One of the mostly anticipated tours of the year is about to start: The Nordic Power Metal Titans 2023 European run featuring Sonata Arctica, who recently warmed-up with their enormously successful, partly even sold out  Arctic Storm Finland Tour.


At the forthcoming 24 shows, the melodic metal icons will be performing alongside Finnish countrymen Stratovarius as well as rising international power metallers and labelmates, Induction.


After two acoustic albums, Sonata Arctica have also secretly worked on a new album going back to electric soundscapes, and today, they are pleased to unveil a first taste of what's to come in spring 2024 via Atomic Fire: Nothing but a return to their golden power metal roots is what awaits fans on the group's forthcoming opus. More details will be announced soon, but for now convince yourselves that the aforementioned promise isn't only warm words and check out their new track, "First In Line".




Stream/purchase the song here, listen below.





Frontman Tony Kakko explains: "This is the first power metal song I wrote for the forthcoming album which is laden with them. Its demo title was 'First In Line' and I managed to stick with it. The song handles the worry about raising a new generation of people with or rather letting an electronic screen - namely tv, pad or some such - do a big part of raising this generation of human beings. We think that we buy ourselves time with these gadgets, but are these devices the right "nanny" for our kids or should we maybe slow down a bit, read books, teach that happiness can be and often is something we reach by stopping and letting go of constant stimulation of all our audiovisual senses? In ways, we are flying blindly with these things. Things are advancing too fast in many ways..."





Nordic Power Metal Titans 2023 with Stratovarius and Induction:


October
14 - Umeå, Sweden - Northern Rockfest @ Energi Arena
15 - Borlänge, Sweden - Cozmoz Arena
16 - Oslo, Norway - Vulkan Arena
17 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Trädgår'n
19 - Stockholm, Sweden - Slaktkyrkan
20 - Roskilde, Germany - Gimle
21 -  Hamburg, Germany - Kulturpalast
22 -  Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
24 - Utrecht, Netherlands - TivoliVredenburg (Ronda)
25 -  Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
26 - Paris, France - Bataclan*
27 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
28 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
30 -  Munich, Germany - Backstage
31 - Vienna, Austria - Szene


November
1 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
3 - Athens, Greece - Fuzz Club
4 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Principal Club Theater
6 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania - FORM Space
7 - Bucharest, Romania - Quantic
9 - Brno, Czech Republic - Sono Centrum
10 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos-Saal
11 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Hell's Balls Belgium @ Xpo*
12 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix


* no Induction





Lineup:


Tony Kakko - vocals
Elias Viljanen - guitars
Pasi Kauppinen - bass
Henrik "Henkka" Klingenberg - keyboards
Tommy Portimo - drums


(Photo - Jaakko Manninen)

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have released a new single, "Panic Attack". The track, which can be streamed below, is taken from the band's upcoming studio album, "Invincible Shield", which will arrive on March 8, 2024 via Sony Music.

The release date for PRIEST's follow-up to 2018's "Firepower" was announced last Saturday night (October 7) during the band's performance at the Power Trip festival in Indio, California.

After BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs" played as the intro to PRIEST's set, a graphic was displayed on the video screens announcing "The Invincible Shield".

The cover artwork for the CD and vinyl versions of "Invincible Shield" can be found below.

To pre-order "Invincible Shield", visit shop.judaspriest.com.

This past June, PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that the band's new album was "sounding great. I was in Phoenix with [producer and touring guitarist] Andy Sneap and Rob a few weeks ago, putting the vocals down," he said. "And it's always exciting to hear new PRIEST tracks, because they become PRIEST tracks when Rob sings them. It's, like, the world hasn't heard them yet, but there's new PRIEST tracks that we're hearing for the first time. It's really exciting, hearing that characteristic voice that we've heard for decades singing new stuff. It's an incredibly exciting thing, so I can't wait for the world to hear it all."

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new PRIEST material, Faulkner said: "There are definitely a few more twists and turns on this record. There are a few more musical parts. So, there might be a bit of... As I said, there are twists and turns. I've used the word 'progressive' before, and the Internet ripped me a new asshole. But it is progressive in the sense that it's not like verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus-finish. It's musical part-verse-musical part. It might do a few twists and turns, musically. It veers from the path of it, a bit like 'Sinner' or 'Tyrant' or something like that. So, it's a bit more '70s PRIEST, which I welcome as a guitar player… It's '70s PRIEST, but it's not a retro album, by any means. It's the influence of '70s PRIEST in the progressive sense, but it sounds like PRIEST in 2023."

He added: "Every PRIEST album has kind of stood on its own, stylistically. It's had that DNA of JUDAS PRIEST, because the characters are so strong. But it's always been a little bit different — retaining that DNA but having its own character. So, this one's no different, really, in the sense that it's obviously JUDAS PRIEST, but it's its own animal; it stands on its own two legs."

Last November, Faulkner told Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules that some PRIEST fans misconstrued his previous comments about the musical direction of the band's upcoming LP. He said: "I think we've used the word 'progressive', and everyone thinks it's gonna become 'Nostradamus' [PRIEST's controversial 2008 symphonic heavy metal concept double album about Nostradamus], or RUSH, which is two different things. I've definitely used the word 'progressive' [to describe the new PRIEST material in previous interviews], purely because it's got a few musical turnarounds that 'Firepower' doesn't have. But that doesn't make it a RUSH record. It just makes it — instead of, like, a verse into a bridge into a chorus, there might be a couple of more musical passages in there to make it a bit more… interesting; might be the wrong word. I don't know. You've gotta be careful with the words you use these days. So it's not 'Firepower 2', but it's the same band a few years later, so there's obvious connections to the last record. But it's not 'Firepower 2' by any means."

Richie continued: "No PRIEST records have sounded the same, but it's got a common DNA. And you always try and make the next one sound a bit better — or whatever 'better' may be; 'better' is subjective. So, is it better written? Are the lyrics better? Does it sound better? And 'better' is always subjective. So it's hard to pinpoint, really. But it's a bit more of a musical adventure than the last one, I'd say. But then again someone might listen to it, when it does come out, and have a totally different interpretation of what it is. So it's always tough to sum up your own music without sounding up your own butt."

In February 2022, Halford was asked by Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In if he agreed with Faulkner's comment that the band's upcoming album will be more musically "progressive" than "Firepower". He responded: "Yeah, the metal is there. But here's the thing: we've tried our best not to replicate anything that we've done. From 'Rocka Rolla' all the way through to 'Firepower', each record has had a distinctive character. And it's tough because fans go, 'We want another 'Painkiller',' 'We want another 'British Steel'.' And [it's, like], 'Dude, we've already done that.'

"Fans know that we're a band that is always full of adventure and trying new stuff," he continued. "And so, yeah, this has got probably some more progressive elements that we've never really delved into before. And that's exciting, because, again, it gives us and our fans another opportunity to see a different side of PRIEST. But it's still metal. There's just more of it. There are more notes than there were before."

Also in February 2022, Faulkner told Canada's The Metal Voice about the overall sound of the new PRIEST music: "Whenever you start a record, you never know how it's gonna turn out. So you might start with an idea of what it's gonna be, and as it kind of rolls on, it comes out something different. So you don't quite know. And also it's really hard to sum up your own music, I find, without sounding really pretentious. But I think this one — it's not 'Firepower 2', I don't think. It's its own thing, it's its own animal. If anything, I would say it's a bit more progressive in places, and in places it's got a bit more of that 'Killing Machine' swagger."

Faulkner added: "I know everyone says, 'Oh, is it the next 'Painkiller'?' or 'Is it the next…?' whatever… I don't know if they'd ever done it, but I know we've never done it when I've been in the band; we've never tried to recreate an album. It's always we try to create an album that stands on its own legs. So I think it's definitely a little bit more progressive than 'Firepower' and, as I said, in places it's got a little bit of that 'Killing Machine' angry swagger attitude going on."

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Original guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

Photo credit: James Hodges Photography

CD cover:

Vinyl cover:

Following the success of their latest album "Six", multi-platinum hard rockers EXTREME are back with a new music video for their single "Hurricane". The track, which features EXTREME's unique vocal interplay between Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, mixes velvet-smooth harmonies and a delicately plucked melody that mirrors facing "the storm before the calm."

Written after the loss of a close friend, Nuno's songwriting serves as a reflection on his own experiences.

"We get crushed by losing someone," he notes. "Time passes and we calm down, but the pain never goes away."

"That's where Nuno shines, man," adds Gary. "Everyone looks at him as a guitar hero, but he's a songwriter first. This is a beautiful piece of music."

The video, also directed by Bettencourt, features all four band members, including drummer Kevin Figueiredo and bassist Pat Badger, individually confronting losses of their own. While each face these difficult and intimate moments throughout the video, they triumph in together finding the strength to continue on.

"Six" came out on June 9 via earMUSIC and landed at position No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with first-week sales of 12,500 copies. The set marked the band's first studio album since 2008. The act was last in the Top 10 with "III Sides To Every Story", which debuted and peaked at No. 10 back in October 1992.

The first single from "Six" was "Rise", which has seen unprecedented success following its debut in March alongside a fiery music video which has received over three and a half million views to date. The critically acclaimed song has earned praise from international top tier media outlets, including Consequence, Classic Rock, Music Radar and Guitar World, in addition to accolades from such fellow musical peers as Brian May (QUEEN) and radio personality Howard Stern while peaking at No. 3 on the classic rock charts.

EXTREME's headlining "Thicker Than Blood" world tour stretches until December 16 and sees the band appear across the U.S., Australia, Japan and Europe, including special guests LIVING COLOUR (U.S., Australia and U.K. only) and THE LAST INTERNATIONALE (Europe only).

Photo credit: Jesse Lirola

Original SLIPKNOT singer Anders Colsefni kicked off a tour of Australia and New Zealand last night (Wednesday, October 11) at Crowbar in Sydney. Anders delivered SLIPKNOT's entire "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." record from start to finish, marking the first time this record has been heard live in 27 years.

Professionally filmed and fan-filmed video of last night's performance can be seen below.

Anders has teamed up with former MUSHROOMHEAD vocalist Waylon Reavis for the co-headline "Numetal Mayhem" trek, which will wrap up on October 23 in Dunedin, New Zealand.

In a recent podcast interview with KAOSIS frontman Xen, Colsefni was asked if he would be open to recording a new song with his former band if he was approached about it. He responded: "Yeah, absolutely. If they contacted me and wanted me to do something, yeah, why not?"

Asked to name his favorite SLIPKNOT song since he exited the group, Anders said: "To be honest with you, I'm gonna say 'Wait And Bleed', the very first one that hit right after I left. And it's the one that I would have thought that I would have hated the most, just because of my circumstances. But that song, when I heard it, I'm, like, 'That's it. I couldn't have done that like that. So kudos to you, guys.' So 'Wait And Bleed'."

Asked by Xen if there are any plans to take the tour to other parts of the world, including the U.S. and Europe, Anders said: "Nothing planned yet, but I'm not gonna say nothing will happen because I really hope something will."

A short time after the "Numetal Mayhem" tour announcement, SLIPKNOT's longtime singer Corey Taylor took to his Twitter to share a Kerrang! article about the trek, and he wrote in an accompanying message: "Really wish I could be there to see these shows, but I know @anderscolsefni is going to crush them."

Colsefni later released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he vowed to perform the "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." material with the "same level of aggression and volatility" as he did when the songs were first written while acknowledging that he has grown as a singer and performer since his early days with SLIPKNOT.

Anders said: "As many of you are aware, I am not big on social media or talking in the press but with the growing amount of interest in my forthcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand, I feel it is time to issue a statement.

"My performances as part of this tour are dedicated to my fallen brothers, [late SLIPKNOT members] Joey [Jordison, drums] and Paul [Gray, bass]. I miss you both dearly. I will be drawing on you both to deliver these songs to our fans with the same level of aggression and volatility that we did together 27 years ago.

"I'd like to acknowledge the vast outpouring of support from my fans all over the world. It has been extremely touching to know how much faith you have had in me for all these years. I will do you all proud.

"I will endeavor to keep the set as authentic to the emotions and sentiments of which they are written but I will deliver them as I am now, not the kid I once was. Since these songs were written almost three decades ago, I have had many great opportunities in various bands to hone my vocal abilities, and stagecraft and to grow as a person.

"In response to Corey's well wishes I'd like to say 'Thank you'. It may come as a surprise to many maggots, but it is actually Corey who I have maintained an ongoing friendship since my departure from the band. There has only ever been a kinship between us. I consider Corey a true brother and he has always had my back, and I his.

"Thank you all again for your adoration and support and I look forward to delivering Australasia 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.' for the first time ever. Long live the KNOT."

Colsefni, Gray, Jordison and Shawn "Clown" Crahan first performed under the name SLIPKNOT in April 1996 at the Safari Club in Des Moines. Not long after, Mick Thomson and Craig Jones joined the band and the trajectory of modern metal was changed forever.

SLIPKNOT erupted on the local metal scene and by October 1996 they delivered "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.". This LP became the foundation of what in now SLIPKNOT's twenty-five-year legacy.

Anders will deliver the entire "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." record from start to finish. This is the first time this record has been heard live in 27 years and it may be the only time it will ever get played live again.

In his original statement announcing the tour, Colsefni said: "Ever since Xen [KAOSIS singer] called me and let me know we were on for the tour, I have been training every day, not just vocals but kickboxing and cardio. I am fit, strong and ready to tear Australasia apart! I am psyched to pull this record out of the crypt and deliver it again... probably for the last time ever."

Anders has compiled a heavy-as-hell backing band he has dubbed THE FEEDERS.

Back in 2019, Colsefni said that he had no interest in rejoining SLIPKNOT.

The prospect of Anders returning to SLIPKNOT was broached by Taylor after a fan suggested on Twitter that SLIPKNOT bring back Anders as the replacement for the then-recently departed percussionist Chris Fehn. Corey replied: "Fuck I would LOVE that."

On March 23, 2019, Colsefni shot down the possibility of a renewed collaboration with his former bandmates, writing on his Facebook page: "I'm going to take away the uncomfortable conversations that SLIPKNOT might have regarding myself and reported band vacancy by saying: I will NOT be rejoining SLIPKNOT.

"It is certainly not for any animosity I have. I simply don't know those guys anymore. I generally give those I don't know the benefit of the doubt.

"I've spent the last 27 years (through each and every band) working concrete construction to support my family but still allow time for my 'real job.'

"After many years of failed bands, failed marriages, and plenty of others, I've settled into an occupation that I can retire from. I'm gonna need the bennies — my body is going to shit!

"As much as I had dreamed of rejoining my creation (shut up — I know it's a different band now!),it is not enough of a dream anymore to risk being homeless when the tour is over!"

Colsefni, one of the founding members of SLIPKNOT alongside percussionist Shawn "The Clown" Crahan, contributed lead vocals to "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.". A short time after leaving the band the following year, Anders went on to form PAINFACE, which later evolved into ON A PALE HORSE.

In a 2011 interview with Dose Of Metal, Colsefni was asked about the reasons for his departure from SLIPKNOT. He explained: "Corey was a much better singer than I, so they brought Corey in to 50/50 the vocals with me (with him being the actual frontman) while I also continued with the drums and percussion. Corey would do the clean singing and I was to add the screaming and yelling. I tried for two months, but after the shock of all this, I couldn't 'feel it' anymore. I just felt like an idiot flopping around onstage with a ridiculous outfit, acting like a caveman. Depression. So, I shaved my eyebrows off before my last show, and announced I was done after we played 'Heartache And A Pair of Scissors' for the closing tune."

Asked what he thinks about his former bandmates labeling "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." just a demo, he said "If the band did not get a record deal, 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.' would have been their first official release. Since they had progressed musically since 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.' (or steadied the craziness a bit) and got a nice contract advance, they chose the right thing and started fresh. Every album I've ever been on has technically been a 'demo,' so it doesn't bother me a bit. Even the full-length ones. 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.' has become somewhat legendary, even with its flaws, so it was one hell of a demo."

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

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

Gray was found dead in May 2010 after overdosing on drugs in a hotel room in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, where he and SLIPKNOT were based.

At Crowbar in Sydney!

Posted by Anders Colsefni on Wednesday, October 11, 2023

"Portraits Of Slayer", the latest book in the new "Portraits" series from Rufus Publications, is a photographic celebration of SLAYER, one of the premier thrash metal bands. This brand new, coffee table photobook traces the career of SLAYER with rare and unseen photographs from some of rock's greatest photographers.

Grammy Award-winning SLAYER was one of the most influential bands in heavy metal history, crucial to the development of thrash which became the foundation of many different sub-genres. The band's 1986 album "Reign In Blood" is considered a genre-defining classic with its razor-sharp articulation, tightness and extraordinary riffs. In 2006 Metal Hammer declared it to be the best metal album of the last 20 years. Between 1991 and 2013, SLAYER sold almost five million albums in the U.S. alone and as Dave Grohl said, "Me and my friends, we just wanted to listen to fucking SLAYER and take acid and smash stuff.”

"Portraits Of Slayer" also features a career-spanning essay by journalist Dave Ling.

This unofficial book is 230mm square, case-bound, 240 pages, printed on luxury 170gsm matt-coated paper. The book comes with a fold-out poster and is presented in a black slipcase with a blood red foil logo. The main edition comes in 666 numbered copies and sells for £55 plus shipping.

In addition to this, there will be a much larger, ultra-limited black leather and metal edition measuring 375mm square and presented in recycled leather and a hand welded aluminum metal slipcase with a screen-printed logo in a run of 50 numbered copies. This will sell for £500.

The book will be available to pre-order Friday, October 13 at 3 p.m. U.K. time.

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, guitarist Kerry King's wife Ayesha King said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances. In August 2020, she once again shot down the possibility of her husband and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya sharing the stage ever again under the SLAYER banner.

After Ayesha shared three photos of Kerry holding their cat in slideshow-type Instagram post, a fan wrote: "No Tom, No SLAYER Kerry. Stop thinking SLAYER without @tomarayaofficial". Ayesha then replied: "don't worry, they'll never be SLAYER again! You can rest easy".

That same month, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph confirmed that he is involved in a brand new project headed up by Kerry King. The duo spent much of the last four years working on music with the hopes of recording it properly once the coronavirus pandemic had subsided.

SLAYER's final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band's intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.

According to Rolling Stone, the family of KISS's longtime guitar tech Francis Stueber, who died in 2021 after contracting COVID-19 during the band's "End Of The Road" tour, has filed a lawsuit for wrongful death. KISS founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, their longtime manager Doc McGhee, the tour's promoter Live Nation, and hotel chain Marriott International were all named as defendants.

Stueber had worked on all KISS and Stanley solo tours and one-off shows from 2002 until his death in October 2021. He even took the stage with the band during the "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" episode where KISS performed for the troops, and was on hand when Stanley cut his 2006 solo album "Live To Win". Stueber also worked behind the scenes for HEART, THE OFFSPRING and REO SPEEDWAGON's Kevin Cronin.

Francis's widow filed the suit in Los Angeles on Wednesday along with several members of her family, claiming both negligence and wrongful death.

"As a direct and proximate result of the dangerous condition created by Defendants," the suit said, "Decedent suffered fatal injuries and Plaintiffs suffered damages, including, but not limited to funeral and burial expenses, the permanent deprivation of the love companionship, affection solace, society, comfort, assistance, services and financial contributions, and moral support of Decedent in an amount according to proof at trial."

Stueber's family claims that "the failure to enforce or have adequate Covid-19 policies or procedures caused a Covid-19 outbreak amongst band members and tour personnel."

"Defendants, and each of them, whether through acts and/or omission to act, breached their duty to Plaintiffs by their negligent production, operation, inspection, supervision, management and control over The End of the Road Tour that ultimately resulted in the death of Decedent," the suit said.

Days after Stueber's death, KISS pushed back against accusations of lax COVID-19 protocols on the "End Of The Road" U.S. tour. The legendary rockers released a statement defending themselves after a group of their roadies suggested to Rolling Stone magazine that the lack of COVID protocols enforced on the tour led to Stueber's death. Stueber died of coronavirus in his Detroit hotel room on October 17, just two days after being quarantined. He was 53 years old.

"We are profoundly heartbroken at the loss of Francis, he was a friend and colleague of 20 years, there is no way to replace him," KISS said in its statement. "Millions of people have lost someone special to this horrific virus and we encourage everyone to get vaccinated. Please protect yourself and your loved ones.

"Our 'End Of The Road' world tour absolutely had COVID safety protocols in place that met, but most often exceeded, federal, state, and local guidelines," the band added. "But ultimately this is still a global pandemic and there is simply no foolproof way to tour without some element of risk."

KISS's statement was issued in response to comments made by several crew members in which they detailed the lack of COVID protocols enforced on the tour. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one roadie told Rolling Stone: "I couldn't believe how unsafe it was, and that we were still going. We'd been frustrated for weeks, and by the time Fran died, I just thought, 'You have to be fucking kidding me.'"

The crew members claimed the tour didn't take strict enough safety measures, including not testing everyone regularly. In addition, some crew members allegedly disguised their illness and/or faked vaccine cards.

"Every day during the shows, we weren't tested," one of the roadies said. "And there are so many unknowns. Did we superspread this? Did we spread this thing from city to city? It's horrible that Fran passed, and it's horrible if this is our protocol just for us to tour. Is this going to be the normal, to stick someone in a hotel? And if somebody dies, 'Oh, well, off to the next guy?'"

KISS production manager Robert Long confirmed that daily testing was not implemented but insisted that he did not discourage testing.

"I never told anyone we didn't want to test them," Long told Rolling Stone. "If you wanted a test, we'd supply it. If you wanted to get tested, if you felt symptoms, if you think someone might be sick, please raise your hand. We had thermometers on every bus, sheets to write down temperatures every morning, mask boxes, and sanitizers everywhere. People were getting tested every other day, we ordered tests regularly. I'm not going to not test people; I take this shit seriously."

After Stueber died, KISS frontman Paul Stanley took to his Twitter to pay tribute his friend, writing: "My dear friend, buddy and guitar tech for 20 years, Fran Stueber died yesterday suddenly of Covid. Both on and offstage I depended on him for so much. My family loved him as did I. He was so proud of his wife and 3 boys as they were of him. I'm numb."
My dear friend, buddy and guitar tech for 20 years, Fran Stueber died yesterday suddenly of Covid. Both on and offstage I depended on him for so much. My family loved him as did I. He was so proud of his wife and 3 boys as they were of him. I'm numb. pic.twitter.com/RvwUGpFt0X

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) October 17, 2021


We all love you Fran. Rest in peace. https://t.co/EkWgqHPZRc

— KISS (@kiss) October 18, 2021

Nearly 40 years to the day, Varja delivers a reimagined version of Pat Benatar's original, "Love Is A Battlefield", showcasing the band's signature style and their ability to make a well-known song their own, with all of the elements and a great new spin on them. Varja's cover has a distinct and unique sound, given the band's penchant for blending different musical elements and their ethereal and heavy style.


The band transforms the song, creating an atmospheric and moody ambiance with a quick pummel to gut. Varja frontwoman Annamaria Pinna embodies the song on a cellular level. Pinna's raw, haunting and ethereal vocals emphasize the emotional depth of the lyrics as she adds her own unique vocal nuances that will bring a tear to your eye and a defiance to your spirit, all in under three and a half minutes. Varja combines djenty, layered, arpeggiated and soundscaped guitars with a melodic drum groove, hi-hat spice and jaw dropping fills, transforming the traditional backbeat and creating bombastic choruses.


"We don't normally do covers, but we wanted to pay tribute to one of our inspirations, and we wanted a song that had some room to 'Varjasize' and make our own. We were diving the New York Thruway singing along to the radio, and when Annamaria soared through this song, I knew it was the one." guitarist Dave Sussman remembers.




Pinna adds, "The song captures some of the confusion that I have in a world that feels upside down. We are all still recovering from the pandemic, shut-downs, and are embroiled in a broken economy. We haven’t fully healed. Music and art seem to be overshadowed by scripted reality TV, and I'm not sure where I fit anymore. I've been re-examining who I am, and singing this song grounds me to the earth, and inspires me to wipe my face, get in there, and figure it out."


About the video itself, Dave continues, "We came up with the concept, had a friend shoot the video, and we edited it ourselves. No green screens, no CGI, no costumes, no pseudo-angry faces... we’re not interested in competing with the slick big-budget hallmarks of modern metal videos. We simply wanted to put you right inside our Brooklyn practice space with us, and feel us…know us. We want you to dance around the room with us."





Varja has garnered a cult following, touring the US several times, Canada and Europe. The band is scheduled to play select dates this October.





Varja is:


Annamaria Pinna - vocals, flute, keys
Dave Sussman - guitars
Jimmy DeMarco - drums
John Heaney - bass

Germany's Endseeker are back with their fourth full-length album, Global Worming, which will be released via Metal Blade Records on October 27. The album contains 9 new tracks and will be made available across all Digital platforms, on CD Digipak, Vinyl (variants listed below), and as a limited Box-Set that will include the album on vinyl, exclusive 2-track 7-inch vinyl single, 4p. newspaper, sticker, beer cozy, and 3 buttons in hand printed box* (limited to 500 copies - available in Europe only).


Here's what the band has to say about their second single, "Hell Is Here": "'Hell Is Here' is a song about war and the constant fear of escalation on a very large scale. There are a lot of political tensions in the world these days. A constant threat to our supposedly safety. Something is brewing under the surface and it feels like all it takes is one madman pushing the wrong button and we all go to hell. It's bizarre, we've seen shit like this in movies and suddenly it becomes a possibility. That's just frightening."







Pre-order the album here.





Vinyl Variants


Worldwide:
Green/Black Marbled (700 copies)


Europe:
180g Black
Clear Blackdust (300 copies)
Red/White Marbled with 7-Inch (Boxset - 500 copies)





Global Worming tracklisting:


"Global Worming"
"Hell Is Here"
"Violence Is Gold"
"Wheel Of Torture"
"C.B.V."
"Terror"
"Hanging Gardens"
"Our Only Life"
"Nemesis"


"Violence Is Gold" video:





Death metal is the great undead of subgenres: rising, again and again, to take revenge on the living with maximum violence. Servants of the zombie code and masters of old school brutality, Germany's Endseeker have made their intent to kill again more than apparent over the last nine years. Formed in Hamburg in 2014, the quintet have swiftly built a reputation as one of European death metal's most dynamic wrecking crews.


From the aspirational evisceration of first full-length Flesh Hammer Prophecy, to Metal Blade debut The Harvest in 2019, and the widely acclaimed Mount Carcass two years later, Endseeker have cooked up such a formidable formula that their rise to glory seems almost inevitable. But like everyone else, they were stopped in their tracks by the Covid pandemic and its aftermath. As that global horrorshow fades in the rear-view, Endseeker are poised to return with their most crushing and charismatic album to date: Global Worming. As guitarist Ben explains, overcoming a host of new obstacles eventually led to a fruitful return to the studio.


"We played some intense, weird, strange, funny and bizarre shows during the Covid pandemic and enjoyed some almost 'normal' touring when Covid started to fade out," he recalls. "But the number of shows we could do was still quite limited, touring changed a lot, and became more expensive, and bookings were harder due to a bazillion bands trying to tour at the same time! So we slowly began to start writing new songs every now and then."


After the effusive reception received by Mount Carcass, Endseeker began the writing process for their fourth album with plenty of confidence. Before long, the creative juices began to flow to such an extent that a more formal plan of attack was required.


"At one point we decided that we need to take some time off from playing shows and completely focus on songwriting like we did for Mount Carcass," Ben notes. "So after we played our last show on October 1st 2022, in our hometown Hamburg, we totally dived into the songwriting and pre-production to make sure we had everything set for our studio time in 2023. We wanted to be as well prepared as possible."


Working once again with esteemed engineer and mixing maestro Eike Freese, Endseeker hit the studio like a nailbomb in a graveyard. The result is Global Worming - both the Germans' finest creation to date and a pulverizing new template for old school death metal. These nine new songs remain rooted in Endseeker's beloved bedrock of DISMEMBER-style savagery, but from the slithering monstrosity of the opening title track and the ultra-catchy stab 'n' stomp of Hell Is Here, to the neck-wrecking madness of Our Only Life and the epic grandiloquence of closer Nemesis, Global Worming is an unusually vivid and versatile piece of work.


"I guess our main goal was to write a record that was at least as good as Mount Carcass and to follow the path we have set with that record even further," says Ben. "We wanted the songwriting to be more on point while at the same time to be a bit wider when it comes to the boundaries of the death metal genre. We wanted the songs not only to be heavy and brutal but also to have a certain atmosphere to give them real depth."


To match the punishing splendor of Global Worming's monstrous production, Ben and his bandmates - guitarist Jury, bassist Torsten, drummer Andre and vocalist Lenny - have conjured some new tales of torment. An album that determinedly reflects the horrors of the world back at us, Endseeker's new opus is unflinching in its duty to the darkness.


"Global Worming revolves around a dystopian future where zombie worms overrun our planet and eat us all until we go extinct," states Ben. "All that's left is this enormous amount of slimy, nasty, undead worms and bugs, nesting inside empty skulls and other human remains, and living their best undead life. It's the kind of classic end-of-the-world story we have in death metal! Phonetic similarities between the song title and possible real life future events that threaten our very existence are totally by chance and unintentional!"


Aside from the impending onslaught of undead invertebrates, Global Worming also delves into the relentless upheavals and pointless polarisations of the modern world. Songs like the grotesque and grinding Wheel Of Torture and the aptly-named Terror revel in the harrowing darkness of real world conflict and catastrophe. Put simply, the human race is pretty fucked up right now and Endseeker have composed the soundtrack.


"We were inspired by all sorts of shit that's going on in the world. I mean, take a look around!" Ben laughs. "There's a deep cut ripping right through our society. People are angry beyond reason. They turn towards hate and fascist ideologies. They choose the path of destruction and denial. We have a war going on in Europe. Obvious boneheads get elected. Scientists tell us for decades that we're heading straight into drastic climate change and nobody seems to care. It's wild! You can't make this crap up!"


Death metal is a serious business and Global Worming is Endseeker's most focused and sophisticated offering to date. Nonetheless, there is always room in the underground sewers for a brain-eating monster or two, and fans of zombie-centric death metal will be more than satisfied with the new album's brilliant, bloody contents.


"Not everything about this album is deadly serious!" Ben grins. "We like to goof around a lot and we love to throw around some funny clichés, and have songs about zombies and whatnot. Adulthood ends at the doorstep of the tour bus!Some of our lyrics, like C.B.V. for example, have their origin in tour bus bullshit talk after endless hours of being crammed into a fucking van and getting cooked by the sun in an awful traffic jam on the Autobahn. It all comes from those moments where you're just one tiny step away from insanity!"


Consumed in its belligerent entirety, Global Worming soon emits the acrid stench of a future classic. Endseeker have stayed true to their deathly roots, while also writing some of the most imaginative songs in their history. Supremely catchy but as brutal and ugly as the arcane gods demand, Global Worming promises to burrow under the world's skin with maximum force.


"All our albums are unique and mark a certain era in our history," Ben concludes. "Global Worming is no exception. It's probably our darkest and heaviest album. It probably just reflects the era we're living in. I guess we just process all of this through the music and try to turn the world's shit into something we and hopefully a lot of other people can enjoy. We're definitely super excited to see where Global Worming will carry us and what lies ahead!"


Lineup:


Lenny - Vocals
Ben - Guitars
Jury - Guitars
Kummer - Drums
Eggert - Bass


(Photo - Anabell Ganske)

Born out of a love of rock music and for the virtuosity of bluegrass musicians, CMH Records’ Pickin’ On series features the best in bluegrass, paying tribute to the biggest and brightest artists in rock and pop. One of the most successful titles in the collection is celebrating its 20th anniversary. First released October 14, 2003, Fade To Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica features high lonesome renditions of Metallica classics like “The Unforgiven,” “Enter Sandman,” “Fade to Black,” and more performed by Alabama-based quartet, Iron Horse.


To commemorate the occasion, Iron Horse is releasing a new music video of their take on “Nothing Else Matters”; watch below.


Metallica’s thundering drums, heart-pounding guitars and anguished vocals tell the story of people lost in the hustle of modern society. Bluegrass music sings the tale of people stuck between heaven and hell, the farm and the city and love and hate. In many ways, Metallica and bluegrass are brothers–one raised in the urban jungle and the other in the country. So what happens when these two estranged siblings get together? Fade To Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica has the answer. Banjo and mandolin replace electric guitars and high lonesome harmonies soar in place of growling vocals to create a surprising and moving tribute. Performed with passion and skill by Iron Horse - Tony Robertson (mandolin), Vance Henry (guitar, lead vocals), Anthony Richardson (banjo) and Ricky Rogers (bass) - and featuring classics such as “Unforgiven,” “Enter Sandman” and “Fade To Black,” Fade To Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica is a family reunion between brothers heavy metal and bluegrass.




“Of all the projects we have done since this release, none compare to the wonderful journey we embarked on with Fade. It allowed us to step outside the norms of bluegrass as we knew it and grab a hold of a whole new way of thinking about relating our music,” shares Robertson. “Two genres, worlds apart, could actually be melted together and create a whole new listening experience. ‘Ride The Lightning’ was the song that, for me, encompassed all the musical creativity one could muster in arranging and performance of a song; it seemed like ‘riding lightning’ to perform it.”





Fade To Bluegrass is available on all digital platforms, CD and a very limited run of vinyl available at CMH’s online store, here.


Though Pickin’ On started modestly in 1993 with the release of Pickin’ On the Movies, tributes to The Beatles and Eagles soon followed, and by 1997 the Pickin’ On Series was on fire. It continues to thrive with one hand in traditional bluegrass and the other in popular music, ready for the next chance to create innovative bluegrass music.


Recent releases featuring Iron Horse, Pickin' On Pearl Jam and Pickin’ On Nirvana, were well-received and garnered press from Rolling Stone, Brooklyn Vegan, and Uproxx, among others. Pickin’ On Modest Mouse and Fade to Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica both charted on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart. The series has also been given extensive retrospective write-ups by Los Angeles Times and No Depression and currently has over 204,000 monthly listeners and more than 93,000 followers on Spotify.


Songs from Pickin’ On have been featured in the television series Revolution and HBO’s True Blood. Other artists that have been given the Pickin’ On treatment include Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers Band, Coldplay, The Black Keys, Jack White, The Killers and many more.





Tracklisting:


"Unforgiven"
"Nothing Else Matters"
"Enter Sandman"
"Hero Of The Day"
"Fade To Black"
"One"
"Ride The Lightning"
"Wherever I May Roam"
"Fuel"
"The Four Horsemen"

DragonForce frontman, Marc Hudson, has revealed a new lyric video for his track “Dracula X!”, cut from his recent solo debut, Starbound Stories.


Explosive power metal anthem, “Dracula X!”, features a skillful guitar solo by Jacky Vincent (ex-Falling In Reverse, ex-Cry Venom) and impressive guest vocals by Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires).


Starbound Stories is an uplifting journey through Marc Hudson’s universe of power metal, anime influences, Japanese music and video game soundtracks, last mentioned particularly present on “Dracula X!”. The new comic-inspired animated lyric video to “Dracula X!” leads the listener through the exciting storyline of the track.




Marc Hudson on “Dracula X!”: “'Dracula X!' is a visceral journey inspired by the Castlevania saga. With the spellbinding screams of Adrienne Cowan and the virtuoso mastery of Jacky Vincent's guitar, it is an evocative battle cry, echoing through the corridors of Dracula's cursed castle. Through its haunting notes and lyrical poetry, it immortalizes the relentless quest to conquer the undying evil, a sonic testament to the eternal struggle between light and darkness.”





Marc Hudson’s debut solo album is an outstanding musical adventure balanced between power metal, video game soundtracks, Japanese music and even pop influences, showcasing virtuosity throughout all of its grand instrumentation.


Order here.





Starbound Stories tracklisting:


"As The Twilight Met The Sea"
"Freedom Heart"
"Dracula X!"
"Stars"
"The Siren"
"Astralive"
"Swansong"
"Call Of The Martyrs"
"Starbound Stories"
"One More Sight Of The Sun With You"


"Starbound Stories" video:





"The Siren" video:





"Astralive" video:





Lineup:


Marc Hudson - Vocals, Guitar, Backing vocals
Shaz D - Keyboards
Frédéric Leclercq - Guitars, Bass
Rich Smith - Drums


(Photo - Oliver Lloyd Design)

Powerwolf reign as Germany’s most actively successful artist without a shadow of a doubt. Earlier this year, the wolves proved this once more by setting another milestone not only of their own, but in the live music sector as a whole when they made history with the use of augmented reality at a live music festival in Europe during their headline set at German Summer Breeze Festival. This was further proven with the releases of their chart-breaking current studio album, Call Of The Wild, as well as the special album, Interludium.


This fall, as 2023 - one of the top-notch band’s busiest and most successful years in their history so far - slowly comes to an end, Powerwolf close it in the most bombastic way you could imagine by bringing their gigantic live presence to five cities in Germany and the Netherlands. Covering some of Germany’s biggest arenas, Powerwolf will enter Düsseldorf, Ravensburg, Bamberg and Leipzig, as well as The Rock Circus Festival in Den Bosch. The holy metal mass will kick off on October 31 with special guests Lord of the Lost, Serenity and Beyond The Black.


Preparing to celebrate their matchless performances alongside their devotees, the five-piece has recently released a brand-new lyric video for the powerfully-driven song, “Wolves Of War”, taken from Interludium.







Powerwolf are undoubtedly one of the most celebrated and successful heavy metal bands of the last decade. Multiple #1 album chart entries, gold and platinum records, huge sold out arena shows, as well as headline slots at the biggest festivals have paved their way. In less than 20 years of band history, Powerwolf have made it to the very highest league of heavy metal.





Live dates:


October
31 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi Electric Halle*     


November
2 - Ravensburg, Germany - Oberschwabenhalle*          
3 - Bamberg, Germany - Brose Arena*
4 - Den Bosch, Netherlands - The Rock Circus Festival
5 - Leipzig, Germany - Quarterback Immobilien Arena**


Powerwolf are:


Attila Dorn - vocals
Falk Maria Schlegel - organ
Charles Greywolf - guitar
Matthew Greywolf - guitar
Roel van Helden - drums


(Photo - Matteo Vdiva Fabbiani for VD Pictures)

Taz have released a lyric video for their new track, "No Relation", taken from their Eonian Records release, Shipwrecked, Vol. 2.


"No Relation" was recorded as part of a demo deal for Warner Bros. produced by Rob Cavallo (Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Green Day), a future multi-Grammy Award winner and engineered by Magic A. Moreno (Eric Clapton, David Lee Roth, Phil Collins).


Watch the lyric video for "No Relation" below, and stream or download Shipwrecked Vol. 2 here.




Kent, singer of Taz states, “Among those interested in Taz at the time was producer Rob Cavallo, who would eventually become one of the top-selling producers in the world working with Green Day, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, and other huge bands. His father, Bob Cavallo, worked in the music industry as a band manager with groups such as Prince and Little Feat, but at the time Rob was fresh-faced and barely out of school.”


"Rob was great; he loved what we were doing and worked with us on several tunes," Ethan, Taz guitarist said. "Very talented guy, even back then. I recall walking into their home and seeing all the gold and platinum records all over the house. We would spend time together in his room and work on songs. I think we might have been his first band. He got us a demo deal with Warner Bros. We also recorded with big-time engineer Magic A. Moreno (Steve Vai, David Lee Roth) with Rob producing. We thought this was going to be it. Unfortunately, Warner ended up passing. Thankfully we had this session on DAT and could ultimately release the crowd favorite “No Relation” and the rest of the Warner Bros. sessions all these years later."





Shipwrecked, Vol. 2 tracklisting:


"Shipwrecked" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"No Relation" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Desert Dog Night" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Father McGee" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Arizona River" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Day In, Day Out (Keep the Faith)" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Lady Conniver" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Where The Angels Play" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Sink Or Swim" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Day Of The Dog" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Luvin' Girl" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Dogtown" (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Easy Come Easy Go" - Live (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Let It Rain" - Live (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Round, Round, Round" - Live (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Shoot Your Steam" - Live (Kleven, Gladstone)
"Cover Me In Roses" - Live (Kleven, Gladstone)
"L.A. Danger Zone" - Live (Kleven, Gladstone)


"No Relation" lyric video:





"Shipwrecked" lyric video:





Shipwrecked, Vol. 2 credits:


1 - 4 Recorded at Take One Studio, Burbank, CA
Produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac)
Engineered by Magic A. Moreno (Eric Clapton, David Lee Roth, Steve Vai)
5 - 12 Recorded at Downtown Rehearsal, Los Angeles, CA
Produced & engineered by Taz.
13 - 16, Recorded live at the Whisky a Go Go, Hollywood, CA
Track 17, Recorded live at Sasch, Studio City, CA
Track 18, Recorded live at Gazzarri's, West Hollywood, CA
Mastered by: Anthony Focx @ A. Focx Productions, Nashville, TN


The Players:


Kent “K.K.” Kleven on vocals
Ethan Gladstone & Rick Berry on guitars
Chris Roy on bass
Kenny Pierce & Joey Carallo on drums


About Taz:


Originally formed in 1983, Taz started out in Orange County as Maniac Thrust. Founding members, singer/songwriter Kent Kleven and guitarist/songwriter Ethan Gladstone had known each other since elementary school, forming their first musical project together while attending junior high. In 1985, the band changed their name to Taz while adding new bassist Chris Roy, a high school friend of Ethan’s, and drummer Kenny Pierce. A few years later, added guitarist Rick Berry who was also childhood friends with Kent and Ethan. In 1990, just before heading to Japan, Taz would bring in the final addition to the band, Florida native drummer Joey Carallo. Throughout their career, Taz played at every well-known venue throughout Orange County, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and even Phoenix, but called Hollywood, CA, their home. Taz soon became one of Southern California's top-drawing original Hard Rock bands, headlining most every night. The band quickly made a name for themselves with their high-energy live performances and catchy songwriting skills, combining pop, funk, alternative, metal, and glam. Taz had also become regulars in numerous well-known publications. Taz was a big draw, and fans were lining up. Taz had formed one of the hottest bands to hit the scene in years.

Extol, the pioneering Norwegian death metal band, are back - and in a big way. The band has shared not one but two brand new singles. It's the first new music from Extol in a decade and it's a welcome return, which finds Christer Espevoll back in the ranks.


Today, fans can rejoice at the forward-thinking sounds of "Labyrinth Of Ill"and "Exigency."  Listen here, and find visualizers for both tracks below.







The songs set the table for Extol's first live appearances since 2014 and a pre-cursor to what's next - expect more music.


Each of the members - guitarist Ole Børud, vocalist Peter Espevoll, aforementioned guitarist Christer Espevoll, and drummer David Husvik - offered their unique insight into the new material.


"The new songs have that perfect blend of hooks, quirks, and melody, coupled with the distinct flavor of a lineup featuring David, Peter, Christer, and yours truly. And top that off with an excellent mix from Jens Bogren. I'm very happy," says Børud.


Peter Espevoll shares the sentiments, saying "I can't believe it's been a decade since we released the latest Extol album. I'm really stoked about the fact that Christer is on board again! It kind of feels like the good old days!"


"The way we wrote 'Labyrinth of Ill' took me back to the good old days," says Christer Espevoll. "It has the distinct impression of all members baked into a recognizably unique Extol cookie: Brutal riffing and tight, yet floating rhythmic section, meeting pleasant melodies, and atypical metal harmonies, topped off with a slightly outside guitar solo that leaves you wanting more, all in classic  Extol fashion. I can't wait to continue this new Extol chapter!"


"'Labyrinth of Ill' has definitely renewed my faith in Extol and our ability to play rock music once again," shares Husvik. "Who doesn't wanna go to church when they hear the 'Patience' passages play ping pong with Ole's guitar solo? Brutal, but at the same time disturbingly cozy."








Extol formed in 1993, gained rapid recognition in the extreme metal scene for their innovative fusion of intricate technicality, melodic sensibilities, and faith-based lyrics. Over the years, Extol's distinctive style evolved, incorporating elements of progressive metal, black metal, thrash, and other avant-garde influences. Undeceived (2000) and Synergy (2003) explored complex song structures, while The Blueprint Dives (2005) took a more experimental and progressive rock direction while still retaining their metal roots, earning them their first Norwegian Grammy nomination.


Despite lineup changes, Extol remained committed to defying genre conventions.


In 2013, they returned with a self-titled album, receiving critical acclaim for its technical prowess and progressive approach, earning global respect for their musicianship. Their enduring legacy continues to inspire new generations of metal musicians.

Cult heavy metal outfit, Cirith Ungol, today announce their official retirement from live performances at the close of 2024.


In a collective statement, the band comments, “After careful deliberation, we have decided that 2024 will be the final year that Cirith Ungol will be performing live. Having taken a twenty-five-year-long hiatus, we could never have imagined the tidal wave of love and support that would come from all of you upon our return. From the depths of our soul, we would like to thank every one of you for attending our shows and supporting our music. We are immensely proud of the work we have created in the past few years, and are beyond excited about our latest epic album, Dark Parade.


“Legions, this is your call to arms. If you've never had the opportunity to see the band live, or if you want to see us perform once more, 2024 will be your last chance. We will be announcing shows worldwide in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for news. If you’re a promoter interested in booking the band, please contact our booking agents directly:




United States - nanotear@gmail.com
Europe - schroerg@dragon-productions.com
South/Latin America - edu.lane13@gmail.com


“The end approaches, but we’re not there yet. We look forward to seeing you all on the road, one final time. With our undying love and eternal gratitude.


“You never lost hope, you never have strayed,
Arise now my children, arise from the grave,
We lead not the weak, they won't answer the call,
As chaos descends, false metal will fall…- ‘Legions Arise’”


Cirith Ungol will unleash their sixth full-length, Dark Parade, on October 20 via Metal Blade Records.


Wasting no time to ride the molten wave they started with their 2020-released studio comeback Forever Black, Cirith Ungol started writing songs for Dark Parade as soon as Forever Black was released. Then, like everyone else, they were hamstrung by the global pandemic, struggling through illness, seclusion, grief, and depression in their quest to create dark, vibrant art.


But like the greatest warriors, they persevered. With all eight demos finished — which are included on the expanded edition of the album — Cirith Ungol started recording Dark Parade in October 2022. The end result is an unrelenting triumph of pessimism and pain; a head-over-heels, Lovecraftian tumble into an abyss of horror and despair and arguably the most vitriolic expedition Cirith Ungol has undertaken to date.


Despite the fantasy-inspired art on the band’s albums and their Tolkien-derived name – the band stopped exploring sword and sorcery-related themes in the mid-‘80s. Most of the subjects they’ve addressed since then have been far more real and frightening than any ravenous make-believe creatures fighting sword-wielding warriors.





Dark Parade will be available on digipak-CD, digitally, and LP in the following color variants:


• Special edition LP (slipcase w/ hot-foil embossing, 2xLP incl. demos of the entire album, 12" booklet, 2 posters, art print, tote bag - ltd. 1000)
• 180g Black vinyl (EU excl.)
• Olive Green Marbled vinyl (EU excl. - ltd. 700)
• Charcoal Marbled vinyl (EU excl. - ltd. 500)
• Pale Grey W/ Black Smoke vinyl (EU excl. - ltd. 500)
• Gold "Black Dust" vinyl (Metal Blade Store EU excl. - ltd. 300)
• Fog Marbled vinyl (US excl.)
• Grey / Black Marbled vinyl (US excl.)


Find pre-orders here.





Dark Parade tracklisting:


"Velocity (S.E.P.)"
"Relentless"
"Sailor On The Seas Of Fate"
"Sacrifice"
"Looking Glass"
"Dark Parade"
"Distant Shadows"
"Down Below"


"Looking Glass" lyric video:





"Velocity (S.E.P.)" visualizer:





Cirith Ungol will play a special record release show on October 20th at The Roxy in West Hollywood, marking the band's first Los Angeles live appearance in thirty-five years. The performance will commemorate The Roxy's 50th anniversary and find the band playing Dark Parade in its entirety followed by a full set of classic material. Additionally, the set will be filmed and recorded for a future live release.





Cirith Ungol lineup:


Tim Baker - vocals
Jimmy Barraza - guitar
Greg Lindstrom - guitar
Rob Garven - drums
Jarvis Leatherby - bass


(Photo - Peter Beste)

Motörhead have released the new video, "One Track Mind" (Live At Hull City Hall), filmed on June 22,1983 and featured on the upcoming 40th anniversary editions of the band's Another Perfect Day album. Watch below:





Always the most controversial album in Motörhead’s catalogue, Another Perfect Day was up against it from the start. After former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson replaced Fast Eddie Clarke, the band’s sixth studio album presented what Lemmy called a more “musical” approach, the classic line-up’s full-tilt ferocity harnessed to more traditional guitar rock tropes enhanced by carefully crafted production.




In 1983, it was initially startling to hear Lemmy and Phil’s patent hell-bound express draped in Robbo’s effects-laden multi-storey guitar overdubs instead of getting hot-wired by Eddie’s deceptively complex thermonuclear blues riffs and embellishments. Following the likewise lambasted Iron Fist and its reappraisal, Another Perfect Day stands before us forty years on from the turbulent time that spawned it as an inevitably divisive one-off chapter in Motörhead’s chaotic early history.


Forty years on, Another Perfect Day holds its own as this most surreal detour in Motörhead’s early roller coaster, deserving its reappraisal away from the heat of the moment when the classic lineup dissolved and Robbo joined the band.


To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this sixth record in the Motörhead album arsenal, it is being presented in new deluxe editions. There will be hardback book-packs in two CD and triple LP formats, featuring an amplifier blowing remaster of the original album, previously unreleased demo bonus tracks and a previously unreleased, full concert recorded at Hull City Hall on 22nd June 1983, plus the story of the album and many previously unseen photos. There’s also a limited edition, blue and black swirl of the original standalone album.


See below for full details of the Another Perfect Day releases and be sure to visit iMotorhead.com for news and updates.








Due for release on October 27, you can pre-order the title in various formats here. A video for a previously unreleased demo version of "Climber" (aka "Shine") can be found below.





Tracklisting:


Original Another Perfect Day Album:


"Back At The Funny Farm"
"Shine"
"Dancing On Your Grave"
"Rock It"
"One Track Mind"
"Another Perfect Day"
"Off To War"
"I Got Mine"
"Tales Of Glory"
"Die You Bastard"


CD & Digital Bonus Tracks:


"Turn You Round Again" ("I Got Mine" B-Side)
"Hoochie Coochie Man" (Live, "Shine" B-Side)
"(Don't Need) Religion" (Live, "Shine" B-Side)
"Climber" (Demo)
"Fast One" (Demo)
"Chinese" (Demo)
"Climber" (Instrumental Demo)


Live At Hull City Hall, June 22,1983 (Previously Unreleased):


"Back At The Funny Farm"
"Heart Of Stone"
"Shoot You In The Back"
"Marching Off To War"
"Iron Horse / Born To Lose"
"Another Perfect Day"
"Hoochie Coochie Man"
"(Don't Need) Religion"
"One Track Mind"
"Go To Hell"
"America"
"Shine"
"Dancing On Your Grave"
"Rock It"
"Bite The Bullet"
"The Chase Is Better Than The Catch"





(Photo - Allan Ballard)

METALLICA's James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo have reflected on the experience of performing at the Power Trip festival this past weekend.

The inaugural three-day Power Trip rock and heavy metal event began Friday (October 6) with sets from IRON MAIDEN and GUNS N' ROSES. Next up over the weekend were JUDAS PRIEST and AC/DC on Saturday, October 7 and TOOL and METALLICA on October 8.

Hetfield and his bandmates arrived early at Power Trip to check out all the bands, and METALLICA's longtime photographer Ross Halfin captured them having a great time watching PRIEST.

Now, on the latest episode of METALLICA's official podcast "The Metallica Report", James, Kirk and Robert have all spoken about the Power Trip weekend, with Hetfield saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "An interesting fact: Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] never rehearsed ever until — I don't know — I'd say maybe four or five years ago, he started really getting into rehearsing. And now he'll — I mean, he'll rehearse four days for a two-hour set, which is what he needs to do, which is awesome.

"So there was gonna be rehearsals [for Power Trip] down at HQ [METALLICA's headquarters in San Rafael, California] for a couple days beforehand," he continued. "And I said, 'I'm not gonna show up guys. I would love it if we could find a rehearsal place here [closer to the Power Trip festival], 'cause I'd love to see all these other bands.' And Robert got on board, and then we found a place over here in the polo grounds [at the Empire Polo Club] to rehearse. And I'm grateful that Lars was up for it. So they did their rehearsals down there and then we came up and we have rehearsals and get to watch these bands. It's so frickin' cool to have your own compound at a festival for all the days of the festival… We show up, go rehearse and then go out there and watch IRON MAIDEN. I mean, how cool is that?

"So for me, there's a lot of inspiration in every single band that's played here," Hetfield added. "Just looking up ages — I know age is bullshit. I mean, there's plenty of the guys in these bands that are [in their] early 70s, late 60s, and it's inspiring. And the fact that they're up there still kicking ass in this kind of heat was fantastic. But every single one of those bands have been a part of our childhood and our upbringing in our METALLICA adventure. So it's really cool to be a part of this. And we used to hang out a bunch together in the early days, like at all the festivals we would go to and hang out. Yeah, we would play early on and then get to watch all the other bands after. We would hang out. It kind of felt like that again. Obviously, it was a different day, but we're all here hanging out and it's really fun. It's really fun to see. I just kind of realized that we're down in the very front looking up, Rob Halford riding out on a motorcycle and there's fans behind us, looking at us, like they're watching us enjoy that. How cool? I guess that's pretty cool. But we're fans at the end of the day. We wanted to be in the mix and see it. So it's been a fantastic weekend."

METALLICA closed out Power Trip with a 16-song set that spanned the band's entire career.

METALLICA kicked off the show with "Whiplash" from the 1983 album "Kill 'Em All" and followed it up with two tracks from its sophomore album, "Ride The Lightning", "Creeping Death" and "For Whom The Bell Tolls".

Elsewhere, METALLICA surprisingly performed one of its biggest hits, "Enter Sandman", as the fourth song of the set, before launching into two tracks from the band's latest album, "72 Seasons", "Lux Æterna" and "Too Far Gone?" Other tracks aired included "Fuel" from 1997's "Reload" and "Orion" from the 1986 album "Master Of Puppets".

Hammett flubbed the intro to "Nothing Else Matters", telling the audience, "Sorry, guys. I did it again. I screwed it up again. I'm gonna play it again for you." After taking a couple of steps back, he returned to the mic and told the crowd, "You know, it's really hot in this fucking desert," before adding a forced laugh. (Hammett previously botched the intro to "Nothing Else Matters" at METALLICA's sold-out show at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium in early August, and before that at the Boston Calling festival in May 2022.)Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo also performed a jam that Trujillo said the pair wrote specifically for Power Trip called "Funk In The Desert".

METALLICA previously performed at the Empire Polo Grounds in 2011 as part of the West Coast installment of the "Big Four" event, also featuring ANTHRAX, MEGADETH and SLAYER.

FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares spoke to Daniel Paulus of El Paso, Texas's KLAQ radio station about the lyrical inspiration for the band's next studio album. The LP will be the band's first with singer Milo Silvestro, whose addition to FEAR FACTORY was officially announced in late February.

"We're definitely gonna be doing a new record early next year and have it out sometime mid-next year," Dino said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And we will continue the theme of what FEAR FACTORY is about — the relationship between man and technology and where that's gonna take us. 'Cause now we have a whole new influx of AI [artificial intelligence] and how much AI is effecting change in our day-to-day life. I mean, you see all the strikes over here in Los Angeles — the writers' strike. And now there's gonna be actors and the video game industry who are gonna be also striking as well. So it's gonna get crazy because AI is definitely changing where we are headed as people."

He continued: "Ever since our 'Obsolete' record, we've always been talking about change, we've always been talking about how certain things, because of technology, is gonna become obsolete. So it's very interesting to see what's gonna happen with the movie industry and the video game industry, to see where that's gonna go. And that's kind of what we're gonna be singing about in our new record — just where AI is gonna take us and how it's gonna affect us in our day-to-day lives. So, we'll see. We'll see where this goes."

Last month, Dino told George Dionne of KNAC.COM that he and his FEAR FACTORY bandmates had "eight songs in the can" for their next studio album. "We've gotta write a couple of more songs to complete the album." As for whether FEAR FACTORY will release any singles in the months leading up to the new LP's arrival, Dino said: "For sure, of course we're gonna be releasing singles. That won't happen till next year."

The Italian-born Silvestro joined FEAR FACTORY as the replacement for the band's original singer Burton C. Bell.

An early instrumental version of a new FEAR FACTORY song called "Roboticist" was made available in March to promote Toneforge Disruptor, a virtual guitar rig plugin and standalone app.

Cazares told BLABBERMOUTH.NET about "Roboticist", which was mixed by longtime FEAR FACTORY collaborator Damien Rainaud: "Initially it was just going to be a instrumental for the plugin, but it came out so good that I decided to make it a song for the new album. Maybe the album will be called the 'Roboticist'. It fits so well with our concept."

FEAR FACTORY played its first headlining concert with Silvestro and touring drummer Pete Webber on May 5 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

FEAR FACTORY's recently completed "Rise Of The Machine" U.S. tour as the support act for STATIC-X marked the Cazares-led outfit's first run of shows with Silvestro and Webber.

Webber has been filling in for FEAR FACTORY's longtime drummer Mike Heller who is unable to play with the band due to "scheduling conflicts."

FEAR FACTORY played a one-off show on September 17 at the Metal Injection Festival where the band performed a very special "Demanufacture" and "Obsolete" set. FEAR FACTORY has just launched a five-date headlining "DisrupTour" with special guests LIONS AT THE GATE. This will be followed by the band heading out on the "October Dawn 2023" tour with headliners LACUNA COIL and openers LIONS AT THE GATE. The 10-date trek will begin on October 13 in Atlanta and make stops in Louisville, Oklahoma City, and Houston before concluding in St. Petersburg on October 29.

FEAR FACTORY will embark on a European tour this fall. The 44-date trek will mark the band's first European shows since 2016. Joining them on this run are BUTCHER BABIES from the USA and IGNEA from Ukraine.

In a recent interview with ADK Metal News, Reviews, Reactions & Interviews, Dino hinted at a "big" two-month early 2024 U.S. tour with another band as part of "a fucking killer package."

FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside Heller.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

GREAT WHITE's Audie Desbrow has seemingly thrown shade at the band's original singer Jack Russell.

The 66-year-old drummer addressed GREAT WHITE's former vocalist while responding to a fan comment on his personal Facebook page.

After Desbrow shared a public GREAT WHITE post on Monday (October 9) promoting the band's February 2, 2024 concert at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, the fan in question wrote: "It will never be the same without Jack Russell. GREAT WHITE without Jack is like the movie Forrest Gump. Like a box of Choclates ya just never know what your going to get!!!"

Within a couple of hours, Audie responded directly to the fan's comment, writing: "you got that right, our singer won't be waisted [sic] on drugs, falling off the stage. or need to be put on stage by a couple of people then put on a stool. Our singer will be able to hit all the notes to every song we play that night or any other song we do anytime any day, totally sober and totally reliable. It's a business."

This past May, Audie spoke about the likelihood of a reunion with Jack during an interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green. At the time, he said: "It just couldn't physically be possible, I think… And there's just so much damage, verbal damage, e-mails to us from him that nobody will ever know what they were. And they're pretty bad. It's kind of beyond the ruin. I don't know how to describe it.

"But, yeah, I can't see that happening, unfortunately, I guess, for a lot of diehard fans," he added. "I'm sure there might be some fans who'd love to see us with Jack one time or whatever. But I just couldn't [see it happening]."

Russell sued his onetime bandmates in 2012 over their continued use of the GREAT WHITE name after Jack had taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons. A short time later, Russell was countersued by guitarist Mark Kendall, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie and Desbrow, claiming the vocalist's self-destructive behavior was damaging the GREAT WHITE name (they also alleged he was charging promoters less for his own touring version of GREAT WHITE). The parties settled in July 2013 without going to trial, with Russell now performing as JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE while the others are continuing as GREAT WHITE.

Last November, Russell told All Access Live! With Kevin Rankin about the possibility of him reuniting with his former bandmates: "As far as the fans are concerned, for the most part they've been really cool about it. It is what it is. Of course most of them would rather see us back together. There are a few people that, for whatever reason, like a new guy better, which I don't understand. That'd be like me saying I like somebody better than Steven Tyler in AEROSMITH. Or, 'Get rid of that Robert Plant schmuck [in LED ZEPPELIN]. Let me hear somebody else.' I don't know. To each his own. Some things just defy explanation or logic. But for the most part, I think, people would like things, to see them back to where they were, which will never happen. Those days are gone, and anybody out there that's hoping and wishing and praying, it's not gonna happen; I'll tell you right now. Both camps agree [on that]."

Russell went on to say that he chooses to stay away from speaking disparagingly about his former bandmates. "I don't jump on the drama train," he said. "Unfortunately, there are still people that do, in my other band, that still choose to pass along negativity. And I'm not gonna say anything bad about anybody. It's, like, why? We were all huge friends for years. We accomplished one of the hugest things you can ever accomplish together — something that's almost impossible we pulled off. We were on five major labels, so we did it five times. Usually you lose one and you're blackballed. And we were on five different major labels. So there's something to say for that. I never was gonna let up until I was done."

In June 2022, shortly after GREAT WHITE announced that it had parted ways with singer Mitch Malloy, Kendall dismissed the idea of reuniting with Russell, telling Dr. Music in an interview: "[People say,] 'Why don't you patch things up with Jack?' What people don't understand is we never even got in fights [with Jack]. In 25 years together, we might have gotten in two arguments. The thing that took him out is the horrible demons of addiction, and it's really affected his health. I just saw a video the other day where he's not even standing — he's using wheelchairs and he's sitting in a stool. So for us to go back to that, it just feels dark. I'd rather remember him… 'Cause I'm very proud of our career — I'm very proud of the past. I'm so lucky to be a part of it. And I wanna remember it like that, where he's flying around on stage and getting the crowds pumped and singing his heart out — not a sick person. So going to that…"

Malloy had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.

Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.

In 2018, Desbrow told ListenIowa that there was never any discussion about possibly bringing Jack back after Terry's exit from GREAT WHITE. "Not at all," he said. "We've already moved on from that. We've gone through a lot of stuff with that over the years, and the fact that he sued us in federal court for the name, and we spent a lot of time and money, you just don't return from that. People tell me that they've seen his latest shows, and it's just hard to look at because his health isn't as good as it could be. We've got a really grueling schedule, and it's hard enough for me, and I'm semi-healthy. [Laughs] I couldn't imagine someone in his condition doing what we're doing. We did shows with him toward the end, and he was in and out of a wheelchair and crutches, had to be carried up stairs, was falling asleep onstage. It just got old. It's a business, and we have families to support and mortgages to pay. You can't go to work messed up 24/7 and still be able to work there."

In October 2022, GREAT WHITE officially named Brett Carlisle as its new lead singer. Carlisle joined the band as the replacement for Andrew Freeman, who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months.

Carlisle made his live debut with GREAT WHITE on September 24, 2022 at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

SORRY, NO GUEST LIST

Posted by Desbrowland Desbrow on Monday, October 9, 2023

SLIPKNOT has shared a new music video for the song "Hive Mind", a blistering track from the band's most recent album, "The End, So Far". The clip, which can be seen below, was directed by SLIPKNOT percussionist and founding member M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan.

"The End, So Far" was released in September 2022 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to "We Are Not Your Kind", it is the band's final record with Roadrunner after first signing with the rock and metal label in 1998.

During a recent appearance on the "Zach Sang Show", SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor addressed his previous comment that he and his bandmates are "not necessarily people who would've been friends" if it had not been for the fact that they are playing together in the same group. He said: "I know that, that quote has been taken and run with for a lot of people, but what people don't realize is that there's something so much more than friends. The guys in SLIPKNOT, it's family. That's so much deeper than just a friendship. I'm in bands with people who I'm friends with those people, but we're not close. And that's the real difference. When we get on the road with SLIPKNOT, it takes us a second to kind of knock the rust off of our relationships. The playing always just kicks right in. I've never seen a band like SLIPKNOT where rust just does not stick to us for some reason. I mean, we can walk on stage with literally no rehearsal and we sound like we've been touring for two weeks, three weeks. I mean, it's incredible. But that means that something has to have worked. And that's where the relationships in the band have come. That's what we've really had to work on, is embracing each other for who we are and not who we want each other to be. And that's psychosocial behavior. And that's where that term came from, because that's when we really started to talk about trying to get on another level. We had all spent so much time pushing against each other or pushing away from each other that we forgot all the great shit that we had done together and that we appreciated about one another. And that, to me at least, was where I really tried to change my ways and change the things that I said and my approach to how I, you know, appreciate everybody."

Taylor was also pressed about SLIPKNOT's lineup changes over the years and how many people within the band have to be replaced before SLIPKNOT ceases to be SLIPKNOT. He said: "I think as long as there are certain people in the band. 'Cause right now, I mean we have six original people — or no, five, excuse me. And those five, we've kind of been the core for like the longest time. The people who we lost, obviously we would do anything to have them back. But you kind of get on with it, when it comes down to stuff like that. I think if any more people left, it wouldn't be the same. I know I've said in the past that somebody could replace me if I physically couldn't do it. And I've had the guys in the band kind of push back on that and go, 'Taylor, shut the fuck... What are you talking about?' And I'm, like, 'Hey, listen…' To me, SLIPKNOT is a state of mind. SLIPKNOT is an emotion — it's something in your soul that you have to have. What if there was a kid out there who had that same kind of ferocity and had the same chops, man?"

He continued: "If this band wanted to continue without me and if I couldn't do it, I would do everything I could to help it continue. If I just couldn't give to it the same level that I wanted to… It's the old adage: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. If that were the case, then I would 100 percent help them find a replacement and give them my blessings to go out there. Now I'm still pretty spry — I'm not dead yet. I've probably got another 10 years of touring like this — you know, five to 10. So as long as that's the case, I'll still be here; I'll still be doing it. But if it ever came down to making people choose between me and SLIPKNOT, I would totally push them back out there to get out there."

This past June, SLIPKNOT announced the addition of a new keyboardist, two weeks after Taylor and his bandmates revealed the departure of longtime member Craig Jones.

SLIPKNOT played its first show with its new mystery member on June 7 at the Nova Rock festival in Austria. The concert took place hours after the band announced in a social media post that it had parted ways with Jones.

A short time after SLIPKNOT revealed Jones's exit from the group, the band's original post announcing his departure was deleted and a photo was shared of SLIPKNOT's apparent new member. The same unidentified person appeared onstage behind the keyboards at the Nova Rock show and all subsequent SLIPKNOT tour dates.

No reason was given for Jones's departure from SLIPKNOT.

Jones joined SLIPKNOT in early 1996, shortly after the band had finished the recording of its demo album "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." He was initially brought in to replace Donnie Steele, one of the two original guitarists, though he quickly moved on to the role of sampling and keyboards. Following the departure of drummer Joey Jordison in 2013, Jones was the second-longest-serving member in the band.

In a brand new interview with Justin Young of Monsters, Madness And Magic, SCORPIONS vocalist Klaus Meine spoke about the band's plans for the coming months and years. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we're still out there with the 'Rock Believer' tour. It takes us around the world. And even though we have a little break right now, we keep going next year, we pick it up. And we might come back to the United States and a lot of other places we haven't been on this tour so far and we keep going. And who knows if we go back to the studio at some point again. We never really talk about it. Right now, we're still doing 'Rock Believer' tour and we enjoy it a lot."

He continued: "There's so many rock believers out there. When you think, so many people in all those years said rock is dead because of grunge, because of hip-hop, because of rap, whatever it is. But no, it's not dead at all. There are millions of rock believers out there, and we can't wait to see them in 2024 and in '25, because it will mark the 60th anniversary of the SCORPIONS. That is something quite special. So right now, '24, '25 — next year we're on the road, and we put it all together right now. And we can't wait to see the rock believers out there again.

"The new album is still a new album, 'Rock Believer', and we can't wait to go out there," Klaus repeated. "And maybe we change a couple songs in the show. We'll see, we'll see. It's too early to say. And we can't wait to be out there next year. And for '25, yeah, it's 60 years. Hard to believe. There are guys, the next generation ahead of us, like THE ROLLING STONES, it's amazing to see what they're doing. Just heard, a couple of days ago, their new songs, and, man, they're rocking hard. That's pretty cool."

Last month, SCORPIONS founder Rudolf Schenker seemingly dismissed any talk of possible retirement but acknowledged that the band will not be able to continue indefinitely. The 75-year-old guitarist told Vikram Chandrasekar of Tales From The Road: "It's not a never-ending road. The road will be finished sooner or later; it's up to you and to our gods. But in 2025, that could be a great time for our 60th anniversary. 2025, it's the time when SCORPIONS is 60 years old. So, then, to celebrate 60 years of SCORPIONS could be a possibility, because I'm in contact with our very old drummer, who was playing on [SCORPIONS' 1972 debut album] 'Lonesome Crow', and the bass player, and use them also on stage to see the different kind of states we went through. Because we are very much connected still in all the different musicians, and that shows again, when we can make it, that music is always there for making friendships."

Back in May 2022, Meine told Jorge Botas of Portugal's "Metal Global" that there was no more talk of retirement within the band, as there was back in 2010 with what was purported to be a final album and a farewell tour that never quite took hold. "No, we scratched that word [retirement] out of our [vocabulary]," the now-75-year-old singer said. "It's not there. We don't think about it and we don't talk about it and we take it as it comes.

"We're just growing older and we do what we do and we hope our fans enjoy it as much as we do," Klaus continued. "But who would have thought we're still around after celebrating 50 years of being recording artists — our first album came out in 1972 and now 'Rock Believer' looks like it hits the big time with the fans and so many positive reviews from all over the world. And after all these years, who would have thought? And it's a wonderful thing.

"But all we know is [that] the road ahead is way shorter than what's behind us," Meine added. "And we never take it for granted — we never take success for granted. We work hard on what we do because we still love it and we still enjoy it. But it's what it is. And I think every artist knows what I'm talking about, because to go out there, play a great show for the fans and not let 'em down, it takes a lot of preparation, takes a lot of work. And being the singer, you try to make sure your pipes are in a good condition.

"It's a lot of things," Meine said. "And we don't know what the future will bring. Take a look at the next corner, and you never know what's going on. But right now, life is good. We have a great new album out there. And we have a lot of fun. We enjoy it."

Meine previously discussed SCORPIONS' aborted retirement in a 2018 interview with SiriusXM. "The thing is we have a much different view now," Klaus said. "And it's a young generation — that's the fuel that keeps us going, and it's really motivating.

"To be honest, every other year, you take a look around the corner: 'Can we do this?' 'Can we still deliver on the same high level, the way we used to do it?'" he admitted. "And that's the only way, and it's only fun if you can go out there and play a great rock show, wherever you do it. Like in the last couple of weeks, we had so much fun. But then you get sick on the road, like I did last year with the severe laryngitis. What can you do? There's not a chance. And then sometimes, of course, you ask yourself, 'How long can we do this?' Especially for singers — and I know I'm not the only one. But it's always, sometimes you ask yourself, 'Klaus, c'mon, how long can you keep up this level?' And then you go out there, everything feels good."

Circling back to SCORPIONS' 2010 "farewell tour" announcement, Klaus told SiriusXM: "Of course, we had our moment of doubt when we said, 'Okay. Maybe we should retire. Maybe this is a good moment.' And then we realized we were wrong, because there's still a lot of sting in the tail, so to speak, and it still feels good. There's such a demand for the SCORPIONS, and we're one of the few bands who play this global stage. If there wasn't this kind of demand, of course, there's no point after so many years, and you'd better go, 'Well, I go home and take it easy.' But there's such a strong demand and that really feels good and challenging — it's a challenge. Of course, you don't do it for the business. It's a good business, yes, but you don't do it for the business and for the money — you do it for the fun, you do it for what's inside of you, what's in your blood, what's in your veins, and that's the rock and roll music. And you wanna go out and play in front of an audience, because that's what it's all about."

SCORPIONS' only continuous member has been Schenker, although Meine has appeared on all of the band's studio albums, while guitarist Matthias Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016, respectively.

SCORPIONS' latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February 2022. The album was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

Finnish modern melodic metal band Northern Genocide is back. Their first album, Genesis, Vol. 666 recently reached 1 million streams on Spotify. Their second studio album, The Point of No Return, will be released later in 2024 via Inverse Records. The new single, "Necropolis" has been unleashed and features Tommy Tuovinen (MyGrain, ex-Damnation Plan, ex-Oceanhoarse). Check out the official lyric video below. 





Northern Genocide was established in 2010 in Helsinki, Finland. It all started with a meeting of old high school friends, guitar player Pyry Pohjanpalo and producer Rainer Pekkinen, after Pyry had discovered Rainer's interest in programming and computer music. They both had a history of playing in various metal bands, but now they wanted to try something different by bringing electronic influences to metal. The very same year they started recording demos in their home studio.




In 2012 a crew was put together for gigs and new demos. In december 2013 the band began recording a new 3-track demo. After some changes to the initial line-up of the band, the demo was recorded with Markku Tuuri in drums, Toni Jokiranta in bass, Pyry in guitars and Tommi Salonen as vocalist. The demo Atlantis was finished in October 2014. Shortly after work began towards a 5-track EP ”Planet Asylum” which was released in 2015.


In 2019, the debut album, Genesis Vol. 666, was released through Inverse Records. The release was a success, and the only song written in Finnish, called Ikiruoste, proved to be a guiding star of the album. The style of NG's music had already started to evolve away from the industrial metal influenced sound towards more modern melodic metal.


In 2020 began the work towards releasing another full length album. During the long cold winter a few band members moved aside, resulting in Jussi Pulliainen taking the 2nd guitar role and Arto Viitanen picking up the bass guitar. An epic discovery was Leo Korhonen to play the drums. With just 1 month of practice he mastered his parts ready to be recorded for the album.


The new album, The Point of No Return, was finally finished in the summer of 2023. The process of making the new album was long but it surely paid off. This time no compromises were accepted in the production process and the album surely presents the best of NG to date. The new ideas and the combined effort of the whole band resulted in a solid, banging and rich album. The album picks up where ”Genesis vol. 666” left off featuring even more aggressive guitar riffs and massive orchestrations. The contribution from various featuring vocalists (Stephanie Mazor, Tommy Tuovinen) and instrumentalists adds depth to the songs thoughout the album. Lyrics written by Tommi critisize world overpopulation, corruption, abuse of power and describe the dark side of the human mind.


The album will be released in early 2024 through Inverse Records.


Photo by Teppo Ristola

The band composed of guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose, drummer Rob Mailhouse and bassist Keanu Reeves also sat down with SiriusXM’s Julia Cunningham to discuss their music, writing process and much more.  


The full session is available now on the SiriusXM app. Listen at SiriusXM.com.


Dogstar discuss writing process:







“Breach”:





“Everything Turns Around”:





(Video courtesy of SiriusXM and SiriusXM’s Julia Cunningham)