Legendary rockers AEROSMITH played the second concert of their "Peace Out" farewell tour last night (Wednesday, September 6) at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video of the show — courtesy of the Steve Vitalidol YouTube channel — can be seen below.

The electrifying show features AEROSMITH's classic hits performed in an immersive 360-degree production as they celebrate 50 years as America's greatest rock band.

AEROSMITH's 19-song set opened with "Back In The Saddle" and included a cover of FLEETWOOD MAC's "Stop Messin' Around", before closing with a two-song encore of "Dream On" and "Walk This Way".

Produced by Live Nation, this monumental 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. With THX's Certified Live! High-fidelity experience, each arena is calibrated with leading-edge technology so fans don't miss a beat of AEROSMITH's classic rock tunes in quality audio.

AEROSMITH's setlist was as follows:

01. Back In The Saddle
02. Same Old Song And Dance
03. Rag Doll
04. Livin' On The Edge
05. Janie's Got A Gun
06. No More No More
07. Cryin'
08. Adam's Apple
09. Hangman Jury
10. Seasons Of Wither
11. Movin' Out
12. Love In An Elevator
13. Stop Messin' Around (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
14. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
15. Rats In The Cellar
16. Sweet Emotion
17. Toys In The Attic

Encore

18. Dream On
19. Walk This Way

This past May, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe 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," Joe 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."

When AEROSMITH announced its farewell tour four months ago, the band said about Kramer's absence from the trek: "While Joey Kramer remains a beloved founding member of AEROSMITH, he has regrettably made the decision to sit out the currently scheduled touring dates to focus his full attention on his family and health. Joey's unmistakable and legendary presence behind the drum kit will be sorely missed."

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.

In 2020, Kramer sued the rest of AEROSMITH for breach of contract, saying he was being blocked from performing after suffering "minor injuries" the previous year. He sought an injunction after they announced they would play without him at the 2020 MusiCares Person Of The Year and at the Grammy Awards. He lost that case.

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".

On August 19th, Polish technical death metallers Decapitated performed at the 2023 edition of Germany's Summer Breeze festival. You can now watch professionally-filmed footage of the band's full set, courtesy of ARTE Concert.


Setlist:


"Cancer Culture"
"Just A Cigarette"
"Earth Scar"
"No Cure"
"Hours As Battlegrounds"
"Last Supper"
"Day 69"
"Spheres Of Madness"
"Nine Steps"
"Never"
"Iconoclast"
"Postorganic"







Decapitated released their diverse follow-up to 2017’s Anticult, entitled Cancer Culture, on May 27th, 2022 via Nuclear Blast. 





Tracklisting:


"From The Nothingness With Love"
"Cancer Culture"
"Just A Cigarette"
"No Cure"
"Hello Death"
"Iconoclast"
"Suicidal Space Programme"
"Locked"
"Hours As Battlegrounds"
"Last Supper"


"Iconoclast" video





"Hello Death" video





"Cancer Culture" video:





Lineup:


Waclaw ‘Vogg’ Kieltyka - guitars
Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski - vocals
James Stewart - drums
Paweł Pasek - bass (live)

The wait is over... Canadian extreme-metal legends, Cryptopsy, have unleashed their massively-anticipated, catastrophic new album, As Gomorrah Burns, via Nuclear Blast Records. The tech-death masters’ 8th album, and first full-length in over a decade, arrives with a throat-punch of brutality as witnessed on singles like "Flayed The Swine" and "In Abeyance".


Now fully revealed, As Gomorrah Burns seethes with barbaric savagery over the course of eight vicious songs. Pure, unrelenting death metal made with no constraints or contritions orchestrated around a concept pitting the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah against the modern-day Internet, both being origins invention and a cesspool of exploitation. The stories told on the record are based on real-life incidences - online stalkers, cults, misinformation, isolation, and intimidation - but ornamented deviously to enhance their potency.


Today, Cryptopsy has revealed a lyric video for their song, "Godless Deceiver", which takes listeners on a horrific tale of severe violence.




Vocalist Matt McGachy says of the song: “The lyrics of ‘Godless Deceiver’ are extremely vulgar and disgusting. As I was doing research for the album, I came across the story of Fabiane Maria de Jesus. A 33 year old woman from Guarujá, Brazil, which is a city outside of São Paulo.


She was brutally murdered by a mob of people that thought she was responsible of kidnappings in the area, following a Facebook post by a local news outlet. The newspaper reported that a woman had been seen abducting children, and many believed her motivation was witchcraft. A sketch of the woman the news outlet claimed was a child abductor was included with the alert, and resembled the victim. It turns out in the end that she was innocent. This group of vigilantes killed her for no reason whatsoever.  It really brings into light the importance of never trusting what you see, read or hear about on the internet.


I decided to write the lyrics from the mobs perspective, which is why they are simplistic. Brutal lyrics about an extremely violent act. The mob never questions if they are doing the right thing, they just acted in unison.


It is one of the nastiest song I have ever written.”


Stream "Godless Deceiver" and purchase As Gomorrah Burns here. Watch a lyric video for the song below.





As Gomorrah Burns tracklisting:


"Lascivious Undivine"
"In Abeyance"
"Godless Deceiver"
"Ill Ender"
"Flayed The Swine"
"The Righteous Lost"
"Obeisant"
"Praise The Filth"


"Godless Deceiver" lyric video:





"Flayed The Swine" video:





"In Abeyance" video:





Cryptopsy are touring with special guests Abysmal Dawn, Hate and Visceral Disgorge. Tickets are available now, here.





Tour dates:


September
8 - Brooklyn, NY - Meadows
9 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Preserving Underground
11 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Hell)
12 - Tampa, FL - The Brass Mug
14 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
15 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
16 - Dallas, TX - TBC
17 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
18 - Las Vegas, NV - Backstage Bar
19 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Underground
20 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
21 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
22 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
23 - Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading
24 - Portland, OR - Dante’s
25 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
26 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
27 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
29 - Denver, CO - HQ
30 - Lincoln, NE - Cosmic Eye Live


October
1 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
2 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme
3 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
4 - Kingston, ON - Overtime Sports Bar
5 - Quebec City, QC - La Source De La Martiniere
6 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques


(Photo - Mihaela Petrescu)

ASINHELL, the new death metal band led by VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen, has released the official lyric video for the song "Desert Of Doom". The track is taken from ASINHELL's debut album, "Impii Hora" (Latin for "Ungodly Hour"),which will arrive on September 29 via Metal Blade.

For more than 20 years, vocalist/guitarist Poulsen has been spearheading Danish rock and roll machine VOLBEAT, releasing eight full-lengths, selling millions of albums, and filling stadiums worldwide. Before fronting VOLBEAT, however, Poulsen formed death metal band DOMINUS, which recorded four fast, brutal albums in the mid-'90s.

When Poulsen was putting together songs for VOLBEAT's 2021 album "Servant Of The Mind", he wrote a bunch of death metal riffs and saved them on his phone. Then, when he was done with the VOLBEAT record, he reopened the rusty gates to Armageddon and started putting together songs for "Impii Hora", which is a tribute to Poulsen's favorite old-school groups. The songs are rooted in crushing riffs yet injected with strong guitar hooks and shout-along refrains.

While Poulsen sings in VOLBEAT and sang for DOMINUS, he didn't want to front ASINHELL. So, in March 2022, he called his old friend, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and invited him to join the party.

In a recent interview with Shawn of "The Rockstar Radio Show" on 96.3 The Blaze, Poulsen stated about how the idea for ASINHELL came about: "As you probably know, you know, I started out as a death metal musician. Back in the days, I had a band called DOMINUS and we managed to release four albums on a Danish little label back in the day. So, yeah, it goes way back to where I was tape trading in 1990s. So it's been a lot of inspiration since then. So, you know, it kind of goes like 33 years back to where I started. I was very early out playing death metal — yeah, I think I started playing death metal when I was 16, 17 or something, and I started listening to extreme metal when I was about 13. So that kind of music has been there from the very beginning as a young kid. And I knew that when I ended DOMINUS, it was because the journey I was going into was a style of a lot of different styles that I couldn't combine in the death metal music. So I formed VOLBEAT where there was not so much rules about what you could do or what you could not do. So, as you can hear in the VOLBEAT music, there's a lot of different styles, but in ASINHELL, it definitely takes you back to all the stuff that I was, and still [am] listening to, as a young boy discovering extreme metal."

He continued: "For a long time, people have been asking me when I'm gonna return to death metal, and I said, 'I have no idea,' because the time that I'm using on VOLBEAT, it's a lot of time touring. We are constantly on the road and we are writing and being in the studio. So it was very difficult for me to answer a question like that. But when the pandemic came and I wrote [the] 'Servant Of The Mind' [album] for VOLBEAT, there were other riffs that came up where I said, 'Those riffs I'll put aside and keep them for another project when there was time for doing that. And that became the ASINHELL project.

"When we did 'Servant Of The Mind', we recorded a song called 'Becoming', and that was kind of a tribute to ENTOMBED and my good friend L.G. Petrov [late ENTOMBED singer]. And we all know that story, that L.G. passed away 'cause of cancer. Some days before he passed away, he was trying to call me. And the first time he called, I couldn't pick up. I was somewhere in a supermarket at the register paying for my groceries. And then later on he called me, but that was during the night, so I never pick up my phone during the night. And next thing I hear that he passed away. And so I was really bummed about that. And we kind of just then dedicated the VOLBEAT song 'Becoming' to L.G. and we put on this amazing BOSS pedal that makes this ugly, beautiful Swedish death metal sound. And I just got really inspired by that. And I told my guitar tech if he could find that pedal and then order it on the net and then I would probably start maybe working on some riffs. And the same day we talked about that, I was about to take my morning run and my iPod, just by coincidence, starts on ENTOMBED and I'm hearing L.G. screaming [singing], 'I'm full of hell.' And for me, that was a call from L.G., and I said to myself, 'This time, you're fucking picking up, Michael.' You are starting now. This is the time. And, actually, I wanted to call the band FULL OF HELL, but I quickly find out there was another band by that name. So I said, 'Okay, well, what do I do now?' So I changed it to as ASINHELL."

As for how he recruited his ASINHELL bandmates, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and RAUNCHY drummer Morten Toft Hansen, Poulsen said: "I was so inspired, and I live 10 minutes away from my drummer Morten, who has a daughter that's six years old, as my daughter [is], and they are hanging out together and having a good time. And Morten, now and then, he's active in his own band called RAUNCHY. They do not play live shows that much, but he still has his drums in the garage. And I kindly asked him if he wants to put some drums on a death metal project I had in mind. And he was totally up for it when I said, 'It's gonna be in the vein of DEATH, BOLT THROWER, AUTOPSY, GRAVE, ENTOMBED.' And that was totally his alley. So, he said, 'Where are we gonna rehearse?' And I said, 'Right here where we are standing.' And he said, 'In my garage?' 'Yeah, why not? Let's imagine that we're kind of 16, 17 years old again.' We didn't have money for expensive rehearsal rooms or anything that we have now. So I said, 'Let me just bring an amp and I'll turn it all to 11. No P.A. system, nothing. Just your drums. Don't mic it up. It's just an amp, and let's just do some riffing. I've got songs at home.' And it turned out that every Friday me and Morten would be jamming for two hours, and every Friday I came with a new song, and suddenly we were just looking at each other, like, 'Okay, we actually have songs for a whole album here.' And I ended up calling my good friend up, Marc Grewe, which was the former singer of legendary German [band] MORGOTH. I always thought that Marc had the best death metal voice in the scene, together with Chuck Schuldiner from DEATH. And for many years we talked about doing something together when the time was right. And I called him up and I said, 'You know what? I actually have our whole album. Are you ready?' [And he said], 'Hell yeah, I'm ready. Let's get to it.' I did some demo vocals on some of the recordings. And I asked Marc, 'How do you want me to record?' [And he said], 'Ah, just put your phone in the garage and press 'record' and then send it to me on your phone.' I said, 'Okay, it's gonna sound like a fucking mess.' [And he said], 'Yeah. That's how it should be like.' [Laughs] He said, 'That's how we did it back in the day with MORGOTH. We just put a ghetto blaster, a tape recorder in the rehearsal room and just pushed 'record' when we did rehearsal recordings.' [And I said], 'Yeah. Okay. Then that's how we're gonna do it.' So me and Morten made a lot of noise in that garage and I was putting down some demo vocals [for] Marc to get some inspiration. So I was just screaming and yelling down in my phone. And he said, 'Yeah, it's perfect. We could even release it like that.' [And I was, like], 'Yeah. Wait a minute.'"

According to Michael, two other guest musicians appear on the "Impii Hora", both of whom will be familiar to fans of VOLBEAT.

"We ended up using Jacob Hansen, our producer, as the bass player on the record, because he was there in the studio anyway. And I said, 'I'm not gonna play the bass. Let's do it different.' And so we just asked Jacob if he was into it, and he said, 'Yeah, I would love to.' So very quickly Jacob put down the bass. And I've been knowing Jacob since the INVOCATOR days, where he was active in INVOCATOR. So suddenly, having a great lineup with Marc from MORGOTH and Jacob from INVOCATOR, Morten from RAUNCHY — it was great. And then Morten said, 'Since we have this huge inspiration from DEATH, you should hear how Flemming [C. Lund], my good friend from THE ARCANE ORDER, is playing guitar. He can do those kind of DEATH solos. I knew Flemming from back in the days when I had that DOMINUS band. So I checked Flemming out and his solos in THE ARCANE ORDER, and I was blown away. And I gave Flemming a call and I asked him kindly if he was into it. And he totally understood where we were going with this, so he was very excited about it. So, yeah, he put down those solos and, as I said before, now we have a record coming out very soon."

Michael was equally excited to get ASINHELL's debut LP released via Metal Blade, a label which has consistently been at the forefront of the metal scene, from releasing the earliest material from METALLICA and SLAYER on the classic "Metal Massacre" compilations through to seminal releases from CANNIBAL CORPSE, GWAR, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AMON AMARTH and many more.

"Brian Slagel from Metal Blade, he heard the songs and he was very, very, very into it, and he said, 'I would love to actually release this.' And for me, that was a dream come true," Michael said. "The legendary Brian Slagel from Metal Blade — we all know the story. So that was a dream come true. I remember being a young kid, tape trading and trying to get a record deal, but then so many years after, actually then ending up on Metal Blade with a new project called ASINHELL, that's beautiful. So I'm very excited about it and very proud of the record."

"Impii Hora" track listing:

01. Fall Of The Loyal Warrior
02. Inner Sancticide
03. Island Of Dead Men
04. Trophies
05. The Ultimate Sin
06. Wolfpack Laws
07. Desert Of Doom
08. Pyromantic Scryer
09. Impii Hora
10. Foj For Helvede

ASINHELL is:

Michael Poulsen - Guitar
Marc Grewe - Vocals
Morten Toft Hansen - Drums

Photo credit: Brittany Bowman

Los Angeles heavy rockers STITCHED UP HEART have released the official Tony Aguilara-directed music video for their latest single, "Conquer And Divide". The track is taken from the band's new album, "To The Wolves", which arrived on September 1 via Century Media Records.

Heavier is indeed the name of the game on "To The Wolves". As the band explores darker territories than ever before, STITCHED UP HEART has crafted something that is anthemic, soulful, and unapologetic.

"To The Wolves" track listing:

01. To The Wolves
02. Thunder
03. The Hunting
04. Possess Me
05. Immortal
06. Taste For Blood
07. Conquer And Divide
08. Dead Inside
09. The Architect
10. Part Of Me
11. The End

STITCHED UP HEART is supporting ESCAPE THE FATE, along with D.R.U.G.S., POINT NORTH and GARZI, on a U.S. tour which kicked off on August 31 in Salt Lake City, Utah and will wrap up on October 5 in Portland, Oregon.

STITCHED UP HEART is an American rock band known for its powerful and emotionally charged music. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 2010, the band has captivated audiences around the world with their unique blend of hard rock, alternative metal, and industrial influences. Led by the talented and charismatic vocalist Alecia "Mixi" Demner, STITCHED UP HEART has gained recognition for their intense live performances and deeply personal songwriting.

Mixi began assembling a lineup of musicians who shared her passion, dedication, and vision. Solidifying the core members James Decker on drums, Merritt Goodwin on guitar and Randy Mathias on bass in 2016 upon signing with Century Media Records. They released their album titled "Never Alone", which debuted in the Top 10 of both the Billboard Heatseeker and Hard Rock charts. With their single "Finally Free" organically gaining hyper rotation on active rock radio the band paved the way to success for the next two singles "Monster" and "Catch Me When I Fall".

With a growing fan base and relentless determination, STITCHED UP HEART has toured extensively, touring with renowned acts like GODSMACK, HALESTORM and IN THIS MOMENT. Their live performances are known for their high energy, infectious hooks, and Mixi's captivating stage presence, leaving audiences mesmerized and craving more.

In 2020, STITCHED UP HEART released their sophomore album, "Darkness". Produced by Matt Good, the LP delves further into the band's introspective songwriting and showcases their growth as musicians. Tracks like "Lost" (featuring Sully Erna of GODSMACK) and "My Demon" highlight the band's ability to blend heavy guitar riffs with anthemic choruses, making a lasting impact on the rock genre.

STITCHED UP HEART continues to push boundaries and evolve their sound, refusing to be confined to a single label or genre. With their unwavering passion for music and their ability to connect with audiences on a profound level, STITCHED UP HEART is a force to be reckoned with in the rock music landscape.

STITCHED UP HEART is:

Alecia "Mixi" Demner - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
James Decker - drums, backing vocals
Merritt Goodwin - lead guitar
Randy Mathias - bass, backing vocals

In a new interview with "THAT Rocks!", the weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, former ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 was asked if he has "had dialogue" with the shock rocker since joined MÖTLEY CRÜE last fall as the replacement for the latter band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have not had dialogue with Rob. And I wish I would. I miss talking to him. And the [ROB ZOMBIE] band sounds great and the show looks awesome and I really hope to talk to him soon… I miss talking to Rob. And I know he is doing great. But I hope we connect soon."

John 5 touched upon how he came to leave Rob's band for MÖTLEY CRÜE this past May during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". At the time he said: "Well, I've been friends with Nikki [Sixx, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] and Tommy [Lee, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer] forever — forever and ever and ever. I'm so close to Nikki. We talked, like, probably 80 times a day for a decade. And we've done so much work together. We worked on the Meat Loaf song together, 'The Monster's Loose'; SIXX:A.M., of course; L.A. RATS; 'The Dirt' [soundtrack]. But other than music, we were just always around. I mean, he was the best man at my wedding. And we'd always go to the mall and ride bikes and just do total normal stuff. So when this came about… We were talking to each other on tour, like, 'All right, dude. I'm going on stage.' And he's, like, 'All right, dude. I'm going on stage. I'll talk to you after the show,' and blah blah blah. So we talked pretty much every day when he was on tour and I was on tour at the same time with the [Rob] Zombie thing. We were doing 'Freaks On Parade'. It was great — great shows, packed to the nines, and having a good time and laughing and making music. And the tour ended. We went home. Actually, I went to do some CREATURES shows, my instrumental thing. And MÖTLEY was finished. They were off tour. And I was still doing some shows. And Nikki called and said, 'Listen, Mick is going to retire. And we have these obligations from Live Nation. We have South America booked. We have Europe booked. Would you wanna come on board?' And I was, 'Absolutely.' I mean, it's just like your brother asking you or something like that. But now the hard part was telling Rob [Zombie], because we never had a negative word between us. And he's my buddy and we made great music and great live shows together for 17 years, and we never really had a problem. But I was thinking to myself, I was, like, 'Life is short.' And I'm being completely honest with you — 'Life is short. I wanna experience as much as I can in life.' And I was thinking about myself. And I was, like, 'I wanna do this for me, because I'm 51 years old' at the time, and I was, like, 'I wanna do this. I want to experience this.' How many times do you get a new chapter in your life at this magnitude later in life? And I talked to Rob, and he understood. Rob is a smart, rational person. I mean, he wasn't psyched, but he understood. And I think that was amazing of him. And he was just, like, 'Go get 'em.' He was fine about it. And then they got [Mike] Riggs, who I think is a great addition. That's who he was using when Rob did the early solo records, and I think it's a great addition. And they're kicking ass."

Detailing how he told Rob about his decision to leave his band and join MÖTLEY CRÜE, John 5 said: "I told Rob before it got out in the press. But I agreed to Nikki. And I called Rob and I said, 'This is what's happening.' And we did a show, Louder Than Life, together, and that was my last show [with Rob] in Kentucky. And then they got Riggs and were rehearsing with him and did the Aftershock show. And then it was announced — my time frame is not great, but then I believe it was announced a little bit after that. But it was no bad blood or anything; it wasn't anything bad; it wasn't dramatic or anything. And Rob was super cool. He was, like, 'Hey, I get it.' He was cool about it."

Asked if he has spoken with Rob since his announcement that he was joining MÖTLEY CRÜE, John 5 said: "To be honest, I haven't, and I miss talking with him and texting with him. I'm more worried about him not texting me back or not replying. I think that would really break my heart. That's the thing. I think I'd be really bummed out about that. But I haven't. To answer your question, no, I haven't."

Elaborating on his reasons for leaving Zombie's band and joining MÖTLEY CRÜE, John 5 said: "In the 17 years of being with Zombie, I got asked to join a ton of bands — a ton of bands. But, listen, I am so close with the guys, and with Mick too. So close with the guys. Something said, 'You've gotta do it.' It's just something I really wanted to do. Because life is show. I wanna experience everything. I don't wanna be laying in my bed at 126 years old — that's what I plan to live to be — laying in my bed at 126 years old going, 'God, I wish I would have done this, that and the other thing.' But I'll probably say that to myself anyways. But it's been an amazing ride so far."

In April, Sixx spoke with Wyatt of U.K.'s Planet Rock about MÖTLEY CRÜE's decision to hire John 5 to replace Mick, who announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE last October as a result of worsening health issues.

"I've been friends with John forever and I would make jokes, 'As long as you're a 5, I feel good being a Sixx.' Y'know, stupid best buddy jokes. Me and that guy have been either hanging out at each other's houses, writing songs… he plays (guitar) all day long. So, he comes over here and he grabs one of my guitars or brings his own and we just sit around and play and talk about the '70s and how great LYNYRD SKYNYRD and 'Scooby Doo' was."

He continued: "My wife just said that when Mick told us he was leaving the band and I told her I'd talked to Tommy and Vince [Neil, CRÜE singer], and everybody feels that John would be a great fit, and I hadn't called John yet because you had to be sure we were doing everything correctly. My wife said, 'Well, that's great.' I said, 'What do you mean by that?' She goes, 'Well, you'll be going on stage and you'll be on the phone to John.' And they're, like, 'You gotta go on stage!', and he'll be like 'Okay, call me back in an hour and a half.'

"So we're always chatting and jamming and the friendship is so wonderful. Him and Tommy are really close. Vince loves him. He's just a great guy and a great musician and he gives us a great opportunity as a three-piece so to speak to really lock in. He's just such a great guitar player."

Comparing CRÜE 's current musicianship to how it was while Mick was still in the band, Nikki added: "It's nothing against any other musician that you play with, just that when you play with new musicians you play differently. We're still playing the same songs that people wanna hear but it kind of like re-inspires you. And I'm sure the same thing would happen if they got a new bass player. They're like 'oh wow, he's attacking it differently.' So it's never about how bad anybody was.

"It's a nice time [for MÖTLEY CRÜE] and it's kind of inspired us to write a little bit," he added. "We love our history, we're very proud of everything we've done. We've always been really supportive of Mick no matter what Mick was going through. We're just happy with where we're at right now."

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, this past April, the now-72-year-old musician filed a lawsuit against CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting. Specifically, Mars claims he was asked to sign a severance agreement that would divest him of his 25 percent stake in the band's various business interests in return for a 5 percent stake in the band's 2023 tour. This stake, the lawsuit alleges, would be reduced to 0 percent for future tours. Mick claims CRÜE's management later upped the offer from 5 percent to a 7.5 percent stake in the band's 2023 tour, which would remain contingent on Mars divesting himself from the band and their businesses. When Mars refused to sign the papers, the band took the dispute to arbitration "rather than a public lawsuit so that the public would not be aware of the deplorable manner in which they treated their 'brother' of 41 years," Mick claims in the lawsuit.

Regarding Mick 's lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE, Nikki told Planet Rock: "If a member of a band tells you that they can't tour because of health reasons, you have two choices. You can quit as a band [after] 42 years of work. Or we could look at each other and go 'are we done yet?!' We're really peaking and we understand [Mick's] health issues.

"We wish him the best and we know that he's a little bit confused and being misled by representatives right now. But we still have to stay focused on why we're here."

Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS),a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. After years of performing through the pain, he informed the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE last summer that he could no longer tour with them but would still be open to recording new music or performing at residencies that did not require much travel.

In his lawsuit, Mars also alleged that he was the only band member to play 100 percent live on their most recent tour, claiming Sixx "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour."

After Mars filed his lawsuit, Sixx responded on Twitter, writing: "Sad day for us and we don't deserve this considering how many years we've been propping him up. We still wish him the best and hope he find's [sic] lawyers and managers who aren't damaging him. We love you Mick."

According to Variety, Mars's attorney said he was warned by the band's lawyers that "if your client rejects the severance package that was graciously offered to him by the band, he will get next to nothing. I suggest you think about the repercussions of this decision… There is undisputed legal cause here for Mick's removal. Mick is unable to perform as a full-fledged band member. Among other things, as demonstrated during the last tour, he repeatedly forgets his chords, does not play the right song, plays chords of a different song while on stage, and so on."

Mick's filing claimed that MÖTLEY CRÜE filed an arbitration case against him in February, "essentially suing him" to prove that it had the right to fire him from the band.

"They clearly commenced an arbitration, rather than a public lawsuit, so that the public would not be aware of the deplorable manner in which they treated their 'brother' of 41 years," lawyers for Mars wrote in the petition.

In an interview with Ethan Jackson of Topeka's rock radio station KDVV/V100 conducted at last weekend's Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma, P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel was asked if he and his bandmates are working on any new material. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, sir. Actually, we started our set with a new song. The song's called 'Drop' and we shot the video for it recently. And it features Randy Blythe from LAMB OF GOD. And it's the first song on our record that comes out — the record actually comes out spring of 2024. That song drops September 21st, and the video worldwide."

He added: "The new record's called 'Veritas'. It's the old Latin dialect. You know, the old one that the priests are laying down when people are demonly possessed. It stands for truth. It's our truth because we wrote this record during the pandemic. Individually and collectively, it's our truth as a band, what we've been through, what we've all been through during that time, dude.

"I can't wait for you guys to hear it, man," the guitarist added. "It's pretty cool. We also got Tatiana [Shmailyuk] from JINJER on a track. And we have Cove Reber. He sang for SCARY KIDS [SCARING KIDS] and SAOSIN. And he also sings in a new band called DEAD AMERICAN. He's on a track."

Fan-filmed video of a recent performance of "Drop" can be seen below.

Last month, P.O.D. vocalist Sonny Sandoval told "The Jesea Lee Show" about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the three-time Grammy Award-nominated rock quartet's next studio album: "It's been a long progress, just because of COVID and everything. Once COVID hit, everybody thought, 'Well, we can make records and get everything out and get it ready to go.' But it was kind of a difficult thing for us because we're used to being together and writing together. So, it was a different process for us, but now it's mixed, mastered, ready to go, but we aren't releasing it till next year, because, you know, the way labels work. But it's cool, 'cause they're gonna waterfall like a bunch of different singles and stuff like that. So it should be cool. So hopefully by… The plan is by the time the record comes out, you would have already seen three videos or [heard] four or five songs."

Asked if the next P.O.D. album will see him and his bandmates returning to their "old-school" sound or if it will represent "a whole new era" for the group. Sonny said: "All we know how to do is be ourselves. But I think this album is definitely more rocking. The last album, 'Circles', was a little bit more on the alternative side and a little bit of all the elements of our styles and flavors. But this one, it's just kind of rock, you know what I mean? But I dig it. I think it's kind of the album that we needed. Not everybody gets all the different flavors and styles and the soulfulness of P.O.D. Sometimes I compare it to… I don't eat McDonald's, but they're the number one food chain for a reason. People, they know what they get, they know what to expect. I'm more of a foodie, so I like a great burger or maybe a steak. But people love their McDonald's, so sometimes you just kind of give 'em what they want."

P.O.D.'s latest album, "Circles", was released in November 2018 via Mascot Label Group. The disc saw the band collaborating with the Los Angeles-based production duo called the Heavy (Jason Bell and Jordan Miller),who ensured the album is contemporary sounding without losing any of the band's core sonic signifiers.

P.O.D. dropped "Satellite: 20th Anniversary Edition" as a double-CD and digitally in September 2021 through Rhino. Released a few days before the album's official anniversary, the 27-song collection introduced a newly remastered version of the original album, plus a selection of rarities, remixes, and four previously unreleased demos, including "Alive (Semi-Acoustic Version)". A few weeks later, "Satellite: 20th Anniversary Edition" was released on vinyl as a double-LP as a part of Rhino's Rocktober campaign.

After debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, "Satellite" went on to sell more than seven million copies worldwide, including three million in the U.S. The record generated four singles: the title track, "Alive", "Youth Of The Nation" and "Boom". In addition to its commercial success, "Satellite" earned P.O.D. three Grammy nominations for "Alive" ("Best Hard Rock Performance", 2002),"Portrait" ("Best Metal Performance", 2003) and "Youth Of The Nation" ("Best Hard Rock Performance", 2003).

"Satellite: 20th Anniversary Edition" has a bonus disc that includes B-sides like "Critic" and "Sabbath" that were initially released in Europe, plus remixes for "Boom" by THE CRYSTAL METHOD and "Youth Of The Nation" by Mike$Ki.

On October 27, Denver, Colorado's Wayfarer will release their fifth full-length, American Gothic, via Profound Lore in The United States and Century Media in Europe.


New single and video (by Alex Pace) for "To Enter My House Justified" is streaming below. 


Shane McCarthy (guitars, vocals) comments: "This album is an exploration of the American idea, and the darkness that surrounds it. It was built from the ground up to encapsulate the feeling of this place and its bitter history in every way, fully integrating traditional musical stylings into its darker and more extreme sound, and serves as a definitive statement on Western American Metal." 




"We were able to fully realize this in working with producer Arthur Rizk to bring the album to life, and it's in its own territory now. This is the Wayfarer sound, and this is American Gothic. We look forward to sharing it with the world."





Tracklisting:


"The Thousand Tombs Of Western Promise" 
"The Cattle Thief"     
"Reaper On The Oilfields"   
"To Enter My House Justified"        
"A High Plains Eulogy"        
"1934"           
"Black Plumes Over God's Country" 
"False Constellation"


"To Enter My House Justified" video:





"False Constellation" video:





In live news, catch Wayfarer on tour with Baroness at the following shows:


November
9 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
11 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
12 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room


(Photo credit: Frank Guerra)

The piano Freddie Mercury used to compose “Bohemian Rhapsody” sold for $2.2 million on Wednesday as part of Sotheby’s 1,500-piece estate sale of the singer’s treasured possessions, reports Rolling Stone.


The sale of Mercury’s 1973 Yamaha Grand surpassed the $2.1 million paid for John Lennon’s Steinway, which he used to write “Imagine” and was swooped up in 2000 by George Michael, according to the Wall Street Journal.


His collection, which Mercury once described as “exquisite clutter,” included handwritten lyrics for Queen’s operatic anthem that sold for $1.7 million. Notably, the 15 pages of lyrics — written on stationary for a defunct airline — reveal that the song was nearly titled “Mongolian Rhapsody” before the singer crossed it out and replaced it with the similarly syllabic “Bohemian.”




Additional items tied to “Rhapsody” sold at a premium on Wednesday. A gold Cartier brooch the band’s manager gifted each member after the song hit number one and branded with the words “Queen number 1” went for $208,000, while the silver snake bangle the frontman wore in the music video was auctioned for $881,717 — setting a record high for a piece of jewelry once owned by a rock star, according to Sotheby’s.


Read more at Rolling Stone.

Finnish melodic death metal band Where's My Bible have released a new single and music video, "Fenrir". The track is taken from the band's upcoming studio album, to be released vuia Inverse Records.


Listen to "Fenrir" on streaming services found here. 


Vocalist Jussi Matilainen comments: "The lyrics are a combination of the human mind and Nordic mythology as a metaphor. In the song 'Fenrir' we focus on bringing the story to life with theatrics adding a poetic style of narration to it, like in the old days. The song is about Fenrir the wolf eating the sun when Ragnarok starts and thus setting an end to an era and launching a mythical apocalypse.




The main idea behind this story is; what is your Fenrir? What is the big bad beast to destroy your own world? Fenrir can be a real thing and alive because of your own creation. It can be an unsolved problem in your life you never took care of and it haunts you in the dark of night.


In this song, we included nearly a thousand-year-old instruments such as the kravik lyre (which is self-made) and the tagelharpa to enhance the narrative and its mythical essence.


The theme of the album itself revolves strongly around Nordic mythology and the human mind, especially during the night time. We will open this concept more later on but now is a great time to follow us."


Guitarist Pasi Löfgren comments: "The upcoming album follows musically the same path of style as the Circle EP by bringing it to an even deeper level. On Fenrir I wanted to include more of our technical playing combined with beautiful melodies and heavy riffs. And I couldn't be happier how it turned out. With new added elements like kravik lyre and tagelharpa at the end of the song makes a great mix of technicality, melodiousness and heaviness and it is a perfect first taste of what you can expect from the album." 





Photo by Teppo Ristola Photography

Guesting on The Classic Rock Podcast with host Tim Caple, founding/former Saxon guitarist, Graham Oliver (Oliver Dawson Saxon), has revealed that he’s just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. An excerpt from the interview follows...


Graham Oliver: "We did a fantastic two nights in Tokyo with Paul Quinn on guitar, a special guest, and that were all recorded for posterity. So one day I might be able to do something with that. And we've got a gig in Barnsley at Christmas at Birdwell, and Paul Quinn, we're going to do the Tokyo show, because we did a special setlist for Tokyo. And we're going to do it at Birdwell venue in Barnsley.


Tim Caple: "Brilliant."




Graham Oliver: "On the 30th of December. But I've just been diagnosed with Parkinson's sadly. So I'm battling that. So I'm..."


Tim Caple: "So how do you feel in your, I mean, it's never easy to get a diagnosis."


Graham Oliver: "I was shocked at first. I mean in '76 I cut my finger off and told I'd never play guitar again. When I was 59 I had a mini stroke and that paralyzed my left side and I thought I'd never play again. So I've overcome them so I've got another battle on my hands so I've done it three times. So it'll be the third time lucky. It's not going to beat me as yet so I'm just going to keep going till I can't."


Tim Caple: "Have you spoken to Ozzy? Because, I mean, obviously he was diagnosed with a variant of, and he's been, well, we know he's been hard at work in various forms of physical therapy, et cetera, et cetera, but seems to be getting on really well."


Graham Oliver: "Yeah, well I'm on medication and I went to Jam Night last week and I did a gig in Lancaster with Oliver's Army, which is the band that we're using now. And I did really well because before I had to concentrate on my left hand to make it work properly whereas it was a lot like all plain things that I hadn't played for a couple of years. Because I've had these complaints since lockdown and thought it was trap nerve-off. I didn't know what to put it down to. I just put it down to inactivity, bitter old age and arthritis or a trapped nerve. So, you know, so it's been slow."


Tim Caple: "Yeah, yeah."


Graham Oliver: "Hopefully medication is going to keep it under control."


Listen to The Classic Rock Podcast at theclassicrockpodcast.com/,, Spotify, Apple.

Canadian female-fronted metal band, The Fixer, recently inked a deal with Wormholedeath for the release of their album, Your Lie, scheduled to drop on all digital platforms on November 10. They have released a new single, "Ghosts Will Talk", which delves into the haunting experience of being burdened by unresolved issues from the past. The emotionally charged lyrics speak of the struggle to find closure and peace while grappling with the specters of memories long gone.


Check it out below, and get the single here.







The Fixer's journey leading up to Your Lie has been filled with challenges, including member changes, a global pandemic, and other unforeseen events. However, the unwavering support and belief from Wormholedeath Records have been instrumental in driving the album to completion. The band is excited to join the talented and diverse roster at Wormholedeath and is ready to unleash their unique sound and vision upon the world.


Lead vocalist Melladonna shares her enthusiasm, stating, "The Fixer is extremely thrilled to release our debut album on a label that has wholeheartedly embraced our vision like Wormholedeath Records. 'Your Lie' encapsulates our growth as a band, maintaining our experimental, dark, and rhythm-focused style while showcasing a refined and confident approach to songwriting. We believe these songs will deeply resonate with those who seek a connection to something beyond the ordinary, something a little Dark, Sexy, and Loud. Welcome to our dark side of fun. We are pleased to meet you."


Your Lie promises to be a sonically dynamic experience, blending earworm melodies, danceable beats, heavy guitars, groovy bass lines, eerie ambiance, and powerful vocals. The album's lead single, "Smoke Show," sets the stage for The Fixer's dark rock sound and visual aesthetic. The accompanying official music video for "Smoke Show" provides a mesmerizing and immersive experience, inviting listeners into The Fixer's hauntingly captivating world.


As The Fixer prepares for the album release, they continue to turn heads with their previous releases, establishing themselves as a must-see live act and earning multiple nominations and wins in their local arts publication. Notably, they were featured as Indie Band of The Week by Alan Cross at 102.1 The Edge in Toronto. With their signing to Wormholedeath Records and several other notable milestones, The Fixer is poised to make an indelible mark on the global metal stage.


Experience the captivating world of The Fixer by watching the official music video for "Smoke Show" below. The single is now available for purchase and streaming on all major music platforms here.





Tracklisting:


"Your Lie"
"Get Greasy"
"Smoke Show"
"Ghosts Will Talk"
"Animal"
"Tounge's Bleeding"
"Colour Deficit"
"Tree Of Fire"
"Unscrewed"
"Your Truth"


"Smoke Show" video:





The Fixer lineup:


Melladonna: Vocals
Vic Sin: Guitars, Vocals & Programming
Ryan Osbourne: Bass & Vocals
The Dreamboat: Guitar
Crippler Crash: Live Drums

Original Whitesnake guitarist, Bernie Marsden recently passed away at the age of 72. The sad news was confirmed by Marsden's family in a social media post on Friday, August 25).


The message states: "On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness we announce the death of Bernie Marsden. Bernie died peacefully on Thursday evening with his wife, Fran, and daughters, Charlotte and Olivia, by his side. Bernie never lost his passion for music, writing and recording new songs until the end."


Fane Productions has shared a live acoustic clip of Marsden performing the Whitesnake classic "Here I Go Again" accompanied with the following message:




"Go well, Bernie. In honour of the rock legend's passing, enjoy this acoustic rendition of the classic power ballad from our Fane Online event, accompanied by Paul Jones (The Manfreds). 


A Night In with Bernie Marsden was originally recorded at Crazy Coqs in London on Sun 16 May 2021, celebrating the release of his memoir Where’s My Guitar?."





David Coverdale paid tribute to his former Whitesnake bandmate, writing: "Good Morning... I’ve just woken up to the awful news that my old friend & former Snake Bernie Marsden has passed. My sincere thoughts & prayers to his beloved family, friends & fans. A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom I was honored to know & share a stage with. RIP, Bernie XXX"


BraveWords offer our condolences to Bernie's family, friends, and fans. RIP.






Good Morning…I’ve just woken up to the awful news that my old friend & former Snake Bernie Marsden has passed. My sincere thoughts & prayers to his beloved family, friends & fans. A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom I was honored to know & share a stage with
RIP, Bernie XXX pic.twitter.com/KXwsDEICN6
— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) August 25, 2023

On November 24, Lillian Axe will release The Box Volume One: Resurrection via Cherry Red Records. The first in a two part set of boxset releases that will gather classic Lillian Axe studio and live albums plus a huge amount of rarities and unreleased songs.


Following on from the deluxe reissues of the first two Lillian Axe albums back in 2017, comes this 7CD box, covering the bands studio and live releases from 1992-2009. From the classic albums Poetic Justice and Psychoschizophrenia, right up until the fan favorite Sad Day On Planet Earth and bolstered with an enormous amount of previously unreleased recordings, including many demos from 1989's seminal Love & War - including several never before heard compositions.


All in all this is nothing short of the definitive Lillian Axe collection documenting the first part of the bands career. Also included is guitarist and band leader Steve Blaze's hard to find solo album from 2004, Random Acts Of Blindness.




This is Volume One of what will be two fully loaded multi CD collections of the bands recorded works.


Steve Blaze states: "We are thrilled to have a this, the first two part series of box sets filled with lots of extra tracks, consisting of live recordings and demos. It’s wonderful to see the development of songs from their infancy to the finality and to share them with our friends. Having these albums grouped together like this is a unique perspective of the Lillian Axe Neverending Journey."


The set can be pre-ordered here.





Lillian Axe - The Box: Volume One - Resurrection tracklisting:


CD1 - Poetic Justice (1992)
"Poetic Justice"
"Innocence"
"True Believer"
"Body Double"
"See You Someday"
"Living In The Grey"
"Digital Dreams"
"Dyin To Live"
"Mercy"
"The Promised Land"
"No Matter What"
"She’s My Salvation"
"A Moment Of Reflection"
"Here Is Christmas" (B-Side)


Bonus Tracks:
"She Likes It On Top" (Demo 1989)
"Diana" (Demo 1989)
"All’s Fair In Love And War" (Demo 1989)
"Down On You" (Demo 1989)
"Fools Paradise" (Demo 1989)
"The World Stopped Turning" (Demo 1989)


CD2 - Psychoschizophrenia (1993)
"Cruefield"
"Deep Freeze"
"Moonlight In Your Blood"
"Stop The Hate"
"Sign Of The Times"
"The Needle And Your Pain"
"Those Who Pray"
"Voices In My Walls"
"Now You Know"
"Deep Blue Shadows"
"The Day I Met You"
"Psychoschizophrenia"


Bonus Tracks:
"The Last Goodbye" (Demo & Previously Unreleased 1989)
"Perfect Blue" (Demo & Previously Unreleased 1989)
"Anna Lee" (Demo & Previously Unreleased)
"Only You" (Demo & Previously Unreleased)
"Restitution For The Black Sheep" (Demo & Previously Unreleased)


CD3 - Live 2002 (Disc One)
"Misery Loves Company"
"All’s Fair In Love & War"
"Innocence"
"The World Stopped Turning"
"Letters In The Rain"
"Waiting In The Dark"
"Deepfreeze"
"Pullin The Rats Out"
"Ghost Of Winter"
"Fool’s Paradise"
"Crucified"
"Nobody Knows"
"Sign Of The Times"
"Mercy"
"Show A Little Love"
"The Day I Met You"


CD4 - Live 2002 (Disc Two)
"Voices In My Walls"
"Those Who Prey"
"Dream Of A Lifetime"
"Become A Monster"
"True Believer"


Bonus Tracks:
"No Matter What" (Acoustic)
"True Believer" (Acoustic)
"Fear Of Time" (Demo)
"Until The End Of The World" (Demo)
"Divine" (Demo)
"I Have To Die, Goodbye" (Demo)
"The Fields Of Yesterday" (Demo)
"Quarantine" (Demo)
"Kill Me Again" (Demo)


CD 5 - Waters Rising (2007)
"Waters Rising"
"Antarctica"
"Become A Monster"
"Quarantine"
"I Have To Die, Goodbye"
"Fear Of Time"
"Until The End Of The World"
"Fields Of Yesterday"
"Thirst"
"The 2nd Of May"
"Deep In The Black"
"5"


Bonus Tracks:
"2nd Of May" (Demo)
"Deep In The Black" (Demo)


CD 6 - Sad Day On Planet Earth (2009)
"Cocoon"
"Megaslowfade"
"Jesus Wept"
"Ignite"
"The Grand Scale Of Finality"
"Sad Day On Planet Earth"
"Hibernate"
"Within Your Reach"
"Down Below The Ocean"
"Blood Raining Down On Her Wings"
"Cold Day In Hell"
"Nocturnal Symphony"
"Divine"
"Kill Me Again"
"Fire, Blood, The Earth And Sea"


Bonus Track:
"She Likes It On Top" (Acoustic 1992)


CD7 - Steve Blaze - Random Acts Of Blindness (2004)
"Dance Of The Dead"
"5"
"One Sad Sunday"
"Bridge Of Azaleas"
"Act Of Contrition"
"Odd Fellows Rest"
"Thought Patterns"
"Until Then"
"Fleeting Sympathy"
"The Guardian Song"
"Winter In New England"
"The Silver Lining"
"Floating In A Celestial Memory"
"Release"


Lillian Axe Bonus Tracks:
"Dyin’ To Live" (Acoustic 1992)
"Ghost Of Winter" (Acoustic 1992)
"The Promised Land" (Acoustic 1992)
"Nobody Knows" (Acoustic 1992)
"Livin’ In The Grey" (Acoustic 1992)


(Photo - Todd Schmidt, 2023)

Norfolk blues-rockers Bad Touch share their latest hip-shaking anthem, "See It To Believe It", taken from their eagerly anticipated fifth studio album, Bittersweet Satisfaction, set for release on November 10, 2023 via Marshall Records. Stream the new single now, and pre-order the album here.


Brimming with infectious, good-time, classic rock riffs tailor-made for the epic backdrop of a Hollywood road-trip movie, "See It To Believe It" stands as a testament to the timeless appeal of modern classics.


"Seeks came in with the original riff which ended up becoming the motif for the song," remarks guitarist Rob Glendinning. "It was a heavy, driving riff which we all loved and reminded us of Queen. It came together naturally as more of a Bad Touch classic, venturing away from the southern rock vibe we are known for, but still as hard-hitting."




Frontman Stevie Westwood expands on the hazy themes of the track, "You want to know what happened that night? You wouldn't believe me if I told you!" the vocalist jests. "It's all about having a night you can't remember, and by that, we mean a night you'll never forget. It’s a feelgood rocker drawing influence from our big 3 ‘Q’s - Quo, Quireboys & Queen! So, if you need a song to make you smile… this song is for you."





Bittersweet Satisfaction sees Bad Touch back, bigger, and bolder than ever before. The band combines classic rock riffs with choruses destined for stadiums, and their signature fun loving attitude to create a some of their best work to date. The record is a ray of positive energy, a celebration of living in the moment and leaving your troubles at the door.


“We are a feel-good, good-time rock’n’roll band.” So says guitarist Daniel “Seeks” Seekings, and really, why does it need to be more complicated than that? It’s been recorded and finished for half a year, and – with a more polished, mainstream sound than they’ve explored before, but still with its roots in the classic rock of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and The Black Crowes – the band are bursting to let it loose on the world.


“We've never sat on anything that long because we're like kids in a candy shop, as soon as we write something, we want to get out there and play stuff,” says frontman Stevie Westwood. “So, it's very exciting. It's slightly more mature. I love every song. It's a different sound for Bad Touch. It's less balls-to-the-wall rock, and the songs seem a bit more thoughtful rather than just kind of exploded out of a tin can.”


Bittersweet Satisfaction finds Bad Touch with a renewed sense of purpose and determination. Recorded at The Marshall Studio in Milton Keynes, it was self-produced by the band, engineered by Marshall’s Adam Beer and Ollie Brightman, then mixed in Wales by Motörhead / Bring Me The Horizon producer Romesh Dodangoda, who has made the drums sound suitably immense. A collection of classic rock anthems with heart and soul to spare, it’s sparked grand but relatable ambitions in the Bad Touch camp, a desire to give up the day jobs and dedicate their lives to rock’n’roll, and maybe even, Seeks hopes, have a shot at hitting the charts. Really, though, it’s all about the live experience, the coming together of likeminded people to celebrate the healing powers of music.


“I love meeting new people,” says Seeks. “The ultimate thing is being on stage. Especially if you've got a roomful of people who are really enjoying the music that you've created.”


“There are so many people that come up and shake my hand and go, ‘Your music has really helped me’, and that's a really special thing,” adds Westwood. “I think that's why music resonates with people; they want to feel that their emotions are validated. That's what I always long for when I come to songwriting – I want to write a song that someone can resonate with and go, ‘I've been here, and this is not necessarily a lovely place, but as long as there's someone else who's feeling the same emotions, then at least I'm not alone.’ Doing the nine-to-five is okay, as long as you got a Bad Touch gig at the end of the week.”


Bittersweet Satisfaction artwork and tracklisting:





"Slip Away"
"This Life"
"Spend My Days"
"Bittersweet Satisfaction"
"Nothing Wrong With That"
"Taste This"
"Tonight"
"Come Back Again"
"See It To Believe It"
"Dizzy For You"





(Photo courtesy of Blackham Images)


 

Peaceville Records will release 1993’s Under A Funeral Moon on silver-marbled effect vinyl on October 20. The reissue features its original sleeve artwork and layout, and audio master in line with the original 1993 edition. Preorder at burningshed.com.


The album is a bleak reflection of contemporary times, featuring harsh guitar riffage and hateful vocals in what was the band’s first 100% pure black metal opus; a work completely stripped of the death metal traces of former releases and in its place, a stark & primitive execution. This was aided by an intentionally lo-fi sound that is powerfully cold and entirely unconcerned with any modern-day aesthetics. Under A Funeral Moon is the album that many Darkthrone fans hail as the ultimate manifesto for black metal.







Tracklisting:


Side A
“Natassja In Eternal Sleep”
“Summer Of The Diabolical Holocaust”
“The Dance Of Eternal Shadows”
“Unholy Black Metal”


Side B
“To Walk The Infernal Fields”
“Under A Funeral Moon”
“Inn I De Dype Skogens Fabn”
“Crossing The Triangle Of Flames”

The debut album of the German melodic doom / post-black metallers from Sarlic Bliss will be called Brægn Hæft and will be released on November 2 via MDD Records. The album features only six songs for a stately length of over 45 minutes, whereby it is clear that the fellows take the necessary time to let a song unfold. N


Not surprisingly, the sound is characterized by dark, aggressive-melancholic sounds. Gloomy, brute and poignant at the same time. 







A musical sample will be available soon. Preorders are available on MDD Shop.

In a new interview with "The Jesea Lee Show", Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman confirmed that THE OFFSPRING is well into the process of making a follow-up to 2021's "Let The Bad Times Roll" album. The guitarist and his bandmates are once again working with producer Bob Rock (MÖTLEY CRÜE, METALLICA),who previously helmed three THE OFFSPRING LPs, including "Let The Bad Times Roll".

"We've got six or seven songs 'done done' — I think even mixed done," Noodles said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And we just wanna knock out another five or six, four or five. We wanna have at least 10 songs, I think, for the record, and then we'll be done. And I think next year we'll have something out."

Asked if the new OFFSPRING material follows an "old-school" vein or if it represents "a new era of OFFSPRING", Noodles said: "It's a little bit of both — all that. The last song we did definitely sounds like an old-school — sounds kind of like 'Come Out Swinging'. Definitely some old-school stuff and then some rocking stuff and then some kind of poppy punk stuff too, for sure."

Last month, THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland told The Orange County Register about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for the band's next LP: "We're on a roll. We figured let's do it. Let's keep on doing it now. Because we're in between tours all the time. We don't really block out eight weeks. We go in for like a week or 10 days and we tend to focus on one song at a time. So we did another song and that makes six, not completely done, but they're mostly done. So we're four-ish songs away (from an album). I think we'll get something out early next year."

As for the overall musical and lyrical direction of the new THE OFFSPRING material, Dexter said: "Sometimes you just start writing songs and you don't realize how an album is coming together until it's almost there. Like on 'Americana'. 'Americana' was one of the last songs I wrote because I didn't realize until then all the other songs like 'Why Don't You Get A Job?' and 'Pretty Fly', they were describing American society. I didn't really realize that's what the album was about until I got almost done and thought well, I'll call it 'Americana' because that's like 'Americana' means American culture. This was my vision of what I thought American culture was doing in the late '90s. We're kind of still in that phase with the songs, but we've always liked the energy of punk music and the rebelliousness. What I'm focusing right now on is just melody. I want the songs to be really good."

"Let The Bad Times Roll" has been a huge global success, hitting career-high chart debuts with seven Top 5 and ten Top 10 international debuts and nine Top 10 debuts in the U.S. The album peaked at No. 3 on the U.K. chart and hit No. 1 on the Alternative Albums chart in the U.S.

THE OFFSPRING first achieved worldwide success in the 1990s with the release of their album "Smash", which sold over 11 million copies. Following "Smash", they continued to release hit after hit, popularizing rock at a mainstream level.

Throughout THE OFFSPRING's career, they've sold over a staggering 40 million albums, and toured arenas, and built a global fan base. "Let The Bad Times Roll" marked the band's tenth studio album and third album produced by Rock.

Originally formed under the name MANIC SUBSIDAL, THE OFFSPRING's lineup consists of Holland, Wasserman and bassist Todd Morse.

Industrial music icons STATIC-X have released a music video for the first original track from the upcoming album "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2". The song "Stay Alive" is one of the last original compositions Wayne Static was working on before his passing in 2014. The song's lyrics echo Wayne's state of mind during this tragic time, as he professes himself to be a "professional addict" and screams the words: "I just need you to survive - Cut you up to stay alive." The track features Wayne Static on lead vocals, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" lineup of Tony Campos, Koichi Fukuda and Ken Jay. The video was directed by STATIC-X producer, creative director and longtime friend Edsel Dope — who is also widely believed to be Xer0, the masked current frontman of STATIC-X — and co-directed by Matt Zane. Outtakes from the Wayne Static "Assassins of Youth" video — originally directed by Zane — were added to help fully portray Wayne's disturbing vision for the song. According to the band's former sound engineer Eddie Ortel: "Wayne was working on this track the night that he passed away."

"We knew that if we were going to release this song, we wouldn't be able to tip toe around this tragic subject," says Campos. "The first draft of the video was really hard for all of us to watch, so we ended up removing many of the more graphic scenes. As dark as this piece of art may be, it is also a very honest representation of where Wayne was at during this controversial time. My hope is that when people see this, that they understand the cautionary tale that Wayne's life ultimately became and can avoid some of those pitfalls."

"We always want to remember Wayne as the intelligent, funny, 'Star Trek'-loving rock star," adds Aimee Pittman, Wayne's younger sister. "It makes his family sad and angry to see Wayne depicting himself in a way that we understand to be a realistic portrayal of his life and the choices that ultimately ended it. If one person watching this video can benefit or make better choices related to drugs and alcohol, then we are grateful for the reminder."

With the success of their last release, "Project Regeneration: Vol. 1", and on the heels of their recent multiple-city sold-out "Rise Of The Machine" tour, STATIC-X have reinvigorated their fan base and brought Evil Disco back to the masses. The original lineup of Campos, Fukuda and Jay backed by frontman Xer0 have proven that STATIC-X is back and better than ever.

The "Rise Of The Machine" tour sold out 37 of its 42 dates, while showcasing the largest stage production that STATIC-X has ever put together. The band promises that the production on "The Machine Killer" tour is going to be even bigger and more impressive this time around.

Continuing to create new music, STATIC-X announced "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2" will be released on November 3 and unveiled the first single from that album, a cover of the NINE INCH NAILS classic "Terrible Lie". The upcoming album is produced by Xer0 and mixed/mastered by long-time collaborator Ulrich Wild.

All of the music associated with "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2" is the result of collaborations between the four founding members along with their new vocalist/guitarist/producer Xer0. No additional guests appear on the album and there were no outside contributions to the songwriting, musical compositions, or the performances on "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2". Between the two releases, STATIC-X fans around the globe have been treated to over two dozen brand new songs — most of which feature Static on lead vocals — and all released after his untimely passing.

Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

During an appearance on the latest episode of the KISS podcast "Shout It Out Loudcast", TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider was asked for his opinion on METALLICA's decision to present a "No Repeat Weekend" at each stop on the band's ongoing "M72" world tour, with the San Francisco Bay Area metal legends playing two shows in each city with completely different setlists. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I wasn't aware they were doing that, and credit to them, but I think it's kind of self-serving. And it really only appeals to a small percentage of the crowd. The majority of the people going to these shows — and not just [people who are going to see] METALLICA; [this also applies to bands like] KISS and TWISTED — they're there for the hits. The percentage of people who know the deeper cuts and are willing to accept not hearing 'Enter Sandman' one night, that's a very small bunch of people.

"When TWISTED first reunited, it was for that New York Steel show [in 2001] Eddie Trunk put on, and the [other] guys made the setlist and they wanted to put some deep cuts; they put some stuff from the bar days in there. And it was the first show back together and I didn't wanna make any waves. And I remember we played those songs and it was just dead and just about eight hands [raised in the air], like you could count the hands. 'They're playing 'Come Back',' which was never on an album; it was one of our big club songs. 'Yeah.' And after that, the guys said, 'All right. No more putting that stuff in the show,' because it's really self-serving; it caters to a very small part of the audience. Unless you're buying both — and that's maybe the idea… You know, shake 'em down, get 'em to buy both tickets so they're hearing every song 'cause they're diehards. But METALLICA's audience has grown so far beyond just hardcore fans. They have hits. And then I harken back to when IRON MAIDEN toured. Remember they played the entire new album; they refused to play any of their hits. Audience was furious. Bruce [Dickinson] was yelling at the crowd because they weren't getting into it. It was self-serving to do that. And the next year they came back, and it was the biggest hits only, 'cause they had to make up for that."

Snider went on to admit that he is personally "guilty" of "playing the same set over and over and over," telling the "Shout It Out Loudcast" hosts: "Unfortunately, you guys, and I'm pointing to you two, and people like you are the minority; they're not even close to the majority. You're 10%, 5%, 1% of the crowd who really want to hear those deep cuts and will savor it when they go into those songs.

"I'm just being honest," Dee continued. "Yes, the hardcore [fans] love to hear those extra songs, those special songs. The majority aren't hardcore, and they are filling up that arena, they're filling up that festival. They're here to hear the big songs, and that's when they light up, and you could see their reaction. I would often joke, 'Okay, we did the two big ones. You can go home now.' I would say to the crowd, 'Go home. Get an early start.' I'd tell the audience, 'You can leave now because you beat the rush at the parking lot. Now it's time for the real fans who still…' 'Cause we do 'We're Not Gonna Take It' and 'I Wanna Rock'. Like, 'We're Not Gonna Take It', we do [that as], like, seventh song in the set. And people would think… and I'd say, 'Good night,' and I'd walk off and I'd come back out. But there's people who say, 'Why aren't they saving that for, like, a third encore?' No. Let's get it over with. If that's what you're here for, I don't want you to wait and stand around board. I'd rather have you leave and make room for the other people who are really into this."

Dee also seemingly agreed with KISS frontman Paul Stanley about how "there isn't a real reward" in classic rock bands making new music, with fans preferring to hear the hits.

"I've heard Elton John talk about doing a new album," Snider said. "He was nervous about the new tour. Why? 'I have a new record. Every time I play new songs, the audience just glazes over.' Elton John! Billy Joel stopped writing new music. Why? Because people didn't care. Paul McCartney says, 'Every time I play a new song, I've gotta give 'em a little sugar. I've gotta give 'em… Like, I'll play a new song and I'll quickly play like one of the biggies.' Paul McCartney's afraid of losing the audience. It's a real thing.

"When the new music isn't selling nearly as good as your old music, you kind of say, 'Okay, we don't… This is self-serving for me to stand up here. I'm doing it for me.' So if you're gonna do it for yourself, METALLICA, you're gonna do it for yourself," Dee added. "Just own it and say, 'Hey, we write this music, we love this music, we wanna share it with you. We hope you like it too. But we're doing it for us first and foremost."

After this article was published earlier today, Dee took to his X, formerly known as Twitter, to share the story and he included the following message: "No need to call me, James (though I always love hearing from you). Read the article NOT just the headline. I wasn't attacking @Metallica . It was a broader discussion on heritage artists playing new music and the majority of the audiences lack of interest. #sadbuttrue".

Earlier this year, prior to the launch of the "M72" tour, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told Japanese music critic and radio personality Masa Ito of TVK's "Rock City" about the prospect of playing two different sets in every city: "[It's] definitely exciting, definitely a little crazy. But it's fun spirited, of course, and a little overwhelming, to be honest with you.

"The concept was born out of a gentleman named Danny Wimmer who runs a series of festivals in America," he explained. "And I guess about four years ago now, he came to us and asked us if we would play six or eight of his festivals, and we would bookend the festival. We would play Friday and Sunday, and somebody else would play Saturday. And we would play Friday and Sunday — completely different sets — and bookend the festival. That sounded interesting, unique and crazy cool, so we said yes. And we had six, seven, maybe eight of those scheduled for 2020. Then the pandemic and lockdown came, and obviously that all went away. By the time we circled into the fall of '21, we went out and did three of those. And it was fun. We survived it. And it felt like it connected with an audience. And for us, it was an opportunity to do kind of a blank canvas experiment of just starting completely over, which is always fun and appreciated in the METALLICA camp. So when we were trying to figure out for the next record, we thought this concept of going around the world and playing two nights in every city and doing this would be fun.

"So, here we go. 'No Repeat Weekend'. We're not repeating any of the songs from one show to the other. It seems like a really good idea. It's also, obviously, gonna be a big undertaking. But I think it will be fun. I think the buzz is good.

"I'm not sure these days, to be honest with you, if everybody really understands what it is we're doing," Lars admitted. "I'm not sure we understand what it is we're doing. But I've heard myself talk about it now for a couple of weeks, and certainly everybody on our team is doing the best they can to get the message out there. It started off as one ticket for two shows, and then we let some single-day tickets be available for people that couldn't make both shows. Obviously, both shows, two shows is a big commitment for a lot of people; I understand that. So I don't know the idea that if people go to a show on one day, if they understand that there may not be certain toe-tapping favorites, as they may be called, that they will not hear. I don't know if they fully understand that concept, and I don't know if it matters. At the end of the day, it's a fun experiment, and when you've been playing for as long as we have and playing as many shows as we have, I think it's important to keep coming up with new ideas, to keep it fresh for the fans and fresh for yourselves. So hopefully this will connect. It's certainly exciting."

The "M72" tour features a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age.

METALLICA is visiting a total of 22 different cities around the world and playing two nights in each city.

Opening acts include FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, MAMMOTH WVH, PANTERA, ARCHITECTS, GRETA VAN FLEET and VOLBEAT.

METALLICA promises fans who purchase a two-day ticket that they won't see the same song twice for a total of over 30 songs spanning the band's 40-plus-year career.

Each weekend offers a variety of "Enhanced Experiences", ranging from access to a meet-and-greet, production and stage tour, food and beverage in the "Black Box" lounge to early entry into the venue and the Snake Pit. The very popular "Black Laminate" is back, now known as the "I Disappear Ticket", and is the ultimate pass for the fan who wants to run away with METALLICA for multiple weekends.

A single "I Disappear" ticket purchase gives you access to as many of METALLICA's 46 headlining tour dates across Europe and North America in 2023 and 2024 as you choose. You decide how many shows you'd like to attend around the world, and for how long, and METALLICA will make it as easy as possible.
No need to call me, James (though I always love hearing from you). Read the article NOT just the headline. I wasn't attacking @Metallica. It was a broader discussion on heritage artists playing new music and the majority of the audiences lack of interest. #sadbuttruehttps://t.co/Bjc2Wb5CNZ

— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) September 2, 2023

Hungarian veteran black metallers, Sear Bliss, have signed a new deal with Hammerheart Records.


Sear Bliss leader and founder Andras Nagy had the following to say: "This year marks the 30th anniversary of the band. It is quite a long period of time but instead of some bittersweet nostalgia we focused all our energies on writing the ultimate Sear Bliss album. We will start the recordings this week in The Mushroom Studio in Austria. We feel honoured to enter a new recording deal with Hammerheart Records, as we have a solid partnership for five years now. Can't wait to put our 9th album out."


Hammerheart's Guido Heijnens adds: "We are very happy to renew our co-operation with Sear Bliss and look forward to working on their best album yet."







Sear Bliss' latest album, Letters From The Edge, was released by Hammerheart Records in 2018. The new album, entitled Heavenly Down, is expected to be released in the first half of 2024.

Icelandic retro rock trio, The Vintage Caravan, announce their first live album, The Monuments Tour (Live), to be released on October 13 via Napalm Records.


Bringing back vintage rock with progressive influences, The Vintage Caravan has proven more than capable of creating their own trademark sound, presenting guitar driven classics merged with blues and rock. Today, the band unveil the live single, “Can’t Get You Off My Mind”, taking the listener on a blistering ride through pounding drums, intense guitar solos and an undeniably catchy chorus.


Known as an energetic live band, The Vintage Caravan has convinced thousands of fans after countless high-voltage live performances at festivals such as Roadburn, Wacken and Hellfest, touring with Opeth, and most recently on their latest Latin American headline tour. The Vintage Caravan create nostalgic nuances to get lost in, and with their upcoming first live album, they’ve finally captured the magic of their live performances on record.




Watch the live video for “Can’t Get You Off My Mind” below and catch The Vintage Caravan live on the second leg of The Monuments Tour.


With 13 diverse tracks taken from all throughout their discography, these youngbloods from Reykjavik take their fans on a psychedelic journey of bewitching, guitar-driven classic and blues rock influences. Starting off with the opener of their latest studio album, "Whispers" clearly showcases the band’s musical progression without sacrificing their tried-and-true sonic trademark. “Crystallized'' convinces with light blues influences, encircling the listener in enchanting guitar lines and quickly rising to the full extent of its power while evoking anecdotes of retro nostalgia. “On The Run” lures with an acoustic intro building up a catchy melody in the chorus that drives itself deep into the listener's head. Tracks like “Psychedelic Mushroom Man”, taken from their self-titled debut album released in 2011, represent a stunning blueprint in The Vintage Caravan’s musical universe with unconventional, skillfully created melodies and Óskar’s gripping, tranquil vocal power. In contrast, bold drumming merges with fast-paced riffs, enveloping an impressive galloping vortex like on the top-notch rock piece “Cocaine Sally” from their second album, while “Expand Your Mind” takes the listener on a splendid journey. The Icelanders close The Monuments Tour with the soft plugging, atmospheric sound of “Clarity” symbolizing the crowning culmination that showcases the full scope of their capabilities - delivering refreshing 70’s-inspired rock with a modern twist.





The Monuments Tour (Live) will be available in the following formats:


- 2LP Gatefold marbled vinyl Red
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





The Monuments Tour (Live) tracklisting:


"Whispers"
"Crystallized"
"Reflections"
"Innerverse"
"Forgotten"
"Can’t Get You Off My Mind"
"Psychedelic Mushroom Man"
"Cocaine Sally"
"Hell"
"Babylon"
"On The Run"
"Expand Your Mind"
"Clarity"


"Can’t Get You Off My Mind" live video:





Lineup:


Óskar Logi Ágústsson - Vocals, Guitar
Alexander Örn Númason - Bass
Stefán Ari Stefánsson - Drums, Percussion


(Photo - Tjeerd Derkink)