In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", BREAKING BENJAMIN guitarist Keith Wallen was asked if he and his bandmates have commenced work on their long-awaited new studio album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One hundred percent, yeah. We've always been kind of writing and kind of chronicling some ideas over the past few years — through the pandemic, all that stuff, we've always been writing. But here recently it started to pick up a little bit. So I'm hoping — hoping — there's gonna be some new music out sometime within the next year. That's a nice, safe answer. I could say month, I could say two months, but I'm gonna say year, just 'cause it's been so long. I don't wanna screw ourselves somehow; I don't know."

Keith went on to say that there is quite a bit of new BREAKING BENJAMIN material nearly ready to be released. "We've got some stuff in the works," he said. "We've got a lot of music recorded. Ben [BREAKING BENJAMIN frontman Benjamin Burnley] just posted yesterday — he just tracked some vocals for a song. So, yeah, we're getting there. We move at our own pace here, much to the dismay of a lot of people, I've noticed, online."

He added about the new BREAKING BENJAMIN music: "It's awesome. It's exciting. And man, I can't wait to get it out there finally."

Two months ago, BREAKING BENJAMIN guitarist Jasen Rauch told Janna of 97.9 WGRD radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan about the band's plan for the follow-up to 2018's "Ember" album: "We are working on music. We've been writing for quite a while. And regardless of whether we were able to record anything or not, we've been writing for a little over a year, I would say. We kind of keep the bar pretty high for ourselves as far as the standard moving forward. We've been experimenting with some things, throwing some things out, started over a couple of times, and are getting to a place where we're pretty happy.

"So, yeah, we've been in the studio," he continued. "We did some in Nashville. We've done a lot of stuff remotely. Ben and I have dozens and dozens of voice memos going back, 'Hey, try this. Try this.' And we'll record something and send it back and forth. But, yeah, we're looking forward to it. And hopefully we'll have something out soon for everybody to hear."

The members of BREAKING BENJAMIN are no strangers to the upper echelons of the rock charts. Since bursting on to the scene with 2002's "Saturate", the band has amassed an impressive string of mainstream rock radio hits, with 10 songs hitting No. 1, numerous platinum and multi-platinum songs and albums, billions of combined streams worldwide and a social imprint of over 6.5 million — a testament to the band's global influence and loyal fan base. Their most recent release, "Aurora", gave BREAKING BENJAMIN their tenth No. 1 song at rock radio with "Far Away ft. Scooter Ward".

BREAKING BENJAMIN's last studio album, "Ember", debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 and marked the multiplatinum band's fourth Top 5 debut on the Billboard Top 200, following 2015's No. 1 debut for "Dark Before Dawn" (gold),2009's "Dear Agony" (platinum) at No. 4 and 2006's "Phobia" (platinum) at No. 2. "Ember" spun off two No. 1 hits at Active Rock Radio with "Red Cold River" and "Torn In Two". "Aurora" and "Ember" charted Top 10 across numerous countries worldwide and topping charts across multiple genres, including Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Digital Albums.

"Aurora" was released in January 2020. The disc features reimagined versions of the band's biggest and most popular songs with special guests including Lacey Sturm (ex-FLYLEAF),Scooter Ward (COLD) and Spencer Chamberlain (UNDEROATH),to name a few.

Photo credit: Wombat Fire and Rob Fenn

NONPOINT has released a new single, "A Million Watts", via the band's independent label 361 Degrees Records. The track, which was produced by Chris Collier, who has previously worked with KORN and WHITESNAKE, among other bands, is the third single from NONPOINT's upcoming "Heartless" EP, due out on November 17. The EP will be available digitally and as a limited-edition cassette along with a NONPOINT-branded cassette player.

NONPOINT decided to take a different approach with the "A Million Watts" music video and show the fun, creative, and comical side of the band.

Following the release of "A Million Watts", NONPOINT will head out on tour with MUDVAYNE, COAL CHAMBER, GWAR and BUTCHER BABIES this summer.

More than two years ago, NONPOINT launched 361 Degrees Records and filmed the process, along with documenting the making of new music, in a docu-series titled "A Path To Independence" that can be seen on the band's YouTube and official web site. In a recent interview with the "Not These Two Fucking Guys Podcast", NONPOINT singer Elias Soriano discussed the group's decision to go it alone, saying: "Well, we've tried it every other way. And it allows, at least for us, the opportunity to move what we feel is as quickly as we'd like to move in the current marketplace and the speed upon which things are getting released and getting decided and connecting the dots together between tour marketing, single marketing — all the depths of everything. It's a big working machine, and when you're working with teams that their goals and their business plans are set in a particular way, sometimes they work against timelines and work against the speed upon which something that you wanna get moving because an opportunity has come around… And when it comes to funding and things like that, getting paperwork signed, getting lawyers to agree, sometimes it's a lot.

"We have a very able team, a team that I've now worked with for over five years, even though we've only been independent for — we're coming on our second year," he explained. "We had the opportunity to try it ourselves, so when we saw that opportunity and we got the confidence from our team that they felt like they could hit all these benchmarks that we needed to get the ball moving, next thing you know, here we are with a few EPs and getting [ready] to get our first full-length out.

"It's a risk — it's a lot of risk that the labels take — and I get it now, especially being independent," Elias admitted. "And it's not always in their best interest to take the kind of risks that we're willing to take with our own band and our own dime. So it's not to any fault of theirs and not to any fault of ours that we made the decision that we made and labels do things the way that they do.

"Independent artists are popping up left and right. Fucking Billie Eilish right now is independent," the singer added. "So any-level artist can do it, because if they can fund themselves… We've gotten to the point where we can do that. So we gave it a swing. And like I said, I've gotta give credit where credit's due — we've got a great team."

More than a year ago, Soriano told "HRH Metal With Dan Chan" that he missed "the relationships and the friendships" that he made through working with bigger labels — such as MCA, Lava, Geffen, Rocket Science, Razor & Tie and Concord — over the years. "It's fun working with a team that you know everyone around the corner is a professional," he said. "That definitely gives less anxiety. But you see, even the staff, they feel the same kind of restriction. They wanna go harder; they wanna spend more money — you know they want to — but they have people to answer to."

As for how he balances the business and the creative side of being in a band, Elias told "HRH Metal With Dan Chan": "It's not easy but we're doing it, and that's what matters. And the product that's coming out is better than ever. It's a lot of fun. It really is. I'm having fun doing this."

In December 2021, NONPOINT released its latest EP, "Ruthless". This followed their independent label plan of delivering music to their fans through more frequent releases and videos from the band.

NONPOINT's songs "Bullet With A Name", "Alive And Kicking", "In The Air Tonight", "Circles", "Your Signs", "Everybody Down" and many others have been featured in trailers, hit movies, television, iconic video games, as well as broadcasts from NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWF.

NONPOINT has toured with major acts like DISTURBED, PAPA ROACH, MUDVAYNE and SEVENDUST, to name a few. They have also been featured on the main stages and support stages of iconic festivals like Soundwave, Rock Am Park, Rock Am Ring, Ozzfest, Rock On The Range, Welcome To Rockville and many more.

Photo credit: Francesca Ludikar

BARONESS, which recently announced the September 15 release of "Stone", has debuted a second track from the eagerly awaited collection, sharing "Beneath The Rose" and its accompanying video.

"It feels great to be releasing music again," John Baizley shares. "Especially a song like 'Beneath The Rose', which we began writing during the 'Gold & Grey' sessions almost six years ago. During those sessions, the song never quite took off but once we began writing 'Stone', one of the first things I did was pull that main guitar riff out of retirement to see if we could breathe new life into the bones of this song. Paired with 'Last Word', 'Beneath The Rose' became a microcosmic expression of 'Stone', a kind of mission statement that hints at the wide musical territory we cover throughout the rest of the album. It's also part one of a trilogy of songs that also includes 'Choir' and 'The Dirge'."

Continuing the DIY ethos that infuses the forthcoming album, the video for "Beneath The Rose" was self-directed by the band, with editing handled by John Baizley and Nick Jost. Similarly, "Last Word", the first single released from "Stone", features a Nick Jost-created clip.

"Much the same as we decided to create and produce 'Stone' ourselves, we've adopted a similar DIY attitude regarding our videos," adds Baizley. "This is the second installment in a video series that we're creating: shooting, directing and editing ourselves. It's been an exciting and creative process utilizing elements of photography, stop-motion, animation and traditional video. We're curious to see how far we can go with this 'Stone' video project series, relying heavily on found objects, local environments and our admittedly limited lighting, video and photo equipment. Like all BARONESS projects, it feels great to further expand our creative vision and capabilities."

Early reaction to "Stone" has praised the band's ongoing expansion and exploration. Brooklyn Vegan said "BARONESS are at their most alive and direct," Guitar World dubbed the new music as "soaring," Stereogum said it "rocks on a primal and instinctive level," Revolver said "Last Word" "finds the group in scintillating form," and Consequence proclaimed the track as a "creative leap."

"Stone" features original cover art by Baizley and is available on a variety of formats, including an indie exclusive LP and ten limited-edition custom vinyl variants themed after each song on the album and designed by Baizley himself, as well as CD, a limited-edition deluxe CD featuring a bonus disc of live tracks recorded on the "Your Baroness" tour, and a limited blue cassette.

"Stone" track listing:

01. Embers
02. Last Word
03. Beneath The Rose
04. Choir
05. The Dirge
06. Anodyne
07. Shine
08. Magnolia
09. Under The Wheel
10. Bloom

BARONESS recently announced the "Sweet Oblivion" tour, a seven-week trek that sees the band traversing North America this fall. Tickets are on sale now via yourbaroness.com, with BARONESS bringing along some of their favorite bands, including JESUS PIECE, PORTRAYAL OF GUILT, PRIMITIVE MAN, KEN MODE, WAYFARER, CHAT PILE, VILE CREATURE, SOUL GLO, SHEER MAG, ESCUELA GRIND, MIDWIFE, HOAXED, CLOUD RAT, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, UNIFORM and AGRICULTURE, with more support acts to be announced.

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz

Seattle rock band CANDLEBOX has revealed the details for its final studio album, "The Long Goodbye", due out Friday, August 25 via Round Hill Records. The LP's first single, "Punks", is a cautionary message to young bands that they won't be the hot new thing forever. Charging forward with a slashing guitar riff and rapid-fire drums, frontman and songwriter Kevin Martin howls about quick-burning success and vacuous trends.

"CANDLEBOX weren't the punks that paved the road for all these other bands that came along, but the statement is that music has always been there and nobody's really doing anything differently," shares Martin. "You think that you're invincible and you try to grab all those things that come along with being in a rock band and touring the world. But inevitably, you're left with yourself, and if you don't have something within yourself that can keep you grounded, what are you doing it for?"

Celebrating 30 years of success, CANDLEBOX is capping off their long and influential career with "The Long Goodbye". The new 10-track collection, produced by Don Miggs, finds the group taking stock of evolving maturity, fleeting time, and lasting love, all while kicking a lot of ass. In addition to the hard-rocking lead single "Punks", "The Long Goodbye" includes the sneering statement of independence "What Do You Need", co-written by Nick Brown of the alt-rock band MONA, who also appears on the track, and the moody, atmospheric "Elegante", where Kevin dives headlong into creative wordplay as Miggs and the band mimic a synth-pop vibe with guitars and drums. Elsewhere is the acoustic "Maze" and "Cellphone Jesus", where Kevin allows some of his worldview to seep in as he searches for a sign from above for a damaged society.

CANDLEBOX — Kevin Martin (lead vocals),Adam Kury (bass),Brian Quinn (guitar),Island Styles (guitar),BJ Kerwin (drums) — is currently on the road on their farewell tour, crossing the country until early fall with fellow rockers 3 DOORS DOWN as direct support on their massive "Away From The Sun" amphitheater tour in addition to various headlining shows. "The Long Goodbye" tour continues tonight (July 14) with a sold-out headlining show at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.

Emerging from Seattle's burgeoning mid-1990s grunge scene, CANDLEBOX quickly found mainstream success with their deep, lyrically driven melodies and big radio hooks, as evidenced by their massive hits "Far Behind", "You" and "Cover Me" that propelled their self-titled debut album, a defining record of the decade, to sell more than four million copies worldwide. Their follow-up album, "Lucy", earned a platinum certification and solidified CANDLEBOX as a tour de force in the thriving alt-rock scene. While the commercial success of the first album played a pivotal role in the band's trajectory to the top, it was their raw and unapologetically honest live performances that ultimately solidified their place among Seattle's elite. In 1998, CANDLEBOX released "Happy Pills", which would be their last album before going on hiatus from 2000 to 2006. In 2008, the band reformed and released their fourth album, "Into The Sun", and hit the road for the first time in 10 years, touring extensively and releasing "Alive In Seattle", a live album that included tracks from every era of their career. 2016 marked the triumphant return of CANDLEBOX with the release of "Disappearing In Airports", a more classic rock-tinged album hailed by many critics and fans as their best work in years. Singles "Vexatious" and "Supernova" drove the album to debut at #9 on the Billboard charts and spurred multiple U.S. and international tours, including major festival appearances at Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville and Lollapalooza Chile. While these iconic rockers have been blazing full steam since, releasing their album "Wolves" in 2021, and recently issuing a live, acoustic album, "Live At The Neptune", Kevin and CANDLEBOX are calling it quits in 2023, but they're not going quietly.

"The Long Goodbye" is ultimately a statement record, a document of a band that somehow survived an era that tragically proved too seductive for some of their peers to remain not only successful, but relevant. And after CANDLEBOX wraps it all up at the end of the year, the hits will still live on, along with a legacy that serves to inspire the young punks who come after them.

"The Long Goodbye" track listing:

01. Punks
02. What Do You Need ft. Mona
03. Elegante
04. I Should Be Happy
05. Nails On A Chalkboard
06. Ugly
07. Maze
08. Cellphone Jesus
09. Foxy
10. Hourglass

Photo credit: Graham Fielder

Tom Mayhue, GUNS N' ROSES' longtime production manager, has confirmed that a new single from the band is coming soon.

Mayhue discussed the Axl Rose-fronted outfit's future plans while speaking to the media ahead of GUNS N' ROSES' July 13 concert in Paris, France. Noting that GN'R will finish the North American leg of its tour in mid-October, he added: "And I know that the band's gonna start working on new music. They've got a bunch of stuff recorded already. So there will be new GUNS N' ROSES music very soon. In fact, I think they're trying to get a single out any day now, so you may hear something very, very soon."

Regarding what the new GUNS N' ROSES material sounds like, Mayhue said: "It sounds great. It's a lot more kind of 'Appetite [For Destruction]'-orientated. They had a lot of songs. When the band went in originally and recorded 'Appetite For Destruction', I think they recorded, like, 29 songs. So there's a bunch of other music that was left over that didn't make the first record. I think there's only 11 songs on the first record."

Last month, Oslo's Urban Sound Studios shared a new photo of Rose and GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash, apparently taken the day after the band's performance at the Tons Of Rock festival in Norway's capital city.

On June 22, the picture was posted on the Urban Sound Studios Instagram account along with the following message: "We got to hang out with these 2 rock legends in the studio today. Really cool guys! (The two in the middle...). The band wanted a nice studio with a variety of speakers and headphones to listen to new mixes before they head for Glastonbury. It sounds awesome!"

During an October 2022 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show, Slash was asked about GUNS N' ROSES' plans for new music in the coming months. He said: "I wanna go in and cut a whole brand new record at some point, probably sooner than later. But other than that, we have stuff that we've still got to come out. So that's gonna be coming out piecemeal over the next — I don't know — over the next few months or something like that. So that's basically it. We have one more tour left to do next summer, and then that'll free us up to be able to go in and work on a new record."

GUNS N' ROSES' most recent release was a four-song EP, "Hard Skool", which came out in February 2022. The effort, which was exclusive to the GUNS N' ROSES' official store, contained the two new songs the band released in 2021 — the title track and "Absurd" (stylized as "ABSUЯD") — as well as live versions of "Don't Cry" and "You're Crazy".

In September 2021, the guitarist and his bandmates dropped "Hard Skool", which came more than a month after their performance and subsequent official release of "Absurd", a reworking of GUNS N' ROSES previously unreleased "Silkworms".

According to Slash, several other older GUNS N' ROSES tracks have also been reworked during the pandemic. "There's a handful of those songs that we actually fixed up and did when we were in lockdown," he explained to "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "So those have yet to be released. So those are gonna come out. They're really good, too. So I'm excited for those. We're just gonna put out like one or two songs, and another one or two songs. And I think that's gonna be pretty much all of 'em. I'm not sure exactly how many we did in total."

When host Eddie Trunk noted that "Hard Skool" in particular was a strong cut, Slash said: "These other ones, they don't have the same kind of amount of history, 'cause I know 'Hard Skool' seriously has… [it] goes way back. But there's a couple of epic ones coming out, so I'm excited about that."

If and when it happens, the new GUNS N' ROSES studio album will be the first under the GUNS banner since "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Slash, singer Axl Rose and bassist Duff McKagan since 1993.

Slash previously spoke about "Hard Skool", one of the first two songs he recorded with GUNS N' ROSES in more than 25 years, this past February in an interview with Rolling Stone. At the time he said: "'Hard Skool', in essence, was a completed song when I was first introduced to it. And Duff and I went in and redid the bass and the guitars. It's a simple song, so it didn't take a hell of a lot of thought and analysis. I think it was a lot of fun just because it was part and parcel of a bunch of stuff that we were working on that was all sort of new — at least to Duff and I — so we had a good time."

In October 2021, Slash told Audacy Check In host Remy Maxwell that GUNS N' ROSES had yet to begin writing new material after releasing the two reworked songs from the "Chinese Democracy"-era sessions.

"As far as new GUNS is concerned, we haven't even gotten to that point of really in earnest sitting down and writing," Slash said. "We've been doing a lot of material that's been sort of sitting around for a while. So that will be a whole focused endeavor unto itself."

As for how "Hard Skool" and "Absurd" came about, Slash said: "They both have a lot of history. What happened was Axl has all these songs that he recorded at some point along the way. And so Duff and I went in and re-did them, basically… Like, I wrote my own kind of parts to what else is going on, and [we] just sort of took the drums and re-did everything else."

Written by Rose and co-produced by Rose and Caram Costanzo, "Hard Skool", which had the working title "Jackie Chan", was originally recorded during GN'R's "Chinese Democracy" era but was eventually omitted from that album. Short clips of the song were later posted online and a full version was leaked in August 2019.

On "Hard Skool", Axl sings: "But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way/Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away/Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay/ If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway."

"Absurd" came out on August 6, 2021, three days after GUNS N' ROSES performed the tune live for the first time during its concert at Boston's Fenway Park.

GUNS N' ROSES last performed "Silkworms", which was also reportedly written during the "Chinese Democracy" sessions, in 2001.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

Pour ceux qui comprennent l'anglais et pour ceux que ça intéressent d'écouter quelques réponses aux questions sur le groupe de la personne de l'équipe technique des Guns N' Roses , Paris Arena La Défense

Posted by Valérie Coclin on Friday, July 14, 2023

Pour ceux qui comprennent l'anglais et pour ceux que ça intéressent d'écouter quelques réponses aux questions sur le groupe de la personne de l'équipe technique des Guns N' Roses , Paris Arena La Défense

Posted by Valérie Coclin on Friday, July 14, 2023

IN THIS MOMENT canceled its performance Friday night (July 14) at the Upheaval festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan, citing lack of "necessary space" to "set up on and off stage". Michigan's own Dylan Delato filled in with a DJ set, according to Local Spins.

A few hours before the band's scheduled appearance at the two-day event, IN THIS MOMENT released the following statement via Instagram Story: "Dear fans and friends, we regret to inform you that we will not be performing at today's Upheaval festival. Despite driving 600 miles, we arrived to find no available space for IN THIS MOMENT to set up on and off stage. Our contractual agreements promised us the necessary space, but unfortunately, it was not provided. We are deeply saddened by this turn of events.

"Rest assured, we will return to Grand Rapids very soon and organize a show where we can see all of your lovely faces. Your understanding and support mean the world to us. We love you all."

30 bands were scheduled to take the stage at Belknap Park for this year's Upheaval, with two "aftershows" taking place both days.

Fifteen bands were slated for each day, with some of the highlights being LAMB OF GOD, HALESTORM, BRING ME THE HORIZON, FALLING IN REVERSE and ICE NINE KILLS.

According to the festival's web site, Upheaval is an all-ages event held outdoors, rain or shine.

This is the third year for the annual festival, which is put on by MiEntertainment Group, the company behind the Grand Rapids Breakaway festival that takes place in August.

"Having such a positive response in the first year has made us very excited for the longevity of this brand and rock music in Grand Rapids," Jenna Meyer, co-founder of MiEntertainment Group, told MLive when this year's Upheaval was announced in April.

"As a resident of west Michigan, it is exciting to watch our business grow in my hometown and take advantage of the beautiful setting Belknap Park has to offer."

As previously reported, IN THIS MOMENT debuted two new songs called "Sacrifice" and "The Purge" at the opening concert of "The Dark Horizon Tour" on July 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The official music video for "The Purge" is expected to make its online debut on July 18.

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.

This past January, IN THIS MOMENT said that it was preparing to enter the studio to begin recording its eighth full-length album.

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

Danish rock and rollers VOLBEAT headlined this year's Rock The Park festival on Thursday, July 13 at Harris Park in London, Ontario, Canada. Fan-filmed video of their performance can be seen below.

On June 5, VOLBEAT announced that it had officially parted ways with guitarist Rob Caggiano and replaced him with Flemming C. Lund (THE ARCANE ORDER). No reason was given for the split, but the remaining bandmembers said that they wished their "brother Rob all the best with everything he does in the future." They went on to thank Rob "for ten amazing years."

A day later, Lund commented on his decision to accept the offer to play with VOLBEAT on the band's 2023 shows, saying in a statement: "The cat's out of the bag! Sometimes unexpected things happen in life and this must be said to be one of them: I can now finally reveal that I will be playing stand-in in VOLBEAT for Rob Caggiano on lead guitar on VOLBEAT's upcoming summer tour. This means I'm playing all upcoming European festival shows in Finland, Norway, Sweden (warming up for METALLICA),Switzerland, Germany and Austria as well as the US/Canada tour in July and August.

"When I was asked by Michael Poulsen not many weeks ago if I wanted to help them, I was honestly at first very overwhelmed by the request and found it very difficult to see myself in that role. But after a little time to think and talk with those closest to me, it dawned on me that it was something I could not possibly say no to.

"So this summer takes a somewhat unexpected, but obviously insanely cool turn. I will try to enjoy every moment and just take in the many experiences and impressions that will surely be an experience of a lifetime.

"A big thank you must go to my fantastic workplace MCB for the great flexibility so that it could be successful, and not least to my better half Julie who, as usual, supported and stood behind me!"

THE ARCANE ORDER is a Danish extreme metal quintet which released its fourth album, "Distortions From Cosmogony", on June 9 via Black Lion Records.

On June 12, Rob — who played on VOLBEAT's last four studio albums: 2013's "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", 2016's "Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie", 2019's "Rewind, Replay, Rebound" and 2021's "Servant Of The Mind" — issued a statement in which he said he was "extremely proud of everything" he and how now-former bandmates "accomplished together over the last 10 years."

As for why his time with VOLBEAT had come to an end, Rob said: "Sometimes relationships simply run their course. Sometimes certain obstacles, people or circumstances get in the way of the greater good. Sometimes people change and priorities shift. Sometimes it's unavoidable. We had a very special undeniable magic together as a band. It's not something that comes around too often in this life and it's not something to be taken lightly. I certainly do not. However, while this is really a very emotional time for me I'm also extremely excited about what lies ahead in the future. Lots of exciting things happening right now. I really couldn't be more fired up!!"

An acclaimed musician, songwriter and producer, Caggiano joined ANTHRAX as lead guitarist in 2001, appearing on 2003 album "We've Come For You All" and 2004's "The Greater Of Two Evils". He was onstage with the band during the famous 2010-2011 "Big Four" tour alongside SLAYER, MEGADETH and METALLICA, and he played on and produced ANTHRAX's 2011 critically acclaimed album "Worship Music".

Over the years, Caggiano has also garnered five Grammy nominations as a record producer/guitarist and has worked with a very wide range of artists including CRADLE OF FILTH, ANTHRAX, VOLBEAT, THE DAMNED THINGS, H20, Jesse Malin and even Bruce Springsteen.

When Caggiano was enlisted as producer for VOLBEAT in early 2013, the collaboration was so phenomenally successful that he was quickly invited to join the band as well. The resulting album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", achieved major chart success on both sides of the Atlantic, as did "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie".

Fan-filmed video of PANTERA's July 13 concert at the Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin can be seen below.

According to Setlist.fm, PANTERA played a slightly abbreviated set at the event after a "severe weather warning" delayed the start of the performance.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. Suicide Note Pt. II
07. 5 Minutes Alone
08. This Love
09. Fucking Hostile
10. Walk
11. Domination / Hollow
12. Cowboys From Hell

PANTERA's current lineup includes two surviving members from the band's classic formation, Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, are headlining a number of major festivals across South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who in 2021 said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

This past March, PANTERA headlined the 2023 "comeback" edition of Japan's Loud Park festival. The two-day "limited" event took place on March 25 at Intex Osaka in Osaka and March 26 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City near Tokyo.

In December, PANTERA played seven shows in Mexico and South America.

Brown was forced to leave PANTERA's Latin American tour after testing positive for COVID-19. Filling in for him at some of the shows was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

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A storm has developed near Rock Fest grounds, but the core of the storm will stay south. Still, rain is falling at Fest...

Posted by Chief Meteorologist Matt Schaefer-WQOW News 18 on Thursday, July 13, 2023

[7/13 5:30am] While skies are starting out mainly cloudy this morning, sunshine will start to mix in throughout the day...

Posted by WEAU 13 News on Thursday, July 13, 2023

BIOHAZARD's founding drummer Anthony Meo has died after a battle with cancer.

Meo was BIOHAZARD's drummer in 1987 and 1988 and played on the band's first demo before being replaced by Danny Schuler.

Anthony's death was confirmed by BIOHAZARD guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei, who shared an early BIOHAZARD promotional video earlier today (Friday, July 14) and included the following message: "RIP Anthony Meo. You brought us all together, you will live on forever through what we created together! #biohazard #og #drummer #fuckcancer #pickitupmeo".

Schuler also mourned Meo's passing, writing on his Instagram: "Anthony Meo was the original drummer of @biohazarddfl and a founding member of the band. He was also a friend I've known since I was 5 years old. I grew up looking up to him as a drummer, and I went to school with his sister, Nicole. Meo lived 2 blocks from me in Canarsie, and he used to come play drums with me at my house. He was a few years older than me, but we were friends. I remember seeing him with BIOHAZARD in the early days. And when he left the band and I joined, he gave me his blessing. In later years, he would come to the shows and sit in on the drums and remind everybody how important he was to BIOHAZARD. Without Meo, there is no BIOHAZARD.

"We lost a brother today, and a true old school Brooklyn original. He was truly one of a kind, living life on his terms. And a great drummer.

"Rest in peace my brother, and thank you for showing me the way.#themeo #pickitupmeo #themost #theleast".

A few days before Meo's death, Billy shared a picture of Anthony and he wrote: "This is Anthony Meo. With out him, there would be no BIOHAZARD. He was our first drummer and brought us all together. Our lives would had probably continued on the same destructive path or who knows had Meo not introduced Bobby and Evan, (who I already knew from someone else). We had some crazy times together! Thank you Meo! Keep him in your prayers!"

BIOHAZARD's 1988 demo — featuring the songs "Master Race" and "America" — caused a stir with journalists who felt that some of the band's lyrics displayed fascist and white supremacist views, perhaps overlooking the fact that both Schuler and frontman Evan Seinfeld were themselves Jewish.

In a 2003 interview with FoundryMusic.com, Seinfeld defended the lyrics in BIOHAZARD's early songs, saying: "The songs on the first demo were meant to shock, be vague, and get your attention. We never were racist, but it was a great attention-getter to use metaphoric lyrics."

As previously reported, the reunited classic lineup of BIOHAZARD — Graziadei, guitarist Bobby Hambel, Schuler and bassist/vocalist Seinfeld — will support MEGADETH on five shows in the U.S. and Canada in September.

BIOHAZARD played its first New York City concert in more than 12 years on June 16 at the Irving Plaza.

The first reunion gig from Gradziadei, Hambel, Schuler and Seinfeld took place on May 26 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

BIOHAZARD will make a number of other appearances throughout 2023, including at multiple international festivals in the summer, and will play select gigs in America.

Seinfeld made his last recorded appearance with BIOHAZARD on 2012's "Reborn In Defiance" album, which marked the first LP featuring the band's original lineup in 18 years.

Early Biohazard promo shot with Anthony Mio on drums.

Posted by The New York Hardcore Chronicles Page on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

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SALIVA will release a new album, "Revelation", on September 8. It will mark the band's first release since the passing of SALIVA's founding guitarist Wayne Swinny, who died four months ago while on tour with the group. On March 22, SALIVA shared a statement on Facebook in which the band said that Swinny had been found that morning "in medical distress." Paramedics were called and the musician was transported to hospital "where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain."

SALIVA was on the road in the U.S. as part of the "Spring Mayhem" tour with THROUGH FIRE and ANY GIVEN SIN and had played in Warrendale, Pennsylvania on March 21.

SALIVA singer Bobby Amaru stated about "Revelation": "We started working on this record in 2020 during the pandemic shutdown. I felt like we had to get outside of the box with this one.

"I've been sober almost five years now and there are many songs on this record that are a reflection of it. I just wanted to connect with the listener and pull them into what I was dealing with but also shed some light on overcoming personal adversity.

"With the passing of Wayne in March, I felt lost. Where do I go? I knew we had this record we were all stoked about. Wayne's influence is all over these songs and, in my opinion, his playing on this album is next level. It's the only right thing to do to honor him and all our hard work and release it. I just want to share with the world what we have worked on the last three-plus years."

SALIVA will team up with DROWNING POOL, ADELITAS WAY and ANY GIVEN SIN for the "SNAFU Le Tour 2023" in September and October. A complete list of tour dates can be found on the poster below.

SALIVA launched its career in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a double-platinum selling album with hits that include "Click, Click Boom" and "Your Disease".

The band has toured the U.S. with SEVENDUST, AEROSMITH and KISS.

SALIVA reunited with original singer Josey Scott for a one-off appearance at last year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Bobby Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last four releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016) and "10 Lives" (2018).

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.

In a new interview with The Razor's Edge, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares once again opened up about the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's kind of like just life in general. Anybody who has a normal job — you're still getting paid 10 bucks an hour, but your rent went up, your insurance went up, food prices went up, gas prices went up, but your pay is the same. It's kind of like how it's been for bands as well. Promoters are only willing to pay you so much, but everything else went up. Now the club owners and the promoters are taking a cut of your merchandise, so it's making harder and harder for artists to survive out there."

Asked if the merchandise cuts that the promoters are taking from artists are getting larger than they were in the past, Dino said: "Yes. That's been the whole debate, that it's been getting larger and larger. Of course there's always been a percentage that you have to give to venues. That's just how it is. Merch percentage — we're talking about merch percentage. But, of course, it's getting higher and higher. So, unfortunately, the fans are the ones who have to pay for that, because once the merch percentages get higher that the venue takes, then you're gonna have to raise your prices on a t-shirt. That's just inevitable and that's unfortunate, [but] that's what happens."

When the interviewer pointed out to Dino that artists do not get a cut of any of the alcohol that is sold in the venues where they are performing, Cazares said: "It's not just the promoters and the club venues; it's also the ticket agencies. It's all a big thing. It's not one thing — it's all of it. And you're right — we do not get a percentage of the alcohol at all whatsoever. But I did hear that there was one artist that did that, and that was Axl Rose. Axl Rose was putting GUNS N' ROSES in stadiums — in soccer stadiums and baseball stadiums — selling out 40, 50 thousand people, but he was, like, 'If you want GUNS N' ROSES in your stadium, you're gonna have to give me a piece of the alcohol,' And I heard a rumor that he got a piece of that alcohol percentage, which is really good. Which probably evened out to what [the promoters] were getting from the merch percentage. But not a lot of artists in my genre have that kind of power, if at all."

Many venues require bands to pay them a percentage of their merchandise sales. Commonly that split is 20/80, meaning for every dollar a band makes selling a t-shirt, the venue gets 20 cents. It's an accepted industry standard that understandably riles touring bands, especially those acts for whom merch income is still crucial for ensuring that a tour is profitable.

"That's a typical thing that venues will do," DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci recently told "THAT Rocks!", the weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson. "I think that if you're in the position, you should try to negotiate that as much as you can. I mean, 30 percent, that's way too high. I think it's more typical [for it to be in] the 15-to-20 [range]. And I think also it might be different for soft goods and physical things, like records and stuff like that. So there might be a difference there as well. But it's all reasons to be on top of your shit and your business and have people representing you that know what they're doing, because a young band might not know that they can negotiate that. They just kind of [go], 'Oh, I guess it is what it is.' And I guess in some circumstances, if you have no leverage, then it is what it is. But you can look at that and be conscious of that. Because it sucks. 'Cause then you're in that position — well, what are you gonna [do]? [Are you] gonna jack up the price of your shirt? Then somebody is paying 50, 60 dollars for a t-shirt? That's ridiculous. And you feel like you're gouging your fans, and that's not cool."

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess added: "And it's also sad, because a lot of these younger bands, they're working so hard to get out there and play, they finally show up at a venue and they stand a chance of making a little money maybe at the merch booth, and then you've got these venues — clubs, theaters, whatever — that wanna take money out of their pockets, basically. You see it all the time. It sucks."

In larger venues, it is often mandatory for a merchandise staff to be employed directly by the venue, meaning a percentage cut can be standard.

In recent months, some venues have said that they will do away with merch fees. Ineffable Live, which runs 10 venues, including the Golden State Theater in Monterey, California; the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California; and the Chicken Box in Nantucket, Massachusetts, got rid of their 20% merch fee in response to the testimony of Clyde Lawrence of the independent soul-pop band LAWRENCE, who spoke in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee this past January about the "lopsided deal mechanics in certain aspects of the live music industry." During his appearance at the hearing, Lawrence explained why venues taking a cut of merch sales is unfair, saying: Another pain point for artists is the significant loss of revenues due to promoter merchandise cuts. Typically, the promoter takes a sizable percentage (roughly 20%) of an artist's merch sales, and once we factor in our costs of creating and transporting the merch, it can be an even larger percentage (40%) of an artist's bottom line. The argument is that the venue is providing us the retail space for us to sell our merch. Sure. But we're providing all of the customers, and yet receive no cut from their many ancillary revenue streams. Live Nation getting around 20% of our gross merch sales while we get nothing on ticketing fees, bar tabs, coat checks and parking passes doesn’t make a lot of sense to me."

According to Billboard, Ineffable Music Group CEO Thomas Cussins said that on a good night, an independent touring band with a loyal fanbase can sell $5,000 to $10,000 in merchandise at a 500-capacity show. Eliminating the venue fee can save some groups $1,000 to $2,000 per night, he added.

"We are on the ground and hearing from artists every day," Cussins said. "We are seeing how much the costs of everything have gone up — from buses to hotels to flights. So even though the club business is a marginal business, any action we can take to help to insure a healthy, vibrant concert ecosystem is important. This industry only works if artists of all levels are able to afford to tour. When artists are able to tour sustainably and fans can afford to buy a t-shirt because the all-in ticket price is reasonable, everyone wins."

Ineffable head talent buyer Casey Smith added: "We've been able to make our live business work even with increased expenses by having a number of venues and being able to create routes for artists, offering them a number of shows in secondary and college markets between their big city plays. Since we've made it work for ourselves, we want it to work for the artists as well. This move is fully aligned with Ineffable's independent spirit, and in hearing the needs of independent artists, we believe it’s important to put them first."

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, Corey Taylor spoke about how long he thinks SLIPKNOT can go on, given the intense physical demands of the band's live performances. The SLIPKNOT singer, who will turn 50 in December, said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "As long as I can physically do it, and as long as there are people there to see it, man, I'll continue to do it. Now, if the quality starts to fail, then I'll know it's time to hand it in. And I've already thought about it — I've already thought about, maybe I've got another five years left of physically touring like this. I try to take care of myself. I work out when I can. The travel out here [in Europe] is exhausting; the food is horrible; so it makes it hard to do that. But as long as I can keep at it, that's at least what I wanna do. So, yeah, it is what it is."

Asked if his bandmates feel the same way about the end of SLIPKNOT as he does, Corey said: "If they wanted to continue and I wanted to retire, I would help them find somebody, to be honest. This band has always been bigger than the sum of its own parts. And it was hard moving on without Paul [Gray, late SLIPKNOT bassist]. It was hard moving on when we had to part ways with Joe [late SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison]. It's always been hard when the original nine ceases to be the original nine, but at the same time, the ones who are here are here because we love it, and we've always gotten something out of it.

"I've said it since day one — if I didn't want to do SLIPKNOT, I wouldn't do it," he continued. "And I think I've proved that. The reason I stick around is because I want to do it. There's still something in my heart and my soul that needs it. I don't know if that's good or bad. Obviously, psychotherapy will help me out with that shit. But at the same time, it's… it's once in a lifetime, man."

Asked if he feels a responsibility to the SLIPKNOT fans to be there with his bandmates, Corey said: "I do. But at the same time, I don't expect them to be there. I mean, there are songs that they love; there are songs they don't love. There are times I love this band; there are times I don't love this band. But I still wanna be here. And when I physically can't do it anymore, that's when I'll hang it up. I might not retire from performing period; maybe that's when I go and I do my acoustic thing. But when I can't go out there and give it at least my one hundred percent, that's when I'll hang it up. And me and Clown [SLIPKNOT percussionist and visual mastermind Shawn Crahan] have talked about this, man. He's older than all of us, and he's broken just as much crap as I have. I mean, Christ, he hit the keg with a baseball [bat] and ripped his bicep clean off the bone, and then went, got surgery and came back.

"We're psychos, dude," Taylor added. "I went out three weeks after my fucking spinal surgery — 'cause I'm a psycho. It's just we don't know our limitations until they catch up with us. So that's what I say. I mean, yes, there's a responsibility to the fans, but there's also a responsibility to me and my family. And I don't wanna be the one trying to pick up my grandkids and my legs don't work. I just don't wanna do that — I refuse to. I want my quality of life to be better than that — at the end."

Earlier this month, SLIPKNOT announced the addition of a new keyboardist, two weeks after Taylor and his bandmates revealed the departure of longtime member Craig Jones.

SLIPKNOT played its first show with its new mystery member on June 7 at the Nova Rock festival in Austria. The concert took place hours after the band announced in a social media post that it had parted ways with Jones.

A short time after SLIPKNOT revealed Jones's exit from the group, the band's original post announcing his departure was deleted and a photo was shared of SLIPKNOT's apparent new member. The same unidentified person appeared onstage behind the keyboards at the Nova Rock show and all subsequent SLIPKNOT tour dates.

No reason was given for Jones's departure from SLIPKNOT.

Jones joined SLIPKNOT in early 1996, shortly after the band had finished the recording of its demo album "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." He was initially brought in to replace Donnie Steele, one of the two original guitarists, though he quickly moved on to the role of sampling and keyboards. Following the departure of drummer Joey Jordison in 2013, Jones was the second-longest-serving member in the band.

Two weeks ago, it was announced that Crahan would once again sit out some of SLIPKNOT's shows in order to stay home with his wife, who is suffering from undisclosed health issues.

SLIPKNOT is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "The End, So Far", which was released last September via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to "We Are Not Your Kind", it is the band's final record with Roadrunner after first signing with the rock and metal label in 1998.