Coheed And Cambria have launched their music video for the song “Ladders Of Supremacy". The song is a progressive powerhouse and fan favourite from the band’s most recent album, Vaxis - Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind.





The video is directed by Darin Vartanian, AKA Pixelface, who explains that “the animation seeks to interpret chapter 8 of Vaxis 2 in a collage of high-fidelity 3D scenes, employing the subjective perspectives of each character's mind's eye. In this frozen moment in time, the characters bear witness to a comprehensive array of past and future events, intricately woven into the very fabric of their most crucial decisions.”




The band are fresh off their rammed tent performance at Download and their sold out shows in London and Glasgow performing “Neverender: NWFTWM", which sees the band performing their entire 4th album, No World For Tomorrow, and several selections from Vaxis including “Ladders Of Supremacy.”





The band picks up the “Neverender: No World For A Waking Mind” tour again in September in the USA.


September
6 - The Fillmore Charlotte - Charlotte, NC
9 - Avondale Brewing Company - Birmingham, AL
10 - The Fillmore New Orleans - New Orleans, LA
11 - The Aztec Theatre - San Antonio, TX
13 - The Admiral - Omaha, NE
15 - Palace Theatre - Saint Paul, MN
16 - The Sylvee - Madison, WI
18 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI
19 - Riviera Theater - Chicago, IL
23 - The Mission Ballroom - Denver, CO
24 - The Union Event Center - Salt Lake City, UT
26 - Knitting Factory Boise - Boise, ID
27 - The Wilma - Missoula, MT
29 - Knitting Factory Spokane - Spokane, WA
30 - The Palace Theatre - Calgary, AB


October
2 - Vogue Theatre - Vancouver, BC
3 - Showbox SoDo - Seattle, WA
4 - Roseland Theater - Portland, OR
7 - Hollywood Palladium - Los Angeles, CA
23-27 - S.S. Neverender - Miami, FL*


* Festival Date
^ with Incubus


For tickets and more information on Coheed And Cambria’s upcoming live dates, visit coheedandcambria.com/tour.


(Photo - Alexandra Gavillet)

Guitarist/artist Steve Purcell’s newest single "Outlaw" is a cover of Riot’s Fire Down Under classic.  


The song features special guests and rock legends – powerhouse vocalist Ron Keel (Steeler, Keel) and powerhouse Riot bassist Donnie Van Stavern.


Steve says, “We wanted to recreate that same throttle with some modern horsepower. We wanted to capture the original flavor bring it up to date and put a little more stink on it. And with the production touch of Brandon Ahlheit (who also played drums) and Lynn Cooper we are certain we've hit the target and put it over the top bringing this high energy retro style music to a modern audience."




“Outlaw” is available now on all download and streaming platforms.

After reigning in the metal scene for almost 15 years, Viking metal giants Skálmöld will unveil their sixth studio album, Ýdalir, on August 18, 2023 via Napalm Records. First single “Ratatoskur” is out now, together with an accompanying lyric video (watch below).


With their first record in five years, the Icelandic six-piece are bound to exceed all expectations – inspired by several Icelandic sagas and Norse mythology, such as the poem Grímnismál.


Carried by a breathtaking guitar solo, strident growls alternate with clean vocals, delivering the message of “Ratatoskur”. The Icelanders celebrated their 10-year anniversary in 2020 with an explosive live album, recorded during three sold-out nights at the Gamla Bíó in Reykjavík, and fans can’t wait for the band’s brand new material and energetic live shows at festival stages this summer - including their return to huge European metal festivals like Wacken and Summer Breeze.




Björgvin on “Ratatoskur”: “We proudly present to you all our sixth studio album, Ýdalir. It has been 5 years since we released our latest album and it is about time we give our fans some new music. By the end of 2019 we had already decided to give the band a little break, give ourselves time to reflect and recharge the batteries after busy and eventful first ten years of Skálmöld. And then Covid happened. So the break might have been a little longer than intended. But I can honestly say that we are back stronger than ever, full of energy and hunger to make new music and present it to our fans. And Ýdalir is proof of that. The six of us can easily say that it might be our strongest release to date, full of energy, catchy melodies and heathen epicness.


The first single we give to you, ‘Ratatoskur’, is all that. Driven forward by a catchy and folky melody. But still heavy and epic. All you would expect from a song devoted to the squirrel who runs up and down Yggdrasill, bringing messages from the eagle atop the world tree to the serpent Níðhöggur who dwells beneath one of the roots of Yggdrasill, right?


Ýdalir is an album we are super excited to present to you all and hope you like it as much as we do. It is about time we give you some new music. So enjoy! Skál!”


Watch the lyric video below.


Starting off with soothing opener “Ýr“, gentle acoustic guitar and organs are the calm before the storm. Catapulted to a dwelling owned by the god Ullur, the unsettled “Ýdalir“ builds with its hypnotizing guitar rhythms and galloping drum sounds, building a solid ground for ominous and dark growls. Followed by chant-like song “Verðandi“, Skálmöld present an unforgettable track, with catchy guitar and oboe-driven details! While the first half of the track is dominated by the heaviest of folk and death metal elements, strong vibrations of growls subside with the sound of the ocean and fragile organ melodies. Based on Norse mythology, the sister “Skuld” makes up a trio of Norns, responsible for deciding the fate of people. Remarkable clean tenor vocals guide through the mystic mood, breaking up the heavy horizon with a fast-paced guitar solo and underlined by eerie bass lines. Closing the album, the stunning ten-minute track “Ullur” invites the listener into a colorful journey of melodic folk metal. Accompanied by roaring fire, the lyrics conform to some of the Old Norse poetic forms and create a magnificent interaction of oboe and keyboard elements, while the catchy guitar riff rises dramatically with the more eerie-like harmonies, providing a cinematic, epic ending. With Ýdalir, Skálmöld showcases a blend of both ancient and modernized cultural heritage, and connects precious sagas with thrilling black metal elements while folk metal melodies give them an enigmatic touch.





Ýdalir will be available in the following formats:


- 2-LP Gatefold Splatter White/Blue
- 1-CD Digipak with Sleeve + Shirt Bundle                              
- T-Shirt - Cover Artwork
- Digital Album                   


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Ýr"
"Ýdalir"
"Urður"
"Ratatoskur"
"Verðandi"
"Veðurfölnir"
"Skuld"
"Níðhöggur"
"Ullur"


"Ratatoskur" lyric video:





Experience Skálmöld live 2023.





Lineup:


Baldur Ragnarsson – Guitar, vocals
Björgvin Sigurðsson – Lead Vocals, guitar
Gunnar Ben – Keyboard, vocals, oboe
Jón Geir Jóhannsson – Drums, vocals
Snæbjörn Ragnarsson – Bass, vocals
Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson – Lead guitar, vocals
 
(Photo - Íris Dögg Einarsdóttir)

Fireborn have released a video for “You Seem So Far”, featured on their just-released Reflections album. Watch the clip below.


Fronted by powerhouse singer Jenny, and rounded out by Dennis, Raphael, Flo and Chris, German metal/rock act Fireborn produce unique and timeless music with strong passion, expressive vocals, and defining hooks. Despite her young age, the petite singer stands out with her hard to delicate voice, extensive vocal range, and incredible sovereignty. In 2019, Fireborn (still named Dislike Silence) played in the finals of the 37th German Rock and Pop Awards and took third place in the “Rock” category.


In winter 2021 the band visited the Little Creek Studio in Gelterkinden, Switzerland where the first album Reflections was recorded with producer Schmier (Destruction) and sound engineer V.O. Pulver (Destruction, Pro-Pain Burning Witches, The Order, Nervosa).




Schmier states, “There’s gotta be something special to arouse my interest as a music fan and as a composer and performer, something that touches my soul and gives me the chills. This really happened the first time I heard Jenny from Fireborn sing. They caught my full attention and as the band is from around my area, I offered to help with the production of their 1st album and that made me a fan, cause I’m a fan of timelessly good rock music! They play modern classic rock with a golden raspy female voice that is powerful and at the same time very fragile but always melodic and catchy. Fireborn are fresh and yet traditional. Alternative but also metal – hooks for eternity! Check them out if you adore ROCK music!”


The terrific artwork was done by the Hungarian art-wizard Gyula (Accept, Stratovarius, Wintersun, Burning Witches) and melts perfectly with the soundscapes on our first record: powerful, vibrant, atmospheric and diverse! The songs are modern and very influenced by American hard rock as well as classic rock, with a lot of atmosphere, energy and a great sense of melody! Lead singer Jenny states, “It was a true honor to work with the Hungarian cover artist Gyula, supercool to be recorded by the Swiss studio master V.O. Pulver (Burning Witches, Destruction, Nervosa) and it was exciting to get produced by Destruction mastermind Schmier (Burning Witches, Pänzer)! I am pretty sure that you will hear all the passion that we put into this album and I hope you will dig it!”


The Reflections bundle includes (order at dekoentertainment.com):


- One (1) - Fireborn Reflections CD
- One (1) - Fireborn Reflections T-Shirt
- One (1) - 6x6 album cover flat signed by Fireborn





Tracklisting:


“Young Heart Dies”
“As Long As I Love You”
“Angel In Need”
“The Eye Of A Hurricane”
“Deep Blue Water”
“Proud And Ashamed”
“Guide You Home”
“Pack Of Wolves”
“You Seem So Far”
“Ferryman”
“Punchline”
“Malicious Rose”
“Done With You”
“Set Off”


"You Seem So Far" video:





“Done With You” video:

Uncle Acid’s reputation as one of the most devastating and authentically psychedelic live bands on the planet became impossible to dispute, not least when they found themselves supporting the immortal Black Sabbath on 16 dates of their sold out reunion tour in 2013. Until now, however, the band’s unique and mind-melting live show has never been captured for posterity.


Slaughter On First Avenue, the first official Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats live record, is a furious and righteous document of Kevin Starrs and his henchmen at the height of their unearthly powers. With performances taken from two separate shows at the same venue – First Avenue, Minneapolis – in 2019 and 2022, it’s an 86-minute career retrospective that crackles with malicious intent.


14 songs deep and proudly devoid of gimmicks or distractions, Slaughter On First Avenue is a riveting and raw account of Uncle Acid in full flight. From early classics like "I’ll Cut You Down" and "Death’s Door" (both from Blood Lust), to more recent works of lysergic aggro like "Shockwave City" (from Wasteland) and sinister epic "Slow Death" (from The Night Creeper), this amalgamation of two fiery and unforgettable live shows has a mesmerising momentum all of its own. As Kevin Starrs explains, “Slaughter On First Avenue is a purposefully rough-hewn snapshot of two moments in time.




“People have been asking for a live record, and sometimes it's nice to give people what they want. Especially if you follow it up with something they definitely don't want! Overall it's a very raw sounding recording, and that's just how it was on the night. There was no specific reason for choosing the first show, other than some guy just turned up and offered to record it, so we let him! It's a proper live record with all the mistakes kept in.


“Tonight you will be subjected to an all-out audio assault that will begin here shortly. There will be no respite from this until we release you. The group will show no mercy, and will likely not communicate with you. There will be no dynamics and a complete disregard for expectation. It will all sound the same. Do you understand?”


The greatest bands exist out of necessity and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats fit that description to a cobwebbed tee. Led by singer/guitarist Kevin Starrs, the Cambridge-born masters of occult doom and psychedelic brutality have carved their own singular furrow since 2009. If they didn’t exist, we would have to invent them. 


Defiantly dwelling in their own curious corner of the heaviness spectrum, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats have conjured a series of grimly spellbinding albums, starting with 2010’s Volume 1 debut and its spiky, shadowy successor Blood Lust, which marked the start of the band’s close relationship with Rise Above Records. Critically lauded masterworks Mind Control and The Night Creeper emerged in 2013 and 2015 respectively, and their most recent opus, the bleakly macabre Wasteland, garnered much effusive praise in 2018.


“I think one of our strengths is that most of what we do live is the exact opposite of what's expected at a rock show,” says Kevin Starrs. “There's no warm chit-chat, no rehearsed anecdotes, no pleasantries, no running around. It's so dark you can't see our faces, and sometimes we play with our backs turned. It shouldn't work, but it does. We just lock into the music and feed off the crowd. Some people still want all that old-time stage banter stuff and want to feel loved, which is fine, but I think a cold relentless hammer attack on the senses works better for a band like us.”


“The second show had a few different songs so it made sense to add those in,” he adds. “The first show was better, though. I remember the crowd was pretty wild that night. The second show was more subdued and a bit looser. That was just as gigs started happening again, so I think people were still a bit cautious. Either that or all the wild ones had died!”


A throwback to the days when live albums were magical things, rather than cynical stopgaps, 'Slaughter On First Avenue' is a jolting dose of dark electricity and psychedelic terror. Swollen with the greatest of riffs and performed with grit, power and haughty disdain, it loudly confirms that Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats have the raw, fuzzed-out power to drag everybody into their bewildering, bewitched vortex of doom. A dazzling, devilish squall to mark the beginning of a new chapter, Slaughter On First Avenue also clears the decks for this band’s next malevolent move. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.


“Yes, There will be another record which will hopefully appear at some point without warning or explanation,” Kevin Starrs avows. “It will be completely different to anything else we've done. You can think of it as a late night detour. Its appeal will be extremely limited but that's OK... 'When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it!'”





Tracklisting:


“I See Through You”
“Waiting For Blood”
“Death’s Door”
“Shockwave City”
“Thirteen Candles”
“Dead Eyes Of London”
“Pusher Man”
“Ritual Knife”
“Slow Death”
“Crystal Spiders”
“Blood Runner”
“Desert Ceremony”
“I’ll Cut You Down”
“No Return”


“Dead Eyes Of London”:





(Photo – Mel Castro)

Original SLIPKNOT vocalist Anders Colsefni says that his performances on his upcoming tour will be dedicated to his late bandmates Paul Gray and Joey Jordison.

Earlier in the month, it was announced that Colsefni will perform SLIPKNOT's independently released debut effort "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." in full on tour this year.

Anders will team up with former MUSHROOMHEAD vocalist Waylon Reavis for the co-headline b>"Numetal Mayhem" trek, set to take place in Australia and New Zealand later this year.

A short time after the announcement, SLIPKNOT's longtime singer Corey Taylor took to his Twitter to share a Kerrang! article about the tour, and he wrote in an accompanying message: "Really wish I could be there to see these shows, but I know @anderscolsefni is going to crush them."

In a new statement released to BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Colsefni vowed to perform the "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." material with the "same level of aggression and volatility" as he did when the songs were first written while acknowledging that he has grown as a singer and performer since his early days with SLIPKNOT.

Anders said: "As many of you are aware, I am not big on social media or talking in the press but with the growing amount of interest in my forthcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand, I feel it is time to issue a statement.

"My performances as part of this tour are dedicated to my fallen brothers, Joey and Paul. I miss you both dearly. I will be drawing on you both to deliver these songs to our fans with the same level of aggression and volatility that we did together 27 years ago.

"I'd like to acknowledge the vast outpouring of support from my fans all over the world. It has been extremely touching to know how much faith you have had in me for all these years. I will do you all proud.

"I will endeavor to keep the set as authentic to the emotions and sentiments of which they are written but I will deliver them as I am now, not the kid I once was. Since these songs were written almost three decades ago, I have had many great opportunities in various bands to hone my vocal abilities, and stagecraft and to grow as a person.

"In response to Corey's well wishes I'd like to say 'Thank you'. It may come as a surprise to many maggots, but it is actually Corey who I have maintained an ongoing friendship since my departure from the band. There has only ever been a kinship between us. I consider Corey a true brother and he has always had my back, and I his.

"Thank you all again for your adoration and support and I look forward to delivering Australasia 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.' for the first time ever. Long live the KNOT."

Colsefni, Gray, Jordison and Shawn "Clown" Crahan first performed under the name SLIPKNOT in April 1996 at the Safari Club in Des Moines. Not long after, Mick Thomson and Craig Jones joined the band and the trajectory of modern metal was changed forever.

SLIPKNOT erupted on the local metal scene and by October 1996 they delivered "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.". This LP became the foundation of what in now SLIPKNOT's twenty-five-year legacy.

Anders will deliver the entire "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." record from start to finish. This is the first time this record has been heard live in 27 years and it may be the only time it will ever get played live again.

In his original statement announcing the tour, Colsefni said: "Ever since Xen [KAOSIS singer] called me and let me know we were on for the tour, I have been training every day, not just vocals but kickboxing and cardio. I am fit, strong and ready to tear Australasia apart! I am psyched to pull this record out of the crypt and deliver it again... probably for the last time ever."

Anders has compiled a heavy-as-hell backing band he has dubbed THE FEEDERS.

Tour dates:

Oct. 11 - Sydney, Australia @ Crowbar
Oct. 12 - Adelaide, Australia @ Enigma Bar
Oct. 13 - Melbourne, Australia @ Bendigo Hotel
Oct. 14 - Brisbane, Australia @ Mansfield Tavern
Oct. 15 - Goldcoast, Australia @ Mo's Desert Clubhouse
Oct. 16 - Toowoomba, Australia @ Irish Club Hotel
Oct. 18 - Auckland, New Zealand @ Neck Of The Woods
Oct. 19 - Taranaki, New Zealand @ 8 Bar Pool And Darts
Oct. 20 - Wellington, New Zealand @ Valhalla
Oct. 21 - Christchurch, New Zealand @ The Embankment
Oct. 22 - Queenstown, New Zealand @ Yonder
Oct. 23 - Dunedin, New Zealand @ Dive

Back in 2019, Colsefni said that he had no interest in rejoining SLIPKNOT.

The prospect of Anders returning to SLIPKNOT was broached by Taylor after a fan suggested on Twitter that SLIPKNOT bring back Anders as the replacement for the then-recently departed percussionist Chris Fehn. Corey replied: "Fuck I would LOVE that."

On March 23, 2019, Colsefni shot down the possibility of a renewed collaboration with his former bandmates, writing on his Facebook page: "I'm going to take away the uncomfortable conversations that SLIPKNOT might have regarding myself and reported band vacancy by saying: I will NOT be rejoining SLIPKNOT.

"It is certainly not for any animosity I have. I simply don't know those guys anymore. I generally give those I don't know the benefit of the doubt.

"I've spent the last 27 years (through each and every band) working concrete construction to support my family but still allow time for my 'real job.'

"After many years of failed bands, failed marriages, and plenty of others, I've settled into an occupation that I can retire from. I'm gonna need the bennies — my body is going to shit!

"As much as I had dreamed of rejoining my creation (shut up — I know it's a different band now!),it is not enough of a dream anymore to risk being homeless when the tour is over!

"That being said, PAINFACE is still working behind the scenes. Look for us sometime this year!"

Colsefni, one of the founding members of SLIPKNOT alongside percussionist Shawn "The Clown" Crahan, contributed lead vocals to "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.". A short time after leaving the band the following year, Anders went on to form PAINFACE, which later evolved into ON A PALE HORSE.

In a 2011 interview with Dose Of Metal, Colsefni was asked about the reasons for his departure from SLIPKNOT. He explained: "Corey was a much better singer than I, so they brought Corey in to 50/50 the vocals with me (with him being the actual frontman) while I also continued with the drums and percussion. Corey would do the clean singing and I was to add the screaming and yelling. I tried for two months, but after the shock of all this, I couldn't 'feel it' anymore. I just felt like an idiot flopping around onstage with a ridiculous outfit, acting like a caveman. Depression. So, I shaved my eyebrows off before my last show, and announced I was done after we played 'Heartache And A Pair of Scissors' for the closing tune."

Asked what he thinks about his former bandmates labeling "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." just a demo, he said "If the band did not get a record deal, 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.' would have been their first official release. Since they had progressed musically since 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.' (or steadied the craziness a bit) and got a nice contract advance, they chose the right thing and started fresh. Every album I've ever been on has technically been a 'demo,' so it doesn't bother me a bit. Even the full-length ones. 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.' has become somewhat legendary, even with its flaws, so it was one hell of a demo."

Jordinson died "peacefully in his sleep" in July 2021 of an unspecified cause. He was 46 years old.

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

Gray was found dead in May 2010 after overdosing on drugs in a hotel room in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, where he and SLIPKNOT were based.

Anders Colsefni image courtesy of "The Endless" video / Ravenscape Photo And Design

In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Joe Perry talked about the likelihood of new music from AEROSMITH. The legendary Boston rockers haven't released a new studio album since 2012's "Music From Another Dimension!" That effort was released when AEROSMITH's label, Columbia Records, was reportedly going through a leadership change, and it ended up becoming a commercial disappointment.

Asked if he has any plans to record a follow-up to his 2018 solo record "Sweetzerland Manifesto", Perry said: "Not right at the moment. I just don't see the time for it. I would put everything I have into doing another AEROSMITH album, if that's even on the cards.”

Pressed about the possibility of a new AEROSMITH LP, the 72-year-old guitarist said: "I don't know. At this point, I want to tour as much as we can. I want to get out and play to the fans. That's really the focus right now, to get out and play live. If we get time to work on some new music, that would be great, but knowing [singer] Steven [Tyler] and knowing our age and what it takes to do an album… I don't know. I'm always playing, I'm always writing stuff, but at this stage, I can't say. I just want to get through this next tour and play live and give something back to the fans."

Perry continued: "We've never been the kind of band that you can sit back and go, 'Well, this is what the next three years are gonna be like, this is what our next five years are going to be like.' Especially now, at our age. The air is getting thin up here, man. So many people are passing on into the next step, so to speak."

Less than two months ago, AEROSMITH announced the "Peace Out" tour with special guest THE BLACK CROWES. Produced by Live Nation, the 40-date North American trek will kick off in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 2, with stops in iconic arenas across the U.S. and Canada, including Los Angeles's Kia Forum, New York's Madison Square Garden, Dallas's Moody Center, Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena, Chicago's United Center, Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, and more before wrapping in Montreal, Quebec at Bell Centre on January 26 (their last visit at the Bell Centre was in April 2004). A highlight of the tour will be a stop in Boston for a special hometown show on New Year's Eve 2023.

The band also shared news of Joey Kramer's absence from this touring run, saying: "While Joey Kramer remains a beloved founding member of AEROSMITH, he has regrettably made the decision to sit out the currently scheduled touring dates to focus his full attention on his family and health. Joey's unmistakable and legendary presence behind the drum kit will be sorely missed."

Most recently, AEROSMITH wrapped their critically acclaimed Las Vegas residency, "Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild", at Dolby Live at Park MGM. The 90-minute live performance took fans deep diving into AEROSMITH's groundbreaking career with exclusive, unreleased audio and never-before-seen visuals from the band's archives produced by Oscar and Emmy-winning global visual effects studio Pixomondo.

Ahead of the residency, AEROSMITH returned to their hometown in Boston to perform a record-breaking one-off show at Fenway Park as part of the legendary band's 50th anniversary celebrations. With over 38,700 people in attendance, it was the most tickets sold to date for a show at the iconic venue.

For more than a year, AEROSMITH's longtime drum tech John Douglas has been filling in on drums for Kramer, whose wife, Linda Gail Kramer, died in June 2022 at the age of 55. No cause of death has been revealed.

AEROSMITH played its first concert in more than two and a half years on September 4, 2022 in Bangor, Maine.

Prior to the show at Maine Savings Amphitheater, the band's last live performance took place in February 2020 in Las Vegas as part of AEROSMITH's "Deuces Are Wild" residency.

In May 2022, AEROSMITH announced that Tyler had entered a treatment program following a relapse, prompting the band to put their Las Vegas residency on a temporary hold.

Tyler had been struggling with drug and alcohol addiction since the mid-1980s. Over the course of the last four decades, he had relapsed several times, including in the early 2000s and 2009.

Joey has had his own health difficulties in recent years. Kramer suffered a health scare back in 2014, which was initially reported to be "heart-related complications".

During an appearance on the latest episode of Knotfest's "She's With The Band", the show hosted by Tori Kravitz and Alicia Atout aiming to amplify the voices of women on stage, backstage and in the business, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2019's "Black Anima" album. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We are already writing music. But I think it's going to be 2024 [before the new album is released].

"The problem is not really the music that we write. But now, in order to deliver a record, it takes a lot more time," she explained. "The pandemic delayed everything. And metal music is maybe the only genre in which the physical support [is] still very important. Because there are a lot of collectors, a lot of fans [who] really want to keep the copy of the record in their hand. And it takes time to print vinyls, to print CDs. You need sometimes one year in between the delivering of the master and the release of the record, because you have to set up a lot of things. That's why I'm talking about 2024. Maybe we will record an album in 2023, but it probably will be delivered in 2024. But we are definitely writing new music."

Earlier this month, LACUNA COIL released a new single, "Never Dawn". For the track, LACUNA COIL partnered with CMON, the renowned board game publisher behind the popular game "Zombicide". "Never Dawn" is a notable addition to CMON's latest Kickstarter project, "Zombicide: White Death", and was initially used as an instrumental version in a campaign trailer. The game introduces new characters, mechanics, and challenges for players to overcome, and the upcoming "White Death" version features five LACUNA COIL limited-edition survivor tokens.

Designed by Nicolas Raoult, one of the designers of the original "Zombicide", along with Jean-Baptiste Lullien and Raphaël Guiton, "Zombicide: White Death" is a sequel to the fantasy spinoff version of "Zombicide" with a new wintery theme. The third installment in this series, it follows "Zombicide: Black Plague", which introduced the concept in 2016, and "Zombicide Green Horde", which came out in 2018.

LACUNA COIL has spent the last few months promoting "Comalies XX", the recently released "deconstructed" and "transported" version of the band's third album, "Comalies".

"Comalies XX" was made available on October 14, 2022 via Century Media Records.

LACUNA COIL celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert on October 15, 2022 at Fabrique in Milano.

"Comalies" was originally released on October 29, 2002 through Century Media Records. The LP, which featured the band's breakthrough single "Heaven's A Lie", has reportedly gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States alone.

LACUNA COIL played its first show in front of an audience in more than two years on April 7, 2022 as the support act for APOCALYPTICA at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia.

Prior to the Atlanta concert, the last time LACUNA COIL played together was at the group's special September 2020 livestream event where the bandmembers performed "Black Anima" in its entirety with no audience in attendance at the Alcatraz Club in Milan, Italy. That show was released as a live album, "Live From The Apocalypse", via Century Media.

Extreme metal pioneers, Venom Inc., performed at the 2023 edition of Hellfest Open Air Festival on June 16 in Clisson, France. Professionally-filmed video of the band's full set can be viewed below:





Venom Inc. recently announced their return to the US this summer for their "Better To Reign In Hell" tour. The trek will kick off on June 22 in Dallas Texas and make its way up the west coast performing in Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle before concluding in Denver on July 9.




Joining the band on the summer run are Exhumed (6/22-7/2), Acid Witch, Enforced, and Wormwith (7/3-7/8).


Venom Inc. comments: "Legions of Hell!! Finally rescheduled after our red tape fiasco (Thank you immigration!) now we are ready and on fire!! Standby for intense and all our brutal furious assault!!!! With our amazing support card, there’s no escape now… come join us and lose your mind and remember THERE’S ONLY BLACK!!!!!!! SEE YOU VERY SOON for PART I."


Venom Inc. will be touring in support of their latest offering, There’s Only Black. Their sophomore album is a no-holds-barred assault on bigoted hypocrisy and conformism in today's society, as well as a demonstration of musical superiority delivered by some of the genre's true originators.


Tickets are now on sale for the tour, here.





Tour dates:


June
22 - Trees - Dallas, TX *
23 - The Rock Box - San Antonio, TX *
24 - Scout Bar - Houston, TX *
25 - Jakes Backroom - Lubbock, TX *
26 - Rock House - El Paso, TX *
27 - 191 Toole - Tucson, AZ *
28 - Nile - Phoenix, AZ *
29 - House of Blues - San Diego, CA *
30 - Whisky -  Los Angeles, CA *


July
1 - Full Circle Brewing - Fresno, CA *
2 - DNA Lounge - San Francisco, CA *
3 - Bossanova Ballroom  - Portland, OR **
5 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA **
7 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT**
8 - The Lincoln - Cheyanne, WY **
9 - Oriental Theater - Denver, CO **


* - Exhumed
** - Wormwitch

In a new interview with Rock History Music, THE SWEET guitarist Andy Scott confirmed that Ronnie James Dio was in consideration to join the band after original lead singer Brian Connolly left THE SWEET in 1979. Andy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "People have said to me, that moment when Brian had left the band and we were starting to pick the bones out of the record that he should have been on, the 'Cut Above The Rest' album where we ended up being a three-piece band… And Ronnie James Dio was up for the gig, to replace Brian, 'cause he and I got on really well. And I'd already made the decision for everybody. I said, 'Look, this is not a decision that I'm gonna make or two of us are gonna make. It's the three of us or nothing. If the three of us don't agree that this is the right way to go…' It can't be a two-to-one [split vote], 'cause then there's always this [makes grumbling sound]. And of course, [THE SWEET's founding bassist] Steve [Priest] didn't wanna do it. He said, 'I think we can do it just as a three-piece.' And I don't think he was probably wrong. Adding a singer might have changed the dynamic again. 'Cause SWEET were used to having a frontman."

Andy continued: "It's got nothing to do with the fact that we could all sing. It's that focal point. It's that VAN HALEN moment. The fact that if you changed the dynamic of VAN HALEN and added another [singer] — like they did with Sammy [Hagar], who was a good mate of mine at the time. It was never quite the same as it was with David Lee Roth, was it? But musically, it was great. You can't put your finger on it. You change the dynamic."

In a 2009 interview with Let It Rock, Priest denied that Ronnie was ever in talks to join THE SWEET. "It never was true," he said.

Scott is the sole surviving member of THE SWEET, which dominated the charts in the 1970s.

Connolly died in 1997, drummer Mick Tucker five years later and Priest in June 2020. Scott and his own version of THE SWEET regularly tour Europe.

By the early 1970s, THE SWEET was arguably the hottest ticket in town with a string of Top 10 records in Europe including "Blockbuster", "Hellraiser", "Ballroom Blitz", "Teenage Rampage" and "The Sixteens".

In 1975, the USA had discovered the band, with "Fox On The Run" hitting the No. 3 spot in the Billboard 100. Another self-penned hit "Action" followed in 1976, firmly establishing THE SWEET in the U.S. charts.

On the face of it, THE SWEET was primarily a singles band. However, with the landmark albums including "Desolation Boulevard" (1975) and "Give Us A Wink" (1976),the band displayed a much harder-rocking sound. The album "Level Headed", released in 1978, brought with it another award-winning million-selling worldwide hit with "Love Is Like Oxygen" written by Scott.

In 1979, Connolly left the original lineup, leaving Scott, Priest and Tucker to continue as a three-piece.

In 2008, Priest assembled his own version of THE SWEET in Los Angeles. He reportedly owned the name and logo in Canada and the U.S., while Scott owns THE SWEET name and the logo in the U.K. and Australia.

"If we go anywhere that he owns his version of THE SWEET, I have to call it STEVE PRIEST'S SWEET," Priest told the Phoenix New Times in a 2018 interview. "Or SP SWEET."

Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK will release their new album, "Endling", on September 8 via Rise Records/Petroleum Records.

The official lyric video for the LP's second single, "Skoggnagr", can be seen below.

KVELERTAK comments: "'Skoggangr' was the first song we wrote for 'Endling'. It's a song about Helmut Von Botnlaus, whose life history and written records have inspired many of the lyrics on the album. It all takes place in the heathlands and mountain area of the south-west coast of Norway, where Helmut was born. This is where he spent most of his secluded life, living off what the earth can provide him with while fighting anyone trying to destroy the surrounding nature. Wind turbine and real estate developers, look out!"

Thematically, "Endling" continues on the path of 2020's critically acclaimed "Splid" — which received press accolades from Stereogum, MetalSucks, Kerrang!, Revolver, Invisible Oranges, BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Guitar World, and more — by delving further into local lore and legend, though guitarist Vidar Landa summed it up best. "On 'Endling', we tell the stories of the extinct and dying men and women of Norway. Old and new myths, culture, and rituals come to life — the folklore that doesn't fit a TV series concept. Vikings and trolls are for television. This is the real deal."

"As the sun fell, at the time when oxen are unyoked, following the trail cut by the footsteps of Rasmus Vardal, the marauders of rock came riding again, screaming Kielland is dead, long live Kielland!," exclaims the band.

"Endling" track listing:

01. Krøterveg Te Helvete
02. Fedrekult
03. Likvoke
04. Motsols
05. Døgeniktens Kvad
06. Endling
07. Skoggangr
08. Paranoia 297
09. Svart September
10. Morild

The follow-up to 2016's "Nattesferd", "Splid" marked KVELERTAK's first release since the departure of longtime frontman Erlend Hjelvik and addition of Ivar Nikolaisen.

Landa told Ireland's Overdrive that the singer switch "was seamless in a way. We knew that Erlend wanted to quit and do other stuff," he said. "We were lucky that we had that close connection with Ivar. He's been part of KVELERTAK for a long time and has sung on a few tracks for us in the past, doing backing vocals. We've toured together in the past also so he was really the only one that we were thinking of to replace him when Erlend was first talking about leaving. Luckily, Ivar wanted to do it and it's all just fit really well, thankfully. It would have been much harder to go through the audition process and undergo that process of looking for a new vocalist. We were very lucky for the way it all happened."

Nikolaisen made his live debut with KVELERTAK in July 2018 at the Fjellparkfestivalen in Flekkefjord, Norway.

BARONESS will release its sixth album, "Stone", on September 15 via Abraxan Hymns.

BARONESS frontman John Baizley comments: "An important through line in BARONESS is we don't like to repeat ourselves. It's all about the willingness to take risks. When I was younger, the whole point of music was to be different, not to do the same thing, and not to listen to parents or play by the rules. That's kind of goofy, but in practice, it works. It's really sort of terrifying to be at the sixth record in your career and think that you'll have to keep up with your history rather than continually invent. So, we doubled down on continuously inventing to see where it takes us. I think this record is a good reflection of that. 'Stone' is a lot more alive, more direct."

That voluntary evolution brought the now Philadelphia-meets-Brooklyn based band to the border town of Barryville, New York. Electing to produce "Stone" themselves, the members of BARONESS spent a month shrouded amidst the pines, holed up in a vacation rental that became an impromptu recording space replete with big, vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, and brick/glass walls. While they wrote "Stone", Baizley recorded and pre-mixed it in real time, giving each song on "Stone" its own sonic treatment. After the group finished tracking drums, guitars, and bass, they took everything back to Baizley's basement studio to record vocals before handing the album off to mix master Joe Barresi (KYUSS, TOOL) and mastering guru Bob Ludwig (LED ZEPPELIN, NIRVANA).

"The recording process was completely self-contained," adds drummer Sebastian Thomsen. "Having just the four of us in a rented house in the mountains for a month resulted in not only a cohesive and authentic sound, but also an intense collective mentality."

"I think we were able to strip everything away on this record," guitarist Gina Gleason shares. "We were unified in that. So, we just jumped in and did our best. That felt really good. It was a really cool, empowering, creative experience."

The band offer a preview of the stirring new album with today's release of "Last Word" and its accompanying Nick Jost-directed video.

"I had been developing this process for video and animation, and this being our first self-produced album, we thought, 'Why not extend that ethos to the video, too?'" explains the BARONESS bass player. "It was really nerve racking to direct and create my first music video, but having a lifetime of nightmares and a love for strange animation turned out to be very useful."

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

"Stone" track listing:

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

BARONESS has simultaneously announced the "Sweet Oblivion" tour, a seven-week trek that sees the band traversing North America this fall. Tickets are on sale Friday, June 23 at 10 a.m. local time, with BARONESS bringing along some of their favorite bands, including JESUS PIECE, PORTRAYAL OF GUILT, PRIMITIVE MAN, KEN MODE, WAYFARER, CHAT PILE, VILE CREATURE, SOUL GLO, SHEER MAG, ESCUELA GRIND, MIDWIFE, HOAXED, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD, CLOUD RAT, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, UNIFORM and AGRICULTURE, with more support acts to be announced.

Tour dates:

Oct. 13 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Sound Stage
Oct. 14 - Richmond, VA - Canal Club
Oct. 15 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
Oct. 17 - Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor
Oct. 18 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
Oct. 20 - Dallas, TX - The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
Oct. 21 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
Oct. 22 - Austin, TX - Empire Control Room & Garage
Oct. 24 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
Oct. 25 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
Oct. 27 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
Oct. 28 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bellwether
Oct. 29 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theater Taube Family Music Hall
Oct. 31 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
Nov. 3 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
Nov. 4 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
Nov. 6 - Edmonton, AB - Union Hall
Nov. 7 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theater
Nov. 9 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
Nov. 11 - Denver, CO – Summit
Nov. 12 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room Lounge
Nov. 14 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Nov. 15 - Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre
Nov. 17 - Columbus, OH - The King of Club
Nov. 18 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
Nov. 19 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall
Nov. 20 - Montreal, QC - Théâtre Beanfield
Nov. 22 - Albany, NY - Empire Live
Nov. 24 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater & Ballroom
Nov. 25 - Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian Theatre
Nov. 26 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
Nov. 28 - Boston, MA – Royale
Nov. 29 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Dec. 1 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer

BARONESS, founded in 2003, is John Baizley (vocals/guitar),Gina Gleason (guitar),Nick Jost (bass) and Sebastian Thomson (drums). The Philadelphia-meets-Brooklyn foursome has released five full-length albums to date: "Gold & Grey" (2019),"Purple" (2015),"Yellow & Green" (2012),"Blue Record" (2009),and the "Red Album" (2007). The band has won widespread praise throughout their career, continually finding their albums on year-end best of lists, and receiving their first Grammy nomination in 2017 for the song "Shock Me". On their most recent album "Gold & Grey", NPR said the collection "feels like a callback to the heyday of the rock album as art object" before confidently declaring the album as "the sound of a band becoming a universe unto itself." The Savannah-born BARONESS continue to reach new heights, with each release providing a spellbinding new chapter in the storied history of one of modern hard rock's most critically-acclaimed and beloved bands.

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz

Dee Snider spoke to Fox News Digital about refusing to "fold" to cancel culture after the TWISTED SISTER singer voiced his support for Paul Stanley's controversial comments criticizing gender-affirming healthcare for children.

San Francisco Pride, which is scheduled to take place June 24-25, was about to announce TWISTED SISTER's 1980s classic "We're Not Gonna Take It" as the official anthem of its 2023 celebration and Snider had been set to perform. However, those plans quickly came to an end after Snider shared his support for the KISS frontman's views that "normalizing" sex reassignment for children is a "sad and dangerous fad."

"You don't have to cave, you don't have to apologize if you did nothing wrong," Snider told Fox News Digital on Saturday (June 17). "If you did something wrong, you know? If you did something wrong, you raped a woman, yeah, you gotta do more than apologize, but at the same time, that's not something you stand strong about. But if you have a position and a belief and people come at you for it, everybody is folding."

Snider also brought up the fact that drag icon RuPaul supposedly caved in to pressure from some in the LGBTQ community earlier this year. Dee said: "The same time my thing was going, RuPaul was apologizing 'cause he said he wouldn't have trans women on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'. And he apologized and took it back cause they freaked out."

The singer said that he was confused by RuPaul's decision to apologize, saying: "Well what's wrong with that statement? it's called the 'Drag Race'. Dressing in drag is men dressing as women — now we're accepting that you're a woman, so a woman dressing as a woman? That's not a trick."

Circling back to the KISS frontman's apology, Dee said: "People are so quick to apologize when they've done nothing wrong. And Paul immediately apologized and he didn't say anything wrong. You know, and he took back his words, and I won't do it."

"I wasn't kidding when I wrote, 'We're Not Gonna Take It'. I wasn't kidding. I'm that guy and I will always be that guy."

Earlier this month, Snider told "The Chuck Shute Podcast" about the cancelation of his planned performance at San Francisco Pride: "They tried to cancel me because I didn't see one hundred percent eye-to-eye with the community that wanted me to be the grand marshal of their parade, with the community that I've stood with and fought for for decades," he continued.

"As a parent, I disagreed with children's ability to make cognizant decisions at the age of five, six and seven. I have four children, and I soon will have — any minute, by the way — my fifth grandchild, and in my learned opinion, they are not capable. And they were, like, 'canceled' — not just the show, but they went after me and called me transphobic.

"I'm a hell of a writer," Snider added. "You've read my book. You know my speech in Washington. I broke out the pen, which is mightier than the sword, and I posted it on Facebook… You can go [to my Facebook page] and see what I said, although it was pretty covered in the media. And whereas Paul Stanley apologized, I'm not apologizing. Not when I did nothing wrong. I'm the first to apologize when I screw up. And I just laid it out. And [there were] a couple of peeps here and there, 'Dee's whining.'

"You're not canceling me. You're not shutting me up. And the big point was that community — the LGBTQIA+ community, and whatever letters we're adding — they need the support of not just the people who agree with them one hundred percent, they need the support of the middle, and that's where most of us are. [They need] the people of the middle to accept them and recognize their rights and who they are. But that does not mean we have to — I use the word 'fealty' — fealty and bow down to every little thing they say. Who agrees with every single detail of what anybody says? So I just pushed back on it. Everybody backed off. They were shocked. 'Cause most people just apologize or curl up in a fetal position.

"I wasn't kidding when I wrote 'We're Not Gonna Take It'… You're gonna go after the guy who wrote 'We're Not Gonna Take It'?" Snider said. "And they were gonna use my song, too, as their battle cry. Why? Because it's that defiant. And I have lived by my words. There's nothing that's changed with me. I'm not saying I haven't grown and improved — my wife says, 'You're always trying to be better'; I am, and I'm a better man — but my basic belief system has never changed, and I still stand and believe in everything I've always stood [for] and believed [in]. So don't come after me. I'm the worst person to come after, 'cause I'll come back after you."

When San Francisco Pride announced the cancelation of Snider's performance, it said in a statement, "Ultimately SF Pride and Dee have mutually agreed to part ways," and added that Stanley's tweet was "transphobic." It also said that the organization was "heartbroken and angry."

On May 5, Snider released the following statement via social media: "So, I hear I'm transphobic. Really?

"Why did the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade invite me, Dee Snider to be a Grand Marshal in their parade and sing 'We're Not Gonna Take It' on the center stage at what could possibly be the most important LGBTQIA+ gathering in the organization's long history. To quote Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle's senior political writer, '... Dee Snider [is] a longtime supporter of LGBTQ rights...'

"I have ALWAYS stood with the community and its important causes. I was honored to accept the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade's invitation and I even gave my blessing for 'We're Not Gonna Take It' to be used as this year's battle cry ['Queer Not Gonna Take It!')."

"Is that transphobic?

"I was not aware the Transgender community expects fealty and total agreement with all their beliefs and any variation or deviation is considered 'transphobic.'

"So, my lifetime of supporting the Transgender community's right to identify as they want and honoring whatever changes they may make in how they present themselves to the world isn't enough? Why not?

"I've recently stated I do not believe young children are ready to decide their gender allocation. I believe their choices should be supported and accepted by their parents, but I do not think kids have the mental capabilities to make rational, logical decisions on things of a magnitude that will affect them for the rest of their lives. I do not believe they are mentally developed enough."

"Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein [director of psychology, neuropsychology and social work, and co-director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital] says, '...it is important for parents to remember that development varies across children, and that one age (such as age 7) is not the end of development, or a 'deadline for developing reasoning skills.' Cognitive development continues into adulthood, and as parents, it is our responsibility to continue to challenge and support our children.'

"Well said. It's just good parenting.

"I am a proud moderate. I drive a Tesla and a Hummer. I have too many guns but strongly support intelligent gun control. I have four children yet fight for a woman's right to choose. I am a motorcycle riding environmentalist. I am a heterosexual who proudly supports LBGTQIA+ rights. To me (and I believe to many of you) none of these things are mutually exclusive.

"The Transgender community needs moderates who support their choices, even if we don't agree with every one of their edicts. For some Transgender people (not all) to accuse supporters, like me, of transphobia is not a good look for their cause.

"Don't reject people who are willing to march, sing and stand with you just because we don't perfectly see eye-to-eye. We are still your allies.

"I, Dee Snider, will continue to support the Transgender community and their right to choose even if they reject me and moving forward, I am open to educating myself so I can be a better ally.

"Sincerely, Dee Snider, your cisgender, crossdressing ally."

In late April, Stanley took to his Twitter to weigh in on kids' gender identities and the parents who are "normalizing and even encouraging participation" in embracing them, calling it a "sad and dangerous fad."

The 71-year-old rocker made his comments as politicians in several states have attempted to restrict trans Americans' ability to seek gender-affirming medical treatments. In some states, such as Georgia and Tennessee, bans for minors have already been enacted in the first quarter of 2023.

On April 30, Paul shared the following statement: "My Thoughts On What I'm Seeing

"There is a BIG difference between teaching acceptance and normalizing and even encouraging participation in a lifestyle that confuses young children into questioning their sexual identification as though some sort of game and then parents in some cases allow it.

"There ARE individuals who as adults may decide reassignment is their needed choice but turning this into a game or parents normalizing it as some sort of natural alternative or believing that because a little boy likes to play dress up in his sister's clothes or a girl in her brother's, we should lead them steps further down a path that's far from the innocence of what they are doing.

"With many children who have no real sense of sexuality or sexual experiences caught up in the 'fun' of using pronouns and saying what they identify as, some adults mistakenly confuse teaching acceptance with normalizing and encouraging a situation that has been a struggle for those truly affected and have turned it into a sad and dangerous fad."

Among the people who reacted positively to Stanley's statement was Snider, who has been a longtime ally of the LGBTQ+ community.

"You know what? There was a time where I 'felt pretty' too," Snider tweeted to Stanley. "Glad my parents didn't jump to any rash conclusions!"

Snider continued: "Parents need to be less reactionary; Right and Left. No need to steer the child in either direction. Let the kid figure it out for themselves knowing their family is supportive. I had a vet/cop hardass dad who, while he shook his head A LOT…let me do my thing."

When a fan questioned Snider's comments, the singer said: "I guess I'll just need to turn in my LGBTQIA+ membership card…oh wait! I'm gonna need it in a big way TBA," apparently referring to the then-still-unannounced San Francisco Pride performance.

In 2021, about 42,000 children and teens across the United States received a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, nearly triple the number in 2017, according to data Komodo compiled for Reuters. Gender dysphoria is defined as the distress caused by a discrepancy between a person's gender identity and the one assigned to them at birth.

Transgender is a broad term for people whose "gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth," according to the American Psychological Association (APA).

According to a recent survey from The Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation, 78% of transgender adults in the United States say living with a gender different from the one assigned to them at birth has made them more satisfied with their lives.

In April, outspoken conservative rocker Ted Nugent shared a tweet in which he denounced the existence of transgender people and told people they could "debate" him if they disagreed.

"There is no such thing as transgender. You cannot change your gender. Comfortably numb is actually uncomfortably dumb. Debate me but bring your bib," he wrote.

GRETA VAN FLEET singer Josh Kiszka publicly came out on Tuesday, saying that he's been "in a loving, same-sex relationship with my partner for the past 8 years."

In a statement posted on his Instagram, Josh wrote: "Where I've settled a home in Tennessee, legislators are proposing bills that threaten the freedom of love. It's imperative that I speak my truth for not only myself, but in hopes to change hearts, minds, and laws in Tennessee and beyond.

"These issues are especially close to my heart as I've been in a loving, same-sex relationship with my partner for the past 8 years. Those close to me are well aware, but it's important to me to share publicly.

"Over the years, the outpouring of love for the LGBTQ+ community has been resounding, but there is still work to be done for LGBTQ+ rights in TN, the nation, and the world. In response to the exceptional support from my last post, I wanted to share how we can all continue to advocate for this valiant cause. Here are some organizations doing great work:

@hrc_nash
@inclusiontn
@oasiscenternashville
@aclu_tennessee
@nashvillepridefestival
@humanrightscampaign
@trevorproject
@aclu_nationwide

"Bravo!

"The LGBTQ+ community is a cultural pillar, constantly championing positivity and acceptance through art, music, literature, film, and most importantly, legislation.

"The greatest mortal gift of all is our capacity to love and as we travel through time, may our greater understanding of the matter around and within us teach us to love ever deeper."

The Tennessee Senate recently passed SB 1440, a bill that attempts to discriminate against LGBTQ+ Tennesseans by codifying "sex" as "a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person's biological sex" throughout state code.

According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — this bill also makes LGBTQ+ people more susceptible to discrimination by defining sex in a way that prevents LGBTQ+ Tennesseans from being covered by state nondiscrimination laws. It will have a disproportionate impact on transgender people.

In March, Tennessee governor Bill Lee signed a bill that will prevent transgender youth from accessing age-appropriate, best practice medical care. The governor also signed the country’s first ban on some drag performances in one of our country's legendary music capitals — restricting artists' freedom of expression and ability to entertain and perform.

Since 2015, Tennessee has enacted 14 anti-LGBTQ+ laws, more than any other state in the country. It has passed novel legislation, like the business bathroom sign law and the drag ban, and been part of every trend in anti-LGBTQ legislation in recent years: Tennessee has banned transgender students from playing school sports three times; forbidden students from using the correct bathroom at school; allowed government contractors providing child welfare services to discriminate with taxpayer dollars; regulated the ability of transgender youth to access age-appropriate gender affirming care, and several others.

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Fan-filmed video of KISS's June 19 performance at Tauron Arena in Kraków, Poland can be seen below.

KISS's final runs of shows will kick off this September and will wrap up with a massive concert in the city where it all began for the legendary rock act. New York City has been a part of the band's ethos and storyline for more than four decades, so they felt it fitting to culminate an iconic Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame-worthy career on stage at New York's famed Madison Square Garden.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but has since been extended to late 2023. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Paul Stanley (guitar, vocals) and Gene Simmons (bass, vocals),alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

In a recent interview with Yahoo! entertainment music editor Lyndsey Parker, Stanley was asked whether he thinks it will be emotional for him to play the final KISS show. Paul said: "More so than I know. There's gonna be some tears shed, for sure.

"You've gotta remember that Gene and I started this together when I was 17 and he was 20, 21. It's 50 years later. We've lived pretty interesting lives, and we have families and children and huge sales in terms of albums and concerts. So it's a big part of who we are; it's a big part of our lives. So, that final show, yeah, that's momentous. And it's gonna hit harder than I think we know. And we know it's gonna hit hard."

Asked whether the last concert of KISS's "End Of The Road" tour will truly mark the band's final performance or if there is a chance of one-off shows or a Las Vegas residency in the future, Stanley said: "I really can't say. But it is the last of any kind of regular shows or touring.

"It's just time," he explained. "And in the same way, it's time consuming. And physically, it's grueling to do what we do. Hell, if I could go out on stage in my jeans and a t-shirt, give us another 10, 15 years easily. But what we do is a whole different sport. I mean, we're athletes; we're running around on stage with 30, 40, pounds of gear, and it's not possible to do it that much longer. So we're not like other bands.

"So, will we do more shows or one-offs? I really have no idea," Paul admitted. "But this is a real clear mindset that the touring days and doing those kind of shows, that's over."

SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor says that he doesn't ever foresee himself selling the publishing rights to the songs he has written with his various projects over the past couple of decades.

Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and Neil Young are some of the iconic musicians who have recently sold off substantial rights to their music, whether it's just for publishing or the original recordings, known as masters. Investors, major music companies and private equity firms have poured billions of dollars into buying song catalogs, believing that the rise of streaming and growing music revenues will make song rights acquisitions highly lucrative in the long term as they can be exploited for up to 70 years after a musician's death.

When musicians sell their songwriting catalogs, they take a lump sum now, rather than counting on royalties from their music on whatever platform might be most popular in a few decades.

In a new interview with Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting festival, Taylor was asked if he thinks he will ever be able to sell the rights to his catalog. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I still own all my publishing, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah… I've had offers in the past [to sell it], and I've been, like, 'Nah. Nah. We're good.' Because, to be honest, I'm still writing. I'm still modern in a way. I'm still kind of looking towards the future. My releases still do really, really well. So I'm still building that publishing up."

He continued: "I don't think there'll ever come a day when I'll sell it because it's just such a great thing that I can then pass on to my family that can help take care of my family if, God forbid, something happens to me. And to me, it's also a sign of the accomplishments — over 20 years of solid songwriting, solid production, solid publishing. And it's reflected in the fact that I can come back here [to Graspop Metal Meeting] with STONE SOUR or my solo thing or with SLIPKNOT tonight, do a completely different show, and every song would still hit like that. So it's something I'm really, really proud of."

Two years ago, KISS frontman Paul Stanley told Ultimate Classic Rock that the idea of older musicians selling their publishing rights in multimillion bundle deals makes perfect sense to him. "As far as I know, we only get one trip on this earth, and you can't take it with you, so I totally get it," he said. "If there's money to be had and it's going to make your life better, then why not? It's a different business model, but it makes total sense... At some point in your career, you look at what you've created and what it's worth. Artists do that; it's what painting's about. You don't stash your artwork — you sell it."

Earlier this month, Dee Snider spoke about his decision to sell his Snidest Music music publishing catalog of 69 songs — including the classic TWISTED SISTER rock anthems "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" — to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) in 2015. Regarding why he chose to sell his publishing catalog, Dee told the "New Theory Podcast": "It's math. And I was told there'd be no math [laughs] in rock and roll… But when you are getting your royalty checks every year, and they're big — I'm in the 50-percent tax bracket between state [and federal taxes] — so they're chopping off 50 percent. But capital gains on a sale of property is, like, 15, 20 percent. So if you can — they call it multiples. They give you 10 years' worth of royalties in advance, or whatever that number is. When you do the math, you look at it and you go, 'Okay, I'm gonna save 30 percent on taxes.' It's not even guaranteed that 10 years from now… I believe these songs will still have value. They're taking a chance. And I can take this chunk of change and I can invest it and secure it and make it my retirement fund, which I did. So it goes from being a thing that comes in and you're getting half of it taken away by the government every six months to a thing, guaranteed, 'Okay, I know I can work with this.' So a lot of people are doing it for just that reason."

Less than two years ago, Dylan sold the rights to all of his recorded music since 1962 to Sony Music Entertainment for a reported $200 million. Dylan had previously sold the songwriting portion of his catalog — which include music and lyrics — to Universal Music Publishing Group for a reported $300 million. In 2021, Nicks sold her portion of publishing rights to her songs to Primary Wave for a reported $100 million. That same year, Springsteen reportedly sold his catalog to Sony for more than $500 million.

"A lot of the artists that are selling their catalogs are getting to a point in their lives where they are planning their estates, sort of planning for the future and they are at a point in their lives where it makes sense to sell their music to provide for their families," Hannah Karp, editorial director at Billboard, told CNN in January 2022.

Geezer Butler has clarified his recent revelation that he no longer speaks to his former BLACK SABBATH bandmate Ozzy Osbourne.

In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Butler, who is promoting his newly released autobiography "Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath – And Beyond", addressed his current relationship with the band's fellow original members. Speaking about the fact that he mentioned guitarist Tony Iommi in the book acknowledgments, where he wrote that Tony "actually still keeps in touch", Geezer said: "Yeah, he's always been there for me. You know, he's a good friend. We can slag each other to death. It's like marriage, really. You have terrible arguments, you fall out and you come back together. But he's always there. He always is. I hope he is after this book as well. I still love Bill [Ward, original SABBATH drummer], but he's not on the Internet. If you want to talk to Bill, you have to e-mail his wife and she has to tell him. It's really awkward. [Laughs] Ozzy I don't speak to at all." Asked if he thinks there's a chance those lines of communication will open back up at some point, Butler said: "I very much doubt it. We didn't fall out; it was the wives."

During an appearance on the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast, Geezer elaborated on his Ultimate Classic Rock comments, saying: "Well, it's like with every family. We've fallen out loads of times over the past 50 years — you fall out for a year or two and then you get together. I don't see any of the rest of the band. It's just that people have picked up on the Sharon part of it because everybody knows who Sharon is. If I would have put Bill's wife in there, nobody would have said anything about it, or Tony's wife. But because everybody knows who Sharon is, they seem to pick up on that. We were such a close band anyway. You have these fallouts and you beat each other up and whatever, and you don't talk to each other for two or three years, and then you get back together as if nothing's ever happened."

In the book, Geezer wrote about Ozzy: "Me and Ozzy are fine, it's just that we're both ruled by our wives. He's got a big heart and was always there for me."

Butler and his wife, Gloria Butler, split their time between Henderson, Nevada and Utah while Ozzy and his wife, Sharon, are preparing to move back to the United Kingdom after living in California for the last few decades.

Last year, Ozzy described Tony to Metal Hammer magazine as "incredibly supportive" while admitting that he hadn't spoken to Butler in a while. "Last I heard, he was living in Vegas," Ozzy said.

During an August 2020 appearance on Steve-O's "Wild Ride!" podcast, Sharon Osbourne was asked if it's correct to say that when the original BLACK SABBATH lineup reunited more a decade ago, it was done on her terms, with her husband owning the SABBATH name and the other members of SABBATH acting as "employees" of the band. She responded: "It's about right, but Ozzy and Tony own the name — Geezer and Bill don't. So it's Ozzy and Tony that own the name, and they are partners in BLACK SABBATH. So you're kind of right. Ozzy and Tony are equal, and at the time, the other guys, you know, it's kind of like pay-for-play."

Ozzy filed a lawsuit against Tony in May 2009, claiming that Iommi illegally took sole ownership of the band's name in a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Osbourne sued Iommi for a 50 percent interest in the "Black Sabbath" trademark, along with a portion of Iommi's profits from use of the name.

The Manhattan federal court suit also charged that Osbourne's "signature lead vocals" are largely responsible for the band's "extraordinary success," noting that its popularity plummeted during his absence from 1980 through 1996.

Lawyer Andrew DeVore argued that Osbourne signed away all his rights to the BLACK SABBATH trademark after he quit the band in 1979.

Osbourne's lawyer, Howard Shire, called that agreement a "red herring" that was "repudiated" when the singer rejoined in 1997 and took over "quality control" of the band's merchandise, tours and recordings.

In June 2010, Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio that the lawsuit between him and Tony had been settled and that everything was okay between them.

According to Rolling Stone, Butler had sold his share of the BLACK SABBATH band name to Iommi in 1984 and has since gotten over any regrets. "I still get a quarter of everything, so it doesn't matter financially," he told the magazine. "It's just that I can never go out on the road and call myself BLACK SABBATH."

In his book, Butler wrote that the original SABBATH reunion didn't go as planned after it was announced in November 2011, adding that "there was a big row about the SABBATH name, all over again. I was under the impression that since the original members were back together, writing and recording a new album, the name would revert to all four of us, whatever had happened between Tony and Ozzy a couple of years earlier," Geezer wrote. "But when the name was discussed, it became clear that Tony and Ozzy had no intention of sharing the SABBATH name with me or Bill. I felt cheated, so I left the band again. They got someone in to replace me, but a couple of weeks later I got a call from Tony, begging me to come back. In the end, I got my lawyers on the case and they managed to sort everything out. I was assured that despite not part-owning the SABBATH name, everything would be split equally, and the band wouldn't be able to tour as SABBATH without my approval, if needed."

"Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath - And Beyond" was released on June 6 in North America via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books and on June 8 in the United Kingdom.

New York hardcore legend Vinnie Stigma of AGNOSTIC FRONT was asked in a new interview with Graspop Metal Meeting if he ever thinks about "slowing down" or possibly even retiring from performing live in the not-too-distant future. The 67-year-old guitarist responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, I'm not gonna retire. I'm gonna do this for as long as I can. My health — my spiritual and my mental health — is great. Well, I don't know about my mental health, but, yeah, I'm great — I'm doing great. I'm in good shape. I'm ready to fucking play a show right now."

Asked what fans can expect from AGNOSTIC FRONT's performance at today's Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium, Vinnie said: "Well, let me tell you something: I'm gonna leave it all on stage. I always do. I'm gonna do my best — try to connect with the audience, what I always do. Because the most important thing is the audience — always. I'm for them — I'm here for them. I'm here to play for them. Graspop is a great festival, man — one of the best festivals in Europe, for sure."

As featured in the award-winning documentary "The Godfathers Of Hardcore" and on groundbreaking and subculture defining music and recordings with bands like AGNOSTIC FRONT, MADBALL and STIGMA since 1980, Vinnie is truly a music legend, synonymous with hardcore and punk rock from the mean streets of the lower east side that made CBGB world famous.

AGNOSTIC FRONT's twelfth studio album, "Get Loud!", was released in November 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was produced by singer Roger Miret, while longtime friend Paul Miner handled the recording, mixing and mastering of the record at Buzzbomb Studio in Orange, California. For the artwork, the band returned to 1986's "Cause For Alarm" artist Sean Taggart. It features the iconic "Cause For Alarm" characters combined with a modern freshness.

Finnish melodic death metal band Superdeathflame, founded in 2007,  have released new single "Circle Of The Weak" via Inverse Records. It is an epic song about the world we live in and how little we can do to to protect our loved ones in their way. Heavy riffing, powerful drums and keyboards are in the DNA of Superdeathflame.. Now with beautiful Ella's voice this song is the new beginning of SDF journey that will really catch your ear.


The single is available via digital platforms found here.


"From Southern Finland's gray landscapes rises Superdeathflame, the style-masters-of-metal ready to conquer the world with our mature and melodic music that catches the ear. Our songs are made for listener, no bullshit; they are hard, every piece tells a real story of life. The foundation, the Four Pillars of our Metal are Rock solid guitar riffs and punchy drumbeats coloured with flowing synths and world class choruses that are infectiously catchy. We are building our music with an increasingly determined focus to make every song sound simple and easy to a listener...not forgetting multidimensional interpretation in the lyrics, that gives 'the deep' to the songs."




 





Superdeathflame is:


Tomi Tilli - vocals, guitar
Marko Tuhkunen - drums