WINGER and WHITESNAKE guitarist Reb Beach joined STEVE MORSE BAND on stage on May 26 at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont, Pennsylvania to perform the CREAM classic "Crossroads", originally recorded by blues legend Robert Johnson in 1936 as "Cross Road Blues". Fan-filmed video of Beach's appearance can be seen below (courtesy of Rick Robshaw and jmh2112 YouTube channels).

Earlier today (Monday, May 29),Beach shared video of the performance and tweeted: "It was such a huge honor to jam with my childhood hero, @SteveMorse . He is such an extraordinary person. He is incredibly kind and humble for being a musical genius. Like Jeff Beck, he is one of the great guitarists of our time, and a mind blowing song writer. It was a night I will definitely never forget. Thank you so much for letting me play with you, Steve."

Joining Morse in the STEVE MORSE BAND are Dave LaRue, also of FLYING COLORS and THE DIXIE DREGS, as well as Van Romaine, one of the most in-demand percussionists throughout his extensive career playing live and recording with legendary names like BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS, Billy Joel, NAUGHTY BY NATURE and many more.

Last July, Morse officially left DEEP PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who was battling cancer. He was replaced by Simon McBride.

Morse's announcement came four months after the guitarist said that he would be taking a hiatus from the band, in the hope of rejoining his bandmates once his wife's health improved.

Morse effectively took over Ritchie Blackmore's DEEP PURPLE slot in 1994 and had been in the group longer than Ritchie.

Steve Morse spoke to the Beaver County Times about his decision to reform his STEVE MORSE BAND for a series of live appearances in April and May.

"I quit PURPLE because the tours were too long and we had a health emergency in my family with my wife having Stage 4 cancer," Morse said. "I told those guys 'I can't do this' and they were upset for like three to four seconds and then moved on. That's life, I and I wish them well and they're doing great."

Referencing STEVE MORSE BAND, he said: "I had always been told that we couldn't do weekends only. That it just wouldn't be possible to pay everybody and not be paying out of pocket to play. However, when we did the math with three people, it was possible in many cases to make it work. And the reason for the short length is so I can be home 90 percent of the time and possibly drag my wife with me, and line up all the medical appointments and everything. The idea was to make it possible so I could play some shows and not feel like I'm shortchanging what I could really help with by being home. It has made a huge difference in being a medical advocate through all the crazy stuff that's happened, and the surgeries and complications. There's so much to do with that."

Videos courtesy of Rick Robshaw and jmh2112 YouTube channels
musical genius. Like Jeff Beck, he is one of the great guitarists of our time, and a mind blowing song writer. It was a night I will definitely never forget. Thank you so much for letting me play with you, Steve.

— Reb Beach (@RealRebBeach) May 29, 2023



Can’t wait to head to Pennsylvania with the Steve Morse Band, performing live on May 26th at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont, PA. Get your tickets now at Eventbrite.com, and we’ll see you there!

Posted by Steve Morse on Wednesday, April 12, 2023

California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER performed the song "Eyes Of A Panther" on the season premiere of "America's Got Talent". Video of their appearance can be seen below.

The eighteenth season of "America's Got Talent" premieres Tuesday, May 30 at 8/7c on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock. The show began filming auditions the weekend of March 25, with judges Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara sharing plenty of photos and videos from set on Instagram.

STEEL PANTHER announced its "America's Got Talent" appearance on May 24, tweeting: "LOOK OUT! @AGT is about to get a whole lot more metal!" and sharing a photo of guitarist Satchel, singer Michael Starr, bassist Spyder and drummer Stix Zadinia on the "America's Got Talent" set. "Don't miss the SEASON PREMIERE NEXT TUESDAY (5/30) at 8PM local!!"

STEEL PANTHER will embark on the next U.S. leg of its "On The Prowl" tour this summer. The 22-city trek will kick off on July 13 in Huntington, New York and wrap up on August 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tour will make stops in Richmond, Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana and Ventura, California, to name a few.

STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", was released in February.

In September, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Fifteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

In a recent interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, Starr was asked if he ever gets "bored of being a parody of rock bands." He responded: "I love playing heavy metal. It's the most exciting job in the world for me. I've always dreamed about doing this — being on stage and being able to go all over the world with my buddies and play for people that like our music. It's really cool.

"Before we got signed by Universal, we were writing songs, and they were going, 'No. No. No.' They never signed us," he continued. "And then finally we were, like, 'You know what? Fuck it! We're gonna sing about what we wanna sing about. We're gonna sing about what we're thinking.' And once we did that, we got signed right away and we put out 'Death To All But Metal', and the rest is history.

"So, I don't care if people think it's a joke or a parody or whatever — who fucking cares?" he added. "It's STEEL PANTHER at the end of the day.

"No, I'm not bored. I love it."
LOOK OUT! @AGT is about to get a whole lot more metal! Don’t miss the SEASON PREMIERE NEXT TUESDAY (5/30) at 8PM local!!#AGT#AGTPremierepic.twitter.com/xqM7V3o6Pn

— Steel Panther (@Steel_Panther) May 24, 2023

Ex-SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach, ANTHRAX's Joey Belladonna, HEART's Nancy Wilson and STARSHIP singer Mickey Thomas are among the musicians who will appear on the upcoming TRIUMPH tribute album. The effort is being overseen by producer Mike Clink, who helmed TRIUMPH's 1986 album "Sport Of Kings" and also worked on early GUNS N' ROSES recordings. Other musicians who will appear on the album include longtime John Fogerty touring drummer Kenny Aronoff and BON JOVI guitarist Phil X, who previously played with TRIUMPH in 1992 and '93 after founding singer/guitarist Rik Emmett left the band.

In a new interview with Metal Mayhem ROC, TRIUMPH drummer Gil Moore said that the tribute LP should arrive "third or fourth quarter this year" via Round Hill Music. He added (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's been in the making for a number of years now, through the pandemic. We have some tremendous singers on there. Joey Belladonna from ANTHRAX is on there; our buddy Sebastian Bach, of course; Phil X from BON JOVI; Larry [Lawrence Gowan] from STYX; Nancy Wilson from HEART; Mickey Thomas from STARSHIP. There's tremendous musicians, especially drummers. For crying out loud, we've got Tommy Aldridge on there; Kenny Aronoff, another fantastic drummer, from John Mellencamp. I could go on and on about… Nita Strauss, a beautiful female guitarist who just knocks it out of the park. There's so many great musicians on there, I can't even tell you how thrilled we are."

Asked if he and his TRIUMPH bandmates were involved in putting the tribute album together, Moore said: "Mike Clink did the whole thing. I've gotta give him full credit."

TRIUMPH bassist Mike Levine previously discussed the tribute album in a 2021 interview with The Metal Voice. At the time, he said: "We were talking with [Clink], and we were talking about maybe doing a tribute album. So [we told him], 'You can produce it, but you're the guy who's gotta wrangle all the tributees; it's not gonna be our job to do that.' And the record company bought in and gave us a budget to do it.' So Clink has been slowly amassing the talent and getting the tracks done. It's being recorded in L.A. There's gonna be some great guest artists on it — great musicians. It's gonna be a really cool project when it's done."

As for the various musicians' approach to covering TRIUMPH material, Levine said: "Our only parameter from a band point of view is don't do it like we did it. Do your own take on it. We don't wanna hear somebody just copy what we did. We might as well just send you the bed track to put a vocal on it. We want an interpretation. And a lot of the money is going to a charity called MusiCares. It's a huge, huge organization that supports artists in trouble. It's kind of like a charity we have here [in Canada] called Unison that supports industry people that are having a hard time."

TRIUMPH's long-awaited feature documentary "Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine", premiered in the U.S. in May 2022 via Nugs.net.

"Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine", produced by Emmy and Peabody award-winning Banger Films (ALICE COOPER, IRON MAIDEN, RUSH and ZZ TOP),covers TRIUMPH's humble beginnings as staples of the GTA circuit in the mid-'70s to their heyday as touring juggernauts, selling out arenas and stadiums all across North America with their legendary spectacular live shows — and way beyond.

Levine, Emmett and Moore formed TRIUMPH in 1975, and their blend of heavy riff-rockers with progressive odysseys, peppered with thoughtful, inspiring lyrics and virtuosic guitar playing quickly made them a household name in Canada. Anthems like "Lay It On The Line", "Magic Power" and "Fight The Good Fight" broke them in the USA, and they amassed a legion of fiercely passionate fans. But, as a band that suddenly split at the zenith of their popularity, TRIUMPH missed out on an opportunity to say thank you to those loyal and devoted fans, a base that is still active today, three decades later.

Back in 2016, Moore and Levine reunited with Rik as special guests on the "RES 9" album from Emmett's band RESOLUTION9.

After 20 years apart, Emmett, Levine and Moore played at the 2008 editions of the Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma. A DVD of the historic Sweden performance was made available four years later.

Front-row fan-filmed video of PANTERA's entire May 27 performance at the Metalhead Meeting at Romexpo in Bucharest, Romania can be seen below. The show marked PANTERA's second live concert in Europe in 23 years — since May 2000, when the band last toured the continent in support of what would be their final album, "Reinventing The Steel".

PANTERA's setlist for the Bucharest concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. Suicide Note Pt. II
07. 5 Minutes Alone
08. This Love
09. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit
10. Fucking Hostile
11. Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH cover)
12. Walk
13. Hollow
14. Cowboys From Hell

PANTERA's setlist for its recent shows has included one song which hadn't been performed live since the band's comeback last year: "Suicide Note Pt. II", from PANTERA's 1996 album "The Great Southern Trendkill".

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

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

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

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

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

Benante opened up about his participation in PANTERA's return during a recent interview with "THAT Rocks!", the new weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson. Speaking about some of the criticism he has received for his involvement with PANTERA, Charlie said: "People had their preconceived notions of what they were gonna think: 'Oh, I don't dig this without Vinnie and Dime.' And of course… What do you think? We don't know that Vinnie and Dime are not with us anymore? But when we start playing the songs and you just see the faces in the crowd, all that shit goes out the window, the negative stuff that has been said.

"Man, that's all I ever wanted to do, is just come and do this and make people hear these songs again," he explained. "And that's what it's all about, really. It's about the music."

Asked who was in charge of making the decision to use the name PANTERA for the new lineup instead of calling it a tribute or naming it something else, Charlie said: "It wasn't me. [Laughs] For us it was about the celebration of the music and Dime and Vinnie; that's what it was about since day one. No one called it a tribute; no one called it a reunion. It can't be a reunion. This is a celebration of the music of PANTERA. Come and enjoy it. And that's it. That's all could do."

Benante also talked about his personal connection to Dimebag and Vinnie, saying: "Yeah. I loved those two guys, man. You never think that certain things would ever, ever happen, and then when it does, you sit back and think, like, 'How did this happen so fast? How did this time just slip by?' And Darrell's been gone for a while now. But it doesn't change how we all miss him and feel him.

"Every show that we play… [Longtime PANTERA engineer, bass tech and friend] Sterling [Winfield], who used to work for PANTERA — still does, in a sense. The first show, he came to Mexico City and he brought me one of Darrell's wristbands and a pair of Vinnie's gloves that they used. And every show that I've played so far, I wear the wristband and Vinnie's glove is in my pocket because I feel like they're with me. And I do that for every show, and I'll continue to do that for every other show we play. It just has significance."

Benante previously discussed his involvement in PANTERA's comeback during a recent interview with Consequence. Addressing the negative comments he has received for his participation, Charlie said: "I don't go [online] looking for [people's negative comments about it]. There's people that send me, 'Hey, did you see this?' And I'm, like, 'Why did you send me this? Why ruin my day?'

"I think the people who do these things, these comments, I don't even think they realize how much of an effect that they could have on people," he continued. "And whether or not you hate the situation, or whatever it is, why can't you find some sort of restraint? Why do you need to say this thought that you have? Can't you just hold it in and maybe be, like, 'I'll keep my thoughts to myself.' No, they've gotta tell you. I've never seen more of it in my life than I [did] in these past couple of months about just people judging."

Regarding his personal approach to playing the parts originally written and recorded by Vinnie Paul, Charlie said: "I just spent a lot of time on Vinnie's parts and more importantly the tone that Vinnie had because I wanted it to sound like PANTERA. That was my thing. And my drum configuration is different from the ANTHRAX one because I wanted to challenge myself to play those parts like he played them in that configuration, which, to me, was more important than anything. But yet people still have to find some problem in that."

According to Benante, the initial rehearsals for the PANTERA comeback tour were "an emotional thing" for Philip and Rex "too, because they hadn't played as a group, those two hadn't played together in a long time, playing PANTERA songs. Yeah, they played [together] in DOWN, but this was an emotional thing for them," Charlie said. "And I remember after the week of rehearsals that we did, saying goodbye was weird, because it was an emotional thing; we really kind of bonded, the three of us. Zakk wasn't there at the time. But for me, I knew I had done something right."

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

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

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

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

Legendary German/American metallers ACCEPT have released a new music video for "Samson And Delilah", a song that originally appeared on the band's 2021 album, "Too Mean To Die". The performance footage was filmed on February 18, 2023 in Filderstadt, Germany during ACCEPT's "Too Mean To Die" European tour.

Says ACCEPT: "On our sellout 'Too Mean To Die' European Tour, we were lucky enough to have a stunning guest artist. For a few shows, violinist Ava-Rebekah Rahman joined us to perform a never heard version of 'Samson And Delilah' to a mesmerized audience! It's now available to be seen by everyone on our YouTube channel and will also be released on all music streaming platforms 2nd June! Enjoy Metalheads!"

When Rahman's participation in ACCEPT's February 2023 shows was first announced, the band said in a statement: "Ava has performed all over the globe as a Soloist from Carnegie Hall to the Berlin Philharmonic. We first met and collaborated with her on our 'Symphonic Terror' tour in 2019 where she 'duelled' with [ACCEPT guitarist] Wolf Hoffmann on many musical pieces and we couldn't think of a better fit for a hot musical Delilah!;-)"

In April 2022, Rahman announced via Instagram that she had been romantically involved with Hoffmann for the previous three years, calling it a "mad, crazy messy, blissful, soaring, heart-breaking heart-healing union and love". She added: "We came together through music… He asked me to be the solo violinist on his #Symphonicterror tour. We first fell for the way each other played .. the others musicality, phrasing, the handling of our instruments, the tone….the sound of souls inside the music. To say we have am insane musical connection is an understatement! As a professional musician, I know how rare it is to have THAT chemistry with another colleague. Let alone between a classical violinist and metal guitarist! The chemistry of not even needing to to read or look at the other to play in perfect unison. Familiar yet thrilling. Little did we know at the time we would end up in the most extraordinarily loving relationship of our lives as man and woman… Especially as he had been with a partner for 40 years and I had built a whole life with someone else. It wasn't an easy ride to get where we are but Life truly is full of wonder when we keep opening our hearts over and over again…"

Wolf had previously been married to Gaby Hoffmann, who had served as ACCEPT's longtime manager, designer and lyricist virtually since the band's inception.

In July 2019, it was announced that Gaby was officially retiring, with an official statement on ACCEPT's web site explaining that she was "a bit tired after many years of intense activity, and she needs some rest and time for herself. It's not a farewell," the statement added. "Her heart will still be with us, but she won't engage in professional activities anymore."

In a 2014 interview with MusicInterviewCorner, Wolf credited his then-wife with coming up with the visual imagery for ACCEPT. He explained: "Well, my wife and our manager, Gaby, has a lot of these ideas over the years; she's responsible for a lot of the lyrics and a lot of the album covers, a lot of ideas. Everything around the band, really, in one way or another way goes back to her ideas. She's really the invisible, silent force behind this band. Sometimes we're just like puppets on a string and she's guiding us from above. A mind controller."

Asked if it's an advantage being married to the band's manager, Wolf said: "Of course it is. It can be a disadvantage too, because you've gotta do what she says a lot of times."

After then-ACCEPT bassist Peter Baltes denied that he was jealous about the fact that Wolf was married to ACCEPT's manager, Hoffmann said: "This has been going on for so long. I mean, I've known Peter for, what? 40 years now. Can you imagine? We've been playing and writing songs together for all these years, so something seems to work here."

Baltes exited ACCEPT in November 2018 after 42 years with the band.

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, producer Bob Rock (pictured) once again defended his work on METALLICA's controversial 2003 LP "St. Anger" by saying that both LED ZEPPELIN legend Jimmy Page and former THE WHITE STRIPES frontman Jack White took the time to say how much they liked that album.

According to Rock, White's praise came at a screening of the documentary "It Might Get Loud", which co-starred Page. "I happened to be in Toronto [at the premiere of the film and Jack] came up to me from across the room, and he says, 'By the way, I love 'St. Anger'. It's an amazing album.' And [then] he left," Bob recalled.

Page expressed his appreciation for the CD when the produced ran into the guitarist while they were both eating breakfast at hotel.

"Jimmy Page — not to drop names, but he's kind of a friend — he was at the Sunset Marquis [in Los Angeles]. He was sitting, eating breakfast on the other side of the pool. And somebody walked by and said, 'I'm here seeing Bob Rock.' Jimmy said, 'Oh, Bob's here?' He came over and talked to me, which blew my mind, coming from Winnipeg — that Jimmy Page even knows my name, you know? And he said, 'By the way, I love 'St. Anger'. It's a great album.'

Rock went on to say that praise from White and Page makes up for some of the criticism of the LP from other listeners.

"So I'm okay," he said. "Those two guys bought the record. With those two [liking it], I'm fine, right?"

Back in 2015, Rock acknowledged that "St. Anger" wasn't embraced by many METALLICA fans, who criticized it for its lack of guitar solos, extended riffs, its raw production and the thin drum sound.

"It's a very odd record," he conceded to "Talk Is Jericho" at the time. "But it is… It's the truth. It's the raw truth about them at that time."

Rock also addressed the drum-sound controversy, explaining: "People comment about the sound, but when we went in, I said to them, 'I can't set up the drums exactly the same way. I can't do that.' It's like, why does metal music have to have this certain sound before it's metal? So I kicked the can a bit in that way."

He continued: "We could talk about this for a long time, but, really, the sound of the drums on that, I got the first set that [Lars Ulrich] ever used when they rehearsed in the house in Oakland, when they first got together. I set it up and Lars stared at it, right? For, like, months. And then one day he sat down and played, and it was ringing and it was raw, and he said, 'This is it.'"

Rock also discussed the lack of solos on the album. According to the producer, "Lars said, 'No guitar solos.' And [James Hetfield] and I are going, 'But … that's what [Kirk Hammett] does.' So every song, Kirk comes in and plays a solo, and if it doesn't make the song better, we're not using it — and we went through the whole album like that."

Ulrich admitted to The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the band was surprised by the hostile reaction to "St. Anger" by many fans. "It threw us a little bit, sure, 'cause the whole thing was to just keep it as raw as possible," he said. "And I'd like to think that we accomplished that [laughs], to the point of obviously a little too raw for some people, and that's okay. I mean, it is what it is. I have not one regret about it. I'm proud of it, proud that we had the balls to see it through."

Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Ulrich defended the drum sound on "St. Anger". He said: "That was on purpose. It wasn't like we put it out and somebody went, "Whoa! Whoops!" I view 'St. Anger' as an isolated experiment. I'm the biggest METALLICA fan, you've got to remember that. Once again, as we've been known to do, once in a while these boundaries have to be fucked with. We'd already done 'Ride The Lightning', which I believe is a fine record. It didn't need to be re-done."

He continued: "When we heard the record from beginning to end, I felt — and it was mostly me — that the experience was so pummeling, it became almost about hurting the listener, about challenging the listener, so we left the songs unedited. I can understand that people felt it was too long."

"St. Anger" was released in June 2003 at the end of a turbulent two-year period in which bassist Jason Newsted left the group, James Hetfield went for a lengthy stay in rehab, and the entire band threatened to break apart. The album's raw, lo-fi production, lack of guitar solos and unorthodox sound were not well-received by many of the group's fans, who still often cite it as METALLICA's worst record. "St. Anger" has nevertheless sold more than six million copies worldwide, although fans have generally not warmed up to it in the 20 years since its release.

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox have just unleashed their latest Sunday Lunch, a cover of Golden Earring’s smash hit Radar Love”. 





Toyah & Robert's Sunday Lunch is going on tour throughout the UK in September and October. The couple will be accompanied by a live band, with Fripp on guitar.




Tickets are available here.





Says Toyah: “When people ask, 'What is the show going to be?', it’s going to be about the hundred years of musical experience we have between us.”


Watch the "Toyah At Home" video below, where Toyah and Robert introduce the tour concept:

Former Burning Witches vocalist Seraina Telli has released "Hit Shit," the first single from the upcoming studio album, Addicted To Color, which will be released on August 18th via Metalville Records. Check out the offcial video below.





Sassy, loud, and even more colorful is Seraina Telli's second solo album, which couldn't be more aptly named: Addicted to Color.




The brand-new tracks on the follow-up to the successful debut album Simple Talk by the Swiss multi-talent captivate with their irresistibly catchy and fresh songwriting that captivates from the first to the last breath. While Seraina's singing was already impressive on the first album, the artist has now taken it up a notch with a real powerhouse performance.


The lyrics of the new songs are also convincing with their forceful messages and courageous statements. The album was once again created in collaboration with Rico H as producer.


Seraina Telli combines great songwriting, vocal power, musical versatility, artistic depth, and a really strong attitude paired with authenticity. Addicted To Color sends the listener on a musical journey that one wishes would never end.





Tracklist:


"Song For The Girls"
"Monkey & Zookeeper"
"Left Behind"
"Addicted To Color"
"The Harder Way"
"Wish You Well"
"Hit Shit"
"Spaceman"
"If No One Else Had Ever Been There Before"
"Colors Of My Soul"
"Be Somebody"
"Think"
"All Your Tears"

In celebration of EVANESCENCE's debut album, "Fallen", turning 20 years old, the band's founding guitarist Ben Moody has reimagined songs from the LP and is in the process of uploading the results to his YouTube channel. Check out the second reimagined track, "Tourniquet", below.

"Fallen" was recently certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) commemorating sales and streams of ten million units in the United States.

Led by the smash single "Bring Me To Life", which also appeared on the soundtrack to the movie "Daredevil", "Fallen" yielded three more singles with "Going Under", "My Immortal" and "Everybody's Fool". EVANESCENCE also won Grammys in 2004 for "Best New Artist" and "Best Hard Rock Performance".

Asked in a 2022 interview with Rock Sound if there were any plans for EVANESCENCE to commemorate "Fallen"'s 20th anniversary in 2023, singer Amy Lee said: "I do have an idea. It's gonna take a little bit of work. But I think it probably won't be what everybody expects. I think everybody just is, 'Oh, why don't you do a show that's, like, [playing] the album front to back?' We've been playing so many shows, I would rather do something that, to me… I don't know. I don't wanna give it away, in case it doesn't work out. Maybe I'll do nothing. Expect nothing, and then if I do something, you'll be really, really grateful. [Laughs]"

Amy also talked about the fact that "Bring Me To Life" experienced a resurgence last summer, 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, reached No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes chart in August 2022.

"It is satisfying," Lee said about the track's renewed popularity. "And it's cool now, because I remember a lot of the feeling in the beginning. It was so much about, like, 'What's next?' And, 'Are we gonna be able to make it?' And, 'Are we gonna be able to survive?' And, 'Are people gonna listen to our next song?' And, 'What about the next record?' And just getting to the next place always.

"There is an element to a song like 'Bring Me To Life' that didn't exist before, which is this nostalgia," she explained. "The song has grown live. It's something that we've added to. But part of how it's grown is with its history and with what it means to everybody in the room. It's not something new; it's just something that you already have known for so long that has a place in your heart. It's just able to be more than it would have been then. So I, in a lot of ways, love it more than I did."

The success of "Fallen" led to turmoil within the group, as Moody left in late 2003, leaving Lee as the only original member of the band.

In 2010, Moodygave a lengthy explanation for why he left EVANESCENCE while promoting his soundalike band called WE ARE THE FALLEN with other former EVANESCENCE members (John LeCompt on guitar and Rocky Gray on drums) along with "American Idol" powerhouse vocalist Carly Smithson and bassist Marty O'Brien.

Lee continued with new members, and EVANESCENCE issued "The Open Door" in 2006. While a hit, it did not equal the sales of "Fallen". Lee told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that she wasn't concerned about matching the previous album's success. "I just haven't ever looked at it that way," she said. "'Fallen' is a great record, but I don't think you can try to match the success of another body of work. I think that's only gonna frustrate you. And if, honestly if what you really care about is record sales and money, there's no way you're gonna make a great piece of art, because then you're just gonna get all confused and make something ingenuine."

In February 2022, EVANESCENCE's music video for "Bring Me To Life" — which featured guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 STONES — 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 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.

In March 2021, Lee told Alternative Press that EVANESCENCE's original record label Wind Up threatened not to release "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.

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.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN kicked off their "The Future Past Tour" earlier today (Sunday, May 28) in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

"The Future Past Tour" features previously unperformed songs from the band's most recent studio album, "Senjutsu", along with a focus on 1986's "Somewhere In Time" LP, plus other classic cuts.

IRON MAIDEN's 15-song set at the 12,000-capacity Arena Stožice included the live debuts of "Days Of Future Past", "The Time Machine", "Death Of The Celts" and "Hell On Earth" from "Senjutsu", along with "Alexander The Great" from "Somewhere In Time".

The setlist was as follows:

01. Caught Somewhere In Time (first live performance since 1987)
02. Stranger In A Strange Land (first live performance since 1999)
03. The Writing On The Wall
04. Days Of Future Past (live debut)
05. The Time Machine (live debut)
06. The Prisoner (first live performance since 2014)
07. Death Of The Celts (live debut)
08. Can I Play With Madness (first live performance since 2014)
09. Heaven Can Wait (first live performance since 2008)
10. Alexander The Great (live debut)
11. Fear Of The Dark
12. Iron Maiden

Encore:

13. Hell On Earth (live debut)
14. The Trooper
15. Wasted Years

Asked in a radio interview a number of years ago why IRON MAIDEN had never played "Alexander The Great" live, singer Bruce Dickinson answered, "Because Adrian [Smith, guitar] can't remember the guitar solo." While Dickinson may have been joking, he did go on to say that, when the song was originally written, they put the solo through a load of then-very-advanced music computer wizardry, and it just couldn't figure out the time signature.

"Senjutsu" came out in September 2021. It marked MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.

IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, "Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

Fan-filmed video of the sixth show of METALLICA's "M72" world tour, which took place Sunday night (May 28) at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany can be seen below.

The trek, which launched in late April in Amsterdam, sees the band playing two nights in every city it visits — with each "No Repeat Weekend" featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour features a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age.

METALLICA launched the second Hamburg show with "For Whom The Bell Tolls" from the band's second album, "Ride The Lightning", which came out in 1984. The group's 16-song set also included three new songs from METALLICA's latest LP, "72 Seasons": "Lux Æterna", "Screaming Suicide" and "Sleepwalk My Life Away".

The setlist was as follows:

01. For Whom The Bell Tolls
02. Ride The Lightning
03. Through The Never (tour debut)
04. King Nothing
05. Lux Æterna
06. Screaming Suicide
07. Fade To Black
08. Sleepwalk My Life Away
09. Orion
10. Nothing Else Matters
11. Sad But True
12. The Day That Never Comes
13. Blackened
14. Fuel
15. Seek & Destroy
16. Master Of Puppets

Opening acts on the tour include Floor Jansen, EPICA, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, MAMMOTH WVH, PANTERA, ARCHITECTS, GRETA VAN FLEET and VOLBEAT.

METALLICA promises fans who purchase a two-day ticket that they won't see the same song twice for a total of over 30 songs spanning the band's 40-plus-year career.

Each weekend offers a variety of "Enhanced Experiences", ranging from access to a meet-and-greet, production and stage tour, food and beverage in the "Black Box" lounge to early entry into the venue and the Snake Pit. The very popular "Black Laminate" is back, now known as the "I Disappear Ticket", and is the ultimate pass for the fan who wants to run away with METALLICA for multiple weekends.

A single "I Disappear" ticket purchase gives you access to as many of METALLICA's 46 headlining tour dates across Europe and North America in 2023 and 2024 as you choose. You decide how many shows you'd like to attend around the world, and for how long, and METALLICA will make it as easy as possible.

According to Billboard, "72 Seasons" sold 146,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marks the band's 12th Top 10-charting album, of which eight have reached the top two.

"72 Seasons" had the biggest week for any rock or hard rock album since TOOL's "Fear Inoculum" arrived in September 2019 with 270,000 equivalent album units.

"72 Seasons" was released on April 14 via METALLICA's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, it is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

Speaking of the album-making process, Ulrich explained: "It's one of the only things that hasn't changed in 40 years. There'll be a whole slew of riffs and jams and sound checks, then it falls into my lap to go through them and identify, 'That one's great, that one's good, maybe there's a song over here.'"

Regarding the fact that guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo were given writing credits on more than half of "72 Seasons", Hetfield told the Associated Press: "All four guys were on the floor when we were writing, which is new for us. Usually it's just Lars and I sitting out there hashing it out. It felt really great to have the energy of all four. There's a lot more democracy on this album. Lars and I gave up the steering wheel a little more than usual."

Hammett agreed, saying: "It was much more collaborative. The attitude was just more open. There is less limitations on everyone's creativity and I think that shows."

In the seven years since the arrival of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", METALLICA has reissued some of its classic albums, released a second live album with the San Francisco Symphony, commissioned a covers album featuring the likes of GHOST, VOLBEAT, WEEZER, Corey Taylor and THE HU, and landed on the Billboard songs chart with "Master Of Puppets" after a prominent placement in the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things".
🇩🇪 TONIGHT 🇩🇪

Get ready for night two of the #M72 World Tour “No Repeat Weekend" in Hamburg!

Use #M72Hamburg when sharing your pics so we can see all your German shenanigans!

Posters from both shows, created by Mick Cassidy, will only be available for purchase at the venue. pic.twitter.com/eJFejKIM6S

— Metallica (@Metallica) May 28, 2023

In a new interview with Real Music With Gary Stuckey, Joe Lynn Turner was asked what his first reaction was when people said he had "big shoes to fill" by joining RAINBOW following the departure of legendary singer Ronnie James Dio. (Graham Bonnet briefly sang for RAINBOW in 1979 after Dio and lasted only one album, "Down To Earth", before being replaced by Turner.) Joe, who fronted RAINBOW from 1980 to 1984, helping them score the biggest American hits of their long career, including "Stone Cold" and "Street Of Dreams", responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'll give you the exact quote. I think it was Kerrang! magazine way back when, and they said, 'Oh, you've got big shoes to fill.' And I turned around, arrogantly, and said, 'I'm gonna make my own footprints.' … 'I'm gonna be me. I'm gonna sing like me. I'm gonna write like me. I'm gonna do what I do.' Actually, I was doing also what I was hired to do. [Ritchie] Blackmore wanted a more commercial aspect to his music. He wanted to chart. He wanted to get on Billboard. He wanted to get in the Top 10. His favorite band — one of 'em, anyway — is ABBA. The metal god. ABBA!

"When we were writing our songs, we kept the hard rock integrity of the music, but at the same time we came up with our 'Stone Cold's and 'Street Of Dreams' and 'Can't Let You Go' — things that hit the popular market and got us not only chart recognition, but we sold more records and we played bigger concerts and the band elevated. And that was the idea behind it all. So when I used to take crap about being, 'Oh, he's a pop singer' — I'm doing my job. This is what we wanted to do. I said, 'Look, this is my job. I'll take the job.' You tell me one guy, if they get offered that gig, they wouldn't take it. Now, whether they could do it or not, I don't know. If they had the abilities… But you tell me somebody who ain't gonna take that gig. I'll take the gig. And we were genuine. Integrity."

Last month, Turner spoke about how he landed the RAINBOW gig in an interview with Rolling Stone. He said: "It was after FANDANGO broke up. I'm living downtown in the West Village in a one-room studio apartment, looking for gigs, going to auditions with a guitar on my back. I was running out of money. One day, I get a call. It's a guy named Barry. I later found out it was Barry Ambrosio. He happened to be Ritchie's personal assistant. He didn't let on who he was at first. He was just asking a lot of questions. I was like, 'Hey, who is this?' I thought it was a friend of a friend putting me on. He was, like, 'Do you like DEEP PURPLE? Do you like Ritchie Blackmore? I was, like, 'Look, I'm going to hang up right now because this is ridiculous. Who the hell are you?' He goes, 'I'm Barry. I'm Ritchie's personal. He's standing right here and wants to talk to you.' He gets on the phone and is like, [British accent] 'Hey, mate. Fancy coming to an audition?' I was, like, 'Who is this really?' He goes, 'It's me.' I didn't believe him. He said, 'Look, I'm going to put you on the phone with Colin Hart, the tour manager, and he's going to give you the details and directions.' Colin got me a train ticket and picked me up in Syosset, Long Island, to go to the studio, which was Syosset Sound. That's where I met Ritchie and [DEEP PURPLE/RAINBOW bassist] Roger [Glover] at the desk. After about five or ten minutes, they were, like, 'Now get in there and sing at the mic.' The rest is history."

Asked how anxious he was at the moment he walked up to the mic, Turner said: "I was anxious, but I needed a gig, so I was really more concentrated on, 'I want this job.' I didn't even realize at the time how big it was. I think that helped the nerves, a bit. I just love Blackmore and was thrilled. At the same time, I was so desperate for a gig that I just … All my will and everything just rose up and went, 'You're going to kill this on the mic right now. You're going to do whatever you got to do.' They started throwing tracks at me. Then they said, 'We've got a song called 'I Surrender'. We'd like you to sing it.' I said, 'Sure. Let me hear it two or three times.' And so they did. I went, 'Can I change some things?' They said, 'Yeah. Do what you want.' I sang it my way. Later I got accolades from ['I Surrender' songwriter] Russ Ballard saying that I delivered a wonderful performance and different structures on some of the melody lines. He wouldn't give me any writing credit, but that doesn't matter. The song was a Number Three [hit]. We did really well with that. But that's what sold them, and the fact that I could write. I have a writing pad with me all the time. I'm always writing lyrics, poetry, call it what you want. A lot of the tracks that they threw at me had nothing on them, so I had to make up melodies and lyrics right there."

Joe sang on the RAINBOW album "Difficult To Cure", which featured the band's most successful U.K. single, "I Surrender".

During Turner's time with RAINBOW, the band had its first USA chart success and recorded songs that helped define the melodic rock genre.

Photo credit: Agata Nigrovskaya

The RichG LIVE YouTube channel has uploaded video of KING'S X's May 27 performance at the RISE Rooftop in Houston, Texas. Check out the clips below.

The power trio, which has been in existence for more than four decades, will play the following additional shows this spring and summer:

Jun. 8 - Kiva Auditorium at the Albuquerque Convention Center – Albuquerque, NM
Jun. 10 - The Armory Performing Arts Center - Brighton, CO
Jul. 13 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
Jul. 15 - Brooklyn Bowl Nashville - Nashville, TN
Jul. 16 - Buckhead Theatre - Atlanta, GA
Aug. 3 - Sellersville Theater - Sellersville, PA
Aug. 4 - Count Basie Center for the Arts - Red Bank, NJ
Aug. 5 - Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts - Patchogue, NY
Sep. 8 - Robins Theatre - Warren, OH
Sep. 9 - The King Of Clubs - Columbus, OH
Sep. 10 - Blue Note Harrison - Harrison, OH

In a November 2022 interview with Metallerium, KING'S X frontman Doug "Dug" Pinnick spoke about the decline of the music industry as consumers value access over ownership and experiences over assets. Asked how the industry has changed since his band released its debut album, "Out Of The Silent Planet", nearly three and a half decades ago, he said: "It's pretty completely different. [Laughs] When our first record came out, there was MTV and there was radio, and that's what everybody listened to. And now there's not a lot of radio airplay and there's no MTV. So there's a whole new world and several new generations of kids out there that have a different take on the world, have different experiences that I'll never have.

"Music always progresses," he continued. "In the 1980s, they invented a drum machines, and so drummers had to deal with a drum machine. We learn with whatever comes our way. People don't buy CDs anymore — they stream — so there's no money to be made on streaming, so you go on tour to make money and you sell your merch. There's always ways to make it work if you really wanna do this."

Less than a year ago, Pinnick told Reno's rock radio station Rock 104.5, that KING'S X has "never been profitable. We've never recouped all the [funds] that the record companies put into us," he revealed. "Even [our current label] InsideOut, we owe them a couple of hundred thousand [dollars], 'cause they haven't recouped from the last couple of records. [Our former label] Atlantic Records we owe five million or four million to — something like that… Three — I'm not sure. It's in the millions somewhere they spent on us. Everybody that's ever signed us has always lost money, and so we've never made any money off of record sales. The only way we make a living is going on tour, and hopefully when people come to see us play we'll get a paycheck for that and merchandise. And KING'S X fans love to buy our merch 'cause they know that that's what supports us. But other than that, sometimes — well, not sometimes. We all have to do outside things to make ends meet."

He continued: "I just do side projects. I go get a record deal and pay the bills for a couple of months. Ty [Tabor, guitar] masters things; Jerry [Gaskill, drums] does stuff. None of us go to nine-to-five jobs; we don't do that. But something about what we can do. We have value in the marketplace, so we can do clinics, we can do things like that. Or I do handwritten lyrics — KING'S X lyrics that I wrote, I'll write 'em out on black paper in silver ink, sign it and put a date on it. I've written hundreds of them. … So it all works out. And at my age now, I get social security. And when I started getting social security about three years ago, that's when I stopped worrying because my social security will pay my rent. The rest of it I can do. I can get on a street corner and play guitar and I can get five dollars. I can call a friend up and say, 'Hey, I ain't got no money. Can you feed me today?' And they'll say, 'Yeah, let's eat.' But paying your rent — you want your rent paid; you don't want to depend on other people. And also I have a dUg [signature] pedal and I have a signature bass and a 12-string bass, and people buy 'em. And so every now and then I get that six-month check, which helps. So it's all good."

KING'S X released its 13th studio album, "Three Sides Of One", in September. The LP was recorded during 2019 at Black Sound Studio in Pasadena, California with Emmy Award-winning producer Michael Parnin.

The new KING'S X LP was mastered in June 2021 at the Bernie Grundman Mastering facility in Hollywood, California,

KING'S X was sidelined by several health scares in recent years, including Pinnick's two hernia operations and two near-fatal heart attacks suffered by Gaskill.

In October 2019, KING'S X canceled all of its previously announced tour dates for the year so that Gaskill could undergo undisclosed heart "procedures."

"XV" was KING'S X's highest-charting album since 1996's "Ear Candy".

In 2005, VH1 included KING'S X in its list of "100 Greatest Artists In Hard Rock.

Video credit: RichG LIVE YouTube channel

Posted by RISE Rooftop on Monday, May 15, 2023

The porcelmc and Metal Steve YouTube channels have uploaded video of SHADOWS FALL's May 27 performance at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Check out the clips below.

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The Jasta Show" podcast, SHADOWS FALL singer Brian Fair spoke about the possibility of new music from the long-running Massachusetts-based outfit. He said: "I will finally say there are riffs that are turning into skeletons that might become songs. Now, what happens with them, where they go, we'll see. But once we started jamming [for the recent reunion shows], we were, like, 'What's the point of doing this without writing new riffs?' And we had to make sure they were gonna sound like SHADOWS FALL; we didn't wanna come out of nowhere with something different, out of left field. But so far, they're coming together, man, and I'm stoked on what I'm hearing. So hopefully that'll continue, that'll continue on. But as far as dropping a whole record… Who knows? These days it's different anyway. Shit, we can just drop a few random singles and then see where it goes. But I'm excited that we're writing, that we're doing things. And so far what I've heard has been amazing… I haven't really committed, but we are finally getting our shit together and getting some riffs together."

Fair went on to say that SHADOWS FALL is not currently signed to any record label. "We're free and clear," he explained. "We were luckily free and clear for a while, so even our last couple of records were done kind of on our own terms."

SHADOWS FALL played its first reunion show in December 2021 at The Palladium in Worcester in the band's native Massachusetts. Fair and his bandmates also performed at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia and at the Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama.

Asked by host Jamey Jasta if SHADOWS FALL would be open to going out on a more extensive tour, possibly as the support act for an arena band, Fair said: "We're not averse to that. It takes a lot of logistics now, with the rest of my guys being in legendary thrash bands, like ANTHRAX and OVERKILL and whatnot. But if we can do it, we would love to. Right now, festivals have been something we can pull off. But I would love to do short tours or even a month-long tour. Or at least some long weekends where we hit each coast or do New England and then Midwest and then a West Coast thing. But we'll see. We're not saying 'no' to anything. We're gonna listen. So we'll see, if things make sense and if we can make it work."

He added: "I've been in dad mode, just working nine to five for a while, so getting back on the pirate ship is pretty enticing at this point."

SHADOWS FALL released a statement in August 2014 in which the bandmembers explained that financial difficulties made it virtually impossible for the group to continue as a full-time concern.

In August 2015, SHADOWS FALL played a few reunion shows on the U.S. East Coast, one year after completing what was being billed at the time as the band's "final" European tour.

SHADOWS FALL's latest album, "Fire From The Sky", released in May 2012 via Razor & Tie. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart.

SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner is currently playing with OVERKILL, while guitarist Jon Donais is a member of ANTHRAX.

Donais and SHADOWS FALL guitarist Matt Bachand recently launched a new project called LIVING WRECKAGE, in which they are joined by guitarist Matt LeBreton (DOWNPOUR),drummer Jon Morency (LET US PREY) and vocalist Jeff GardDEATH RAY VISION.

Former MACHINE HEAD and current VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel played his first show with TESTAMENT last night (Saturday, May 27) at the Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Demmel is filling in for TESTAMENT's regular lead guitarist Alex Skolnick, who is sitting out some of the band's spring/summer 2023 European tour dates in order to tend to a family emergency.

Because Demmel had a gig scheduled with VIO-LENCE at the Milwaukee Metal Fest on Friday (May 26),TESTAMENT performed as a four-piece at the kick-off concert of its European tour that same night in Wiesbaden, Germany.

This past Wednesday (May 24),Skolnick released the following statement via social media: "Dear Friends, a few days ago, I sent a late night 'family emergency' email to the band. The hour was 3am. I was at my mother's hospital bedside, in a tiny chair, still in stage clothes, a soft guitar case crammed in the corner (I'd come straight from my gig downtown). Thankfully, things have improved somewhat, knock on wood, and my mom's out of the Emergency Room, in more comfortable surroundings at the hospital, with release in the (hopefully) not too distant future. It's a good thing I happened to be home during such a turbulent week.

"At the same time, it's become very clear how many urgent matters need hands-on attention by yours truly, in light of all this. All of which to is to say that, unfortunately, there is no way to avoid TESTAMENT's upcoming European tour being affected.

"At least there is protocol for these situations. At this point, TESTAMENT had done an untold number of tours with bands in which one or more band members have had to be filled in for, most often for family issues (which become more frequent for everyone as life goes on). And having assessed this situation, it seems to make the most sense - assuming things continue in a present positive direction - for me to sit out part of this current tour and rejoin approximately mid-way. While I hate to miss/cancel shows (and never have, as far as I can remember),family first, as they say.

"Please know that the entire TESTAMENT band/crew/mgmt has been above and beyond in terms of understanding, empathizing and allowing me all the time I need. There's been no pressure and this is a plan I'm entirely on board with. There is plenty of gratitude on my end.

"I'm also grateful to my sub for these dates, Phil Demmel (ex-MACHINE HEAD). If bands are families, he is our 'Cousin Phil.' We have shared stages at NAMM and the with METAL ALLEGIANCE and he and Chuck [Billy, TESTAMENT singer] go back to their early youth. In recent years, Phil has become like Winston Wolf (from 'Pulp Fiction'),the guy you call in a pinch, whether you're SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD (for guitar or bass),OVERKILL and even vocals in JOURNEY - ok that's not true (but there is a funny meme about that). Eric Peterson will also be stepping in for some of my sections as well. Having played with both, I just know these guys will sound fantastic together, like a thrash MAIDEN. Will it sound like me? No and it shouldn't.

"One of my biggest honors was being a fill-in (one of four) for the late, great Allan Holdsworth, with his own band shortly after his passing, at a show he‘d been slated to play. All of us agreed - don't try to be him (no one can!),just be YOU. And that's how this is going to be. Think of these shows as unique, one-of-kind and worth going out of the way for. I'm looking forward to watching clips online

"Enjoy this temporary version of the band (which will be great) and don't worry - you'll have me to put up with again soon enough.

"Thanks for understanding, and see you all shortly."

Demmel's appearance with TESTAMENT will mark his fourth high-profile fill-in gig in five years. Demmel stepped in for SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt for four European shows in the fall of 2018 after Gary returned home to be with his dying father. Demmel also subbed for Dave Linsk at OVERKILL's November 13, 2021 concert at The Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey and on the band's spring 2022 U.S. tour. More recently, Phil stepped in for Willie Adler on a number of international LAMB OF GOD shows. He also filled in for LAMB OF GOD's John Campbell when the bassist had to miss a couple of shows on "The Metal Tour Of The Year" in order to "take care a family matter back home."

In a February 2022 interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Demmel discussed how he became such an in-demand hired gun. "The SLAYER thing happened within 24 hours of me quitting MACHINE HEAD," he said. "I think [SLAYER drummer] Paul Bostaph's girlfriend knew that MACHINE HEAD was done and knew that I was home, so they reached out for that. As the urban legend goes [laughs], I had three hours to learn 19 songs. It was pretty successful; a fill-in trip, one of the higher-profile things you can imagine — SLAYER on their final world tour. I filled in for my buddies in NONPOINT, too. The OVERKILL gig was more about me and Bobby [Ellsworth, vocals] doing the BPMD record together [2020's 'American Made']. We're familiar and I got the rep of being able to learn songs pretty quick. The METAL ALLEGIANCE, guys, too. I'll play 25 songs with them in a night. It's one of those quirky things where I can learn songs pretty quickly and I can pick them up pretty quick."

Demmel was then asked whether his nerves for the LAMB OF GOD and OVERKILL gigs were on the same level as playing with SLAYER. "I was pretty confident with the OVERKILL songs," he said. "We had three good rehearsals. I didn't rehearse with SLAYER at all. I played two songs at a soundcheck. [Laughs] 'Okay, we're good!' It's like, 'Fuck!' OVERKILL, we had a couple of days of rehearsal. I had two and a half, three weeks to prepare for that. I felt pretty strong with that.

"The LAMB OF GOD gig, that was a big deal. They had approached me before their MEGADETH States tour last summer and wanted me to learn both parts, Mark [Morton] and Willie's, just in case one got sick, they didn't want to cancel their tour. That's where I am: I'm their bullpen guy when one of them can't make the shows, I'm ready to go. It's such a high-profile band. I didn't want to go out there and blow it. I wanted the band to sound good. I wanted to keep that pride in what they are and not have a drop-off. Willie and I play differently. There's different vibrato in our left hand and pinkies. I didn't want there to be a drop-off. I wanted people to be not bummed that he wasn't there. And that's not a slag on Willie. If I went to see one of my favorite bands, let's say QUEENSRŸCHE. I want to see [Chris] DeGarmo, I want to see Michael Wilton. No slight against the other dudes, but they better fucking bring it if they're not going to be out there."

#rhf2023 TESTAMENT - OVER THE WALL

Posted by Nwobhm Gary on Saturday, May 27, 2023

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Triptykon, led by Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost, Hellhammer) performed a full set of Celtic Frost classics at Rock Hard Festival 2023 on May 26th. Check out the pro-shot livestream below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Into the Crypts of Rays"
"Visions of Mortality"
"Dethroned Emperor"
"Morbid Tales"
"Procreation (Of The Wicked)"
"Return to the Eve"
"Nocturnal Fear"
"Circle of the Tyrants"
"Visual Aggression"
"Suicidal Winds"
"The Usurper"
"Jewel Throne"
"Dawn of Megiddo"
"(Beyond The) North Winds"
"Necromantical Screams"







In late 2022, Tom G. Warrior was a guest on BraveWords' Streaming For Vengeance recently and the Celtic Frost legend talked about the mega Danse Macabre box set which captures the radical ambition and evolution of the band from 1984 through to 1987. Here is an excerpt from our chat.



BraveWords: Arguably, people say that the artwork for To Mega Therion is one of the greatest in metal history. Explain how you got the rights and acquired it. Did you have to pay Giger money, or what was the deal?


Warrior: "Well, Martin (Ain) and I had pored over H.R. Giger's Necronomicon (originally published in 1977), his oversized, standard work constantly. It was basically our bible, we looked at it literally every day. And of course we loved the Satan 1 painting. When we wrote to him in late '83, when I wrote to him in my little letter, handwritten letter, we mentioned that painting and said if it's at all possible, would it be possible to do a collaboration with this painting? And to our astonishment he actually responded. He called us and his then wife also called us, who did his administration at the time, and we began to have regular phone calls, we began to have regular letter exchanges. It was of course before email and so on, and he told me on the phone one day that he had just finished what he called The Red Phase, a series of paintings in red paint, and he said his favourite painting of the series is the only one that hasn't been published yet, and he said, 'If you're agreed to also use that red painting (called Victory III) that I love so much, and put it also on the album, I'll give you the Satan 1 for free'."


BraveWords: Wow. 


Warrior: “For us being total nobodies, and not even having been sure if he would even talk about Satan 1 for us, the offer of two Giger paintings was jaw dropping, really. Of course we said yes, and it was an honour for us to also publish the red painting, Victory. The big obstacle to this was to talk the record company into financing a gatefold album so we could have both artworks."



BraveWords: That must have been a huge battle. 


Warrior: "It was. Because again, the record company didn't really realize that this was a sensation, that Giger was actually collaborating with this little Swiss band. But we managed to convince them and the rest is history, I guess."



BraveWords: How do you think the catalogue has aged over time? When you were creating it, and this is a very general question, did you feel like you were creating something special?


Warrior: "We didn't look at it so globally, we looked at it much more privately, much more intimately. We didn't create to make an impact, we created because we had something inside of us that screamed to be let out, probably based on the conditions of our upbringing, of our youth. Both Martin and I, and also Steve Warrior from Hellhammer, we all had quite a difficult youth, and I think the music we created was a reflection of that. So, we didn't want to leave an impression, we really, first and foremost, it was a very personal thing. What it achieved afterwards was of course out of our hands, and I'm hugely grateful for having found an audience, and the audience being true to me for such a long time. That's a gargantuan gift. As for your question about how the catalogue has aged, well Celtic Frost was a very ambitious, courageous, and daring band, and we did a lot of experiments. Some of those worked and have aged quite well, some of those failed miserably and have aged accordingly. But that comes with the territory. If you try to reinvent yourself on every album, you're bound to sometimes hit a wall. Not that that's an excuse, we should have been more diligent I guess, in some of the albums, especially me, but live and learn. I think the first three albums, Morbid Tales, To Mega Therion, Into The Pandemonium, have aged very well. The last one, Monotheist, so far has also aged very well. The others, there's an album that is unbearably bad and there's an album that's basically irrelevant. It's okay, but it's irrelevant in that catalogue. That's my personal view of it."


Watch the entire chat on BraveWords' Streaming For Vengeance below:




 








(Band photo credit: Sergio Archetti in Basserdorf, Switzerland, April 1985)

MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn joined ANTHRAX on stage Saturday night (May 27) at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to perform the classic ANTHRAX song "I Am The Law". Video of his appearance can be seen below.

Flynn previously played "I Am The Law" with ANTHRAX on February 18 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California.

ANTHRAX performed at the Milwaukee Metal Fest without longtime drummer Charlie Benante, who was scheduled to play two shows with PANTERA in Europe this weekend, including a May 27 concert in Bucharest, Romania. Filling in for Benante in Milwaukee was Derek Roddy, who has previously played with HATE ETERNAL, NILE, MALEVOLENT CREATION and TODAY IS THE DAY, among others.

Roddy previously filled in for Benante this past January when Charlie was forced to miss a few shows on ANTHRAX's North American tour with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and EXODUS in order to undergo an undisclosed operation.

ANTHRAX played its first concert with Roddy on January 20 at the PNE Forum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Beginning around 2012, Benante missed certain shows on ANTHRAX's tours due to his long-running battle with carpal tunnel syndrome, a repetitive stress condition that happens when a person does repeated movements with the hand and wrist. He was replaced at the gigs initially by Jason Bittner (OVERKILL, SHADOWS FALL) and then by Jon Dette (SLAYER, TESTAMENT).

A few years ago, Charlie told San Antonio Metal Music Examiner about his inability to make all the dates on ANTHRAX's tours: "Unfortunately, we're like athletes, and like athletes, they suffer from certain things. I suffer from carpal tunnel problems. But I try and do as much as I could when I can. So we still wanna keep the band… We don't wanna disappoint people. So that's why we do it that way."

Two years ago, Benante spoke to the "Drum For The Song" podcast about how he was finally able to overcome his battle with carpal tunnel syndrome. He said: "I was suffering so much from it because I would go out and start playing the show, and then, by the fifth song, my hand would just go numb; I couldn't feel the stick. I tried so many different things, from acupuncture to physical therapy. I even had a can of the spray air that when you turn it upside down, it gets really cold — I would do that to try to get the feeling back. I tried so many things, but I knew at the end of the day I was gonna have to have the surgery. And Paiste cymbals referred me to a doctor that one of their other drummers went to and was such a great doctor. [He] talked me through the whole thing, and my recovery was quick, and, to this day, it's awesome."

Benante urged fellow drummers suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome to find a surgeon with experience and expertise in the condition before undergoing the operation. "Make sure you find a good doctor, because I've seen drummers that have had [huge] scars," he said. "And [on my arm] you can't even see anything, where he went in. So you have to be careful."

After 18 years, Swedish melodic death metal pioneers Hypocrisy finally returned to Wacken in 2022. Check out pro-shot video of "Eraser", "Chemical Whore" and "Roswell 47" below.





In November 2021, Hypocrisy released their 13th studio album, Worship, to massive acclaim from fans and media, ending up in the top ranks of many year’s poll lists and scoring some of their highest chart results to date.




Promoted on the band’s most extensive live cycle since ages, tracks like "Chemical Whore", "Children of the Gray" were very well received by their following, alongside such classic tracks as "Roswell 47", "Inferior Devoties", "Fractured Millennium" and "Eraser".


Hypocrisy toured the States, performed at festivals like Wacken, Summer Breeze, Maryland Deathfest, Alcatraz  to name but a few, played a highly successful European tour, and finished 2022 with an unforgettable trip to South America before launching 2023 aboard the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise.


But now, Hypocrisy and Nuclear Blast Records have started the first, and definitely not the final chapter, of a catalogue campaign bringing back all their legendary past records, some of which are much sought-after rarities.


“Chapter One” begins with classy vinyl and CD editions of Penetralia (1992), Osculum Obscenum (1993), The Fourth Dimension (1994), and Abducted (1996) on May 5.


Documenting the evolution from the violent and utterly morbid Masse Broberg fronted first two records, the much-revered opus The Fourth Dimension that showed a darker and more melodic approach until Abducted,  which includes live staple "Roswell 47", this first phase of Hypocrisy’s career laid down the groundwork for the Swedes trademark sound.


The 2023 reissues feature all original art with a few careful touchups - the band logo on Penetralia was for example never meant to be pink/purple - and preserve true death metal classics in an astonishing form that have been unavailable especially on LP for far too long.


Get ready to revisit one of the most consistent and dynamic discographies in the genre!





Order the following formats here, or here.


- Penetralia (Reissue 2023) Gatefold LP, CD
- Osculum Obscenum (Reissue 2023) Gatefold LP, CD
- The Fourth Dimension (Reissue 2023) Gatefold 2LP, CD
- Abducted (Reissue 2023) Gatefold LP, CD

Fan-filmed video of the fifth show of METALLICA's "M72" world tour, which took place Friday night (May 26) at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany can be seen below.

The trek, which launched in late April in Amsterdam, sees the band playing two nights in every city it visits — with each "No Repeat Weekend" featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour features a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age.

METALLICA launched the first Hamburg show with "Creeping Death", the first single from the band's second album, "Ride The Lightning", which came out in 1984. The group's 16-song set also included three new songs from METALLICA's latest LP, "72 Seasons": "If Darkness Had A Son", "You Must Burn!" and the title track.

The setlist was as follows:

01. Creeping Death
02. Harvester Of Sorrow
03. Leper Messiah
04. Until It Sleeps
05. 72 Seasons
06. If Darkness Had A Son
07. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
08. You Must Burn!
09. The Call Of Ktulu
10. The Unforgiven
11. Wherever I May Roam
12. Moth Into Flame
13. Battery
14. Whiskey In The Jar
15. One
16. Enter Sandman

Opening acts on the tour include Floor Jansen, EPICA, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, MAMMOTH WVH, PANTERA, ARCHITECTS, GRETA VAN FLEET and VOLBEAT.

METALLICA promises fans who purchase a two-day ticket that they won't see the same song twice for a total of over 30 songs spanning the band's 40-plus-year career.

Each weekend offers a variety of "Enhanced Experiences", ranging from access to a meet-and-greet, production and stage tour, food and beverage in the "Black Box" lounge to early entry into the venue and the Snake Pit. The very popular "Black Laminate" is back, now known as the "I Disappear Ticket", and is the ultimate pass for the fan who wants to run away with METALLICA for multiple weekends.

A single "I Disappear" ticket purchase gives you access to as many of METALLICA's 46 headlining tour dates across Europe and North America in 2023 and 2024 as you choose. You decide how many shows you'd like to attend around the world, and for how long, and METALLICA will make it as easy as possible.

According to Billboard, "72 Seasons" sold 146,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marks the band's 12th Top 10-charting album, of which eight have reached the top two.

"72 Seasons" had the biggest week for any rock or hard rock album since TOOL's "Fear Inoculum" arrived in September 2019 with 270,000 equivalent album units.

"72 Seasons" was released on April 14 via METALLICA's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, it is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

Speaking of the album-making process, Ulrich explained: "It's one of the only things that hasn't changed in 40 years. There'll be a whole slew of riffs and jams and sound checks, then it falls into my lap to go through them and identify, 'That one's great, that one's good, maybe there's a song over here.'"

Regarding the fact that guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo were given writing credits on more than half of "72 Seasons", Hetfield told the Associated Press: "All four guys were on the floor when we were writing, which is new for us. Usually it's just Lars and I sitting out there hashing it out. It felt really great to have the energy of all four. There's a lot more democracy on this album. Lars and I gave up the steering wheel a little more than usual."

Hammett agreed, saying: "It was much more collaborative. The attitude was just more open. There is less limitations on everyone's creativity and I think that shows."

In the seven years since the arrival of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", METALLICA has reissued some of its classic albums, released a second live album with the San Francisco Symphony, commissioned a covers album featuring the likes of GHOST, VOLBEAT, WEEZER, Corey Taylor and THE HU, and landed on the Billboard songs chart with "Master Of Puppets" after a prominent placement in the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things".
🇩🇪 TONIGHT IN HAMBURG 🇩🇪

The #M72 World Tour marches on to Hamburg for night 1 of our “No Repeat Weekend”!

Share what you're up to while you're in town with #M72Hamburg.

Posters from both shows, created by Mick Cassidy, will be available for purchase exclusively at the venue. pic.twitter.com/zqvpnrd3cB

— Metallica (@Metallica) May 26, 2023

PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo has publicly "disavowed" the Confederate flag.

The 54-year-old singer made the comment during the band's concert last night (Friday, May 26) in Bulgaria. He was addressing a fan in the audience who was displaying a sign that included Confederate flag imagery, something PANTERA had used as part of the band's stage production and in merchandise designs, including on the "Hesher Dream" shirt, which had been sold via the official PANTERA webstore in 2015.

Before launching into the closing song of PANTERA's set, "Cowboys From Hell", at Arena Sofia in Sofia, Philip told the crowd: "Sofia, I gotta say this: incredible audience. One more thing: there's a person over here holding up this sign trying to ruin the fuckin' show. I disavow, I disavow the fuckin' flag. I'm sorry. It's ridiculous, man. Keep politics out of shit. It's boring."

Back in September 2016, during an interview with Rolling Stone about the "A Vulgar Display Of Pantera" photo book, Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown were asked to comment on a photo of the band's stage display from the 2001 "Reinventing The Steel" tour that relied heavily on Confederate flag imagery.

Said Anselmo: "If we're really going to get into commentary here, yes, I see the projected Confederate flags. Well, for one, I've always said, 'Flags don't mean a damn thing to me.' Two, by using the Confederate flag, despite what anyone says — and I don't give a shit, because no matter what I say, I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't — but the truth of it all is, it was about as innocent as innocent could be. We weren't confessing to any clandestine power of structure or however you assholes wanna put it these days. I think we used the Confederate flag merely because of LYNYRD SKYNYRD. We had learned from people before us. And it was never about anything other than that."

Added Brown: "The Confederate flag is on the back cover of [1996's] 'The Great Southern Trendkill'. That was the 'Southern' part of it. There were still states that had that on their state flags. Nowadays it's forbidden to use it. It's not so politically correct. But it had nothing to do with racism. None of us were like that. It was just a tie-in to the artwork on the back cover. Even back then, I said, 'This is not the way to go.' LYNYRD SKYNYRD used one for years and still do. Now people confuse it with racism and hatred. That's not what this band is about at all; quite the opposite. But it's the only thing I would say in the P.C. days that I have any regrets about."

The Confederate flag's symbolism was the subject of an emotional debate in the South in the aftermath of the 2015 massacre of nine blacks by a white gunman in a Charleston, South Carolina.

White supremacist and suspected killer Dylann Roof had been pictured holding the Confederate flag before he allegedly carried out the murders.

While some people saw the flag as a divisive symbol of the South's proslavery legacy, supporters insisted the flag was an honorable symbol of regional pride, a mark of respect for Southern soldiers who died in the American Civil War.

In a 2015 interview with Sticks For Stones, PANTERA and HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott weighed in on the Confederate flag issue. He said: "All I'm going to say is it's a big knee-jerk reaction to something that happened. It's unfortunate that people are like that — they want to point a finger at something, you know."

He continued: "Honestly, this country was built on freedom of speech and freedom of expression, and when you can no longer do that, then it is no longer based on that, you know. It's a touchy thing, you know, and that's really all I'm going to say about it. I just think that it doesn't follow what the country was built on [and] what it was based on. To me, that blows, but that's how it, is man."

Also in 2015, Anselmo said that he was thinking twice about his past associations with the rebel flag.

"It'd be, like, would we be flying the Nazi flag?" he asked a Hard Rock Haven interviewer. "I don't think so, because flags are looked at whether it be nationalism or symbols of something. Truthfully, it's like…I wish fucking everyone would get along."

The singer went on to explain that the reason he and his former bandmates might have used the Confederate flag in the first place was "our love of bands like LYNYRD SKYNYRD." But he also acknowledged that "there was never a time when it was okay to promote hate." He also offered another possible explanation, saying, "It was never this blatant thing unless I was completely out of my mind, which I was at points in time. But that was a long-ass time ago."

Anselmo went on to explain his evolving sentiment about the flag. "These days, I wouldn't want anything to fucking do with it because truthfully…I wouldn't," he said. "The way I feel and the group of people I've had to work with my whole life, you see a Confederate flag out there that says 'Heritage, not hate.' I'm not so sure I'm buying in to that."

Anselmo went on to say: "People can point out flaws in any social group, any ethnic group, any ideology."

After the interviewer pointed out that Anselmo's SUPERJOINT project had incorporated the flag into the artwork for the band's 2002 debut, "Use Once And Destroy", Philip said: "In hindsight, you know what? I would have not used it." He also said that the title of the group's follow-up LP, "A Lethal Dose Of American Hatred", was "fucking regrettable." He added: "It’s probably my least favorite of any album I've ever done as far as lyrical content, just the idea behind the whole thing because I've got a crazy sense of humor and I do do a lot of tongue-in-cheek shit, man, but when something reads in black and white, people most of the time are going to read it in black and white. They're going to take it at face value."

More than seven years ago, Anselmo was at the center of controversy after he made a Nazi-style salute when he performed at the January 2016 "Dimebash" event at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood in honor of late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. He also appeared to say "white power" as he made the gesture, but later claimed he was joking about drinking white wine backstage and was reacting to the audience members up front who he says were taunting him.

Back in May 2019, Anselmo was asked by U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine if he feels the "Dimebash" debate is something he has moved past. He responded: "I feel like it's ridiculous. I made an off-color joke and 'Boom!' — it's like I'm literally Hitler! I'm not. I take each individual one at a time, in the way that any logical individual will. I have love in my heart. Over the years, I've learned to take the first step with love and to put good faith first. I get along with everybody. If there's any doubt about my political leanings, people should get it out of their heads. I was raised amongst a dazzling [cast of characters] from the theatre, from the mental hospital, from all walks of life — all colors, creeds and kinds. It's absurd to me that anyone in this day and age would judge anyone by the color of their skin, their heritage or their religion. I'm a harmless guy. I'm a reactionary, not a troublemaker."

In the days following the "Dimebash" incident, MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn — who played PANTERA songs with Anselmo at the event — released an eleven-minute response video in which he denounced Anselmo as a "big bully" and a racist. He concluded by saying that he would never play another PANTERA song again. ANTHRAX's Scott Ian, who is Jewish, released a statement on his official web site saying, "Philip's actions were vile" and invited Anselmo to make a donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Vinnie Paul, who hadn't spoken to Anselmo since the band's split in 2003, was dismissive when asked for a comment on the singer's white-power salute. "I can't speak for him," Vinnie said in a 2016 interview. "He's done a lot of things that tarnish the image of what PANTERA was back then and what it stood for and what it was all about. And it's sad."

In 2017, Anselmo blasted "false journalism in the metal community" for suggesting he was racist because of his actions at "Dimebash".

In the weeks after the "Dimebash" incident, Anselmo's DOWN project canceled a number of shows, including at France's Hellfest, Dutch festival FortaRock and U.K.'s Download. The singer wrote an open letter to the Hellfest organizers in which he said it was not the right time for DOWN to tour. He also revealed that he was suffering from a recurring knee injury and needed rehabilitation.

This past January, PANTERA's appearances at two rock festivals in Germany, which were scheduled to take place in early June, were canceled following an outcry over Anselmo's previous racist remarks.

Scorpions have released the video below, featuring a rare performance of "Backstage Queen", filmed on May 7, 1977 at Kaléidospop.





Catch Scorpions live in concert on the dates listed below.




May
28 - Hall Tony Garnier - Lyon, France
31 - Zenith - Toulouse, France


June
2 - Hallenstadion - Zürich, Switzerland
5 - Olympiahalle - Munich, Germany
7 - Winning Group Arena - Brno-Střed, Czech Republic
10 - Atlas Arena - Łódź, Poland
12 - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark
14 - Avicii Arena - Stockholm, Sweden
17 - Song Festival Grounds - Tallinn, Estonia
19 - Žalgirio Arena - Kaunas, Lithuania
22 - Ergo Arena - Gdansk, Poland
25 - Štark-Arena - Beograd, Serbia
28 - Romexpo - Bucharest, Romania
30 - Midalidare Rock In The Wine Valley - Mogilovo, Bulgaria


July
6 - Festival les Déferlantes Sud de France - Céret, France
11 - Icónica Sevilla Fest at Plaza de España de Sevilla - Sevilla, Spain
16 - Altice Forum - Braga, Portugal

Roger Waters has defended himself against criticism over his concerts last week in Berlin during which the former PINK FLOYD leader displayed Nazi-like symbolism and made what some people have described as offensive comments about Holocaust victim Anne Frank.

During the shows at Mercedes Benz Arena, Waters appeared on stage as the character Pink from the rock opera "The Wall" during a performance of the song "In The Flesh", wearing a black leather trench coat with a red armband bearing two crossed hammers instead of a swastika.

It was later reported that Waters was under investigation for possible incitement by German police, in addition to possibly having committed trademark abuse for the use of Frank's name without the consent of the Anne Frank Foundation, which has trademarked the name.

Waters projected Frank's name on a giant screen during the shows, along with several other names of contemporary figures including George Floyd and Shireen Abu Akleh.

"My recent performance in Berlin has attracted bad faith attacks from those who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views and moral principles," Waters wrote in a statement on Friday (May 26).

"The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms. Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated. The depiction of an unhinged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since PINK FLOYD's 'The Wall' in 1980.

"I have spent my entire life speaking out against authoritarianism and oppression wherever I see it. When I was a child after the war, the name of Anne Frank was often spoken in our house, she became a permanent reminder of what happens when fascism is left unchecked. My parents fought the Nazis in World War II, with my father paying the ultimate price.

"Regardless of the consequences of the attacks against me, I will continue to condemn injustice and all those who perpetrate it."

The Simon Wiesenthal Center criticized the Berlin concerts and asked that German authorities prosecute Waters for invoking and distorting Holocaust images.

"Shame on Frankfurt authorities and Mercedes Benz arena in Berlin — a place from where Jews were deported by the Nazis — for providing anti-Semite #RogerWaters this venue for his concert with no concern/care for the Jewish community," the center tweeted.

Berlin police spokesperson Martin Halweg later told The Guardian that police in Germany have launched a criminal investigation into Waters over the Nazi-style uniform he wore at the Berlin shows.

While Nazi uniforms, flags and other symbols are banned in Germany, Waters is reportedly being investigated under a separate law of "incitement of the people."
pic.twitter.com/RdxCXZY0Gn

— Roger Waters ✊ (@rogerwaters) May 26, 2023

British death metal legends Benediction performed at the Rock Hard Festival 2023 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on May 26th. The entire pro-shot livestream can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Divine Ultimatum"
"Iterations Of I"
"Scriptures In Scarlet"
"Vision In The Shroud"
"Unfound Mortality"
"Nightfear"
"I Bow To None"
"Agonised"
"Progenitors Of A New Paradigm"
"The Grotesque"
"Jumping At Shadows"
"Subconscious Terror"
"Foetus Noose"
"Stormcrow"
"I"
"The Dreams You Dread"
"Rabid Carnality"







Benediction recently uploaded some live action from their first show in Costa Rica, which took place on April 15th, 2023. Enjoy "Scriptures In Scarlet".





"Scriptures In Scarlet" appears on Scriptures, the eighth studio album from Benediction, released in 2020 via Nuclear Blast.


Order the album in various formats here.





Tracklisting:


"Iterations Of I"
"Scriptures In Scarlet"
"The Crooked Man"
"Stormcrow"
"Progenitors Of A New Paradigm"
"Rabid Carnality"
"In Our Hands, The Scars"
"Tear Off These Wings"
"Embrace The Kill"
"Neverwhen"
"The Blight At The End"
"We Are Legion"


"Stormcrow" video:

During an appearance on the latest episode of AXS TV's "The Power Hour", legendary rocker Alice Cooper was asked if he had any plans to retire. He responded: "Well, it's not in my vocabulary, the word 'retire.' People say, 'Why don't you stop and just play golf?' And I go, 'I play golf anyways.' I play golf every day. If there's a show, I play golf that morning and then I do the show that night."

Back in 2018, Cooper, who turned 75 this past February, told Tigman of the Albany, New York radio station Q103 that he had no plans on calling it quits. "I've always said this: If we do a tour and nobody shows up, then I'm retired," he explained. "That's never happened. In fact, we're doing better business now than we've ever done. More people are coming to the show now, and I've never felt better, so I don't see any reason to retire at all. I know a lot of guys are quitting, but a lot of guys still smoke and drink. They're probably tired. I'm not tired."

In 2017, Alice similarly told Finland's Kaaos TV that he has never considered retiring. "Retirement doesn't seem to fit in," he said. "If I was getting onstage and I was tired and if I was kind of phoning it in and my band was kind of lazy, it would be different. But I've never had a band or a show as high-energy as this show. It actually keeps me very much in shape and keeps me feeling young, doing 130 shows a year. I would never even think of retiring. Physically, if something happens where I can't play anymore or if something happens where I lose my edge, then I would think about it. Then I wouldn't be giving the audience everything I've got. Right now, I'm at the top of my game."

Alice and his band kicked off the "Too Close For Comfort" tour on April 28 at the Soaring Eagle Casino Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The 95-minute set included the classics "I'm Eighteen", "Under My Wheels", "Be My Lover" and "Poison", along with the first performance of "Snakebite" since 1991, with "Welcome To My Nightmare" returning after a nearly six-year absence.

Prior to the start of the "Too Close For Comfort" tour, Alice promised "a brand new production", telling Macomb Daily: "There's going to be a lot of things going on in this show that we haven't done yet — and a few things that we've done but reimagined.

"We just kind of got tired of people not being able to see some of the real intricate parts," the 75-year-old rocker explained. "Like when Alice does Dwight Fry, before you could never see the facial thing going on there. You will be seeing it this time."

Regarding the setlist for the tour, Cooper said that "we have to do the hits," including "I'm Eighteen", "School's Out" and "Poison". "The audience wants to hear the hits, so it's how do you decorate those hits? How do you put them into a story form or some kind of new way of looking at the show. It's putting a puzzle together, really, and I've got all the people that have done this for 50 years. We know how to make it work."

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

The Alice Cooper North American tour continues 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.

Cello metallers Apocalyptica have shared their performance of "Burn" from Tuska Utopia 2020. Check out the pro-shot video below.


The song is taken from the band's Worlds Collide album, released in 2007.







"The collaborations don't stop!," begins a message from Apocalyptica issued back in March. "We captured our performance of 'Rise Again' with Simone Simons of Epica in London. Check out the performance and then come out to one of our remaining tour dates and if you're lucky we'll perform it together for you!"





In support of the start of the second leg of their successful European tour, Epica and Apocalyptica teamed up for a unique collaboration on the atmospheric ballad, "Rivers", that they recorded live during the first leg of the Epic Apocalypse Tour, at Amsterdam’s AFAS Live in front of more than 5,000 fans.


“To play with these legendary musicians on our biggest indoor show in the Netherlands was a dream come true “, comments Coen Janssen and Mark Jansen adds: “To perform with Apocalyptica added an extra layer of pure magic to the song. Not only are these guys great musicians but also on a personal level, we match very well with these lovely people. Therefore, it was particularly special to perform ‘Rivers’ with them and we are very proud to present you the result of this collaboration in the form of our live performance.”


Stream the new single here, and watch the video below. The clip was shot by the team at Panda Production and edited by Jens de Vos.

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo metal cover of the The Proclaimers classic, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". The song is taken from the album Sunshine On Leith, released in 1988.





Sabaton's final EP in the Echoes Of The Great War EP trilogy, entitled Stories From The Western Front, is now officially available on all platforms and features a never-heard-before cover of Motörhead's well-known track, “1916". Stream Stories From The Western Front here.




In celebration of this final EP, the band has also unleashed a brand-new music video for “1916” filmed in Birmingham, England, and at Britain’s famous Black Country Living Museum. The music video features an overload of historical characters from the Sabaton lore, a headbanging metal army from Birmingham, and even a cameo from the living members of Motörhead - Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell. Watch the music video below.


The Western Front was one of World War I’s main theatres of conflict. It stretched across more than 400 miles through France and Belgium from the Swiss border to the North Sea. It was a deadly place, and to put things into perspective, at least four-million men died there, although the true figure can never be confirmed.


The Stories From The Western Front EP tells stories of those who fought and fell on the Western Front, a place where the trenches and the ceaseless shelling drove men to insanity. Often, those who returned from this treacherous place did so with shell shock and chronic nightmares, PTSD or injuries that changed their lives forever.


“We are excited to release the last EP in the Echoes of The Great War series as well as a new music video, which we had a blast filming in the UK. Our new EP tells the tales that came from the Western Front, a brutal and unforgiving theatre of war. The Battle of Verdun, which was the longest battle of the First World War, the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 in Flanders, the Battle of the Somme… these are all things we should not forget,” explains Pär Sundstrom. “And through this EP – in fact, through this whole EP collection – our sole mission has been to immortalize these stories and ensure that these are at the forefront of everyone's minds.


“Speaking of the Battle of the Somme,” Pär adds, “this conflict resulted in a huge loss of human life – around 300,000 fatalities. It was one of the bloodiest and deadliest conflicts of WW1 - and in human history! This is what “1916” was written about, and that’s why it was the missing puzzle piece of this EP.”


Meanwhile, Joakim Brodén shares more information about the band’s cover of Motörhead: “We believed that ‘1916’ was the perfect fit for this EP, not only because it’s related to the First World War, but because we just love everything about the song. Lemmy was inspired to write this track after watching a documentary about the Battle of the Somme. The lyrics are emotionally charged and perfectly describe the experiences of all the young soldiers, most of whom were essentially just kids. A lyric that really moves me and hits home is: ‘We were food for the gun, and that’s what you are when you’re soldiers.’ I can’t get that out of my head.”


“We think we did this song justice. It’s our tribute to one of the greatest bands in the world and a nod to those who fought in the First World War and made the ultimate sacrifice!” he notes.


With each EP in the Echoes Of The Great War trilogy, Sabaton is releasing an exclusive digipak in limited numbers. They often sell out immediately, so if you want one for your collection, be quick!





Tracklisting:


"1916"
"Great War"
"Hellfighters"
"The Price of A Mile"
"Fields of Verdun"
"Race To The Sea"
"Devil Dogs"


"1916" video:

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have signed Rochester NY ripping Grindcore act Sully. The Tony Demo can be downloaded now for free via the HPGD Bandcamp, and is streaming on all digital platforms. Sully features members of Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault, Sulaco and Psyopus.


Sully is a fun loving, laid back four piece Grindcore outfit hailing from Rochester, NY. Including members Erik Burke (Sulaco, Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault) and Adam Frappolli (Psyopus),  Alex Perez and Ed Jusko round out the drums and bass section. These guys don't take themselves too seriously but unleash ripping carnage on The Tony Demo. Sully seamlessly blend elements of grindcore and Hardcore together to create their unique sonic mayhem. For fans of Brutal Truth, Burnt By The Sun, Discordance Axis, Human Remains, Pig Destroyer, Psyopus, The Red Chord, Sulaco, smoking cannabis and drinking beer or anyone who enjoys aggressive music.


Download the demo for FREE on Bandcamp.







Tracklisting:


“Blanket”
“Circle The Drain”
“Tinker’s Dam”
“Dredge The Lake”


“Circle The Drain”:

After dropping standalone single "Amongst The Low & Empty" last month, Pittsburgh deathcore unit Signs Of The Swarm is back today to reveal their upcoming fifth full-length of the same name: Amongst The Low & Empty will be unleashed via Century Media Records on July 28.


To coincide with this announcement, the band has dropped a new single from the record, "Tower Of Torsos". The video (directed by Joey Durango) can be seen below.


Drummer Bobby Crow comments about the single: "We wanted to bring the old school, in-your-face vibes of our favorite OG deathcore bands - with a fresh spin. We endearingly call it psycho-music. It's something of a continuation of what we started with 'The Collection,' musically, while the lyrical core is about doing whatever you must to come out on top. If you caught us on the road with Whitechapel recently, this one should be familiar to you!"




Vocalist David Simonich adds: "Mike and I were BINGING the hell out of the 'Hannibal' show while writing lyrics. It definitely pulled out our inner psycho, especially for this one where we wanted to paint a repulsive picture of a person chasing the idea of becoming god. The path to ascend is only to kill and build a monument of misery: his tower of torsos."


Regarding Amongst The Low & Empty, Crow explains: "'Amongst The Low & Empty' is more than just a title; it's also a feeling or state of mind. The phrase first came up in the lyrics of our last album, 'Absolvere', and became a driving force for our band ever since. When it came time for us to enter the studio with Josh Schroeder last November, 'Low and Empty' resonated in a very special way with the band. We had just completed well-over a year of non-stop worldwide touring and had to finalize an album we barely had time to wrap our heads around. We were literally low (energy) and feeling empty (of ideas). I still marvel at what we pulled off primarily in under a month (with a few extra days later to add the album's penultimate closing duo).


"If it weren't for the ideas flying around Josh's special studio, that time could have kept me feeling low and empty. I was very alone, locked away writing the music - we'd only come in with somewhere between 4-5 songs - with the only break from my strained and drained thoughts and ideas being visits from Schroeder to check in and add his genius.


"David and Michael wrote lyrics in another room, with the prose spewed forth balancing the beauty/beast meter, with Dave's recognizably rabid voice bringing it back to Signs when I'd push our sound boundaries (soundaries?). I'd always ask myself, 'How can we make this moment feel beautiful and terrifying at the same time?' Fortunately, the lyrics' grace contrasted gnarly subject matter to achieve and elevate that goal. It's kind of like the art of the album - serenely calming yet brutally when you truly take it in - inverted; musically we're brutal up-front with the beauty underlying.


"This album breathes a new sense of life into Signs of the Swarm that was much needed. We're grateful for and proud of our previous works and the platform that they have provided us over the last 10 years, but 'Amongst The Low & Empty' is a true and pure representation of each member's current creative and performative abilities that elevates the passion and confidence of the band tenfold."


Pre-order Amongst The Low & Empty here, where the album is available in the following versions:


- Jewelcase CD
- Gatefold black LP
- Gatefold aqua colored LP - USA retail exclusive
- Gatefold transp. light blue-black marbled LP - EU retail exclusive
- Gatefold white-dark blue marbled LP - Signs Of The Swarm exclusive
- Digital album


Produced by Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, King 810, Tallah, Varials), Amongst The Low & Empty is the first Signs Of The Swarm album to feature an outside producer. Massive, unapologetic and unrelenting in its assault, this fifth full-length keeps listeners on the edge of their seat. Songs like the title track, "Pray For Death" and "Malady" put to shame the slamming "br00tality" of sophomore LP The Disfigurement of Existence, with vocalist David Simonich's animalistic growls and screeches outdoing any swarm, pack, or otherwise, found in the wild. Despite the savage brutality, the leader of this herd IS the structure that is simultaneously more rigid yet more explorative, complete with a catchy groove underneath - the likes of which hasn't been heard from Signs Of The Swarm. It's the bedrock that allows "Tower of Torsos," "DREAMKILLER" and "Pray For Death" to be as catchy as they are. Songs like "Shackles Like Talons" and "Fire and Stone" split the difference incisively. On the more cacophonous side, industrial flirtations were added both in-studio by band and producer, and beyond, with Joshua Travis (Emmure, Glass Cloud, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza) and Cameron Losch (Born of Osiris) throwing riffs and ruckus into the mix ("At one point, Joshua Travis was recording a chainsaw in his backyard," the band reveals). Trivium mastermind Matthew K. Heafy even sent over a guest shout for "The Witch Beckons".


The resulting 11 tracks are so destructively deafening, it blew out Josh Schroeder's subwoofer! "We've always been a deathcore band," states Bobby Crow, the quartet's longest-standing member, who serves as drummer and main songwriter. "But this record is a lot MORE - it's got death metal, metalcore, djent, some industrial stuff...We wanted to make something that was just heavy."





Amongst The Low & Empty tracklisting:


"Amongst The Low & Empty"
"Tower Of Torsos"
"Pray For Death"
"Borrowed Time"
"Between Fire & Stone"
"Shackles Like Talons"
"DREAMKILLER"
"The Witch Beckons" (feat. Matthew K. Heafy)
"Echelon"
"Faces Without Names"
"Malady"


"Tower Of Torsos" video:





This weekend, Signs Of The Swarm wraps up their Mexican tour, before hitting Toledo Death Fest next week. Upon album release, the band will play several special shows in the US, then head overseas for the summer; European fans can catch them at some of the biggest festivals, in addition to co-headlining off-dates with Humanity's Last Breath and more. To finish off the season, Signs Of The Swarm will trek to the UK for a headliner with To the Grave and Harbinger.


Signs Of The Swarm lineup:


Bobby Crow - Drums
David Simonich - Vocals
Carl Schulz - Guitars
Michael Cassese - Bass


(Photo - Andre Giovanni)