It's been almost four decades since the mighty KING KOBRA first burst on to the melodic metal scene. Pulled together by superstar drummer and mastermind Carmine Appice (CACTUS, VANILLA FUDGE),KING KOBRA quickly became a worldwide fan favorite with a deadly mix of stellar musicianship, killer metal hooks, and, of course, a whole lot of teased up hair.

Now, a new lineup of KING KOBRA, perhaps their strongest gathering yet, is ready to announce the release of "We Are Warriors", the band's hard-hitting seventh studio album. KING KOBRA founder Appice is joined once again by longtime bassist Johnny Rod and ex-QUIET RIOT and ROUGH CUTT vocalist Paul Shortino, who welcome to the den the newest vipers, ex-QUIET RIOT/RATT guitarist Carlos Cavazo and former DIO guitarist Rowan Robertson. With these two talented virtuosos aboard, "We Are Warriors" is bound to be one of the band's most celebrated albums.

Check out the first single, the supercharged title track, which is being released today on all digital platforms. The band even recorded a captivating performance music video that proves these veteran rockers still have what it takes to bring the rock.

Cavazo declares that the new single "is the anthem of how our lives were in the '80s," while Shortino looks forward to the release of the entire album, saying, "We put a lot of love into this record." And finally, Appice says, "The album has some great moments in playing, singing and songwriting…it meets the standard of KK….it ROCKS!!"

The full release of "We Are Warriors" is set for August 11 and will be available on digital, CD and a gorgeous silver/black splatter vinyl.

"We Are Warriors" track listing:

01. Music Is A Piece Of Art
02. Turn Up The Music
03. Secrets And Lies
04. Drownin'
05. One More Night
06. Love Hurts
07. Dance
08. Darkness
09. We Are Warriors
10. Drive Like Lightning
11. Trouble (CD only)
12. Side By Side (CD only)

“Phantom Parallax” is the second single off Unearthly Will coming from Canadian death metal act, Augurium. The second track on the album – exclusively premiered through BraveWords – is a very rhythm-based song that calls back to the intro chord numerous times and boasts the heaviest breakdown on the album. It is straight-up metal filth that will satiate most open-minded metal fans. Lyrically, it could be considered to be meditations on the possible connection between the living and the dead, and possession. 


The band shares their thoughts on it:


“‘Phantom Parallax’ was one of the earlier songs written for the album and one of the final ones to be completed. We reworked it numerous times both musically and lyrically but ultimately decided that it needs to have some shrieking vocal lines and get downright nasty at the end. This is one of our stronger pieces and are beyond stoked to bring it to the masses.”







Augurium builds on expressions of old and new references within the world of heavy metal. Unearthly Will will be their third album and they continue to challenge genre boundaries and concoct an original sound. It is a fresh take on what Canadian death metal has to offer. With slamming riffs in a variety of time signatures and genre-bending aspects, over a finely executed percussion and rhythm section, it will be a very surprising yet welcome evolution, with an all-new line-up, and 2 years of hard work, created with great care and intention.


Augurium has tour dates planned for the fall to support this new album and they promise a brutally good time for those who attend one of their gigs. Each of them has been playing music live since high school, so we are entering this chapter with lots of experience, and plan to deliver a polished, dark, expressive, and rewarding performance for each city they visit.


Atmospheric, orchestral, bloodthirsty destruction awaits, “Phantom Parallax” is recommended for fans of Septicflesh, Belphegor, and Decrepit Birth.


Unearthly Will is due out on August 25 and is available for preorder at Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Inquisition Of The Possessed”
“Phantom Parallax”
“Sanguine”
“Ancient Grimoire”
“Inceptus Mysteria”
“Unearthly Will”
“As Above…So Below”
“Invictus”


“Ancient Grimoire”:





Tour dates:


August
25 – Vancouver, BC – Astoria*
26 – Kelowna, BC – Dunnezies Pizza*
27 – Kamloops, BC – Blue Grotto*
30 – Edmonton, AB – Rendezvous Pub**
31 – Calgary, AB – Nvrland**


September
1 – Saskatoon, SK – Black Cat Tavern***
2 – Regina, SK – The Exchange***


*with Hooker Spit, Raising The Ruins
**with Kryotic
***with Cell and Kryotic 

Rap metal sensation Sicksense - featuring vocalists Vicky Psarakis (ex-The Agonist) and Robby J. Fonts (Stuck Mojo) - have shared a one-take bass playthrough performance of their song, "Forgotten Days", by bassist Samuel Bédard. Check it out below.





Sicksense recently shared a one-take vocal performance of the song "Invitation". The track is taken from their new Fools Tomorrow EP.







Hard-hitting and melodic; pissed off and groovy; energetic and catchy: upon first listen, it is clear that Sicksense is all of these things. The band - comprised of vocalists Killer V (Vicky Psarakis) and Rob The Ripper (Robby J. Fonts), guitarist Breakdown Bran (Bran Panic), drummer The True Cody Taylor (Cody Taylor) and bassist Spot-On Sam/SOS (Samuel Bedard) – have released their new EP, Fools Tomorrow. It is now available here.





Fools Tomorrow tracklisting:


"Feed Them To The Wolves"
"Fools Tomorrow" (ft. Billy Grey)
"Invitation"
"Run And Hide"
"Erase, Rewind"


"Feed Them To The Wolves"





"Fools Tomorow"





Having both performed a range of styles in numerous heavy bands, Killer V and Rob The Ripper (who are married) wanted to return to a genre that’s close to their hearts, but also make music that is specifically written for two vocalists. Written with dual vocal interplay from a male / female perspective, their performance reflects a personal and fun side of them as people, but also tackles social and societal issues in the world today. Backed by guitarist Breakdown Bran (Bran Panic), drummer The Trve Cody Taylor (Cody Taylor) and bassist Spot-On Sam/SOS (Samuel Bedard), Sicksense would be born out of the band’s desire to share their upbeat and fun message with the world. Sicksense chooses musical inspiration from various bands and those influences shine through in their debut EP, Kings Today.   


Sicksense is:


Killer V – Vocals/Keys
Rob The Ripper – Vocals
Breakdown Bran – Guitars
Spot-On Sam/SOS – Bass
The Trve Cody Taylor – Drums

For four decades, Overkill have been the trailblazers in producing some of the most signature moments in the world of metal. Earlier this year, the New Jersey thrash legends unleashed their twentieth studio album, entitled Scorched, via Nuclear Blast Records.


The band is out on their "Scorching The Earth" US tour with labelmates Exhorder and Heathen. The 16-date trek kicked off on July 13 in San Francisco, and fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:




"Scorched"
"Bring Me The Night"
"Electric Rattlesnake"
"Hello From The Gutter"
"Powersurge"
"Wicked Place"
"Coma"
"Horrorscope"
"Long Time Dyin'"
"The Surgeon"
"Mean, Green Killing Machine"
"Ironbound"
"Elimination"
"Overkill"
"Rotten To The Core"
"Fuck You"





Tour dates:


July
18 - Dallas, TX - Trees
19 - San Antonio, TX - The Rock Box
20 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
21 - Destin, FL - Club LA
22 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
23 - Orlando, FL - House Of Blues
24 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
26 - Silver Springs, MD - The Fillmore
27 - Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theater
28 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
29 - Boston, MA - House Of Blues
30 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount





(Photo - Frank White)

Monolord return with It's All The Same, the new EP featuring two devastating epics.


Physical LP preorders are out September 8 and the two song EP is available digitally. Physical preorders are available at relapse.com and stream at orcd.co.







“Did we hear somebody asking for new Monolord?" Monolord comments, "Sometimes a single is just what you need. We've had these two songs in the making for a while and now we finally found their shape and form."


It's All The Same sees the Swedish power trio burn through the explosive, melancholic opener "Glaive (It's All The Same)" and the fuzzed out, heavier-than-ever "The Only Road".





Monolord is:


Esben Willems - Drums
Thomas Jäger - Guitar Vocals
Mika Häkki - Bass

In a new interview with "The Signals Of Intuition", Canadian guitarist Glen Drover, who joined MEGADETH in 2004 with his drummer brother Shawn, spoke about how he ended up hooking up with the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit nearly two decades ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was referred by someone who I'd met years prior who was in contact with their webmaster, and I was referred for the gig, basically. And then he said, 'Hey, I put your name in.' "Cause Dave was wanting to put a version of the band back together to do a farewell tour. And he said, 'I put your name in. Wouldn't it be cool if you joined the band?' And I said, 'Yeah, okay.' And I was thinking, 'That's not gonna happen.' And within a few days, I was in the band — literally, it was that fast. That was it. We brought Shawn in because we started rehearsals. We did about two and a half weeks because it was a new band and the tour was following that two-and-a-half-week period immediately after. And Nick [Menza, who was in talks to rejoin MEGADETH] wasn't working out. Shawn came in. And he had to learn 18 songs, I think, in six days and fit in with the band. We played our first show in Reno, and it went great. The power of determination and being inspired and motivated from that whole situation. Looking back, it's kind of crazy that he was able to accomplish that in six days, but he did, with the help of everybody."

Elaborating on how Shawn managed to learn the parts so quickly, Glen said: "He hadn't really been playing [drums]. Well, he had a little bit of warming up when he did the drum tracks for our [EIDOLON] album, but primarily he was [working in] construction. So I pulled him out of that. He came into the band. But he quickly got into shape real, real fast. When he came in, he was nervous, as I was, but I did my homework times ten, so I was ready. So when he came out [I said], 'Ah, it's okay. Don't worry. It's gonna be fine.' 'Cause Shawn's like a sponge. Once he gets something, you don't have to worry about him. I didn't even have to look at him. And we've had that chemistry since we were kids. So that tightness that me and Shawn had formed as brothers was brought into the band, which helped a lot. We had a good lineup there."

When the interviewer noted that MEGADETH's then-lineup, with bassist James LoMenzo, was particularly strong, Glen said: "It started off with Jimmy [James] MacDonough [on bass]. And that was short lived. He did a decent job. James [LoMenzo], he fit the band better in all ways, with all due respect to Jimmy. But it was great. That was a great lineup. And we had a lot of fun. Everybody got along real well; everybody was chill. So it was just a really good atmosphere. And we had a lot of fun — seeing the world multiple times with my brother."

In a 2015 interview with Metal Wani, Glen was asked if Dave was as difficult to work with as his reputation suggests. He responded: "Well, I mean, there's been a lot of personnel changes in the band throughout the years. There's [been] a lot of changes, period, with just anybody that's in the organization. What I can say is that I think that speaks for itself, and he'll probably tell you the same thing. But, for me, up until the time I left, we actually had a lot of good times. We never had any big falling out or anything like that. I have a lot of good memories, especially, probably, from the first two years. Maybe the last six months or so, things started to change and it wasn't as… A lot of people thought I left because I just wanted to stay home and look at the walls, which is quite ridiculous, but whatever… This is an old story, but I just didn't like it. I didn't like being in that atmosphere anymore, because it wasn't as fun and positive as it once was, and I was getting a little bit disillusioned and a little bit irritated with certain things, and it just got to a point where I was, like, 'Okay, I'm not happy. I've gotta leave.' And that was pretty much the story. There was really nothing more to it than that."

As for how he looked back on his time with MEGADETH, Glen told Metal Wani: "One thing I'm really happy and proud about is when we were in the band, it wasn't supposed to be a MEGADETH reformation; it was supposed to be a farewell tour. There wasn't supposed to be this thing that was supposed to carry on for the last ten years. When I joined, it was [Dave Mustaine saying], 'We're just gonna do this farewell tour. I wanna end it properly.' And that was it. But the reaction we were getting… Dave decided, 'No. I'm not gonna kill the band. I'm gonna keep this thing going.' So I'm really happy and proud to have put all that hard work in in really bringing the band back and making it powerful — just going out there and just playing really hard and doing the best we could.

"A lot of people don't know that [MEGADETH's first tour with me in the band was initially supposed to be a farewell tour]. A lot of people though it was a reformation, period. Purely all it was… Apparently [Mustaine] hurt his arm at some point. And, basically, he put this album out, 'The System Has Failed' [in 2004], and it was getting good reviews, and he decided that he wanted to do a farewell tour. I think, initially, he was gonna be looking at [reuniting] that 'Rust In Peace' lineup. He had recruited Nick Menza, then me, and then we got Jim MacDonough [bass] in the band. And then we went to rehearsals, and Nick wasn't working out, and was let go, and then Shawn was brought in [to play drums]. That's how it went. It's very simple. And then after the farewell tour, he was gonna continue, with calling the band DAVE MUSTAINE, and he wanted us to be involved with that. And for me, it didn't make any sense, because one minute we're called MEGADETH, then the next minute we're called DAVE MUSTAINE. It just wasn't a good idea. And we all had said, 'Hey, we're all interested if you wanna carry on the MEGADETH thing. We're not really as interested in the DAVE MUSTAINE thing.' 'Cause that just creates confusion, and I didn't wanna have anything to do with that. And then he ended up keeing the name and then the band just kept going. And it hasn't stopped ever since."

Glen is currently promoting the debut album from his WITHERING SCORN project, also featuring Shawn, former FATES WARNING bassist Joe DiBiase and German singer Henning Basse, who has previously played with FIREWIND, METALIUM and MAYAN.

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

Glen's debut solo album, "Metalusion", came out in April 2011 via Magna Carta Records.

Peter Gabriel recently released the seventh track from the album i/o. This month the song is "So Much" and the new version to be heard is the Bright-Side Mix, by by Mark 'Spike' Stent. Listen to both the Bright-Side Mix, and the Dark-Side Mix below


Written and produced by Peter Gabriel, "So Much" is ‘a simple song’, that features a string arrangement from John Metcalfe and contributions from Tony Levin on bass, David Rhodes on guitar and backing vocals from Peter’s daughter Melanie Gabriel. The song was recorded at Real World Studios, Bath, The Beehive and British Grove, London.


"I was trying purposefully not to be clever with this. I wanted to get a very simple chorus but one which still had some substance to the harmony and melody. Something that was easy to digest but still had a bit of character to it. 'So Much' is about mortality, getting old, all the bright, cheerful subjects, but I think when you get to my sort of age, you either run away from mortality or you jump into it and try and live life to the full and that always seems to make a lot more sense to me. The countries that seem most alive are those that have death as part of their culture."




As Peter goes on to explain, there’s a duality to the meaning of "So Much", which is just as much about revelling in all the experiences and joyous distractions still to be had right now as it is about contemplating the future; ‘The reason I chose 'So Much' as a title is because I’m addicted to new ideas and all sorts of projects. I get excited by things and want to jump around and do different things. I love being in a mess of so much! And yet it also means there's just so much time, or whatever it is, available. Balancing them both is what the song is about."





This month’s full moon release comes with artwork from the artist Henry Hudson and his work "Somewhere Over Mercia".


"I started looking at Henry's work and thought it was great. He's done some dense and intricate work with plasticine, but then he also has this other more expressionist, horizon work with different colours and they're very simple and pure. I connected quite strongly with him. The works where Henry's got horizons are minimalist in a way. They are quite layered and there's a physicality or three-dimensional element to the way he puts the work together. The idea of cutting the horizon in a different colour, in this case he wanted it to be yellow, and then effectively letting it bleed onto the painting I thought was beautiful and powerful. In the one sense, the horizon is the infinite but it's also the limit. It had some good symbolism. I think it's a great piece of work."


"There’s a universalness about the song," says Hudson. "I think the relationship between that song and my horizon lines are quite poignant – dealing with our understanding of what time is, dealing with voids or horizons or places that can appear to be closer or further away."


Just like the previous full moon releases, "So Much" comes with differing mix approaches from Tchad Blake (Dark-Side Mix), released on July 3, and also from Mark ‘Spike’ Stent (Bright-Side Mix) and Hans-Martin Buff’s Atmos mix (In-Side Mix), released later in the month. "One of the privileges of working with these extraordinary mixers is that they bring personality, sound textures, pictures, environments out of the elements that you throw at them that have strong individual characters. You can really hear what these very smart people are doing."


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








Since the release of "Road To Joy", last month, Peter Gabriel has completed the European leg of the i/o tour, to rave reviews. Shows in North America taking place in September and October. All dates are on sale now.





Tour dates:


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


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


(Photo - Nadav Kander)

Mötley Crüe have released the new video below, along with the following message:


"Rainy night in Glasgow!! …and that’s a wrap for the European leg of The World Tour! A massive thank you to the thousands of you who came out to these 22 shows all across Europe - it’s been an epic run! Huge shout out to our friends Def Leppard for sharing this journey with us. Looking forward to some US summer shows next before we head over to Japan and Australia this fall! Crüeheads for life. Thank you!"







The World Tour lands in Syracuse, NY at JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday, August 5. Find the full itinerary here.

Rock ‘n’ roll couple, Janet Gardner and Justin James, have released a music video for the title track of their new album, No Strings. Watch the “No Strings” video below, and get the album here.





Known for being the lead vocalist of the legendary female rock band, Vixen, Janet Gardner’s powerful vocals propelled Vixen to the top of the Billboard charts with crossover hits “Edge Of A Broken Heart” and “Cryin'.” Justin James has worked as a guitarist/songwriter/producer with members of Staind, Collective Soul, and Tyketto. Together, Gardner and James have penned a collection of emotionally charged songs with gritty grooves, infectious hooks, and inspired lyrics that merge hard rock influences from the last four decades.







No Strings tracklisting:


"I’m Living Free"
"Turn The Page"
"85"
"No Strings"
"Don’t Turn Me Away"
"Set Me Free"
"Hold On To You"
"Into The Night"
"I’m Not Sorry"
"You’ll See"
"She Floats Away"
"Drink"


"I’m Living Free" video:





"85" video:





"Don't Turn Me Away":





Tour dates:


August
25 - Island Lake, IL - Sideouts (with Sebastian Back & Quiet Riot) (acoustic show)


September
8 - Lombard, IL - Brauer House
9 ¬- Roseland, IN - Cheers Pub
23 - W. Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go


October
7 - Norwalk, CT - Wall St. Theater (New England Rockfest)


November
4 - N. Tonawanda, NY (with Firehouse) (acoustic show)

In a new interview with Oran O'Beirne of Bloodstock TV, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to the band's 2019 "Atonement" LP. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think we made some headway. Definitely some good ideas, some good demos. I'm revisiting some ideas. We had a great little meeting where all of us got together and listened and talked, which, to me, has been a great process. And I think it's gonna make this album a lot different than what we've done in the past, 'cause everyone sort of has their voice. We're taking more time with it. So, yeah, it is taking a bit longer but it gives me hope that the end result will be that much better because it is taking a little bit more time to do it. But I'm stoked, for sure. There's some bangers on there already."

During the same chat, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio revealed that he wasn't feeling very inspired in the early days of the coronavirus downtime. "During the pandemic, for me, I kind of wasn't able to do much at all," he said. "You'd think that that would be the best writing process, to be nervous about your future and not sure what's gonna happen next. But I was just locked in some sort of a mode where I couldn't even do graphic design; for about six to eight months, I didn't do anything. But I think after that, it definitely seemed to start flowing. Especially when we did the live gig at the Palladium [in Worcester, Massachusetts], the livestream that we did [in August 2021], that kind of helped make the juices work a little bit more. We learned a lot of songs from 'Atonement' that we actually never played live together before, so that was an experience. And I think that's what kind of jarred us into, 'Okay, let's get this thing moving again.'"

Last month, Leach told Pete Bailey of Primordial Radio that the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album was "taking a lot longer than, I think, any of us anticipated, because there's a lot of quality control going on. And making sure that it's fresh; we're not repeating ourselves," he explained. "So that process has been a little arduous but I think necessary because we don't wanna put out something that people are gonna go, 'Oh, yeah. Another KILLSWITCH record. Whatever.'"

Regarding where he and his KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are right now with respect to the writing process, Jesse said: "We're solidifying a lot, but there's still some back-and-forth and looking at parts and rewriting the music. And then I'm revisiting a lot of the lyrics. I've actually rewritten a bunch of stuff. 'Cause we all got together and had a meeting, and all of us just kind of gave our input on everything, and I took notes. It's the first time, really, I think we've done that. But, again, I do believe that it's necessary at our stage in our career to really just kind of get all of our heads together to make sure that this record is gonna be what we all feel is a good representation of who we are right now."

On the topic of the lyrical inspiration for the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE material, Jesse said: "Initially, for me, I really wanted to put out something that was healing, something that could help people cope. But it's kind of turned into anger, it's kind of turned into frustration, it's kind of turned into seeing the greater deceptions of everything that's going on, the struggles of humanity. So I've kind of taken a turn for a little bit more of a darker topic than I initially had hoped for, but I think it's necessary. I think once I really sort of dug into myself, I realized that there was a lot that I was not tapping in to. And when I got honest with myself, I [said], 'You know what? There is a lot to be pissed off about.' And maybe that's the route; maybe that's the good therapeutic way to deal with it. You don't always have to sugarcoat things and let people know there's gonna be hope. Maybe it's just time to get your hands dirty and talk about some of the harder-to-deal-with topics, and that's kind of what I've been doing lately."

Back in June 2022, Leach told Australia's Heavy that he and his bandmates would try to get the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE LP "wrapped up and done quickly, because we want it to be a record that's not gonna take a lot of time to create. We want that raw, fresh feeling, so a lot of these demos I'm trying to [get] through quickly just to get the energy and then we'll sort of dissect them as new get into the studio," he explained. "So I think there's a real spirit within us to put out new material and then tour on that new record come next year, hopefully. So that's kind of what we're all thinking."

Elaborating on the time table for the completion of the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE LP, Leach told Heavy: "I'm personally setting goals for me to create quick, very emotional, raw stuff for the demos and then probably taking a little more time, once we get to the studio, to polish that up and make it sound really good. Some of these demos I'm getting ready to send to the guys, if you would listen to them, most people would probably laugh 'cause they're just me going nuts, just trying to get the idea out quick and then we'll worry about re-recording it and polishing it and sort of making it sound KILLSWITCH-y.

"I've always been really hard on myself — a perfectionist, if you will — and I think it's hindered me in the demo-making process," he explained. "So my approach to this record is I wake up in the morning and I write lyrics out of the sleep. I listen to the music. It's moving very quickly for me, and it just feels fresh; it feels new. And then us getting into a room and jamming on that shit together, which we haven't done in years, that's the vibe we're going for. We kind of wanna bring that live feeling, that live sound to this next record… I want that energy to be there.

"Live music shouldn't be perfect," Leach added. "I don't like the studio fixes, I don't like the tuning — I hate all that shit. So the less that can happen, I'm into it. I'd rather keep it raw. It's rock and roll, man — it shouldn't be perfect. I think metal, over the years, has become very compressed and very manufactured. To me, I'm all about pushing away from that. So I think this next record will be a push-and-pull, 'cause [KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and producer] Adam [Dutkiewicz] is very much a perfectionist with the way he likes things to sound. So it should be interesting. He's on board of that too — sort of getting more of a live feel to what we're doing. I think it comes across. When you come see a band live like us, it is a little different than a record. But it should be."

"Atonement" was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc featured guest appearances by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marked the band's third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

In July 2021, Leach and Dutkiewicz released the second album from their TIMES OF GRACE project, "Songs Of Loss And Separation", via the band's own imprint label, Wicked Good Records, distributed by ADA Worldwide.

Photo courtesy of Atom Splitter PR / Metal Blade Records

STAIND performed its recent single "Lowest In Me" live for the first time at the trio of Florida shows the band played over the weekend leading up to STAIND's U.S. tour with GODSMACK. Fan-filmed video of the "Lowest In Me" performances from Tampa (July 13),Orlando (July 14) and Hollywood (July 15) can be seen below.

"Lowest In Me" is taken from STAIND's upcoming album, "Confessions Of The Fallen", which will arrive on September 15 via Alchemy Recordings/BMG. STAIND's first new LP album since 2011 was produced by Erik Ron (GODSMACK, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, BLACK VEIL BRIDES).

Asked in a recent interview with Cutter's Rockcast if "Lowest In Me" is a good representation of the entire LP, STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok said: "Listen, there's a couple of songs that kind of go to, I think, what we're actually really known for — that 'It's Been Awhile', 'Outside' type of thing. But a lot of it has the heavy [edge to it]. And there's something — there's an electronic element that there wasn't in any of our stuff before; it's in this. There's a couple of songs that have a little bit more [of it than others]. And that was something that Aaron [Lewis, STAIND frontman] spoke of for a long time, that he wanted to do. And I really think that Erik, the producer, was really helpful in bringing that element to what we do. 'Cause I remember, in our preliminary talks of it, I was, like, 'I don't know how to write a record like that, 'cause that's not what I do.' And it was something as simple as taking a guitar riff that I wrote and playing it on a synthesizer or breaking it up and making some cool sounds out of it."

Mushok went on to say that he is "real happy with the way that it turned out. It was definitely a little — I just wasn't sure," he explained. "But as I heard it, I was, like, 'Oh.' Actually, I really liked it… I can't wait for people to hear it, 'cause I really feel like it worked. I feel like it's STAIND 2023, I guess. It's kind of… It's a little more modern version, I think, of what we've always done."

Last month, Mushok spoke to the Z93 radio station in Saginaw, Michigan about why it took STAIND so long to make a new studio album. He said: "I always hoped that [we would get around to working on new music]. Aaron wanted to pursue his country career and kind of felt like doing STAIND was something that would be detrimental to what that would be. He had to show the country people, 'I'm a country guy.' And I was able to go off and do a few other things, which was great — play with some really great people, musicians. Thankfully I was able to do that. That being said, I'm very thankful that we're back together and doing this. Because this is really kind of what I started with Aaron — over 28 years ago, whatever, or 27 years ago; whatever it was. So it's great to be able to be back making music again. And I'm looking forward to going out and doing these shows."

Asked if it was the initial plan to write new material when STAIND reunited for its first full live show in five years in September 2019 at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky, Mike said: "There was always talk of doing music. Even when we were off, it was funny — I remember Aaron would call me randomly, and I would always be at the same place, this indoor soccer place at my son's soccer game. And I would be, like, 'Oh, it's Aaron.' And we would kind of talk about ultimately [writing new music]. We knew it was in the future. We never had any plans. Then it finally started to come together. I wanna say 2018, I think, we started talking about it. And, honestly, that KORN tour [in 2021] was really where a lot of the record got put together, was on that. I was working every day, and I was able to demo a lot of the songs on that tour and able to get Aaron in a room and say, 'Listen to some of the music,' and get some direction from him of where he wanted it to go and some changes that he wanted to make and what he liked and what he didn't like. So a lot was done on that, and it really gave me the foundation and kind of a roadmap of where things should go. So it was actually really productive and a really good time."

STAIND recently released the DJay Brawner-directed music video for "Lowest In Me".

In May, Mushok told Lou Brutus of HardDrive Radio about the songwriting process for "Confessions Of The Fallen": "I had a lot of songs, and they were all demoed. So it was basically just instrumental songs. I would take something that I liked, and I would just play it for him. Aaron would listen. And [he would say], 'Oh, I like that verse. Maybe we could try this. Maybe change the chorus a little.' So it was just really kind of getting ideas of where he was at, what music that I had that he was wanting to sing over and really kind of taking those notes, going back and reconstructing the songs, if need be, changing parts, rewriting stuff. And finally when we decided we were gonna do it, and I kind of had a pretty good group of what I thought would make up the record, and Erik ended up being the producer, Erik and I kind of went back and did the same process through the music. Kind of refining the songs, demoing them. And he'd take it to Aaron and they would work on the melody and the lyrics."

In an interview with Billboard, Lewis said that it took him "a long time to be ready to do another STAIND record. I got really burnt out on digging into the dark corners of my psyche every night to deliver those very deep, dark songs in a manner that was believable and authentic," he explained. "I needed to step away from it for awhile and do something different. It just came back together naturally."

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "Lowest In Me", Aaron told Billboard: "Everybody has got people in their lives that don't bring out the good in somebody. Just with what's going on in the world right now, there's so many things, so many people that are like, 'You bring out the lowest in me.' There's a lot of factors out there that could fall under the 'you' category."

When "Confessions Of The Fallen" was announced in April, Lewis stated about the LP's musical direction: "I did want to modernize the sound and bring us up to date. You can certainly recognize the band but at the same time you can hear that we've been paying attention and understand what kind of sounds and approaches we can use that maybe weren't around the last time we did this."

STAIND has released seven albums since 1995, the latest being 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

STAIND released its first album in nine years, "Live: It's Been Awhile", in May 2021 via Yap'em/Alchemy Recordings. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album was accompanied by "The Return Of Staind", a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents.

STAIND and GODSMACK recently announced a 25-city co-headlining 2023 tour, produced by Live Nation. The trek kicks off on July 18 at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis, Missouri, with stops across the U.S. before wrapping up in Austin, Texas at Germania Insurance Amphitheatre on August 31.

In a new interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix addressed Hall's comment that there is always the concern that none of the newer bands will be there to ascend to an arena-level status to take the place of heritage acts upon their retirement. Jacoby said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're watching METALLICA step into that ROLLING STONES spot right now. And FOO FIGHTERS are another one of those groups. And KORN, PAPA ROACH [and] DEFTONES, we're like the next METALLICAs. You know what I mean? That's it. We're stepping into that spot now. It just comes to, I guess, being able to survive the treachery of this rock and roll life. And if you can do that and still continue to create good art and good music, then we can get into that space."

Shaddix also talked about PAPA ROACH's longevity, saying: "It was my goal, honestly, since childhood. When we first formed PAPA ROACH back in 1993, we were, like, 'We wanna do this till like we're just old friends from young years.' And now we're here.

"I remember playing with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS back in, like… it had to be 2001," he continued. "And we opened the show. And it was at this brand new amphitheater outside Sacramento, where we're from. And I remember watching their set, and it was just like a greatest-hits setlist — everything [was like], 'I know that song.' 'Oh, I know that song.' And it was just song after song… And the show was an hour and a half. And it felt like it was 45 minutes, because it was just engaging and entertaining. And it was, like, 'I want that. That's the goal for the band. Let's do that.' We saw it alive in front of us. And here we are in 2023, 20-some-odd years later from first breaking on to the scene in the major-label game and still killing it in the game — still making music that's resonating and connecting. And I couldn't ask for anything more. And it makes me grateful that I'm taking care of myself too, so it's, like, I can do this for some more years and I'm not just on my last legs."

PAPA ROACH's latest album, "Ego Trip", was released in April 2022 via New Noize Records in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG's independent label and artist services arm).

PAPA ROACH recently announced the digital deluxe edition of "Ego Trip", and the long-awaited release date of "Ego Trip" standard edition on vinyl. The 20-track digital deluxe release features remixed versions of songs from the original record, as well as new music.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music, who in 2020 celebrated the 20th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest".

In a new interview with Tulsa Music Stream, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner spoke about the status of the band's upcoming follow-up to 2018's "Firepower" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I spoke to Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist] via e-mail, actually, this morning. We were talking about the running order for the track listing of the album. So that's where the album's at. So it's been recorded. It's pretty much mixed now. We're just trying to decide what order the tracks should go. It's a really important thing. If you put the tracks in the wrong order — it's like a movie; if you edit the movie in the wrong order, it loses its potency. So it's gotta be right. So that's the stage we're at. So it's pretty close. Then we've gotta obviously manufacture the thing, the record label's gotta manufacture the packaging and the artwork and the vinyl and get it out there. So that takes a little bit of time. But as far as the creative and the recording and everything like that, it's pretty much almost finished, shall we say."

Asked about a tentative release date for the new PRIEST LP, Faulkner said: "Well, I don't think we have a specific one… If we handed it in to the record label today, I think vinyl takes six months at least to actually make; there's a backlog of vinyl. So we can work out what the earliest is gonna be, put it that way. So I think it'll probably be early '24, I would say. I won't get fired for that. But I think that's a safe estimation to say. It's gonna be early '24."

Last month, Richie told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that PRIEST's new album was "sounding great. I was in Phoenix with [producer and touring guitarist] Andy Sneap and [singer] Rob [Halford] a few weeks ago, putting the vocals down," he said. "And it's always exciting to hear new PRIEST tracks, because they become PRIEST tracks when Rob sings them. It's, like, the world hasn't heard them yet, but there's new PRIEST tracks that we're hearing for the first time. It's really exciting, hearing that characteristic voice that we've heard for decades singing new stuff. It's an incredibly exciting thing, so I can't wait for the world to hear it all."

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new PRIEST material, Faulkner said: "There are definitely a few more twists and turns on this record. There are a few more musical parts. So, there might be a bit of... As I said, there are twists and turns. I've used the word 'progressive' before, and the Internet ripped me a new asshole. But it is progressive in the sense that it's not like verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus-finish. It's musical part-verse-musical part. It might do a few twists and turns, musically. It veers from the path of it, a bit like 'Sinner' or 'Tyrant' or something like that. So, it's a bit more '70s PRIEST, which I welcome as a guitar player… It's '70s PRIEST, but it's not a retro album, by any means. It's the influence of '70s PRIEST in the progressive sense, but it sounds like PRIEST in 2023."

He added: "Every PRIEST album has kind of stood on its own, stylistically. It's had that DNA of JUDAS PRIEST, because the characters are so strong. But it's always been a little bit different — retaining that DNA but having its own character. So, this one's no different, really, in the sense that it's obviously JUDAS PRIEST, but it's its own animal; it stands on its own two legs."

Last November, Faulkner told Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules that some PRIEST fans misconstrued his previous comments about the musical direction of the band's upcoming LP. He said: "I think we've used the word 'progressive', and everyone thinks it's gonna become 'Nostradamus' [PRIEST's controversial 2008 symphonic heavy metal concept double album about Nostradamus], or RUSH, which is two different things. I've definitely used the word 'progressive' [to describe the new PRIEST material in previous interviews], purely because it's got a few musical turnarounds that 'Firepower' doesn't have. But that doesn't make it a RUSH record. It just makes it — instead of, like, a verse into a bridge into a chorus, there might be a couple of more musical passages in there to make it a bit more… interesting; might be the wrong word. I don't know. You've gotta be careful with the words you use these days. So it's not 'Firepower 2', but it's the same band a few years later, so there's obvious connections to the last record. But it's not 'Firepower 2' by any means."

Richie continued: "No PRIEST records have sounded the same, but it's got a common DNA. And you always try and make the next one sound a bit better — or whatever 'better' may be; 'better' is subjective. So, is it better written? Are the lyrics better? Does it sound better? And 'better' is always subjective. So it's hard to pinpoint, really. But it's a bit more of a musical adventure than the last one, I'd say. But then again someone might listen to it, when it does come out, and have a totally different interpretation of what it is. So it's always tough to sum up your own music without sounding up your own butt."

In February 2022, Halford was asked by Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In if he agreed with Faulkner's comment that the band's upcoming album will be more musically "progressive" than "Firepower". He responded: "Yeah, the metal is there. But here's the thing: we've tried our best not to replicate anything that we've done. From 'Rocka Rolla' all the way through to 'Firepower', each record has had a distinctive character. And it's tough because fans go, 'We want another 'Painkiller',' 'We want another 'British Steel'.' And [it's, like], 'Dude, we've already done that.'

"Fans know that we're a band that is always full of adventure and trying new stuff," he continued. "And so, yeah, this has got probably some more progressive elements that we've never really delved into before. And that's exciting, because, again, it gives us and our fans another opportunity to see a different side of PRIEST. But it's still metal. There's just more of it. There are more notes than there were before."

Also in February 2022, Faulkner told Canada's The Metal Voice about the overall sound of the new PRIEST music: "Whenever you start a record, you never know how it's gonna turn out. So you might start with an idea of what it's gonna be, and as it kind of rolls on, it comes out something different. So you don't quite know. And also it's really hard to sum up your own music, I find, without sounding really pretentious. But I think this one — it's not 'Firepower 2', I don't think. It's its own thing, it's its own animal. If anything, I would say it's a bit more progressive in places, and in places it's got a bit more of that 'Killing Machine' swagger."

Faulkner added: "I know everyone says, 'Oh, is it the next 'Painkiller'?' or 'Is it the next…?' whatever… I don't know if they'd ever done it, but I know we've never done it when I've been in the band; we've never tried to recreate an album. It's always we try to create an album that stands on its own legs. So I think it's definitely a little bit more progressive than 'Firepower' and, as I said, in places it's got a little bit of that 'Killing Machine' angry swagger attitude going on."

Two years ago, Halford confirmed that PRIEST's next album would see the band reuniting with the "Firepower" production team consisting of Sneap, longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Original guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

A recent report by DW News revealed allegations of sexual misconduct have been levelled against Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann. Following the claims by one Shelby Lynn that were made public, an investigation by German reporters shows that the case could by part of a systematic process to satisfy Lindemann's sexual requests. German police have opened an investigation into sexual assault allegations against Lindemann, as a number of women have now alleged they were recruited for sex at concerts. Shelby Lynn, from Northern Ireland, recently told the BBC she believed her drink had been spiked and she had been "groomed for sex."


Lindemann has denied the allegations, with his lawyers calling the claims "without exception untrue".


According to a follow-up report issued by DW News on July 17th,  Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung and NDR have reported fresh allegations, which this time also implicate Rammstein keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz. Two women have come forward anonymously, with allegations dating back over 20 years.




Lawyers for Lorenz and Lindemann have rejected the allegations, citing privacy and insufficiently substantiated facts. Lindemann has not responded to certain questions relating to the case. Lorenz and Lindemann will both be presumed innocent until potentially proven guilty, under the German legal system.


Read the complete report here.


Back in June,


Rammstein drummer Christoph Schneider issued a statement via Instagramreflecting his "personal thoughts and emotions" with regards to the situation. The translation from German can be read below.


"Dear people,


I would like to share my personal emotions and thoughts with you.


The accusations of the last few weeks have deeply shaken us as a band and me as a person. You fans certainly too. I feel as if in shock by the things that have been shared on social media and in the press and in print about our singer. This is an ebb and flow of emotions for us band members and crew.


No, I don't think anything criminally relevant (such as the use of knockout drops) happened. No. I don't think anything illegal was going on, I've never seen anything like it, nor heard anything like it from any of our crew of 100 people. All I heard from Till's parties were adults celebrating together. And yet things seem to have happened that, although legally ok, I personally don't think are ok. Certain structures have grown that went beyond the limits and values of the other band members. It is also important to us that Till's parties are not confused with our official after-show parties.


Till has distanced himself from us in recent years and created his own bubble.


With their own people, their own parties, their own projects. That made me sad, definitely. I believe Till when he tells us that he always wanted and still wants to give his private guests a good time. How exactly these guests had imagined this, however, seems to differ in some cases from his own ideas. The wishes and expectations of the women who have now come forward were probably not fulfilled. According to their statements, they felt uncomfortable, on the edge of a situation that they could no longer control.


I feel sorry for her and I feel compassion. However, it is important for me to emphasize something objective: every guest in the backstage area is free to leave (they may have to wait a moment for security to lead them safely to the exit). All bottles are sealed and in full view of the guests freshly opened or they open them themselves.


Water and snacks are available just like Security personnel and medical care available at any time. We want all of our guests to feel comfortable and safe with us!


This is our standard. So I'm sorry to hear that some didn't feel that way.


We have the greatest fans in the world and they all deserve to be treated with respect! I'm sorry for anyone who wasn't treated kindly or felt unsafe backstage with us.


Also for Shelby, she deserved a great concert and a wonderful evening.


But I don't want this whole public dispute about our band to feed the extremes: neither the beast social media, which has not yet been tamed by our society, nor paternalistic tendencies to deny women in their mid-20s the ability to make self-determined decisions about their sexuality and also by no means victim blaming, so that people continue to date to talk about it if something happened to them. I wish for a calm, level-headed reflection and processing, also in our band.


And all together, six of us. We stand together.


Your Christoph Schneider."


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
A post shared by Christoph Schneider (@christophschneider_official)



Rammstein's record label, Universal Music, recently revealed they have "suspended marketing and promotional activities for the band's recordings."


Prosecutors opened the investigation on their own initiative as well as "on the basis of several criminal complaints filed by third parties," referring to people not directly involved in the alleged incidents, according to the AFP news agency.


Read the complete report here. Check out the initial DW news report below.





Rammstein recently issued a statement regarding the allegations via Instagram. It reads as follows (translated from German):


"The reports over the last few days have caused irritation and raised questions among the public and especially among our fans. The allegations hit us all very hard and we take them extremely seriously.


We say to our fans: It is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows - in front of and behind the stage.


We condemn any kind of abuse and ask you: do not engage in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made allegations. You have a right to your point of view.


But we, the band, also have a right – namely not to be prejudiced either."


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
A post shared by Rammstein (@rammsteinofficial)



 

Iron Savior frontman / founder Piet Sielck has checked in with the following update:


"They say lightning never strikes twice… but sometimes it does. After Jan (S. Eckert / bass) was diagnosed with cancer, now it’s my turn. Fortunately, it was detected at a stage where cure is possible. Therefore, I have to start immediate medical treatment in order to heal as soon as possible. I have a top notch medical team and a great network of support, I am in quite good shape, I have no other diseases and  also have the psychic power and strength of will to go successfully through this rough ride. First step will be a chemo therapy followed by surgery after some time of recovery.


Since I need to concentrate 100% on my healing process, we canceled all remaining shows for 2023. I am sure you all will understand, that I need all my energy for myself for a while. I will continue my activities on social media and also will promote the new album, Firestar, as best as possible. I have asked AFM to keep the release schedule 6th of October. 




Healing is the ultimate aim and I have already started the process."


Following their latest, much-acclaimed offering, Reforged - Ironbound (released in 2022 via AFM Records), Hamburg-based power metal act Iron Savior has announced the release of a brand new studio album. Firestar will be out on October 6, 2023 through AFM. Preorders are available here.


To shorten the wait until the full-length release, today, Iron Savior unleashed their blistering album title track. It's immediately evident, "Firestar" is irresistible and with its incredible 176 bpm definitely one of the fastest songs in Iron Savior’s history to date. Says singer and guitarist Piet Sielck: "With the power of the debut, the energy of Condition Red and a massive old-school-meets-modern-soundscapes production, Firestar is a massive track that won’t leave your players for a long time. We promise!"


The band's upcoming album will feature a wide range of influences from hard rock to pop, all calibrated to heavy metal standards thanks to those typical Iron Savior virtues. But sometimes pure coincidence or seemingly inconspicuous little details can turn a very good album into an outstanding release. In the case of Firestar, it has come as a real surprise even for Sielck that the new songs surpass the material of the impressive 2020-album Skycrest. 


In fact, the cornerstones of the current offering were already set and pointed to a successful production within the tried and tested framework, when all of a sudden everything turned out rather differently: “Just before the recordings were finalised, I was inspired by the muse, totally of the blue. I wrote two more songs out of nowhere and changed a third one on the spur of the moment. And suddenly, ‘Firestar’ turned into an even better record,” says Sielck happily, admitting that this unexpected creative surge “triggered great emotions” in him.


Iron Savior have again come up with an exceptional studio album in Firestar, enhanced by Felipe Machado Franco’s impressive cover artwork presenting the Iron Savior spaceship that has been around since 2011. The cherry on the cake is the powerful production courtesy of Hamburg’s Powerhouse Studio, including intelligently positioned keyboard parts and the anthemic background choirs, supported by Sielck’s 17-year-old daughter Frida and her boyfriend. Without any doubt, Firestar promises to be a bonfire in many respects.





Tracklisting:


“The Titan”
“Curse Of The Machinery”
“In The Realm Of Heavy Metal”
“Demise Of The Tyrant”
“Firestar”
“Through The Fires Of Hell”
“Mask, Cloak And Sword”
“Across The Wastelands”
“Rising From Ashes”
“Nothing Is Forever”
“Together As One” 


“Firestar” video:





Iron Savior is:
Piet Sielck (vocals, guitars)
Joachim “Piesel” Küstner (guitars)
Jan S. Eckert (bass)
Patrick Klose (drums)