The Sweden Rock Festival YouTube channel has uploaded a video interview with IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris conducted at this year's festival in in Sölvesborg, Sweden. Asked where he finds the energy to tour with two bands at the same time — MAIDEN and his side project BRITISH LION — Harris replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I mean, what else am I gonna do on a day off? You know what I mean? I love playing football and stuff [on days off], and playing with BRITISH LION, it's an hour, and it's actually a lot less stress than playing with MAIDEN, because it's different material. And it's a challenge. But with MAIDEN, it's a little bit more stressful, at the beginning of a tour, anyway. It's a lot more pressure, with a new tour like we're doing.'

When the interviewer pointed out that a lot of other musicians at Harris's level don't have another band, Steve said: "I started [BRITISH LION] 11 years ago; I've been playing with them [for] 11 years. But before that, I wouldn't have been able to do it, 'cause MAIDEN was too busy. In the last 10 years, MAIDEN's not been so busy; we've not been touring as long. So, basically, it enabled me to have a bit of time to do something else."

Asked if that means that he basically wants to play live more, Steve said: "Yeah, I still enjoy playing, so, yeah, I play as much as I can. I'll be happy to play four or five nights a week, but you can't do it — for singers, you can't do it. It was tough for Bruce [Dickinson] back in the day, let alone now. I think he's singing better than ever, but it's quality, not quantity with MAIDEN now."

BRITISH LION recently completed a 15-date tour throughout Europe. It included 13 headline tour dates, as well as festival appearances at Hellfest and the aforementioned Sweden Rock Festival.

BRITISH LION's second album, "The Burning", came out in January 2020 in digipack CD, double gatefold vinyl and digital download formats via Explorer1 Music (E1). The LP was recorded, engineered and mixed at Barnyard Studios by Tony Newton and produced by Steve Harris.

BRITISH LION's first U.S. tour took place in January and February 2020.

BRITISH LION comprises singer Richard Taylor, guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, Harris on bass and keyboards, and drummer Simon Dawson.

Asked by the Tampa Bay Times what the itch is that BRITISH LION scratches that he doesn't get in his job with MAIDEN, Harris said: "I suppose playing small clubs and being close and personal with the audience. I love playing big places as well. I enjoy them all, and I'm very lucky that I can do them all. But also, it's clubs that I never played with MAIDEN, even in Europe. There's a famous club called the Milky Way in Amsterdam, which I managed to play with BRITISH LION, but I never did that with MAIDEN. There's places that [I played] on [the U.S.] tour that I've never played before. So it's all new ground. It's a challenge. It's nice. I like a challenge."

In a 2020 interview with Bass Player magazine, Harris said that he loves playing small clubs. "I'm very lucky that I can play all types of gigs; massive gigs and small ones as well," he said. "It's a change. I'm not trying to conquer the world with this band; there's not enough years left in me to do that anyway."

Asked if the different venues present a different set of challenges, Steve said: "I actually think it should be the same, whether you're playing for 200 or 200,000 people, you know. To me, there's no difference. You still give 110 percent wherever you're playing. We had one gig where the promoter just didn't do [anything]. I think we had, like, 95 people in there, but it was still a great gig, one of the best of the tour. It doesn't matter. We're still going for it, and I was proud that we went out there. It was fantastic."

In a brand new interview with Metal Pilgrim, founding JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing was asked if he was at all nervous before reuniting with his former band for a performance at last year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, no, not at all. I mean, no more nervous than you ever get whenever you're playing. You can play 50 gigs in a row, but you always have that kind of anticipation that you might split your pants or break a guitar string or fall over, fall off the stage or trip up or do something. You have all of that going on, but we learn to live with it. But the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was no different to that, really. Contrary to what some people might say or think, I really do think I'm a very confident performer. I wouldn't go out there if I didn't feel that I was well equipped and could more than adequately do what I'm supposed to do, really. That's play and perform and entertain."

Last December, Jayne Andrews, who has been managing JUDAS PRIEST for 37 years, spoke about PRIEST's reunion with Downing at Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, telling the "Gabbing With Girlfriends" podcast: "It was a bit strange, to be honest, because I dealt with everything for [K.K.] and [former PRIEST drummer] Les Binks [who was also being inducted]. Les, I'd never met him before. I never had any reason to have any dealings with him. But he seemed really nice — really friendly. He came and introduced himself to me. We bumped into him at the airport; they were on the same flight as us. And Ken just kept himself to himself. Even when he got on stage with the band [to perform at the Rock Hall], he didn't really communicate much with anybody."

When "Gabbing With Girlfriends" host Gloria Butler noted that the whole situation seemed "sad" and "bizarre," Andrews continued: "Well, it was, because, to me, if ever there was a time to try and build bridges, that was it. It was such a massive accolade for all of them — for [K.K.] and for Les and for Rob [Halford, vocals] and Glenn [Tipton, guitar] and Ian [Hill, bass] and Scott [Travis, drums]. And [former PRIEST drummer] Dave Holland, who's no longer with us, but he was inducted."

She continued: "We all said, any grievances or problems, we put them behind us. This is a very positive time. And that's the way we looked at it. And it's just a shame that [K.K.] didn't seem to look at it the same way… It's sad for him, really, because it shows — I don't know. It shows, really, that all the things that he says, when he had the opportunity, he didn't take it. He could have stuck his head around the door, in the dressing room, 'cause they'd arranged separate dressing rooms. Well, there's five of them [in PRIEST's current lineup], anyway, in the band, so you don't need another two in there as well. It was better, because, obviously, I didn't know what would be happening, how the atmosphere would be. But, to me, he should have just stuck his head around the door and said, 'Thank you for inviting me on stage with you.' 'Cause they didn't have to [perform with Downing and Binks at the Rock Hall]. They were absolutely told, 'You can go on stage with who you want. You don't have to go with him or with anybody. You go with your band, as you want.' I said to the guys. I said, 'It's a massive accolade to your careers, to honor you for what you've done.' And I said, 'It's eight and a half minutes of your life. Be the bigger men. Invite them both on stage,' which is what they did. And to me, that would have made him the bigger man, if he had just stuck his head around the door and done that. But, you know, there you go…"

After Butler brought up the ruckus surrounding the 2006 induction of the group BLONDIE into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (BLONDIE singer Deborah Harry did not want to perform there with former members of the group), Andrews added: "To be honest — and I probably shouldn't really say this — [K.K.] seemed a little bit nervous and almost out of his depth. And when we talked about it afterwards, we thought, well, PRIEST have carried on touring all these years; he hasn't. So he's probably lost a bit of confidence, coming to a big event like that, obviously, [and] having to confront all of us. He didn't know how we would be… I said we've got to see one person. He's got to see six people, really — five [without] me… But it's just a shame that once he realized that there was no animosity from our side that he didn't just stick his head around the door and say 'thank you.' But there we go. He didn't, so never mind."

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at last year's Rock Hall, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

The JUDAS PRIEST members who got inducted include current members Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis, along with former members Downing, Binks and Holland.

Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by Binks, Downing and current PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner for a three-song medley consisting of "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

In November 2022, Halford was asked in an interview with the San Antonio Current if performing with Downing at the Rock Hall ceremony helped put aside some of the acrimony that K.K. has shown about not being in band for these last few tours. Halford responded: "I think we should let the music speak for itself, really, because as you'll see from the performance, you'll see that all of that other stuff is irrelevant. All the things that have been said and suggested just float off into the air. What matters is what's going down on that stage at that time you're performing together. And there he is on my right-hand side. It just felt like he was always there. Look behind me and there's [Les], and the memories just are overwhelming. But, more than that, you're focusing on the moment that you're back together again and playing live. It was really a whirlwind. We were in each other's company for a very, very short space of time. We had very little time to communicate. But for the purpose of the induction of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame together, it was absolutely crucial that K.K. and Les were there. They were inducted, they needed to be in the room. And more than that, we were thrilled that they took the opportunity to say, 'Yeah, we'll come and jam on stage again with you guys.'"

In a separate interview with Lauren "Lern" Elwell of the KSHE radio station, Halford said it was "good" performing with Downing and Binks at the Rock Hall. He added: "We hadn't seen [Downing] forever. And I've still yet to watch footage of that. All I remember is my brief interactions with K.K., because I'm always running around the stage like a mad drag queen. My interactions with Ken and with Les, it was great. It felt wonderful to have that moment together after such a long time. And that just shows you the power, the weight, the vibe that the Rock Hall suggests you try to attempt. Try and recapture something of the essence that it really part of why you're here, why you're being inducted. I was just so happy that Ken and Les showed up, because they needed to be there. It was entirely their choice, but I said it makes absolute sense if you're in the room and we're playing together. And we did, and it was magical."

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

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

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

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

In his 2018 autobiography "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", Downing wrote that he told Tipton and Andrews that he had "hated" them both "since 1985." In 2021, he explained his outburst to Classic Rock magazine: "I was angry. Glenn had formed a relationship with Jayne from day one, and it felt a bit like a John-and-Yoko situation. I didn't like that."

JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year's class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

Photo credit: Mind Art Visual

Corey Taylor has once again criticized THE BEATLES song "All You Need Is Love", calling it "garbage" and "so fucking saccharine".

In an interview with the "Zach Sang Show" last month, the SLIPKNOT singer described the track as "hippie garbage" and "one of the biggest pieces of shit that I've ever heard in my life. And every time I hear it, I feel like I'm getting shot at. Put it that way — it's that bad."

He later doubled down on his opinion in a video he posted to his YouTube channel, in which he responded to "shit talk" sent to him by his fans. One fan disagreed with his BEATLES comments, arguing that "All You Need Is Love" is their best song. "No, it's not," Taylor fired back. "It's a piece of shit."

Now, during a new appearance on the "Barstool Backstage" podcast, Corey explained his position on "All You Need Is Love", but prefaced it by saying that he is "a massiveBEATLES fan. I loveTHE BEATLES," he insisted (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I study them like the Zapruder film sometimes, man, 'cause I feel like they were really the kind of the progenitor for so many different vibes.

"In the '60s, you had very specific bands that did very specific things — obviously THE WHO, THE KINKS, all that stuff — that kind of led down different musical paths," he continued. "But THE BEATLES, dude, were so instrumental in really kind of planting the seeds for so many different genres. The fact that they are clowned now makes me mad, and I've push those people down by their fucking face when they talk shit. "

Taylor went on to say that THE BEATLES' catalog of music is "unmatched. Even bands like [LED] ZEPPELIN, who are massively fucking influential, [they] don't hold a candle to what THE BEATLES were able to do."

Circling back to "All You Need Is Love", Taylor said: "It's just so fucking saccharine. Every time I hear it, I get a cavity. I'm just, like, 'What the fuck is this garbage?'"

Asked if he has a favorite BEATLES record, Taylor said: "Oh shit, dude. I mean, 'Revolver''s really, really good. That one. But here's the thing, man — a lot of their great songs weren't even on albums; they were singles, man. So, I look at stuff like 'Strawberry Fields Forever' as one of the darkest fucking songs. And I've never had the balls to cover it — let's put it that way. I've always wanted to, 'cause it has the potential to be able to kind of take it down this fucking twisted vibe."

Corey kicked off his U.S. solo tour on August 25 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colorado.

Taylor's 2023 tour features special guests WARGASM, OXYMORRONS and LUNA AURA on select dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 28-city trek will make stops across the U.S in Detroit, Orlando, Dallas and more before the final headline show in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on October 5.

Corey is touring in support of his sophomore solo studio album, "CMF2", which will be released on September 15.

"CMF2", Taylor's first album for BMG and the first on his own label imprint, Decibel Cooper Recordings, was produced by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, AMON AMARTH),who also helmed STONE SOUR's 2017 LP "Hydrograd" as well as 2020's "CMFT".

"CMFT" featured the No. 1 Billboard mainstream rock single "Black Eyes Blue" and streaming sensation "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (feat. Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie). The LP hit No. 6 on Billboard's U.S. Top Rock Albums chart.

Image credit: MusicJunkie422 YouTube channel

In an interview with EMP conducted at last month's Summer Breeze festival in Dinkelsbühl, Germany, DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li spoke about the band's recent announcement that it had signed a new record deal with Napalm Records. Regarding how DRAGONFORCE ended up partnering with the Austrian label, Herman said: "We took the band VISIONS OF ATLANTIS on tour with us, and the guy from VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, the drummer [Thomas Caser], actually works at Napalm Records. And he saw how cool we were, and he thought, 'We've gotta sign DRAGONFORCE.' I ignored for him for, like, almost two years, like, 'Ah, whatever. I don't care. I don't need a record label.' And then it ended up these guys are pretty fucking awesome. So I said, 'You know what? Let's do it together.' Yeah."

Li also addressed DRAGONFORCE singer Marc Hudson's recent revelation that the band's follow-up to 2019's "Extreme Power Metal" album was "basically finished." Herman said: "Don't listen to the rumors, man. Here's the truth: it's not finished. And even if it's finished, I can't tell you because then we don't have a press release to say it's finished."

Last month, Hudson told Heavy Debriefings about the status of DRAGONFORCE's next LP: "I'm actually going into the studio probably tonight to finish off some stuff. But, yeah, we've been working on an album for a while now and, obviously, trying to play some shows in between. We've got a few festivals. We just did one last weekend, and then we've got one this weekend. Then obviously the big tour [in the fall]. So, yeah, we need to basically finish all that up. We've basically finished everything. It's just a case of like polishing the final product and then hopefully playing some of the songs — well, we definitely will be playing the songs on the next tour, so [we'll be] learning a new setlist and all that stuff."

Formed in 1999, the London, U.K.-based unit has captivated audiences worldwide with its highly successful records and iconic singles, including the platinum-selling anthem "Through The Fire And Flames". Renowned for their epic compositions, DRAGONFORCE's signature lies in their masterful and lightning-fast guitar solos, brilliantly crafted by the virtuosic duo of Li and Sam Totman. Comprising Hudson, bassist Alicia Vigil, and drummer Gee Anzalone, the five-piece ensemble draws inspiration from a myriad of heavy metal styles, fantasy realms, and video games, blending 1980s rock influences with infectious sing-along choruses and uplifting melodies.

Last month, DRAGONFORCE announced the North American headline leg of a world tour. Featuring special guests AMARANTHE with additional support from Napalm Records labelmates NANOWAR OF STEEL, as well as EDGE OF PARADISE, the tour will begin on October 20 in Mesa, Arizona. After visiting many major cities across the U.S. and Canada, the tour will culminate in a grand finale in Los Angeles, California on November 19.

Last November, DRAGONFORCE released a music video for the song "The Last Dragonborn". The track is taken from "Extreme Power Metal", which came out in September 2019. Produced in Los Angeles, California by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited, the LP was also recorded, in part, on Li's livestream channel on Twitch with participation from the fans.

"The Last Dragonborn" was the first DRAGONFORCE music video to feature Vigil, who first joined the band as a touring member in January 2020.

DRAGONFORCE's platinum-selling single "Through The Fire And Flames" brought the London-based Grammy-nominated extreme power metal group international acclaim and was featured as the most challenging song on "Guitar Hero III".

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

In August 2019, DRAGONFORCE parted ways with longtime bassist Frédéric Leclercq. He has since joined German thrashers KREATOR.

DRAGONFORCE is:

Herman Li - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Sam Totman - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Marc Hudson - Vocals
Alicia Vigil - Bass, Backing Vocals
Gee Anzalone - Drums, Backing Vocals

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Legendary rockers FOREIGNER were joined by their original keyboardist Al Greenwood and classic-era bass player Rick Wills for the two-song encore of "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Hot Blooded" on September 1 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Video of their appearance can be seen below (courtesy of the jukeboxhero26 YouTube channel).

Greenwood and Wills had played sporadic shows with FOREIGNER in recent years, an idea that took shape around the time of the band's 40th anniversary in 2016.

Wills, who replaced Ed Gagliardi on bass in 1979, told WickedLocal.com in a 2021 interview: "We know that the fans really do appreciate when the originals come out. So we like to do what we can.

"None of us could've ever imagined that 40 years after we made the songs they'd still be playing on the radio, people would be streaming them and still coming out to our shows," he added.

FOREIGNER has been touring extensively since 2004 with founding member Mick Jones and a new cast of performers.

The only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, Jones suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012. Ever since, it is never announced whether he will be appearing with the band for specific shows — it just depends how he is feeling. Jones did not appear at the Uncasville gig.

FOREIGNER's farewell tour officially launched in July.

Joining Jones in the band's current lineup are lead singer Kelly Hansen, bassist Jeff Pilson, keyboardist Michael Bluestein, guitarist Bruce Watson, drummer Chris Frazier and guitarist Luis Maldonado.

In November 2019, earMUSIC released "Double Vision: Then And Now", a recording of FOREIGNER's October 6, 2017 concert at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Then-FOREIGNER members Jones, Hansen, Tom Gimbel, Pilson, Bluestein, Watson and Frazier were joined at the gig by former members Greenwood, Wills, Lou Gramm (vocals),Dennis Elliott and Ian McDonald.

FOREIGNER will bid goodbye to the Las Vegas Strip with an exclusive headlining two-part "Feels Like The Last Time Farewell Tour" residency at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The shows will be held March 6 through April 6, and October 25 through November 9, 2024 at 8:30 p.m.

After Gramm left FOREIGNER in 2003, Jones took some time off before regrouping a couple years later with an entirely new lineup, featuring Hansen and Pilson, among others.

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want To Know What Love Is".

During an interview at this month's Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma, GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna was asked for relationship advice by a "freshly engaged" Matt "Cuervo" Cuellar of Springfield, Missouri's Q102 radio station. Erna responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Here's the key to every relationship. I guarantee you, this is every relationship. Everybody has their shit, right? Everybody has their baggage. Everybody has their things that annoy you. A relationship is just about choosing someone whose shit you can deal with the most. That's really all it is. Whose shit do you wanna deal with?"

Less than two months ago, Erna publicly shared the identity of his new love, Kelly Fedoni. Fedoni is the ex-wife of Deadmau5, a Canadian singer and DJ whose real name is Joel Thomas Zimmerman.

On July 27, Sully took to his social media to post several photos of him with Fedoni, and he included the following message: "I thought it was time for you all to meet my person.

"As you all know I like to remain fairly private, but I'm always happy to show off the people in my life I love the most. So please know that any rude or mean comments will be deleted and blocked. As I am trusting you, “my dearest fans” to be the loving people that I know you to be.

"Finding someone you Love, Trust, Respect and is your best friend isn't always easy. It takes time, (in my case 55 years) patience, lessons and ALOT of self growth to be ready for it when it arrives. So when you find it ' and you will '… never take it for granted. Be fearless, be vulnerable, and be true to yourself.

"When you're a good person, it's inevitable YOU WILL manifest the best people to compliment your life! She is as solid of a human as they come. And she is mine. So say hello to the other half of me."

Fedoni and Zimmerman reportedly became a couple in 2014 and got married in 2017, one year after a romantic proposal in the Maldives. Among those who attended their wedding was MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee. They split in 2021 after four years of marriage.

Sully has a daughter, Skylar Brook, who was born in December 2001.

The Arin Sarris YouTube channel has uploaded video of COAL CHAMBER's entire September 8 performance at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Check it out below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Loco
02. Fiend
03. Big Truck
04. Rowboat (FLOOD cover)
05. Drove
06. Dark Days
07. Oddity
08. Another Nail In The Coffin
09. Something Told Me
10. Sway

COAL CHAMBER recently completed a U.S. tour as the support act for MUDVAYNE. Additional support on the 26-city "The Psychotherapy Sessions" tour, which was produced by Live Nation, came from GWAR, NONPOINT and BUTCHER BABIES.

COAL CHAMBER played its first two shows in eight years at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas in May and at the Inkcarceration Music And Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio in July.

In a recent interview with the Loaded Radio podcast, COAL CHAMBER frontman Dez Fafara was asked about the possibility of new music from him and his bandmates. He said: "We've been discussing it. [Sigh] I take a sigh right there, and the reason is because I don't wanna rush anything. I actually said to them… We booked [festival appearances at] Inkcarceration, Blue Ridge Rock Fest and Sick New World. That's all we were gonna do this year until MUDVAYNE hit us up [about supporting them on their summer tour]. And I actually said to them about the MUDVAYNE run, 'Let's not do it. I'd rather just stay friends. Let's do a few shows.' But the point is when we're all together, I realized that any problem we've ever had is gone. To think about it as any kind of continuing problem would be wrong. So, okay, cool. Let's go do MUDVAYNE. And now, of course, talking about new music is very exciting for us."

Dez continued: "I happen to feel like if [COAL CHAMBER's last album] 'Rivals', which was released 12 years ago — something like this; 10 [or] 12 years ago — if 'Rivals' would have been released now with where the genre is and where, I would say where nu metal is at this point, that record would be insane. We were 10, 12 years too early getting back together and releasing that record, in my opinion. But I guess it's always good to preempt what's coming down the line, and we surely did with 'Rivals'. So if you're a COAL CHAMBER fan, go check out 'Rivals', if you haven't."

Regarding what it was like returning to the live stage with COAL CHAMBER for the first time in eight years, Dez said: "[It was] unbelievable. We were all backstage. Of course there's a hundred people back there with their cameras on us as we're hugging. But it was amazing. We hit the stage… They were chanting 'COAL CHAMBER', so it was 55, 60 thousand people chanting 'COAL CHAMBER', which just absolute goosebumps on my arms. We came out. We killed it. The set was short — it was only 30, 35 minutes; something like that — so it was in and out. But it was at the height of the day. People were telling us that, 'Your stage was the most packed of the day.' Of course I'm not putting myself up against the bigger bands; I'm just saying that it is what it is. And then when I got off, I said to my wife, 'What's going on? What's going on out there?' And she was, like, 'They're all singing you 'Happy Birthday', dummy.' And I was, like, 'Wow.' So it was a pretty incredible weekend… It was an amazing time, man. And I'm grateful. I'm humbled by everybody who came. And the reception that we got was wonderful."

This past March, Fafara told Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about how COAL CHAMBER's reunion came about: "Unbelievable turn of events. That actually happened… I was on my way out from COVID. And my wife called [the other members of COAL CHAMBER] and said, 'Hey, you guys may wanna text Dez or call Dez 'cause I don't know if he's gonna make it through the night. He's telling me where he wants to be buried and not to sell his '78 Cadillac.' So they started to call me, they started to text me, and over a period of six, seven, eight months, we didn't talk any business at all. And we realized that, you know, why are we not playing shows? Those guys are totally different people than when we broke up. I have always been the same — I've just been solid as a rock; and I told them, 'I'm solid as a rock. If I come out of this, I would love to do at least one show with you guys.' And that's how this all started — very organically."

Dez added: "COAL CHAMBER is a very unpredictable thing, all the way from its beginning, playing with PANTERA and BLACK SABBATH, to where we were when we put out 'Rivals' to where we are now… But we're gonna take it slow and we're gonna do what's appropriate for the brand and for the band and especially the fans that have been with us for so long."

COAL CHAMBER existed for ten years before disbanding in 2003 to pursue other musical projects. They reunited in 2011 for touring purposes but it wasn't until 2014 that the band began work on a new studio album of original material, the aforementioned critically acclaimed "Rivals". Several months of touring activity followed before Dez returned to DEVILDRIVER to make a new record, 2016's "Trust No One".

DEVILDRIVER's 2019 co-headlining tour with STATIC-X saw the Fafara-fronted outfit performing material from COAL CHAMBER for the first time.

Fafara painted a bleak picture of COAL CHAMBER's future during a 2016 interview with Revolver magazine. He stated at the time: "I had a lot of fun doing that record and playing shows with them again. But there were some circumstances that were not ideal and that's why that thing is not continuing as of right now. If something comes up and I have time and want to make a record and the members have their shit together, I'll do it. But as of now, there's some deep-seated shit that certain dudes in the band still need to work out. And if they work it out and want to tour or make another record, they can come back and give me a call. But right now, everyone in DEVILDRIVER is stoked. No one's fighting. And I feel lucky to be where I am."

Dez had stated in previous interviews that COAL CHAMBER's original split happened because "I did not want to be around the band's hard drug use and I realized that going onstage every night that the money was feeding their habit, so I walked to save my friends." He added that his COAL CHAMBER bandmates were "clean" as of 2012, which made him realize that "it was the right thing to walk [away from the group back in 2003]."

In a recent interview with Italy's "Heavy Demons" radio show, guitarist/vocalist Patrizio "Patrick" Mameli of long-running Dutch progressive death metallers PESTILENCE was asked what he misses the most about the death metal scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's very easy. The solidarity and the brotherhood. I think that nowadays a lot of stuff, and not just in metal or whatever but in general, stuff has been politicized so much to the point that even in metal, you get subgroups and that use politics to ban another group or ban another group of people when they don't think the same."

He continued: "I remember that when metal, when it started, when the first Floridian death metal bands came out and we were tape trading, everybody just recognized another brother and everybody treated each other with respect. But now it's more like if you don't belong to this certain group, then you're like outcasted, and it's because it's politicized."

Three years ago, several months into the coronavirus pandemic and weeks before the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Mameli railed against cancel culture in an interview with Heavy Culture, saying: "The stuff that is happening right now, where the focus is on stuff like 'Black Lives Matter' and Antifa fighting each other, the Trump-Joe Biden rally and all these things that are happening right now, it seems like we know what is happening, but there is nothing we can do about it. And that is the problem — most of the people don't care to get out there anymore and raise their voice because of what other people are gonna say or are gonna do to you. Mankind has become like a political thing. Everything you say can be used against you. So you can't say white person, black person, Hispanic, without people using the racial card. You have to watch out what you say with everything you do, and because the Internet is there, people get banned. I get banned for what I say on Facebook. They take away my pictures, they take away what I say. Some people get scared with this and then they stop protesting what they think is right."

Two months ago, PESTILENCE announced the addition of bassist Roel Käller to the group's ranks. He replaced Joost Van Der Graaf, who played with PESTILENCE from 2019 to 2023, and recorded one album, 2021's "Exitivim". Prior to joining PESTILENCE, Käller was best known for his work with symphonic death metallers MAYAN.

"Exitivm", the ninth studio album from PESTILENCE, landed on several Billboard charts, including the top 200 best-selling albums. The album charted at No. 188 on Billboard 200, No. 23 on Current Hard Music Albums, and No. 37 on New Artist Albums in its first week of release.

In 2023, PESTILENCE reissued its early, classic catalog via Agonia Records. "Malleus Maleficarum" (1988),"Consuming Impulse" (1989),"Testimony Of The Ancients" (1991) and "Spheres" (1993) were remastered from scratch at Satanic Audio (BEHEMOTH, AZARATH) to significantly improve on overall sound quality by engaging present-day studio equipment. The newly remastered albums are available in an ample variety of physical formats and on streaming platforms.

PESTILENCE's 2023 lineup is:

Patrizio Mameli - vocals, lead guitars
Rutger Van Noordenburg - lead guitars
Roel Käller - bass
Michiel Van Der Plicht - drums

METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo rejoined his former band SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on stage last night (Saturday, September 9) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to perform the song "I Saw Your Mommy..." Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, whose current touring lineup includes Robert's 19-year-old son Tye on bass, played at State Farm Stadium as the support act for METALLICA at the latter band's rescheduled second concert in Arizona.

The Mike Muir-fronted outfit opened the show in Glendale, with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH filling the middle slot, as originally scheduled.

The concert, which was originally set to take place on Sunday, September 3 was postponed after METALLICA frontman James Hetfield tested positive for COVID-19.

Back in 2017, Robert spoke to Records In My Life about SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' self-titled debut album, which was released in July 1983 and which featured the original studio version of "I Saw Your Mommy..." He said: "I didn't play on that album, but I tell you, that was an album that… I mean, before I was in the band, I would wear the hat and t-shirts, and that was even before I knew Mike Muir. I knew Rocky George, the guitar player, 'cause I went to junior high school with him, so I've known him for many years. But that particular album, to me, really represents where I grew up and just the progression of alternative music and multi-racial bands incorporating other styles into hardcore music."

Trujillo was first invited to join SUICIDAL TENDENCIES for a European tour in 1989 supporting East Coast thrashers ANTHRAX. While with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Robert appeared on some of the band's most successful albums: "Lights...Camera...Revolution!" (1990),"The Art Of Rebellion" (1992) and "Still Cyco After All These Years" (1993). During Trujillo's years with SUICIDAL, Muir heard some of Robert's homemade demos and they collaborated on a funkier, more progressive sound under the name INFECTIOUS GROOVES. They produced a number of albums such as "The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move..." (1991),"Sarsippius' Ark" (1993) and "Groove Family Cyco" (1994).

Back in 2021, Trujillo humorously revealed in an interview that before he signed on as the bass player for METALLICA, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES would gobble up METALLICA's leftover dinners whenever they could during a joint 1993 tour. And even though the METALLICA members respected Trujillo's playing with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield admitted that when Robert's name came up during bassist auditions, he thought, "there's no way he's going to join us. He's too amazing, he's too spectacular."

Long-running Swedish black metal legends Marduk just released their 15th studio album, Memento Mori, out now via Century Media Records and BraveWords caught up with original guitarist Morgan Håkansson at Germany’s Summer Breeze Open Air recently. In an excerpt from our upcoming feature, he talks about getting into heavy music and reveals who his rock god is. As well, the roots of Marduk's darkness and what was the first thing that touched his black metal heart? 


"I would have to say the Number Of The Beast album,” Håkansson looks back. “That's a way in for a lot of people, and then they found even bigger devotion, but most people started with music to get into it. I think it's a natural reflection of being a man. That's it."



"I just do what I want to do,” when asked about the band’s mission of extreme darkness. “I do what I believe in, that's what matters to me. I don't care. In the past I tried to convince people of this and that, but I don't care, I just do what I believe in and that's the most important thing to me."




BraveWords: Let’s go back in time. Were you ever a tape trader?


Håkansson: "Yeah, I was a tape trader, but not a lot. When it came to thrash, I think tape trading came to me a little bit later, I was born in 1973, so my tape trading started at the end of the ‘80s, I would say. But I mean, of course you kept track, but it's kind of hard when you talk to people far younger than you today. For example, when we grew up, we had to take the train to another city to go there, because they had one box of vinyls, and you were checking out, 'Ok, what is this? It has nine inverted crosses, it must be so good', so you just bought it and checked it out, and nobody really labelled music. It was like, hard, fast, speed. And faster and harder were what you were looking for all the time. It was a magical time. I think a lot of people today miss out on the magic of music, of trying to find things. You heard a band name and you wondered how they sound, or someone will say, 'They sound like this', and then finally you got hold of some tape. Today you type it in and you have all the things in the world served to you. So people are missing out on a lot of that magic. I'm happy to have been a part of it."


BraveWords: Do you remember your first vinyl purchase? 


Håkansson: "I think I got it from my uncle, I think it was KISS, The Elder, that I owned myself."


BraveWords: What bands from the ‘70s really influenced you, then? 


Håkansson: "It's hard to say 'influenced me', but I like a lot of them. I like a lot of Uriah Heep stuff. I also like (Deep) Purple, Rainbow, and the old (Black) Sabbath, and a lot of other things, as well. I can't think of others to say, but so many things from every area, from the ‘70s, from the ‘80s, from the ‘90s, everything has its charm." 


BraveWords: Who's your rock god?


Håkansson: "Ritchie Blackmore."


BraveWords: Really?


Håkansson: "He has everything a musician should have - perfect musician, extraordinary character."


BraveWords: So, what do you think about the Renaissance material that he's been doing? 


Håkansson: "I bought the first two albums, it's not my favourite thing, but he does what he wants to do. He's seen life, and we can do whatever we want to do, and that's what he loves to do, so why not?"


BraveWords: But as a guitar player, do you pay attention to his unique style?


Håkansson: "Yeah, since I was young, he was one of the first, I loved him,  and to copy him, and Yngwie Malmsteen as well. Ritchie Blackmore has the unique rock style, combined early on with the early classical thing he was playing. He was one of the first in rock to really put a lot of classical music into it. I bought a lot of these vinyls that were also released on CD, live stuff with Deep Purple from the late 60s early 70s, I don't remember what it's called, and they do a lot of jamming. You hear a lot of the classical stuff that he puts into it. I think it's extraordinary."

Stay tuned for the full BraveWords feature in the coming days.

 


Memento Mori is available for in the following formats here.


- Ltd. Deluxe Gatefold Ultra Clear-Black Splatter Vinyl With Alternative Cover Artwork (Incl. -LP-Booklet, Art-Print & Poster) (Limited to 2,000 copies / All Outlets)
- Red Gatefold Vinyl (Limited to 300 copies / Available at Century Media Shop)
- White Gatefold Vinyl (Limited to 500 copies / Available via Century Media Shop)
- Golden Gatefold Vinyl (Limited to 500 copies / Available at Levykauppa ÄX, Bengans, Supreme Chaos)
- Silver Gatefold Vinyl (Limited to 500 copies / Available at EMP & Nuclear Blast)
- Black Gatefold Vinyl (All Outlets)
- CD Mediabook (All Outlets)




(Top photo courtesy of the Marduk Facebook page)

 

Canadian bashers, Sven Gali, have released a video for "One Gun", featured on the band's new album, Bombs And Battlescars. Order the album here, and watch the clip below.





Tracklisting:




"One Gun"
"Coming Home"
"Spellbound"
"Life Inside"
"Monster"
"Hang Me Out"
"Hogs"
"All"
"Nothing New"


"One Gun" video:





"Monster" video:





Sven Gali lineup:


Dave Wanless – Vocals
Andy Frank – Guitars
Shawn Minden – Bass
Sean Williamson – Guitars
Dan Fila – Drums

Season Of Ghosts guitarist / composer Zombie Sam has checked in with the following update:


"My new Horror band is called PhantasmaGore. It is a horror synth band made of four monsters. I present to you Dark Bones = me, myself & I.


The project is based on a core value: Music Meets Art. How are we going to do that? Each release will be connected to an artwork, and each artwork will be connected to a horror story.




There's PhantasmaGore's official website here.


Last but not least, we've got our first release coming on September 20th."





The first PhantasmaGore single, "Cold Nights, Long Nights", is available for pre-save here.


The Story: A creature, conjured by one’s own vanity, gains more power the longer one gazes into the mirror. The music accompanying this scene feels like spiraling and fast-flowing currents, reminiscent of a spell spinning out of control. Eventually, the glass shatters, providing a moment of peace in the calm section before the ending. However, this tranquility is only temporary. The end music resumes, leading to an abrupt ending where the candle is snuffed out, leaving nothing but pale green smoke.

Modernistic metal outfit Solemn Vision have dropped a new single off their upcoming studio effort, Despite The Rise Of The Sun. The Brooklyn band’s new track, “Bane And Benumbed”, is out now, accompanied by a visualizer you can watch below.


Speaking about the song, the band shares, "Musically, ‘Bane And Benumbed’ is a perfect balance of classic and modern melodic death metal. Filled with fast, gripping riffs punctuated by a pounding rhythm section from drummer Carlos Crowcell and bassist Anthony Rafferty, an anthemic chorus displaying vocalist Aaron Harris's proficiency at not just his iconic screams but also clean singing, and blistering yet melodic solos from guitarists Mauricio Cornejoand Kadin Wisniewski. The lyrics are a take on sleep paralysis and its effects. Parts of the lyrics were also used as the title for the new album."







The new album from Solemn Vision, Despite The Rise Of The Sun, will see an October 20th release.


Despite The Rise Of The Sun, the second full-length release from progressive melodic death metal quintet Solemn Vision, is tangible proof of hard work coming to fruition. Pre-lockdown, the band had already been working on songs that would become the bulk of the album. As the lockdown settled in, they kept working away, fueled by not only the frustrations and difficulties brought on by the pandemic, but by their increasingly impatient fans who wanted new music more than ever. As the world re-opened, Solemn Vision embarked on a three-week tour of the Northeast and entered into an exciting new partnership with Black Lion Records setting them well on the path of bringing their vision to life.


Ranging from punishingly fast to soft and dark, Despite The Rise Of The Sun maintains a rhythmic stasis throughout that becomes the album’s message: when faced with the ups and downs of challenge and adversity, finding a sense of balance is vital. Pre-orders can be placed here.





Despite The Rise Of The Sun tracklisting:


"Father From The Flame" 
"Avarice" 
"Gates" 
"A Debt To The Wraith" 
"On The Eve Of Silence" 
"Sea Of Trees" 
"Bane And Benumbed" 
"Unfinished Tapestry" 
"The Cerebral Labyrinth" 
"Unfinished Tapestry" (Acoustic Version)





 

Former OVERKILL and VIO-LENCE guitarist Bobby Gustafson has launched a new band called PAINWARD. Joining the 58-year-old musician, who is based in Florida, in the new outfit are his SATAN'S TAINT bandmate Jim McCourt on drums and MASSACRE bassist Mike Borders. A singer for the project has not yet been announced.

According to PAINWARD's Facebook page, the band's music will be "hard-hitting thrash" as well as "fast and to the point."

Gustafson joined OVERKILL in 1982 and played on the band first four albums — "Feel The Fire" (1985),"Taking Over" (1987),"Under The Influence" (1988) and "The Years Of Decay" (1989) — before being shown the door in 1990 amid growing tension between him and OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni.

Bobby told Metal Rules a few years ago that he was never officially asked to leave OVERKILL. "It wasn't something where they came out and said, 'Hey, you're fired!' It was more of a verbal fight between me and D.D. about doing a show where they wanted to do it strictly for money and I didn't want to do it because we had just sold out Studio 54 in New York, our biggest show, and they wanted to do a Halloween show that was kind of goofy," he claimed.

In a 2016 interview with Rock & Metal In My Blood, Gustafson said that he would "never play with [OVERKILL] again. They stole from me back then and continue to steal from me till this day," he explained. "They haven't paid me for the use of my songs for the past 30 years and now they are even re-recording 'Feel The Fire' live. I've never seen a band claim so adamantly that they don't live in the past, yet most of their set list is from the first four albums I was on. They have had so many albums after me and never play songs from them. I just can't play happily with backstabbers and liars."

Regarding the fact that OVERKILL replaced him with two guitarists, Gustafson told Noisecreep in a 2011 interview: "Some might say it was like a compliment. I would tend to agree. Plus every album after me, when they had two guitar players in the lineup, never topped what I did. 'The Years Of Decay' is still our best-selling album and I had a really short time to write it. I did it short breaks within a six-month period. D.D. had years to put together their next album ['Horrorscope']. So his opinion that two guitarists would make them heavier failed."

Gustafson joined VIO-LENCE in January 2020 as the replacement for Ray Vegas.

When Gustafson's departure from VIO-LENCE was first announced in October 2020, the band cited "logistical difficulties that weigh too heavy to function in a productive manner" as the reason for the split. He later told Into The Pit about his exit: "[The split happened] for the same reason all these bands are canceling tours. It's just gotten so expensive to do. Even within that three-short-year span, the price of plane tickets really shot up after the pandemic. They're not playing all the time — they're doing sporadic shows here and there — and to spend that much money to bring me out there, it's understandable."

Gustafson went on to say: "I thought it was pretty much a solid band when I had started. But I know Phil [Demmel, VIO-LENCE's founding guitarist] has his eyes on something bigger. So if other projects come along, he wanted to really be with something at the level he was used to, which is understandable. You get used to that level, and it's hard to go back. I wish them well. Whatever happens, happens."

Posted by Painward on Friday, September 8, 2023

Dorothy recently performed her hit song, "Gifts From The Holy Ghost", exclusively for Vevo. BraveWords is pleased to share this video, which can be enjoyed below.





Earlier this year, Dorothy performed at a sold-out show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles and was joined onstage by guitar legend Slash for her song, “Gifts From The Holy Ghost”. Watch below.




The Troubadour show coincided with the one-year anniversary of Dorothy the band’s same named album, Gifts From The Holy Ghost, and was full of fans and industry giants. Dorothy’s most recent was top 10 on the Active Rock charts and the video has over 2.4 million views.





Named an “Artist You Need to Know” by Rolling Stone, Dorothy has amassed over 1.3 million monthly Spotify listeners, 1 billion streams in all time global coverage, and their latest album Gifts From The Holy Ghost has over 59 million streams.


 

Finnish frontrunners Wolfheart have unveiled their new stand alone single, "Iku-Turso", in collaboration with Distortion Music Group. This powerful track was released on all major music platforms on September 8, 2023.


Crafted by songwriter Tuomas Saukkonen, "Iku-Turso" is a testament to his creative prowess. The single has been expertly brought to life by Saku Moilanen, who handled the production, recording, mixing, and mastering with finesse at DeepNoise Studios.


"Seems like with each concept album we make there is one story that is left behind and deserves a sequel to the theme. Our previous full length, King Of The North, was fully focused on Finnish Mythology and we did a thorough job covering everything between creation of the nordic realm, to the demigods of Finnish nature. But one truly primeval and malevolent creature, a sea monster called Iku-Turso, was left behind and now we are back to tell the story about a hunt of this beast that was also believed to be the god of war,” says Tuomas Saukkonen.










In live news, Wolfheart is about to embark upon their King Of The North Over Europe Tour, beginning September 22, 2023 in Helsinki, Finland, and wrapping up on November 26, 2023 in Maastricht, Netherlands. The complete routing can be found at this location. 


(Cover art: Nikos Stavridakis / VisionBlack)


(Photo credit: Valtteri Hirvonen)


 

During an appearance on yesterday's (Thursday, September 7) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", legendary rocker Alice Cooper was asked how long he thinks he can keep touring before it will be time for him to retire. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's all in your head. I really think so. And also if you're physically well. I would not wanna play Alice Cooper if I didn't look like Alice, the same way I looked like Alice in the '70s. I still look like that Alice. If I couldn't sing like Alice, if I lost my interest in it, if I didn't really love doing it. And the main thing is if nobody shows up. You can go out on tour and if nobody buys tickets, you're done. That's not happened; in fact, it's kind of doubled for us.

"I think people come to see Alice and they're expecting to see this relic, and they see the highest-energy show they've seen all year," Alice continued. "I've never been in better shape."

Cooper went on to say that he "can't explain" why his stage delivery hasn't diminished in recent years, like it has with so many other aging rockers. "Physically, I can [explain it]," he clarified. "I never smoked cigarettes. And that is a big — that's one of the big things that ends bands. And you think, 'Well, that's legal. Okay.' Cigarettes, you know, are gonna kill your lungs; it's gonna kill your energy — everything. I quit drinking 40 years ago. I married exactly the right woman. I mean, all of the ducks are in a row. I think stress kills more guys than anything else. I don't worry about anything. I mean, Shep [Gordon] being my manager, Bob [Ezrin] being my producer, I really don't have to worry about anything. So I'm just having fun out there. I could have retired 30 years ago, but, man, that's no fun. I wanna be up there on stage playing Alice."

Alice Cooper's new album "Road", came out on August 25 via earMUSIC. Produced by longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, "Road" was written, composed and recorded with Alice's trusted, longtime bandmates — Ryan Roxie (guitar),Chuck Garric (bass),Tommy Henrikson (guitar),Glen Sobel (drums) and Nita Strauss (guitar).

No stranger to doing things his own way, Alice has cast a long shadow over rock music with an unrivaled live show and timeless anthems like "School's Out", "No Mr. Nice Guy" and "Poison". Selling over 50 million albums worldwide, he earned a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2003, and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducted him as part of its class of 2011.

Boasting one of the most influential catalogs in history, Rolling Stone cited 1971's platinum-certified "Love It To Death" among the "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time", while other platinum releases spanned the seminal "Killer" (1971),"School's Out" (1972),the Billboard 200 No. 1 "Billion Dollar Babies" (1973),"Welcome To My Nightmare" (1975) and "Trash" (1989),to name a few. The latter even graced Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums Of All Time." He's so embedded in generations of popular culture that he not only made a cult-classic cameo in "Wayne's World" during 1992, but he also starred alongside EGOT winner John Legend and Sara Bareilles in NBC's 2018 production of Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert" — not to mention, who else appeared on "The Muppets" in seventies and "That 70s Show" in the early aughts?!

Beyond hundreds of syncs, everyone from Etta James, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, MEGADETH and THE FLAMING LIPS has covered his tunes. THE BEASTIE BOYS, DISTURBED, and countless others have sampled him. His collaborators have notably included the late Vincent Price, AEROSMITH, GUNS N' ROSES and Jon Bon Jovi, to name a few. Plus, he co-founded HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES alongside AEROSMITH's Joe Perry and Johnny Depp.

Most recently, 2021's "Detroit Stories" garnered widespread critical acclaim with Classic Rock grading it "4- out-of-5 stars" and hailing it as "his most concise bolt of precision-tooled heavy rock in 50 years." It bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Sales chart, hit No. 1 in Germany, and garnered nine Top 10 debuts worldwide.

Veteran rockers KIX performed at the M3 Rock Festival 2023 on May 7th in Columbia, MD at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. During their set, frontman Steve Whiteman announced the band will play their final show in September. Check out the video below courtesy of Talking Metal's Marm Strigl.


Whiteman: "I wanna make an announcement here. And it's gonna be probably a little hard to get through, but I wanna do it anyway, 'cause we want you all to know. We've decided that after 45 years of doing this, I think we're gonna call it a career. Not tonight. We're gonna do a show here September 17th.


It's been a long, long, long road, and my health is failing. Jimmy's (Chalfant / drums) health is definitely failing. We just decided we're gonna finish up these dates through the summer, and we were gonna end in Hinckley, Minnesota. And we thought, 'Who the fuck wants to end a career in Hickley, Minnesota?' So we brainstormed, and we said, 'We wanna do one big final rock and roll show in the area,' because you guys deserve it. No offense, Hinckley, but fuck that. So September 17th will be our final show, and we're lucky enough to be doing it here, so we hope you all will come join us. Will you come join us for our final show? We're countin' on you.




So, it's sad, but it's just time. You know when it's time. It's like an athlete; you know when it's time, and I think it's time. I'm tired. I can't fucking do this anymore (laughs),"





KIX performed their second to last show ever on September 8th at Grand Casino Amphitheater in Hinckley, MN as part of Rocktember 2023. Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"Hot Wire"
"Midnite Dynamite"
"No Ring Around Rosie"
"Scarlet Fever"
"Get It While It's Hot"
"Don't Close Your Eyes"
"Girl Money"
"Cold Shower"
"Cold Blood"
"Blow My Fuse"





Initially calling themselves Shooze, followed by a stint as The Generators, KIX formed with Ronnie "10/10" Younkins and Donnie Purnell in December 1977 in Hagerstown, Maryland, and Frederick, Maryland. Guitarist Brian "Damage" Forsythe, frontman Steve Whiteman, and drummer Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant soon came on board, completing what would become the band's classic lineup.


KIX released seven studio albums between 1981 and 2014: Kix (1981), Cool Kids (1983), Midnite Dynamite (1985), Blow My Fuse (1988), Hot Wire (1991), $how Bu$ine$$ (1995) and Rock Your Face Off (2014).


Blow My Fuse went Platinum based on the strength of power ballad "Don't Close Your Eyes", which peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the title track and the single "Cold Blood".

On August 10th, Arch Enemy performed at Leyendas Del Rock 2023 in Villena, Spain. Multi-cam video of the band's entire set can be veiwed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Deceiver, Deceiver"
"War Eternal"
"House of Mirrors"
"My Apocalypse
"The Watcher"
"The Eagle Flies Alone"
"Handshake With Hell"
"Sunset Over the Empire"
"As the Pages Burn"
"We Will Rise"
"Nemesis"







Skid Row frontman Erik Grönwall attended his first ever Arch Enemy show on August 14th at  Parksnäckan in Uppsala, Sweden. He rates the experience in the video below, released via his offcial YouTube channel.

Lord Of The Lost have released an official music video for their track, “No Respect For Disrespect”, cut from the band’s current album, Blood & Glitter (#1 Official German Album Charts). The mix of creative video submissions from LOTL fans - the band received more than 500 fan videos - as well as clips of the band themselves performing the song at home is sure to entertain and provide a big “Thank You” to the fans worldwide who have supported the band for all these years.


2023 has been a very busy year for Lord Of The Lost, including huge highlights such as representing Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in May, providing direct tour support for Iron Maiden, several sold out headline shows, and a summer full of big festival appearances. 


Lord Of The Lost on “No Respect For Disrespect”:




"How far can tolerance go when it tolerates intolerance? 'No Respect For Disrespect' is a song about the tolerance paradox and eloquently and reflectively says: ‘This far and no further'. Since this topic affects us all, it was important for us to make this video with as many wonderful people from our audience as possible. Because without all these people we are nothing and only together we are strong!"





When conjuring the concept of Blood & Glitter, Lord Of The Lost was inspired by the eponymous work of legendary music photographer Mick Rock, known for taking a large majority of the most famous photos of musicians in the 70s glam rock era. Lord Of The Lost visually immerse themselves in the lifestyle of that era and combine it with the new wave and pop sound of the 80s, building on their own familiar dark metal foundation. The result: a glamorous party with critical and direct messages.


Chris Harms says about the album release: "In a time when the marketing madness for each album seems to last longer and longer, when half the album - or even more - is already known six months in advance through pre-released singles, so that the high pre-release sales generate the highest possible chart result, what it should actually be about - the pure magic of hearing a new album of your favorite band for the first time - is becoming more and more lost. We want to transport this "like the old days" feeling through this surprise release! Fuck the charts, playlist pitches and 1,000 pointless reviews in advance. What matters is what an album means in the long run, not how high its "value" is on release day."





Blood & Glitter tracklisting:


"Blood & Glitter"
"Leave Your Hate In The Comments"
"Absolute Attitude"
"The Future Of A Past Life"
"No Respect For Disrespect"
"Reset The Preset"
"Destruction Manual"
"Dead End"
"Leaving The Planet Earth"
"Forever Lost"
"Save Our Souls"
"One Last Song"
"The Look" (Roxette Cover)


"Blood & Glitter" video:





Lineup:


Chris Harms - Vocals, Guitar
Pi Stoffers - Guitar
Class Grenayde - Bass
Gared Dirge - Piano, Synths, Percussion, Guitar
Niklas Kahl - Drums


(Photo - VDPictures)

Fake Figures, a rock/metal group based out of the greater Los Angeles area, has released their new single “Miasmatic” and announced their upcoming EP entitled ‘From Within’. “Miasmatic” is out today on all DSPs alongside a lyric video with the EP being released on Friday, September 28.


Fake Figures is a rock project amongst longtime friends and musicians from the Southern California metal/hardcore scene, including Atreyu guitarist Travis Miguel, singer Steve Ludwig (Nation’s Afire), bassist Bob Bradley (Scars of Tomorrow, Cassetta), guitarist Geoff Harman (Scars of Tomorrow, Cold War) and drummer Matt Horwitz (Adamantium). Over the past year, the group tracked the EP with producer Kris Comeaux (Assuming We Survive) and mastered the effort with Mike Kalajian (Periphery, Senses Fail).


From Within is the first of new music from the band since 2019’s We Are The Dead, and is the debut for new band vocalist Steve Ludwig. Ludwig was formerly the drummer for Fake Figures over the past 10 years, and played on notable Fake Figures tracks including “Bury The Hatchet” and “Hole In The Sky”. Prior to Fake Figures, Ludwig was the vocalist for California supergroup Nation’s Afire, which included members of Rise Against, Ignite, and Death By Stereo. 




Fake Figures aims to pen heavy rock tracks that steer into experimental waters, while carefully channeling rock formulas made popular by 90’s and 2000’s bands that inspired the members. Guitarist Travis Miguel, with a bit of humor, sums up the band's sound; “Whenever people ask me what FF sounds like, I tell them, “Think of a bunch of old HC dudes who worship at the altar of Alice In Chains and Queens Of The Stone Age”. Since releasing their 2011 debut Hail The Sycophants, the band has played dozens of live shows and earned a solid fanbase on Spotify with their music. 


Vocalist Steve Ludwig speaks more on “Miasmatic” and the single; “In this world, we have two choices; Stand up and rise above, or breathe the noxious gas that is being stuffed down our throats every day. From big corporate media to negative social media outlets, there are simply too many negatives and not enough positives for me today. For me, the song (Miasmatic) represents a relationship I’ve had with music all my life. I’ve usually been in a position where people heavily produce what I’ve written from home and from the heart. Where people have always told me how to write, and how to sing, and ultimately curbed my creativity.


I sincerely hope to do the old songs justice, but I hope you dig the new jams. I think of these songs as my therapy, and I hope the listener can relate to what I'm putting out there into the world. Thanks for checking it out."





Tracklisting:


“Burn The Tyrants”
“Miasmatic”
“Best Intentions”
“Polymer”
“My Homage”


“Miasmatic” lyric video:





(Photo – Brad Alexander)

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, are back with a fresh helping of Sunday Lunch, this time performing the Ozzy Osbouurne classic "Crazy Train". Check it out below.





Toyah & Robert's Sunday Lunch is going on tour throughout the UK in September and October. The couple will be accompanied by a live band, with Fripp on guitar.




Tickets are available here.





Says Toyah: “When people ask, 'What is the show going to be?', it’s going to be about the hundred years of musical experience we have between us.”


Watch the "Toyah At Home" video below, where Toyah and Robert introduce the tour concept:

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his cover of the Axwell & Ingrosso hit, "Sun Is Shining". Check it out below.


Johansson: "It’s about time to explore the more modern music and turn the new hits into epic metal versions! Originally performed by Axwell & Ingrosso, from the album More Than You Know, released in 2015."


Axwell & Ingrosso is a Swedish DJ duo consisting of Swedish House Mafia members Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso. They officially formed the group Axwell & Ingrosso in 2014. Their first performance was in 2014 at the June 8th Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City. It was named one of the 15 Hot Governors Ball Moments as well as one of the Top 10 Best Performances of the Hot Governors Ball by Billboard.










Johansson, who has become known for his weekly covers of '80s classics, has released a seven song compilation of fan favourites from his catalogue. It is now available on digital platforms. 





The tracklist is as follows: 


"Africa" (Toto)
"Headless Cross" (Black Sabbath)
"18 And Life" (Skid Row)
"You're The Voice" (John Farnham)
"The Price" (Twisted Sister)
"Alone" (Heart)
"I'm Still Standing" (Elton John) 

The official music video for the remixed version of "Lay Down, Stay Down", taken from WHITESNAKE's upcoming "The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition", can be seen below.

About "Lay Down, Stay Down", WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale says: "'Lay Down, Stay Down' was one of the first songs I wrote with Ritchie Blackmore at his house in Camberley, Surrey… I took the music demo home to Redcar, on the North East coast, where I maintained an apartment overlooking the North Sea… Glenn Hughes drove up from Cannock in the Midlands to hang out, and we messed around with the lyrics… It's a lyric about dealing with bullies… an aspect of the human condition I despise… I can't tell you the original 'working' title I had, as it's quite disgusting… It's about fighting back and not taking any shit from anybody… One of my favorite Ritchie guitar riffs from the 'Burn' album… and my guys totally drive it, as it should be driven…absolute balls to the wall…Super scorching solo from the incendiary Joel Hoekstra and the band firing on all six cylinders… Super new video put together, especially for this new GOLD celebration… N.B… Not Responsible For Speeding Tickets!!!"

Coverdale was a relatively unknown 21-year-old singer-songwriter when he joined DEEP PURPLE in 1973. He went on to record three classic albums alongside the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers before embarking on his musical journey a few years later with his band, WHITESNAKE.

Coverdale is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his DEEP PURPLE debut this year with a special version of "The Purple Album", WHITESNAKE's tribute to his three-year tenure with the legendary group. This newly remixed, remastered, and expanded edition of the 2015 album features previously unreleased recordings, including the very demo that secured Coverdale's spot with DEEP PURPLE.

"The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition" arrives on October 13 as a 2-CD/Blu-ray set for $29.98 and a 2-LP set on resplendent gold vinyl for $36.98. The new remix of "Burn" is available today digitally.

Coverdale recorded "The Purple Album" with guitarist Reb Beach, bassist Michael Devin, guitarist Joel Hoekstra (on his first WHITESNAKE album),and drummer Tommy Aldridge, reappearing on a WHITESNAKE studio album for the first time since 1989's "Slip Of The Tongue". The band cherry-picked gems from "Burn" (1974),"Stormbringer" (1974) and "Come Taste The Band" (1975),delivering inspired takes on fan favorites like "Lay Down Stay Down", "Lady Double Dealer" and "You Keep On Moving".

The 2-CD/Blu-ray version of "The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition" goes beyond the original with the addition of live recordings and concert videos from "The Purple Tour" ("The Gypsy", "Mistreated"),official music videos ("Sail Away", "You Fool No One"),and an assortment of previously unreleased material, including six alternate mixes of album tracks. The Blu-ray also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the album's making and a song-by-song commentary by Coverdale.

An exciting addition to the upcoming collection is the four-song demo Coverdale submitted to DEEP PURPLE, hoping to become the band's next singer. Recorded in 1972 with his former band, THE FABULOSA BROTHERS, the reel-to-reel tape was extensively restored after Coverdale stumbled upon it among his late mother's belongings. In the album's liner notes, Coverdale says: "I had no idea my Mam had the tape…For me, to open my Mam's trunk of personal items, 30 years after her passing, was a gift from Heaven." The collection also features several demos Coverdale recorded while working on songs for DEEP PURPLE's 1974 album "Stormbringer".

"The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition" 2-CD/Blu-ray track listing:

CD One: 2023 Remix

01. Burn
02. Lay Down, Stay Down
03. Love Child
04. Holy Man
05. The Gypsy
06. Lady Double Dealer
07. Might Just Take Your Life
08. Mistreated
09. Stormbringer
10. Sail Away (Interpolating "Elegy For Jon")
11. You Keep On Moving – featuring the Hook City Strings
12. Lady Luck
13. Coming Home
14. You Fool No One (Interpolating "Itchy Fingers") Dedicated in loving memory to Jeff Beck
15. Soldier Of Fortune

CD Two

The Purple Tour Five Live

01. Burn
02. The Gypsy
03. Mistreated
04. You Fool No One
05. Soldier Of Fortune

Alternative Mixes

06. Holy Man (Unzipped) *
07. Stormbringer (Punch In The Nuts Mix) *
08. Love Child (Alternate Mix) *
09. Soldier Of Fortune – featuring Joel Hoekstra & The Hook City Strings *
10. Soldier Of Fortune – featuring The Hook City Strings *
11. Soldier Of Fortune (Instrumental) – featuring The Hook City Strings *

The 1972 DC Purple Audition Tape Featuring The Fabulosa Brothers

12. Everybody's Talkin' *
13. Get Ready *
14. Lonely Town, Lonely Street *
15. Dancing In The Street *
16. 1974 DC Demo Ideas For The Stormbringer Album *

Blu-ray

Purple Music Videos

01. Lady Double Dealer
02. Stormbringer
03. Sail Away
04. Soldier Of Fortune
05. The Gypsy
06. Soldier Of Fortune – featuring Joel Hoekstra & The Hook City Strings*
07. Soldier Of Fortune – featuring The Hook City Strings*

Purplesnake Videos

08. Lay Down, Stay Down*
09. Holy Man*
10. You Keep On Moving*
11. You Fool No One*

Live Clips

12. Burn – Live "Atlantis" Video
13. Burn/Stormbringer – Live In The Still Of The Night
14. Soldier Of Fortune – Starkers In Tokyo

The Purple Tour Five Live

15. Burn
16. The Gypsy
17. Mistreated
18. You Fool No One
19. Soldier Of Fortune
20. The Purple Album: Behind The Scenes*
21. The Purple Album: Song-By-Song*

* Previously unreleased

When "The Purple Album" was originally released, Coverdale told Billboard: "Everyone did their homework, and every performance is done respectfully in honor of [DEEP PURPLE's] musicians. Though I focused on the twin-guitar attack of WHITESNAKE, we had a guest keyboard player because a huge part of the DEEP PURPLE sound was Jon Lord playing that amazing Hammond organ."

He continued: "There were respectful nods to the original musicians throughout the album, and it has come out delightfully. It's a tribute to Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Ritchie Blackmore, who gave me my break in the first place. I'd never even made a record when I joined DEEP PURPLE, and my first record went double gold, which was early platinum. They didn't even have platinum records back in those days!"

Coverdale added: "When we were working on it, each one of my musicians said these songs sounded as if they were written yesterday, and none of them were born when I first recorded them! It's a testament to the songs that they stand up. We've Whitesnaked them up and given them a fresh coat of paint, but it's still the same House of Purple."

Glenn Hughes was joined by Joe Bonamassa and Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) during his performance last night (Friday, September 8) at The Canyon Beverly Hills At The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California. Bonamassa and Smith played the DEEP PURPLE classics "Burn" and "Highway Star" with the former PURPLE bassist/vocalist, with Bonamassa — who plays with Hughes in the long-running BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION project — also handling guitar duties during another PURPLE classic, "Mistreated". Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of the Brian James YouTube channel).

Glenn kicked off his summer 2023 U.S. tour on August 16 at The Landis in Vineland, New Jersey. Two days later, he teamed up with legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen for a U.S. co-headlining run.

Hughes, the former bassist, and singer of DEEP PURPLE, known to millions as the "Voice Of Rock", and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, recently launched the "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live - Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of The Album Burn" tour.

Glenn is performing DEEP PURPLE's legendary rock album "Burn" and is also playing DEEP PURPLE MKIII and MKIV songs.

Glenn's band features Søren Andersen (guitar),Ash Sheehan (drums) and Bob Fridzema (keyboards).

"It was 50 years ago, in the summer of 1973, that the 'Burn' album by DEEP PURPLE was written at Clearwell Castle in the Forest of Dean Gloucestershire," reminisced Glenn. "It was recorded in October in Montreux, Switzerland. We all became one in this centuries old castle in the U.K. countryside, it felt like DEEP were a new band, with David [Coverdale, vocals] and I as new members, we couldn't wait to start working on new songs. The atmosphere was electric, in such amazing surroundings.

"All the songs on 'Burn' were written in the crypt/dungeon, underneath the great hall," he continued. "We worked on a new song every day, and we were in the flow. Musically we would play, and work out ideas, and David and I would come up with vocal melodies that would later have lyrics. I remember it like it was yesterday.

"As you could imagine, Ritchie Blackmore [guitar] was in full prankster mode, Jon [Lord, keyboards] had warned me, and he rigged my room one night with a speaker that was hidden, and had ghostly voices delivered to my bedside.

"The title track was the last song to be written. We came back from the pub, and went down into the crypt, and magic happened."

Concluded Hughes: "It's time to celebrate 'Burn', and I'm really looking forward to seeing you."

"Burn" is the eighth studio album by the English rock band DEEP PURPLE, written and recorded in 1973, and released in February 1974. The album was the first to feature then-unknown Coverdale on vocals and Hughes, from TRAPEZE, on bass and vocals. "Burn" was recorded in Montreux, Switzerland, in November 1973, with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. With the addition of Coverdale and Hughes, DEEP PURPLE's hard rock sound incorporated elements of soul and funk, which would become much more prominent on the follow-up album, "Stormbringer".

The phenomenal "Burn" title track started things off at full throttle and challenged the seminal "Highway Star" for the honor of best opener to any DEEP PURPLE album, while showcasing the always-impressive drumming of Ian Paice. The fantastic slow-boiling blues of "Mistreated"'s greatness qualifies it for the highest echelons of hard rock achievement, and therefore ranks as an essential item in the discography of any self-respecting music fan.

"Burn" hit No. 3 on the U.K. albums chart, No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and No. 1 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Norway.

In 2004 "Burn" was remastered and released with bonus tracks. "Coronarias Redig" was recorded during the "Burn" recording sessions, used only as a B-side for the "Might Just Take Your Life" single in 1974. It appears as a bonus track (in remixed form) on the anniversary edition re-release. The 2004 remix version of "Burn" was later used in "Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock".

In 2005 an unauthorized documentary about the album was produced as part of "The Ultimate Critical Review" series. It featured a brand new interview with Hughes.

JUST ANNOUNCED & ON SALE TOMORROW !

9/8 - Official Yngwie Malmsteen | Glenn Hughes
are coming to The Saban Theatre

For more info on this show and all of our upcoming events visit: https://bit.ly/SabanFB

Posted by The Canyon Beverly Hills at The Saban Theatre on Thursday, May 11, 2023

German heavy metal institution, Grave Digger, has announced that guitarist Axel Ritt is no longer a member of the band. They issued the following brief statement earlier today:


"From now on Grave Digger and guitarist Axel Ritt are going separate ways. We would like to thank Axel for his many years of engagement and wish him, personally and musically, only the best."


Axel played with Grave Digger from 2009 to 2023. He has not yet issued a statement of his own.




Grave Digger's next live show is scheduled for October 28th in Düsseldorf, Germany as special guest at Doro's 40th Anniversary Show. It's presently unclear who will replace Axel Ritt on guitar for that concert.





 

Germany's Electric Callboy, who are currently on a sold out North American tour, have shared an official live video for "We Got The Moves" shot at their Denver, CO show along with the following message: 


"This is a $0 production. We decided spontaneously to record the show in Denver, so we equipped our crew with iPhones and action cams, and we think they did a damn good job."










Electric Callboy's Tekkno (Tour Edition) is available to order in the following formats:


- Ltd. 180g. ultra clear-red splattered Vinyl (limited to 1.000 copies / band exclusive)
- Ltd. 180g. yellow-black marbled Vinyl (limited to 500 copies / band exclusive and CM Distro)
- Ltd. 180g transp. light blue-lilac marbled Vinyl (available at all outlets)
- Standard CD Jewelcase





Tracklist:


"Pump It"
"We Got The Moves"
"Fuckboi" (feat. Conquer Divide)
"Spaceman" (feat. Finch)
"Mindreader"
"Arrow Of Love"
"Parasite"
"Tekkno Train"
"Hurrikan"
"Neon"
"Pump It" (Live)
"Hate/Love" (Live)
"Spaceman" (Live)
"We Got The Moves" (Live)
"Hypa Hypa" (Live)

In a new interview with Willy Radio conducted at last month's Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser was asked about the setlist for the band's upcoming 40th-anniversary tour, which is scheduled to launch in 2024. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, man, for next year, that will be a big problem. [Laughs] But we like to to try to do a place on the setlist that we change songs. We like to play the side Bs and side Cs and side Ds [laughs] — you know, songs that we never played before…. Sometimes it's a fan or a friend who suggests something, and we go there and play it. I mean, we have no problem of really dealing with our own catalog. It's great when we have a challenge to play something that we don't play for so long. And the idea is to do a live album for next year, to celebrate 40 years of SEPULTURA."

He continued: "This [current] lineup [of SEPULTURA], it's fantastic. We feel so great on stage, jamming, playing songs from every part of our history, especially the 'Quadra' songs, which is amazing to play live. So we wanna put that on the live album. And that's what we're gonna work for next year."

Kisser previously discussed SEPULTURA's upcoming live LP last month in an interview with Oran O'Beirne of Bloodstock TV. "Next year we're gonna celebrate 40 years of a career, so the idea is to put out a live album," he explained. "We're actually recording everything right now; we're recording every show. It's great that nowadays, because of technology, we have this possibility, so we don't have really to be attached or limited to one or two gigs to record a live set. So the idea is really to collect recordings from all over the world and prepare a really nice celebration release of our history, of our music. So, new songs or a new album, I don't even see happening in the [near future]."

Elaborating on how SEPULTURA is going about putting together the material for the upcoming live album, Andreas said: "I'm trying to be as much organized as I can. We have this Dropbox file with all the music. I have an Excel file with all the dates and all the songs. When you have the songs fresh in your mind, you make some notes — 'Oh, broken string here,' 'Shitty sound there,' or whatever. So at least we have a kind of a map where to start.

"It's exciting," he continued. "I mean, SEPULTURA doesn't have a proper live album per se. We have DVDs, we have the Barcelona stuff [1992's 'Under Siege (Live In Barcelona)'], which is very old. But I think it's a tradition of — when I grew up, my favorite albums were all live albums: 'No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith' [from MOTÖRHEAD], 'Alive I' and 'II' from KISS, THIN LIZZY — you name it. Many great albums. 'Made In Japan' [from DEEP PURPLE]."

When O'Beirne noted that not many bands release live albums nowadays, Kisser said: "You know why? Because the thing of the image of the YouTube, whatever, it kind of killed that. We are all from Brazil. We didn't see any of the shows [back in the 1980s], and to have a live album and to dream about to be there, to listen to the people screaming, it created this atmosphere for us. That's what we wanna try to do. Vinyl is back, [so we wanna] do a really nice package with a lot of photos and really show where we. I mean, we go everywhere in the world. We visited 80 countries so far [in] almost 40 years of a career. And now at the end of September, we go to Singapore for the first time. Still a first after so long. So it's exciting. It's great."

SEPULTURA's previous live albums include 2002's "Under A Pale Grey Sky", 2005's "Live In São Paulo" and 2014's "Metal Veins - Alive In Rock In Rio".

SEPULTURA comprises Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Eloy Casagrande.

SEPULTURA was formed in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais. Guitarist Jairo Guedz joined the group the following year and played on the band's first two releases, 1985's "Bestial Devastation" EP and their 1986 full-length debut, "Morbid Visions". He also participated in the early songwriting sessions for 1987's "Schizophrenia".

In early 1987, Jairo quit SEPULTURA and was replaced by São Paulo-based guitarist Kisser.

In 1996, Max exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band split with Max's wife Gloria as their manager.

Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January 2006).

Legendary rockers AEROSMITH performed the song "Bright Light Fright" live for the first time since 1994 last night (Saturday, September 9) during their concert at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The Joe Perry-sung track originally appeared on the band's 1977 album "Draw the Line" and was previously played by AEROSMITH in August 1994 in Jones Beach, New York. Perry also performed "Bright Light Fright" in recent years with both his solo group and HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES.

AEROSMITH's 19-song set in Elmont opened with "Back In The Saddle" and closed with a two-song encore of "Dream On" and "Walk This Way".

At the end of the night, Perry was presented with a birthday cake to celebrate his 73rd trip around the sun.

AEROSMITH kicked off its "Peace Out" farewell tour on September 2 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Produced by Live Nation, the 40-date North American tour includes stops at iconic arenas across the U.S. and Canada, including Los Angeles's Kia Forum, New York's Madison Square Garden and Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, with a special stop in their hometown of Boston for New Year's Eve 2023.

This past May, Perry explained to Byrd of 97.1 FM The Drive why it was unlikely drummer Joey Kramer, who sat out the band's last round of "Deuces Are Wild" residency shows in Las Vegas, would take part in the "Peace Out" tour. "His heart's in the right place, but, listen, playing the drums is an athletic event," the guitarist said. "And there's a certain point where you're just kind of, like,… every joint starts to give out, man. So at this point we're not thinking he's gonna be there. We'll see."

For the past couple of years, AEROSMITH's longtime drum tech John Douglas has been filling in on drums for Kramer, whose wife, Linda Gail Kramer, died in June 2022 at the age of 55. No cause of death has been revealed.

The "Peace Out" run of dates will wrap next year on January 26 in Montreal. Special guests THE BLACK CROWES are joining AEROSMITH for the entire tour, which celebrates AEROSMITH's five decades of music.

AEROSMITH announced its final tour by creating a "breaking news" YouTube video featuring Eminem, Slash, Dolly Parton, Bill Burr, Ringo Starr and other entertainment stars expressing their disbelief that this really is farewell. At the end of the clip, AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler could be seen looking into the camera and declaring, "And if you think we're joking … dream on."

Prior to the launch of "Peace Out", AEROSMITH wrapped its critically acclaimed Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM. Ahead of the residency, AEROSMITH returned to its hometown in Boston to perform a record-breaking one-off show at Fenway Park as part of the legendary band's 50th anniversary celebrations. With over 38,700 people in attendance, it was the most tickets sold to date for a show at the iconic venue.

In May 2022, AEROSMITH announced that Tyler had entered a treatment program following a relapse, prompting the band to put their Las Vegas residency on a temporary hold.

Tyler had been struggling with drug and alcohol addiction since the mid-1980s. Over the course of the last four decades, he had relapsed several times, including in the early 2000s and 2009.

Joey has had his own health difficulties in recent years. Kramer suffered a health scare back in 2014, which was initially reported to be "heart-related complications".

BRIGHT LIGHT FRIGHT!!!!!!!!
Aconteceu ontem, 09/09/2023, o show 3º da turnê PEACE OUT do Aerosmith, em Nova Iorque e...

Posted by Aerosmith Brasil on Saturday, September 9, 2023

Former MEGADETH members David Ellefson and Jeff Young joined DEAD GROOVE on stage this past Thursday (September 7) at The Blooze in Phoenix, Arizona to perform the MEGADETH classic "Peace Sells". Fan-filmed video of their appearance can be seen below.

DEAD GROOVE is a Los Angeles-based rock and roll band founded in 2020 by drummer Fred Aching, who plays with Ellefson and Young in KINGS OF THRASH, and bassist/vocalist Holly West, with Peruvian guitarist and producer Cesar Salaverry.

KINGS OF THRASH recently completed a couple of tours during which it performed MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!" A live CD/DVD package called "Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go" was recorded and filmed live at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on October 15, 2022 and was released this past March via Cleopatra Records. The DVD, which was directed by Michael Sarna for Inmotion Entertainment, includes an appearance by another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar).

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

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

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

Young's entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band's 1988 platinum-selling album "So Far, So Good...So What!"

Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing Mustaine of, among other things, "dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble." He also disputed Mustaine's claim in an interview that Young's drug problem led to MEGADETH's 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being "banned" from performing in the country.

In some recent interviews, Ellefson suggested that the upcoming original material from KINGS OF THRASH, which also includes guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon, may be released under a different moniker. "Because, look, it doesn't have to be thrash," he told KNAC.COM. "It doesn't even have to be from a MEGADETH origin, really. Even though that was kind of the origin story, it doesn't have to sound like that. It should be us, who we are now today, I think. So, we've decided KINGS OF THRASH, for sure, is this [touring project] playing the music of yesterday. And then we're just deciding now, okay, this new music, to fit within that, should it be Jeff Young and David Ellefson doing something together? You know — ELLEFSON-YOUNG."



Great way to end the night at The Blooze Bar. David Ellefson and Jeff Young joining Dead Groove Band playing “Peace Sells.”

Huge thank you to all the bands, Rock ‘n Free Live, the venue bar staff / amazing sound engineers and to all those who came out to support live music 🤘

Incredible night!

Kings of Thrash
Ten Cent Revenge
Empire of Dezire
Far Beyond Hostile - Pantera Tribute
Tony Hunn
Carol Rockgoddess Neven
Rock’n Free Live
Penny Freeman
Travis Kolasinski
Bryon Mogul
Jeremy Kniffin
John Roland
The YETI RADIO
George G Harlan
London Holley
Brooke Powell
Tad Weldon
Hector Camacho
#livemusic

Posted by James Beauchamp on Friday, September 8, 2023

PHOENIX, AZ TONIGHT!!! 🏜️

Dead Groove Band - Far Beyond Hostile - Pantera Tribute - Ten Cent Revenge - Empire of...

Posted by Dead Groove Band on Thursday, September 7, 2023