In a new interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global, Nita Strauss spoke about how she deals with Internet haters who spend much of their time criticizing her every career move. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wrote a song about it. There's a song about it on [my upcoming] record ['The Call Of The Void'] called 'Digital Bullets' with [guest singer] Chris Motionless [of MOTIONLESS IN WHITE]. And it really talks about these trolls online firing the 'digital bullets'. They'll never come to you to your face and say, 'You suck,' 'You whore,' 'You money-grubbing whore,' or whatever. No one has ever said that to my face, but you go on social media and it's, like, 'I hope you die in a fire.' [Laughs] It's just people being tough on the Internet. It's not new. It's not going away."

She continued: "My boyfriend said it to me personally one time… And it was hurtful — I can't lie and say that it was not hurtful. Of course it was hurtful. But he said, 'You know, no one's coming and spitting on your face in the street. People aren't coming to you, being rude to you. It's just fake. It's just online.'

"People will talk online," Nita added. "And they have a saying, 'Living well is the best revenge.' So those people can keep spending their time on Facebook, talking their shit. I will keep touring the world, eating fabulous food, staying in nice hotels, playing guitar with some of the biggest stars in rock and pop and metal. And I think that's a good compromise. I'm happy with that. [Laughs]"

As previously reported, Nita has recruited a vocalist named Kasey Karlsen to join her onstage during her ongoing "Summer Storm" tour.

Karlsen has a half a million followers on TikTok where she posts vocal covers of such acts as SLIPKNOT, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, BRING ME THE HORIZON and ICE NINE KILLS.

The "Summer Storm" trek will wrap up on July 14 in New Orleans. Support on the tour is coming from LIONS AT THE GATE, the new band featuring former ILL NIÑO members Cristian Machado (vocals),Ahrue "Luster" Ilustre (guitar) and Diego Verduzco (guitar),alongside bassist Stephen Brewer (WESTFIELD MASSACRE) and drummer Fern Lemus.

Nita will release her sophomore solo album, "The Call Of The Void", on July 7 via Sumerian Records. The LP features guest appearances by IN FLAMES vocalist Anders Fridén, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale, Alice Cooper, DISTURBED's David Draiman, Dorothy, Alissa White-Gluz of ARCH ENEMY and Chris Motionless of MOTIONLESS IN WHITE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin spoke about the potential risks and challenges associated with the widespread adoption artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Technology, I will always try to use it as much as I can, [including] for my visuals and all that. AI videos, I'm jealous because it would take me three thousand years to do it frame by frame. But what I'm most afraid of, really, is AI controlling high-tech weaponry; that's my main fear. And it's funny because in the '70s, as a kid, I saw a movie called 'Colossus[: The Forbin Project]' about that — about a giant super computer in the USA teaming up with a giant super computer in Russia. They take control of the nuclear weapons and enslave humanity."

During The Metal Voice chat, Langevin also touched upon the fact that some of the issues people face today are the same issues humanity has been dealing with for much of the last few decades. He said: "Oh, man, it's funny, because when I [recently] came back [home] to Montreal [from tour] in the smog of the forest [wild]fires, because of climate change and all that… It's a recurring nightmare where back in the '80s we talked about the ozone layer and now we talk about global warming. And it's the same with… At one point, on [our] 'Killing Technology' [album], we were talking about Chernobyl, but all of a sudden it's Fukushima and now it's Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine. So it's always the same nightmare. But I can only be a happy fellow and create and do art and music and travel the world before it's too late."

He added: "Who knows what's gonna happen? You might as well enjoy it right now."

VOIVOD will celebrate 40 eventful years of existence in 2023 with a special anniversary studio album titled "Morgöth Tales", to be released on July 21 via Century Media Records. Once more recorded and mixed by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio, mastered by Maor Appelbaum and produced by VOIVOD, "Morgöth Tales" includes fresh studio re-recordings by the band's current lineup of nine especially selected, not-so-obvious picks from the band's hyper-classy and extremely diverse back catalogue (between 1984 and 2003) as well as a brand-new song and the album's title track, "Morgöth Tales".

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

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

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

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

Legendary German guitarist Uli Jon Roth has been forced to postpone his previously announced North American tour due to health reasons. The trek was scheduled to launch on September 6 in West Hollywood, California and conclude on October 1 in New York City.

Earlier today, Roth's social media was updated with the following statement: "Dear Fans of Uli, we regret to announce the postponement of Uli Jon Roth's upcoming North American tour due to health reasons. The tour is now being rescheduled for Spring 2024.

"Following an unexpected, yet successful, kidney removal operation, Uli is fit to play, but has been advised not to embark on a full-scale major tour just yet. Uli will be performing at selected shows in continental Europe during his recovery period.

"We want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly but the health and well-being of Uli is our utmost priority.

"All purchased tickets will be honoured for the rescheduled dates, and refunds will be available for those who can't attend the new dates.

"We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

"Stay tuned for the updated tour schedule which should be available soon.

"Uli will also make a personal statement on his website and on his Patreon channel next week."

The 68-year-old Roth was in the SCORPIONS for five years before leaving the group in 1978, following the release of the live double album "Tokyo Tapes".

In recent years, Roth has revisited the early music of his period with the SCORPIONS, which resulted in the "Scorpions Revisited" double CD and "Tokyo Tapes Revisited" DVD/Blu-ray releases.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players ever, Uli pioneered a unique style of guitar playing which — for the first time — combined complete mastery of the instrument with an intensely melodic and emotional appeal.

From his earliest days onwards, Uli has always been a bold and uncompromising musical innovator of the first order. Being the first guitar player in rock to incorporate complex melodic arpeggio sequences, Uli Jon Roth — in the eyes of many of his peers — practically reinvented modern guitar-technique almost singlehandedly during his SCORPIONS tenure, but even more so during his ELECTRIC SUN days.

This past April, Roth told Canada's The Metal Voice that he used the downtime during the coronavirus pandemic to write a book. He explained: "The book's called 'In Search Of The Alpha Law', and it's a book which is not about myself — it's not about my life on the road or my life. It is about my — well, my philosophy of life. Something which I've… Ever since the early SCORPIONS days, I was a closet philosopher. I love thinking about things, thinking deep thoughts. Not that I mind shallow thoughts occasionally as well, just like everybody, but sometimes I go into this zone, and then, for me at least, interesting things come out. And a lot of that has to do with the inner spirit and architecture of music, the laws of music, which I found are the same laws that govern pretty much everything else that we see and perceive, if not the whole universe. I think these laws are these fundamental laws of nature, and even beyond that, because they also apply to our mind and our spirit, our soul. These laws are, to me, very fascinating to look at them and try to understand what they even are. And it's not easy to put these things into words, but I tried. And I'm quite happy with the outcome."

According to Uli, his book will be incorporated into his upcoming North American tour, although not in a way his fans might expect.

"It's different from any tour I've done before, but it's got elements of what I've done before," Roth said about the trek, which is scheduled to kick off in September. "It's different, because it's actually… The show consists of two very different halves. And it's a three-hour show — which sounds scary, but I've been doing three-hour shows for a long time, and we always have an intermission in the middle… So this show is a three-hour integrated show. And the first half is called 'An Evening With Uli Jon Roth'… So in the first half, it will be 'An Evening With…', but I will integrate a 15-minute 'TED Talk'. I've never done that before, but where I'm just introducing the book. There's a lot to talk about in the book, and it's impossible to put 560 pages plus a thousand photographs into a 15-minute thing, but it'll be a nice challenge. And rather than it being all complete, I will just pick certain things and just a taste of what it is, just present it."

He added: "[So] the first half of the show has this 'TED Talk', but it has also quite a few new music pieces which don't really fit into the band format. They're more orchestral. They are very melodic throughout when the guitar is leading, but I have orchestra backing… Then we have an intermission, so everybody can recuperate… But after the intermission, it's a full-on band show. So I'm bringing my band. Because originally I didn't want to do that for the next North American tour, but since it's been such a long time — I think [it's been] four years now since we were last in your neck of the woods — I'm bringing the band because I know most of my core audience wants to hear that and they want to get the full flow of also my earlier musical existence, including, of course, the SCORPIONS, ELECTRIC SUN, some SKY OF AVALON, a touch of Jimi Hendrix. It'll all be there. And that rounds off the show."

Dear Fans of Uli,
We regret to announce the postponement of Uli Jon Roth's upcoming North American tour due to health...

Posted by Uli Jon Roth on Saturday, July 8, 2023

MÖTLEY CRÜE has shared a video recap of the band's June 30 performance for 450 lucky fans at the Underworld in London, an incredible rare secret club show from the global icons.

The streets of Camden came alive with the buzz that MÖTLEY CRÜE might be the band on the flyer listed as DÖGS OF WAR, with lines around the block for the most exclusive gig in town.

In a venue where most bands play their first gig, as part of their set, the band — vocalist Vince Neil, bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee and guitarist John 5 — performed their iconic anthems "Shout At The Devil", "Dr. Feelgood", "Girls Girls Girls" and many more including a premiere of their cover of BEASTIE BOYS' "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" as fans couldn't believe their luck seeing the band perform in such a small venue.

MÖTLEY CRÜE said in a statement: "This wasn't our first time playing a SECRET club show and it will definitely not be the last. We love doing this, especially before larger shows. We love when we can play these intimate shows for our fans."

The news of the intimate show first came a week earlier to fans via a cryptic flyer across the band's Twitter, under the name DÖGS OF WAR. The June 30 show put an end to all speculation, as the band revealed this is the name of one of several brand new songs that they have recently recorded with Bob Rock in the studio.

London's MÖTLEY fans have never been closer to the band in the U.K., in touching distance of Vince on the mic, Nikki as he commanded the bass, Tommy on drums and John 5 on guitar as the clubs amps blasted out hit after hit with raw intensity. Social media immediately became flooded with live clips by excited fans.

The following day (Saturday, July 1) by contrast, MÖTLEY CRÜE performed at Wembley Stadium in front of 50,000 fans as part of their just-completed European leg of "The World Tour" with DEF LEPPARD.

The Underworld setlist was as follows:

01. Wild Side
02. Shout At The Devil
03. Too Fast For Love
04. Live Wire
05. Looks That Kill
06. Rock And Roll, Part 2 / Smokin' In The Boys Room / Helter Skelter / Anarchy In The U.K. / Blitzkrieg Bop
07. (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) (BEASTIE BOYS cover)
08. Dr. Feelgood
09. Girls, Girls, Girls
10. Primal Scream
11. Kickstart My Heart

CRÜE and LEPPARD kicked off the European leg of their "The World Tour" on May 22 in Sheffield. The European leg concluded on July 6 in Glasgow.

LEPPARD and CRÜE will team up with Alice Cooper for a U.S. mini-tour this summer. The trek will kick off on August 5 in Syracuse, New York and include stops in the Midwest before concluding in El Paso, Texas on August 18. Shows in Japan and Australia will follow in the fall.

In April, Sixx said that MÖTLEY CRÜE had completed recording several new songs with longtime producer Bob Rock.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's new guitarist John 5 told Sirius XM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about recording the group's new music with Rock: "Bob would come in and [say], 'Okay, let's try this here, and that here and this here. It was one of the most incredible experiences ever… I'm thinking, 'We've got so much great technology today'… but we got in that room and it was like being in a garage working on a song when you were in high school… It was incredible, and we documented a lot of it too."

Regarding the musical direction of the tracks he and the rest of MÖTLEY CRÜE have recorded so far, John 5 said: "The songs are fucking heavy. I sound like a little excited kid right now, but they're heavy and they're mean. I can't wait for them to come out. I'm just so excited."

When host Eddie Trunk asked John 5 whether the new MÖTLEY CRÜE music can be compared to the band's breakthrough second album, 1983's "Shout At The Devil", the guitarist said that some of the new riffs are "heavier than anything" on that LP. "All I can tell you is that it's heavy and it's aggressive, and I think people are going to dig it because, talking as a fan, it's fucking badass," he said.

John 5 joined MÖTLEY CRÜE last fall as the replacement for the band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars. Mick announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE last October as a result of worsening health issues.

Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS),a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. After years of performing through the pain, he informed the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE last summer that he could no longer tour with them but would still be open to recording new music or performing at residencies that did not require much travel.

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, in early April the 71-year-old musician filed a lawsuit against CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

Professional photos below courtesy of The Outside Organisation / Sam Shapiro



Posted by Mötley Crüe on Thursday, June 22, 2023

How We End is the new European crossover band, established in 2022, featuring veterans of the metal world  hailing from Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. Years of collective experience, banded and bonded together to create something versatile and new.


Diva Satanica (ex-Nervosa) and Jake E (Cyhra, ex-Amaranthe) deliver the perfect match of contrasting vocals that shape the band’s style: melodic, heavy, no compromises. Guitarists Jen Majura (ex-Evanescence) and Tom Naumann (Primal Fear) deliver the crunch, backed by Mitch Kunz on bass / synths and Adde Larsson on drums for the heavy groove.


They have checked in with the following update:




"All of us are still stoked about this intense debut show at this year's RockHarz Festival and we couldn't be more thankful for all of you who celebrated this amazing moment with us! We would like to share this little video with all of you and also to take those of you, who couldn't be there to this epic fantastic festival with us!Hope you enjoy!"








How We End's music is a kick-ass blend of heavy guitar riffs and electronic programmed influences, growls and catchy singalong choruses that stick. Featuring diverse musical and cultural influences from all six musicians, the end result is a highly explosive experience that stays with you.


"My Fighting Heart"





"Levitate"

Iron Maiden brought The Future Past Tour to the O2 Arena in London, England on July 8th. Annihilator founder / frontman Jeff Waters was in attendance and offered the following via social media after the show:


"It was quite the party and everyone was having a ridiculous amount of fun! Who wouldn't?! Sold out and full of dedicated fans, listening to some of the best songs and vocally delivered by a guy who is inhuman.
 
Bruce commands that stage like he's a fit 30 year old. He sings better live than almost any metal singer today, of any age. Man, what a show and band; plus, whatta crew!!"


Fan-filmed video from the show can be viewed below.

Swedish rock veterans Europe performed at Midalidare Rock 2023 in Mogilovo, Bulgaria on July 1st. fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Walk the Earth"
"Rock the Night" 
"Scream of Anger" 
"Prelude"
"Last Look at Eden" 
"Sign of the Times" 
"Firebox"
"Carrie"
"Love Is Not the Enemy" 
"Heart of Stone"
"War of Kings" 
"Stormwind"
"Open Your Heart" 
"Let the Good Times Rock"
"Ready or Not"
- keyboard solo -  1:06:59 
"Superstitious"
"Cherokee" 
"The Final Countdown"




 


Europe recently announced a European tour in support of the band's 40th anniversary. Frontman Joey Tempest guested on the BBC Breakfast program and discussed the history of the band, getting ABBA icon Benny Andersson's seal of approval, and the upcoming tour.


On receiving prasie from ABBA's Benny Andersson


Tempest: "I hold him in the highest regard. I think he's as creazive as people like Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. The playful melody making, it's amazing. For hom to talk about us, and me, and the song ("The Final Countdown"), that was amazing."





A video trailer for the Tome Capsule tour can be viewed below.


"We are very proud to announce the first of our 40th Anniversary celebrations with a European Tour!," states a message from Europe. "The “Time Capsule” tour will take in 18 concerts across Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, The Netherlands and the UK, including two nights at the famous London Palladium to round it off. These anniversary shows will consist of a career retrospective “evening with” performance featuring all the hits together with deep cuts and fan favorites from all of our 11 studio albums."





Tour dates:


September
30 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Metropole


October
1 - Zurich, Switzerland - Volkshaus
2 - Milan, Italy - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi
4 - Stuttgart, Germany - Theaterhaus
5 - Munich, Germany - Circus Krone
6 - Berlin, Germany - Admiralspalast
8 - Oslo, Norway - Opera House
9 - Stockholm, Sweden - Cirkus
14 - Paris, France - Salle Pleyel
15 - Utrecht, Netherlands - TivoliVredenburg
17 - Cardiff, UK - St. David’s Hall
18 - Glasgow,UK - Royal Concert Hall
19 - Gateshead, UK -  Sage
21 - Wolverhampton,UK - The Halls
22 - Salford,UK - The Lowry
24 - Leicester,UK - De Montfort Hall
25 -  London,UK - The Palladium
26 - London,UK - The Palladium

Releasing their sixth album Hasta El Final! this past March via Rockshots Records, Bad Bones have a new music video to rock out your summer out to. Entitled "Libertad", it's an epic and powerful song that brings to mind the Hagar-era Van Halen and the Scorpions.


"We don't always get what we want, living leads us to many compromises, but when we go out and about, all we want is to be free, break the chains, and resist daily disappointments," adds the band.







Influenced by NWOBHM to the LA street rock scene, Bad Bones was formed in 2007. The band has made a name for themselves with tours across Europe along with making the move from Italy to LA in 2009 to make a foothold in the USA until returning to their home country in 2010. Over the years, the band has consistently toured the USA and Europe with appearances at events such as the Hollywood Rock Convention, Italian Gods of Metal, and Metalitalia Festival along with supporting bands like Steel Panther, Hardcore Superstar, Crucified Barbara, Entombed, Gotthard, Crazy Lixx, Strana Officina and more.


A musical amalgamation of blues, punk, classic rock, and heavy metal, Bad Bones' latest offering Hasta El Final! is a powerful record, that shakes your bones and must be listened to in one go, in its entirety, just like taking a shot of whiskey, throw it down and then enjoy it while it warms your guts.


"The sound of the band has changed since the beginning, the first album Small-town Brawlers was very raw, it sounded almost punk in some ways, in 2012 when Max Malmerenda joined the band, who has an amazing and very melodic voice, a process had begun that led us to write albums more on the ‘80s hard rock side like Demolition Derby in 2016, today, with the return of Mekk we have found a more powerful sound and we have several songs that we could define as heavy metal. We want Hasta El Final! to hit you like a punch in the face, we had this in mind, make it compact and powerful, we didn't use samples, nor quantized/triggered fake drums, everything was played live, even the overdubs were kept to a minimum, and we wanted to keep the fierce spirit of our first albums," says the band.


Making uncompromising rock that is meant to be loud in volume and make ya sweat in the pit, Bad Bones give listeners classic old-school rock n' roll fun. Their lyrics reflect the things they see and hear, from memories, and life experiences, but also from movies or places they've been, there have many sources of inspiration that fans can clearly relate to.


Order at the Rockshots Records webshop.





“Wanderers & Saints” video:





(Photo – Federica Bagagiolo / Hellucination Photography)

Hot on the heels of the 2023 Eurovision grand finals and a sold-out Australian tour, progressive rock outfit Voyager have debuted the official music video for “Ultraviolet” ahead of their highly anticipated eighth studio album, Fearless In Love, which will be released this Friday, July 14 via Season Of Mist. The haunting and dissonant track features Sean Harmanis, vocalist of Make Them Suffer, adding to the dark and modern vibe of the song. Directed by Matt Pitcher, the video delves into the human experience within the modern era, exploring themes of depression, social media/phone addition, identity, and individualism. Watch the video for “Ultraviolet feat. Sean Harmanis” below.


"Ultraviolet” is certainly one of the darkest songs on the album,” shares the band. “As the protagonist struggles to cope with the pressures of the modern world and its insane demands, the song has a message that we hope will resonate with many people, and we collaborated with director Matt Pitcher to tell this story in a cinematic way. Due to the dissonant nature of the track, we decided to enlist our good friend and fellow Australian Sean Harmanis, vocalist of metalcore band, Make Them Suffer, to perform a guest vocal spot to really portray the unsettling emotion we wanted to communicate in the track, and he totally slays."


This Friday, July 14, Voyager will release their eighth studio album, Fearless In Love, via Season Of Mist. The band comprised of Daniel “Danny” Estrin (vocals/keyboards), Simone Dow (guitars), Scott Kay (guitars), Alex Canion (bass) and Ashley Doodkorte (drums) have been creating music together for over a decade. On Fearless In Love sweeping vocals paired with emotive lyrics inspired by the grit and glam of ‘80s and ‘90s film overlay heavy guitar riffs and percussion to create a sonic journey that pushes the boundary of what fans have come to expect from Voyager. “Ultraviolet” is the latest song released from 11-song epic following “Dreamer,” “Promise,” and “Prince of Fire.”




Preorders available here.





Fearless In Love tracklisting:


"The Best Intentions"
"Prince Of Fire"
"Ultraviolet" ft. Sean Harmanis of Make Them Suffer
"Dreamer"
"The Lamenting"
"Submarine"
"Promise"
"Twisted"
"Daydream"
"Listen"
"Gren (Fearless In Love)"


"Ultraviolet" video:





"Prince Of Fire" video:





(Photo - Mike Dann)

Australia's extreme metal titans Thy Art Is Murder have released their storming new single, "Keres," the second taste of new music lifted from the band's forthcoming album, Godlike, out September 15 via Human Warfare.Pre-order Godlike here.


A stadium-sized death metal anthem, "Keres" has it all: bone crushing verses, colossal stomping choruses, an urgent guitar solo, and frontman CJ McMahon's vocals demolishing all in his wake as he rams that hook straight into your brain.


"Keres" is an absolute standout in the Thy Art Is Murder collection and guitarist Andy Marsh explains why the band can't wait to get it out there.




 "It's not often we have this level of excitement to present a new single to the world," Marsh states. "'Keres' is a metal anthem filled with grinding verses and stomping choruses, stripping down some of the complexity that may have gotten in the way of previous attempts to deliver a song of this magnitude. The Keres was an evil sprite in ancient Greek mythology that would feed on the dead, but could not participate in acts of violence. We think this behavior is as relevant in the arena of news and politics as it was on those ancient battlefields."


Thy Art Is Murder ascended the ranks of extreme metal's top-tier bands with a meteoric underground rise as explosive as humankind's seemingly inevitable descent into doom and death. With their new album, Godlike, Australia's most harrowingly brutal export since George Miller's Mad Max franchise invites audiences worldwide to join them in a fresh Armageddon.


The sixth explosive album in the band's arsenal, Godlike cements Thy Art Is Murder as death metal's modern torchbearers. A soundtrack to a divisive post-modern dystopia, Godlike sees Thy Art Is Murder explore new depths and dynamics without sacrificing an ounce of intensity or urgency the band have staked their career on.


Recorded with their longtime producer and mixer, Will Putney, across the album’s 10 nihilistic tracks Thy Art are masters of their craft as they deliver sharp stabs, guttural descents and groove with muscular athleticism and confidence. Frontman CJ McMahon gives his strongest performance ever as he belts through lyrics that thematically confront how cycles of violence continue over time and feelings of separation in a hyper-polarized world.


Thy Art Is Murder’s thinking-person’s blackened death metal has challenged, provoked and inspired audiences around the world. Through relentless hard work, Thy Art have become one of the most successful extreme metal bands Australia has ever produced, making history on their own terms. Backed by an uncompromising discography, the two-time ARIA-Award nominees have smashed chart records in their native country, becoming the first homegrown extreme metal act to debut in the Top 5 with 2017's Dear Desolation.


Their electrifying and incendiary performances have seen the band do countless laps of the globe, becoming tourmates with genre-titans like Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Kreator, Lamb Of God, Killswitch Engage, and Parkway Drive, alongside playing crucial festivals like Summer Breeze, Download, Graspop, and Wacken.


Join Thy Art Is Murder when they enter Godlike mode this coming September.





Godlike tracklisting:


"Destroyer Of Dreams"
"Blood Throne"
"Join Me In Armageddon"
"Keres"
"Everything Unwanted"
"Lesson in Pain"
"Godlike"
"Corrosion"
"Anathema"
"Bermuda"


"Keres" video:





"Join Me In Armageddon" video:

The debut offering from Vision Master, Sceptre, combs the darkest depths for ten songs of blazing and unconventional classic metal.


Former Funerot members Dan Munro and Reuben Storey (Christian Mistress) have long imagined a band like Vision Master: Dark, but with mystical atmospheres adjoined with blistering guitar riffs, thunderous rhythms and soaring vocals. 


The band’s first full-length, Sceptre, is a fully-realized exercise in driving, unrelenting and unique true metal. Thoroughly recorded at Storey and Munro’s home studios, and with Tony “Baloney” Jefferson providing additional engineering, Sceptre was finally mastered by Justin Weis’.




Sceptre pushes boundaries across the traditional metal terrain, with Vision Master drawing from a wide range of influences that spans old-school metal as well as the likes of Brocas Helm, Slough Feg, Venom, Mercyful Fate and early Voivod. And, going down an even dirtier and extreme path, Discharge, Poison Idea, Die Kreuzen and classic black metal. It all adds up to a cosmic journey that, as Munro explains, “explores the depths of strange, unfamiliar realms and unrealities.” 


Featuring cover art by Seventh Bell Artworks based on an experimental photographic collaboration between Dan and David Hoekje, Sceptre transports the listener into a futuristic world where a biological network sprawls across cities and xenon gas stores are the only hope for mankind. The album’s journey brings listeners to a mystical, sandstone throne with the power to probe the origins of mankind, ultimately asking the question: If you had the power to undo the petulant plague that is man, would you?”


Sceptre is out August 25 via Gates Of Hell Records. Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Wolves In The Shadows”
“Wet Net”
“Gossamer Sky”
“Knife In A Velvet Glove”
“Walls Of Bone”
“Sandstone”
“Arc Terminal X”
“Dust Within”
“Beyond”
“Thin Veil”


“Wolves In The Shadow”:

German symphonic metal band, Xandria, recently released their new studio album, The Wonders Still Awaiting. Today, the band share the official singthrough video for the song, "Illusion Is Their Name". Watch below:





Order The Wonders Still Awaiting here.







The Wonders Still Awaiting tracklisting:


"Two Worlds"
"Reborn"
"You Will Never Be Our God" (feat. Ralf Scheepers)
"The Wonders Still Awaiting"
"Ghosts"
"Your Stories I'll Remember"
"My Curse Is My Redemption"
"Illusion Is Their Name"
"Paradise"
"Mirror Of Time"
"Scars"
"The Maiden And The Child"
"Astèria"


“My Curse Is My Redemption” lyric video:





“Two Worlds” video:





"The Wonders Still Awaiting" video:





"Ghosts" video:





"You Will Never Be Our God" video:





"Reborn" video:





Xandria are out on a European tour with symphonic metal greats, Delain. Compelling the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, France and Germany in April and May, this package promises an unforgettable experience!
 



Xandria lineup:


Ambre Vourvahis - Vocals
Marco Heubaum - Guitar
Robert Klawonn - Guitar
Tim Schwarz - Bass
Dimitrios Gatsios - Drums

Forever Autumn is thrilled to unveil the lyric video for the captivating track, "The Forest And The Nyght", featuring Aaron Stainthorpe. This mesmerizing song is part of their upcoming EP, titled Crowned In Skulls, and set to released on July 21 via Epictronic.


"The Forest And The Nyght" encapsulates the essence of embracing darkness and finding solace within it. It serves as a compelling call to leave behind worldly troubles and immerse oneself in the unity and empowerment of the night, symbolized by the mystical forest, all through the enchanting act of seizing the night (Carpe Noctem).


Crafted by the esteemed team at Volume Agency, the lyric video visually complements the ethereal ambiance of the song, offering a captivating visual journey into the depths of Forever Autumn's musical creation.







Forever Autumn was founded by Autumn Ni Dubhghaill in 2000 and released their first demo in 2001, followed by several more in the following decade. Since 2014, the band has released a series of wider album releases, with Ni Dubhghaill and cellist Jon McGrath as the core members, creating music that is elegant in its simplicity and fragile in its beauty.

Florida-based death/doom metal band, Doomsilla, is in the final stages of recording their second full-length album, which will be titled The Gift Of Eternal Sleep. This will be the band's first musical offering since their 2015 debut, Join The Cult, released on German extreme metal label, Morbid Generation Records.


There has been no label chosen for the new release, but the band will begin to figure out that detail now that the album is nearing completion.


The Gift Of Eternal Sleep release will feature seven tracks and this will also be the band's first release with drummer Derek Roddy.




The band has also released the album's artwork, created by Florida artist Mark Cooper, who also handled the artwork for the band's previous release.





Doomsilla lineup:


Tony Anderson (Generichrist, Fleshreaper, Skintomb) - Vocals
Jim Ross (Bandwhore, Isotropy, ex-Necropia, ex-Cystic Dysentery) - Guitars
Derek Roddy (Serpents Rise, Isotropy, ex-Hate Eternal, ex-Malevolent Creation) - Drums
Mike Poggione (Deathforge, Ectopic Malignancy, ex-Vile, ex-Monstrosity) - Bass

Legendary German guitarist Uli Jon Roth joined SAXON on stage last night (Monday, July 10) at the Time To Rock festival in Knislinge, Sweden to perform a few songs, including "Denim And Leather" and "747 (Strangers In The Night)" . Video of his appearance is available below.

The 68-year-old Roth was in the SCORPIONS for five years before leaving the group in 1978, following the release of the live double album "Tokyo Tapes".

In recent years, Roth has revisited the early music of his period with the SCORPIONS, which resulted in the "Scorpions Revisited" double CD and "Tokyo Tapes Revisited" DVD/Blu-ray releases.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players ever, Uli pioneered a unique style of guitar playing which — for the first time — combined complete mastery of the instrument with an intensely melodic and emotional appeal.

From his earliest days onwards, Uli has always been a bold and uncompromising musical innovator of the first order. Being the first guitar player in rock to incorporate complex melodic arpeggio sequences, Uli Jon Roth — in the eyes of many of his peers — practically reinvented modern guitar-technique almost singlehandedly during his SCORPIONS tenure, but even more so during his ELECTRIC SUN days.

DIAMOND HEAD's Brian Tatler made his live debut as SAXON's new touring guitarist on Friday, July 7 at the Rockwave festival in Athens, Greece.

In addition to a dozen or so already-announced festival appearances in 2023, SAXON has revealed that it will support JUDAS PRIEST on a U.K. tour in early 2024.

Brian has joined fellow guitarist Doug Scarratt, bassist Nibs Carter, drummer Nigel Glockler and Byford for shows throughout 2023 but will continue to be a member of DIAMOND HEAD.

As a result of original SAXON guitarist Paul Quinn's decision to no longer perform with the band, SAXON canceled its April 2023 South American tour as well as the appearance at the Monsters Of Rock cruise.

SAXON's latest album, "More Inspirations", arrived on March 24 via Silver Lining Music. Following the release of "Inspirations" in 2021, "More Inspirations" is the second "deep dish" serving of the influences which have fed SAXON's immensely successful 40-plus-year career. Produced by singer Biff Byford, with Seb Byford helping record the music alongside mixing engineer Jacky Lehmann, "More Inspirations" includes takes on RAINBOW, ZZ TOP and CREAM, as well as "Razamanaz" by NAZARETH, THE WHO's "Substitute", and URIAH HEEP's "Gypsy".

Byford and Quinn are the sole remaining original members in SAXON's current lineup.

Some great shots tonight at Time To Rock Festival, including one with our friend Uli Jon Roth, who played a few songs with us!

#themightysaxon #timetorockfestival #ulijonroth #livegigs

Posted by Saxon on Monday, July 10, 2023

Pantera wrapped up their European tour on July 2 at The Return Of The Gods festival in Bologna, Italy. The band have shared the recap video below:





Pantera will be on tour across North America this summer, with special guest Lamb Of God. S.N.A.F.U., Child Bite, Flesh Hoarder, Spirit In The Room, and King Parrot each enjoying a stint as the opening act. All bands are part of the Housecore Records family. Housecore Records is owned by Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo.







Pantera / Lamb Of God tour dates:


With Snafu:
July
28 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake
29 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
31 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Insurance Amphitheater


With Child Bite:
August
2 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
5 - Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Stadium
6 - Scranton, PA - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
8 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
9 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater
12 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage


With Flesh Hoarder:
August
15 - Rogers, AR - Walmart Amp
17 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
20 - Austin, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater


With Spirit In The Room:
August
23 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
26 - San Diego, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheater
29 - Salt Lake City, UT - Usana Amphitheater
31 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater


With King Parrot:
September
7 - Bangor, ME - Waterfront Music Pavilion
8 - Gilford, NH - Bank Of New Hampshire
12 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
14 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Virginia Beach
15 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live

STAIND has released the official lyric video for its new single, "Cycle Of Hurting". The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Confessions Of The Fallen", which will arrive on September 15 via Alchemy Recordings/BMG. STAIND's first new LP album since 2011 was produced by Erik Ron (GODSMACK, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, BLACK VEIL BRIDES).

"Confessions Of The Fallen" track listing:

01. Lowest In Me
02. Was Any Of It Real?
03. In This Condition
04. Here And Now
05. Out Of Time
06. Cycle Of Hurting
07. The Fray
08. Better Days
09. Hate Me Too
10. Confessions Of The Fallen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum singer-songwriter, actor and New York Times best-selling author Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) has released "Post Traumatic Blues", the second single from his forthcoming solo studio album, "CMF2".

Corey says: "'Post Traumatic Blues' is my attempt to describe for people what it's like to deal with PTSD. Sometimes it's so hard for people to understand the ups and downs, the severity of the cold and numbness, that I wanted to try and build a bridge lyrically between the ones living with the disease and the ones who are trying to help them."

"Post Traumatic Blues" second-verse lyrics: "'Who's afraid of a king in a castle? Another dirty face on a $100 bill. I'll take - what I thought - I could never - impossibly get. I'm living like I'm losing a bet - don't worry, the future is here. Another contemplation to ration for over the years. I'm crossing your lines, pushing my way – DELIBERATE. Borrow your time, take me away - I'M INTO IT. Did you borrow your time? ONE LAST TIME".

Released in May, the first single from "CMF2", "Beyond", has entered the Top 15 at Rock Radio in just six weeks and was the cover and No. 1 spot of the Rock Hard playlist on Spotify.

In a recent interview with Tommy Carroll of the WGRD 97.9 radio station, Taylor was asked to back up his previous claim that "CMF2" will be "the best rock album of this year and the next." He said: "Dude, this album's got everything, man. I mean, it doesn't sound like everything else, which apparently is contagious in this industry. It's not produced like everything else. It feels alive. The songs are incredible. The production, the performances… I mean, this album chews up the first album and spits it out. It's probably one of the best things that I've ever done, and I'm really, really proud of it, man. I'm proud of the work that me and [producer] Jay [Ruston] did. And people are going to… Even if it is a slow burner out of the gate, people are gonna remember this album."

Taylor began tracking the follow-up to 2020's "CMFT" LP in early January at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with Ruston, who has previously worked with STEEL PANTHER and ANTHRAX, among others. Joining Corey in the studio was the rest of his solo band — bassist Eliot Lorango, drummer Dustin Robert, along with guitarists Christian Martucci and Zach Throne.

Twenty-six songs were recorded for "CMF2", including "Beyond" and "Post Traumatic Blues".

The official video for "Beyond", as premiered by Rolling Stone, was shot at a remote location within California's Mojave Desert. Captured through the lens of director Dale "Rage" Resteghini (HATEBREED, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, TRIVIUM),the video finds Taylor trudging around the desert as a musing Uncle Sam intermingling with members of the band and the CHERRY BOMBS, the all-girl dance group featuring Taylor's wife Alicia Taylor, all the while being surrounded by different versions of himself from through the years — before culminating as a live performance for a mass of fans in the round.

The song "Beyond" harkens back to 2006 in some shape or form. Taylor knew the song was special, but never found the time to bring the tune to its potential.

"CMFT" featured the No. 1 Billboard mainstream rock single "Black Eyes Blue" and streaming sensation "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (feat. Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie). The LP hit No. 6 on Billboard's U.S. Top Rock Albums chart.

"CMF2" is Taylor's first album for BMG and the first on his own label imprint, Decibel Cooper Recordings.

In support of his new album, Taylor has announced his 2023 tour featuring special guests WARGASM, OXYMORRONS and LUNA AURA on select dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 28-city tour kicks off on August 25 at Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, making stops across the U.S in Detroit, Orlando, Dallas and more before the final headline show in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on October 5.

Photo credit: Marina Hunter

Fan-filmed video of THE PRETTY RECKLESS's July 7 acoustic set at the American Family Insurance House at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin can be seen below.

In a May 2023 interview with Ronni Hunter of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station conducted at the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, THE PRETTY RECKLESS frontwoman Taylor Momsen confirmed that she and her bandmates have commenced work on the follow-up to 2021's "Death By Rock And Roll" album.

"We're in a great headspace," she said. "We're just having fun with it, and wrapping up the tour cycle of 'Death By Rock And Roll', with the last few shows. We're going out with [the FOO FIGHTERS] in June, which I'm so stoked about. And then new record — and it's next chapter. We've already kind of started it… We've gotten into a studio; we've stepped foot into a studio. So that's saying something for us."

Regarding when fans can expect to hear new music from THE PRETTY RECKLESS, Taylor said: "I don't know how long it's gonna take. I have no dates for anyone or any more insight other than that. But we have walked into a studio and we are super, super excited."

Last November, THE PRETTY RECKLESS released a new collection of music, "Other Worlds", via Fearless Records. The effort saw the group delivering its first proper acoustic recordings, unexpected covers and other reimaginings.

"Death By Rock And Roll" was made available in February 2021 via Fearless Records in the U.S. and Century Media Records in the rest of the world.

Upon release, "Death By Rock And Roll" topped multiple sales charts — including Billboard's Top Albums, Rock, Hard Music, and Digital charts. The record also yielded three back-to-back No. 1 singles — "Death By Rock And Roll", "And So It Went" (featuring Tom Morello of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and "Only Love Can Save Me Now" (featuring Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron of SOUNDGARDEN). The band has tallied seven No. 1 singles at the rock format throughout its career.

"Death By Rock And Roll" was THE PRETTY RECKLESS's first album to be made without longtime producer Kato Khandwala, who died in April 2018 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS formed in 2009 and consists of Momsen, guitarist Ben Phillips, bassist Mark Damon and drummer Jamie Perkins.

In 2021, Momsen — who rose to fame portraying the character of edgy little sister Jenny Humphrey on The CW's "Gossip Girl" — described "Death By Rock And Roll" in an interview with ABC Audio as a "battle cry for life and for hope."

"I think that that's something that we can all use a little bit more of, especially right now," she said. "We could always use a little more hope, and we could always use a little more rock and roll."

Pretty Reckless.... we're not worthy

Posted by Cliff Kelly on Friday, July 7, 2023

Dee Snider has once again said that the heavy metal genre isn't respected enough by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

In a brand new interview with Clint Switzer of On The Road To Rock, the TWISTED SISTER singer spoke about the Rock Hall's decision to broaden the musical scope of the artists it has inducted, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame could have saved themselves a lot of problems by simply calling themselves the 'Music Hall Of Fame'. I lived on Long Island, and there's a Long Island Music Hall Of Fame, and in there is Arlo Guthrie and Neil Diamond and TWISTED SISTER and ZEBRA is in there and PUBLIC ENEMY's in there and KISS is in there, because it's music. The minute you put that word on it, everybody's, like, 'Okay, I get it. It's the Music Hall Of Fame. And these are great musicians.' So by calling it the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, it positions itself to criticism, and the people who run that thing, it's still Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone and Meg Griffin from WNEW in New York City, the hip radio station from the '70s and '60s. NEW has been off the air for decades… These are the people who are the panel, the voting panel of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. So these old mothereffers are picking the stuff that they grew up with — they're old. Of course they're picking… And the minute they go and die — the sooner, the better, guys and girls; the sooner, the better — and they bring in some contemporary people… Again, they'll either vote to change their name or they'll just start acknowledging bands…

"For me, sales do matter," Dee continued. "Being beloved does matter. The amount of fans you have does matter. And they threw us a bone when they had the fans' choice. This way they can say, 'We didn't pick KISS. We didn't pick JUDAS PRIEST.' They're elitist mothereffers."

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

IRON MAIDEN was on the ballot for the second time this year, but the institution's voters snubbed them once again.

The only metal or metal-adjacent acts to have made it into the Rock Hall so far have been BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN, METALLICA, AC/DC, JUDAS PRIEST, KISS, VAN HALEN, RUSH, GUNS N' ROSES and DEEP PURPLE.

IRON MAIDEN finished in the fourth place in the fan vote for this year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction class.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

On the latest episode of Riff Crew's The Realm, David Ellefson was asked about the supposed early "feud" between MEGADETH and METALLICA, stemming primarily from the fact that MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was a member of METALLICA for less than two years, from 1981 to 1983, before being dismissed and replaced by Kirk Hammett.

"The MEGADETH-METALLICA feud… Look, it was not my feud, because I was a huge METALLICA fan," Ellefson explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Look, I'm in the band with Dave, so I've gotta toe the company line. It's one of these, 'Hey, man, if you're my friend, you have to love my friends and you've gotta hate my enemies with me.' You know how that is. 'We like that guy. That chick, fuck her. That sucks.' We know how this goes.

"So, here I am. And, look, I love METALLICA. I hear the 'No Life 'Til Leather' demo and it's frickin' awesome," Ellefson continued. "And I still love their demo. And then [METALLICA's debut album] 'Kill 'Em All' comes out. I remember the day we sat there in stone cold silence for, like, an hour while we listened to the 'Kill 'Em All' album. And God bless Dave for just sort of biting the bullet and just going, 'Okay, I need to listen to this. What did they do to my songs?' Obviously the first thing he sees is the writing credits. Stuff that he had written by himself, like 'Mechanix', now had the writing credits of James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] and Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer]. And to their credit, they did rewrite the lyrics; 'The Four Horsemen' is an entirely different lyrical thing. I wasn't in the room as this stuff was going down.

"I always looked at it like, 'Hey, Dave. They gave you the greatest gift ever. Not only did they use your songs and pay you for them, they, just as importantly, put your name on it.' That gave MEGADETH such an incredible advantage to starting out. It's like, I guess. We were just talking about [my current projects] DIETH and KINGS OF THRASH. It's, like, here's the MEGADETH records. Yeah, that's definitely me — my name, my credits. These things always help.

"There's a saying in jazz, 'You're only as good as your last gig, 'cause every gig you do leads you to the next opportunity.' So for Dave, having that METALLICA history gave MEGADETH a huge advantage to starting. I often wish that he would have been a little more appreciative of how well we did and the gift we had, how many fans came to his side despite the departure. And I've learned from that myself now that I'm not in MEGADETH, going, 'Be appreciative.' A lot of people came to my side. You don't have to hate MEGADETH to like David Ellefson."

David added: "I've listened to METALLICA on the radio. Living in L.A., they had KNAC and things, and they would always do 'Mandatory Metallica' and all this stuff. That band broke down so many doors for all of us. And then, when I met the guys — I met James and Lars [early on] — they were totally cool. I don't know — it seemed like it would be pretty fun to be in a band with those guys. So I always liked them. I watched them grow and develop and basically take over the world. I got a front-row seat for that, and I thought that was really, really awesome."

This past February, Ellefson told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, that he had heard METALLICA's two new songs, "Lux Æterna" and "Screaming Suicide", that were released as singles prior to the arrival of the band's latest album, "72 Seasons". He said: "I liked it. I think it's very cool. You know, just as much as everything with those guys, they're like Apple — when they do a product launch, it usually comes off pretty frickin' cool. A new METALLICA album is like a new iPhone launch — it's pretty much awesome. [Laughs]"

Ellefson went on to say that "Lux Æterna" and the announcement of METALLICA's "72 Seasons" album and accompanying stadium tour came "out of nowhere" last November while he was in Poland working on his DIETH project. "And you're, like, 'Jeez.' I mean, this literally just dropped out of the sky; I don't think any of us saw it coming, which I thought was so cool," David said.

Elaborating on what he thought of "Lux Æterna" and "Screaming Suicide", Ellefson said: "That first single ['Lux Æterna'] especially I thought was very cool...

"Look, at this point, there's only 12 notes in the chromatic scale," he explained. "We've played them all in almost every possible combination of how to play 'em. So, it's like, how do you now, at album — whatever it is for them. And even with MEGADETH, it was like, 'Jeez, we're on how many albums now? And how do we not repeat ourselves yet still keep street cred and play to those fans that wanna hear us do that?'

"You're not the same guy you were when you recorded 'One', right? You're not the 1987 METALLICA; you're now this," Ellefson added. "So I think as we age into our career and we age into our artistry, if you will, you're always looking for how do you scratch the itch and satisfy all parts of your creative thing there."

Back in September 2020, Ellefson told WRIF that he and Mustaine paid close attention to what METALLICA was doing in the early years of MEGADETH's existence. "I mean, look, we are all just a branch off the METALLICA family tree," he explained at the time. "I mean, let's face it. Especially MEGADETH, with Dave being there, and then me being a branch off of Dave with MEGADETH. So, I mean, look, we owe everything to METALLICA. Those guys broke down the doors for every one of us — ANTHRAX, SLAYER. Bands today — LAMB OF GOD, PANTERA — none of this would have happened without METALLICA being up there as the 800-pound gorilla just carving the path through the jungle that would have never let heavy metal in. The stuff that they able to do and the size and the scope of which they were able to break those doors down, it changed all of our lives — as musicians, as fans, as everything. That's why I think when they did the 'Big Four' [shows] with us in 2010 and '11, that was just such a great olive branch."

The former MEGADETH bassist continued: "As Scott Ian [ANTHRAX] said, it's like we're all brothers of the same family, it's just that one of our brothers went off and became Microsoft [laughs], and that was METALLICA. It's, like, how the hell did you do that? That's amazing. You changed the world. But the fact that they came back and, again, offered that olive branch to us and just said, 'Hey, we were all in this together. Let's celebrate what we did together so many years ago.' And I think that speaks volumes to just how cool METALLICA is."

In 2019, Ellefson said that he got Mustaine's "blessing" to audition for the bassist position in METALLICA after Jason Newsted left the band more than two decades ago. David went on to say that he learned how to play some of METALLICA's songs in preparation for what he thought would be an audition with the group but that the opportunity never materialized.

Back in 2011, Mustaine said that he was relieved that Ellefson wasn't invited to join METALLICA after the tragic death of Cliff Burton.

Burton died on tour in 1986 in a tour bus crash, three years after Mustaine was kicked out of METALLICA and went on to form MEGADETH.

The so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — played together for the first time in history on June 16, 2010 in front of 81,000 fans at the Sonisphere festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland and shared a bill again for six more shows as part of the Sonisphere series that same year. They reunited again for several dates in 2011, including the last "Big Four" concert, which was held on September 14, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Since then, METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX have played a number of shows together, including the 2013 Soundwave festival in Australia. They also performed at the 2014 Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

At last month's Hellfest in Clisson, France, SLIPKNOT bassist Alessandro "VMan" Venturella addressed SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan's recent comment that the band might focus on releasing singles instead of singles in the future. Venturella said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's not a set-in-stone thing. I think it's more like now that we're not with a record label, we can now do whatever we want and we're not held by certain aspects.

"We're in a world now where to try and get everyone all together to do a full record and the logistics to get nine guys in a place somewhere like Los Angeles or something like that, to record a record, it's a big undertaking, and especially in today's climate and how everything is, whereas if we take our time and we do things that we want, we can put out a single and we can do this here, and I think that's what he was kind of getting at," VMan explained.

"Albums are still a thing, and we still wanna do albums," the bassist clarified. "But I think it was more, like, 'Hey, times are changing. We can go, 'Hey, here, guys, here's a new single.' You can have a single. And we're not, four years later, here comes an album. We can be a bit more free to do what we want."

SLIPKNOT's latest album, "The End, So Far", was released last September via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind", it was the band's final record with Roadrunner after first signing with the rock and metal label in 1998.

Last summer, SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor told NME that the band's relationship with Roadrunner deteriorated over the years due to changes at the record company.

"It's such a different label than it was when we first signed with it," he said. "Once you're in the hands of people who don't care, it's just a fucking business. And that's what happened."

"The End, So Far" entered the Billboard 2000 chart at position No. 2. The LP shifted a total of 59,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, 50,500 of which were traditional album sales.

Prior to "The End, So Far"'s arrival, SLIPKNOT had a three-album streak of No. 1 debuts with 2008's "All Hope Is Gone", 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter" and the aforementioned "We Are Not Your Kind".

Venturella began working with SLIPKNOT during the recording of ".5: The Gray Chapter" album, contributing bass tracks along with guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson and former touring bassist Donnie Steele. He made his live debut with the band in 2014 at the first annual Knotfest.

In 2019, Alessandro told Bass Guitar Magazine that he landed in SLIPKNOT after getting a phone call from Root while working with MASTODON as guitarist Brent Hinds's tech.

According to Venturella, his role early on in SLIPKNOT was to "fill a great man's shoes and do him justice," referring to original bassist Paul Gray, who passed away in 2010.

Gray passed away from an accidental overdose of drugs.

In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, ANTHRAX's Frank Bello offered an update on the recording sessions for the band's long-awaited follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings" album. The bassist said: "We're recording — guitars, drums. I'm actually recording my bass next month.

"What ANTHRAX does these days, we do a bunch of songs together, like a bulk of the songs," he explained. "I think we have eight or nine right now. And we'll keep writing. I think that's important. That's how we did the last record, and it came out the way we wanted it to. We have a good bulk of songs right now that we know already. But we still wanna have a couple of more. So that's the way we go. We'll digest these for a while. I'll do my bass next month. Then vocals will come on and we'll have this locked up. And then we'll start writing a few more songs. Then we'll choose what's best for the record and how the record goes. We're hoping — I'm praying, 'cause it's been a while, man — [to have the album out] next year. It's been, I think, almost eight years from the last record. I wanna have a record out. We all do. I can't wait to play new songs — all this stuff. I wanna go on tour. But it's gotta be right."

Asked if he and his bandmates tried to put stuff together during the pandemic as far as sending files back and forth, Bello said: "We actually got together periodically. But during the pandemic, when everything was locked down — I live in New York; we were really locked down. It was really ridiculous when it first started. And everybody was doing their jamming over the Internet and all that. That's great. I think that satisfied a lot of people. I thought that was great. That was fun. But with ANTHRAX, the three of us have to be in a room and looking at each other and vibing. And it's spontaneous and it's locked in. And you do it like this [via video], and I love this, but the latency — there's a second delay. Imagine just jamming like that, it's, like, 'What'd you play there?' And it stops the vibe. And all of a sudden you're taking apart the song for no reason. It's, like, 'All right. This isn't the way to do it. We have to get together.' So that's what we did. And I think it was a smart move because we won't put out anything we don't live. And it's gotta be right. It's gotta be exactly the record we're coming out with. That's who we are."

This past May, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian told Wall Of Sound's Duane James that he and his bandmates had "gotten nine songs so far. Charlie [Benante] recorded drums on nine songs, I've got guitars almost done on four. Then I came out on these [MR.] BUNGLE dates. But Frankie and I are going to head back into the studio, like, first week of June to finish all the guitars and bass, work on some vocal ideas. Then probably vocals and lead guitars will start not long after that. Then there'll be another drum session somewhere down the line, probably because there are more ideas that we just haven't really had a chance to get tightly arranged yet. So there'll be another drum session in the next few months."

As for a possible release date for the next ANTHRAX album, Scott said: "I'm not gonna put any deadline or date on anything, but I'd like to think a record would be done by the end of the year. Then we'd be out starting again next summer, you know, probably. That's a very loose, loose schedule, in my mind."

Earlier in May, it was announced that Ian, Benante and Bello had been in the studio with producer Jay Ruston, laying down basic tracks in preparation for singer Joey Belladonna to record his vocals and for lead guitarist Jonathan Donais to add his leads and solos.

At the time, Scott wrote on social media: "We started recording the new album last week and the first session was a blast! The songs are killer, challenging and a lot of fun to play - Riff-O-Rama. Tones are 1986 great. Can't wait for all of you to hear what we’re doing."

Charlie added: "We entered the studio and have begun recording our new record. I feel that the songs are next level for us. The first batch that I recorded were a bit challenging as far as my drumming goes. The next batch will be recorded in between my @panteraofficial schedule. I can't wait to record the next batch… some great stuff coming! The persistence to spread the euphoric Music we worship among all you Kings ( and Queens) has always been our mission @anthrax".

A month earlier, Benante was asked by Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules if his packed 2023 touring schedule with PANTERA will delay the release of ANTHRAX's new LP. He responded: "We're actually going in two weeks to start recording the record. But it probably wouldn't come out till '24 anyway. But the good part about it is we are going in to start recording it. So that's awesome."

Elaborating on why it has taken so long for ANTHRAX to complete the writing process for a new LP, Charlie said: "If we didn't get hit with this whole global pandemic thing, it would have been out probably two years ago, three years ago. But we all know what happened. But now, being that some of the songs were [written] before the pandemic hit, they're old to me. So now there's a bunch of new songs that kind of came in the mix. So that's a good thing. You can never have enough… We're still working on the older ones because we really like a lot of those."

This past January, Ian told Metal Edge that he and his bandmates had "11 musical arrangements", as well as "some" lyrics, that they were working on for their next album. "Obviously, I'm going to be working on more words and we're getting there," he said. "I'm hoping at some point we'll be able to get into the studio [this year] and record them."

Benante also loudly wondered if ANTHRAX could focus on releasing EPs in the foreseeable future as opposed to full-length albums, as has been the case for much of the band's four-plus-decade career.

"What if it wasn't a full album?" the drummer asked. "If we released six songs and then we released another six songs. I know from a record company's point of view that really doesn't work, but in these days…"

"Yeah. It's all so different now," Ian said, jumping in. "SLIPKNOT's saying now why even make full albums anymore. I get it. I get all sides of it. I still love a full album, but at the same time I totally understand the idea of what's the point of giving someone 11 songs. Most people don't listen to albums anymore. So, yeah — why not parse it out? I don't know. All I know is at some point in the next few months we'll probably have 14 or 15 things and then we'll have to decide when we're going to record it and how we're going to release it."

"Think about it," Benante continued. "If ANTHRAX released five songs and you have these five songs, and you absorb it in such a different way nowadays, too. I think that may be the way to go, rather than give everybody 11 songs and it's like, 'Oh — I only had a chance to listen to the first four or five.' I don't know. I just think maybe the business model is different."

"And even for us, playing songs live it's like, you put out a record with 10 or 11 songs on it with the idea that, 'Oh man, I can't wait to play this one live and I can't wait to play this one live,'" Ian added. "On 'For All Kings', we definitely didn't play all of those songs at any point. I think there's maybe six songs on the record that got played – and that's it. I almost feel like you're wasting them. I understand album tracks, but if you put out just five songs it would be easy to play all five of those on a new tour."

"And easier to digest, too," Benante agreed. "You would appreciate it more if it was just five songs and, 'These five songs are fuckin' killer. I can't wait for the next five songs,' knowing that we will release another five or six."

Earlier in January, Benante told Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11 that ANTHRAX was planning to enter the studio sometime this spring to begin recording the new LP.

"Between the PANTERA [tour dates in 2023], we're gonna be working on this record, this ANTHRAX record," he said. "We're hoping to have it finished before PANTERA go to Europe [in late May]. I have a little window after that, before [PANTERA's stadium tour with] METALLICA starts. At least if I get my drum tracks done, then the other guys can continue to work on it. That's the plan. Unless something else happens, but hopefully nothing will happen."

Last November, Bello told SiriusXM that the band is "not in a rush" to record the new album. "We wanna make sure it's the right record," he explained. "We can't just throw out something that's not ready. So we're gonna really make sure it's the right record and live with it for a little bit. We have some brutal stuff and some cool stuff coming up — very heavy — we've been working on. Everybody can say that when they're working on a record. But the proof is in the pudding. I'm pretty proud of what we've come up with so far."

In August, Ian praised the production quality on some of the band's recent albums, including 2011's "Worship Music" and "For All Kings". He said: [On] 'Worship [Music]' and 'For All Kings', for me, we've really kind of found our sound. We've got this base level where we're at right now with [producer] Jay Ruston where we know it's gonna be great, and then we could push it even further. Especially with the songwriting that we have right now, going into what will eventually be a new ANTHRAX album, it just lends itself to even a more aggressive production which I think we will have no problem accomplishing."

In April 2022, Scott confirmed to Metal Injection that ANTHRAX had a few songs already written for the upcoming LP. "All I can say is we will get in the studio when we're ready," he said. "I think we're getting there. I think we have great songs. I think people will be very happy.

"Not to make a weird comparison, but it's our third record back together with Joey. Actually, it's an odd comparison. I should just say it's our third album since our kind of our reboot in 2010 and our third album back in the day was 'Among The Living'. I'm not saying that this is [like that album], because it's not 'Among The Living II' in any sense, but I just think we have some great songs and there's like a fucking mountain of great riffs. I think people are going to be very happy."

Ian previously discussed ANTHRAX's upcoming LP during a July 2021 appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. At the time, he said: "We've been at it for a little while now. We actually started writing in '19 — pre-COVID — and kind of stepped away from things when COVID happened. We were all separate and apart and we would kind of revisit some of the demos, but we weren't actively working on it.

"Yeah, it's the same as it's always been," he said. "I would have to think by the time we get to the other side of the writing process and we decide we're ready to go record it, I would have to assume it's certainly going to represent this time in our lives. And the world having gone through a pandemic, I would imagine certainly that's in some way, shape or form going to come out through this next record. I can't tell you how yet, but I would have to think it's going to."

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the release of comeback LP "Worship Music".