King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, served up their take on Foo Fighters' "All My Life" in June 2022 as part of their weekly Sunday Lunch. They have shared the video below, along with the following message:


"There's a revisit this weekend to the kitchen where Toyah & Robert are channelling Foo Fighters with a take-on 'All My Life'. Toyah's been inspired by Jackson Pollock painting technique with some gold leaf to boot. A classic Sunday Lunch from the rock duo."



 
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:

"Cuts Like A Knife" – a classic rock hit has been given a fresh edge by Texas four-piece Messer, whose name translates to "knife" in German. Messer has taken this iconic Bryan Adams song and sharpened it to perfection, breathing new life into an ageless favorite.


"We believe this rendition has the potential to captivate audiences and become an instant favorite on many playlists around the World," says Messer.







Messer's cover of "Cuts Like A Knife" embraces the essence of the original while infusing it with their distinctive style. From the very first note, listeners will be drawn in by the band's electrifying sound and the raw passion conveyed through their performance. The captivating vocals and the soaring guitar riffs complement each other flawlessly, creating a dynamic and unforgettable experience for the audience. 


Covering an iconic classic like Bryan Adams’ "Cuts Like A Knife" is no easy task, but Messer has managed to strike the perfect balance between honoring the original and adding their signature sound. Compare with the original.





 

Edu Falaschi has just released his new music video "Tenochtitlán," from the album Eldorado, representing the fusion of parallel universes through Artificial Intelligence, directed by Daniel Mazza and Yan Badachu, with a 3D Tenochtitlán film by Isaac Zuren, from Disney and Lucasfilm companies.


Imagine a stunning blend of modern times and the mysterious Aztec world in 1519, when Tenochtitlán was at the height of its grandeur. This groundbreaking music video not only provides an exceptional visual and auditory experience, but dives deep into history and imagination. The Spanish invasion of Mexico, captured in breathtaking details, comes to life through cutting-edge visual effects and meticulous 3D reconstructions.


The fusion of technology and creativity results in an epic narrative that transcends the bounds of time and space. The directors Daniel Mazza and Yan Badachu have crafted a visual masterpiece that will take viewers on an exciting journey, evoking a sense of wonder and respect for pre-Columbian Mesoamerican history and culture.







Eldorado will be released worldwide on the ONErpm platform on August 23, 2023 and in physical format on August 30, 2023 by King Records (Japan). “'Tenochtitlán' is a powerful, emotional and vigorous song where the combination of instrumentals, choirs, voice and melodies, choruses, lyrics, etc, perfectly represent the moment of arrival of the Spaniards led by Hernán Cortés to the Aztec capital and everything that this invasion represented for the native people in 1519,” explained Edu Falaschi.


Edu Falaschi enthusiastically comments on the release of “Tenochtitlán”: “I am extremely happy to be able to share this special moment with you. The single's art shows all the magnificence and beauty of the capital of the Aztec empire during the Post-Classic period of Mesoamerica, having as the central icon of the image, the leader Montezuma II, the last entirely independent ruler of the Aztec Empire. I'm very excited for everyone to know this new music and new phase of my career. In addition to real historical facts, the lyrics also describe important moments in the trilogy, which is a fiction and which began with the album Vera Cruz! I'm mainly talking about the dangerous alliances that threaten the safety of Jorge, the main character of the trilogy, and the fate of his mission in a prophecy against evil! Anyway, I hope everyone gets excited and has fun with this new release as much as we do!”


Mixing historical elements, fiction and cinematic mix, Eldorado travels through time and brings music with Latin influences, flamenco, Latin and Aztec music with unusual instruments. With vocalist Edu Falaschi in command, the band formed by Roberto Barros (guitar), Diogo Mafra (guitar), Raphael Dafras (bass), Aquiles Priester (drums) and Fábio Laguna (keyboard) shows why they are considered excellent musicians, but, at the same time, with an above average musical sensitivity, in addition to melodies that captivate at first. Eldorado is a concept album that is part of a trilogy and features 11 new tracks and guest appearances by vocalists José Andrëa (Mago De Oz) and Sara Curruchich (Maia), as well as guitarist Fabio Lima.





Tracklisting:


"Quetzalcoatl"
"Señores Del Mar (Wield The Sword)"
"Sacrifice"
"Empty Shell"
"Tenochtitlán"
"Eldorado"
"Q'equ'm"
"Reign Of Bones"
"Suddenly"
"Wings Of Light"
"In Sorrow"


For further details, visit Edu Falaschi on Facebook.

The clip below, livestreamed on August 18th, features Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn in an impromptu yet extremely cathartic Electric Happy Hour where, due to bassist  Jared MacEachern's vacation, he recreates the vibe of the very first EHH streams and goes it alone.


There's plenty of Machine Head jams, with a bias towards 2022's Of Kingdom And Crown, and a few curveball covers including a banger from Post Malone.


Setlist:




Welcome and Beers Up
"Bloodshot"
"Desire to Fire"
"All In Your Head"
"Become The Firestorm"
"Rotten"
"From This Day"
"Over Now" (Post Malone)
"Crashing Around You"
"Supercharger"
———
Acoustic:
"Sand In My Boots" 
"Circle the Drain"
"Die Young" (Black Sabbath)
———
"My Hands Are Empty"
"Bulldozer"
"Unhallowed"
"Raining Blood" (Slayer)
———
"Darkness Within" (intro)
"Darkness Within" (acoustic)





Back in May, Machine Head released an official music video for "Arrows In Words From The Sky", featured on the band's tenth album, Of Kingdom And Crown, out now via Nuclear Blast Records x Imperium Recordings.


Culled from hours of footage taken during last year’s Vikings & Lionhearts and Electric Happy Hour Live tours, and edited by maestro Mike Sloat, frontman Robb Flynn explains, “The last few videos have been very artistic and thematic continuing the black & white scope of the concept record, for this we just wanted to have an old school, 90’s style live video, that is more or less a tribute to our absolutely insane fans (the Head Cases) going bat shit crazy, mixed with some good ol’ life-on-the-road-getting-hammered-backstage-vibe. Enjoy!”

When you've been through tough times, the act of surviving and reaching a better place can feel miraculous. To experience a major hurt or loss and still find a way to move forward is a powerful feat. No one knows this more than Vancouver-based rock band, Econoline Crush, who have made a triumphant return with their new single "Invincible".


The song opens with bombastic vocals from frontman Trevor Hurst, as he sings and dares pain to come at him with everything it’s got. His vocals explode especially well in the song's chorus, which is enhanced by the band's bassist Troy Zak, drummer Dayvid Swart, and the late guitarist David "Ziggy" Garrison.


In fact, Ziggy was a key inspiration for this song. Hurst states: "Ziggy and I were working on songs in Los Angelas with Stephan 'Flash' Sigerson almost ten years ago. Flash recorded Ziggy jamming some riffs over a rock beat one afternoon and finding some gold in the madness. Flash looped one particular riff for me to check out and see if I could vibe with it."







Originally based in Vancouver, Econoline Crush formed in 1992 and signed with EMI Music Canada in ‘94, debuting that year with the EP, Purge. The groundbreaking band, which fused industrial music with rock at a time when keyboards were typically used in pop music, followed it up with the full-length Affliction in 1996, and their ultimate breakthrough, the platinum-selling The Devil You Know. 2001’s Brand New History was their final studio album for EMI.


After Trevor Hurst did a one-off EP in 2005 EP called Wanderlust, Econoline Crush returned with the new album Ignite in 2008, followed by the EP, The People Have Spoken, Vol. 1, in 2011. Both were produced independently.


When The Devil Drives is the latest album from the rock veterans, formed over 30 years ago by frontman Trevor Hurst, now the sole original member. The band’s first full-length album in over a decade, and documentary film, Flatlander, about a rocker from Brandon, Manitoba’s second career as a psychiatric nurse, will be out later this year.


Produced by one-time Miniatures frontman Ian Alexander Smith (SATE, Cassie DaSilva) and mixed by the legendary Jack Joseph Puig, two of the nine songs feature David “Ziggy” Sigmund, who played guitar in Econoline Crush from 1997-2002 and rejoined in 2010. He passed away suddenly in March 2022, just as the album was getting mixed, nothing short of a huge personal blow for Trevor and the music world.


The two songs they wrote together, the empowering industrial-strength rocker "Invincible", and soaring '90s Brit-pop style "Smashing Optimistic", are the first two singles on the album. He also played bass and guitar on the tracks. 


In May 2023, the band released their first single, "No Quitter", a fiery, pulsing single that served as an ode and tribute to Sigmund. It serves as the perfect lead in to "Invincible", their follow-up single.


"No Quitter"

It was announced back in March that The Iron Maidens guitarist, Courtney Cox, would be replacing Larissa Ernst in Burning Witches due to maternity leave. An official statement reads:


"First of all, congrats to our shredder Larissa, she is expecting a baby this Summer. So all the best for this special time of your life sister!


Yes, this came very unexpected and in the middle of the new album but that is life, the show must go on! We were looking for the best solution possible until Larissa is back from her maternity leave and we wanna introduce our good friend and fantastic guitar player Courtney Cox (The Iron Maidens) as her replacement. We are super thrilled she will be playing with us at all the upcoming shows, and you can see her shred already in the next Witches video."




Courtney Cox (pictured left) has checked in with the following update.


Courtney: "Life is a book with many chapters and when one chapter ends, another begins.  I’ve come a long way from leaving my home in PA at 19 to move to LA with nothing more than dreams and my guitar. With that bit of luck I had on my side upon starting my new life in LA, I auditioned for a band that would be my life for the next fourteen crazy years touring the world... The Iron Maidens.


After 14 years, I hang up my guitar as their 'Adriana Smith' and venture into the next chapter of my life / career as a Burning Witch with Burning Witches. I’d like to thank my bandmates and friends in the Maidens, the TIMS crew, and all the fans all over the world for all the memories that I will hold dear to my heart. As my chapter as a Maiden has come to an end, I wish my bandmates all the best in the future.


The future for me will continue to be full of heavy metal and I look forward to what comes my way along side my witch sisters in Burning Witches.


See you out on the road."


The Iron Maidens have issued the following statement:


"We want to send our best wishes and huge heartfelt congratulations to  Courtney Cox as she steps down from The Iron Maidens to become a full-time member of Burning Witches.


We feel so lucky to have had her in the band for the last 14 years and are excited to see what happens next for her. We will miss Courtney, but we know she will continue to melt faces on her next adventure.


The Iron Maidens will carry on with our lovely friend and shredder, Shani Kimelman, filling in, and we look forward to seeing you all on the road!


Cheers, and Up The Irons!"





When Burning Witches come together, the world is ablaze. With just a sip of their bewitched brew of heavy metal, the quintet whisks the listener back to the heyday of the hottest and cruelest era in rock history. Inspired by the trademarks of classic 80s heavy metal - like skyscraper guitar solos, bludgeoning, raspy vocals and screams, and fast paced drums - Fasten your broom’s seatbelt for this wild and fiery ride.


Burning Witches unleashesd a searing attack once more with their fifth studio album and Napalm Records debut, The Dark Tower, on May 5th.


Burning Witches set the world ablaze, ushering in a new wave of heavy metal. On fifteen energetic tracks, Burning Witches ring the bells for a midnight mass in smoky-warm bars. Opening with “Unleash The Beast”, roaring, dueling guitars battle each other with top-notch, fast-paced performances while the energy of the song rises to its climax when the sharp voice of singer Laura Guldemond combines with powerful harmonies. “World On Fire” first gets the listener’s pulse pumping with the rising tension of flashy guitar work, before melodic six-string solos unite with unbeatable guitar onslaughts and sophisticated drum attacks - underlining conjuring vocal lines that call out for an evening zombie dance. Restless and intense, the fierce women of Burning Witches shred their instruments on The Dark Tower like no other, but with the soft mid-tempo track “Tomorrow”, the witches settle down to gather their strength for just a moment. Bittersweet melodies float up to the sky like weightless feathers, carrying a message of five confident women. Ready again to gradually increase the tempo, “Heart Of Ice” and “Arrow Of Time” ensnare with extravagant guitar tapping and heroic vocals by Laura, while “The Lost Souls” merges devilish staccato and legato riffs, creating an ominous atmosphere amid the bewitching screams of the five Swiss enchantresses. With their new studio album, Burning Witches not only bring back the glory days of heavy metal, but push it beyond - trapping the soul of each listener with energetic performances on The Dark Tower.





The Dark Tower tracklisting:


"Rise Of Darkness"
"Unleash The Beast"
"Renegade"
"Evil Witch"
"World On Fire"
"Tomorrow"
"House Of Blood"
"The Dark Tower"
"Heart Of Ice"
"Arrow Of Time"
"Doomed To Die"
"Into The Unknown"
"The Lost Souls"


"The Dark Tower"

Masters of extreme metal Ringworm have made their long-awaited return today with the release of their 9th full-length album, Seeing Through Fire, out now from Nuclear Blast Records. An auditory wrecking ball of filth, chaos and reckless abandon, Ringworm sinks their teeth into listeners with pummeling tracks like “Thought Crimes,” “No Solace, No Quarter, No Mercy” and the devastating track “House of Flies.”


Founding vocalist Human Furnace stated on the album: 


“We're pretty pumped on Seeing Through Fire. It's a total burner. It's a straight forward, "smash your face and leave you layin' there wondering what you got hit with" type record. We've never felt the need to "re-invent our own wheel" but going into this one we tried some different things sonically, and we're very happy with the results. Of course, it's the intention, every time we record a new record, but we feel like the over-all sound, feel and aggression of Seeing Through Fire, one ups many of our past records. Which, for anyone that knows our catalog, is not always an easy task. With every new record, you have to dig deeper.”




In hand with the album release, Ringworm has debuted a new video today for the crushing track “House Of Flies.”





Commenting on the song, HF says:


‘‘House Of Flies,’ speaks to lingering secrets we all keep and how they can make you feel dead inside. As they fester and multiply, eventually they will make their way to the surface, and the fly is a universal harbinger that death and decomposition that one could feel.”


With aggressive tendencies in metal on the rise again, Ringworm's return is warmly welcomed. The band has been violating the eardrums of listeners for years with more cataclysmic grit and intensity than peers half their age. As listeners of the first new single can attest, Ringworm have emerged angrier than ever with no signs of slowing down any time soon."


Order the album here.





Seeing Through Fire tracklisting:


"Seeing Through Fire"
"Carved In Stone"
"No Solace, No Quarter, No Mercy"
"Death Hoax"
"Thought Crimes"
"Unavoidable Truth"
"House Of Flies"
"You Want It To"
"Mental Decontrol"
"Power And Blood"
"Playing God"


"No Solace, No Quarter, No Mercy" video:





Extreme metal pioneers, Venom Inc., have announced the second leg of the tour with labelmates Ringworm, Satan, and 72 Legions. The Better To Reign In Hell Part II tour will start on September 27 in New York and will make stops in Chicago, Atlanta, and Clifton before ending in Boston on October 15.


Venom Inc. will be touring in support of their latest offering, There’s Only Black. Their sophomore album is a no-holds-barred assault on bigoted hypocrisy and conformism in today's society, as well as a demonstration of musical superiority delivered by some of the genre's true originators.


Venom Inc. comments, "I’m so very pleased to tell you we are back… this time in the East!!! The West of the USA has been magnificent and incredible fans with the best, craziest shows ever and so now it’s time for the East to show them how it’s done!! See you all soon AVE!!!”


Tickets available here.





Tour dates:


September
27 - New York, NY - Meadows
28 - Clevand, OH - No Class
29 - Milwaukee, WI - X-Ray Arcade
30 - Chicago, IL - Cobra


October
1 - Iowa City, IA - Wildwood
3 - St. Louis, MO - Red Flag
4 - Covington, KY - Madison Live
5 - Spartanburg, SC - Groundzero
6 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
7 - Tampa, FL - Brass Mug
10 - Raleigh, NC - Pour House
11 - Leesburg, VA - Tally Ho Theater
12 - Wilmington, DE - The Queen
13 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
14 - Portland, ME - Genos Rock Club
15 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall


Ringworm is:


James ‘Human Furnace’ Bulloch (vocals)
Matt Sorg (guitar)
Mike Lare (guitar)
Ed Stephens (bass)


(Photo - Doug French)

The new music video for "Back To Life" from Bangalore Choir is available below.





Singer David Reece adds:




“Greetings BC friends and family! Well as everyone knows we've recorded a new Bangalore Choir record which we felt was way overdue. On Target has been a personal favorite of mine since the inception and I always felt a need to awaken the beast again.


“The record Center Mass was recorded in Italy and produced, mixed and mastered by Riccardo Demarosi who also plays bass on the record.


“The guitars are played by Nicolò Savinelli, Jimi Bell, Martin Kronlund, Mario Percudani and many others. Nello Savinelli is the one driving the nails on drums. Also a special addition was reaching out to the great Ian Mayo who also contributes on the album.


“There's a special ‘If The Good Die Young (We'll Live Forever) Part Two’ on the album which the great Brynn Arens masterfully created. Giles Lavery I must give a shout out to because he's been the rock that makes it roll with me for many years.


“I think we tapped into some of the magic everyone expects from Bangalore Choir and I advise you in advance to Crank it!”


Fronted by former Accept and Bonfire vocalist David Reece, Bangalore Choir emerged in 1991 at the tail end of the 1980s melodic metal movement, instantly impressing the rock press with big choruses, melodic guitar playing and songwriting contributions by Jon Bon Jovi, Aldo Nova and Autograph’s Steve Plunkett.


The new album, Center Mass, was released via Global Rock Records via Cherry Red on July 7, is a direct sequel in style to the classic debut On Target, and is sure to excite fans of the debut album and of the melodic heavy rock genre in general.


David Reece explains: “I am very happy with this brand new Bangalore Choir record, we really went for everything that made the debut the great album that it was, that being loads of harmony vocals, big hooks, and great guitar solos. We also worked really hard on the songs making sure we had only the very best set of tunes for this album.”


The initial pressing comes with an 8-song live CD recorded in Germany in 2022. The album can be ordered here.





Tracklisting:


CD1:
"Spirit Rider"
"Back To Life"
"I Just Wanna Love You"
"Heat Of The Night"
"Wind At My Back"
"Blame It On Me"
"Back 2 U"
"Downtime With The Devil"
"Without You"
"While Bullets Fly"
"If The Good Die Young Part 2"
"Love Hurts"


CD2:
"Just One Night" (Live In Hamburg)
"Loaded Gun" (Live In Hamburg)
"Slippin' Away" (Live In Hamburg)
"Victim Of The Night" (Live In Hamburg)
"If The Good Die Young" (Live In Hamburg)
"Freight Train Rollin'" (Live In Hamburg)
"Angel In Black" (Live In Hamburg)
"All Or Nothing" (Live In Hamburg)


(Photo - Kommodore Johnsen)

Tarja has released the video for her cover of Megadeth's "Trust", featured on Rocking Heels: Live At Metal Church, out now via earMUSIC. Watch the clip below:





In front of just 300 hand-picked fans, this one-time-only event opened the Wacken Open Air Festival in 2016. Tarja presents unique arrangements of rock and heavy metal classics by her favorite artists including Metallica's "The Unforgiven," songs by Joe Satriani and Slipknot, as well as a Nightwish song and Tarja originals.




With its captivating performances of well-known songs paired with Tarja's iconic voice, this live album is a treasure for fans, as well as a discovery for Tarja-newcomers and all those who missed the chance to attend this exclusive concert. Rocking Heels: Live At Metal Church will be released as a Ltd. 2LP Vinyl Edition, CD Digipak in LP-replica design and on Digital.


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"Always With Me, Always With You" (Joe Satriani)
"Numb" (Linkin Park)
"Alias" (In Flames)
"Vermillion Pt. 2" (Slipknot)
"Trust" (Megadeth)
"Ohne Dich" (Rammstein)
"Afterlife" (Avenged Sevenfold)
"The Living End" (Tarja)
"The Unforgiven" (Metallica)
"Sleeping Sun" (Nightwish)
"I Walk Alone" (Tarja)
"Ave Maria" (Tarja)


"I Walk Alone" video:





"Afterlife" video:





"Vermillion Pt. 2" video:





"The Unforgiven" video:





"Alias" video:





"Numb" video:

Feuerschwanz have revealed a lyric video for the title track of their recent #1 charting album, Fegefeuer. Following Memento Mori (2021), Germany’s hottest band hit #1 on the Official German Album Charts for the second time in a row with their new studio album released last month, and that still remains on the charts.


Reigning in the German metal scene, Feuerschwanz have had a busy year so far on live stages too, playing a nearly sold-out tour followed by premium and headline slots at main European summer festivals. Watch the new lyric video below, and don’t miss out on Feuerschwanz' remaining festival shows and “Fegefeuer 2024“ tour with Orden Ogan and Angus McSix.







Fegefeuer kicks off with outstanding opening track “SGFRD Dragonslayer”. Lyrical references to the legendary Siegfried Dragonslayer combine with heavy riffing and Nordic mythology. Successor “Bastard von Asgard” features beautiful vocals by Eluveitie’s Fabienne Erni. The catchy viking party anthem “Berzerkermode” calls for the listener to join the celebration and “party like a viking”, while the first three tracks, as well as heavy “Highlander”, are best proof of the band’s evolution from comedy rock to metal. Other tracks like the intense title track “Fegefeuer”, Lord of the Rings battlechant “Uruk-Hai” and “Die Horde” will be long-time fan favorites.


Fegefeuer stays lyrically true to trademark topics, exploring long forgotten legends and heroic battles, and shows off the band’s extraordinary musical skills. The album will be available in various formats, with some containing the live bonus album Live in Wacken 2022, which includes a recording of their co-headline show from the holy fields. With their new release, Feuerschwanz clearly confirm their outstanding position at the top of the German metal scene.


Order the album here





Fegefeuer tracklisting:


"SGFRD Dragonslayer"
"Bastard von Asgard"
"Berzerkermode"
"Knochenkarussell"
"Fegefeuer"
"Die Horde"
"Uruk-Hai"
"Highlander"
"Morrigan"
"Eis & Feuer"
"Valkyren"


“Knochenkarussell” video:





"Berzerkermode" video:





"Bastard von Asgard" video:





Various limited versions come with the bonus CD, Live in Wacken 2022, recorded during the band's co-headline set at Wacken Open Air 2022. Other versions include the instrumental version of all 11 album tracks.


Live in Wacken 2022 tracklisting:


"Intro (Das Elfte Gebot)" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Memento Mori" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Untot im Drachenboot" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Metfest" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Ultima Nocte" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Schubsetanz" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Methämmer" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Dragostea Din Tei" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Rohirrim" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Das Elfte Gebot" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Warriors Of The World United" (Live in Wacken 2022 / feat. Melissa Bonny)
"Die Hörner Hoch" (Live in Wacken 2022)
"Extro" (Live in Wacken 2022)





Feuerschwanz are:


Johanna - violin, hurdy-gurdy
Hauptmann - vocals, guitar
Hodi - flutes, bagpipes, guitars, vocals
Hans - guitar
Jarne - bass
Rollo - drums
Musch Musch - dance & performance
Myu - dance & performance


(Photo - Stefan Heilemann)

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo cover of the Queen classic, "Bohemian Rhapsody". Check it out below.


Johansson: After some time off it feels great to be back on YouTube again! And, of course, I can’t start after a long break without presenting something epic and majestic!A song MANY people have requested MANY times!"







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) 

Four years after their last studio album No Halos in Hell, Cyhra has released their new album “The Vertigo Trigger.” The Swedes' third full-length has been released today, and it reflects exactly what the melodic metal band stands for: ear-splitting riffs, catchy choruses and plenty of melodies that make the band truly stand out. 


The band based around singer Jake E (ex-Amaranthe) and guitarists Jesper Strömblad (The Halo Effect/ex-In Flames) Euge Valovirta (ex-Shining), drummer Alex Landenburg (Kamelot), and guitarist Marcus Sunesson (ex-The Crown / ex-Engle) demonstrate that they haven’t slowed down. With The Vertigo Trigger, Cyhra has not only further developed their distinctive sound, but also proven how diverse they are. 


The best example for this is the latest single “Ashlight,” which combines hard-hitting elements with a gentle attitude. And if that wasn't enough, the Swedes also deliver a new music video for the latest single to celebrate the album release.







Vocalist Jake E comments: 


“It feels amazing to FINALLY have new music to release again! We put a lot of effort into finding out what the future of Cyhra's music was to be and I must say I am overwhelmed with the result. Both with the album and also the songwriting!. I think that we have made a fantastic follow-up to both of our first two albums, but also at the same time we’ve managed to modernized the songwriting. I can assure you that no Cyhra fan will be disappointed!"


Drummer Alex Landenburg adds: 


“To me, this is a perfect successor to our first two records. It has all the Cyhra trademarks, but it’s a bit more Rock’n’Roll, more raw, in the way we recorded it. And on top of that, Euge’s great mix and Jacob Hansen’s mastering are a wicked combination!”


Guitarist Euge Valovirta about the new song: 


"This is the first album we produced by ourselves and it turned out to be just like I heard it in my head before we even started to record it. We still wanted to have (longtime producer) Jacob Hansen's input on it so he did the mastering and I did the mixing. I'm very proud of it. And us. Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue."


Marcus Sunesson adds:


“It’s the first of the three Cyhra albums that I played guitar on and also contributed to the songwriting. It was a fun and very creative process, but also challenging since we wanted to break new ground in order to make the best Cyhra album possible. I am so happy and proud of this beast of an album! This time we took a deep breath and dove down to explore a slightly darker, more progressive and modern side of ourselves. Yet still sounding like the Cyhra you all know and love. This album will definitely turn some heads. You will love it!”


Jesper Strömblad comments as well:


“It's so great to have a new album around the corner. We have kept the essential Cyhra sound, but at the same time upgraded and updated it a bit. I love what Euge has done to the mix and I know you are not gonna be disappointed!”


Recorded in the summer/autumn of 2022, The Vertigo Trigger is the band's darkest album to date. The album was entirely self-produced and mixed by guitarist Euge Valovirta, whilst the mastering was handled by long-term producer Jacob Hansen. This new album offers fans the classic Cyhra sound, full of the band's trademarks, but fresh and refined. The Swedes have modernised their song writing meaning that no Cyhra fan will be disappointed, making The Vertigo Trigger a more than worthy successor to their first two albums.


Order The Vertigo Trigger here.





The Vertigo Trigger tracklisting:


"Ready To Rumble"
"Let's Have My Story Told"
"Live A Little"
"1,000,000 Fahrenheit"
"Buried Alive"
"The Voice You Need To Hear"
"Life Is A Hurricane"
"If I"
"Fear Of Missing Out"
"Ashlight"
"Too Old For Fairy Tales"


"Ready To Rumble" video:





"Life Is A Hurricane" video:

Spirit Adrift have released a video for "Hanged Man's Revenge", a song from the band's new album, Ghost At The Gallows, out now via Century Media. Watch the clip below, and order the album here.


Says the band’s mastermind, Nate Garrett: "Death has been an up close and personal part of my life since I was a young child. When I began writing Ghost At The Gallows, the spectre of death hung as constant as ever. This album navigates a world where ghosts are real, and they haunt us in the form of grief, trauma, and loss. Despite the subject matter, the songs aren’t just downtrodden dirges. The music is diverse and dynamic, ranging from mournful, southern-tinged acoustic passages all the way to aggressive speed metal assaults… and everything in between. And like every entry in the Spirit Adrift catalog, the deepest aim of the lyrics is to find good in the bad, strength in weakness, and hope in darkness. It wasn’t until I finished the record that I realized all the stages of grief are present on this album. Maybe these songs were my subconscious attempt at facilitating my own grieving process. Either way, this record helps me, and I hope it helps whoever else needs it."







Tracklisting:


"Give Her To The River"
"Barn Burner"
"Hanged Man’s Revenge"
"These Two Hands"
"Death Won’t Stop Me"
"I Shall Return"
"Siren Of The South"
"Ghost At The Gallows"


"Hanged Man’s Revenge" video:





"Barn Burner" video:





"Death Won’t Stop Me" lyric video:

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their fourth album, "Icon", British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST recently re-recorded the LP for a special new release. There will also be "an extra special vinyl" version of the album.

Last Thursday (August 17),PARADISE LOST shared photos from the vocal recording sessions for the new version of "Icon" at Arda Recorders in Portugal with co-producer Jaime Gomez Arellano. Check out the post below.

PARADISE LOST frontman Nick Holmes previously stated about the band's decision to re-record "Icon": "Our specific record deal around the time we signed for the 'Icon' album meant we would never actually own the rights to our music or artwork, so going forward, to reissue the album ourselves for the 30th anniversary, it was necessary to re-record and completely re-do the album cover. Re-recording 'Icon' has not only enabled us to release it as a series of collectors editions on vinyl, but it was also great to revisit some songs from a lifetime ago. Nothing can replace those original recordings or ever will, they are a nostalgic part of all our lives but it has been a lot of fun revisiting those early [Music For Nations] days once again, and I hope the end result displays that!"

"Icon" marked a departure from the death-doom sound of PARADISE LOST's early work and was the last album to feature Matthew Archer on drums.

In February 2018, "Icon" was inducted into the Decibel "Hall Of Fame", with the magazine naming it influential to the development of the gothic metal subgenre.

This past March, PARADISE LOST welcomed Guido Zima Montanarini as their official new drummer.

Last September, Finnish drummer Waltteri Väyrynen left PARADISE LOST to join OPETH. At the time, he issued a statement saying that his decision involved "absolutely no bad blood or drama whatsoever."

PARADISE LOST's latest album, "Obsidian", was released in May 2020 via Nuclear Blast.

PARADISE LOST will embark on the "Embers Of Europe" tour in the fall. Support on the trek will come from MY DYING BRIDE.

Formed in Halifax, West Yorkshire, in 1988, PARADISE LOST were unlikely candidates for metal glory when they slithered from the shadows and infiltrated the U.K. underground. But not content with spawning an entire subgenre with early death/doom masterpiece "Gothic" nor with conquering the metal mainstream with the balls-out power of 1995's "Draconian Times", they have subsequently traversed multiple genre boundaries with skill and grace, evolving through the pitch-black alt-rock mastery of 1990s classics "One Second" and "Host" to the muscular but ornate grandeur of 2009's "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" and "Tragic Idol" (2012),with the nonchalant finesse of grand masters. The band's "The Plague Within" (2015) and "Medusa" (2017) albums saw a much-celebrated return to brutal, old-school thinking, via two crushing monoliths to slow-motion death and spiritual defeat.

Photo credit: Anne C. Swallow for Nuclear Blast Records

Re-recording the vocals at Arda Recorders in Portugal with Nick Holmes for Icon 30 🔥

Drums, vocals, guitar/bass...

Posted by Paradise Lost on Thursday, August 17, 2023

According to SIX FEET UNDER singer Chris Barnes, Jeff Hughell has finished recording the bass parts for the band's next studio album. Jeff "did an AMAZING job on these new Songs!" Chris wrote on social media. "Can't wait for you to all hear this Album .. it's a Ripper!!!"

Last month, Chris said that drummer Marco Pitruzzella was done recording his parts for SIX FEET UNDER's next studio album. He also added that guitarist Jack Owen would be tracking rhythm guitar "in a couple weeks."

Barnes added: "Things are coming together awesome! Some real killer songs on this album. It will definitely satisfy all our SFU Fans appetite. #pureDEATHMETAL'"

Chris previously said the material for the next SIX FEET UNDER LP was shaping up to be "incredibly fucking heavy."

SIX FEET UNDER's 17th full-length album, "Nightmares Of The Decomposed", was released in October 2020 via Metal Blade Records.

Comprised of 12 tracks, "Nightmares Of The Decomposed" was tracked at various studios, including Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, which over the years has played host to the likes of AC/DC, BLACK SABBATH and AEROSMITH, among others. It was produced, engineered and mixed by Chris Carroll, while the album's mastering was handled by Chaz Najjar at Badlands Recording in Denver, Colorado. The finished product came packaged in artwork by Luke Hunter.

Barnes exited CANNIBAL CORPSE in 1995, one year after the release of the band's "The Bleeding" album. Six years ago, he told "The Chainsaw Symphony" radio program about his departure: "I just didn't like being around them, because I was being ridiculed, and I just didn't feel comfortable being in the same room with people that weren't very nice to me personally. And I was part of that too, so we had all of our own type of differences, personally, and I don't think it was gonna be able to be worked out. You know, mutual respect goes a far way when it comes to being in close quarters with people."

Owen left CANNIBAL CORPSE in 2004, explaining in a statement that his "heart just wasn't in it anymore, and it was reflected in my appearance on stage. Times change, and I just don't enjoy the music as much as I used to, and the only thing keeping me in the band was steady work, and the pay," he said. "These things makes it unfair to myself, my band members, and especially the fans."

After Barnes left CANNIBAL CORPSE to form SIX FEET UNDER, he was replaced in the former band by George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher.

Photo credit: Gustavo Abdiel Torres

In a new interview with Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic, FIREWIND guitarist Gus G. spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's upcoming tenth studio LP. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The new album is finished, actually. We've mixed it, mastered it, we delivered it. We're just in the process of picking out the singles and getting the artwork done. I think we should be ready by sometime end of September with everything."

Gus went on to say that FIREWIND won't do any touring in support of its upcoming concert album/Blu-ray, "Still Raging", which will arrive on September 1 via AFM Records. "This is more like kind of like a special commemorative thing and it's kind of like an in-between thing, in-between release before the next album comes," he explained. "So we're just gonna put that out. We have a couple of festivals left until the end of September, and I think probably sometime this fall or winter we're gonna start rolling with new music, new singles."

As for a possible release date for the new FIREWIND album, Gus said: "I think we're aiming for early '24 for the new album. It's not confirmed a hundred percent yet, but the discussion is, like, early 24. I don't know which month yet, or which date exactly."

Regarding FIREWIND's touring plans for the upcoming LP, Gus said: "Right now we're putting together the tours for next year that are going to be the new album tours. So it's good. I'm excited about all these things. I'm hoping all the plans can come together nicely. It's not as easy anymore. But we're working hard."

Gus went on to say that he and his management team are "trying" to organize a U.S. tour for next year. "That's the thing now. We're trying to get on a nice package to come back to the States," he said. "Because prior to that tour with DRAGONFORCE [in the spring of 2022], FIREWIND hadn't toured America in nine years. The last tour was 2013. And I definitely don't wanna stay away from the American audiences that long again. So we wanna come back soon. So I think within 2024, we are definitely gonna plan on doing this."

This past April, Gus was asked by Neil Jones of TotalRock if FIREWIND's latest single, "Destiny Is Calling", which was released in February, is a good representation of what fans can expect to hear on the upcoming LP. The guitarist said: "Yeah. I think it's definitely a good taste of what's to come. All the songs, I think, have that type of anthemic vibe to them. So, yeah, I thought it was a really good, strong track to kick things off."

In January, Gus told The Metal Voice that FIREWIND was taking a different approach with the release of the band's new music.

"The thing is I was talking to [our record label] AFM Records, to the owner, actually," Gus said. "We met over Christmas and talked about it. And now there's a new approach, it seems — we're just gonna be releasing singles. It was an interesting topic they brought on, because they just wanna keep on releasing singles, and then eventually those singles will be part of an album. I mean, we still worked on the album — we did it old school. I already wrote the songs; I wrote 10 songs and all that. But they were, like, 'We'll just drop singles as we go and see how much traction you get, see if we get playlist placement.' Because Spotify playlists are like the new radio; that's the new medium right now. And that's what makes money for labels and artists, I guess. You get 'X' amount million streams and then that's revenue and that keeps it going. And you move on to the next song and the next song, and then eventually you take those five or six singles over a period of a year and you package them with another four or five songs."

He added: "I know it sounds very boring now — it doesn't sound artistic at all — but that's how labels think nowadays."

Regarding the musical direction of the new FIREWIND material, Gus said: "I think it still sounds like FIREWIND. My goal was to make a little bit more anthemic type of tracks this time around. Because of the whole direction that was, 'Okay, let's work singles,' I thought every song should be a single. So I didn't write any kind of obscure type of tracks or didn't experiment in that type of area. I kind of focused on writing three- [or] four-minute songs that are very high energy, something that you can play in an arena in a festival in front of a large crowd. That was my philosophy behind this one this time. Which is good. It's not easy to write that type of songs. People think it's easy, 'Oh, it's so simple' and stuff. But it's not so easy to make that and resonate with a bigger crowd. So let's see how it does."

FIREWIND's ninth, self-titled studio album was made available in May 2020.

In early 2020, FIREWIND officially parted ways with guitarist/keyboardist Bob Katsionis and singer Henning Basse. The group's current vocalist is Herbie Langhans, who has previously played with AVANTASIA and SINBREED.

Gus and Langhans got to know each other back in the autumn of 2019, when the FIREWIND leader was looking for a suitable replacement for Henning Basse after the tour with QUEENSRŸCHE. Just a few weeks later, the recordings for "Firewind" were a done deal, ready for Swedish sound engineer Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, AVATAR, H.E.A.T.) to mix them in Lindell Audio Studios.

Gus spoke about the evolution of FIREWIND's sound in a 2020 interview with Audio Ink Radio. He said: "Like every band, we go through our different phases. Especially for us, having quite a few different singers in the lineup in the past, each guy brought a different vibe and different things to the band. I think on this record, you'll hear elements from all our past records, especially with our new singer, Herbie, because he reminds me a lot of Stephen Fredrick, our first singer. But this album also has a lot of variety, and that might remind fans of albums like [2006's] 'Allegiance' and [2008's] 'The Premonition'. But then again, we're not trying to be retro or nostalgic or copy those albums. We're moving towards the future. The way I see it, there's always a new song to write. Every album, I try to make better songs, play better guitar, try different tempos, write in different keys. There's always things you can experiment with in the studio."

FIREWIND 2023 is:

Gus G. (guitar)
Herbie Langhans (vocals)
Petros Christo (bass)
Jo Nunez (drums)

Photo: Tim Tronckoe

Charlie Benante says that he wants to play the song "Ride The Lightning" with METALLICA.

The 60-year-old ANTHRAX drummer, who has been sharing the stage with METALLICA at stadiums in North America as part of the newly reconfigured PANTERA, took to his social media on Friday (August 18) to share a few photos of him sitting behind METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich's drum set for the "M72" tour, and he included the following message: "I love the finish on @larsulrich kit, @officialtamadrums killed it! I wanna Play #ridethelightning with them, love that song!!"

Referencing the fact that he was writing his message just hours before taking the stage at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where PANTERA was formed more than 40 years ago by late guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, Benante added: "Tonight we are playing @dallascowboys turf . I can't help but feel the vibe of @dimebagdarrell and @vinniepaulabbott , it's going to be an emotional one. @panteraofficial @metallica #cowboysfromhell #cfh"

Back in March 2020, Charlie praised Ulrich's musicianship, saying that he "loves" the way the METALLICA drummer "would think in a song."

Benante made his comment as part of a Revolver magazine feature on his five favorite drummers.

In addition to namechecking Neil Peart (RUSH),Alex Van Halen (VAN HALEN),Jerry Gaskill (KING'S X) and Ringo Starr (THE BEATLES),Benante said: "Some of these 'Big Four' drummers have a place here, too, 'cause we all were coming up together in this whole movement, this whole thrash movement — me, Lars and Dave [Lombardo, SLAYER]. And I think the three drummers always had something that was different from the other. I love the way Lars would think in a song and I love the way Dave's aggression in the song propelled the song. So I'd have to say those two."

In a 2017 interview with Songfacts, Benante was asked which song by the other "Big Four" bands has the "sickest drumming." He responded: "I like this one thing that Lars does in the [METALLICA] song 'Battery', where it's after the lead section, and it just has this double-bass thing. I just always liked that part. And there's a song on SLAYER's 'Hell Awaits' record, 'Praise Of Death' — there's a fill towards the end of the song that's pretty sick."

Back in 2016, Ulrich, who has gotten a lot of flak over the years from people who accused him of being a poor drummer, told the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast that he went through a period in the mid-1980s "that probably culminated in the 'Justice' album where I felt sort of compelled to try to show ability."

According to Lars, part of the reason for him feeling insecure about his abilities was the increased competition from some of his peers.

"Listen, when you've got Dave Lombardo and Charlie Benante breathing down your back, it was, like, 'Okay, I've gotta…' I tried to step it up a little bit and tried to do my own thing and do all this crazy shit," he said. "I was trying really hard to push the drums kind of into the foreground. And then, after like a year or two of that, I was, like, 'Okay. Seriously? Just do your thing. Chill out. Support the riffs. Do what's best for the song.' So since around I guess the late '80s — so I guess it's been, like, 25 years now — the only thing that's really interested me is just doing the best thing for the song."

I love the finish on @larsulrich kit, @officialtamadrums killed it! I wanna Play #ridethelightning with them, love that...

Posted by Charlie Benante Official on Friday, August 18, 2023

@metallica and @panteraofficial shot by @rosshalfin #arlington Texas. It was great to see @brianslagel @liviazita @...

Posted by Charlie Benante Official on Saturday, August 19, 2023

In a new interview with The Metal Voice, former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens spoke about the fan response to the first few shows from KK'S PRIEST, his current band with another ex-PRIEST member, guitarist K.K. Downing. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's been unbelievable. I think if anybody's read the reviews or saw anything on it, it's been incredible. I think it's always funny when I read someone was shocked that it was as good as it was. But I think what they're shocked at is that we have a pretty big production, pyro, the screens. I mean, it's a great show. It's a costly show and it's a great show. But we've been on fire. We've gotten better with every show, as you would. Coming out of the gate like that, you're a new lineup and doing it. But it's been really, really great. I'm singing as good as I've sang my whole life at this moment. Now, next week I might not be. I'm almost 56, so I might just go to the toilet, but I've been on fire, man. I've just had total control. And it's a lot of fun; we're having a lot of fun up there."

Regarding how it has been singing material from his era of PRIEST alongside some of the band's classic songs, Owens said: "It's funny — the classic PRIEST songs have always been easier songs for me to sing than my own. So it's kind of funny. I mean, even KK'S PRIEST songs are much more — they're the more difficult songs in the setlist to sing than the classic PRIEST songs. But what's great about doing the PRIEST songs is I sing them like me; that's the great thing about doing it. But they're just a little bit easier to sing. I had five years [where] I've said in interviews that I wasn't singing as great, and then the past year I've just gotten it back full-on all of a sudden. And it's been pretty good."

Tim was also dismissive of any suggestions that KK'S PRIEST is nothing more than a glorified "tribute band." He said: "K.K.'s the founding member of JUDAS PRIEST. I was in JUDAS PRIEST. Half the set now is our own songs, and three-quarters of the set's gonna be our own songs now. I mean, it makes no sense. But [people] have their opinions, and it's great. You get to have it. It's when they're stupid opinions that's funny."

KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

Owens and Downing are joined in KK'S PRIEST by guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST has been performing tracks from the band's debut album, 2021's "Sermons Of The Sinner", plus new material from KK'S PRIEST as-yet-unreleased second LP, "The Sinner Rides Again", as well as many a PRIEST classic thrown in for good measure.

"The Sinner Rides Again" will be released on September 29 via the Austrian rock and metal empire Napalm Records. The nine-song effort was produced and written by Downing and mixed/mastered by Jacob Hansen.

KK'S PRIEST will embark October U.K. headlining tour. The "Priests, Killers & Witches" tour starts at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on Saturday, October 7, and visits London, Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham. Special guest on all dates will be Paul Di'Anno who will be performing a full set of classics straight from the first two IRON MAIDEN records, and opening up the bill is BURNING WITCHES.

"Sermons Of The Sinner" was released in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the 1980s.

K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.

Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony last November at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

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 Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

Almost exactly 22 years after PANTERA's classic lineup played its final show, the reformed band returned to the town where the legendary quartet formed back in 1981, Arlington, Texas, this time as the support act for METALLICA.

On Friday (August 18),PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX),played an 11-song set at the AT&T Stadium, which is located less than three miles from where PANTERA's founding members "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (guitar) and his brother, Vinnie Paul Abbott (drums),are buried at the Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

Dimebag and his Vinnie Paul formed PANTERA in the mid-eighties in Texas. The band recorded four independent albums before their 1990 major label debut, "Cowboys From Hell", introduced a heavier sound and made them a favorite with metal fans. 1994's "Far Beyond Driven" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 without benefit of a commercial hit single.

The group splintered in 2002 following the departure of Anselmo. Dime and Vinnie regrouped with DAMAGEPLAN, releasing the band's debut album, "New Found Power", in February of 2004.

Dimebag, one of the most beloved and respected musicians in hard rock, was shot onstage during a DAMAGEPLAN concert on December 8, 2004 at the Alrosa Villa club in Columbus, Ohio by a 25-year-old ex-Marine named Nathan Gale. Gale murdered a total of four people and wounded three others before being killed himself by police officer James D. Niggemeyer, who arrived on the scene minutes after Gale began his rampage.

DAMAGEPLAN was touring in support of "New Found Power" at the time of the shootings.

Vinnie and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie indirectly blamed Philip for Dimebag's death, suggesting that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, are headlining a number of major festivals across South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They are also supporting METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by Dimebag and Vinnie Paul's estates.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

FIRSTBORNE, the band featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Adler and MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo, will enter the studio in November with longtime collaborator and producer Eugene "Machine" Freeman to begin work on its debut full-length album.

FIRSTBORNE has released a new single (or two) each month throughout 2023, fearlessly exploring the sonic landscape of thrash, metal, hard rock and the spaces between. The band's latest track, "Gods Of Fire", can be streamed below.

"Gods Of Fire" punches you in the face with a ferocious lead riff and ten thousand pounds of sheer metallic fury, with just a dash of 1980s power metal nostalgia, serving as a perfect reminder of the groups musical pedigree. Adler contributes his most blistering percussion performance this project has seen yet, with LoMenzo holding down the low end with a pulsating groove. Guitarist Myrone is at it again flexing his ubiquitous playing style that is equal parts technically impressive and approachable — his acrobatics on the fretboard don't distract from his ability to write a damn good song. His solo break is impressive as always, channeling Mark Knopfler and your favorite '80s shred-idols in equal measure. Girish Pradhan once again takes command of the song with a soaring vocal performance, jumping octaves and creating fireworks with his unmistakable voice and attitude.

Adler has this to say about about the new single: "I get such a thrill from every opportunity to write new songs with these guys! The depth of ability and sensibility in FIRSTBORNE is incredible. 'Gods of Fire' pushes it all to the forefront — going from an all-out thrash shed vibe into an earworm chorus courtesy of Girish. Myrone's virtuosity continues to shine and James keeps it all together on the low end, as always. 'Gods of Fire' shows how FIRSTBORNE is maturing and evolving as we prepare to enter the studio with Machine later this year to begin work on our debut album!"

FIRSTBORNE's self-titled debut EP came out in 2020 and marked Adler's first dedicated band release since his departure from MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD.

"Firstborne" included five songs and two lyric videos. The EP represented several years of dedicated introspection and refined effort to the idea of a heavy and positive message.

As might be expected, Adler chose his bandmates in this endeavor meticulously.

Not too long ago, Adler shared the stage across the Middle East with LoMenzo in HAIL! Prior to that, LoMenzo and Adler orbited each other for years traveling together on tours crossing the globe. The connect was inevitable.

Adler and Myrone began collaborating in early 2019 after Myrone noticed Adler's e-mail address attached to a Bandcamp sales notification email. Adler had been a fan of Myrone's talent for years prior and as soon as they connected, it was game on.

A chance meeting in India, almost a second home to Chris after eight visits, was the spark needed to form the international group FIRSTBORNE and for Chris to return to the studio. Adler met and shared the stage with Pradhan during a six-week clinic tour of India in the fall of 2019. After the first show of the clinic tour, Adler immediately called Myrone, noting he'd "struck gold" in their search for a singer for the then-unnamed project.

Girish Pradhan is the glue that united FIRSTBORNE. Pradhan on vocals represents an almost unprecedented international collaboration.

Pradhan is an established and well-known recording and touring artist in India and resides in Bengaluru. His band GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES made international headlines with their album "Rock The Highway" and music videos "Rock 'N Roll Is Here to Stay", "Identity Crisis" and "Rock The Highway".

Speaking on his experience creating with FIRSTBORNE, Myrone explained: "Every single part of this experience has been extremely surreal for me. Girish is one of the best metal vocalists on the planet, Chris is one of the most influential drummers of the last 25 years, and JLO can play anything from MEGADETH to John Fogerty to Motown and everything in between. I can't believe I get to share space on a .wav with them."

Myrone is a Los Angeles-based producer/guitarist who pioneered the "soft shred" genre. In the last few years, he has released several albums and EPs of instrumental guitar music and racked up millions of Spotify streams. In addition to his own recordings, he has collaborated with Rivers Cuomo (WEEZER),SZA, Little Boots, Michael Christmas and Deaton Chris Anthony. More recently, Myrone was Guitar #1 in the L.A. production of "Rock Of Ages", the 29th-longest running show in Broadway history.

LoMenzo is a veteran touring/recording musician since his multi-platinum band WHITE LION in the 1980s. Lomenzo is one of the most in-demand rock bass players in the world. His list of credits includes WHITE LION, Zakk Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY/PRIDE & GLORY, MEGADETH, Jerry Cantrell, David Lee Roth, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, LYNCH MOB, FREHEY'S COMET and more. He officially rejoined MEGADETH as a touring member in 2021 and became an official member in May 2022.

LoMenzo had this to say about his collaboration within FIRSTBORNE: "I first met Chris in 2006 on MEGADETH's 'Gigantour'. I was playing bass with MEGADETH at the time. Watching Chris on that tour, I recall being struck by the creativity, speed and power of his drumming with LAMB OF GOD. In contrast, I found him to be a gentle, thoughtful soul. Years later, I had the opportunity to finally play with Chris, performing in the Middle East with the all-star metal band HAIL! We had a great time. At this time, Chris mentioned he was looking forward to exploring making all kinds of music. I suggested he keep me in mind. Next thing I know I'm being introduced to Myrone through a demo that Chris forwarded to me. I was immediately drawn to the music. Myrone's guitar is uniquely untethered to any one style. He's a brilliant and capable amalgam of classic rock, new and classic metal. Girish on top of all this had me stunned! A soaring, powerful voice that while uniquely his own, conjures images of the greatest singers of metal, blues and classic rock. His voice is a powerful, emotive vehicle to inform through his heartfelt and socially conscious lyrics. To my ear, the combination of all this musical talent is wonderfully unique and perfectly familiar."

Adler added: "I've been incredibly fortunate in my creative endeavors. From the start, I sought out the best players I could find to work alongside. It's been an incredible journey that is clearly not over. Some things have changed. This may not be exactly what people expect from me right now, and I'm aware and embrace that. It's time for something new. I'm have a platform to present something important, true and collaborative. Creating FIRSTBORNE beckons cohesiveness as a mission statement. This is not about being mad all the time, egos or fabricating polarizing drama. 'This is right' is now my alarm clock. Girish, Myrone and James have the exact locker room mentality of 'kill 'em all! but let's make sure everyone is okay and having a kick-ass time' that I try and bring to everything I do. FIRSTBONE is the result of all of my experiences, both positive and negative, and I'm proud of what we are doing together."

Adler is a Grammy-winning American metal drummer from Richmond, Virginia. Chris founded LAMB OF GOD in 1994 and helped usher in what critics have dubbed the "New Wave Of American Heavy Metal." LAMB OF GOD's discography with Chris includes multiple gold records and platinum DVDs as well as five Grammy nominations.

Chris received a Grammy for playing drums on legendary thrash metal band MEGADETH's 2016 record "Dystopia". Chris also toured with MEGADETH in support of the record while juggling and occasionally combining tour dates with LAMB OF GOD.

Chris has collaborated and contributed to records with PROTEST THE HERO, TESTAMENT, THAIKKUDAM BRIDGE, Michael Angelo Batio and Ron Jarzombek.

In 2018, Chris created an artist management firm Kintsugi Management.

FIRSTBORNE is:

Vocals: Girish Pradhan
Guitar: Myrone
Bass: James LoMenzo
Drums: Chris Adler

GUNS N' ROSES played its new single, "Perhaps", live for the first time Friday night (August 18) at the PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

"Perhaps" was officially released on Friday — less than a week after the shelved "Chinese Democracy"-era song was leaked on TouchTunes machines at bars and other locations.

GUNS N' ROSES reportedly soundchecked "Perhaps" ahead of the band's concert in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 5 but ended up not performing it at that gig. However, astute fans who stood outside the venue during soundcheck were quick to bust out their phones and record the rehearsal, with low-quality clips surfacing online immediately thereafter.

Like GUNS N' ROSES' 2021 single "Hard Skool", "Perhaps" was originally written and recorded during the sessions for "Chinese Democracy", and a rough demo version of the song had previously been leaked and uploaded to YouTube.

Last month, GUNS N' ROSES' longtime production manager Tom Mayhue confirmed that a new single from the band was coming soon.

Mayhue discussed the Axl Rose-fronted outfit's future plans while speaking to the media ahead of GUNS N' ROSES' July 13 concert in Paris, France. Noting that GN'R will finish the North American leg of its tour in mid-October, he added: "And I know that the band's gonna start working on new music. They've got a bunch of stuff recorded already. So there will be new GUNS N' ROSES music very soon. In fact, I think they're trying to get a single out any day now, so you may hear something very, very soon."

Regarding what the new GUNS N' ROSES material sounds like, Mayhue said: "It sounds great. It's a lot more kind of 'Appetite [For Destruction]'-orientated. They had a lot of songs. When the band went in originally and recorded 'Appetite For Destruction', I think they recorded, like, 29 songs. So there's a bunch of other music that was left over that didn't make the first record. I think there's only 11 songs on the first record."

This past June, Oslo's Urban Sound Studios shared a new photo of Rose and GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash, apparently taken the day after the band's performance at the Tons Of Rock festival in Norway's capital city. The picture was posted on the Urban Sound Studios Instagram account along with the following message: "We got to hang out with these 2 rock legends in the studio today. Really cool guys! (The two in the middle...). The band wanted a nice studio with a variety of speakers and headphones to listen to new mixes before they head for Glastonbury. It sounds awesome!"

During an October 2022 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show, Slash was asked about GUNS N' ROSES' plans for new music in the coming months. He said: "I wanna go in and cut a whole brand new record at some point, probably sooner than later. But other than that, we have stuff that we've still got to come out. So that's gonna be coming out piecemeal over the next — I don't know — over the next few months or something like that. So that's basically it. We have one more tour left to do next summer, and then that'll free us up to be able to go in and work on a new record."

GUNS N' ROSES' most recent release was a four-song EP, "Hard Skool", which came out in February 2022. The effort, which was exclusive to the GUNS N' ROSES' official store, contained the two new songs the band released in 2021 — the title track and "Absurd" (stylized as "ABSUЯD") — as well as live versions of "Don't Cry" and "You're Crazy".

In September 2021, the guitarist and his bandmates dropped "Hard Skool", which came more than a month after their performance and subsequent official release of "Absurd", a reworking of GUNS N' ROSES previously unreleased "Silkworms".

According to Slash, several other older GUNS N' ROSES tracks have also been reworked during the pandemic. "There's a handful of those songs that we actually fixed up and did when we were in lockdown," he explained to "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "So those have yet to be released. So those are gonna come out. They're really good, too. So I'm excited for those. We're just gonna put out like one or two songs, and another one or two songs. And I think that's gonna be pretty much all of 'em. I'm not sure exactly how many we did in total."

When host Eddie Trunk noted that "Hard Skool" in particular was a strong cut, Slash said: "These other ones, they don't have the same kind of amount of history, 'cause I know 'Hard Skool' seriously has… [it] goes way back. But there's a couple of epic ones coming out, so I'm excited about that."

If and when it happens, the new GUNS N' ROSES studio album will be the first under the GUNS banner since "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Slash, singer Axl Rose and bassist Duff McKagan since 1993.

Slash previously spoke about "Hard Skool", one of the first two songs he recorded with GUNS N' ROSES in more than 25 years, this past February in an interview with Rolling Stone. At the time he said: "'Hard Skool', in essence, was a completed song when I was first introduced to it. And Duff and I went in and redid the bass and the guitars. It's a simple song, so it didn't take a hell of a lot of thought and analysis. I think it was a lot of fun just because it was part and parcel of a bunch of stuff that we were working on that was all sort of new — at least to Duff and I — so we had a good time."

In October 2021, Slash told Audacy Check In host Remy Maxwell that GUNS N' ROSES had yet to begin writing new material after releasing the two reworked songs from the "Chinese Democracy"-era sessions.

"As far as new GUNS is concerned, we haven't even gotten to that point of really in earnest sitting down and writing," Slash said. "We've been doing a lot of material that's been sort of sitting around for a while. So that will be a whole focused endeavor unto itself."

As for how "Hard Skool" and "Absurd" came about, Slash said: "They both have a lot of history. What happened was Axl has all these songs that he recorded at some point along the way. And so Duff and I went in and re-did them, basically… Like, I wrote my own kind of parts to what else is going on, and [we] just sort of took the drums and re-did everything else."

Written by Rose and co-produced by Rose and Caram Costanzo, "Hard Skool", which had the working title "Jackie Chan", was originally recorded during GN'R's "Chinese Democracy" era but was eventually omitted from that album. Short clips of the song were later posted online and a full version was leaked in August 2019.

On "Hard Skool", Axl sings: "But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way/Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away/Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay/ If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway."

"Absurd" came out on August 6, 2021, three days after GUNS N' ROSES performed the tune live for the first time during its concert at Boston's Fenway Park.

GUNS N' ROSES last performed "Silkworms", which was also reportedly written during the "Chinese Democracy" sessions, in 2001.

Photo credit: Guilherme Neto

BANG TANGO singer Joe LeSte is recovering at an Arizona hospital after suffering a stroke more than a week ago.

The 58-year-old musician took to his social media on Friday (August 18) to write: "Hey Peeps- My blood pressure medicine failed me last week and I had a stroke. I am currently in a rehabilitation hospital working on getting better. And if you know me, you know- DON'T COUNT ME OUT!!!!"

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up by Joe's wife, Jessica McElyea-LeSte, to help cover his medical expenses.

In an introductory message on the GoFundMe page, Jessica wrote: "I know Joe has made many friends over the years, so I am hoping the rock community can band together and provide a little help by donating or by sharing this link.

"You may not know, but Joe suffered a stroke on the morning of August 10th. Joe was not feeling well and It was obvious to me that something was very wrong. He was rushed to HonorHealth Deer Valley hospital here in Phoenix where he spent 5 days in the cardiac unit. Joe has battled hypertension for 30 years and to manage it, he takes daily blood pressure medicine. Unfortunately, his medicine was not doing its job and he had a stroke. Thankfully Joe's blood pressure has since been stabilized with new medication. Joe is currently in a rehabilitation hospital working on getting better. At this time it is unknown how long his recovery will take.

"All funds raised will be used to cover the medical expenses incurred from Joe's medical care and recovery. *Although we have medical insurance, we have a very high deductible and there will be expenses that insurance won't adequately cover.

"Thank you everyone in advance!"

Although BANG TANGO was often lumped in with the whole 1980s glam metal movement — perhaps due to their pretty-boy looks and the fact that they hailed from Los Angeles — the hard-rockin' quintet was one a few L.A. glam groups to incorporate funk into its sound, around the same time as the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and FAITH NO MORE made it acceptable to do so. The band's lineup consisted of Joe LeSte (vocals),Kyle Stevens (guitar),Mark Knight (guitar),Kyle Kyle (bass) and Tigg Ketler (drums),and piqued the interest of Mechanic/MCA shortly after the quintet issued their first in-concert recordings, 1987's "Live Injection". Their major-label debut, "Psycho Café", was issued in 1989. MTV's "Headbangers Ball" gave significant air time to BANG TANGO's single "Someone Like You", and eventually it became a mainstay on the dial MTV charts. The group continued to issue albums throughout the early 1990s, including "Dancin' On Coals", "Ain't No Jive...Live!" and the critically acclaimed "Love After Death".

In 2000, LeSte formed a more modern-sounding alt-metal outfit, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, issuing a self-titled debut the same year on Warner Brothers. BEAUTIFUL CREATURES toured as part of the 2001 Ozzfest as well as supporting KISS on a number of dates. BANG TANGO has since produced three studio albums: "Ready To Go" (2004),"From The Hip" (2006) and the band's latest release, "Pistol Whipped In The Bible Belt" (2011).

Hey Peeps- My blood pressure medicine failed me last week and I had a stroke. I am currently in a rehabilitation hospital working on getting better. And if you know me, you know- DON’T COUNT ME OUT!!!!💪

Posted by Joe Leste on Friday, August 18, 2023

Dancing pop-violin sensation Lindsey Stirling has released a new music video for her cover of the LED ZEPPELIN classic "Kashmir", featuring her recent and debut performance of the track at Lollapalooza Paris. Watch the captivating clip below.

Renowned for her unique blend of hard-hitting violin, electrifying dance, and contemporary beats, Stirling's interpretation of "Kashmir" pays homage to the iconic rock classic while infusing it with her unmistakable style and virtuosity. Combining her signature violin mastery with bold electronic elements and an infectious energy, Stirling's rendition revitalizes the beloved track, giving it a fresh and modern twist.

As an artist who has consistently pushed the boundaries of what's possible with the violin, Stirling's "Kashmir" cover serves as a testament to her musical innovation and her ability to seamlessly bridge the gap between genres. Her arrangement captivates listeners with its dynamic range, showcasing her ability to transition from delicate and ethereal moments to explosive crescendos. Lindsey's electric violin folds into the epic melody of the rock classic seamlessly, in a unique take on LED ZEPPELIN's song.

Stirling's live show amazes audiences with a "combination of cutting-edge performances… along with her signature genre-bending, amped-up orchestrations" (Consequence). Stirling has performed for more than 800,000 people on her headline tours, and her run of dates with EVANESCENCE was named one of Live Nation's best-selling amphitheater tours.

Stirling is an electronic violinist, dancer, and artist who has humbly become one of the 21st century's most innovative stars. Her groundbreaking vision has gained her millions of adoring fans worldwide, four Billboard chart-topping albums, and two Billboard Music Awards, including Top Dance/Electronic Album for her third studio release, "Brave Enough". Her holiday album, "Warmer In Winter", catapulted to the No. 1 spot on Billboard, Amazon and iTunes Holiday Album charts upon release and lead single "Carol Of The Bells" made history as the only instrumental song ever to reach the Top 10 at AC Radio. Lindsey has amassed over 12.5 million subscribers, nearly three billion views on YouTube, three million followers on Tik Tok, and over 500,000 user-generated creations across TikTok and Instagram reels. In addition to this, Forbes placed her at No. 4 on its 2015 World's Top-Earning YouTube Stars list and her fifth-studio album, "Artemis", debuted at No. 1 on the Dance/Electronic Album chart.

Japanese pop-metal band BABYMETAL has released a new single, "Metali!!", featuring a guest appearance by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello. This is officially the first song by the newly reborn BABYMETAL, now consisting of Su-Metal, Moametal and the band's latest addition, Momometal. This up-tempo track was created with the vision of the band's audience forming a circle in a metal village-based summer festival.

On the new single and collaboration, Morello comments: "I am a big fan of BABYMETAL, a band that is both power rocking and constantly surprising with dizzying musical twists and turns. I've been trying to work with them for some time and when they sent me the demo of 'Metali!!' I knew I could rock that shit like crazy!"

BABYMETAL is featured on worldwide rapping phenom Lil Uzi Vert's recently released album "Pink Tape", which topped the Billboard 200 chart.

This past April, BABYMETAL announced the addition of a new third member, Momoko Okazaki, who goes by the name of Momometal.

Okazaki had been a member of BABYMETAL's trio of backup dancers (along with Kano Fujihira and Riho Sayashi),known as "Avengers", since 2019, following the departure of one of BABYMETAL's original members, Yuimetal, in October 2018.

Momoko's addition to BABYMETAL was announced during the band's show at the Pia Arena MM in Okazaki, Japan.

Momoko was once a member of SAKURA GAKUIN and participated in South Korean reality TV show "Girls Planet 999" as a contestant. However, the singer left the series after the show's first elimination round.

In 2018, BABYMETAL announced the departure of Yuimetal, who was formerly one of the members of the Japanese group's core trio. She exited the band, explaining in a statement that she would go on to pursue a solo career as Mizuno Yu.

BABYMETAL was formed in 2010. Their mission was to unify the world through heavy metal by creating a fusion of heavy metal and the Japanese pop genre. Their music contains a stunning mix of electronic pop, a pinch of alternative and industrial rock, and is leveled up by fast-driven heavy metal. Their live shows are ground-breaking and epic visual as well as sound performances. BABYMETAL continued to travel the path of metal with the international release of their three albums, telling the story of the mighty Fox God and his brave metal warriors.

A book about the first ten years of BABYMETAL, "Bessatsu Kadokawa Souryoku Tokushuu", was released in Japan in October 2020. It contains a long interview with Su-metal and Moametal as well as never-before-heard stories from band producer Kobametal from BABYMETAL's decade-long history, photos taken from live shows, a discussion between Demon Kakka and Kobametal, and much more.

BABYMETAL's latest concept album "The Other One", was released in March.

Later this month, BABYMETAL will embark on a co-headline tour with DETHKLOK, the on-screen heavy metal band and stars of Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse", and support from virtuoso guitarist Jason Richardson. BABYMETAL's first time back to the U.S. since before the pandemic, the 29-date Live Nation-produced "Babyklok" trek will kick off August 30 in Houston, Texas, hitting Atlanta, Nashville, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and many more before wrapping October 11 at Los Angeles's YouTube Theater. The tour will support BABYMETAL's recent, first-ever concept album "The Other One".

In a new interview with producer and YouTuber Rick Beato, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett was asked if there is a particular album of his where he feels like the songs and the production were exactly what he had imagined. Kirk responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "'Master Of Puppets', for a number of reasons. I really felt that [album was] that lineup's peak, and I mean that we were peaking with [late METALLICA bassist] Cliff Burton… Arrangement-wise, songwriting-wise, sonically, playing-wise, we coalesced in a way that we had not coalesced at that point. And it just makes me wonder what '…And Justice For All' would've been like with Cliff. That's a thought that I still contemplate. But 'Master Of Puppets', for me, it's a very sentimental album. We knew we were on to something, and we knew it was provocative and we knew that it might not be accepted by anyone, but we were fully, a thousand percent committed to it — every single note. And we had to be, really — we had to be. And I think it shows. When I revisit it now, I get flooded by a bunch of memories."

Earlier during the chat, Hammett agreed with Beato that "Master Of Puppets" was "a blueprint record" for METALLICA in terms of establishing the band's sound and style. "But there was never anything that we sat down and talked about or made like a big list of rules or regulations or anything like that," Kirk clarified. "It was mostly instinctual — trusting our ears, trusting our hearts, and recognizing what would work and what wouldn't work, but most importantly with an idea of trying different things. METALLICA has always tried different things. We always took a chance, even if some band members weren't fully on. There's been times I haven't been fully on, and I was just, like, 'I am gonna take a chance, a leap of faith, lean on my other three bandmembers.' It's always been worth it. It's always been worth it. Even though sometimes we've taken chances and they failed horribly from a commercial standpoint, I think creatively and artistically, I think they're huge successes. And I speak specifically about 'Lulu', the album we did with Lou Reed, and also about 'St. Anger'. Those are really divisive albums, and you have two camps — people who like it and people who don't. I think stuff like that's important to have in your catalog. 'Cause you just don't want a lot of the same thing. You want peaks and valleys; you want contrast. It's what makes it interesting. And if you have a catalog that's just perfect, people get bored of it. There's a lot of the same thing. Sometimes people wanna get challenged by their favorite band. I love YES. The first three or four YES albums are brilliant. But then they took a freaking left turn into somewhere else. And I loved it, 'cause it was challenging. And it forced me to listen even harder.

"So getting back to 'Master Of Puppets', it was something that just kind of flowed out of us," Kirk explained. "It was largely instinctual. It was also just [being] willing to try different things.

"It's always a quest, at least for me — create music that no one's ever heard before. It always sounds like a tall order to people, I think. But the secret of it is just put as much of yourself as you can into it, as much of your own personality, technique, quirks, instinct. When people say, 'Don't do that,' do it. And then you can't fail. It will sound like you."

Released on March 3, 1986, "Master Of Puppets" was the thrash band's third album — recorded in Denmark with producer Flemming Rasmussen — and it went on to sell over six million copies in the U.S. alone.

"Master Of Puppets" proved to be Burton's swan song with METALLICA. The bassist sadly died on September 27, 1986 in a coach accident while on tour promoting the album.

More than 35 years after it was first released, "Master Of Puppets" is an acknowledged classic of the thrash genre and proudly sits in the U.S. Library Of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry on account of being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

In a 2016 interview with TeamRock, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield was asked what he thought Burton might have felt about the drastic changes in METALLICA's look and sound that the band made through the 1990s and early 2000s with albums like "Load", "Reload" and "St. Anger". Hetfield replied: "Well, I certainly would have thought there would have been some resistance, for sure. I think the 'Black Album' was a great album and I appreciate the fact that we did have the balls to do that… I would certainly think that the 'Load' and 'Reload' [era], I would have had an ally that was very against it all — the reinvention or the U2 version of METALLICA."

METALLICA returned to a heavier style more reminiscent of its early albums on 2008's "Death Magnetic", while its latest two discs, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" and "72 Seasons", arrived in 2016 and 2023, respectively.

QUEEN's classic song "Fat Bottomed Girls" has reportedly been removed from a new version of the band's "Greatest Hits" collection.

According to the Daily Mail, the 1978 track was featured on the QUEEN's original 1981 greatest-hits album but was left off a new version of the collection, which was released earlier this month, on Yoto, an audio platform aimed at children.

"It's the ideal introduction to the music of QUEEN for young music lovers and the perfect soundtrack to kitchen dance parties, road trip singalongs, bedtime air guitar sessions….and much much more," reads a description of the record on the platform's web site.

The platform also issues the following warning about the remaining songs on the collection: "Please note that the lyrics in some of these songs contain adult themes, including occasional references to violence and drugs. These are the original and unedited recordings. Whilst no swear words are used parental discretion is advised when playing this content to or around younger children."

The track, which was written by QUEEN guitarist Brian May, includes the lyrics: "I was just a skinny lad, Never knew no good from bad, But I knew life before I left my nursery, left alone with big fat Fanny, she was such a naughty nanny, big woman, you made a bad boy out of me."

May told Mojo magazine in 2008: "I wrote it with Fred [late QUEEN vocalist Freddie Mercury] in mind, as you do, especially if you've got a great singer who likes fat bottomed girls... or boys."

"Fat Bottomed Girls" appeared fourth on QUEEN's original 1981 collection, which is officially the best-selling album of all time in the U.K.,

One music insider told the Daily Mail about the removal of "Fat Bottomed Girls" from the new version of "Greatest Hits": "It is the talk of the music industry. Nobody can work out why such a good-natured, fun song can't be acceptable in today's society. It is woke gone mad. Why not appreciate people of all shapes and sizes like society is saying we should, rather than get rid of it?"

The new version of "Greatest Hits" was released by Universal Music Group after it signed a partnership with Yoto earlier this month.

In a new interview with NPR's "Bullseye With Jesse Thorn", legendary BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler opened up about his past battles with depression. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I wasn't depressed all the time. Just the occasional bout would come on me. At first, when it was getting really bad… Back then nobody ever said anything about depression or anything like that, and people were terrified to mention that you might be depressed 'cause you automatically thought you were gonna be taken away to a mental hospital and be locked away forever. So you couldn't talk about it to people in case that happened. One day I got a really bad bout of depression and I went to the doctor and he said, 'Oh, go down the pub and have a couple of pints. Or take the dog for a walk or something. You'll be all right.' And it was, like, 'No, I'm not gonna be all right. It doesn't work like that.' And that kept happening. And it wasn't until, I think in the 1990s. I was living in St. Louis at the time, and I had a bit of a nervous breakdown. And I went to this doctor, the usual doctor, and I just explained everything to him and he told me that I was clinically depressed and he put me on Prozac. And after six weeks, I finally came out of the depression. And I thought, 'Oh, yeah. This is what I'm supposed to feel like.' And ever since that, I've been okay."

Butler reiterated that he "couldn't talk about" his depression with anyone. "And when I did get depression, people used to think I was moody and miserable," he said. "And they'd be going, 'Well, what's the matter with you? What's happened to you?' And nothing bad had happened. So they were saying, 'You've got all the money you want, you've got your house, you've got your cars and everything. What's wrong with you? Cheer up.' And they couldn't understand that it's nothing like that. You can have everything you can possibly want in the world, but when you get into those dark, depressing days, nothing matters. All you think about is, like, 'So I'll just end it or what.' And luckily I used to come out of it."

Asked if he felt any shame about the way that he had felt and behaved when he was depressed, Geezer said: "Not really shame. I just wish people could have [understood] that I wasn't miserable at the time. 'Cause if you're a rock star or whatever, if you're in a band, you're supposed to be this happy person and you're up all the time and everything is available to you and you can do this, you can do that. And you're not supposed to get depressed if you're a rock star and all that kind of thing. It was just hard coming to terms with it and admitting that's where it was. And it was just the occasional thing. I wasn't depressed all the time or anything like that. It's just that when I'd get into those black holes, I just couldn't get out of it. And it wasn't until it was diagnosed that I finally found a way out of it."

A couple of months ago, Geezer told Uncut that he "started cutting" himself to get relief from his depression because he couldn't talk to anybody about how he was feeling. "Nobody talked about it and nobody understood it," he said. "One day I cut myself so deeply that I couldn't stop the blood. People used to think I was really moody, but it was when the depression hit me I couldn't get out of it, I couldn't talk to people. People used to think I was miserable.”

Butler explained how he started taking antidepressants during a tour of America and has remained medicated since. He said: "Then I wrote the song 'Paranoid' which is all about mental health stuff and it wasn't until ages after that that I went to the doctor and they gave me pills. I had a mental breakdown, went to a doctor in America and he put me on Prozac. After about six weeks on that, the depression started lifting. I've been on various antidepressants ever since."

The bassist added that he has a "big black hole" inside of him and called it a disease. Butler added: "I enjoyed the success of the album, absolutely. People would say, 'You've got all this money coming in. You've got a No 1 album. What have you got to be depressed about?' It's like a disease. There's nothing you can do about it, no matter how much money you've got or how happy you are with your job.

Butler continued: "When you're in it, you don’t think you're going to get out of it. I'd go into this big black hole. And once you're in it, you can't remember what normal life was like. People used to think if you were depressed, that you were antisocial, miserable."

Butler is promoting his autobiography, "Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath – And Beyond", which was released on June 6 in North America via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books and on June 8 in the United Kingdom.

In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick weighed in on a debate about people using an AI (artificial intelligence) music generator as a tool to create melodies, harmonies and rhymes based on artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and machine learning (ML) models. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a very recent technology, and it remains to be seen how that impacts music and the music industry as a whole. It's a little bit scary in a way, but as somebody that does a lot of improvisational music, even though I'm best known for my work playing heavy metal, I know the improvisational music is very hard to replicate. I cannot picture AI doing what we do as live musicians, playing off of each other and giving the human touch to music. I can understand it with other music."

He continued: "I'm not sure it would work for heavy metal. I would imagine some types of heavy metal… I'm sure AI could come up with a riff, come up with something that sounds like JUDAS PRIEST or whatever, but I don't know how convincing that would be. I know it has worked with some of the more recent pop music such as Drake and The Weeknd, but that music's pretty mechanical to begin with. So, to me, that already sounds like a machine came up with it. So I think music like that is much more in danger than guitar music, at least for now."

Earlier this month, vocalist Simone Simons of Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA told EMP about people using AI technology in music: "We talk about it amongst each other in the backstage with our colleagues and other creative people. Some have bigger worries than others. I myself try to adapt as good as I can. I mean, you can't stop it anyway, and I think we should try to use it to our benefit, however we can. But I do notice a lot of my friends are occupied with this topic, but I try to not let myself get too crazy because of it. I think in the end, humans need humans and art needs to be created by actual flesh and blood."

She continued: "One of our crew members, he used the voice from Pink to sing [EPICA's] 'Abyss Of Time', and he sent it to me, like, 'Look, Pink is singing your song.' And at first I didn't recognize that it was even EPICA. And then I was, like, ah, it's Pink's voice but still, you hear there's no soul in it; it still sounds artificial. The emotion, you can't fake that, I think. But you can write lyrics. So for the Dutch people [celebrating] Sinterklaas [holiday] where you have to write like little rhymes for all your family and friends and you work a whole week every night, you can just ask AI to do it for you.

"But, yeah, for writing lyrics, it's a different thing," Simone added. "There you can definitely, probably cheat. But for me, one of the nice things, of course, besides singing, is also writing lyrics. So far, whenever I wrote lyrics, I asked thesaurus or like RhymeZone [rhyming dictionary and thesaurus], which is already in a way a little cheating, I guess. But my lyrics will still be coming from my weird brain."

This past May, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows said that he "would love to" have his voice cloned using artificial intelligence in order to create new songs. The singer, whose real name is Matt Sanders, was also enthused about the possibilities, saying that "AI can be incredibly useful" for songwriters. M. Shadows went on to say that AI gives fans the opportunity to use the work of their favorite acts as a machine learning library to create their own songs.

Pop singer Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, recently said she would "split 50% royalties on any successful AI-generated song that uses my voice". "Same deal as I would with any artist I collab[orate] with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty," she tweeted.

Also earlier this month, former VAN HALEN bassist and current MAMMOTH WVH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen was asked by Primordial Radio if he thinks there is any "place" for artificial intelligence (AI) in music, particularly when it comes to the creative process. He responded: "I think when aiding in creation, sort of like that 'intelligent' drummer thing [from Logic], [it] can be helpful. But overall, when it comes to creative merits and creative processes, I really just don't think AI can compete. The only way it competes is by plagiarizing a combination of everything else that we've already done. So without us, it couldn't be. So when it comes to creating original sort of things, no chance."

In a recent interview with Rodrigo Altaf of Sonic Perspectives, legendary bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION),who will celebrate his 72nd birthday later this month, was asked if he has any regrets. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, I have no regrets, because everything has happened for this reason why I'm still here. I've done things I'm not happy and proud about, but I've recovered from everything I've ever done, made my amends to people I may have said something to that was inappropriate. I've covered up all the things that were strange. But I've been very honest and open with my life — 31 years of recovery. 'Recovery' — a big word for me. So as I march forward on this tour, I'm letting people know exactly who I am and who they're gonna see."

Asked if he feels fulfilled with everything he has accomplished or if he still feels there's something left to achieve in his life, Glenn said: "I'm not chasing anything. I have enough — I have enough of everything. I think if someone is desperate, it's really terrible. But I've learned to live in the present moment. I don't chase people or things or it or that. I show up with new music every year. I write music all the time and I go out and play with my band, which I love very, very much."

Glenn kicked off his summer 2023 U.S. tour this past Wednesday night (August 16) at The Landis in Vineland, New Jersey.

Starting with Friday's (August 18) concert at Strand Theater in Hudson Falls, New York, Hughes is co-headlining around 18 shows with legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen.

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).

Hughes, who has been clean and sober for more than two and a half decades, wrote about his path to sobriety in his autobiography, titled "Deep Purple And Beyond: Scenes From The Life Of A Rock Star", which came out in 2011.