Sammy Hagar has once again weighed in on the proposed all-star VAN HALEN tribute concert, saying he "would love to play" with Alex Van Halen one more time.

No progress has been reported on a possible VAN HALEN tribute show since April 2022 when former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted revealed to The Palm Beach Post that he was approached by the VAN HALEN drummer about six months earlier about playing bass for the project. Newsted told the Florida newspaper that he agreed to go to California to jam with Alex and legendary guitarist Joe Satriani and see if it felt right, but he eventually realized that it would be impossible to do justice to VAN HALEN's legacy.

During an appearance on the latest episode of "THAT Rocks!", the weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, Hagar was asked about a possible reunion of surviving VAN HALEN members for a tribute concert. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's the same old story. It's the same old fucking story. Alex won't respond to me. I reach out to him. I haven't done it in a long time now, 'cause it's, like, 'Hey, you wanna talk to me? Call me.' But there's not going to be a VAN HALEN reunion. First of all, it's too late. I've already said it a million times — Wolfie [Eddie Van Halen's son and former VAN HALEN bassist Wolfgang Van Halen] is doing such a great job with what he's doing, and he would be the perfect guy [to play with us at a tribute concert], so that's out. Dave [Lee Roth, original VAN HALEN singer] and I are still alive, but there's no way he would cooperate with me, so if he goes out by himself, that's not a VAN HALEN reunion; that's half a VAN HALEN reunion. If I go out by myself without him, it's a half a VAN HALEN reunion. Only good news about that is that I could sing his songs just fine. But Mike and I are like this [crosses fingers], and if Al wanted to come and play with us... I would love to play with Al. I said it recently, that I would love to play music with Al. I would like to write a song with Al. I would like to go in the studio and jam with Al. But the thought of a VAN HALEN reunion without Eddie, no, there's no such thing."

Sammy's latest comments are similar to those he made last November during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". At the time, he said about a possible VAN HALEN tribute concert: "As far as I know, [there has been no progress]. There was that talk everybody heard about Jason being the bass player and Joe Satriani playing guitar and Alex and all that. Then I got the call from the management, I got the call from Irving Azoff, [who] said, 'Hey, you wanna do, you and Mike and Al with a superstar guitar player?' I said, 'I'll do anything with Al and Mike and play music with people, but it's not gonna be VAN HALEN. There is no VAN HALEN; I don't care what anyone says. Wolfie is VAN HALEN, okay? And he doesn't wanna be the VAN HALEN copy band. I don't blame him; he's doing a great job on his own stuff, and it's very cool when he jams a little bit here and there. He's VAN HALEN, and if he wanted to play guitar with Al and Mikey and myself, I would love to do that. That would be just one time for the big time. Not like, 'Okay, let's go out and tour the world and make records.' No, no, no, no. There is no VAN HALEN, but to play with Al and Mike and a great guitar player for some event — almost like the event that [FOO FIGHTERS leader] Dave Grohl put on for Taylor [Hawkins], something like that would be fantastic. But other than that, no."

When interviewer Eddie Trunk brought up Wolfgang's interview in which Van Halen heavily hinted that David Lee Roth is the hold-up in realizing an Eddie Van Halen tribute concert, Sammy said: "It ain't just one guy. Alex Van Halen and I don't talk. I reached out to Alex. I'm gonna tell you right now — I reached out to Alex again recently. Mikey had a sad thing happen in his family, and I reached out to Al, and he wouldn't return my call or my e-mail. And so I said, 'You know what? Fuck it. It's not on the top of my list, my agenda. I think Eddie deserves, definitely, a tribute… And the whole world would show up and the whole world would do it.

"I don't know why people put it on Roth," Sammy continued. "I don't talk to Dave. And if he did it, he'd wanna do it without me. I'm sure that's part of the dysfunction that Wolfie's talking about. I'll make a statement that I don't know is true or not, but what do you wanna bet that he goes, 'I will only do it if Hagar's not there.' And if that were the case, that's typical Roth, and that's part of the dysfunction. It's not like he controls it; it's just [that] he doesn't play well with others. And like I said, if Alex came to me and wanted to do it, I'm in. Absolutely — let's go [and] do it somehow. But Alex has got a stick up his ass about something with me still, and he's gonna take it to his grave, I guess. [I made peace with Eddie before he died but] I don't think I made peace with Al. And I don't think I'm going to unless he reaches back out to me. I've done it about five times now."

Hagar clarified: "I'm not trying to start a feud between the two of us. But I love the guy, and I love VAN HALEN, what we did together… Al is the most stubborn Taurus. He's a Taurus, and he's the most stubborn Taurus. Tauruses are known for [being] stubborn. He's a Dutch Taurus, and he is the most stubborn, hard-headed guy you'll ever meet in your life. And he is tough to [break] down and to let go. Nope — he's holding on to something. And I just wish he wasn't like that. I love the guy. Like I've said a million times, Alex and I actually got along better than Ed and I at times. Through the hard times, Alex and I still got along. But I don't know what happened. Somebody poisoned him. Somebody told him something. Maybe he still doesn't like my book, which was the most honest thing I've ever done in my life. Some people just don't think that that should have been done."

Hagar mended his relationship with Eddie Van Halen months prior to the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's October 2020 passing.

Hagar replaced Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart.

Sammy, Eddie, Alex and Michael last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

In his autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock", Hagar slammed Eddie, saying the guitarist was unkempt, hunched over, frighteningly skinny, drinking wine straight out of a bottle, missing part of his tongue (after a cancer scare) and several teeth. He told an interviewer in 2012: "What happened on that reunion tour in '04 was some of the most miserable, back-stabbing dark crap I've ever been involved with my whole life."

In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Eddie questioned an "embellished" portion of "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock" that painted the guitarist as a "very angry drunk" during the group's 2004 reunion tour.

Photo credit: Leah Steiger

In a new interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, RATT frontman Stephen Pearcy spoke about how the lack of new music from RATT affects his songwriting approach when working on material for his solo albums. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm in the studio right now mastering and mixing a record of mine called 'Legacy' which is a montage of [my pre-RATT band] MICKEY RATT, the day I started writing my first song, to the last song I wrote with [RATT guitarist] Warren DeMartini and [late RATT guitarist] Robbin Crosby. It's taken a while.

"It's better that things go down this way, as far as I'm concerned," he continued, referencing RATT's inability to stay together. "Because I tend to put my eggs in the RATT basket, so to speak, and it just flounders; it's not developed. It's not the same guys 40 years later. I get it — some wanna do it, some don't want to, and some just don't care. I don't know. But me, I always care.

"Anything I do, anything I write, it's gonna sound like me, which sounds like RATT. I can't get away from that, and that's a blessing too — kind of. But I enjoy doing what I do. Because I tend to take a step back, and it's not good for the brand RATT. I get moving doing my thing and then, okay, there's something that has to do with RATT. Well, I don't make that left and right turn anymore. I mean, we've done what we did. I'm happy with it. Maybe we were only supposed to be around 10 years, you know, when that's the timeline. It was an important decade, so I can deal with it. I think it's great."

Pearcy added: "I can get away with a lot more when I'm writing and recording and doing my [solo stuff]. I get more out of it personally — a lot more satisfaction. Because without Robbin, the band is really steered towards another direction with the original guys. If we were to get in a room and try to write with the original guys — we have done it, and it doesn't guarantee hits, because we wrote our own songs that were the hits. And I'd rather just leave that alone. It just goes back to Robbin and what we really created and had that is the strength of this [recently released 'The Atlantic Years: 1984-1991'] box set. It's right there — I mean, wow, five albums, all platinum in a row. We're very fortunate.

"So when I go out there and I'm running into all these RATT fans who are taking me back to the '80s and they're looking like they're from the '80s, it's quite a trip. They're having a good time, and I make sure they have a good time."

Pearcy is currently promoting "The Atlantic Years: 1984-1991", a new limited-edition box set from BMG, in partnership with Rhino Entertainment, celebrating RATT's massively successful period where all five of their studio albums were certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum. Released on June 9, the LP set features all five albums remastered on 180g black vinyl, rare "Nobody Rides For Free" seven-inch single, 12-page replica tour book (featuring rare and never-before-seen photos from RATT's personal archives),11"x17" "Wanted" poster, bumper sticker, replica backstage pass, and guitar pick in a custom lift top box. The CD set features all five of the studio albums in a side loading box.

As the founder, lead singer, and songwriter of RATT, Pearcy led his creation to mega multi-platinum success year after year from 1984 to 1991. RATT climbed up the charts with "Out Of The Cellar", which generated Top 10 singles followed by sold-out tours throughout the world. Throughout RATT's nearly four decades of success with Pearcy at its helm, they released eight albums and played thousands of shows worldwide all the while selling over 20 million records.

Pearcy has released five solo albums so far: "Social Intercourse" (2002),"Fueler" (2004),"Under My Skin" (2008),"Smash" (2017) and "View To A Thrill" (2018).

Pearcy and bassist Juan Croucier are the sole remaining original members in RATT's most recent lineup, which made its live debut in July 2018 in Mulvane, Kansas. Joining them in the band were drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE, RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER) and guitarists Jordan Ziff (RAZER) and Frankie Lindia.

In January 2021, Pearcy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band's classic lineup.

RATT hasn't released any new music since 2010's "Infestation" LP.

During an appearance on the latest episode of Doc Coyle's (GOD FORBID, BAD WOLVES) "The Ex Man" podcast, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows, spoke about the limitations of artificial intelligence as it relates to creating music, pointing out that AI can only base its content on information that already exists. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think when you look back at all the things of the past. If I had to be a 41-year-old singer right now thinking about the things of the past, of music, so many of my favorite artists slapped me in the face and challenged me with records. I had expectations, and then something came out that I was heartbroken; I couldn't believe it. And when I look back, I needed that, and I needed to be taught that. And I have so much respect for these artists that did that to me. There was a lot that gave me the same thing — the names escape me right now — but there was so many things that challenged me that broke my heart at the time. Like going from the first MR. BUNGLE record, and then going to 'Disco Volante', Mike Patton's not even singing; he's murmuring the whole time. And then they do 'California'… I remember Brian [Haner, Jr., a.k.a. AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Synyster Gates] was literally in a depression when that record came out because of how grand that first record was. And then it becomes your favorite thing 'cause you're, like, 'These motherfuckers are crazy. They don't care.'"

The singer, whose real name is Matt Sanders, continued: "But what I think is interesting about AI. 'Cause if you think of what AI is at this point, AI is an accumulation of everything it's known before. So if you were to say, 'Make an AVENGED SEVENFOLD song,' AI doesn't know how to go outside of the box and actually create what [we] would do. But it knows how to take what we've already done and mix and match it in a different way. So what I think is awesome is imagine you're, like, 'This new AVENGED record is trash. I fucking don't get it. I'm so over this crap they're trying to do. Give me a record like…' And then let AI make it. Then there you go — you've got your new AVENGED record. You have a mix and match of everything that we've done, but different choruses, different cool stuff. I think it could be really fucking interesting. And then the real guys like us, we kind of push forward on what we're doing. I think it's a fucking really weird future that we're in for, where people can just be, like, 'Eh, give me more of that.' So, who knows?"

This past April, Universal Music had a song called "Heart On My Sleeve", which used deep-faked vocals from their artists Drake and The Weeknd, removed from the streaming services, claiming in a statement that "the training of generative AI using our artists' music" was "a violation of copyright law".

In a May 2023 discussion on Decrypt's "gm" podcast about the music industry's reaction to a spate of AI songs trained on artists' voices, M. Shadows said that he was enthused about the possibilities, saying that "AI can be incredibly useful" for songwriters.

"If you're looking at purely this data brick of taking information and regurgitating it to us in some way, whether it's through music or art or novels, literature — whatever it is — you're basically taking everything humans have ever done or discovered and you're giving it to this thing that can distribute it to you quicker and in a different way, can mix it up and do it in a different way," he explained.

"I think if you actually look at music, most fans aren't mad that all the drums are already being resampled and replaced," he continued. "Pro Tools already will quantize your albums and make it perfect. You can Auto-Tune your voice to do all these other things. But for some reason, they have a problem… And by the way, if you think about it, how you write music, it's like you're going into your own database of 'I've listened to Bach, I've listened to The Weeknd, I've listened to Kanye, I've listened to all these things, and now I'm gonna regurgitate it in this way and spew out my own version of that.' AI can be incredibly useful if you have AI doing some of that work for you. 'Give me 20 versions of this chord change,' or, 'I wanna hear a different top line there,' and you take a little thing that interests you and you go somewhere with it. So now you're using AI to not only spark ideas but you're using it in a much quicker way to kind of get to some of these cool little nuggets of gold that you kind of are, like, 'Oh, that's cool. Let me see where I can take that.' So that's not really AI writing a song for you; it's kind of giving you this kind of jumping-off point of, 'Now where can I be creative with it?' And I think that will be the next step."

M. Shadows went on to say that AI also opens up the possibility of fans using the work of their favorite acts as a machine learning library to create their own songs.

"What I think is cool is that… Listen, there's a lot of fans that don't wanna hear new AVENGED SEVENFOLD," he said. "We're 40 years old now and we're going places that are much more eccentric than they want — some of 'em. They might want another version of 'Waking The Fallen' or 'City Of Evil', which are our old records. Now, what's wrong with someone throwing in a prompt and saying, 'Listen to these two records and send me a new record with 11 songs.' And if I was to give up my voice and say, 'Take my voice,' and AI create an album that kind of sounds like that. I think that's incredibly cool. I think it would be really cool if people can prompt their own versions of what AVENGED SEVENFOLD sounds like. You get the sounds you want, you get all these things, but now you're getting different versions of albums that you like. So I think there's something really cool there and nothing that crazy or wrong about it. I back it. I think it'd be cool. As a human, I'm gonna be going my own way and making my own stuff that I feel is kind of breaking the mold or pushing things forward. I'm giving the AI more data for the future, wherever I'm gonna take it. But I think it's kind of cool. And I would love to give up my voice to where people can create their own versions of our songs or whatever they feel would be cool."

Pop singer Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, recently said she would "split 50% royalties on any successful AI-generated song that uses my voice". "Same deal as I would with any artist I collab[orate] with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty," she tweeted.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Life Is But A Dream…", was released on June 2 via Warner. The LP reportedly sold 36,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD made its first festival appearance in five years on May 19 at Welcome To Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first concert since June 2018 took place on May 12 at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In April, AVENGED SEVENFOLD announced the second leg of its extensive "Life is But A Dream…" North American tour featuring support from FALLING IN REVERSE. Produced by Live Nation, leg two includes stops in Nashville, Denver, Austin, and more before concluding at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena on October 15.

The first leg with support from ALEXISONFIRE includes thirteen cities across the U.S. and Canada, such as Mansfield, Québec City, Tinley Park, Calgary, and more.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD kicked off its 2023 touring run last month with two unique one-night-only arena shows in New York and Los Angeles.

During a new appearance on "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss offered an update on her recovery from a recent operation for a torn meniscus. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Now we are about five months removed from surgery and I would say I'm about 90 percent. I still can't do sort of any spin-type motion — I can't plant my foot and rotate on that leg — and I can't do any big, big jumps; you know, jumping off of cabs, anything like that. And I still have a bit of trouble going downstairs. I can go upstairs just fine, but going downstairs gives me a bit of trouble. But nothing that's noticeable onstage. There's not been anybody coming to shows, going, 'Wow, she was a lot different before the surgery,' which is really what I was hoping for."

Nita's meniscus surgery was overseen by Dr. Michael Banffy, an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles who is also a team doctor for the Los Angeles Rams. The procedure took place seven months after she first sustained the injury while on the road with Cooper.

Strauss, who has been the in-house guitarist for Los Angeles Rams football games since the team moved to SoFi Stadium in 2020, previously discussed her operation in a social media post in November. At the time she said in a video message: "According to my doctor, eight months of performing on a torn meniscus did not do my any favors. The injury has not improved; unfortunately, it's gotten worse. So surgery has had to be pushed to the end of the year — after Christmas, after the last Rams game — and then it'll be a full month before I can do anything at all again. So no shows, no performing, no nothing. I'm super disappointed at that; I was hoping to already be on the mend by now. But it is what it is."

In an October 2022 interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Nita said that she had "been touring with a torn meniscus since May. So I'm actually not as injury prone as I usually would be, because I'm taking it a little easier," she added. "I have surgery scheduled at the end of this tour, between Rams games and everything else I have going on. So right now I've been playing through the most serious injury I've ever had and really just trying to take care of that, make sure it doesn't get worse before it gets better."

According to the Mayo Clinic, a torn meniscus is one of the most common knee injuries. Any activity that causes you to forcefully twist or rotate your knee, especially when putting your full weight on it, can lead to a torn meniscus.

Nita's "Summer Storm" solo tour will wrap up on July 14 in New Orleans. Support on the trek 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 released 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 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 Prism Supply, SLIPKNOT's Jim Root reflected on how the first time he was invited to join the band, the guitarist said no. He was already in a group, the Des Moines, Iowa metal band DEADFRONT. SLIPKNOT was in California recording its 1999 self-titled debut, and guitarist Josh Brainard had just left the group.

"After Corey [Taylor, SLIPKNOT singer] had joined SLIPKNOT, I was in a band called DEADFRONT, and in Des Moines we had a lot of success," Root recalled. "And I had been called by Clown [SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn Crahan] and Joey [Jordison, then-SLIPKNOT drummer] and [producer] Ross Robinson to join SLIPKNOT. And I told guys in my band that I wouldn't do it, if they ever called me that I would say no. And I think I said that because I didn't think they would ever call me. But I also didn't wanna feel like anything was ever handed to me; I wanted to feel like I did it on my own, that I did the legwork. I was, like, 'Yeah, you know, they called me to ask me to join SLIPKNOT.' My buddy Zack's funny — he was, like, 'What are you, fucking stupid? What'd say 'no' for? Dude, you've been working your ass off since you were 16 playing in bands in clubs and you played with these guys in bands in clubs.' He was, like, 'Very few times in life do you get a chance to take a huge leap forward. That doesn't come sometimes ever to anybody.' So I immediately got up from the table and got on an actual pay phone and called Clown collect. 'Did you guys find a guitar player yet?' He was, like, 'Nope.' And it was a Saturday night. I decided, 'Fuck it,' so I literally quit my job that Monday and then rehearsed with that band Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then Sunday I got in a car with Mick [Thomson, SLIPKNOT guitarist] and we drove to L.A. to work on the rest of the first self-titled release record."

In a 2019 interview with WMMR, Root explained that he was first approached by SLIPKNOT's original singer Anders Colsefni about replacing the band's original guitarist Donnie Steele back in 1996. "I said no at that time because I hadn't been playing guitar and I knew that those guys were players," he told WMMR. "My chops were bad. I [hadn't] even touched a guitar in years, so I was just kind of, like, 'Nah, I'm just going to be a regular dildo, work and do all that.'"

In 1996, Root joined Taylor's STONE SOUR, only for Taylor to replace Colsefni in SLIPKNOT in 1997.

SLIPKNOT has since put out seven albums, including its latest, "The End, So Far". The band has won a Grammy, toured the world and put on its own festival, Knotfest. There have also been a number of low points and several lineup changes, most notably the death of founding member and bassist Paul Gray in 2010 of a drug overdose. Founding drummer Joey Jordison was fired in 2013. Alessandro Venturella and Jay Weinberg have since joined SLIPKNOT on bass and drums, respectively.

SLIPKNOT is continuing to tour in support of "The End, So Far", which was released last September via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2019's "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.

Robert "Videobob" Moseley, who did videography, graphic art and more for the likes of PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN, HELLYEAH and Vinnie Paul Abbott's record label endeavor, Big Vin Records, has shared the never-before-seen HD version of HELLYEAH's "Live From Dallas" concert video which was originally included with the deluxe edition of the band's "Stampede" album in 2010.

Says Moseley: "This is the original HD render of the 'Hellyeah, Live From Dallas 2007' that was shot and edited by me, (Videobob Moseley) on 12/17/2007 at Nokia Theater. I own this original footage and edit, that was loaned to Big Vin Records, used on the DVD release bundled with HELLYEAH CD's.

"'Live From Dallas' was a concert DVD that I produced, shot, edited and was released as a bonus with the deluxe version of 'Hellyeah Stampede', but only on standard definition. I have recently remastered the original video and uploaded it in HD for the first time! This is the first time it has ever been seen in high definition as HD wasn't available to the public at the time."

You can watch the full video on YouTube at this location.

HELLYEAH has been inactive since early 2020 when its U.S. tour was canceled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, singer Chad Gray has reunited with his previous band MUDVAYNE, which played its first two shows in 12 years in 2021, and completed a full tour in 2022.

A few months before the pandemic hit, HELLYEAH had completed a couple of U.S. tours in honor of its drummer, Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away in June 2018 at the age of 54 in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas. The official cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease.

The former PANTERA drummer recorded a total of six albums with HELLYEAH over a decade, including its latest, "Welcome Home", for which he laid down his drum tracks before his passing.

STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga stepped in as Vinnie Paul's replacement for the touring activity in support of "Welcome Home", which came out in September 2019.

Mayorga's addition to HELLYEAH was made official in May 2019. At the time, the band said Roy was the perfect guy to take Vinnie Paul's place. "These men had so much love and mutual respect for each other, this makes our transition so much easier," HELLYEAH said in a statement.

Mayorga previously played with HELLYEAH bassist Kyle Sanders in MEDICATION, the early 2000s outfit which also featured guitarist Logan Mader (MACHINE HEAD) and singer Whitfield Crane (UGLY KID JOE).

In a new interview with MNPRM Magazine, BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd spoke about how the band has managed to keep making high-quality albums and putting on strong performances despite going through a number of lineup changes over the years. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We get rid of bandmembers because it's not working out. It becomes a bad apple. And you have to be very careful 'cause that can poison the whole group. And we've learned over time that when we do make changes, everything gets better; you can feel a shift in the energy in camp. And so now it's just, like, we just don't tolerate it. If you wanna be in a working rock and roll outfit, then this is the gig for you. And if you don't, it's okay. And that's the way we operate.

"We're in such a good place now with all the bandmembers," he explained. "Stevie [Dacanay, guitar] has been in the band since 2004. Kelly [LeMieux, bass] has been in the band over seven years; Francis [Ruiz, drums] over four years now. Billy Rowe [guitar] now is over two years with us. So it's all going good."

Back in 2021, Todd told The Gazette that he has learned to roll with the punches after every BUCKCHERRY lineup change.

"It's certainly not the way I planned it. But it's like the lineup changes were out of our control," he said. "If people don't want to work and they don't wanna be in a band, then that's it. What are you gonna do? You're just gonna go find somebody new and keep carrying on."

BUCKCHERRY's tenth studio album, "Vol. 10", was released on June 2. The 11-song LP features 10 new BUCKCHERRY originals and, as a bonus track, a cover of the Bryan Adams classic "Summer Of 69". The album was produced by Marti Frederiksen and recorded at Sienna Studios in Nashville. The album will be released in North America by Round Hill Records, in Japan by Sony Japan, and by Earache Records for the rest of the world.

Frederiksen previously produced 2021's "Hellbound" as well as BUCKCHERRY's fourth album, "Black Butterfly", and co-wrote "Sorry", among other songs, with the band.

Guesting on Jesse Leach’s Stoke The Fire podcast, the Killswitch Engage frontman spoke to Dani Filth about Cradle Of Filth’s infamous “Jesus Is A Cunt” t-shirt.





Filth spoke about the idea behind the shirt saying: "The thing about that shirt was that it was, actually, an anarchic statement, if anything, when we did it. It was just like, 'who could you poke with a stick more than anybody else, and it have an overarching effect?'"







The COF frontman went on to say, "As nasty as it is, I must admit, I would be uncomfortable wearing it now."


Earlier this year, extreme metal icons Cradle Of Filth and groove metal pioneers DevilDriver embarked on a killer co-headline tour, purveying their musical onslaught to thousands of fans across the country.





This October, the dark duo will return for the tour's second leg, dubbed "Double Trouble Live II". The tour will begin in Los Angeles, CA on October 4, visiting a slew of cities across the US before ending back in Riverside, CA on October 29.


Cradle Of Filth have checked in with the following update:


"Filthlings, we have VIP upgrades available for the second leg of our Double Trouble Live tour with DevilDriver! If you want to meet the band, get your things signed and some new merch, get an upgrade here. Please note that the upgrade does not include a ticket to the concert which must be purchased separately."





Tour support will come from Ill Niño, Black Satellite and Savage Existence.





Tour dates:


October
4 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco
5 - Tucson, AZ - Encore
7 - San Antonio, TX - Boeing Center at Tech Port
8 - Oklahoma City, OK - The Criterion
10 - Fayetteville, AR - JJ's Live
12 - Destin, FL - Club LA
13 - Fort Myers, FL - The Ranch
14 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - The Culture Room
15 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
17 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground - Charlotte
18 - Asheville, NC - Salvage Station
20 - Harrisburg, PA - HMAC
21 - New York, NY - Palladium Times Square
22 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live!
24 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts
25 - Sauget, IL - Pop's
26 - Wichita, KS - TempleLive
27 - Lubbock, TX - The Garden
29 - Riverside, CA - Riverside Municipal Auditorium


(Cradle Of Filth photo - Anthony Ponce; DevilDriver photo - Jeremy Saffer)

Takida, one of Sweden’s most successful current rock bands, have signed a record deal with Napalm Records. The band comments: ”Exciting times are just around the corner and we can’t wait to start working with Napalm Records. Let’s do this.”  


In celebration, they have also released a new standalone single, “The Loneliest Hour”.


Formed in 1999, Takida are at the top of the Swedish rock scene with six platinum singles (one of them 4x platinum), three platinum albums and no less than five #1 albums. Additionally, the band is regularly at the top of the international radio airplay charts - so there is no doubt that “The Loneliest Hour” will be a future radio hit.




The new single “The Loneliest Hour” is Takida’s follow up their 2021 Falling From Fame album. It embodies the distinctive unmistakable Takida sound with infectious huge chorus carried away by one of Robert Pettersson’s strongest vocal performance to date.


Takida are currently on the biggest tour of their career so far, including arena shows in their home country and huge festivals such as Wacken Open Air in Germany. Make sure to catch Takida live at one of their tour dates and stay tuned for more news to come.


Takida on the new single: "'The Loneliest Hour' is about seeking the ultimate thrill, constantly being on the verge of losing one's footing, until eventually being unable to resist the obsessive thoughts. To become too greedy and seek something better, and in the end, one loses everything, over and over again.”





Takida are starting their Swedish summer tour today with a total of nine shows across Sweden. At the same time they are continuing their run of German summer dates throughout the summer with includes a Wacken Open Air date.


Tour dates:


July
13 - Östersund, Sweden - Skidstadion
14 - Dalhalla, Sweden - Rättvik
15 - Vadstena, Sweden - Vadstena Slott
21 - Augsburg, Germany - Sommer am Kiez
22 - Braunschweig, Germany - Westand
28 - Borgholm, Sweden - Slottsruinen
29 - Höga Kusten, Sweden - Naturscen Skuleberget


August
4 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
5 - Dinslaken, Germany - Open Air am Burgtheater
11 - Stockholm, Sweden -  Betongparken
12 - Ystad, Sweden - Öja Krog
17 - Örebro, Sweden - Gustavsvik
18 - Göteborg, Sweden - Trädgårdsföreningen
19 - Johannishus, Sweden - Björketorps Gård
 
Takida are:


Robert Pettersson - Vocals
Tomas Wallin - Choirs, Guitars
Mattias Larsson - Guitars
Chris Rehn - Bass, Keyboards, Guitars, Programming and Arrangements
Kristoffer Söderström - Drums


(Photo - Christoph Voy Rockstock)

Hollywood's Art Of Shock — frontman Art Geezar, lead guitarist Nicholas Ertel, bassist Brice Snyder, and drummer Adrian Geezar — have announced their second album Shine Black Light, out September 8 via Century Media. Preorder here.


New video for “Drag Me To Hell” is streaming below. The clip was lensed by Chilean director Carlos Toro.


"'Drag Me to Hell' is very different from anything we've done in the past both lyrically and sonically," states Art Geezar. "Initially, it was difficult for me to share this song since it reflects my personal journey of survival. It captures a time when I felt powerless and somehow responsible for the violence inflicted upon me. It represents a moment when I couldn't envision a future beyond the endless cycle I was trapped in. However, like many others, I eventually realized that I wasn't alone and discovered the strength within myself to rewrite the ending of my story."




He finishes, "Unfortunately, there are still millions of people trapped in this nightmare. By sharing our journeys and showing solidarity with those who are still suffering, we can inspire them to find their inner strength. We can change the ending of the story. We are survivors."
The album takes a massive step beyond the thrashing intensities already synonymous with the speed-limit-shattering quartet from Dark Angeles. "Shine Black Light is an album that came out of extreme times," says Art. "The lockdown felt like the end of the world for us. Like many other bands at the time, we felt crushed. It was a frustrating time, but we also found some good in it."





Tracklisting:


“2020V”
“Devoid”
“Death Stays Silent”
“Drag Me To Hell”
“Be None The Wiser”
“You Don’t Know Me”
“Shine Black Light”
“The Spark”
“The Defeated”


“Drag Me To Hell” video:





“Death Stays Silent” video:





“2020V” video:

New Jersey's bone-shattering death metal band, Cognitive, have just released a new single today titled “Rot Eternal”.





Here's what the band has to say about the new track: "‘Rot Eternal’ was the second song we had written for our upcoming album, and when we did our pre-production recording we kept coming back to the song and saying 'man this is like, REALLY awesome.' We ended up tossing the idea around of releasing it as a standalone single, and eventually went with it.




“The single felt so cool to us with riffs repeating themselves, a gigantic slam in the middle, and the unexpected outro all felt so natural to us. Tying it all up is artwork by Dahmer Art which captures the song's lyrical theme and everyone's favorite topic…ZOMBIES! We hope you all enjoy this standalone single, and keep an eye out for the new record next year!"





Cognitive is currently on tour with Portugal's Analepsy for a month-long North American tour. The Quiescence Tour kicked off July 7 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and runs through August 5 in Brooklyn, New York. Additional support will be provided by Wormhole and NecroticGoreBeast. The tour follows Cognitive's recent US tour supporting Gorod.

Argentinian hard rock band Soulkick will release their second album Hide The End on August 6.


The lineup consists of Christian Vidal (Therion) in guitar, Charlie Giardina (former Eric Martin’s Band) in bass, Pablo Garrocho (former Eric Martin’s Band) in drums and  Pablo Zuccalá in lead vocals. 


Hide The End, was produced, mixed and mastered by one of Latin America’s top producers, Mario Altamirano (Tarja Turunen, Rata Blanca, ANIMAL).




The video of the first single, “On The Road” is now available.





Tracklisting:


“Sign Of The Times”
“Last Goodbye”
“On The Road”
“The Lighthouse”
“The Rope”
“Perfect Day”
“Reasons”
“Empty Face”
“Voices In The Night”
“Carved In Stone”
“Make Believe”


“On The Road” video:

Full show drum cam footage of Dave Lombardo during Slayer’s show in St. Louis, MO at The Pageant has been uploaded online. The 90 minute show was filmed during the Jagermeister Music Tour which featured the band's iconic 1986 Reign In Blood album performed in its entierty. Video uploader Brad Nolan received permission to film the whole show.


He says in a pinned comment: “Looking back years later at how cool this was to film is an understatement. This was from the 2003 Jagermeister Music Tour, and it was a bit shocking we got permission to film the all-mighty Slayer. This is quite a unique angle too, enjoy!”

The Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London, honoring the late FOO FIGHTERS drummer, has been nominated for an Emmy.

The show, which streamed live on Paramount+, is one of five nominees in the "Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special" category.

Directed by Joel Gallen and produced by Emer Patten for EP-PIC Films & Creative, the concert was captured live September 3, 2022 at Wembley Stadium in London.

CBS Television Network broadcast highlights from the tribute concert on September 3, 2022. MTV also aired the one-hour special across its channels worldwide starting in Latin America on September 3 and other international territories on September 4, followed by an extended two-hour compilation that aired globally in September.

Watched by 90,000 people inside Wembley Stadium and millions of livestream viewers across the globe, the six-hour Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London featured performances from Taylor's bandmates, friends, contemporaries and his then-16-year-old son Shane. Among the guest performers at the event were METALLICA's Lars Ulrich, AC/DC's Brian Johnson, LED ZEPPELIN's John Paul Jones, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Josh Homme, QUEEN's Brian May, BLINK-182's Travis Barker and THE BEATLES legend Paul McCartney.

The Emmy Awards ceremony will air on Fox on Monday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Nashville, TN-based prog rocker, Neal Morse, recently announced the upcoming release of his new rock opera album, entitled The Dreamer - Joseph: Part One, on August 11. It will also be available as a limited edition double-vinyl package on September 15.


The second video from the album, "Heaven In Charge Of Hell", is out today. Watch the clip below, and pre-order/save the new album here.


“I have to say I am extremely pleased with the way this album came out!” explains Neal Morse. “As with many creative endeavours, there are times along the way where you start to wonder where you’re at and if it will come together in the end. I am so happy to report that this one really has come together and exceeded my expectations! The guest vocalists are fantastic and the string arrangements are extraordinary! Jerry Guidroz did an exceptional job on the mix, and I am so excited to share this album with all of you! Now on to part two…”




On the heels of the Jesus Christ The Exorcist rock opera album, Neal Morse has created another prog epic, The Dreamer - Joseph: Part One. It tells the classic story of Joseph (the one with the coat of many colors!) using the medium of progressive rock as only Neal can!


The story unfolds with Morse employing amazing vocalists like Ted Leonard (Spock’s Beard, Pattern Seeking Animals), Matt Smith (Theocracy) and Jake Livgren (Proto-kaw, Kansas) to sing the roles of Joseph’s brothers, as they grow dark with jealousy and throw him in the pit.


As well as casting the characters in the story, Neal also sought out the finest musicians for the musical ”roles.” So you’ll hear the soaring guitar playing of Steve Morse (Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs) and Eric Gillette (Neal Morse Band) among others, as this familiar story comes alive through amazing music that will thrill all fans of progressive rock.


The Dreamer - Joseph: Part One has all the elements you would hope for from a new Neal Morse progressive rock album - from long epics and odd time signatures to very melodic and song-oriented tracks--and more! And this is just Part One, ending with Joseph in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Part Two will follow in 2024.





Tracklisting:


"Overture"
"Prologue/Before The World Was"
"A Million Miles Away"
"Burns Like A Wheel"
"Liar, Liar"
"The Pit"
"Like A Wall"
"Gold Dust City"
"Slave Boy"
"Out Of Sight, Out 0f Mind"
"Wait On You"
"I Will Wait On The Lord"
"Overture Reprise"
"Ultraviolet Dreams"
"Heaven In Charge Of Hell (Eat ‘Em And Smile)"
"Why Have You Forsaken Me?"


"Heaven In Charge Of Hell" video:





"Like A Wall" video:





Lineup:


Eric Gillette
Gabe Klein
Neal Morse
Sam Hunter
Gideon Klein
Steve Morse
Andre Madatian
Mark Leniger
Jim Hoke


Cast:


Joseph - Neal Morse
Judah - Ted Leonard
Reuben - Matt Smith
Potiphar’s Wife - Talon David
Slave Driver - Jake Livgren
Simeon - Wil Morse
Jacob - Mark Pogue
Warden and Prison Guards - Matt Smith, Mark Pogue, Wil Morse, Gabe Klein, Chris Riley

Florida hard rockers, Eve To Adam, have signed with THC: Music and announced the release of a 10 year anniversary reissue of their 2013 Michael “Elvis” Baskette produced and mixed LP, Locked And Loaded, titled Locked And Reloaded. It will be available in stores on CD and also digital on 10/13, with an LP release to follow in early 2024, via THC: MUSIC and Amplified Distribution. Locked And Reloaded will feature brand new artwork, as well as remastered versions of all 11 tracks on the original release of the LP, plus two remastered bonus tracks, “Calling My Name” and “Victory”, which were both B-sides recorded and written in the same period as Locked And Loaded.


Pre-order Locked And Reloaded here.







Originally released in 2013, Locked And Loaded yielded the Top 40 Active Rock hits “Straitjacket Supermodel”, and “Locked And Loaded”, as well as the aptly titled Top 15 single, “Immortal”, which has over 5 million plays on Spotify, with the Locked And Loaded album racking up well over 10 million plays across digital platforms.


“Immortal” was also the official theme song for WWE Backlash in 2014 and was used by the New Jersey Devils during their 2013 Stanley Cup Run, as well as being the official theme song for the 2014 Stanley Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins. The track was also featured in multiple Major League Baseball postseason telecasts, as well as placements in NFL, Nascar, and ESPN broadcasts. It was also featured in the hit video game “Rock Band”.


Formed in Florida in 1997, with Vocalist Taki Sassaris being the one constant, Eve To Adam relocated to New York City, which became the band’s hub for years to come, before returning to Florida. ETA has long been regarded as one of the hardest working independent Rock bands in the US, releasing 6 full length albums, 1 EP, and multiple singles through a storied 25 year + career. From their debut, 2001’s Auburn Slip, through a barrage of fan favorite follow-ups including Queens to Eden, Banquet For A Starving Dog, and their most recent LP, 2019’s Ithaca (which saw the band once again team up with Michael “Elvis” Baskette), spawning multiple Top 40 and Top 15 Active Rock songs, as well as 3 different singles that reached the Top 40 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts.


In addition to decades of hit rock singles, since their formation, Eve To Adam has built a reputation as a formidable touring act, in addition to hundreds upon hundreds of headlining shows and festivals and across the US, including appearances at Rock Fest, WJRR Earthday Birthday, Taste of Madison, Rock on The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Rocklahoma, and more. They have also played full national support tours with a long list including Daughtry, Creed, Motley Crue, Scorpions, Halestorm, In This Moment, Queensryche, Escape The Fate, as well as one-off shows and festivals with Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Tesla, and many more.


In 2019 after a US tour with Queensryche, (like most of us) the band’s momentum was completely devastated by the Covid pandemic, and they spent the last 4 years regrouping, writing and recording material for their upcoming studio album, the long-awaited follow-up to 2019’s Ithaca, with plans to hit the road again in 2024.

Spades GT, the crossover punk/thrash band based out of Barrie, Ontario (Canada) featuring J.D. Pearce, Dan Horton, James Roy Daley, Jay Sarrazin, and Tyler Reiner (son of Anvil's Robb Reiner), have released a video for "Final Girl".


The video was filmed in Thornton, Ontario, and was produced by Josh Penno of Spacebag Productions. This mini-horror flick stars Jessica Latour and Spades Gt. Check out the video below.


You can listen to "Final Girl" and the rest of the newly released Sewer City Radio album on Spotify and Apple Music.







Tracklisting:


“Hands”
“Cenobites”
“Final Girl”
“Red”
“Sewer City Radio”
“Succubus”
“XS”
“Black On Black”


"Final Girl" video:





“Hands”:





“Red”:





“Cenobites”:





Find out more and follow Spades GT on Facebook.

Today, Svalbard announce their new studio album, The Weight Of The Mask, due out on October 6 via Nuclear Blast Records. New single, "Faking It", has also been revealed, accompanied by a video (see below). The track lays bare a poignant, candid account of dealing with depression and coming to the realization that you are "faking it" to just get by.


Svalbard's intention with their music is to make people feel less alone, and to be there for people in their darkest times. The Weight Of The Mask bravely lays out experiences of mental illness and depression, hoping to help destigmatize these topics.


Svalbard's Serena Cherry stated, "If the previous record was about facing your demons, then The Weight Of The Mask is about fighting them with everything you've got. You can literally hear the depression transform into aggression in these songs. The Weight Of The Mask was admittedly a challenging album to make because we cut so deep this time around, it was a painful but ultimately cathartic process. This album is the sound of two years worth of internal darkness boiling away inside and then finally being unleashed.




"'Faking It' is a song about feeling deprived of meaningful human connection due to depression acting like a wall that shuts you off from others. It addresses the ways in which those who suffer with depression can feel guilted into putting on a happy mask. The lyrics are a reflection on happiness as a social obligation and how scarily good you can become at deceiving everyone around you into thinking that you're fine when you're not. With 'Faking It', we are both acknowledging the pressure for forced positivity, the fear that people won't like you if you're sad, and also questioning where the root of this intolerance towards depression lies."


Serena added about the "Faking It" video, "This video leans on deliberately obvious binary oppositions to hammer home the message of the song. We have the glossy smiling shots, filmed in the fakest place we could find: The Selfie Factory; mixed with dark, expressive performance footage that represents the internal struggle within."


The Weight Of The Mask was recorded at The Ranch Production House, UK. The record was produced and mixed by Lewis Johns, with mastering by Grant Berry. Engineering was handled by Lewis Johns, assisted by Matt Janke, with additional editing by Kel Pinchin and Sebastien Sendon.


The beautiful album artwork was created by artist and illustrator Hestor Aspland, with layout by Lee O'Connor.


Serena Cherry stated about the album artwork, "We have been huge fans of Hester Aspland's Illustration since we saw her stunning artwork carved into a wooden table at our favorite metal bar, The Gryphon. The intricate, floral aspect of her artwork for The Weight of The Mask reflects the sonic beauty within our melodies. Then the bleaker animal skull mask symbolizes the lyrical content. Working with Hester was an absolute dream and we love the art she has created for us."





The Weight Of The Mask will be available in the following formats


- CD Jewel Case
- LP
* 1LP Crystal Clear w/Black Marble
* 1LP Purple w/Black Splatter (band exclusive)
- Digital Album


Pre-order the album here.





The Weight Of The Mask tracklisting:


"Faking It"
"Eternal Spirits"
"Defiance"
"November"
"Lights Out"
"How To Swim Down"
"Be My Tomb"
"Pillar In The Sand"
"To Wilt Beneath The Weight"


"Faking It" video:





"Eternal Spirits" video:





Svalbard finished an extensive tour across the continent supporting post-metal monoliths Cult Of Luna and Russian Circles earlier this year, and the band are now halfway through a string of European summer festival performances. They've recently played the likes of Inferno (Norway), Hellfest (France) and With Full Force (Germany), plus 2000Trees and Portals in the UK.


Svalbard will be returning to the EU mainland for six headline show dates in October, which will be concluded by a headline date at The Key Club in Leeds, UK.


Svalbard are:


Vocals/Guitar - Serena Cherry
Vocals/Guitar - Liam Phelan
Drums - Mark Lilley
Bass - Matt Francis

Crobot and Mascot Records / Mascot Label Group have released a recording of Janet Jackson’s “Black Cat”. Listen to the cover here, and below.





Crobot’s Brandon Yeagley shares, “Every time we talked about covering a song, ‘Black Cat’ would come up as one we wished we had written. So, here’s our chance to pay homage to the great Janet Jackson. It’s got all the things that go into the Crobot sound - bad ass riffs, a funky groove for days, and soaring high vocals. What’s not to like about this tune? It’s even got cow bell!”







Feel This was released on June 3. With tens of millions of streams, countless shows, and global acclaim, Brandon Yeagley [vocals], Chris Bishop [guitar], Tim Peugh [bass], and Dan Ryan [drums] realize their vision like never before on their fifth full-length studio album. The release follows 2019s Top 10 Heatseekers album Motherbrain, whose cumulative streams have surpassed 30 million. Twenty-one million of which were for the goliath single "Low Life," a Top 10 single at Active Rock radio, with a 29-week run on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.


They made waves with Legend of the Spaceborne Killer [2012], Something Supernatural [2014], and Welcome To Fat City [2016]. However, Motherbrain [2019] represented a high watermark. They've crisscrossed the US, and The World, in road-warrior style, playing with the likes of Anthrax, Black Label Society, Chevelle, Clutch, Volbeat, Halestorm and more. They've lit up festival bills and the annual Shiprocked! Cruise, Rocklahoma, Aftershock, and the Jericho Cruise alongside others. "We tour the pockets off of our pants and sleep in our van for half of the year. To some, that may seem like misery, but to us - it's Heaven baby!" the frontman says.





Tracklisting:


"Electrified"
"Dizzy"
"Set You Free"
"Better Times"
"Golden"
"Without Wings"
"Livin' On The Streets"
"Into The Fire"
"Dance With The Dead"
"Holy Ghost"
"Never Break Me"
"Staring Straight Into The Sun"


"Golden" video:





"Better Times" video:





Crobot begin an extensive tour of the US today, July 12, in Lawrence, KS. Dates below:


July
12 - Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS
14 - Rock Fest - Cadott, WI
15 - Upheaval Festival - Grand Rapids, MI
17 - Crafthouse Stage & Grill - Pittsburgh, PA
18 - Velvet Underground - Toronto, ON
20 - Piranha Bar - Montreal, QC
21 - Chance Theater - Poughkeepsie, NY
22 - Mickey's Black Box - Lititz, PA
25 - Hangar 1819 - Greensboro, NC
26 - Radio Room - Greenville, SC
27 - Trolley Pub - Summerville, SC
28 - Buddha Live - Fort Myers, FL
29 - Credo Conduit - Orlando, FL
30 - The Orpheum - Tampa, FL


August
1 - Masquerade, Atlanta GA
3 - Mesquite Street Pizza, Corpus Christi TX
4 - Scout Bar, Houston TX


Crobot will be getting on the party bus with Airbourne and Blues Pills calling through France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands and finishing in the UK three days before Christmas, with a headline stop off in the Czech Republic along the way.
 
Talking about the tour Brandon Yeagley says: "It’s been a long time coming, but we’re so excited to set fire to foreign stages with the power of the riff. Our pals in Airbourne have put together one ace line-up alongside Blues Pills to ensure we can turn off all of our cares and riff until the sun comes up! Well, at least until the venues kick us out!"
 
Tour Dates :


November
28 - Zenith - Paris, France


December
1 - Vistalegre Arean - Madrid, Spain
2 - Sant Jordi - Barcelona, Spain
3 - Cubec - Bilbao, Spain
5 - Alcatrazz - Milan, Italy
6 - Halle 622 - Zurich, Switzerland
7 - Zenith - Munich, Germany
9 - Gasometer - Berlin, Germany
10 - Columbiahalle - Berlin, Germany
11 - Strahov 007 - Prague, Czech Republic (headline show)
12 - Porche Arena - Stuggart, Germany
14 - Palladium - Cologne, Germany
15 - Stadthalle - Hamburg, Germany
16 - Cirque Royal - Brussels, Belgium
19 - 013 - Tilburg, Netherlands
21 - Victoria Warehouse - Manchester, UK
22 - Brixton Academy - London, UK


(Photo - Wombat Fire)

Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend has issued "Forgive Me" from the upcoming third release in his "Devolution" series. "Empath Live In America" will be be made available on August 4. The "Devolution" series so far has comprised unique live performances, and this one is no different. "Empath Live In America" is a document of the tour that was cut short in early 2020 due to the onset of the pandemic.

Devin explains: "Continuing in the 'Devolution' series of albums (which has been an avenue for us to release cool little curiosities on the side of regular releases),we bring you 'Devolution #3 - Empath Live In America'.

"This was a very unique tour for me, and one that was regrettably cut short by the pandemic. It was a stripped back version of the 'Order Of Magnitude' band (without choir and a few other members…),but as I try to do with each tour, the goal was to make this a unique and special night. Therefore, this tour marked a 'free form' version of the material. There were no backing tracks, click tracks, or even a setlist, so every night was unique and different. The audience yelled out requests and we just rolled with it. The material was therefore interpreted in unique ways and the experience was a very special 'fly by the seat of our pants' musical night. It's a raw and off kilter performance and I'm thrilled to have documented it. Until the next 'real' release, I hope you enjoy this rarity from a special, albeit ill-fated tour."

The lineup for this album saw Devin joined by Mike Keneally, Nathan Navarro, Diego Tejeida, Morgan Ågren and Ché Aimee Dorval.

"Devolution #3 – Empath Live In America" will be available as a limited CD digipak, gatefold 180g 2LP and as digital album.

Devin has joined this summer's hottest progressive metal ticket in North America, as part of the "DreamSonic" tour headlined by DREAM THEATER and also including ANIMALS AS LEADERS. The trek kicked off on June 16 and will take them all the way through to the end of July.

Townsend released his most recent studio album, "Lightwork", in late 2022, with Metal Injection calling it a "superb addition to his one-of-a-kind catalogue." For "Lightwork", Devin decided to see what would happen if he included a producer (an experiment he has been excited to attempt for some time) to help guide this selection of material. He chose longtime friend GGGarth (Richardson) to help bring this idea to fruition, and through a difficult (but wonderful) process, the next Devin album was delivered. The name "Lightwork" represents the music, as well as the act of creating music, as a kind of "light in the dark" while trying to navigate the seemingly endless challenges that life can often present. When things seem like there's no way out or that a situation becomes seemingly insurmountable, the connection to music, family, and creativity became a light in the dark that ended up in this wonderful album.

Devin began his professional career straight out of high school when he was discovered by a record label and asked to provide lead vocals on Steve Vai's album "Sex & Religion". After touring and recording with Vai, Townsend became discouraged by what he found in the music industry and went on to produce several solo albums under the pseudonym STRAPPING YOUNG LAD. Since then, Devin has recorded many more successful albums, all containing his versatile vocal delivery that ranges from screaming to an opera-esque singing. The same diversity appears in his writing. Townsend's musical style has roots in metal but draws elements from other genres into the material. Each album is written to express different aspects of his personality.

Besides being a musician, Townsend started HevyDevy Records with his wife Tracy more than 20 years ago. Originally the company was founded to distribute his album "Ocean Machine" but it has grown to be so much more.

On a recent episode of the "Talk Louder" podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist "Metal Dave" Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS),ACCEPT's Mark Tornillo reflected on the experience of fronting IRON MAIDEN at an impromptu performance at a New York club four decades ago. Regarding how the unexpected collaboration came about, Mark said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[My pre-ACCEPT band] T.T. QUICK, we had a steady Thursday night at L'Amour [legendary club in Brooklyn]. We played every Thursday night. We were the headliner — doing six, seven hundred people on a Thursday night. Not too shabby; it was respectable. [Drummer] Glenn Evans was in the band at that point. The EP hadn't come out yet. It had to be '83, I'm gonna say. And one of the [L'Amour] owners, Mike, comes into the back, into the dressing room, and he goes, 'Hey, the guys from IRON MAIDEN are here. They wanna know if it's okay if they hang out in the dressing room.' And we were, like, 'What?' Like we were gonna say 'no.' I was, like, 'Yeah, of course. Tell 'em to come on back.' And, of course, we had a party going on back there. It was 1983. What do you expect? So they all come back, hung out. And we asked them, 'Do you guys wanna play?' [And they said], 'Nah, we don't wanna play.' The opening act was on; I don't remember who it was. So, changeover, they're still hanging in the dressing room. We're getting ready to go. And we go on. And we must have played about five or six songs, and my guitar tech goes, 'Hey, come here. Come here.' I'm, like, 'What?' 'They wanna come up and play.' 'Tell 'em to come on and have a play. I'm fine with that. Great. Tell 'em after the next song.' 'Okay.' We did the next song. And they're starting to walk up. We're starting to walk off. I'm gonna introduce the band. And the crowd knew they were there. And the swell in the crowd just went from 'Aaahhh' to 'Ooooaaahhh.' You couldn't miss [MAIDEN guitarist] Dave Murray walking out on stage, and [MAIDEN bassist] Steve Harris. So I'm getting ready to introduce the band… Actually, I'm trying to remember how it went. And I have a cassette recording of this; my soundman, brilliant that he was, had the foresight to push the 'record' button on a cassette. I think I walked off before I introduced them 'cause I figured they didn't need any introduction. And as I'm walking off, Steve Harris just grabbed me by the shoulder, and he goes, 'Where are you going?' I said, 'I'm gonna [get off and watch you play].' And he goes, 'Bruce [Dickinson, MAIDEN singer] isn't here, mate. You're singing.' I'm, like, 'Okay.' He goes, 'What are we doing?' I go, 'How about 'Wrathchild'?'"

Tornillo went on to say that he was freaking out over the fact that he was performing with MAIDEN. "I lost my shit, man," he said. "I didn't sleep for three days. The adrenaline flow was just [off the chart]. The crowd just lost their frickin' minds. And then we [T.T. QUICK] had to finish the show. It was, like, 'Oh my God. How do we top that now?'"

This past February, Tornillo joined the all-female IRON MAIDEN tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS on stage at the final concert of ACCEPT and THE IRON MAIDENS' joint European tour in Saarbrücken, Germany to perform the MAIDEN classic "Wrathchild". Video of his appearance can be seen below.

Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last five studio albums: "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017) and "Too Mean To Die" (2021).

In a 2018 interview with Metal Shock Finland, Tornillo stated about what it was like to first join ACCEPT: "It was frightening. When we first announced what was going to happen, there was really not many people on board with it. Online, there was a lot of naysayers, a lot of badmouthing. It was very disheartening. We all sat down and said, 'Look, we have to make an amazing record, or else we're gonna die here. This is going to be a swansong. We have to make an amazing record.' And that's what we did. We spent a lot of time writing 'Blood Of The Nations' and a lot of time recording it, and I think in retrospect, it paid off. If that album wasn't what it was, we wouldn't be here."

Asked about fans who have yet to "accept" him, Mark said: "Everybody is entitled to their opinion. I'm a purist too with certain things. I get it. But I think we've moved on. We're almost a different band at this point. We really are a different band at this point. We still pay tribute to the old ACCEPT by playing the old songs — I mean, we have the two people that wrote most of the songs, [so] we have to. That's always going to be part of ACCEPT's history. You can't change it. All we can change is the future. But everyone's entitled to their opinion, and I get it. I wish them all well, and I wish Udo well, and his band, you know. No hard feelings on my part, that's for sure."




Mark Tornillo steps in to sing The WrathChild for the last Iron Maidens show with Accept!

The Iron Maidens have been the opening act for Accept’s Too Mean to Die European Tour and to commemorate their last date with Accept, Mark jumped on stage as their guest..

Check it out!

Posted by ACCEPT on Wednesday, February 22, 2023

During a recent appearance on "The Rockman Power Hour", SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor was asked about a recent quote from Duff McKagan in which the GUNS N' ROSES bassist described watching a solo Taylor performance thusly: "I saw Corey command an audience like a young Bruce Springsteen, acoustic guitar around his neck and truth-telling through songs as his means of communication. It was truly inspiring." Asked how he felt when he first read that statement from McKagan, Corey said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Are you kidding me? I mean, there are not a lot of people in this business that I have more respect for than Duff McKagan. Not only is he one of my good friends, but he's… I mean, in terms of just people who have not only seen it all but they've been through hell and come back to live to tell about it, man.

"When you grow up watching somebody going, 'Fuck, he's one of the coolest dudes in the world, and then all of a sudden his number is in your phone, it does things to your brain," Taylor continued. "So, when [Duff] said that [about me], when he wrote it, man, that meant so much to me 'cause I have not always been the easiest person to like in this business, let's put it that way. 'Cause I'm very free with my opinion — that's putting it nicely. I tend not to hold back. I'm not a dick, but I'm not kissing anybody's ass, man; I don't have to.

"At this point, when it comes to music, I take this very seriously, and if something feels half-assed or below average, I'm gonna fucking say something. So when I have somebody like that saying what he does… I try not to let the ego balloon get a little too big, I try to pop it with as many needles as I can, but at the same time, that's a huge thing to live up to.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say that that's kind of where my vision lies with what I wanna do as a solo artist — hints of Springsteen, hints of Ozzy [Osbourne], a lot of ALICE IN CHAINS and vibes like that," Corey added. "I'm basically just trying to put my spin on everything that I've ever loved and doing it for an audience. So it's rad not only to feel the appreciation but to feel it from somebody like him who, he's been all over the world, he's in one of the biggest bands of all time, and he's just one of the best in the business. Yeah, it's a mindfuck. [Laughs]"

Corey will release his second solo album, "CMF2", on September 15. "CMF2" is Taylor's first album for BMG and the first on his own label imprint, Decibel Cooper Recordings.

Released in May, the first single from "CMF2", "Beyond", 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.

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 the first two singles, "Beyond" and "Post Traumatic Blues".

"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.

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.

Corey Taylor photo credit: Marina Hunter

In a new interview with the Hal Sparks radio program, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider explained why he calls himself neither liberal or conservative but moderate. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "People ask me, 'In 2023, what is a moderate?' They know what a moderate used to be. But what a moderate is — if you believe that there's room for conversation, negotiation and compromise, you're a moderate. If you're all the way over on the right but you're willing to talk and consider a compromise, you're a moderate. And if you're all the way over on the left, they're the same. Beyond those lines — and that's a wide swath — I am in there. And that's a wide swath. And the bullying minorities on the extremes on either side, they're very loud, they're very vocal, they're very in your face, but they're not [part of the majority]. And people get very confused with me, because one minute I'm being lauded and applauded by the left and reviled by the right, and the next minute I'm being cheered by the right and hated on by the left.

"I'm a moderate," Dee continued. "Best example of that — I have a Tesla and a Hummer H2. That's a moderate. I've got in that closet behind me — my wife says, 'You have too many guns.' But there are no AR-15s and I believe in intelligent gun control. So that's a moderate.

"People [look at and say], 'What is your deal, man?' You're hating on me because I kind of leaned right in the recent press that I've gotten. At other times you're hatin' on me because I'm a leftie and I was the guy who fought censorship and, 'How could you wanna wear a mask?' I'm a moderate. So to try to figure it out — you can't. Unless you too are a moderate; then you only get what I'm saying. And remember — we are the majority. We are the majority. We decide, not the crazies on the extremes. They don't decide."

More than two months ago, Snider sparked backlash when he replied to Paul Stanley's April 30 tweet, which many have deemed transphobic. A day later, the San Francisco Pride Parade announced that Snider, who had previously been asked to serve as the Grand Marshal at the event, had "mutually agreed to part ways," adding that its members appreciated "Dee seeing this as a teachable moment and a reminder that even allies need to be educated to ensure that they are not casually promoting transphobia."

A few days later, Snider posted a statement on social media in which he described himself as a "proud moderate" and argued that "the transgender community needs moderates who support their choices, even if we don't agree with every one of their edicts."

In a new interview with Metal Remains, OVERKILL frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth was asked when he thinks it's the right time for musicians to call it quits with dignity. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "My meter is to be able to present myself at a high level. If I can't do that, I won't do that. But that's pride too. But I think pride is necessary in this.

"I'm not a firm believer in the fact that I'm driven by ego, but you have to have a certain amount of ego in the makeup to be able to do this and to be able to wanna succeed at it," he continued. "So I think somewhere between pride and ego is retirement for me, when they both wane or they both become less. I think I have both in balance in my life that I only use them when I'm standing on that stage."

Blitz went on to say that he will "know" when it's time to retire. "So it's not a disappointing kind of a thought to me," he said. "It's just the next phase — it's just whatever the next phase is."

When one of the interviewers pointed out to Ellsworth that musicians sometimes have the desire to carry on even when their bodies no longer respond the way they used to decades earlier, Blitz said: "I tend to agree with you. But there's adaptability along the way too. The Bobby Blitz, D.D. Verni of the OVERKILL of 1990 for sure is much different than the OVERKILL in 2023. We still have the same principles but we have adapted to that change of approximately 33 years. I can't walk on those monitors like I did and tiptoe on them and jump into the audience upside down like I used to without expecting to break my back. [Laughs] But, that being said, I still can release records with Dave Linsk, Derek Tailer, Jason Bittner and D.D. Verni that have the power of [OVERKILL's latest album] 'Scorched'. So if that's the adaptability to what the current day is, it's still about what we are, not what we were. So I think that gives retirement a little pushback away from the present-day conversation."

As previously reported, OVERKILL will embark on the "Scorching The Earth" U.S. tour with EXHORDER and HEATHEN this summer. The 16-date trek will kick off on July 13 in San Francisco and make stops in Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale and Silver Springs, among other cities, before ending in Huntington, New York on July 30.

OVERKILL's twentieth studio album, "Scorched", was released on April 14 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP offered a new recording environment for OVERKILL as all members were able to record on their own. The mixing of the record was handled by Colin Richardson and his assistant engineer Chris Clancy. Johnny Rodd helped with producing vocals, and finally, Maor Appelbaum took over mastering and adding finishing touches. The band returned to artist Travis Smith to create the album cover art.

KISS legend Gene Simmons and his wife Shannon Tweed recently sat down with Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan to discuss their marriage, children and more. Asked what "true love" means to him, Gene replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Shamefully, I never confronted myself about that and barely said 'I love you' to my mother. Shocking and shamefully… I was afraid of being weak and not… I never opened myself to that. You know, the 'knight in shining armor' thing — at least you have protection around you. And I never wanted to be hurt ever again… What can I say? There's no school for life and there's no school that says, 'Okay, this is what marriage is. This is what a relationship is.'"

Simmons's father left him and his Holocaust-survivor mother when he was a child. Speaking later, he commented on his refusal to contact his dad while his dad was alive: "I wanted to prove to myself and to everybody else and to my father that I didn't need him, so once I proved it and became successful, I wanted to stand stubbornly on my pride and not move."

Gene married Shannon in 2011 after 28 years of dating. The wedding at The Beverly Hills Hotel was attended by 400 guests, including their two children, Nick, born in 1989, and Sophie, born in 1992. At the reception, Simmons and his KISS bandmates performed.

The now-73-year-old musician proposed to his longtime girlfriend in Belize, saying, "I come with so much baggage, but you're the only friend I've got, you're the only one I've ever loved."

A short time before his proposal, Gene and Shannon got into a nasty tiff on "The Joy Behar Show" when he joined in a joke about his past philandering ways, ticking Tweed off. She stormed off the set.

Tweed, who was named Playmate Of The Month by Playboy magazine in November 1981 and later, Playmate Of The Year in 1982, first met Simmons at the Playboy Mansion through Hugh Hefner, whom she briefly dated.

Gene and his family were the stars of the reality television series "Gene Simmons Family Jewels", which premiered on A&E in August 2006. The show ran for seven seasons.

Five years since the arrival of "Sonder", TESSERACT will release a new album, "War Of Being", on September 15 via Kscope. The LP opens with the reverie shattering "Natural Disaster", followed by the pendulum swing of "Legion". That slingshots us into the herculean title track — the album's 11-minute centerpiece that undulates with precision and power. When coupled with the beguiling melodies of "The Grey" or the unshielded honesty of "Burden", the band delivers its most impassioned release to date — an album to excite and inspire. Acle Kahney, Daniel Tompkins, Amos Williams, Jay Postones and James Monteith truly have crafted a phenomenal set of immersive, absorbing sounds.

TESSERACT bassist Amos Williams states: "'War Of Being' has been all-encompassing for us since late 2019. After I returned home from filming 'Portals', I found myself in such a deeply introspective headspace. The scale of work and reward from that project kind of set this up to be inevitable. We simply had to try and see how far we could take a concept album with TESSERACT. Within these songs the band has given life to the themes and ideas that are personified within the characters of 'The Strangeland' story. It's certainly been a catharsis and a way for me to explore the internal dissonance."

"War Of Being", the first single to be released from the album of the same name, is an eleven-minute visual extravaganza and provides the perfect prologue for the album's aurally and visually immersive story. Written and directed by Found Format with second unit director Richard Oakes/Dark Fable Media (SLEEP TOKEN),the feature-length video proves that TESSERACT remain not only pioneers but innovators in a movement of their own making. Be sure to wait until the very end of the clip for the next piece of the puzzle to be revealed…

Regarding the track, Daniel Tompkins says: "'War Of Being' is a fight for acceptance, a battle of existence and a resistance against ego. It's a struggle for control as we cut through the white noise of reality. It's the need to know and identify with oneself, to accept and understand what we stand for and who we are. There is an urgent need to 'Tear the mask away,' and reveal your true self."

"War Of Being" was recorded at Middle Farm Studios in the United Kingdom, with Peter Miles (ARCHITECTS, SYLOSIS, DODIE) co-producing with the band alongside Katherine Marsh of Choir Noir (BRING ME THE HORIZON, ARCHITECTS, MARILLION). Assisting with additional programming and production, the band was joined by Randy Slaugh (PERIPHERY, ARCHITECTS, DEVIN TOWNSEND),with additional engineering by Forrester Savell (KARNIVOOL). The artwork, which features characters "ex" and "el", was created in collaboration between AI and human as a means to extend the concept into its presentation.

"War Of Being" track listing:

01. Natural Disaster
02. Echoes
03. The Grey
04. Legion
05. Tender
06. War Of Being
07. Sirens
08. Burden
09. Sacrifice

Alongside the brand new album, TESSERACT will embark on a worldwide tour that will begin in 2023 running through to 2024 performing shows in throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia, with support from INTERVALS, UNPROCESSED, ALLUVIAL and THE CALLOUS DAOBOYS.

Former NIGHTWISH vocalist/bassist Marko "Marco" Hietala joined DELAIN on stage during an open-air concert this past Saturday (July 8) at Z7 Summer Nights in Pratteln, Switzerland to perform the latter band's song "Your Body Is A Battleground". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Back in October 2017, DELAIN and Hietala joined forces for the "Danse Macabre" tour. The trek saw DELAIN share the stage with their longtime friend and collaborator who contributed to most of DELAIN's records with guest appearances.

In a recent interview with FaceCulture, DELAIN founder, songwriter and keyboardist Martijn Westerholt spoke about the differences in the singing approach of the band's new frontwoman Diana Leah and that of her predecessor, Charlotte Wessels. He said: "Well, first of all, [Diana's] voice. I like her character. [She has] so much control, so much control… It's also a very friendly voice. And [when I first heard her singing], I could imagine that on DELAIN music. And then I got back the material later, and I was actually astonished and surprised how much it fitted. [Someone said] she has a very similar voice to Charlotte, and partially I totally agree with that; there are some characteristics that are similar. But I also think that people didn't… We have released three singles [with Diana so far], and [people] have not heard her complete capacity in singing. She's very good with soft versus power, [the] contrast [between the two]."

Elaborating on what sets the two vocalists apart, Martijn said: "Charlotte is more rough, which gives Charlotte a lot of character. It's a more rough voice, and that's not a negative thing; no, on the contrary, that gives it a certain quality and character. Diana is more refined. And that makes it different. So I'm totally not saying that, 'Oh, this one is better' or 'That one is better' — no — but it is different. And, of course, indeed, there are also similarities."

DELAIN's first album with Leah, "Dark Waters", arrived on February 10 via Napalm Records.

In addition to Westerholt and Leah, the band's current lineup includes original guitarist Ronald Landa and drummer Sander Zoer, along with bassist Ludovico Cioffi.

The new DELAIN lineup made its official live debut last August at the Riverside festival in Aarburg, Switzerland.

Regarding how she joined the long-running Dutch metal act, Leah previously said: "It's really simple, actually. I knew they were looking for a singer so I just left a comment on their Instagram page. So a couple of days later I received an e-mail from Martijn, and we talked a bit about how I could audition and he sent me some material that I could sing on. And the rest is history."

Asked how she decided to sing in a metal band, the 32-year-old Diana said: "Well, I've always wanted to sing in a metal band. It was really my desire to do it. In fact, I did sing in a couple of rock bands, but it wasn't really heavy music, which I loved at the time. It was really hard to find the right people to form a band with and also to get along together and all that. But I've always wanted to be in a metal band. Always."

Leah also talked a bit about her background, saying: "I was born in Romania, in a city called Alba Iulia. It's in the middle of Transylvania. And then I moved to Italy when I was 15, and I lived in Italy for, I think, 10 years or something. And then I moved to Canada, in Ottawa, and I lived there for five years. And then I came back to Italy. And now I currently live in Italy, near Torino, so up north."

Join us this Saturday, July 8 at the Z7 Summer Nights festival with Tarja Turunen, Delain and ILLUMISHADE in...

Posted by Marko Hietala on Wednesday, July 5, 2023