During an appearance on this past Monday's (July 17) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk",NIGHT RANGER bassist/vocalist Jack Blades opened up about the recent operation he underwent that resulted in the postponement of several of the band's concerts in late March. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had kind of a crazy — I didn't see it coming — wake-up call, kind of a scare back in March, about four months ago. And luckily, I was down in Anaheim. We went right into a hospital, and, man — boom. Just like that. My body wasn't feeling right. I'm, like, 'Dude, this isn't right. Something's not right.' So I called my tour manager. He just took me right to a hospital, which was, like, there was one every five minutes away from us where we were. And so I just popped in. And they fixed me. I'm all good. I'm feeling great. Actually, to tell you the truth, I feel better. Maybe something was going on even for the past year on me or something like that. They cleaned out some of my pipes in my heart, some arteries and everything like that, and I'm all in good shape and I'm just rocking and rolling, as you can see by the shows and everything like that. I feel like I have more air to sing now. Maybe for the last year or something, something was going on then. But all I know is that it's fixed now and I'm in good shape. And we're, like, 'Let's rock and roll, baby.'"

Asked about the symptoms that he experienced that led him to check himself in to a hospital, Jack said: "What was going on with me is I felt like I had indigestion, like I had heartburn. And I don't get heartburn. I'm, like, 'What the hell is this all about?' I had some Indian food the night before, and I thought I had some crappy Indian food and it was giving me some indigestion. But it was kind of like not going away. And I'm sitting there, going, 'This is kind of weird.' And then I'm watching a video of our… I was approving the video of our symphony show that we did in Cleveland to release for a record and everything like that, and I was looking at that. All of a sudden, both my arms started tingling. And dude, I know my body. I'm, like, 'Dude, this is not right. This is really not right.' So I go into a hospital. And I'm sitting in the hospital with all these dudes walking into the hospital in the emergency room, screaming and yelling — knife wounds and gunshot wounds. And I'm, like, 'What the…?' So I'm, like, freaking out and everything like that... But then they started doing tests on me. The next day they went in and did that thing where they go up and check out all your arteries, and I had a blocked artery. So they put one of those stents in and they fixed me."

Blades went on to say that he regularly exercised before he was hospitalized and that his previous exams showed a very low heart disease risk profile.

"The doctor said to me, 'Dude, you have low cholesterol, you have low everything. You are completely under the radar. You've gotta look at this thing as it was like the canary in a coal mine,'" Jack recalled. "It was out of the blue. I don't know if it's genetics — like your father or your grandfather that had heart issues. But you would have never known. It was the craziest thing. I exercise. I'm not a smoker and all that kind of stuff. So, yeah, you've gotta just watch yourself.

"I'll tell you what the key was," Jack continued. "The key was when I knew something was going weird and I felt something weird, I didn't screw around and go, 'Hey, man, I'm just gonna tough through it,' or something like that. 'Oh, it'll be cool.' No, dude. 'I know my body. Something's weird. I'm gonna go in right now and find out what's going on.' And thank goodness I did because it could have been a lot worse. The heart's not damaged; nothing's damaged — everything's fine. So, who knows? If I would have sat around and just said, 'Ah, I'm not worried about it.' But I didn't."

NIGHT RANGER is currently supporting POISON frontman Bret Michaels on his 2023 "Parti-Gras" tour. Also appearing on the bill are JEFFERSON STARSHIP and Steve Augeri (former lead singer of JOURNEY) and Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY),plus a nightly surprise guest to rock your world.

NIGHT RANGER released its 12th studio album, "ATBPO", in August 2021 via Frontiers Music Srl. "ATBPO" stands for "And The Band Played On", an ode to making music during the COVID-19 era.

NIGHT RANGER is Blades, Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals),Brad Gillis (lead and rhythm guitars),Eric Levy (keyboards),and Keri Kelli (lead and rhythm guitars).

California rockers PAPA ROACH played an intimate show last night (Monday, July 17) at Bottom Lounge, a 700-capacity music venue located in Chicago's West Loop. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of the Perry Denton YouTube channel).

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). Speaking to the "Behind The Setlist" podcast about what he and his bandmates have learned by releasing the LP through their own label, PAPA ROACH vocalist Jacoby Shaddix said: "For us, it was, like, just 'Don't talk about it. Be about it.' You can't just say a bunch of shit. It's, like, 'All right. Let's talk about how we're gonna create this and then let's go find the people to do it and then execute it.' And that's very important, 'cause that's the shit that we would get mad about with working with other teams and other people. We'd be, like, 'Well, fuck, you talked a big game but then you didn't come through.' So then it's, like, we had to talk the big game and dream big dreams and then come through with it. And we've hit the mark on some it and we've missed the mark on a few things. And I think the thing that we really learned — I've learned — is, like, you've gotta be way ahead of the fucking… To execute a plan, the vision has to be a year before, a year and a half before. Because to get people to jump into the fucking vision with you, it takes time. I feel like we have a good track record, I guess, song release-wise and the songs that we choose to release as singles."

He continued: "The thing that I've learned is that the life of a song… It's hard to predict the life of a song — when you release it to the fans and it goes to radio and then you release the music video, how long that tail will be for that, what's the arc of it. It's hard to predict those things. And so this next time around, we're kind of, like, 'Are we gonna do a full album? Or are we just gonna release…?' 'Cause we've released so much music in the last two years, whether it's a livestream of our first album, 'Infest'; we re-recorded some of those songs; we did multiple remixes; I did multiple guest vocal tracks with other groups; and then we released our whole album; and then we released remixes of songs on the album and reimaginations. And we've, like, inundated our fans with tons of art that next time, for the next full release that we do, it's gonna be, like, what's the tip of the spear? It's just gonna be one song that is waterfalled with a reimagination and a remix and maybe a guest that'll drop a month later, two months later, three months later to, like, reinvigorate the track, but really just focus on one track worldwide and try it like that and see how that goes."

Shaddix added: "It's all fucking experimentation; there's no formula to this thing. People just start doing things 'cause other people start doing things. Really, that's what this business is. It's, like, 'Oh, they did it. That works. Let's try that.'

"I think the next time it's just, like, more focused. We'll do a full release down the road, but right now I think we're just gonna release a few tracks, just kind of ride it for a minute."

PAPA ROACH recently announced the digital deluxe edition of the band's eleventh studio album "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.

An album that sprouted almost by mistake in the throes of a global lockdown, "Ego Trip"'s seeds were planted when the quartet entered a COVID-secure mansion in Temecula, California in the summer of 2020. What started as an escape and an exercise in keeping the creative juices flowing, in a world that had completely ground to a halt, quickly grew into something bigger.

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".

🪳JUST ANNOUNCED🪳
We are extremely excited to announce Papa Roach for one night only on Monday, July 17th!! Tickets go on...

Posted by Bottom Lounge on Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Grammy Award-nominated act IN THIS MOMENT has released a new single, "The Purge", from its upcoming studio album "Godmode", due out October 27 via BMG. The song is accompanied by the official music video directed by Jensen Noen (ICE NINE KILLS, FALLING IN REVERSE, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD).

"We are thrilled to unveil 'The Purge' to everyone," says IN THIS MOMENT vocalist Maria Brink. "I am so grateful for how everything flowed to bring this song to life, both sonically and visually. Kane Churko and Jensen Noen helped to create this musical and cinematic experience with us and we could not have done it without them. The underlying message of the song is to not fall too deeply into the rabbit hole, everything is about finding balance. I had a lot of emotions building within me when I approached the song for the first time and after years of holding it all in I finally got to let it out! Enjoy."

"This song came from our time in lockdown. We all had our own personal experiences during the pandemic, and we all saw the social unrest unfolding daily tearing us apart. It was such a crazy time," says IN THIS MOMENT guitarist Chris Howorth. "Our band, like everything else, was stopped in its tracks. During the lockdown I was sending Maria musical ideas I was working on, and this one really resonated with her. She even said, 'This is gonna be our first single.' Fast forward a couple years and all the pent-up frustration and angst came pouring out in Maria's lyrics and performance, creating this crazy visceral song."

IN THIS MOMENT has also shared details for "Godmode", marking the band's eighth studio album to date. Recorded at Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada, the 10-track opus was produced by Kane Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, PAPA ROACH, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) and Tyler Bates ("John Wick" movies, Jerry Cantrell, BUSH).

"We absolutely cannot wait for everyone to hear what we've created," adds Howorth.

"Godmode" track listing:

01. Godmode
02. The Purge
03. Army Of Me
04. Sacrifice
05. Skyburner
06. Sanctify Me
07. Everything Starts And Ends With You
08. Damaged (feat. Spencer Charnas)
09. Fate Bringer
10. I Would Die For You

IN THIS MOMENT debuted "Sacrifice" and "The Purge" at the opening concert of "The Dark Horizon Tour" on July 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

"I Would Die For You" previously appeared on the soundtrack for "John Wick: Chapter 4".

IN THIS MOMENT is joined on "The Dark Horizon Tour" by co-headliners MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, along with special guests FIT FOR A KING and FROM ASHES TO NEW. The trek, which sees IN THIS MOMENT and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE alternating closing sets each night, will continue through an August 19 performance at MVP Arena in Albany, New York.

In support of the new album, IN THIS MOMENT will embark on a 2023 co-headline "Kiss Of Death" tour with ICE NINE KILLS. The 20-date tour kicks off on November 3 at Hard Rock Live in Gary, Indiana making stops across the U.S. in Cincinnati, Atlanta, Orlando and more before the final show in Washington, D.C. at The Anthem on November 28.

This past January, IN THIS MOMENT said that it was preparing to enter the studio to begin recording its eighth full-length album. The band wrote in a social media post at the time: "We cannot wait for you all to hear what we are conjuring up".

Last October, IN THIS MOMENT released an EP called "Blood 1983". The effort commemorated the tenth anniversary of IN THIS MOMENT's gold-certified album "Blood" (2012) and was made available digitally across all digital service providers as well as CD via BMG.

"Blood 1983" was co-produced by Tyler Bates and Dan Haigh, and mixed by Zakk Cervini.

Since coming to life in 2005, IN THIS MOMENT has presided over a diehard fan base under the watch of "mother" figure and frontwoman Maria Brink — joined by co-founder and lead guitarist Chris Howorth, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel and drummer Kent Dimmel. As millions convened upon the group's otherworldly and unforgettable concerts, they quietly emerged as one of the most influential and impactful bands of the 21st century.

To date, in addition to the gold-selling album "Blood", the quintet has garnered two gold singles — "Blood" and "Whore" — followed by Top 25 entries on the Billboard Top 200 with "Black Widow" (2014) and "Ritual" (2017). Bringing their total stream tally well past 200 million as of 2020, "Ritual" elevated them to new creative and critical peaks as well. Between selling out headline tours coast-to-coast, the group performed in arenas everywhere alongside DISTURBED and appeared at countless festivals from Welcome To Rockville to Sonic Temple. Along the way, they assembled their seventh full-length, the aptly titled "Mother" (Roadrunner) with longtime collaborator Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH).

IN THIS MOMENT is Maria Brink (lead vocals),Chris Howorth (guitars),Travis Johnson (bass),Randy Weitzel (rhythm guitar),Kent Dimmel (drums).

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

The suite of songs by THE WHO on which, more than half a century ago, Pete Townshend foresaw the invention of the Internet, of virtual reality and pandemic-style lockdown, is to be heard as he intended for the first time. UMR will release "Who's Next/Life House" as a lavish, multi-format Super Deluxe edition on September 15, now available for pre-order.

Featuring 155 tracks, of which 89 are previously unreleased and 57 feature fresh remixes, the set will delight longtime WHO fans with its long-sought, complete picture of Townshend's incredibly prescient songwriting, while captivating a new audience with his visionary description of a future that has, in many ways, come true. It features all of his songs, in their many stages of development, from the abandoned, audacious "Life House" project, started in 1969 as a follow-up to THE WHO's epic "Tommy", and from the undisputed rock classic of 1971 that it evolved into, "Who's Next".

Across the course of ten-CD and multiple vinyl sets, "Who's Next/Life House" sets out Townshend's extraordinary vision of a world beset by climatic catastrophe and pollution, leading to a curtailing of personal freedom that will be all too familiar to the pandemic generation. Decades ahead of his time, he details how the population is then seduced and sedated by access to an entertainment "Grid," piped into every home via the use of virtual reality experience suits.

In his introduction to the new editions, Townshend describes "Life House" as "a portentous polemic about the coming of a nation beaten down by climate issues and pollution." He then explains how "an opportunist and autocratic government enforce a national lock-down in which every person is hooked up to an entertainment grid." Music itself then becomes an inconvenient diversion, "a very real distraction to the subjugation of the population in suits," with fascinating consequences. Songs that depicted a dystopian world in which faceless corporations control our lives may have been fiction at the time, but they have come to be more like documentary.

The unfulfilled project, which Townshend conceived as one part film script and one part blueprint for a live musical experiment, brought him to the edge of a breakdown. But, as he writes, "some wonderful music came from the project, and the idea has always held me in thrall, partly because so many of the strands of the fiction seem to be coming true."

Listeners will hear, for the first time, how that concept folded into "Who's Next", widely regarded as not only one of the greatest albums in the band's astonishing catalogue, but a seminal moment in music history. Here, THE WHO's instinctive, scintillating cohesion reached new peaks, Townshend's brilliant creativity as one of rock's great auteurs brought thrillingly to life by Roger Daltrey's unsurpassed vocal performances, John Entwistle's visceral, fluid basslines and Keith Moon's fiery potency on the drums.

The Super Deluxe edition of "Who's Next/Life House" will contain 10 CDs, all remastered from the original tapes by longtime WHO engineer Jon Astley, plus a Blu-ray Audio disc with newly created Atmos and 5.1 surround mixes of "Who's Next" and 14 bonus tracks by in-demand artist and producer Steven Wilson.

Highlights of the 155-track format include Townshend's demos for "Life House"; THE WHO's 1971 session recordings at the Record Plant in New York; sessions at Olympic Studios in southwest London from 1970-1972; and, for the first time, two newly mixed and complete 1971 concerts from London's Young Vic Theatre and San Francisco's Civic Auditorium. Timeless highlights of those sessions and performances include "Baba O'Riley", "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", on which Daltrey created the most awe-inspiring scream ever heard. Those classics continue to illuminate WHO concerts to this day.

The box set also contains a 100-page hardback book with Townshend's aforementioned introduction and new sleeve notes by WHO experts and compilers Andy Neil and Matt Kent. Also included is "Life House - The Graphic Novel", a newly commissioned, 170-page hardback book overseen by Townshend that tells the story behind the project. Completing the set are a 20" x 30" poster of a WHO gig in Sunderland, England, on May 7, 1970; a 25.5" x 34.25" poster of a date at Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado on December 10, 1971; a 20-page concert program from the Rainbow Theatre in London on November 4, 1971; a 16-page program from the band's October/November 1971 tour of the U.K.; a collectible four-pin button set; and an 8" x 10" color photo of THE WHO with printed autographs.

The album will also be available as limited edition 4-LP and 3-LP sets, featuring, respectively, the first-ever complete release of the San Francisco concert from 1971 and vinyl replicas of Townshend's original "Life House". The original "Who's Next" album will also be available as a 1-LP half-speed remaster completed at Abbey Road Studios, and in other exclusive single vinyl versions.

With the hugely anticipated September 15 release of "Who's Next/Life House", one of rock's great last untold stories is finally about to be recounted in full.

More information about the various formats is available at shop.thewho.com.

FATES WARNING singer Ray Alder, who is promoting his sophomore solo album, "II", was asked in a recent interview with Metallerium how he manages to cover so much ground with his vocals and what he does to keep his voice in shape after all these years. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "To be perfectly honest, I do the best that I can with what I have left. I won't go into names, but there's other singers who have higher voices that used to scream and just can't really do it as much anymore. I am the same. I started losing my voice probably 15 years ago or so. And I was going to the doctors, and they were just basically saying, 'You can't have it forever. It's never gonna be the same. You're gonna get older, and it's gonna change.' So I've changed with it. I obviously can't sing as high as I used to, but I do the best that I can, I guess."

Ray, who will turn 56 next month, continued: "As far as keeping in shape, I'm always busy. If I'm writing, I'm singing every day for, like, six, seven hours a day. So that kind of keeps it in shape. But it's different than when we go on tour. If I go on tour, I have to rehearse. I go to a studio in the center of the city and sing live through the P.A., [to] music with no vocals. And I do that probably two hours a day for two months, just to get my voice in shape to go on tour. Otherwise I would lose my voice in a day or two. So, yeah, there's that. But singing behind a mic every day is a little different. You can do the same thing a hundred times and get it right, usually."

Back in 2014, Alder told Stormbringer webzine about how his vocal approach has changed over the years: "Yeah, [when I first joined FATES WARNING] I was young and everybody was doing the screaming and I thought that was cool. As I got older and progressed as a singer and realized what I wanted to do, I found it really silly. And then, even [singing] live in the old days, I tried not to do it as much. It just seemed silly to me. It doesn't make any sense. But as I grew as a singer, I knew what I wanted to do, and I realized that, I think, soul is more important than range. And it seems as though my voice just said, 'Yeah, I agree with you. Fuck it!' And it just kind of changed on its own. But, I mean, I like my voice where it is now. I have no problem… Again, I like where I am. Some people wanna hear the high screams, but… sorry! [Laughs]"

Asked if FATES WARNING had to change the instrumental parts of some of the band's older songs in order to better suit his new vocal style, Alder said: "You've gotta work around different things where the high parts are, and a lot of the times I think it sounds much better the way it is, lowering certain things and [hitting] different notes. In hindsight, I wish I'd done what I'm doing now back then. [But] it was a thing at the time. Geoff [Tate] isn't really doing those anymore either… That's what we get for smoking and singing too much."

In a 2020 interview with Prog magazine, Alder spoke about what he is doing differently now compared to how he approached singing in the early 2000s. He said: "The top end of my range did start to go away, but I saw a doctor in Los Angeles who told me to stop drinking and smoking, and even to sleep in a certain way. That was never going to fly. The problem was that I destroyed my voice by never rehearsing, going from zero to 100mph. So for the past few years I've sung for a few hours almost every day and now it's back in shape again."

"II" came out on June 9 via InsideOut Music. Once again, just like for 2019's "What The Water Wants", the new LP was written with guitarists Mike Abdow (FATES WARNING touring member) and Tony Hernando (LORDS OF BLACK) — who both also performed bass guitar on their own songs — with drumming by Craig Anderson (IGNITE, CRESCENT SHIELD) and mixing by Simone Mularoni (RHAPSODY, MICHAEL ROMEO, DGM).

AS I LAY DYING has shared video highlights from the band's summer 2023 European festival appearances, including those at Graspop Metal Meeting (Belgium),Hellfest (France),Rockharz (Germany) and Rockwave (Greece). Check out the clip below.

In a recent interview with Graspop Metal Meeting, AS I LAY DYING's founding vocalist Tim Lambesis confirmed that he and his bandmates are putting the finishing touches on their next studio album. The LP will mark the group's first with its new lineup, featuring Lambesis and longtime guitarist Phil Sgrosso alongside drummer Nick Pierce (ex-UNEARTH),bassist vocalist Ryan Neff (MISS MAY I) and guitarist Ken Susi (UNEARTH).

Tim said about the upcoming album: "We partly self-produced [it], and then we also worked with another producer. So we spent about a year working on the album by ourselves before we gave it to the producer, who's mixing the album now."

Regarding how the addition of new members Pierce, Neff and Susi has affected AS I LAY DYING's sound, Tim said: "Well, [Nick, Ryan and Ken are] new for us, but, obviously, the guys have been around playing music for 20 years themselves. We're familiar, just having spent so much time with UNEARTH, and then MISS MAY I having a pretty similar sound.

"The songwriting within AS I LAY DYING has historically been mostlyPhil and I," he continued. "Josh [Gilbert], our previous bass player, helped. But the core of the songwriting is the same. So this additional layer that we get from these new guys is almost like breathing fresh new air… a breath of fresh air."

Last September, Lambesis told Metalshop TV about AS I LAY DYING's recent lineup changes: "I think for our fans, they think that the changes happened all in a very short period of time, but they actually happened over the last two years. The first change was on guitar we invited Ken Susi to fill in for us. And that was about two years ago that we invited him. But then, of course, the pandemic happened and so we had a lot of breaks until we had a tour again. So Ken's been rehearsing with us, or talking about rehearsing with us, for the last couple of years. And on drums we have Nick Pierce, who joined us. Nick Pierce was previously in UNEARTH; Ken is from UNEARTH as well. And Nick stopped playing with UNEARTH and coincidentally at the same time we needed a drummer, because our previous drummer hadn't been communicating with us; he went very isolated once the pandemic hit. And so there wasn't an argument or anything like that; it was just a situation where when the pandemic hit, he decided to take a new direction in life and kind of cut himself off from the rest of us. And we decided we wanted to keep going forward. Phil and I had been the ones writing the songs all these years, so when Nick Pierce left UNEARTH, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to have him perform with us. And then Ryan came from MISS MAY I. He was the last guy to come in. And he didn't come in until a couple of months ago. Our bass player, Josh, previously left, and he's with SPIRITBOX now. And when he decided to go perform with SPIRITBOX, we called up Ryan, who was with MISS MAY I. And Ryan Neff was on tour at the time. And then we asked him, 'Can you start touring with us as soon as this tour is over?' And he said, 'Well, I'm only gonna have three days off to rehearse in between tours.' He said, 'If you guys want me to do it, I'll make sure I come prepared.' And he had a lot to learn in three days, but he pulled it together. He's a very, very hard-working guy."

AS I LAY DYING's new album will be the follow-up to "Shaped By Fire", which came out in September 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

In June 2022, longtime AS I LAY DYING drummer Jordan Mancino announced that he would sit out the band's tour due to "a number of ongoing internal issues" that "have not yet been resolved."

Mancino's announcement came less than a month after AS I LAY DYING's longtime bassist/vocalist Josh Gilbert revealed that he was leaving the band. In a statement, the remaining members of AS I LAY DYING said that Gilbert "decided to exit" the group "to pursue other musical opportunities."

Josh was the second AS I LAY DYING member to leave the band in less than a year. In August 2021, guitarist Nick Hipa confirmed his exit from AS I LAY DYING, explaining that he could no longer justify being part of "a superficial pursuit" of the "story and meaning" that the band's 2018 reunion was built upon.

Lambesis was famously convicted in 2014 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his estranged wife.

In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — on December 17, 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

In June 2018, AS I LAY DYING played its first show with Lambesis in five years and released a new single. Lambesis also owned up to his crimes in a long apology on the band's Facebook page after his release.

The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since Hipa categorically denounced the band's disgraced frontman as a "sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation" in a social-media post back in 2014.

Florida death metal veterans DEICIDE have announced a new partnership with Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM) for their upcoming, 13th full-length album, "Banished By Sin".

The influential band has finished recording the LP and is in the process of adding the final touches to the new slab of brutality, with a release date to be announced. This marks the first time recording with their new guitar player, Taylor Nordberg, who joined the band last year.

DEICIDE's Glen Benton states: "With great pleasure and after several years of debate and consideration, I wish to announce the signing of a historic one album deal with the newly formed RPM for the development and marketing of the newest DEICIDE album, 'Banished By Sin'. We look forward to working with all the talented hand-picked individuals that create RPM music and adding our latest accompaniment to the DEICIDE catalog."

RPM's Gerardo Martinez comments: "We would like to welcome The Satan Spawns DEICIDE to RPM, and we cannot wait to release the very fitting new 13th chapter of their very successful and historied career! Many of us grew up in the original early death metal years and DEICIDE was in many people’s soundtracks. As for me, I ended up in the principal's office in high school, for wearing the original 'Legion' shirt as the back print was dangerous and controversial. Let’s bring some of that back!"

Founded in 2023, Reigning Phoenix Music is truly the 100% independently owned vision of music industry professional Gerardo Martinez, and avionics and tech entrepreneur Sven Bogner. The blueprint is to continue to help heavy metal, extreme, hard, and heavy music thrive by partnering with an array of well-established acts, new talent, and iconic artists, by offering best services and practices in the industry. But most important is to help the artists amplify their art and talent to a winning formula for success.

Last August, Benton told "The Garza Podcast" that DEICIDE's new music "is really anthem-style stuff. It's really good, man. There's a lot of prog stuff in there, mixed in there. Steve's our prog guy, man; he's the progressive rock guy. He likes to write those really black metal riffs and the progressive stuff. He's an amazing talent, man. He plays piano. He can play sweeps on guitar. He's a drummer. Yeah, he can do it all."

Benton went on to say that the next DEICIDE album was written in 2021 before he and his bandmates agreed to embark on a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of DEICIDE's sophomore album, "Legion". But, he explained, "We're getting ready to hammer this deal out right now and get this thing out."

DEICIDE played its first show with new guitarist guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, INHUMAN CONDITION) on May 21, 2022 at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Over a year ago, Nordberg spoke about how he landed the DEICIDE gig in an interview with "The Zach Moonshine Show". He said: "In 2019, my band THE ABSENCE toured with DEICIDE in the U.S. And we got to know the guys and got along really well. And I actually found out that Glen lives, like, two streets over from Jeramie [Kling, THE ABSENCE drummer] and I, where we live. So Jeramie and Glen became good buddies and they ride bikes all the times. It's a funny little thing, thinking about that. But long story short, [previous DEICIDE guitarist] Chris [Cannella], I believe he's the head of A&R at Dean Guitars so he's focusing on that for right now. I heard that they needed a guitar player, so I learned a couple of songs, made a couple of videos, and Glen saw 'em and liked what he saw. So we had a couple of practices, and bing bang boom, here we are."

Cannella amicably left DEICIDE in January 2022 after a three-year run.

Chris joined DEICIDE in 2019 following the departure of guitarist Mark English.

English became a member of DEICIDE in 2016 after the exit of longtime guitarist Jack Owen.

Photo credit: Deidra Kling

Godthrymm, the British epic doom metal outfit featuring members once involved in such luminaries as My Dying Bride, Anathema, Vallenfyre, and Solstice, today unveil their latest single “Devils” and its accompanying video. The track comes by way of the band’s new album, Distortions, set for release on August 18th via Profound Lore Records.


The follow-up to 2020’s widely lauded Reflections shows the Halifax-based quartet of Hamish Glencross (guitars, vocals), Catherine Glencross (keyboards, vocals), “Sasquatch” Bob Crolla (bass), and Shaun “Winter” Taylor-Steels (drums) elegantly expanding upon their sound and vision. With tracks like “Follow Me”, featuring former My Dying Bride compatriot Aaron Stainthorpe, “Echoes”, and “Devils”, Distortions advances Godthrymm into the hallowed halls of the genre they adore to death.


Comments Hamish of “Devils”, “Yes, we’ve got a video! So this gives the opportunity to showcase a riff heavy stomper from the new album, with the live lineup heads down in the studio where we recorded Distortions. Whereas ‘Echoes’ finds us in a more melancholic, somber mood, this rocks in a heavier metal fashion. Look, listen, and loud!”







Distortions will be released on CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats. Find pre-orders here.


Distortions is the second part of Hamish Glencross’ Visions trilogy — the third part, Projections, is already in the works. Throughout its seven-track, hour-long expanse, Godthrymm’s sophomore effort delves deeper into the despondent march of post-pandemic singles “Chasm” and “In Perpetuum”. Glencross’ emotionally-charged vocals pair perfectly with his towering riffs and thoughtful, crestfallen harmonies. The rhythmic foundation of Crolla and Taylor-Steels is absolutely critical to Glencross’ woebegone éclat. With Catherine Glencross’ angelic vocals and atmospheric keyboards stitched into the monumental “As Titans,” the granite-hard “Obsess And Regress”, and the stirring “Pictures Remain”, Distortions has it all.


“The songwriting for Distortions began during the first lockdown,” Hamish says. “That inspired me to start writing and recording at home, and that structure helped define how we would ultimately write the album. It was very much isolated for the most part, though. I would write and record the first arrangement of a song and then send it through to the others, who would record their parts and send them back. Then, it would be a case of refining and rewriting as inspired by the contributions of everyone. Only one song, ‘Devils’, was written in the rehearsal room before the rest of the album.”


For an album centered lyrically on grief, loss, regret, resolve, love, and determination, it’s hard to imagine something inexplicably heavy yet remarkably beautiful. Producer Andy Hawkins (Hark, Grave Lines) was the perfect man for the job. Spread across The Nave Studio in Leeds and Sasquatch Music Studio in Huddersfield, he captured Godthrymm at their most menacing (“Unseen Unheard”) and vulnerable (“Follow Me”). The tones he extracted from Glencross, Crolla, and Taylor-Steels absolutely crush, while the brighter moments (like Catherine Glencross’ spell-binding vocals on “Obsess and Regress”) splinter Godthrymm’s disheartened darkness in two. Distortions was mastered by Mark Midgley (Doom, Hellkrusher) for Northern Mastering Co.


For a band that formed in 2017, Godthrymm are on an impressive run. Not only have they proven to be a formidable live act—invites to Bloodstock Open Air, In Flammen Open Air, and Tomorrow’s Ghost Festival are but the beginning—but the group’s prolific output of three EPs, two singles, and two full-length albums have also repositioned England as the epicenter of high-quality, epic-sounding doom metal. The cover art by Andy Green (My Dying Bride, Strangeways) is simply a force multiplier. All eyes are on Godthrymm with Distortions.





Distortions tracklisting:


"As Titans"
"Devils"
"Echoes"
"Obsess And Regress"
"Unseen Unheard"
"Follow Me"
"Pictures Remain"


"Echoes":





(Photo - Frank Ralph)


 

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have released the new album from Massachusetts death metal destroyers, Exsanguination. Burial Rites is available on all streaming services now. You can order a CD here, and get the digital download here. Find a full album audio stream below.


Following up on Spectral Hymns released in 2021, Exsanguination present eight HM-2 drenched death metal offerings on their most focused release to date. These veterans of the Massachusetts underground metal scene are comprised of former members of Beyond The Sixth Seal and Sevenday Curse, and continue their unholy mission to convert all under one banner. Burial Rites deals with lyrical themes of murder and madness, while also exploring horrors beyond the veil. These musical incantations were captured at Waldron Recordings and the Black Cathedral, with other séances captured at New Alliance.


Exsanguination once again recruited Chris Johnson (Cave In, Cult Leader, Deafheaven) at the helm delivering a tight buzzsaw mix and master.







Tracklisting:


“Reborn In A Casket”
“Coffin Dweller”
“As The Acolytes Burn”
“The Pleasure To End All Pleasures”
“Berserker”
“Into The Abyss”
“The Void”
“Devastated By Black”


Album stream:

French female-fronted progressive metal band, Antipod, has officially inked a deal with Wormholedeath for the release of their album, Eveil. The album is scheduled to hit digital platforms worldwide on September 8.


With their captivating sound and mesmerizing stage presence, Antipod has been making waves in the progressive metal scene, earning them a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim. Their partnership with Wormholedeath is a significant milestone in their musical journey, as it ensures international exposure for their unique brand of music.


In a statement regarding the signing, Antipod expressed their pride and gratitude to Wormholedeath for their belief in the band's talent. They said, "This collaboration with Wormholedeath fills us with immense pride, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to them for placing their trust in us."




To celebrate this exciting collaboration, Antipod has released a special signing announcement video, providing fans and music enthusiasts with a glimpse into their world. The video can be viewed below:





Describing the upcoming album, Eveil, Antipod reveals a work that defies easy categorization. With a solid metal foundation, the band incorporates symphonic and progressive elements, infusing each track with a unique blend of epic and melancholic tones. Lyrically, the album explores a range of themes, both contemporary and timeless, conveyed through metaphor and vivid storytelling. Eveil is an invitation to embark on a colorful, unconventional, and diverse musical journey that articulates a range of emotions and resonates with listeners on a profound level.


Antipod's journey began as a solo project called Mythrillium, initiated by Sebastien, the band's composer. After sharing his music creations with fellow musicians, they recognized the potential and suggested recording some tracks in a professional studio. Steven Segarra, the creator and guitarist of the band Wedingoth, played a pivotal role in this process, contributing guitar and bass lines and lending his production expertise. Sebastien enlisted several talented guests to add their vocals and guitar parts to the album, including Faustine, Julien Lagnier, Fabien Lacroix, and Stéphane Monsérrat.


The release of their first single received an overwhelmingly positive response, garnering airplay on over 300 radio stations and earning spots on physical mixtapes featuring French metal and music records. Encouraged by this reception, Sebastien made the decision to form a full-fledged band, produce a complete album, and deliver unforgettable live performances. Over time, Antipod's lineup has evolved, and today, the band consists of the following members:


Jémina Robineau: Female Singer
Stéphane Monserrat: Male Singer
Elias Bouabib: Rhythmic Guitar, Solo and Backing Vocals
Bilel Adda: Rhythmic Guitar
Aurélien Braun: Drums
Matthieu Lucet: Bass
Sébastien Lelong: Keyboard, Composer


With the upcoming release of Eveil, Antipod is poised to captivate a global audience and solidify their position as one of the most exciting acts in the progressive metal genre. Be sure to follow their social media channels and subscribe to their YouTube channel for the latest updates and releases.





Eveil tracklisting:


"Eveil"
"Affronter ses idées noires"
"Heylel"
"La vie au temps"
"Ne jamais douter"
"Berzerkir"
"Naufrage"
"Nouvelle ere"
"Chrysalide"
"Valse des songes"
"La vie au temps orchestrale" (bonus)


To get a taste of Antipod's musical prowess and the astonishing voice of Faustine, watch the lyric video for their track "Heylel":

Nathan James is on fire with his last release "The Hanged Man" doing over 600K Spotify streams in the first month. While also having the song being added in the full SXM Octane radio rotation.


"My next song, 'Toxic World', takes a deep dive into the modern art/music world calling out the 'Fast Food Music' that we currently see a lot of “artists” making," says Nathan James.







Stream the single here, and watch the music video below:





Nathan James will be heading out on tour with Shaggy 2 Dope of Insane Clown Posse this summer. The tour will kick off on July 19 in Sauget, IL at Pop's and conclude on August 12 in Fort Wayne, IN.





Nathan James is an independent artist who is a “Photographer Rockstar.” Nathan stands for the popular outcast with a goal to turn all life experiences good or bad into “More Art” through music and photography.


Hailing from the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado, Nathan James has always been pushing out his creative energy for the world to see. Building a foundation as one of the most desired entertainment photographer behind some of the industry’s most iconic shots (Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber, Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne, Post Malone & many more.


Since his burst onto the music scene in early 2020, Nathan James has already developed into a full-blown rockstar, manifesting his creative influences into a unique musical identity. It would be an understatement to say that Nathan hit the ground running. Despite the compromising circumstances of COVID-19, Nathan James has released multiple singles and amassed millions of streams across all platforms.


Nathan James has no intention of stopping his production of “More Art”. Whether it’s photography, music, or any other form of art, Nathan James is a unique presence that cannot go unnoticed. In a world full of creativity and expression, Nathan James urges people everywhere to create “More Art”, and he’s not afraid to lead by example.

Every musical release starts from a point of ground zero, and with a fresh lineup change along with a new musical direction, London, Ontatrio's Atria are building on their second EP to take them to the next level.


Set to be unleashed this coming August, their sophomore effort Ground Zero follows their 2018 debut New World Nightmare. Their new lineup features Jerad Sterling (Tortured Saint) on drums, Brody King on lead guitar, and bassist Joe Mullen to join founding members vocalist Tom Emmans (Odium, Deathpoint, Choices, Scaithe) and guitarist Tim Ross. Once again Atria teamed up with producer Jon Howard (Threat Signal) to help them craft their signature anthemic metal sound. Tom Emmans explains further.


"We've definitely gotten more aggressive, we always wanted to blend a lot of melody and anthemic chorus’ with brutality. I feel like the fans will agree that on this new one, we’ve gotten much better at doing that. Lyrically, there’s a lot of anger towards not only myself but the world we live in. I try to be hopeful, but I also try to dig into what’s making me angry. It's therapeutic and cathartic, but it’s really hard. It comes from a real place and it’s not always fun. We hope when fans hear Ground Zero from beginning to end, they feel as if they are being exorcised. from the frustration of life."




The EP also features their 2022 hit single "Antiheroes", which garnered the band a recent "Best Metal" trophy from the 2023 Forest City London, ON Music Awards. Blasting right from the get-go with a tinge of Slipknot and In Flames groove, the track is about losing faith in government and media.


"In 2022, I had seen the world completely fall apart, I had seen division, I had seen lies and hatred coming from both sides of the political spectrum. I wondered to myself how can all these people in one world be so divided? It was enough for any of us to question humanity, government, religion, and ourselves. This is the anthem that came out of it." adds Emmans.


The music video for "Antiheroes" filmed by Joe Lyko of Dark Moon Productions can be viewed below.


Performing heavy, yet catchy music, Atria has already shared the stage with The Agonist, Goatwhore, The Casualties, and Threat Signal, among many more and plans to be touring Eastern Canada later this year in support of the new record.


Atria's Ground Zero EP is due out on August 18, and is available for pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Ground Zero"
"Antiheroes"
"Dysmorphia"
"Just A Number"
"The Brightest Lights"


"Antiheroes" video:





(Photo - Lisa Thompson - Dark Moon Productions)

Southern California's OF MICE & MEN has set "Tether" as the title of its eighth studio album, due later in the year via SharpTone Records. The LP's first single, "Warpaint", will arrive on July 28. A short preview of the track is available below.

Last December, OF MICE & MEN released the digital deluxe version of its seventh album, "Echo". The expanded version of the LP, which originally came out in December 2021, included 10 newly reimagined EDM versions of the album tracks helmed by 10 different DJs.

OF MICE & MEN is a multifaceted metalcore machine whose mission is to make the soundtrack for every heartbreak, melancholic rumination, and moment of triumph. Across a half-dozen studio albums, the group's combination of crowd-moving breakdowns, staccato rhythms, and soaring melodic vocals bridged the gap from the underground to the world at large. Their songs catapulted them on to massive tours with LINKIN PARK and RISE AGAINST (2015); SLIPKNOT (2016); and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and IN FLAMES (2017).

At every turn, no matter what obstacles presented themselves, the four men at the OF MICE & MEN core since 2016 never lost sight of the strength of their connection to the audience or each other. They refocused and persevered at every turn, delivering massive anthems that work in the most intimate of punk clubs, the biggest of European festivals, and American rock radio formats alike. It's all about the songs themselves and what they mean to people at the end of the day. The music of OF MICE & MEN begins as something deeply personal shared among the quartet. Once they're turned loose, they take on new meaning, adding to the soundtrack of people's lives.
“𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖕𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖙”

July 28th • From our new album Tether

Pre-save here: https://t.co/9UpO53XzL3pic.twitter.com/VUJzSewO4E

— Of Mice & Men (@OMandM) July 17, 2023

Swedish heavy metal pioneers, Enforcer, performed at the 2023 edition of Germany's Rock Hard Festival back on May 28. You can now watch professionally-filmed video of the band's full set. Check it out below:





Enforcer's sixth studio album, Nostalgia, is out now via Nuclear Blast Records. Order/save Nostalgia here.







Tracklisting:


"Armageddon"
"Unshackle Me"
"Coming Alive"
"Heartbeats"
"Demon"
"Kiss Of Death"
"Nostalgia"
"No Tomorrow"
"At The End Of The Rainbow"
"Metal Supremacia"
"White Lights In The USA"
"Keep The Flame Alive"
"When The Thunder Roars (Cross Fire)"


"Metal Supremacia" video:





"Nostalgia" video:





"Coming Alive" video:

Mitch Malloy continues to rock the night away burning the midnight oil. After several years as the frontman for the iconic rock band Great White, Mitch returned to the studio writing and recording his new album, The Last Song. The album launched with an exclusive, limited release collector’s edition vinyl through a partnership with SING. Watch Malloy unbox the vinyl below, and order the album here.





Once again, Mitch is undertaking an album solely by himself from start to finish – song writing, producing, instruments, mixing and mastering. Mitch reveals, “For this record, I have really taken my time. In the past, I’ve usually been on deadlines. With this album, there was so much material in my head from a few years of not having a true creative outlet, so it was a lot to process. I’m thankful that I have been in a position to not rush my creativity. I’ve been tucked away in my Zen zone writing and recording... and amassing lots of new gear! Ha!”







The Last Song Deluxe Package is released worldwide first on SING Market as a limited edition collectible 180 gram signed and numbered white vinyl record. This special vinyl bundle includes a signed CD, large poster, 8" X 10" photo, and more. All of this is attached to a limited, numbered and registered digital collectable bundle packed with behind-the-scenes videos, acoustic videos, a rare handwritten lyric sheet, and a Golden Ticket contest to win a private zoom concert where you hang with Mitch! After this very limited vinyl - digital collectable VIP bundle is gone - it’s gone!


In addition to being an artist, Mitch is no stranger to the studio, and has worked with a variety of artists, labels, and brands from Taylor Swift, Boys Like Girls, Kenny Loggins, Craig Morgan, and Sony Music NY, to singer/songwriters Victoria Show, Gary Burr and Billy Falcon, and even voiceover work for Outdoor Channel, Field & Stream and many more. Mitch has even been the voice for Starburst candy!


Mitch is also an award-winning songwriter, and has written with legendary songwriters like Jim Weatherly, Richard Lee, Mike Reid, Desmond Child, Dennis Morgan, Victoria Shaw and Gray Burr. He’s been signed to publishing deals with Warner Chappell and Chrysalis Music, but later launched his own publishing company to control his copyrights. Mitch loves the craft of songwriting... telling a story and resonating with his audience. "Songs are so powerful... it's amazing just how much a song can impact a person's life," says Malloy. “Once again, life has delivered a lot of new material... from losing family members, to moving to the beach, to having a teenager. There’s definitely no shortage of inspiration!”


Mitch’s tenure as an artist has spanned several decades beginning as a regular on the New York music scene in the 80s. Mitch soon garnered a major recording deal with RCA/BMG Worldwide, and achieved success on the pop and rock charts, landed a coveted spot on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and has toured globally.


Mitch's voice has been highly sought after as a frontman for legendary acts as well as a guest vocalist on other artists' projects. In the mid-90s, Mitch was asked to replace Sammy Hagar as lead singer for Van Halen. But after spending time and recording with the band he declined. “When the band appeared on the MTV Music Awards with Dave [David Lee Roth], the fans expected his return – I expected his return. I felt as cool as the opportunity was, it just wasn’t the right time,” said Malloy.


Lastly, if you miss out on the SING Market bundles, The Last Song CD (alone) will be available in the US on Malloy’s label, Godsend Records, and internationally by Cargo Records based in the UK. Mitch looks forward to getting back out on the road and connecting with his fans in person. So, will this be the last song? According to Mitch, “Give it a listen, and you tell me!”


“My hope with ‘The Last Song’ record is that when listening you will experience some of the experiences and feelings and emotions I had while making it. If that happens then the world is a better place through music. And as always, I gave it everything I had. Crank it and enjoy!”





Tracklisting:


"I’m Living In Paradise"
"One Of A Kind"
"Using This Song"
"My Pleasure"
"Building A Bridge"
"I’ll Find A Way"
"Sometimes Love"
"You’re The Brightest Star"
"I See You"
"The Last Song"

Influenced by thrash metal royaly Slayer, Kreator, Destruction and Exodus' earlier works, Eternal Evil was formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 2019. The band intends to carry on the legacy of early high energy classic thrash insanity.


Their quickly sold out Rise Of Death self-released demo recorded in band leader Adrian Tobar's garage was later reissued by Iron Fist and Redefining Darkness records. Shortly after the demo release, the world was hit by a pandemic and during those restrictive years, the band worked on in silence and brought in Norrland guitarist Tobias Lindström.


Recorded at Studio Humbucker by Robert Pehrsson, the band’s full length debut, The Warriors Awakening... Brings The Unholy Slaughter, was released in November 2021.




Now with two new members, the band is ready with its follow-up album, The Gates Beyond Mortality,  to be released in October. With lyrical themes from Occult Practice to the violent nature of warfare the band has crafted an album that has broken all the rules and standards from previous times, which makes this album sound darker than anything they have released prior.


Having kickstarted with an indestructible enthusiasm conjuring malicious old school metal powers, Eternal Evil are destined to make that head bang forever.


The first single, "Funeral Prayers", will be released on July 27.





The Gates Beyond Mortality tracklisting:


"Depths A Of A New Eternity"
"Guerilla Warfare"
"The Gates Beyond Mortality"
"Funeral Prayers"
"Signs Of Ancient Sin"
"Desecration Of Light"
"The Astral Below"
"Immolation"
"The Cursed Trilogy"


Eternal Evil lineup:


Adrian Tobar - Vocals and Lead Guitar
Tobias Lindström - Lead Guitar
Niklas Saari  - Bass Guitar
Adam Schmidt  - Drums

When Queen took a break for the first part of 1983, Brian May put his time to good use. Waking up one morning in Los Angeles, he decided to phone a few friends and invite them to collaborate on some tracks in California’s famous Record Plant studios. The resulting collaboration was a great success, and Brian would later mould the recordings into a unique mini-album, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Project.


Order Star Fleet Project here, and watch a remastered video for the song "Star Fleet" below:







This third release in the “Brian May Gold Series” offers an extensively revisited and expanded box set edition of these now legendary sessions. The set is a complete document of the two days, April 21 and 22, 1983 that May spent in the Record Plant, Los Angeles accompanied by top rock music luminaries Edward Van Halen (guitar), Alan Gratzer (drums), Phil Chen (bass) and Fred Mandel (keyboards). The box set includes a spectacular 23-track CD filled with previously unreleased material.


Containing 2 CDs, 1 vinyl LP, and a vinyl single, as well as other collectors items, Brian May + Friends: Star Fleet Sessions is available as a Deluxe Edition box set, worldwide.  


A separate exclusive 7” double A side single, also available on CD, features newly mixed single versions of “Star Fleet” and “Let Me Out”. A special red vinyl version is available exclusively through the official Queen Online store and is available to order here.





As May writes in his introductory sleeve notes in the box set: “We are going to give you everything. Every take of every song. The things that went wrong, the laughing, the finding new things to do. But it won’t be just a remaster – we’ve rescued everything from the original multitracks, every detail magnificently remixed, and more! You’ll hear every take from the historic 1983 sessions plus fragments of conversations, out-takes and musical experimentation.”


The original 3-track mini album, released October 31,1983, featured a full-length take of “Star Fleet”, May’s hard rock re-imagining of the signature tune from the Japanese-made kids science fiction series of the same name. The programme was compulsive regular viewing for Brian and his 4-year-old son Jimmy on Saturday morning TV, inspiring Brian’s attachment to its title song, written by English musician Paul Bliss. The album also featured "Let Me Out", including extensive opportunities for May and Van Halen to solo, and "Blues Breaker" a 13-minute piece of completely spontaneous improvisation from all members of this  ‘supergroup’ of musicians.


May says: “If Paul hadn’t written a very catchy song as the theme tune for that kid’s TV science fiction drama series, things would have been different. The signature tune began to stick in my head, and I could hear my own arrangement of the tune developing in my mind. But how to record it?”


“So, one morning, I woke up in Los Angeles, on a break from activities with Queen, and made some phone calls. I’ve told the story of what happened next in the material you will find in this box. The outcome was something I will forever treasure.”


“We did a little preparation, on the phone and at home with tiny Rockman amps and earphones. Then we went in. The tapes rolled. My LA neighbour Alan Gratzer beat the Hell out of his kit with the fattest, heaviest drum sticks I had ever seen. Phil Chen, a friend I had met when he played with Rod Stewart, brought his unusual style of funk-orientated rock playing to the party, along with his sunny Caribbean energy and humour. And Fred Mandel, one of the classiest keyboard players I have ever met, tickled both the ivories and some very technical synth patches to bring the spacey riffs to life.  Ed (I can still never call him “Eddie Van Halen” because he more than once told me he found it annoying!) played the guitar as if it were a piano … tapping and snapping, and sliding and skipping around the fingerboard like an electric sprite - always with a cheeky smile. If anything he did was difficult for him, he never showed it.  A total original. Pure joy. What an everlasting privilege to play with him.”


A superlative show of back-to-basics passion and purpose, Star Fleet brims with the freedom of an off-the-cuff break from the day jobs for all involved.


The record emerged on October 20, 1983 as a set of blistering guitar work, rock’n’roll spontaneity and vibrant melody, infused with a palpable chemistry and respect between the players. Spawning a single in the title-track, the mini-album reached No 1 in the British ‘Kerrang’ rock charts.


Now, of course, the record stands in part as a celebration of those we’ve lost: a chance to reconvene with great, much-missed talents. As Brian puts it, “It’s been very exciting to open up the vault to find these tapes where, in the blink of an eye, I’m trading licks with my friends, including the fantastic Ed Van Halen. It’s highly emotional, especially since Ed is sadly no longer around. We have since also lost Phil - so the rest of us cherish these fleeting moments together.”


The troupe also worked on an earlier May song, the bluesy “Let Me Out”, while the set closes with the titanic “Blues Breaker”, almost 13 minutes of scorching guitar interplay between Brian and Edward: not so much duelling as sharing ideas and passions. As Brian explains, “It was inspired by John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, the album with Eric Clapton reading The Beano on the front cover. Edward said, ‘This is great for me, I haven’t played like this in years.  This is where I come from! I didn’t come up doing tapping and all the fireworks. I grew up doing blues, wanting to be like Eric Clapton and do something melodic.”


If that sense of liberation rings out, so does a spirit of shared adventure. “There was a lot of ebullience, a lot of exploration, discovery and astonishment,” says Brian. “And some truly magical moments when everything gelled together - a fusion of energies!”


Across two CDs, a 12” vinyl LP, a 7” vinyl single, the ‘Star Fleet Sessions’ box set houses the proof. Presented in 180g transparent red vinyl, the original LP issue has been treated to a full new mix, executed by Queen sound engineers Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson under Brian’s direction at his Surrey studio from the original multitrack tapes and, says Brian, “cut at half-speed for maximum fidelity”. The single features two tracks. The A-side is an edited version of “Star Fleet”, with brand-new intro guitar harmonies from Brian. The B-side mirrors the original B-side “Son of Star Fleet” which Brian explains “was a way of including the rest of the original long version of the recording on a 7” record; effectively the whole recording is split between the two sides.”


CD1 Star Fleet Project + Beyond features the single version of the title track alongside full-length album versions of “Let Me Out” and “Blues Breaker”. Also included is an interview with Cynthia Fox conducted on Los Angeles radio station KMET in October 1983, on the day of the single release, and a Rockline interview with Bob Coburn. A live version of “Let Me Out” from the Palace Theatre in LA follows, segueing into “We Will Rock You” and a reworking of the same song’s adored fast rendition. The line-up of May, powerhouse drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Neil Murray, guitarist Jamie Moses, keyboardist Spike Edney and backing singers Cathy Porter & Shelley Preston finds The Brian May Band on fire. Finally, CD1 closes with the full LP version of “Star Fleet”, “just as the day it happened,” says Brian, “as if we were in the room.”


CD2 Star Fleet - The Complete Sessions features 23 tracks that go deeper into that room. The disc boasts a newly-created mix from the entire original analogue session tapes, featuring songs in the process of evolution (some with guide vocals) plus discussion, banter, laughs and, says Brian, “some ‘mistakes’, if there are such things”. Amps blow, mics break, strings snap – the results take you as close as it is possible to get to the Record Plant in April 1983.





And Van Halen fans, take note: the “Star Fleet” takes feature eight Edward guitar solos, “never quite treading the same path twice,” says Brian. “Ed was a wonderful soul. Listening to him and me, I feel completely outclassed by him in the studio. But in a very pleasant way – what a joy for me to be around a guy who could do all that. Such a privilege."


“So, you’ll hear us in the studio trading licks,” adds May. “We’ve cleaned up the mix and now EVH’s sound is larger than life. You’ll hear the development of his solo, which I always thought was one of the greatest things he did… a real immortal classic of Ed Van Halen pieces.”


A badge and a booklet featuring extensive liner notes complete the box set. A poster will be exclusive to box set orders placed via QueenOnline.com, where 180g black vinyl, cassette and picture-disc vinyl albums will also be available.


Complete with a digital recreation of the original 1983 source material’s artwork, Star Fleet Sessions doesn’t just gleam anew. Across 136 minutes of audio, the box set takes you behind the curtain, highlighting the electricity that made the project such a special chapter in Brian’s life and career.


“It’s all here. ALL of it ! Every note we played on those two unforgettable, exhilarating days is right here, on show for the first time. Hearing these sessions, especially through the new restoration and mixes we’ve now produced, still sends shivers up my spine,” he says. A time capsule of an unrepeatable moment, this much-anticipated, lovingly curated box set proves why.





Tracklistings:


Star Fleet Sessions Box Set | Format: 2CD + LP (Red Vinyl) + 7” (Black Vinyl)


CD1: Star Fleet Project + Beyond:
"Star Fleet" (Edited Single Version / 2023 Mix)
"Let Me Out" (2023 Mix)
"Blues Breaker" (2023 Mix)
Cynthia Fox Release Day Interview 1983
Bob Coburn Rockline Interview 1984
"Let Me Out" (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
"We Will Rock You" (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
"We Will Rock You" - Fast (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
"Star Fleet" (Complete Version / 2023 Mix)


CD2: Star Fleet The Complete Sessions:
"Star Fleet" (Take 1)
"Star Fleet" (Take 2)
"Star Fleet" (Take 3)
"Star Fleet" (Take 4)
"Star Fleet" (Take 5)
Solo Jam
"Star Fleet" (Take 7)
"Star Fleet" (Take 8)
"Star Fleet" (Take 10)
"Star Fleet" (Take 11)
"Star Fleet" (Alternative Overdub EVH Solo)
Jam
"Let Me Out" (Rehearsal 1)
"Let Me Out" (Rehearsal 2)
Boogie Woogie Jam
"Let Me Out" (Take 1)
"Jazz Police"
"Let Me Out" (Take 3)
"Let Me Out" (Take 4)
Jam (Let's Do The Show Right Here)
"Let Me Out" (Take 6)
Funky Jam
"Let Me Out" (Take 7 False Start)


LP: Star Fleet Project (180g Red Vinyl):
"Star Fleet" (2023 Mix)
"Let Me Out" (2023 Mix)
"Blues Breaker" (2023 Mix)


7” Single "Star Fleet":
"Star Fleet" (Edited Single Version / 2023 Mix)
"Son Of Star Fleet" (2023 Mix) – Exclusive to the box set 7”


Star Fleet Project + Beyond CD:
"Star Fleet" (Edited Single Version / 2023 Mix)
"Let Me Out" (2023 Mix)
"Blues Breaker" (2023 Mix)
Cynthia Fox Release Day Interview 1983
Bob Coburn Rockline Interview 1984
"Let Me Out" (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
"We Will Rock You" (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
"We Will Rock You" - Fast (Live at The Palace Theater, LA / 1993)
"Star Fleet" (Complete Version / 2023 Mix)


Star Fleet Project / LP 180g black vinyl / LP picture disc / Cassette:
"Star Fleet" (2023 Mix)
"Let Me Out" (2023 Mix)
"Blues Breaker" (2023 Mix)





"Star Fleet" / "Let Me Out" - Double A Side Single (7” Vinyl (Red) / CD Single):
"Star Fleet" (Edited Single Version / 2023 Mix)
"Let Me Out" (Single Edit / 2023 Mix) – Only available physically on this 7” Vinyl & CD single





Credits:


- Content supervised by Kris Fredriksson.
- Mixed by Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson, Allerton Hill Studio.
- Mastered by Adam Ayan, Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine.
- Half Speed vinyl mastering by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios.
- Artwork by Richard Gray and Brian May.
- Photography by Phil Chen, James “Motor” Merritt, Elizabeth “Lizard” Frye, Brian May, Ron Galella / Getty Images.


3D unboxing video:





Star Fleet Sessions: How It Began (Episode 1):





Star Fleet Sessions: Meet The Band (Episode 2):





Star Fleet Sessions: In The Studio (Episode 3):

Progressive death metal entity, Horrendous, will release their new album, Ontological Mysterium, on August 18 via Season of Mist. Pre-order here, pre-save here.


Listen to a third taste of the album, "Preterition Hymn", below.


With Ontological Mysterium, Horrendous have built a towering death-metal thrill ride. The sheer size and scope of their new album is massive. Riffs twist and turn through labyrinthine arrangements, busting out into soaring melodic leads. Ontological Mysterium captures the true spirit of the halcyon days of extreme metal. It sounds timeless but marks a bold step forward for this rising band.







Tracklisting:


“The Blaze”
“Chrysopoeia (The Archaeology Of Dawn)”
“Neon Leviathan”
“Aurora Neoterica”
“Preterition Hymn”
“Cult Of Shaad’oah”
“Exen(en)esis”
“Ontological Mysterium”
“The Death Knell Ringeth”


"Preterition Hymn":





“Cult Of Shaad’oah” lyric video:





“Ontological Mysterium” visualizer:

French female-fronted progressive metal band, Antipod, has officially inked a deal with Wormholedeath for the release of their album, Eveil. The album is scheduled to hit digital platforms worldwide on September 8.


With their captivating sound and mesmerizing stage presence, Antipod has been making waves in the progressive metal scene, earning them a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim. Their partnership with Wormholedeath is a significant milestone in their musical journey, as it ensures international exposure for their unique brand of music.


In a statement regarding the signing, Antipod expressed their pride and gratitude to Wormholedeath for their belief in the band's talent. They said, "This collaboration with Wormholedeath fills us with immense pride, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to them for placing their trust in us."




To celebrate this exciting collaboration, Antipod has released a special signing announcement video, providing fans and music enthusiasts with a glimpse into their world. The video can be viewed below:





Describing the upcoming album, Eveil, Antipod reveals a work that defies easy categorization. With a solid metal foundation, the band incorporates symphonic and progressive elements, infusing each track with a unique blend of epic and melancholic tones. Lyrically, the album explores a range of themes, both contemporary and timeless, conveyed through metaphor and vivid storytelling. Eveil is an invitation to embark on a colorful, unconventional, and diverse musical journey that articulates a range of emotions and resonates with listeners on a profound level.


Antipod's journey began as a solo project called Mythrillium, initiated by Sebastien, the band's composer. After sharing his music creations with fellow musicians, they recognized the potential and suggested recording some tracks in a professional studio. Steven Segarra, the creator and guitarist of the band Wedingoth, played a pivotal role in this process, contributing guitar and bass lines and lending his production expertise. Sebastien enlisted several talented guests to add their vocals and guitar parts to the album, including Faustine, Julien Lagnier, Fabien Lacroix, and Stéphane Monsérrat.


The release of their first single received an overwhelmingly positive response, garnering airplay on over 300 radio stations and earning spots on physical mixtapes featuring French metal and music records. Encouraged by this reception, Sebastien made the decision to form a full-fledged band, produce a complete album, and deliver unforgettable live performances. Over time, Antipod's lineup has evolved, and today, the band consists of the following members:


Jémina Robineau: Female Singer
Stéphane Monserrat: Male Singer
Elias Bouabib: Rhythmic Guitar, Solo and Backing Vocals
Bilel Adda: Rhythmic Guitar
Aurélien Braun: Drums
Matthieu Lucet: Bass
Sébastien Lelong: Keyboard, Composer


With the upcoming release of Eveil, Antipod is poised to captivate a global audience and solidify their position as one of the most exciting acts in the progressive metal genre. Be sure to follow their social media channels and subscribe to their YouTube channel for the latest updates and releases.





Eveil tracklisting:


"Eveil"
"Affronter ses idées noires"
"Heylel"
"La vie au temps"
"Ne jamais douter"
"Berzerkir"
"Naufrage"
"Nouvelle ere"
"Chrysalide"
"Valse des songes"
"La vie au temps orchestrale" (bonus)


To get a taste of Antipod's musical prowess and the astonishing voice of Faustine, watch the lyric video for their track "Heylel":

Fan-filmed video of DARK ANGEL's July 13 performance at the Gefle Metal Festival at Gasklockorna in Gävle, Sweden can be seen below.

DARK ANGEL's founding guitarist Jim Durkin died on March 8 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", 1986's "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them ever since.

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.

In a recent interview with Heavy New York, Gene Hoglan was asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for DARK ANGEL's long-awaited new album. The DARK ANGEL drummer said: "Well, I tell you, very soon we hope to be able to have a lot of exciting news available for all DARK ANGEL fans or anybody who's interested in our music or thrash metal in particular, hopefully in the very near future we're gonna be able to move things along and be able to announce some really exciting news forDARK ANGEL and for our fans and anybody, like I say, who might be interested. So hopefully that news is gonna make people go, 'Yeah! Yes!' So we're excited about being able to unveil it when — I hate to say 'when the time is right' — but just seriously, when we've got things together and the time is okay to be able to announce, 'We've got something happening, we've got something happening, we've got something happening, we've got something happening,' all these kind of things, being able to just move forward like one big tank, we're hoping to be able to do that very soon."

Hoglan previously talked about DARK ANGEL's upcoming LP this past May in an interview with Friday 13th. He said at the time: "Jim and I, we had gotten together a number of times to write some new material for DARK ANGEL. And we weren't able to get it down on tape too much. If DARK ANGELhas any new material, there's a song that he's got on there that is pretty darn DARK ANGEL-esque.

"In tribute to Jim, DARK ANGEL's new material will have a ton of his spirit all over it — his feel. Whether he actually wrote stuff on the new stuff or not, his spirit is very there. His imprint is felt throughout thrash metal, I feel. Even before I was in DARK ANGEL, I'd see Jim's influence on bands. Absolutely. So his legacy will live forevermore in the realm of extreme metal. His style will always be a part of DARK ANGEL, absolutely, big time."

Pressed about the current status of new DARK ANGEL material, Gene said: "All I can say is that there is very, very, very, very exciting news that's gonna be coming from DARK ANGEL very soon. I think it's gonna make a lot of DARK ANGEL fans really happy. Until we are able to let anything out of the bag or anything, there's a number of things that DARK ANGEL is gonna be up to beforehand. The most I can say is I think it's gonna make a lot of people really happy, what's going on — as immediate DARK ANGEL future as we can, that's gonna be pretty darn cool for a lot of folks. So I'm pretty excited about the future… I'm really looking forward to the next coming months when we can let some people know what's happening, let folks know what's going on, and then also when they get the proof of all the things that are happening… We've got a lot of DARK ANGEL shows coming up. We've been doing like a 'Darkness Descends' night, and it's killer. We just did Los Angeles about a month ago — the most psychotic show I played since back in the day. Oh my God. Jesus, Lord Almighty. From minute one of the first show to the final minute of the last show, the three shows that we did, from ten seconds in, it was the most psychotic thing ever. So way to bring it, L.A., man. Let me tell ya."

Asked how the next DARK ANGEL album will compare to the band's previous efforts, Hoglan said: "Well, I can't really even comment on the fact that there might or might not be an album yet. But put it this way — if I were to have any new DARK ANGEL material, I would want it to be an extension of where the band is at now and where I'm at now. And I would probably approach the writing of it in a way as if DARK ANGEL never disappeared for a decade, two decades, three decades, or whatever it's been. It's just like we just kept doing what we do, and this would be where we're at right now. Which I would want to be putting out the most savage, heaviest material that DARK ANGEL could. And I'm no slouch with writing psychotic, heavy material. So I would be very, very excited with where DARK ANGEL's new material would be if that would be able to confirm."

DARK ANGEL 2023 is:

Gene Hoglan - Drums
Ron Rinehart - Vocals
Eric Meyer - Guitar
Michael Gonzalez - Bass
Laura Christine - Guitar

During a book-signing event for Brian Slagel's latest book, "Swing Of The Blade", last Thursday (July 13) at Book Soup in West Hollywood, California, ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush was asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2020's "Punching The Sky" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We kind of started writing some songs a little bit, [ARMORED SAINT bassist] Joey Vera and myself. We are kind of like the catalyst to get the songwriting going. We kind of move slow — very slow — but I say it's quality over quantity. So even though there's not a lot of ARMORED SAINT records, they're all great. Tracy, who's Joey's wife and is the president of Metal Blade and is an amazing person, has kind of tried to give us a kick in the ass to hurry up a little bit. And I am gonna be turning 60 next month, so it's, like, time is not our side."

You can watch the entire question-and-answer session, which also included Slagel and BITCH's longtime leader Betsy Weiss, below (courtesy of The Metal Voice).

ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame on July 13 at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. The event was hosted by 95.5 KLOS DJ Marci Wiser, and featured performances by WEAPONS OF ANEW, Sergio Michel and DECONSTRUCT, surprise guest appearances and an all-star jam.

Two months ago, ARMORED SAINT's long-awaited documentary, Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers", had its world premiere in the band's hometown at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers" celebrates the 40-year career of ARMORED SAINT and the 50-year friendship the bandmembers have shared from school in El Sereno, a Los Angeles suburb.

Many friends of the band have given interviews, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich from METALLICA tell tales of their early days touring, Scott Ian of ANTHRAX talks about seeing ARMORED SAINT in 1985, QUEENSRŸCHE members Eddie Jackson and Todd La Torre talk about the shared history. Key music industry figures and producers, A&R men, roadies, record label executives and family share thoughts and stories about the band's 40-year history.

ARMORED SAINT's eighth full-length album, "Punching The Sky", came out in October 2020 via Metal Blade Records.

ARMORED SAINT released the "Symbol Of Salvation Live" CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album's 30th anniversary. "Symbol Of Salvation Live" was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City's famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.

SOULFLY has released the official live video for "Superstition", the first single from the band's twelfth album, "Totem", which came out last August via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2018's "Ritual" was recorded at Platinum Underground in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino and Arthur Rizk with assistance from John Powers. Produced by SOULFLY mainman Max Cavalera alongside Arthur Rizk (KREATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CODE ORANGE),the LP boasts guest appearances from John Powers (ETERNAL CHAMPION),Chris Ulsh (POWER TRIP),and John Tardy (OBITUARY). Rizk was also responsible for playing lead guitar on the record. The artwork for the album was created by James Bousema.

Regarding the lyrical themes covered on "Totem", Max told The Bogcast: "'Superstition' was inspired by Superstition Mountains. I ended up doing a lot of reading about it and the whole Lost Dutchman. A lot of people died there. It's a really mysterious, mystic place, so I kind of made the lyrics kind of connected to that, which was pretty cool. In the actual chorus, it says, 'Superstition is harder than stone.' I'm referring to the mountain itself. That's a hard mountain. It's been there forever and probably will be there till the end of times.

"The whole record is inspired by nature," he continued. "That's why it's called 'Totem'. I don't know if you guys saw the cover, but we've got this totem pole with a bunch of different animals in it. Supposedly it's kind of like our spirit animals a little bit and our signs. There's almost like a lion mixed with a warthog and there's a goat with the horns. And there's an owl, eagle on top of it. And it's in the forest.

"So, yeah, the record was inspired by nature — the spirits in nature," Cavalera added. "I find that fascinating. I love that. I think the desert is very spiritual and very mysterious. And also the forest. We tour a lot, so we go to Iceland and Norway, and we all see those beautiful forests and stuff.

"So a lot of the record was inspired by, I guess you'd call it the worshipping of nature, almost as a god. A lot of natives have that belief — that nature is like a god that you worship. So I think that became the kind of focus point for the record. There's definitely songs that deal with different topics on it. There's a really cool song that's against cancer. We lost so many good people [to] cancer. I remember when I was writing the record, L.G. [Petrov] from ENTOMBED passed away, and Chuck [Schuldiner] from DEATH [died 20 years ago], and also family members that succumbed to cancer. And so I was, like, 'I wanna write a song against cancer' — a 'fuck you, cancer'-type letter, like a letter to cancer: 'Fuck you. You're not gonna bring all of us down. We're gonna fight you.' It's called 'Scouring The Vile'. That's one of the heaviest songs on the record. Also there's one that's kind of a little bit about society in general, and it's called 'Filth Upon Filth'. It's very, very 'Reign In Blood' influenced; I was listening to a lot of 'Reign In Blood' when I wrote that song. The tempo of it is a very killer SLAYER kind of groove. There is one song called 'The Damage Done'. It's about all the deforestation. I was reading a lot about the Amazon, how they're just raping and pillaging and destroying and that's like the lungs of the world. It's kind of up to us at least to talk about some of these topics, so I think it was kind of cool to give it a shot."

According to Max, "Totem" closes with a 10-minute track called "Spirit Animal". "It's a bit like an epic kind of song," he said. "It's really inspired by old heavy metal tracks, like closers of BLACK SABBATH albums that were really long, like eight [or] nine minutes long, like 'Heaven And Hell'-type shit. I wanted to write something like that. So it's got a lot of parts — tons of riffs. It's a riff fest. [Laughs] And it's great, 'cause it's also got… Richie from INCITE sings on it, my [step]son. And we've got Chris from POWER TRIP doing the solos on it. He's also in MAMMOTH GRINDER. He's a great musician. So he did the solos on 'Spirit Animal', and it came out sick."

In a separate interview with the "Rez Metal" podcast, Max stated about "Totem": "It was created a little bit different. The majority was just me and my son Zyon playing together, so we kind of wrote the bulk of the material. And then I had a great producer friend, Arthur Rizk; he worked with POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE. Arthur is great, man. And I was curious how Arthur would make a SOULFLY record sound if he was in charge [of] it. And we created something that, to me, feels kind of like… It's almost like a biography of Max music. We cover everything from the early days all the way… So there's some black metal things, there's some death and thrash, there's some groove metal — there's everything. So the record really goes deep into all different areas of metal. So because of that, the album feels very diverse. At the end of the day, I just wanted to make a solid, full-on attitude record that just says, 'We're here to fuck shit up.' This is what we do. This is why I love playing metal, because of the energy it gives me.

"I don't wanna describe the record too much — I'd rather have people hear it and see what they think — but to me, it feels like this is just a really, really energetic SOULFLY record," Cavalera added. "It's kind of cool to have that kind of… After so many records, if you can still put an energetic record out, it says something about your career; you're not slowing down — you're going, actually, the opposite way. So I'm more in the trenches than ever with this one. It feels like [I've been] rejuvenated; I feel like a young kid again playing metal. Those are great elements to have. Especially when you're getting older, a lot of people go more mild and slow down. I'm not one of those people. I wanna just get even more wild, get heavier. But always with the SOULFLY groove, 'cause I think that's a key element of SOULFLY; it's always been the groove. So we pay really close attention to the… We actually added a lot of percussion to it, so it kind of goes back to records like 'Primitive'; some of the grooves go back to songs like 'Primitive' and 'Boom', but some of the other stuff is super aggressive and it's like a lot of the current extreme metal that I listen to right now from a lot of other bands."

In April 2021, Max told Chris Enriquez of Saint Vitus Presents: Age Of Quarantine that Rizk took the new SOULFLY project "super seriously. He said, 'Hey, Max, I don't wanna do just another SOULFLY record. I wanna do the bestSOULFLY record,'" he recalled. 'I was, like, 'All right. I take the challenge. Let's do it, man.'"

SOULFLY's current lead guitarist is Mike DeLeon, who joined the band in early 2023. Prior to hooking up with SOULFLY, DeLeon had been a member of PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's solo band PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, which he joined in 2015 as the replacement for Marzi Montazeri. More recently, Mike filled in for Zakk Wylde at the first rehearsal for the fall 2022 PANTERA shows.

In August 2021, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares played guitar for SOULFLY on the band's 2021 and 2022 run of shows.

BLACKBIRD ANGELS, the new project founded by guitarist Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS) and bassist/vocalist Todd Kerns (SLASH, TOQUE, HEROES AND MONSTERS),will release its debut album, "Solsorte", on September 8 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Adam Hamilton, a multi-instrumentalist who spent time in L.A. GUNS and has also produced albums by L.A. GUNS, VAINS OF JENNA, George Lynch, and more, rounds out the BLACKBIRD ANGELS lineup on drums.

BLACKBIRD ANGELS' self-titled debut album sees some old friends getting together and simply having fun playing some good 'ol rock 'n roll like their heroes from the '70s did.

The official music video for the LP's first single, "Shut Up (You Know I Love You)", can be seen below.

Guns comments: "Todd and I have wanted to make a record for about 10 years now and we finally did it and it's everything I hoped for. With the addition of Adam Hamilton, it's pure magic. For live performances, Johnny Martin will play bass and Sam Bam Koltun will play guitar."

Kerns adds: "I've always been a great admirer of Tracii's. When he approached me about this project, we were still in the throes of the pandemic and I really felt this deep need to make as much music as possible while we were all facing such an uncertain future. The record turned out to not only be a cathartic experience, it became some of my favorite music I've ever been a part of. It's raw, it's real and it rocks. I'm super excited for people to hear it."

The seeds of BLACKBIRD ANGELS were planted when Tracii decided he wanted to write a rock and roll record more directly influenced by the music he grew up worshipping as a teenager, i.e. LED ZEPPELIN, Peter Frampton, BAD COMPANY, late '70s JOURNEY, and the like. He and Todd Kerns were already friends and Tracii felt Todd's voice and bass playing would match perfectly with his vision. The two chatted and concluded they could make a killer rock and roll record together.

"Solsorte" track listing:

01. Shut Up (You Know I Love You)
02. Mine (All Mine)
03. Worth The Wait
04. Coming In Hot
05. On And On/Over And Over
06. Only Everything
07. Broken In Two
08. Better Than This
09. Unbroken
10. The Last Song
11. Scream Bloody Murder

Guns is a respected guitarist who first came to prominence with the band he founded in Los Angeles in the early '80s, L.A. GUNS. L.A. GUNS would go on to be one of the marquee bands of '80s hard rock and had multiple hit records and singles, including "The Ballad Of Jayne". Guns has also had different forays with other groups outside of L.A. GUNS, including BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION with MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, CONTRABAND with Michael Schenker, and, more recently, SUNBOMB with STRYPER guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet. Guns reunited with vocalist Phil Lewis in 2016 under the L.A. GUNS name and the band has been releasing new albums, three in total thus far, and touring regularly since.

Kerns is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is most noted for being the bass player and backup singer in SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, and for being the frontman of gold-record-selling Canadian band THE AGE OF ELECTRIC. In more recent years, he has been making his mark as a singer/songwriter with sold-out solo performances as well as fronting former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick's band, as well as his own Canadian supergroup TOQUE. Most recently, Todd joined forces with guitarist Stef Burns and drummer Will Hunt in the power trio HEROES AND MONSTERS.

BLACKBIRD ANGELS is:

Tracii Guns - Guitars
Todd Kerns - Vocals
Adam Hamilton - Drums