Houston is back with a third album in their Relaunch series, the aptly titled Relaunch III on July 14. The basic concept behind the Relaunch albums is for Houston to shine a light on obscure, unknown AOR gems from their personal musical collections. Houston, an AOR band themselves, are true AOR connoisseurs and want to pay their respects to these legendary artists and songs.


Watch a lyric video for the track "Live Forever" below, and  pre-order/save ReLaunch III here.







Relaunch III tracklisting:


"Live Forever"
"Slipping Away" (Marc Jordan)
"Power Over Me" (Atlantic)
"Heart Of Stone" (Blackjack)
"She Don't Come Around" (David Pack)
"Do You Believe"
"She's Out With A Gun" (Van Zant)
"Modern Day Delilah" (Van Stephenson)
"Sound Of A Breaking Heart" (Prophet)
"Outrageous" (Franke & the Knockouts)
"Running Back" (Urgent)
"Live Forever" (Remix)
"Do You Believe" (Remix)


"Live Forever" lyric video:





Lineup:


Hank Erix - Lead vocals
Carl Hammar - Guitar
Richard Hamilton - Keyboards
Niels Walter - Bass
Erik Modin - Drums

German metal legends, Helloween, performed at Monsters Of Rock 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 22 at Allianz Parque. The band has shared the recap video below, stating: "Don't stop being crazy, pumpkinheads! It feels so great to see you all again and to go wild together! With the love and energy from Latin America and the recent shows back home in Germany we're ready for the next stops on the United Forces tour and the festival summer! See you all (again) there!"





Helloween will return to the US and Canada this spring as part of their ongoing United Forces world tour alongside supporting special guests, HammerFall.




The trek will commence on May 13 in Dallas, Texas and wind its way through a total of thirteen cities, the journey drawing to a close on June 3 in San Francisco, California.


Fans can expect an epic night of Helloween hits spanning the band’s legacy as well as tunes from their latest album, Helloween, marking the first time tracks from the album will be performed live for US and Canadian audiences.


Tickets are on sale now. Secure yours today, here. See all confirmed dates below.





Dates:


May
13 - Dallas, TX - The Factory
16 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
18 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
20 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
21 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
23 - Toronto, ON - History
24 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Hall
26 - Chicago, IL - The Riviera
27 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore
30 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre


June
1 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
2 - Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theater
3 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield


Helloween will be Inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame. The ceremony will take place on stage at Terminal 5, New York City, May 20.


Known as one of the most influential European heavy metal bands, Helloween  have performed at festivals and concerts alongside Iron Maiden, David Lee Roth, KISS, Megadeth, and Guns N' Roses, among others.


"Helloween have helped establish the origins of the power metal genre," says Metal Hall Of Fame founder/CEO Pat Gesualdo. Power metal is such an important part of the heavy metal community as well. We are proud to induct Helloween into the Metal Hall Of Fame and have them to help represent the power metal genre, and all it's fans throughout the world."


“It´s truly an honor to be inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame! Being listed next to some of the biggest bands in rock & metal makes us very proud and is rewarding our work as "The Ambassadors of Power & Melodic Metal" for the last four decades,” comments Michael Weikath on behalf of the whole band.





Often referred to as the "Fathers of Power Metal", Helloween has released 16 studio albums, three live albums, three EPs and 30 singles. The German based band have 14 gold and 6 platinum records, and sold over 10 million records worldwide. Helloween are known as one of the "Big Four" of the "Power Metal" genre, along with Blind Guardian, Sabaton, and DragonForce.


The Metal Hall of Fame is dedicated to forever enshrining the iconic musicians and music industry executives responsible for making Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music what it is today. Their contribution to the genre is invaluable, and they continue to inspire fans throughout the world, from generation to generation.


The Annual Metal Hall of Fame Celebrity Gala is held every January in C.A. As a 501(C)(3) Non Profit organization, all proceeds from Metal Hall of Fame and D.A.D. events bring free music programs to help special needs children and wounded veterans.


The Metal Hall of Fame Voting Process is derived by fans of all genres of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, along with the Metal Hall of Fame voting committee. Fans can cast their vote all year round for their favorite artists, bands, producers, and music industry executives via the Metal Hall of Fame website.


For more information, please contact info@themetalhalloffame.org, or call 973-263-0420.

Judas Priest have been working on their follow-up to 2018’s Firepower album. Speaking with ABC Audio, guitarist Richie Faulkner shares that the actual recording of the album is “almost finished", reports KSLX.


“I think we have some vocals to do, and then we’ve gotta mix and then master,” Faulkner says.


What comes after that, though, is a little bit more up in the air. “We gotta finalize artwork and actually manufacture the stuff… make the vinyl and get that done,” Faulkner explains. “I think vinyl takes a little while these days, so it depends how long that takes to actually manufacture the physical product. So that’s the question mark.”




Read more at KSLX.com.


Elegant Weapons - the new band featuring Faulkner, alongside Rainbow singer Ronnie Romero,, Uriah Heep bassist Dave Rimmer, and Accept drummer Christopher Williams - will release their debut full-length, Horns For A Halo (produced by Faulkner’s Priest bandmate, Andy Sneap and featuring album performances by Pantera’s Rex Brown and Judas Priest's Scott Travis), on May 26 via Nuclear Blast Records. Read more about it here.


Judas Priest have announced tour dates for the UK and Ireland in March 2024. Dubbed "Metal Masters", the dates will include special guests, Saxon and Uriah Heep.


The tour is set to launch at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland on March 11, and will conclude at OVO Arena Wembley in London, England on March 24.


Says Judas Priest: "we are thrilled to start this World Tour in the renowned traditional homes of heavy metal and can't wait to see our amazing family of Priest maniacs!"





Tour dates:


March
11 - Glasgow, Scotland - OVO Hydro
13 - Leeds, England - First Direct Arena
15 - Dublin, Ireland - 2 Arena
17 - Bournemouth, England - International Arena
19 - Birmingham, England - Resorts World Arena
21 - London, England - OVO Arena Wembley


(Photo - James Garvin)

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Let There Be Talk" podcast with rock and roll comedian Dean Delray, former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted defended Lars Ulrich against people's criticism of his drumming abilities as well as his role in METALLICA's lawsuit against Napster in 2000. Although the case was settled out of court, more than 300,000 users were banned from the pioneering music file-sharing service as a result and METALLICA's image took a tremendous beating in the eyes of music fans.

Speaking about the fact that Lars is often dismissed as an average drummer whose skills are eclipsed by so many other lesser-known musicians, Jason said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Anybody that says that is a fucking idiot. They have no idea what they're talking about. The depth of this guy, his foresight, his comprehension of what the hell was going on when he was 21, 22, 23. Seriously?

"So if he can't play the same fill as Dave Lombardo or whoever the fuck you pick for today, so what?" he continued. "Look at the scoreboard, motherfucker. Do not talk shit about that guy. He's way ahead of you in most things, I promise you that — I promise you. If we wouldn't have had him and his ability to anticipate, to predict, to know geography, to understand what country and what city and what did what at what time and all this stuff, no way METALLICA would be what they were. No way! So you need to get ahold of yourselves because there's way more to it than just being able to hit a snare drum.

"The demand [on the musicians] back when Jimi Hendrix was playing and BLACK SABBATH started touring or whatever, the band came out, smoked some hash, played the songs, got paid a little bit, had some beers, chased a girl, went on their way. That filled their whole plate. There was a 'Paranoid' video that they agreed to do for one second; they put a bunch of oil behind them or whatever. That [would have taken no more than] a couple of hours in his day. Now, or even — shit — 20-something years ago, or 30 perhaps, that much of the plate right there would be filled with the things we just spoke of: you learned your instrument, you played in tune, you tried to sing, you remember what's coming next and memorize your shit. And then this chunk is the videos, and then this chunk is the interviews, and then that chunk is that thing, then that chunk is that thing, that chunk is meetings, that chunk is lawyers, that chunk is depositions. And then you've got that time for your wife. That's what's real.

"So if anybody wants to talk about, 'Oh, yeah, I got this. I could do that. Could you? Could you, really? I don't think so, man."

Newsted was METALLICA's third bassist, following Ron McGovney and the late Cliff Burton. Robert Trujillo took over in 2003 after Newsted's exit.

Newsted's exit from METALLICA was documented in the band's 2004 documentary, "Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster", which followed the members of the group through the three most turbulent years of their long career, during which they battled through addiction, lineup changes, fan backlash, personal turmoil and the near-disintegration of the group while making their "St. Anger" album.

During a fall 2021 chat with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, Ulrich opened up about Newsted decision to leave the band more than 20 years ago.

"If you think about it, Jason is the only member of METALLICA who's ever left willingly, and that in itself is a statistic," Lars said. "And the resentment from James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] and I was just so... [We felt like] you can't do that. You can only leave if we want you to leave. And then we weren't equipped at the time to do a deep dive into why he was leaving. And so, of course, now you can see 20 years later, it makes complete sense.

"We write the songs; we make the decisions; we do all of it," Lars continued. "You have no creative outlet in this band; you have no creative voice. And then when you go and do something that gives you satisfaction and a way for you to express yourself to the rest of the world, then we get fucking pissed at you. And then that resentment then goes to you leaving the band. I mean, that's kind of Psychiatry 101 here. But we weren't equipped to see that side of it. Twenty years later, so now it makes complete sense."

Ulrich added: "Jason gave 14 years — every day, every performance, he was there always... I mean, we always used to joke. It's, like, 'He's so fired up. Come on, dude. Slow down.' He was the fucking first guy in and the last guy out. He was signing autographs when we were driving by waving on the way out of the buildings. I mean, he really was. And I now [am] finally equipped to appreciate every moment that he gave. And we have, I think, so much respect for each other now, so much appreciation. Ten years ago, when we did the 30th anniversaries, when he came up and played four nights with us at the four Fillmore shows, played two nights with us, seeing Rob and him together up there, that felt like it was the beginning of the thawing of where we are now. But he's been a very integral part of the [Black Album] reissue and the re-release and has done interviews and been very, very helpful. He did the unboxing of the box for the cameras and the whole thing. I mean, he's been so gracious."

On Sunday, May 7, Sammy Hagar performed with Three Lock Box ("The Ultimate Sammy Hagar Tribute") during their set at SOAK Pool at Palms in Las Vegas, NV. Hagar joined the band to perform 1972 Montrose classic "Rock Candy", and the 1983 hit "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy". Video can be viewed below.


Las Vegas Review-Journal's John Katsilometes says Three Lock Box frontman JC Martinez, known to fans as Sin City Sammy, was of course thrilled at Hagar’s participation. “How often does this happen?” he called to the crowd, which was in the right place at the right time. Hagar’s arrival was only hinted at, not confirmed until the morning of the show.


 





This one from ‘83 … @sammyhagar @Palms #RJNow @reviewjournal #RJNow @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/15TWhhmMSr
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) May 7, 2023





 

In a new interview with Rocket Beans TV, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo was asked which of the band's albums he would choose if he could only listen to one METALLICA LP for the rest of his life. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'm gonna take [METALLICA's latest album] '72 Seasons' out of the equation right now because that's not fair, because that would be the album I would choose right now. But I would have to say… That's a tough one right there. I'm gonna go for 'Master Of Puppets'. I feel 'Master Of Puppets' has a lot of everything. It's got instrumentals, it's got great segues, great riffs. It's got one of my favorite songs ever by METALLICA, and that song is 'Disposable Heroes'. So any time I can hear that particular song, count me in. 'Battery' is an amazing song. So it's just got everything that I love about METALLICA."

Trujillo, who was born on October 23, 1964 in Santa Monica, California, tasted success as the bassist in punk-funk pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and Ozzy Osbourne's band. But in 2003, he successfully auditioned to replace Jason Newsted in METALLICA, a process chronicled in the warts-and-all documentary "Some Kind of Monster".

"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, and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track "72 Seasons" is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since 2016's "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

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".

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to 2022's "Ego Trip" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Tobin [Esperance, bass] and Jerry [Horton, guitar] and Tony [Palermo, drums, they've just been putting together music over the last year. 'Cause we finished 'Ego Trip' quite a while ago, so there's been time to be creative. And I've got a stockpile of, I'd say, probably like eight to ten songs to choose from, and we picked two of 'em for me to go into the studio and cut vocals on 'em, that we just felt were the most inspiring that sonically felt the right direction for the next song.

"We run our own record company as well," he continued. "And we just had a great run on this album. 'Ego Trip' got three Number Ones on rock radio, our maiden voyage as a record company for PAPA ROACH. So that's really exciting for us as well.

"At one point or another, we're gonna sign [another] band [to our label]; that's gonna be something that we do," Jacoby added. "But I think for us right now, we're gonna focus on PAPA ROACH another cycle and build the infrastructure, and then it's, like, 'All right, here we go. We've tested this thing out with our band for a while… So what's the next phase? It's exciting. That's what we're finding out."

PAPA ROACH recently announced the digital deluxe edition of the band's eleventh studio album "Ego Trip", and the long-awaited release date of "Ego Trip" standard edition on vinyl. The 20-track digital deluxe release features remixed versions of songs from the original record, as well as new music.

An album that sprouted almost by mistake in the throes of a global lockdown, "Ego Trip"'s seeds were planted when the quartet entered a COVID-secure mansion in Temecula, California in the summer of 2020. What started as an escape and an exercise in keeping the creative juices flowing, in a world that had completely ground to a halt, quickly grew into something bigger.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music, who in 2020 celebrated the 20th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest".

Esperance recently told Albuquerque Journal about PAPA ROACH's longevity: "I'm always amazed at how we have went through all the different phases and eras. We remained true to ourselves. The music industry has changed so much. We used to perform in record stores and then spend time putting up fliers to promote the band. It's been a journey.

"I never dreamed of it being this big or lasting this long," he added. "I was a dreamer and knew I was going to be a musician in a band. We're still enjoying ourselves and challenging ourselves with each step."

"We know each other's strengths and weaknesses," he said. "We have a chemistry together that is greater than the sum of all its parts. We're also an independent band now and we can release music the way that we want to. We're in a great position to keep writing the chapters in our life."

Multi-Instrumentalist, Snowy Shaw, has uploaded a video commentary for the reissue of the 1999 Notre Dame album, Nightmare Before Christmas, which was made available last month on all streaming platforms.


Says Snowy: "Eventually after 18 years i have all the rights back to the Notre Dame records, I will be reissuing a total of six Notre Dame albums, one a month for six months, under my own artist profile "Snowy Shaw" on all the streaming platforms, I have been involved with so many bands and projects, i would like some new fans to discover this music."


This is the second in a series of videos will offer entertaining and detailed insight and background on all the Notre Dame albums.

Prepare to be whisked away to a bleak world that is recovering from a devastating cataclysm in the latest album from Canada’s Vortex. The Future Remains In Oblivion is the third concept album from the band which takes great pride in weaving cinematic stories set to orchestral melodic death metal. Scenes of war and survival are punctuated with harrowing strings, technical riffs, and guttural and black metal vocals. 


The second single “The Walls” is the fourth chapter in this eight-track sojourn and the band is eager to explain this part of the story:


“Our Fool got all sorts of people to believe and follow him. They’ve put everything they’ve got into building a secret small city that is protected by reinforced walls and an arsenal. Inside these walls, they have everything they need to survive any cataclysm and its aftermath. Although it is fast and aggressive, ‘The Walls’ is the catchiest song on our new album. Its verses have a strong orchestral melody underlying black metal riffing and vocals to create a unique feel.”




According to the band, the choruses have some of their best orchestral writing with its predominant violin melody supporting powerful layers of guttural vocals. “The Walls” has one of the best solos of the album, technical with lots of feel and melody.


When it comes to writing, Vortex starts with the story first, something worth talking about. Each song becomes a chapter and then the music can start to form based on the feeling of the tale. That process is diversified, sometimes the orchestra is the backbone of the song and sometimes it’s added once the drums and guitars are all written. All the band members participate in different degrees to the writing process, bringing their own influences into the mix.


Vortex is comprised of seasoned musicians with an abundance of studio and live experience, and with an offer to join a label, they decided to band together to create music that would have dynamics and a strong melodic side while retaining the essence of what death metal is.


Recommended for fans of Septicflesh, Lorna Shore, and Dimmu Borgir, The Future Remains In Oblivion is due out June 9, 2023. Find preorders here.





Tracklisting:


“From The Sun”
“Downfall”
“The Fool”
“The Walls”
“Our Possible End”
“First Blood”
“The Future Remains In Oblivion”
“When No More Words Will Be Heard”


"The Walls":





"First Blood" video:





(Photo: Freeman)

After more than four decades in the music business, legendary German heavy metal figurehead and distinctive voice of Grave Digger, Chris Boltendahl, will release his first-ever solo album, Reborn In Flames, under the flag of Chris Boltendahl's Steelhammer, on July 28 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records.


With Tobias Kersting (guitar, ex-Orden Ogan), Lars Schneider (bass, ex-Orden Ogan) and Patrick Klose (drums, Iron Savior), Chris has brought a truly illustrious crew of outstanding musicians onto the steel boat, who actively support him with his intension, also to act as a "real" live band.


The inclined metal fan can expect a fiery mixture of classic heavy metal paired with the influences of early US power metal, best described as "Grave Digger meets Metal Church", with hard-hitting bangers, fast-paced anthems, real groove monsters, brute killer riffs and filigree world-class solos... everything any metalhead's heart and ears could ever wish for.




Pre-order Reborn In Flames here.





Tracklisting:


"Reborn In Flames"
"Fire Angel"
"Beyond The Black Souls"
"Gods Of Steel"
"Die For Your Sins"
"Let The Evil Rise"
"Out Of The Ruins"
"I Am Metal"
"The Hammer That Kills"
"Iron Christ"
"Beds Are Burning"


- Produced by Chris Boltendahl
- Mixed and mastered by Chris Boltendahl @ Graveyard Studio in Cologne/Germany
- All songs written, composed and arranged by Chris Boltendahl & Tobias Kersting (except "Beds Are Burning", written by Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst & Jim Moginie)
- Cover artwork and paintings by Uwe Jarling
- Cover concept by Chris Boltendahl
- Photos by Jens Howorka @ Blendfabrik in Düsseldorf/Germany
- Booklet layout by Wanderley Perna

Fronted by former Accept and Bonfire vocalist David Reece, Bangalore Choir emerged in 1991 at the tail end of the 1980s melodic metal movement, instantly impressing the rock press with big choruses, melodic guitar playing and songwriting contributions by Jon Bon Jovi, Aldo Nova and Autograph’s Steve Plunkett.


The new album, Center Mass, to be released via Global Rock Records via Cherry Red on July 7, is a direct sequel in style to the classic debut On Target, and is sure to excite fans of the debut album and of the melodic heavy rock genre in general.


David Reece explains: “I am very happy with this brand new Bangalore Choir record, we really went for everything that made the debut the great album that it was, that being loads of harmony vocals, big hooks, and great guitar solos. We also worked really hard on the songs making sure we had only the very best set of tunes for this album.”




The initial pressing comes with an 8-song live CD recorded in Germany in 2022. The album can be pre-ordered here.





Tracklisting:


CD1:
"Spirit Rider"
"Back To Life"
"I Just Wanna Love You"
"Heat Of The Night"
"Wind At My Back"
"Blame It On Me"
"Back 2 U"
"Downtime With The Devil"
"Without You"
"While Bullets Fly"
"If The Good Die Young Part 2"
"Love Hurts"


CD2:
"Just One Night" (Live In Hamburg)
"Loaded Gun" (Live In Hamburg)
"Slippin' Away" (Live In Hamburg)
"Victim Of The Night" (Live In Hamburg)
"If The Good Die Young" (Live In Hamburg)
"Freight Train Rollin'" (Live In Hamburg)
"Angel In Black" (Live In Hamburg)
"All Or Nothing" (Live In Hamburg)


(Photo - Kommodore Johnsen)

West Coast metal veterans METAL CHURCH will release their 13th studio album, "Congregation Of Annihilation", on May 26 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The new album marks the first release since the tragic death of legendary frontman Mike Howe who passed in July of 2021. It also marks the first album with new vocalist Marc Lopes (ROSS THE BOSS, LET US PREY) who came on board in the summer of 2022, and features the current lineup of founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland. The new songs are a return to the band's musical roots harkening back to the vibes of the self-titled first album and "The Dark". "Congregation Of Annihilation" was produced by Vanderhoof and is now available for pre-order in various bundle configurations.

In a recent interview with Heavy New York, Vanderhoof described "Congregation Of Annihilation" as "definitely more aggressive and more back to our thrash roots". Regarding how the LP's tougher sound came about, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had written an album. Mike and I had just started writing and working on a new album. So I wrote a new album. And Mike and I started the process of collaborating. And then, obviously, he passed away. Then there was a few months of trying to decide if I even wanted to continue. But then, when we decided to continue, it was kind of a step-by-step process. So when things started working with Marc, there was definitely much more aggressiveness in his vocals and his delivery, and that seemed like a good way to go. I didn't want a Mike clone. If we were gonna continue, I wanted to kind of have it be another chapter — something a little bit different. Just a new phase — a new old phase, I guess you could say. So when that started happening, when things worked out with Marc, it was, like, 'Okay, that's definitely making the trajectory that we're going.' So a good batch of the songs that I wrote with Mike in mind fell by the wayside, and a part of the album was brand new material, to fit with our new direction."

Asked if Marc adds a new dimension to the METAL CHURCH sound, Kurdt said: "Yeah, absolutely. He definitely brings his own thing to it. But he also very much honors the past and our sound and what METAL CHURCH musically is all about."

Lopes told Chris Akin Presents that he isn't concerned about the inevitable barrage of criticism that he will receive as a result of stepping into the role previously occupied by Howe, David Wayne and Ronny Munroe. He said: "Being in ROSS THE BOSS [the band led by former MANOWAR guitarist Ross 'The Boss' Friedman], I have faced so much stupid bullshit from fans, from MANOWAR fans. At the beginning, it bothered me, years back. Now I can give two shits; I don't fucking care. Because, you know what? If you fucking start worrying about what other people think, you'll never get anywhere. And the way I look at it is, it's, like, look, if you like it, great. If you don't, then fucking go somewhere else. I don't really give a shit. I know that I'm giving it everything that I have to do it and make it sound as best as possible. And if you don't like it, why am I gonna sit here and try to fucking satisfy you? I don't fucking care. I mean, obviously, if everybody fucking hates it, then probably I shouldn't do the gig. But with much respect to the METAL CHURCH community, they've been amazing; they love this new stuff.

"I've gotta be honest — the anticipation is insane, and it's making me more… I'm definitely nervous," Marc admitted. "But at the same time, I'm, like, look, I've gotta go out and do my thing. And the reason that I was put in charge of doing this new era of the band was because I am putting my own spin on it. Am I gonna sound like David Wayne? Maybe in some aspects. Am I gonna sound like Mike Howe? Maybe in some aspects. Am I gonna sound like Marc Lopes? Abso-fucking-lutely. And that's really what it comes down to.

"If this is my era of the band, then I have to do what I do best. Trying to imitate it isn't gonna do anybody any good. And the funny thing is, Ronny Munroe is amazing — he's a great vocalist — and he sounded more like David Wayne than me.

"I've gotta be honest: at first, I was, like, 'Fuck, man. How am I gonna do this?' [Then I was, like], 'Wait a minute. You're already approaching it wrong.' Kurdt would always be, like, 'You're already approaching it wrong.'

"Those guys are not imitatable because they are who they are… And Ronny has his own style too, and the stuff that he did was great. It just was a weird era for the band, I think, in the totality part of it…

"I already know there are gonna be the haters," Marc added. "And I don't care. And for those people — if you wanna waste your time with that kind of shit, then go for it. There's way more things to spend time on in life than being out there going, 'I hate this.' It's kind of ridiculous.

"The biggest joke is I'm a huge IRON MAIDEN fan and I never liked the Blaze Bayley era. And we always used to joke about it. I was, like, I'm a huge MAIDEN fan. Do I spend my time going, 'Oh my God. I hate that. And I hate this.' It's, like, why? I don't listen to it. [Laughs] Not everybody's gonna like everything you do. It's just the way it is."

Howe was found dead at his home in Eureka, California in July 2021. According to TMZ, Howe's official cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to hanging. A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. told the site authorities are calling it a suicide. He was only 55 years old.

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, officially rejoined the band in April 2015.

Prior to joining METAL CHURCH more than three decades ago, Howe spent two years fronting California metal act HERETIC.

Howe is not the first singer of METAL CHURCH to die. David Wayne passed away in May 2005 from complications following a car crash. He was 47 years old.

Wayne sang on METAL CHURCH's first two classic offerings (1984's "Metal Church" and 1986's "The Dark") before leaving the group and being replaced by Howe.

Left to right in photo: Stet Howland (drums),Steve Unger (bass),Marc Lopes (vocals),Rick Van Zandt (guitars),Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitars)

Photo credit: Rat Pak Records

Rare Bird Books has set a September 5 release date for "Loco: Chaos, Calamity, And Coal Chamber", the first volume of autobiography from Dez Fafara. The California-born and raised everyman is now the singer and leader of the band DEVILDRIVER, artist manager, multiple brand owner, and motivational guru. In the period of time covered in "Loco", though, Dez was just Bradley Fafara, a Hollywood club kid who escaped a lifetime wasted (in both senses) on the beach to become one of the 1990s most vivid rock stars.

With his band COAL CHAMBER, Dez pioneered a whole new sound and visual, touring the world, battling innumerable obstacles and ultimately breaking free to go solo with DEVILDRIVER, the focus of Volume Two of Fafara's two-book autobiography plan. Titled after COAL CHAMBER's 1997 hit, "Loco" describes the arc of a man who was ripped off, let down, and beaten up, but who never quit — and who ultimately achieved his own form of redemption. It includes more than 50 black-and-white and full-color images.

In a recent interview with the "Everblack" podcast, Fafara stated about "Loco": "That's gonna be a real tell-all. I think people are gonna get a chance to see where I come from as a kid. 'Cause I left home early, slept under bridges, stole food, went to jail. And I think people are gonna really get a view of, like, 'It's a hard-knock life.'"

"Loco: Chaos, Calamity, And Coal Chamber" was written with Joel McIver, the bestselling author of "Justice for All: The Truth About Metallica", which has been translated into nine languages, and several other books. He has written for Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, and he is the occasional guest on BBC. Classic Rock magazine has called him "by some distance Britain's most prolific hard rock/metal author." He wrote the official biography of the world's biggest death metal band CANNIBAL CORPSE, and co-wrote MEGADETH's bio from former bass player David Ellefson.

In a 2018 interview with The Ties That Bind Us, Fafara stated about his his decision to get sober in October 2016: "I think I was just a casual drinker, like everybody in America — 'Hey, let's party on the weekends!,' at least at first. But then I realized, I was doing it for 25 years, and I'd started having three cocktails a day, and I was looking at 280 days on the road. I was watching the bottles of vodka coming in and off the bus, coming in empty and leaving full. And when I hit 50, I said to myself, 'How far do you want to go?'

"I wasn't waking up in the gutter; I wasn't beating my wife," he clarified. "I just had a feeling that I had to show people who follow me the proper way to do life. I was already vegan, and I had gotten into that for the health aspects as well, and alcohol will kill you faster than anything. It's pushed in our society, it's on every commercial; we're constantly being told you can't have a Saturday without a drink, you can't watch the Super Bowl without a drink. And I decided I didn't want that anymore."

DEVILDRIVER will release its tenth full-length album, "Dealing With Demons Vol. II", on May 12.

COAL CHAMBER will support MUDVAYNE on "The Psychotherapy Sessions" tour this summer. Produced by Live Nation, the 26-city trek kicks off on July 20 in West Palm Beach at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, making stops across the U.S. in Syracuse, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and more before wrapping up in Englewood, Colorado at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre on August 26.

STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok spoke to Lou Brutus of HardDrive Radio about the band's upcoming album, "Confessions Of The Fallen". STAIND's first new LP album since 2011 was produced by Erik Ron (GODSMACK, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, BLACK VEIL BRIDES) and will arrive in September via Alchemy Recordings/BMG.

Asked why now was "the right time" to release a new STAIND album, Mike said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've talked about it, and it just seemed right. Aaron [Lewis, STAIND frontman] has been doing his country career for a while now. And we got back together in 2019 and were able to do some shows, which was great. And then we had a whole 2020 planned, but as with a lot of people, that kind of went away. In the meantime, we did that tour with KORN in 2021. And that's where a lot of the stuff for this record kind of came up; I was kind of writing every day on that and was actually able to get together with Aaron and play him some ideas. That's kind of where this all started, really, for this record. I kind of got some direction of what he wanted, what he liked, and that's how we moved forward with it."

Regarding the songwriting process for "Confessions Of The Fallen", Mike said: "I had a lot of songs, and they were all demoed. So it was basically just instrumental songs. I would take something that I liked, and I would just play it for him. Aaron would listen. And [he would say], 'Oh, I like that verse. Maybe we could try this. Maybe change the chorus a little.' So it was just really kind of getting ideas of where he was at, what music that I had that he was wanting to sing over and really kind of taking those notes, going back and reconstructing the songs, if need be, changing parts, rewriting stuff. And finally when we decided we were gonna do it, and I kind of had a pretty good group of what I thought would make up the record, and Erik ended up being the producer, Erik and I kind of went back and did the same process through the music. Kind of refining the songs, demoing them. And he'd take it to Aaron and they would work on the melody and the lyrics."

Last month, STAIND released the first single from "Confessions Of The Fallen", a song called "Lowest In Me".

In an interview with Billboard, Lewis said that it took him "a long time to be ready to do another STAIND record. I got really burnt out on digging into the dark corners of my psyche every night to deliver those very deep, dark songs in a manner that was believable and authentic," he explained. "I needed to step away from it for awhile and do something different. It just came back together naturally."

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "Lowest In Me", Aaron told Billboard: "Everybody has got people in their lives that don't bring out the good in somebody. Just with what's going on in the world right now, there's so many things, so many people that are like, 'You bring out the lowest in me.' There's a lot of factors out there that could fall under the 'you' category."

When "Confessions Of The Fallen" was announced last month, Lewis stated about the LP's musical direction: "I did want to modernize the sound and bring us up to date. You can certainly recognize the band but at the same time you can hear that we've been paying attention and understand what kind of sounds and approaches we can use that maybe weren't around the last time we did this." Added Mushok, "It's undeniably Aaron's voice, and same for the songs. We got together and spent a lot of time focusing on direction, and we really like how it turned out."

Last December, Mushok told the Loaded Radio podcast about the musical direction of STAIND's new material: "It's a little bit more modernized, I think. I think that was something we kind of wanted to do. There's a little bit more of an electronic element on there, which is something new for us, but I feel like everybody is kind of doing that. But I think it's cool. It's not overused. I think the songs are really good. I'm really happy with it. I can't wait for people to hear it."

Mushok also talked about his working relationship with Lewis, saying: "We've been doing it for a long time. It's great to be back and doing that… I think that we definitely respect each other. It's kind of always been that. I think that STAIND's really kind of been… For the most part, I bring some music in and he decides what he likes and what he wants to write to, and we kind of take it from there. That being said, he's come in, obviously, with some amazing songs as well. So it's been a really good writing partnership, I feel."

Last September, Mushok told Atlantic City Weekly that both he and Lewis will continue to pursue other projects — Mushok with SAINT ASONIA, the band he co-founded in 2015 with former THREE DAYS GRACE singer Adam Gontier, and Lewis with his country solo career — alongside their long-running outfit.

In 2021, STAIND supported KORN on a U.S. run of dates.

STAIND has released seven albums since 1995, the latest being 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

STAIND released its first album in nine years, "Live: It's Been Awhile", in May 2021 via Yap'em/Alchemy Recordings. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album was accompanied by "The Return Of Staind", a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents. The series launched with STAIND's "Live: It's Been Awhile (From Foxwoods)" concert, which streamed globally on May 1, 2021. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album and concert were recorded at the band's comeback show at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut in October 2019. The never-before-seen concert celebrated the band's reunion after a five-year hiatus. STAIND also performed its iconic multi-platinum 2001 album "Break The Cycle" in its entirety for a May 8, 2021 streaming event, exactly 20 years after the album's release. The "20th Anniversary Of Break The Cycle, Performed In Its Entirety" took place at Mill 1 in Open Square in Holyoke, Massachusetts, bringing the band back to their Western Mass roots.

STAIND played its first full live show in five years in September 2019 at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

STAIND and GODSMACK recently announced a 25-city co-headlining 2023 tour, produced by Live Nation. The trek kicks off on July 18 at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis, Missouri, with stops across the U.S. before wrapping up in Austin, Texas at Germania Insurance Amphitheatre on August 31.

Fan-filmed video of GREAT WHITE's performance aboard this year's Monsters Of Rock cruise can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Meltdown of the WRIF radio station, GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall spoke about his working relationship with Brett Carlisle, who was officially named the band's new vocalist last October. Brett joined the group as the replacement for Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE),who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months.

"[Brett] just brings it every night," Mark said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "He just turned 26, and it's kind of funny. But when he stands next to us and we take photos, it's not like he's standing with CROSBY, STILLS & NASH or something. Nothing against them, but you know what I'm saying — he just looks like a dude in our band. It don't look like we've got a 13-year-old kid in our band, and 'what the hell are you doing?'

"But he really brings it," Kendall repeated. "And I've been having him out here. I've been recording down at Tracy G's [studio], who used to be in DIO. He's a good buddy of mine. And we've recorded a lot of tunes, and [Brett is] singing on our new material, and it's killer. The guy has such a good voice."

Regarding the progress of the songwriting sessions for the new GREAT WHITE material, Mark said: "[We're] just putting stuff together. We're getting ready to collaborate with the [rest of the] band. We're kind of busy [playing shows] for the next couple of months. So I'm just trying to cram it in every time I can. I have Brett out here. 'Cause he lives in Alabama, I'm in L.A., so I have to fly him out. He stays at my house for a week at a time. We drive down to Tracy's; he lives an hour away."

Kendall continued: "We're also talking about how we wanna do it, if we wanna keep it old school and put out, like, 13 songs on a record or do we wanna do a couple of videos and put out maybe five songs at a time. I mean, the world's changed so much that we wanna talk to a lot of people and see what the best way to do that is. We're not really sure. So I'm just, in the meantime, just making music."

Asked if he has a lot of the new GREAT WHITE material demoed out already, Mark said: "Yeah, I've been making demos — we're making full demos. Not with the whole band. I'm just doing it with a drum machine. I'm playing bass. I'm playing all the guitar. Brett's harmonizing with himself and me. I'm going for finished songs; I'm finishing the songs, and playing them for the band. But they wanna collaborate on some things and throw their ideas in, and I want that too. And one thing I don't do is just shoot things down too quick. I try it, I live with it, and that way I can tell 'em why I like it or why I don't like it intelligently instead of, somebody comes with an idea and you go, 'No, man. My idea is already the greatest.' So I kind of learned to… That's part of collaborating — you wanna give everybody a chance to make it a group effort."

According to Kendall, GREAT WHITE will likely enter the studio after the summer to begin piecing all the new music as a band.

"We have so many gigs," he explained. "When we go to record, it's really difficult to play gigs in between that. I don't really like to do that. I want, like, maybe three weeks straight when we don't have a show. That way we can get things done and everybody's there every day."

He added: "It no longer takes six months to do a record. Our last one we did with [producer] Michael Wagener only took us, really, about six weeks."

Earlier this month, Kendall told Larry Mac of the 96.1 KLPX radio station that he is not as concerned about record sales or commercial success as he is about making sure the new GREAT WHITE songs are strong enough to stand alongside the band's classic material.

"Even in our heyday, I've never really thought dollars and cents; I just wanna know if people like the music or not," he explained. "To where I would be so desperate, I would go to friends of mine who are pretty hard on me — tough critics or whatever — just to get feedback. 'Cause that space in time after you're done recording to when it comes out is pretty brutal. So I always run to friends: 'Tell me you love me. Listen to this.' So I'm kind of the same way now. I just wanna get the music to the people and get feedback: 'How is this? Would this hold up in the '80s? Is it better?' Because I still feel really creative. And we can always get better.

"I'm really feeling pretty good about these songs that we're coming up with," Kendall revealed. "So I'm more anxious for people to hear it than I am selling a million records or whatever. And I think it makes us viable that we still are creative; we still wanna make new music. We're not quite an oldies band yet, even though they kind of label us classic rock or whatever. But that's not so bad. So, yeah, that's it. We wanna keep [creating] and not just go out and be the oldies band that plays the hits every year or whatever. We wanna come up with some tunes and get it to the folks and let 'em know that we're still making music for you. And no matter what's happened with the industry or whatever, we're still the same band and we still make music. This is what we do."

This past January, Kendall told the "Mark 2.0" podcast that he was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to Carlisle's addition to GREAT WHITE. "It was world news," he said. "I'm seeing stuff on the Internet from Italy, Germany, the U.K. And even some of the more online dirt-seeking-type entities that normally are just huntin' for the headline to say, 'He said his singer sucks'. That's the article. That's the way it starts. These guys actually said good things and posted some of the [fan-filmed videos]. They're cellphone cameras, so the quality probably isn't… But you can hear it. You need to sing great."

Last October, Carlisle was asked in an interview with AL.com about his approach to singing the band's classic songs. He said: "I just want to do the songs justice, because that's what people expect to hear. They want to go to the shows and hear the songs the way they remember them, the way they know them. It's not about me and how many high notes I can hit or anything like that. I just want to do the give the people, and the band, what they want."

Brett went on to say that he is honored to be singing for a band whose songs — including "Save Your Love", "Rock Me" and "Lady Red Light" — he had previously covered with his other band ALL OR NOTHING.

"I just want to learn from them," Carlisle said of his new bandmates "It's just really cool to be included in what I've grown up listening to, like looking at the CDs and everything. And then now people are coming up after the shows asking me to sign like original GREAT WHITE cassettes and stuff. And I'm sitting here feeling like I'm not worthy. Because I didn't record that. But I'm like, I just sang with them, so, sure, if you want me to."

Carlisle made his live debut with GREAT WHITE on September 24, 2022 at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to Brett, he felt welcomed by his new bandmates and the GREAT WHITE fans from the get-go.

"After meeting [the GREAT WHITE guys], they're all super-cool dudes," he told Kevin McKay of the 99 Rock WKSM FM radio station. "In Vegas, we had a rehearsal the day before, and I already knew half the songs well enough to be able to do it. So I wanted to do the best that I could on 'em. But after we hung out, everybody was cool and stuff. I mean, it's a big crowd. I love big crowds; they're fun."

Carlisle has been playing guitar and singing since the age of eight and counts bands like VAN HALEN, SKID ROW and METALLICA as his main influences.

In May 2022, GREAT WHITE announced that it had parted ways with singer Mitch Malloy and had replaced him with Freeman. Malloy had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.

Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell.

In a new interview with Neil Turbin (ANTHRAX) of The Metal Voice, Dutch guitarist Adriaan "Adje" Van Den Berg (a.k.a. Adrian Vandenberg) was asked if he would ever reunite with former VANDENBERG singer Bert Heerink for some live shows or a studio album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, with Bert it's over. I never wanna see that guy again. Because he and the former bass player started six lawsuits against me, and they lost them all. They claimed my name — my name and the band name. They said, 'You know, we were a part of it, so we wanna have that name.' And I said, 'No, no, no.' So I had to defend myself. It was six lawsuits. It cost a lot of money and a lot of negative energy. Otherwise we could have done some reunion shows or whatever, and we didn't. It is embarrassing also, because when you think you're friends or something. And then 30 years later, after I was in WHITESNAKE for 12 years, toured all over the world and all the stadiums, you name it, they [thought], 'Oh, wait a minute. There's money to be made.' So they wanted to tour without me — like a VANDENBERG without Vandenberg, so to speak. And they had the illusion they were gonna win. So I never need to see those guys again, because there was so much lying going on in those lawsuits."

Vandenberg originally opened up about his legal disputes with his former bandmates in a 2012 Facebook post. At the time, he wrote: "Sometimes there are things in life that are so ridiculous and seemingly far-fetched, that if the scriptwriter for a cheesy TV soap would come up with it, the producers would roll on the floor laughing, foaming at the mouth and tell the writer to start looking for another job. Well, in my life a situation just as surrealistic is happening as we speak.

"Some of you may remember that before joining my close friend David Coverdale in his band WHITESNAKE, I had my own band under my own name 'VANDENBERG', which I founded, wrote all the music and lyrics for, made the paintings for the album covers, designed the logo for etc. etc. and I eventually disbanded my own band in 1986 to join WHITESNAKE.

"Now sit down, fasten your seatbelts, here comes the surrealistic part: almost a year ago I got summoned by a lawyer representing the three guys who I invited to play in my band at the time in 1981, trying to claim my own name 'VANDENBERG' and actually trying to prohibit me from using my own name 'VANDENBERG' through a lawsuit .. now how bizarre is that?!?

"These individuals, singer Bert Heerink, bassist Dick Kemper (appropriate first name) and drummer Jos Zoomer, each of them factually not having achieved anything worth mentioning in about 27 years, now opportunistically trying to lift piggyback on the name/ reputation that I was fortunate to build through years of working my ass off with VANDENBERG, MANIC EDEN and WHITESNAKE. A sad situation indeed, since I always thought these guys were friends.

"The Bert Heerink attempt is even more pathetic than the others, since I had to fire him from my band a year before I disbanded it, for reasons that I won't disclose right now. So this individual wasn't even in my band when I disbanded it. Nevertheless this person attempts to claim my personal name 26 years later.

"Naturally the judge wiped their claims away. You'd expect these leeches would crawl back embarrassed under the damp, mossy stones that they'd been hiding under for 27 years, but noooo; right now they're trying once again to hijack my name through a different route (a 'trademark office').

"It is basically like when you invite a couple of people for a ride on the backseat of your new car, and then after the ride these passengers claim that your car is now theirs because they were given a ride in it. Some people have no shame."

VANDENBERG released three albums — "Vandenberg", "Heading For A Storm" and "Alibi" — before Adrian disbanded the group in 1986 to join WHITESNAKE.

Vandenberg was a member of WHITESNAKE for 13 years at the height of the band's fame, contributing the solo on "Here I Go Again". He was also part of supergroup MANIC EDEN, and more recently released a number of albums with VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS.

Vandenberg's namesake band released its comeback album, titled "2020", in May 2020 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. A follow-up LP, "Sin", will arrive later this year.

Adrian is joined in VANDENBERG's current lineup by vocalist Mats Levén, drummer Koen Herfst and bassist Randy Van Der Elsen.

The group's fifth full-length offering, "Sin", was produced by Bob Marlette (OZZY OSBOURNE, ALICE COOPER, ROB ZOMBIE).

Canadian metallers THE AGONIST have officially called it quits after a nearly two-decade run.

Earlier today (Wednesday, May 10),the band released the following statement via social media: "Dear friends, it's time to make a very difficult but necessary announcement. We have decided that THE AGONIST as a band, has come to an end. Much deliberation and care has been put into making this decision, and unfortunately, given the circumstances, this is the conclusion that makes the most sense for the band and us as individuals.

"There are many factors that led to this decision. It is a mix of personal, financial and industry related issues, but in the end the 5 of us are no longer able to agree on a way forward that would benefit THE AGONIST business as a whole, while respecting each member's personal lives and wishes.

"We want to express our deepest gratitude to the fans for coming out to the shows, buying our merch, and supporting us over the years. Nothing is more satisfying than connecting with our fellow human beings via the gift of music. It is the number one factor that has always driven us- to make you, the listener, feel something. In the end, we know that we've accomplished this together.

"Some members of the band will continue to work on music in various ways, others will focus on personal projects and family. We kindly ask you to respect their privacy on this particular matter and encourage you to follow them on their individual social media accounts to support their future endeavors.

"Vicky Psarakis [vocals] will be carrying on with her band, SICKSENSE. They have a new EP coming out this summer and she will be playing 2 live shows with them in Montreal, in June. You can also directly support her by following her on Patreon and Twitch.

"Simon McKay [drums] is currently looking to join a new band full-time, while offering session work for studio and live gigs. Also, keep an eye out for new music coming soon from his solo project.

"Chris Kells [bass] will be focusing on his career as a videographer. Since 2015, he has directed all of THE AGONIST's music videos, as well as many other established bands.

"Danny Marino [guitar] is currently writing music for 2 new projects.

"Pascal 'Paco' Jobin [guitar] will be releasing new music with his project LEADING THE BETRAYED.

"Our US-based merch store with Sound Escape Agency will remain open. We have also put together an EU-based store for our European fans. Inventory is final and there will be no restocks. Proceeds will go directly to the band to help us pay off our remaining debt.

"We will survive. At the end of the tunnel there's always a light."

THE AGONIST performed live for the first time in nearly two years in December 2021 at Théâtre Corona in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

THE AGONIST released an EP, "Days Before The World Wept", in October 2021 via Napalm Records. The effort was produced by Christian Donaldson, who has previously worked with BEYOND CREATION, CRYPTOPSY and DESPISED ICON.

Alissa White-Gluz, who co-founded THE AGONIST in 2004 (then known as TEMPEST),was announced as the new singer of ARCH ENEMY on March 17, 2014. That same day, THE AGONIST revealed that they had recruited Psarakis as Alissa's replacement, saying in a statement that they wished White-Gluz "all the best with ARCH ENEMY and her future endeavors." A day later, Alissa released her own statement in which she claimed that she "had every intention of (and had even started) writing and recording yet another killer album [with THE AGONIST] this year," but explained that her "former bandmates decided to choose a different path." She also said that "the unfortunate decision" to part ways "was made beyond [her] control" and added that she would "always be proud of the three albums [she and THE AGONIST] created since 2005."

Alissa had been largely quiet about the circumstances that led to her departure from the band, choosing instead to focus on the touring activities in support of ARCH ENEMY's 2014 album "War Eternal", which marked her recording debut with the latter group. But during an appearance on HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta's official podcast, "The Jasta Show", Alissa aired her side of THE AGONIST split for the first time, saying that she "never in a million fucking years" suspected that she would get kicked out of her own band. She added, "I don't agree with what they did. I don't have respect for what they did," and vowed to never mend fences with her former bandmates. "I'll never talk to them again — ever!" she said. "That was the worst betrayal I've ever felt in my life. They stole a lot from me. It was not right."

Marino later responded to Alissa's comments, claiming that "she was playing both sides to have her cake and eat it too" and accusing her of not "factoring in the other four lives in the band and their aspirations."

Photo credit: Eric Sanchez

Dear friends, it's time to make a very difficult but necessary announcement.

We have decided that The Agonist as a...

Posted by The Agonist on Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Following the fantastic feedback for the first solo album by FATES WARNING vocalist Ray Alder, "What The Water Wants", back in 2019, InsideOut Music will release the follow-up effort, "II", on June 9.

Once again, just like for "What The Water Wants", the new LP was written with guitarists Mike Abdow (FATES WARNING touring member) and Tony Hernando (LORDS OF BLACK) — who both also performed bass guitar on their own songs — with drumming by Craig Anderson (IGNITE, CRESCENT SHIELD) and mixing by Simone Mularoni (RHAPSODY, MICHAEL ROMEO, DGM). Alder's second album is simply titled "II", but in musical terms this is a much more revealing, exploratory piece of work than its predecessor.

The official music video for the LP's second single, "Waiting For Some Sun", created by Manu Giménez of MG Media Productions, can be seen below.

Alder comments on "Waiting For Some Sun": "I wanted a totally different style for a song on the new album. Something that set itself apart from the rest. Mike and I got to talking and I said I want a song where the chorus is in the beginning but builds and gets bigger every time it repeats. Also dark with a lot of attitude. This is the music he came up with. I personally love how the vocal melody has nothing to do with the guitars. A sort of chaos that makes sense. At least to me..."

A Cloud Music Typography-created lyric video for the opening track, "This Hollow Shell" can be seen below.

Alder states about "This Hollow Shell": "'This Hollow Shell' is the first song to be released from my new solo album 'II'. When I first heard this song, I knew that it was going to be one of my favorites on the new album. It was dark and moody with tons of changes. It was like a huge blank canvas that I couldn't wait to begin painting on. In the end, it became one of the songs on the album that I am most proud of."

"II" track listing:

01. This Hollow Shell (06:02)
02. My Oblivion (04:36)
03. Hands Of Time (06:08)
04. Waiting For Some Sun (04:29)
05. Silence The Enemy (04:41)
06. Keep Wandering (05:51)
07. Those Words I Bled (05:51)
08. Passengers (05:51)
09. Changes (07:45)

"II" is available as a limited first-pressing digipak CD edition with a bonus track (an acoustic version of the opening track "This Hollow Shell"),as a digital album (also including the bonus track) and as LP on 180-gram vinyl, both on unlimited black vinyl as well as on transparent red vinyl in a limited edition of 300 copies, available exclusively via the InsideOut Music webshop and from CM Distro.

Alder comments: "When we wrote the first solo album, I wanted to try some different musical styles. I didn't want it to be really heavy, but more musical with catchy choruses. I think we did a pretty good job on that first one. But with this new album I wanted the music and lyrics to be darker and heavier.

"I think Mike did a fantastic job with the music. He listened to what I was saying and thinking musically.

"Tony knows that I like the big choruses and somewhat traditional sound. And, of course, Craig did an amazing job on the drums as usual. It's an honor to be able to work with them.

"This album is more of a reflection of what I heard going forward as a solo artist. Longer songs, deeper lyrics and really pushing myself vocally.

"I hope that whoever listens to it enjoys it as much as I did while working on it..."

California groove metallers DEVILDRIVER will release part two of their "Dealing With Demons" saga, their tenth full-length, "Dealing With Demons Vol. II", on May 12 via Napalm Records. Once again produced and engineered by Steve Evetts with additional engineering from guitarist Mike Spreitzer, 'Dealing With Demons Vol. II' is inarguably heavier and relentlessly harsher than its predecessor — as proven with bludgeoning lead single "Through The Depths" and the follow-up track "If Blood Is Life".

Today, DEVILDRIVER dropped another unrelenting track, "This Relationship, Broken". The riff-laden album closer hits as one of the record's most breakneck-paced anthems — with erratic drums, aggressive riffs and a charged performance from frontman Dez Fafara.

Fafara says about "This Relationship, Broken": "'This Relationship, Broken' explores the severance that happens between two longtime partners when they leave each other after years of turmoil."

International media mainstays like Revolver, Metal Hammer, Kerrang! and Consequence lauded "Dealing With Demons I", which debuted at No. 4 on the U.S. Current Hard Music Albums chart. BLABBERMOUTH.NET stated, "If the second half of this mammoth endeavor matches the first, this will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the DEVILDRIVER story." Rest assured, "Dealing With Demons Vol. II" doubles down on the brutality — and then some!

Track one "I Have No Pity" instantly keeps fans guessing with its contrasting, marching rhythmic groove and Fafara's icy, earworm warnings. The album's standout production immediately shines, with the track's thick riffs, haunting leads, room-filling drums and Fafara's vocal prowess leading the way. Eerie, insistent "Mantra" drops a wave of melodic aggression on the listener, instantly inducing headbanging with its breakneck pace and occult lyricism. Dynamic tracks like "Nothing Lasts Forever" and "Summoning" cascade with alternating passages of sinister riffage and memorable chants. "Bloodbath" is as brutal as its name suggests, ominously bending and pummeling with immediate aggression, as "It's A Hard Truth" continues the onslaught, cautioning against delusion amid balanced melodic leads. Closer anthems "If Blood Is Life" and "This Relationship, Broken" are the blood-soaked cherries atop "Dealing With Demons Vol. II", bringing together all of the elements that make DEVILDRIVER the best at their craft.

Fafara adds: "'Dealing With Demons Vol. II' is — simply put — a conversation in its entirety about dealing with 'inner' demons. It's a conversation in song form between 'self and a power apart from one's self, and trying to bury old entities.'"

"Dealing With Demons Vol. II" track listing:

01. I Have No Pity
02. Mantra
03. Nothing Lasts Forever
04. Summoning
05. Through The Depths
06. Bloodbath
07. It's A Hard Truth
08. If Blood Is Life
09. This Relationship, Broken

Last December, DEVILDRIVER parted ways with drummer Austin D'Amond and replaced him with Davier Pérez.

D'Amond joined DEVILDRIVER in 2015 as the replacement for original drummer John Boecklin.

In July 2022, DEVILDRIVER announced the return of original bassist Jon Miller after more than a decade-long absence from the scene. In addition to epic reunion, DEVILDRIVER added guitarist Alex Lee (HOLY GRAIL) to the lineup, replacing Neal Tiemann.

Ibarra joined DEVILDRIVER in 2016 as the replacement for former BURY YOUR DEAD guitarist Chris Towning, who appeared on the Fafara-fronted band's 2013 album "Winter Kills".

In October 2021, DEVILDRIVER parted ways with Tiemann. Neal, formerly of BURN HALO, joined the band in 2015 as the replacement for Jeff Kendrick, who left DEVILDRIVER in October 2014.

DEVILDRIVER 2023 is:

Dez Fafara - Vocals
Mike Spreitzer - Guitar
Jon Miller - Bass
Alex Lee - Guitar
Davier Pérez - Drums

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY will release their eighth studio album, "Screamin' At The Sky", on September 29 via Mascot Records. The opus will be available in white solid vinyl, limited edition vinyl boxset, CD and digitally.

Today, BLACK STONE CHERRY has revealed another new track, "Nervous", together with an accompanying official music video, to coincide with album pre-orders going live. Earlier this year, BLACK STONE CHERRY released the album's lead single, "Out of Pocket", which went on to be a crowd favorite on the band's recent U.K. arena shows.

The Kentucky-based band, featuring Chris Robertson (lead vocals/guitar),Ben Wells (guitar/backing vox) and John-Fred Young (drums/backing vox),are joined for the first time on an album recording by "new" bassist Steve Jewell Jr. (ex-OTIS). The band's fanbase will be more than familiar with Steve, as he has been touring with BLACK STONE CHERRY in 2021.

BLACK STONE CHERRY comments: "Filming the video for 'Nervous' was an amazing experience, like being on a movie set! We spent the day in an old paint factory-turned-production studio that had all of these amazing sets for TV and movies. The actor, Mateo Palmitier, did an AMAZING job as the lead character and it was such a cool experience seeing all of these visions come to life thanks to our director, Kyle Loftus and his incredible team. We love how the video will go between our performance, a great story line, and some killer visuals!"

With regard to the new album, BLACK STONE CHERRY continues: "Every band that puts out a new record will tell you they are excited — as they should be. However, we may take the award for being the most excited about releasing a new album into the world! We can guarantee that it'll move you in one way or another. We had a lot to say lyrically, musically, and sonically. We pushed ourselves to create not only something relevant, but also pushing the envelope to bend the trend. We are truly proud of this collection of songs and we hope you'll celebrate it with us."

"Screamin' At The Sky" features all-new material written collaboratively while on tour, but when it came time to record, BLACK STONE CHERRY decided to try something it's always dreamed of doing: tracking an album at The Plaza Theater in Glasgow, Kentucky — a legendary 1020-seat venue built in 1934 that boasts meticulous acoustics.

"Every time we played the Plaza we wondered what it would sound like to record drums there. We finally decided to put all our eggs in one basket," Chris says. In June of 2022, the band rented the whole place, brought in all its recording equipment and its trusted engineer, Jordan Westfall. They set up the basement as the control room and the stage as the live drum room. Time between recording sessions and incredible room ambience have resulted in a career high watermark for BSC.

BLACK STONE CHERRY's last album, "The Human Condition", released in October 2020 was their sixth consecutive No. 1 debut on the U.K. Rock Albums chart. The album's lead single, "Again" was the band's biggest single in over 10 years in America, peaking at No. 15, and their highest-charting record ever in Canada, landing in the Top 15. The album racked up 50 million streams worldwide. Over the years, BSC has both headlined and rocked 12,000-cap arena shows and shared the stage with a wide range of superstars, including ALTER BRIDGE, DEF LEPPARD, GOV'T MULE, NICKELBACK, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, BAD COMPANY, MÖTORHEAD, HALESTORM, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, THE DARKNESS and ZZ TOP. In 2018, BSC performed in front of 100,000 people at the Download festival as main support to GUNS N' ROSES and in 2021, the band played the venerated Royal Albert Hall, immortalized on 2022's live DVD "Live From The Royal Albert Hall…Y'All".

"Screamin' At The Sky" track listing:

01. Out Of Pocket
02. Screamin' At The Sky
03. Nervous
04. When The Pain Comes
05. Show Me What It Feels Like
06. R.O.A.R.
07. Smile, World
08. The Mess You Made
09. Who Are You Today?
10. Not Afraid
11. Here's To The Hopeless
12. You Can Have It All

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine

LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe joined French progressive metallers GOJIRA on stage last night (Tuesday, May 9) at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia to perform the song "Backbone". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Blythe had performed with GOJIRA several times before. Back in November 2021, he joined GOJIRA on stage at The National in Richmond, Virginia to perform the song "Adoration For None" live for the first time.

Blythe, who had previously played the track "Backbone" with GOJIRA in September 2021 at Knotfest Iowa, co-wrote and appeared on "Adoration For None" on GOJIRA's 2008 album "The Way Of All Flesh".

Two years ago, Blythe praised GOJIRA's seventh studio LP, "Fortitude", to Metal Hammer magazine, saying that is "succeeds in achieving what very few metal albums do: without sacrificing a single ounce of earth-shattering heaviness." He added that GOJIRA has once again "raised the bar that defines this genre."

Blythe had previously said that he had "publicly supported [GOJIRA] from the second I first heard them."

"Fortitude" entered Billboard's Top Albums chart at No. 1, while also claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for GOJIRA, arriving at No. 12, with several career-high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (No. 2),United Kingdom (No. 6),Australia (No. 3),Germany (No. 8),Belgium (No. 2),Netherlands (No. 4),Denmark (No. 3),Portugal (No. 4),Finland (No. 2) and Norway (No. 10).

Last October, GOJIRA released a new song titled "Our Time Is Now". The track appears on the soundtrack to EA Sports' long-running NHL video game franchise "NHL 23".

Last month, GOJIRA and MASTODON embarked on "The Mega-Monsters Tour", a massive co-headline tour across North America in 2023 along with special guests LORNA SHORE on all dates. The trek kicked off at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon on April 18, stopped at legendary venues such as the Forum in Los Angeles, California on April 21, and steamrolled through MASTODON's hometown of Atlanta for their biggest Georgia headlining gig to date at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre. The first leg concludes at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania on May 11. Meanwhile, the tour resumes with a second leg from August 9 through September 2.



When the GOAT Randy Blythe joins Gojira 🤯🤘🏼

Posted by Chase Phillips on Tuesday, May 9, 2023



Randy Blythe singer of Lamb of God makes a special appearance at the Gojira show in Richmond VA

Posted by Robert Donald Johnson on Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Cult U.S. metal band VIRGIN STEELE has released a new single and lyric video, "Spiritual Warfare". The song is taken from the group's upcoming album, "The Passion Of Dionysus", due on June 30 through SPV/Steamhammer.

At a time when cultural innovation is being sidelined as never before and many unusual forms of music are succumbing to the temptation of the commercially more lucrative mainstream, VIRGIN STEELE are the shining silver lining. For over 40 years, mastermind David DeFeis has kept one of the most imaginative bands in the power metal genre on track with his excellent songwriting and charismatic voice. At the same time, DeFeis has never stopped evolving as a composer, musician and producer, updating his symphonic-tinged sound with exciting new influences. He has already accomplished this many times over with classics like "Invictus" (1998),"The House Of Atreus I & II" (1999/2000) and "Visions Of Eden" (2006). On "The Passion Of Dionysus", DeFeis surpasses himself in his unbridled creativity. Eight years after the acclaimed studio opus "Nocturnes Of Hellfire & Damnation" (2015),DeFeis's brilliant signature maneuvers the album through a gripping parable about control and freedom, creating another highlight of the VIRGIN STEELE career.

As usual, DeFeis has chosen a downright epic theme that delves deep into the annals of human history, while maintaining a concrete reference to the present.

"The album deals with the concept of duality, where something is both one thing and its opposite simultaneously," he explains the underlying message of the new record. "It obviously has to do with Dionysus and, as the title suggests, his 'passion' or suffering, and his coming to Thebes to avenge the slander of his mother, as well as punish the King Of Thebes for denying his worship there. But that being said, more is going on."

In "The Passion Of Dionysus", DeFeis tells the epic struggle between the twin forces of control/restraint and freedom/release, as well as dealing with the question of "whether or not there is room in society for the irrational, the wild, the letting-go aspects of ourselves."

There is no doubt that David DeFeis is not only an ingenious composer and musician, but also a true visionary who — with his band — has the perfect medium at his disposal to evolve both humanly and culturally.

"I see VIRGIN STEELE as a way of life," he says. "The band is my vehicle with which I traverse vast oceans of experience. We are always doing things our own way, on our own specific terms."

"The Passion Of Dionysus" track listing:

01. The Gethsemane Effect
02. You'll Never See The Sun Again
03. A Song Of Possession
04. The Ritual Of Descent
05. Spiritual Warfare
06. Black Earth & Blood
07. The Passion Of Dionysus
08. To Bind & Kill A God
09. Unio Mystica
10. I Will Fear No Man For I Am A God

Recording lineup:

David DeFeis - vocals, keyboards, bass, drums and orchestrations
Edward Pursino - Six-string guitar
Josh Block - Seven-string guitar

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz and the band's former singer Howard Jones have entered the studio to begin recording the debut album from their collaborative new project.

On Friday (May 5),Howard shared an Instagram photo of him in the studio with Adam, and he included the following message: "1st song done, 11 to go. #NewProject #Recording #HOJO #AdamD".

Jones left KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in 2012 and battled manic depression and bipolar disorder before forming a new project, DEVIL YOU KNOW, with guitarist Francesco Artusato (ALL SHALL PERISH) and drummer John Sankey (DEVOLVED). Along with bassist Ryan Wombacher (BLEEDING THROUGH),they recorded and toured behind two well-received albums, 2014's "The Beauty Of Destruction" and 2015's "They Bleed Red". In 2017, the band changed its name to LIGHT THE TORCH.

Jones makes an appearance on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's latest album, 2019's "Atonement", contributing guest vocals to the song "The Signal Fire".

Jones discussed his previous mental health issues in a 2016 interview with Metal Hammer. He said: "For a lot of the time during the whole manic depression thing, I didn't realize how bad I was. I thought the high levels of anxiety I was experiencing was just my lot in life, I didn't realize that there was help on hand for me to be able to deal with that. I thought that I was just meant to feel really nervous around large crowds. Now it's like being a kid again, because I can deal with it, so I've got my passion back and it's great."

Asked what made him get back into music after leaving KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, Howard told Heavy New York: "Honestly, I think it was because I was just kind of tired of doing nothing and I don't do much else other than music. I felt like I needed to venture out because I was basically agoraphobic for three years. It's kind of well known. I went off the grid. I didn't have a cell phone for three years — I was gone. It felt, like, 'Okay, maybe I should dip my toe in. I don't have to do it full time. I don't have to do what I don't want to do.' That's all I was thinking. I started moving, I started doing things. It was definitely a struggle, especially for the first few years. I was, like, 'What am I doing?' There's been few things in my life that has been consistent other than music. I just did it. It just took some time, then all of the sudden, the spark showed up. I fell back in love with what I was doing. I really can't explain it. It just sort of happened."

Current KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach appeared on the band's self-titled debut and sophomore album, "Alive Or Just Breathing", before exiting the group. Jones took over on vocals for "The End Of Heartache", "As Daylight Dies" and the 2009 self-titled set before being dismissed from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 11 years ago and being replaced by a returning Leach.

In 2012, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio told Boston Globe that the band's split with Jones was necessitated by the singer's struggle with personal issues, including diabetes that had gone untreated for several years. "It became very apparent we had to move on without him," D'Antonio said. "Howard didn't quit."

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