By Nick Balazs


Sin City rockers Crash Midnight have returned with their first single release of 2023, “Dead Aces”.


The song is a blistering tribute to the legendary artists and infamous dive bars that influenced the sound and direction of Crash Midnight. "Dead Aces" combines the band's early streetwise East Coast style with a strong nod to the Wild West swagger of their new home in Las Vegas. Firmly establishing themselves as the highest drawing independent Rock Act in the "Entertainment Capital Of The World" through headlining the city's major venues like Hard Rock, House of Blues, and Brooklyn Bowl along with multiple residencies downtown, Crash Midnight hurtles you through a collection of late-night hedonism and inspiration.




Talking about the new single, singer Shaun Soho says, "We give some shoutouts in this thing to everyone from the old Model Cafe in Boston to 'Self Destruction Blues' by Hanoi Rocks.  The solo sounds like a fucking bar fight.  We wanted to write something dedicated to where we came from through the lens of where we are now out west.  'Dead Aces' is sort of a catch all stand in for so many of the great artists and establishments that shaped this band, especially the ones that unfortunately are no longer with us."


Soho took some questions from BraveWords’ Nick Balazs about “Dead Aces” and other happenings in the Crash Midnight camp.





BraveWords: What was the genesis of the new single? What was the impetus for writing a song inspired by the band’s past?


Shaun Soho: “So back at one of my apartments in Boston, there was this place a couple miles down the road that for some reason I only would end up driving by late at night when the sign was off. I always thought it was a little bar or something called ‘Dead Aces’ but I never ended up thinking to go there earlier when it would have been open. It hit me as a really cool name for a bar and I kinda kept that name tucked away for a while. Maybe a year or two later when I was living in a different spot, I ended up cruising past the place in the day and it was actually some sort of crafting store called ‘Dead Art.’ Sort of a funny revelation or whatever, but I liked that old name I thought it had for a song so I carried it all the way out here to Vegas and sort of fleshed out the idea from there. There were so many cool places we used to hang out back in Boston, and so many of them are long gone, and there are all these artists that influenced us that unfortunately are no longer with us. That list keeps on growing and ‘Dead Aces’ was a good catch-all for all those things that shaped this band, especially the ones that are gone now.”


BraveWords: How do you feel your songwriting has changed/developed over the last few years?


Shaun Soho: Living out west has had a real impact. Between Las Vegas and LA, there's been a lot of inspiration. ‘Dead Aces’ is the last track that we'll be compiling into a full album release called Wreckage Of Youth - consisting of that track and our previous seven single releases.  We're already putting together a follow up album to that tentatively titled Hollywood Refugees.   The name is a comment on how much of the LA music industry has been moving out here to Las Vegas. It features a bunch of songs inspired by experiences in LA as well as here in Vegas. It's cool that we have kind of two real different eras to draw from now though. We've got that east coast formative stuff that still fuels a lot of material, but the west coast is a totally different vibe and really adds a new gear to our sound.” 


BraveWords: This is your first single release of 2023. Are there any other songs in the pipeline?


Shaun Soho: Yeah we have three songs in the works at our studio right now.  The next single is a ballad called ‘Strung Out On Sunset.’  It's been a fan favorite for a little over a year right now at shows.  It's got a cool House Of The Rising Sun sort of vibe and hits right on the nose for the Hollywood Refugees album it will eventually be a part of. Couple others we're just starting to get to the vocals and lead guitars on are ‘Too Far Gone’ and ‘See You Around.’ Those have been around since right around the time we moved here. Actually, ‘Too Far Gone’ was one of our very first songs early on in the band, but it's been totally changed at this point from back then so I guess I look at it like a whole new song at this point. Both of those are going to be big anthems. Excited to see them come together.





BraveWords: I’m glad you guys are preparing an album, but is the gameplan to still continue the singles route in the future?


Shaun Soho: “Our gameplan is still the same - to put out eight singles and then retroactively compile them all together as an ‘album.’ It just seems to be a better fit for how people are consuming music these days. This way, we're able to give our fans a new song about every 3 months or so and it allows us to really take our time with each song individually. Treating each song as a legitimate radio single has been a big part of how strong each of these releases turn out instead of putting a handful of singles together with a bunch of filler like so many bands have had to do in the past. Think that gives everyone the best of both worlds. The album people get their album and we get to keep churning out something new for them multiple times a year.”


BraveWords: Tell me about this venue in Vegas you're working with.


Shaun Soho: “Coming out of the shutdown, we did a bunch of shows at this great new venue called The Sand Dollar Downtown. It's at the Plaza Hotel and Casino and the owners did such a great job at putting a super high end sound and lighting system in there and making the place a cool spot with these elevated booths in the back overlooking the stage. We love the place. It's one of the only mid-level 400 cap venues in this town and they've been down for all the ideas we've been bringing in. We're bringing our buddy Gooch from KOMP 92.3 on board to get the radio station involved and help us curate an ongoing string of shows featuring us alongside other great KOMP bands coming through town. Should be announcing the first few of our shows there soon.”


BraveWords: What else is going on in the world of Crash Midnight? Future plans?


Shaun Soho: “We've got a great show coming up next week July 28 at Vamp'd here in Las Vegas with Gilby Clarke. That's gonna be a cool night. Also just confirmed a Saturday September 2 at Brooklyn Bowl with Puddle Of Mudd. We were all set to play a show with them right as the shutdown began and everything got cancelled so we're psyched to get another crack at this one!”





Keep up to date with CM at crashmidnight.com.

Hurricane was formed in 1983, originally featuring current Foreigner lead vocalist Kelly Hansen (vocals/rhythm guitar), Robert Sarzo (guitar), Tony Cavazo (bass), and Jay Schellen (drums) currently with YES. Hurricane released four albums: Take What You Want (1985), Over The Edge (1988), Slave To The Thrill (1990), and Liquifury (2001). Over The Edge was their album featuring the charting song “I’m On To You,” which peaked at #33 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart in 1988.


In 2010 Sarzo and Cavazo, founding members, reunited and recruited drummer Mike Hansen. In 2021 Australian-born singer Dan Schumann, best known as a member of the Las Vegas headliner vocal group Tenors Of Rock, joined. Hurricane is now set to release its first new album in over 20 years, Reconnected. The album has 11 tracks including a rerecord of its Top 40 hit “I’m On To You,” a blistering cover of the Queen/David Bowie track “Under Pressure,” and its first single “Rock Star Cheater”. Listen to "Rock Star Cheater" here, and below.


The band is extremely excited to release new material as Sarzo states, “The reconnected album reconnects yesterday and today for tomorrow.”




Cavazo continues, “This album is long overdue. With all the work and time composing and recording, it’s finally here and it feels great!!! Now it’s up to the music fans everywhere.”


Longtime drummer Mike Hansen responds, “Hurricane’s Reconnected is the test of time.”


New vocalist Dan Schumann adds, “A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into Reconnected…but to me, it was worth every drop!”  


Reconnected will be released on August 25 through Deko Entertainment, with limited edition (only 300 copies) silver vinyl dropping on September 29. Deko president, Bruce Pucciarello, posits, “This is one kick-ass lineup and the power of the rock will knock you over like a Category 5.”


Order your copies of Reconnected now and get your limited-edition bundles while supplies last, here.


Product / Bundle Includes:


• 1 (One) Hurricane - Reconnected CD or LP
• 1 (One) Hurricane - Embroidered Patch
• 1 (One) Hurricane - Autographed 8x10 Band Print
• 1 (One) Hurricane - Guitar Pick





"Rock Star Cheater"
"You And I"
"Under Pressure"
"Behind Your Shadow"
"Innocent Girl"
"Don’t Change Your Love"
"I’m On To You"
"Hand Of Souls"
"Disconnected"
"Blind Love"
"Wishing Well"


"Rock Star Cheater":

Billy Idol: State Line, a concert film showcasing his April concert at Hoover Dam, will be released fall 2023. Watch the first official teaser below.


Idol performed two unique sets of his iconic hits on site at Hoover Dam, which straddles the Colorado River directly on the Nevada/Arizona state line; a full band concert at sunset with special guests that electrified and illuminated the surrounding Black Canyon and an acoustic duo set on the roof of the powerhouse directly at the foot of Hoover Dam. For both sets, Idol was joined by his collaborator and lead guitarist of over forty years, Steve Stevens. Performed in front of only 250 fans, the electric set featured special guests Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols, Generation Sex) and Tony Kanal (No Doubt).







Billy Idol's self-titled debut album - originally issued on July 16, 1982 via Chrysalis Records - will be released in an expanded 2CD format on July 28th. Pre-order your copy now at this location.


The Billy Idol Anniversary Expanded 2CD package includes:


- The original album
- The recently unearthed, previously unreleased 12 minute Clubland Remix of "White Wedding"
- The entire previously unreleased concert from August 12, 1982 at The Roxy in West Hollywood, California





Tracklisting:


Disc 1:


"Come On, Come On"
"White Wedding (Part 1)"
"Hot In The City"
"Dead On Arrival"
"Nobody’s Business"
"Love Calling"
"Hole In The Wall"
"Shooting Stars"
"It’s So Cruel"
"Congo Man"
"White Wedding (Clubland Extended Remix - Previously Unreleased)"


Disc 2 - Live At The Roxy, 1982 - Previously Unreleased:


"Baby Talk"
"Untouchables"
"Come On, Come On"
"Hot In The City"
"Dead On Arrival"
"Heavens Inside"
"Ready Steady Go"
"Hole In The Wall"
"Shooting Stars"
"Kiss Me Deadly"
"White Wedding"
"Nobody’s Business"
"Dancing With Myself"
"Mony Mony"
"Triumph"

Jason Becker is selling the guitar he received as a gift from Eddie Van Halen.

Becker, who was diagnosed with ALS in 1989, is parting ways with the instrument in order to raise money for his ongoing care, which costs more than $100,000 a year.

The sale of the guitar is being brokered by YouTuber Benny Goodman (a.k.a. The Neurotic Guitarist) who is hoping to get the highest price for the Wolfgang #69 guitar without paying the fees typically associated with auction sales.

For more information on how to get your hands on the guitar, watch the video below.

An amazing meeting took place on August 31, 1996. That's when Eddie spent the day with a guy who had followed in his footsteps playing alongside David Lee Roth — Jason. Jason had been diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, and was not in good shape. Van Halen came to Jason's house to give love and support — as well as a guitar — to his friend and to film an ALS awareness promotional video. During that time, Eddie told stories, talked about his creative process, and played amazing music, instantly sounding exactly like Eddie Van Halen even when playing Jason's guitar through a small practice amp.

In December 2020, Becker released never-before-seen footage of the meeting which shows a side of Eddie Van Halen that goes far beyond his brilliant musicianship: a sweet, caring, generous personality, devoid of the trappings of fame or rock stardom. The video also documents the incredible strength of Jason Becker, who had been deprived of his shot at fame as well as his genius guitar skills, but still found the courage and the will to battle a debilitating disease.

"Eddie was such a beautiful person," said Becker. "He was incredibly kind to me and my family. Not only was he my biggest influence, he had such a huge heart. He honestly saved my life."

Becker's story is one of brilliance, talent, determination, adversity, and, ultimately, triumph. A child prodigy on guitar, Jason rose to prominence as a teenager when he was one half of the technical guitar duo CACOPHONY, with his great friend Marty Friedman. In 1989, at only 19 years old and after wowing audiences all over the world, the young virtuoso became the guitarist for David Lee Roth, following in the huge footsteps of Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. He wrote and recorded on Roth's third solo album, "A Little Ain't Enough", and was poised for superstardom when a nagging pain in his leg was diagnosed as Motor Neurone Disease (MND),also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS),or Lou Gehrig's Disease, the same condition Stephen Hawking lived with for over five decades. It is a fatal condition with a life expectancy of maybe five years. Maybe.

That was more than 30 years ago. He lost the ability to play guitar, walk, talk, and breathe on his own. But never lost his will to live or his desire to create music. Communicating through a series of eye movements with a system developed by his father, Jason spells out words as well as musical notes and chords. He imparts his musical vision to his team who then can input the notes into a computer, edit the parts to his exacting standards, and then generate charts for session musicians. His inspiring music and life story have been the subject of countless news articles and magazine cover stories.

Becker's latest album, "Triumphant Hearts", was released in December 2018 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. The disc features guest appearances by a who's who of six-string gods, including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Neal Schon, Steve Morse, Paul Gilbert and Joe Bonamassa.

Photo courtesy of Jason Becker's family

Building on the foundations set by their previous 2019 album, Unseen Planets, Deadly Spheres, September 15 will see Damnation's Hammer release their much-awaited, magnum opus, Into The Silent Nebula.


On their third album, Damnation's Hammer unleashes eight songs of relentless heavy metal, incorporating the band's trademark doom-laden groove. Once again produced by Mark Mynett, Into The Silent Nebula will feature guest appearances from Rotting Christ’s Sakis, Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride and Fenriz from Darkthrone.


Give ear, today, Damnation's Hammer are presenting a first single, the colossal album opener "Sutter Cane“ (feat. Aaron Stainthorpe). A video can be viewed below.




The band comments: "'Sutter Cane' is based on the film In The Mouth Of Madness. Sutter Cane is the protagonist from the film, he's a horror novel writer who goes missing before the release of his latest book, In The Mouth Of Madness. It turns out that what Cane is writing is becoming reality: He's opening a gateway to other worlds allowing an unspeakable horror to spill into our reality! That's Aaron Stainthorpe from My Dying Bride at 02:51 minutes wanting to know 'Do you read Sutter Cane?'"


Set to be released on CD digipak, Ltd. vinyl LP and digital formats on September 15 via Massacre Records, the album pre-sale is now available here.





Into The Silent Nebula tracklisting:


"Sutter Cane" (feat. Aaron Stainthorpe, My Dying Bride)
"Do Not Disturb The Watchmaker"
"Outpost 31" (feat. Fenriz, Darkthrone)
"Into The Silent Nebula"
"The Silent Nebula" (feat. Sakis Tolis, Rotting Christ)
"The Call Of The Void"
"The Hex iv"
"The Moon And The Waters Of Death"


"Sutter Cane" video:





Album lineup:


Tim Preston - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Ady Farnell - Lead Guitar
Jamie Fowler - Bass
Gary Bevan - Drums

John Norum is mostly known as the founder and lead guitarist for the rock band Europe, that quickly took the name as Sweden's biggest rock export with the songs "The Final Countdown", "Carrie" and "Rock The Night", and has sold over 15 million albums worldwide. In October 28, 2022 Norum released his 9th solo album, Gone To Stay, and is now greeting his fans with a new music video directed by award winning director Patric Ullaeus from rEvolver Film Company.


Says Patric Ullaeus: "We created something truly special and innovative together. The energy on set was electric, and the creativity flowed non-stop. From mesmerizing visuals to mind-blowing performances, we pushed the boundaries and delivered a unique audiovisual masterpiece."


Watch the new video for "Norma" below.







Gone To Stay tracklisting:


"Voices Of Silence"
"Sail On"
"Gone To Stay"
"One By One"
"What Do You Want"
"Lady Grinning Soul"
"Norma"
"Calling"
"Terror Over Me"
"Face The Truth (Revisited)"


"Norma" video:





"Calling" video:





"Voices Of Silence" video:





"Sail On" video:

Southern California metal outfit Leatherwolf have announced the release of their latest video and single, “Thunder (MMXXII)”, in support of the forthcoming Kill The Hunted vinyl edition. A powerful remake of their 1989 Street Ready classic, “Thunder (MMXXII)”, is available on all major digital platforms on July 25, with the vinyl set for an August 18 release, just ahead of the band's August 23 headline show at the Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood CA.





"'Thunder' has always been a strong fan favorite and a song that's been a mainstay in our setlist over the years", says drummer/founding member, Dean Roberts. "Once we started putting together the Kill The Hunted album, we knew we'd likely need an extra track or two for different editions. That's when the idea arose to re-record a few of the old songs, including 'Thunder', with the new band. You know, as much as I like the original versions, I was always curious what they would sound like with today's sonic possibilities. And I think the result speaks for itself - the new 'Thunder' is sounding so much more metal! Keith (Adamiak) is killing it on vocals and giving it that extra edge, Rob (Math) is on fire, and Joel (Hoekstra) put down an amazing guest solo which Luke (Man) will be playing live. So far, 'Thunder (MMXXII)' has only been available as a bonus track on the Japanese Kill The Hunted CD so we're excited to be able to present the track to a wider audience through vinyl and digital."




Leatherwolf recently shot a video for “Thunder (XXMMII)” at a West Los Angeles facility, helmed by award winning Spanish director Eric Boadella of Nlight Productions whose credits include L.A. Guns, Black Swan, and Revolution Saints. Check out the video, premiered exclusively through BraveWords, below!





Leatherwolf will celebrate the upcoming Kill The Hunted vinyl LP with a live appearance at the venerable Whisky A-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip. Tickets for the August 23 show can be obtained through Ticketweb.





Preorders for Kill The Hunted, which will be issued as a colored vinyl double LP housed in a gatefold sleeve, with artwork by Marc Sasso (Dio, Halford, Rob Rock), can be placed through the official Leatherwolf Big Cartel store.

Back in January, guitarist Barney Ribeiro revealed that the original members of Nervecell had parted ways, and that he was forging ahead with the band. Following is his statement on the split:


"As some of you may know or have noticed, things have been rather quiet in the Nervecell camp lately. Without going into much detail, let me begin by making it official that Rajeh (James) Khazaal and Rami Mustafa are no longer in Nervecell. After 20 years of being together and touring the world, we have been through all the possible highs and lows, success, stress, compromises and achievements that come with being in a full-time band. More than anything else though, together we experienced what having dreams come true felt like. And those are the memories that will never go away. I will always be grateful for the contributions both members made during their time in the band and wish them both the best in their future endeavors.


I’ve learnt that with time people change, their priorities change and inevitably their personalities also start to alter. I’ll be lying if I said I didn’t change in the way I approach being in a band today, as opposed to when I started the band in 2000. But for what it’s worth mentioning, I will go on record and say this only because I believe YOU the fans deserve the right to know. There really weren’t any musical or personal differences amongst us. But based on my conversations with both members individually, after asking all the tuff questions and initiating the way forward going into the New Year 2022, it became very evident that I was the only one fighting for this cause.




My priorities have always been of the highest order when it comes to Nervecell. I know the struggle involved, and I’ve never taken a second of it for granted. More importantly, I know why I’m still here doing it - purely for the love of it! I’m still that same kid with that same desire and fire that burns inside. So rest assured, I have every intention to continue on with Nervecell. I humbly ask for your patience, as I start to access the challenges that lay ahead, including finding the right replacements to fill in these shoes. Fortunately, I have a select few friends / musicians within my immediate network, who I’ve consulted with and who have been super supportive towards me as I take on this next chapter.


This is definitely not the last you will hear from me / Nervecell."


True to his word, Nervecell is back in action. Check out the band's new video for their comeback single,"Believers Of The Opposite Kind", below. 

Iron Maiden brought The Future Past tour to Estadio Enrique Roca in Murcia, Spain on July 20. Fan-filmed video of the etire show shot from the front row can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Caught Somewhere In Time"
"Stranger In A Strange Land"
"The Writing On The Wall"
"Days Of Future Past"
"The Time Machine"
"The Prisoner"
"Death Of The Celts"
"Can I Play With Madness"
"Heaven Can Wait"
"Alexander The Great"
"Fear Of The Dark"
"Iron Maiden"




Encore:
"Hell On Earth"
"The Trooper"
"Wasted Years"





A new feature from Metal Hammer takes you inside the mischief and mayhem of Iron Maiden's Future Past tour as they join the band in Prague. The following is an excerpt from the feature...


Whether it’s Steve Harris making tough calls or the band being prepared to challenge their fans’ expectations, Maiden’s steadfast refusal to let any outside influence permeate their world has consolidated them as metal’s - maybe all of music’s - most single-minded success story.


Be it producers, critics, peers or their own followers, over their near-50-year lifespan, they’ve caved to no one. They’ve never tried to court the mainstream. They don’t chase critical respect. They certainly don’t care about awards or industry recognition; their absence from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame continues to outrage the metal community, but talking to Steve, it’s clear the band themselves couldn’t care less.


“I’ve never been worried about it,” shrugs Steve. “If people get recognised there, that’s fine, but we’ve never done music to be in some ‘Hall Of Fame’. If it was a thing that was voted by fans, that’d be OK, but the way it works… it doesn’t really represent anything. I don’t know how I’d feel about it if we did actually get in.”


It’s getting toasty as we pull up to the football ground, with temperatures sailing towards 25˚C. A handful of ex-pros are in attendance, including former Manchester United winger Karel Poborský, ex-Liverpool midfielder Patrik Berger and one-time Scotland international – and longtime Maiden fan – Colin Hendry. Steve bids us farewell as he heads towards the changing rooms to pow-wow with his teammates; he’ll go on to score a cracking goal in an emphatic 10-6 win.


The bassist looks like he’s barely broken a sweat as we climb back into the minibus, and, despite tonight’s concert looming, he still takes the time to snap more photos with the fresh batch of fans that are waiting as we arrive back at the hotel. There’s a whiff of Beatlemania whenever Maiden come to town, but like most things, it doesn’t faze them much.


You might not know it from the elated reactions the Future Past setlist has been getting, but even when it comes to picking which songs to play on tour, Maiden listen to one voice and one voice only: their own.


“This might be blunt and brutal, but we don’t do it for the audience,” Steve notes. “We do it for our own thing. We’ve gotta feel comfortable with what we’re playing and enjoy it, and then, hopefully, they’ll like it. That’s always been our stance. All the way through.”


Read the complete feature here.


Iron Maiden's The Future Past Tour features previously unperformed songs from Senjutsu, along with a focus on 1986’s iconic Somewhere In Time record, plus other classic cuts.





You can find the band's complete tour itinerary here.

Outlanders, the unique project of Finnish soprano legend Tarja Turunen, and EDM pioneer, Torsten Stenzel, recently released their long-awaited self-titled album on CD and blue curacao limited edition vinyl. Order here.


Today, Outlanders release a visualizer for the album track, "1971". Watch below:







They worked on the album for over 10 years and had support from some of the most influential guitarists of our time. Each song features a special guitarist as a guest including Al Di Meola, Trevor Rabin, Joe Satriani, Jennifer Batten, Steve Rothery, Mike Oldfield, Walter Giardino, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Vernon Reid, and Marty Friedman.


Outlanders have succeeded in creating something exciting and new: the music combines relaxed but exciting electronic beats with Tarja's emotional, classically trained voice and unique guitar performances. The sound is mysterious, gentle and yet powerful, catchy and dreamy, modern and classic at the same time. The music contains opposites that attract each other in a magical way.





Tracklist:


"Outlanders" (Feat. Walter Giardino)
"Closer To The Sky" (Feat. Trevor Rabin of YES)
"The Cruellest Goodbye" (Feat. Al DiMeola)
"World In My Eyes" (Feat. Vernon Reid of Living Colour)
"Mystique Voyage" (Feat Steve Rothery)
"The Sleeping Indian" (Feat. Joe Satriani and Nkoye Zifah)
"Land Of Sea And Sun" (Feat. Marty Friedman)
"1971" (Feat. Walter Giardino)
"We Own This Sky" (Feat. Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal)
"Never Too Far" (Feat. Mike Oldfield)
"Echoes" (Feat. Jennifer Batten)
"A Peaceful Place (Return To Oasis)" (Feat. Walter Giardino)


"Mystique Voyage" visualizer:





"A Peaceful Place (Return To Oasis)" video:

Former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley underwent a quadruple bypass surgery following a heart attack in March. The singer — who fronted MAIDEN two and a half decades ago — postponed his March and April solo shows but is expected to make a full recovery.

In a brand new interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Blaze provided an update on his health, saying: "I'm feeling very positive. I start my monitored physiotherapy tomorrow. I've been walking and doing as much as I can. They advised me to stay active.

"I had a quadruple bypass, so they want me to keep moving, but I must not lift heavy things or put my chest under strain. For seven weeks, I haven't used my arms. I couldn't lift anything heavier than a carton of milk and sometimes that was a struggle in the beginning. Now I'm getting back my strength. A few aches and pains, nothing to do with my heart. It's good.

"I'm looking forward to having more rehearsals with the guys in WOLFSBANE," he continued. "We have some dates booked. Fingers crossed, they'll go ahead. It felt good. I stood up for all the singing. I had my full voice but felt a bit tired afterward but no other problems. It's what I expected for a first rehearsal for a long time. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling very positive.

"I suppose the overall feeling is I'm incredibly lucky. I had a heart attack, not heart failure."

Recalling the day of his heart attack, Blaze said: "This is amazing: It was a Saturday afternoon. I'm sitting down at home. I'm getting ready to take my fiancée out for dinner. I sit down and I feel like I've got indigestion. I won't bore you with all the details, but in the end, it felt like an invisible Blackie Lawless [W.A.S.P.] sitting on my chest and won't move."

He continued: "I live five minutes from the ambulance station where all the ambulances in the area go. The paramedics were going on their break. They heard the call and said, 'We'll take that call before our break.' They were at my house within two minutes. I live near Birmingham. There are four hospitals within 15 minutes. Within 15 minutes, I was treated for a heart attack in the hospital's heart ward. That was on a Saturday! On the coming Monday, I was booked to start my tour of Europe."

Bayley added: "Who knows? I could have been alone in the hotel. I could have been in the Eurotunnel. I could have been on the Autobahn — anything. If there was a place where it was best to have a heart attack, I had it there. Right at home. It was incredible. I'm so lucky. They said to my fiancée, 'He's going to make it. He's going to be fine, but if we'd been ten minutes later, I don't think we'd be here now.' It was very close."

Blaze then shared details of the massive outpouring of well-wishes he received after his heart attack, including messages from his former MAIDEN bandmates.

"The thing I feel most lucky about is the incredible support I've had from my fans," he said. "All over the world. My WOLFSBANE, Blaze Bayley, the MAIDEN fans. Everybody bought a t-shirt for a tour that was postponed. They still bought it to support me. I'm just incredibly lucky. And the letters people wrote to me. Hundreds of cards from all over the place. It's very humbling."

Blaze continued: "I've always put my whole life into music. It is my life. When people get in touch with you and say, 'I wish you well because your music has gotten me through tough times,' 'Your music meant this to me,' 'I first saw you way back when and it's been the soundtrack to my life,' it's incredible. I got a massive card from the MAIDEN fan club. The [MAIDEN] guys all sent me a message. I'm always in touch with Steve Harris [MAIDEN bassist] anyway, but everyone sent messages of support."

A heart bypass surgery, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, is used to improve blood flow to the heart. A surgeon uses blood vessels taken from another area of the body to bypass the damaged arteries.

The term quadruple bypass refers to the number of coronary arteries bypassed in the procedure. In other words, a quadruple bypass means four coronary arteries are bypassed.

The 60-year-old Bayley fronted IRON MAIDEN from 1994 until 1999. The two MAIDEN albums he appeared on, "The X Factor" and "Virtual XI", sold considerably less than the band's prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group's home country since 1981's "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN in 1999, Bayley has released a number of albums, including several under the moniker BLAZE and more than a handful under his own name. He also appeared on 2012's "Wolfsbane Saves The World", the first album of new material by WOLFSBANE since the group's self-titled 1994 effort, and a follow-up LP, 2022's "Genius".

Blaze's latest studio album, "War Within Me", came out in April 2021. The LP was recorded during 2020 with work split between Blaze's studio at home in the West Midlands and Christopher Appleton's studio in Greater Manchester.

TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson and drummer Chris Dovas have spent the last few days working on material for the band's next studio album.

On Friday (July 21),Peterson shared a couple of Instagram photos from the writing sessions for the follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation", and he included the following message: "Hope everyone is having a great Friday! Had a very productive week with the kid! Mr. @chrisdovas and I worked up new 7 jam ideas ranging from thrash to nwobhm mixed in w/ black thrash to dark heavy hard rock blues…let's see what happens! super stoked so far! #rolanddrums #toontracksuperiordrummer #deanguitars #evhgear #gibsonguitars #metalheads #thrashers #americancarnage"

Dovas shared the same pictures on his social media and he added: "New TESTAMENT material in the works! Eric and I have been working hard all week on new ideas. Stoked so far! #testament #chrisdovas #ericpeterson #roland #czarciekopyto"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peterson told Loud TV about Dovas: "When we were auditioning for new drummers, his video tape was the number one for me. And then, of course, Dave Lombardo called us, so we just kind of pushed everything aside; we said, 'Okay, we'll try Dave.' And when Dave was, like, 'Oh, I've got this show coming up. I've got this show coming up,' I went back to my [videos], [and I said], 'Oh, yeah, this guy.' I remember the other guys going, 'Let's call Paul Bostaph.' 'Let's call John Tempesta.' And, of course, they would probably do it, but with the stipulation of, like, 'I can only do this date,' 'I can only do this date.' I called Chris. He was, like, 'I'm in. I'll do everything.' And so we tried him, and were just, like, 'What?!' Perfect tempo. Everything correct — bam, bam. Very polite. Really nice guy. I can't say enough good things about him. He's just a really good drummer. He's 24; he's my son's age. Young blood back in TESTAMENT. For me, too, he loves black metal, so he was, like, [into] blast beats. But he also graduated from a school called Berklee. So jazz… He's very fluent. He's not, like, 'Oh, I only know blast beats.' He knows blues… TESTAMENT's really diverse — we have ballads, we have rock songs, we have blast beats. That's just it — when he came to visit me before this tour, we were rehearsing for the tour but we would go back to my house at night, do some Jager really late at night and just start jamming at my house. And the next morning we were, like, 'Woah!' Really cool shit. So I'm excited for the next record. It's gonna be killer."

Photo courtesy of Eric Peterson's Instagram

New Testament material in the works! Eric and I have been working hard all week on new ideas. Stoked so far!
#testament #chrisdovas #ericpeterson #roland #czarciekopyto

Posted by Chris Dovas on Friday, July 21, 2023

In a new interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, was asked if her fiancé, drummer and manager Josh Villalta is working on any other music-related projects besides overseeing the Nita Strauss brand. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, he actually — aside from being my drummer and manager, he's actually working on a record himself, which is… I realize that I sound biased, but it's so good. His album that he's got going is incredible. So I can't wait for… Now that this album [Nita's sophomore solo LP, 'The Call Of The Void'] cycle is firmly underway, the album is out, hopefully this will free up a little more of his time to work on his own stuff, because it is so good."

Josh proposed to Nita during the record-release party for "The Call Of The Void" on July 6 in West Hollywood, California.

Villalta and Strauss met in 2011 in the driveway of the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood after being introduced by current Yamaha marketing manager Mike Taft.

In January 2021, Strauss proclaimed her love for Villalta in a social media post celebrating what was at the time their sixth anniversary. She wrote: "What can I say about my best friend on our anniversary.

"The past year sure has thrown a lot at all of us. At this time a year ago, we were getting ready for NAMM and the JIVA Jr and X launch, planning our trip to Australia, scheduling solo tours to new countries, I was writing my next album and he was making plans to travel and record for his own project. Who could have predicted how the year would play out?

"One of the many ways that @thejoshv and I differ is that Josh is never satisfied with the way things are- he's always, ALWAYS thinking about the next move. (After I played Wrestlemania, and we finally made it to our hotel room, I was giddy and bouncing around and he was quiet. When I asked why so quiet, he said pensively, with the New Orleans superdome bright in our hotel window, 'I'm just trying to think how we can top this.') The world is playing checkers, and Josh is playing chess.

"So 2020 continued, and the pandemic hit. All our plans went out the window. But thanks to Josh always thinking a step ahead, we were ready. In the most difficult time of all our lives, we were as prepared as we could have been. And to me... THAT is a great partner.

"Yes- he's strong, brilliant, creative, brave, and he makes me laugh, which are all qualities that I cherish in him. But maybe more importantly- he protects me and our little family at all costs. He pushes me even when I don't want to be pushed, and every time it makes me better. I love to watch his amazing ideas come to life, whether I'm the one executing them or he is. "I can't wait until you guys get to hear the music he's working on. It's truly something else to watch these songs come to life.

"We've made some big moves lately, and our journey isn't the easiest one, but there's no one I'd rather be on it with. Us against the world. I love you baby! Happy anniversary!"

"The Call of the The Void" is a star-studded affair featuring guest vocals from DISTURBED's David Draiman, ARCH ENEMY's Alissa White-Gluz, HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's Chris Motionless, IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén, Hungarian-born vocalist/writer Dorothy Martin, Alice Cooper and Lilith Czar.

Nita released 2018's "Controlled Chaos" to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths".

In March, it was announced that Nita would return to Alice's band for his 2023 tour.

The Alice Cooper North American tour, with an all-new show dubbed "Too Close For Comfort", kicked off in late April in Michigan and will continue through late September, including a handful of August stadium shows with DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE, followed by a co-headlining late summer "Freaks On Parade" tour with Rob Zombie.

Nita spent eight years playing with Alice before joining Demi Lovato's band last summer,

Strauss played her first full live show with Demi in August 2022 at the Grandstand at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois.

Nita made her live debut with Demi in July 2022 with a performance of "Substance" on ABC's Emmy Award-winning late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!".

Strauss had been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

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MEGADETH kicked off the summer 2023 European leg of its "Crush The World" tour on Sunday, July 23 at the Triple Thrash Triumph festival at Spodek in Katowice, Poland. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hangar 18
02. Wake Up Dead
03. In My Darkest Hour
04. Dread And The Fugitive Mind
05. Angry Again
06. Sweating Bullets
07. Conquer Or Die!
08. Dystopia
09. Trust
10. Tornado Of Souls
11. A Tout Le Monde
12. We'll Be Back
13. Symphony Of Destruction
14. Peace Sells

Encore:

15. Mechanix

Encore 2:

16. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

MEGADETH's current lineup includes guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, 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).

MEGADETH's recently completed Canadian leg of the "Crush The World" tour kicked off in British Columbia, with shows in Abbotsford and Kelowna on April 28 and 29, respectively, before making stops in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal and Moncton, and wrapping up on May 15 in Halifax. BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and ONI provided support on the tour.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH played its first concert in seven months this past Friday (July 21) at the York State Fair in York, Pennsylvania. It marked the band's debut live performance since FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH canceled a dozen shows in Europe in order to allow singer Ivan Moody to fully recover from his hernia surgery.

The setlist for the York concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Lift Me Up
02. Trouble
03. Wash It All Away
04. Jekyll And Hyde
05. Sham Pain
06. Bad Company (BAD COMPANY cover)
07. Never Enough
08. IOU
09. Wrong Side Of Heaven
10. Burn MF
11. Welcome To The Circus
12. Inside Out
13. Under And Over It
14. The Bleeding

In late April, Moody released a video message in which he explained how he ended up getting operated on. "I was in a video shoot," he said. "I was jumping around a little bit and I felt something pop. I didn't think much of it. The next day I went to rehearsal, and again, something was a little off, so I took myself to the doctor and he sat me down and he told me that he was surprised I was still walking. He informed me that I had three hernias and offered to do them right then and there. It was quick.

"I thought it would have been easy. However, having all three done at the same time was a shock to my system, to say the least, using of course my diaphragm and my stomach to sing, and you can hear it in my voice, I can't really talk that heavy right now. To be honest, it feels excruciating sitting upright.

"Anyway, he explained to me that the best thing to do would be to get it done now instead of prolonging it, having it rip and get worse, so that's what I did. Again, my body didn't take it as well as I thought it would, so here I am, not working."

On July 15, Moody celebrated the opening of his new Cheyenne, Wyoming businesses at a special block party-style event at his Moody's Rock Stop, described as a rock and roll-based convenience store and fueling station which is designed for everyday "recharging." The celebration featured live music, food trucks, and chances to win free tickets to FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's show with PAPA ROACH at Cheyenne Frontier Days.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, 2022's "AfterLife". Upon its release last August, "AfterLife" immediately shot to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Top 100 Album, the Rock and Metal charts in the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany (where it also debuted at No. 3 on the official album chart),Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Poland. "AfterLife" also debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Rock and Metal charts and No. 2 on the iTunes Top 100 charts in the U.K., France, Netherlands, Sweden and Hungary. Additionally, "AfterLife" hit Top 10 on the iTunes Top 100 in Italy, Spain, Ireland and Belgium. It entered as No. 1 Rock Album on the UK Official Rock and Metal Album charts and debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200. Most notably, with "AfterLife" the band broke the record for most No. 1 albums in the history of Billboard's Hard Rock chart.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has amassed 28 top 10 hit singles and 15 No. 1 singles. Having become one of the most recognizable names in music, 5FDP frequently play all major festivals and sell out arenas around the world. Since their debut album, "The Way Of The Fist", came out in 2007, the band has released eight consecutive albums, seven of which were certified gold or platinum by the RIAA, as well as two chart-topping greatest-hits albums. In addition, 5FDP has earned numerous national and international awards and honors over the last decade, such as the prestigious Soldier Appreciation Award by the Association Of The United States Army, an honor bestowed only upon Elvis Presley before them.

ONLY A FEW HOURS TO GO TILL FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH!!!

Don't miss Five Finger Death Punch with Sick Century at the 2023...

Posted by York State Fair on Friday, July 21, 2023

MUDVAYNE played the second show of its first headlining tour in over 14 years, "The Psychotherapy Sessions", this past Friday night (July 21) at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida. Support on the 26-city trek, which is produced by Live Nation, is coming from COAL CHAMBER, along with GWAR, NONPOINT and BUTCHER BABIES.

MUDVAYNE's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Not Falling
02. Under My Skin
03. Internal Primates Forever
04. World So Cold
05. A New Game
06. Severed
07. Death Blooms
08. King Of Pain (THE POLICE cover)
09. Dull Boy
10. Fish Out Of Water
11. Prod
12. Nothing To Gein
13. Dig
14. Happy?

4K video of the Tampa show can be seen below, courtesy of the IFM RAW YouTube channel.

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."

COAL CHAMBER played its second show as the support act for MUDVAYNE last night (Friday, July 21) at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida. Additional support on the 26-city "The Psychotherapy Sessions" tour, which is produced by Live Nation, is coming from GWAR, NONPOINT and BUTCHER BABIES.

COAL CHAMBER's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Loco
02. Fiend
03. Big Truck
04. I.O.U. Nothing
05. Rowboat (FLOOD cover)
06. Drove
07. El Cu Cuy
08. Dark Days
09. Oddity
10. Another Nail In The Coffin
11. Something Told Me
12. Sway

4K video of the Tampa show can be seen below, courtesy of the IFM RAW YouTube channel.

The West Palm Beach concert marked COAL CHAMBER's third show in eight years, following appearances at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas in May and at the Inkcarceration Music And Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio on July 14.

In a recent interview with the Loaded Radio podcast, COAL CHAMBER frontman Dez Fafara was asked about the possibility of new music from him and his bandmates. He said: "We've been discussing it. [Sigh] I take a sigh right there, and the reason is because I don't wanna rush anything. I actually said to them… We booked [festival appearances at] Inkcarceration, Blue Ridge Rock Fest and Sick New World. That's all we were gonna do this year until MUDVAYNE hit us up [about supporting them on their summer tour]. And I actually said to them about the MUDVAYNE run, 'Let's not do it. I'd rather just stay friends. Let's do a few shows.' But the point is when we're all together, I realized that any problem we've ever had is gone. To think about it as any kind of continuing problem would be wrong. So, okay, cool. Let's go do MUDVAYNE. And now, of course, talking about new music is very exciting for us."

Dez continued: "I happen to feel like if [COAL CHAMBER's last album] 'Rivals', which was released 12 years ago — something like this; 10 [or] 12 years ago — if 'Rivals' would have been released now with where the genre is and where, I would say where nu metal is at this point, that record would be insane. We were 10, 12 years too early getting back together and releasing that record, in my opinion. But I guess it's always good to preempt what's coming down the line, and we surely did with 'Rivals'. So if you're a COAL CHAMBER fan, go check out 'Rivals', if you haven't."

Regarding what it was like returning to the live stage with COAL CHAMBER for the first time in eight years, Dez said: "[It was] unbelievable. We were all backstage. Of course there's a hundred people back there with their cameras on us as we're hugging. But it was amazing. We hit the stage… They were chanting 'COAL CHAMBER', so it was 55, 60 thousand people chanting 'COAL CHAMBER', which just absolute goosebumps on my arms. We came out. We killed it. The set was short — it was only 30, 35 minutes; something like that — so it was in and out. But it was at the height of the day. People were telling us that, 'Your stage was the most packed of the day.' Of course I'm not putting myself up against the bigger bands; I'm just saying that it is what it is. And then when I got off, I said to my wife, 'What's going on? What's going on out there?' And she was, like, 'They're all singing you 'Happy Birthday', dummy.' And I was, like, 'Wow.' So it was a pretty incredible weekend… It was an amazing time, man. And I'm grateful. I'm humbled by everybody who came. And the reception that we got was wonderful."

Four months ago, Fafara told Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about how COAL CHAMBER's reunion came about: "Unbelievable turn of events. That actually happened… I was on my way out from COVID. And my wife called [the other members of COAL CHAMBER] and said, 'Hey, you guys may wanna text Dez or call Dez 'cause I don't know if he's gonna make it through the night. He's telling me where he wants to be buried and not to sell his '78 Cadillac.' So they started to call me, they started to text me, and over a period of six, seven, eight months, we didn't talk any business at all. And we realized that, you know, why are we not playing shows? Those guys are totally different people than when we broke up. I have always been the same — I've just been solid as a rock; and I told them, 'I'm solid as a rock. If I come out of this, I would love to do at least one show with you guys.' And that's how this all started — very organically."

Dez added: "COAL CHAMBER is a very unpredictable thing, all the way from its beginning, playing with PANTERA and BLACK SABBATH, to where we were when we put out 'Rivals' to where we are now… But we're gonna take it slow and we're gonna do what's appropriate for the brand and for the band and especially the fans that have been with us for so long."

COAL CHAMBER's tour with MUDVAYNE will make stops across the U.S. in Syracuse, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and more before wrapping up in Englewood, Colorado at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre on August 26.

COAL CHAMBER existed for ten years before disbanding in 2003 to pursue other musical projects. They reunited in 2011 for touring purposes but it wasn't until 2014 that the band began work on a new studio album of original material, the aforementioned critically acclaimed "Rivals". Several months of touring activity followed before Dez returned to DEVILDRIVER to make a new record, 2016's "Trust No One".

DEVILDRIVER's 2019 co-headlining tour with STATIC-X saw the Fafara-fronted outfit performing material from COAL CHAMBER for the first time.

Fafara painted a bleak picture of COAL CHAMBER's future during a 2016 interview with Revolver magazine. He stated at the time: "I had a lot of fun doing that record and playing shows with them again. But there were some circumstances that were not ideal and that's why that thing is not continuing as of right now. If something comes up and I have time and want to make a record and the members have their shit together, I'll do it. But as of now, there's some deep-seated shit that certain dudes in the band still need to work out. And if they work it out and want to tour or make another record, they can come back and give me a call. But right now, everyone in DEVILDRIVER is stoked. No one's fighting. And I feel lucky to be where I am."

Dez had stated in previous interviews that COAL CHAMBER's original split happened because "I did not want to be around the band's hard drug use and I realized that going onstage every night that the money was feeding their habit, so I walked to save my friends." He added that his COAL CHAMBER bandmates were "clean" as of 2012, which made him realize that "it was the right thing to walk [away from the group back in 2003]."

Chicago, Illinois-based metal outfit REPENTANCE will release its sophomore full-length album, "The Process Of Human Demise", on August 4 via Noble Demon. The official lyric video for the LP's second single, "Buried By Fear", can be seen below.

REPENTANCE guitarist Shaun Glass comments: "When we first started up the early jams of this song, I knew it was something special and 100% was going to be a absolute bruiser of a song. Fast forward to June at the return of Milwaukee Metal Fest, we debuted the song live for everyone and it was quite the response and for us as well! I can 100% say this track will punch you in the throat but in a good way!"

REPENTANCE vocalist Adam Gilley adds: "'Buried By Fear' is a smash to the face right from the start. It has the thrash and the groove to keep you moving. The song is about the fear of the unknown, the fear of death. Not knowing what is to be offered on the other side."

"The Process Of Human Demise" will also include the previously released single "Withered & Decayed", featuring a guest appearance by FEAR FACTORY singer Milo Silvestro.

When "Withered & Decayed" was first made available in May, Glass commented: "When we started working on the album, we knew we wanted to have another guest. We were looking for someone that we thought would complement our style. Around that time, FEAR FACTORY was close to announcing Milo Silvestro as their new singer. I mentioned the idea to Dino [Cazares, FEAR FACTORY guitarist], who's a close personal friend and he brought up the idea of seeing if Milo would be interested. We sent over the track. When he laid down his tracks in his studio, we knew we had what we were looking for. His style fit really well with Adam [Gilley] our singer and him trading verses and singing together on the choruses. We hope our friends and fans enjoy the rollercoaster ride it delivers."

Silvestro stated about the collaboration: "I had a blast recording vocals on this banger. It's heavy, it's fresh, it's got the hook and it's always a real pleasure to work with these gentlemen. Horns up!"

"The Process Of Human Demise" track listing:

01. Buried By Fear
02. Withered And Decayed
03. Reborn
04. The Process Of Human Demise
05. Empire
06. Down In The Water
07. A Future Untold
08. All The Misery
09. Light It Up
10. No Innocence
11. A Grave For The False Ones
12. Venom Inside

Formed in 2018 by former SOIL and DIRGE WITHIN guitarist Shaun Glass, REPENTANCE released its critically acclaimed debut album, "God For A Day", in 2020, followed by the EP "Volume I – Reborn" (2021). "The Process Of Human Demise" was produced by Alex Lackner at Accelerated Sound and was mixed and mastered by Chris Collier at CMC21 Productions. Album artwork was created by Colin Marks (Rain Song Design).

REPENTANCE is:

Adam Gilley - Vocals
Shaun Glass - Guitar
Eric Burns - Guitar
Eric Karol - Bass
Brandon White - Drums

Photo by Alex Zarek

Fan-filmed video of Yngwie Malmsteen's July 20 concert at Café Iguana in Monterrey, Mexico can be seen below.

As previously reported, Yngwie and Glenn Hughes will embark on a tour of the U.S. this summer. Malmsteen will perform his "greatest hits" while Hughes will play a set of classic DEEP PURPLE songs celebrating the 50th anniversary of the "Burn" album.

Malmsteen's latest album, "Parabellum", was released in July 2021 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. Only four of the songs on the LP feature vocals. The album title is Latin, translating as "Prepare For War".

After working with some of the top hard singers of the past four decades, Yngwie now handles much of the lead vocals himself in his own band, backed by a lineup that includes keyboardist Nick Marino, bassist Emilio Martinez and drummer Brian Wilson.

In an interview with Tigman of WPDH Radio 101.5 FM in Poughkeepsie, New York, Yngwie was asked to name the best of the three singers he worked with early on in his career: Jeff Scott Soto, Mark Boals and Joe Lynn Turner. The legendary Swedish guitarist responded: "Here's the way I look at this. So I came to America in 1982 and I joined a band called STEELER. And then I formed a band called ALCATRAZZ. In January 1984, I signed a record deal as a solo artist. So from the point of January 1984, it was never a band — never. There was never a band called RISING FORCE. My first solo album was called 'Rising Force'. I had a band called RISING FORCE in Sweden in '79. And when I hired people for my solo stuff, I would write the bass parts, the drum parts, the guitar parts — obviously — the keyboard parts, the vocal parts and the lyrics. So like an ensemble, like an orchestra or whatever, or even for a performance on Broadway, there's a written piece and the performer is hired to perform the piece. If they, for some reason, don't work out, you put someone else in there.

"For some strange reason, somebody seemed to think that a) it was a band, and b) the guy that was supposed to be the singer at the time was Elvis Presley or something," he continued. "No. So I therefore, [in] 2012, decided I'm not gonna hire singers anymore and I sing myself. I said, 'Good luck to you, guys. See you. Bye.'"

When Tigman noted that none of the singers Yngwie hired over the years "worked out" in the long run, Malmsteen said: "Well, they seem to think because they're the singer and not the keyboard player they're Elvis Presley. And they will soon find out, in my outfit they're notElvis Presley and they will have to move on.

"It's an Yngwie Malmsteensolo career," he explained. "And even now, for the last album I even played all the instruments as well.

"Listen, it's not like, oh, yeah, I minimize these guys — they're all great; whatever — but the thing is that I'm like an artist like a painter or something. Leonardo Da Vinci didn't call someone, like, 'Hey, dude, can you come over and finish half of my painting?' And that's how I work — I paint the whole painting. That's how I work."

Malmsteen previously floated the Elvis Presley comparison in reference to his former singers during a 2018 press conference in Malaysia. Asked why he chose to handle lead vocals himself on his then-latest album, 2016's "World On Fire", he said: "When I started out when I was a kid in Sweden, I had a band called RISING FORCE, I was the singer. Then I came to America and I was playing with STEELER and ALCATRAZZ, they [had their own] singers.

"I always thought that singers have the Elvis Presley syndrome — they think they're Elvis Presley," he continued. "They're not Elvis Presley. Because I write the music, I write the lyrics, I write the vocal melody lines — I write everything. Just because I let somebody sing something doesn't mean they're more important than the bass player or the keyboard player or the drummer. Because I write all the parts — I write the drum parts, the bass parts, the keyboard parts, the guitar parts and the vocal parts — like a classical composer. And I really kind of got tired of dealing with their bullshit, really. So I decided to sing myself."

In 2017, Malmsteen gave an interview to Metal Wani in which the iconic axeman said that he had no interest in collaborating with vocalists like Jeff Scott Soto, Joe Lynn Turner and Tim "Ripper" Owens ever again. "I'm very comfortable singing myself, first of all," Yngwie said. "Secondly, there's a certain disconnect when you write the song and you have someone else sing it for you. And it's kind of like a fakeness about it. I always wrote everything — I wrote all the lyrics, I wrote all the melodies, everything; it's just somebody else sung it. And to me, the singer is nothing else than a different… like a bass player or a keyboard player — they're not more important than any other musician. And they, unfortunately, seem to think that they are. And I've kind of had it with their sort of… self-absorbed sort of way, and I'm very much against it. No. I don't like that. I don't like any of those people, and I don't like to do anything with them ever again."

Hoy @yngwiemalmsteen_official en café iguana!

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Posted by CAFE IGUANA on Thursday, July 20, 2023

Guitarist Christopher Amott has announced his departure from DARK TRANQUILLITY.

The 45-year-old Amott, who was a founding member of ARCH ENEMY, alongside his brother Michael Amott, officially joined DARK TRANQUILLITY in 2020 after previously being a member of the band's touring lineup since 2017.

Late Saturday night (July 22),Christopher released the following statement via his social media: "Hi everyone. I've made the decision to leave DARK TRANQUILLITY. There's no bad blood at all, but it's time for me to concentrate on some new music that I'm very proud of! I'd like to thank the guys (and the fans!) for all the years of great gigs, and I wish them the absolute best. I'll see you all sometime soon!"

A few hours later, DARK TRANQUILLITY issued the following statement regarding Amott's departure: "We are sad to announce that Chris Amott is leaving the band to pursue his own musical path. It has been an honor and a pleasure to play with him and we are parting amicably. To fill in for him in the near future we will have the awesome shredder Joey Concepcion joining us for the rest of the summer.

"Our mission stays the same - to explore this melancholy that neighbours to rage. A path forged by all members of DARK TRANQUILLITY - past and present. There may be some new faces on stage but in our extended family, much is the same. Niklas Sundin is still setting our visual tonality and Martin Henriksson is still our manager.

"Our next task will be to record our 13th album this fall. We are super excited about the material and can't wait to bring it to you."

Two years ago, DARK TRANQUILLITY parted ways with drummer Anders Jivarp and bassist Anders Iwers.

Jivarp was an original member of DARK TRANQUILLITY, having played on all of the band's releases to date. Iwers joined DARK TRANQUILLITY in 2016 and played on the group's last two albums, 2016's "Atoma" and 2020's "Moment".

Jivarp and Iwers were replaced on DARK TRANQUILLITY's recent tours by Joakim Strandberg Nilsson (IN MOURNING, WOLVES WITHIN) and Christian Jansson (GRAND CADAVER, PAGANDOM),respectively.

DARK TRANQUILLITY's latest album, "Moment", which was released in November 2020, was recorded at Nacksving Studios and Rogue Music by Martin Brändström and then mixed/mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios.

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Ex-IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Strömblad says that he and his former bandmates were "going in two completely different directions" prior to his exit from the group more than a decade ago.

Strömblad, who quit IN FLAMES in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction, made his latest comments while speaking to the "Scars And Guitars" podcast about the upcoming third album from his CYHRA project, "The Vertigo Trigger".

Reflecting on the final album he made with IN FLAMES, 2008's "A Sense Of Purpose", Jesper said: "[That] one was too much hassle… Not 'hassle', but we were going in two completely different directions. I wanted to stay death metal-ish and certain individuals wanted to go more radio friendly. And it was not a good time in the band, so I decided to leave, actually. Because I felt when I was on tour… I remember one of the last shows I did, I was watching the audience and I wished I was one of the guys in the audience. 'I don't wanna stand up here.' And I didn't feel that it was fair to the people who come to see the band. And it was not fair to me or the other members. That's when I decided to leave."

Regarding IN FLAMES' musical evolution after his departure from the band, Jesper said: "They drastically changed. Maybe not the album after, but the later ones that came out. But they still have Björn [Gelotte, IN FLAMES guitarist writing the songs]… Something got lost, of course — something got lost. When I left, Björn was without his [songwriting partner]. He did everything himself, and they did a great job, I think. But for me, a little bit the soul disappeared, and it doesn't have to do with me, but it has to do with [the fact that] the last original member left the band, I think a little bit. But they're still doing great. They're an institution. They still play to huge crowds at festivals and are doing a good job and have great musicians with them."

Back in 2017, Jesper told Metal Wani about IN FLAMES' then-latest album, 2016's "Battles": "To be honest, I think they should actually change the name, because it's such a huge, huge difference from the beginning. But if that's the way they wanna do it, fine. And they're happy with the new members, so good luck to them. Everyone is in the right place."

Strömblad went on to clarify: "I didn't say that 'Battles' sucks ass — that's not what I said. It's just it's very… They have developed so much in a [different] direction."

During the Metal Wani chat, Strömblad went on to say that some of the albums he made with IN FLAMES continued to be unfairly criticized by the band's fans, many of whom still expected the group to make new music in the vein of its more obscure earlier material.

"I think that 'A Sense Of Purpose' is a very underrated album, actually," he said. "'Cause I think that had all the elements that IN FLAMES is about, but it got so much shit [from the fans]. It's [viewed as] the worst album, if people vote [for the top album in IN FLAMES' discography]. They hate it, and I can't get that, actually."

Last August, Strömblad, who has been sitting out CYHRA's live shows, as well as those from his other band THE HALO EFFECT, in order to deal with his addiction and other demons, opened up about his ordeal in an interview with A&P Reacts. At the time, he said: "The addiction, it led me to the depression, and that's a disease. And that's nothing to be ashamed of. That can happen to anyone at any point. And if I tell my story and I'm just honest with it, maybe it can inspire one guy to take that step and say that, 'Well, maybe I get the insight that I have a problem with alcohol' or 'I have a problem with drugs.' Because being a drunk in denial, that's like a full-time job, I tell you that… And I'm so tired of it."

THE HALO EFFECT, which also features fellow former IN FLAMES members Daniel Svensson (drums),Peter Iwers (bass),Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals),was officially launched in 2021.

THE HALO EFFECT released its debut album, "Days Of The Lost", in August 2022 via Nuclear Blast Records.

CYHRA, which was founded by Jesper and vocalist Jake E (ex-AMARANTHE),also features lead guitarist Euge Valovirta (ex-SHINING) and drummer Alex Landenburg (KAMELOT).

"The Vertigo Trigger" will be released on August 18 via Nuclear Blast Records.

In a new interview with Vikram Chandrasekar of Tales From The Road, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner was asked what he has learned about himself while working on "Horns For A Halo", the debut album from his ELEGANT WEAPONS project. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a good question. I don't know, really. I'm not a great leader, put it that way. Obviously, I've spearheaded this band and I've put it together, but it doesn't come naturally. It's something I have to work at — for better or worse. And sometimes I think we realize what we're not good at and what we can improve on, and that's great. There's lots of things like that where you find out a lot about… Sometimes there's three or four of you pulling together. In this situation, it was a bit different. You have to write all the stuff, or you have to delegate to people that are better than you; that's another thing. Like the lyrics, for example. I'm not a big lyric guy. So instead of maybe having a subpar lyrical content, I would offer it out to people to write better lyrics than I can. So it's trying to get the better end product, even if it wasn't me doing it, if that makes sense — so delegating to people that are better [at doing something than I am]. Yeah, putting together a good team. Maybe because I'm feeling that I'm not a great leader, I need other people with me to make me sound better. [Laughs] You know what I mean? But it's definitely a learning experience."

"Horns For A Halo" was released on May 26 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was recorded with singer Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, MSG),bassist Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS and MEGADETH, among many others.

ELEGANT WEAPONS's current touring lineup consists of Faulkner, Romero, Dave Rimmer (URIAH HEEP) on bass and Christopher Williams (ACCEPT) on drums.

ELEGANT WEAPONS recently played its first-ever live shows in Europe. The trek included performances with PANTERA, festival appearances and headlining concerts.

Regarding the ELEGANT WEAPONS band name, Faulkner previously said: "In almost any endeavor, the craftsman needs the right tools for the job. For a musician, those tools are things like their instruments, their voices and the emotions that the right combination of all those can bring to the surface. You can also consider it a reference to the instruments we play, because they're almost antiquities now. So yes, it references our instruments and also this kind of music, where we're carrying on the tradition of the greats like SABBATH and DIO but also bands the guys are connected to, like RAINBOW, PANTERA and PRIEST."

Last month, Richie told Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global that he plans on focusing on ELEGANT WEAPONS full-time once PRIEST has officially called it a day.

"PRIEST music is gonna be around a lot longer than we are," he said. "It's legendary music. They're genre-defining musicians and it's a genre-defining band. It will be around for a long time. But none of us gets out of this alive. That's just the reality of it. So if one day that call comes in and that's the last tour or the last album, whatever it is… I mean, I joined the band on what was the farewell tour. Luckily it wasn't, and we're still here 12 years later. [It's] fantastic. But at the time, I think I would have been silly not to consider what I was gonna do after the band, because of the circumstances of the tour. It was a farewell tour — it was [supposed to be] the last tour — so what am I gonna do after? So it's always been in the back of my mind. And this is a band that seems natural to me to continue with if that call ever came in."

Image credit: Gibson

ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna was interviewed for the latest episode of "The Kenny Aronoff Sessions", the podcast hosted by Kenny Aronoff, one of the most accomplished drummers in rock and roll history. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about his audition for ANTHRAX, which happened after singer Neil Turbin had quit the band ahead of the studio sessions for the group's second album, Joey said: "Just to show up and see four guys from New York City playing this hard, heavier stuff… Even though I listened to [IRON] MAIDEN and [JUDAS] PRIEST and stuff, but this was different. And then plus I hadn't really heard myself really sing full in a capacity where I had to do something completely different. And all of a sudden there's this originality from that band and myself form this kind of cool thing, with the little tenor vocal, with some fast and speeds. It just was cool, the way it went down. And I don't think of it any other way. But I had no idea what I was dealing with musically, 'cause I hadn't heard it before and I didn't know the people."

Joey went on to say that he hadn't sung anything that was as aggressive and heavy as ANTHRAX was on the band's first album, "Fistful Of Metal".

"I was doing all classic rock at the time," he explained. "[My then-band] BIBLE BLACK was a blues kind of SABBATH-y, DEEP PURPLE stuff, but we never really got our feet on the ground. Everybody was just really at the last bit of their wanting to do it. It almost was, like… Wow, it was kind of a shame that we never really got to doing something for real, but at the same time, it afforded me just to move on and see something else. And then that's where my name, from that band, [resulted in] a possibility for [the ANTHRAX guys] to have someone come in without really having to search around and do a cattle call, which I don't know if they did, that I know of. And I walked in, and they asked right away, if you you would be interested in stick around and do some more. And it just kind of led to what it did. I had no idea. In fact, I wasn't sure what we were gonna be. There was just no way to tell."

Belladonna addressed his initial reluctance to join ANTHRAX in a 2017 interview with "The Metal Podcast". He said at the time: "When I walked in [to audition for] ANTHRAX, I hadn't done a whole lot of originals. I just began doing more [original songs with my previous band], 'cause we were just doing covers after covers. And then, just walking out of there after finishing that record ['Spreading The Disease'], I was, like, This is it? This is interesting,' not knowing that it was even a band that I even wanted to join. 'Cause I wasn't quite sure. I didn't even know them. As a musician, I wasn't sure that that was the band I wanted to join. They seemed to have their stuff together and it was really cool. I have to say it was decent. But I wasn't too sure, you know."

In a 2005 interview with MusicDish, Belladonna was asked about the rumor that he came to the table with a JOURNEY tune during his 1985 audition for ANTHRAX. "Actually, what happened was I went into the room and they said, 'Just go on in,' and they hadn't heard me sing," he said. "They'd heard of me and they asked me to come in, but we were going in to start tracking and stuff, to get the mic set up and all that and they said, 'Let's get you in there and get you warmed up.' I hit the mic and belted out some JOURNEY… I think it was [the song] 'Lights'. I didn't know what the hell I was getting into in the first place. I just wanted to lay some vocals or something. Just to kinda give an idea and that's what happened. It wasn't really anything more than that. I just kinda belched it out. I think I did 'Oh Sherrie' [written by Steve Perry], too, or something. I dunno why, but I just did. It was something off the top of my head I could do a cappella and it was kinda challenging. I thought maybe in range or something that would be kind of intriguing. It was definitely one they weren't expecting."

Belladonna, whose most recent return to ANTHRAX was officially announced in May 2010, was originally the lead singer of ANTHRAX from 1984 to 1992, and was considered part of the influential thrash metal group's classic lineup (alongside guitarists Dan Spitz and Scott Ian, bassist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante),which reunited and toured during 2005 and 2006. His voice was featured on over 10 albums, which reportedly sold eight million copies worldwide.

In a 2016 interview with Kazagastão, Belladonna said about his exit from ANTHRAX in 1992 before officially rejoining the band in 2010: "It's sucky that I was gone for that long, you know what I mean? I never understand that. It does bother me [that I was fired], even today, 'cause… We didn't miss a beat and I think we would have done… I can't imagine what we could have done along the way. No offense to anything else, but I just didn't see any reason for it."

"The Kenny Aronoff Sessions" is available now on all podcast streaming platforms, including iHeart Radio, Spotify, Apple Music and Google.

For more information, visit www.youtube.com/KennyAronoffOfficial.

WINGER frontman Kip Winger spoke to Darren Paltrowitz, host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", about the increased challenges of the touring lifestyle, particularly as it relates to the frustrations and the exhaustion of the constant travel.

"The rock thing is getting really grueling," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We just got off a 30-day bus tour. We toured with Tom Keifer, and it was really, really difficult. I didn't like it. I mean, I love the performing part of it, but I do not like the travel aspect of it, especially in a bus, and I didn't like it at all. So mostly we do fly dates, which is fine.

"My days are numbered on that, honestly," he continued. "It's kind of a 'been there, done that.' It's just not giving me what I'm looking for in my life anymore. I like playing with my band because they're a) really great people and b) amazing musicians. But if I wasn't playing with them, I wouldn't, like, start up another band or something like that — no way in hell. I'd just be working on my own thing."

Kip, who has spent years honing his classical chops and has written upward of six full classical compositions, one of which, "Conversations With Nijinsky", was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2016 for best contemporary classical composition and was performed by the Nashville Symphony in 2017, added that he likes "the solo thing equally to the WINGER thing. It's just that… For example, we played a month on tour. We were in a bus, and we played probably 15 or 16 hours in a month and the rest of it was just travel time," he explained. "I've got a lot of shit to do in my life, and most of it's writing, and it's impossible to do that [when you are on tour]. And with bands like us, you kind of have to take what you can get, kind of, so you play throughout the year. I mean, if I was U2 or something, I'd be, like, 'Great. I'm gonna play June, July. I'll go out and make millions and I'll have the rest of the year off or whatever.' That would be fine. I don't need the money at this point. I just really do it… To be honest with you… Well, we have a new record; I like to promote the new record. I'm making plans on how I'm gonna move forward from this 'cause we're not gonna be doing WINGER that much longer, I don't think. I mean, cruises and festivals and stuff, certain gigs and stuff, but I'm not gonna be hitting it hard 'cause I've got too much stuff to do in my other worlds."

As for which creative outlets he might want to dedicate most of his time to going forward, Kip said: "What I did was consistently study these things from the time I was about 18, and so I basically have ten thousand hours in this, ten thousand hours in that, ten thousand hours in this, so I can switch pretty easily, and it's really just like hop on a bike or hop on a motorcycle or hop in a car… The one thing I don't feel like I'm good enough at is the classical, the orchestral thing — my chops aren't anywhere near where I want them to be. So that's really what I wanna focus on."

Kip took piano lessons at age six and started learning classical guitar at sixteen. He joined Alice Cooper's band when he was 24 and later formed WINGER.

WINGER's seventh studio album, "Seven" was released on May 5 via Frontiers Music Srl. The 12-track album was produced by Kip and recorded in Nashville.

WINGER formed in the late 1980s and soared to immediate success with its 1988 self-titled release. The album spawned the hit singles "Seventeen" and "Headed For A Heartbreak" and achieved platinum sales status. "Winger" also stayed on The Billboard 200 chart for over 60 weeks where it peaked at #21. Their next album, "In The Heart Of The Young", also achieved platinum status behind the singles "Can't Get Enuff" and "Miles Away". The change in musical climate of the mid-'90s, compounded with unprovoked ridicule on MTV's popular "Beavis And Butt-Head" show, led the band to go on hiatus in 1994. In 2001, WINGER reunited and has not looked back since.

Gary Holt says that he doesn't think there will ever be a SLAYER reunion.

The EXODUS leader, who spent almost nine years touring with SLAYER, discussed the possibility of the latter band coming back while holding a guitar clinic this past Monday (July 17) at Pitbull Audio in National City, California.

Asked if he thinks there will ever be a SLAYER reunion, Holt responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Ah, man. You've gotta talk to other people. That's outta my pay grade. Look, if anybody ever asked me to do it, of course I'd be down to do it. But I don't think it's ever gonna happen. I think the band's ended. Unlike all the other farewell tours that started five years ago and are still continuing, I think this one's over."

As for what it was like being on the road with SLAYER as part of the band's final tour in 2018 and 2019, Gary said: "It was totally fun. I mean, it was the final, last-ever tour. It was a good time. You tried not to let it get weird on you, as far as, like, 'This is it.' I never really thought about it ending until the last final of the two shows. It kind of dawned on me. But that was a good one. I'll remember that tour forever. It was fucking rad."

Holt began filling in for SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman at live shows in 2011, and became the band's full-time co-guitarist as of 2013, while remaining a member of EXODUS. Holt played on SLAYER's final album, "Repentless", which came out in 2015.

Back in October 2021, Kerry King made headlines in the metal world when he said that SLAYER retired "too early." While recording a short video message to congratulate MACHINE HEAD on the San Francisco Bay Area act's 30th anniversary, SLAYER's founding guitarist said: "So, I hear congratulations are in order for my friends in MACHINE HEAD. Apparently, it's 30 years, which is quite an achievement. Not a lot of bands get there. We did, and then we quit too early. Fuck us. Fuck me. I hate fucking not playing."

Holt was asked about Kerry's comment in a July 2022 interview with Guitar World magazine. He said: "Did the band stop too soon? That's for them to decide. I know that's how Kerry feels. Maybe [bassist and vocalist] Tom [Araya] doesn't agree. I think the band had a lot more music in them, but you know what they say. It's better to go out too soon than too late. The band went out firing on four cylinders. Better to do that than milk it for a few more years when everybody knows you're milking it. That would tarnish the legacy of the band. This way they went out in peak form. Maybe that's best."

Asked if there is anything he misses now about being in SLAYER, Holt said: "Yeah, man. I've been friends with those guys since we were kids. And, I had one job in SLAYER and one job only. Go out, play killer, bang your head and play a little bit of a guitar hero role. One thing I was shocked with was how many SLAYER solos there are. There are songs that I played three solos in and at one point I'd be, like, 'All right, I'm just going to go shred and play this one behind my head 'cause I'm out of ideas.' [Laughs] But yeah, it was fun and relatively easy. I wear a lot more hats in EXODUS and have a lot more responsibility. Fortunately, I love it — but it's not always easy."

Holt previously weighed in on Kerry's "we quit too early" comment in an interview with Metal Hammer in the fall of 2021. At the time, he said: "I'd have to agree [that SLAYER called it quits prematurely]. We were still playing at the top of our game, we were totally killing it. The band had a lot of years left in it, but I guess when it's time, it's time. When you decide to walk away from something, walk away. I can't tell anybody they made the wrong decision. Better to go out on top than go out unable to play your own songs, and this shit isn't easy. Playing 'Angel Of Death' at 70 years old would be fucking hard. But it was time for me to come back, let's put it that way. I was really missing my first family."

Back in March 2022, Gary told Headbangers Con that he would be open to playing with SLAYER again if the band ever decided to come back. "Look, if the powers that be ever — like, in a year or something — said, 'Hey, you know what? We feel like playing some shows,' I'm there to do it," Holt said. "But those aren't decisions for me to make, or even me to really speculate on. As far as my knowledge, the band is over, and the final show was November 30th, 2019. And I'm full speed ahead with EXODUS now."

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry's wife Ayesha King said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances. In August 2020, she once again shot down the possibility of her husband and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya sharing the stage ever again under the SLAYER banner.

After Ayesha shared three photos of Kerry holding their cat in slideshow-type Instagram post, a fan wrote: "No Tom, No SLAYER Kerry. Stop thinking SLAYER without @tomarayaofficial". Ayesha then replied: "don't worry, they'll never be SLAYER again! You can rest easy".

That same month, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph confirmed that he is involved in a brand new project headed up by Kerry King. The duo spent much of the last three years working on music with the hopes of recording it properly once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

SLAYER's final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band's intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.

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In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, legendary rocker Ted Nugent confirmed that he is working on a memoir. "My son Rocco, who is just a genius, he's on the road with me," he said. "Rocco Winchester Nugent and I are collaborating. You know, I've written three New York Times bestsellers, and I wrote 'em. I mean, I sat down and wrote the motherfuckers, man. It's quite a chore. Holy shit. You've got to sit down for long periods of time and I'm really not good at that. So Rocco is sticking recorders in my face. By the way, we're filming [my] whole 'Adios Mofo' [farewell tour]. We're documenting the whole tour for all kinds of applications. Rocco has been having me reminisce about all of these stories. I have so many stories."

Ted continued: "So he's transcribing all of my [stories] and we're going to create two books. One is 'Uncommon Sense', because I live a beautifully perfected common-sense lifestyle. That's the [first book], because it seems to be on the endangered species list out there — but it's not. It's alive and well. Then we're also documenting my 75 years of being clean and sober, riding the flame-throwing middle finger into that not-so-quiet night. Boy, that's a statement, that should be the front of the book, shouldn't it? That book will be titled 'Stranglehold'. I'm going into all of the gory details. It will be unabridged and my God, what an adventure I've had. Holy shit."

Back in 2008, Nugent landed on The New York Times bestseller list with his book "Ted, White, And Blue: The Nugent Manifesto". This marked the rock legend's second time charting on The New York Times bestseller list, a spot he achieved with "God, Guns, And Rock 'N' Roll" (2000). Ted's other successful books include "Kill It And Grill It", "Blood Trails: The Truth About Bowhunting" and "Blood Trails II".

Nugent's self-titled debut album in 1975 was certified double platinum in the United States, while "Free-for-All", "Cat Scratch Fever", "Weekend Warriors" and "State Of Shock" all reached the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Nugent has reportedly sold over 40 million albums and was named Detroit's greatest guitar player of all time by readers of MLive.

The conservative rocker, who been eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist since 2000, has enjoyed a remarkably successful and eventful musical career over the past five decades, but his music is increasingly overshadowed by his political outbursts.

Nugent's latest album, "Detroit Muscle", was released in April 2022 via Pavement Music. The follow-up to 2018's "The Music Made Me Do It" was recorded with Ted's most recent touring band, which included bassist Greg Smith and drummer Jason Hartless.

This past May, Smith, who had played bass for Ted for the past 16 years, announced his departure from the legendary rocker's touring band. He has since been replaced by Johnny Schoen.

Ted kicked off his "Adios Mofo '23" farewell tour on July 12 in Immokalee, Florida.