The Bloodstock Festivals channel has released professionally-filmed video footage of Sepultura performing "Roots Bloody Roots" live at Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival 2023. Check it out below:





Watch Sepultura perform "Guardians Of The Earth" and "Isolation" at the same show:










Bloodstock Festivals previously released the video below, stating: "Legendary Sepultura guitarist, Andrease Kisser, stopped by to talk with Oran on the Bloodstock TV sofa, where he talks about the bands hectic schedule since the pandemic, news of a live album, and his views on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame."

Brazilian thrash-death act Nervosa performed at Wacken Open Air 2023 on August 2nd. Check out pro-shot video of "Death!", "Kill The Silence" and "Endless Ambition" from their set below.





Finally seeing the light of day, Jailbreak is a decisive start of a new era in the band Nervosa's history, as it’s their first album with guitarist and founding member Prika Amaral on vocal duties, and showcases the mighty new lineup completed by the immensely talented Michaela Naydenova on drums, Hel Pyre on bass, and Helena Kotina on guitars.




Among its various themes, brand new album Jailbreak explores messages of breaking free from everyone and everything holding you back from doing exactly what you want to do. It encourages the listener to be proud of who they are, to trust in themselves and the strength that lies within them. The album’s lyrical themes comment on our society in a direct, critical manner, with messages delivered through intensely fast-twitching, raw soundscapes.


Prika Amaral on the album: “I'm very happy with the result of how our new album turned out. This time, we were able to take even more risks and do new things. With two guitars the doors open to a whole new world of possibilities, in fact Nervosa had two guitars in the beginning, but then we decided to go with one guitar for logistical reasons, since it would be easier to move with one less person for tours. Now Nervosa has a much bigger structure that allowed this addition, and we are really enjoying this moment of the band. The process of writing this record was the most fun and brought the most musicality, enriching the band."


Helena Kotina adds: “I think Jailbreak is Nervosa's most revolutionary record, both musically and lyrically. It was a very challenging process but at the same time very constructive. We were able to take care of every detail until we obtained the best result”


In true Nervosa style, the album’s lyrical themes comment on our society in a direct, critical manner, with messages delivered through intensely fast-twitching, raw soundscapes. On Jailbreak, the band continues their powerful collaboration with Martin Furia, who produced the four-piece’s successful previous records. With this album, Nervosa graces fans with yet another thrash metal masterpiece.





Order here.





Tracklisting:


"Endless Ambition"
"Suffocare"
"Ungrateful"
"Seed Of Death"
"Jailbreak"
"Sacrifice"
"Behind The Wall"
"Kill Or Die"
"When The Truth Is A Lie" (feat. Gary Holt)
"Superstition Failed" (feat. Lena Scissorhands)
"Gates To The Fall"
"Elements Of Sin"
"Nail The Coffin"


"Jailbreak" video:





"Seed Of Death" video:





"Endless Ambition" video:





Lineup:


Prika Amaral – Vocals and guitars
Helena Kotina – Guitars
Hel Pyre – Bass
Michaela Naydenova – Drums

American death metal act Skeletal Remains has prepared another assault with Fragments Of The Ageless, set for release on March 8th, 2024 via Century Media.


The lineup of Chris Monroy (guitars / vocals), Mike De La O (guitars), Pierce Williams (drums), and Brian Rush (bass) embody the genre, going deeper, darker, and to the edges of brutality. “Fragments Of The Ageless is a pummeling slab of pure death metal,” says the band. “A tyrannical blast-laden barrage of no-frills riffs and compositions. Everything about this album is f*cking brutal and in your face.”







As a first single, Skeletal Remains are revealing “Void Of Despair”, that is being accompanied by a gloomy video directed by Dillon Vaughn.





The band comments: “We are very proud to present our first single entitled ‘Void Of Despair’!  Inspired by the true horrors of the many men lost at sea, who after depleting all of their resources and food, turned to cannibalism for survival. We gave the old stories our own twist by having the crew set on a ship lost in the eternal void of deep space. The aggression and spastic riffs swirling throughout the song perfectly express the feeling to an endless losing battle of sanity and starvation, thus succumbing to their demise. We hope you enjoy!“


In early November, Skeletal Remains will embark on an extensive North American tour supporting Suffocation and Incantation, with additional support coming from Stabbing. The band is playing a number of headlining shows before and after.





Suffocation, Incantation, Stabbing, Skeletal Remains:


November
7 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
8 - Reading, PA - Reverb
9 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
10 - Providence, RI - Alchemy
11 - Trois-Rivières, QC - Amphithéâtre Cogeco
12 - Montreal, QC - Studio TO
13 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
14 - Detroit, MI - The Sanctuary
15 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
16 - Madison, WI - The Annex
17 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada
18 - Denver, CO -  HQ
20 - Richland, WA - Ray's Golden Lion
21 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
22 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
24 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
25 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
26 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
27 - Phoenix, AZ - Rebel Lounge
28 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
29 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street Collective
30 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater


December
1 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
2 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
3 - New Orleans, LA - Southport Music Hall
4 - Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819


Skeletal Remains only:


November
2 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater 
3 - Wichita, KS - TempleLive 
4 -  St. Louis, MO - The Sinkhole 
5 -  Cincinnati, OH - Legends 
6 -  Cleveland, OH - No Class 


December
5 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero 
6 - Atlanta, GA - Boggs 
7 - Nashville, TN - The End 
8 - Little Rock, AR - Rev Room 
9 - Abilene, TX - The Zone 


(Band photo by Allen Falcon)


 

The brand new 4th studio album from Pattern-Seeking Animals (P-SA) Spooky Action at a Distance is out today (November 27). Spooky Action At A Distance finds Pattern-Seeking Animals more confident than ever, approaching new soundscapes and topics, showcasing their evolution, and commitment to pushing their own creative boundaries.


To celebrate the album’s release, the band has shared a video for the track “Clouds That Never Rain”:







John Boegehold had this to say about the album and song:


"We're all very happy with the way Spooky Action at a Distance turned out and hope you all agree. Here's our fourth single ‘Clouds That Never Rain’ in which undaunted by the shadow chill of a weather system gone noticeably wrong, our hero eventually makes a decision to stop making decisions."





Spooky Action at a Distance is available in the following formats:


• Limited 2CD Digipak*
• Digital album*
• 2LP Gatefold vinyl 180g**
*including 3 live bonus tracks from ProgStock 2022
**including 2 live bonus tracks from ProgStock 2022


Preorder here.





Tracklisting:


CD1
“The Man Made Of Stone”
“Window To The World”
“What Awaits Me”
“He Once Was”
“Underneath The Orphan Moon”
“Clouds That Never Rain”
“Bulletproof”
“Somewhere North Of Nowhere”
“Summoned From Afar”
“Love is Still The Light”


CD2
“There Goes My Baby”
“Orphans Of The Universe” (Live At ProgStock 2022)
“Elegant Vampires” (Live At ProgStock 2022)
“Time Has A Way” (Live At ProgStock 2022) *


*CD and digital album only


"Underneath The Orphan Moon" video:





"Somewhere North Of Nowhere" video:





“Window To The World” video:

February 2, 2024, see the release of the third in a series of half-speed mastered studio albums from The Who; Quadrophenia and The Who By Numbers.


These limited-edition black vinyl versions have been mastered by long-time Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios with a half-speed mastering technique which produces a superior vinyl cut and are packaged in original sleeves with obi strips and certificates of authenticity.







First released in October 1973, Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by The Who. The band’s second Rock Opera, often regarded by many as the Who’s best album, features songs “Love Reign O’er Me,” “5.15” and the epic “Drowned.” The album delves into the intricate story of Jimmy, and coming to terms with life head on. The announcement of the Quadrophenia Half Speed Master falls on the 50th anniversary of the album.





The Who By Numbers is the seventh studio album by The Who, produced by Glynn Johns and released in October 1975. A powerhouse record, the album reached Top 10 both sides of the Atlantic. The album contains songs such as “Slip Kid” and “Squeeze Box.”


Pre-order via the following links:


- Quadrophenia
- The Who By Numbers


(Photo - Graham Hughes)

In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the "Scars And Guitars" podcast, KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza was asked to weigh in on what's happening right now with Israel's ongoing war against Hamas after the terrorist group infiltrated the country on October 7, firing thousands of rockets at residential areas and butchering civilians. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First and foremost, I wish that humanity would be at a different level at this point in time where war is not an option. That's basically all I can say about it, because I think there's always different views on things. There's always reasons why people take violence as an option and start a war or start terrorist attacks or whatever. In my world, this should be a thing of the past, but it's not. And I'm always shocked when I see what's happening in these war zones and I always think it's wrong. And that's basically it. I look at it from not so much of a political point of view, but more of a humanitarian point of view, where I think, on a spiritual level, this should be a thing of the past. And that's basically it. It's a tragedy, and it's a human tragedy and it's something that the human race is cursed with. In my opinion, this shouldn't happen in the year 2023."

McKaysmith also asked Petrozza about the global migration crisis and how much, in his estimation, "the multicultural aspect of migration has affected the West." Mille responded: "Like I said, violence is never an option. And there's always a fluctuation of people coming from countries or going into different countries and moving. Humans were always like that — always. People were moving from one place to the other, and then they were born in one country and then moved to another country. I think that can be a great thing. And culturally, also, sometimes there can be problems. But in my opinion, that's not the problem. The problem is the fact that there's still reasons to act violent and start a terror attack or kind of take violence as an option. And in my opinion, we should be at a different point in the history of the human race. We're not there yet. Spiritually, we're still in turmoil. We're still not in peace."

Mille continued: "There was some certain points in history where you thought, 'Okay, now we could be on the edge of a spiritual awakening,' so to speak, where now things are gonna change for the better, only to learn that in the next minute there's something else happening that's horrible and takes us back into the Middle Ages again. And it's a problem that goes way deeper than into people's political views or whatever. It's more of a human drama."

This past May, KREATOR released a music video for the song "Conquer And Destroy" from their acclaimed latest album, "Hate Über Alles". The performance footage was filmed on March 4, 2023 in front of 6,000 of KREATOR's mighty hordes in their spiritual home of Essen.

KREATOR's fifteenth studio album, "Hate Über Alles", was released in June 2022. The follow-up to 2017's "Gods Of Violence" was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.

The "Hate Über Alles" cover artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

"Hate Über Alles" marks KREATOR's first album with bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019.

In March 2020, KREATOR surprise-released a new single, "666 - World Divided". The song was produced by Andy Sneap and Markus Ganter and was recorded at Hansa Tonstudios.

KREATOR played its first show with Leclercq in October 2019 in Santiago, Chile.

Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared an epic metal cover of the classic "This Is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Check it out below.


Guest performers include Kristin Arvidsson, Kim Arvidsson, Tilia & Zoey, Elvira Stattin, Chris Davidsson and David ”Giventoe” Thornell.







Johansson has released A Tribute To The Moore, dedicated to music and guitar legend Gary Moore, via Spotify and Deezer. It is a compilation of covers Johansson has shared via YouTube over the past two years.


 Go to this location for the streaming links.





Tracklist:


"Over the Hills and Far Away"
"Wild Frontier"
"Nuclear Attack"
"The Loner"
"Out in the Fields"
"Murder in the Skies"
"Thunder Rising"
"Running from the Storm"
"After the War"
"Empty Rooms"
"Emerald"

DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll, who made headlines back in March 2020 when he came close to death after contracting COVID-19, recently battled the virus for the second time. He told Fast Eddie of Capital Chaos TV about his latest experience: "Obviously my second bout with COVID was nowhere near as intense as my first, but it kicked my ass, for sure. I was down for about a week. [It happened] right after we got back from our Japan/Philippines trip. I was getting weird recall of how I felt the days leading up to my coma. Not a pleasant experience.

"As I do this interview, I'm packing for our European co-headlining tour with SACRED REICH," he continued. "It's obviously going to be an amazing tour and I'm excited about playing for all of our Euro fans, but I'm not gonna lie, a part of me is dreading going across the pond. I almost died from a virus/disease I contracted over there so I will always equate Europe with my COVID ordeal, which is unfortunate, as I love Europe."

Carroll first revealed his second COVID-19 battle in an October 3 post on his Facebook page. At the time, he wrote: "Well, my second bout with Covid wasn't nearly as dramatic as the first but it still kicked the living shit out of me. I've been in quarantine pretty much since I got back from Japan/Philippines but today I'm happy to say I tested negative and am feeling much better."

He added: "Oh, and anyone who feels they need to chime in on how Covid is a farce or the tests don't mean anything or any conspiracy laden train of thought can go fuck right off."

Carroll, who spent almost two weeks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit at a Northern California hospital in March 2020, first got sick when he and the rest of DEATH ANGEL spent more than a month on the road in Europe with TESTAMENT and EXODUS as part of that year's "The Bay Strikes Back" tour.

The now-50-year-old musician was hospitalized at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco after catching the virus on the aforementioned European tour. While comatose at the facility, Carroll said he saw himself leave his body and plummet down to hell, where Satan — a woman in his case — punished him for the deadly sin of sloth, morphing him into a Jabba The Hutt-like-monster who vomited blood until he had a heart attack. He also said his near-death experience gave him a new outlook on life, with plans to live a healthier life as well as a belief in a higher power.

When Carroll initially discussed his vision in a May 2020 interview, a number of mainstream news outlets picked up his story and focused on the "Satan" angle, with the New York Post running the headline "Death Angel Drummer Says He Met Satan During Near-Death Coronavirus Coma"

Carroll later took to his Facebook page to chastise the media, explaining that his supposed encounter with the devil was only a small part of his experience.

"It seems a lot of news outlets are taking my story and completely missing the point of it," he wrote. "They're focusing on my dream, vision, hallucination, whatever, which is a small part of a bigger story. What they should be focusing on is what it took for me to beat this horrible virus. And the doctors and nurses that worked so hard to make this happen. This whole 'Satan' thing is getting blown wayyy out of proportion."

A few days earlier, Carroll wrote on social media that he was not quite ready to embrace "the God thing."

"To make things clear. I'm not some holy roller all of a sudden," he said. "I won't be attending church every Sunday and I won't be quoting scripture. I still like and have an interest in evil music, movies, art and literature. But this experience was quite frightening to the point where I truly believe a higher power saved me. What that higher power is I haven't quite figured out.

"I strongly believe that everyone's collective prayers and positive energy played a big part in my recovery," he continued. "Before this nightmare I didn't think something like that was possible and I know for sure that Satan had nothing to do with me being alive today. The vision I had was horrifying and it will stay with me forever. But let's not get carried away with the God thing."

Carroll woke up from a medically induced coma on March 30, 2020 after spending nearly two weeks on a ventilator. Doctors told the San Francisco Chronicle he was in critical condition and came close to dying.

"He still was near the limits of what we could do with our supportive care, and we were very worried about him," said Dr. George Horng, a pulmonologist.

"He wasn't getting worse, but if he were to get worse, there wasn't much more that we could have done."

DEATH ANGEL had been touring in support of its ninth album, "Humanicide", which came out in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

The band was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the "Humanicide" title track. It was the group's first Grammy nomination.

Carroll joined DEATH ANGEL in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original drummer, Andy Galeon.

Will can be heard on the last four DEATH ANGEL studio albums: "Relentless Retribution" (2010),"The Dream Calls for Blood" (2013),"The Evil Divide" (2016) and the aforementioned "Humanicide".

DEATH ANGEL will play two Christmas shows on December 21 and December 22 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Support at the gigs will come from the recently reactivated FORBIDDEN.

German legends have uploaded a performance of the Animal Magnetism classic “The Zoo” from Houston, TX on June 27, 1980. The footage has been carefully restored from the band’s archives. 





Check out previously released footage of "Animal Magnetism":







Watch previously released footage of the band performing another Animal Magnetism track, “Don’t Make No Promises (Your Body Can’t Keep)", from the same show:

During an appearance on yesterday's (Friday, October 27) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", John 5 was asked about the recently released song "The Shit That Killed Elvis" which was recorded in 2007 with VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth for an album that has yet to see the light of day. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I really like that song. I think it's really hooky and I think Dave sounds amazing on it.

"I think what's magical about those songs is it's just me and Dave — it's just me and Dave playing and recording live," John 5 continued. "And I think that's what you don't really hear a lot today.

"Whenever I hear this stuff, I can visualize it. And it's pretty magical that way, 'cause it's, like, 'Okay.' It reminds me of back in the day when they were recording and the records were spinning and they were making the record as it was recording because you can't mess up. And especially you don't wanna mess up around David Lee Roth. So it's really cool that way. I could just visualize just me and Dave going through these songs and recording 'em that way."

Asked if Dave notifies him every time he releases one of the songs from the 2007 album or if he just finds out about it once they have already been made available, John 5 said: "I just find out. And I'm, like, 'Oh, rad.' But I really think the greatest song that just broke my heart, too, was 'Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway'. And that is the one with the video, with the VAN HALEN video, and it's about Dave and the band and Eddie [Van Halen] and things like that. That one really is something special to me."

John 5 went on to say that he would like to rework some of the songs from the 2007 sessions "'Fair Warning' style — heavy, distorted guitars and riffs and solos and all that cool stuff. But I don't know. We'll see."

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 previously 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."

Photo credit: Israel Perez

In a new interview with Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1, Keith Richards spoke about the possibility of THE ROLLING STONES one day being the focus of an ABBA-style digital avatar show. The 79-year-old guitarist said: "Well, I certainly wouldn't rule it out. I'm pretty sure that it is bound to happen. Do I want it? Now, that's another thing. But I don't know if I want to hang around that long enough, man. But at the same time, it won't be up to me, will it?"

Launched in May 2022, ABBA's virtual show sees the four members of the Swedish pop group — Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad — turned into digital "ABBAtars". The digital performance, which is being staged in the custom-built ABBA Arena in London's Queen Elizabeth Park, took over a billion hours of processing time to complete, and the members of ABBA spent five hours a day in front of 160 motion-capture units over the course of a month.

Keith's bandmate Mick Jagger previously touched upon the possibility of THE ROLLING STONES going on a "posthumous tour" last month while speaking to The Wall Street Journal. "You can have a posthumous business now, can't you?" the 80-year-old singer said. "You can have a posthumous tour. The technology has really moved on since the ABBA thing, which I was supposed to go to, but I missed it."

In July 2022, Jagger was asked by Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1 how he planned to ensure THE ROLLING STONES' legacy lives on in the next 50 years or more. The singer said: "That would be stupid to me to give you a one-line answer, because I haven't really honestly thought about it.

"The ABBA thing gives you this kind of technology breakthrough, which, I haven't actually seen it yet. I was supposed to go and see it, but there was a train strike. So I didn't get to go. I wasn't going on the train, but … the traffic was horrible, so I can't really answer that.

"Obviously technology is going to give you some of the answers to this, and who knows what technology lies in store down the road?

"We're already in an AI world of doing this stuff, and you can do a lot of musical stuff with not very complicated computerization, as well."

Back in June 2022, Jimmy Page revealed that the surviving members of LED ZEPPELIN were approached with the idea of staging an ABBA-style digital avatar show. At the annual Welsh literature event the Hay Festival, Page said that he and his bandmates were asked to do "that sort of thing," referring to the "ABBA Voyage" virtual concert residency. However, the project "didn't really get moving," the now-79-year-old guitarist added, because he and singer Robert Plant and bassist John Paul Jones couldn't agree. He also spoke positively about Elvis Presley's hologram performance. "I bet that was good, but I didn't see it," he said.

Hologram world tours have previously been announced, but never come to fruition. In 2015, there was talk that Whitney Houston would go on the road in holographic form, but a leak of a duet with Christina Aguilera, which suggested the hologram was not up to scratch, led to the withdrawal of the Houston hologram by her estate.

In 2021, Christopher Dalston, a booking agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA),revealed to Rolling Stone that he was once approached with the idea of "an AC/DC hologram of Bon Scott," referring to the band's singer who died in 1980. Although he didn't say which hologram company approached him, Dalston added: "We asked ourselves, 'Do we want to represent something with Bon Scott?' And it just wasn't right for us at that point. It's a very personal thing to the groups. … You have to be careful what you do there. AC/DC is still a very current band with Brian Johnson singing."

Ronnie James Dio's wife and manager Wendy Dio, who is affiliated with Eyellusion, the company that created a hologram of the late heavy metal singer, said in a 2017 interview that it was only a matter of time before other rock legends returned to life through holograms, the three-dimensional light projections that have opened new frontiers for the live music and other industries. "Absolutely," she said. "I think the company that we're working with is talking to a lot of different people. And I think it's the way of the future. It's like people were, 'Ooooh…' when the eight-track came out, 'Ooooh, what's this?' And then cassette. 'Oooh, what's this?' And digital, 'What's this? Oh, we don't wanna do that. We only want analog. We don't want digital.' But you know what? It's technology. And also, we're losing our legends day by day; we're losing the innovators of metal and hard rock music; we're losing 'em every day. What are we gonna do? I don't see a lot of bands coming up to take their place."

The Dio hologram made its debut at the Wacken Open Air festival in August 2016 in front of more than 75,000 fans. The hologram production used audio of Ronnie's live performances from throughout his career, with the DIO band playing live, consisting of Craig Goldy on guitar, Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards, along with Bjorn Englen on bass. Also appearing with them are former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens and LYNCH MOB frontman Oni Logan.

After the "Dio Returns" tour's initial seven-date run was completed in December 2017, Ronnie's hologram underwent some changes before the launch of the 2019 leg of the trek, which took place in May and June of that year.

Two former DIO guitarists have publicly expressed their doubts about the Ronnie James Dio hologram. In December 2019, Tracy "G" Grijalva, who played for DIO from 1993 through 1999, said that the hologram "looks creepy" and resembles "a puppet." Nine months earlier, Doug Aldrich, who was in DIO between 2002 and 2006, told XS Rock that "Ronnie would probably not" like the hologram. "He would probably be, like, 'This is not what I signed up for.' A hologram? It's not really what he would want to be. I'm just guessing, you know, that it's something that Wendy thought about and she decided that Ronnie would be fine with it. But I knew Ronnie well enough to know that he was very particular and he would prefer for them to let him just die and be in peace."

In 2020, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick, who toured with Ronnie on two separate occasions a decade and a half apart — in 1992 when Dio fronted BLACK SABBATH and again in 2008 when Ronnie was the singer of SABBATH offshoot band HEAVEN & HELL — offered his opinion on the Dio hologram on Twitter, writing: "I don't believe in those hologram shows. It would be one thing if the artist was still alive, chose not to tour for whatever reason, gave his or her approval & maybe even had a hand in the process. But Dio had no say." Skolnick also added a thumbs-down emoji as a way of voicing his disapproval.

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman said in a 2016 interview that he had mixed feelings about concerts featuring the Dio hologram. He stated about the prospect of seeing a holographic version of Ronnie: "It makes me sad. I'm always happy to hear any music from anybody that's left us, that we've lost. But I don't know… The hologram thing, to me, it almost isn't letting the dead be dead." He added, "It just seems weird... Is there a difference between a hologram and a guy dressing up like Ronnie James and doing it?"

In 2021, Wendy said that she decided to pull the plug on the Dio hologram because she "wanted to see real Ronnie." Speaking about how her reaction to the hologram evolved over the years, she told the "Hangin' & Bangin': Artists On Lockdown" online show: "When I first saw it, I cried. Then I got used to it because it wasn't Ronnie. And then we took it out [on tour]. The first [version] was not that good. The second one was a lot better. But I decided that I don't wanna do it anymore; I decided I want real Ronnie. So we're working on a stage with the DIO band, which will be going out [later in 2022]. Instead of having a hologram, it will have film of Ronnie with the live band playing and with special effects and everything else. So that's what we're working on. We're working on it with Paul Dexter [who was Ronnie's lighting designer and stage designer for years] and a bunch of other people. And also the Eyellusion people, who did do the hologram, are doing a bunch of special effects for us with it."

Wendy continued: "I never say never [about bringing back the hologram], but technology gets different every day, every day, every day. And I just decided that I wanted to see real Ronnie. … QUEEN does [something similar, using footage of Freddie Mercury]. Ours will be a little bit different to that because we have all these great effects, 3D effects. It's almost like going into — what's that ride at Disneyland, when you go through, and it's like a 3D effect? That's what we're working on right now."

Photo credit: Mark Seliger

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing's new band KK'S PRIEST has revealed that a viewership restriction was imposed by YouTube on the group's latest music video.

The Mind Art Visual-directed clip for KK'S PRIEST's latest single, "Hymn 66", which was uploaded to the platform in late September, is said to have "a dark theme and a killing scene."

Downing comments: "This has come as a real shock! First, there is no killing scene. Our protagonist in the video merely goes through a fictional transformation and is clearly alive throughout the whole video, and given that we are on the eve of Halloween, I consider the theme of this video to be more than appropriate and certainly in line with the content that all age groups will be looking to enjoy this week."

"Hymn 66" is taken from KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", which came out in September via the Austrian label Napalm Records.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Mind Art Visual

THE HALO EFFECT, the new project featuring five former members of the Swedish metal band IN FLAMES — Jesper Strömblad (guitar),Daniel Svensson (drums),Peter Iwers (bass),Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals) — recently completed mixing its sophomore album for an early 2024 release. Asked in a new interview with A Swedish Fika With about a possible release date for the new THE HALO EFFECT material, Peter said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I believe we will be releasing one new song later this year, and one more, I think, beginning of next. And then we'll see. I mean, the album is done. It's recorded and done. And we've actually been talking about going in and start writing new stuff. And then there's record labels and release plans and everything that comes together that goes beyond our control. So, I'm not 100 percent sure when it will be released, but there is a new record coming, definitely."

As for the musical direction of the new THE HALO EFFECT songs, Peter said: "I think it's definitely the same type of music, but as an artist, you don't obviously wanna repeat yourself. But I guess what we did on the first one, we just went in and we took the ideas and what was written and made it into songs. And without thinking of, 'This is gonna sound like this or that.' And now with the second album, we know how it's gonna sound. But I guess we kept on still doing it the same way. So there's no real change. It's THE HALO EFFECT. It's not gonna be a big change in a different direction. We're gonna keep on trying to do what we started to do."

This past August, Peter told Australia's "Everblack" podcast about THE HALO EFFECT's mindset while writing the new material: "What we've done with this one and the last one was basically we just went into the studio with some ideas. Niclas had many, many ideas, some finished songs, and then he invited us, everybody else, in the songwriting process. So we went in without having a clear plan on how it's gonna sound, but obviously, it's in the fingers and it's in Mikael's voice. Whatever comes out is the way that it sounds now. So the next record is — you always wanna evolve, obviously, but it's not different; it's definitely the same type of genre. And, like I said, we went in and we played what we felt like. And Niclas had written a bunch of songs together with Jesper, and we went in the studio on this one and just did our thing on them."

He continued: "A lot of times some bands evolve all the time and it's always different from record [to record]. But I think we feel more comfortable than we did before. We had no pressure by doing [the first THE HALO EFFECT album] 'Days Of The Lost', and we had no pressure [on the follow-up album]. But at the same time, we've been out playing, we're together in an even stronger way than we were before. So, it's definitely the same type of music. But it's — I don't know; it's hard to describe."

Also in August, Stanne told Finland's Chaoszine about THE HALO EFFECT's upcoming LP: "It's done, and it sounds awesome. But, yeah, we were [originally] supposed to do an EP [instead of a full-length album] — we had that kind of plan — but then we realized, 'Ah, maybe not.' So now we're gonna release the album beginning of next year and starting with singles and that kind of stuff soon. So it's really exciting, because we worked really hard just to fit into all of our schedules to make sure that the album was kind of done in time, and then we figured out like a release schedule and a release date and all that stuff. So it's been — not stressful, but we did a lot during a short period of time, which ended up being fantastic just because it turned out a much more confident album, I think. It's very focused and you can, you can probably tell — at least from the people that I've played it to — that whereas the first time was kind of, like, 'Hey, let's figure out what we wanna do,' whereas this is kind of, like, 'This is exactly what we wanna do.'"

He added: "So it's, it's gonna be interesting. I can't wait to have people hear it because I'm incredibly proud of it."

Asked if the second THE HALO EFFECT album is a "continuation" of "Days Of The Lost", which came out last year, Stanne said: "Yeah, I think so. I think Niclas and Jesper were more confident in terms of their songwriting, where it's, like, 'Yeah, this is gonna work.' And there are some cool experimentation on the album as well, but some of the songs are just like straight up, like there's no questions. It's just so easy and so to the point, you know. So it's kind of fun when I get the demo version of a song, and I start thinking about lyrics and vocals, it's, like, it just makes sense. I just know this by heart. It's so easy. Which is — it is weird, but it's just, like, it speaks to me in a way that where I go like, 'Okay, I know exactly what to do and I can finish it in a matter of days.' That's sometimes how it feels. You just hear a song and you go, like, 'Yep, I know this already. I know exactly what to do. And it's gonna be great."

THE HALO EFFECT debuted two brand new songs, "Become Surrender" and "The Defiant One", during its February 2023 Swedish tour. Speaking to MoreCore.TV about the decision to perform new material before it is officially recorded and released, Mikael said: "We decided to [test the water a little bit], see if people are into the new stuff that we're writing. Not that it's super different, but still… And it's been fun to kind of, yeah, try things out and see if people are into it. And they seem to be digging it. So we're really excited."

In May, THE HALO EFFECT released a visualizer for the song "Path Of Fierce Resistance". The track, which was previously released as a Japanese exclusive on "Days Of The Lost", was finally made available in the rest of the world.

"Days Of The Lost" entered the official chart in Sweden in the summer of 2022 at position No. 1. This was believed to be the first time a debut LP from a metal act had ever topped the chart in Sweden in its first week of release. "Days Of The Lost" also landed at No. 6 in Germany.

In a new interview with DJ Ramo (a.k.a. Omar Rodriguez) of The Metal Mixtape, Mike Portnoy's SONS OF APOLLO bandmate Jeff Scott Soto was asked for his opinion on this week's announcement that the drummer was rejoining DREAM THEATER after a 13-year absence from the latter group. Soto replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, first of all, I'm pissed off at Mike, because I consider us really good friends and he did not tell me… I honestly did not know. I felt it would, or could, happen eventually. I mean, how could it not? That's such an important band in rock history and his life that it would make sense for them at least to do one more go-round. That's what I thought they might do. I didn't expect him to join the band full-time again, which is great for DREAM THEATER fans. They're all elated and everybody is excited. And it makes perfect sense for us because I don't have to dodge the ever-going question about, 'What's next for SONS OF APOLLO?'"

Elaborating on what might happen to SONS OF APOLLO going forward, Jeff said: "There's nothing 'next' for SONS OF APOLLO, unfortunately. Everybody's moving forward; we're all moving on. I'm glad I decided to [be part of the] revamped ART OF ANARCHY, because now I can start putting all my focus into this. I've got a few other coals in the fire, but for the most part, SONS OF APOLLO has probably seen its last moments. Maybe somewhere in the future we can reunite just to do some shows, just have fun, like a NAMM show or one of these music trade shows."

Soto continued: "These guys [in SONS OF APOLLO] are my friends. These are my brothers. I wish everybody well into the future, but obviously we've all gotta do what we've all gotta do. And I'm really excited mostly for the DREAM THEATER fans. I'm bummed for my buddy Mike Mangini [now-former DREAM THEATER drummer]. I love his playing, I love his personality. He talks a little funny, but I don't think I'll hold that against him. He's an amazing drummer, but I know he's always bounced back. He's played with so many greats through his career and life and DREAM THEATER was a great vehicle for him. And I know he'll bounce back and he'll continue doing what he does best. So in the end, I think a win-win for everybody."

SONS OF APOLLO, which also features guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-GUNS N' ROSES),bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (also of BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION),recorded and released two studio albums over the course of a three-year period but has been inactive since completing a South American tour in August 2022.

In some of his recent interviews, Bumblefoot spoke about SONS OF APOLLO in the past tense and said "everything has its lifespan" with regard to the band's future plans, stirring up speculation that SONS OF APOLLO was all but finished.

After DREAM THEATER announced on Wednesday (October 25) that Portnoy — the band's founding drummer — was rejoining the group after 13 years apart, Soto shared DREAM THEATER's announcement on social media and wrote in an accompanying message: "Welp, the cats finally out of the bag, I hope this gets shared on all the music sites so I don't have to sugar coat or dodge the SOA inquiries anymore.

"First I wanna say Mr [Mike] Mangini [former DREAM THEATER drummer] was and is a class act for his services and duties with DT, we've been friends for a very long time and his tenacity is rich and strong," the singer added.

"2nd, I have to congratulate DT for finding a way to make their fans go insane today, the boys are back together and will hopefully ride this out until they pull the plug completely on it, I had an absolute blast with MP in SOA, funny thing is I actually woke up this morning from a dream that I was going onstage with SONS again, coincidence to this news dropping today!!"

In a recent interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series, Bumblefoot said about the SONS OF APOLLO's status: "Everything has its lifespan, and you hope it'll be a long one, and it just ends up being what it's gonna end up being. And [when you have a bunch of] moving parts, if one of those parts is not on board, it can't function. So, we did two studio albums, we did the live video and album, we did lots of music videos, did a good amount of touring. And now, after it has splintered off into other things where Jeff and I are doing ART OF ANARCHY… Derek and I, there's all of Derek's music that I've been a part of, all his solo music, which is very much —his writing is half of SONS OF APOLLO; well, I guess you could say a third. You have Derek and I, we would do the music writing and then Jeff would write to that. So most of those albums, well, all those albums were done that way, where it was just shooting ideas back and forth. Derek and I, he would have an idea and I would send him a demo of an idea and we would make the music. And then with Mike, we would get together and arrange them into crazy-ass songs. And then Jeff would listen to these songs and start putting vocals to it and make them sound like something digestible."

Earlier this month, Thal told We Go To 11 that there were no plans for SONS OF APOLLO to become active again. "It was on its way up with that second album. Things were going very well," he said. "And we finally got our shit together and organized and everything was functioning well. And we were definitely on an incline. When the pandemic hit, not everybody was on board to keep moving it forward and doing more with it. And I do have new music with Derek. And I have [ART OF ANARCHY] with Jeff, so it's kind of like it splintered off into other things."

Pressed about whether he thinks it will be "a while" before we get any new music from SONS OF APOLLO, Thal told We Go To 11: "Well, we managed to put out two studio albums and a live album and video, and I hope everybody enjoyed it. Past tense."

Sheehan was unable to join his SONS OF APOLLO bandmates on the aforementioned South American tour due to COVID-19 vaccine-related travel restrictions. His replacement on the trek was ANGRA's Felipe Andreoli.

SONS OF APOLLO's second album, "MMXX", was released in January 2020 via InsideOut Music/Sony.

The follow-up to 2017's "Psychotic Symphony" debuted on multiple Billboard charts dated, including Tastemakers (No. 10),Heatseekers Albums (No. 11) and Hard Rock Albums (No. 21).

At the time of "MMXX"'s release, Soto told Billboard: "We absolutely jumped into this as an ongoing commitment from all of us that we were going to follow up on and treat it, with all intents and purposes, as a real band. With the caliber of who we have and what we could come up with, we knew we wanted to dive into this thing fully committed, and not as a one-off."

Regarding the differences in the musical direction between the two albums, Soto said: "I don't think we strayed too far. If you put both albums together as a double album, it would work. The only difference is that I feel that I put a little more personality into the vocal parts. It was a little homogenized on the first album, in terms of playing it safe. I didn't toy around too much with straying from the main ideas.

"On [the second] album, I knew exactly what I wanted to do," he continued. "I knew where we were headed as a band. This time, it was a no-brainer that I should just go for it. The first album was, again, the foundation and the skeletal embryonic stage of the band. Now it's solid and I’ve watched it flourish, and I went in knowing what to do."

More than five years ago, Portnoy told Let's Rock about SONS OF APOLLO's chemistry: "I'd like to say that I was surprised by how easy it came together, but, to be honest, I kind of expected that. That wasn't really a surprise. I knew it would work. I knew it would be easy once once we started playing just because I know the guys involved. So, I can't really say there were many surprises. Everything kind of went according to plan. Everybody was kind of chosen for the band because I knew their personalities. And Jeff and Bumblefoot in particular are the two most easy-going guys, and [laughs] that's very rare for a guitar player and a singer. But in this case, you couldn't ask for two sweeter guys. That's a huge part of [the] importance in picking band chemistry. A lot of times, it's well beyond the music. It's more about the personalities and in this case, it's a great group of guys."

Photo credit: Hristo Shindov

Nashville based prog rock virtuoso, Neal Morse, has announced his new album, The Restoration - Joseph: Part Two - the follow-up to 2023's The Dreamer - Joseph: Part One. The first single from part two of his latest rock opera is "Cosmic Mess", out today along with a new music video.


The Dreamer - Joseph: Part One concluded with Joseph unjustly imprisoned. In The Restoration - Joseph: Part Two, the biblical narrative unfolds, chronicling how Joseph's wisdom and intelligence led him to become the viceroy of Egypt and, to the eventual reunion with his family.


Commenting on the new single, Neal had this to say: “It doesn’t sound like it, but 'Cosmic Mess' was written on the piano. I think it was toward the end of the writing process on Joseph, and I was thinking it would be good to have another prologue sort of song. One of my main takeaways from the Joseph story is that it was necessary for all the terrible things to happen to Joseph to put him at the right hand of pharaoh, so that he could feed/save the whole world and be reunited with his family. So that’s what I am singing about in the chorus… The darkness must come in order for the light to fully show up. Anyway, I played all the instruments on this, including the drums, and had a fine time doing it.”




Watch the video below.


In the latter part of 2022, Neal Morse dedicated his creative efforts to following up the successful release of 'Jesus Christ the Exorcist' by crafting a new rock opera. Inspiration flowed, resulting in nearly two hours of music that narrates the story of Joseph, known for his coat of many colors, through the lens of progressive rock, in a style that is uniquely Neal Morse.


Rather than presenting two hours simultaneously as a double album, Neal opted to release Joseph's new rock opera in two separate volumes, believing that the strength of both the music and the story warranted this approach, as each album could independently stand as a testament to its intrinsic value. Now, to continue the story told in The Dreamer - Joseph: Part One, this talented and prolific artist carries on Joseph's story with melodious drama in The Restoration - Joseph: Part Two.


Neal comments on the album: "The second installment in the Joseph story shocked me! I wish you could hear the development… Where it started to where it ended up! Pretty crazy, how it all developed largely with the help of other artists. I won’t get into naming names because I would have to name all of them, but friends and brothers (lliterally!) really brought a lot to the table on this one and I am absolutely thrilled with the way 'The Restoration' turned out. I hope you guys love it as much as I loved making it!”


Now, in the follow up to Joseph's story, Neal assumes the lead vocalist role, while an impressive cast of guest artists, including Nick D’Virgilio (Spock's Beard), Ted Leonard (Spock’s Beard, Pattern Seeking Animals), Matt Smith (Theocracy), Ross Jennings (Haken), Jake Livgren (Proto-Kaw, Kansas) and Alan Morse (Spock's Beard), join him in this second chapter. They collaborate with members of the Neal Morse Band, such as Bill Hubauer and Eric Gillette, among others. Together, they breathe life into this familiar tale through extraordinary music that promises to captivate progressive rock enthusiasts once more.


As one of the most accomplished composers of our era, Neal Morse consistently delivers. The entire rock opera, Joseph, offers exceptional music that will enrapture both devoted prog rockers and melodic rock aficionados alike. With its musical diversity, melodic interludes, harmonious vocals, and remarkable songs, it stands as a testament to his enduring talent.


Pre-order/save The Restoration - Joseph: Part Two here.





The Restoration - Joseph: Part Two tracklisting:


"Cosmic Mess"
"My Dream"
"Dreamer In The Jailhouse"
"All Hail"
"The Argument"
"Make Like A Breeze"
"Overture Reprise"
"I Hate My Brothers"
"Guilty As Charged"
"Reckoning"
"Bring Ben"
"Freedom Road"
"The Brothers Repent / Joseph Revealed"
"The Restoration"
"Everlasting"
"Dawning Of A New Day (God Uses Everything For Good)"


"Cosmic Mess" video:





Lineup:


Nick D’Virgilio
Eric Gillette
Gabe Klein
Neal Morse
Sam Hunter
Gideon Klein
Alan Morse
Mark Leniger
Bill Hubauer


Cast:


Neal Morse
Ted Leonard
Matt Smith
Nick D’Virgilio
Ross Jennings
Alan Morse
Jake Livgren
Mark Pogue
Talon David
Wil Morse

During an appearance on this past Monday's (October 23) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", George Lynch spoke about his absence from Rolling Stone magazine's recently released list of "The 250 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time". Asked if ever looks at those lists and whether his omission from the rankings bothers him, the former DOKKEN guitarist replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I only look at them if my name's in it. I scour for my name. If I don't see my name, then I write it off."

He continued on a more serious note, saying: "There's the ego part of my brain. Of course it does react to that, but I try not to care, but of course we all care. You wanna be recognized for what you do, and you work hard and you love what you do and you think you're creating something of value that at least some people appreciate. So I'm not looking at it in the context a of a contest, but I do think it's important to anybody like myself who works hard and hopefully would like to be perceived as having done something of value. So that's where I think recognition matters.

"But listen, ranking artists is such a ridiculous premise," Lynch added. "I think it doesn't make any sense. I mean, everything in an art is subjective. So how can you say one person can be 17 and another person is 18? That doesn't even make any logical sense.

"So, anyways, a lot of these polls, I think, and historically it's been true, are really popularity polls. I mean, Mick Mars [MÖTLEY CRÜE] getting voted number one or two guitar players back in the '80s. He's a good guitar player — he's great — but I think that was more to do with MÖTLEY CRÜE being a huge band. And Angus Young [AC/DC] being rated highly, I think, is right, that he should be, but not for the same reason that Yngwie [Malmsteen] is. So there's all these different things. I mean, Angus Young is arguably a more important guitar player than someone like Yngwie in the context of the rock pantheon and what he's done for rock and roll, but in a showdown of lead guitar prowess, he's not gonna win against Yngwie."

Asked if there was one guitarist that he heard as a kid that made him want to pick up the instrument and play, George said: "It wasn't just one guy. I was fortunate enough to be raised in an era where my friends would come to me at school and they would go, 'Hey, have you heard of this new band? They got this album. It's pretty cool, it's called LED ZEPPELIN.' And they weren't even a known band; it was like a new band that you discovered. LED ZEPPELIN. So I grew up with that. Jimi Hendrix. 'There's some black guy who sets his guitar on fire. Have you heard of him?' 'No.' 'You've gotta check him out.' Jeff Beck had that first Jeff Beck record. I lived off that. I was very fortunate to be raised on CREAM and all these amazing — I call 'em the Four Horsemen. And then everybody else that came since. And I've been a fan of everybody, so I learned from everybody. I mean, Leslie West, Michael Schenker, Eddie [Van Halen], Yngwie — I mean, all of them; they've all had a huge effect on me, and continue to. So there isn't one guy. Johnny Winter. Everybody. A lot of obscure guys. Allan Holdsworth. So there's not one guy. So I'm just kind of this amalgamation of all these guys, and I'm not a schooled guitar player in the sense that I know theory or anything, so I've listened to all these people. I've never learned any songs or any phrasing that they play note for note, but I sort of listen to and absorb what they do by osmosis and that somehow subconsciously becomes part of my style. And I think I just kind of spew all this stuff back out with little flavors of everybody that I've listened to throughout my whole life and kind of but in my own way. And that's all it is. That's basically what I do. I'm sort of a synthesis of everything I've listened to for 60 years."

Rolling Stone's "The 250 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time" list has been curated by the current editors and writers at the publication, and features such guitarists such as Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Tony Iommi and Slash.

"In making the list, we tended to value heaviness over tastiness, feel over polish, invention over refinement, risk-takers and originators more than technicians," Rolling Stone said in introducing the list. "We also tended to give an edge to artists who channeled whatever gifts god gave them into great songs and game-changing albums, not just impressive playing."

Rolling Stone's previous list of "100 Greatest Guitarists", which was published in 2011, was compiled by "a panel of musicians, mostly older classic rockers," Rolling Stone explained in the introduction to the new list. "Our new expanded list was made by the editors and writers of Rolling Stone. This one goes to 250."

Here's the top 20 greatest guitarists according to Rolling Stone in 2023:

01. Jimi Hendrix
02. Chuck Berry
03. Jimmy Page
04. Eddie Van Halen
05. Jeff Beck
06. Sister Rosetta Tharpe
07. Nile Rodgers
08. B.B. King
09. Joni Mitchell
10. Duane Allman
11. Carlos Santana
12. Jimmy Nolen
13. Tony Iommi
14. Prince
15. Keith Richards
16. Robert Johnson
17. Mother Maybelle Carter
18. Tom Morello
19. Freddy King
20. Steve Ray Vaughan

Photo credit: Cat Parker

Tom Gabriel Warrior: "The revivification of Hellhammer's 'Massacra', almost forty years after the song's inception. The new single and first video clip to accompany Triumph Of Death's Resurrection Of The Flesh, an immoderate on-stage celebration of Hellhammer's music."


Watch the video below:







Triumph Of Death’s debut live release, Resurrection Of The Flesh, is the culmination of three concerts. Recorded in the spring of 2023 at Hell’s Heroes Festival in Houston, Texas, Dark Easter Metal Meeting in Munich, Germany and SWR Barroselas Metal Fest in Portugal, the album was produced by Tom Gabriel Warrior and Triptykon's V. Santura. The record captures the band at their primeval finest; raw, foreboding and heavy. The songs may date back four decades but here they are revealed to be still just as vital today as when they were written in the band’s infamous rehearsal bunker in the rural village of Birchwil, Switzerland in the early 1980s. From the thunderous opening chords of "Third Of The Storms (Evoked Damnation)" to the malevolent, morbid feedback of set closer "Triumph Of Death", this album is a sixty minute document of the overwhelming power of the live performance of Triumph Of Death, and it captures the spirit and intensity of these historic songs that have transcended decades to become revered and timeless.


Warrior: "This album is, most importantly, testament to the unique connection that exists between the audience and this band. Hellhammer's music was an underground token in 1982 to 1984, often ridiculed and shunned, and we owe the fact that we are now able to perform it all across the globe entirely to grace, openness, and enthusiasm of those who make exactly these concerts possible. They give us as much as we given them, and my gratitude to them knows no limits."


For special pre-orders and exclusive merch bundles, head here.


Resurrection Of The Flesh, out November 10, will be available as:


- Deluxe CD mediabook
- Double gatefold LP w/booklet and posters on black vinyl and B&W swirl (indie store exclusive)
- Super deluxe double red vinyl LP bookpack with bonus 7” single plus posters





Tracklisting:


"The Third Of The Storms (Evoked Damnation)"
"Massacra"
"Maniac"
"Blood Insanity"
"Decapitator"
"Crucifixion"
"Reaper"
"Horus/Aggressor"
"Revelations Of Doom"
"Messiah"
"Visions Of Mortality"
"Triumph Of Death"


Bonus 7” song (Super deluxe edition only):
"Decapitator" (Live In Houston)


"Messiah":





Triumph Of Death lineup:


Tom Gabriel Warrior - voice/guitar
André Mathieu - guitar/vocals
Jamie Lee Cussigh - bass
Tim Iso Wey – drums

As Mötley Crüe heads to Japan and Australia to continue The World Tour, BMG has released a multi-configuration celebration of the 40th Anniversary of their landmark 2nd album, Shout At The Devil. The centerpiece is the Limited Edition Super Deluxe Box Set which features the newly remastered album on LP, CD and Cassette. Also included are reproductions of the original 7” singles of “Too Young To Fall In Love” and “Looks That Kill” alongside a Pentagram Séance Board, Devil Board w/Metal Planchette, Metal 7” Adapter, album art lithographs, tarot cards, devil candle holder and more. In addition, 7 rare demo tracks have been resurrected and are included as Shout At The Demos And Rarities.


Order now, and watch brand new lyric video for “In The Beginning"/"Shout At The Devil” below.


Shout At The Devil – 40th Anniversary is available now as a streaming/digital deluxe edition and the following Limited Edition configurations: Super Deluxe Box Set, Picture Disc, Red/Black Vinyl (Walmart), Ghostly Orange Vinyl (Urban Outfitters), Blood Filled Vinyl (Newbury Comics), LP Replica CD, and Lenticular CD (Walmart).




Originally released in 1983 at the height of the Satanic Panic, Shout At The Devil catapulted Mötley Crüe to superstardom. Delivering on the hype and promise of their Platinum debut, Too Fast For Love, Mötley Crüe’s second album hit the US Top 20 and was certified 4X Platinum. For many music fans, Shout At The Devil was the first time they witnessed an album with this imagery and lyrical content on mainstream retail shelves.


Shout At The Devil continues to be a cornerstone of Mötley Crüe's live set, with the band playing up to four songs from this iconic album at every show of The World Tour which is currently underway. Fittingly, the original touring cycle for this album saw Mötley Crüe jump from opening act to full on arena headliners.


The ground-breaking music videos for “Looks That Kill” and “Too Young To Fall In Love” set the standard for countless MTV moments. Those two singles, combined with the sinister title track, reckless cuts like “Knock ‘Em Dead, Kid”, “Bastard” and “Red Hot”, their frenzied take on “Helter Skelter” and the haunting nearly instrumental “God Bless The Children Of The Beast” helped create this era- and genre-defining album.


40 years later, Mötley Crüe is still going strong, bigger than ever and headlining stadiums around the world!





Deluxe Limited Edition Box Set includes:


• Original Album Remastered on Orange/Yellow Splatter LP
• Shout At The Demos & Rarities Red/White Splatter LP
• Shout At The Devil CD
• Shout At The Devil Cassette
• “Looks That Kill” White 7”
• “Too Young To Fall In Love” Orange 7”
• Devil Board w/Metal Planchette
• Metal Pentagram 7” Adapter
• Pentagram Felt Bag
• Devil Candle Holder (candle not included)
• Band Member Tarot Cards
• 12” x 12” Pentagram Séance Board
• Two 12” x 12” Shout At The Devil Blood Album Cover Litho Art Prints


Album tracklisting:


"In The Beginning"
"Shout At The Devil"
"Looks That Kill"
"Bastard"
"God Bless The Children Of The Beast"
"Helter Skelter "
"Red Hot "
"Too Young To Fall In Love"
"Knock ‘Em Dead, Kid"
"Ten Seconds To Love"
"Danger"


Shout At The Demos & Rarities tracklisting:


"Shout At The Devil" (Demo)
"Looks That Kill" (Demo)
"Knock ‘Em Dead, Kid" (Demo)
"Too Young To Fall In Love" (Demo)
"Hotter Than Hell" (Demo for “Louder Than Hell”)
"I Will Survive" (Demo)
"Black Widow" (Demo)


“In The Beginning"/"Shout At The Devil” lyric video:





"Hotter Than Hell" (Demo for “Louder Than Hell”):





"Black Widow" (Demo):





Preview:

W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless has paid tribute to the band's former drummer Steve Riley, who died on Tuesday (October 24) after battling a severe case of pneumonia for several weeks. He was 67 years old.

Late Friday night (October 27),Blackie released the following statement via the W.A.S.P. web site: "The entire W.A.S.P. family are saddened to hear of the passing of our friend and former bandmate Steve Riley. Steve was a native of Boston and came from a large family. He had several brothers, which from the beginning I dubbed, 'the Dalton Gang'. That came from an old Quick Draw McGraw cartoon and in a fun type of way they reminded me of some crazy kind of wannabe outlaws. They all loved the name so it stuck.

"It was Steve's drumming you hear providing the steady beat on songs such as 'Wild Child', 'Blind in Texas' and 'I Don't Need No Doctor'. Those songs helped cement our legacy and Steve was a big part of that.

"Most drummers have some the best humor in any band. It's just the way they are wired and he was no exception. Steve could make a dog laugh and that's no joke.

"For any band, being on the road can be a grind. If you have someone in the band that can come in and break the tension just by being themselves, then that's a gift that's sorely missed when that vacuum can no longer be filled.

"One of the 'Dalton Gang' has now slipped away and our hearts are truly saddened. He will be missed. But his individual legacy will indeed live on.

"God Speed Steve Riley".

Riley was the drummer for W.A.S.P. on the band's second and third albums — 1985's "The Last Command" and 1986's "Inside The Electric Circus" — and world tours from 1984 to 1987. After leaving W.A.S.P., Riley joined L.A. GUNS and played on that group's most commercially successful LPs.

In a 2021 interview with "The Bay Ragni Show" (see video below),Steve stated about W.A.S.P.: "It was unfortunate what happened with W.A.S.P. I loved that band, I loved being in it, and I thought that the four members of W.A.S.P., we really had some great personalities, and we were making great music. And it's just unfortunate. It was one of those bands that splintered, and one guy left, one guy got fired, another guy got fired, and Blackie took it over on himself and he just went on with it on his own. But I thought we had a lot of legs, man; I thought we could have gone a lot longer with the four guys."

Riley added that he knew Lawless was calling all the shots when he joined W.A.S.P. "It pretty much is Blackie's band," he said. "I knew when I joined, I knew it was Blackie's band and he was writing the majority of the material and he was directing all the traffic."

According to Steve, Blackie made a mistake when he got rid of the musicians that composed W.A.S.P.'s classic lineup. "He fired Randy [Piper, guitar], then he fired me and then he ended up firing Chris [Holmes, guitar]. So he disbanded a great band.

"I've got nothing but admiration for Blackie, 'cause he gave me a shot with W.A.S.P. and I really took advantage of it and I loved being in the band. But I think that he disbanded a great band," Riley reiterated. "We were not only good theatrically, we were great sonically, musically. We were just blowing bands off the stage, man. That original four guys in W.A.S.P., we were great."

Steve added: "I've been in so many bands, and I know that that band, we were slaying. We were just really — every show, whether it was Europe, Asia, over here in North America and Canada, we were just killing it, bro. And I felt great about the band and I felt great about the first and second albums. I feel good about 'Inside The Electric Circus', but that was a noticeable change in the whole band, the sound of the band and everything, and how we looked — the whole thing. But those first two albums, man — we were really pushing it. It was great."

In a new interview with Artists On Record Starring ADIKA Live!, Chilean-born singer Ronnie Romero (Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW) explained why he parted ways with VANDENBERG after recording only one album with the Adrian Vandenberg-led group, 2020's "2020". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't like when people, they tell a version of a story just to show that, 'I'm cool, and if something happens, it was not my fault. It was because somebody else.' And I think that's not fair. It is not bad to tell the truth."

He continued: "We did a record, and we did a good record, and we worked in L.A. doing this record with [producer] Bob Marlette. And it was great; it was a great experience. I think we did a great record. The people really liked it. But, unfortunately, COVID happened. And then recently I saw that [Adrian] said that he was looking for another singer because he wanted to play shows and I was not available, which is not true. And I have e-mails — tons of e-mails — telling to him during the COVID, even with my wife telling them, like, 'We should do a video clip anyways. We can do it this way. I can shoot my parts in Bucharest,' because I live in Bucharest in Romania. 'I can shoot my parts here and you can shoot your part there in in Netherlands. And I can do it by myself because I do video clips I can put the edit together and we can do something.' And it was many times I said that. And he was, like, 'I don't know. I don't know. COVID. I don't know. COVID.' And we ended up doing just videos [with] lyrics. And then suddenly, one day, he was planning to maybe to make some shows after the lockdown because there was, obviously, the main idea to play some shows, and 'we're gonna play this, we're gonna play that.' And then, suddenly, I remember one day I saw it on Instagram, there's a VANDENBERG show [that was scheduled]. And at that time I was talking with Michael Schenker to make shows with Michael Schenker. And I said 'yes' to Michael Schenker because I didn't have any news from VANDENBERG to play shows. So, what happened, they [VANDENBERG] were planning a tour with me but without telling me because somebody on the management office, they forgot to put me on copy on the e-mails. So, they thought that was okay for me to make the tour because I didn't say anything. So when I learned and I discovered that they were planning to make shows, I was committed with Michael Schenker. So Adrian told me, 'Well, this is your band. We did a record together. We should go together with a tour.' And I said, 'You're right.' So I talked to Michael Schenker, and there is a proof of that, if you ask to Michael Schenker management. I said, 'Listen. There's a misunderstanding here. There is this problem. Sorry, I cannot do the tour with you and Michael Schenker. I need to go with VANDENBERG.' And they understood. And I came back to VANDENBERG and I said, 'I talked to them already, so I'm free. We can do the tour.' And [Adrian] was, like, 'Ah, well, I talked to the record label, and they think that it's better to find another singer.' So that was it."

Ronnie added: "If somebody comes in and says, 'That's not true,' I have all the e-mails, all the communications in messenger, everything that... 'Listen, I just quit Michael Schenker to make the tour with you, and now you're telling me that it's not happening because... Why? Because the record label told you that they should find another singer. Because of a tour, nobody told me. Because somebody on your management forgot to put me on copy on the e-mails.'"

He continued: "And actually, also, we were planning after to make a statement together saying that we are no longer together playing, I'm no longer in the band. And he was telling me, 'Yeah, I'm gonna do something. Let me talk to the record label. Let me talk to the manager. I will come back to you tomorrow.' And then he didn't come back, and then another week and another week and another week [went by]. And I was pushing him to, 'Let's make a statement because the people [are] asking if I'm gonna play the shows with you, and that is my face on the flyers. So I think that's not correct.' And he was saying, 'Yeah,' whatever. And then suddenly he made a statement saying that I'm not in the band anymore because I'm playing in too many projects, I'm involved in too many things and I don't have time for VANDENBERG, which is not true."

Asked by host Stefan Adika if he thinks Adrian's "ego" was the reason their relationship broke down the way it did, Ronnie said: "Well, I think in a way, obviously, it's because his name is Adrian Vandenberg, so he can't be the bad guy. 'So who am I gonna blame? I'm gonna blame the new guy. Of course. And it's very convenient for me that the guy is playing in a lot of bands. So there's a story that the people can believe.' Obviously the people believe in him because he said, 'No. I wanted to play shows and Ronnie is involved in too many projects and didn't have time,' which, on the eyes of the fans, it is true. But they don't know the real story, that I was pushing him to make shows. I was pushing him to make video clips. I was pushing him to make something with the band during the pandemic. And also even I organized, and my wife, she organized to make a couple of acoustic showcases in Romania, because we had a very short lockdown here in Romania because the COVID was not that bad here and we were allowed to play shows with a reduced audience. So we organized a showcase with acoustic songs in Hard Rock I in Bucharest. She organized that because she wanted to show the band. And [Adrian] didn't want to."

Romero reiterated that he had every intention of playing shows with VANDENBERG in support of the "2020" album. "I got committed with Michael Schenker and then, because of I discovered we [VANDENBERG] have a tour — somebody forgot to tell me — I quit Michael Schenker to make the VANDENBERG tour," he said. "And then [Adrian] came in and said, 'No, listen, I'm gonna find another singer.'"

As for where his relationship with Adrian stands today, Ronnie said: "We ended up not in a good way, [and] that was it."

Last month, Adrian told Chris Akin Presents about VANDENBERG's split with Romero: "Almost everybody's life got thrown upside down when COVID hit. Ronnie lives in Romania, and in that part of the world they were allowed quite a lot earlier than we [were] in Holland, Germany, France and England and stuff to start doing shows again. So Ronnie lives from his music, of course, obviously — he does like a zillion of zillion projects — so he started earlier putting stuff in his agenda. And then when we were finally allowed to tour, our agendas didn't match anymore. So I didn't want to wait for another 10 months because I'd been sitting on my ass touring-wise for almost three years; it was impossible to tour. So we parted ways. I said, 'Sorry, man. I really wanna tour. And you are already doing shows. I wanna do shows.' I couldn't wait. So, yeah, that's when I decided, 'I have to find another singer.'"

VANDENBERG has since recruited Swedish vocalist Mats Levén to replace Romero.

Levén made his recording debut with VANDENBERG on the band's fifth full-length offering, "Sin", which was released on August 25 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group.

Photo credit: Alex Solca

Founding BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward has shared a new original poem called "Piccadilly". Check it out below.

Ward has released a number of poems in recent years, some inspired by the coronavirus pandemic and others celebrating the fall–winter holiday season, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Bill was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced more than 11 years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, something that Iommi confirmed in 2017 during a question-and-answer session about SABBATH's "Ten Year War" box set.

In 2015, Ward released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

In November 2017, Ward's band DAY OF ERRORS released its first two songs, "Day Of Errors" and "Blaspheming At Creation", via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and Google Play. Two more tracks, "Dark" and "Ghost Train", followed in 2019.

In March 2021, Ward revealed that he was working on an autobiography.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🕊⬛️Bill Ward Official⬛️🕊 (@billwarddrummer)

Rock band NEW YEARS DAY returned to WWE NXT Tuesday night (October 24) for a special performance of their bloodthirsty new single "Vampyre". The performance aired as part of "Halloween Havoc", a two-part special that concludes next week. Watch the performance below.

"We are absolutely ecstatic to have the incredible opportunity to perform alongside our beloved WWE family once more," shares the band. "WWE NXT holds a special place in our hearts as it's where we first began our journey alongside the amazing Rhea Ripley. It is truly an honor to return to this platform as NEW YEARS DAY performing our new song 'Vampyre', especially as a tribute to our favorite holiday."

Adds Neil Lawi, head of music, WWE: "NXT is the perfect platform to have NEW YEARS DAY showcase their hit single 'Vampyre' to a global television audience and we look forward to having them back on next week's episode of 'Halloween Havoc'."

NEW YEARS DAY will return to WWE NXT's "Halloween Havoc" next Tuesday, October 31 for a performance of their hit single "Hurts Like Hell". Tune in to USA network at 8 p.m. ET to watch the finale.

Fans can look forward to seeing NEW YEARS DAY live in concert this fall as the band hits the road in the U.S. They'll be joining IN THIS MOMENT and ICE NINE KILLS on the "Kiss Of Death" tour, kicking off November 3 in Gary, Indiana. Additional stops include Kansas City, Milwaukee, Orlando, Atlanta, New York City, D.C., and more.

"Vampyre" — a message of strength and resilience in the face of those who would drain you of both — was released late last month, marking NEW YEARS DAY's first new music since 2022's "Hurts Like Hell".

NEW YEARS DAY vocalist Ash Costello comments: "'Vampyre' possesses a grandiose quality, as if it were the score for an intense battle sequence in a majestic vampire film. This has always been my vision — a blend of 'Underworld' and 'Blade'! To bring this concept to life, we enlisted the remarkable talents of Matteo Santoro, a visionary in the realm of cinematic CGI. Together, we crafted the most monumental music video ever created by NEW YEARS DAY. The underlying theme of the song is that the vampyre we confront symbolizes a narcissistic monster in our lives. Accordingly, the video mirrors this notion as I valiantly combat colossal vampyre creatures in order to liberate myself from their tyrannical grip. Ultimately, I emerged triumphant."

Costello previously stated about the lyrical inspiration for "Vampyre": "'Vampyre' is a song for anyone who has battled or is battling a malignant narcissist, which, essentially, is a certain kind of person who tries to suck the life out of you. Since I have personally experienced living with this type of monster, I wanted to write a song specifically for anyone else going through something similar in hopes it may help them discover some strength or help give them power to overcome it. So this is a song for anyone who has dealt with this type of person. It insists, 'You're not going to drain the life from me.'"

Kerrang! magazine counts NEW YEARS DAY among an elite handful of bands inspiring the next generation. Led by "the vibrant force of nature that is frontwoman Ash Costello," NEW YEARS DAY unleash anthems of discontent and empowerment, delivered with gothic flair and theatrical bombast. It's a sound that crashed into the Mainstream Rock Top 40 for the first time in 2019 with a Top 15 rock radio charting single "Shut Up" followed up by the cathartic "Hurts Like Hell", which finished 2022 as one of SiriusXM Octane's Top 25 songs of the year. Each successive victory is a celebration of hard-fought creative freedom, unstoppable determination, and dedicated fans. Throngs of diehards and newcomers alike sing and sweat along with NEW YEARS DAY, at festivals, in clubs or on tours with HALESTORM, FALLING IN REVERSE, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, ICE NINE KILLS and IN THIS MOMENT.

NEW YEARS DAY is:

Ash Costello - Vocals
Nikki Misery - Lead Guitar
Jeremy Valentyne - Guitar
Brandon Wolfe - Bass
Trixx - Drums

Photo credit: Matt Akana

Frontiers Music Srl will release the debut album from SoleDriver, a collaboration between two extremely talented and prolific  songwriters, musicians, and producers, Michael Sweet (Stryper, Boston, Iconic, Sweet & Lynch) and Alessandro Del Vecchio (Edge Of Forever, Hardline, Jorn) on November 17. A video for the new single, "Spinning Wheel", can be viewed below:





Return Me To Light sees these two incredible talents joining forces to make a killer melodic rock album that only they could create. In their studio work, both Sweet and Del Vecchio have a shared vision of very detailed productions, and both love crystal-clear arrangements. But both never forget the power that a rock album needs to have, so Return Me To Light showcases great, powerful deliveries, but nothing overwhelms the vocals and beauty of the melodies. To put it simply, the album is melodic rock in the style of Journey and Foreigner, but on steroids and with the unique Sweet and Del Vecchio sonic stamp on it.




“I’ve always been a metalhead at heart, but as much as I love metal, I love the melodic and “song” oriented side of music. Songs that move you and songs that touch your soul. So many bands from the 70s & 80s did just that. I’m proud to say that as much as I listened to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, I also listened to Loverboy, Toto, Foreigner, Survivor, Journey, and many others. That’s what makes me who I am today. Diversity. So, I’ve always wanted to do an album that takes you back to those days and here it is!,” exclaims Sweet.


“Working with Alessandro Del Vecchio has been an absolute pleasure and he’s an amazing talent. We worked together to record and produce an album we’re both very proud of. Every song has something powerful to say yet makes its own statement musically and lyrically. I could not be more excited about this release and I’m blessed to be able to work with a company (Frontiers) that allows me to follow and capture my dreams,” Sweet adds.


“It all started during the pandemic when Frontiers asked me to write a collaboration song featuring multiple artists from the Frontiers roster. Michael and I got in touch about this and kept in contact ever since. I was surprised when Michael asked me to do an album together, one on which we would capture the melodic side of his singing and writing. We still couldn’t fully hold back the power and fire that Michael has, but what we accomplished on Return Me To Light is something that really reflects what an album with the two of us really sounds like: melodic, anthemic, and with deep and spiritual lyrical messages”, says Del Vecchio.


“One of the many cool things about working with Michael on this album was him asking me to play all guitars on the album as well. This is something I never do, but he thought I was really capturing the essence of these songs. So, here I am for the first time delivering the guitar parts I had in my head while writing these songs. I’m very honored to be teamed up with Michael as we share the same love for great sounding albums and we are perfectionists who never deliver below 100% and certainly always aim to go beyond our limits. I’m sure you’re gonna end up singing, humming, and whistling these songs after you hear the album, while still being captured by the delivery of the vocals and the music, where passion, fire, and depth all melted into the essence of these songs”, concludes Del Vecchio.


Pre-order Return Me To Light here.





Tracklisting:


"Rise Again"
"Anymore"
"Pieces Of Forever"
"Hope’s Holding You"
"Spinning Wheel"
"Out Of The Dark"
"Eternal Flame"
"To Be Saved"
"Return Me To Light"
"Soul Inside"
"Wounded"


"Rise Again" video:





SoleDriver are:


Michael Sweet - vocals
Alessandro Del Vecchio - guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals
Michele Sanna – drums

Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother will be released as a special 2-disc package in a 7-inch gatefold sleeve, containing the Atom Heart Mother album on CD and a Blu-ray disc featuring footage of “Atom Heart Mother” (Suite) performed at Hakone Aphrodite Festival, Japan in August 1971 - originally released as part of The Early Years box set. The film has been upgraded from a recently discovered original tape of the time. It also includes a behind the scenes mini documentary. It will be released on December 8 and available to pre-order here.


Originally only released in Japan in 2021, the set contains some unique memorabilia – a special photo book containing many rare, never-seen-before photos, reproductions of the pamphlet, the poster, the concert ticket, and the flier distributed at the event.


The only Pink Floyd footage at Hakone Aphrodite that exists is that of the 16-minute-long suite “Atom Heart Mother.” The details including whereabouts of the master film and how it was shot had been a mystery for a long time. However, after fifty years, the original 16mm film of this video was discovered in a fan’s garage. The meticulous processes of digitizing, restoring and remastering was undertaken and finally this enhanced video will be released outside of Japan.




Over 50 years ago, Japan’s first international outdoor rock festival Hakone Aphrodite was held at a specially built venue beside Hakone Ashinoko Lake on August 6th and 7th, 1971. Pink Floyd’s first ever concert in Japan was as headliner for the festival. Aspiring to be the Japanese Woodstock, The “Hakone Aphrodite” invited many international artists and became the first rock festival experience for many Japanese fans.


The set contains not only the original live footage (with audio taken from the gig at Hakone Aphrodite), but also behind-the-scenes footage of the band, travelling between the airport, the hotel, the press conference, the bullet train, the show set-up, and, of course, beautiful Japanese scenery.


At the time of the historic concert, Pink Floyd had just released Atom Heart Mother (in October 1970), and were yet to release Meddle, (released in November 1971). Pink Floyd appeared as the final act of the festival, and alongside "Atom Heart Mother", they performed another five songs including “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”, “A Saucerful Of Secrets” and “Echoes” from then-unreleased album Meddle. Sadly, official footage of these has not resurfaced. The band’s mystical and fantastic show, enhanced by nature’s unwitting stage effects of fog emerging from the lake when they played, was talked about for years to come. For the show, Pink Floyd used huge PA systems not yet commonly used in Japan back then, and it is widely believed that this show greatly influenced Japanese audio and stage production after that.





Tracklisting:


"Atom Heart Mother"
a) Father's Shout
b) Breast Milky
c) Mother Fore
d) Funky Dung
e) Mind Your Throats Please
f) Remergence
"If"
"Summer '68"
"Fat Old Sun"
"Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast"
a) Rise And Shine
b) Sunny Side Up
c) Morning Glory


The Blu-ray has two pieces of footage on it:


· "Atom Heart Mother" (Live: Hakone Aphrodite 1971) 16:08
· Scott & Watts (behind the scenes documentary clip) 3:11


Pink Floyd "Hakone Aphrodite" Japan 1971


7" paper sleeve containing:


- CD: "Atom Heart Mother" studio album
- Blu-ray: Filmed live performance of
- "Atom Heart Mother"
- Scott & Watts (Hakone Aphrodite B-roll)


Also includes:


- 60-page photo book with unreleased photos Replica of Hakone Aphrodite pamphlet
- Replica of venue map flyer
- Replica of Osaka show poster
- Replica of Hakone Aphrodite ticket

German rockers Double Crush Syndrome, launched by former Sodom guitarist Andy Brings in 2013, released their latest album,  Death To Pop, in October 2019 via Arising Empire. 


Brings has revealed the band's new album, Strawberries, will be released on November 11th. He has unveiled the cover artwork, which can be viewed below.







Double Crush Syndrome recently announced their return in 2024 with a handful of shows, and they have added more dates to their schedule. DCS will now play three shows with Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg in Spain in April 2024.


Double Crush Syndrome's tour schedule is available below.


April
14 - Alicante, Spain - venue tba (with Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg)
15 - Valencia, Spain - venue tba (with Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg)
17 - Castellon, Spain - venue tba (with Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg)
19 - Remchingen, Germany - No Playback Festival


July
6 - Mülheim, Germany - Castle Rock Festival


December
14 - Hamburg, Germany - venue tba
21 - Braunschweig, Germany - venue tba


Frontman Andy Brings on Double Crush Syndrome:


"We see ourselves in the tradition of bands like KISS, Ramones, Skid Row, Motörhead, Mötley Crüe, without even trying to sound like them. It´s our version of rock n´ roll, naturally with a huge punk influence in the instrumentation, strong choruses with an undeniable pop factor, and the power to destroy a small town. One small town per song, that is ! DCS is very tongue-in-cheek, and there´s a certain degree of anarchy happening on stage. But we are not a funny band per se, we take what we do very seriously! Still, everybody is supposed to have a good time, on stage and in the audience."











Double Crush Syndrome has released four albums: The You Filter (2013), Die For Rock´N´Roll (2017), Flash & Blood (2018), and Death To Pop (2019)

On October 21st,  black metal veterans Crade Of Filth performed at at Palladium Times Square in New York, NY. Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Existential Terror"
"Gilded Cunt"
"She Is A Fire"
"The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh"
"Dusk And Her Embrace"
"Nymphetamine (Fix)"
"The Twisted Nails Of Faith"
"Born In A Burial Gown"
"Her Ghost In The Fog"
"From The Cradle To Enslave"







Cradle Of Filth is currently in the midst of a co-headlining tour with DevilDriver. Remaining dates are as listed:


October
26 - Wichita, KS - Temple Live
27 - Lubbock, TX - The Garden
29 - Riverside, CA - Riverside Municipal Auditorium





Coming this November from Opus Publishing and the mind of Dani Filth - Cradle Of Filth: Funeral In Carpathia issue #1.


"Carpathia, the pleasured dead speak of her, in necromantic tongue when ambered daylights are done…" The latest tale from Cradle Of Filth's majestic oeuvre comes to life in images of death and seduction! Written by Hector Lima (Megadeth) and drawn by legendary Argentinian artist Enrique Alcatena (Conan, Heavy Metal), Cradle Of Filth: Funeral In Carpathia is "supreme vampiric evil" to be relished by all gothic horror fans, filth and non-filth alike!





"Funeral In Carpathia" was the third track on Cradle Of Filth's second studio album, Dusk And Her Embrace, originally released in 1996 via Music For Nations. When Dusk And Her Embrace: The Original Sin was released in 2016 via Cacophonous, "Funeral In Carpathia" appeared as the seventh track. Both versions can be heard below.