In a recent interview with Project BACKSTAGE Interviews, former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera spoke about what keeps him motivated to continue making music and touring almost four decades after SEPULTURA's inception. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, to me it's a journey. It's a long journey. It started in Brazil, of course — I think now it's 40 years I'm making music and touring for close to 30, I think; 27 years touring. And the best thing about it is that I don't lose the passion. I still, I'm nervous before the show; I'm going to be nervous tonight — very nervous, like butterflies and everything. But I think that's good. It's a good anxiety. It's a good nervous. It's a different kind of nervous than other type of nervous that you get. This is good. It's excitement, nervous-type thing. It's difficult to explain. But it lasts all the way till you hit the stage and then you hear the roar and you have your guitar and you hear the first note and it goes away the minute you hit the stage. It's incredible. It's just magic. I think there's a lot of magic in me. I know it's cheesy to say magic, but I don't know another word to describe this, because it's a crazy feeling that we get on the stage, and I think the fans get it."

He continued: "I think a lot of times also SOULFLY shows tend to be almost like rituals; they are more than a rock show. I think that because of the whole tribal feeling that we bring to it, it becomes almost like a religious experience-type thing. Everybody is very connected through all the songs. And I love that about SOULFLY. It's also a very positive band as well… I also like the fact that we are kind of like an old-school type of band where everything is live. We use minimal playback — maybe intros; for two or three songs, we have an intro, but everything else is us. It's all organic, so it's all coming from us playing the instruments, which goes back to THE BEATLES, if you go back in rock history. It goes back to BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH — real live, organic. Every night's a little bit different, and I like that, because it makes… so it's not robotic. Every show is not the same. So tonight I'm sure it's gonna be different from last night."

SOULFLY's twelfth album, "Totem", came out in August 2022 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2018's "Ritual" was recorded at Platinum Underground in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino and Arthur Rizk with assistance from John Powers. Produced by Max Cavalera alongside Arthur Rizk (KREATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CODE ORANGE),the LP boasts guest appearances from John Powers (ETERNAL CHAMPION),Chris Ulsh (POWER TRIP),and John Tardy (OBITUARY). Rizk was also responsible for playing lead guitar on the record. The artwork for the album was created by James Bousema.

SOULFLY's current lead guitarist is Mike DeLeon, who joined the band in early 2023. Prior to hooking up with SOULFLY, DeLeon had been a member of PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's solo band PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, which he joined in 2015 as the replacement for Marzi Montazeri. More recently, Mike filled in for Zakk Wylde at the first rehearsal for the fall 2022 PANTERA shows.

In August 2021, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares played guitar for SOULFLY on the band's 2021 and 2022 run of shows.

Just in time for the release of their concept album, Hermitage - Daruma's Eyes Pt. 2, Italian maestros of modern melodic/symphonic metal, Temperance, reveal their third spellbinding single, “Darkness Is Just A Drawing”, together with an official music video.


The new full-length, Hermitage - Daruma's Eyes Pt. 2, drops this Friday, October 20 via Napalm Records and unveils stand-out guest performances by Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon), Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie, Illumishade), Laura Fella (Faun) and Alessandro Conti (Twilight Force).


From its opening notes, “Darkness Is Just A Drawing” envelops listeners in a world of theatrical orchestration and unbridled emotion. From haunting vulnerability to the resounding power of the impressive choir, the symphonic journey traverses the emotional spectrum of the villagers of Hermitage and the enigmatic villain Anningan.




Singer Kristin Starkey says: "We are so proud to present our final single ‘Darkness Is Just A Drawing’ for our upcoming album Hermitage - Daruma's Eyes Pt. 2 out in just a few days on October 20th! Although it is one of the ballads of the album, it features dynamic and passionate vocal performances from all of us and lyrically depicts one of the most important story points and lyrics of the album - ‘Darkness Is Just A Drawing’. We hope you love the journey!"


Watch the official music video for “Darkness Is Just A Drawing”:





Expanding the lineup with the professional opera/metal singer and vocal coach Kristin Starkey, the essence of charismatic singer Michele Guaitoli (Visions of Atlantis) and mastermind singer/guitarist Marco Pastorino (Serenity) reaches a higher level. Guest musicians like Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon), Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie, Illumishade), Laura Fella (Faun) and Alessandro Conti (Twilight Force) complement the exciting journey. Diving into the stunning story of the album, fans can also order the limited Hermitage book, written by Marco Pastorino.


Catapulted into another era by finding the Japanese doll, Daruma, protagonist Viktor wakes up in a magical village called Hermitage, exploring its secrets track by track. Getting into a fight between the siblings Anningan and Irin, only Viktor’s destiny is the key to their conflict. “Welcome To Hermitage” presents the magical world of Hermitage with fairytale-like flutes, twinkling chime elements, and the vocal arrangements of singers Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie, Illumishade) and Laura Fella (Faun). “No Return” glances with the band's characteristic sing-along refrain and operatic fragments while the track “Join Me” ranges from marvelous vocal harmonies to grand compositions. The spellbinding “Darkness is just a Drawing” and uplifting “Full Of Memories” gather the atmosphere of Hermitage - Daruma's Eyes Pt. 2 once again, before “Cliff” closes the album with rising melodies, epic orchestration arrangements, and inimitable vocal spotlights. The concept album was produced by Temperance guitarist and singer Marco Pastorino and mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni (Luca Turilli, Michael Romeo, Twilight Force) at Domination Studio in San Marino. Come explore Viktor’s legacy.





Hermitage - Daruma's Eyes Pt. 2 will be available in the following formats:


- 2LP Gatefold Solid Red - ltd. to 300 copies worldwide
- 1CD Digipak
- Digital Album     


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Daruma"
"Glorious"
"A Hero Reborn"
"Welcome To Hermitage"
"No Return"
"In Search Of Gold"
"Join Me"
"Trust No One But You"
"Darkness Is Just A Drawing"
"Into The Void"
"Brand New Start"
"Where We Belong"
"Full Of Memories"
"Cliff"


“No Return” video:





"Daruma" video:





Temperance are:


Kristin Starkey - Vocals
Michele Guaitoli - Vocals
Marco Pastorino - Guitars & Vocals
Luca Negro - Bass Guitar
Marco Sacchetto - Drums


(Photo - Andrea Falaschi)

Italian progressive death metal band, Sadist, have just completed the songwriting process for their new album, the tenth of their career.


Following the well acclaimed Firescorched, released in 2022, the new album promises to be even more aggressive both musically and lyrically. The band will enter the recording studio in late 2023, with the album due for release in autumn 2024.


Stay tuned for further updates from the band.




The above-mentioned Firescorched album is available via Agonia Records. A full list of available album formats can be found here.





Tracklisting:


“Accabadora”
“Fleshbound”
“Finger Food”
“Burial Of A Clown”
“Loa”
“Aggression/Regression”
“Three Mothers And The Old Devil Father”
“Trauma (Impaired Mind Functionality”
“Firescorched”
“Rerek”*
“Accabadora (Atitai)*


* Box CD bonus tracks

Swedish power metal warriors, Brothers Of Metal, performed "Death Of The God Of Light" during their set at Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival 2023. Watch the performance video below:





Watch the band perform "Theft Of The Hammer" at the same show:







Brothers Of Metal will support Gloryhammer and Beast In Black on their co-headline tour in 2024. Aptly named Glory And The Beast, this tour promises to be a monumental experience for metal enthusiasts worldwide.


Glory And The Beast - Double Headline Tour 2024 will kick off in January/February 2024, igniting stages across Europe with its unstoppable force. This is an opportunity for metal enthusiasts to witness two of the most exciting bands in the genre coming together for an unmissable spectacle.





Dates:


January
10 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan Fryshuset
11 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
12 - Roskilde, Denmark - Epic Fest
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Edel Optics Arena           
14 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013 Poppodium    
16. - Zurich, Switzerland - Volkshaus
17 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
19 - Munich, Germany - TonHalle
20 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra Red Stage
21 - Zlin, Czech Republic - Sports Hall Datart
23 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
24 - Krakow, Poland - Studio
26 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
27 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
28 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
30 - Paris, France - Olympia


February
1 - Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
2 - Geiselwind, Germany - Eventhalle
3 - Stuttgart, Germany - Wagenhallen
4 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
6 - London, England - O2 Forum Kentish Town

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, Paul Di'Anno was asked about the status of the much-anticipated documentary about the former IRON MAIDEN singer which is being helmed by Wes Orshoski, co-director and producer of the acclaimed 2010 film "Lemmy" about the MOTÖRHEAD icon. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " I don't know much about it, really. All I do is I just turn up and do it. I'm a little bit upset because I was hoping I'd be on my feet by then. But it's not happened. So you get this sort of documentary but it's the highs and lows of being in a wheelchair and struggling. And since all this happened to me, I suffer from really severe PTSD. And it's not good. It changes your whole personality. Sometimes you're happy go lucky. Other times, I'm screaming, I wanna kill people. And it's not fucking good. And that's not me. I'm only a happy-go-lucky person until somebody pisses me off; then I'll beat you up. So yeah, it's been a bit difficult. But Wes Orshoski's done a fucking amazing job. He's still mixing it down at the moment, so that'll be out very soon. God help me. [Laughs]"

Last December, Di'Anno spent time in Split, Croatia recording an album with his new project called WARHORSE. The band was formed earlier last year by Di'Anno and two guitarists/authors, Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante "Pupi" Pupačić.

WARHORSE previously recorded three songs, two of which — "Stop The War" and "The Doubt Within" — were released in May 2022 as a special DVD single along with Paul's video message to all fans who bought the single and thus helped raise funds for his recent knee operation.

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN — a self-titled effort in 1980 and "Killers" in 1981 — before being fired and replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

The WARHORSE single marked Di'Anno's first music release after a seven-year hiatus due to severe health issues.

Di'Anno, who finally underwent his knee surgery in September 2022, played the first show since the operation on October 1 at the Keep It True Rising II festival in Würzburg, Germany.

In December, Paul was joined by Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, for three concerts in Greece, where they played songs from MAIDEN's first two albums, "Iron Maiden" and "Killers".

In May 2022, Di'Anno came face to face with MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris for the first time in three decades before the band's concert in Croatia.

Harris, whose group kicked off the 2022 leg of its "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour at the 22,000-capacity Arena Zagreb, came out before the show to greet a wheelchair-bound Di'Anno and chat with him for a few minutes.

After his friendly meeting with Harris, Di'Anno stuck around long enough to watch some of MAIDEN's performance before leaving near the end of the set to avoid a huge traffic jam after the show.

Also in May 2022, Paul played his first full solo concert in seven years at the Bikers Beer Factory in Zagreb. The show was filmed and parts of it will be included in Orshoski's documentary.

Image and video credit: Fernando Bonenfant for The Metal Voice

In a new interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, Wednesday 13 was asked if there had been any MURDERDOLLS music produced between the release of the band's sophomore album, 2010's "Women And Children Last", and the passing of MURDERDOLLS' guitarist, former SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, in July 2021. The MURDERDOLLS frontman responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Unfortunately, no. But in 2018 WEDNESDAY 13 was on tour and we went through Iowa. We actually had two days off, for some reason, and we went to Joey's house. It was the first time I'd seen him since he parted ways with SLIPKNOT. It had been years; I hadn't seen him since 2011. And we talked, we hugged, we had awesome food.

"When Joey and I would get back together, it was [like we picked up where we left off] — talking about the same movies, same dumb stuff," he continued. "It's just like you do with an old friend — you just instantly click. And he was just like… Thinking back on it, I wanna kick myself 'cause he's not here anymore. And I wish I would have acted on it. But that day at his house, he was, like, 'I wanna do MURDERDOLLS again. We've gotta do it. We've gotta do it. I wanna do it right now.' And I was, like, 'I can't do it right this second.' I was, like, 'I've gotta do this…. I'm doing this new album.' I'd already started working [on it]. It seemed like he was excited about it to do it right then, and then I kind of kept him waiting. And then I came back to him right at the very beginning of the pandemic and was, like, 'Yo, it looks like the world's shutting down. You wanna work on a new album and do this?' And he came back and was, like, 'That sounds cool, man. I've gotta a couple things I'm working on. I'll get back to you.' And then, the world just kept changing. Everyone started doing their own thing. I started working on [WEDNESDAY 13's 2022 album] 'Horrifier'. And then, about a month before his passing, like 10:30 in the morning, I get a text from Joey and he sent me a video. He was watching 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre'. That was like our movie; that was like our horror movie. 'The Jerk' with Steve Martin and 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' [were] our two movies. And The Hitchhiker; I was always quoting The Hitchhiker from 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre'. And there's a part in the movie where he pulls a knife out and he's like, 'I have this knife, I've got this knife.' And I used to always say that, and we did it on a video, and then it became like this thing with our fans. They were holding up signs that showed 'I have this knife', and it became our little thing. And he texted me and he sent me a video of him watching The Hitchhiker with the knife. And he writes, 'I have this knife.' We should write that on the next album. And I was, like. 'Yeah.' So I have to write that song now. So that will be on the next WEDNESDAY 13 [album] — 'I Have This Knife'. And, actually, I'm having The Hitchhiker from 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' at my show in Dallas; he's my special guest. So, hopefully, if I record this song, I'll have him on that song."

Earlier this year, Wednesday 13 announced a U.S. tour celebrating 21 the MURDERDOLLS. Wednesday 13 and his current band — which features MURDERDOLLS alumni Roman Surman and Jack Tankersley — will perform a full set of MURDERDOLLS songs, taken from the band's celebrated 2002 debut album "Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls" and the 2010 sophomore LP "Women And Children Last", which won them the Revolver Golden Gods "Comeback Of The Year" award.

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

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

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

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

South Carolina's Egyptian-themed death metal titans NILE are continuing to work on their tenth studio album for a tentative 2024 release.

On Monday (October 16),NILE shared a video of the band's driving force Karl Sanders laying down vocals for the new LP, and it included the following message: "We are diligently working every day on vocals for the upcoming album, it's going to be brutal."

This past June, Sanders spoke to Headbangers Latinoamérica about the progress of the recording sessions for NILE's tenth studio album. Asked how the studio work is coming along, Karl said: "Very well. [NILE drummer] George [Kollias] finished all his drums. He did an amazing job. When people hear this, they are not going to believe that it's a real live human doing all this stuff. But it's George. People who have seen him live and in the flesh can believe. So he's done probably the best album of his career with this new NILE record. Now it's our turn playing guitars."

In July 2022, Sanders told Guitar World magazine that he and his bandmates had 10 songs written for the follow-up to 2019's "Vile Nilotic Rites". Earlier that same month, NILE announced the departure of bassist/vocalist Brad Parris.

NILE's current lineup consists of Sanders handling guitars and vocals, Kollias on drums, and Brian Kingsland, who joined the group in 2017, on guitar and vocals. Julian David Guillen is the band's touring bassist and vocalist.

Originally hailing from Greenville, South Carolina, international death metal legends NILE have become one of the most revered names in the worldwide heavy metal scene today, combining extreme traditional and technical death metal styles with their trademarked blend of Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern soundscapes and historical mysticism.

"Vile Nilotic Rites" was released in November 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded and produced by Sanders at Serpent Headed Studios in Greenville, South Carolina, with the exception of the drums which were recorded at Esoteron Music Studios in Athens, Greece with engineering handled by Jim Touras and George Dovolos. The album was mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis at MRL Studios. For the album artwork, the band returned to artist Michal "Xaay" Loranc who had worked with the band for over 10 years.

In September 2021, NILE announced that it had signed a worldwide contract with Napalm Records.

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Finnish/Dutch/British symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have finished recording the orchestral parts for their tenth studio album at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.

Earlier today (Monday, October 16),NIGHTWISH shared a photo from Abbey Road, and it included the following message: "It’s a wrap! 1065 takes of orchestras, choirs and special guests recorded at Abbey Road Studios.

"Our sincerest thanks go to everybody involved, musicians, singers and technicians alike. Your passion and dedication never ceases to amaze us.

"Very special thanks to Mr. James Shearman for wonderfully filling the massive shoes of our long-time orchestral arranger, Mr. Pip Williams.

"Onwards!"

Last December, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." will be the third part of a trilogy that began with 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album. He told Metal Hammer: "I immediately knew after getting that album ['Endless Forms Most Beautiful'] done that, 'Okay, we have to do more songs about this, because there's so much more to explore and tell the world. We're not done with this.' And the same thing happened after 'Human. :II: Nature.'; we're still not done. So let's do one more. At least one more.

"In a way, [the next album] is the third part of a trilogy, which started with 'Endless Forms…' and then 'Human. :II: Nature.' There are some major surprises there again, but it feels like a natural continuation to 'Human. :II: Nature.'"

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts..

"The wonderful thing is that we have had the demo [of the album] done since last spring. So it's been done for six months now. We really have all the time in the world to go through it all, and we have had a such great time with the band, just listening to the demo in our hotel rooms — me singing the lyrics and the melodies to Floor [Jansen, vocals]. She's recording them and then she's seeing them and throwing ideas to each other."

In September 2022, Tuomas was asked if NIGHTWISH's upcoming LP will once again be an exploration of evolutionary science, as was the case with the previous two releases. Tuomas said: "Yes and no. It sails on the same waters, but there's some new surprises there as well."

Holopainen went on to say that NIGHTWISH fans will have to wait a while before hearing new music from the band. "We'll enter the studio next year and the album is gonna come out maybe early 2024," he said.

In August 2022, Tuomas told Rock Sverige that he spent "about a year" working on the music and lyrics for the next NIGHTWISH album.

Asked if he got any kind of inspiration from the pandemic, Tuomas said: "Yeah, lyrically there's a couple of things that reflects the pandemic, but not in the way you would expect."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August 2022, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the previous year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

In November 2022, singer Floor Jansen revealed that she was "cancer free" after recently undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

This past March, Floor and SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl announced that they were expecting their second child. Jansen and Van Dahl already have a six-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

In April, NIGHTWISH announced plans to take a break from touring and will not hit the road in support of the band's next studio album. The group added, "The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's pregnancy or our other individual projects. However, an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure."

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Progressive music icon Steven Wilson has denounced Hamas's attack on Israel, which killed over 1,400 Israelis.

In response to Palestinian militants in Gaza firing a deadly barrage of rockets and sending gunmen into Israeli territory, Israel launched strikes on what it called Hamas targets in Gaza. Israel has since ordered a total siege of the Gaza Strip, cutting off water, food and electricity supplies to a population of 2 million people. The Israeli military that at least 199 hostages were taken back in Gaza.

The 55-year-old Wilson took to his Instagram on Sunday (October 15) to share a message in which he said: "It's been devastating to see the events in the Middle East unfold over the last week.

"I'm just a musician, but still I know some of you do care what I think, so I want to be clear that I unreservedly support Israel and their right to take action to protect and defend themselves against the murderous and barbaric hate crimes carried out by terrorist organisation Hamas against Israeli civilians. I believe Israel has been left with no alternative, and that there is no 'right' thing left to do, only what has to be done, however unpleasant and difficult it may be.

"But I want to say that I also stand with all innocent men, women, children and animals on both sides that have become caught up in this senseless situation, killed, bereaved, taken hostage, or displaced from their homes, through no fault of their own. Hamas are the enemy here, with both Israelis and Palestinians as their victims.

"We are living through sad and terrible times."

Last week, U.S. president Joe Biden called the Hamas assault "an act of sheer evil" and said more than 1,000 civilians were "slaughtered" in Israel. Among those killed in Israel and Gaza are at least 27 Americans.

In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes", Biden warned that an Israeli re-occupation of Gaza would be a "big mistake." He also said that the Palestinian militant group Hamas should be eliminated entirely, but that "there must be a path to a Palestinian state."

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HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale joined GWAR on stage this past Friday (October 13) at Palladium Times Square in New York City for a performance of the song "The Cutter". Hale wielded a large sword and some battle armor while she sang the track, which originally appeared on GWAR's 2022 album "The New Dark Ages", as a duet with GWAR frontman Blöthar The Berserker. Fan-filmed video of her appearance can be seen below.

When GWAR first released the official MyGoodEye-directed music video for the song "The Cutter" last October, Blöthar The Berserker stated about Lzzy's contributions to the song: "Lzzy Hale is wonderfully talented. Few realize she is also an undercover Scumdog who came to Earth with the rest of GWAR eons ago under her true name Clitaurus Maximus of the Maximus clan. We are delighted to have her voice and image on this work of absolute genius."

Lzzy added: "I, Clitaurus Maximus the She Bull… hereby declare 'The Cutter' as my FIRST feature in a MOTHERFUCKING GWAR SONG! Thank you so much to these interplanetary warriors for the much-appreciated bloodletting, and for giving this lil' beast the opportunity to rear her three ugly heads!"

"The New Dark Ages" was released in June 2022 on CD/digital and on vinyl and cassette in September 2022 via GWAR's own Pit Records.

"The New Dark Ages" chronicles GWAR's adventures in the Duoverse, where the band rediscovers old powers such as Blöthar's terrifying Berserker Mode, and encounter new allies, such as the murderous maven known as The Cutter. Along the way, they battle the living monuments of a lost cause and armies of undead soldiers who rise again to fight a new civil war.

Dave Brockie, who fronted GWAR under the name Oderus Urungus, was found dead in his home in Richmond, Virginia in March 2014. According to Virginia's State Medical Examiner's Office, he died from acute heroin toxicity by accidental means.

Brockie was last remaining original member of GWAR, which was founded 39 years ago. He was 50 years old.

The satirical metal band earned a following for its macabre, over-the-top costumes, offensive lyrics and graphic, gore-soaked shows, in which the bandmembers performed as the descendants of alien warriors who arrived on Earth to enslave and slaughter the human race.
Also: ⁦@gwar⁩ is actually a natural fit for Times Square pic.twitter.com/dB4FcRzhzX

— Pete DeMola (@pmdemola) October 14, 2023





Yes, that is lzzy Hale from Halestorm aka(clitorous maximus). Singing and slaughtering with gwar.
What a great show. TIMES SQUARE NEW YORK MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!

Posted by Tim Hawthorne on Friday, October 13, 2023

We are not easily impressed, but the mighty Lzzy Hale aka CLITAURUS MAXIMUS making an appearance for “The Cutter” at our...

Posted by GWAR on Monday, October 16, 2023

JUST ANNOUNCED!

GWAR is coming to Palladium Times Square on October 13th with special guests Negative Approach and...

Posted by Palladium Times Square on Tuesday, August 15, 2023

In a new interview with "The Chuck Shute Podcast", DOKKEN frontman Don Dokken reflected on the band's formative years, particularly around 1982 when guitarist George Lynch left DOKKEN in order to play with Ozzy Osbourne. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "George left, and Mick [Brown, then-DOKKEN drummer] stayed with me. And Mick and I had an apartment. And he was staying in DOKKEN, and I just kept fighting and fighting and fighting to get a record deal. Our last showcase we did at the Whisky [A Go Go in West Hollywood, California], Warren DeMartini was playing guitar. Warren did a very short run [with DOKKEN]. We had five record companies [looking at us]."

He continued: "I remember standing at the Whisky on stage, looking at the audience, and I see George. What the hell is he doing here? I thought he was in Ozzy. 'Cause everybody said he's going to be in Ozzy. And they flew him to England. He was gonna be the guitar player. So we're playing. I'm very happy. Warren was, like, 18 or 19. We got along great. And I'm seeing George in the audience, and I'm, like, 'What the hell is he doing here?' And he kind of pulled Warren aside, and he goes, 'You don't want to be in DOKKEN. Don's an asshole, man. Everybody knows it. You can't trust Don. Don's a Nazi. He's gonna control everything and take everything.' And I'm, like, 'Whatever.' So Warren went to RATT. Because their EP — I can't remember the name of it, 'Out Of The Cellar' or whatever it was called — took off. And then Juan Croucier [former DOKKEN and RATT bassist] said to me, and you can ask him if you ever interview him, 'I can't play with George. I just can't. I can't. He's too quirky.' So Juan left. Warren left. I had to find Jeff [Pilson] as a bass player, get a new guitar player. We had just landed the BLUE ÖYSTER CULT tour with Aldo Nova, us opening up for 30 minutes. And that's when George came back in the band, because he had nowhere else to go. And that really is the history of DOKKEN.

"Looking back, I have nothing against George. We get along fine, but if I could have kept Warren in the band, we probably just would have went way up a lot faster."

Asked by host Chuck Shute if he thinks it would have been that much different with Warren instead of George, Don said: "Hell yeah. Hell yeah… 'Cause everything we did in the studio [with George] was a fight… Warren was easy breezy. We'd spend an hour on a solo with him and it was amazing, and we're done. [With George] we'd go in to do 'Tooth And Nail'. We have a 32-track recording console. I go in the studio at midnight, because George didn't want me in the studio while he was recording. So they'd all take off at 10 o'clock and they'd all go to the Rainbow [Bar & Grill] to find chicks and cocaine. So I had sneak in the studio with [producer] Michael Wagener, and there was, like, 14, 15 tracks of solos. I'm, like, 'Holy shit.' And I would literally have to pick pieces of solos that were coherent, and we'd cut them. 'Cause George is a freeform guitar player, I'll say — he just picks up the guitar and plays. There's no structure. There's no beginning. There's no end. There's no middle. That's just the way George plays. So I'd go in the studio, take all the tapes. 'That's a good spot. That's a good spot. That's a good spot. That's a good spot.' And we'd cut them all together. And then I'd go home at five in the morning. And I told Michael Wagener, 'Whatever you do, don't tell George I was here helping you. [Laughs] 'Cause he'd flip out."

When Shute noted that George "didn't want you to have that control," Don clarified: "I don't say control; it's just input. I'm a guitar player; I'm a lead guitar player. I go, 'This solo has nothing — this one track has nothing to do with this song. That track has nothing to do with this song.' So I'd have to put it all together that it worked on the song.

"George, I think it's great that he was always trying to reach out and experiment and do something different. And George is trying to expound his musical abilities, and I respect him for that. But it was a nightmare."

DOKKEN will release its 13th studio album, "Heaven Comes Down", on October 27 via Silver Lining Music. The LP was produced by Bill Palmer and Don Dokken and was mixed by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, IRON MAIDEN).

During an appearance on comedian Bill Maher's "Club Random" podcast, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee opened up about his previous battle with the bottle. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Alcohol's such a fuckin weird one, because... Fuck! It's just — it's easy to fall in love with, the way it makes you feel, the way it makes you relax, and then all of a sudden you're, like, 'Fuck! I'm drinking two gallons of vodka a day?' This is not… You're trying to kill yourself now."

When Maher expressed his shock at the amount of alcohol Lee was drinking every day, Tommy said: "Yeah. Two gallons of shit. I swear to you — dude, I swear to God."

Asked by Bill how long he was able to drink two gallons of vodka on a daily basis, Tommy said: "Fuck, man — for a long time." He added: "Your liver is on crutches at that point; it's just barely functioning."

According to Lee, he managed to avoid any serious health problems despite his excessive alcohol use over a long period.

"I can't believe… I pinch myself on a daily basis," the 61-year-old drummer said. "I just did the full body scan, where they do, head to toe everything, and I can't believe — smoking, drinking, all the fucking dumb shit, or the fun shit that I've done. Dude, the doctor was, like, 'You're good.' And I was, like, 'Are you sure you have the…? Let me see. Is that my name on there, or is there some Japanese guy in here that you have his results that you're reading from? Because I find that fucking impossible. This is impossible.'

Asked by Maher how old he was when he eventually quit drinking, Lee said: "In '89, '90 is when, as a band, we decided, we were, like, 'Okay dude, so someone's gonna not wake up one morning. This is getting fucking ridiculous.'"

He added: "You know what Halcions were? We would take a handful of those and fucking pound a bottle of Jack and then go out for the evening. You take those to go to sleep for a long time. So it was that kind of shit where someone was gonna fucking not wake up."

When Tommy first revealed the extent of his vodka-drinking habit in an October 2020 interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, he said: "I didn't notice it until towards the end of it, when I was, like, 'Oh dude, I've got to stop.' Like, I was drinking just out of boredom. I would just wake up and be just building, just all vodka and just a little eyedropper of cranberry or lemonade. I was drinking two gallons — not pints, not quarts, but gallons, gallons, the big handles, a day. That's fucking crazy!

"What's important is I realized, 'Whoa, dude, you're drinking enough to, like, you could probably die.' And it wasn't even phasing me. I just became immune to it, and realized, 'Whoa, this is a lot. This isn't good.' So it was time for me to pump the breaks and just get rid of it for a while."

Lee went on to say that his wife, Brittany Furlan, whom he married in February 2019, was part of the reason he decided to sober up.

"She was, like, 'Baby, I don't know, I don't think I've ever even seen anybody drink that much. Like, you're kind of scaring me.' She was definitely concerned, and her concern obviously helped in my decision to just go get out of here."

This isn't the first time Lee has been sober. He previously said that he had been sober for four years at one point.

"I go through these phases where I want to live a different life and fuck all the dumb shit," he said. "Then I decide, 'You know what? I don't want to live like that anymore. I want to have fun and play and be fucked up and stupid.'"

Lee said that he knew how lucky he was to be so healthy after all of the drinking he's done. "I must have a horse shoe stuck in my butt. I'm really lucky. I'm grateful," he said. "I was doing some pretty serious damage that probably would've hurt anybody else pretty badly."

The "lethal dose" of alcohol for a 132-pound adult is around one liter in spirits, according to Alcohol.org.nz. Two gallons is equivalent to a little more than 7.5 liters.

Alcohol poisoning can be impacted by a person’s size, weight, health tolerance level and rate of consumption in a designated time period, according to nonprofit medical center Mayo Clinic.

Rolling Stone magazine has published its new and expanded list of The 250 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time. As always with such lists, however, Rolling Stone’s countdown has faced somewhat of a backlash in the online world, reports Planet Radio.


In particular, many people have chastised Rolling Stone for missing the late-great Gary Moore off the countdown altogether - a man Glenn Hughes recently named as the greatest guitarist he’s ever played with.


One person wrote on Facebook: “Gary Moore? What an absolute joke this list is. Seriously.”




Another equally disgruntled person wrote on X: “You can’t have a list of great guitar players without Gary Moore. If he isn’t on the list, the list is flawed. Rolling Stone does this just to get people worked up. I haven’t seen a list they did that isn’t controversial.”


Read more at Planet Radio.


On October 13, BMG and Gary Moore released Back To The Blues on double heavyweight vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve. The album is also released both digitally and on CD.


Back To The Blues, was Gary Moore’s 13th solo album, where he went back to his traditional blues style. This album has never previously been released on vinyl, and contains new liner notes written by Dave Everley.  This release contains bonus tracks "Picture Of The Moon" (Single Edit), "Cold Black Night" (Live At VH1) and "Stormy Monday" (Live At VH1).


Gary Moore rocked the world of blues and rock with his virtuoso guitar playing and soulful voice. Best known for his evocative solo hits, Parisienne Walkways and Still Got The Blues, and his on/off membership of Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore’s solo career comprises over twenty albums. Throughout the 1980s, Gary moved up the rock hierarchy, but turned his back on what he regarded as the empty flash of metal and reverted to his heart music – the blues – where ironically, he scored his biggest commercial success through his 1990s and 2000s blues albums.


As well as running his own bands, during a successful solo career, Gary mixed with the best that rock and blues could offer, playing live and on record with George Harrison, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Greg Lake, BB King, Albert King, Albert Collins and many others. Gary Moore is regarded as one of the most influential Irish musicians of all time. Having been honored by both Gibson and Fender with signature guitars, the Northern Irish star is still seen as one of the best guitar players of all time.


Order/save Back To The Blues here.





Tracklisting:


"Enough Of The Blues"
"You Upset Me Baby"
"Cold Black Night"
"Stormy Monday"
"Ain’t Got You"
"Picture Of The Moon"
"Looking Back"
"The Prophet"
"How Many Lies"
"Drowning In Tears"


Bonus Material:


"Picture Of The Moon" (Single Edit)
"Cold Black Night" (Live At VH1)
"Stormy Monday" (Live At VH1)

California rockers PAPA ROACH has joined Spotify's "Billions Club" with their classic song "Last Resort".

Billions Club is a playlist first launched in 2020 which includes all of the songs on Spotify that have surpassed one billion streams on the platform. After the achievement, Spotify gifts artists the Billions Club plaque.

PAPA ROACH joins other artists — including METALLICA's "Nothing Else Matters", SURVIVOR's "Eye Of The Tiger", ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" — to reach the achievement. The milestone has reportedly been achieved by nearly 500 tracks so far.

"Last Resort" originally appeared on PAPA ROACH's breakthrough album "Infest", which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020. The LP peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for sales in excess of three million copies in the U.S. alone. It also featured the fan favorites "Broken Home", "Blood Brothers" and "Between Angels & Insects".

In June 2020, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix told "Offstage With DWP" that he still feels the same way about "Last Resort" as he did when PAPA ROACH first released it. "I feel that that song is a lifeline to a lot of people, and has been," he said. "I've met thousands of kids over the years that have told us, 'Yo, that song saved my life. That song was there for me in my darkest hour.' If I could look back on my career just for that one moment, just that piece, it's, like, 'Wow!' To be able to make a song that impacts people in a positive way, that it has, it's, like, mission accomplished. It wasn't really my intention. It was just, like, 'We're just writing music. We've gotta get this off our chest.' But to look back on it now and see the effect that it's had, the positive effect… And also, man, it's one of those songs that cuts deep and it's at the heart of the matter… Yeah, people have been through some really dark stuff, and 'Last Resort' has brought some people through some feelings of suicide and whatnot. But then on the other hand, it's also become this crazy party anthem. I just saw this dude [on video at] a Walmart the other day and just start singing 'Last Resort' in the middle of everybody pandemic shopping, with a broom. So it's just one of those songs, it's survived the test of time, and I'm just fortunate that it's been such a positive piece of art out there floating around to be a lifeline for people struggling."

PAPA ROACH's latest album, "Ego Trip", was released in April 2022 via New Noize Records in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG's independent label and artist services arm).

Congratulations to Papa Roach for reaching a billion streams for the song last resort on Spotify !!!!

Posted by Sinjin Soper on Sunday, October 15, 2023

In a new interview with Dave Gleeson of Australia's Triple M radio station, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was asked how he and his bandmates have been able to incorporate a lot of new material into their setlist, seemingly without much pushback from their fans. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, yeah, that's because they — that's because, strangely, they actually like the music. [Laughs] Which is bizarre, isn't it? I know that's a really weird concept now — where people actually go to a show to listen to the music. But it's because we're not fashion icons or anything else like that. We've always been — how can I put it? We're not like Michelin star chef-type grub; we're meat and potatoes. And it's straightforward, what people come to see is. I mean, the songs are not necessarily straightforward, but the attitude is. And we still play all the songs in the original key; we don't drop, downtune and stuff like that. We still play everything too fast, because we're all excited. We've never played to click tracks or like time code and everything else now, 'cause I see a lot of bands now, and I'm going, 'Hang on a minute. Hey, you sang that without moving your lips.' So there's all this backing vocals being flown in left, right and center and everything. But we don't do any of that. Everything is analog and real. So we are kind of old school in that respect. But I think that pays dividends 'cause the audience understand that reality is increasingly kind of rare now."

IRON MAIDEN recently completed the 2023 leg of "The Future Past" tour.

"The Future Past" features previously unperformed songs from MAIDEN's most recent studio album, "Senjutsu", along with a focus on 1986's "Somewhere In Time" LP, plus other classic cuts.

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

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

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

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

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

The MEINL Cymbals YouTube channel has uploaded a video of MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren playing through the band's song "Take No Prisoners", taken from MEGADETH's classic 1990 album "Rust In Peace". Watch the clip below.

In August, MEINL uploaded drum-cam video of Dirk playing the title track of MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!"

Last December, Verbeuren spoke to That Metal Interview about the songwriting process for "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", which arrived in September 2022 via UMe. He said: "There was a lot of freedom. [Dave Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] invited Kiko [Loureiro, MEGADETH guitarist] and myself from the get-go to contribute our own ideas and our interpretations, and that's what we did.

"The way we work and the way Dave tends to work is that he has this massive vault of riffs, guitar riffs that go all the way back to the early years, to the '80s. And that's all sitting in a folder and organized. And so we started by him picking out a bunch of riffs and working with those. And as the process went on, those started turning into songs and we would maybe add some riffs or change some riffs or maybe go fishing for some more or write new ones — whatever felt right at the time. So I also contributed some music myself, and so did Kiko; Kiko co-wrote quite a few of the songs on the album. So it was a very collaborative process. As far as the drums went, same thing. Of course there were certain parts where Dave preferred one idea over the idea, and he would be, like, 'Play it more like this,' or, 'I prefer that beat over this beat.' But for the most part I pretty much got to do what I wanted to do and how I felt it. Because I think, at this point, having been in the band for over six years, I've got a pretty good feel of what MEGADETH drums are supposed to sound like, and it seems like Dave feels the same way."

Dirk went on to say that he didn't want to deviate too far from the drumming style that characterized MEGADETH's classic albums. "It's an important thing, because I'm also a MEGADETH fan," he explained. "I was for many years when I was younger. So I know what it's like to be a fan and going and watching your band or hearing a new album by your band that you like and you expect it to be within certain parameters. So, having grown up listening to [previous MEGADETH drummers] Gar Samuelson and Chuck Behler and Nick Menza, of course, I wanted to have kind of that vibe. So that's what I aimed for. In the end, it's gonna sound like me as well, because I can't change that. And I also put some of my own flavors in there, of course. But I did wanna be very mindful of the legacy of MEGADETH history and respect that and carry on that tradition."

"The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" sold 48,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked MEGADETH's eighth top 10-charting album. Of "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!"'s 48,000 units earned for the week, album sales comprised 45,000, SEA units comprised 3,000 and TEA units comprised a negligible sum.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

Two-time JUNO-nominated Canadian heavy metal band, Spiritbox, recently dropped the brand new single, "Cellar Door", arguably their heaviest track since the release of their smash hit, "Holly Roller", in 2020. Today the band share this guitar playthrough video for the song:





"Cellar Door" is taken from the band's upcoming The Fear Of Fear EP, set for release on November 3 via Rise Records/Pale Chord. Watch the official music video below and stream the track here.




The Fear Of Fear builds on the band’s momentum from their 2021 debut album, Eternal Blue, which topped charts and dominated critics’ year-end lists. The 6-track EP features previously released singles “The Void” and "Jaded". Pre-order The Fear Of Fear here.





Tracklisting:


“Cellar Door”
“Jaded”
“Too Close / Too Late”
“Angel Eyes”
“The Void”
“Ultraviolet”


"Cellar Door" video:





“Jaded” video:





Tour dates:


October
17 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheater
19 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
20 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena


(Photo - Jonathan Weiner)

Keyboardist and composer Rob Reed, known for his work with Magenta, Kompendium and Sanctuary solo albums, has once again joined forced with Peter Jones, along with Luke Machin and Dan Nelson for a new Cyan album, titled Pictures From The Other Side. The second album from the resurrected project is due out on November 17.


The new album contains six songs, including the epic 17-minute track "Nosferatu". The CD is accompanied by a DVD with a full 5.1 surround mix of the album and a live acoustic performance of songs from the previous album, For King And County.


Watch the video for the album’s opening track, “Broken Man”, below.




Cyan was originally formed by Robert Reed (Magenta) when in school, back in 1983. After recording some demos at a local studio, the band went their separate ways. Years later, those demos led to the release of ‘For King And Country’ on the Dutch SI music label. It was the first of three Cyan albums released in the 1990s before the project was shelved and Rob went on to form Magenta.20 years later Rob Reed, along with a killer line-up, decided to brush off the cobwebs and successfully release a completely re-worked version of the ‘For King And Country’ album.  Cyan has since performed at the 2023 Night Of The Prog festival in Germany, and at the 2022 Summers End and Fusion festivals in the UK.


Rob Reed: “I remember that the first Cyan album For King And Country was written when I was still in school with a band I formed with some school friends. After I left school, we went our separate ways and it was several years later that I was approached by the record company. After the success of the first album, they wanted a follow-up so I wrote new material for what became Pictures From The Other Side. It was more song-based, but included a couple of long epics. Obviously, I was influenced by the classic prog of Genesis and YES when writing this originally, but I was also listening to a lot of other bands of the time like It Bites, Simple Minds and Marillion. It’s been great to finally hear this material played by this line-up, it’s a completely different album. Re-written, re-recorded and re-arranged. Hopefully, I’ve brought to the album, everything I’ve learned in my career."


Pete Jones: "It's a joy to be involved in the ongoing resurrection of the Cyan canon and the vision Rob has for these new interpretations. As a vocalist, there's so much to work with on the new album, with epics like 'Broken Man', which really let me dig deep into my inner Genesis prog vocals. The title track has some great hooks, as does the rest of the album. Tracks like the dark but beautiful 'Solitary Angel', and the vampire world of 'Nosferatu', really call for some vocal gymnastics where I can stretch myself and really go for it. Then there's 'Follow The Flow', which is just gorgeous. As with all Rob's stuff, it's the feeling and emotions which are key to the whole thing. I hope I've managed to do my bit with the vocals. We’ve now got a few gigs under our belt, including the recent fabulous time we all had at Night Of The Prog in Loreley. That was a real highlight of the year for me. The live band is sounding really great, with Luke, Dan, Jiffy and the man himself Rob Reed all at the top of their game. As well as doing the vocals, I play sax and whistles, and rhythm guitar which Rob asked me to do in a moment of madness. Ha-ha. All being well, we've got some rather special shows in the pipeline for next year. So I'm looking forward to the album coming out, and taking it to the stage!"


Pre-order Pictures From The Other Side here.





CD tracklisting:


"Broken Man"
"Pictures From The Other Side"
"Solitary Angel"
"Follow The Flow"
"Tomorrow’s Here Today"
"Nosferatu "


DVD consists of:


- Full album in Dolby Digital and dts 5.1 surround
- Promo videos


+ The Quiet Room session (live acoustic performance)


"I Defy The Sun"
"Don’t Turn Away"
"Call Me"
"Man Amongst Men/The Sorceror"
"Snowbound"
"For King And Country"


"Broken Man" video:

Baroness’ recently released new album, Stone (Abraxan Hymns) gets the deluxe treatment with the addition of six live tracks from the band’s 2022 “Your Baroness” tour. Stone (Deluxe) can be heard here.





The band has also announced an additional eight acoustic record store performances.




“Independent music stores are a huge part of our musical background,” John Baizley said as Baroness announced the first round of acoustic record store outings. “We discovered so much music in them as teenagers; they undoubtedly had a profound effect on all of our development as young artists (they still do). We are thrilled to be able to travel around the East Coast this September to play stripped down sets in some of our favorite shops.”





Baroness Record Store Tour:


October
17 - St. Petersburg, FL - Daddy Kool Records
21 - Houston, TX - Cactus Music
25 - Mesa, AZ - Zia Records
31 - Portland, OR - Music Millennium


November
9 - Salt Lake City, UT - Graywhale
14 - Minneapolis, MN - Down in the Valley
15 - Chicago, IL - Reckless Records
19 - Toronto, ON - Sonic Bloom


Tickets for the band's upcoming live dates are on-sale now via yourbaroness.com.





(Photo - Ebru Yildiz)

With a fresh lineup and a new musical direction, Canada's Atria have been baring their knuckles and punching down the concrete walls in all directions by touring all across Ontario this past summer and they have no plans on stopping with their latest announcement of shows this coming October and November, which includes opening support for death metal titans Katakysm in Kingston, ON alongside Sovereign Council and Pound Of Flesh.


Show dates:


October
27 - Owen Sound, ON - The Harb
28 - Guelph, ON - Red Payaya (Kronik Halloween Bash with We Are Human, LoversTeeth)




November
9 - Kingston, ON - The Broom Factory (with Kataklysm, Sovereign Council, Pound Of Flesh)


To get fans pumped for their upcoming show dates and for those who have yet to check out their Ground Zero EP, released this past August, Atria is sharing their new music video for the title track, which is about the moment that you first pray to God and realize that there will never be an answer.


Vocalist Tom Emmans explains the track and video further: "The video was filmed at a place called Light is Art by Joe Lyko from Dark Moon Productions. The song is about the first time you pray and realize that no one is going to answer. Joe captured how terrifying that can be with the lighting by playing off of our image, specifically the contacts. We tried to capture the fear of losing God. We tried to make the scariest video that anyone will see this year."


Watch the video below:





Atria's Ground Zero EP gets very personal to exorcise the darkness of the mind, the frustrations of life, and battling your inner demons. Led lyrically by vocalist Tom Emmans, the EP is his personal outlet to express his observations of the world.


He explains further: "I find myself in a world that I barely believe in, I try to be hopeful when I can but at the end of the day, we’re all just a little broken. I am expressing the broken side so I can be healthy when I walk off stage. It's therapeutic and cathartic, but it’s really hard. It comes from a real place and it’s not always fun. Musically, for this record, it’s definitely gotten more aggressive, we always wanted to blend a lot of melodies and an anthemic chorus’ with brutality. I feel like the fans will agree that on this new one, we’ve gotten much better at doing that."


Teaming up once again with producer Jon Howard (Threat Signal), and a new lineup that features Jerad Sterling (Tortured Saint) on drums, Brody King on lead guitar, and bassist Jake Fortney to join founding members vocalist Tom Emmans (Odium, Deathpoint, Choices, Scaithe) and guitarist Tim Ross, "Ground Zero" is an anthemic five track jolt of crushing infectious metalcore.





Tracklisting:


"Ground Zero"
"Antiheroes"
"Dysmorphia"
"Just A Number"
"The Brightest Lights"


"Antiheroes" video:

Gold-selling, billion-streaming rock band Beartooth - Caleb Shomo, vocals; Zach Huston, guitars; Will Deely, guitars; Oshie Bichar, bass; and Connor Denis, drums - have released their fifth album, The Surface, via Red Bull Records. Order it here, and watch a video for "I Was Alive", which Shomo says is "about the fact that none of this lasts forever and we get one ride on this crazy journey we're on, so we've got to give it everything we've got," below:





Like its predecessors, The Surface is an intensely personal and powerful journey for Shomo, who has never shied away from sharing his demons in his music and with his fans. However, the frontman has turned a corner with a more optimistic outlook and demonstrates exceptional growth as both an artist and a human being through the songs that comprise the album.




"This album is the end of the story of a very important decade of my life and that was my 20s," the frontman shares. "It's been very up and down, sometimes more down than up. But as of right now, I have decided that since life is short, I want to focus on the positives. Sometimes all you need is some hard work to show you what you need to do with your life to be happy. Hopefully this album can inspire people to take control of their own lives in any way they desire."





Tracklisting:


"The Surface"
"Riptide"
"Doubt Me"
"The Better Me" (Feat. Hardy)
"Might Love Myself"
"Sunshine!"
"What’s Killing You"
"Look The Other Way"
"What Are You Waiting For"
"My New Reality"
"I Was Alive"


"Might Love Myself" video:

Duff McKagan will release his third solo album, Lighthouse, on Friday, October 20. In the new video below, Duff opens the first box of Lighthouse vinyl at The Vinyl Lab and views the packaging for the first time.





Lighthouse will be available in a wide range of formats, including streaming, download, CD, cassette, and LP. A number of deluxe versions and bundles are also available, including official Certificates of Authenticity signed by McKagan. In addition, two webstore exclusive vinyl variants – “Transparent Green & “Black Marble” and “Black Velvet” – of the deluxe packaging are on offer, including three lithographs, a 12-page booklet, a sticker, and a guitar pick, all enclosed in a transparent PVC sleeve allowing interchangeability of the graphics displayed on the cover of Lighthouse. Pre-orders – as well as an exclusive line of brand-new Lighthouse merch – are available now at DuffOnline.com.




All pre-orders from the official store or email subscribers to the official Duff McKagan newsletter will receive access to a special online album release event featuring an exclusive Q&A with McKagan and Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell (who guests on the Lighthouse standout, "I Just Don't Know").


Lighthouse sees Duff McKagan baring more of his artistic spirit than ever before, fusing acoustic elements with hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll to land at the sweet spot between soul-searching reflection and pure energy. The album was first announced earlier this spring alongside its title track, "Lighthouse", joined by an official visualizer (see below). "Lighthouse" was soon followed by "I Saw God On 10th St", also joined by an official visualizer streaming below.


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


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


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


McKagan is currently traveling with Guns N’ Roses on an epic global tour currently traveling North America with dates slated through mid-October. For complete details and remaining ticket availability, head here.





Tracklisting:


"Lighthouse"
""Longfeather""
"Holy Water"
"I Saw God On 10th St"
"Fallen"
"Forgiveness"
"Just Another Shakedown"
"Fallen Ones"
"Hope" (Feat. Slash)
"I Just Don’t Know" (Feat. Jerry Cantrell)
"Lighthouse" (Reprise) (Feat. Iggy Pop)


"Longfeather" video:





"I Saw God On 10th St." visualizer:





"Lighthouse" visualizer:

Brazilian death metal outfit, Crypta, have released a new lyric video for the staggering song, “Stronghold”, cut from their fresh new album, Shades Of Sorrow. Released in August, Crypta's sophomore album has stormed the charts globally (#23 Official German Album Charts, #17 Official Rock & Metal Album Charts UK, #5 Top New Artist Albums & #7 Current Hard Music Albums USA, #4 Hard Music Albums CAN, and many more), and received outstanding reception from fans and critics alike, cementing the band’s standing as one of the rising forces in today’s death metal scene.


Dubbed the “favorite young metal band of the moment” by Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge, this is another bit of proof that the path of these four women leads in only one direction: unstoppably to the top!


Addictive “Stronghold” shines as one of the most detailed and melodic tracks on Shades of Sorrow. Following CRYPTA’s successful recent European tour, the quartet will head out on a longer South American run and a full North American tour in early 2024.







Order Shades Of Sorrow here.





Shades Of Sorrow tracklisting:


"The Aftermath"
"Dark Clouds"
"Poisonous Apathy"
"The Outsider"
"Stronghold"
"The Other Side Of Anger"
"The Limbo"
"Trial Of Traitors"
"Lullaby For The Forsaken"
"Agents Of Chaos"
"Lift The Blindfold"
"Lord Of Ruins"
"The Closure"


“The Other Side Of Anger” video:





"Trial Of Traitors" video:





"Lord Of Ruins" video:





Crypta recently announced their first ever US headlining tour. The “Shades Of Sorrow Over North America 2024” tour kicks off in San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 27, visiting several major cities along the central and western United States before coming to an end on March 2 in Seattle, WA.


Tickets are on sale now. Check local venues and the band's official website for tickets and more information.


Crypta offers: "We are so happy to be back in the US! Since we were confirmed for 70000 Tons, we thought it would be a good idea to be back in the US to mainly cover territories we haven't been to yet on our previous run there, so it's gonna be awesome to reach fans who haven’t had the chance to watch us yet in the states we're visiting for the first time. Also, bringing the new album setup on a first ever headlining tour around there is gonna be extra special for us!"





Dates


January
27 - San Juan, Puerto Rico - La Respuesta
29-2/2 - Miami, FL - 70,000 Tons Of Metal


February
3 - Orlando, FL - Conduit
4 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
6 - Jacksonville, NC - Hooligans
7 - Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
8 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
9 - Covington, KY - Madison Live
10 - USA - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
11 - Atlanta, GA - Boggs Social & Supply
12 - Nashville, TN - Drkmttr
14 - Fayetteville, AR - Majestic Lounge
15 - Houston, TX - Rise Rooftop
16 - Dallas, TX - Trees
17 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live
19 - El Paso, TX - RockHouse Bar & Grill
20 - Alburquerque, NM - Launchpad
21 - Mesa, AZ - The Underground
23 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
24 - Los Angeles, CA - Whisky a Go Go
25 - Las Vegas, NV - Backstage Bar & Billiards
27 - Sacramento, CA - The Starlet Room


March
1 - Portland, OR - Dante's
2 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon


Crypta is:


Fernanda Lira - Bass, Vocals
Jéssica di Falchi - Guitar
Tainá Bergamaschi - Guitar
Luana Dametto - Drums


(Photo - Estevam Romera)

During an appearance on today's (Wednesday, October 11) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", David Coverdale spoke about the status of WHITESNAKE, more than a year after the band canceled several European shows and pulled out of a previously announced North American tour with the SCORPIONS due to what was described at the time as his "continued treatment for a persistent upper respiratory infection." The 72-year-old WHITESNAKE singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, my band and I are in touch all the time. There is still a WHITESNAKE and there are still offers coming. I can't entertain anything until I get my physical aspect together.

"I had a fall recently, which I don't think helped my… I've got two torn rotator cuffs, which would certainly compromise my performance," he explained. "But arthritis, all this kind of stuff's kicking in.

"My heart goes out to Steven [Tyler] after the [recent AEROSMITH tour] cancelation. It's so awful, getting older and having this burden of responsibility to try to be as good as you can so you don't disappoint anybody. And I know how he feels and I sent my love to him through our friends, mutual friends.

"But I can't commit to anything until I know how my health is," David added. "The last thing I wanna do is go on tour and have to do what happened last year, which was come home, tail between my legs. It was heartbreaking. And being sick for a year didn't really help matters."

This past May, Coverdale told Rockonteurs about his respiratory infection: "That was really bad. When these things get on your cords, that just closes you down entirely.

"I spent a fortune keeping the guys [in my band] as safe as we could; we called it the 'COVID bubble.' Private jet wherever we went. And still COVID came in and took some of the crew out. It was really challenging."

Coverdale also shot down the suggestion that the WHITESNAKE farewell tour will drag on for many years to come. "I know contemporaries of mine that have been doing a farewell tour for 20 years," he said. "That's not it. I'm [72]. It's a number that I see and go, 'Really?' Because most of the time I certainly don't feel like that kind of age that would be the perspective we had growing up, when 20 looked old, 25 was ancient. 30? You're kidding. It's just fascinating to look at."

He added: "I have a feeling 72 is gonna be a really super year for me. Not 1972 — my age."

On June 28, 2022, WHITESNAKE scrapped three shows on its spring/summer European tour due to Coverdale's infection of the sinus and trachea. Three days later, the rest of the trek was also called off. At the time, David blamed the decision on "continuing health challenges, doctor's orders, and our concern for everyone's health and safety."

David was not the first member of WHITESNAKE to fall ill during the group's spring/summer 2022 European tour. Guitarist Reb Beach missed several shows on the trek in June 2022 after being "under the weather." On June 25, 2022, WHITESNAKE canceled its show at the Rock Imperium festival in Spain due to the fact that drummer Tommy Aldridge "went down" and "was bad enough at the time to have missed the first show ever in his career," according to Coverdale.

In April, Coverdale told "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" regarding the possibility of WHITESNAKE resuming its farewell tour in 2024: "It's not really a professional decision. It's literally a health decision.

"Last year it took me seven months to get rid of a sinus infection that went so deep into my body… And then we discovered a secondary one, which is why I had to cancel the U.S. tour," he explained. "So all of that appalling antibiotics I had for three months, all the damage it did to my system, was a waste of time because this other infection was canceling it out. So I had to go on to heavier medications and steroids, and at the same time ignoring a torn rotator cuff.

"When I was onstage with Steve Vai at Hellfest [in France in June 2022], which turned out to be the last WHITESNAKE show — hopefully not the last WHITESNAKE show [ever] — underneath my shirt, my shoulder was taped up like I was going into the arena to face another gladiator," Coverdale revealed. "And you couldn't really tell. And thank God I could still fling the mic stand around. But as soon as I got signed off back in January, the infection had gone, I realized that we had to sort out the shoulder, 'cause that had been of secondary importance — minor compared to this, 'Am I ever gonna be able to sing again?' That's a big deal. It's something you wake up and almost take for granted.

"So, I'm getting a lot of approaches [regarding Las] Vegas residencies. I'm not quite sure about that. I feel I owe Japan. I feel I owe the U.S. I feel I owe South America. 'Cause I've been pretty successful for 50 years, and you can't buy that. It's people who've supported you to be in this position. It was a personal choice. I didn't wanna do a video going, 'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the 'SNAKE, thank you for 50 years. I'm done.' I wanted to be there.

"I wanted to retire in 2020," David added. "I thought the appropriate age for the singer of WHITESNAKE to step down was 69. But, of course, bloody COVID came [and ruined those plans].

"We have three to five years of projects here at my studio. So I'm certainly not finished with music. But my health will dictate whether I can take on [a full tour]. 'Cause it's incredibly physically demanding for me. I don't wanna do a half-assed [tour], standing-there stuff. I love telling my stories and moving and working."

Also in April, Coverdale told Ultimate Classic Rock that the illness that forced him off the road in 2022 was "the worst sinus infection I've ever had in my life. And as a singer, I know them like fucking relatives of mine," Coverdale said. "This was one of the ugliest illnesses I think I've [ever] had. For seven months, I was taking ever-increasingly strong antibiotics and horrifying prednisone steroids."

WHITESNAKE launched its farewell tour on May 10, 2022 at Dublin, Ireland's 3Arena. The band's 14-song set, which was part of a European tour with special guests EUROPE and co-headliners FOREIGNER, marked WHITESNAKE's inaugural performance with the group's two latest two additions, keyboardist, guitarist and backing vocalist Dino Jelusick and bassist Tanya O'Callaghan.

Coverdale had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

Prior to the pandemic, WHITESNAKE had been touring in support of its latest album, "Flesh & Blood", which was released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

In a new interview with Australia's Triple M radio station, LINKIN PARK's Mike Shinoda told the story of how he and his bandmates worked up the guts to prank METALLICA in the middle of the metal legends' set when the two groups were touring together in 2003 as part of the second and final edition of the "Summer Sanitarium" package. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One of our claims to fame is that, at the time — we may still be the only ones — we were the only one to ever prank METALLICA. So they took us out on tour, and we were opening for them in stadiums all over the U.S. for two months in the summer. And we were so nervous. We were so nervous. I loveMETALLICA. Our guitar player, grew up — that was his main reason for learning guitar and getting better at guitar. We all love METALLICA. So, we were on tour with them kind of starstruck. And at a certain point, they invited us to a bar to go hang out. And we were just, like, 'You guys. Come on. You guys.' They were the sweetest guys — every single one of them, incredible. Just so down to earth and thoughtful and complimentary too. They were really sweet about, like, they loved our show. Each of them made a point… I had a conversation with every guy in that band, and they each made a point to say, like, 'I really like what you're doing and you guys are, like, in terms of an opener, so, so, so great. Good people and I love the music.' So we felt really emboldened; we felt comfortable with these guys."

He continued: "So at the end of the tour… Their head of security was a guy who used who worked for us for a period of time. So we knew him… And we were like, 'Hey, Tom, at the end of tours, a lot of times, people will prank each other. You think we could prank METALLICA?' And he was [James] Hetfield's guy. And he's, like, 'Well, I don't know if you know this, but that's never been done. But I think I can work it out.' And so the next thing the METALLICA guys know, they're in the middle of — I don't remember what song, but they they're in the middle of it. And we came out with a blanket and a picnic basket and little almost like lunch boxes and things. They had this platform behind them. Chester [Bennington, LINKIN PARK singer] comes out. He has a skateboard. And we go up to the middle of it, and we pull out sandwiches and sodas, and we start having a picnic on their stage. And they're doing, like, 'Ride The Lightning'. [People are] trying to take 'em seriously, and Chester's literally skating back and forth behind them eating a sandwich. The guys in the band — I think Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] lost the plot entirely… They figured it out very [quickly]. 'Cause nobody goes on stage with them. So they were, like, 'What the hell's happening?' It was awesome."

Last week, Shinoda released a new solo single, "Already Over", along with a music video for the song, directed and animated by Dusty Deen and featuring visuals contributed by Shinoda, Frank Maddocks, Mark Fiore and Mike Miller.

LINKIN PARK has been on hiatus since the death of Bennington in 2017.

A year and a half ago, Shinoda said that there are no plans for new music, albums or live shows from the band.

LINKIN PARK has not performed together in public since October 2017, when the surviving members staged a tribute concert in Los Angeles to Bennington. The band has not officially announced whether it intends to carry on following the death of Bennington, who committed suicide in July 2017 at the age of 41.

Bennington's passing was ruled a suicide soon after his body was found in July 2017 at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

LINKIN PARK released a concert album titled "One More Light Live" in December 2017.