METALLICA kicked off the North American leg of its "M72" world tour last Friday (August 4) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The band's 16-song set kicked off with "Creeping Death" and included three cuts from METALLICA's latest album, "72 Seasons": the title track, "If Darkness Had A Son" and "Shadows Follow", which was performed live for the first time.

Professionally filmed video of the "Shadows Follow" performance can be seen below.

"M72", named after "72 Seasons", sees METALLICA playing two-night stands in cities around the world this year and through 2024, with "takeover" events taking place during weekends in the New York City area, Montreal, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, St. Louis and Detroit. Those events include film fests, pop-up stores, Ross Halfin book signings, tribute bands, special performances by friends and family, and more.

METALLICA's "M72" world tour launched in late April in Amsterdam. Each "No Repeat Weekend" features two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour boasts a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age.

METALLICA's two-night stand at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas later this month will be livestreamed to movie theaters across the globe.

It will mark METALLICA's first appearance in Texas since November 2021, when the band played before, during and after a Triad Combat event at Globe Life Field.

METALLICA last played AT&T Stadium in June 2017.

Hailed as "some of the deepest, hardest-hitting music of their career" (Rolling Stone),METALLICA's "72 Seasons" was released April 14 via the band's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track "72 Seasons" is METALLICA's first full length collection of new material since 2016's "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct".

MADBALL frontman Freddy Cricien says that there is "no bad blood or animosity" between him and the band's longtime bassist Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra who announced his departure from MADBALL earlier this week.

On Wednesday (August 9),Freddy took to the band's social media to write: "If you haven't already heard through other channels, our bro @hoyaroc357 is retiring from MB. To be clear, there is no bad blood or animosity. We are simply moving in different directions and that's ok…it happens… it's all love!

"On behalf of the guys and myself, we wish Hoya nothing but the best with any and all future endeavours. He has our full support! The imprint he left on this band will never be over looked. The experiences we've shared on and off stage, and the memories we've made will always be appreciated and cherished. So, salute.. to a MB OG!!

"Just in case anyone is wondering… MADBALL is not going anywhere! We have a lot of cool things in the works including new music. We are not slowing down… we are revving up! #hardcorelives #cantstopwontstop"

Hoya, who joined MADBALL in 1993, broke the news of his exit in a social media post on Tuesday (August 8). He wrote: "Wasup everybody I have a little announcement .I am no longer playing bass in MADBALL . There is NO beef or anything like that and I wish them the best moving forward and always with luv .

"Thanks to everybody who supported me through the years !! I love you all !!!! My family is better then ever.

"And your boy is NOT done yet , if anything I'm only getting started !!!

"Look out for my channel SmokinWordTV and keep those ears open for alot new music drops everywhere !! Always with mad luv ….. and now to the next episode".

MADBALL originated in the late 1980s, as a side project of AGNOSTIC FRONT. The band developed after AGNOSTIC FRONT frontman Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother, Freddy Cricien, take the microphone and perform lead vocals during AGNOSTIC FRONT shows.

MADBALL's latest album, "For The Cause", was released in June 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The record was mixed and mastered by renowned producer Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studios in Denmark. It was co-produced by Tim Armstrong (RANCID),who is also featured on the album.

Photo credit: Thony Oliver (courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records)

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TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider visited Rock City Music Company in Livonia, Michigan on July 19 to participate in a very special in-store event to celebrate the release of his novel "Frats". Dee was involved in a moderated question-and-answer session hosted by Detroit radio legend Doug Podell of 106.7 WLLZ. The Q&A featured insights into why Dee wrote "Frats", opinions on bands who stick around past their due date, his reasons for going head-to-head with Congress in 1985 and the future of his recording and performance career.

Speaking about TWISTED SISTER's decision to retire from touring in 2016, Dee said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I didn't lose the passion for the music. I didn't lose that at all. My last two [solo] albums, 'Leave A Scar' and 'For The Love Of Metal', were stronger and sort of Dee resurging. I lost the willingness to get old on stage. I don't want you guys to watch me age out.

"I read a review once that said — and it was actually a positive review about the TWISTED reunion, which was ages ago now — but it said, 'When a band reunites and they're good, it makes you feel young again. But when they're bad, it makes you realize how old you have gotten,'" he continued. "And people were coming to see TWISTED and coming to see me and people were smiling. But I know… Look, I'm not a bitcher and moaner, but I've had knee surgery, shoulder surgery, throat surgery, neck surgery… I can't lift my arms up. It hurts when I throw the horns. Fuck! It's not supposed to hurt… So I'd rather walk off with some dignity and leave you guys with a positive memory, saying, 'We wanted more,' than to overstay your welcome and say, 'Gee, when is this guy gonna get off the fucking stage, man?'

"I see people singing 'Crazy Nights' and they're not so crazy anymore," Snider added. "I'm not gonna name names. I always bitch about people who retire, sell us the 'No More Tours' shirt — Ozzy — and then come back a few years later, 'We love you, we love you.' That's bullshit. And people say, 'Well, that's fucked up.' No — stay forever, man. Stay forever. We don't want you to leave. Just don't do a three-year farewell tour — SCORPIONS — and then say you changed your mind. 'Cause you haven't played every place? No, you've played every place — twice.

"BLUE ÖYSTER CULT have 'On Tour Forever' jackets. Forever. God bless 'em. You do it," Dee said. "I'm not gonna be on tour forever. I'm gonna walk off into the sunset, waving and smiling."

Dee previously talked about bands who reunite after completing farewell tours in a 2020 interview with Ultimate Guitar. Speaking about the "current trend" of bands who come out of retirement for a new run of shows, such as MÖTLEY CRÜE and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, Dee said: "I think it's bullshit. When you say farewell... RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE breaks up — that's not retirement. They broke up, and they reformed, and that's great. But when you do a farewell tour, and you announce this, and you sell tickets, and you have a t-shirt that says 'No More Tours' — thank you very much, Ozzy [Osbourne], I bought one of those — and then you come back, that's bullshit. So when you say, 'We're retiring,' people now don't take it seriously. So, you know, it's like a joke, and I think that a part of it is that these artists have nothing else going on. And I realize that — without playing, they have no career."

In 2016, TWISTED SISTER embarked on one final trek, titled "Forty And Fuck It", in celebration of its 40th anniversary. These shows featured the band's "core lineup" of Snider, guitarist Jay Jay French, guitarist Eddie Ojeda and bassist Mark Mendoza, along with drummer Mike Portnoy. The band's last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of TWISTED's longtime drummer A.J. Pero.

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.

ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna joined PANTERA on stage this past Tuesday (August 8) at the St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse, New York to perform the Philip Anselmo-fronted band's classic song "Walk". Fan-filmed video of Joey's appearance can be seen below.

The reformed PANTERA kicked off its U.S. headlining tour with LAMB OF GOD on July 28 at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.

PANTERA's current setlist includes two songs which hadn't been performed live since the band's comeback last year: "Slaughtered", from PANTERA's 1994 album "Far Beyond Driven", widely considered the heaviest metal record to ever reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart; and "Revolution Is My Name" from PANTERA's final studio album, 2000's "Reinventing The Steel".

PANTERA's 2023 lineup includes two surviving members from the band's classic formation, Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

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 will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who in 2021 said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

This past March, PANTERA headlined the 2023 "comeback" edition of Japan's Loud Park festival. The two-day "limited" event took place on March 25 at Intex Osaka in Osaka and March 26 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City near Tokyo.

In December, PANTERA played seven shows in Mexico and South America.

Brown was forced to leave PANTERA's Latin American tour after testing positive for COVID-19. Filling in for him at some of the shows was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

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.

Fan-filmed video of EXTREME's August 8 performance at the Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. #REBEL
02. Decadence Dance
03. It ('s A Monster)
04. Rest In Peace
05. Hip Today
06. Teacher's Pet / Flesh 'N' Blood / Wind Me Up / Kid Ego
07. Play With Me
08. Tragic Comic / Hole Hearted
09. Other Side Of The Rainbow
10. Cupid's Dead
11. Am I Ever Gonna Change
12. Midnight Express
13. More Than Words
14. Banshee
15. Take Us Alive / That's All Right
16. Flight Of The Wounded Bumblebee / Get The Funk Out

Encore:

17. Small Town Beautiful / Song For Love
18. Rise

EXTREME's headlining "Thicker Than Blood" world tour kicked off on August 2 and will see the band appear across the U.S., Australia, Japan and Europe, including special guests LIVING COLOUR (U.S., Australia and U.K. only) and THE LAST INTERNATIONALE (Europe only).

In a recent interview with Tiago Ribeiro, EXTREME guitarist Nuno Bettencourt spoke about the global chart success of the band's new album, "Six", which came out on June 9 via earMUSIC. "Six" landed at position No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with first-week sales of 12,500 copies. The set marked the band's first studio album since 2008. The act was last in the Top 10 with "III Sides To Every Story", which debuted and peaked at No. 10 back in October 1992.

"I would put our album up against anybody's album; I feel that confident," Nuno said. "And I think the album itself — never mind me or EXTREME — if I heard that album and it wasn't us, I would think the same way I think about the album now. I think it belongs there. I think it's a well-made album. I think the songs are there. I think that the musicianship, the chemistry and the guitar playing. But I think, more importantly, what's really there and what people are connecting with is the mythology of rock and roll. I think that's really what's missing a lot in guitar-driven music, is that…

"I think when people saw a guitar player that's in a band with songs and arrangements and the videos and everything, it was almost like seeing something that… People are saying it's so fresh, but for us, it's, like, this is like going back for us," he explained. "This is more of a reminder than it is anything else that you can still be passionate and have fire and do all those things. And the people are letting us know that they're starved — they're starved for rock and roll like this, I think."

In a separate interview with Metal Edge, Nuno was asked how he and his EXTREME bandmates have maintained their chemistry during their 15-year studio layoff. He responded: "Time stands still for us. The chemistry is always there. For us, it's more a matter of wanting to make something inspiring, and geography probably has something to do with it, too. Back in the '90s, we were living together, so you could always get together to jam. But now, I live in L.A., and the other guys are on the other coast, so it makes things take longer. What happens is you get to a place where you end up sending ideas back and forth, which I don't like doing. So, having them come out to play, write, and jam is still the way we do it. But when you don't live in the same area, it takes a bit of time because everybody's got their lives. We're not kids anymore; people have kids, families, and different projects, so I think that probably led to the disconnect in terms of studio output, too."

Regarding what "Six" means to him, Nuno said: "I think that every album is important for any band who gives a fuck about their albums. The legacy is always judged by that, you know? So, whenever I put out an album, I always think, 'Hopefully, this shit is going to be around long after we're gone.' It's about what you want to leave behind and what you want your legacy to be. Whether someone loves the album or the solo for [first single] 'Rise', this album is us. This is us saying, 'Here we are. Go fuck yourselves. We don't really fucking care what you think. But we hope you love it.'"

While chatting with Australia's Heavy, Nuno was asked if the anticipation of a new album still gets him as excited as it used to. He responded: "If there's an album coming out, or music that's coming out, then it's for a reason, and it's usually a good reason for me. So it actually means that we wrote something that I think is worth something to share… There's a reason why we don't put out a lot of albums, because the excitement has to be there. I told Gary [Cherone, EXTREME singer] at a very, very young age that I never wanna put any music out for the sake of putting music out. It's probably not the smartest thing financially for a band to do that, because every time you put an album out, you make money, you get advances, you tour the world. But it has to be something that you're really proud of. And what I mean by that is it has to be successful before it even comes out — meaning that you're just super proud of it. You're excited and you put your head on the pillow. Regardless of [whether] everybody hates it or loves it, it doesn't mean anything to you. It's always a bonus that they love it. But at the end of the day, there's nothing worse than people loving what you're doing if you didn't like what you did in the first place."

In a new interview with Paul Cashmere of Australia's Noise11.com, Alice Cooper spoke about Rhino's recent reissues of his platinum albums "Killer" (1971) and "School's Out" (1972) with newly remastered sound, rare recordings, and previously unreleased live performances. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's the funniest thing with bands. We don't really have anything to do with that. I just talked to Jimmy Page [of LED ZEPPELIN] in London. He came to the show in London, the [HOLLYWOOD] VAMPIRES show. And Ronnie Wood [of THE ROLLING STONES] came up and played with us on 'Train Kept A-Rollin''. It was great having those guys there. And I said, 'So what are you doing, Jimmy?' And he says, 'I'm still working on the LED ZEPPELIN stuff.' 'Cause he's remastering this stuff and remixing this stuff. And has a hands-on thing with what he's doing. They say that we're reissuing 'Killer' and 'School's Out', and I go, 'Okay.' [Laughs] I don't have anything to do with that. It's great.

"Almost every other day, somebody says, 'Hey, you know, it's the anniversary of 'Lace And Whiskey'.' And I go, 'Oh, that's nice.' I mean, I don't keep track of any of that stuff. I love the history, but I don't live back there."

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

"Road" is going to be released in a wide variety of formats and limited vinyl colors. Complementing the album's theme, the bonus DVD/Blu-ray comes with Alice Cooper's 2022 full live show at Hellfest and includes all the classics and rarely played gems.

Cooper recently announced the extension of his 2023 North America tour, adding shows through the month of October. The shows October 3-23 will be "An Evening With," and he closes out the month October 25, 26 and 28 with three co-headlining "Halloween Hootenanny" shows with Rob Zombie. This follows his six shows with MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD, along with six of his own "Evening With" shows August 5-22, followed by a monthlong co-headline "Freaks On Parade" tour with Rob Zombie August 24-September 24.

Cooper's 2021-2022 "Detroit Muscle" tour, following the 2021 release of his "Detroit Stories" album, covered 113 shows in 34 states, 17 countries and one Caribbean cruise between September 2021 and October 2022.

DEAD ICARUS, the new project of former ATREYU lead vocalist Alex Varkatzas, has officially signed a worldwide deal with MNRK Heavy.

To herald this exciting news, DEAD ICARUS has shared the video for the new single "Sellout". Watch it below. The track is a hyperkinetic slab of fast-paced, face-ripping metal with layered vocals and a pit-clearing breakdown. The song shows off a different side of the artist's musical personality. It hits hard, but it's also infused with a melody that just won't quit.

This is the first taste of new music, with a DEAD ICARUS full-length project slated for spring 2024.

Scott Givens, MNRK's SVP of rock and metal, says: "Alex's new project has our whole Heavy team excited. He has put together an incredible project with an amazing group of musicians."

Alex says: "I am beyond excited and grateful for DEAD ICARUS to be joining the MNRK Heavy family. MNRK understands my musical vision and has provided me with free reign over all aspects of my musical journey. I cannot wait to share what has been created as a result of this unadulterated trust. This is the most honest, painful, angry, and optimistic music I have ever created. This is my road to redemption and the truth."

A staple of Ozzfest in the mid-2000s with two gold albums, ATREYU is one of the defining bands of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal, alongside groups like AVENGED SEVENFOLD and LAMB OF GOD. Metalcore classics like "The Curse" and "A Death-Grip On Yesterday" were powered by Alex's distinctive scream.

In October 2020, ATREYU surprise-released a new song called "Save Us". It was the first taste of the band's music since the departure of Varkatzas a month earlier. A couple of days before "Save Us"'s release, Varkatzas updated his Instagram stories with hashtags that seemed to throw shade at his former bandmates and their new material: #fakeheavy, #conartists and #justwaitandsee.

ATREYU's former drummer Brandon Saller, who is now focusing completely on singing after previously sharing lead vocals with Varkatzas for most of the band's two-decade-plus existence, discussed Alex's departure from ATREYU in an interview with Terry "Beez" Bezer of Knotfest.com's "Mosh Talks With Beez". Asked what he thought of Varkatzas implying in a social media post that "Save Us" was "fake heavy," Saller said: "I thought it was hilarious, because I think everyone heard it and then was, like, 'Hmm. Okay.'

"The four of us were very, very adamant on this whole thing" — referring to the split with Alex — "being very, very positive. There's no shitting on people that we wanna do. There's not a part of us that wanted anyone to shit-talk us or him. And our whole stance was, like, this is what it is, but we can still lift each other up and make our fans feel good about the fact that there's no beef; there's no whatever.

"He did his own thing, and it wasn't exactly the kind of idea of a narrative that we would have liked to put forward," Brandon continued. "We've always, still to this day, been fully positive. When people say stuff about Alex, I'm still, like, 'The dude's awesome. You should support whatever he does next.' He's learning guitar, he's taking interest in different things, and I will still, till I'm blue in the face, say, yeah, support him. If you like his voice, if you like what he did in ATREYU, he's probably gonna make more music. Now you have two bands you can listen to.

"The 'fake heavy' thing was — we don't know where that came from," Saller added. "Alex wrote 'Save Us' with us. He wrote probably seven, eight songs that are on the next record. He was a part of the beginning of the album, so for him to say it's fake heavy, then he wrote a fake-heavy song.

"I think 'Save Us' is one of the heavier songs we've ever written. It is two and a half minutes of facepunch. Another view we've had is no matter who says what, let's do what we've always done and just let the music talk. We're just gonna continue doing that and let the tunes do all the talking. And people will know what we're all about. They'll know everything they need to know from [listening to] the songs."

According to Brandon, he and his ATREYU bandmates wanted to avoid making the split with Alex more dramatic than it needed to be in the eyes of the public, preferring instead to give everyone a taste of the new music they were working on.

"A lot of people got really butthurt because of the lack of detail that we gave [in our statement announcing Alex's departure]," Saller said. "And I feel like we just felt so strongly that in this day and age, click culture and clickbait, every headline's looking for, 'Guitar player of ATREYU slept with the singer's wife' — some weird drama. But we had no interest in that. We just wanted to keep it about the music and keep it positive and let our fans know that this is what's happening, we're separating, it is what it is, and let's just think about the future."

"I think people think a lot of it is a lot more quick than the reality," Brandon theorized. "I think that people think that we just made this decision and posted it on the Internet, and that was it. But we've been going through this for months and months and months. When you're in a business and a relationship — a marriage, essentially — with someone for 20 years, there's a lot of steps to go through before you can say anything. We were very much wanting to say really nothing — just be positive and let's be adults. And luckily, we have so many people that really, really are showing us a lot of love."

In December 2020, Brandon implied in an interview with "Sappenin' Podcast With Sean Smith" that ATREYU was no longer on speaking terms with Varkatzas: "We'll call it a breakup," he said. "There's obviously a separation, so I think that's something that, in our hopes, the future will heal. But the five of us in the current situation are tighter than ever."

Lacey Sturm has released a collaboration with violin virtuoso Lindsey Stirling, titled "Breathe With Me". The song is available for streaming on all major platforms.

In this mesmerizing track, Sturm's powerful, emotive vocals intertwine seamlessly with Stirling's ethereal violin. The result is a stirring, cinematic collaboration that invites listeners into fully present life.

As she describes, "One of the ways we ground ourselves is through our breath. By taking a moment to breathe, we acknowledge that we are more than just physical beings."

It's an idea that resonated with Lindsey Stirling as well, who wrote in her memoir "The Only Pirate At the Party" about her childhood love for whales — these enigmatic creatures that breathe air but live in the water. In the same way, Lacey says, human beings are spiritual creatures who live in the physical.

"The word 'breath,' translated into various languages, often signifies 'spirit.' We became human beings when God breathed His Spirit into us. Many times, we lose our humanity in this material world, leaving us feeling empty and purposeless. We need to recognize our spiritual essence as well," elaborates Sturm.

Stirling's otherworldly violin flawlessly complements this song's exploration of the supernatural union between spirit and skin. As a musician who effortlessly fuses classical expertise with explosive pop and rock energy, Lindsey played a pivotal role in bringing "Breathe With Me" to life.

"It is so exciting to be on a song with Lacey Sturm," Lindsey Stirling offers of the experience. "She is so iconic and unique. As we worked on this song, it was so inspiring to see the amount of heart and emotion she puts into her music."

"I've never seen anything like what Lindsey does," Lacey exclaims, expressing appreciation for her collaborator. "It's awe-inspiring how she embraces her uniqueness and touches the lives of countless people with her distinctiveness. She has significantly impacted the perception of the violin as a unique voice in music. She was absolutely phenomenal in the studio, contributing various melodies and ideas."

The song's creative journey began with co-writing and initial recording at the renowned rock producer Howard Benson's studio in Los Angeles. Lacey Sturm's husband and guitarist, Josh Sturm, skillfully polished the track to its completion. The Sturm family found the song particularly poignant, as it unexpectedly mirrored a personal experience — becoming a powerful memento of God's guiding presence in their lives.

"Breathe With Me" closely follows the release of "Reconcile" this summer, and it coincides with the final few days of Lacey Sturm's reunion appearances with FLYLEAF, the band she co-founded and led.

W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless has undergone a successful surgery to treat two herniated discs and a broken vertebra.

On Thursday (August 10),Lawless released the following statement via social media: "I just got out my back surgery earlier today and all is good, the surgery was a big success! The Dr. said he was very pleased and the results were great. Now to get some rest. Thank you to everyone for all the support."

Because of the extensive back injuries Blackie suffered during the European leg of W.A.S.P.'s 40th-anniversary tour, the band's previously announced 2023 U.S. tour was canceled and will be rescheduled for spring 2024. Tickets and VIP packages can be refunded at the point of purchase.

When the U.S. tour cancelation was announced last month, Lawless said in a statement: "The extent of the trauma I endured on the 2023 European tour was far greater than originally diagnosed and surgery will now be needed to correct the problem. In addition to the original herniated disc, as that tour continued, a second disc became herniated. Upon returning home, a second MRI also revealed a broken vertebrae to my lower back.

"I've been fortunate to work with the best specialists in the U.S. and I've been in intensive rehab since we got home. It's going well but the damage was pretty extensive and all the doctors agree moving the tour a few months back will be the safest thing. It's all been as the result of an injury that happened several years ago. I'm working my butt off to get ready and I'll be up riding on [my mic stand nicknamed] Elvis... bigger and badder than ever. If the Torture Never Stops, then the 40th Never Stops!"

During a May 25 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Lawless spoke about completing W.A.S.P.'s recent European tour while seated after suffering a herniated disc in his back. He said: "This past Monday was my 10-year anniversary from when I broke my right femur. And it's a long, complicated story, but what's been going on with my back is a direct reflection of what happened with that femur being broken. Because I wore a lift for nine years, and come to find out I did not need that lift. And that was only determined last summer, so the lift was taken out. But the spine had adjusted to me walking with that lift. And when we took it out, then that's when the problems started. And it actually started at the beginning of the U.S. tour. And I was able to get through the U.S. tour okay, and we thought it had settled into place, but when we got to Europe, we quickly discovered, about two weeks into the tour, that was not the case. And what was happening is that the vertebrae were compressing some of the disks. I ended up rupturing a disk, and then that starts leaking out a gelatin that then wraps itself around the nerves coming out of the spinal cord. And that then creates this thing called nerve pain. And I don't know if people understand what that is, because I had heard of it but I had never experienced it before. And it is pain that you cannot imagine. It is unlike anything you've ever experienced before."

The 66-year-old guitarist/vocalist, whose real name is Steven Duren, continued: "I had to go to Berlin four times to get treatment. I received eight epidurals throughout the tour. That was the only way I was getting through it, because the pain is literally off the charts. And the doctors there told me, they said, 'This thing can become so intense, people commit suicide from it.' And I can see why people would do that.

"The first time I had to go in, you have to go into a surgical center because it's not something that can be done in a regular doctor's office. So we were in a hospital in Berlin. So they take me into the surgical room, or the operating room. And he told me, he said, 'Now I'm gonna inject this needle or insert this needle into you and I'm gonna touch your spinal cord with it.' He said, 'I want you to get ready for this.' Now, I didn't know what that meant — until he did it. And when he did it — I really don't have accurate words to describe what that feels like. The closest way I can explain it is it felt like an explosion, like a bomb went off inside my legs. And he said, 'I'm gonna have to do this one more time.' And I swear to you, I grabbed the table with both hands.

"You see these movies about mafia and things like that, where they're pulling guys' fingernails off with pliers. You don't need that," Lawless added. "You just show somebody a needle — they'll give up their kids. I'm here to tell you — there's nothing like it. I mean, you cannot fathom it unless you've been through it.

"So, anyway, they were able to keep me running, but they were afraid that I was gonna do further damage. So the deal was halfway during the tour that I would pull back about 50 percent of the movement that I was doing. But it started getting worse and worse. And we got to Zurich about two and a half weeks ago, and something happened during the show, and I knew something wasn't right. And that's when we went to sitting after that.

"We got home this past Saturday, and I went straight to the doctor's office. And they looked at me, and we said, 'Okay, let's do new pictures.' So we did new pictures this past Monday.

"I have a thing, and they determined this in Berlin — it's called mechanical compression," Blackie revealed. "And what that means is you get vertebrae that start pushing against each other, but they grind against each other at the same time because they start to cramp. Well, when we were doing the show in Zurich, it was cramping really bad and I couldn't get it to stop. And I was literally, literally hanging on to [my mic stand] Elvis while I was trying to sing and play at the same time.

"So we did the new pictures on Monday, and I have a cracked vertebra now in my spine. But as bad as that sounds, it's not the first time it happened," Lawless said. "It happened the first time in '92 on 'The Crimson Idol' tour. I got a little too close to the edge of the stage one night and some of the fans pulled me off the stage into the audience, and I ended up upside down in the crowd and they fell on top of me, and I broke a vertebra then. So this is the second time I've been through this. So it'll heal on its own. I start therapy tomorrow — it's a swimming pool thing that I'm gonna have to do to start first. But they say they're gonna have me up to speed in eight weeks to start the tour. So I'll be ready to go."

W.A.S.P.'s massive European leg of the 40th-anniversary world tour wrapped on May 18 in Sofia, Bulgaria at Universidada Sports Hall.

Produced by Live Nation, the North American leg of W.A.S.P.'s "The 40th Never Stops World Tour 2023" was scheduled to kick off on August 4 at the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo, California, making stops across North America in Vancouver, British Columbia; Omaha, Nebraska; New York City; Memphis, Tennessee and more before wrapping up on September 16 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California. Special guest ARMORED SAINT was supposed join the band across all 33 dates of the tour.

W.A.S.P. wrapped up its first U.S. tour in 10 years with a sold-out show on December 11, 2022 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. This marked the 18th sold-out shows for the U.S. tour, which kicked off in late October 2022. W.A.S.P.'s performances included the return of the band's classic song "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)", which hadn't been played live in over 15 years.

Lawless has led W.A.S.P. as its lead vocalist and primary songwriter since its beginning. His unique brand of visual, social and political comment took the group to worldwide heights and sold millions of records alongside a legacy of sold-out shows across the globe for four decades. He is joined by bassist Mike Duda and guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band span 28 and 17 years respectively, along with drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester.

W.A.S.P.'s latest release was "ReIdolized (The Soundtrack To The Crimson Idol)", which came out in February 2018. It was a new version of the band's classic 1992 album "The Crimson Idol", which was re-recorded to accompany the movie of the same name to mark the 25th anniversary of the original LP's release. The re-recorded version also features four songs missing from the original album.

W.A.S.P.'s most recent studio album of all-new original material was 2015's "Golgotha".

W.A.S.P.'s first live performance since December 2019 took place on July 23, 2022 at Skansen in Stockholm, Sweden.
I just got out my back surgery earlier today and all is good, the surgery was a big success! The Dr. said he was very pleased and the results were great. Now to get some rest. Thank you to everyone for all the support. - Blackie Lawless#waspnation#wasp#blackielawless#hardrocpic.twitter.com/7uF8q7SuGK

— W.A.S.P. Nation (@WASPOfficial) August 11, 2023

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser joined UGLY KID JOE on stage on Wednesday, August 9 during the latter band's concert at this year's Leyendas Del Rock festival in Villena, Alicante, Spain to perform a cover of the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

This past May, UGLY KID JOE kicked off its first U.S. tour in 27 years.

UGLY KID JOE is touring in support of its latest studio album, "Rad Wings Of Destiny", which came out last October.

"Rad Wings Of Destiny" saw UGLY KID JOE re-teaming producer Mark Dodson who was behind the desk for the band's debut album, "America's Least Wanted", which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year.

Speaking to France's Loud TV about the "Rad Wings Of Destiny" album title, UGLY KID JOE frontman Whitfield Crane said: "I love JUDAS PRIEST. UGLY KID JOE has a penchant for poking a little humor into the universe — the universe needs a little humor — and also giving respect to things that we love. So we love JUDAS PRIEST. We're from California. We say 'rad' all day long. So 'Rad Wings Of Destiny'."

Regarding how first single "That Ain't Livin'" came together, Crane said: "I wrote the riff in Greece. We worked on the song as a band in Mallorca, Spain. We tracked the song in El Paso, Texas. And then we couldn't finish all the vocals in El Paso. So then I found myself living in Lisbon, Portugal. And I flew to London to meet the producer and I tracked the vocals in London."

Asked if the rest of "Rad Wings Of Destiny" is musically similar to "That Ain't Livin'", Whitfield said: "Well, it's hard for me to describe it, 'cause I'm so close to it; I'm really close to it. But yeah, the first track, 'That Ain't Livin''… Also we love old-school AC/DC; I mean, I love for AC/DC. I wrote the riff for 'That Ain't Livin'' on an island in Greece and I had the riff. And so we wrote that song. And it's really an homage to 'Powerage'[-era] AC/DC. So that's that song. But there's nine other songs, and there's a lot of different frequencies that we're embracing."

As for the lyrical themes covered on "Rad Wings Of Destiny", Crane said: "'That Ain't Livin'' is just — if you feel stuck in a nine-to-five rut, stop. Embrace life… We cover a version of THE KINKS' 'Lola', which is really cool; we did great on it. But I'll let the thematic structure of the album, I'll let that remain a mystery for someone to figure out themselves. I think if I project what I think it is, sometimes that takes away from somebody feeling what it is for them."

After a 15-year hiatus, UGLY KID JOE reformed in 2012 and has toured extensively throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

The band released the EP "Stairway To Hell" in 2012 and the full-length "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be" in 2015.

Three years ago, Crane told Eonmusic about UGLY KID JOE's huge success on the back of single "Everything About You" in 1991: "'Eye of the storm' is a good way to put it, because it just was all happening at a deadly fast gait. And it was a lot — it was beautiful and also very challenging, because there's a lot of people that surround the business of music that are full of shit. But when you're 23 [or] 24, you don't know how to negotiate that, so on one hand, it was super fun and we did all the things you should do at that age, and on the other hand, it was too much for me. But we survived it, and I can deal with it all now."



Ugly Kid Joe + Andreas Kisser Leyendas 2023

Posted by Metaltxivi Rock Live on Thursday, August 10, 2023

Great to catch up with our old friend Andreas Kisser from Sepultura. So much fun jamming with him today at Leyendas del Rock [Oficial]!

Whitfield Crane Cam Greenwood

Posted by Ugly Kid Joe on Wednesday, August 9, 2023

In a new interview with Jonathan Clarke of New York's Q104.3 radio station, GRETA VAN FLEET bassist Sam Kiszka spoke about some of the relationships he and his bandmates have developed with musicians in other bands over the course of the last few years of touring. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think that a really big one that's kind of developed over the past few years, kind of post-pandemic, has been our relationship with METALLICA and what those lads do, filling up stadiums… They've had a lot of consistency and they have a lot of passion for what they do and they take it very seriously. And it's very fascinating to watch this group of people who have dedicated their entire life to doing what they do and doing it really well."

Sam went on to say that playing for two and a half hours a night, like METALLICA does, is "a lot of work. And you can tell it's a lot of work, but they make it look easy. Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] was telling us that he really enjoys listening to Daniel's [Wagner, GRETA VAN FLEET drummer] drum solo. When he's getting his massage to loosen up before the show, and then he goes into his practice room and kind of jams out a little bit. They're very serious as far as their regimens go, and they eat the same things every day and they're right down to it. And, you know, if that's something we wanna be doing when we're that age, I think that that's a pretty great standard to set to."

GRETA VAN FLEET's latest album, "Starcatcher", made its debut at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also charted internationally in Germany (No. 2),Switzerland (No. 2),Belgium (No. 4),Austria (No. 6),the Netherlands (No. 7),the U.K. (No. 8),Italy (No. 18) and Canada (No. 19). "Starcatcher" is the band's second top 10 album, following 2021's "The Battle At Garden's Gate".

"Starcatcher" is written and recorded by the band — Sam, singer Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka and drummer Danny Wagner — alongside Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile).

GRETA VAN FLEET is currently on the road for their extensive "Starcatcher" world tour. The trek, produced by Live Nation, includes stops at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York and The Forum in Los Angeles as well as London's OVO Arena Wembley and more. The "Starcatcher" world tour includes support from special guests Teddy Swims, SURF CURSE and MT. JOY.

Formed in Frankenmuth, Michigan in 2012, GRETA VAN FLEET consists of three brothers as well as Wagner. Together they have performed across multiple continents, sold over 3.5 million records worldwide and performed on late night television shows such as "Saturday Night Live", "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Penelope Spheeris's unreleased Ozzfest documentary "We Sold Our Souls For Rock 'N' Roll" will be screened at the David Geffen Theater in Los Angeles, California on Friday, August 18 at 7:30 p.m. PT.

The 90-minute film, which was shot in the late 1990s, includes interviews and live footage with SLIPKNOT, STATIC-X and SYSTEM OF A DOWN, along with plenty of backstage action. The is also a lot of focus on BLACK SABBATH as Ozzfest 1999 was billed as the band's final-ever performance in the United States.

Tickets for the screening are available for purchase at AcademyMuseum.org.

"We Sold Our Souls For Rock 'N' Roll" was screened at a number of film festivals more than 20 years ago but has never seen wide release after being held up in what has been reported as "music copyright issues."

Back in 2008, Sharon Osbourne commented on the status of "We Sold Our Souls For Rock 'N' Roll" in response to an article that was posted on Todd Martens' "Extended Play" blog on the Los Angeles Times web site. At the time, she wrote in an e-mail: "We would love for 'We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n' Roll' to eventually be released. We didn't invest over a million dollars in the movie to keep it locked away. In reality, we were unable to secure the necessary music licensing and talent releases from all of the bands that participated in the documentary. We needed a substantial amount of money to secure these releases so as a business proposition it just didn't make sense to pour even more money into the project. We all tried to find an independent backer to come in, but were unable to find anyone.

"As far as not allowing Penelope Spheeris to show the documentary at film festivals, please see below the list of festivals where I know that the film was shown (and there may have been more).

* Sundance Film Festival (2001)
* SXSW Film Festival (2001)
* Melbourne International Film Festival (2001)
* Sydney Film Festival (2001)
* Singapore International Film Festival (2001)
* Silver Lake Film Festival (2001)
* Chicago Underground Film Festival (2001)
* San Francisco Independent Film Festival (2002)
* Boston Underground Film Festival (2002)

"I also arranged for two industry screenings in Los Angeles and London that I totally financed at great expense in an attempt to find a distributor for the film.

"Tell me, what sense does it make for us to invest one million dollars in a film to let it sit? I truly wish that Penelope had found us an independent backer so we could have finished the project. Let her find us a backer to complete the project and we'll do it."

When it was first screened in 2001, "We Sold Our Souls For Rock 'N' Roll" won "Most Popular Documentary" at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
View the unreleased @TheOzzfest 1999 movie “We Sold Our Souls for Rock ‘N’ Roll” featuring @BlackSabbath, directed by Penelope Spheeris https://t.co/63vaHa0Xpgpic.twitter.com/Tg7VnejQMH

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) August 11, 2023

Professionally filmed video of VIXEN's August 3 performance at the 2023 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

Featured songs:

00:00 How Much Love / Cruisin'
10:49 I Want You To Rock Me
19:45 Edge Of A Broken Heart

In a recent interview with the Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged podcast, VIXEN bassist Julia Lage spoke about the status of new music from the band. She said: "VIXEN, we recorded a song — I can't say the name yet — but the video is pretty much almost ready. The song is ready. And I think it's a kickass song. It's pretty energetic. It's new formation. So we're super, super stoked with the final result. We were waiting for the final version of the video, but it's almost done."

Last December, VIXEN singer Lorraine Lewis explained to Max Davallo of "Sonic Dorms" about why she and her bandmates had yet to release their new single after previously saying it would arrive last summer. "I kind of — I didn't make a mistake; I was just excited at the beginning of summer," she said. "'Cause I had already gone in and done my vocals, laid down my vocals for a new song for VIXEN. And I don't know — in 'Lorraine world,' if it's just 'Lorraine world,' it's happening fast. But it's not 'Lorraine world,' it's 'VIXEN world,' and so there's a lot of elements that had to come together. So it has been mixed," she revealed. "It is now being mastered. I just heard it last week. I'm excited."

At the time, Lewis also said that VIXEN's current lineup — in which she is joined by drummer Roxy Petrucci, Lage and guitarist Britt Lightning (a.k.a. Brittany Denaro) — had also been working on "other stuff" in recent months. "We were in Boston. There was a song that I had written… God, I would love to tell titles, but I'm just gonna play it safe and say, no, I'm not gonna tell you the title. But we worked on it and laid it down," she said. "It sounds really good as well. I don't know exactly what the plan is for that. Julia brought something to the band that we all really liked, and I'm hoping that we'll record that. Britt and I worked on a lot of music together; we've got a lot of stuff ready to go. Roxy works all the time on music. So it's just a matter of time.

"We have become a pretty well-oiled machine live up to this point," she continued. "Adding Julia as well — she's been with us since January [of 2022], I believe, [or] February. So we're a machine on stage. So now we just need to transcend that into the studio and with new music. But I'm feeling really good about what's going on for sure."

VIXEN's new single was produced by CINDERELLA drummer Fred Coury.

Petrucci is the only remaining member of VIXEN's "classic" lineup.

In June 2022, Lewis was asked by SW Wall Interviews if she and her VIXEN bandmates began working on new music relatively quickly after she officially joined the group in early 2019. Lorraine said: "Right away. I would say within six months we were in the studio. We were in a rehearsal studio in the Valley and we were working on ideas. And then Britt and I, during COVID, we were working together just on Zoom, at least trying, 'cause there's a weird feedback thing. But we wrote quite a few songs together. And so there's another song that we're hoping to get recorded very soon, and that is possibly going to be with [producer] Toby Wright. So we've got things cooking. But it didn't take long. When we were in the rehearsal studio together, working on music too, and this is when Share [Ross, longtime VIXEN bassist] was with us, [it was] just super natural. They'd lay down something and I would just come in with something over it and Share would add a vocal line and a melody line and words. And it was just easy peasy. We haven't had that luxury to do it with Julia yet, but I'm sure it will happen. And I know Julia is a prolific songwriter herself, so I think that we'll get some new music going with her as well."

A year and a half ago, Ross announced that she was "taking a hiatus" from VIXEN. Her replacement is Lage, formerly of the Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian rock group BARRA DE SAIA and wife of Richie Kotzen. Lage made her live debut with VIXEN on February 8, 2022 at the pre-Monsters Of Rock cruise concert at Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida.

When Ross made the news of her departure public at the aforementioned pre-Monsters Of Rock cruise concert, she told the crowd that "life got a little complicated" and that "something has to give," resulting to her decision to "step away from VIXEN for a while." She then introduced her "amazing" replacement and urged the VIXEN fans to "graciously" open their arms and welcome Lage to the group. At that point, Julia and her new bandmates launched into the track "Streets In Paradise" and played the last couple of songs of the set with Ross watching the proceedings from the side of the stage.

During a February 2022 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Julia spoke about how she ended up hooking up with VIXEN, saying: "Share is taking a hiatus. She wants to do her thing [and focus on her real estate career]. She's kicking ass. She's gonna be writing and playing forever — I mean, she's a badass artist and bass player, singer, everything, songwriter. So I got the invitation, and I'm, like, 'Yeah, of course I'm gonna join. Of course.'"

Asked how the other members of VIXEN reached out to her about joining the band, Julia said: "Well, actually, funnily enough, before Britt joined VIXEN, me and her tried to put together a band, right when she moved to L.A. But that didn't work out, and then she joined VIXEN, and I was super happy for her. So, fast forward, she actually called me a few months ago and she told me about the scenario, and I was, like, 'Yeah. I would love [to do it]. I mean, it's an honor for me to join VIXEN.' So that happened. And that was it. It was that quick. And I was just, 'Okay. Sign me in. Where can I go?' [Laughs]"

In January 2019, VIXEN recruited Lewis as its new lead singer following the departure of Janet Gardner.

Lewis had already performed with VIXEN in March 2018 in Durant, Oklahoma while Gardner was recovering from surgery.

Prior to Lewis's addition to VIXEN, Petrucci, Ross and Denaro vowed to "expand upon the VIXEN legacy while remaining true to our musical roots."

Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with founding guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, who died of cancer in October 2013.

Gardner contributed lead vocals to VIXEN's most commercially successful studio albums — "Vixen" (1988),"Rev It Up" (1990) and "Tangerine" (1998) — as well as the group's latest release, 2018's live album "Live Fire".

BLACK SABBATH's "Reunion" live album, which was originally released in October 1998, will be made available on vinyl for the first time on October 13 via Legacy Recordings.

This 3LP set on purple smoke vinyl captures the original band lineup of BLACK SABBATH live from their 1997 reunion tour, and features 16 live performances of their greatest hits remastered from the original source tapes, along with two remixed bonus tracks.

"Reunion" was the first new release featuring the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — since 1978's "Never Say Die!" and Osbourne's subsequent firing the following year.

The live tracks on "Reunion" were recorded on December 4, 1997 and December 5, 1997 at the NEC in Birmingham., England. Along with live versions of classics such as "Paranoid", "N.I.B.", "Black Sabbath" and "Iron Man", the double album also included two newly recorded studio tracks: "Selling My Soul" and "Psycho Man". These two new songs, which were recorded in April-May 1998, were also released on a CD single in the United States. Music critics applauded the band's decision to surprise fans by including unexpected songs which had not been played live in many years, such as "Spiral Architect" and "Behind The Wall Of Sleep".

Track listing:

Side A

01. War Pigs
02. Behind The Wall of Sleep
03. N.I.B.

Side B

01. Fairies Wear Boots
02. Electric Funeral
03. Sweet Leaf
04. Spiral Architect

Side C

01. Into The Void
02. Snowblind
03. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Side D

01. Orchid/Lord of This World
02. Dirty Women
03. Black Sabbath

Side E

01. Iron Man
02. Children Of The Grave
03. Paranoid

Side F

01. Psycho Man
02. Selling My Soul
03. Psycho Man (Danny Saber Remix)
04. Selling My Soul (Danny Saber Remix)

BLACK SABBATH received its first ever Grammy Award in 2000 for the live recording of "Iron Man" from "Reunion".

In February 2017, SABBATH finished "The End" tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

"The End" was SABBATH's last tour because Iommi — who was diagnosed with lymphoma in late 2011 — can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Iommi revealed his cancer diagnosis in early 2012, shortly after SABBATH announced a reunion tour and album. He underwent treatment throughout the recording of the disc, titled "13", and the subsequent tour to promote it.

The BLACK SABBATH guitarist successfully underwent an operation in January 2017 to remove a noncancerous lump from his throat.

"13" was the first album in 35 years to feature Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together.

Ward was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced 11 years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its final reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and Osbourne, Iommi and Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.
1st time on LP: REUNION - This 3LP set on purple smoke or black vinyl captures #BlackSabbath live from their 1997 reunion tour features 16 live performances remastered from the original source tapes, along with 2 remixed bonus tracks https://t.co/zTRIiWHS0Npic.twitter.com/pAUGB4bGly

— BlackSabbath (@BlackSabbath) August 11, 2023

During an appearance on this past Tuesday's (August 8) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", legendary DEEP PURPLE vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes elaborated on his revelation that Eddie Van Halen nearly asked him to join VAN HALEN back when the Southern California rock act was looking for a new singer nearly four decades ago following the departure of David Lee Roth. Glenn said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So the story is I was at Eddie's [Van Halen] house in the early '90s. And if I may say so, Eddie was newly sober at that point. And we had a conversation about stuff from the '80s. Eddie's manager, Noel Monk, was my tour manager in TRAPEZE back in the early '70s. So Eddie said they were thinking about me prior to asking Sammy [Hagar] to come in. But the thing that stopped it was I wasn't the man I am today in the mid-'80s, as you know; we all know that now. So he thought maybe it would have been a good idea, but would Glenn be the right guy? Was he steady to do that? And they got Sammy in. So we'll never know. But it was an honor for Eddie to think that, you know, he would invite me to at least come down and have a sing. So, yeah, it would have been very, very interesting. But Eddie was very close, and I miss him dearly."

Hughes went on to say that Eddie was a "big" fan of Glenn's pre-DEEP PURPLE band TRAPEZE. "'Keepin' Time' was a VAN HALEN cover from TRAPEZE," Hughes said. "So, yeah, Eddie was a 'Burn' [DEEP PURPLE] fan.

Glenn also recalled his first encounter with Eddie, which he said took place four and a half decades ago. "1978 Thanksgiving, I found myself in Dallas, Texas," he said. "And I went to see BLACK SABBATH and there was an unknown band on the bill called VAN HALEN. I had not heard of them. They maybe had made a record. So I went down to the show early and I stood at the side of the stage, and lo and behold, I see this incredible band and this amazing guitar player. And, of course, their manager was my ex-tour manager. When they came off the stage, Noel Monk introduced me to the guys, and Eddie took me into a room and he had his guitar and he played some stuff to me. And ever since that day, Thanksgiving in '78, Eddie and I became very close. So throughout the years we'd get together often. He was over my house a few times, and we were we were good friends."

Eddie had repeatedly cited DEEP PURPLE as a musical influence, telling Billboard magazine in 2015 that "Burn" — which was written and recorded during Hughes's tenure with PURPLE — was one of his favorite guitar riffs of all time.

Hagar replaced Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart. The highest-charting Roth-led VAN HALEN album was a No. 2, and it took until "1984" to achieve that. (2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth" also landed at No. 2.)

Eddie died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Later this month, Hughes will embark on a U.S. tour celebrating music from "Burn" and other classic hits from DEEP PURPLE's rich back catalog, a run of shows that will mostly see him co-headlining with guitar great Yngwie Malmsteen.

Billed as "Glenn Hughes Performs The 50th Anniversary Of Deep Purple's Burn Live", Hughes will perform classic hits from the legendary album, and the addition of DEEP PURPLE MKIII and MKIV songs.

Glenn's band will feature Søren Andersen (guitar),Ash Sheehan (drums) and Ed Roth (keyboards).

In a new interview with RadioactiveMike Z, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire", NONPOINT singer Elias Soriano discussed his fandom of METALLICA. Speaking about his first introduction to the heavy metal giants, Elias said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's crazy. I know I'm going to probably get a lot of flak for this, but when I was coming up in the industry and I first met Robb [Rivera, NONPOINT drummer], I really was more of a hip-hop kid and coming up in South Florida. So there wasn't a lot of rock music that I was listening to. It was a lot of classic rock, growing up with a lot of classic rock in the house with my parents — you know, listening to things like journey and KANSAS and [BLACK] SABBATH and ZEP [LED ZEPPELIN] and bands like that where it was, you know, just that era of sure of big brands and big bands that just used to just own their lanes like no others. So when it came to what would be considered, I guess, newer rock and METALLICA was coming up… I was really getting into METALLICA on the tail end of '…And Justice For All' and into the 'Black Album' because it wasn't on my radar. For some reason, during the whole MTV era, when 'The Unforgiven' dropped and I just remember that video ringing so hard with me, just watching and going, 'What the hell's going on here, man? This is a creepy-ass video.' And then and then I went backwards. And that's how I kind of discovered METALLICA. So, if I was paying honor the way I should be paying honor, I would have to say 'The Unforgiven' is the song that really put me in the direction of going, 'Hey, man, you need to do some homework here.'"

Last month, NONPOINT released a new single, "A Million Watts", via the band's independent label 361 Degrees Records. The track, which was produced by Chris Collier, who has previously worked with KORN and WHITESNAKE, among other bands, was the third single from NONPOINT's upcoming "Heartless" EP, due out on November 17. The EP will be available digitally and as a limited-edition cassette along with a NONPOINT-branded cassette player.

NONPOINT decided to take a different approach with the "A Million Watts" music video and show the fun, creative, and comical side of the band.

NONPOINT recently kicked off a summer tour with MUDVAYNE, COAL CHAMBER, GWAR and BUTCHER BABIES.

In December 2021, NONPOINT released its latest EP, "Ruthless". This followed their independent label plan of delivering music to their fans through more frequent releases and videos from the band.

NONPOINT's songs "Bullet With A Name", "Alive And Kicking", "In The Air Tonight", "Circles", "Your Signs", "Everybody Down" and many others have been featured in trailers, hit movies, television, iconic video games, as well as broadcasts from NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWF.

NONPOINT has toured with major acts like DISTURBED, PAPA ROACH, MUDVAYNE and SEVENDUST, to name a few. They have also been featured on the main stages and support stages of iconic festivals like Soundwave, Rock Am Park, Rock Am Ring, Ozzfest, Rock On The Range, Welcome To Rockville and many more.

Napalm Records has announced the signing of Grammy-nominated power metal legends DRAGONFORCE.

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

Together with today's signing announcement, and with their most ambitious album on the horizon, DRAGONFORCE is excited to announce the North American headline leg of a colossal world tour that promises to be their most exhilarating to date. Featuring special guests AMARANTHE with additional support from Napalm Records labelmates NANOWAR OF STEEL, as well as EDGE OF PARADISE, the tour will begin on October 20, 2023 in Mesa, Arizona. After visiting many major cities across the U.S. and Canada, the tour will culminate in a grand finale in Los Angeles, California on November 19. DRAGONFORCE promises to take their unique stage production to new heights, presenting a fresh setlist that includes new tracks, songs not played for a long time and beloved classics.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 11 at 10:00 a.m. local time. To secure your spot, visit Dragonforce.com for ticket options and limited VIP upgrades.

In the meantime, European fans can catch the band's energetic live performance at their remaining summer festival shows at Leyendas Del Rock and Summer Breeze Open Air.

DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li comments on the signing: "We are absolutely thrilled to join forces with Napalm Records, a true powerhouse in the metal music universe! This marks the beginning of an epic new chapter for DRAGONFORCE, and we're eager to see what our collaboration will bring to our fans around the world!"

Napalm Records managing director Thomas Caser adds: "It's an absolute honor to team up with the mighty DRAGONFORCE and announce this signing today. Their speed, sound and hooks are undeniably legendary along with their captivating and unique concepts! We look forward to getting their new music out to the world!"

Li adds about the tour: "We're really looking forward to touring in the US and Canada again. We've prepared a new setlist with some brand new songs that we'll be releasing before the tour begins. Alongside these, we'll also be playing some older songs that haven't been in our setlist for a long time, as well as some classic favorites that are a must. It's shaping up to be a fantastic tour!"

DRAGONFORCE North American tour 2023 with AMARANTHE, NANOWAR OF STEEL and EDGE OF PARADISE:

Oct. 20 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater*
Oct. 21 - Albuquerque, NM - Revel*
Oct. 23 - Austin, TX - Empire Garage
Oct. 24 - Dallas, TX - The Granada
Oct. 25 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
Oct. 27 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
Oct. 28 - Ft Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
Oct. 30 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade - Heaven
Oct. 31 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground
Nov. 01 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
Nov. 03 - New York, NY - Palladium Time Square
Nov. 04 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
Nov. 05 - Montreal, QC - MTelus
Nov. 06 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
Nov. 08 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater
Nov. 09 - Detroit, MI - The Majestic
Nov. 10 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
Nov. 11 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Nov. 12 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater
Nov. 14 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
Nov. 15 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
Nov. 16 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
Nov. 18 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theater
Nov. 19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern

* No NANOWAR OF STEEL

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

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

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

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

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

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

DRAGONFORCE is:

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

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Los Angeles heavy rockers STITCHED UP HEART have released the official music video for their latest single, "Immortal". The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "To The Wolves", which will arrive on September 1 via Century Media Records.

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

"To The Wolves" track listing:

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

STITCHED UP HEART will support ESCAPE THE FATE, along with D.R.U.G.S., POINT NORTH and GARZI, on a U.S. tour beginning on August 31 in Salt Lake City, Utah and wrapping up on October 5 in Portland, Oregon.

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

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

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

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

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

STITCHED UP HEART is:

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

In a new interview with The Oakland Press, MUDVAYNE frontman Chad Gray confirmed that he and his bandmates have been throwing around ideas for new music. The reunited metallers haven't released released any new material since 2009, which means we're coming up on nearly a decade and a half without a single fresh MUDVAYNE song.

"We've already been working on some stuff," he said. "We've got four [songs] in the pipe. I've written each one of them probably three different times, 'cause it's like nothing's good enough. We're gonna keep pushing. We're all getting along really good. We're all talking. Hopefully we all want the same thing from our music, so we'll see. It's definitely the thing that makes the most sense to do now."

MUDVAYNE kicked off its first headlining tour in over 14 years, "The Psychotherapy Sessions", last month. Support on the 26-city trek, which is produced by Live Nation, is coming from COAL CHAMBER, along with GWAR, NONPOINT and BUTCHER BABIES.

Previously, MUDVAYNE made waves in 2022 when they embarked on the "Freaks On Parade" tour co-headlined with ROB ZOMBIE. This 2023 tour, however, marks MUDVAYNE's first headlining endeavor since 2009.

Gray told The Oakland Press that his "main motivation for putting [MUDVAYNE] back together and coming back was our fans", including those who discovered the band during its absence. "There's so many younger kids that are coming up and coming into our world, the metal world, and they're learning about MUDVAYNE," he said. "So you have this, like, the ground's kind of rumbling and it goes out and touches more and more people, but we weren't out there to scratch that itch. You still have your actual fan base but you're accumulating new people. So when we came back it was very exciting for us. It was about our fans and giving those new fans the experience."

MUDVAYNE formed in 1996 and has sold over six million records worldwide, earning gold certification for three albums ("L.D. 50", "The End Of All Things To Come", "Lost And Found"). The band is known for its sonic experimentation, innovative album art, face and body paint, masks and uniforms. MUDVAYNE is Gray, Greg Tribbett (guitar, backing vocals),Matthew McDonough (drums, synthesizer) and Ryan Martinie (bass).

Gray has spent the past 17 years fronting HELLYEAH, which released its sixth studio album, "Welcome Home", in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked the group's final effort with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away more than five years ago.

MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release.

Photo courtesy of Live Nation

Keanu Reeves's 1990s and early 2000s grunge band DOGSTAR will release its first album in two decades, "Somewhere Between The Power Lines And Palm Trees", on October 6 via the group's own label Dillon Street Records (distributed through ADA). The band also has a newly signed management deal with Q Prime. The official music video for the LP's second single, "Breach", can be seen below.

"Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees" track listing:

01. Blonde
02. How The Story Ends
03. Everything Turns Around
04. Overhang
05. Dillon St.
06. Lily
07. Lust
08. Glimmer
09. Sunrise
10. Sleep
11. Upside
12. Breach

Last month, DOGSTAR released the official music video for the album's first single, "Everything Turns Around". At the time the band stated about the track: "We couldn't think of a better song to re-introduce DOGSTAR than 'Everything Turns Around' and hope everyone loves it as much as we do. It's catchy and poppy, has a chorus that rocks, a bridge with an indie sensibility and is completed with lyrics that tell an honest yet uplifting story. It's one of our favorite songs to play live and we can't wait to take it out on the road."

This summer, DOGSTAR will kick off a 25-plus-city headline "Somewhere Between The Power Lines And Palm Trees" tour. Beginning August 11 in Phoenix, Arizona with a run of West Coast dates across cities like Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Denver through the end of the month, they will then take their live show overseas for three dates in Japan in early September. They will resume their North American dates in December in cities like Chicago, Toronto, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, DC and Atlanta before concluding on December 20 in Nashville, Tennessee. Tickets for all North American shows go on sale Friday, July 21 at 10 a.m. local time. For all dates and details, please visit www.dogstarofficial.com.

Of the upcoming tour, DOGSTAR added: "When creating this record, we were so excited about the idea of playing it live so we are thrilled to finally announce the 'Somewhere Between The Power Lines And Palm Trees' tour and to soon play for our fans all over North America and Japan."

DOGSTAR is composed of guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose, drummer Rob Mailhouse and bassist Keanu Reeves.

DOGSTAR played its first concert following a two-decade-long hiatus on May 27 at the BottleRock music festival in Napa Valley, California. Reeves and his bandmates debuted new music from the upcoming album, including the song "Glimmer".

DOGSTAR, which hadn't performed live since October 2002, announced its return on Instagram last summer and has been posting regular updates on the progress of its recording sessions.

Regarding DOGSTAR's new album, Reeves told Billboard ahead of the BottleRock show: "I think all three of us just said, 'Well, if we're going to do this, let's make a record.'" Domrose added: "We just knew that there was 'X' amount of time, and we needed to make the most of it. We just locked on as wanting to make this record, and it happened pretty quickly."

DOGSTAR's upcoming LP was helmed by producer Dave Trumfio (WILCO, BUILT TO SPILL). "[Dave] understood where we were coming from," said Mailhouse, "and worked really well with Bret, layering guitars and doing lots of different sounds and ambient things — things that weren't just hard rock, in-your-face music, [but] a little more textural."

DOGSTAR's next release will be the band's first collection of new music since its 2000 sophomore effort "Happy Ending".

Reeves co-founded DOGSTAR in 1991, and the band subsequently released two albums, toured with BON JOVI and opened a show for David Bowie. Keanu handled bass and backing vocals for DOGSTAR, but eventually his increasing fame made it difficult to find time for the project, and the band broke up in 2002. He later played in the spinoff group BECKY with DOGSTAR drummer, co-founder and actor Robert Mailhouse, but he left that band after just a year.

In a 2019 interview with GQ, Reeves shared a fond memory from when DOGSTAR was inexplicably booked at the 1992 Milwaukee Metal Fest, alongside acts like AGNOSTIC FRONT, CANNIBAL CORPSE, OBITUARY and DEICIDE.

"We played Milwaukee Metal Fest. Got killed. I think we played close to [New York hardcore punk legends] MURPHY'S LAW. Imagine," Reeves told GQ. "So we played a GRATEFUL DEAD cover, at Milwaukee Metal Fest. We were, like, 'They hate us. What are we doing here? What can we do? Let's do THE GRATEFUL DEAD cover…They were just like, Fuck you, you suck. I had the biggest grin on my face, man."

In a new interview with Guitar World magazine, Nikki Sixx spoke about MÖTLEY CRÜE's decision to hire John 5 to replace Mick Mars, the group's founding guitarist, who announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE last October as a result of worsening health issues.

"We never saw it coming that Mick wasn't going to be able to tour and was going to have to quit the band," Nikki explained. "In the middle — not even the middle — of a huge tour, we had to ask ourselves, 'Do we want to let the fans down? Do we want to let [concert promoters] Live Nation down? Do we want to let [tourmates] DEF LEPPARD down? Do we want to let ourselves down because an original member of our band can't tour anymore?' We had to have a deep, deep look into what we were going to do."

Sixx went on to say that John 5 was the obvious choice to step in for Mars in MÖTLEY CRÜE. He added: "[With John] knowing all the members of the band, and me having this relationship with him writing and as friends, and even being in the studio with him writing stuff with the band for [the soundtrack to] 'The Dirt', it felt like a no-brainer in a horrible situation something we did not ask for or want. And then it was just kind of obvious. If there was 'the guy', John was the guy. Like I said, we didn’t choose this, but since we had to be put in this position, we're very happy with where we're at right now."

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, he has since filed a lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting. In his lawsuit, Mars also alleged that he was the only bandmember to play 100 percent live on their most recent tour, claiming bassist Nikki Sixx "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour."

Mars said that when he refused to sign the papers reducing his share of touring royalties to only 5%, the band commenced an arbitration. His original filing said the group took it to arbitration "rather than a public lawsuit so that the public would not be aware of the deplorable manner in which they treated their 'brother' of 41 years."

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

Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

Two months ago, MÖTLEY CRÜE filed new legal paperwork asking a judge to send the band's dispute with Mars into arbitration, where CRÜE's attorneys say it belongs. In the filing, the attorneys say several different entities have been created over the years to handle varying aspects of the band's business affairs, including touring and recording, and those agreements contain binding arbitration clauses. Therefore, they argue that all grievances that might come up among members must be handled in private arbitration, instead of airing them out in public courts. CRÜE is also asking the court to strike several statements Mick made in his suit, particularly provocative assertions about ex-bandmates that include claims of substance abuse and physical violence which they call totally irrelevant to Mick's case. They believe he included them purely "for purposes of character assassination."

In response to MÖTLEY CRÜE's latest filing, Mick's lawyer, Ed McPherson, told TMZ: "This is yet another attempt by bullies to hide the truth!"

The iconic Status Quo has release the first volume of the new "Official Archive Series" brought to you by earMUSIC. Vol. 1 - Live In Amsterdam is available from today, August 11 on strictly limited and numbered CD and vinyl editions, as well as on digital formats.


As with each forthcoming release in this series, this official and fully endorsed recording features a carefully curated selection of iconic Status Quo performances, including classic hits spanning their extensive catalog, deep cuts, and fan favorites. Each track is a testament to the band's enduring popularity and musical prowess. The next volume will be released in November and was recorded in London, so keep your eyes peeled!


The "Official Archive Series" will offer exceptional sound quality and great packaging throughout, featuring photography by Christie Goodwin. The series has been freshly mixed and mastered by Eike Freese and Laurin Halberstadt at Chameleon Studios Hamburg.




Vol. 1 - Live In Amsterdam was recorded in the Dutch capital on October 19, 2010 on the band's "Pictures Exposed World Tour." The setlist at the Heineken Hall was representative of the rest of the "Pictures Exposed World Tour" with the lineup of Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Andrew Bown, John "Rhino" Edwards, and Matt Letley delivering an avalanche of Quo classics, as befitted a tour celebrating "40 Years of Hits."


Get it and listen to it here.


The first release sets the bar high for what is due to follow, but each album in the Status Quo "Official Archive Series" captures the raw energy and infectious enthusiasm of a Status Quo live performance; no matter where in the world. With their trademark sound, powerful guitar riffs, and irresistible hooks, the band delivers an unadulterated rock 'n' roll experience, and this collectible series is a great way to celebrate one of the greatest live acts ever.


For more information, go here.





Tracklisting:


CD 1:
"Intro"
"Caroline"
"Something 'Bout You Baby I Like"
"Rain"
"Don't Drive My Car"
"Mean Girl"
"Softer Ride"
"Beginning Of The End"
"Hold You Back"
 "The Proposing Medley"
"The Oriental"
"Creepin' Up On You"


CD 2:
"Living On An Island"
"In The Army Now"
"Drum Solo"
"Roll Over Lay Down"
"Down Down"
"Whatever You Want"
"Rockin' All Over The World"
"Junior's Wailing"
"Rock 'N' Roll Music/Bye Bye Johnny"


Vinyl Side Split:
A: 1-4; B: 5-8; C: 9-11; D: 12-15 E: 16-18; F: 19-21

The Dead Daisies have released the new video below, for their song, "Slide It In".


During rehearsals in New York, drummer Brian Tichy, bassist Michael Devin, and guitarist Doug Alsrich were jamming on "Slide It In" and it rocked. It brought back memories of their time together in Whitesnake. As the Daisies have done in the past with other great songs, this is a ‘Tip Of The Hat’ to the legendary David Coverdale and Whitesnake. The band can't wait to play it live at their upcoming shows.







To celebrate a decade of rock - along with the return of vocalist John Corabi, and the arrival of new bassist Michael Devin - The Dead Daisies will kick off touring in late August with dates in Canada and The United States.





Catch The Dead Daisies live in North America at the following venues:


August
22 - Mickey's Black Box - Lititz, PA
23 - The Landis Theater - Vineland, NJ
25 - The El Mocambo - Toronto, ON
26 - London Music Hall - London, ON
27 - The Hub - Kitchener, ON
29 - First Ontario Concert Hall - Hamilton, ON
30 - Théâtre Fairmount - Montréal, QC
31 - Brass Monkey - Ottawa, ON


September
2 - Hollywood Theatre - Vancouver, BC
4 - Alberta Rose Theatre - Portland, OR
5 - Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music - Berkeley, CA
6 - Goldfield Trading Post - Roseville, CA
8 - Ramona Mainstage - Ramona, CA
9 - Count's Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill - Las Vegas, NV
10 - The Roxy Theatre - Los Angeles, CA

AC/DC have shared the video below, featuring a rare behind the scenes moment captured backstage during the band's 1983 US tour.

AC/DC are among the acts set to perform at the Power Trip festival, at the world’s greatest live music destination the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA. The historic three-day event set for October 6, 7 and 8 will bring together six iconic bands that define loud and powerful music: Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden (Friday, October 6), AC/DC and Judas Priest (Saturday, October 7) and Metallica and Tool (Sunday, October 8).





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

Canada’s Black Pestilence has provided fans with a unique blend of punk rock and black metal since 2008. Impressively, they have produced six albums, with the seventh Chaotic Wisdom upon us soon. Lyrical themes are usually inspired by LaVeyan Satanism, current events, social issues, and the glorification of the Epicurean lifestyle. The second single “Mortal Rift” – premiered exclusively through BraveWords – addresses the stratification within society. 





Vocalist/bassist Valax shares his thoughts:




“The weight of the arrogant will ultimately bring all of society down. This song begins with a quick samples-only intro which eventually leads into a d-beat sonic assault. I think we delivered on this album and the fans will get the same infectious sound this band is known for but with a different style of production.”


Chaotic Wisdom takes a darker and more analog turn in its overall sound. The band members used different techniques and allowed themselves to experiment more to ensure a better performance than the previous release.


Black Pestilence started back in 2008 when Valax decided to start a one-man black metal studio project with the purpose of combining black metal with elements of punk rock and noise. He wanted to create a band where there were no limitations to how the music should sound. Since then, the music has greatly evolved from how it used to sound in the early years, but still maintains its black metal core.


With a full frontal assault of energy and fast-paced black metal riffs, Black Pestilence continue to show they are powerhouses both on stage and in the studio. The single “Mortal Rift” will be enjoyed by fans of Toxic Holocaust, Impaled Nazarene, and Acidez.


Their forthcoming album Chaotic Wisdom is due out on September 8, 2023, and available for preorder at Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Mortal Rift”
“A Life Of Evil”
“The Devil’s Connection”
“Chaos And Carnality”
“Aspect Of Darkness”
“Infernal Might” (feat. Mark Russell)
“Animus”


In additional news, Black Pestilence will be hitting the road for Western Canadian tour dates with Citizen Rage in support of their new album.


Dates:


September
15 – Calgary, AB – Dickens
16 – Red Deer, AB – The Vat
17 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room
18 – Drumheller, AB – Neighbors Pub
19 – Saskatoon, SK – D’Lish Café
21 – Regina, SK – TBA
22 – Brandon, MB – East Side Eatery
23 – Winnipeg, MB – Bulldgo Events Centre 


(Photo – Wikked Twist Media)

In a new interview with "THAT Rocks!", the weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, Lita Ford spoke about the status of her long-awaited new solo album. The follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" was once again helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc, alongside the rest of Ford's longtime backing band, consisting of guitarist Patrick Kennison, drummer Bobby Rock and bassist Marty O'Brien.

Lita said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The problem is we've had so many things happen over the last few years. Our manager died; George Marshall died a year ago, [in] '22. And then my songwriting partner died. And it's just been devastation. But we take all that pain and everything and we just put it right back into the album. And then we recorded the drum tracks in Minneapolis during Black Lives Matter and COVID. Everything was locked down and the place was boarded up and the guys had shotguns and Rottweilers. And then we went in and did drum tracks. And it was awesome. Just memories of just pure badassery And so the record is almost done. [There are] a couple things I have to fix and change. And it looks like we might be signing with Frontiers [Music Srl]. But they've gotta to do me right before I put pen to paper. And they're pretty cool over there. So, we're talking March release. 2024, March release."

Regarding what her plans are for live shows in support of her upcoming LP, Lita said: "Well, what I would like to do is put together a theatrical show, sort of like a rock guitar opera kind of thing. It's been done before and different bands have done it before, but I think in this case, it might be a little different and just to bring the whole show not to life just for audio, but for visual reasons also. So we're going to go into rehearsals mid-November and start putting that together for 2024, the Lita Ford rock guitar rock opera. I'd love to have Hoey with me too, if I can get Gary Hoey to [do] the tour."

In May 2022, bassist Marten Andersson (STEELHEART, LIZZY BORDEN, LYNCH MOB) officially joined Lita's touring band. Andersson replaced O'Brien who became the touring bassist for DAUGHTRY.

In January 2021, Lita told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that her new album contains "some of the best guitar playing" she has heard "in decades." She added: "And I'm not blowing smoke up my own ass, but Gary and I just nailed it with the guitar playing on this record.

"I'm a huge fan of people like Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter from Alice Cooper's 'Welcome To My Nightmare'. I mean, there's some really great duo guitar players — [JUDAS PRIEST's] Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing… Those guitar players don't exist anymore — they just don't exist. If you wanna hear them, you have to go back in time a little bit and dig them up into your favorite library, favorite music catalog. But I think Gary and I really nailed it on this next record. It's, like, oh my God. I'm crying — I'm just, like, crying listening to this stuff. It's so badass."

Ford's last release was 2016's "Time Capsule", a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.

Seven years ago, Lita released an autobiography, "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books),an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Game Over will release the killer comeback album Hellframes on October 20 through Scarlet Records – their first release since 2017’s Claiming Supremacy.


Recorded at Raptor Recording Studio and spine-chillingly illustrated by the horror master Mario López, Hellframes will be released in the following formats:


- jewel case CD
- vinyl (black/marbled red limited 100 copies/marbled blue limited 100 copies)
- digital




Preorder at webshop.


Hellframes is a neck-breaking album where Game Over keep delivering their rabid, insane brand of thrash metal and pushing the songwriting out of the comfort zone at the same time. A frantic mix of thrashing madness, punk attitude, infecting melodies and some creepy obscure atmospheres.


Lyrically-wise, a couple of tracks are intricately woven together, telling the tale of a 15th century priest who birthed an occult cult, re-discovered in modern times through technology and unleashing unspeakable evil from hell. Other songs delve into the depths of human existence and mind – exploring pain, fear, and the relentless struggles we face every day.


Artwork by Mario López:





Tracklisting:


“Visions”
“Call Of The Siren”
“Path Of Pain”
“The Cult”
“Count Your Breaths”
“Atonement”
“Deliver Us”
“Synthetic Dreams”
“My World Dies Screaming”
“Hellframes” (feat. Dome/Fulci & TV Crimes)


Game Over:
Renato "Reno" Chiccoli - vocals, bass
Alessandro "Sanso" Sansone - guitar
Luca "Ziro" Zironi - guitar
Anthony "Vender" Dantone - drums


(Photo – Elisa Catozzi)

Texas based symphonic power metal band Millennial Reign has announced the return of vocalist Tiffany Jean Galchutt as a full member.


"With the help of her and Travis Wills over the past year, they both have made it possible to continue booking live shows and festivals," reads a statement from the group. "We are very grateful to both, but now we will be moving forward with our dedicated member. We are currently recording our upcoming album, to be released via Ulterium Records, and are excited for you all to hear the new collaboration. Our next show is August 18th at Arlington Music Hall with Petra. Come make her feel welcome!"







For further details, follow Millennial Reign on Facebook.