Following a terrific performance in front of 200 million live viewers at the Eurovision Song Contest grand final this weekend, Lord Of The Lost are back to their "normal" lives, gearing up for 10 shows with Iron Maiden, great festival appearances and sold-out headline shows on their schedule.


After recovering from the excitement of the weekend, the band is thrilled to release a new video celebrating the best highlights of the past year - including sold-out club shows, the stadium tour with Iron Maiden and countless other standout moments.


The video was shot for the song "The Curtain Falls", which was released last Friday, May 12, as part of the Earbook and Digital Deluxe version of the #1-charting album, Blood & Glitter. The new version includes six new studio tracks, great featured artists, singles released physically for the first time and alternate versions of the album tracks from Blood & Glitter.




Lord Of The Lost says: “'The Curtain Falls' was written the day after I bought Steve Harris’ signature model E-bass. Last year’s tour with Iron Maiden burned itself into our hearts in such a way that we wanted to give back some of that energy. We put that energy into 'The Curtain Falls'. This song will be our opening song for all Iron Maiden and festival shows this summer. We just came back from the ESC, where we had the time of our lives, and are looking forward to an unforgettable live summer."





Watch Lord Of The Lost performing “Blood & Glitter” live at the Eurovision Song Contest Finals in Liverpool below.


Lord Of The Lost comment on Eurovision Song Contest: “Thank you, everyone, for this amazing experience! We loved every second of it! So, we‘re going back to our old lives now and we are looking forward to a most amazing festival summer, many sold out shows and a second tour with IRON MAIDEN! Thanks to all of the other artists that we‘ve met on the road to Eurovision - you all deserve all the success and the love, and may all your dreams come true! And last but not least, thanks to EVERYONE on our team: you have helped us to make our dream of Eurovision become reality. We leave Liverpool tomorrow, knowing that we couldn‘t possibly have put more effort, time and love into the undertaking of participating here! And now the big question remains: who will Germany send next year to break the curse?"





Lord Of The Lost are:


Chris Harms – Vocals, Guitar
Pi Stoffers – Guitar
Class Grenayde – Bass
Gared Dirge – Piano, Synths, Percussion, Guitar
Niklas Kahl – Drums

W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless recently vowed to complete the band’s European tour while seated after suffering a herniated disc in his back.

The rocker revealed in a post on the band's official web site on May 10 that he would still honor his final five European dates despite doctors trying to persuade him to return home to begin his rehab.

Fan-filmed video of one of the first shows of Lawless performing while seated, from the May 14 concert at Kino Šiška in Ljubljana, Slovenia, can be seen below. Lawless's chair was built into his custom mic stand, which he has nicknamed "Elvis."

In the aforementioned message on W.A.S.P.'s web site, Lawless wrote: "As many of you already know I had a serious setback at the hands of a very unqualified Doctor here in Europe about 2 weeks into the tour. I've been receiving treatment at a hospital in Berlin and that team of Doctors has been nothing short of fantastic. But, at the same time they strongly advised me to stop the tour and go back to L.A. and begin my rehab. But it's hard for them to understand, this is the only 40th Anniversary I'm ever going to get, not to mention the fans that have stood by us this entire time have waited over 3 years, and because of the pandemic suffered 3 different sets of tour postponements.

"At the start the Doctors [in Berlin] told me without rest and rehab I would definitely get worse. As hard as I've pushed through these shows, they were right. The show last night in Zurich was cut short by 2 songs, and I do apologize for that but the pain reached a point where I could no longer perform and it lasted throughout the entire show. My legs were giving out on me and it got dangerous. I will not be able to stand to do the remaining 5 shows, so the compromise I reached with the Doctors was if I would stay seated, in a chair to do these last 5 then they will give me clearance to finish the tour and do those remaining 5 shows."

The 66-year-old guitarist/vocalist, whose real name is Steven Duren, continued: "I've never done this before, but please understand, my intention is to finish this tour, come hell or high water, and give this incredibly dedicated fan base, that has been with us from the beginning, the show they have all heard about. Plus we're going to build the chair into 'Elvis'. Hey, he's been with us the whole time and he will finish this tour right beside me because he's basically one of the Band.

"But, as frustrating as this all has been I can't wait to get into rehab, and then destroy America.... Again, on the 2nd, and final leg of the '40th Anniversary World Tour'!! We are Coming Back....and we're Coming to Hurt Somebody!!"

W.A.S.P.'s massive European leg of the 40th-anniversary world tour is scheduled to wrap up on May 18 in Sofia, Bulgaria at Universidada Sports Hall.

Last month, W.A.S.P. announced the North American leg of "The 40th Never Stops World Tour 2023". Produced by Live Nation, the 33-city run kicks off on Friday, August 4 at the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo, California, making stops across North America in Vancouver, British Columbia; Omaha, Nebraska; New York City; Memphis, Tennessee and more before wrapping up on Saturday, September 16 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California. Special guest ARMORED SAINT will join the band across all dates of the tour.

Blackie Lawless VIP meet-and-greet tickets will be available at WASPnation.com.

W.A.S.P. wrapped up its first U.S. tour in 10 years with a sold-out show on December 11 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. This marked the 18th sold-out shows for the U.S. tour, which kicked off in late October. W.A.S.P.'s performances included the return of the band's classic song "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)", which hadn't been played live in over 15 years.

Lawless has led W.A.S.P. as its lead vocalist and primary songwriter since its beginning. His unique brand of visual, social and political comment took the group to worldwide heights and sold millions of records alongside a legacy of sold-out shows across the globe for four decades. He is joined by bassist Mike Duda and guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band span 28 and 17 years respectively, along with drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester.

W.A.S.P.'s latest release was "ReIdolized (The Soundtrack To The Crimson Idol)", which came out in February 2018. It was a new version of the band's classic 1992 album "The Crimson Idol", which was re-recorded to accompany the movie of the same name to mark the 25th anniversary of the original LP's release. The re-recorded version also features four songs missing from the original album.

W.A.S.P.'s most recent studio album of all-new original material was 2015's "Golgotha".

W.A.S.P.'s first live performance since December 2019 took place on July 23, 2022 at Skansen in Stockholm, Sweden.

John Corabi, former lead singer of MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE SCREAM and UNION, has apparently rejoined the rock 'n' roll collective known as THE DEAD DAISIES.

Earlier today (Monday, May 15),THE DEAD DAISIES shared a new video teaser on social media featuring footage of the band rehearsing at an undisclosed facility in New York City. In the one-minute clip, which was captioned "As it was, then again it will be… the circus continues…", founder/guitarist David Lowy, guitarist Doug Aldrich and drummer Brian Tichy are joined by former WHITESNAKE bassist Michael Devin and a singer whose distinct tattoos and body shape appear to be a match for Corabi.

When one fan reacted to the video on Facebook with the message "Michael Devin and John Corabi. I can't, I've lost my mind - this is the best day EVER!", THE DEAD DAISIES responded: "These guys are so ready to rock for you so it's great that your ready to join them for some rock n roll fun".

Corabi joined THE DEAD DAISIES in early 2015 and remained in the group until January 2019, during which time he recorded three studio albums with the band: "Revolución" (2015),"Make Some Noise" (2016) and "Burn It Down" (2018). In the summer of 2019, THE DEAD DAISES announced that they were being joined by legendary DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, who appeared on the band's last two studio albums, 2021's "Holy Ground" and 2022's "Radiance".

Last December, Corabi opened up about his departure from THE DEAD DAISIES, telling Backstage Pass: "I don't know if maybe I misunderstood the plan, but when I joined the band, it was kind of a deal where we all sat and talked, and they said, 'We're probably gonna need you maybe half of the year. And then the other half of the year you can do your thing.' And I said, 'Okay,' and I got involved with it. For some weird reason, that first record I did with the band — and I'm not taking responsibility for it — but that lineup, that record that we did, it connected with a lot of people. And the band went from wherever, whatever mark they were at before — we really started to do a lot of festivals; we did a whole run with KISS in America and in Europe; we went out with WHITESNAKE in America, and back again in Europe. It was just constant. And I even remember at one point we did the Ramblin' Man festival and then packed up and went to [do] the Rock And Blues festival. And we literally played those two festivals on the same day. And I started to… It was tiring. And then one of the last tours I did with them in Europe, we did… I just remember I did, like, 10 shows in the U.K. and on a day off we flew to Holland and I had a sinus infection and bronchitis. I felt like shit. They gave me an inhaler and some then some lozenges and all this other stuff, and I finished a whole tour. We were doing press and we were doing acoustic sets, a two-hour set five days a week. And I kind of said, 'Man, I've gotta get off the carousel for a minute here.' I was just concerned that — if a guitar player breaks a string, they can change it. If you break a drum head, you can change it. If I blow out my voice, I'm kind of fucked… So I was just kind of concerned about that. And then the other part of it was the schedule was so hectic that my son was calling me, who's my drummer in my solo band, and he's, like, 'Dad, literally, you suck. We were doing all these gigs, and now you're off doing this thing with THE DEAD DAISIES. When are we gonna play together again?' So I had the guilt thing going around in my head as well. So I just said, 'You know what? I've done this for four years now. I'm gonna step away.'"

Corabi went on to say that he was "still great friends with all [THE DEAD DAISIES] guys, managers, and all their people. I just texted Doug and Glenn yesterday, 'Have a great tour. 'So it's all good," he said. "I was like, 'This is crazy'. The schedule was absolutely maniacally crazy. And I just said, 'I'm gonna do my own thing at my own pace.' And you have to remember when I left, I left in January [of 2019], and three months later I turned 60. So I was, like, 'I think I kind of wanna slow down a little bit.'"

Earlier this month, Hughes launched the "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live - Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of The Album Burn" tour. Glenn is performing DEEP PURPLE's legendary rock album "Burn" and is also playing DEEP PURPLE MKIII and MKIV songs.
As it was, then again it will be… the circus continues…😎#blackstaramps#dougaldrich#briantichypic.twitter.com/T7FblIT4Pp

— The Dead Daisies (@TheDeadDaisies) May 15, 2023

Hard-hitting and melodic; pissed off and groovy; energetic and catchy: upon first listen, it is clear that Sicksense is all of these things. The band - comprised of vocalists Killer V (Vicky Psarakis) and Rob The Ripper (Robby J. Fonts), guitarist Breakdown Bran (Bran Panic), drummer The True Cody Taylor (Cody Taylor) and bassist Spot-On Sam/SOS (Samuel Bedard) – have unleashed a new single, "Feed Them To The Wolves". Check out the official video below.





Sicksense recently released their debut 5-song EP, Kings Today, along with the following update:




"Sicksense is ecstatic to announce we are playing our first shows ever, and they'll be happening in our hometown of Montreal! Two back-to-back headline dates in June at Turbo Haüs. Come celebrate our Double EP Release shows with us! We hope to see you there. Get pre-sale tickets & VIP Upgrades here."





Kings Today is now available here.





Kings Today tracklisting:


"Kings Today"
"Forgotten Days"
"Make Believe"
"Soul Snatcher"
"Heart Of Stone"


"Make Believe" video:





"Forgotten Days"





"Kings Today"





Having both performed a range of styles in numerous heavy bands, Killer V and Rob The Ripper (who are married) wanted to return to a genre that’s close to their hearts, but also make music that is specifically written for two vocalists. Written with dual vocal interplay from a male / female perspective, their performance reflects a personal and fun side of them as people, but also tackles social and societal issues in the world today. Backed by guitarist Breakdown Bran (Bran Panic), drummer The Trve Cody Taylor (Cody Taylor) and bassist Spot-On Sam/SOS (Samuel Bedard), Sicksense would be born out of the band’s desire to share their upbeat and fun message with the world. Sicksense chooses musical inspiration from various bands and those influences shine through in their debut EP, Kings Today.   


Sicksense is:


Killer V – Vocals/Keys
Rob The Ripper – Vocals
Breakdown Bran – Guitars
Spot-On Sam/SOS – Bass
The Trve Cody Taylor – Drums


(Photo by: Chris Kells, Edit by: Ash To Life)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, MEGADETH has settled a lawsuit over the cover artwork for the band's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

Three months ago, New York-based illustrator and designer Brent Elliott White, who created the artwork for "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", filed a lawsuit against the band, claiming he hadn't received pay or credit for his work.

Last Thursday (May 11),the parties filed a joint notice of settlement informing the court that "the parties have reached an agreement in principle for the resolution of this action." They intend to file a stipulation of dismissal within 30 days.

White's attorney Matthew Cave of Kibler Fowler & Cave on Friday (May 12) confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter "the matter has been resolved amicably."

In the lawsuit, which was filed on February 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, White, who had previously worked with TRIVIUM, JOB FOR A COWBOY, DEATH ANGEL and ARCH ENEMY, among others, said he was contacted in early 2020 about creating a design concept and artwork for an upcoming MEGADETH studio album, which would be the third MEGADETH LP he has been involved in designing and producing artwork for.

By mid-April 2021, MEGADETH had settled on the concept and artwork that would become the basis for the cover of their album now titled "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" Around this time, White says he was asked to create cover art for an EP release, which he also worked on.

On June 22, 2022, 5B Artists + Media CEO (and MEGADETH manager) Bob Johnsen told White that MEGADETH had been working on costumes for an upcoming tour and required additional renderings of the artwork chosen for the album cover because the stage decorations for the tour would be based on the album cover art, the lawsuit states. By text, White reminded Johnsen that he still did not have a written contract with MEGADETH and had not been paid for his work, saying: "I know album release time is hectic but I have to mention that any send off, including album art, is contingent on compensation and contract. So we're going to have to sort that out soon." In response, Johnsen told White: "First song drops tmrw [sic]" but assured "No one intended to not have this papered by now" and he "would bring it up the right way."

On June 23, 2022, without a signed agreement with White in place and without paying White anything for his work, MEGADETH released White's artwork and — "shockingly to" White, according to the lawsuit — credited MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine for the album's "Art Concept."

The next day, White reached out to MEGADETH's record label, Universal Music Group, complaining, "I still don't have a contract or payment from UMG for The Sick The Dying and the Dead…Bob [Johnsen] reached out yesterday…and he said he left it with UMG… I assumed someone would reach out to me to have this done before the album went out. Now the art was released in conjunction with the single and album pre-sale on social, [MEGADETH] website, Rollingstone [Magazine]…None of it credits me, not a mention on social and no credit in the article. We don't have a contract or art release or usage agreement. Not trying to get legal here but since we don't have a rights transferred agreement copyright does reside with me."

After the artwork was released, MEGADETH "attempted to force" White to accept the same terms as for the first MEGADETH album he provided artwork for, according to the suit. White "never agreed to these terms and had expressly told" MEGADETH "before the album artwork was released that this arrangement would not be acceptable."

In late July 2021, White gave Johnsen a breakdown of the time he spent working on the album artwork to date, which totaled $21,500. Johnsen agreed to the amount, but only if it would be for a "total buyout" of White's intellectual property rights to his artwork. White refused, and when he gave MEGADETH a price for buying out his intellectual property rights, with carve-outs for ways in which White had previously told MEGADETH he expected to be able to continue to exploit his own work and profit from it. MEGADETH refused to agree to those terms, including White's buyout price. Still with no contract or usage agreement in place with White, MEGADETH released "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" in September 2022.

White sued MEGADETH, Universal Music Group and others for copyright infringement and asked the court for an injunction that would stop MEGADETH and UMG from using the artwork. He also sought damages and disgorgement of profits.

Today, Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum singer-songwriter, actor, and New York Times best-selling author Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour) reveals details for his new solo studio album, CMF2, including the release of the electrifying new single, “Beyond”, out today. Stream/download the single here.





The official video supporting the single was shot at a remote location within California’s Mojave Desert. Captured through the lens of director Dale “Rage” Resteghini (Hatebreed, Five Finger Death Punch, Trivium), the video finds Taylor trudging around the desert as a musing Uncle Sam intermingling with members of the band and the Cherry Bombs – all the while being surrounded by different versions of himself from through the years – before culminating as a live performance for a mass of fans in the round. Watch the clip below.




The song “Beyond” harkens back to 2006 in some shape or form. Taylor knew the song was special, but never found the time to bring the tune to its potential. “I originally wrote it as an aggressive romantic song, but I'm also looking at it now as a kind of ‘come together’ song,” Taylor explains. “Bringing the masses together, and letting them know that I want my music to take them beyond what they may think about me. Maybe they’ve had a misconception about me. It’s not exactly a calling card, more like throwing the bat signal up and being ‘alright, let's turn everything on its head.’ It’s almost a dual threat, because now I look at it from two standpoints.”


CMF2 follows up Taylor’s 2020 solo debut CMFT, which featured the #1 Billboard mainstream rock single “Black Eyes Blue” and streaming sensation “CMFT Must Be Stopped” (feat. Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie). The LP hit #6 on Billboard’s US Top Rock Albums charts.


“My first solo album was kind of where I was coming from. This album is more where we're going,” Taylor adds. CMF2 - where Taylor sings and plays lead and rhythm guitar, piano, and mandolin - packs the energy, experimentation, and forthrightness that’s defined a career which has seen him sell more than 12 million albums with his Grammy-winning band Slipknot and several million with chart-toppers Stone Sour.


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


Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Steel Panther, Amon Amarth), who produced Stone Sour’s 2017 Hydrograd LP as well as CMFT, returns for Taylor’s second full-length. “Together we have great ideas, great energy, and are quick to try everything,” Taylor says of his studio collaborator. “We’re not afraid to tell each other if it’s a good idea, or also a bad one; we have that kind of trust.”


The CMFT band is:


Corey Taylor (vocals/guitar)
Zach Throne (rhythm/lead guitars)
Dustin Robert (drums)
Christian Martucci (rhythm/lead guitars)
Eliot Lorango (bass)


Pre-order/pre-save/pre-add CMF2 here.





CMF2 tracklisting:


"The Box"
"Post Traumatic Blues"
"Talk Sick"
"Breath Of Fresh Smoke"
"Beyond"
"We Are The Rest"
"Midnight"
"Starmate"
"Sorry Me"
"Punchline"
"Someday I’ll Change Your Mind"
"All I Want Is Hate"
"Dead Flies"


"Beyond" video:





In support of his new album, Taylor today announces his 2023 tour featuring special guests Wargasm, Oxymorrons, and Luna Aura on select dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 28-city tour kicks off on August 25 at Fillmore Auditorium in Denver making stops across the US in Detroit, Orlando, Dallas and more before the final headline show in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on October 5.


Tickets will be available starting with Citi pre-sales beginning today. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning Friday, May 19 at 10 AM, local time at CoreyTaylor.com.


Artist VIP pre-sale tickets and packages go on-sale starting today. Password: CMF2





Tour dates:


August
25 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium *
27 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater *
28 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore *
30 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave/Eagles Club - Eagles Ballroom *
31 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre *


September
2 - Chesterfield, MO - The Factory *
3 - Pryor, OK - Pryor Creek Music Festival Grounds (Rocklahoma) ***
5 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit *
7 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues *
9 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J Brady Music Center *
10 - Alton, VA - Virginia International Raceway (Blue Ridge Rock Festival) ***
12 - Montclair, NJ - The Wellmont Theater *
13 - Boston, MA - House of Blues *
15 - Wallingford, CT - The Dome at Oakdale **
16 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount **
18 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues **
19 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues **
21 - Huntsville, AL - Mars Music Hall **
22 - Louisville, KY - Kentucky Exposition Center (Louder Than Life) ***
24 - Houston, TX - House of Blues **
25 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues **
27 - Albuquerque, NM - Revel **
28 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre **
29 - Henderson, NV - The Dollar Loan Center ***


October
1 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues **
3 - Riverside, CA - Riverside Municipal Auditorium **
5 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern **
7 - Sacramento, CA - Discovery Park (Aftershock Festival) ***


* w/ Wargasm & Oxymorrons
** w/ Wargasm & Luna Aura
*** Festival / Radio show


(Photo - Pamela Littky)

BLACK SABBATH's first official live album, "Live Evil", celebrates its 40th anniversary this year with a new Super Deluxe Edition that introduces newly remixed and remastered versions of the acclaimed double album.

"Live Evil (40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)" will be released on June 2 as a 4-CD set, a 4-LP set and digitally. The collections feature two versions of the legendary album: a newly remastered version by Andy Pearce along with a new mix created from the original analog multi-tracks by longtime band associate Wyn Davis. The physical versions also come with illustrated hardback books that include new liner notes and replicas of the concert book and poster from the "Mob Rules" tour. The newly remastered version of "Children Of The Sea" is available below.

A new era of BLACK SABBATH began in 1979 when singer Ronnie James Dio joined the band, along with founding members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, to launch a new incarnation of the iconic heavy metal act.

The newly minted quartet debuted in 1980 with "Heaven And Hell", a platinum-certified smash that won over fans of the original lineup. Halfway through the album's tour, Ward left and was replaced by Vinny Appice. When the tour ended in 1981, the group decamped to Los Angeles and quickly recorded SABBATH's tenth studio album, "Mob Rules". Released in November 1981, the album would be certified gold. While touring for the album, the band announced plans to record several shows for what would become its first official concert album.

In the extensive liner notes that accompany "Live Evil (40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)", Hugh Gilmour writes: "The ten-month 'Mob Rules' tour was certainly a very successful one, resurrecting their reputation not only as a band that could fill major venues, but one that could sell plenty of vinyl and cassettes too. BLACK SABBATH Mk 2 had given their record label two best-selling LPs and were about to present a third."

When "Live Evil" arrived in 1983, the double album was a commercial and critical triumph, reaching No. 13 in the U.K. and No. 37 on the Billboard 200. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, including one from influential heavy metal magazine Kerrang! that hailed it as "one of the greatest live albums of all time."

The recordings capture the ferocious chemistry and dark magic that defined this incarnation of BLACK SABBATH with thrilling live versions of recent tracks like "Neon Knights", "The Sign Of The Southern Cross", "Voodoo" and "Children Of The Sea". The album also honored the band's original lineup with Dio-led versions of SABBATH classics like "Paranoid", "War Pigs", "Iron Man" and "N.I.B."

Alas, the lineup split before the album was released. Iommi and Butler continued as BLACK SABBATH, while Dio and Appice left to record DIO's debut, "Holy Diver". Still, it wasn't the final chapter for the band.

The story continued over a decade later when Dio and Appice rejoined Iommi and Butler to record 1992's "Dehumanizer". They went their separate ways yet again, only to reconvene in 2006 — under the moniker HEAVEN & HELL — to record three new songs. After a hugely successful world tour, the quartet released what would be its final studio album, 2009's "The Devil You Know", which entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 8. Shortly after the album's debut, Dio was diagnosed with cancer, a disease that led to his passing in 2010.

"Live Evil (40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)" track listing:

CD1: 2023 Remaster

01. E5150 (Live)
02. Neon Knights (Live)
03. N.I.B. (Live)
04. Children Of The Sea (Live)
05. Voodoo (Live)
06. Black Sabbath (Live)
07. War Pigs (2023 Remaster)
08. Iron Man (Live)

CD2: 2023 Remaster

01. The Mob Rules (Live)
02. Heaven And Hell (Live)
03. The Sign Of The Southern Cross / Heaven And Hell (Continued) (Live)
04. Paranoid (Live)
05. Children Of The Grave (Live)
06. Fluff (Live)

CD3: 2023 Remix

01. E5150 (Live In Seattle, April 24, 1982)
02. Neon Knights (Live In Seattle, April 24, 1982)
03. N.I.B. (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
04. Children Of The Sea (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
05. Voodoo (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
06. Black Sabbath (Live In Dallas, May 12, 1982)
07. War Pigs / Drum Solo (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
08. Iron Man (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)

CD4: 2023 Remix

01. The Mob Rules (Live In Seattle, April 24, 1982)
02. Heaven And Hell (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
03. The Sign Of The Southern Cross / Heaven And Hell (Continued) (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
04. Paranoid (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
05. Children Of The Grave (Live In Fresno, April 18, 1982)
06. Fluff (Live In Fresno, April 18, 1982)

HEAVEN & HELL 2009 photo credit: Chapman Baehler / courtesy Rhino Entertainment
Children of the Sea, taken from Black Sabbath’s forthcoming Live Evil Super Deluxe box set, is out now. Remixed by Wyn Davis & remastered for the 40th anniv. The 4LP & 4CD box sets include a hardback book, replica tour brochure & poster. Stream & preorder: https://t.co/2Jkxr3J9Ilpic.twitter.com/nciZA6alT8

— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) May 15, 2023

GHOST has shared a cover of IRON MAIDEN's "Phantom Of The Opera", taken from the upcoming "Phantomime" EP. It is the second track to be made available from the EP, following on from last month's release of a cover of GENESIS's "Jesus He Knows Me".

Due on May 18 via Loma Vista Recordings, "Phantomime" is a five-song covers EP intended from the start to follow last year's international chart-topping opus "Impera". A diverse and spellbinding sampling of the Grammy Award-winning band's musical DNA, "Phantomime" is comprised of covers of classics and deep cuts by TELEVISION, GENESIS, THE STRANGLERS, IRON MAIDEN and Tina Turner. "Phantomime" pays tribute in equal measure to every one of these unlikely bedfellow, influences while stamping them all with GHOST's undeniable sonic signature.

Last year, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge told the "My Planet Rocks" show on the U.K. rock radio station Planet Rock that MAIDEN has been a "massive influence" on GHOST. "Both musically and also stage production-wise," he said. "But also when it comes to work ethics and just the sheer volume of work you have to put into your job [and] in your craft has always been inspiring to me.

"When I was a kid, I was sitting with [IRON MAIDEN's 1985 live album] 'Live After Death' record and I was dead set on wanting to become a professional musician and I wanted to tour. I knew about the concept of touring, but a lot of my knowledge or my preconceived notions of what I thought touring was about was looking through 'Live After Death' and seeing all those dates that they were playing everywhere. I sat there with like a big map book and just drew out how they toured, where they played and how often you play. That record in the inner sleeve, you have a lot of information about touring life."

Forge continued: "The '90s was a little bit medieval for a lot of the '80s [metal] bands and I must say that after Bruce [Dickinson] left [in 1993], I wasn't a giant fan of the Blaze Bayley years. In the '90s, this is before Internet, this is before accessibility that way you had to invest in your records, and you had to invest time into anything that you liked.

"In 1995 when they made the first record with Blaze ['The X Factor'], I was so buried in death/black metal stuff, and I was so busy exploring what happened in 1985 that I didn't have time for following that. So, of course, I was amazed when Bruce came back into the band and they made this triumphant return. I must say that 'Brave New World', the comeback record with Bruce, was and still is an unbelievably well-constructed record… That record is actually really good from start to finish. Unbelievable.

"It's incredible that a band 20 years into their professional career were able to still add songs to their already existing and mind-blowingly great repertoire. I think that 'Blood Brothers' is a song that they are still playing at most of their shows, but they could easily play 10 songs from that record."

Back in 2017, Forge spoke to Free Press Houston about the experience of touring the United States with IRON MAIDEN. Asked how the first few shows had gone for GHOST, Forge said: "Amazingly well. I mean, coming on to a tour as support is very hard to predict; you can't expect a lot of things. You can expect things from a practical point of view, like whatever you agree upon. But from a crowd point of view, you have to go in with a very, very open mind, especially with established and iconic bands like IRON MAIDEN. People are there to watch them, you know? You just have to make the best out of it.

"I must say that, a couple of shows down, they have been overwhelmingly accepting," he continued. "Enormous responses from the crowd. If we don't have them by the first 5 to 15 minutes, we definitely have them within the last 10, so I see that as a good sign. But you know, it differs when you go to different areas. A lot of the cities that we're playing we've played several times on our own over the years. We've gone from venues that hold 500 up to 3,000 on our own, so I guess we're not entirely unknown. But there is a difference between a few thousand people and 20,000."

"Phantomime" track listing:

01. See No Evil (TELEVISION)
02. Jesus He Knows Me (GENESIS)
03. Hanging Around (THE STRANGLERS)
04. Phantom Of The Opera (IRON MAIDEN)
05. We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) (Tina Turner)

GHOST is no stranger to covers, having previously tackled material originally written and recorded by THE BEATLES ("Here Comes The Sun"), ABBA ("I'm A Marionette"), DEPECHE MODE ("Waiting For The Night"), Roky Erickson ("If You Have Ghosts"), METALLICA ("Enter Sandman"), PET SHOP BOYS ("It's A Sin") and EURYTHMICS ("Missionary Man"), among others.

This past February, GHOST revealed details of its upcoming "Re-Imperatour" summer 2023 U.S. tour with special guest AMON AMARTH. Produced by Live Nation and FPC Live, the 27-date trek kicks off on Wednesday, August 2 in Concord, California at Concord Pavilion, with stops in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Cincinnati, Austin and more before wrapping up with the band's Monday, September 11 return to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

GHOST is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Impera", which sold 70,000 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 marked the third top 10 album — and fifth top 40-charting set — for the Swedish act. The 12-song effort was produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace.

"Impera" landed at position No. 1 in Germany and Sweden, No. 2 in the U.K., Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, No. 3 in Australia, No. 5 in France and Ireland, and No. 20 in Italy.

GHOST leader Tobias Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018's "Prequelle" with Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

In January, GHOST released a new version of its song "Spillways" featuring a guest appearance by DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott.

"Spillways" is taken from "Impera", which was released in March 2022.

Photo credit: Jimmy Hubbard

German power metallers HELLOWEEN kicked off their "United Forces" tour of North America this past Saturday (May 13) at The Factory in Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas. Support on the 13-date trek is coming from Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL. Fan-filmed video of HELLOWEEN's performance can be seen below.

HELLOWEEN's North American tour will close on June 3 in San Francisco, California.

In a recent interview with Belgian Jasper, Michael Kiske spoke about his personal chemistry with the other members of HELLOWEEN before and after the initial "Pumpkins United" tour, which saw the band reunite with Kiske and guitarist Kai Hansen. He said: "At first I thought the idea [was just to do a tour with the classic lineup]. At first I thought, without firing [Kiske's replacement] Andi [Deris] or anything, they just wanted to make a 'Keeper [Of The Seven Keys]' tour or something like that. But I realized it doesn't make sense because you create another HELLOWEEN that is sort of in competition with the HELLOWEEN of the last 20 years. And it was pretty quickly clear to me, 'It doesn't make sense. I agree.' Jan [Bayati, HELLOWEEN's manager] was putting that to me that it doesn't work: 'You guys have to do it together.'

"It's so great now," Kiske continued. "It has so many benefits. I get along with everybody. I have a special relationship with each individual. It's normal [because] everybody is different. I have a different relationship with Kai. We meet on a specific level, like we always have. That hasn't changed. My relationship with Weiki [HELLOWEEN guitarist Michael Weikath] is completely different to how it was, because Weiki is completely different. I'm different too, but he has changed completely. He used to be a troublemaker; he used to be someone [who would play] games behind your back. He's not at all like that anymore. The only thing he cares about is smoking a cigarette and having a good time. And he sticks out of all arguments and fights, and that has completely changed. He's like the most easygoing person ever. And Markus [Grosskopf, HELLOWEEN bassist] is pretty much the same; he's just matured. He can express himself a lot better than he used to. When he was young, he wasn't able to put [his feelings] into words. But now he can. But he grew up too; he has matured too.

"The most important thing for me is that I get along with Andi so well," Kiske noted. "We even hang out privately. When we rehearse, for instance, we always sit together eating something, or somewhere outside or drink something or have a coffee or whatever. And that's perfect. And so you function on stage too, because all that works out. And that is something that I'm really happy with. If it wouldn't have been that way, I don't think we would still do it.

"We only made contracts for until after the first tour. We only made contracts for the 'Pumpkins United' tour. I think it was ending in 2018 or something, and the contracts were over. So if anybody wouldn't be up for it anymore, you would be free to leave. But since everything went down so well… we kind of thought, 'Well, how about a record?'"

Kiske's first album back with HELLOWEEN, 2021's self-titled effort, landed in the Top 10 in more than 10 countries, including Germany, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. The cover artwork for the LP was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the latest HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

"Helloween" saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analogue and Daniel Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

Bass player James LoMenzo spoke to Australia's Wall Of Sound about his return to MEGADETH as a permanent member of the band. LoMenzo was MEGADETH's bass player in the mid-2000s and stepped back in as a touring member for the 2021 leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year". In May 2022, it was announced that Lomenzo was officially rejoining the MEGADETH family.

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with returning original MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

LoMenzo reflected on his reunion with MEGADETH in an interview with Wall Of Sound conducted at Knotfest Australia in late March. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The new band was mind-boggling to me, when I showed up. 'Cause last I left off, it was Chris Broderick, who's actually playing with IN FLAMES tonight [at Knotfest Australia] — a fantastic guitar player and a lovely fellow — and [drummer] Shawn Drover. And so this iteration just blew my socks off. I didn't know what to think when I was coming back. I knew Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] would be there, I knew it would sound like MEGADETH, 'cause as long as Dave is singing and playing guitar, it isMEGADETH. But the new guys, I knew they were good, but when I got in the room and Dirk [Verbeuren] just started slamming his drums, I was just blown away. And then when I got to play with [guitarist] Kiko [Loureiro], who's massively deep musically… We spend a lot of time in our little rehearsal place; we always set up a little rehearsal room at all the gigs we play. Him and I will just go and jam, and he'll start showing me Brazilian rhythms that we can move over and play classical motifs and blues — I mean, anything; the sky's the limit."

Last November, LoMenzo reflecting on his initial departure from MEGADETH in an interview with Ashdown Engineering. He said at the time: "After three or four years in MEGADETH, David Ellefson returned. And I, like you, was pretty excited about that, because I had always been a fan of MEGADETH anyway. I'm one of those crazy guys that's, like, I want it to be the original band. I always want it to be the original band; it's kind of the way I grew up. But in lieu of that, I had to take the charge of the bass spot when he couldn't be there. So when he came back, I was fine with it. I've done two great albums — 'United Abominations' and 'Endgame'; we've done two world tours, been all over the place. And so at that point, I was kind of excited to maybe try something new. And so I went back home. I started a video production company. I started doing these local jams where all my famous friends would come by and jam with me. It was great. And eventually I ended up in [rock legend] John Fogerty's band."

On the topic of how he rejoined MEGADETH, James said: "How do I end up back in MEGADETH? It's like that 'Godfather' movie — 'Just when I thought I got out, they pull me back in again.' No… But anyway… When they needed a bass player — it became apparent — I thought to myself, 'They'll probably call me up.' But I also thought to myself, 'It's been a while since I played that kind of music, so maybe it'll be great. It'll be all right. Maybe not.' Sure enough, the phone rings, and Dave [Mustaine] is, like, 'We've gotta do this 'Metal Tour Of The Year'. James, I know you're the guy who can do it. I would love to have you here. If you would just commit to just doing this tour, that would be great.' And I thought, 'Well, that's kind of weird. He doesn't want me to rejoin the band.' But then I thought about it. He knew I had another band, and he was telling me, 'I don't want you to screw up whatever you've got going.' I was being loyal to John. So we went out on the tour, and gosh, it was just the best time. I was so enamored with the band that he put together and with Kiko and with Dirk that I was blown away. And Dave, gosh, he's just delivering the goods every day. The great thing about Dave is he's been through a lot. He recovered from cancer. He's had problems with his back. Over the years, he's had more things than most professional wrestlers would have, and he shows no sign of it — he just gets up there and plays and just gives it his all. So after that tour, I was sitting there going, 'Man, I think I might like to stay here for a while.' And so, luckily, as luck would have it, not too long after that, Dave calls me up at home and he goes, 'You know, we would love to have you be part of the band officially if you wanna stay.' And I thought, 'That's exactly what I was thinking, man. Let's do it.'

In addition to MEGADETH and Fogerty, LoMenzo has played with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and WHITE LION.

LoMenzo played his first show with MEGADETH in nearly 12 years in August 2021 in Austin, Texas. The concert took place three months following Ellefson's dismissal from MEGADETH after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving him were posted on Twitter.

During an appearance on a March 2022 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Mustaine discussed MEGADETH's reunion with LoMenzo, saying: "I'm thrilled. I think he's a really awesome person to have in MEGADETH. He was when we tried it the first time. And for whatever reason that things happen, things happened and we took a little sabbatical from playing [together]. And when things happened as they did, it was obvious to me that I needed to get a super kickass bass player to come in and cut all the tracks and learn 'em in relatively no time, because we were in the studio already, so I needed to get somebody that could really do all that stuff. And I hadn't made up my mind on James yet. So I ended up asking a super, super legendary bass player in the metal community, Steve DiGiorgio. I asked him if he would come in and guest on the [latest MEGADETH] record and help me to finish the record and cut bass parts. So he came out, and that was really wonderful to hear his interpretation of my songs and the stuff that Kiko and Dirk and I, the stuff that we're starting to write together; we're starting to really develop our chemistry."

Mustaine previously talked about LoMenzo's return to MEGADETH in an interview with Revolver last August. He said at the time: "We welcomed James with open arms, and everybody loves him. He's just such a great, great guy. So it wasn't a hard decision at all to make. It was basically calling him, seeing what he was doing. Everybody is really, really happy with him. I haven't really seen that much pushback from the fans. I know that the two people that matter the most, besides me, Dirk and Kiko, love him. It's what I wanted. I wanted to have the four of us playing together and all being comfortable with one another and knowing that there was no weirdness going on or any double dealing or anything like that, because those are the things that always ruin bands. We've had this closeness, the four of us, since James came. They're always together somewhere — always, always. James is down at the bar having a glass of wine with Kiko, or James is in the gym working out with Dirk. They are always doing something wonderful together."

EPICA has replaced FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH as the support act for METALLICA on Wednesday, May 17 at Stade De France in Paris, France and on Sunday, May 28 at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany.

EPICA vocalist Simone Simons comments: "We are beyond excited to share the stage with the legendary METALLICA that has had a great influence on the whole music scene, including EPICA."

Earlier today (Monday, May 15),METALLICA wrote on social media: "Fresh off their successful Epic Apocalypse tour, @Epica will be stepping in for @FFDP on the #M72 World Tour on Wednesday in Paris and Sunday, May 28, in Hamburg. We're excited that they can join the ride."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH previously canceled its April 29 appearance at the Johan Cruijf Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands as the support act for METALLICA. Replacing the Las Vegas-based act on the bill was NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen, who played a set in support of her recently released solo album "Paragon". At the time, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH released statement via social media explaining that singer Ivan Moody's recovery from surgery to correct an acute hernia injury "proved more challenging than initially thought", forcing the band to pull out of the Amsterdam show. But FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH vowed to "perform ALL subsequent scheduled dates," including Paris.

METALLICA's "M72" world tour is featuring two-night stops in nearly two dozen cities. Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only) and promoted by Live Nation, the 46-show trek launched in Amsterdam on April 27 and includes shows all over Europe and North America through 2024. Each "No Repeat Weekend" on "M72" will feature two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour will feature 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. Other opening acts for the tour include PANTERA, MAMMOTH WVH, ICE NINE KILLS, ARCHITECTS, VOLBEAT and GRETA VAN FLEET.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe
Fresh off their successful Epic Apocalypse tour, @Epica will be stepping in for @FFDP on the #M72 World Tour on Wednesday in Paris and Sunday, May 28, in Hamburg. We’re excited that they can join the ride.#M72Paris#M72Hamburgpic.twitter.com/ryurn2rVeu

— Metallica (@Metallica) May 15, 2023

Ted Nugent has blasted the venue in Birmingham, Alabama that canceled his show due to a backlash surrounding his controversial political views.

The legendary 74-year-old rocker was scheduled to perform on July 18 at Avondale Brewing Co. But his appearance was scrapped on May 4, one day before tickets were to go on sale via Ticketmaster.

The decision to call off the gig was apparently made in response to about 1,000 comments which were posted on Avondale Brewing's Facebook page after the show was announced, as well as more than 150 comments on the venue's Instagram page.

A Birmingham bar, Al's On 7th, issued a statement saying it would no longer support Avondale Brewing Company or Good People Brewing Company, Avondale's parent company.

"Al's will no longer purchase any beer from Avondale Brewing Company nor Good People Brewing Company," the bar said in the social media post. "Avondale will be hosting a Ted Nugent concert in July. Nugent has recently made serious transphobic comments."

In announcing the concert's cancelation, Avondale Brewing wrote in a post on Instagram Stories: "We have heard the concerns of the Avondale community, which is so important to us, and in conjunction with our partners, have taken the necessary steps to to cancel the Ted Nugent concert scheduled for July 18."

Nugent's concert in Birmingham was supposed to be part of his 28-stop tour dubbed "Adios Mofo '23", which is being advertised as his farewell tour.

During a latest edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which Ted offers his take on the news of our world every night, the rocker stated about the controversy in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This year, in 2023, I'm going on tour for the last actual organized tour of my life, 'Adios Mofo '23'… And I've gotta tell you, the concerts are selling out left and right — except where some freaks who think that men should go into women's bathrooms and locker rooms and who think that comfortably numb is a desirable condition for your children. They have protested. I think there were six snakes — they were serpents — that protested one of my concerts down in Birmingham, Alabama, of all places. We were selling tickets left and right. They canceled the concert, and the Nugent haters — which is the Michael Moore, Hunter Biden fan club — they actually canceled the concert in Birmingham, but an hour later I booked another gig for more money across the border in Mississippi. So when you mess with Uncle Ted, you lose. I'm gonna rock my flamethrowing balls off this year and have the greatest concert of my life… So all you people that are angry that I'm happy, have a nice day, because the Michael Moore, Joe Biden, Hunter Biden fan club always gets upset when good people are happy. So get ready for the greatest tour of your life."

Addressing some of the specific "accusations" which led to the cancelation of his concert in Birmingham, Ted said: "It's called the Avondale Brewery in Birmingham, Alabama. And again, just the lunatic fringe. Some serpents; they slithered off from underneath the rock. I think six or seven of 'em, and there were big fat men dressed up like women that wanted to sing, 'I love it when you kiss me where I pee.' Now they like that, but they don't love my music. So they protested. And the proprietors bent over rover and they canceled my concert. But again, you see that smile on my face? You can't cancel me.

"By the way, it's 2023. It's gonna be the greatest tour of my life," he continued. "This has happened all throughout my career because I stand up for God, family and country. And by the way, all the accusations are false. I've never met Courtney Love. I didn't dodge the draft. I've never dissed the Native Americans. I'm not homophobic. I've got gay friends and we snuggle. I'm not racist. I am black. I mean, the whole thing is just preposterous because they can't debate me, so they have to lie and hate. And then The Huffington Post and CNN and MSNBC and Rolling Stone magazine, they continue to lie and lie. All the nasty allegations are one hundred percent false. Now, I've made some mistakes in life, but they haven't mentioned any of those. They just keep lying.

"My haters are the dumbest creatures that have ever slithered," Nugent added. "And the Avondale Brewery in Birmingham, Alabama has been bombarded with good families, really good, good people, a lot of military heroes, a lot of law enforcement heroes and just good working-hard, playing-hard Americans going, 'Boy, are you people stupid. Because I'm gonna go to the Ted Nugent concert that night anyway, just not at your place.' [Laughs] So it's too funny for words."

Nugent has said a number of times that that his political views — which the rocker himself has proudly called "radical" — are one of the main reasons he hasn't been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The conservative rocker, who has been eligible for the honor as a solo artist since 2000, has enjoyed a remarkably successful and eventful musical career over the past five decades, but his music is increasingly overshadowed by his political outbursts.

Nugent has long been outspoken about his political beliefs, including during the administration of former U.S. president Barack Obama, at one point calling Obama a "subhuman mongrel" in 2014. In 2017 he appeared to briefly soften his tone, telling The Washington Post "I'm not going to engage in that kind of hateful rhetoric anymore." However, just a year ago, he urged attendees at a Trump rally to go "berserk on the skulls of the Democrats and the Marxists and the communists."

Nugent is also an outspoken conspiracy theorist who has refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine. He previously spread false information about the pandemic, only to contract the virus himself and become severely sick.

In October 2021, Nugent appeared on "Off The Record" where he once again said that he wouldn't take the COVID-19 vaccine because the shots that were available in the United States were developed in less than a year are probably fake.

In April 2021, Nugent, who previously claimed the virus was "not a real pandemic," talked about the darkest days of his battle with COVID-19, saying that he had "never been so scared" in his entire life.

In the past, Nugent, a staunch Donald Trump supporter, had referred to the virus as a "leftist scam to destroy" America's 45th president. He had also repeated a narrative pushed by conservative media and disputed by health experts that suggests the official death count from the coronavirus is inflated.

Last year, Nugent once again repeated the baseless conspiracy theory that the riot at the U.S. Capitol was orchestrated by undercover FBI agents, Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

Last month, Nugent shared a tweet in which he denounced the existence of transgender people and told people they could "debate" him if they disagreed.

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

In a new interview with Andrew Daly of Metal Edge, WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale reflected on the breakdown of his working relationship with guitarist John Sykes, who co-wrote nine of the tracks on the band's classic 1987 album "Whitesnake", including mega-hits "Still Of The Night" and "Is This Love?"

"As you know, things went squirrely between us, which was unfortunate," David said. "But John was and is an incredible talent. Our musical chemistry was great, but it didn't work personally. The truth of the matter is no matter how incredible of an album that we made together, we were unable to connect as people. You can hear that there was creative magic in that relationship, but it stopped the moment we put the mics and instruments down. John was critical to that record and a superb live player. But there were many important aspects of things that were not there. It wasn't meant to be. With John, things just exploded. I think rock bottom would have been when he tried to fire me from my own band. As you can imagine, that didn't go over very well. [Laughs]"

Asked if he has spoken with John since he left WHITESNAKE, David said: "I was talking to a mutual acquaintance some years back and said, 'I haven't heard anything from John for a long time.' And this acquaintance got John and me talking while I was working on demos for the 'Into The Light' record. So, after something like 15 years of animosity, we spoke and got on well. Thoughts of working with him again crossed my mind, but the more we spoke, the more I realized that I had changed significantly, and John had been his own boss for so long, so it would never work. I thought, 'The chemistry is not going to work; it's going to be as it was all over again; I can't have that.'"

He continued: "Truthfully, I simply don't want to do anything at this time in my life that will open the door to regret. I know that's perhaps disappointing to fans, and I wish John every success, as I know he's a much-loved and admired player. And I hope everything's okay with him as I haven't heard from him for a while. But I guess what guides me now is something I learned from Jimmy Page, Jon Lord, and the great Ritchie Blackmore, and that's what's the point of working with someone if I don't think I can teach them anything or get something in return?"

Back in 2017, Sykes launched a verbal attack on Coverdale in an issue of U.K.'s Rock Candy magazine, claiming the WHITESNAKE singer "used every excuse possible to explain why he didn't want to record his vocals" for the multi-platinum album. "He blamed the weather. He wasn't happy with the studio. He even went so far as to say the microphones weren't good enough," said Sykes. "I honestly think David suffered from nerves."

Sykes found himself thrown out of WHITESNAKE, alongside bassist Neil Murray and drummer Aynsley Dunbar, even before the album had been released. Coverdale then assembled an entirely different, MTV-friendly group to tour the record. Sykes admitted that he was still "very bitter" about how Coverdale treated him. "David said nothing to any of us about having decided to kick us out of the band," the guitarist told Rock Candy, claiming he only found out he was no longer a member of WHITESNAKE when he asked the band's A&R man John Kalodner what was going on.

"I was furious and wasn't about to accept this," said Sykes. "So I went down to the studio where David was still recording his vocals, prepared to confront him. Honest to God, he ran away, got in his car and hid from me!"

Sykes claimed Coverdale blamed record company Geffen for forcing him to change band members. "I knew he was fucking lying," said Sykes. And he insists Coverdale's claims to have written 95 percent of the album's guitar parts are also false. "When I knew him, David could barely play the guitar," Sykes said.

Sykes also ruled out the possibility of collaborating with Coverdale in the future, saying: "I know David has been saying recently that he and I have been talking about working together on a project outside of WHITESNAKE. That's completely false. I really have no interest in ever talking to him again."

Former WHITE LION singer Mike Tramp says that he was "brought to [his] knees" by his recent battle with COVID-19.

The 62-year-old Danish-born musician, who is currently on the road in the U.S. as part of his "The Songs Of White Lion" tour, revealed that he tested positive for the coronavirus late last week.

In a social media post on Thursday (May 11),Tramp wrote: "Everybody around me, north and south, east and west, had it at some time. But for some reason i dodged the big C-19 bullet every time. Still I knew that when you shake 300 hands at night, 200 selfies and all the comes with meeting happy people after a show. Mathematics says, it just a matter of time, and it was. I felt the symptoms Saturday night, specifically in my throat and chest, and when I got up early sunday to prepare for our 12.30 show. I knew it was not good. Went to the Doctor and got the bad news that I was not immortal and I had COVID. Friends suggested i got on Paxlovid medication right away and before the day was through, I felt 100% better. But of course while I have been waiting it out, I have felt that I have an unwanted visitor in my body and I can't wait till it leaves. As I am fine to go on stage. Please accept that I won't and can't throw myself in your arms after the show."

Earlier today (Sunday, May 14),Mike shared an update on his condition, writing: "A week ago, I was brought to my knees by the Big C, even though sleepy Joe had told us all that Covid was cancelled. What a shit week, never thought it would end, never thought I'd feel alive again. But then today the sun came into my life and slowly as the day progressed. I started to feel whole again, and with every hour it's getting better and better, and maybe tomorrow I am almost completely out of the darkness. A million thanks for all of your support it means the world and I'll do my best to make up for the 3 shows we had to pull."

This past April, Tramp released "Songs Of White Lion", via Frontiers Music Srl. As the title implies, the album sees Tramp re-imagining select cuts from WHITE LION's catalog.

Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, WHITE LION released its debut album, "Fight To Survive", in 1985. The band had its breakthrough with the double-platinum-selling "Pride" album, which produced two Top 10 hits: "Wait" and "When The Children Cry". The band continued its success with the third album, "Big Game", which achieved gold status.

By the time WHITE LION released its final album, 1991's "Mane Attraction", alternative rock was in the ascendancy, leading to a swift decline of the so-called "hair metal" scene in terms of sales, popularity, radio play, and most importantly, relevance.

A week ago, I was brought to my knees by the Big C, even though sleepy Joe had told us all that Covid was cancelled....

Posted by Mike Tramp on Sunday, May 14, 2023

Everybody around me, north and south, east and west, had it at some time. But for some reason i dodged the big C-19...

Posted by Mike Tramp on Thursday, May 11, 2023

In a new interview with Sakis Fragos of Greece's Rock Hard magazine, FATES WARNING singer Ray Alder spoke about his decision to continue making solo music, with his sophomore solo effort, "II", set to arrive on June 9 via InsideOut Music.

"With FATES, after we did the last album and Jim [Matheos, guitar] saying he doesn't wanna write any more FATES WARNING music, I have to do something," he explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I'm a singer. I can't just get a normal job. I mean, music is my life; it's been my life since I was 16 years old. I've been in bands — shit, since I was 14 years old I've been in bands. The first time I ever sang, I think, I was 14, [in] my brother's band. So it's my life. I don't know what else I would do otherwise."

Pressed to clarify if Jim really said that he wasn't interested in writing any more FATES WARNING music, Ray said: "Yeah. [He said it] when we did [2020's] 'Long Day Good Night' [album]. That was basically his saying he doesn't wanna write any more FATES WARNING music. It doesn't mean we won't ever tour again. I would love to tour again, and Jim would as well; we've already discussed it. It's just a matter of getting everyone together. Joey's [Vera, bass] in five or six different bands. And Bobby Jarzombek, Bobby's now playing with George Strait, one of the biggest country music stars in the world, and Bobby's his drummer now. But George doesn't really do normal tours; he does one-off shows now and then. And so it's really hard for Bobby to leave for more than a week or two to be on tour. So we've been trying to deal with that lately. But next year is the fortieth anniversary of FATES WARNING, so we're discussing doing a few shows next year around the world. Not a full tour, but some shows every few weeks or months apart. So hopefully that'll work. We'll see."

Asked if that means that there will be no more new FATES WARNING music in the future, Ray said: "It doesn't seem like it. I can't speak for Jim. Of course I would love to, and everybody else would, but at this point I don't think Jim wants to write any more."

As for why he thinks Jim isn't interested in making any more FATES WARNING music, Alder said: "You've gotta ask him, man. You've gotta ask him. I can't speak for him. Sorry."

FATES WARNING has been a formidable presence in progressive metal for nearly four decades, helping to shape and drive the genre without ever compromising its integrity or losing relevance.

FATES WARNING, with John Arch on vocals, unleashed three albums (1984's "Night On Bröcken", 1985's "The Spectre Within" and 1986's "Awaken The Guardian") that would go on to influence progressive-minded bands like DREAM THEATER, before Arch left the group and was replaced by Alder.

A FATES WARNING biography from noted author and journalist Jeff Wagner, "Destination Onward - The Story Of Fates Warning", was made available last July. The 400-page history of the legendary prog metal band features interviews with every member of FATES WARNING, past and present, and covers the early days of the original members, the band's formation in 1983 as MISFIT, their commercial peak with 1991's "Parallels", right through to their last song, "The Last Song", which closes out "Long Day Good Night".

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Video of FLYLEAF's May 13 performance at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below.

FLYLEAF played its first concert with singer Lacey Sturm in 11 years on April 27 at Schoepf's BBQ in Belton, Texas.

FLYLEAF, which hadn't performed live since 2016 prior to the Belton concert, will make a number of festival appearances this year, including at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in September in Alton, Virginia.

Sturm left FLYLEAF in October 2012. She was replaced by Kristen May, who recorded one album with the group, 2014's "Between The Stars", before exiting.

Lacey opened up about her reasons for her departure from FLYLEAF in a video promoting her 2014 memoir "The Reason: How I Discovered A Life Worth Living". At the time, she said: "We were on our second album when I got married. And the album was called 'Memento Mori'. And 'memento mori' means remember you're mortal, remember that you'll die and remember that your life is short and precious and so are the lives of those around you.

"For two years, I toured with my husband and it was really amazing, and then after those two years, we ended up getting pregnant with my son," she continued. "And I recognized that my priorities were gonna change even more and that message of 'memento mori' and remembering how short your life is was really weighing on my heart.

"We toured for ten years. I mean, we weren't home for more than a month, probably, a year. So, for me, I just felt really blessed to be pregnant and to be in a place where I could stay home if I wanted to, and really ask that question: how is this gonna change my priorities? How is this gonna look? We had a few things happen that really brought that message home, but the one that hit the hardest was the death of our sound engineer [Rich Caldwell]. We did one last show with FLYLEAF as a benefit for his wife Katy and their son Kirby. And it was really hard to do a show without him, and it was really hard to think it could be our last show. So I remember looking at my son after Rich had passed and just wondering to myself, if this was the last year I had with my son, how would I spend it?

"It was really amazing to recognize this season changing in my life and the freedom that I was gonna be able to focus on my family. And I'm so thankful for that time. And although it was really hard, I'm thankful. And that's the reason I stepped down from FLYLEAF."

Back in 2016, Sturm was asked in an interview with RockRevolt Magazine if there was chance that she could reunite with her former bandmates after they had parted ways with May. She responded: "Well, you know, I feel like I'm the kind of person that I think so much happened that I never in a million years thought would happen, so I've learned to quit saying 'never.' But at the same time, I'm a really present person."

She added at the time: "I don't have any plans for that, but then again, you never know. I don't know… [Laughs] They haven't called me. And I don't have any plans [to go back]."

At several shows last year, Sturm joined SEETHER on stage to perform the FLYLEAF song "I'm So Sick".

In December 2021, Sturm released the official music video for her latest solo single, "Awaken Love". The track followed the previously released "The Decree" and "State Of Me".

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

Asked in a new interview with Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind how BUCKCHERRY's cover of "Summer Of 69" came about, Josh said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a song we just pull out from time to time live, usually when we're just really tired and we really wanna just throw out a cover song; we don't do a lot of 'em. And our manager caught it one day, and he's, like, 'Wow! You guys do this so good. We've gotta record this song. This is so cool.'

"We're huge fans of Bryan Adams," he continued. "I think every band, when you're in the game of songwriting, you'll have those songs that you just wish you wrote yourself that aren't your songs, and that's one of those songs. I have loved that song since the '80s. It's just one of those songs, I'm, like, 'Fuck!' Every time I hear it, I'm, like, 'I wish I would have written this song. This song is perfect.' So that's why we recorded it. We sped it up a little bit, and you put my voice on it and all of a sudden it sounds like a really good BUCKCHERRY song.

"I think if a song could capture summer from the beginning to the end and everything you feel in summer, that's the song. That is the song that describes summer and youth and love and inspiration and being in a band and all those things. I mean, it's just such a cool song in that regard. And because it's so well written, you can slow it down and it's still great, you can speed it up and it's still great, you can leave it where it's at and it's great. It's just one of those songs."

"So I'm really pleased with it," Todd added. "It just kind of jumped off. And everybody loved it — our label and our team — so we put it on at the end. It was gonna be just a bonus track, but there's no such thing as bonus tracks anymore."

Last August, BUCKCHERRY announced that Todd and guitarist Stevie Dacanay would head to Nashville in late September to finish the writing process for the band's tenth studio album. The band was scheduled to begin recording the effort on November 4, 2022.

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

In the summer of 2020, BUCKCHERRY recruited JETBOY's Billy Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July of that year.

In 2019, BUCKCHERRY enlisted Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint".

After performing 238 shows in support of "Hellbound", the band has hit the road in support of "Vol. 10". Touring kicked off on March 9 in Bowler, Wisconsin, co-headlining with SKID ROW.

BUCKCHERRY burst on to the scene in 1999 with its now-classic self-titled debut album. Hit singles "Lit Up", "For The Movies", "Dead Again" and "Check Your Head" brought the celebration back to the party scene, recalling the gritty glam impact of MÖTLEY CRÜE but with a Gen X-demanded, modern self-awareness. Later albums continued to develop their reputation for volatile, mercurial themes and infectious hooks; such singles as "Crazy Bitch", "Everything", "Too Drunk" and "All Night Long" became screaming choruses for fans across the world. With their irreverent and bawdy lyrics, delivered with Todd's whisky weathered vocals, paired with filthy guitar riffs and high-energy, throbbing bass lines, BUCKCHERRY has sustained a hard-earned reputation as a not-to-be-missed live presence with regular touring schedules alongside such legends as MÖTLEY CRÜE and PAPA ROACH.

The Greg Perry YouTube channel has uploaded front-row fan-filmed video of Alice Cooper's May 14 concert at Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Check out the clips below.

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.

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, are back with their latest Sunday Lunch video. Watch Toyah perform The Velvet Underground's "Venus In Furs" for Robert, below.


A message states: “Tables are turned this week as Toyah takes to the kitchen table!"







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:

Van Halen singer, David Lee Roth, is back with another of his interpretive dance videos. This time, Roth performs a little dance to "Little Bird", featured on Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox's 1992 album, Diva. Watch below:





A few of Roth's previous "dance" videos can be viewed below:

Dali Van Gogh, the hard-hitting rock band from Nova Scotia, made a big splash at this year's East Coast Music Awards. The band won the coveted Loud Recording of the Year award, a breakout moment for a group that has been pursuing an ECMA nomination for nearly a decade.


Not content with just one nomination, Dali Van Gogh was also up for Rock Recording Of The Year, narrowly losing out to The Trews. But the band's success didn't stop there. They had three huge showcases during the festival, including a sold-out performance on the Loud Stage, and a thrilling collaborative set with Keke Beatz on the Breakout Stage.


"We're over the moon about winning Loud Recording of the Year," said Isaac Kent, Dali Van Gogh's guitarist and founder. "It's been a long journey, but this award makes it all worth it. We couldn't have done it without our amazing fans, who have supported us every step of the way."




The East Coast Music Awards are a hotbed for emerging talent, and Dali Van Gogh's win is a testament to their incredible musicianship and dedication. Their latest record, "New Blood, Old Wounds", released to critical acclaim in 2022, and is just the beginning of what promises to be an exciting journey for the band.


With the East Coast Music Awards behind them, Dali Van Gogh is now gearing up for a Canadian tour, with the first leg kicking off this June including a showcase at NXNE in Toronto and three shows with multi-platinum artist Buckcherry. Dali Van Gogh promises to bring their electrifying live show to fans across the country.








Dali Van Gogh recently released a cover of the classic Rush hit, "Tom Sawyer". The single is available on all major streaming platforms here.


"Tom Sawyer" was originally released in 1981 and has remained one of Rush’s most iconic songs. Dali Van Gogh’s rendition of the track promises to pay tribute to the original while putting their own unique spin on it.


“We are thrilled to release our version of Tom Sawyer'," said Rocky Moreau, lead vocalist of Dali Van Gogh. "Rush has been a huge influence on our music, not to mention my own personal journey, and this song has always been one of our favorites. We hope our fans will enjoy our take on this classic track."


Dali Van Gogh has been a mainstay of the Canadian rock scene since their formation in 2008. Their high-energy live shows and dynamic, guitar-driven sound have earned them a dedicated following both at home and abroad. With this latest release, the band looks to continue their upward trajectory and solidify their place as one of Canada’s top rock acts.


The single will be accompanied by a music video that will be released in a few weeks, which was directed by Keke Beatz. The video will feature Dali Van Gogh performing "Tom Sawyer" in a dimly lit studio, with moody lighting and dynamic camera work adding to the song’s intense energy.