Mr. Big is putting on their signature top hats and old shoes one last time for a worldwide tour, aptly titled The BIG Finish. Since the band’s original drummer and co-founder, Pat Torpey, lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, the band now feels it’s time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy.


The first leg will take the band to Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August, while shows in South America, Europe, and the US will launch in early 2024 and will be announced soon.


On July 25th the band performed at the Budikan in Tokyo, Japan. Fan-filmed video of the entire show,  courtesy of MJT Live, can be viewed below. The setlist was as follows:




"Addicted to That Rush"
"Take Cover"
"Undertow"


Lean Into It
"Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy"
"Alive and Kickin'"
"Green-Tinted Sixties Mind"
"CDFF-Lucky This Time" (Jeff Paris cover)
"Voodoo Kiss
"Never Say Never
"Just Take My Heart
"My Kinda Woman
"A Little Too Loose
"Road to Ruin
"To Be With You


Acoustic
"Big Love"
"The Chain"
"Where Do I Fit In?"
"Promise Her The Moon"
"Wild World" (Cat Stevens cover)


- guitar solo -
"Colorado Bulldog"
- bass solo -
"Shy Boy" (Talas cover)


Encore:
"30 Days in the Hole" (Humble Pie cover)
"Good Lovin'" (The Rascals cover) (Paul Gilbert on drums, Billy… more )
"Baba O'Riley" (The Who cover)





“We wanted to do a proper farewell, and this seems like the right way to do it,” asserts bassist/vocalist Billy Sheehan. Notes guitarist/vocalist Paul Gilbert, “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.” Submits lead vocalist Eric Martin, “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.”


After 35 years of being addicted to that perpetually electrifying performance rush, the band feels it’s finally time to collectively hang up their top hats and shoes after coming together for one final, extended curtain call — a curtain call that will take them on an all-out world tour commencing in 2023 that will go for as long as, well, as long as Mr. Big fans demand it.


Joining Mr. Big on drums for this special final world tour will be longtime friend of the band Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard, Big Big Train), stepping in for founding drummer/vocalist Pat Torpey, who sadly passed away in 2018 following his heroic battle with Parkinson’s disease. “We found a wonderful drummer in Nick, and he’s got a great voice too,” confirms Sheehan. “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.”


Concurs Gilbert, “Nick gets close to the spirit of Pat Torpey. Billy, Eric, 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.” “I love the fact that Nick was a fan of Pat Torpey and wants to keep our BIG sound intact,” says Eric. “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.”


One particular aspect of this upcoming final run that Mr. Big are excited about to a man is the decision to perform the entirety of their breakthrough Platinum-selling 1991 album Lean Into It from start to finish as a featured highlight of the live setlist. (To be sure, the full setlist will encompass Mr. Big’s entire career.) Fact is, Lean Into It is the perfect litmus testament to the band’s inherent dexterity at blending a variety of styles together, whether it’s the heady rocking brew of “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind,” the power-drilled and power-chorded identity checklist “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy,” or the truly heartfelt sentiments found within “To Be With You,” Mr. Big’s chart-topping, worldwide #1 smash hit single.


For his part, Martin the songwriter remains eternally grateful for the never-ending success of “To Be With You,” but the essence of Mr. Big goes much, much deeper than that. “That song helped put the stamps in our passports,” Martin allows, “but we really nailed it on Lean Into It. I’m still in awe of how Billy and Paul play on that album, because they’re such brilliant players. I used to call them the dynamic duo. And Pat Torpey was an underrated drummer, in my opinion. I mean, just listen to his tone! Lean Into It is totally indicative of who we are as a band.”


Explains Sheehan, “Lean Into It was put together much like a movie, with an opening scene that lets us get into the dialogue and find out what the story is. And then you get the love scene, the car chase, and the punchline ending. I think it’s a perfectly sequenced album.” Observes Gilbert, “Some people thought we had brought in professional background singers to do all those harmonies on Lean Into It, but no, it’s really us. We always felt like we had something to prove whenever we went on the road and did all that singing ourselves, just to show everyone that we really could do it.”


Just like the consummate performers they are, Mr. Big still want to reach into your dreams. “I hope the people who come see our shows get to feel what it’s like when musicians get together and really play and sing the songs they wrote,” offers Sheehan. “We want the audience to be one with us, and feel our evening together was a magical and beautiful event.” Theorizes Gilbert, “Music is like time travel. You can hear something that takes you right back to 1992, and it reminds you exactly of what was happening back then. On this tour, I want to give people the opportunity to time travel like that and go, ‘These guys are on fire!’ Good music is timeless.”


Concludes Martin, “I love playing with these guys. And if I’m being honest, I don’t want it to ever end. I’m the guy who just knows we still have that special spark together, and I always want to keep the torch burning. But if it really is the end, then I want us all to have a happy ending together. We’re a great live band. I want everybody to come out and see us, because we want to blow you away and have you all think as you’re leaving, ‘Mr. Big really is the real thing.’”


Indeed, when it comes to harnessing the real thing that best represents the unyielding power of rock & roll, Mr. Big have truly got what it takes. Make sure to catch them before they bring down that final curtain, because when it’s through, it’s through. Mr. Big really do want to be with you at least one more time, and they’d be more than honored to see you, one and all, somewhere around the world.





Tour dates:


August
2 - Taiwan - Zepp New Taipei
4 - Singapore - Marina Bay Sands Theater
5 - Singapore - Marina Bay Sands Theater
7 - Bangkok, Thailand - Show DC Hall
9 - Manila, Philippines - Skydome
12 - Kemayoran, Jakarta - The 90's Festival

Helter Skelter Productions - distributed and marketed by Regain Records - announces October 27th as the international release date for Graven Dagger's striking self-titled debut album on CD and vinyl LP formats.


Hailing from the rising Argentinian stoner scene - from which labelmates Mephistofeles, Fulanno, Sahara, The Crooked Whispers, and Serpent Cobra sprang - Graven Dagger is the work of one, mysterious individual. And while surely one could get stoned to his self-titled debut album, Graven Dagger the entity instead creates a dusky 'n' dusted blend of garage rock, proto-metal, private-press prog, and even a bit of spooky Spaghetti Western - and all instrumental. And across its quick-hitting half-hour runtime, the album's eight tracks display an amazing wealth of variety, each one as different as the last, but each one straight outta the garage and dungeon simultaneously. 


In the meantime, stream Graven Dagger in its entirety at Regain Records' Bandcamp, where the album can also be pre- ordered. 




The vinyl LP debut album limited edition of 200 copies on black/pink splatter vinyl features an A3 poster. It will ship in October 2023.





Tracklist:


"Towards Dawn"
"The Dungeonist"
"The Devil And The Madman"
"Skull Citadel"
"Blood Knight"
"By Sword And Witchery"
"Blues From The Black Lagoon"
"He Who Laughs Last"

Rock act Free Under Fire, whose accolades include opening for the legendary Pat Travers, are set to release the first single, “Airplane Over Texas”, on August 25, 2023 in anticipation of their album release on November 25, 2023.


Free Under Fire is a Canadian rock band known for their signature groundbreaking yet nostalgic sound of rock and sonic live performances. Emanating from Toronto, Ontario, Critical released their debut album Beauty in Extremes in 2018 alongside the official music video for the song “Somewhere”. The album, featuring 10 tracks including songs such as “6th Door”, “183”, “Cascade”, and “Wolves”, expanded Free Under Fires fan following and saw them featured on the Rock, 94.9FM Generation Next, the following year. 


Consisting of members Eddie Stone on vocals, Justin on guitar and Paul on drums, the band was formed in 2015 and bolstered their line-up in 2020 with the addition of bassist Lenn or as the band refers to him, Phill.




Check out a teaser below:

Jord is an atmospheric black metal band with blackgaze and post rock influences founded in 2020 as a one-man project by Jörg. Based in Sweden the inspiration came from northern nature, folk lore, mysticism, a man’s relation to this part of the earth and bands like Alcest, Enslaved, Anathema and Russian Circles. 


Two albums were released by Northern Silence Productions, Sol in 2021 and Måne 2022. Jord transformed into a trio in late 2022 and the new demo songs got attention from Hammerheart Records. A few months later a full studio recording of the third album Tundra, in this new band setting, was done. 


Tundra tells the stories about ancient gods, dark and terrifying beings from Swedish folk lore mixed with modern day power struggles. There is a sand grain of truth to every story however old it may be. Jord uses these old mythologies to give a hint about today’s problems with authorities, mind control and delusions. But most importantly on how the elite will break and fall when they have pushed us too far. 




- Recorded by Micke Andersson in Studio Soundport 
- Guest vocals from Ken Romlin (Night Crowned) and Erik Molarin from (Dark, Beseech)


Preorder Tundra here.


Cover artwork painted by Jord:





Tracklisting:


“Mara”
“Själens Död”
“The Fall”
“Vilddjurets Hjärta”
“Snöfödd”
“Kyla”
“Tundra”

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's "Deliverance", which saw the light of day 29 years ago, and was the band's first studio album featuring Pepper Keenan as frontman, was officially certified gold on August 1 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

The RIAA developed its gold and platinum awards program in 1958 to honor artists and create a standard by which to measure the commercial success of a sound recording. The program trademarked the gold record and formalized the industry practice of presenting awards to artists for music sales achievements.

Presently, the RIAA awards a gold honor for 500,000 units sold, a platinum honor for 1 million units sold and a diamond award for more than 10 million units sold.

In the streaming age, each permanent digital album or physical album sale count as 1 unit for certification purposes, 10 permanent track downloads from the album count as 1 unit for certification purposes, and 1,500 on-demand audio and/or video streams from the album count as 1 unit. For songs, 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams count as 1 unit for certification purposes.

Released in September 1994, "Deliverance" went on to become CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's biggest-selling album. It was fueled by the radio success of "Clean My Wounds", which also appeared on the soundtrack for "Tekken: The Motion Picture", and "Albatross".

In 2019, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY celebrated the 25th anniversary of "Deliverance" by embarking on the "Deliverance Revival Tour MMXIX" European tour.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY was originally an influential hardcore punk/heavy metal crossover act before reaching critical success with a then new lineup on 1991's "Blind" album. That trajectory continued with wider appeal as Keenan took over as the group's primary vocalist on "Deliverance" and "Wiseblood" (1996). These two recordings in particular fused the raw energy of their previous albums, with some great strides forward in classic rock-inspired songwriting and more spacious production and execution. This juggernaut gained mass and momentum with relentless touring alongside such greats METALLICA, CLUTCH, EYEHATEGOD and many more.

Eventually, following the release of "In The Arms Of God" in 2005, Keenan decided to focus all his energy on New Orleans supergroup DOWN — until he reunited with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY for 2018's "No Cross No Crown" album.

In 2014, after nearly a straight decade traversing the globe as a guitarist with DOWN, Pepper reconnected with the core CORROSION OF CONFORMITY trio of guitarist Woody Weatherman, bassist/vocalist Mike Dean and drummer Reed Mullin to hit the road hard. "Reed called me and mentioned maybe playing a couple shows," Keenan recalled back in 2017. "I said, 'Let's just go to Europe and see if it works.' So we went to Europe and then ended up going back four times in one year... We toured for a year and then started tracking."

Three months ago, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY confirmed the return of drummer Stanton Moore for its upcoming LP. The "brutal-sounding" follow-up to "No Cross No Crown" is tentatively due in 2024.

Mullin died in January 2020 at the age of 53. The drummer, who co-founded CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1982 as a hardcore punk act alongside Weatherman and Dean, had missed a number of shows in the preceding four years due to a variety of health issues, including an alcohol-related seizure he suffered back in June 2016.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recorded "No Cross No Crown" in about forty days over the course of a year at a North Carolina studio with longtime producer John Custer.

Finland's Chaoszine caught up with The Halo Effect and Dark Tranquillity vocalist Mikael Stanne prior to The Halo Effect's show at John Smith Rock Festival in Laukaa, Finland on July 20th. Check out the interview below.


On the forthcoming second album from The Halo Effect


Stanne: "We were supposed to do an EP, but then we realized... maybe not. We're going to release the album at the beginning of next year, starting with singles and that kind of stuff soon. It's really exciting. We worked really hard just to fit in to all of our schedules to make sure the album was done in time. It's been... not stressful, but we did a lot in a short period of time, which ened up being fantastic just because it turned out to be a much more confident album. It's very focused. The first album was like 'Hey, let's figure out what we want to do...' whereas on this album we knew exactly what we wanted to do."







Four ex-members of In Flames - Mikael Stanne, Jesper Strömblad, Peter Iwers and Daniel Svensson - and still active In Flames guitarist Niclas Engelin founded The Halo Effect to get back to the roots of Gothenburg sound. In 2022, they played Germany for the very first time at Wacken Open Air #31. Check out pro-shot video of "Days Of The Lost", "Feel What I Believe" and "Shadowminds" below.





The Halo Effect recently released a visualizer for the song, "Path Of Fierce Resistance", which was previously released as a Japanese exclusive on the band’s acclaimed debut album, Days Of The Lost, that was released in August 2022.





Frontman Mikael Stanne comments: "'Path Of Fierce Resistance' is a song we wrote for the Days Of The Lost album but it only surfaced on the limited Japanese edition and it has been very close to us and having it here now for all to hear feels fantastic. The new album is in the works and we are incredibly excited about it, so consider this as something to keep you guys going until we unveil what is coming next. The song is another Jesper and Niclas classic that features everything that we love doing together in this band. Lyrically it deals with unrealistic expectations and about how important it is to follow one's own path and be adamant about it no matter what. We start our tour in the US on the 20th of May and we are beyond stoked to bring this band to America for the first time. Do not miss this!"


Stream the track here, and watch the visualizer below:





Lineup:


Niclas Engelin - guitar
Jesper Strömblad - guitar
Mikael Stanne - vocals
Peter Iwers - bass
Daniel Svensson - drums

Soul Sign, comprised of founder and bassist Bjorn Englen (Yngwie Malmsteen, Quiet Riot, Dio Disciples), vocalist Mark Boals (Ted Nugent, Yngwie Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth), drummer Mike Cancino (Unida, Lynch Mob) and guitarist Rob Math (Leatherwolf, Player) have released their first single, “Clean Soil”, It is available only via  iTunes. This is their first release featuring Boals and Cancino.


Check out Metal Talk's interview with Englen below.










Photo by Julie Bergonz

Canadian sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD celebrated 40 eventful years of existence in 2023 with the release of their special anniversary studio album titled "Morgöth Tales". The LP, which is out now via Century Media Records, entered the official album sales charts in Germany at No. 36 and in Switzerland at No. 94. The band has now shared a new live video for the song "Thrashing Rage", recorded at Germany's Rock Hard Festival.

VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin comments on the live video: "At the end of the last USA tour in May, Rock Hard Festival asked VOIVOD to fill in last minute for DISCHARGE, who could not make it. We last played there in 2015 and love the outdoor amphitheater as well as the metal family atmosphere on the site and backstage. One of the highlights for me was watching Brian Downey's ALIVE AND DANGEROUS from the side of the stage. Here's 'Thrashing Rage', a cut from our May 27th, 2023 Rock Hard Festival show, filmed by the legendary 'Rockpalast' during our 'Morgöth Tales' tour, which is not over yet! See you on the road soon…"

Once more recorded and mixed by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio, mastered by Maor Appelbaum and produced by VOIVOD, "Morgöth Tales" includes fresh studio re-recordings by the band's current lineup of nine especially selected, not-so-obvious picks from the band's hyper-classy and extremely diverse back catalogue (between 1984 and 2003) as well as a brand-new song and the album's title track, "Morgöth Tales".

VOIVOD is a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Québec. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s. Starting out as a speed metal band, VOIVOD have added a mix of progressive metal and thrash metal to create their own unique metal style, and are credited as one of the "big four" Canadian thrash metal bands, along with SACRIFICE, RAZOR and ANNIHILATOR. They are considered by many as one of the most influential metal bands from the '80s, influencing and gaining praise from multiple bands and across numerous genres.

VOIVOD found mainstream success in the late 1980s with their fifth studio album, "Nothingface" (1989),which is the band's only album to enter The Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 114.

VOIVOD released a new EP, "Ultraman", last November via Century Media Records. The effort features a highly original tribute to the "Ultraman" TV series theme as well as previously unreleased bonus live cuts, available both as a 12-inch vinyl EP or as a digital EP.

VOIVOD's 15th studio album, "Synchro Anarchy", was released in February 2022 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2018's "The Wake" was produced by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio and features cover artwork created by drummer Michel Langevin (a.k.a. Away).

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Metallica's debut album Kill 'Em All, CMH Records is reflecting back on their widely-successful Pickin' On release Fade to Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute To Metallica. Performed with passion and skill by Alabama band Iron Horse, Fade To Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute To Metallica features high lonesome renditions of Metallica classics like "The Unforgiven," "Enter Sandman," "Fade to Black" and Kill 'Em All cut "The Four Horsemen."


Here's a performance video of Iron Horse performing their version of Metallica's "The Four Horsemen" at Grimey's Records in Nashville on November 25, 2016: 







Though Pickin’ On started modestly in 1993 with the release of Pickin’ On the Movies, tributes to The Beatles and Eagles soon followed, and by 1997 the Pickin’ On Series was on fire. It continues to thrive with one hand in traditional bluegrass and the other in popular music, ready for the next chance to create innovative bluegrass music.





Recent releases featuring Iron Horse, Pickin' On Pearl Jam and Pickin’ On Nirvana, were well-received and garnered press from Rolling Stone, Brooklyn Vegan, and Uproxx, among others. Pickin’ On Modest Mouse and Fade to Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica both charted on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart. The series has also been given extensive retrospective write-ups by Los Angeles Times and No Depression and currently has over 204,000 monthly listeners and more than 93,000 followers on Spotify. 


Songs from Pickin’ On have been featured in the television series Revolution and HBO’s True Blood. Other artists that have been given the Pickin’ On treatment include Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers Band, Coldplay, The Black Keys, Jack White, The Killers and many more.

Dobermann have just released their latest lyric video, for the track "Summer Devil". Check it out below.


Dobermann are one of the most active independent groups in the European rock circuit. With 900 concerts and five albums in twelve years under their belt, the band has covered more than 1 million kilometers across Italy, Switzerland, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, and Germany, playing hundreds of dates in Spain and the United Kingdom.


They have also participated in important festivals such as Hard Rock Hell, Rock The Ring, Moped Marathon, Cubelles Rock Festival, Luppolo in Rock, Suoni di Marca, and many others, sharing the stage with Skid Row, Girlschool, Doro, Great White, and the Quireboys, all without an agency or management.




Their latest studio work, Shaken To The Core, was released in 2021, with deliberately sleek and essential production by Alessandro del Vecchio.

End Reign made their Relapse Records debut with their explosive album, The Way Of All Flesh Is Decay, released last month. Today, the band shares a drum playthrough video for the album track, "House Of Thieves". Watch below:





Masterminded by underground music fixture Domenic Romeo (Integrity / Pulling Teeth / A389 Recordings) and featuring an all-star cast of musicians and contributors, End Reign fuses apocalyptic hardcore with vicious metal in a deadly collision of the classic and the modern.




The Way Of All Flesh Is Decay can be ordered here. Digital downloads/streaming here.





The Way Of All Flesh Is Decay tracklisting:


"Desolate Fog"
"Chaos Masked As Order"
"The Hunger"
"Divine Abysmal End"
"Serpent Messiah"
"House Of Thieves"
"Giving Life To Tragedy"
"Chasing Divinity"
"When Death Comes Crawling"
"The Night Creeps Upon Me"


“Chaos Masked As Order" video:





"Chasing Divinity" video:





"Desolate Fog" video:





End Reign Is:


Mike Score: Vocals
Domenic Romeo: Guitar
Adam Jarvis: Drums
Arthur Legere: Bass / Backing Vocals
Sebastian Phillips: Guitar


(Photo - Blake Roemer)

New York metal heathens, Extinction A.D., are returning with another blistering slice of their signature metallic hardcore punk in the form of new single, "Morality Bait". Stream the new track, out via Unique Leader Records, here. Find a visualizer below.





Serving as a scathing callout of performative activists, "Morality Bait" focuses Extinction A.D's impeccable combination of groove metal, thrash and hardcore in to a furious riff-storm overlaid by a pointed lyrical evisceration of those exploiting morality for personal gain.




Vocalist Rick Jimenez elaborates: "Exploitation of moral causes is nothing new but it has never been more prevalent and transparent as it's been recently. No surprise that people talk out of both sides of their mouth when there is profit to be made though. 'Morality Bait' is a powerhouse song that takes the frustration with false allies and rallies for their destruction with the weightiest Extinction A.D. riffs yet."





European fans will be will be treated to the first live taste of the new track this August when the band hit the road for a string of headline dates along with support dates with Sepultura, Warbringer and Pro-Pain as well as several festivals including Summer Breeze, Dynamo and Brutal Assault.





"Morality Bait" is just the beginning of the next chapter of Extinction A.D. Keep it locked for big news coming soon.

On the full moon, Tuesday, August 1, Peter Gabriel releases the eighth track from the album i/o. This month the song is "Olive Tree" and the first version to be heard is the Bright-Side Mix, by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent.


Written and produced by Peter Gabriel, "Olive Tree" is another song about connection, both how we interact with nature and the other species around us, but also a greater sensitivity to the potential for broadening human experience, ‘in some ways I do think we are part of everything and we probably have means to connect and communicate with everything that we often shut off. We only want to see and listen to the things that seem important and relevant to us and shut out the noise of everything else when, probably, hidden in that noise there are all sorts of things that can help us realise our place in this future world.’


Like the song "Road To Joy", released in June, "Olive Tree" is also part of a separate brain-related project that Peter is currently working on, as well as being partly influenced by his interest in the brain reading research of the likes of Jack Gallant’s Lab at Berkeley and Mary Lou Jepsen’s work at Openwater.cc, "it feeds into this idea that we're no longer these islands that have our own private thoughts, that our thoughts are going to get opened up to the outside world. The lubrication that allows society to function is based, in part, on not being able to read what's going on in other people's minds, so unless we get more comfortable with how we really are, we're probably going to prefer to stay partly buried in our private worlds."




Musically, "Olive Tree" provides another up-tempo moment for the i/o record, "I wanted it to have some speed to it but I also wanted some mystery, too. I think it is a celebration in a way and there's a real sense of being alive." The song features a string arrangement from John Metcalfe, with further contributions from Manu Katché on drums, Tony Levin on bass, David Rhodes on guitar, Josh Shpak on trumpet and additional percussion from Jed Lynch. The song was recorded at Real World Studios, Bath, The Beehive and British Grove, London.





This month’s full moon release comes with artwork from the artist Barthélémy Togou and his work "Chroniques avec la Nature".


"I was aware of Barthélémy Toguo’s work, which I found very haunting and very strong, but I first met him at WOMAD in 2015, when he came as artist in residence. I wasn't talking about this project at that time, but when I was thinking about re-connecting to nature and his work seemed ideal. I think it's super strong and looks wonderful on stage.


Barthélémy listened to the song and his piece was created as a direct response to the music, which hasn't always been the case with the other artists, but he was determined that he should generte something new and I'm very glad he did, it's wonderful."


Just like the previous full moon releases, "Olive Tree" will come with differing mix approaches from Mark ‘Spike’ Stent (Bright-Side Mix), released today, and also from Tchad Blake (Dark-Side Mix) and Hans-Martin Buff’s Atmos mix (In-Side Mix), released later in the month.





Further details on the release plans for the full album will follow.


The i/o tour continues in North America in September and October.





Tour dates:


September
8 - Quebec City, Quebec - Videotron Centre
9 - Ottawa, Ontario - Canadian Tire Centre
11 - Toronto, Ontario - Scotiabank Arena
13 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
14 - Boston, Massachusetts - TD Garden
16 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Wells Fargo Center
18 - New York, New York - Madison Square Garden
20 - Washington, D.C. - Capital One Arena
22 - Buffalo, New York - KeyBank Center
23 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - PPG Paints Arena
25 - Columbus, Ohio - Nationwide Arena
27 - Cleveland, Ohio - Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
29 - Detroit, Michigan - Little Caesars Arena
30 - Chicago, Illinois - United Center


October
2 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Fiserv Forum
3 - St. Paul , Minnesota - Xcel Energy Center     
7 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Rogers Arena
8 - Seattle, Washington - Climate Pledge Arena
11 - San Francisco, California - Chase Center
13 - Los Angeles, California - Kia Forum
14 - Palm Springs, California - Acrisure Arena
16 - Denver , Colorado - Ball Arena
18 - Austin, Texas - Moody Center
19 - Dallas, Texas - American Airlines Center
21 - Houston, Texas - Toyota Center


(Photo - Nadav Kander)

British melodic rock band, Nitrate, announces the upcoming release of their fourth studio album, Feel The Heat, on October 13. The first single and video from the album, “Wild In The City”, is out today. Watch the video below.


“We can’t wait for everyone to hear the new album,” explains bassist/founder Nick Hogg. “There is a real buzz of excitement within the Nitrate camp like never before! We can’t wait for the album to finally hit the stores. This is ‘hand on heart’ the best album we have written and recorded, and Tom and James have devoted every waking moment over the past year to make the production the very best it can be.”


Nitrate’s new album, Feel The Heat, boasts 11 anthemic hook filled tracks. Produced and mixed by Martin Bros Productions (Vega), it features a duet and backing vocals by female rock artist Issa, backing vocals by rock legend Paul Laine (Danger Danger/The Defiants), along with a song co/written by legendary song writer Bob Mitchell (co-writer of the Billboard #1 song Cheap Trick’s “The Flame”). There are also backing vocals by Leon Robert Winteringham (LRW Project), Alan Clark (Change of Heart), and a couple of co-writes by Rob Wylde (Midnite City/Tigertailz).




After the success of their last album Renegade (their most successful to date, with well over 1 million streams on Spotify), they return in 2023 with their fourth album, working again with Tom and James Martin (Vega), vocal Swedish sensation Alexander Strandell (Art Nation, Crowne), along with Alex Cooper (Devilfire) on drums and Richard Jacques on guitars.


Formed in 2015 in Nottingham, England by bass player Nick Hogg, Nitrate is a melodic/AOR rock band heavily inspired by the late ‘80s rock scene. Influenced by the likes of Def Leppard, Europe, Journey, and Bon Jovi, they have three critically acclaimed albums already to their name.





Feel The Heat tracklisting:


"Feel The Heat"
"All The Right Moves"
"Wild In The City"
"Needs A Little Love"
"One Kiss (To Save My Heart)" (featuring Issa)
"Live Fast, Die Young"
"Haven't Got Time For Heartache"
"Satellite"
"Strike Like A Hurricane"
"Big Time"
"Stay"


"Wild In The City" video:





Lineup:


Nick Hogg - Bass Guitar
Alexander Strandell - Lead Vocals
Tom Martin - Guitars
James Martin - Keyboards
Alex Cooper - Drums
Richard Jacques – Guitars

Singer-songwriter, Sinéad O'Connor, passed away at age 56 on July 26, and Third Eye Blind are paying tribute.


Frontman Stephan Jenkins: "When my own voice as an artist was in a state of formation, Sinéad's style illuminated to me what was possible. She could be raw and in focus, brave without being needlessly exhibitionistic, powerful and beautiful. Although the subject was often heavy, there was always something lively and free about her music. Something both celebratory and longing, we were seeing a unique, honest, troubled and worthy spirit in myriad states of aliveness. I found her profoundly encouraging as an artist.


“Years after she got canceled for her Pope picture protest, Sinéad was playing early in the day at a festival in Boston, while the crowd was still walking in. I got to watch from the side of the stage while she humbly made the music that was real to her. I thought it was cool and legit and I wanted everyone to see it.




“I got to meet her backstage and invited her to play with my band later in the day and she obliged. We played 'The Emperor's New Clothes' together. I don't think people really knew it. We loved it. I danced around playing my acoustic guitar while she sang. We hugged and smiled onstage when the song was done and I was delighted. It was the last time I ever saw her.


“We got the news of her death when playing the reopening of DC storied punk rock club Atlantis and put this together backstage before the show. We opened with it and the audience still didn't know it, but they felt the spirit. My whole show was quietly dedicated to her. It was a great night. Thanks for all of it Sinéad, rest in peace.”





(Photo - Shantell Breen)

The organizers of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival have stopped admissions to the event after heavy rain turned the grounds to mud.

Although a sellout crowd of 85,000 was originally expected at festival, which is scheduled to start today (Wednesday, August 2),only an estimated 50,000 people made it to the site, according to the German news agency DPA.

Early Wednesday, the Wacken organizers issued the following statement: "Considering the weather conditions, the reasonable visitor capacity for Wacken Open Air 2023 has now been reached. Any further travel must be stopped and cancelled with immediate effect. For the first time in the history of the W:O:A this decision has been made. We are very sad, but the continuing difficult weather situation unfortunately leaves us no other choice."

The organizers previously said that attempts would be made to bring vehicles that were already in the immediate vicinity to the Wacken Open Air site onto the festival grounds.

"We have to tow each vehicle individually to the targeted parking space with a tractor, which takes a lot of time for every single vehicle. All tractors are in continuous use day and night on all areas," they said in a statement.

This year's installment of the annual metal festival sold out within six hours of tickets going on sale twelve months ago. This marked the fastest sellout in Wacken's 33-year history.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN are headlining this year's edition of Wacken Open Air, which takes place annually in Wacken, a village with a population of just about 2,000.

The first Wacken Open Air event in 1990 drew less than 800 people, but it has since grown to become the biggest open-air festival of its kind.

Around 30 percent travel from other countries to the festival, which over recent years has been growing in popularity.

200 bands performed at last year's Wacken Open Air, including headliners SLIPKNOT, POWERWOLF and JUDAS PRIEST.

Wacken Open Air was forced to take a break for two years due to coronavirus restrictions.

Wacken Open Air normally does not announce the names of its headliners before tickets go on sale. Still, the festival usually sells out within hours.

The festival also doesn't sell VIP access or upgrades and all purchases are for all the days without a single-day ticket option, something they did away with nearly two decades ago.

No entry, heavy rain, mud mayhem: Could Wacken get canceled?

Could Wacken Open Air get canceled? People are being turned away from the heavy metal festival after rain left camping and event areas a muddy mess — and the weather forecast for tonight isn't looking so good.

Posted by DW Music on Wednesday, August 2, 2023

In a recent interview with La Mesa Del Metal, SODOM frontman Thomas "Angelripper" Such spoke about the possibility of there being more shows featuring the long-awaited union of Germany's legendary "Teutonic Big Four", completed by KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and TANKARD. Earlier this week, it was announced that the four acts will all take part in "Klash Of The Ruhrpott" festival, set to take place July 20, 2024 at Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Angelripper said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we talk about years doing something with the Big Four, and we played… Last year there was a Mexico Metal Fest, [with] all the four bands playing, and that was great; people had a great time. And I can tell, we are not able to make touring around the world because KREATOR, they have their own projects, the touring, their recording sessions, whatever. So, but if there is a promoter [out there in] the world who [says], 'I wanna book SODOM, I wanna book KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and TANKARD,' maybe, we go. So you got the Big Four. So I always wanna do something special like this… I think KREATOR is a bigger band than SODOM… But doing something special for the fans and all the four bands gonna play there — maybe just every band gonna play one hour. We get four hours of finest thrash metal music. That would be something really special for the fans. But it's very easy to do. If you are promoter and you wanna have all the four bands going there up on stage, we go."

Such went on to say that there are no personal issues between him and KREATOR. "We are still friends," he explained. "We are talking about everything. But they are touring at this time, DESTRUCTION's touring at the same time. It's very hard. The business is very hard, because all the bands are very busy for touring and writing songs and rehearsing sessions. And how fast the year is gone. But we're working on it. Definitely."

According to Angelripper, there was a stronger sense of competition when all four bands were just starting out in the 1980s. "When we were young kiddies, a young band, [we would think], 'Oh, KREATOR, they got a better guitarist.' Or [they would think], 'SODOM, they get the record deal first,' that was something," he said. "But nowadays, we are getting older; we're getting wise. I never mind what the other bands do. I don't take care. I just wanna take care of my own band."

Tickets for the "Klash Of The Ruhrpott" festival go on sale on Wednesday, August 2 at 10 a.m. CEST.

When the event was first announced, KREATOR's Mille Petrozza said in a statement: "I'm so happy we have an opportunity to present this package in the best way possible! It's going to be a really special day, full of love and respect…and the most extensive KREATOR set ever…prepare for some DEEP CUTS!"

Added DESTRUCTION's Schmier: "Oh YES — we all have been waiting for this to happen, I am excited that it finally worked out! Hopefully this is the beginning of some more to come! We are super thrilled to be a part of this. Thanks for the invitation, Mille!"

TANKARD's Andreas "Gerre" Geremia said: "Good things take time! Finally the four big will clash and thrash together. We feel very proud to be a part of this historical event!"

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", BUTCHER BABIES co-vocalist Heidi Shepherd was asked if she was influenced by other female extreme metal singers when she first started getting into music. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was more into like FLYLEAF and EVANESCENCE and stuff. But then when I heard the screaming, I was more of like a fan of males in metal because that's what I had grown up with. I had seen that. So I grew up in kind of like KORN and SLIPKNOT and LIMP BIZKIT. So I wasn't really driven by like other females in metal. But granted, my band is named after the first female to really grace this beautiful genre, which is Wendy O. Williams [of PLASMATICS]. And she had the song 'Butcher Baby'. But I didn't actually know about her as a kid either. I found out about her as an adult and really fell in love with and was inspired by the person that she was, standing up against the patriarchy of just, like, women are supposed to sound a way, women are supposed to be this way, women are supposed to dress and sound a certain way. And to me, Wendy went out there and she just defied all odds with the utmost power, which is actually the attire the BUTCHER BABIES first started with, which was the nipple tape and everything was what Wendy O. wore. So I would say that, throwing it back to that, but I wasn't even, I wasn't really introduced to a lot of females in metal as a kid — unfortunately."

Five years ago, Heidi said that she has no regrets about the period in BUTCHER BABIES' history when she and co-vocalist Carla Harvey used to perform topless with tape over their nipples, explaining that it was meant as an ode to Wendy O. Williams, who had a song called "Butcher Baby".

While Shepherd and Harvey's look earned them plenty of attention, they were labeled a gimmick by some metal fans, with purists accusing the women of oversexualizing themselves in order to gain popularity.

Asked in an interview with the "Talk Toomey" podcast if she looked back on the nipple-tape look as a good idea or a bad idea, Heidi responded: "I think it was a good idea. It was something that people were, like, 'What?' We did in our band previous to BUTCHER BABIES too, so it wasn't something new to us."

She continued: "It's an interesting question, because I think that, in a lot of ways, it definitely hurt how we've grown, but I also think that it was a message that we stood for. The people who didn't get it and it got lost in translation, well, now they know. But in Europe, it seems like more people understood, which kind of makes sense. But it seems like in the U.S., I'm, like, did people forget about [Wendy]? [Laughs] Does the metal community not understand this? But I don't think that it was a bad idea. I think it was something that I did and I'm proud of. I don't really hold any regrets. I think that in life in general, these situations build to the bigger picture, and I think that having had that past and where we are now, it's kind of a cool evolution of the band too. It's unique. We went from being these young girls, bouncing around in nipple tape, screaming hateful things into microphones, to women, almost a decade later, grown up in the industry, helped with this women's movement, if you will. And I think that that sort of thing helped me become the woman I am today."

Heidi said that the changes in BUTCHER BABIES' visual appearance in recent years happened naturally as the band toured around the world playing to thousands of impressionable fans.

"It's really interesting, because when we realized that young girls were looking up to us and we had a responsibility of being a positive role model, it really changed my life for the better too; I started living my life more positively," she said. "And I think you can see that in the evolution of our look; you can hear it in the evolution of our music. So, in that sense, I'm fucking proud of it."

Heidi also reiterated that BUTCHER BABIES' early image wasn't meant as a clever marketing ploy designed to ensure maximum exposure. "That was not ever anything that ever went through my mind: 'Oh, this will help us get attention.' Because I was in a band for a year prior to that, that I did that," she explained. "I didn't think that it would ever end up here. I didn't think that it would ever amount to anything. I just thought we were gonna have some fun playing some original music with our friends along the Sunset Strip, 'cause that's what we did before. The only difference was, before, it was five girls and [we were playing] covers. And that's the reason we created BUTCHER BABIES — to do original stuff."

Heidi's comments echoed those made by Carla, who told Metal Underground in a 2016 interview that the band's nipple-tape look "was completely blown out of proportion. When we first started this band, we didn't do it to go out there and strut around on stage like Playboy models; we did it as kind of a 'fuck you' to the cookie-cutter music industry," she explained. "We were paying tribute to a woman in metal that we respected, Wendy O. Williams. And that was it. And the show has never been sexual — ever."

BUTCHER BABIES released a double album "Eye For An Eye..." and "…'Til The World's Blind", on July 7. The double album celebrates the tenth anniversary of BUTCHER BABIES' critically acclaimed debut, "Goliath", released on July 9, 2013 via Century Media Records.

BUTCHER BABIES' previous album, 2017's "Lilith" was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE) and marked the band's recording debut with drummer Chase Brickenden, who replaced Chris Warner in 2016.

In July 2019, longtime BUTCHER BABIES bassist Jason Klein announced his departure from the band. He has since been replaced by Ricky Bonazza.

In a new interview with New Noise Magazine, original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo was asked about speed as an expression of extremity, especially considering that his name would get brought up in the late 1980s and early 1990s when people were talking about the fastest drummers. He said: "At that time, you associate speed obviously with aggression. Punk music had a whole different tempo than your typical rock music. And growing up listening to rock music, I'm hitting the age of 13, 14, 15 years old, and, of course, you have that young energy. For some reason, this punk style of music or songs that were just a little more on the cutting edge, a little faster than a typical radio song, always appealed to me.

"When I first heard punk music, thanks to [late SLAYER guitarist] Jeff Hanneman, he opened that door and presented me with all these records. It was energizing. It was a shot in the arm. Instant adrenaline. It still does that to me. I'll cook dinner with my wife, and I'll throw on a punk album. I immediately start bobbing my head, head banging, then my hands get all sweaty. I'll start pogoing, then jumping around. It still does that to me. But as time went on, around 'South Of Heaven', definitely through 'Seasons [Of The Abyss]', I felt a yearning to express myself in different ways. SLAYER really didn't help that urge that I had because at that time I was listening to all kinds of music other than metal. Deep inside I felt I needed to explore other styles."

Lombardo, who has spent most of the recent years between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.

Shortly after his dismissal, Lombardo said that he discovered that 90 percent of SLAYER's tour income was being deducted as expenses, including fees to management, costing the band millions and leaving them with about 10 percent to split four ways. While he and Tom Araya hired auditors to figure out what had happened, Lombardo said he was never allowed to see any of the information obtained.

Lombardo released a statement in February 2013 saying he "was denied access to detailed information and the necessary backup documents." He added: "I was told that I would not be paid until I signed a longform contract which gave me no written assurance of how much or on what basis management would deduct commissions, nor did it provide me access to the financial budgets or records for review. It also forbade me to do interviews or make statements having to do with the band, in effect a gagging order."

Ex-MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover 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.

Speaking to the Syncin' Stanley YouTube channel about certain acts' reliance on pre-recorded tracks, Shawn said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Would I personally do it? I've never really been in a situation where I had to do it, so I would probably say no. But as a collective, look, some bands that record music, to replicate that live would take a symphony orchestra or a 20-piece band, to justify or try to replicate what they did in the studio. So I think in some instances it's fine. There's certainly some bands that have been doing it for years with keyboards. If you hear keyboards in the background live in a song and you don't see a keyboard player, he's either backstage doing it or they're playing along to pre-recorded keyboard tracks, which, again, depending on the band, that's all subjective, right? If it makes the band sound better or whatever, it doesn't offend me at all. But all these people online getting caught up in all that crap, there's better things to do than to worry about what certain bands are doing or not doing live. Go there and have a good time at the concert. That's my whole take on it. So just have a good time with it, man. Don't worry about it. Don't sweat the small stuff, you know what I mean? If a band's using some backing tracks, who cares? I have no problem with it. But that's just 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 Chuck Shute Podcast", SEVENDUST frontman Lajon Witherspoon was asked if he has noticed any limitations in his vocals as he has gotten older. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've noticed that my voice has gotten stronger as I've gotten older. Just with anything, I feel like — as an athlete, you get in your prime… I don't know what you necessarily call it, but I definitely feel more conditioned when I go in. And that could be, too, working with other writers and staying on top of the game and being fresh and taking the craft seriously when it's time to get to work."

Lajon also denied that "studio magic" has played a part in making his voice sound as strong as it does on SEVENDUST's recent albums. "No, it ain't studio magic, man," he said. "I keep it real. [Laughs] There's some little fancy sauce on it, but not too much. [Laughs]"

Voted one of the "Top 100 Metal Vocalists Of All Time" by Hit Parader, Witherspoon and the rest of SEVENDUST have sold millions of records worldwide, received a Grammy nomination and scored three consecutive RIAA gold-certified albums. Witherspoon's unmistakable powerhouse vocals have transformed the landscape of heavy metal, infusing soul and melody into the fundamentally aggressive and raw genre to produce a unique signature sound that has rarely been replicated but often imitated. A trailblazer on the hard rock and metal scene, Witherspoon has been listed as a musical influence by numerous bands including DIECAST, SEETHER and ALTER BRIDGE.

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Witherspoon grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, raised on a healthy diet of soul, rock and funk which would eventually define his sound. His first band was soul group BODY & SOUL, and in 1994 his impressive vocal skills were spotted by Morgan Rose and Vinnie Hornsby who asked him to sing for their band RUMBLEFISH (later CRAWLSPACE). After a further name change, SEVENDUST was born. The group released their self-titled debut in 1997 and the album crashed into the Billboard 200 where it stayed for 16 weeks, later going gold in 1999. The band has now released 14 studio albums, including "Truth Killer" in 2023.

In 2021 Witherspoon dropped a bluesy solo cover of "Chainsmoking" by Jacob Banks, and has confirmed that his eagerly anticipated debut solo album is in the works.

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)