)

British rock band MAGNUM will release a new studio album, "Here Comes The Rain", on January 12, 2024 via Steamhammer/SPV.

The band led by frontman Bob Catley and guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin will issue two singles ahead of the LP release — "Blue Tango" on November 22, 2023 and "The Seventh Darkness" on January 3, 2024. Additionally, a tour has been scheduled to kick off in early April 2024.

The album's highly inspired artwork is once more designed by the great Rodney Matthews, who has already created a number of MAGNUM sleeves to support the band's atmospherically dense music. Says Tony Clarkin: "The back cover features a kind of avian battalion in attack mode, which I think is a great allegory!"

Apart from MAGNUM's typical trademarks, "Here Comes The Rain" also holds a number of thoroughly pleasant surprises. First single "Blue Tango" is a real riff-rock number that makes you want to move your feet while "The Seventh Darkness" is filled with awesome brass sections courtesy of guest musicians Chris "BeeBe" Aldridge (saxophone) and Nick Dewhurst (trumpet),which lend the song brilliance and shape.

There is no doubt about it: "Here Comes The Rain" sees the MAGNUM lineup consisting of Catley, Clarkin, keyboardist Rick Benton, bassist Dennis Ward and drummer Lee Morris, once again succeed in creating an outstanding, colorful, varied and inspired new studio album.

"Everyone played their part without me dictating anything," Clarkin enthuses, "everyone just instinctively played what their inspiration told them." It's a good thing that these superb musicians can rely on their intuition!

"Here Comes The Rain" track listing:

01. Run Into The Shadows
02. Here Comes The Rain
03. Some Kind Of Treachery
04. After The Silence
05. Blue Tango
06. The Day He Lied
07. The Seventh Darkness
08. Broken City
09. I Wanna Live
10. Borderline

MAGNUM Live 2024:

Apr. 04 - DE - Mannheim - Capitol
Apr. 05 - DE - Bochum - Christuskirche
Apr. 06 - DE - Neuruppin - Kulturhaus
Apr. 08 - DE - Berlin - Metropol
Apr. 09 - DE - Hannover - Musikzentrum
Apr. 10 - DE - Hamburg - Fabrik
Apr. 12 - DE - Memmingen - Kaminwerk
Apr. 13 - CH - Pratteln - Z7
Apr. 14 - DE - Regensburg - Airport
Apr. 16 - DE - Munich - Ampere
Apr. 17 - DE - Nürnberg - Hirsch
Apr. 19 - DE - Markneukirchen - Musikhalle
Apr. 21 - SE - Malmö - Babel
Apr. 22 - NO - Oslo - John Dee
Apr. 23 - SE - Uppsala - Katalin
Apr. 25 - SE - Gothenburg - Pustervik
Apr. 26 - SE - Stockholm - Fryshuset Klubben
Apr. 29 - UK - Bristol - SWX
Apr. 30 - UK - Southampton - Engine Rooms
May 02 - UK - Holmfirth - Picturedome
May 03 - UK - Wolverhampton - KK's Steelmill
May 04 - UK - Nottingham - Rock City
May 06 - UK - London - Islington Assembly Hall
May 08 - UK - Glasgow - The TV Studio SWG3
May 09 - UK - Manchester - Academy 2

Photo credit: Rob Barrow

In a new interview with Mexico's MB Live, former NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist Marko "Marco" Hietala was asked if he thinks he will ever rejoin the band. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't really think so. I mean, the guys and the ladies, they weren't really aware how deep my troubles [with depression] went. I did try to talk about them quite a lot, but also since I wasn't totally aware. The only thing that I had was that I talked to my doctors and psychiatrists every now and then. And then we would try some different pill or a combo of these pills and all that. And they never just went all the way through. They would stop working at some point of time because, yeah, we were trying to medicate symptoms."

 Hietala also confirmed that he felt a certain amount of "pressure" while he was a member of NIGHTWISH. "Yeah, about the business and the way, how it goes and the change of companies and daughter companies and all that," he explained. "And how it goes is that everybody's looking to get a penny from your ass. And it's really boring. But then again, you kind of have to live with it if you're gonna be doing this and recognize how much you have opportunities to influence and change things. And so far the copyrights and musicians rights and all that, they are not up to the level. And, of course, with these days of the heavy right-winger populist politics and all that, they're not really caring about those, but they do care about them companies who can, again, a penny out of my ass."

Hietala announced his departure from NIGHTWISH in January 2021, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now." He has since been replaced by session bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN),who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences.

In an August 2022 interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Hietala revealed that he went through a dark period in his life, which included depression, insomnia, anxiety and an eventual attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Speaking about how he eventually came to the realization that exiting NIGHTWISH was the right thing to do, Marko said: "It was a long process. Of course, the COVID year that was there, where I had a lot of time for soul searching, it obviously gave me the last incentive that I need something else, that if I just continue with this I'm just gonna get sicker and sicker. But, of course, it's a process.

"I've been chronic depressive since 2010 [or] 2011, so I've been on a permanent medication ever since," he revealed. "Sometimes you get used to the meds [and] you will need more. We did raise [the dosage] during the years also, but it just didn't work. And now that I started to do… I had psychotherapy for over four years now, and then I also talked to psychiatrists and some doctors and did that also in Spain. Then my psychiatrist here in Finland said that I should do these ADHD neuropsychological tests, which I then did in Spain. And, okay, I got it."

Hietala reiterated that he "had been thinking about" leaving NIGHTWISH "for a while" before making the final decision. "Because I had a lot of weight. And I tend to… With the attention disorder, it tells me that when there are lots of trouble, then the disorder makes it into a real chaos," he explained. "There's a shitload of stuff coming and going and no peace anywhere. And for a year or two, I was already waking up every night at three o'clock to bad dreams and anxiety. So I'd say that the whole process probably started already with my former divorce [in 2016]. That was a very sad time when you think about your kids and your broken homes and all that. And then, when I started to get clear from that, then there were, well, all kinds of things. I don't really wanna go any deeper to what kind of things I'd gone through, but I'd gone through enough."

Acknowledging that making NIGHTWISH's latest studio album, 2020's "Human. :II: Nature.", was a "difficult" experience for him, Marko denied that his mental state at the time resulted in a diminished role for him on the final LP. "I think the original idea was to have that… we'll do a couple of [solo vocal appearances], or one solo for me and Troy [Donockley], and the rest Floor [Jansen], and then the harmonies; that was the idea originally for that," he said. "So I don't know if it affected. I think it was sort of as planned. But at that time I already had serious trouble with concentrating and serious trouble with a constant black cloud over my head."

In July 2022, Hietala told Finland's Iltalehti that he had not kept in touch with NIGHTWISH since his departure or followed the activities of his former band.

In May 2021, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave the band "came as a bit of a surprise." He told Finland's Kaaos TV: "Marko informed us in December [of 2020 that he was leaving the band]. And even though he has been very open about his state and problems during the past years, it still came as a bit of a surprise for us. So it was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."

Tuomas elaborated on NIGHTWISH's reasons for carrying on, saying: "I think we still have something to give, and that's the main point. The music is still there. We felt that there's still so much music that needs to come out from this band that, 'Okay, let's give it one more shot.' And then finding the new bass player was really easy."

He added: "It's not like we do this just because we need to do it and there's nothing else to do. On a personal level, I feel that there's still so many stories and melodies that I want to share with the world with one lineup or another, so that's why you want to continue and keep on going.

"I've said this a million times, that a lineup change is the ultimate energy vampire, and that's how it really felt and still feels."

In June 2021, Jansen spoke about Hietala's exit from the band in an episode of her "Storytime" YouTube video series. She said: "That was a very sudden surprise that, of course, was not fun at all. But we understand — I understand — it was a necessary thing for him to do. And from there, we had to think of how to continue without him, and that also, in preparations towards the virtual show, that was a huge challenge."

She continued: "I'm very happy we found Jukka to play with us. And it was wonderful to get together, even though miss Marko, in April [2021] to start rehearsing for these virtual shows. Fortunately, we had a lot of time together, and it was very nice to go through the process of really not just knowing how to sing or play the songs but actually really feeling them, really communicating them, as you do with a show. We did that together. And then, of course, came the relatively unnatural setting of standing in a green bathroom [laughs] called the green screens all around us and cameras and people going for coffee instead of a real live audience. But that was really great. We had so much time that we could rehearse all of that and had a lot of fun doing that in the process."

NIGHTWISH is currently working on the follow-up to "Human. :II: Nature.", which was released in April 2020.

In December 2020, Hietala was crowned the winner of the fall 2020 season of "Masked Singer Suomi" — the Finnish edition of the popular masked singing contest. He was disguised as Tohtori — the Doctor.

This October, Adidas Originals and KORN join forces to celebrate a trailblazing legacy with a new collaborative partnership and collection.

When the pioneering California-based alt metal band emerged on to the scene 30 years ago, they broke away from the genre's established aesthetic codes, and paved the way for a new generation of fans by sporting classic three-stripes Adidas tracksuits. Never ceasing to challenge normal convention, KORN and the Trefoil have maintained a long-standing relationship over the years through an authentic connection that was later immortalized by the band's 1996 song "A.D.I.D.A.S."

The inaugural Adidas Originals and KORN collaborative collection features a selection of bold styles inspired by the band's 1996 album "Life Is Peachy". The collection comprises two graphic t-shirts, a three-stripes hoodie with the band's logo on the front, and two signature takes on the quintessential Adidas Originals tracksuit — one in black with white accents and one with purple sequins.

The footwear collection features a custom take on the chunky Campus 00s silhouette and a daring update to the Supermodified sneaker. Both looks boast a suite of unique details including graphic insoles, spare laces, KORN logos, a guitar pick keychain, and a co-branded box.

Arriving on October 27, the first adidas Originals and KORN collection is available on adidas.com and via select retailers.

Kerrang! magazine reported in 2021 that Adidas gave KORN free product in the late 1990s but was unwilling to sign the band to a proper deal. This led KORN to ink a deal with Puma in 1998.

"We switched to Puma because they told us they'd put us in a commercial and give us a little money to wear their shit," KORN frontman Jonathan Davis told Kerrang!
We’re thrilled to officially announce our @Korn x adidas Originals collaboration, launching October 27.

Sign up now until October 26 on CONFIRMED and adidas App. The iconic collection will be available in select stores on October 27.https://t.co/HdcRVxFAJ2pic.twitter.com/PGED0rVpcv

— adidas Originals (@adidasoriginals) October 19, 2023

PEARL JAM and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band's seminal sophomore full-length offering "Vs." with a series of special releases.

"Vs." will be available in new vinyl and cassette configurations via various partners on November 17. PEARL JAM's own Ten Club features an exclusive 2LP Dreamsicle (translucent orange with white swirls) color variant vinyl and clear cassette. Target offers its own 1LP exclusive clear vinyl, an international clear vinyl will also be available outside of the United States, and a new black 2LP vinyl will be available in participating retailers.

Additionally, PEARL JAM and Legacy Recordings will unveil a brand new Atmos spatial audio mix of the album releasing tomorrow (October 20) on Apple Music alongside new visualizer videos for each track on the album.

PEARL JAM arrived like a tidal wave with "Ten" in 1991, unassumingly emerging as one of the most popular bands in rock music and culture at large. With all eyes on them for a follow-up, the musicians opted to hold nothing back, cut deeper, and deliver a dark and dynamic 12-track opus in the form of "Vs." Powered by classics such as the heartbreakingly introspective "Daughter", acoustic nostalgia of "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town", primal punked-up fury of "Blood" and downright raw catharsis of "Leash", the album found the group at its rawest. From the explosion of "Go" through the poignant exhale of "Indifference", it traced a journey through insecurity and uncertainty in the face of unwanted fame, stared down heavy themes such as abuse and neurodivergent learning disorders, raised a middle finger to America's gun obsession and police brutality, tackled the topic of suicide fearlessly, and even managed to let light peek through the cracks with some of the group's most treasured anthems ever.

In a 1993 Rolling Stone interview with Cameron Crowe, Eddie Vedder shared, "Music is an incredibly powerful medium to deliver a story by. But the best thing is, you have to have volume. You're supposed to play it loud. I would do anything to be around music. You don't even have to pay me."

"Vs." is the sound of a band who won't compromise its message or meaning. It's the moment the tide really turned… It also notably marked the first of many albums to be helmed by longtime collaborator Brendan O'Brien, kicking off a now three-decade partnership with the producer.

Upon arrival, "Vs." smashed records by moving over 950,000 copies during its first five days in stores, eclipsing the sales of the rest of the entire Billboard Top 10 combined. It clinched No. 1 on the respective chart for five weeks, logging the longest run at the top for any PEARL JAM release to date. It held the record for "most albums sold first week" for the next five years and set the record for "most first-week vinyl sales," which would stand for the next 20 years.

Moving 10 million units worldwide, "Vs." has since gone seven times platinum in the States. Meanwhile, "Daughter" just reached RIAA platinum status, while "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town" has gone gold.

Retrospectively, Rolling Stone hailed, "PEARL JAM emerged victorious with 'Vs.', an album that still stands as one of the strongest records of their long and storied career. Looser, heavier and angrier than their debut, 'Vs.' found the band exploring new sounds and dynamics." Billboard proclaimed, "To date, the sophomore set that proved the band could do things its own way — a tactic that directly helped make its longevity possible."

Not to mention, PEARL JAM's tenth full-length LP and fan favorite "Lightning Bolt" also celebrates its 10th anniversary this week. It originally dropped on October 15, 2013 and became the group's fifth #1 debut on the Billboard 200. The Brendan O'Brien-produced "Lightning Bolt" is now available in spatial audio.

"Vs." track listing:

01. Go
02. Animal
03. Daughter
04. Glorified G
05. Dissident
06. W.M.A.
07. Blood
08. Rearviewmirror
09. Rats
10. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
11. Leash
12. Indifference

Bonus Tracks (*digital release only):

13. Indifference
14. Cready Stomp
15. Crazy Mary

"Vs." 1LP Side Splits

Side A

01. Go
02. Animal
03. Daughter
04. Glorified G
05. Dissident
06. W.M.A.

Side B

01. Blood
02. Rearviewmirror
03. Rats
04. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
05. Leash
06. Indifference

2LP Side Splits

A Side

01. Go
02. Animal
03. Daughter

B Side

01. Glorified G
02. Dissident
03. W.M.A.

C Side

01. Blood
02. Rearviewmirror
03. Rats

D Side

01. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
02. Leash
03. Indifference

Photo credit: Danny Clinch

Neck-bending Danish death metal band, Plaguemace, impresses with the brutal soundscapes of their second single, “Rhythmic Demise”, off of their upcoming debut album, Reptilian Warlords, out November 17 via Napalm Records.


Formed in 2020 in the heart of Denmark, Plaguemace released their convincing EP, Primal Priest, in November of the same year. Throughout their first year of performing live, Plaguemace delivered high energy shows at their several headlining gigs and opened for bands like Baest, Katla and Crocell. In spring 2023, Plaguemace toured the UK in support of their new labelmates Nervosa, and took over European stages as support for death metal legends Left To Die.


Plaguemace is one of the most promising bands of the new generation of old school death metal, and there is no doubt that fans of bands such as Grave, High on Fire, Entombed and Obituary will enjoy their new offering. Watch the official music video for “Rhythmic Demise” for another taste of what’s to come.




Plaguemace on “Rhythmic Demise”: "‘Rhythmic Demise’ is a midtempo gutpunch of a song dragging itself across the cavefloor in a steady, yet intrusive manor. The song is about the poisoning of the cavedwelling barbarians, which makes them dance eternally."





Plaguemace’s thrashy death’n’roll is spiced up with brutal breakdowns and infectious grooves as witnessed on the album opener “Cannibalicious”. The brutal soundscapes on “Rhythmic Demise” impress, before the track fades out into “Warcries from the Crypts”, where trumpet and trombone add to the threatening atmosphere. Catchy title track “Reptilian Warlords” kicks off with metallic soundscapes, with groovy rhythms carrying competent death metal vocals and skillful guitarwork. Closing track “Carnivore” attacks immediately, as low growls are joined by contrasting screams, and bombastic melodies lead the album to its end.


Plaguemace on Reptilian Warlords: “Reptilian Warlords is the first in a series of concept albums taking place in our own fictional universe. The story has been torn apart chronologically, and will be put together throughout this, and the following releases. So stay tuned to find out what happens next. The themes of Reptilian Warlords include ANGER, VENGEANCE, DESIRE, WAR and ENRAGING BLOODTHIRST.”





Reptilian Warlords will be available in the following formats:


- CD Digisleeve                     
- 1LP Gatefold Reptilian Green                  
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Reptilian Warlords tracklisting:


"Cannibalicious"
"Impenetrable Leather"
"Cavedweller’s Solliloquy"
"Rhythmic Demise"
"Warcries From The Crypts"
"Among The Filth"
"Reptilian Warlords"
"Misantropical Breed"
"Ambrosia"
"Carnivore"


"Impenetrable Leather" video:





Plaguemace are:


Andreas Truelsen - Vocals
Simon Truelsen - Guitar
Anton Holm Smidstrup - Guitar, Vocals
Ruben Brandt - Bass
Matias Zacho - Drums


(Photo - Malene Vinge)