Country-pop superstar Carrie Underwood performed several rock covers during her set this past Saturday (August 5) as the opening act for GUNS N' ROSES in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

Underwood's 18-song concert at Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium included her renditions of such iconic rock hits as Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation", Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", THE ROLLING STONES' "Wild Horses", HEART's "Alone" and LED ZEPPELIN's "Rock And Roll".

But the biggest surprise of the night came when she delivered a high-energy version of MOTÖRHEAD's timeless classic "Ace Of Spades", a song she had previously used as the hype anthem and the tune that played prior to her taking the stage on her headlining "Denim & Rhinestones" tour earlier this year.

Underwood's love for rock music has been well-documented, having previously joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage during the band's 2022 concert at London, England's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. She also released her version of Ozzy Osbourne's "Mama, I'm Comin' Home" for Apple Music Sessions, a live performance series launched by the tech giant.

Carrie said in a 2014 interview that late QUEEN frontman Freddie Mercury was high on her list of first loves.

"I've always been a huge fan and lover of Freddie Mercury," she said. "I would listen to him when I was a kid. He could do so many amazing things with his voice. People like that — who had incredible voices — I was always drawn to. I would want to try to do what they do. They were my teachers."

She also said that if you scrolled through her iPod, you'd find some really hard rock music, like MUDVAYNE.

"When I work out, I like to listen to things that are really angry," she said. "I couldn't do it on a daily basis or driving in my car. I think that would be kind of weird."

When I PREVAIL took to Twitter in September 2022 and shared about the band's third studio album, "True Power", "One month of 'TRUE POWER'. 56M streams. All thanks to you." Underwood replied to the tweet with, "I think I was a large number of them!" She also added a "face with tears of joy" emoji.

This past February, several members of I PREVAIL attended Underwood's concert at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, with the singer later writing on social media: "I was so excited to have the guys from @iprevailband at the show last night in Michigan!!! I tried to play it cool and not fangirl too much! Super great guys!!! I'm hoping I get to catch one of their shows this year!!!"

In the comments section below Underwood's Instagram post, I PREVAIL vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe wrote: "There was an equal amount of fangirling haha. Thanks again for having us out! Show was incredible." Meanwhile, I PREVAIL co-vocalist Brian Burkheiser wrote: "Thank you for an incredible night!!!"

SKINNY PUPPY co-founder Kevin Crompton, better known by his stage name cEvin Key, has shared a brand new track in tandem with the announcement of his upcoming album, "bRap And fOrth Vol. 9" — a continuation of the famous "Back And Forth" series through Artoffact Records.

With this news coming not long after the announcement of his North American fall tour with SKINNY PUPPY and his work creating the score for "Silent Hill: Ascension", it's safe to say that Key is not taking the slow road through 2023.

The forthcoming album serves as the follow-up to 2018's "bRap And fOrth Vol. 8", which gave us a dozen restored and remastered tracks out of Key's personal archive and hit No. 1 on Bandcamp almost immediately after being released. "Vol. 9" sets out to give fans a further look into what the mastermind who co-founded a band that changed music forever was making before taking over the world.

Commenting fondly on the upcoming album, Key says: "'bRap And fOrth 9' is a collection of some of my earliest recordings recently discovered on four-track tapes. Most are from 1985 from the infamous 'Bites' apartment, a couple more from later but still made on a four-track. Something about the collection of gear and this vibrant time made for a lot of writing. Enjoy the time capsule <3."

In the early days of SKINNY PUPPY, when the band was still just an idea brewing, Key spent much of his time in his apartment, recording demos and experimenting with electronic equipment. Some of these recordings went on to be the basis for early SKINNY PUPPY releases like "Back And Forth", "Bites" and "Remission", and Artoffact Records is making sure that these demos get their time in the sun through the "Back And Forth" series.

While Key is most widely known as a co-founder of SKINNY PUPPY, the songwriter, producer, and composer is renowned worldwide for his contributions to industrial music through his solo work as well as his hand in countless other projects. With a career spanning nearly 40 years and dozens of releases, Key's reputation is ever-growing, but will always remain as one of the leaders who helped to shape the industrial genre — a genre which he continues to elevate and innovate to this day.

LIVING COLOUR paid tribute to Sinéad O'Connor by performing her version of Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U" during their August 5 concert at Roadrunner in Boston, Massachusetts.

In introducing the track to the crowd, LIVING COLOUR singer Corey Glover said: "Hey, we know it's a little late but we thought we'd do it anyway. This is for Sinéad."

Police officers found O'Connor unresponsive in a London apartment on Wednesday, July 26 just weeks after she had moved to the city. Her death is not being treated as suspicious.

The Irish singer, who infamously became a polarizing figure when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II during a 1992 appearance on "Saturday Night Live", was 56.

O'Connor's breakthrough single came in 1990 with the aforementioned "Nothing Compares 2 U". In total, she had released 10 albums, most recently 2014's "I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss".

Sinéad reflected on her rise to fame in the documentary "Nothing Compares", which came out last year. In it, she explained why she was compelled to rip up a photo of Pope John Paul II on camera.

"I had come across an article about families who had been trying to lodge complaints against the church for sexual abuse and were being silenced," she said. "Basically, everything I had been raised to believe was a lie."

O'Connor tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II after performing an a cappella version of "War" by Bob Marley. She then told the audience to "Fight the real enemy."

Although Sinéad announced her retirement from music and touring, writing in 2021 that she'd "gotten older" and was "tired", she changed her mind within days, saying, "I love my job. Making music that is. I don't like the consequences of being a talented (and outspoken woman) being that I have to wade through walls of prejudice every day to make a living."

Longtime MADBALL bassist Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra has announced his departure from the veteran New York hardcore band.

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

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

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

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

MADBALL has yet to comment on Guerra's departure or announce his replacement.

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

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



Wasup everybody I have a little announcement .
I am no longer playing bass in Madball . There is NO beef or anything like that and I wish them the best moving forward and always with luv .
Thanks to everybody who supported me through the years !! I love you all !!!! My family is better then ever
and your boy is NOT done yet , if anything I’m only getting started !!!
Look out for my channel SmokinWordTV and keep those ears open for alot new music drops everywhere !! Always with mad luv ….. and now to the next episode 😜 ..

Hoya Roc
(SmokinWordTV)
(TheHeavyCollective)
(TheHardCorner)
(TrueUnion)
(SMOKE AxD)

Posted by Hoya Roc on Tuesday, August 8, 2023

According to the Irish News, a quad bike that was once owned by Ozzy Osbourne will be sold at auction later this month.

The legendary heavy metal singer bought the Suzuki Quad Runner 250 as one of an identical pair back in 1994.

In 2003, Ozzy was seriously injured in an accident involving a different machine, a 350cc Yamaha Banshee, at his Buckinghamshire home that left him with a broken neck vertebra. The now-74-year-old musician also broke his collarbone and six ribs.

Last December, the quad bike that nearly took Ozzy's life went up for sale but the reserve had not been met by the time the auction ended. That quad bike still sports damage to the front crash bar and a crack in one of the rear wings.

Ozzy, who was not wearing a helmet while riding the quad bike, later told ABC that "absolutely no drugs" and "absolutely no alcohol" were involved in the incident. "It was just a terrible, a terrible accident," he explained. "The last thing I remember, what I do remember is I got on the bike and, and something in my mind went 'bad move. There's something's really bad is gonna happen.' And I go oohuh-oh."

Ozzy's bodyguard, Sam Ruston, who saw the incident, said: "I see the bike hit some berms, and it starts to bounce, and Ozzy's holding on but what happens is the back end of the bike comes up off the ground, throwing him forward and over the handlebars."

Ruston revived Osbourne twice since he was not breathing. Eventually, Ozzy gained consciousness and was able to talk. He was then taken to the hospital, where he ended up in an eight-day coma with multiple injuries. He also had to have metal rods put in his body.

Osbourne recently canceled his appearance as one the headliners of the Goldenvoice-produced Power Trip festival, set to take place in October, due to his ongoing medical issues.

While Osbourne's health issues forced him to scrap most of his live appearances, the legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman has repeatedly said that he would return if his condition improved.

Osbourne's previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, was officially canceled in early February. The trek was scheduled to begin in Helsinki, Finland, on May 3, and include gigs in Nottingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin and London, before finishing in his original hometown of Birmingham on June 14.

Ozzy has had extensive spinal surgery and other treatment over the past four years, after a fall at home in 2019 aggravated injuries he suffered in the aforementioned near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003. But despite his health problems, Osbourne has performed a couple of times in recent months, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last August and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game last September.

Before taking the stage on August 2 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada, the members of HALESTORM were asked by UpVenue what they have planned for after they complete their fall 2023 European tour with BLACK VEIL BRIDES. Singer Lzzy Hale said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, God. Just moving on and moving up. We've already begun writing for another record, so we'll probably try to put that together in our spare time in some way. And yeah, just keep moving on. We have more touring coming up."

Added guitarist Joe Hottinger: "We're gonna try to do the record. And then... We're working on a summer [2024] tour, and a fall tour, and we'll be getting back here [to Canada] next year, hopefully. Just gotta do what we always do — play shows."

Asked if they are able to work on new music while on the road or if they need to be in a studio setting to write, Lzzy said: "We do a little bit of both. I've been breaking out some of my… I have a small rig that's just basically for catching ideas. It's not brilliant quality. So none of what I'm doing right now is gonna be like record quality taking, but just trying to organize thoughts. And sometimes it's fun because you're in an environment where if you're creating a song backstage, like today, and you go on stage, there is something subconsciously that I'll be thinking about, like, 'Oh, was what I…?' It will be a fleeting thought onstage, like 'Is the idea that I was working on today, is that worthy of the stage? And is that worthy of the people that are that are gonna be listening to it?' So sometimes that's helpful. Other times it's helpful to just lock yourself in a studio and be, like, 'We're not coming out until it's all done.' So, yeah, [we do] a little of both."

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

This past 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".

Last 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)".

Legendary American rockers DOKKEN will release their 13th studio album, "Heaven Comes Down", on October 27 via Silver Lining Music. The follow-up to 2012's "Broken Bones" was produced by Bill Palmer and Don Dokken and was mixed by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, IRON MAIDEN).

Comments Don: "The long anticipated new DOKKEN album, 'Heaven Comes Down', is finally done and the first single is titled 'Fugitive'. The inspiration for the lyrics came from what seems to me to be an uncertain world these days. It's an up-tempo Rokker as are many on the album. I don't know what the future holds for our world, so I decided to take a step back and watch it all unfold… Yes, I guess I've become like many these days a fugitive from life. Hence the title!"

He continues: "The song rocks and the lyrics are self-explanatory. Like many songs I've written, it came to me late at night. Inspiration and pure stream of consciousness have always been the best formula for me when composing. It has that classic DOKKEN sound… A great song to blast when driving down the highway."

The "Fugitive" video was directed by Chris Eyre ("Dark Winds", "Smoke Signals") and was filmed at the popular immersive arts venture Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Working with Palmer over the course of a year at his studio in Santa Fe, the DOKKEN flavors remain as potent as ever, yet they're also sprinkled with some desert seasoning which gives "Heaven Comes Down" a richness hitherto unseen on a DOKKEN album.

You want to rock? Sink your teeth into "Fugitive", which rides some shimmering guitar work courtesy of 20-plus-year member Jon Levin, and if you want ballads, head on over to "I'll Never Give Up", hanging on that Coliseum chorus, Levin laying down a landmark solo. The pattern of "Heaven Comes Down" never falters in delivering the goods on both sides of the fence. "Just Like A Rose" brings the Pacific Coast Highway to desert plains with its smooth, effortlessly-driven gears, and "Saving Grace" carries a mystical malevolence. But "Santa Fe" is perhaps the most revealing with Don Dokken opening up with what amounts to a "life-moment biography": a spartan acoustic arrangement allowing the rich yet road-driven vocals to frame what might well prove to be the defining moment of DOKKEN's career.

Don Dokken makes one thing abundantly clear: he is excited about his new record and the future, and wholly uninterested in revisiting a DOKKEN past which has centered too much on the off-stage and out-of-studio swirl.

"I'm so tired of hearing about the fighting and the 'this' and 'that'… this is about a new record," he declares, "a new record with my new band. It's been a long process, but at the end of the day, I think we have lightning in a bottle."

"Heaven Comes Down" will be released on CD digipak, 12-inch vinyl album in black and color variants, digital formats and special D2C products and bundles.

Track listing:

01. Fugitive
02. Gypsy
03. Is It Me Or You?
04. Just Like A Rose
05. I'll Never Give Up
06. Saving Grace
07. Over The Mountain
08. I Remember
09. Lost In You
10. Santa Fe

According to Don, 15 songs were recorded for "Heaven Comes Down", with the original plan to include all of them on the LP.

"When I write records, I don't just think, 'Okay, we need 10 songs or 11.' I always write 20 per album, and then you pick the best," he explained to Tulsa Music Stream. "And sometimes you write a song, and I'm thinking, 'Oh, this is great.' And it's a good thing I owned a recording studio in L.A., so it didn't cost me anything. And I'd write and write and write. And I'd get it done, and I'd go, 'Eh… It's okay.' So you get an idea and you think it's gonna go, and all of a sudden it just didn't pay out.

"I'm very proud of the record, but then I gave it to the label… I had only written three songs in the past that never made it, and it was me playing guitar," he said. "And I wanted those on the record, because now I'm crippled, I can't play guitar anymore. I said, 'At least put those on the album,' my last hurrah. And they took 'em off. And I never heard… Most record companies, they want 15 songs or 16 songs, like METALLICA albums. And he goes, 'We can only put 10.' I go, 'But that was the old days of vinyl.' You could only put — I can't remember; I think it's 40 minutes a side or something like that. So I said, 'But these are good songs. I want 'em on the record.' Why would you wanna take off four good songs? And they said, 'Well, maybe we'll put like a bonus album out down the road and add 'em.' … Anyway, he just said, 'We want 10 songs on the record, 10 songs on the CD. We're ditching four of 'em.' And they happened to pick the ones that I was playing the guitar on and Jon [Levin, DOKKEN guitarist] was playing solos. And I think they didn't like 'em… What did my record company president say? 'They're too grungy.' And I went, 'Grungy? Well, they're old.' But it wasn't like they were grungy; they were just dark. I was probably going through a dark phase, and he didn't want any dark songs on the record; he just wanted that classic DOKKEN [sound with] tons of harmonies, uptemp… yada yada yada."

One of the songs on "Heaven Comes Down" is the aforementioned "Santa Fe", which was written about Don's adopted hometown.

"People are always asking me how I ended up here," Dokken said. "And I told the story to my engineer and producer Bill Palmer. So I literally wrote a song called 'Santa Fe', and it's four minutes and 15 seconds, 'From the day I was born in L.A., I never wanted to leave. I had a lot of jobs. I hung out on Sunset Boulevard. I traveled around the world, was always missing home.' And I was telling him this, and he was recording it on a microphone. And I told him my story, and I went, 'Huh. I can make a song out of this.' So I did… And it's a really cool bastard song. It's not a rock song. It's not country. I can't put my finger on it."

Regarding the experience of working with Shirley for the first time, Don said: "Kevin Shirley is an amazing engineer. When he first started mixing the record, I was really disappointed. He gave me the first song and I went, 'This sounds like '80s.' And he goes, 'Well, I thought that's what you were going for.' And I said, 'That ship has sailed, man. I want a modern record — punchy, aggressive, in your face. I don't want a bunch of reverb, I don't want a bunch of echo. I don't want a bunch of production — just harmonies I want still.' So he goes, 'Oh, okay, I get it.' I said, 'Look, I just heard the IRON MAIDEN album. That thing kicks ass. Just go that direction.' So he did."

The title of the new DOKKEN album is apparently not to be confused with the song "When Heaven Comes Down" which originally appeared on the band's 1984 LP "Tooth And Nail".

This past March, DOKKEN bassist Chris McCarvill confirmed to Sam Wall that the band's long-awaited follow-up to 2012's "Broken Bones" album was "totally finished." Regarding what DOKKEN fans can expect from the new album, Chris said: "I have to tell you is Don sounds fantastic on it. He sounds great. I talked to him on the phone about this a bunch of times, and it was, like, he re-did his vocals three times. He didn't just phone it in; he really worked hard on it. And I can honestly say that, as someone that — I liked DOKKEN growing up and stuff — I can't imagine any DOKKEN fan being disappointed by it; I really can't. Don really sounds good on it."

In 2018, Don told "The Classic Metal Show" that his band's next album would be "a classic-sounding DOKKEN record" with "straight-ahead, catchy choruses, cool guitar riffs, burning guitar solos" and "nice grooves." He added: "The dilemma is to try to do that 30 years later without just ripping myself off and regurgitating old DOKKEN riffs."

Regarding the musical direction of the new DOKKEN material, Don previously told The Metal Voice: "We're kind of going retro. I mean, look, you write what you write as a musician — your life changes, the world changes, you write what you write. You're influenced by new bands and other music. But I know where my bread is buttered as far as the classic DOKKEN sound, and Jon's really good at doing that. And so I said, 'I think we should write a record between the lines of 'Tooth And Nail' [1984] and 'Under Lock And Key' [1985].' And that's kind of the direction I'm writing in right now."

DOKKEN released an album called "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" in August 2020 via Silver Lining Music. Featuring sleeve art by renowned U.S. artist Tokyo Hiro (MOTÖRHEAD, MOTLEY CRÜE),the effort contains material written and recorded by a hungry young Don Dokken as he embarked upon a journey which started in Southern California and Northern Germany.

DOKKEN's classic lineup of Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown completed a short Japanese tour in October 2016, marking the first time in 21 years the four performed together.

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2018.

At some of the recent DOKKEN shows, Lynch has been rejoining the band on stage to perform three of the classic DOKKEN songs: "Kiss Of Death", "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Tooth And Nail".

The Front Row Bobby YouTube channel has uploaded 4K front-row video of MUDVAYNE's August 6 concert at the Pine Knob Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan. Check out the clips below.

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

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

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

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

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

This past April, Gray revealed that he spent time in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas recording demos for MUDVAYNE's next studio release. He wrote on his Instagram: "This will be the first music we have released in 14 years! Still not exactly sure when it will release but yeah…it's coming!"

In a fall 2022 interview with Revolver magazine, Gray and McDonough spoke about the possibility of new music from the MUDVAYNE. The reunited metallers haven't released released any new material since 2009, which means we're coming up on nearly a decade and a half without a single fresh MUDVAYNE song.

"That's obviously something we got to cross, right?" Chad said. "There's two ways you can do it. You could go out, and you can go once around the rock and just play catalog. For sure, that's absolutely a possibility. Or you can try to put something together. You can gauge it, you can decide. I'm not going to say because I've been constantly writing, recording touring for the last 12 years with HELLYEAH. So I don't think my well's dry by any means. And I'm excited, I would be excited to write with these guys.

"We've done a little bit of file sharing or whatever. Just some riffs. Greg went into the studio in Texas. He lived in Texas. He went in there and just laid some stuff down, sent it to Matt. Matt put just a really simple metronome drum beat to it. I was working on it. It's pretty rad, different stuff. I've got a few different angles that I'm working with kind of how I want it to be, my parts anyway. But it's cool, it's cool. And obviously we're not going to put something out if I don't feel like it stands up.

"It's going to have to fucking blow my hair back before I would put it out, because I wouldn't want to put anything out and then people are just, like, '[They] can't do it anymore.' You can be your own judge of that. And maybe it's not the first song, maybe it's not the third song, maybe it's the seventh song. That's like, okay, now we're on something, but we'll figure it out, man. We'll figure it out. We'll either do it or we won't. But yeah, I'm down for whatever right now, I'm having fun with it."

As for what a new MUDVAYNE album might sound like, McDonough said: "I can't honestly say. Some of the stuff that we have messed around is heavy. We messed around with some typical [sounds], people wouldn't be terribly shocked, but the opportunity to experiment and given our past success, I think I feel a sense of freedom. There hasn't been any kind of pressure from any professional direction to try to, 'You guys going to write another 'Dig'.' Or 'Not Falling' or whatever; nothing like that. So the headspace and the culture around the band right now is incredibly positive. So I personally just would like to be wide open and excited and positive about it. I want to be surprised."

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine spoke about the importance of sticking to his guns as a musician, both in terms of his songwriting style and the way he approaches his vocal delivery. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's great, 'cause you look out from the stage where I stand and you see all young people and they're having a good time. They're experiencing the music, they're loving life. And that's who I was when I started writing this stuff. I was a young man and rebellion is a young man's game. So, for me to be singing about, you know, my stocks and my bonds and my expensive jets and stuff like that, who can relate with that? You set your fans up for such disappointment and failure, because if they think that that's something that everyone can attain, it's not — it's for those who work for it, inherit it or get very lucky. And I like to give our fans the understanding that they can do anything that they want to do if they put their mind to it. It may take a little bit of time, depending on what they want to do, but I encourage them to follow their dreams. I did. It's the people that get in your way and tell you that you can't do things that you need to get out of your life because they're the ones that are gonna stop you from achieving those dreams."

He continued: "Who would've ever thought I…? If you would've asked a young Dave Mustaine that I would've lived this long, I would've said no. Or if you would've said that I would've been successful for 40 years straight, I would've said, 'No. I don't believe it.' But you stick to your guns, you have your own personal truth and you stick to it, and you don't have to ever remember the lies. Sometimes you will upset people and disappoint people. There's nothing worse than when someone comes into your presence and tries to change you. It's kind of like, 'What did you like about me in the first place?' Getting a vocal coach to come in and change my voice would be wrong, because I've sang with the same approach for so long. Making me value my instrument better and be able to perform longer is a different thing — that's a conditioning coach, right? So I think if you pay attention, too, you're gonna learn what you need. Don't just go and do what people tell you what to do. Just have your own critical thinking, and if something doesn't feel right with your voice, go see an ear, nose and throat doctor. You may have polyps, you may have throat cancer like I did [in 2019], like [IRON MAIDEN's] Bruce Dickinson did [in 2015]. I guarantee you, if you asked him, he'd probably say the same thing I did that he didn't expect to get cancer. I didn't expect to get cancer."

MEGADETH kicked off the summer 2023 European leg of its "Crush The World" tour on July 23 at the Triple Thrash Triumph festival at Spodek in Katowice, Poland.

MEGADETH's current lineup includes Dave Mustaine (guitar, vocals),Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who had played with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH, Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who was previously best known for his work with ANGRA, and bassist James LoMenzo. James was MEGADETH's bass player in the mid-2000s and stepped back in as a touring member for the 2021 leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year". In May 2022, it was announced that Lomenzo was officially rejoining the MEGADETH family.

Last September, MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", debuted at the top of the charts during its first week of sales, taking the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 as well as number ones on Top Album Sales, Top Current Albums Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was the highest-charting MEGADETH album of all time around the world, notching No. 1 In Finland, No. 2 in australia, poland, Switzerland, and Scotland, No. 3 in the U.K., and more.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

MEGADETH recently received its thirteenth Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "We'll Be Back" from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

MEGADETH won the 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of the band's 2016 album "Dystopia". This marked the group's twelfth Grammy nomination in this category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category).

Elegy Of Madness will release the new album XI on October 20 through Scarlet Records.


Recorded and produced by Simone Mularoni and Simone Bertozzi; mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio; beautifully illustrated by Diogo Soares/Gargantula Creations (Witchcraft, EyeHateGod, Stoned Jesus); 'XI' will be released in the following formats:


- digipack CD
- digital




Preorder at the Scarlet Records webshop.


Modern, occult, epic symphonic metal at its best: XI represents a splendid rebirth for Elegy Of Madness, thanks to a redefined sound, a more concise songwriting and the enchanting soprano vocals of new frontwoman Kyrah Aylin.


Conceived in the post-pandemic time, the mood of XI tends towards obscure and melancholic atmospheres; the main topic revolves around the symbolic meaning of the number eleven. Each song actually involves some aspects of it, such as spiritual awakening and growth, strength, intuition, new beginning, disorder and chaos, and the sinful nature of man.


A sun ray can always break through the darker clouds: it's time to rise again from your own ashes.





Tracklisting:


“11:11”
“Broken Soul” (orchestral arrangements by Fleshgod Apocalypse’s Francesco Ferrini)
“Hybrid Love”
“Revelation”
“Insanity”
“Goddess”
“Moon”
“Portrait Of A Ghost”
“A.I. Slavery”
“Crawling”
“Legion”


Elegy Of Madness:
Kyrah Aylin - vocals
Tony Tomasicchio - guitar
Marco Monno - guitar
Larry Ozen - bass
Francesco Caputo - drums


(Photo – KINOrama Studio)

Finnish one-man dark acoustic prog folk rock band, Nobody,has  released a new single, "Excommunicated". The track is taken from the forthcoming new album, Hyperborean Ecstasy, which is set to be released on September 14th via Inverse Records. 


The man behind Nobody, Tuomas Kauppinen comments the single:


"The word 'trauma' derives from Greek and means 'wound'. If a person is wounded profoundly, their life will be altered in a manner that can be either debilitating or liberating. This song deals with such an injury."




Listen to Excommunicated single on streaming services here. 


 


Tracklist:


"Excommunicated"
"Omnivoracious"
"Boomfire"
"Leviathan"
"Hippies"
"Nimrod"
"Motorcuck"





Photo by Mikke Strandberg

Greek black metal act Temple of Katharsis have unveiled their new music video to the track "Inside The Medieval Crypt". The track comes off the debut album Macabre Ritual which is out now via Warsaw, Poland-based Theogonia Records. The video was created by Wolf's Path Media Creations.





The CD version of Macabre Ritual includes a meticulously crafted 12-page booklet, guiding you deeper into the cryptic abyss of Macabre Ritual with haunting artwork and cryptic information that amplifies your immersive experience in the world of Temple of Katharsis.




Orders can be placed via the record label's webstore, here.


Immerse yourself in the sinister abyss of black metal mastery as Temple of Katharsis takes you on a harrowing journey into the realms of satanism, anti-religion, death, darkness, and war. This monumental opus promises an intense and hauntingly captivating experience for all disciples of the genre.


Prepare to be spellbound by eight unholy hymns, each casting a malevolent spell upon all who dare to listen. From the chilling and atmospheric depths of “Abyssal Cold Void” to the relentless assault of “The Burning Flood of Antichrist” and the occultic incantations of “Inside the Medieval Crypt“, each track immerses the listener in a macabre world of sinister rituals and narratives.


Having made waves in the underground black metal scene with their demo, EP, and split album releases, Temple of Katharsis has established themselves as a formidable force in the genre. Sharing stages with legends like Septic Flesh, Rotting Christ, and Gaerea, their live performances are nothing short of mesmerizing, leaving audiences spellbound.





Tracklisting:


“Abyssal Cold Void (Intro)”
“The Burning Flood Of Antichrist”
“Erasure Of Religious Existence”
“In The Dungeons With The Rats”
“Ο Αρχιερεύς Των Λύκων (The Archpriest Of The Wolves)”
“Inside The Medieval Crypt”
“The Kingdom Of Hades”
“Macabre Ritual”


“The Burning Flood Of Antichrist”:





(Photo – Mia Kiriaidou / WP Productions Dimitra)

Relapse Records will reissue 1992’s Fate: The Best Of Death compilation on red and white merge with black, cyan blue, and royal blue splatter.


Fate contains songs from Death's legendary first four albums Scream Bloody Gore, Leprosy, Spiritual Healing and Human. Available again for the first time since the original 1992 release. Release is set for October 13, 2023 – preorder at relapse.com.







Tracklisting:


“Zombie Ritual”
“Together As One”
“Open Casket”
“Spiritual Healing”
“Mutilation”
“Suicide Machine”
“Altering The Future”
“Baptized In Blood”
“Left To Die”
“Pull The Plug”

Michigan's Upon Wings and singer Anne Autumn Erickson have released a new single, "Bad Habit", along with a new music video.





"Bad Habit" follows "Deal Breaker" - the latter of which dropped last spring. Both new songs have a pop and hip-hop vibe, displaying the band's versatility. Upon Wings are known for their melodic metal music with soaring female vocals, but why not add some trap-pop into the mix?




"Bad Habit" features a guest vocal appearance from the talented Brandon James, who also mixed and mastered the track. PRIMOBeats out of Detroit created and produced the hip-hop beat and naturally, Anne wrote all of the vocal melodies and lyrics.





"This song is straight from the heart, as always," says Anne. "From 'Afterlife' to 'Bad Habit,' the style of these songs might change, but how they're written, from my personal experiences, does not. I truly hope you enjoy it!"


Last fall, Upon Wings released their Last Love EP via Sword of the Spirit Records. Stream and download it on Bandcamp.


The title track from the Last Love EP was mixed and mastered by Skidd Mills (Saving Abel, Pop Evil). The song also features Pepe Clarke Magaña of California metal band Kyng on drums and longtime Upon Wings collaborator Kevin Jardine of Canada's Uplift Productions on production and guitars.


In addition, the EP features guest vocals from Ralf Scheepers of Primal Fear and Gamma Ray, guest guitars from Max Georgiev of Falling in Reverse and mastering by Grammy Award-winning producer, Glenn Brown.