In a recent interview with Business Jet Traveler, DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen spoke about the changes in the music industry now that most fans are streaming music or downloading singles. The 59-year-old musician said: "The music industry has changed somewhat, but we're fortunate that we have a loyal following of people our age, and we're seeing a lot of young people come to our concerts as well. I think that's because we're very seasoned and serious about what we do. And I think people have a great experience because we always put on a fantastic show."

Allen also talked about the state of rock music today, saying: "There's some great music out there. But remember, back in the day, you would go out and buy a vinyl record or a single, you'd go home, play it, read everything there was to read on the album cover, and that was what you learned about the band. These days, people seem more comfortable streaming music, and they don't find out as much about the artists they're listening to as we did when we were young."

Allen famously lost his left arm to amputation following a near-fatal auto accident in England in 1984. The incident occurred after he was thrown through the sunroof of his car, and his left arm got caught in the seatbelt when it came undone during the crash. As a result, the arm was severed from his body. Initially, doctors reattached the arm but they would eventually have to amputate because of an infection.

After Rick's life-altering accident, he had to relearn how to play drums and drum manufacturer Simmons worked with him to build a kit. His DEF LEPPARD bandmates stuck with Allen through the difficult time and the drummer persevered through an accident that would have ended most people's careers.

DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE's co-headline tour hit Latin America and made its way around Europe before it comes to the U.S. this month. Produced by Live Nation, the U.S. leg of the world tour kicks off on August 5 in Syracuse, New York.

DEF LEPPARD is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", which sold 34,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release in May 2022 to land at position No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the band's eighth top 10 LP.

In a new interview with Australia's Metal Mal, former AMARANTHE and current CYHRA singer Jake E spoke about the practice of venues taking a cut of an artist's merchandise revenue. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm actually, I'm actually participating in a fight against all that together with Lord Ahriman [from DARK FUNERAL]. Me and Ahriman have been fighting a lot about that or against that. It's so fucking fucked up that companies can come in, make deals with venues saying that 'we are the only one allowed to sell merchandise at this venue' and bands coming in have to pay a cut. You're not even allowed to sell the stuff yourself; you have to let someone else do that. And they take 30 percent plus tax, meaning that as a band you usually put… If something costs you 10 dollars to print, you would have to add three times the value, so you would sell it for 30. But if someone comes in with 30 percent plus tax, then you come home, you still have to pay taxes on the same amount of taxes when you get back home. So you're more or less getting a profit of 25, 30 percent of what you made, what it cost you, and you're losing money on the fucking thing. And I think that it's a fucking mafia method, and I think it's so fucking sick."

He continued: "I did a tour in Italy once and in Italy it's actually the mob that is doing these things. We were touring with HAMMERFALL. We refused to sell merchandise indoors. We went outside and we sold the merchandise from the truck. And there were vendors on the other side of the street selling bootlegs. And the police comes, and we tell the police, 'They're selling our shirts, bootleg shirts, on the other side of the street. Can you tell them to go the fuck away?' And the police comes to us and says, 'Can we see your permit for selling on the street?' And we did not have a permit, but the vendors on the other side, they had that. So we had to close our shop while the other ones could continue. So it's a fucked up world — abso-fucking-lutely."

Jake isn't the only metal musician who has spoken out about venues requiring bands to pay them a percentage of their merchandise sales. Last month, SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green told Oran O'Beirne of Bloodstock TV: "The industry itself is consistently trying to take as much as they can from the artists because of the whole pandemic, as far as clubs really being extremely greedy and trying to make their money back through the artists, which is completely ridiculous, as far as having absurd percentages that they're taking from your merch. Which doesn't make any sense to me at all, being an artist where you're creating the merch, you're carrying the merch, you're paying the tax on the merch, you're doing everything to make it relevant and to have it out there, and then somebody comes along and they're, like, 'Oh, I'm gonna take 30 percent.' 'I'm gonna take 20 percent of whatever it is that you're selling in our venue.' And I think this is absolutely absurd and outrageous, that they are pushing this on artists."

He continued: "A lot of people don't realize, that's where you make your money as an artist, is with your merchandise. It can sometimes save a tour, if you're not getting that in gigs, the proper payment. So I think this is something that's happened a lot more, where the percentages are going up, which is absolutely disgusting, I think, and super greedy from these clubs doing this, especially in the U.S. I find it's very disrespectful for certain places where they're doing check-ins, checking your bags as an artist as you're rolling into a venue. I mean, it's completely absurd, and it's pissing me off here, the fact that they're putting us on the level as almost treating us like criminals. The fact that we're putting on a show, creating a show that's paying everyone in the venue, I figure that we're all working together, but in the sense that these clubs are treating us like we're gonna do something to damage our own show is absurd. So these things have been popping in my mind from being on this tour that really drive me up the wall. And it's forced bands to do other alternatives of selling their merchandise — either pre-selling it or doing pop-up stores in places where they're not taking so much of a percentage of your merch and maybe just a flat fee just to rent the space out and then you can sell your merch there the day before the show. Also some alternatives that artists are gonna look for so that they're not being ripped off by these venues."

Green added: "I think a lot of artists need to speak out because… I think a lot of artists might be afraid to speak out from [a fear of] being banned or whatever from certain shows, but I think it's important if every artist spoke out about this and really talked about it and really tried to find a change in this because I think it's unfair in so many ways. It's just disgusting, the fact that a lot of these people in the industry are always trying to take away from the artists when the artists already have less. We're the ones that hadn't played for two years as well too, so we're coming back struggling and fighting and trying to pay a lot of debt and things like that. But we continue onward. The music is still very strong, and the scene, and I think it's just important that musicians and artists fight for their rights."

Also last month, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares told The Razor's Edge that promoters are taking "larger and larger" cuts from the bands than they used to. "Of course there's always been a percentage that you have to give to venues. That's just how it is," he said. "Merch percentage — we're talking about merch percentage. But, of course, it's getting higher and higher. So, unfortunately, the fans are the ones who have to pay for that, because once the merch percentages get higher that the venue takes, then you're gonna have to raise your prices on a t-shirt. That's just inevitable and that's unfortunate, [but] that's what happens."

When the interviewer pointed out to Dino that artists do not get a cut of any of the alcohol that is sold in the venues where they are performing, Cazares said: "It's not just the promoters and the club venues; it's also the ticket agencies. It's all a big thing. It's not one thing — it's all of it. And you're right — we do not get a percentage of the alcohol at all whatsoever. But I did hear that there was one artist that did that, and that was Axl Rose. Axl Rose was putting GUNS N' ROSES in stadiums — in soccer stadiums and baseball stadiums — selling out 40, 50 thousand people, but he was, like, 'If you want GUNS N' ROSES in your stadium, you're gonna have to give me a piece of the alcohol,' And I heard a rumor that he got a piece of that alcohol percentage, which is really good. Which probably evened out to what [the promoters] were getting from the merch percentage. But not a lot of artists in my genre have that kind of power, if at all."

Many venues require bands to pay them a percentage of their merchandise sales. Commonly that split is 20/80, meaning for every dollar a band makes selling a t-shirt, the venue gets 20 cents. It's an accepted industry standard that understandably riles touring bands, especially those acts for whom merch income is still crucial for ensuring that a tour is profitable.

"That's a typical thing that venues will do," DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci recently told "THAT Rocks!", the weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson. "I think that if you're in the position, you should try to negotiate that as much as you can. I mean, 30 percent, that's way too high. I think it's more typical [for it to be in] the 15-to-20 [range]. And I think also it might be different for soft goods and physical things, like records and stuff like that. So there might be a difference there as well. But it's all reasons to be on top of your shit and your business and have people representing you that know what they're doing, because a young band might not know that they can negotiate that. They just kind of [go], 'Oh, I guess it is what it is.' And I guess in some circumstances, if you have no leverage, then it is what it is. But you can look at that and be conscious of that. Because it sucks. 'Cause then you're in that position — well, what are you gonna [do]? [Are you] gonna jack up the price of your shirt? Then somebody is paying 50, 60 dollars for a t-shirt? That's ridiculous. And you feel like you're gouging your fans, and that's not cool."

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess added: "And it's also sad, because a lot of these younger bands, they're working so hard to get out there and play, they finally show up at a venue and they stand a chance of making a little money maybe at the merch booth, and then you've got these venues — clubs, theaters, whatever — that wanna take money out of their pockets, basically. You see it all the time. It sucks."

In larger venues, it is often mandatory for a merchandise staff to be employed directly by the venue, meaning a percentage cut can be standard.

In recent months, some venues have said that they will do away with merch fees. Ineffable Live, which runs 10 venues, including the Golden State Theater in Monterey, California; the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California; and the Chicken Box in Nantucket, Massachusetts, got rid of their 20% merch fee in response to the testimony of Clyde Lawrence of the independent soul-pop band LAWRENCE, who spoke in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee this past January about the "lopsided deal mechanics in certain aspects of the live music industry." During his appearance at the hearing, Lawrence explained why venues taking a cut of merch sales is unfair, saying: Another pain point for artists is the significant loss of revenues due to promoter merchandise cuts. Typically, the promoter takes a sizable percentage (roughly 20%) of an artist's merch sales, and once we factor in our costs of creating and transporting the merch, it can be an even larger percentage (40%) of an artist's bottom line. The argument is that the venue is providing us the retail space for us to sell our merch. Sure. But we're providing all of the customers, and yet receive no cut from their many ancillary revenue streams. Live Nation getting around 20% of our gross merch sales while we get nothing on ticketing fees, bar tabs, coat checks and parking passes doesn’t make a lot of sense to me."

According to Billboard, Ineffable Music Group CEO Thomas Cussins said that on a good night, an independent touring band with a loyal fanbase can sell $5,000 to $10,000 in merchandise at a 500-capacity show. Eliminating the venue fee can save some groups $1,000 to $2,000 per night, he added.

"We are on the ground and hearing from artists every day," Cussins said. "We are seeing how much the costs of everything have gone up — from buses to hotels to flights. So even though the club business is a marginal business, any action we can take to help to insure a healthy, vibrant concert ecosystem is important. This industry only works if artists of all levels are able to afford to tour. When artists are able to tour sustainably and fans can afford to buy a t-shirt because the all-in ticket price is reasonable, everyone wins."

Ineffable head talent buyer Casey Smith added: "We've been able to make our live business work even with increased expenses by having a number of venues and being able to create routes for artists, offering them a number of shows in secondary and college markets between their big city plays. Since we've made it work for ourselves, we want it to work for the artists as well. This move is fully aligned with Ineffable's independent spirit, and in hearing the needs of independent artists, we believe it's important to put them first."

CYHRA, which was founded by Jake and ex-IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Strömblad, will release its third album, "The Vertigo Trigger", on August 18 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Joining Jake and Jesper in the group are lead guitarist Euge Valovirta (ex-SHINING) and drummer Alex Landenburg (KAMELOT).

Photo credit: Linda Florin (courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records)

In a new interview with "THAT Rocks!", the weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, legendary vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) spoke about the status of BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, his supergroup with guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL). Asked for an update on the progress of the recording sessions for the band's fifth album, Glenn said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I sang five songs the other day, and Joe came down and helped me finish the last one… I'm gonna finish it tomorrow… The album's gonna be pretty much done in the next… I'm finishing tomorrow. Then we've gotta mix it, and blah, blah, blah."

Regarding the possibility of BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION touring in support of the upcoming LP, Glenn said: "Look, guys, I think we all love BCC. It's a recording band. Let's cut to the chase: it's a great recording band. We all want BCC to tour. I think we all want to tour, but it's difficult with all these windows not opening. So I can't say there's gonna be a show here or a show there. Joe talked about a few shows in Europe and a few shows in the USA. Do we want that to happen? I believe we do, and I hope that will happen."

He continued: "Look, I've known Joe for so long and we are on the same page… So, look, guys, I stutter when I say this to you: we all want that band to tour, but we've gotta really nail it down and make it happen. So hopefully this is the album that will make it happen."

This past Tuesday (August 1),Bonamassa told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that the new BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION album was "not done… And I've gotta sing a little bit on it and redo one guitar part for [the record]…. So we're, I would say, 90% done, but the music's done."

He continued: "The thing about BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, whether you like the way we sound or not, when we all get together, it has a very specific thing that it does. Everybody brings a very specific thing to the table, and it's a special band."

According to Joe, he brought the BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION members back together to make the follow-up to "BCCIV", which was released in September 2017 and marked BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's first studio effort since 2013's "Afterglow". "I was the one that kind of initiated the text, be, like, 'Hey, is there anybody interested in doing a fifth one?'" he said. "And Derek got back to me. Jason got back to me pretty quickly. And Glenn called me and said, 'I can't do anything until this DEAD DAISIES situation goes one way or the next.' And I said, 'Fair enough.' So when Glenn left THE DEAD DAISIES last year, that was kind of the green light for us to get back together."

Regarding the songwriting process for BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's fifth album and how it compared to that on the band's previous efforts, Joe said: "This was the same. I went over to Glenn's house about six times and we hashed out some ideas — pretty rough, loose ideas. Nothing in stone. And so I had a playlist on my phone, voice memos, BCC 1 through 10. And that was it. So, so day one, we just [said], 'Okay, let's start with BCC 1.' And we sat in the courtyard at Sunset Sound — they have this really nice courtyard with a bunch of chairs — and we sat out there with an acoustic guitar and a couple of things and we just bashed out the arrangement. We were, like, 'Okay, that's cool.' We went in, played it three or four times and that was it. Nobody charted anything; we just kind of memorized it and did it. And we would go into the control room, listen a little bit, maybe tweak something, but once it fired up and after the second day, we really hit our stride, going, 'Okay, the band's back.' 'Cause we hadn't played together in six years."

As for the recording process for the new BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION disc, Joe said: "There's not a lot of overdubs. I rarely double the guitars, 'cause Glenn's bass sound is so big and distorted, you know what I mean? It's, like, why do I need to double the guitar? Same thing with Derek. It's almost like playing in the band FREE. All of the sound comes from the four of us. And Jason takes up a huge amount of bandwidth; he's such a big drummer."

Bonamassa went on to say that he is looking forward to performing with BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION again. "I'd like to do some live shows with 'em next year," he said. "I think it would be really fun… Scheduling is the hardest thing, because of what everybody's got [coming up]… [My solo band is] booked almost two years out. But next year, I really wanna at least set aside a week, maybe two weeks, where we can go out and do selected shows, do a couple here in the U.S., go to Europe, do a couple there. 'Cause it is fun."

The news of BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's recording activity came less than three months after it was announced that the band will perform on next year's Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea IX cruise, sailing from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico on March 18-22, 2024.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's most recent performance took place in February 2018 at the fourth edition of the Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea, which benefits the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Bonamassa's non-profit organization dedicated to providing students, teachers, and musicians with the resources and tools needed to further their music education.

In a September 2022 interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, Bonamassa stated about what it is about a "band situation" that appeals to him, considering he has spent most of his career as a solo artist: "I like nothing more than to be a member of a band and playing guitar. I don't have to front it; I don't have to sing all the time. And it's a lot less pressure than being the front person. Being the person in front is a special skillset. You have to be an entertainer. You can't just sit up there and stare at your guitar and go, 'Wow. Look, I can play guitar pretty good.' That's not gonna fill the theater. You have to put on a show. And to put on a show requires being an entertainer. So being in a band, the sum of the parts is greater than the single entity. So this thing where Glenn co-fronts BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, I can just sit back and play rhythm guitar and watch him do his thing. He's a legend. And then conversely, Glenn doesn't have to sing all night; I'll sing three or four [songs]. So we kind of spread out the whole workload a little bit."

Just like its four predecessors, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's new album is being overseen by producer Kevin Shirley, who originally had the idea of putting Hughes and Bonamassa in a band after seeing them jamming together onstage in Los Angeles back in November 2009.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's inception took place when Hughes and Bonamassa fused their styles on stage in Los Angeles for an explosive performance at Guitar Center's King Of The Blues event. With the help and guidance of Shirley, they further added to their rock lineage by recruiting Bonham and Sherinian.

In a 2017 interview, Hughes talked about the chemistry between the BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION members, especially since all the musicians have had successful careers prior to launching the group.

"This band was meant to be," Glenn said. "It was formed out of a friendship with Joe and I. We got the [other] guys to come in, and it's always been a strong brotherhood. And we're just very lucky and fortunate to have met. I've known Jason since he was [a kid]. I just think that these four guys in this band are the right guys to play in the band."

In a new interview with Dave Lawrence, legendary BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler spoke about how he became vegan virtually overnight more than six decades ago. The 74-year-old British-born musician said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I've always loved animals, and we always had animals in the house. We always had a dog around the house and various cats. I found a tortoise one day, so I had a tortoise. There was goldfish and all kinds of stuff in the house. And this one day… I never really liked eating meat, but my mom used to always put it on my plate; it was always, like, the last piece… She to feed seven kids and my dad, so I always got the smallest piece of meat. And this one day I cut it up and then blood came out of it. And I didn't know what meat was. And I said to my mom, 'There's blood coming out of this thing that you've given me.' 'Yeah, it's meat from a cow.' And I went, 'What? From an animal?' And that was it. I was about eight years old at the time. And that was it. I've never eaten meat since."

Butler went on to say that he was "lucky" that his mother "didn't pressurize" him into eating meat. "She understood where I was coming from, so she always gave me vegetables," he explained.

Back in 2009, Butler teamed up with peta2 — the world's largest youth animal rights organization — to shoot a pro-vegetarian ad featuring Geezer as he picked at his bass next to the tagline "I'm Geezer Butler, and I'm a vegan." At the time, he told peta2 that he enjoyed having friends over for dinner, serving them faux meat, and waiting for the compliments to start rolling in before telling his guests that they just ate a delicious vegan meal. And his compassion for animals goes beyond the dinner table. Butler and his wife are very involved in the battle against puppy mills and the cat and dog overpopulation crisis.

"There are so many dogs and cats and all kinds of animals [who] need homes," he said. "You know, there's no reason to go out and buy them from a pet shop when you can just get them from your local shelter."

In 2016, Butler told Devils Gate Media about his involvement with peta2: "I've grown up with animals in the house, I have three brothers and three sisters, and all of us had cats, dogs, mice, chickens, frogs, tortoises, so they've always been a big part of my life. My dog, Scamp, was my best friend when I was growing up, and he was just as much a brother to me as my human brothers. Someone threw acid on him, and he almost died, but my parents spent their life savings having him treated. It appalled me that people could be so cruel, and ever since I have stuck up for animals. It is something I can be active in, unlike trying to figure out the appalling things humans do to each other."

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

NICKELBACK's Chad Kroeger halted the band's concert in Missouri this past Thursday (August 3) mid-song after struggling with vocal problems.

During the fourth song of NICKELBACK's set at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, "Animals", Chad asked his bandmates to stop playing while he addressed the crowd. "I can't do this," he said. "I cannot sit here with a fucking absolutely destroyed throat and try to make it through this show and pretend like there's nothing fucking wrong and take your fucking money, 'cause that is wrong. I'm having a hard time hittin' fuckin' notes. The doctor just jabbed me in the hip with some prednisone, and we all crossed our fingers backstage hoping this was gonna work. But I cannot, in good conscience, stand up here and sing these fuckin' songs and have my voice crack and everything sound like shit. It's driving me fucking nuts. So, I'll tell you what. I could give it my best. I could keep just trying and we could just pull the fuck around if you want to."

After guitarist Ryan Peake jokingly offered to sing the rest of the night, Chad laughed and continued: "Fuck it. Let's start this one over again. I'm just gonna give it all I've got."

NICKELBACK went on to play an abbreviated set in Maryland Heights, performing total of 15 songs, which is a couple of tracks less than Chad and his bandmates have been playing on most of their current North American headlining tour.

NICKELBACK continued its tour with a show last night (Saturday, August 5) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, apparently without any problems.

Chad underwent a surgery in 2015 to remove a cyst on his vocal cords. Two years later, he admitted to FaceCulture that he was concerned about possible permanent damage to his voice. "Sure, I was a little worried, but I was in really good hands," he said. "You never know how you're going to sound or what's going to happen or if you're never going to be able to sing again, but when I woke up, I sounded just like the loser from NICKELBACK. [Laughs] It was good. I was very happy when I first started speaking. Once I went through rehabilitation and was seeing this vocal coach, I remember the very first time he warmed me up really, really well. He had me singing for a long time, but at no point in time did I push it and get that grind going like the vocal distortion, the overdriven vocal sound sort of thing. I got in my car and I turned, I can't remember what song it was, but I turned it up a little bit and I was like 'I want to see what this sounds like.' My heart would be broken if I did that much warming up, like three and a half, four months after my surgery and I can't sing. That's a pretty good indicator, I should at least be able to see and have a glimpse. I went for one and it was all there. I was, like, 'Whoa!' I went for another one and I went really high, like really, really high. I had goosebumps. I almost had tears in my eyes. I started calling Mike [Kroeger, bass] and I called Ryan and I was, like, 'Listen to this!' It was so high. I can't sing that high now because it's come back down; now it's back where it was. It was like I had a cape on; I felt like Superman. It was pretty cool."

NICKELBACK kicked off its "Get Rollin'" North American tour on June 12 with an 18-song performance in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada at Centre Vidéotron. Produced by Live Nation, the massive run is hitting 53 cities this summer across North America.

Released last November, NICKELBACK's first album in five years, "Get Rollin'" debuted at No. 2 across the Current Rock, Alternative, Hard Music and Digital Album charts. The record also landed on the ARIA album chart at No. 3 and in the Top 10 in the U.K., Canada, Germany, Australia and Austria. Additionally, "Get Rollin'" debuted at No. 1 in Switzerland, a career first for the band.

In a new interview with Houston Press, FOREIGNER singer Kelly Hansen addressed the fact that the band is not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and has not even been on the ballot for consideration yet.

"As an entity, I find it unusual that a group of people can have an arbitrary standard from which they decide who is in this substantial sounding-titled Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame," he said. "They cite as one of their criteria as 'influence.' Well, how many people have picked up a guitar and tried to learn 'Cold As Ice' or 'Hot Blooded'? Or sing 'I Want To Know What Love Is' in a karaoke bar? This band has sold 80 million-plus records. And that's real records, not streams or downloads. That is the definition of influence."

Artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single. Criteria for inclusion includes "the influence and significance of the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll."

Eligible since 2002, FOREIGNER has had a huge number of rock hits, including "Cold As Ice", "Double Vision", "Hot Blooded", "I Want To Know What Love Is", "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent", and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, with no wins.

This past April, FOREIGNER's manager Phil Carson addressed the group's exclusion from the Rock Hall one day after sharing an April Fools' Day post in which he claimed "the entire board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame met especially to nominate FOREIGNER." In a follow-up social media post, Phil wrote: "Thank you all for your reactions to yesterday's spoof. While it was posted with a sense of humour, it was not without a touch of irony.

"FOREIGNER should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Mick Jones groundbreaking song writing and production skills coupled with music sales and performances that eclipse most of their contemporaries should be enough to warrant FOREIGNER's nomination and induction. Mick founded FOREIGNER in 1977 and went on to conquer the world with as many Billboard top ten hits as FLEETWOOD MAC, just one less than THE EAGLES, and more than JOURNEY and most of the heritage band Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame alumni. He created the current version of FOREIGNER in 2005 and chose the amazing Kelly Hansen as the lead singer to breath new life into the songs he wrote and co-wrote. That band has performed around 100 shows all over the world each year since then and continues to play to sell out business as they continue the journey on their two year farewell tour.

"Please try to see them before they are done, but most of all, help us put some pressure on the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame board to do the right thing while their is still time for them to deliver a stellar performance at their well deserved induction.

"Thank you for listening."

In August 2022, original FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm was asked in an interview with Sleeve Saturday why he thinks the band has yet to get the Rock Hall nod. Gramm said: "I think it's less about whether we're qualified and I think it might be more personal now. I know that at some point when a lot of our compatriots were being nominated and accepted into it, the bands and the artists that came up when we came up that were inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame and we were left out, I believe that our manager at that time and Mick went to see the head of the Rock Hall Of Fame and had a discussion with him which led to some heated words. And as that discussion ended — I don't know who; it might have been Jann Wenner from Rolling Stone magazine, who actually was a very good friend of Mick's, I think he told Mick and our manager that it'll be a cold day in hell before FOREIGNER gets in the Rock Hall Of Fame. That's the way it ended up. And sure enough, I bet you 20 years has gone by since that."

Five years ago, Jones was asked by Tigman of the Q103 radio station in Albany if it means anything to him to get inducted into the Rock Hall. Jones responded: "Well, let's say it's not something I wrestle with or something that affects my life. Of course, it would be nice, but sometimes you wonder if it's a political thing more than a musical [thing] or [anything to do with] achievement. Because as far as achievements, we've certainly achieved a tremendous amount with the band. And we'll see. I guess someday. Who knows?"

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

The 73-year-old Gramm left FOREIGNER for good in 2002 and has battled health issues in recent years, including the removal of a non-cancerous tumor. He told the Democrat & Chronicle in 2018 that he was planning to retire, but still reunited with FOREIGNER for several shows that year to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Hansen in 2005. Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012.

Gramm and Jones's June 2013 performance of "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Juke Box Hero" at the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in New York City marked the first time the pair performed together in a decade after Gramm left FOREIGNER for a second time. Hansen has fronted the group for the past 17 years.

FOREIGNER's last album, "Can't Slow Down", was the only full-length collection of new songs to have been released by the band since Hansen took over vocals. The album entered the Billboard Top 30, driven by the radio singles "In Pieces" and "When It Comes To Love". The band also has released a series of live albums and compilations, including 2016's "In Concert: Unplugged" and 2017's "40".

GUNS N' ROSES is expected to officially release the shelved "Chinese Democracy"-era song "Perhaps" on Friday, August 11.

A link to pre-save the track on Spotify and Apple Music was shared via the Universal Music web site, although there has been no official announcement from the band yet regarding the song's imminent arrival.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova
Des fans ont enquêté et ont fini par trouver la réponse: "Perhaps", le nouveau single de Guns n' Roses que certains ont pu entendre lors de soundcheck sur la tournée en Europe sortirait enfin vendredi prochain le 11/08/2023! Lien pour pre-save: https://t.co/THBPh1EY4Q#GunsNRosespic.twitter.com/F5ZRyBncNh

— Guns N' Roses France (@gnrfrance) August 5, 2023

Former LOSTPROPHETS singer Ian Watkins was reportedly stabbed while serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences at a British maximum security prison.

According to Mirror, the now-46-year-old is in a "life-threatening condition" following the incident at HMP Wakefield in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.

The newspaper reports he was taken hostage by three other inmates on Saturday morning (August 5) and was freed by prison officers six hours later.

A source told The Sun: "Watkins was attacked today by three pretty heavy-duty cons. They got hold of him on B-wing and dragged him into a cell where they roughed him up and barricaded themselves in. He was screaming and was obviously terrified and in fear of his life. They put the whole wing on lockdown and then sent in riot teams. Other prisoners heard three loud flash bangs which was when the officers got into the cell and threw grenades to stun the attackers and take them by surprise. It seems like the prison officers might have saved his life.

"Watkins is obviously unpopular because of who he is — and has been walking around with a huge target on his back.

"They got him on a Saturday, which is generally quieter with less staff on and it seems to have been planned.

"People heard that he was in a bad way when he came out but will probably survive.

"He was taken to Leeds and was still in hospital."

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Police are investigating an incident which took place on Saturday at HMP Wakefield.

"We are unable to comment further while the police investigate."

In 2013, Watkins was convicted of 13 child sex offenses. These crimes only came to light following a drug investigation.

After Watkins was arrested in 2012 for drug charges, which included possession of methamphetamines and cocaine, police searched his property and computer, where they found "overwhelming evidence that he was a pedophile," according to the Guardian. At least 90 photos were found in his possession displaying indecent photos of children ages ranging from 2 to 14 years old.

Six people came forward to make allegations against Watkins before he was finally arrested and jailed for 35 years, the report from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found.

Watkins admitted the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13 but pleaded not guilty to rape. He also admitted conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.

Ian initially claimed he was the "victim of a malicious campaign" against him, telling police during interviews he was being stalked by "a crazed fan" and other people had access to his computers.

Watkins's disgusted LOSTPROPHETS bandmates called it quits in 2013, just before the frontman pleaded guilty to his crimes. They subsequently formed a new group, named NO DEVOTION.

LOSTPROPHETS formed in 1997 and sold 3.5 million albums in their 16-year career. They scored a No. 1 hit at Modern Rock radio in 2004 with the track "Last Train Home".

In August 2019, Watkins was found guilty of possessing a mobile phone while in prison. He was found with the phone in his cell at HMP Wakefield.

Watkins allegedly used the phone between March 4, 2018 and March 10, 2018 to contact a woman he previously had a relationship with and later hid the phone inside his anus while serving time at the prison.

Watkins was removed from his cell after officers received intelligence he was illegally storing a phone.

The singer told jurors that he hid the phone in prison because he was threatened by two fellow inmates, but he refused to name the men who allegedly ordered him to look after the device.

Watkins said his fellow inmates at HMP Wakefield were "murderers and handy," adding, "You would not want to mess with them."

METALLICA kicked off the North American leg of its "M72" world tour on 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.

METALLICA's setlist was as follows:

01. Creeping Death
02. Harvester Of Sorrow
03. Holier Than Thou
04. King Nothing
05. 72 Seasons
06. If Darkness Had A Son
07. Fade To Black
08. Shadows Follow (live debut)
09. Orion
10. Nothing Else Matters
11. Sad But True
12. The Day That Never Comes
13. Battery
14. Fuel
15. Seek & Destroy
16. Master Of Puppets

"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".

Formed in 1981 by Hetfield and Ulrich, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, selling nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 15 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on all seven continents. METALLICA's catalog of multi-platinum studio albums includes "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "… And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album),"Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic", "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" and "72 Seasons". METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, a 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and Sweden's Polar Music Prize. In 2017, METALLICA established the All Within My Hands foundation to give back to communities that have supported the band. To date, All Within My Hands' collective efforts have raised nearly $12 million — providing $5.9 million in grants to career and technical education programs, over $2.5 million to combat food in security, and more than $3.3 million to disaster relief efforts.

METALLICA's shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey this weekend include pre-concert performances by PRONG (August 4) and OVERKILL (August 6) in the G section of the MetLife parking lot, at 3 p.m. each day. Attendees need a ticket to see the pre-show parking lot performance.

Fan-filmed video of PRONG's set from yesterday's event can be seen below.

PANTERA and MAMMOTH WVH provided support inside the stadium at yesterday's gig, with music beginning at 6 p.m. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and ICE NINE KILLS will open the show on August 6.

The shows are part of METALLICA's "M72" tour which feature a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage at the 50-yard line.

The MetLife shows are kicking off the North American leg of METALLICA's "M72" tour, named after the group's new album, "72 Seasons".

"M72" 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.

On Saturday, August 5, the Metallica Film Fest will take place at Gramercy Theatre starting at noon, while OTTTO (featuring Tye Trujillo, son of METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo) and BASTARDANE (featuring Castor Hetfield, son of METALLICA frontman James Hetfield) play Gramercy that night.

PRONG's thirteenth studio album, "State Of Emergency", will arrive on October 6 via Steamhammer/SPV. The LP was produced by Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) and features the recently released single "Non-Existence" as well as "Breaking Point", originally made available as a standalone single in early 2023.



Prong at met life stadium

Posted by Roger Mount on Friday, August 4, 2023

PANTERA played its first show as the support act for METALLICA on the "M72" tour Friday night (August 4) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Fan-filmed video of PANTERA's performance can be seen below. Additional support at the gig came from MAMMOTH WVH.

PANTERA's setlist was as follows:

01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. 5 Minutes Alone
07. This Love
08. Fucking Hostile
09. Walk
10. Domination / Hollow
11. Cowboys From Hell

"M72", which launched in late April in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, sees METALLICA playing two nights in every city it visits — with each "No Repeat Weekend" featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour features a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage.

This past March, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich weighed in on the fact that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) have united with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

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

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by 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.

Ulrich discussed his views on the PANTERA comeback in an interview with Revolver. He said: "I think that the idea that they're out celebrating the music and the magic of PANTERA is ... I know there's been a lot of talk in the community about whether people support that or not. But I'm the type of person, if Glenn Hughes wants to go out and play a DEEP PURPLE set, I'd support that.

"I'm always in favor of people following their musical and creative ambitions; so this PANTERA reunion, I think, is good," he added. "And obviously having Charlie up there is great. I saw a video from one of the Mexico shows that felt like they were in the pocket. It'll be fun to have them out."

Speaking about METALLICA's relationship with PANTERA, which dates back to before Anselmo had even joined the band, Ulrich said: "We met the brothers on the 'Ride The Lightning' tour and became friends with them. This was in Dallas in — what — 1622 or something? It was about 400 years ago. We obviously loved both of them, and they had a posse down there, and we would see them whenever we came through Texas. We watched the band evolve over the years from more rock vibes into that creative, unique force that they became. So, we've had a relationship with them for decades and decades."

After Dimebag was murdered in December 2004, Ulrich released a statement in which he said that he was "fortunate enough to meet both Darrell and his brother in Dallas on tour" in 1985. He went on to say: "The first thing me and my friend did as soon as that tour was over was to head straight back to Dallas and hang out with Darrell and Vinnie for a long time, 'cause they were the coolest mutherfuckers that we had met after criss-crossing the states for three months. That was the beginning of a friendship that was anchored in love, respect, fun, outrageousness, music, booze, sweat, late nights, early mornings, hangovers, headaches, pounding eardrums, sore bodies... the list goes on."

He added: "Darrell and his brother were the cornerstone of musical adventures that were always groundbreaking, pushing boundaries, challenging to themselves and to their fans, respected by their peers and always true musicians' musicians."

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.

Just a little Pantera before Metallica at MetLife in NJ.

Posted by Allen Buster Ryckman on Friday, August 4, 2023

For much of the last few years, George Lynch has been rejoining DOKKEN on stage to perform the same three classic songs: "Kiss Of Death", "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Tooth And Nail". George normally opens the shows with his longtime band LYNCH MOB, and then, to end the evening, treats fans to a special encore as he steps onstage with DOKKEN on stage to close the night.

In a new interview with Michael Christopher of Metal Edge, George stated about the experience of performing with his former band: "I don't know how long that's going to continue, but right now it's still on the books and we're still doing it. Nothing's forever — I'm okay with that. I always thought it would be a successful kind of pairing of the bands [DOKKEN and LYNCH MOB] just because of the history and there's the competition thing and we're really, at the end of the day, we're just entertainment. So we go out there and there's a little story there and people are invested in the story. It's a human story.'

He continued: "And then from the guitar players, there's the guitar competition thing, which guitar players thrive off — that's cool. [Current DOKKEN guitarist] Jon [Levin] is a very amazing guitar player and he plays my stuff better than I could ever play it. We open the show and then DOKKEN comes out and they do their thing. And then I come out and walk on and people are wondering, oh, are me and Don [Dokken, DOKKEN frontman] going to get in a fistfight or are we going to hug it out? And then we just all kumbaya at the end and everybody's had a great time and it was great."

When Christopher noted that DOKKEN fans are probably fans of LYNCH MOB and vice versa, George said: "[LYNCH MOB] play a good amount of DOKKEN songs. Obviously, I wrote the lion's share of that material along with Jeff [Pilson, former DOKKEN bassist]. And so, it's my music and I go out and I play it and to me it's seamless. Whether it's DOKKEN or LYNCH MOB doesn't matter. But when we play with DOKKEN, we can't do that obviously ‘cause it's their music."

Lynch went on to admit that he still finds it a bit difficult to get into the right mindset to play a couple of songs with DOKKEN even though he is no longer a member of the band.

>"One thing that is a little bit strange is when I'm sitting in the dressing room, I have this hour and a half, I have to wait between when LYNCH MOB finished and they put DOKKEN gear up on stage, do their line check, and then they go out and they do their intro 'Without Warning', which I wrote," he said. "And it's me playing on that intro. And I'm like, I'm listening to myself, something I wrote that I'm playing on physically. And then they come out and they play all these songs that I wrote and…it's just…I have to work at not letting it bother me. I have to definitely go into my Zen place to make sure I don't get… that it isn't weird for me."

In a January 2022 interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", George was asked why he only performs three songs with DOKKEN as opposed to playing the entire set. He responded: "Well, that's probably an economic issue on Don's side. I mean, Don owns the name of the band. It works on me on all levels at this point, and obviously it works for Don, so if it's not broken, why fix it? And I don't know… I would just be speculating that he's concerned maybe that something could pop up if he gets in bed with me and then now he doesn't have what he's built over all these years. So there's that. And maybe financially it would be not as — I don't know — not as [much of] a positive outcome for him. I'm not sure; we haven't talked about it. But what we're doing now works. Obviously, what you just brought up is something that everybody's thinking about, but, hey, it's not up to me to decide. But I certainly feel that would probably make sense [for me to play the whole set]; I could see that making sense. I'm already there — why don't I just go out and finish playing the rest of the songs that are part of my legacy? People would like that. There's a lot of different ways to think about that. There's what we do as a business, and I'm not ashamed of that. I don't think it's a bad thing to talk about the business side of music. It doesn't take away from the art; it doesn't take away from the creative part of it. Those are two different sides of the same coin. We all need to make a living. But you have to have that balance of appreciating and producing music that you love and that people enjoy, and at the same time, it has to make sense financially. So I'm not sure which one that is, as to why we're not back together on a more complete basis, where I'm playing the whole set, but I've got a feeling it's probably financial."

In October 2016, the classic lineup of DOKKEN — Don, George, Jeff and Mick Brown (drums) — reunited to play the Loud Park festival in Japan. Fortunately for fans outside of Japan, cameras were there to capture the performance and Frontiers Music Srl issued "Return To The East Live 2016" in April 2018. In addition to the Japanese performance, the set featured footage from the classic lineup's only U.S. show in September 2016 at Badlands in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The package also included a new song called "It's Just Another Day", the first DOKKEN track featuring the group's classic lineup since 1997's "Shadowlife", and two acoustic re-workings of classic tracks.

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — including bassist Chris McCarvill, Levin and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).

DOKKEN recently finished recording a new studio album, "Heaven Comes Down", for a September release via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. It will mark the group's first disc since 2012's "Broken Bones".

Image and video below courtesy of pbeckster307 YouTube channel

Ever since legendary rockers FOREIGNER kicked off their farewell tour on July 6 in Alpharetta, Georgia, their bassist Jeff Pilson has been performing while seated on a stool as the result of a recent back injury. Asked in a new interview with Clint Switzer of On The Road To Rock what the experience has been like so far, Pilson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it is a challenge. What's probably the most difficult… I mean, yes, I'm in pain. It's generally not too bad a pain when I'm on stage, because I'm seated, but when I'm standing and walking, I'm in pain still. So that's a problem. But the challenge, really, has been psychological because I wanna rock so bad [laughs], and I have to sit there in a chair — which, thank God we've got a, an amazing band and I can just sit there and groove with Chris [Frazier], our drummer, and it's wonderful. But the performer in me is just dying because I wanna get out there and rock. And we've got this beautiful set going. We've got this great production and everything. I wanna be part of it so bad and I can't, so that's frustrating. But I also get this bird's eye view of the show and I see what's going on and I kind of don't miss me. [Laughs] So that's great. Lots of stuff going on. The show has been great. The audience has been fantastic. We do the acoustic portion of the show, which really excites me. So, as challenging as it's been because of the back — and it looks like I'm probably gonna be stuck like this until I get surgery — that's unfortunate, but at least I've got this great band to play with and these great shows to do, and when I'm up there, I'm having the time of my life. So that's what really counts."

FOREIGNER's farewell tour is currently scheduled to run through November 18 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but is expected to continue into 2024. For the first leg of the U.S. Live Nation-produced tour, FOREIGNER is being joined by LOVERBOY.

Joining Pilson and Frazier in FOREIGNER's current lineup are founding guitarist Mick Jones, Kelly Hansen on vocals, Michael Bluestein on keyboards, Bruce Watson on guitar, Chris Frazier on drums and Luis Maldonado on guitar.

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

In 2018, Gramm revealed that he was retiring from touring as a solo artist. The vocalist made the announcement just months after he participated in FOREIGNER's "Double Vision: Then And Now" concerts, which featured current and original members of the band, including Jones, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood, bassist Rick Wills and guitarist/saxophonist Ian McDonald.

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

Video courtesy of Klassic Live Rock & Roll Storm RWS YouTube channel

Kings Of Thrash, featuring Megadeth alumni bassist David Ellefson and guitarist Jeff Young, recently returned from their Thrashin' Down Under Australian Tour as the band continue to tour the world, playing some of their most widely-known early material. Young, who only appeared on Megadeth's 1988 album, So Far, So Good... So What!, before quitting the band, talked about those dark and hazy days in our upcoming Streaming For Vegeance video interview.

“When I was in the band I was just the biggest guitar geek," he looks back. "I would just be in my room playing guitar, I was hiding in a bathroom at a Holiday Inn while ‘that guy’ was trying to sleep hungover in the room. And if you’re playing hockey arenas, I was able to set up in the shower. We had a little Marshalls so I would set up mini stacks in the shower and it had a great reverb. I was playing like every waking minute. And when you’re not doing that, you’re either at a record store doing a signing or you’re sitting on MTV, doing a photo shoot. We did a ton of phone interviews back in the day. All four of us will be doing a bunch of interviews a day. We are really working to promote the record, and spread the word.”


BraveWords: That was a pretty dark era for Megadeth. I’m guessing you weren’t lead party animal?


“I’m kind of like Ted Nugent, I don’t like to be here around drunk people,” Young says. “So I don’t like to be around fucked up people. That’s why I ended up rooming with Nick (Menza - drum tech at the time). I was just trying to be in it, but not of it. I was just trying to be the best that I could be, because the music is challenging right? I just wanted to play my best every night, the best show that I could give. And I knew that I couldn’t do that being buzzed. I was just amazed that they were trying to do that buzzed. ‘How are you getting up in the morning man?’ Because I hate that feeling. I don’t wanna go on stage feeling like that. Like hungover and ready to sleep. I want to be energized. We were just all on two different frequencies, so that’s why my duration in the band wasn’t long because I didn’t wanna be around that low vibration. It brings you down.”

Jeff Young will be on BraveWords' Streaming For Vengeance tomorrow (Saturday, August 5th) at 3:33 PM EST. You can watch/listen Streaming For Vengeance on the BraveWords Facebook page and the BraveWords YouTube channel.






Young gave BraveWords an update on the original material the band is working on.


"It’s not frightening at all,” he says about creating new music that measures up to the band classic repertoire. “We have five tracks in the can. David lives in Arizona and we have this amazing underground recording studio. And in Arizona with that heat, it’s great if you’re underground because it’s like an oven there. That first song that David and I started which was spawned by the Menza movie. That song has come to life, and it’s called “Bridges Burned” (which has its origins from a riff Jeff brought in back in 1988, intended for what became Rust In Peace). We were doing it on the road with Kings Of Thrash. We’ve kind of taken a turn to where we are going to proceed. And David has talked about it a little bit, so I guess I can be the next one to leak out the next bit of news. Kings Of Thrash are going to continue to do exactly what we do. Doing the best of the classic Megadeth that we were a part of. It’s part of our heritage. We’re doing extra stuff in the encore like Riot’s ‘Swords And Tequila’. We even got Rick Ventura, the original guitar player, joining us when we were in New York. And I think we inspired them because Riot Act are out on the road performing Fire Down Under and it’s entirety. We are expanding and doing Metallica songs and Def Leppard’s ‘Wasted’ which is on David’s covers album. So Kings Of Thrash is going to continue on this path and play as many shows that people want to see us. For the original material, we are going to use a different singer. We are working with somebody who is frighteningly good. He’s already finished the vocals on 'Bridges Burned'. It’s really brand new, so I can’t really say too much more about it. The originals, they have thrash elements, but there’s everything because David and I have lived 10 different lives since Megadeth. We’ve grown as musicians, so we’re gonna bring all that stuff and the energy we had in our 20s and combine that with everything that we’ve learned in our 30s 40s and 50s is in that music. There is a thrash element, and it’s got the speedy, shreddy stuff, but we had much more. It’s like a jambalaya. I just love the songs. Each of the songs are quite different, but they all sound like the same band.”





Kings Of Thrash “The MEGA Years” features Grammy Award winning bassist David Ellefson, along with guitarist Jeff Young, reuniting to perform the early thrash classics upon which the genre was built and defined in the 1980s. Showcasing the songs from the above mentioned albums in their entirety, Ellefson & Young stay true to material not performed live in several decades, along with the spirit of the era which launched one of the greatest genres of heavy metal music, and one of the biggest names in metal, the mighty Megadeth!


Says Ellefson, “I think we’ve assembled an energetic song list and group of musicians to capture the spirit of a genre we helped create & define so many years ago. Fans have been requesting these songs for a long time now and it seems like a good moment to bring them back to the stage”.


Jeff Young adds, “The mission here is to bring a connection of goodwill through the music, with a collaboration of musicians and friends in our community. Our thrash tribe casts a wide net to give people hope in a time when they’re looking for something positive and uplifting. What better way than to do that than through the music which has become the soundtrack to our lives.”

(Photos by Jeremy Belinfante and Kings Of Thrash)

Cyhra guitarist Euge Valovirta has launched a new series called In Depth via his YouTube channel, where he recreates a track (without vocals), plays it, and then goes through the production and mix. In the clip below he tackles the Anthrax classic, "Indians".










Cyhra recently released their new single, "If I". The track is featured on their new studio album, The Vertigo Trigger, out on August 18 via Nuclear Blast Records. Watch the new clip below:





The band recently issued the following message: "Cyhra would like to invite you to celebrate the release of our third full-length album, The Vertigo Trigger. The band will perform a full live show plus more special surprises will be added to the event soon. So please make sure you attend the event to make sure you'll get all the updates. Tickets will be released this Friday July 14th along with the release of our brand new single, 'If I'."


Go to this location for event information.


Founded by vocalist Jake E (ex-Amaranthe) and guitarist Jesper Strömblad (ex-In Flames), and with the addition of lead guitarist Euge Valovirta (ex-Shining) and drummer Alex Landenburg (Kamelot), Cyhra has already released two highly acclaimed albums which proof that the band have managed to create their own identity and sound.


Now in 2023, coming four years after their last album, No Halos In Hell, The Vertigo Trigger is Cyhra's third studio album, and their first featuring recently added guitarist Marcus Sunesson (ex-The Crown / Engel).


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


And although guitarist Jesper Strömblad isn’t a part of Cyhra's live shows currently, he was deeply involved in the writing and recording process of the album. Therefore, the band can hardly wait for his return as soon as he is ready again.


Pre-order or pre-save The Vertigo Trigger here.





The Vertigo Trigger tracklisting:


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


"Ready To Rumble" video:





"Life Is A Hurricane" video:

Noveria has released a lyric video for “Descent” (featuring Angra vocalist Fabio Lione), second single taken from the new album The Gates Of The Underworld to be released on August 25 through Scarlet Records.


Produced by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio, The Gates Of The Underworld will be released in the following formats:


- digipak CD
- digital




Preorder at scarletrecords.it.


The modern progressive metal agenda: Noveria’s goal is to create a complete headbanging experience with a melodic twist, combining massive and heavy riffs with dark atmospheric keyboards along with technically challenging solo sections and memorable vocal lines.


The Gates Of The Underworld takes things to a personal level, each song featuring real life stories from the band as well as from the fans. The human condition is ever present with all its challenges and mysteries, explored through the lens of both scientific research and lived experience.


With their new album, Noveria will take you on a wild roller-coaster ride through a psychotic break, escaping a narcissistic relationship, the aftermath of surviving a heart attack, a near death experience, and much more.


Artwork by Nicolas Spreutels:





Tracklisting:


“Heritage”
“Origins”
“Descent” (feat. Fabio Lione)
“Venom”
“Revenant”
“The Gates Of The Underworld”
“Ascent”
“Overlord”
“Anima”
“Eternal”


"Descent" lyric video:





"Overlord" video:





(Photo – Matteo Ermeti)