After existing as a band for over 18 years, Carnifex continue to experiment with fresh song arrangements, and adding a unique sense of atmosphere to their inherently deathcore foundation. Nourished by nightmares and the throbbing pulse of pragmatic terror, Carnifex return with their ninth full-length studio album, Necromanteum, which is out today via Nuclear Blast Records. Accompanying the release, the band delivers the track video for the single, “Infinite Night Terror”.


Carnifex's Scott Ian Lewis comments, "This record is for the fans, I hope they enjoy it."







The recording process took place over the course of several weeks with producer Jason Suecof in Florida, and saw the return of live drums since COVID-19 restrictions made doing so on Graveside Confessions impossible. Mastered by Mark Lewis in Nashville, TN, the album was also co-produced by vocalist Scott Ian Lewis and drummer Shawn Cameron. The cover artwork glows with an emerald and lavender fog; a ghostly energy erupting from the depths of a cemetery. Designed by renowned comic book artist E.M. Gist, this gateway represents the questions we ask about what lies on the other side of reality.


Decades ago, wealthy intellectuals began installing psychomanteum in their homes; a secret room completely filled with mirrors, or a single mirror, and in complete darkness, in order to speak to the dead in other dimensions, and gain their knowledge. It was often used as a healing tool to help dissolve grief or considered a form of prophecy. Necromanteum presents the concept: what if you could use that kind of room to speak with death, itself? What secrets of the world could you uncover from a direct conversation with the grim reaper? Not a monster, but a fellow intellect.





Necromanteum is available digitally and in the following formats:


- CD Jewel
- Vinyl (Neon Green w/ Purple Splatter)


Order here.





Necromanteum tracklisting:


"Torn In Two"
"Death's Forgotten Children"
"Necromanteum"
"Crowned In Everblack"
"The Pathless Forest"
"How The Knife Gets Twisted"
"Architect Of Misanthropy"
"Infinite Night Terror"
"Bleed More"
"Heaven And Hell All At Once"


"Death's Forgotten Children" visualizer:





"Necromanteum" video:

AC/DC played its first show in seven years Saturday night (October 7) at the Power Trip festival in Indio, California.

The legendary hard rockers ran through a 24-song set to close out day two of the three-day event at Empire Polo Club.

AC/DC's performance marked the first time the band opened its set with "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)". The concert also included live debuts for two tracks from 2020's "Power Up" album, "Demon Fire" and "Shot In The Dark".

AC/DC's setlist was as follows:

01. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
02. Back In Black
03. Demon Fire (Live Debut)
04. Shot Down In Flames
05. Thunderstruck
06. Have A Drink On Me
07. Hells Bells
08. Shot In The Dark (Live Debut)
09. Stiff Upper Lip (First Time Since 2003)
10. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
11. Shoot To Thrill
12. Sin City
13. Givin The Dog A Bone
14. Rock 'N' Roll Train
15. You Shook Me All Night Long
16. Dog Eat Dog (first performance with Brian Johnson since 2009)
17. High Voltage
18 Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
19. Riff Raff (first performance with Brian Johnson since 1996)
20. Highway To Hell
21. Whole Lotta Rosie
22. Let There Be Rock

Encore:

23. T.N.T.
24. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

AC/DC recruited drummer Matt Laug to perform with the band at Power Trip.

The 55-year-old Laug is an American drummer who has played with many bands/artists such as Alanis Morissette, Alice Cooper, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and Vasco Rossi. Matt moved to Los Angeles after graduating from South Florence High School in 1986 and after attending college in L.A., Matt became a sought-after studio drummer.

In 2001, Laug supported AC/DC as part of SLASH'S SNAKEPIT on the North American and European legs of the "Stiff Upper Lip" tour.

In its announcement, AC/DC offered no explanation for the absence of the band's longtime drummer Phil Rudd, who rejoined AC/DC for the recording of the group's comeback album, "Power Up", which came out in November 2020.

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession. He was replaced on the band's "Rock Or Bust" tour by Chris Slade, who had previously served as AC/DC's drummer between 1989 and 1994, playing on the album "The Razor's Edge".

Rudd, who appeared on all but three of AC/DC's 18 previous studio albums, toured in support of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job". It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd's arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.

During an appearance on a November 2020 episode of Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk" podcast, Rudd confirmed that the seed for his return to AC/DC was planted at the funeral of AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young in 2017. Rudd, singer Brian Johnson and bassist Cliff Williams all attended the ceremony. At the time, the three musicians were considered former members of AC/DC, with Johnson and Williams both having left in 2016 for health reasons, while Rudd was sidelined in 2015 with various legal issues.

"Angus and I had a good chat at Mal's funeral and caught up," Rudd recalled. "[After I played on the 'Rock Or Bust' record] there was crazy shit going on, but since then, I'd got my shit together and put a little band together, I went to Europe and was doing a bit of playing and stuff and did [a solo] album. The guys knew I was still playing, so when I caught up with Angus at the funeral, we were sort of chatting away and somehow, he just sort of [asked me] if I was up for [doing a new AC/DC] album. And he started writing the next day. He went in the studio and started writing straight away."

Angus told Rolling Stone that it was indeed Malcolm's funeral that helped heal old wounds.

"[Phil] was there and in good shape," the guitarist said. "He was keeping himself well together. He was getting therapy and sorting himself out. It was really good."

Johnson added that he and the rest of AC/DC welcomed Rudd with open arms. "I speak for all the boys with Phil," he said. "We defend Phil to the hilt. What happened up there, that's not the Phil we know. That was just something else. He's really looking brilliant now and doing everything great."

AC/DC postponed the last 10 dates of its spring 2016 North American trek after Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss." The band went on to complete the European and North American legs of its "Rock Or Bust" tour with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose as a "guest vocalist." At the time, Johnson had been AC/DC's singer for 36 years, ever since replacing the late Bon Scott in 1980 and making his debut on the classic "Back In Black" album.

To enable him to perform live with AC/DC again, Johnson worked with audio expert Stephen Ambrose, who said he could help resolve the singer's hearing problems.

Ambrose, who invented the wireless in-ear monitors that are widely used by touring artists today, claimed to have invented a new type of ear-bud that would allow Johnson to perform without causing further damage to his eardrums. After three years of experimenting and "miniaturizing" the equipment, Johnson previously said the technology could allow him to tour again.

In a new interview with The Metal Voice, Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metallers ANVIL spoke about the band's touring plans in support of their recently completed 20th studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're not doing anything until the new album comes out. And that could be not till next summer. Yeah, and between November and, I guess, May or June, I'm gonna be getting a procedure done to my heart, which is… I've got this, um, I've got atrial fibrillation, which is not a good thing. They've gotta put a wire into a vein and then up into my heart and burn some nerve endings that are making my heart beat irregularly. And that's how they fix it. It's not open surgery or anything. It's like two hours out, you're out. But the thing is, it's a huge backlog in patients for it, because this is really, really common. And, of course, I'm a baby boomer and the hospital is packed with us. So, in any case, that's what I'm gonna be doing probably in November or December. And then, after that's done, I'm gonna probably begin writing for the next album, album 21. And by the time that we go out on tour for the newest album that I just finished, like the last time, I'll have another new album already written. It's a cycle."

Earlier in the chat, Lips touched upon his health while discussing the possibility of ANVIL recording more studio albums after the arrival of the band's upcoming 20th effort. He said: "I'm fucking 67. I've got heart problems. I don't know how much longer I've got. Life has a beginning, middle and end. That's the way it works for everybody. No one gets out alive."

According to Weill Cornell Medicine atrial fibrillation is caused by irregularities in the transmission of electrical impulses through the heart. As a result, the heart is not able to pump blood effectively, which can cause blood to pool and form clots. People with atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of stroke, congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy.

Atrial fibrillation (AF),the most common cardiac arrhythmia, affects approximately three to six million people in the United States.

ANVIL's upcoming LP was recorded with longtime producer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer and Jörg Uken at Uken's Soundlodge studios in Germany. The same production team was responsible for ANVIL's last four albums, "Anvil Is Anvil" (2016),"Pounding The Pavement" (2018),"Legal At Last" (2019) and "Impact Is Imminent" (2022).

This past January, MVD Marquee Collection released the "Ultimate Edition" Blu-ray and "Standard Edition" DVD of ANVIL's acclaimed documentary, "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil". The new version of the film features remastered picture and sound, as well as a new exclusive epilogue interview with director Sacha Gervasi and ANVIL frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Reiner moderated by former MTV host Matt Pinfield.

The remastered "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil" received its premiere in conjunction with Beyond Fest in September 2022 in Los Angeles at the Saban Theater, where ANVIL also performed. This was followed by a question-and-answer session with Kudlow, Reiner, producer Rebecca Yeldham and Gervasi, moderated by Steve-O from "Jackass".

Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD have released the 80-minute documentary "Making Of: Omens" to a wide audience for the first time via YouTube. October 7 is the literal one-year mark for LAMB OF GOD's latest album, "Omens", and last year the documentary was released in a limited capacity on-demand during release month to fans who purchased viewing tickets and/or vinyl/CD bundles.

"Omens" was the follow-up to LAMB OF GOD's self-titled album, which arrived in June 2020. That effort marked LAMB OF GOD's first recordings with drummer Art Cruz, who joined the band in July 2019 as the replacement for the group's founding drummer, Chris Adler.

In August 2022, LAMB OF GOD bassist John Campbell told Germany's EMP that "Omens" is "a fairly dynamic record. There's a few other little surprises and tweaks," he said. "But we recorded it differently this time. We went to Los Angeles and all of us in the same room and same time recording, which gave us some leeway to make changes as things happened and just kind of feel it out in a different way than we've done in the past, which would be everybody kind of going in their corner recording and it gets assembled later. So it was a real team effort on this one, in the recording — all the way through it's been a team effort — and in the recording especially, when we were all in the same room doing that stuff, it was great. I got to spend three and a half weeks working on a record instead of four or five days — working on the recording of the record."

Also in August of last year, Campbell was asked by Knotfest what led to the decision to record "Omens" live in the studio. John responded: "Well, we've been doing this so fucking long, we had to do something different. I believe that was [producer] Josh Wilbur's idea to do that. I know he had a great place worked out to do that in. And we had just kind of been doing it the same way over and over and over again, and we were looking to get a little more excitement into it and maybe see if that couldn't produce a different feel on the record."

February 23, 2024 will see German thrash metal force DUST BOLT release their much-awaited, fifth studio album, Sound & Fury, through AFM Records.

Following previously-released, first singles, "I Witness" and the thunderous album title track, the Bavarian four-piece has unleashed another new album banger! As vocalist & guitarist Lenny Bruce, who also produced and recorded the new album, promises: "New Flame is a high-energy thrasher anthem packing a punch with its straightforward yet deceptively intricate riff. Or as our bassist, Exx Tom, puts it: This is our thrash summer jam! So grab your skateboards, bikes, and surfboards, and let's hit the streets with New Flame, ready to kick some serious butt. This track embodies the spirit of embracing the new, staying open to fresh ideas, and embracing the positive side of change. All within the relentless realm of Thrash Metal. So, let's ignite that new flame and keep the fire burning eternally. We gotta move it on!“

Watch the new DUST BOLT lyric video for "New Flame" below.

Sound & Fury track listing:

01. Leave Nothing Behind

02. I Witness

03. I am the One

04. New Flame

05. Burning Pieces

06. Sound and Fury

07. Love & Reality

08. Bluedeep

09. Disco Nnection

10. You Make Me Feel (Nothing)

11. Feel the Storm

12. Little Stone

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST will release their new studio album, "Invincible Shield", on March 8, 2024 via Sony Music.

The release date for PRIEST's follow-up to 2018's "Firepower" was announced earlier today (Saturday, 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.

CD cover:

Vinyl cover:

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In a new interview with Los Angeles Times, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich addressed the fact that he and his bandmates never allow fan criticism to drive their decisions, especially when it comes to musical matters. "No, it's pretty much been like that since the beginning," he said. "When we started off, the kind of music we were doing didn't fit into what was going on on the Sunset Strip in 1982. Everyone disregarded us. When the intro of 'Fade To Black' played on the 'Ride The Lightning' album [in 1984] there was a whole shit storm about how dare we have an acoustic guitar on a so-called thrash metal album. It's been like that for 40-plus years.

"We've always charted our own course," he explained. "We all lived in this world that was not accepted by the mainstream. We were all just looking for something to belong to. Being an only child, I didn't have anything to hang on to. So being in a band, being with James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman], being part of a scene of like-minded outcasts and misfits gave me a sense of belonging and a sense of identity. My path will be forever tied to METALLICA's path. It's the only path that I've ever been on."

Ulrich also talked about his band's participation in the upcoming Power Trip festival, which will take place this weekend at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. The historic three-day event set for October 6, 7 and 8 will bring together six iconic bands that define loud and powerful music: GUNS N' ROSES and IRON MAIDEN (Friday, October 6),AC/DC and JUDAS PRIEST (Saturday, October 7) and METALLICA and TOOL (Sunday, October 8).

"We love all five of the other bands," he said. "I saw AC/DC back in Copenhagen in 1977 for the first time; we did a whole tour with them in Europe in 1991. I fell in love with GUNS N' ROSES five seconds after I heard 'Mr. Brownstone' for the first time on KNAC before the [1987 debut] album came out. We played shows with IRON MAIDEN in the '80s. We played shows with JUDAS PRIEST. We played shows with TOOL all over the place. Obviously, AC/DC, IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST were huge influences. Those three bands are a significant part of the reason that we wanted to be in a band. So to get everybody together in the same space is a bit awe-inspiring."

JUDAS PRIEST was added to the Power Trip lineup in July in the slot originally reserved for Ozzy Osbourne.

This past July, Ozzy canceled his appearance at Power Trip due to his ongoing health issues.

Power Trip will mark AC/DC's first concert since September 2016, when the band concluded a run of U.S. dates with GUNS N' ROSES' Axl Rose on vocals while frontman Brian Johnson recovered from hearing loss.

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.

The similarly named Desert Trip festival was held in 2016 and featured performances by THE ROLLING STONES, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters and THE WHO. That event was reportedly the single most lucrative music festival in American history, having grossed $160 million.

This unique night-time desert setting with unmatched concert production will amplify the experience beyond the traditional stadium or parking lot concert norm with three double-billed headlining performances. This is the most rocking lineup to ever perform in an unparalleled location for heavy music audiences looking for an unforgettable weekend escape.

Three-day General Admission tickets start at $599 plus fees, or turn the volume up with The Pit, Reserved Floor, Grandstand Seating options, and various VIP packages. More information is available on powertrip.live.

METALLICA completed the first North American swing of "M72" world tour September 9 in Glendale, Arizona. The band will play Power Trip before "M72" resumes with its next "No Repeat Weekend" taking place November 3 and 5 at the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

METALLICA's latest album, "72 Seasons", sold 146,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the band's 12th Top 10-charting album, of which eight have reached the top two.

"72 Seasons" had the biggest week for any rock or hard rock album since TOOL's "Fear Inoculum" arrived in September 2019 with 270,000 equivalent album units.

Photo credit: Tim Saccenti

In a new interview with Germany's Moshpit Passion, PRONG mainman Tommy Victor explained why he doesn't voice his political opinions publicly nowadays. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I try to keep my mouth shut these days for sure. So that's my rule… I just don't wanna be labeled anything. People have very quick and easy interpretations of everybody and are very fast to generalize everybody and categorize everybody, and I don't want anything to do with it, really.

When the interviewer pointed out that fan chatter in a PRONG Facebook group appeared to be more civil and less focused on non-musical topics than is the case with a lot of other bands' social media followers, Tommy said: "Well, that really makes me feel good, because a lot of our fans are older, from a time when these things were secondary and friendships were more important. It's just a mature attitude about things. Of course the '60s was different, where there was people getting sent [to war]… That was a crucial time. Now, all this stuff today, it's, like, what are you complaining about? Back in the '60s, kids in America, boys were sent to war and dying at 19… drafted unwillingly. So we don't have that anymore. Now people complain about everything. I mean, it's, like, what is there really to be that unhappy about? The only thing I'm really unhappy about is the cost of things. Especially when you have kids, which I have three, to make ends meet with the way prices got crazy in America, just out of control overnight. That's why I'm, like… There is a conspiracy behind that a little bit, because overnight everything just got insane."

Back in July 2017, when PureGrainAudio played a fun game of "Metal Or Not?" with Victor, he was asked if then-U.S. president Donald Trump was "metal or not". Victor said: "Donald Trump is definitely metal: anti-establishment, not very politically correct, [and he] pisses a lot of people off."

Tommy previously told YELL! Magazine usually doesn't get that heavily political in his lyrics. He said: "[PRONG's] '[X -] No Absolutes' [album] had little tinges of it. What I do, I take a box and I'll throw a little bit of politics with spirituality and punk rock mentality into this collage and that's what the lyrics seem to come out. That makes it PRONG, that makes it different, but, obviously, there's been a lot to pick and choose from. But it's all fake news anyhow."

He continued: "It's amazing. This is a Canadian show, or web site, so I don't know how slanted the news is up here, but it's unbelievable in America, where just a change of the channels you get a completely different perspective on everything. It's all paid off by somebody. Somebody is putting these knuckleheads on television to say what the advertisers want and the people with the money behind it who want to get their agendas across. It's an absolute joke. That's a stimulus for a lot of the lyrics right there. On '[X -] No Absolutes', [the song] 'Cut And Dry', it's about that. You're told something, then you believe it, then something happens that's contrary to your belief and then you're like, 'What happened?' I was like 'Well, you're an idiot. You listened to this nonsense to begin with.'"

PRONG's thirteenth studio album, "State Of Emergency", will arrive on October 6 via Steamhammer/SPV.

"State Of Emergency" is a furious tableau of East Coast aggression, enveloped in that classic PRONG sound that never goes out of style.

Produced by the skillful hands of legendary producer Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN),"State Of Emergency" surprises on the post-punk track "Disconnected" and then grooves on the title track. Originally released as a standalone single in early 2023, "Breaking Point" takes no prisoners with honest lyrics and cutting attitude, while hard-hitting "The Descent" is a lightning quick, classic ripper.

The album closes with a cover of "Working Man", originally written and recorded by the legendary RUSH.

During an appearance on today's (Tuesday, October 3) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", EUROPE frontman Joey Tempest spoke about the band's recently released new single "Hold Your Head Up". "We went into the studio about a few months ago and recorded one new song," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And over the pandemic, there was some extra time. I managed to get some really good ideas down and everybody loved this idea. So we hooked up with GHOST producer Klas Åhlund. And we managed to record this in between shows, and it turned out really, really good. And, yeah, it's just come out and it feels kind of fresh. We like to stay fresh and try to be innovative and have fun with it."

Asked if he and his EUROPE bandmates plan to make a full record and whether "Hold Your Head Up" was primarily meant as a way to test a new producer, Joey said: "We wanted to check out Klas, obviously. Whether we're gonna work with him or not, we're discussing, but yes, we are throwing ideas around. We have some great ideas and yes, we will make a new album. But this was something we wanted to have out now, because we have a documentary coming out as well [chronicling our entire history] from [the early days in] the suburbs of Stockholm out to the world. We found some old VHS tapes from — I think some of it's from San Francisco as well when we recorded 'The Final Countdown', in the studio with [producer] Kevin [Elson], and the hotel rooms in Japan, when we were very young and backstage from '83, '84. And we managed to put this documentary together with — people from GHOST are in it, Benny Andersson from ABBA's in it, talking, and we're just honored that people wanted to take part in this documentary. It's coming out beginning of next year, so we wanted this song to be part of that documentary. That was also part of the plan. And this 40th-anniversary tour we're doing. We were lucky getting this song together because it seems like it has some legs, so we're happy… But we do have some really great songs cooking. Obviously, 'Hold Your Head Up' will be on there as well. So, yeah, we're right now in the middle of touring. And then beginning of next year, we'll be in the studio again and doing some new ones."

EUROPE performed "Hold Your Head Up" live for the first time this past Saturday (September 30) at Salle Métropole in Lausanne, Switzerland. The track, which is described by the band as "a punchy uptempo rocker with reminiscent elements of early EUROPE," was recorded in August at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm with Åhlund and was mixed by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, DEF LEPPARD),who also mixed EUROPE's "Secret Society" album. The song, which was made available to stream and download on September 29 across all reputable digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora and YouTube Music, will serve as a precursor to EUROPE's twelfth studio album, to be recorded in 2024 and released in late 2024 or early 2025.

The "Hold Your Head Up" video offers a glimpse into the brand-new documentary that the band have been busy filming with producer/director Craig Hooper (DEEP PURPLE, SAXON) for Coolhead Productions simply titled "Europe - The Movie". The film will tell the story of the band, from formation until present day, telling of their rise to success in the mid-1980s, through hard times and heartache, to coming back in the millennium, and the current successes the band has achieved. This is set for release in early 2024.

EUROPE is currently undertaking a "Time Capsule" tour which includes 21 concerts across Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, The Netherlands, and the U.K., including two nights at the famous London Palladium. These anniversary shows will consist of a career retrospective "evening with" performance featuring all the hits together with deep cuts and fan favorites from all of their 11 studio albums.

EUROPE's latest album, "Walk The Earth", was released in October 2017 via Hell & Back Recordings (Silver Lining Music). It was recorded at famed Abbey Road Studios in London with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (RIVAL SONS, Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton).

"Hold Your Head Up" in Lausanne - september 30, 2023

"Hold Your Head Up"
Lausanne (Switzerland) - Salle Métropole - September 30, 2023

Video by Stefania Morese

#europetheband #europebandcorner #timecapsuletour #holdyourheadup

Posted by Europe Fan Media Corner on Sunday, October 1, 2023

In a new interview with Metal Mayhem ROC, Shawn Drover, who spent a decade as the drummer of MEGADETH, reflected on his experience playing in the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, yeah, what can I say? It was a great experience overall. I have nothing but good things to say about that whole experience. And I got to establish tons of great friendships with musicians in other bands over the years that I still have to this day. And you just learn a lot playing in a band that is that big. The whole experience, to me, was really positive and I learned quickly what to do and what not to do, what my job entails and all that kind of stuff."

He continued: "Dave takes that camp very seriously — I would say almost military style with his execution. It's always been like that. And I took that very seriously as well. So we were always on the same page in many ways. I just have so many career highlights, it would take an hour to go through them."

Two months ago, Drover addressed Mustaine's reputation as one of the most divisive personalities in metal. Asked by Canada's The Metal Voice why he thinks the MEGADETH leader is so frequently portrayed in such a negative light, Shawn said: "I think some of it may be from his political viewpoints at any given time. You know how that goes — politics and religion can definitely rub people the wrong way. That's certainly, I would say, maybe part of it. Which I never had any comment of any sort on any of that stuff."

Shawn, who is currently promoting the debut album from his WITHERING SCORN project, continued: "Who knows? There's always Monday-morning quarterbacks that talk shit about something. And a lot of it gets thrown out of context. Something I'll say on here I'm sure will be on a web site, saying, 'Shawn said this.' It's just to create a headline. It's clickbait, they call it. It's just music, man."

Shawn's latest comments are similar to those he made back in November 2017 during an interview with the "Talking Metal" podcast. At that time, he said: "I have nothing bad to say at all about [MEGADETH]. Dave Mustaine gave me a career, and I'll always be thankful to him for that. I was very good friends with him for 10 years, and at a certain point, I just wanted to move on and express my own musical vision and do the things I wanted to do before I got too old. I'm not a spring chicken, so I just started to think, If I want to do something, the clock's ticking here… But I have nothing but good things to say about that camp. Dave gave me a career, and I have nothing but good things to say about him and the entire organization. I wish them the best."

Drover quit MEGADETH in November 2014 "to pursue [his] own musical interests", according to a statement he released at the time. Later that same day, MEGADETH guitarist Chris Broderick announced his departure from the group, saying that he was exiting the band "due to artistic and musical differences." The duo later launched an act called ACT OF DEFIANCE with ex-SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner and bassist Matt Bachand (SHADOWS FALL).

In a September 2015 interview with Sticks For Stones, Shawn talked about his working relationship with Mustaine and whether personal differences played a part in his decision to quit MEGADETH. He said: "I never had an issue with [Dave] whatsoever. I always thought we got along very well, and I knew my role in the band. And that's a big part of joining a band like that. If you don't know your role and think that you can walk into a situation… to an established band and think that you can be an equal partner or something foolish like that, that would be just that: it would be quite foolish. I walked into the situation knowing what my role was, and I respected the legacy of the band and just tried to do the best that I could. So it actually was quite easy. I got along with him very well. I got along with everybody very well. But I was smart enough to know what the situation was, and never thinking, 'Oh, I'll get my songs on the next record.' It was never like that. I respected the legacy of the band and [tried] to uphold that to the best of my ability, no matter who… whatever lineup was in the band at the time, I just did my job. But at the end of the day, I left the band — I was not fired; I left. So it was just purely a musical… I wanted to write heavier music, and that's what I did [with ACT OF DEFIANCE]."

Shawn joined MEGADETH in 2004 as the replacement for Nick Menza, who had only just rejoined the group. Drover performed on four MEGADETH studio records: 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame", 2011's "TH1RT3EN" and 2013's "Super Collider".

In addition to Shawn, WITHERING SCORN features his brother, and fellow ex-MEGADETH member, Glen Drover, along with former FATES WARNING bassist Joe DiBiase and German singer Henning Basse, who has previously played with FIREWIND, METALIUM and MAYAN.

WITHERING SCORN's debut album, "Prophets Of Demise", was released on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl.

In a new interview with the FM99 WNOR radio station, SALIVA singer Bobby Amaru spoke about the band's decision to carry on following the March 2023 passing of SALIVA founding guitarist Wayne Swinny. Bobby said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Wayne] was one of those guys, if you knew him, his personality was just large. And there's no way that he would've wanted it any other way. That's just how he was. He would always — he would talk to me about things like that. Like, 'Hey, if something happens, man, you've gotta keep doing this. Don't stop because of me or something.'"

He added: "But we love the guy. We miss the guy very much. He was a huge part of this band and brand and always will be."

Last month, SALIVA released the official music video for the song "Come Back Stronger". The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Revelation", which came out on September 8. It marks the band's first release since the passing of Swinny, who died while on tour with the group.

The "Come Back Stronger" video was notably filmed on March 16, 2023 — just five days before Swinny's death — and is dedicated to the fallen guitarist.

On March 22, SALIVA shared a statement on Facebook in which the band said that Swinny had been found that morning "in medical distress." Paramedics were called and the musician was transported to hospital "where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain."

SALIVA was on the road in the U.S. as part of the "Spring Mayhem" tour with THROUGH FIRE and ANY GIVEN SIN and had played in Warrendale, Pennsylvania on March 21.

When "Revelation" was first announced in July, Amaru said in a statement: "We started working on this record in 2020 during the pandemic shutdown. I felt like we had to get outside of the box with this one.

"I've been sober almost five years now and there are many songs on this record that are a reflection of it. I just wanted to connect with the listener and pull them into what I was dealing with but also shed some light on overcoming personal adversity.

"With the passing of Wayne in March, I felt lost. Where do I go? I knew we had this record we were all stoked about. Wayne's influence is all over these songs and, in my opinion, his playing on this album is next level. It's the only right thing to do to honor him and all our hard work and release it. I just want to share with the world what we have worked on the last three-plus years."

SALIVA has teamed up with DROWNING POOL, ADELITAS WAY and ANY GIVEN SIN for the "SNAFU Le Tour 2023" in September and October.

SALIVA launched its career in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a double-platinum selling album with hits that include "Click, Click Boom" and "Your Disease".

The band has toured the U.S. with SEVENDUST, AEROSMITH and KISS.

SALIVA reunited with original singer Josey Scott for a one-off appearance at last year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last five releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016),"10 Lives" (2018) and the aforementioned "Revelation".

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.

In a new interview with "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza, OTEP frontwoman Otep Shamaya spoke about how she deals with online trolls. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't even read YouTube comments. Nope. Or Blabbermouth. Yeah, I don't read [any comments] there either. I just feel, like, 'Who are you people? 'Cause I'll have people tell me, like, this, this, this and this about a band. And I'm, like, 'What band are you in?' 'Oh, I don't have one.' 'Okay. Start a band in this climate, start a band and write 10 songs… You write 10 songs, show me how it's done. Go out, have a 20-year career, write nine albums worth of material… And then I'll listen to your point of view. But until then…' It's like you're telling me the sky's purple. It's not, so I don't care. It doesn't really bother me that much. Sometimes I'll go on… If I do go on to YouTube and people are being just rude or whatever, I'll just leave a little snide comment or something funny, just to fuck with them. And they lose their energy real quick after that."

She continued: "That's part of what you have to learn when you get into the music industry, is that you're gonna have critics, you're gonna have people who don't know anything about music, but have an opinion, and everybody has that. They used to call 'em armchair quarterbacks — people who never played football, but they wanna tell the coach how to coach the team or the quarterback who to throw to, and all that. You're always gonna have these people who think they know more than the people that actually do it. And like I said, it's like telling me that the sky's purple. It isn't. So, I'm not worried about it. Earth's not flat. I'm not worried about it, you know. It doesn't bother me. It used to, quite a bit. I used to think, like, 'What am I doing wrong?'"

OTEP released a new studio album, "The God Slayer", on September 15 via Cleopatra. The follow-up to 2018's "Kult 45" offers up a mix of inspired original tracks as well as transformative takes on chart-topping hits from a variety of influences, including pop, rap and grunge, by such artists as Eminem, Billie Eilish, SLIPKNOT, Lil Peep and Olivia Rodrigo.

In a new interview with Steve Mascord's WhiteLineFever TV, Ronnie Romero spoke about how deals with the online criticism he has received from fans of the various bands he has played with, including RAINBOW, MSG and VANDENBERG. The 41-year-old singer, who is originally from Chile but is now settled in Romania after living in Madrid, Spain for a number of years, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Obviously you have this kind of a fanbase of all those bands I was playing with, and obviously everybody has an opinion on everything, which is okay for me; I really learned how to deal with that. But at that time, at the beginning, you need to think that I was just a normal guy from South America coming to Europe to try to make a living — not even on the music; I was not interested to interested to make music at that time. I was having, let's say, a musical life because I was born and I grew up in a family of musicians and I used to have my bands when I was in school and in the university and all that kind of stuff, but I was not interested to form a band and to have a musical career in Europe. I was just moving to have a chance, a better chance than normally a South American guy [has] in the continent."

He continued: "So, yeah, it is really hard to deal, at some point, how people are so invasive on your private life. It's very invasive, because the people, they think that they can say whatever they want to say about you without knowing you, which is pretty interesting. But sometimes musicians, they do that also. I'm pretty disappointed [in] a couple of my big heroes because of that."

Romero, who engaged in a war of words on social media last year with ex-RAINBOW singer Joe Lynn Turner, added: "I feel very disappointed in how some certain legendary musicians, they behave on the social. It's pretty interesting. Especially [coming] from people who [have] an extensive career, like 40, 50 years of career, and then suddenly they feel… I don't know. I guess probably it's jealousy, maybe. I don't know why, anyways. But I was very disappointed [in] one of my favorite singers. He brings kind of a war into the table with me because of the RAINBOW reunion. And I found that very — I don't know. I think it was not necessary in any way. But then suddenly, everything escalated in a more complicated stuff. And then at the end, this guy, he was talking on the social about my personal life, which I think is not correct. So I will say, yeah, sometimes the social media is really dangerous."

In September 2022, Turner — who fronted RAINBOW from 1980 until 1984 and was a member of DEEP PURPLE from 1989 until 1992 — told the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" podcast that the most recent RAINBOW lineup, which featured Romero on vocals, was "a cheap" and "weak imitation. It was a trainwreck for me," he said. "I think [RAINBOW leader Ritchie Blackmore] damaged the legacy that way of RAINBOW. 'Cause RAINBOW was a fabulous band from start to finish."

Within days, Romero took to his Instagram to share a concert photo of the most recent RAINBOW lineup, and he wrote in part: "I don't know and I don't care what's between The Main Man and some old ex members of the band, what happened or whatever. I'm just a normal guy who one day received the call from one of His idols to sing in the band He always dreamed of to sing… that's it. I'm pretty convinced I did my job well, (same for Jens, Bob and David, wonderful musicians) as all the feedback, appreciation and love I'm still getting in every place I go. I know as well you cannot be liked by everybody, but I will not tolerate to somebody to call my work 'cheap'… No Sir. Maybe for some guy is time to move on, as He did with other issues in His life, and to be careful to not to despise honest people who is here just working hard, as He does. At the end is all about Music, that's the only thing that counts and matter".

In response to Romero's post, Turner released a statement via his social media in which he said in part: ""My opinion of the last 'incarnation' of RAINBOW is well deserved and has never changed. With or Without my personal participation, I believe that this 'reunion' could have and should have been treated with more concern and respect to the Iconic standards that Mr. Blackmore himself had established.

"My recent interview statement never referenced any individual in particular, that was never my intention. And anyone who feels singled out is either paranoid and insecure about their own self-worth. As most of you have noticed recently, I have totally moved on and I am in the exact place and time that I want to be.

"So, I offer an important advice to those who are personally concerned with this issue - Try moving on yourself out of the shadows of those who perpetrated the originality and creativity necessary to achieve such status.

"Simply put, I believe the RAINBOW legacy deserved much better treatment and respect than it received and so did many loyal, supportive and dedicated fans who wished to see RAINBOW shine with it's brightest colors."

Three and a half years ago, Turner criticized RAINBOW's latest incarnation in an interview with the "80's Glam Metalcast", saying "the RAINBOW [Ritchie] put together is nostalgic, but it is not RAINBOW… And anybody who goes to see them, it's all over YouTube. And that's really all I've gotta say about it. If you ask me, he's cheating the public."

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions are set to release the new album from Missouri's intense thrash act Degrave. Volume is up now for preorder and will be released November 3 on CD and Digital formats along with merch.


Hailing from Missouri, Degrave formed in 2016 and are an intense four piece thrash act schooled by metal masters of the past. Volume features ten tracks of turmoil fueled by cheap beer, good friends and low morals... showcasing highly crafted musical skill with originality, and not accompanied by any pretentious attitude. 







Tracklisting:


“13”
“Volume”
“Raised On Hate And Hooch”
“Sanguinated Sacrifice”
“Billy’s Way”
“The Banshee”
“Overlord”
“Transmission Overdrive”
“Badge And Gun”
“L’Appel Du Vide”


“Overlord”:

In the video below, Peter Tägtgren, Mikael Hedlund and Lars Szöke (Drums 1990-2004) look back and share memories of Hypocrisy's fifth album, The Final Chapter.





Hypocrisy Chapter 2 albums will finally be available again on Vinyl and CD together with Classic Series Merch. Featuring original art with careful touchups to preserve these death metal classics. Order at hypocrisyband.com.




Hypocrisy and Nuclear Blast Records start chapter two of a massive catalogue campaign bringing back all their legendary past records, some of which are much sought-after rarities. “Chapter Two” covers the albums The Final Chapter (1997), Hypocrisy (1999), and Into The Abyss (2000). Considered milestones in Hypocrisy’s career, Peter Tägtgren, Mikael Hedlund, and Lars Szöke reached a new level of songwriting quality and emphasized dynamics during this period. They created additional layers of atmosphere and at times used clean vocals resulting in hauntingly beautiful yet heavy and aggressive melodic death metal hymns. 





Now, these stunning albums return in classy vinyl and CD editions whereas Tägtgren’s remaster of Into The Abyss will also be released digitally. The 2023 reissues preserve true classics in an astonishing fashion that have been unavailable especially on LP for far too long or have never been released as standalone vinyl (Into The Abyss). Get ready to revisit one of the most consistent and fascinating discographies in extreme metal.

SHADOWS FALL vocalist Brian Fair has weighed in on bands who rely heavily on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances.

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

Speaking to the Syncin' Stanley YouTube channel, Fair stated about acts who rely on pre-recorded tracks (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We do not use any tracks. Now, I know this has been a controversial subject.

"My thoughts on the whole idea of backing tracks, which I consider very different than lip syncing… Lip syncing, I mean, if you were on 'Top Of The Pops' or something back in the '80s and that was the only way it was done, I guess that's a thing. We've been fortunate enough to play some late-night TV shows where we were able to play live, and I feel like in this day and age that can be pulled off. But that's a whole different world than backing tracks.

"To me, backing tracks can be used by a band in ways like to cover some things that they can't play live, as far as if you don't have a keyboard player and you've got some synth parts and you wanna add that into the live show," he continued. "No problem with that, man. You've got some horn parts or some strings and you're not gonna be able to afford to bring a string quartet on the road with you, hey, man, play along to a click, add those in. It's all good.

"With SHADOWS FALL, we didn't mess with anything," he added. "Whatever you heard from us was just five dudes up there rocking. We didn't have good luck with technology in general, never played to a click track, so we never used anything. The only thing we ever ran on tape was intros in between songs, so like the acoustic intro to 'The Light That Blinds' or something like that. But we never even layered anything. If there were keyboard parts in the studio version, we just didn't use 'em live or found a way to maybe play a guitar melody that would cover that. But some bands don't have that. If you're an industrial band and you need these samples and drum loops that are a huge part of your sound that you use in the studio, that's totally legit. No problem there. But when your actual performance parts, like whether it's the main vocals or guitar lines and you're playing along to something you recorded, to me, that's just — ah, it takes away from the live experience. To me, I get why bands do it, 'cause it makes things sound huge and it makes it sound like the studio, so inhumanly tight. But that's, to me, not the point of live music. Live music should have an ebb and flow. It should have an energy. Things should speed up and slow down, depending on the emotions of the moment. The crowd can inspire that. If the crowd's going crazy, of course you're gonna play a little faster. So, I like that variable of live music. I'm also a huge fan of like improvised live music as well. So that's just a different world. But I can understand, like I said, using some little candy tracks here and there, but to straight-up play over your own parts or to perform along with your own parts to give it that huge sound, to me, I don't wanna call it cheating, but it's close."

SHADOWS FALL guitarist Jonathan Donais also offered his thoughts on bands using backing tracks, saying: " I don't like it. I'd rather hear the bands be real and what they have. But I also understand if you have an orchestra and all these backing vocals that you can't recreate that live sometimes with the budget, but I'd rather hear the band struggle."

KISS frontman Paul Stanley, who has been struggling to hit the high notes in many of the band's classic songs for a number of years, has been accused of singing to a backing tape on KISS's ongoing "End Of The Road" tour.

Back in 2015, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons slammed bands who used backing tapes for not being honest enough to include that fact on their concert tickets.

"I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks," Simmons said. "It's like the ingredients in food. If the first ingredient on the label is sugar, that's at least honest. It should be on every ticket — you're paying $100, 30 to 50 percent of the show is [on] backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip sync. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks, it's about dishonesty.

"There's nobody with a synthesizer on our stage, there's no samples on the drums, there's nothing," Gene continued. "There's very few bands who do that now — AC/DC, METALLICA, us. I can't even say that about U2 or THE [ROLLING] STONES. There's very few bands who don't use [backing] tracks."

This past March, KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee defended Stanley's vocal performance on "End Of The Road", explaining that the "Star Child" "fully sings to every song" at every concert. He explained: It's enhanced. It's just part of the process to make sure that everybody hears the songs the way they should be sang to begin with. Nobody wants to hear people do stuff that's not real, that's not what they came to hear."

When McGhee was asked to clarify if he was "actually saying there are backing tracks that [Paul is] singing to," Doc said: "He'll sing to tracks. It's all part of a process. Because everybody wants to hear everybody sing. But he fully sings to every song."

In March 2020, SHINEDOWN guitarist Zach Myers said that "90 percent" of rock artists use at least some pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. He told Rock Feed: "It bothers me that it bothers people. I'm, like, 'Why does this bother you?' It's the way it is. People have been doing this since the '80s. And we want the sound to be the best it can be. Could we go up there, just the four of us, and put on the best rock show ever? Of course. But that's not how we wanna do it."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has previously said that he is "one of the last people" who are still not using pre-recorded tracks at their live shows. "I don't know how much longer I can say to you that I don't use tapes onstage, because I don't, and I never have," he told Consequence Of Sound. "And I still don't. When I have opening bands, and they're using tapes, and then I come out and I don't use tapes… sometimes, it makes me feel stupid, because I'm like, 'What am I doing, when all these kids half my age can come onstage and do all of my moves, but they don't have to warm up for an hour before the show, or weeks, before the first show?' Sometimes, I'm like, 'Why do I even bother, if the public is so used to this other way?' It's becoming very rare to come see a good band that's actually a real band — that's not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running. It just becomes more rare as the years go on."

In 2019, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith said that he doesn't "agree" with certain rock artists relying on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. "I tell you what, I see it with a lot of younger bands, and I don't think it's a good thing at all," he told the New York Post. "I mean, the music is getting too technical now. You have computerized recording systems, which we use, but I think we use them more for convenience than because we need to. We've toured with a couple bands that use tapes — it's not real. You're supposed to play live; it should be live. I don't agree with using tapes … I think it's a real shame."

One musician who has been open about his band's use of taped vocals during live performances is MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, who said: "We've used technology since '87." He added the group employed "sequencers, sub tones, background vox tracks, plus background singers and us. [MÖTLEY CRÜE also taped] stuff we can't tour with, like cello parts in ballads, etc.... We love it and don't hide it. It's a great tool to fill out the sound."

In a 2014 interview, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars admitted that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that his band used pre-recorded backing vocals in its live shows, claiming that he preferred to watch groups whose performances are delivered entirely live. "I don't like it," he said. "I think a band like ours… I have to say '60s bands were my favorite — '60s and '70s bands — because they were real, like, three-piece bands or four-piece bands, and they just got up there and kicked it up. Made a mistake? So what? Sounded a little bit empty here or there? So what? It's the bigness and the rawness and the people that developed and wrote the songs and made them and presented them. To me, that's what I really like. I mean, I could put on a MÖTLEY CD and play with it all day long. I don't wanna do that."

Alluvial - Kevin Muller [vocals], Wes Hauch [guitar, vocals], Tim Walker [bass], and Zach Dean [drums] - have announced their new EP, Death Is But A Door. It arrives on January 12 via Nuclear Blast. Today, the band has shared the video for "Bog Dweller". Watch below.


Darkness and despair are a breeding ground for creativity in the right hands. Since their inception in 2017, Atlanta-based band Alluvial have embraced the grim and gloom that the world has to offer through an intricately balanced blend of rapid-fire polyrhythms, haunting, sludgy atmospheres and tightly wound grooves. The band takes a stab at creating an even more sinister sound than their previous album, Sarcoma, Death Is But a Door.


"We wrote about 13 or 14 songs this summer, but we wanted to do this EP between Sarcoma and our next full-length. These songs align with the vibe we want to go for. We will always find a way to be darker from record to record in the same way that South of Heaven was heavier than Reign In Blood and Seasons In The Abyss was heavier than South Of Heaven," says Hauch. "It was that concept of chasing the dragon to find a way to top the message and vibe on the last record while finding a way to do it that made us excited."




After releasing their instrumental debut full-length, The Deep Longing for Annihilation, the band hit the road. Although the album has racked up millions of streams, there was always an intent to add a vocalist to their following releases. Hauch had begun writing what would become Sarcoma in 2018 and recruited Muller, knowing his vocal prowess from the vocalist's time in Suffocation.  


Bringing Muller into the fold immediately elevated the band’s sound, but Death Is But a Door shows the synergy that the band has developed from working as a cohesive unit over the last few years.  


Although the band's mission is to drive into bleaker and heavier territory with each new release, they manage to bring balance to their sound. While they remain grounded in death metal, the band's approach finds them exploring all of their influences. From traditional thrash like Pantera or Metallica to darker grunge like Alice in Chains or Soundgarden and everything in between, Alluvial aim to keep listeners on their toes by pushing beyond the realms of death metal.


"I wanted to have a band where we can write meaningful yet action-packed songs. Something that is terrifying but breaks your heart at the same time. I think we'll always chase that, but we want to find new ways to be heavy," says Hauch.  


With the band’s members being as ingrained in the death metal scene as they are — with members previously playing in The Faceless, Suffocation and more — listeners can rest assured they’ll be met with plenty of brutality throughout their music. The twists and turns into clean passages, atmospheric ambience, or any of the other musical avenues explored throughout Alluvial's music take them over the edge and invite listeners to return and find something previously undiscovered.


Pre-order/save the EP here.





Tracklisting:


"Bog Dweller"
"Fogbelt"
"Area Code"
"Death Is But A Door"


"Bog Dweller" video:

Aerosmith frontman, Steven Tyler, inducted AC/DC into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame back in 2003. He also performed "You Shook Me All Night Long" with the band at the ceremony. Revisit the night with the videos below:










AC/DC are one of the acts scheduled for Power Trip, the historic three-day event taking place October 6, 7 and 8 and bringing together six iconic bands that define loud and powerful music: Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden (Friday, October 6), AC/DC and Judas Priest (Saturday, October 7) and Metallica and Tool (Sunday, October 8).


This unique night-time desert setting with unmatched concert production will amplify the experience beyond the traditional stadium or parking lot concert norm with three double-billed headlining performances. This is the most rocking lineup to ever perform in an unparalleled location for heavy music audiences looking for an unforgettable weekend escape.


For more information about ticket types, packages and more, head here.

Michael Sweet has elaborated on his recent announcement that he and his STRYPER bandmates no longer attempt to perform the group's songs in the original key.

In a social media post more than a year ago, the now-60-year-old guitarist/vocalist revealed that and the rest of STRYPER are playing their music on tour a half step down to accommodate his aging voice.

Asked in a new interview with John The Ninja how he came to accept the fact that he can no longer perform the songs as they were originally recorded, Sweet said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When you change anything in a band, whether it's the tuning of the songs or the stage setup to make it easier for the band to get through the set or whatever it is, and that all that stuff usually comes with age, as you get older, you start to realize, like, 'Am I compromising?' You start asking yourself that question daily. 'Am I compromising? Am I shortchanging the fans? Am I shortchanging myself?' And it maybe at the end of the day, it's a silly thought, and most people would probably say, 'Oh, gosh. Come on. That's silly. You don't need to think like that.' But you still think like that. And especially someone like myself, 'cause I'm a perfectionist — I want everything to be perfect and the best and just like it used to be at our peak.'

He continued: "When we dropped the tuning, I started to feel like, 'Gosh, am I compromising? Am I letting the fans down and letting myself down?' But then I reached out to Kip Winger [of WINGER] and I started going online and researching [other bands who have tuned down to make it easier for their singers, like] FIREHOUSE['s] C.J. [Snare], Sammy Hagar — I mean, the list goes on and on and on. You could go on YouTube and find most bands, and almost all bands, at my age, they've dropped the tuning down. And it's the way it works, because it does make it easier on the vocalist. And the thing is about not just me as a lead singer, making it easier for me, but also for Oz [Fox, STRYPER guitarist] and Perry [Richardson, STRYPER bassist]. We're singing these three-part high vocals night after night after night and it starts to wear and tear. And all these other vocal coaches come out of the woodwork and say, 'Oh, you're not singing right. If you're singing right, you can get through seven shows in a row tuned up a half step.' And it's, like, 'No. Not true. False. False information.' Your voice is a muscle, like any other muscle in your body, and if you overwork it, it's not gonna function properly. It's just the way it is. You've gotta give your muscles time to replenish and to rebuild. Same thing goes for the voice. So, tuning down has helped me a lot to get through the sets. Am I having trouble? Not really. A little bit. But it's more so based on I've got some nodules in my thyroid, and those are really giving me more trouble than anything, because they've gotten large enough where they're starting to press on my vocal nerve and my vocal folds. And it gives me a little bit of a hoarseness all the time, and it makes it a little bit more difficult to sing like I need to."

Sweet is not the only high-profile rock singer to admit to having trouble hitting some of the notes that he was able to reach several decades earlier. This past July, TESLA frontman Jeff Keith told the "That Metal Interview" podcast that "one secret" to keeping his voice in such magnificent shape is that he and his bandmates "started dropping things down to — instead of in E, the key of E, we dropped it to E flat. On particular songs, where I sing really high — I don't even know how I hit the notes back then in the '80s and the '90s — but I think they can drop as low as… there's E flat, and then you can drop as low as D," he said. "And on a couple of songs we drop down to the D tuning, so I can sing the same melody but dropped down a whole step. And from what I understand, you can't drop any lower than that, or the strings are so loose [that they are too floppy to play]. So, we just dropped some keys, and then we tried it on a couple of songs and when we even dropped down a whole step, I still can't quite hit the notes [on some songs]."

He continued: "Once again, I don't know how the heck I hit them notes way back then, but all I know is from 'Into The Now' [2004] on, I started thinking about, 'Hey, I've gotta watch out what key we're doing it in, because next thing you know, I sing something that I can't go out there and do it night after night live.' I mean, it is 37 years later, so… [Laughs] So, with 'Forever More', 'Simplicity' — all that stuff — I just started keeping in mind, 'Hey, whatever you write, you've gotta sing it night after night.' Back in the '80s, and stuff like that, I wasn't thinking about it. You just do 20, 30 takes of something, pick the best out of it and go, 'Hey, there you go. That's great.' But I never had the thought in mind of, 'Hey, you've gotta go out there night after night and sing it.' And back then, I could — thankfully — but today, it's, like, 'Hang on a second.' I'm gonna turn 65 in October. It's, like, 'Hang on now.' I'm starting to fill out forms for Medicare and all that stuff. [Laughs] So [I've gotta] be careful with what melodies I come up with, because I've gotta be able to do it night after night."

In October 2022, Sweet told The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn that it was important for him to come out and almost apologize for the fact that he and his bandmates were tuning down because of his voice. "Maybe it's wrong for me to think this way, but it's a little bit of a pride issue; you're proud that you don't have to tune down 'cause you could do it in the original key," he said. "And there's something to be said for that; it feels good to be able to say that. But then I realized everyone tunes down except for maybe a select few — very select few. And those few are bands that don't sing in a super-high register. The bands like STRYPER that sing in a very high register, belting…

"See, the vocals for STRYPER, and this isn't to put us on a pedestal, but they're unique in the sense that not only are they high, but they're chest-belted vocals," he explained. "They're not [makes growling sound]; they come from here [puts hand over chest], not from here [puts hand over his throat]. That makes it a little bit more difficult to pull off. So when we dropped the key down a half step, I felt like, 'Wow, okay, this is a little easier.' I can get through the show a little easier and not have to strain or struggle so much.

"You've got all the vocal coaches out there watching right now, saying, 'Oh, if he took lessons, he'd be able to do it again.' That's bullcrap," Michael said. "It makes me laugh sometimes when you hear these guys say, 'Oh, yeah, 'cause he's singing wrong.' No, I'm not singing wrong. I get my vocal cords checked every year. I've never had surgery; I've never had nodules. They tell me my vocal cords look pristine. I'm not singing wrong. If I was singing wrong, they would not look pristine. So my problem lies with just aging. Your vocal folds, as you age, they start to stiffen, and there's not a darn thing you can do about that. Your muscles, they change. It's just part of life. You deal with it the best way that you can. You stay in shape; that's important. Take care of yourself, of course. But also, I've got post-nasal drip really bad. And I'm always clearing my throat; it's a real thick post-nasal drip. My doctors who scoped me have said, 'We've never seen anything like it.' It's almost like glue on my vocal cords continuously, and that keeps me from being able to sing at the best of my range and at the top of my range. But they also said that they think it's protected my vocal cords as well. So I'm definitely singing right. I'm blessed to still have the voice that I have. Is it what it once was? No."

Four years ago, IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson said that he takes pride in the fact that he and his bandmates perform their songs in the original key. "We don't detune, like some other people do," he said. "We don't do any of that. I suppose if one day we have to, we have to, but we don't have to do it now, and I think the songs sound better as a result of it. They're meant to be played in that key."

Back in 2014, QUEENSRŸCHE's Todd La Torre said that the fact that he sings the band's songs in their original key is one of the reasons he has been able to win over so many of the QUEENSRŸCHE fans following the departure of original frontman Geoff Tate.

"We don't drop-tune," he said. "When I first got in the band, [the other guys in QUEENSRŸCHE] said, 'Hey, if you want us to tune down a half a step, if it's easier for you, don't be afraid to ask us.' And I said, 'No. I wanna do this the best way that I can to represent the songs the way that they really go, and if it's a struggle for me, I just have more work to do for me. But let me keep trying to do this.' So I think the fact that those old songs weren't being played [in the last few years with Geoff in the band]… I mean, some of them were played, but a lot of times they were tuned down or songs were not played in their entirety, like 'Roads To Madness'; we play that song in its entirety. We play 'NM 156' in its entirety. And those fans, they really love hearing that. So the fact that that wasn't happening, and then when I came into the band, it started happening, it really kind of made it easier, I think, for fans to kind of rally around and go, 'Awesome!'"

Image credit: Melvin Zoopers

British thrash metal pioneers, Onslaught, celebrate over 40 years in metal with a special old school setlist for 2024.


The band, who were inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame in 2022, have long established themselves as one of the premier thrash metal bands globally. Onslaught are without doubt the world’s most successful British thrash metal band – playing thousands of shows and major festivals in over 70 different countries as well as selling/streaming tens of millions of albums across the globe.


As the world settles back into post-Covid touring and with all of the increasing global tensions of the current day, Onslaught have decided the time is right to remind people of the band’s beginnings and the ferocious inception of thrash metal itself with a hard-hitting, powerhouse show that will be sure to melt faces in a full Thermo-Nuclear Devastation.







Band founder Nige Rockett comments: "There’s something very ominous lurking in the depths of hell. The Old-School-Antichrist will be unleashed across the world in spring 2024! A new setlist, new product, new videos, a whole new level of aggression!  Onslaught 2024 - the nightmare continues...!"


Long-time bassist Jeff Williams adds: “The ‘new’ Onslaught show will re-ignite the savage and brutal intensity that fuelled the hell-fires of the original thrash metal movement – We’ll see you all in the pit!”


Stay tuned for updates, and visit the band's official website, here.