Dennis Dunaway, the original bass player from the ALICE COOPER group, joined HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES on stage on July 30 at the Bethel Woods Center For The Arts in Bethel, New York to perform the Cooper classic "School's Out". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES consists of Alice Cooper, AEROSMITH's Joe Perry and actor Johnny Depp, along with producer and songwriter Tommy Henriksen.

Dunaway was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2011 as a founding member of the band named ALICE COOPER. Dennis and the group are in the Grammy Hall Of Fame for co-writing "School's Out".

The original ALICE COOPER group sold millions of singles and albums and was on the cover of Forbes for having the largest-grossing tour in 1973, over LED ZEPPELIN and THE ROLLING STONES. The original ALICE COOPER group is in the Guinness Book Of World Records for largest indoor audience of an estimated 120,000 to 148,000 in São Paulo, Brazil in 1974. The "Billion Dollar Babies" album reached number 1 in America and Britain, and the group is recognized as the innovator of theatrical rock shows, which included giant balloons, hangings, snakes and spidery eye makeup. The group's movies are "Diary Of A Mad Housewife", "Good To See You Again: Alice Cooper", "Super Duper Alice Cooper" and "Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper", which has won four film festival awards so far.

Dennis's book "Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!: My Adventures In The Alice Cooper Group" has been translated into German, and the audiobook, narrated by Dennis, is available at Audible.com. And the new paperback version features a very special introduction by Alice Cooper.

Dennis has also recorded and toured with BLUE COUPE, featuring Joe and Albert Bouchard of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT fame and singers Tish and Snooky of MANIC PANIC.

The original ALICE COOPER group recorded three songs on Alice's "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" album and re-recorded "School's Out" with Brian Johnson, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp for the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES album. The ALICE COOPER group reunited to record several songs on Alice's "Paranormal" album produced by Bob Ezrin, and the group did a five-city tour in the United Kingdom in November 2017, which included performing to 14,000 people at Wembley.

MR. BIG played its sixth concert with new touring drummer Nick D'Virgilio on July 29 at YES24 Live Hall in Seoul, South Korea. Fan-filmed video of the entire can be seen below.

MR. BIG's first-ever concert with D'Virgilio took place on July 16 at the Majiao Music Festival in China.

The band's setlist for the Seoul gig was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Addicted To That Rush
02. Take Cover
03. Undertow
04. Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)
05. Alive And Kickin'
06. Green-Tinted Sixties Mind
07. CDFF-Lucky This Time (Jeff Paris cover)
08. Voodoo Kiss
09. Never Say Never
10. Just Take My Heart
11. My Kinda Woman
12. A Little Too Loose
13. Road To Ruin
14. To Be With You
15. Big Love
16. Promise Her The Moon
17. Wild World (Cat Stevens cover)
18. Guitar Solo
19. Colorado Bulldog
20. Bass Solo
21. Shy Boy (TALAS cover)

Encore

22. 30 Days In The Hole (HUMBLE PIE cover)
23. Good Lovin' (THE RASCALS cover) (Paul Gilbert on drums, Billy Sheehan on vocals, Eric Martin on bass and Nick D'Virgilio on guitar)
24. Baba O'Riley (THE WHO cover)

In a April 2023 interview with Border City Rock Talk, D'Virgilio spoke about how he landed the gig as MR. BIG's new touring drummer, five years after the passing of the band's co-founder, Pat Torpey. The 54-year-old Nick, who has spent the last nine years working for the Indiana-based online retailer of music instruments and audio gear Sweetwater, said: "It stemmed through Sweetwater. I've known Paul [Gilbert, MR. BIG guitarist]; Paul was the one guy I knew most. I met Pat, and I met Billy [Sheehan, MR. BIG bassist] — Gosh — at a music trade show back in the day. And I was definitely a fan of the band. I listened to a lot of Pat's drumming way before I ever met him in person. But at Sweetwater, we do a lot of recording workshops and we get artists in to come and people pay to come to the studio and hang in the studio with the artists that come in. Paul does it quite a bit; he's been there a bunch. Billy was there a while back as well, but Paul's been there a number of times. And I've been able to play as his rhythm section for these recording workshops. And I also had Paul play on a song on my solo record called 'Invisible' that I put out in 2020. Through all of this stuff, we got to just jamming some more stuff. And I know Paul through Mike Portnoy and Neal Morse and a lot of circles of musicians. After the last thing we did at Sweetwater, Paul just sent me an e-mail and asked if I would be interested in going on tour with MR. BIG in Asia. Now, this was last July, when he first sent me the e-mail, so nine, 10 months ago or so. And I immediately said 'yes'. I think I said 'fuck yes', all in bold letters… So then I went sort of hog wild here in my studio and I videotaped and multi-tracked my drums. I kind of just went hog wild, sending back these demos of me playing and then singing all the parts. So I sang the lead vocal, and then I sang Pat's parts too. Since [it was an] audition, I figured I'd put my best foot forward. Long story short, they said, 'Yeah, we'd love to do it. And you're in,' basically. So that's kind of how it all happened. It came out of the blue."

D'Virgilio went on to say that he is looking forward to performing with MR. BIG on the band's worldwide tour, aptly titled "The BIG Finish", which will take the band to Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August, while shows in South America, Europe, and the U.S. will launch in early 2024.

"You've been in this music business for a long time. Especially as you get older, the phone doesn't ring as often," he said. "I live in Indiana now. I'm not in California and L.A. where I grew up. So I have a great job, but I'm not where all the action is all the time. So the phone doesn't ring quite like that, maybe like it used to 10, 20 years ago, so it was super exciting to get that e-mail from Paul."

As a session musician and touring artist, Nick has worked with many different kinds of artists and bands, from TEARS FOR FEARS, Sheryl Crow and Kevin Gilbert to Peter Gabriel and Eric Burdon and the ANIMALS. In 1996, Nick took Phil Collins's place in GENESIS and played on their "Calling All Stations" album. He has also carved out a major presence in the progressive rock world with his bands, SPOCK'S BEARD and BIG BIG TRAIN.

Before joining the Sweetwater team, Nick spent almost five years touring with Cirque Du Soleil's "Totem" as drummer, vocalist, and assistant bandleader.

When D'Virgilio's addition to MR. BIG was first announced in March, Sheehan said in a statement: "We found a wonderful drummer in Nick, and he's got a great voice too. Nick has a vocal range similar to Pat's, and he'll be able to do the parts Pat did with a similar finesse. It's a big relief because MR. BIG has always been heavy on the harmonies. When the band began, we really relied on each other. We knew each guy would do exactly what he needed to do vocally and to do it righteously, on key, and in time. It's difficult to find a drummer who sings in that range, but Nick has the voice we really need onstage."

Gilbert concurred, saying: "Nick gets close to the spirit of Pat Torpey. Billy, Eric [Martin, vocals] and I have been really happy with the music we've already shared back and forth. I'm impressed with Nick's level of musical adaptability and breadth of skill. He and I have done some recording together, and I was blown away with his groove, and how he just played what fit the song. If the song requires him to be more progressive and stand out, he will stand out. But if the song requires him to groove, he will groove. That's actually a rare thing, and it really fits in with what we do in MR. BIG."

Martin added: "I love the fact that Nick was a fan of Pat Torpey and wants to keep our BIG sound intact. When I first saw his audition demo video of the 'Lean Into It' song 'Lucky This Time', Nick was playing drums with those signature Pat snare hits and singing harmonies spot on to what Pat used to do. It gave me goosebumps!! I am so thrilled to have this man who will be filling some mighty BIG shoes join us on our last tour."

MR. BIG's final tour will see the band performing the entirety of its breakthrough platinum-selling 1991 album "Lean Into It" from start to finish as a featured highlight of the live setlist.

"We wanted to do a proper farewell, and this seems like the right way to do it," Sheehan said. Gilbert added: "We're in the process of making sure we come up with a suitably big entertainment extravaganza to go along with our music. And since our music has resonated so wonderfully in places all over the world, we're going to play in as many of those places as we can." Martin stated: "If we were in the movie business, we'd just put it all up in lights and say, 'Welcome to 'The BIG Finish'!' Seriously, I'm glad we're getting a chance to do it all onstage together as MR. BIG again and raise a flag to everything we've done as a band over the years."

Adam Alexander, an aerial drone operator in Indianapolis, has shared aerial video of PANTERA's July 29 concert at the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana. Check out the clip below.

In a message accompanying the YouTube release of the video, Alexander wrote: "Experience the intensity of the Jul 29 2023 PANTERA and LAMB OF GOD concert from above the famous Ruoff Music Center. Feel the energy, the lights, the music, and the crowd in a way you've never seen before."

The reformed PANTERA kicked off its U.S. headlining tour with LAMB OF GOD on Friday, 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 current 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.

On October 13, Geffen/UMe Recordings is set to release "Fyfty", a four-CD/digital 50th-anniversary box set that celebrates the enduring legacy of one of rock and roll's most pre-eminent bands, LYNYRD SKYNYRD. The career-spanning 50 tracks featured on "Fyfty" represent the best of the best music the band has offered up to its loyal, worldwide fanbase from the very beginning. Within this box set, fans of all eras of LYNYRD SKYNYRD can trace the band's roots by way of their early Muscle Shoals recordings through an abundance of iconic songs that defined the literal soundtrack of the '70s. From there, listeners can revisit live cuts from the historic 1987 tribute show that ignited the band's ensuing reunion, then continue onward and upward with the determined last-band standing defiance of fist-pumping latter-era tracks like "Last Of A Dyin' Breed" and "Last Of The Street Survivors", and eventually touch back down on earth with a special live performance of "Gimme Three Steps" that was culled from the band's final show with co-founding guitarist Gary Rossington in November 2022, a previously unreleased live track.

"Fyfty" is available to pre-order now via LynyrdSkynyrd.com. A limited-edition version of the collection with a signed litho will be available as an exclusive release available via uDiscover and the band's touring packages.

"Fyfty" comes housed in the sturdy, vinyl-size 12x12-inch format, with a gatefold jacket that holds a detailed 40-page booklet featuring opening notes penned by a longtime friend of the band — esteemed rock journalist, screenwriter, and director Cameron Crowe — along with detailed liner notes and track-by-track analysis by respected Detroit rock journalist Gary Graff. Additionally, "Fyfty" is filled with unreleased photos of the original band and the reformed band, a stirring visual chronicle of LYNYRD SKYNYRD both then and now.

The legacy of LYNYRD SKYNYRD is etched in stone, and it is most readily accessible through the band's deep, rich catalog of great songs — a half-century's worth of material spread across 14 studio albums and a myriad of compilations and live recordings that, over the years, have unearthed unreleased gems and rarities that have only served to enhance one of rock and roll's richest bodies of work. "We just kind of notice what's going on around us and write songs so people relate to them," Rossington observed in the liner notes. "That's always been our style. We learned that from Ronnie [Van Zant]; he always had a great way to take a subject and write a cool story around it so people could relate. We're just trying to keep that going."

LYNYRD SKYNYRD's story is a well-told tale of triumph amidst and over tragedies. After five years of touring small venues under assorted monikers with varying line-ups, the band officially became LYNYRD SKYNYRD in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969. The group's handle, a sly twist on the name of a long hair-hating high-school gym teacher they all knew firsthand, Leonard Skinner. SKYNYRD spent years honing its craft through relentless touring, hard living, and hot material including the down-home mission statement "Sweet Home Alabama" and the anthemic opus "Free Bird" — the latter represented here on "Fyfty" via a previously unreleased live version from the band's performance at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 7, 1976. These and other iconic SKYNYRD tracks like "What's Your Name", "Gimme Three Steps", "Simple Man", "Call Me The Breeze" and "That Smell" all contributed to making the band one of America's biggest acts by the mid-'70s. LYNYRD SKYNYRD had become such a bona fide arena headliner that gave the likes of THE ROLLING STONES and THE WHO a run for their money when opening for them — a confident band that even had the impudence to take shots at Neil Young for disrespecting the Southland. (Good ol' Neil didn't seem to mind too much, by the way.)

The group's ascent abruptly and tragically stopped on October 20, 1977, when the plane taking SKYNYRD to its next show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, crashed in a Mississippi forest, in turn killing three band members — vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines. Guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, bassist Leon Wilkeson, keyboardist Billy Powell, drummer Artimus Pyle and backing vocalist Leslie Hawkins were all seriously injured, but all survived. As a beyond tragic result, LYNYRD SKYNYRD ceased to be for a decade.

The band's re-emergence in 1987 for what was supposed to be a one-off tribute tour was surprising and controversial — until the group hit the stage, that is. With younger brother Johnny Van Zant now out front — of whom Ronnie had told others was the best singer in the family — LYNYRD SKYNYRD became a formidable force once again, releasing nine more studio albums to date and continuing to do what they do best out on the road. SKYNYRD also welcomed a myriad of additional band members to the ranks to carry the torch as others sadly passed on — namely, Collins in 1990, Wilkeson in 2001, Powell in 2009, original guitarist Ed King in 1996, and, most recently, Gary Rossington, the last co-founding member, who left us in March 2023. Thankfully, Rossington's swan song has been captured forever in the aforementioned live version of "Gimme Three Steps" taken from the last show he performed with SKYNYRD that took place at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on November 13, 2022.

As Johnny Van Zant himself put it quite touchingly in the liners about his lifelong friend Gary, "We miss him so much. What kept me going was calling [Rossington] and having these conversations. He was my cheerleader. So now I'm gonna have to remember his voice to keep my spirits up and keep this thing going. . . as a tribute, and so people remember him and Ronnie and all the others who have been part of this."

Still going strong and true with its current lineup, LYNYRD SKYNYRD most recently joined forces with spiritual Southern brethren ZZ TOP for their first co-headlining tour — cleverly dubbed "The Sharp Dressed Simple Man" tour — in turn getting to rock out together in over 22 cities in North America this summer. After that tour wraps up, and coupled with the knowledge of how these perennial Street Survivors operate, LYNYRD SKYNYRD may not be done touring just yet.

As Cameron Crowe succinctly pointed out in his opening comments in the "Fyfty" booklet, as rock and roll only continued to get bigger and bigger, "through it all, doggedly making one authentically great record after another, LYNYRD SKYNYRD had risen through the ranks to become one of America's greatest bands." The proof can be found within the grooves of all 50 tracks on "Fyfty".

"Fyfty" track listing:

CD 1

01. Comin' Home (Original Version)
02. I Ain't The One
03. Gimme Three Steps
04. Tuesday's Gone
05. Simple Man
06. Sweet Home Alabama
07. The Ballad Of Curtis Loew
08. Workin' For MCA
09. On The Hunt
10. Made In The Shade
11. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller (Live)
12. All I Can Do Is Write About It (Acoustic Version)
13. Gimme Back My Bullets
14. Double Trouble

CD 2

01. Saturday Night Special (Live)
02. T For Texas (Blue Yodel No. 1) (Live)
03. Travelin' Man (Live)
04. Free Bird (Live – Unreleased)
05. What's Your Name
06. You Got That Right
07. I Know A Little
08. Down South Jukin'
09. White Dove
10. Was I Right Or Wrong?
11. Georgia Peaches
12. Mr. Banker

CD 3

01. Call Me The Breeze (Live)
02. That Smell (Live)
03. Smokestack Lightning
04. Southern Women
05. The Last Rebel
06. Born To Run
07. Devil In The Bottle
08. Talked Myself Right Into It
09. Berneice
10. Voodoo Lake
11. Tomorrow's Goodbye

CD 4

01. Mad Hatter
02. Pick 'Em Up
03. Red White And Blue
04. Skynyrd Nation
05. Simple Life
06. Still Unbroken
07. God & Guns
08. Gifted Hands
09. Start Livin' Life Again
10. Mississippi Blood
11. Last Of A Dyin' Breed
12. Last Of The Street Survivors
13. Gimme Three Steps (Live – Unreleased)

As part of a new article in The New York Times focusing on nu metal's resurgence, Canadian metallers KITTIE spoke about their decision to reunite, initially for a couple of festival appearances before beginning work on new music. Drummer Mercedes Lander said bookers started calling again in the fall of 2021 because of renewed interest, with KITTIE taking the stage for the first time in five years at the 2022 Blue Ridge Rock Festival last September in Alton, Virginia.

"It did take a little bit of talking into," Mercedes said of the offer to reunite. "When we stepped onstage, I was, like, 'Oh, yeah, this is how it's supposed to be. This is what I'm supposed to be doing.' This is a fantastic feeling."

Mercedes went on to say that it makes sense that the songs she wrote with her older sister, Morgan Lander, when they were teenagers still resonates with people. "It just kind of proves that teenage angst is timeless," she said.

Morgan shared the sentiment, saying: "That's not to say there isn't still a fire and anger in us now — yeah, we're still pissed."

KITTIE's May 13 performance at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada included the live debut of a new track called "Vultures".

Joining Morgan and Mercedes at the band's recent gigs were guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

Prior to Blue Ridge, KITTIE had not performed since its reunion show at London Music Hall in the band's native London, Ontario in 2017, celebrating the group's documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".

Vujic joined KITTIE in 2008 and appeared on the band's fifth studio CD, 2009's "In The Black". She also wrote and recorded bass for KITTIE's sixth album, 2011's "I've Failed You".

In January 2022, the original lineup of KITTIE — Morgan, Mercedes, Fallon Bowman (guitar) and Tanya Candler (bass) — reunited for an online chat to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of its gold-certified 2000 debut album, "Spit".

Candler left KITTIE after the release of "Spit" in order to finish high school and was replaced by Talena Atfield.

Bowman exited KITTIE in 2001 and started her own industrial/electronic project, AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT.

After KITTIE completed the touring cycle for 2011's "I've Failed You" album, the band entered a long period of inactivity during which Morgan focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs while Mercedes worked in real estate and more recently at a software company. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.

"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Fan-filmed video of BRITISH LION's July 14 performance at the Legend club in Milan, Italy can be seen below.

BRITISH LION is the side project of IRON MAIDEN bassist and founder Steve Harris.

The band recently launched a 15-date tour throughout Europe. It includes 13 headline tour dates, as well as festival appearances at Hellfest and the aforementioned Sweden Rock Festival.

When the BRITISH LION spring/summer 2023 tour was first announced, Harris said in a statement: "We just had a brilliant time on the January U.K. tour and it's great to be heading out again in 2023. I'm really looking forward to both summer tours this year," referencing the fact that MAIDEN will be on the road at the same time.

Prior to the January 2023 run of dates, BRITISH LION last played live in the U.K. at last year's Download festival to a packed Dogtooth Stage following a headline pub and club tour of late 2021.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The show in Milan is now SOLD OUT!!

Get tickets for the rest of the tour - www.britishlionuk.com/tour

May 27 –...

Posted by British Lion on Thursday, April 27, 2023

In a recent interview with Riff X's "Metal XS", TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson was asked what is has been like to hit the road again after not being able to tour for a couple of years due to the coronavirus pandemic. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " I would say the biggest thing, and I would think most bands would agree, is just the appreciation of what we do. In my mind, I always thought, being in the music business, especially if you're doing okay, that everybody wants to hear music and you're always gonna have a job as long as people wanna hear your music. But a pandemic [laughs], even though if people wanna hear you, it can change it. And I was just like, 'Wow.'"

During the same chat, Peterson addressed some of the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs.

"The cost of fuel's gone up," he said. "A lot of things have gone up. Maybe some fees haven't gone up for bands. Some of my favorite techs that have worked with me, they're not doing this business anymore, because three years of not working is really hard. Luckily we've slowly built up a new crew and everything seems to be firing on all cylinders. We're pretty happy. But, yeah, it's a challenge. It's like starting over — new soundman, new guitar techs. When touring started again, everybody toured again, so there was no buses. It was tough. But I think because of the relationship TESTAMENT had with a lot of companies for so many years, we were one of the luckier bands that we were able to continue maybe getting favors."

Peterson and new TESTAMENT drummer Chris Dovas recently spent a few days working on material for the band's next studio album.

Last month, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick told Chaoszine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's next LP: "There are a few songs, a few ideas. We haven't gotten to the vocals yet, but I would say there's close to half an album's worth of music that is pretty close to having vocals. We still need to write the other half and then get into that process. But it's coming together. We can never rush it. It always takes time."

As for when TESTAMENT fans can expect to see the new LP released, Alex said: "We don't a lot of shows after this tour until September. We're gonna go to Asia, where we haven't been in a long time. And then in between now and then, we're just gonna try to complete the writing, at least as far as the music goes. And then I think by next year, we should be able to go in the studio early in the year and have the record recorded and have it come out next year."

Alex's latest comments echo those made by Peterson, who told Loud TV about the group's plans for a new album: "There was a big gap because of COVID. But now we're getting ready — probably after this [European] tour to go start working on new material. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that. We have about five, six songs written already, and [I'll] probably try to finish it up when I get home. And then hopefully record right after we go on tour to Japan. So '24 should look like a release for TESTAMENT."

Peterson went on to say that the new TESTAMENT material is shaping up to be "fucking killer." He added: "I'm a fan. For me, I wouldn't release anything unless I'm a fan of what I'm doing. I have to get goosebumps. When I hear it, I'm, like, 'Yeah.' And then, of course, I play it for friends. A few of them go, 'Ehh.' But most of them go, 'Fuuuck!' Except Chuck [Billy, TESTAMENT singer] — Chuck goes, 'Eh.' And then four years later, [he goes], 'That's the best song ever. Write more shit like that.' I'm, like, 'Yeah, but four years ago you said that sucked.'"

As for when TESTAMENT will record the new album, Eric said: "Hopefully maybe October, November. If not, probably January, February. But we're shooting for this year — at the end of the year. I think I'll be done writing in September. So we just have to wait for vocals. Which can take a while. But we'll see what happens."

Peterson was also full of praise for Dovas, who officially joined the band earlier this year as the replacement for Dave Lombardo.

This past April, Lombardo revealed in an interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET that he would sit out the remainder of TESTAMENT's 2023 shows, with no guarantee that he will return to the band.

Lombardo, who was the guest drummer on TESTAMENT's 1999 studio album "The Gathering", formally joined the long-running San Francisco Bay Area act last year. The former SLAYER drummer is currently a member of the MISFITS, MR. BUNGLE, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD and SATANIC PLANET, among others. He also played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES from 2016 up until 2020.

Prior to joining TESTAMENT as a full-time member, Dovas previously filled in for Lombardo on the first six dates of TESTAMENT's summer/fall 2022 leg of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour". Lombardo was unable to make those gigs due to a scheduling conflict with the MISFITS.

International power trio The Cards, featuring original, founding Saxon guitarist Paul Quinn, will release a new album this November and will simultaneously embark on a tour of the UK supporting former Motörhead guitarist Phil Campell and his band, The Bastard Sons.


The Cards, also featuring Doro and U.D.O. alumnus Harrison Young on lead vocals and bass, released their eponymous debut album in 2019 to worldwide acclaim, playing festivals and shows all over Europe. Their long-awaited follow up album will be available for pre-sale starting in September at thecardsofficial.com.







Quinn recently stepped down from his post as resident riffmaster of NWOBHM heroes Saxon after an astonishing 48 years of heavy metal service, citing the burdens of heavy touring as his main reason.


Saxon released a statement earlier this year regarding Quinn’s departure which read as follows: “After much soul searching our great friend and fellow warrior Paul Quinn has decided to step back from touring with Saxon. After many years on the road, with the subsequent stress and tiredness that accompany long tour schedules, Paul doesn’t want his performance to suffer and let his fellow band mates and fans down...”


Meanwhile, Quinn released his own statement via social media: “You need to know I will miss you & my Saxon co-workers for the great times on and off stage, so with regret I will leave while I can still hold my head high and not worry about my fingers or brain forgetting riffs, keys or stumbling over licks, as they do occasionally. I am not taking this lightly, and I want to do Saxon proud, whilst continuing to love and play music with The Cards and other projects.”


The Cards formed in 2016 when Quinn and Young began meeting weekly to write songs. Soon, they were joined in the studio and onstage by current Vandenberg drummer Koen Herfst. Joining them on this tour, however, will be UK-based drummer Rod Fearnley, best known for his work with Paul’s former Saxon bandmate, Graham Oliver.


When asked why this tour is different for him  than his past experiences with Saxon, Quinn had this to say: “I’m glad to get back to my roots, touring humbly in the country where it all began for me, not to mention with old friends, which Phil certainly is.”


Catch The Cards on tour this fall at the dates below and follow the band on Facebook and Instagram  to stay up to date on their upcoming album and shows.

Colorado based metal band Mind Incision has released the official music video for their single, "Zero230". Directed by Luke Ostermiller at Loste Films Studios, the video was produced by Loste Films Studios and Mind Incision, and stars Derek Peters (active duty US Army). War film featured in the video was provided by Derek Peters, Dean Schafer, and Anthony Notaro. Produced by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio, "Zero230" is off of the band's, debut EP, The First Cut.


"'Zero230' was written for our military veterans. The song is about people who suffer from PTSD and shows the struggles a lot of our veterans go through. 44 veterans take their own lives everyday; we want to make more people aware. Sometimes, it just takes one person to realize something is wrong. There is help out there." - Mind Incision







Purchase / stream "Zero230" online here.


 

Blame Zeus, the Portuguese heavy rock / alternative metal band, has launched their new single and video "Left For Dead", from their upcoming fourth studio album, Laudanum, which is scheduled for release on October 4th, 2023.


"Left For Dead" conveys a powerful message of resilience and the will to live, even in the face of adversity when the world seems to have turned against you. The song explores the transformation of negative emotions into motivation for positive change and, above all, the power of forgiveness.







Blame Zeus, founded in 2010, has a distinct musical style that transcends traditional genre boundaries, drawing influences from blues, metal, progressive, and alternative rock. Their music captures the essence of old-school rock and metal while presenting a modern sound characterized by rich melodies and poignant lyrics, complemented by the raw vocals of Sandra Oliveira.


Pre-sales for Laudanum will begin on August 25th, 2023 at BlameZeusOfficial.com. The cover art, created by Gustavo Sazes, can be seen below, along with the tracklisting.





"Stitch"
"Left For Dead"
"Lust"
"Penitent"
"For The Strong And The Faithful"
"Asleep In The Stars" (interlude)
"The Void"
"Lethargy"
"Resuscitate"
"Burning Fields" (bonus track)


Laudanum is poised to mark a new chapter in Blame Zeus' musical journey, showcasing their evolution and creativity. Each track on the album is a testament to the band's collaborative prowess, with Sandra Oliveira contributing the evocative lyrics, while Paulo Silva and Tiago Lascasas bring captivating guitar solos and intros to life.


The album was co-produced by Ricardo Fernandes and Blame Zeus, with vocals and drums recorded at Dynamix Studio in Lisbon, and guitars and bass recorded at Paulo Silva's home studio. The mixing and mastering were expertly handled by Ricardo Fernandes at Dynamix Studio.


 

Predatory Void's debut album, Seven Keys To The Discomfort Of Being, is out now via Century Media Records. The band have released the video below, stating: "We're ready to pull away the curtains and let you take a peek at who we are behind the scenes and off the spotlights... Enjoy the intimate mini documentary Predatory Void: A Portrait, shot by Diana Lungu.





Predatory Void came to be when guitarist Lennart Bossu (Amenra, Oathbreaker) found himself writing material that wasn't really suited for Amenra. Lennart gathered a group of likeminded people living in the area of Ghent (BE) - including the versatile vocalist and tattoo artist Lina R - and soon after, the band was born, with Tim De Gieter (bass; Amenra, Doodseskader, Much Luv Studio), Thijs De Cloedt (guitar; Cobra The Impaler, ex-Aborted), and Vincent Verstrepen (drums). Predatory Void played their first show at the renowned Soulcrusher Festival (NL) alongside artists such as Ihsahn, Envy, Cave In and Heriot, creating a buzz within the scene. With an album's worth of material already written, they signed to Century Media Records for their worldwide debut.




With their signing announcement, Predatory Void also revealed their plans to perform said debut record - Seven Keys To The Discomfort Of Being - in full at Roadburn Festival 2023. The band comments: "We feel privileged to be granted the opportunity to present our debut album, 'Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being', in its entirety at Roadburn, one of the institutions that set the standard in the world of underground heavy music. The album contains some things that will be difficult to recreate live elsewhere, so this will definitely be a unique occasion. It will also be one of our very first live shows ever, so we can't imagine a better and more exciting start for a new band."


Order the album here.





Tracklisting:


“Grovel”
“*(struggling..)”
“Endless Return To The Kingdom Of Sleep”
“Seeds Of Frustration”
“The Well Within”
“Shedding Weathered Skin”
“Funerary Vision”


“Funerary Vision” video:





“Endless Return To The Kingdom Of Sleep” video:





Lineup:


Lina R - vocals
Lennart Bossu - guitar
Tim De Gieter - bass
Thijs De Cloedt - guitar
Vincent Verstrepen - drums


(Photo – Tetiana Malezhyk / Yoss Photography)

Melbourne, Australia-based progressive metal band, Teramaze, have shared the video below, featuring a performance of their track, "To Love, A Tyrant". The footage was provided by Daryl Van Boxtel, filmed in Melbourne, Australia 2023.





Teramaze performed at Barwon Club Hotel in Geelong, Australia on July 22. You can now watch video of the band's full set, recorded by Mick (Vendetta) Kee.




Setlist:


"Battle"
"Sleeping Man"
"Jackie Seth"
"The Heist"
"Navigate In Solitude"
"Shadows" (Tony Paulo on drums)
"And the Beauty They Perceive"
"Her Halo"

Distant, the multinational down-tempo/deathcore juggernaut from Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and the Slovak Republic - have released an official live video for "Paradigm Shift", featured on their third full-length, Heritage, available via Century Media Records.





Order Heritage here.







Tracklisting:


"Acid Rain"
"Paradigm Shift"
"Born Of Blood"
"The Grief Manifest"
"Exofilth"
"Argent Justice"
"The Gnostic Uprising"
"A Sentence To Suffer"
"Human Scum"
"Heritage"
"Orphan Of Blight"
"Plaguebreeder"


"Heritage" video:





"Argent Justice" video:





"Exofilth" video:





"Human Scum" video:





"Orphan Of Blight" video:





Distant lineup:


Alan Grnja - vocals
Elmer Maurits - bass guitar
Nouri Yetgin - lead guitar
Vladimir Golic - rhythm guitar
Jan Mato - drums


(Photo - Luca Roman)

US hard rockers Heroes And Monsters -  bassist/vocalist Todd Kerns, guitarist Stef Burns, and drummer Will Hunt - released their self-titled debut back in January. Today, they release the video for the song "Blame".


A message states: “Shot in Southern California with behind the scenes footage of the guys preparing and working for the shoot. Also live footage from Ravenna Italy at Teatro Socjiale. We love this song!! It’s a killer heavy rhythmic groove and haunting melody. The lyrics talk about how we have to take responsibility for our own decisions, whatever the consequences are."







The players' resumes speak for themselves, but rest assured, if you are looking for hard hitting, hooky, in-your-face rock-n-roll, then Heroes And Monsters will be good for what ails you. The band approaches their style with their influences in tow, but also with an understanding and appreciation of the current rock scene. A best of both worlds' scenario, if you will.


Todd Kerns is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is most noted for being the bass player and backup singer in Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, and for being the frontman of gold-record-selling Canadian band The Age Of Electric. In more recent years, he has been making his mark as a singer-songwriter with sold out solo performances as well as fronting former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick’s band and his own Canadian supergroup, Toque.


Guitarist Stef Burns has a fantastic and varied history in rock music. He has spent time playing with pop acts like Sheila E., Berlin, and Huey Lewis & The News as well as rock acts like Y&T, whom he recorded four albums with, and Alice Cooper, playing on the albums Hey Stoopid and The Last Temptation. Stef currently plays with Italian rock superstar Vasco Rossi and also has his own band, The Stef Burns League.


Drummer Will Hunt currently resides in the drum throne for Evanescence, whom he first started playing with in 2007, and has performed and written on their last three studio albums, including their most recent release, The Bitter Truth, which debuted at #1 on 27 different countries' album charts. Over the years, the in-demand skinsman has performed with Dark New Day, Skrape, Staind, Vasco Rossi, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Slaughter, and more. He has also appeared on albums by Black Label Society, Michael Sweet (Stryper), Crossfade, Dirty Shirley (George Lynch), Device (David Draiman of Disturbed), and more.





Heroes And Monsters tracklisting:


"Locked And Loaded"
"Raw Power"
"Let's Ride It"
"Angels Never Sleep"
"I Knew You Were The Devil"
"Break Me (I'm Yours)"
"Blame"
"Don't Tell Me I'm Wrong"
"Set Me Free"
"And You'll Remain"


"Angels Never Sleep" video:





"Break Me (I’m Yours)" lyric video:





"Let's Ride It" video:





"Raw Power" video:





"Locked And Loaded" lyric video:

MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine has weighed in on the troubling behavior trends in younger audiences at live music shows, including throwing things at artists to catch their attention.

"If people don't like you, they're gonna throw shit," Mustaine told Sweden's SVT in a new interview. "Maybe it's graduated from rotten tomatoes to dildos; I don't know. But if you're giving them a great show, they're not gonna do that — they're not gonna do that. So don't get up there acting like a spoiled fucking brat and telling them not to throw stuff."

Several high-profile performers, including Bebe Rexha and Kelsea Ballerini, have been hit by items thrown at them while they have been performing over the summer, in some cases harming the performer in acts that could be deemed assault and may lead to criminal charges or other legal consequences for offenders.

Mustaine added: "I don't have to worry about it. Plus my eyesight is that bad, I probably won't see anything flying through the air until it's too late."

Back in 1989, MOTÖRHEAD leader Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister reportedly received a significant wound after a person who had attended the band's concert in Yugoslavia threw a razor blade, glued between two coins, at the stage, striking the bassist/vocalist. Lemmy then showed his left fist, which was bleeding, to the audience and shouted, "What idiot thinks this is funny? If you're so brave, come onstage and I'll kill you, you bastard!"

Lemmy recounted the incident during an appearance on the Bailey Brothers TV show, saying: "I nearly lost my hand, you understand me? If I lose my hand, my life is over. You realize that? I'd have to shoot myself because I can't stand it.

"I'm not going to put up with people throwing things out of the audience any more… This is never going to happen to me again."

MOTÖRHEAD reportedly cut its 1991 show in Brisbane, Australia short after an incident where cans were thrown on to the stage.

In late June, country singer Kelsea Ballerini was performing her song "If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)" at Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise, Idaho, when she was hit by an object lobbed from the crowd.

The incident involving Ballerini came after Rexha was struck in the face and injured by a cell phone while performing in New York City. The phone hit the singer on the forehead in the middle of a song, splitting her eyebrow and requiring stitches. The suspect who threw the phone was quickly identified and arrested. The 27-year-old man was charged with assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault and harassment. He allegedly tossed the phone at Rexha for his own amusement, prosecutors said at his arraignment.

Last week, FOREIGNER singer Kelly Hansen told Fox News about fans throwing things at artists during live shows: "When you're standing on stage and you have a spotlight on you, what it does is it blinds you. You can't see the audience. So you can't see anything that's coming at you. It's very, very dangerous. And over the course of time I've had many things thrown up on stage, including full, unopened cans of beer. And it's tough, because at the best I can see something right at the last minute when it crosses the spotlight.

"Just like everything else, someone sees that and they go, 'Oh, that's a thing, a bandwagon to get on," Kelly added. "Let me do that. It'll be funny and I'll get some kind of TikTok out of it.' But they're not thinking that they're hurting somebody and supposedly somebody that they like, that they're there to see."

Earlier in the month, pop superstar Adele said it was time to stop throwing objects at performers during concerts.

"Have you noticed how people are forgetting fucking show etiquette at the moment," she said during one of her "Weekends With Adele" shows at The Colosseum in Las Vegas. "People are throwing shit on stage. Have you seen that?" asked Adele, 35, according to a fan-filmed video, before joking: "I fucking dare you — I dare you throw something at me. I'll fucking kill you."

Swiss electro-metal powerhouse, Rage Of Light, has dropped their highly anticipated new single, "Touch And Destroy." The explosive track pushes the boundaries of genre, seamlessly fusing the raw intensity of metal with the pulsating energy of electronic music, creating a sensory spectacle that is both groundbreaking and adrenaline-fuelling.


Martyna Halas, the band's lead vocalist, comments:


"Not all that glitters is gold… or is it? We always love a video challenge, and this time, our own Simon Burri took the lead behind the lens. The result couldn’t be complete without the incredible talent of Andy Straubhaar, who is probably still finding golden glitter everywhere! Lyrically and sonically, 'Touch And Destroy' is dark and twisted, setting a relentless pace from the very beginning. We hope listeners will enjoy the wild ride!”




Formed in 2015, Rage Of Light has carved out a unique place in the music scene with their compelling fusion of trance and metal elements. With the release of "Touch And Destroy", the trio further solidifies their standing, introducing progressive elements and new soundscapes that resonate with their signature style.


"Touch And Destroy" is available via digital platforms found here.





Line-up:
Martyna Halas: Vocals
Jonathan Pellet: Synthesizers, Bass, and Additional Vocals
Simon Burri: Guitars

HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale, who graced the cover of Revolver's 2009 "Hottest Chicks In Metal" issue and has been named the "hottest chick in hard rock and metal" by the magazine's readers, admitted in a recent interview with Riff X's "Metal XS" that she used her sexuality early in the band's career to get more media coverage for HALESTORM.

"Years ago, when we were first starting to tour and you're trying to get yourself into magazines and get attention for this or that, I was involved in a lot of that where… and, in a lot of ways, I kind of felt a little left out 'cause I've never been one to really bare it all, you know?" she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And so I'd be like in Revolver magazine for 'Hottest Chicks In Metal' or whatever and be like the only one fully clothed. [Laughs] But, yeah, you're kind of forced into it because if that is the publication, you want attention for your band and you wanna talk about the music and everything."

She continued: "But, yes, we were absolutely sexualized through the years. I think for me, you kind of turn that around and in what you say in your songs and you can kind of always have the last laugh, so to speak, in that. But it's definitely changed. And it was only a few short years ago that I was probably the only girl at one of these festivals, and that's just not the case anymore. So I'm very proud of that and it's just great to see all of my sisters having success."

Back in 2015, Lzzy told the El Paso, Texas radio station KLAQ that she never had any issues with being voted Revolver magazine's "Hottest Chick In Rock", which some people felt encouraged the objectification of women in music. "You know, I think it's a personal preference," she said at the time. "For me, personally, I've never… obviously, I've never really had a problem with the sex-and-rock-and-roll thing; it's been going on forever, and I think that they kind of go hand in hand. So it really doesn't bother me. But, to me, it is kind of funny how, I think… What's it been? Like, three times in a row, I'm probably the only one that's fully clothed in that article. So I think that's kind of funny — that I've been on the cover of that a couple of times, and I don't necessarily have double Ds to whip out whenever I want to. So, to me, I don't know… To me, it's cool. And just for my own mind, as long as you've got something to back it up and you're actually doing some stuff with your life besides taking off your clothes for magazines, I think that's cool. I do know a lot of girls that are very, very against that. Again, I think it's a balance, and that's, you know, your personal thing."

Years ago, Hale told The Pulse Of Radio that she believed it could be too easy sometimes for female musicians to rely solely on their looks. "Actually, I've been encouraging a lot of people to challenge us, and make sure that when you're reading these articles or you're seeing us in magazines or something, that you go and you check us out live, or you go and you sample a CD, something like that," she said. "If people start doing that and don't just look at us because we're a quote-unquote pretty face, or scantily clad — I think if more people were looking beyond that, it would make us step up a little bit."

Lzzy and her brother Arejay (drums) formed HALESTORM in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In May, HALESTORM teamed up with country singer Ashley McBryde for a reimagined version of the band's song "Terrible Things", which was originally featured on the Lzzy-fronted outfit's 2022 studio album "Back From The Dead".

This past December, HALESTORM released a deluxe edition of "Back From The Dead". "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" includes seven previously unreleased B-sides, including "Mine", a 1980s-inspired rocker. "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" is available digitally, on CD, and cassette tape, marking the first time that the album has been offered in those physical formats.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".

The official NICKELBACK documentary, "Hate To Love: Nickelback". Will receive its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

According to a post on the Toronto International Film Festival web site, the film explores how "NICKELBACK is one of the most successful acts in music history — they're also the number one band haters love to hate. This intimate portrait surveys the Canadian stadium rockers' rollercoaster career."

"Hate To Love: Nickelback" was directed by British filmmaker Leigh Brooks, who has previously worked on films about LIFE OF AGONY and TERRORVISION.

Brooks announced the documentary's premiere on July 24, writing on his Instagram: "So, after 6 years in the making we can finally share the trailer to our feature length film on @nickelback - the world premiere will take place in September at the Toronto International Film Festival @tiff_net Mind Blown!"

Brooks finished working on "Hate To Love: Nickelback" in June. At the time, he wrote on LinkedIn about the experience: "Wow. 6 years filming the NICKELBACK doc and today was the last day, NICKELBACK and everyone one of the Nickelteam are fine fine people," he wrote. "Eternally grateful the band let us document this amazing film. There were times I didn't think this day would come, and although it feels like a freight train grinding to a halt, I'm really excited for what is pulling up at the station as we speak."

In a February 2023 interview with "Rock Hard With Phil And Tish", Brooks stated about how he got involved in the NICKELBACK documentary: "Well, basically, funnily enough, I just finished TERROVISION when a friend of mine that I work with quite a lot got a call from Ben, the radio presenter, and he was the first person to play 'How You Remind Me' in the U.K. And [he] said, 'Look, I've gotta do this. I got an EPK to do — electronic press kit — about the [then-]new [NICKELBACK] album 'Feed The Machine'. Do you know anyone that could come over and shoot with me and do a piece about the album? So through the TERROVISION doc, it actually landed me this gig.

"At the beginning, I knew nothing about NICKELBACK," Leigh admitted. "I knew 'How You Remind Me' and I remember I loved the tune at the time. I was one of those people that thought… I didn't, didn't agree with [NICKELBACK frontman] Chad's [Kroeger's] hairstyle, I didn't agree with some of his dress sense. To be honest, looking back at some of my hairstyles and dress sense at the time, I had no right to throw shade, man… And that was really all I knew. 'Cause I was [into stuff like] BIOHAZARD, I was [into] LIFE OF AGONY. I was [into] METALLICA, which, ironically, these guys [in NICKELBACK], when they grew up, they, they were bang into SLAYER and ANTHRAX and METALLICA. And yeah, we went over and did this thing on 'Feed The Machine', and it quickly turned out, it looked like we [were] gonna do like a longer version about all of the albums. And then that morphed into, 'Ah, let's go back and shoot a bit more concert stuff.' And then I found out the guys were going back to Hanna [Alberta, Canada], which is their hometown. And I'm, like, 'What for?' And they're, like, 'We're gonna go play a gig?' I'm like, 'Really?' 'Yeah. The place we used to play when we were really, really young. It was like two and a half thousand people in Hanna. That's it. And I was, like, 'We should be going to film that.' And then all of a sudden it just went from there. Every opportunity, there was a bit more to film or a bit more to explore. But, yeah, the controversy [surrounding NICKELBACK] definitely intrigued me, 'cause I was, like, 'Well, there's gotta be more to this that meets the eye.' And man, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. They paved the way for everyone else to get their asses handed to them on the Internet, basically."

In a recentinterview with Robin Nash of Tucson, Arizona's KFMA-FM radio station, Chad was asked why he thinks so many people love to hate his band. He responded : "That kind of used to be a thing. I shouldn't say 'that kind of used to be' — that was definitely a thing for a long time. And I think there's been a softening — there really has, thankfully. I'm not sure if it's because we receive a ton of love on TikTok or whatever the hell it is, but for whatever reason the teeth have kind of been removed. It's really nice, it's really nice to not be Public Enemy Number One.

"I think that with the range of songs that we write — from rock to all the softer, melodic stuff, all the way down to… Well, I know that 'Far Away' got played on country stations even and I know that 'Rockstar' — the heavily redacted version — got played on CMT," he continued. "So when you're going that far and the scope is that wide, it makes it tough to get away from the band if you're not into the band. And if you're trying to switch the radio station three times, and it's just, like, 'Ah, there they are. There's their rock song on the rock station. There's their pop song on the pop station. And oh my God, I can't even go to the country station and get away from these guys.' That type of oversaturation could piss people off. But at the end of the day, we're just a band that makes music.

"I can't stand a couple of bands, but I don't go online and turn into a keyboard warrior and just start hating on them," Chad reasoned. "I just change the channel or I put on something that I wanna listen to."

In February, Chad told "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, that all the negative attention surrounding NICKELBACK has actually contributed to the band's longevity. "Well, I've been saying that for years," he said. "All the detractors, all the haters, all the keyboard heroes, they have no idea how much they keep us in the press loop. It's hilarious. Those people that would love to see us go away, if they really wanted to see us go away, they would just shut up. Because all those bands that came out with us at the same time are all gone, because nobody said anything about them. They all just sort of disappeared. But we've really kind of spun this whole negative thing into a positive thing. And here we are. [Laughs]"

Kroeger also talked about all the memes poking fun at NICKELBACK that regularly pop up on the Internet, explaining that "if it's music oriented and we think it's funny, we just leave it there, 'cause the band, collectively, has a great sense of humor. I mean, funny's funny. Just rude and ignorant, that's different. And yeah, obviously, there's tons of that too. But funny is funny. And as the Brits would say, we have no problem taking the piss out of ourselves."

Arguably the most disliked band in America, NICKELBACK has earned a type of hatred so potent it's hard to fathom what they did that was so terrible to the public consciousness. It's gotten to the point that people who enjoy NICKELBACK are denying their fandom and hiding their CDs like criminal contraband.

Asked by Jorge Botas of Portugal's "Metal Global" if he understands how NICKELBACK came to be so disliked by so many people, Chad said: "I think I've got a pretty good grasp of where things kind of went off the rails for us. I think that because we write so many different kinds of music, I think that if you were listening to a radio station any time between 2000 and 2010, '11, '12 even, we were kind of tough to get away from," he explained. "'Cause if you didn't wanna hear it and you changed to a different radio station, you'd probably hear it on there, and then changed to a different radio station, you probably were gonna hear it in so many different places. And we were really tough to get away from. And that's not my fault. [Laughs] We just write the songs. And so with that comes backlash. And then what happens is then comedians start making jokes, and then it starts making it on to TV, and then it makes it into movies and stuff like that. And then it just turns into this wave of, it's fun to pick on and it's an easy joke. And I get it. I understand. There are bands that when I hear them on the radio, I… And they're very popular bands… I mean, we all have those. No one is exempt from that. There are certain bands where you just hear them and you just don't like 'em. And other people may — half the world may love them, and I'll just be, like, 'No. I just cannot hear this band one more [time].' And just like everyone else does, I just change the channel. But we became the whipping boy of the music industry for a while there. But whatever. It's just part of the history of the band."

According to Chad, NICKELBACK is not the first group to experience the kind of severe backlash that has earned him and his bandmates the title of "the most hated act in the world."

"It's funny because we were at the American Music Awards, and we were presenting, and we presented to DEF LEPPARD," Chad recalled to "Metal Global". "And when we walked backstage afterwards, Joe Elliott and Phil Collen turned to me, and they were just, like, 'Dude, thank you so much.' I'm, like, 'For what?' They were, like, 'For taking the trophy. We get to pass the baton to you for being the most hated band in the world now.' And I was just, like, 'Oh, yeah. 'Cause I want that.'

"And it's funny — we went for dinner with AC/DC in Chicago years and years and years ago," Chad added. "And this whole thing came up. And Brian Johnson said when they released 'Back In Black', they were the most hated band on the planet. So I feel like we're in good company. [Laughs]"

This past December, Chad's brother, NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger was asked by Germany's Rock Antenne if he pays attention to all the online comments about his band. He responded: "I don't really do social media anymore. I have my own Instagram, but I got off Twitter. I never did Facebook, thank God, but I got off Twitter a couple of years ago — three years ago, I guess, now. I'm thinking about getting back on, just because since Elon Musk bought it, it looks like a hilarious, fun time. All these people are so scared, I love it. I might even rejoin, just to see what happens with that guy at the helm, so to speak.

"I'm not scared of comments 'cause I think sometimes even the ones that are assholes can be really funny," he continued. "To me, if something is truly funny, it's funny. Obviously, just to throw hate at something, like us, that's not kind of funny; that's just negative. But sometimes the haters can say some pretty funny things.

"There's a lot of times when you see people… And that's one thing that the Internet kind of has fostered with sites like Reddit, et cetera, is giving people a platform to try to be funny," Mike added. "And a lot of people try to be funny, and that's kind of the problem, because a lot of people aren't funny. So I have to kind of weed through the amateurs to get to the good ones, 'cause there are some good ones in there. There are people who make fun of our band and are funny about it — I'll have a great laugh when I see that — but there is also a contingent of people online who, they want to be funny, but they're just not. And that's just very sad to me."

Back in 2016, a student named Salli Anttonen at the University of Eastern Finland conducted a study to find out why there is so much hate directed towards NICKELBACK. Anttonen analyzed Finnish reviews of the band from 2000 through 2014 for her paper, which was titled "Hypocritical Bullshit Performed Through Gritted Teeth: Authenticity Discourses In Nickelback's Album Reviews In Finnish Media".

Anttonen found that critiques of the band became harsher as they became more popular, noting: "It became a phenomenon where the journalists were using the same (reasons) to bash them, and almost making an art out of ridiculing them."

Even though the study was based solely upon Finnish reviews of the band, the critics' animosity toward the group has been a global phenomenon.

Anttonen concluded: "NICKELBACK is too much of everything to be enough of something. They follow genre expectations too well, which is seen as empty imitation, but also not well enough, which is read as commercial tactics and as a lack of a stable and sincere identity."

NICKELBACK's new album, "Get Rollin'", was released in November via BMG.

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In a new interview with New York's Q104.3 radio station, legendary vocalist Paul Rodgers was asked if he has any plans to tour in support of his upcoming album, "Midnight Rose". The 73-year-old responded: "Not really, to be honest. Because it gets harsher and harsher out there. So, no, not really. No plans — let's just leave it like that."

Slated for release on September 22 via Sun Records, "Midnight Rose" is Rodgers's first solo LP of new music in nearly 25 years. The eight-track album is a collection of all new, original music completely written by Rodgers, with the exception of "Living It Up", which was co-written by Rodgers and his band's bassist Todd Ronning, and drummer Rick Fedyk.

"Midnight Rose" was produced by Cynthia Rodgers and Bob Rock, and was recorded at Roper Recording and The Warehouse over the last 18 months with unique album artwork contributed by Paul and his love of 26 years, Cynthia.

The founding member of English supergroup BAD COMPANY along with guitarist Mick Ralphs, Rodgers has sold more than 125 million records worldwide in his 55-year career. In addition to BAD COMPANY, Rodgers formed and led two other legendary English bands to international success — FREE with guitarist Paul Kossoff, and THE FIRM with LED ZEPPELIN's Jimmy Page.

Rodgers was also instrumental in resurrecting QUEEN under the banner of QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS, which saw the group release an original album "The Cosmos Rocks", which marked the first time Rodgers released new, original music since his 1999 solo album "Electric". They also released several live DVDs including songs from both of their respective catalogs. He fronted the band for four years from 2004 to 2008 before leaving to return to his solo career and BAD COMPANY.

LED ZEPPELIN's Robert Plant calls him "the voice of all British voices" and Rolling Stone magazine ranked him as "one of the greatest singers of all time." Some hit songs include "All Right Now", "Bad Company", "Feel Like Makin' Love", "Can't Get Enough", "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Radioactive".

In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, ZZ TOP frontman Billy Gibbons was asked how he and his bandmates will approach a possible farewell tour when the time comes. He responded: "I borrow the conversation from an exchange I was able to enjoy with Keith Richards. He said, 'Man, if we're lucky enough to follow the words of Muddy Waters, he said, 'Do it until you die.'' Of course, Muddy Waters was lucky enough to do just that. He was playing right up until the end. So we should be fortunate, I guess."

Last September, Gibbons told Classic Rock that ZZ TOP that he and drummer Frank Beard had a discussion about their future plans after the "totally unexpected" July 2021 death of their longtime bandmate, bassist Dusty Hill.

"Although Dusty had his bouts with this and that, he seemed to bounce back each time," Gibbons said. "And in fact when we were preparing for the tour we had a seven-days planned rehearsal and everything was straight ahead. Dusty wasn’t really out of sorts until we showed up for the first performance. We got through the evening but I could tell he wasn’t a hundred percent. And finally he said: 'I'd like to take a moment and go see the physician and see if we can iron out what's got me on the ropes.' He returned to Texas and made an appointment to see the doc. And it was that night he went to sleep and it was… lights out. It was just… it was totally unexpected."

Regarding ZZ TOP's decision to hire the band's longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis, who has worked with ZZ TOP for more than two decades, to step in for Hill, Gibbons said: "Well, it was an unexpected reality that landed not only in my lap, but allowed me to hunker down and get serious with Mister Beard. And the two of us both agreed that as an honor to the legacy of the band, we felt it would be more suitable to try to pick up sticks and carry on, rather than just throw in the towel. And fortunately, with the arrival of Elwood Francis that possibility became a reality. And here we are today having as much fun up there on stage as we ever have."

ZZ TOP played its first show following Hill's death on July 30, 2021 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Francis made his live debut with ZZ TOP on July 23, 2021 at the Village Commons in New Lenox, Illinois after Hill was forced to return to Texas to address a hip issue.

Hill joined ZZ TOP a year after its formation in 1969.

Back in 2017, Gibbons told Panhandle PBS that there were no thoughts given to a possible retirement. "The needle is at 'F' and we're still out there on the track, sometimes lapping ourselves," he said. "'Retirement'? We don't know the meaning of the word, but it does include 'tire' so, rest assured, we've got plenty of tread left."

Wacken Open Air's 32nd edition is off to a spectacular start: the unforgettable Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister will find another resting place at this year's event. On August 2, the MOTÖRHEAD frontman, who died in 2015, will be honored with an unforgettable symbolic act at the famous Wacken festival in Wacken, Germany. This forms part of "Lemmy Forever", a weekend celebration of the life of a defining icon of rock and roll, his legacy, and his continued presence as one of the world's preeminent figures in art and culture.

"Lemmy coming back to Wacken is an enormous honor for us — words can hardly express how enormous," notes organizer Thomas Jensen. "We will create a place of remembrance for him that does justice to his significance for an entire genre and beyond." Co-organizer Holger Hübner adds: "There has always been a special connection between MOTÖRHEAD and Wacken Open Air; hardly any band has played here more often. The fact that his journey also ends here will forever hold a special meaning."

MOTÖRHEAD's Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee will lead the festivities, throughout which there will be numerous opportunities to raise a toast to Lemmy with fellow friends and bands on the bill.

"Wacken was one of Lemmy's dearest homes and we're delighted he has a place here forever," says MOTÖRHEAD manager Todd Singerman. "He was a man of the people, and as such, he 'lived' in many places worldwide. It's our aim to allow him to rest permanently in all his 'homes' globally, and allow his fans worldwide to have a place close to them where they can both pay respects and celebrate his enormous continuing legacy and influence."

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

This past March, Campbell was asked in an interview with a href="https://myglobalmind.com/2023/03/17/phil-campbell-of-phil-campbell-and-the-bastard-sons-on-new-release-live-in-the-north-touring-with-my-sons-is-very-different-than-touring-with-motorhead-i-no-longer-drink-so-its-a-big/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Myglobalmind if he and his then-bandmates knew "things were not going well" when they were forced to cancel a number of shows due to Lemmy's declining health in the months leading up to his death. Phil responded: "Yeah, we knew, but Lem wanted to just carry on then. I know the last tour in Germany, I think one or two shows were canceled 'cause I ended up in hospital. And I came back out and we finished the tour. And that was the last tour then; the last show was in Berlin. So the last week of MOTÖRHEAD, actually I was the one in bloody hospital. But we never thought — when we parted at the end of the tour, we never thought that would be the last time we'd see each other. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye, me or Mikkey [Dee, MOTÖRHEAD drummer], or nothing. I couldn't even go over to the funeral, 'cause my doctor advised me not to, 'cause I was pretty ill myself in them days."

Earlier that same month, Dee told Sonic Perspectives that Lemmy didn't have any idea he was dying in the months leading up to his December 2015 passing. "I don't think that he had those — I know he didn't have these thoughts at all," Mikkey said. "But he did struggle with his health, and that was a pain in the ass for Lemmy, because he wanted to live his normal life so much. But he had some good days and bad days. And '15 was a tough year for Lemmy, and for all of us, obviously. But I know for a fact that he had no idea that he would actually pass away — I mean, die — by the end of that year; he had no clue about that."

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM drummer Ken Mary has weighed in on bands who rely heavily on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances.

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

During a new appearance on the "Rimshots With Sean" podcast, Mary — who has also played with such artists as ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS and ACCEPT — stated about some bands' reliance on pre-recorded tracks (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, honestly, you're probably not gonna like my answer, but I'm okay with it, depending on the artists. There's certain artists that, let's just face it, as a singer, there are very few singers, when you get into your seventies, that are gonna even sound like they did back in the day. Look, I, you know, I grew up hearing all the Elton John songs and I saw some of his recent footage. He's over 70. His voice doesn't sound the same. To me, it doesn't even sound like the same singer. So, if you're talking about an artist, like for instance I saw KISS, I saw their final, farewell tour. This was right before COVID. And I knew that some of the vocals were on tracks. And, to be honest with you, I'm okay with it, because I just wanted to see 'em play the songs, I wanted to remember the way it was when I saw 'em the first time I saw 'em, and you wanted to remember your childhood heroes the way they are. I'd much rather hear a track than hearing some horrible performance or something where they're just not able to do it anymore. So I'm okay in certain instances, and I know that young people are too. I talked to… I can't remember… I mean, this is probably 15 years back, but I remember talking to somebody about Britney Spears, and I was, like, 'Well, you know that, you know all that she's doing, it's all on track. And they were, like, 'Yeah, it's okay because she's dancing so much that that's okay.' And I'm, like, 'All right. Well, if you know it and you're okay with it, and you're just there to see the performance, I think sometimes it's okay.' I think if it's something where it's maybe a more, I don't wanna say more serious kind of music, but maybe a music that it's more, I don't know, not necessarily geared as much on the show, then for that kind of thing, I would probably not be okay with lead vocals being on tracks."

Ken went on to say that fans have the option to voice their displeasure about artists using backing tracks by simply not buying concert tickets to see those bands perform.

"Well, yeah, it's one of those things — if you're not okay with it, don't go see it, don't pay the money to go see it," he said. "And that's the whole thing. Like, for me, seeing KISS, I was aware that there was gonna be some 'magic' going on, and I was totally okay with it. I wanna hear those songs the way they were. If the whole thing was on tracks, then I might have a problem with that. I did hear some things about another band where supposedly the whole thing was on tracks, and I'm just, like, yeah, that's probably a bit much, a bit far to take it. I guess I'm in the middle of the argument — I think sometimes it's okay and sometimes it's not okay. Sometimes you're gonna wanna see your artists, and especially if they're young and they're healthy… But when you start talking about artists that you start getting into your late sixties or seventies, they might need a little bit of help now and then, maybe just on the high notes or whatever, maybe somebody's gonna sing the high part or… And that doesn't… for me personally, it doesn't really bother me."

KISS frontman Paul Stanley, who has been struggling to hit the high notes in many of the band's classic songs for a number of years, has been accused of singing to a backing tape on KISS's ongoing "End Of The Road" tour.

Back in 2015, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons slammed bands who used backing tapes for not being honest enough to include that fact on their concert tickets.

"I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks," Simmons said. "It's like the ingredients in food. If the first ingredient on the label is sugar, that's at least honest. It should be on every ticket — you're paying $100, 30 to 50 percent of the show is [on] backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip sync. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks, it's about dishonesty.

"There's nobody with a synthesizer on our stage, there's no samples on the drums, there's nothing," Gene continued. "There's very few bands who do that now — AC/DC, METALLICA, us. I can't even say that about U2 or THE [ROLLING] STONES. There's very few bands who don't use [backing] tracks."

This past March, KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee defended Stanley's vocal performance on "End Of The Road", explaining that the "Star Child" "fully sings to every song" at every concert. He explained: It's enhanced. It's just part of the process to make sure that everybody hears the songs the way they should be sang to begin with. Nobody wants to hear people do stuff that's not real, that's not what they came to hear."

When McGhee was asked to clarify if he was "actually saying there are backing tracks that [Paul is] singing to," Doc said: "He'll sing to tracks. It's all part of a process. Because everybody wants to hear everybody sing. But he fully sings to every song."

In March 2020, SHINEDOWN guitarist Zach Myers said that "90 percent" of rock artists use at least some pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. He told Rock Feed: "It bothers me that it bothers people. I'm, like, 'Why does this bother you?' It's the way it is. People have been doing this since the '80s. And we want the sound to be the best it can be. Could we go up there, just the four of us, and put on the best rock show ever? Of course. But that's not how we wanna do it."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has previously said that he is "one of the last people" who are still not using pre-recorded tracks at their live shows. "I don't know how much longer I can say to you that I don't use tapes onstage, because I don't, and I never have," he told Consequence Of Sound. "And I still don't. When I have opening bands, and they're using tapes, and then I come out and I don't use tapes… sometimes, it makes me feel stupid, because I'm like, 'What am I doing, when all these kids half my age can come onstage and do all of my moves, but they don't have to warm up for an hour before the show, or weeks, before the first show?' Sometimes, I'm like, 'Why do I even bother, if the public is so used to this other way?' It's becoming very rare to come see a good band that's actually a real band — that's not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running. It just becomes more rare as the years go on."

In 2019, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith said that he doesn't "agree" with certain rock artists relying on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. "I tell you what, I see it with a lot of younger bands, and I don't think it's a good thing at all," he told the New York Post. "I mean, the music is getting too technical now. You have computerized recording systems, which we use, but I think we use them more for convenience than because we need to. We've toured with a couple bands that use tapes — it's not real. You're supposed to play live; it should be live. I don't agree with using tapes … I think it's a real shame."

One musician who has been open about his band's use of taped vocals during live performances is MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, who said: "We've used technology since '87." He added the group employed "sequencers, sub tones, background vox tracks, plus background singers and us. [MÖTLEY CRÜE also taped] stuff we can't tour with, like cello parts in ballads, etc.... We love it and don't hide it. It's a great tool to fill out the sound."

In a 2014 interview, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars admitted that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that his band used pre-recorded backing vocals in its live shows, claiming that he preferred to watch groups whose performances are delivered entirely live. "I don't like it," he said. "I think a band like ours… I have to say '60s bands were my favorite — '60s and '70s bands — because they were real, like, three-piece bands or four-piece bands, and they just got up there and kicked it up. Made a mistake? So what? Sounded a little bit empty here or there? So what? It's the bigness and the rawness and the people that developed and wrote the songs and made them and presented them. To me, that's what I really like. I mean, I could put on a MÖTLEY CD and play with it all day long. I don't wanna do that."

In a new interview with "The Rock Is George Podcast", former MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover was asked about the current status of ACT OF DEFIANCE, the band he launched in 2015 with fellow former MEGADETH member Chris Broderick (guitar),alongside ex-SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner and SHADOWS FALL's Matt Bachand (bass). Drover, who is currently promoting the debut album from his WITHERING SCORN project, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "ACT OF DEFIANCE really broke up because Chris Broderick got an offer to join a much bigger band called IN FLAMES, which is a great band out of Sweden. They've been around for at least 25 years now, I believe. So, that was a good opportunity for him. This was right before the pandemic; this was, like, 2018, if I remember right. So, I was all for it. We were all extremely supportive of him doing that and it was certainly a smart decision on his part. And then, really, the pandemic hit not too far after that. Obviously, we took a break between 2018 and pandemic, but I was just kind of in a lull musically and wasn't really doing anything. And once the pandemic hit, that's when my brother [former MEGADETH and current WITHERING SCORN guitarist Glen Drover] kind of reached out and said, 'Hey, let's get something going here. Let's write a batch of songs like we did back in the day and have some fun. So that's exactly what we did."

Drover quit MEGADETH in November 2014 "to pursue [his] own musical interests", according to a statement he released at the time. Later that same day, Broderick announced his departure from the group, saying that he was exiting the band "due to artistic and musical differences."

ACT OF DEFIANCE released two albums before calling it quits: 2015's "Birth And The Burial" and 2017's "Old Scars, New Wounds".

In addition to Shawn, WITHERING SCORN features his brother, and fellow ex-MEGADETH member, Glen Drover, along with former FATES WARNING bassist Joe DiBiase and German singer Henning Basse, who has previously played with FIREWIND, METALIUM and MAYAN.

WITHERING SCORN's debut album, "Prophets Of Demise", was released on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl.

WITHERING SCORN was formed in 2020 by Glen and Shawn, who previously played together in MEGADETH, as well as in EIDOLON. The pair have teamed up once again for their latest musical offering and are joined by DiBiase, who played with FATES WARNING for 14 years on multiple records and world tours, and Basse. The potent combination of these four incredibly talented musicians joining forces has given birth to an uncompromising heavy metal record in the form of "Prophets Of Demise".

Shawn joined MEGADETH in 2004 as the replacement for Nick Menza, who had only just rejoined the group. Drover performed on four MEGADETH studio records: 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame", 2011's "TH1RT3EN" and 2013's "Super Collider".

Glen Drover left MEGADETH at the end of 2007 and was replaced by Chris Broderick, who previously played with NEVERMORE and JAG PANZER.

German metal queen Doro Pesch played her new single, "Time For Justice", live on July 21 at the Luppolo In Rock festival in Cremona, Italy. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

"Time For Justice" is the first single from Doro's new studio album, "Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud", which will be made available on October 27 via Nuclear Blast.

The 19-song LP is described in a press release as "the result of intensive hard work that took the incomparable singer and songwriter back to studios in Miami, New York and Hamburg, amongst others. The album presents Doro at the height of her creative powers."

This past June, Doro released a "Mad Max"-style music video for "Time For Justice", created with director Mirko Witzki (CALIBAN, ANY GIVEN DAY, EMIL BULLS).

"Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud" will arrive one day before Doro's 40th-anniversary concert at the Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf, Germany.

"Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud" track listing:

CD 1

01. Children Of The Dawn
02. Fire In The Sky
03. Living After Midnight
04. All For You
05. Lean Mean Rock Machine
06. I Will Prevail
07. Bond Unending
08. Time For Justice
09. Fels In Der Brandung
10. Love Breaks Chains
11. Drive Me Wild
12. Rise
13. Best In Me
14. Heavenly Creatures
15. Total Eclipse Of The Heart

CD 2

16. Warlocks And Witches (Intro) (Bonus Track)
17. Horns Up High (Bonus Track)
18. True Metal Maniacs (Bonus Track)
19. Heart In Pain (Bonus Track)
20. The Four Horsemen (Bonus Track)

In a recent interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, Doro stated about her follow-up to her 2018 double album "Forever Warriors, Forever United": "It's done. It's finished. And we plan to have four or five singles out, and four or five videos, before the official [album] release."

Regarding the musical direction of "Conqueress - Forever Strong And Proud", Doro said: "It's pretty heavy. It's pretty hard. The first five songs are totally heavy. Then there's a midtempo anthem coming on. But I think it's pretty heavy. The song 'I Will Prevail' is the heaviest, I think. And the opener I love so much. It's called 'Children Of The Dawn'. And then there's some duets on it."

Doro went on to reveal that JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford is one of the guest musicians on the LP, adding that he is someone she has "loved for a long time. I'm so excited. Oh my God. It is a dream come true. And he's such a great guy. We were friends forever. It's a special treat. I could die now."

According to Doro, her duet with Halford is "a fast song" and "something everybody's familiar with. Yeah, it's cool. It's a fast song and it's an anthem."

Speaking in general about the fact that she has been able to record and share the stage with so many of her musical idols, Doro said: "I was so lucky in my life [that] I could play and perform and record with the best people, people I love. It's unbelievable."

"[Rob] was a big influence," she added. "I loved Ronnie James Dio, David Coverdale, Rob Halford, Biff [Byford], Lemmy… And I was a big KISS fan. And I could work with everybody. Oh my God. It's awesome."

In April, Doro told Brazil's A Rádio Rock that fans can expect "many anthems" and "many diehard metal songs" on her upcoming LP. "Many soulful songs. And a great, great guest. A great collaboration on one of the songs. And I think this will be probably my second 'All We Are' that people always wanna hear it and sing it. And there's one song for the animals, because I love animals. It's called 'Heavenly Creatures'. And I wanna do something with this song. So that's dedicated to all these heavenly creatures."

She continued: "I grew up with dogs and horses and parrots, and I miss that in my life. That's the only thing I miss. I have no regrets whatsoever, but I would have loved pets. But it's impossible when you're on tour. So I do something else. And I just adopted two horses. But they're not close to where I live. They're actually in a different country; they're in Austria. But they're someplace where people take care of animals. It's so nice. It's a paradise — for people and for animals."

This past February, Doro spent time at Miami Beach Recording Studios laying down vocal tracks for her upcoming studio album.

"Forever Warriors, Forever United" featured 19 regular tracks and six bonus songs.

In September 2022, Doro released a very unique single — a soulful adaptation of her classic metal anthem "Raise Your Fist In The Air". The track was made possible by the new ZDF (national German TV channel) music show "Music Impossible".

In May 2022, Doro told Sleaze Roxx that she does most of her songwriting now with former SISTERS OF MERCY guitarist Andreas Bruhn. "I met him, I think, in 1986," she said. "We've always worked good together. Actually, the new bass player we have in Europe, we wrote a new killer song together so that's a new friendship. It's an anthem. It's good! And I wrote one song with my very first producer from the 'Hellbound' album. We met up again and wrote a nice song together. It's a song for the animals because I love animals. It's called 'Heavenly Creatures'. That will definitely be on the new record I'm planning on putting out next year. Next year, I have my 40th year anniversary so we want to celebrate it big."

In celebration of 35 years of the "Triumph And Agony" album from her former band WARLOCK, Doro released "Triumph And Agony Live" in various formats, including CD, vinyl, cassette, DVD, Blu-ray, and a huge box set, in September 2021 through her own label, Rare Diamonds Productions. The "Triumph And Agony" artwork centered on Geoffrey Gillespie's famous original drawing of the "Warlock" embracing the blonde rock star.

On November 24, the first in a series of box sets commemorating the life and music of one of the UK's most extraordinary and prolific musicians, John Wetton, will be released.  


The An Extraordinary Life box set contains eight newly remastered CDs, featuring the six solo albums Wetton released between 1980 and 2011. Each album now includes special bonus tracks. Additionally, two further discs are included which feature a gold mine of rare, live and unreleased material from the vaults, compiled by John's archivist, Rick Nelson.


Check out trailer for the box set below. Pre-order the set here.




Housed in a sumptuous 12” by 12” box, this set includes a 64-page book with an introduction by legendary artist, Roger Dean and contains comprehensive sleeve notes by Nick Shilton, author of Wetton’s biography, “An Extraordinary Life”, published earlier this year. The book also features a raft of photographs taken from the Wetton archive and has been designed by John’s long-time friend, Michael Inns.


This whole project has been lovingly crafted and compiled with the full blessing of John's son Dylan and his wife Lisa and is endorsed by the Wetton estate.


With a career spanning more than four decades, John Wetton's rich baritone voice and accomplished bass playing has adorned many recordings. In this “An Extraordinary Life” his extensive solo career is captured for posterity all in one sumptuous box set, making this a fitting tribute to one of the UK most loved and respected artists.





An Extraordinary Life includes:


Disc 1: Caught in The Crossfire (1980)
Disc 2: Battle Lines (1994)
Disc 3: Arkangel (1997)
Disc 4: Welcome to Heaven (2000)
Disc 5: Rock of Faith (2003)
Disc 6: Raised in Captivity (2011)
Disc 7: New Live and Unreleased Tracks
Disc 8: New Live and Unreleased Tracks





Lisa Wetton, (wife) Dylan Wetton, (son) and QEDG Management recently announced that a memorial concert will be held in memory of John Wetton  on August 3 at Trading Boundaries in East Sussex. The event will see friends and family of the late lead singer and guitarist gather together to celebrate the life of this extraordinary musician. An all-star line-up of legends, who were friends and collaborators of Wetton’s, will perform songs from throughout his incredible career.


The memorial event will be hosted by Prog Magazine’s editor, Jerry Ewing, alongside Geoff Downes (The Buggles, Asia, YES), Steve Hackett (Genesis, GTR) and artist Roger Dean.


The list of performers who wish to pay tribute to the legendary Wetton is growing by the day, but so far boasts (in alphabetical order): Chris Braide (Downes Braide Association), Roger Chapman (Family), Jim Cregan (Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel), David Cross (King Crimson), Chris Difford (Squeeze), Geoff Downes, Steve Hackett, Annie Haslam (Renaissance), Dave Kilminster (John Wetton, Keith Emerson, Steven Wilson, Roger Waters), Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music), John Mitchell (John Wetton, Icon, It Bites, Fr*st), Martin Orford (John Wetton, IQ, Jadis), Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd, Roxy Music) , Jay Schellen (YES, Asia), Billy Sherwood (YES, Asia) and Rick Wakeman (YES, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe) - all of whom will be supported by The Paul Green Rock Academy.


Geoff Downes commented, “I am very excited to be a part of the upcoming John Wetton Tribute. As you all know, I had a very close and unique writing partnership with John, and we were dear friends, brothers and band mates for many years.”





Wetton died on 31st January 2017, as a result of complications due to cancer. He spent his last days being cared for by the charity Macmillan Caring Locally, at the Macmillan Unit, Christchurch Hospital in Dorset. As a gesture of recognition towards his fans who supported Wetton right up until his death, John’s family and management have decided to allow this unique event to be live streamed so that it can be enjoyed across the globe. They have also identified the memorial as being the perfect opportunity to highlight the fantastic work done by Macmillan Caring Locally and to raise much-needed funds for the creation of a special hospice suite dedicated to the star.


Lin Sharp, Fundraising and Communications Director for the charity commented, “It was a privilege to care for John in the final days of his life and we are so grateful to his wife, Lisa, for her continued support. All monies raised will go to fund a room as a legacy to John, named The John Wetton Suite. A massive thank you to you all for making this possible.”


John’s son Dylan went on to say, “I am delighted and humbled that so many legendary artists who worked with my Dad over the years have agreed to come together both to honour him and raise vital funds for the charity which supported him during his last days.”


Tickets for the livestream can be purchased now with all proceeds going to Macmillan Caring Locally. In an effort to raise further funds, a special online auction will run alongside the evening’s proceedings boasting some unique lots, including a guitar owned by Wetton himself.


This promises to be an incredible, once-in-a-life time event and it is hoped that fans will support it generously by buying live stream memorial tickets as well as bidding on the various auction lots.


Dylan Wetton went on to say, “I cannot think of a better way to celebrate my Dad’s life and the incredible musical legacy he has left behind. It’s going to be an amazing night, a unique event - which is exactly what my Dad deserves.” Downes agrees “To honour John’s legacy in this way with so many of his former musicians, colleagues and family gather together, shows just what an enormous amount of love, gratitude and respect so many of us held for John and his music. It’s going to be a wonderful celebration spanning the whole of John’s amazing career. I am very much looking forward to it. See you all there.”


Livestream tickets can be purchased here.

InsideOut Music announce that it has signed Big Big Train to a multi-album deal for new studio releases. The band are currently working on a new studio album, expected to be released in spring 2024, and have recently been recording in Trieste, Italy, where lead vocalist Alberto Bravin is based.


Big Big Train bassist/founder Gregory Spawton comments: “We have ambitious plans for Big Big Train and are very pleased to have signed this deal with InsideOut. Having run our own record label, English Electric Recordings, for a lengthy period, it’s clear that the music industry has changed enormously in recent years and we believe that we are best positioned to grow BBT further by becoming an InsideOut band. Over the last decade we had received offers from various labels. When we considered the different options, signing up with the premier label for progressive music was the logical choice. We’re very excited about this new era for the band and working with InsideOut/Sony.”


Drummer Nick D’Virgilio adds: “It’s an absolute thrill for me that Big Big Train has become an InsideOut band. Over the years, previously as member of Spock’s Beard and more recently alongside Neal Morse and Ross Jennings, I’ve worked extensively with Thomas Waber and his team at InsideOut/Sony. From experience I know that there is no better label for Big Big Train to be working with. It’s wonderful to join a roster that includes the biggest names in the prog genre such as Dream Theater, Steve Hackett, Jethro Tull, Kansas, Devin Townsend and Yes. We’ve got a lot of new Big Big Train music in the works and with InsideOut’s unrivalled reach across the progressive rock world we hope to reach plenty of folks who may not be familiar with us yet.”




Label head Thomas Waber comments: "We have been in talks with the band for a while and are happy that we can finally announce our partnership. Big Big Train have been proudly carrying the flag for progressive music, and we look forward to helping them on their very bright journey ahead. We are all excited to be stepping on board this particular train!"


Check out a teaser of brand new music:





In parallel with this deal with InsideOut, Big Big Train will continue to run their English Electric Recordings label and expect to commence a re-issue campaign for previous studio BBT albums in late 2024.


The band will embark on their most extensive ever tour in August and September this year, with 17 shows taking place across 9 countries. Big Big Train will also be on board Cruise To The Edge in March 2024. Find the full list of dates in 2023 below:


August
24 - The Court Theatre - Tring, UK (warm-up show)
26 - Cultuurpodium Boerderij - Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
27 - Markthalle - Hamburg, Germany
28 - Stora Teatern - Gothenburg, Sweden
29 - Cosmopolite - Oslo, Norway
30 - Fryshuset Klubben - Stockholm, Sweden
31 - Viften - Copenhagen, Denmark


September
2 - 2 Days Prog + 1 Festival - Revislate, Italy
3 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
5 - Neuberinhaus - Reichenbach, Germany
6 - Victoria Carlswerk - Cologne, Germany
7 - Colos-Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany
8 - Mozart-Saal - Stuttgart, Germany
10 - Queens Hall - Edinburgh, UK
11 - Town Hall - Birmingham, UK
12 - Cadogan Hall - London, UK
13 - Cadogan Hall - London, UK


(Photo - Massimo Goina)

Berzerker Legion will release their new album, Chaos Will Reign, on October 27 via Listenable Records.


Berzerker Legion was founded in 2016 by guitarists Tomas Elofsson (Hypocrisy) and Alwin Zuur (Asphyx) with a vision to create death metal of the most belligerent quality, they recruited a lineup of solid well-known musicians consisting of James Stewart (Vader) on drums, Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath) on vocals and Fredrik Isaksson (Dark Funeral) on bass to complete the Legion.


Alwin Zuur (guitars/songwriter) comments: "During the recent years Tomas and I met each other at shows and festivals regularly. Much of our conversations were about music and styles. During these meetings we found out that we really had a lot of common musical interests. Music-wise our debut album, Obliterate The Weak, displays the perfect balance between brutality, melody and harmony. Being a fan of the early 90’s Swedish Gothenburg style, with bands like At The Gates, Eucharist, A Canorous Quintet, as well as being a die-hard fan of brutal old school death metal style with bands like Bolt Thrower, Obituary, I have always wanted to write songs showing a mix of such different death metal genres.




"With our new album, Chaos Will Reign, we have further developed ourselves in our typical musical mix of melody and brutality. Chaos Will Reign sounds more professional, complete, massive and powerful thanks to Jonas Kjellgren’s production. It has become the logical successor, a huge step forward compared to our debut album, Obliterate The Weak."


Saying the album songs transpire massively produced invigorating heavy death metal is an understatement.


Berzerker Legion knock out with warlike triumphant, powerfully addictive harmonies that will turn them into an unstoppable beast in a live situation and on record.


New single/video for the song "Choirs Of Anguish" will be released in September.





Chaos Will Reign tracklisting:


"Chaos Will Reign"
"Choirs Of Anguish"
"Nihilism Over Empathy"
"Towards Oblivion"
"This Is The End"
"Damnation"
"Eternal Void"
"Worship All That Is Dead"
"Shepherds Of War"
"From The Darkness Inside" (Bonus track)
"War Chant"


Berzerker Legion lineup :


Jonny Pettersson - Vocals
Tomas Elofsson - Guitars
Alwin Zuur - Guitars
James Stewart - Drums
Fredrik Isaksson - Bass