Los Angeles-born guitar hero Nita Strauss recently announced her brand new album "The Call of the The Void", due out July 7 via Sumerian Records. Today, she has shared the video for the latest single "Victorious", featuring Hungarian-born vocalist/writer Dorothy Martin.

Says Nita: "'Victorious' is the anthem I always wanted, a song about inspiring change, marching forward relentlessly, being willing to save yourself instead of waiting for someone to do it for you, and never backing down from a fight. Dorothy was the perfect powerhouse voice and personality to stand and deliver and knock this one out of the park."

Dorothy shares Strauss's enthusiasm for the track, stating, "I'm honored to be a part of 'Victorious' with my friend Nita Strauss. She is the embodiment of a bold, beautiful, strong woman. The song and video scream #GIRLPOWER and we know you'll love it!"

The video features two killer cameos. 13-year-old rising guitar star Charlotte Milstein plays the role of a young Nita, while U.S. Olympian, former WBO and IBF champion Mikalea Mayer, a childhood friend of Strauss and former bandmate, also appears.

"The Call Of The Void" is a star-studded affair featuring guest vocals from DISTURBED's David Draiman, ARCH ENEMY's Alissa White-Gluz, HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's Chris Motionless, IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén, Dorothy, Alice Cooper and Lilith Czar.

Regarding her decision to make her second album half vocal songs and half instrumental, Nita told The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn in a new interview: "It was really just a natural progression, I think. As an artist, I think you always have to keep growing and pushing yourself. And I didn't wanna stay in the same place and just keep doing the same thing over and over again. I try to do that in every aspect of my career, so this just seemed like the natural next best step."

Asked how she decides which songs to put vocals to and which to keep as instrumental tracks, Nita said: "For me personally, the process for writing an instrumental song is so different to the process of writing a song that's gonna be for a singer. And it's really because for an instrumental song there are no rules. The song can be two minutes; the song can be 15 minutes; it can be as fast or as slow with as many key changes and as many tempo changes… It's the Wild West. [Laughs] And if you're writing for a vocalist, suddenly all of these restrictions fall into place: it can't be too short; it can't be too long; it has to be a key that's comfortable enough for the singer you have in mind to sing in; it can't be so fast that they can't sing the vocals or so slow that it's uncomfortable for their delivery. If it's gonna go to radio, it has to follow sort of a specific format of length and arrangement. All these constraints pop up. So, for me, there wasn't really any track that was, like, 'Oh, this one could go either way,' because the instrumentals I just sort of pour out and the vocal [songs] are more carefully constructed."

Regarding the album's title, Strauss previously shared: "Have you ever been at the top of a high building and had the fleeting thought, '… I could jump right now?' This feeling is sometimes called 'The Call Of The Void,' also known as 'high place phenomenon.' It's not a suicidal impulse, rather the exact opposite — a subconscious decision to live your life, to step back from the ledge, and take control. As researcher April Smith aptly put it: 'An urge to jump affirms the urge to live.'

"I wanted the follow-up to 'Controlled Chaos' to be exciting, new, and fresh, to take listeners to a new place and take myself somewhere new as an artist too. We have some amazing collaborations on this album with incredible musicians, as well as the instrumental guitar music that first inspired me to play.

"Some pieces of music come into the world gracefully and easily. This album is not one of them! 'The Call Of The Void' was born kicking and screaming, a labor of love for sure, but also of blood, sweat and plenty of tears. I couldn't be more proud of the end result. Making this album helped me learn and grow so much as a musician and songwriter and I'm excited to finally unleash it on the world."

"Victorious" is the fifth song Nita has released featuring a star guest vocalist, the first being the enormously successful "Dead Inside" which featured guest vocals from Draiman and saw Nita become the first-ever solo female to have a No. 1 hit at Active Rock radio. She also returned to her instrumental roots last year with the release of single "Summer Storm", a fast-paced, emotive shred-fest. In October 2022, Nita dropped "The Wolf You Feed", an epic headbanger of a track featuring the insane vocal talent of White-Gluz. This past March, Strauss released "Winner Takes All", featuring a guest appearance by Cooper. In May, Nita released the official music video for the song "The Golden Trail", featuring a guest appearance by Fridén.

"The Call Of The Void" track listing:

Physical

01. Summer Storm
02. The Wolf You Feed (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
03. Digital Bullets (feat. Chris Motionless)
04. Through The Noise (feat. Lzzy Hale)
05. Consume The Fire
06. Dead Inside (feat. David Draiman)
07. Victorious (feat. Dorothy)
08. Scorched
09. Momentum
10. The Golden Trail (feat. Anders Fridén)
11. Winner Takes All (feat. Alice Cooper)
12. Monster (feat. Lilith Czar)
13. Kintsugi
14. Surfacing (feat. Marty Friedman)

Digital:

01. Summer Storm
02. The Wolf You Feed (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
03. Digital Bullets (feat. Chris Motionless)
04. Through The Noise (feat. Lzzy Hale)
05. Consume The Fire
06. Dead Inside (feat. David Draiman)
07. Victorious (feat. Dorothy)
08. Scorched
09. Momentum
10. The Golden Trail (feat. Anders Fridén)
11. Winner Takes All (feat. Alice Cooper)
12. Monster (feat. Lilith Czar)
13. Kintsugi
14. Surfacing (feat. Marty Friedman)
15. The Wolf You Feed (instrumental)
16. Digital Bullets (instrumental)
17. Through The Noise (instrumental)
18. Dead Inside (instrumental)
19. Victorious (instrumental)
20. The Golden Trail (instrumental)
21. Winner Takes All (instrumental)
22. Monster (instrumental)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a new interview with the "CooperTalk" podcast, legendary guitarist George Lynch was asked to name his career highlights. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'm gonna be a hundred thousand percent honest with you here. The highlights of the career weren't musical things; the highlights of the career were financial things. And that's important. And I get sick of people, when you talk about the business of the music and the money and stuff, they're, like, 'Well, that's antithetical to the purity of the art, the artistic endeavor.' It's just an exchange of energy. It's how organisms operate.

"I love the game. I love the business of it," he continued. "And when it got to the point in my life where, as I was poor for a long period, for a big portion of my life, and growing up with a work ethic, I've been working since I was a kid, a little kid, and I pride myself on that. So when I got to the point in my life where I can actually feel like I can breathe and I don't have to be climbing every mountain uphill both ways carrying a hundred-pound load of rocks in the winter… I can actually let go a little bit and enjoy the process rather than be grinding and grinding and grinding, that was really a point in my life where it changed for me where I felt like I've achieved something. I'm not sure what I would call it, but I felt like I just kind of reached a point where I had a little bit more flexibility, a little bit more freedom and a little bit more security for my family. And that was probably the highlight of my musical journey. And I'm sorry — you would think it would be a musical thing, but it's not. It's that."

Lynch went on to say that being financially secure offers a certain comfort that enhances creativity rather takes away from it.

"I think we play better and perform better, think better, whatever, when we're relaxed — when you're breathing and you're relaxed and you don't have 'fight or flight,'" he said. "When you're poor and desperate, you are activated with all those other things and you're not playing at your best. I remember I wasn't relaxed; I was never relaxed. I was in the studio, like, 'Everything's on the line. I've gotta play the best solo in the world. I've gotta get this right.' Tons of pressure. You have anxiety. You're stressed. You're not breathing.

"I used to do this thing on stage where — I haven't done it in many, many, many years — but regularly I would hyperventilate on stage, to the point of passing out and going to the hospital," he revealed. "On big stages with DOKKEN all the time. And it was very worrisome. Because I would get myself so wound up that I had to prove myself: 'This is my one shot to kind of break through out of anonymity and poverty and prove that I matter and have something to say.' And I would go out there and I wouldn't breathe and my arms would stiffen up. And I didn't play well. Nowadays I'm relaxed. I've got a little bit of money in the bank. The walls are not collapsing in around me. I'm gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay. My family's okay. I have multiple projects. I have lots of friends that I play with and do different things. And we play with music; it's not this do-or-die thing. And we're very passionate about it, and I always do my best work, but I just learned to get out of my own way. And that was a giant, giant lesson for me. And that came with security. And that security came from money. So when people say money doesn't matter, I say, yeah, it does. Up to a point."

Lynch emerged from the 1980s hard rock scene with the Los Angeles-based group DOKKEN and went on to become a world-renowned guitarist. Aside from DOKKEN, he also enjoyed great success with LYNCH MOB, the group he founded after leaving DOKKEN.

Lynch has gone on to become a prolific (that is an understatement, to say the least) music creator, continuing with LYNCH MOB, releasing solo albums, and a wealth of collaborative efforts over the decades. Those include, but are not limited to, KXM with Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) and Ray Luzier (KORN),THE END MACHINE with Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, ex-DOKKEN),Mick Brown (ex-DOKKEN),and Robert Mason (WARRANT),SWEET & LYNCH with Michael Sweet (STRYPER),ULTRAPHONIX with Corey Glover (LIVING COLOUR),DIRTY SHIRLEY with Dino Jelusick (ANIMAL DRIVE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA),and THE BANISHMENT with Joe Haze.

Rumors of sexual assault and abuse of power on social media are not always taken seriously, but the accusations against Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann are now gaining weight according to a report by DW News.


Following the claims by Shelby Lynn that were made public earlier this week, a new investigation by German reporters shows that the case could by part of a systematic process to satisfy Lindemann's sexual requests.  


Check out the full DW news report below.







This news comes following Lindemann's recently announced dates for his European solo tour. The trek will kick off November 8 in Leipzig, Germany and will wrap up on December 20 in Paris, France. 





Tour dates:


November
8 - Leipzig, Germany - Arena
10 - Düsseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi Electric Hall
12 - Münster, Germany - MCC Halle Münsterland
14 - Bamberg, Germany - Brose Arena
15 - Lingen, Germany - EmsLand Hall
17 - Frankfurt, Germany - Anniversary Hall
18 - Kassel, Germany - Ice Sports Hall
20 - Trier, Germany - Arena
22 - Prague, Czech Republic - Tipsport Arena
24 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Expo Arena
26 - Katowice, Poland - Spodek
28 - Kaunas, Lithuania - Zalgirio Arena
30 - Riga, Latvia - Arena Riga


December
2 - Tallinn, Estonia - Tondiraba Jaahall
3 - Helsinki, Finland - Ice Hall
5 - Stockholm, Sweden - Hovet
6 - Malmö, Sweden - Arena
8 - Hamburg, Germany - Sports Hall
10 - Antwerp, Belgium Lotto Arena
12 - London, UK - OVO Arena Wembley
14 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - RTM Stage
16 - Stuttgart, Germany - Porsche Arena
18 - Munich, Germany - Zenith
20 - Paris, France - Accor Arena

PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix joined EVANESCENCE on stage on June 3 at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany to perform EVANESCENCE's breakthrough 2003 hit "Bring Me To Life". Video of his appearance can be seen below.

Last August, "Bring Me To Life" experienced a resurgence 19 years after its original release. The song, which initially reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was EVANESCENCE's first U.K. No. 1 single, climbed to No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes chart.

In February 2022, EVANESCENCE's music video for "Bring Me To Life" surpassed one billion views on YouTube. The Philipp Stölzl-directed clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in December of 2009, was filmed in Romania in January 2003. It features singer Amy Lee in a night gown and barefoot, in her room, inside a tall building in the city at night. The rest of the band is playing on a higher floor of the building.

The album version of "Bring Me to Life" — which featured guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 STONES — was included on the soundtrack of superhero film "Daredevil".

In 2021, Amy spoke to Germany's Sonic Seducer about the lyrical inspiration for "Bring Me To Life".

"I remember what I wrote 'Bring Me To Life' about, because I wrote it about my current husband before we were married," she said. "There was this moment — I was in a tough place and in a bad relationship. And my husband now, Josh, at the time was just a friend and a person that I barely knew; it was maybe the third or fourth time we'd ever met. And we went in to go grab a seat at a restaurant while our friends parked the car. And we sat across from each other, and he looked at me and he just said, 'So, are you happy?' And it took me so off guard, and I just felt Like it pierced my heart, because I felt like I had been pretending really well, and it was, like, somebody could see through me. And then that whole first verse came out of it: 'How can you see into my eyes, like open doors.' It really made me feel and recognize the sense of yearning that I had to get to a better place. And it really kind of set me out on a journey. And it's amazing that that became the song, the first song that broke us on to the scene and made everyone hear of us, because it was about something — I don't know — something so personal that I was recognizing in my life."

In March 2021, Lee told Alternative Press that EVANESCENCE's original record label Wind Up threatened not to release the group's debut album, "Fallen", if she and her bandmates didn't add a male voice to lead single "Bring Me To Life" to make it more palatable for radio.

"Fallen" sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. and won two Grammys, including "Best Rock Performance" for "Bring Me To Life".

EVANESCENCE's latest album, "The Bitter Truth", arrived in March 2021 via BMG. It was EVANESCENCE's first album of original music in ten years.
Amy Lee from @evanescence called Jacoby to the stage to perform BRING ME TO LIFE @rockamringpic.twitter.com/zWBCDk8AzE

— Papa Roach (@paparoach) June 4, 2023

NAPALM DEATH bassist Shane Embury will release his autobiography, "Life?… And Napalm Death", later this year via Rocket 88, an imprint of the established British book production company Essential Works.

For Birmingham-based Embury, music is more than just a passion. It's a force that brings meaning to his life, an outlet for his creativity and a channel for his obsession. It's also given him a career as unlikely as it is groundbreaking, a testament to staying true to what you believe in, even if what you believe in sometimes seems incomprehensible or even unlistenable to others. And yet his vision has endured into a four decade long career, taking him around the world a hundred times, and led to some of the most seminal, iconic and important music ever to spew forth from the British underground scene.

If you know anything about Embury at all, you'll know him for his work in NAPALM DEATH. Largely misunderstood and widely mocked in their early days, NAPALM DEATH nonetheless became the benchmark for uncompromising extremity, as well as a political force for good. Dismissed by many as a ridiculous noise, NAPALM DEATH became the credible face of extreme art rock, beloved of John Peel, NME cover stars and indie music darlings. Embury's debut studio release with the band, 1988's "From Enslavement To Obliteration", remains a seminal work of raging sonic violence coupled with ultra-credible punk critiques of corrupt politics, capitalist opportunism and societal collapse. The record remains as revered today as it ever was.

Fast forward 35 years and Embury has seen and done it all with NAPALM DEATH. But that is only half the story of a man propelled by creativity to make music seemingly without end, a constant flow of ideas leading to a wide variety of projects from BRUJERIA (ultra-violent Mexican drug grind),VENOMOUS CONCEPT (hardcore punk rock),DARK SKY BURIAL (experimental sci-fi-influenced ambience) and TRONOS (progressive rock),among others. His fellow collaborators include members of FAITH NO MORE, DEAD KENNEDYS, MELVINS, SICK OF IT ALL, DIMMU BORGIR and… THE WONDER STUFF.

Although music still drives him, Embury now wrestles with the responsibilities of being a husband and a father, trying to balance his time between what he loves doing, and those he loves being with. In the course of "Life?... And Napalm Death", the bassist talks openly about his struggles with mental and physical health, his battles with addiction and the bullying that affected him in his teenage years. Although his musical career has been prolific and largely successful, there have been plenty of dark times which have led Embury to question his chosen career path.

Shane himself remains modest but proud of his achievements. "If you're growing up in a village in Shropshire, you never imagine that 30-odd years later you'll still be doing this," he says. "I just went for it because, well, why not? After a while, it becomes, like, 'Bloody hell, this is what I do.'"

The idea for the book seeded itself a while ago. "After so many years, the idea of doing a book seemed like the right timing, I suppose," he says. "I guess the diehard fans know something about me, but hopefully people will find out about different sides of me, because there's a lot more to me than just being the bass player in NAPALM DEATH."

In essence though, "Life?... And Napalm Death" is a riotous celebration of following your dreams, unleashing your creativity, and retaining a positive sense that anything is possible. From humble beginnings, Embury has forged a career that serves as an inspiration to anyone, musician or otherwise, that life really is what you make it.

Pre-orders for the book, including limited signed editions, are available to access now via ShaneNapalmDeathBook.com.

Fans that pre-order can also have their name printed in the actual book. The
cover image was created by longtime NAPALM DEATH collaborator Gary Ronaldson of Bite Radius Designs.

Rocket 88 has published official books with JETHRO TULL, EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER, Syd Barrett, OPETH, LACUNA COIL and Devin Townsend, among others.

Photo credit: Gobinder Jhitter / For The Lost / DARK SKY BURIAL

In a new interview with MoreCore.TV conducted at this weekend's Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale was asked what fans can expect from her and her bandmates in the coming months. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, my goodness. All the things. I mean, we're still not sick of this. We're still very immature in the way that we approach everything — in a good way. We're still a bunch of kids that are experiencing Europe and experiencing travel, and we still really like each other. We love playing. So, yeah, we're gonna do everything we possibly can. Right now, we've actually begun writing for the next album, just in case we have some time to get in the studio and do it. So you can be looking forward to new music from us. There's still a pile of collaborations that I've done, that I can't talk about — I'm sorry. So you'll be sick of me before the year is over. A lot of things are gonna be popping up. But, yeah, really just touring and doing the thing that we love to do most."

Last month, HALESTORM teamed up with country singer Ashley McBryde for a reimagined version of the band's song "Terrible Things", which was originally featured on the Lzzy-fronted outfit's 2022 studio album "Back From The Dead".

This past December, HALESTORM released a deluxe edition of "Back From The Dead". "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" includes seven previously unreleased B-sides, including "Mine", a 1980s-inspired rocker. "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" is available digitally, on CD, and cassette tape, marking the first time that the album has been offered in those physical formats.

Lzzy (vocals, guitar) and her brother Arejay (drums) formed HALESTORM in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".

In a new interview with Sofa King Cool Magazine, ex-MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman John Corabi, who joined the band in 1992 as the replacement for original singer Vince Neil, was asked if he is "surprised" by all the "public fighting" that has been going on between the CRÜE's founding guitarist Mick Mars and his bandmates. Corabi responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Nope. No. Not at all." Referencing the fact that he said last fall that he didn't "believe a word" of MÖTLEY CRÜE's initial statement explaining Mars's exit from the group, Corabi continued: "I caught a lot of flak of this. And to be honest, I don't really wanna get into Mick's business or MÖTLEY's business; it's not my place. I don't know why. I caught some flak for this when I was in Europe. I was over there in November and December doing some acoustic shows, and I did a book signing in London — it was like a Q&A book-singing thing — and a fan asked me about the press release that had just come out about Mick not touring with them on the rest of this tour. And all I said was, 'That's a statement that's been prepared by MÖTLEY and their management. I haven't heard anything from Mick. And until Mick speaks, I have nothing to say about this. But I'm not necessarily agreeing with what I'm hearing.'"

John added: "So, to me, this was just something that was inevitable. It's unfortunate, but it was inevitable. So… c'est la vie. [Laughs]"

Asked if he has seen any of the performances by MÖTLEY with the band's new guitarist, former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON axeman John 5, Corabi responded: "I've seen a few videos… Honestly, dude, and I don't mean this as a slight or disrespect or anything to MÖTLEY, I don't care. I really don't. Right now, we had three years of COVID. I'm happy everybody's back to work. I'm happy MÖTLEY's back out on the road. I know their tour with DEF LEPPARD here in the States was highly successful. I wish them nothing but the best. I wish Mick the best. But that's between them, man."

Corabi, who recently rejoined THE DEAD DAISIES, continued: "It's hilarious. I've been out of [MÖTLEY CRÜE] for, like, fuck, 25 years. And it's crazy. I get asked these questions, and you know, obviously, if you're online at all, one of those web sites will take a sentence that I say and just cut that out and run with that story for a week or two. But it's hilarious to me. All the comments… The fans get on there and they just sit there and they go, 'Man, doesn't that guy have anything better to talk about? He's still talking about MÖTLEY. He's still talking about MÖTLEY.' Well, it's, like, I didn't bring it up. [Laughs] Somebody else did. And truthfully, I'm just happy to be back to work myself. I've got a tour with Tom Keifer and WINGER coming up, and then I'm back with THE DAISIES. And I'm just looking forward to getting my feet wet with THE DAISIES again and getting back out and just having fun and playing some fucking music. So, as far as the MÖTLEY stuff goes, I don't wanna be rude or anything, but it's, like, I really don't think about them. I don't care. I could give a shit less what's going on in MÖTLEY CRÜE world. I could care less."

When Mars announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE last October as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, he has since filed a lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, claiming that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting. In his lawsuit, Mars also alleged that he was the only bandmember to play 100 percent live on their most recent tour, claiming bassist Nikki Sixx "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour."

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

Back in December, about four months before Mick filed his lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE, Corabi told Backstage Pass Rock News about the guitarist's exit from the band: "Personally, my verdict is… I have an opinion, I have a thought on what transpired, but I haven't heard anything from Mick. The statement that we've all gotten was from MÖTLEY and their management and whoever's on that side of the camp.

"I know John 5. I think he's a brilliant guitar player. I am not taking [anything] away from John, because I love the guy to death. He is a guitarist's guitarist. But I can't help but think, when we were doing the 'Generation Swine' record, there was a rub between me and Mick, which transpired during… They had already told me that they were bringing Vince back, and their manager said to me, 'Can you help them finish the record?' And I said, 'Yes.' And every day they would call me at nine or ten o'clock in the morning, and it was Nikki, this guy Scott Humphrey and Tommy [Lee, drums] — [they] were producing the record — and they would call me every day, and they would go, 'Hey, can you come by the studio and play some guitar?' And I said, 'Well, as long as Mick is cool with it, sure.' Well, every day I'd get to the studio and they just complained, like, 'Oh my God. We had Mick here yesterday till two o'clock in the morning. We couldn't get anything out of him,' and blah blah blah. So, that was '95. And then they did the record. Now, I can tell you right now most of the rhythms on that record were mine. And if Mick was sitting here, he'd go, 'Yeah, most of the guitars were his.' So I played on the 'Generation Swine' record. I don't know if Mick played on 'New Tattoo' — I'm not sure — but I know it was DJ Ashba on 'Red, White & Crüe', on the new songs, and I know on 'Saints Of Los Angeles', it was DJ Ashba. And then I know on the movie 'The Dirt', the new songs that they did [for the accompanying soundtrack], [a cover of Madonna's] 'Like A Virgin' and all that shit, it's John 5. So they haven't had Mick… they haven't been using him since — fuck — '95.

"Again, I'm just looking at things the way I look at 'em and I can't help but think that they just went for the upgrade — in their minds," Corabi added. "You do have a history there; the fans are used to that history.

"And you know what? Folks, if I am wrong, I'll come back again with you and I will say, 'I apologize. I'm wrong.' But until I hear it from Mick, I don't buy any of it."

Corabi previously talked about Mars's supposed retirement from MÖTLEY CRÜE during an appearance on a fall 2022 episode of the "Life In The Stocks" podcast. Saying that there was something else that was "kind of bugging" him about the way Mars's exit from MÖTLEY CRÜE's touring lineup was announced," he added: "Because since that announcement came out, I've reached out to Mick and his wife a few times. And Mick hasn't responded at all. And I sent [his wife] — she's from Switzerland — so when I was there last week, I sent some photos of the Alps — I was in the Alps — and I wrote to her, and I said, 'Hey, I'm in your motherland.' And she wrote back. Then I came back, and I was, like, 'Hey, man, how's Mick?' And she goes, 'He's fine.' [And I said], 'Hey, what's going on?' Crickets. So that's kind of unusual behavior for Mick and [his wife]; they would normally [be] just, like, 'Yeah, dude. Everything's cool. Whatever.'"

Speculating about the possible reasons for Mick's silence, Corabi said: "I don't know if he's embarrassed or he's maybe… Who knows? Maybe he's angry and maybe he's being told not to say anything to anybody. Maybe there's gonna be a lawsuit. I don't know. But I just know how those guys operate, and I would not be surprised if they didn't say, 'Mick, look. You're in pain. We've got John 5. We're gonna bring him in.' Maybe throw him a bone — like every time they tour, throw him some money — but 'we're gonna move forward with this guy.' It wouldn't surprise me."

Corabi clarified: "Now, this is all a theory. I know about as much as you guys do. But personally, I don't believe a word of that statement at all."

Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

Back in 2016, Mars released snippets of two solo songs, apparently called "Gimme Blood" and "Shake The Cage". The tracks, which were recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, where Mars has lived for about 10 years, featured Corabi, who appeared on CRÜE's 1994 self-titled album. Corabi later said that he didn't contribute to the writing process for the two songs, but that he was open to collaborating with Mars on some brand new material.

Photo credit: David Pear for THE DEAD DAISIES (courtesy of Chipster PR & Consulting, Inc.)

Fan-filmed video of BASTARDANE, the new band featuring drummer Castor Hetfield, son of METALLICA frontman James Hetfield, performing on May 25 at the Sonic Temple festival at the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio can be seen below.

In March 2022, BASTARDANE released its debut album, "Is This Rage?"

In addition to the 23-year-old Castor, the Savannah-based hard rock trio includes Jake Dallas on vocals and Ethan Sirotzki on guitar. The group, which recently expanded to a four-piece with the addition of a standalone bassist (Dallas had previously handled bass duties as well as the vocals),formed in 2019 from a collection of college students who met through jamming in basements, backyards, and anywhere that was available. Their brand of entertainment fuses fast high-gain riffs and power chord grooves with heavy feedback and clean, dissonant chord progressions.

"We grew up in different places and we all grew up listening to different kinds of music, so we have our own voices, which is cool and they come together in an interesting way," Castor told Savannah Morning News. "We've even been trying to pin it down, name the genre of our music and it's hard to do. I don't think it's necessary, but for publicity stuff, people want to know what genre this is, but we don't know."

Castor, who lists bands like CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, OPETH and TOOL as major influences, added that he isn't overly concerned about having his father's name brought up in every article about BASTARDANE.

"All of us are our father's sons, mine just happens to be very successful in the industry that we're in," Castor said. "It's not bothersome, but it is a little annoying when people try to compare us, because obviously we're our own people and he's his own person. We're making our own kind of music. Online, when you search our band, my dad's face is all over the Internet and it's a little strange for me. We are our own people and want to cut our own path. We're not trying to ride off of anybody else's success here."

James Hetfield isn't the only member of METALLICA whose offspring has followed in his footsteps. Two of drummer Lars Ulrich's sons play together in TAIPEI HOUSTON, while bassist Robert Trujillo's son Tye plays bass for OTTTO.

In December 2021, BASTARDANE, TAIPEI HOUSTON and OTTTO performed as part of METALLICA's "San Francisco Takeover", a four-day citywide celebration of the band's 40th anniversary that also included a film festival, photo exhibit and curated lineup of smaller venue shows featuring other acts.

Castor's mother is James's ex-wife Francesca, whom he married in 1997. She is from Argentina and used to do wardrobe for METALLICA.

James and Francesca have two other kids: Cali, born in 1998; and Marcella, born in 2002.

Early last year, James filed for divorce from Francesca, according to TMZ.

Ted Nugent has paid tribute to Tina Turner. The pioneering rock singer passed away on May 24 after a long illness. She was 83 years old.

Nugent commented on Turner's death during a recent edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which Ted offers his take on the news of our world every night. Asked if he ever got a chance to meet Tina, the legendary rocker said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I never did have that gift of meeting Tina Turner, because she was so revered and will always be revered by music lovers everywhere. But I certainly followed her. My band THE LOURDS, who I just talked to Tom Noel; he was my drummer in 1960. THE LOURDS, we won the 'Battle Of The Bands' in Detroit because we played with that energy, that piss and vinegar, that James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Motown Funk Brothers, Chuck Berry throttling cadence that Tina Turner perfected. Just the legs alone, the dancing and the fire and the passion. She was one of the most intense female performers, because she actually had forehead vein-popping crescendos every song. So she influenced THE LOURDS when we won the 'Battle Of The Bands' because of the cadence and the energy and the throttle and the groove. So she was as important an influence in great music as James Brown, as Wilson Pickett, as the Motown Funk Brothers. That's the top one percent that Tina Turner resides in."

Turner had battled several health issues in recent years, including being diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and having a kidney transplant in 2017.

With a career spanning more than half a century, the legendary singer, dancer, actress and author was not only one of the world's most popular and successful entertainers, but the beloved global icon widely regarded as the "Queen Of Rock 'N' Roll".

Among her many accomplishments, the revered singer had received 12 Grammy Awards, was the first black artist and the first female artist to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone and was awarded the Légion D'honneur by the French government. One of the world's best-selling artists of all time, her live performances have been seen by millions. First inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as half of IKE & TINA TURNER, she was inducted in her own right as a solo artist in a ceremony in October 2021.

Born as Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, Turner first rose to fame in the 1960s, partnering with then-husband Ike Turner, as the lead singer of the IKE & TINA TURNER REVUE, acclaimed for her live performances and catalog of hits, including "River Deep - Mountain High" and "Proud Mary". Turner's well-publicized divorce and hardships ultimately forced her to virtually all but disappear from the music scene. By the 1970s, she began practicing Buddhism and rebuilt her life by tapping into her spiritual strength.

She celebrated her newfound freedom in 1975 with the role of the Acid Queen in the film version of THE WHO's "Tommy", delivering an outrageous, but all-too-brief performance.

She continued to release several albums during the late 1970s, but it was in 1984 that her career went stratospheric with 1984's "Private Dancer" going five times platinum in the U.S. and selling 10 million copies worldwide, spawning megahits, including "What's Love Got To Do With It", "Better Be Good To Me", the title track and a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together". The album would earn her widespread recognition and numerous awards, including three Grammys.

A string of hit albums followed, including "Break Every Rule", "Foreign Affair" and "What's Love Got To Do With It". Hit singles included "Typical Male", "The Best", "I Don't Wanna Lose You", "I Don't Wanna Fight" and "Goldeneye". Successful duets with David Bowie and Mick Jagger showed her ability to perform on an equal footing with the greats of rock 'n' roll.

With another movie role in 1985, "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome", she found another hit in its theme song, "We Don't Need Another Hero", establishing her high-profile status well into the '90s.

As an author, her bestselling memoir, "I, Tina", became the 1993 Academy Award-nominated film "What's Love Got To Do With It", while her follow-up book, "My Love Story", was a global success in 2018. Additionally, Turner's eventful life has been immortalized in at least three documentaries including HBO's 2021 production "Tina", while her story has recently been staged as the biographical musical "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" — becoming one of the most successful stage shows on Broadway and London and was honored by a Tony award and an Olivier award.

HateSphere have announced that they are heading back out on the road in Denmark this fall. Support on select shows comes from fellow Danish thrashers Chronicle and Persecutor. Tickets are available here.





Dates:




September
15 - Copenhagen Metal Fest, Amager Bio - Copenhagen, Denmark
16 - Harders - Svendborg, Denmark *


October
6 - Forbrændingen - Albertslund, Denmark  *
7 - Køge Metal Festival, Tapperiet - Køge, Denmark
13 - Fermaten - Herning, Denmark  #
14 - Walthers - Skanderborg, Denmark  *
20 - Odense Metal Festival, Posten - Odense, Denmark
21 - Spillestedet Thy - Thisted, Denmark  *
27-29 - Copenhell Metal Cruise - Copenhagen-Oslo-Copenhagen, Denmark


November
3 - Stars - Vordingborg, Denmark  *


* Support - Chronicle + Persecutor
# Support - Chronicle


For more tour dates go to hatesphere.com/tourdates/.





In other news, HateSphere's new album, Hatred Reborn, is now available on transparent green vinyl.


Says the band: "Check out this cool limited edition on our official webshop or at Scarlet Records. On our official shop you’re able to get the vinyl as part of a cool vinyl bundle. Check it out here.


The band continues: "DeathFarm Records has released our new album Hatred Reborn on a limited cassette edition. This is old school, and we recommend you to buy yourselves a copy here."





The artwork for Hatred Reborn was created by Stefan Skjoedt.





Tracklisting:


"The Awakening"
"Hatred Reborn"
"Cutthroat"
"Gravedigger"
"918"
"Darkspawn"
"The Truest Form Of Pain"
"Brand Of Sacrifice"
"A Violent Compulsion"
"Spitting Teeth"
"Another Piece Of Meat" (Scorpions cover - digipak bonus track)
"The Fallen Shall Rise In A River Of Blood" (live - digipak bonus track)


"Darkspawn" lyric video:





"Cutthroat" video:





Find the band's tour itinerary here.


HateSphere lineup:


Mathias Uldall - vocals
Peter Lyse Karmark - guitar
Kasper Kirkegaard - guitar
Jimmy Nedergaard - bass
Mike Park Nielsen - drums


(Photo - Julia Nikiforova - JN Lightning Photography)