On the full moon, Friday, May 5, Peter Gabriel releases the next track from his forthcoming album i/o. This month the song is "Four Kinds Of Horses", and first-up is the Bright-Side Mix.


Written by Peter Gabriel and produced by Peter Gabriel and Richard Russell, "Four Kinds Of Horses" was recorded at Real World Studios in Wiltshire, The Beehive and Copper House in London.


Says Gabriel: "'Four Kinds Of Horses' actually began on Richard Russell’s project Everything Is Recorded. He’s a friend (and founder of XL Records) and he asked me to pop in to his studio. I came up with some chords, melodies and words on top of a groove he was working on. We tried a few things that didn't altogether work and so it laid dormant for quite a while. Then I started playing around with it again and changed the mood and the groove and something else began to emerge with a better chorus."




There were a number of things that triggered ideas for the song as it developed, including the Buddhist parable of the Four Kinds of Horses, which describes different ways a student can approach their spiritual practice. There is also a focus on “the interesting overlap of religion and peace on the one hand and violence and terrorism on the other. There was also a wonderful film by Hany Abu-Assad called ‘Paradise Now’ which shows two young men who end up being trained to become terrorists and it's a real insight into where the head goes.”


As well as Russell, who set things in motion, "Four Kinds Of Horses" also features Brian Eno on synths which “sounded like electric worms to me,” says Gabriel. “As soon as I heard one I thought they would make a great three dimensional wall paper of sound and asked Brian to create eleven more.” John Metcalfe again provides string arrangements, “beautiful work and as the song progresses, the strings play a key role” and backing vocals from Peter’s daughter Melanie, “another lovely moment for a dad.”


Continuing the theme of working with a different artist for each song release, this month’s track is accompanied by a cover image featuring the work of Cornelia Parker.





Gabriel: "This month we have a fascinating artist, Cornelia Parker, who does some extraordinary work. When we were originally looking at the Art from Us project, I'd seen some of her stuff with exploding rooms and had been fascinated by that, so I'm really happy that she agreed to work with us on this. The photogravure technique of William Henry Fox Talbot was an inspiration for her in this piece, and some of the other glass-based images in the series. I fell in love with this particular work - it's called ‘Snap'."


Just like the previous full moon releases, "Four Kinds Of Horses" will come with differing mix approaches from Mark ‘Spike’ Stent (Bright-Side Mix). Tchad Blake (Dark-Side Mix) and Hans-Martin Buff’s Atmos mix (In-Side Mix), released later in the month.





As well as new music, Peter Gabriel is about to embark on a tour with dates in the UK, Europe and North America.


i/o - The Tour will see Gabriel playing new material from his forthcoming album i/o, as well as delving into his peerless catalogue of music, with hits, fan favourites and the unexpected. For the shows, Gabriel will be joined by regular band-mates Tony Levin, David Rhodes and Manu Katché.





Tour dates:


May
18 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena
20 - Verona, Italy - Verona Arena
21 - Milan, Italy - Mediolanum Arena
23 - Paris, France - Accor Arena
24 - Lille, France - Stade Pierre-Mauroy
26 - Berlin, Germany - Waldbuehne
28 - Munich, Germany - Koenigsplatz
30 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena
31 - Stockholm, Sweden - Avicii Arena


June
2 - Bergen, Norway - Koengen
5 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
6 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis
8 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
10 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena
12 - Hamburg, Germany - Barclays Arena
13 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle
15 - Bordeaux, France - Arkea Arena
17 - Birmingham, UK - Utilita Arena
19 - London, UK - The O2
20 - Nottingham, UK - Motorpoint Arena
22 - Glasgow, UK - OVO Hydro
23 - Manchester, UK - AO Arena
25 - Dublin, Ireland - 3Arena


September
8 - Quebec City, Quebec - Videotron Centre
9 - Ottawa, Ontario - Canadian Tire Centre
11 - Toronto, Ontario - Scotiabank Arena
13 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
14 - Boston, Massachusetts - TD Garden
16 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Wells Fargo Center
18 - New York, New York - Madison Square Garden
20 - Washington, D.C. - Capital One Arena
22 - Buffalo, New York - KeyBank Center
23 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - PPG Paints Arena
25 - Columbus, Ohio - Nationwide Arena
27 - Cleveland, Ohio - Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
29 - Detroit, Michigan - Little Caesars Arena
30 - Chicago, Illinois - United Center


October
2 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Fiserv Forum
3 - St. Paul , Minnesota - Xcel Energy Center     
7 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Rogers Arena
8 - Seattle, Washington - Climate Pledge Arena
11 - San Francisco, California - Chase Center
13 - Los Angeles, California - Kia Forum
14 - Palm Springs, California - Acrisure Arena
16 - Denver , Colorado - Ball Arena
18 - Austin, Texas - Moody Center
19 - Dallas, Texas - American Airlines Center
21 - Houston, Texas - Toyota Center


(Photo - Nadav Kander)

Crossover group Final Assault's latest release, Zazula EP, is out now. The digital EP, released through Moshforce Records, is a tribute to Jonathan 'Jonny Z' Zazula, who founded Megaforce Records with his wife Marsha, who passed away in 2022 from a rare neurological disease (CIDP). Megaforce Records was founded in 1982 and the label's first release in 1983 was Metallica's debut, Kill 'Em All.





Zazula EP is a three-song Final Assault tribute to the godfather of thrash metal, originally released by Megaforce Records, and was mixed and mastered by Kalle Johansson of OKJ Music Productions.




The first song of the Zazula EP is Metallica's "The Four Horsemen" and the other two are Stormtroopers Of Death's (S.O.D.) "Freddy Krueger" and "United Forces". The arrangement of "The Four Horsemen'"is closer to the song's original composer Dave Mustaine's vision, as heard in The Mechanix, and the final solo in the track "United Forces" is played by Ville Valavuo (Foreseen, Speedtrap, Kohti Tuhoa).


Find the EP on Spotify, and Bandcamp.  Listen to "The Four Horsemen" below:

Queen continues the new video series, “Queen The Greatest: Live”, a year-long celebration of Queen Live. It's a 50-week YouTube series going behind the scenes to reveal what goes into creating a Queen show featuring moments from iconic performances and demonstrating why the band is regarded as the ultimate live act. The latest episode can be found below.


A message states: "A compilation of performances of 'Under Pressure' from some of Queen's most spectacular concerts throughout the 1980's, showcases a variety of iconic stage wear.  It was a decade that saw Queen at the peak of their powers, and as this episode demonstrates, the live act continued to astound audiences around the world."







"I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I want to lead a Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter." - Freddie Mercury


This summer, Sotheby’s is honoured to present Freddie Mercury: A World Of His Own, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the private realm of a global icon.


Alongside his legendary public persona, Freddie Mercury was a deeply educated collector with a connoisseur’s eye, honed over years of careful research and exploration of the artists and movements that sparked his intellectual and aesthetic curiosity.


This collection has remained at Freddie’s beloved Garden Lodge for over three decades and displays a quality and diversity of works that are a testament not only to his passion, but his brilliant mind.


This rich legacy will now be shared for the very first time through a series of auctions at Sotheby’s London, in an immersive experience unlike anything that has been seen before. Join Sotheby’s this summer to celebrate Freddie Mercury: A World Of His Own.


Sign up here to be the first to receive updates on the sales, exhibition, catalogue release, events and more.





The regalia of a global icon, Freddie Mercury’s incredible stage-worn crown and robe were a commission by his friend and costume designer Diana Moseley. Indelibly linked to Freddie, he wore these for the rendition of “God Save The Queen” during his final tour with Queen in 1986, The Magic Tour. Estimate £60,000 - 80,000.

Ted Nugent has blasted "liars and haters" in the wake of the cancelation of his concert in Birmingham, Alabama due to a backlash surrounding his controversial political views.

On Thursday (May 4),AL.com reported that the legendary 74-year-old rocker's July 18 performane at Avondale Brewing Co. was scrapped, 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 earlier this week 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 commented on the cancelation on his Twitter by sharing the AL.com article and writing,: "liars & haters drunk on stupid incapable to debate me".

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.

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.

Image credit: DeadMike.com
liars & haters drunk on stupid incapable to debate me-https://t.co/P56ILUnziG

— Ted Nugent (@TedNugent) May 5, 2023

The Fortheloveofrock YouTube channel has uploaded video of ZZ TOP's May 5 concert at the Rio Vista Outdoor Amphitheater at Harrah's Laughlin in Laughlin, Nevada. Check out the clips below.
ZZ TOP and LYNYRD SKYNYRD will embark on their first co-headlining tour — "The Sharp Dressed Simple Man" tour — taking over 22 cities in North America this summer. Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off on Friday, July 21 at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida and continues with stops in Fort Worth, Phoenix, Chicago, and more before wrapping up in Camden, New Jersey at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion on Sunday, September 17.

"That Little Ol' Band From Texas" has been at it for well over a half century delivering rock, blues and boogie on stage and studio to millions of devoted fans. With iconography as distinctive as their sound, ZZ TOP is globally recognized with their beards, hotrod cars, spinning guitars and that magic keychain, all of which transcend geography and language.

It was in 1969 Houston when ZZ TOP coalesced from the core of two rival bands, Billy Gibbons's MOVING SIDEWALKS and Frank Beard and Dusty Hill's AMERICAN BLUES. ZZ TOP's 1973 release, "Tres Hombres", catapulted them to national attention with the hit "La Grange", still one of the band's signature pieces today. "Eliminator", their 1983 album was something of a paradigm shift for ZZ TOP. Their roots blues skew was intact and added to the mix came their hightech-age trappings that soon found a visual outlet with such tracks as "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" on the nascent MTV. It was one of the record industry's first albums to have been certified diamond, far beyond gold and platinum, a reflection of sales exceeding 10 million units.

As a touring outfit, they've been without peer over the past five decades, having performed before millions of fans over four continents and have been the subject of their own Grammy-nominated documentary titled "That Little Ol' Band From Texas". The band's lineup of the bearded Gibbons and Hill and Beard, who ironically is clean shaven, remained intact for more than 50 years. When Dusty temporarily departed the tour in the summer of 2021, Elwood Francis entered the picture accepting the directive from Dusty to be the perfect choice to stand in on the bass-guitar and now handles the low-end duties for the band for the present as well as into the future.

The elements that keep ZZ TOP fresh, enduring can be summed up in the three words of the band's internal mantra: "Tone, Taste and Tenacity". As genuine roots performers, they have few peers. Their influences are both the originators of the form — Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Jimmy Reed, et al — as well as the British blues rockers and Jimi Hendrix who emerged generations before ZZ's ascendance.

They have sold hundreds of millions of records over the course of their career, have been officially designated as Heroes of The State of Texas, inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (by Keith Richards, no less) and have been referenced in countless cartoons and sitcoms. They are true rock icons and, against all odds, they're really just doing what they've always done.

Sid Falck has released a new song, "The Fool Who Would Be King", with very special guest Bobby Gustafson (Satans Taint, ex-Vio-Lence, ex-Overkill), under the Falck name.





Says Sid: “When it came to ‘’whom can I bug about doing the lead?... Whom haven’t I bugged yet?’, the list was short and Bobby’s name was at the top. Obviously, I’ve considered asking him before, as we are in regular contact, but whenever I needed a lead, the timing was off, as I knew Bobby was busy with other obligations. However, this time it worked out great. I asked, and the next day I had the lead.




When I flew it into the session, I honestly didn’t know what to expect.. I was guessing some seriously crazy shredding... instead it was an extremely tasty, very understated solo... absolutely perfect for the part. Now I can’t even begin to imagine anything different.


Just goes to show, that even when we think we know what to expect, we can still get surprised! It’s not the first time we do something together (Hail Mary with John Gallagher) and I’m sure it won’t be the last time “


Says Bobby Gustafson: “I was overjoyed when Sid asked me to join in on his projects. He’s consistently puts out some hard hitting music over the years and l love to support him.”


"The Fool Who Would Be King" can be downloaded here for “set your own price”, making it a free download, should you so choose. The track is / will also be available on all streaming and digital platforms.


An accompanying video can be viewed below:

In a new interview with the METALLICA fan-club magazine So What!, guitarist Kirk Hammett spoke about his enduring passion for playing music and performing for the band's fans. He said: "I love what I do. I love what I fucking do, okay? There's been times when the negative aspects have totally taken over me, and I've spent a lot of time highlighting those negative aspects, but don't get me wrong. The positives still outweigh the negatives, and I love what I do. Basically, it's getting up there, playing guitar for people, and showing them a good time. Because when I'm up there, I'm having a really good time. And ever since I was a kid, I have thought, 'If I'm up there having a good time and people see me having a good time, they're going to pick up on that good time and have a good time too. I learned that when I was 17 years old and first started playing shows in EXODUS. I believed it then, and I believe it now, and yes, I'm having a great time up there because I'm playing guitar. I'm playing good songs that are fun to play. We write songs that are fun to play because that's what we want to do. We don't want to write songs that are a bummer to play. Fuck that! I'd get bored. I'd probably fall asleep or walk off stage or just start soloing in an inappropriate manner — and I'm good at that.

"But we have killer songs," he continued. "I'm playing with killer musicians. They're my bros. We have an amazing fan base who understands us and then some. I still love it. And I love the fact that we can get into a big room — 50,000 people — and everyone, everyone, when we play a song, is in the same focus and the same awareness and the same presence of mind on the same thing. And we feel connected. To feel connected, all of us — 50,000 people — in a song… That feeling of community? That's what you're really feeling when you go to a rock show. It's elation from celebrating the fact that we're all together, seeing something that we all love, and experiencing something that we all want to do together.

"Huge, huge, powerful stuff, man," Kirk added. "And to be in that situation — to be at the forefront of it, guiding it, supplying it, and steering it — is magic, man. It's pure love. L-O-V-E. People laugh, but I challenge anyone who might think that's corny: go to the core of it. Go to the core of what is really motivating you to be entertained."

Hammett also discussed his personal growth in recent years, saying: "I've gotten better in just expressing myself, talking about my feelings, not being shy about my feelings… My biggest thing is withdrawal. I will just withdraw from everyone and everything. I have the capacity to do that. And it's not disassociation. It's really just wanting to withdraw from people because it's too much. So, I've recognized that I have that, and I've also recognized that it's just better for me to express what I really, truly feel all the time.

"I'm going on nine years sober pretty soon. I [attribute] so much of my own personal growth to getting sober. And I wish I would've gotten sober a long time ago, but it just wasn't in the cards, you know? But since getting sober, everything is improved in my life, pretty much everything is improved. I have focus, and I put myself in situations now that I know are positive and win-win situations, where it contributes to everyone else's well-being. And the best thing that I can do nowadays is to find ways just to contribute to other people's well-being, whether it's through art, music, just hanging out with people, doing cool creative stuff, connecting with people, being positive, and just working toward the well-being of everyone. That's what I want to do these days.

"I'm not as chaotic as I used to be. And I know that I'm not as unpredictable as I used to be. When I was younger, I had this thing; I always had this feeling that I needed adventure. I was mischievous. So, I would get myself into trouble all the time, only because that was the energy that was in me. But I don't have that anymore. I feel like I'm very well grounded. I also feel that I am my own person, and I will always be my own person. And everything that has anything to do with me begins with me and ends with me. At the end of the day, it really doesn't have anything to do with anyone else. And having that realization? It's changed me. It's changed my approach to just about everything. It's given me an awareness so that I'm less reactive and more responsive to almost every situation. Whereas back in the day, I was a reactionary, emotional animal who would just lash out all the time without even thinking because I was conditioned. That was the situation around me as I was growing up. Those are my '72 seasons,' you know? Being in a totally reactive mode all the time because I had to be that way because that's what people need to be for survival. You know, during those 72 seasons, most of it was spent in survival mode for me. And you know, it gets tiring being in that mode. I've found a way to just write myself out of that narrative and be my own person. And I realize that's all I can do, so that's what I do now."

Hammett released his first solo EP, "Portals", in April 2022. The all-instrumental four-song effort was recorded in Los Angeles, Paris, and Oahu and was produced by Hammett, who drew inspiration for the songs from horror movies, classical music, and the work of Ennio Morricone, whose "The Ecstasy Of Gold" has been opening METALLICA live shows since 1983.

This past week, METALLICA kicked off its "M72" world tour 2023-2024 with two performances at Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The career-spanning sets featured songs off the band's newest album "72 Seasons", and other classics. In total, METALLICA performed 32 different songs taken from its 11 studio albums.

METALLICA is visiting a total of 22 different cities around the world and playing two nights in each city.

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

METALLICA's James Hetfield recently chatted with SiriusXM host Jose Mangin on SiriusXM's "Metal Ambassador" podcast. During the conversation, James discussed all of the musical influences that make up METALLICA's latest album, "72 Seasons" and "trying to evolve" with his own vocals. James also talks about the meaning of the yellow album cover, reveals that he thinks of himself as a "wannabe drummer" and remembers hanging out with PANTERA in the Texan band's early days.

When Mangin noted that late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was "a gigantic fan of METALLICA" and covered METALLICA songs, James said: "Well, what a blessing to have been in his life and him in my life. And yeah, some of those early days, just traveling down there to the Dallas area and meeting with those guys and just hanging out. Yeah, Dimebag introduced me to the solid state amp, I remember. He had this fricking amazing crunch going on. I was, like, 'What is that?' You know? So, uh, yeah. [We] inspired each other. He inspired me as well. No doubt."

Two months ago, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich weighed in on the fact that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) have united with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

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

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

Ulrich discussed his views on the PANTERA comeback in an interview with Revolver. He said: "I think that the idea that they're out celebrating the music and the magic of PANTERA is ... I know there's been a lot of talk in the community about whether people support that or not. But I'm the type of person, if Glenn Hughes wants to go out and play a DEEP PURPLE set, I'd support that.

"I'm always in favor of people following their musical and creative ambitions; so this PANTERA reunion, I think, is good," he added. "And obviously having Charlie up there is great. I saw a video from one of the Mexico shows that felt like they were in the pocket. It'll be fun to have them out."

Speaking about METALLICA's relationship with PANTERA, which dates back to before Anselmo had even joined the band, Ulrich said: "We met the brothers on the 'Ride The Lightning' tour and became friends with them. This was in Dallas in — what — 1622 or something? It was about 400 years ago. We obviously loved both of them, and they had a posse down there, and we would see them whenever we came through Texas. We watched the band evolve over the years from more rock vibes into that creative, unique force that they became. So, we've had a relationship with them for decades and decades."

After Dimebag was murdered in December 2004, Ulrich released a statement in which he said that he was "fortunate enough to meet both Darrell and his brother in Dallas on tour" in 1985. He went on to say: "The first thing me and my friend did as soon as that tour was over was to head straight back to Dallas and hang out with Darrell and Vinnie for a long time, 'cause they were the coolest mutherfuckers that we had met after criss-crossing the states for three months. That was the beginning of a friendship that was anchored in love, respect, fun, outrageousness, music, booze, sweat, late nights, early mornings, hangovers, headaches, pounding eardrums, sore bodies... the list goes on."

He added: "Darrell and his brother were the cornerstone of musical adventures that were always groundbreaking, pushing boundaries, challenging to themselves and to their fans, respected by their peers and always true musicians' musicians."

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

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

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

In a recent interview with Byrd of 97.1 FM The Drive, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry explained why it's unlikely drummer Joey Kramer, who sat out the band's recent round of "Deuces Are Wild" residency shows in Las Vegas, will take part in AEROSMITH's upcoming "Peace Out" farewell tour. "His heart's in the right place, but, listen, playing the drums is an athletic event," Joe said. "And there's a certain point where you're just kind of, like,… every joint starts to give out, man. So at this point we're not thinking he's gonna be there. We'll see."

When AEROSMITH announced its farewell tour earlier this week, the band said about Kramer's absence from the upcoming trek: "While Joey Kramer remains a beloved founding member of AEROSMITH, he has regrettably made the decision to sit out the currently scheduled touring dates to focus his full attention on his family and health. Joey's unmistakable and legendary presence behind the drum kit will be sorely missed," the band said in a statement.

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

In 2020, Kramer sued the rest of AEROSMITH for breach of contract, saying he was being blocked from performing after suffering "minor injuries" the previous year. He sought an injunction after they announced they would play without him at the 2020 MusiCares Person Of The Year and at the Grammy Awards. He lost that case.

The "Peace Out" run of 40 dates will start on September 2 in Philadelphia and wrap next year on January 26 in Montreal. Special guests THE BLACK CROWES will join AEROSMITH for the entire tour, which will celebrate AEROSMITH's five decades of music.

Produced by Live Nation, the tour will include stops in iconic arenas across the U.S. and Canada, including Los Angeles's Kia Forum, New York's Madison Square Garden, Dallas's Moody Center, Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena, Chicago's United Center, Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, and more. A highlight of the tour will be a stop in Boston for a special hometown show on New Year's Eve 2023.

AEROSMITH announced its final tour by creating a "breaking news" YouTube video featuring Eminem, Slash, Dolly Parton, Bill Burr, Ringo Starr and other entertainment stars expressing their disbelief that this really is farewell. At the end of the clip, AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler can be seen looking into the camera and declaring, "And if you think we're joking … dream on."

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

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

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

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

In a new interview with Guy "Favazz" Favazza of the St. Louis, Missouri radio station KSHE 95, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard Fortus said that fans may get to hear some different songs on the band's upcoming tour, which is scheduled to kick off on June 1 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. "Hopefully we'll shake things up a bit and switch around songs and stuff like that," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "But a lot of times every night is different, 'cause we don't have setlists, so…"

Pressed by Favazz about how Fortus and his bandmates know what is coming up next when they don't have a setlist, Richard said: "Our singer. Axl [Rose], he's got a button he can push that cuts off the mic from the [front]… which usually is used to tell jokes. But he'll just say, 'What do you guys wanna do?' And somebody else will say something or he'll say, 'Let's do this.'

"There's blocks of songs that we'll do together," Fortus explained. "And sometimes it's a real surprise… And we're well rehearsed. We soundcheck for at least an hour every day. Slash [GUNS N' ROSES guitarist, man, he loves to play — he loves to play… I get to play with that guy every night. It's pretty cool."

GUNS N' ROSES' North American tour will start on Saturday, August 5 in Moncton, NB at Medavie Blue Cross Stadium, and will visit historic venues across the country such as Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on August 21 and Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on August 24. The tour concludes in Vancouver, British Columbia at BC Place on Monday, October 16.

Fortus got his big break when his band PALE DIVINE opened for THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS. This led to Fortus forming the band LOVE SPIT LOVE with PSYCHEDELIC FURS frontman Richard Butler and drummer Frank Ferrer. In 2000, Fortus and Ferrer became touring members of the reformed PSYCHEDELIC FURS before Fortus hooked up with GUNS N' ROSES. Ferrer himself joined GN'R in 2006.

GUNS N' ROSES launched its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour with an April 2016 club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.

GUNS N' ROSES' reunion tour features classic-lineup members McKagan, Rose and Slash, backed by Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

GUNS N' ROSES released a new four-song EP, "Hard Skool", in February 2022. The effort, which is exclusive to the GUNS N' ROSES' official store, contained the two new songs the band released in 2021 — the title track and "Absurd" (stylized as "ABSUЯD") — as well as live versions of "Don't Cry" and "You're Crazy".

The band is now reportedly working on a new studio album — the first under the GUNS banner since 2008's "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Rose, Slash and McKagan since 1993.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

"Face Down", the latest single from platinum-selling alternative-industrial rock pioneers FILTER, has just been made available digitally via Golden Robot Records.

"Face Down" follows the release of "For The Beaten", which was the first FILTER track to be issued by Golden Robot in October 2022. Written by FILTER founder Richard Patrick, "Face Down" is classic FILTER — a tight song with loads going on, including some killer drum fills and a restrained vocal delivery that seems ready to explode at any given point as the song progresses. The track lets you know early on where it is headed and locks you in from the start without ever becoming predictable. It will appear on FILTER's upcoming album, which is expected to arrive in 2023.

"'Face Down' speaks to the hate and negativity plaguing the world today," said Patrick. "I wrote it after being inundated with lies, deceptions, and pure vitriol I saw on social media. I'm pumped. I can't wait for everyone to hear the full album."

For the first time in its 30-year career, FILTER will present "California Screamin'" — a full concert global stream performed live on location in Los Angeles. HITKOR will be the official on demand streaming partner for the show, which will take place June 17. The live performance will include special guests, classic songs FILTER has not performed in over 25 years and the debut of brand-new material.

"I've been itching to do a live stream since things shut down a couple years ago but I got caught up in the studio working on our new album," said Patrick. "When Scott [Donnell, CMO HITKOR] came to me and told me about HITKOR, and then invited me down to see MINISTRY do their thing, I was sold."

"California Screamin'" tickets are $14.99 and All-Access passes are $19.99. For this special engagement, FrontRow advanced ticket discounts are $9.99 and $14.99, respectively, and are available until Friday, June 2. Purchase only at HITKOR.com.

Last September, Patrick reunited with his former bandmates in NINE INCH NAILS for the first time in over 25 years. Patrick, the first guitarist to ever tour with Trent Reznor and NINE INCH NAILS, was in the band for four years before departing to form FILTER.

Patrick's career is a vision of multifaceted creativity, which he has delivered throughout his 30-plus years producing music professionally through his band FILTER, various collaborations, side projects, super groups, scoring films and writing for soundtracks.

Patrick's initial foray into the public eye was as NINE INCH NAILS' first touring guitarist. Patrick had met Reznor in the late '80s in a music store in Cleveland. The two became close friends and then bandmates. Patrick played with the band from 1989 to 1993, appearing in numerous music videos including "Down In It", "Head Like A Hole", "Wish" and "Gave Up".

FILTER's debut album, "Short Bus", was released in 1995 and went platinum, largely due to the success of the first single "Hey Man Nice Shot". The follow-up, 1999's "Title Of Record", also went platinum driven by the huge crossover success of the song "Take A Picture". FILTER's third album, "The Amalgamut", is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The album spawned such classic songs as "Where Do We Go From Here" and "American Cliché".

In 2006, the ARMY OF ANYONE project — a supergroup led by Patrick with Dean and Robert DeLeo of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and Ray Luzier of KORN — came to light, releasing one album and a tour before each went back to their respective bands. Patrick refocused on FILTER, releasing "Anthems For The Damned" in 2008, "The Trouble With Angels" in 2010, "The Sun Comes Out Tonight" in 2013 and "Crazy Eyes" in 2016, and two singles in 2020.

Beginning in May, FILTER will embark on a six-month-long tour crisscrossing the United States and Canada before a planned trip overseas to play in Europe and Australia in 2024. FILTER's tour plans so far include headline shows, festival appearances and a place on the "Freaks On Parade" tour with ROB ZOMBIE, ALICE COOPER and MINISTRY. The band will be offering a limited number of "Filter Fanatic" VIP packages that include exclusive merch, signed tour posters, used gear items, meet-and-greets and photos with the band on many of the dates. More information and tickets are available at www.officialfilter.com.

Photo credit: Chapman Baehler

During an appearance this past Wednesday (May 3) on SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show", country-pop superstar Carrie Underwood performed a cover of version of Ozzy Osbourne's classic power ballad "Mama, I'm Comin' Home". She also discussed her love of GUNS N' ROSES and her friendship with Axl Rose, with whom she has shared the stage several times.

Last July, Underwood released her version of "Mama, I'm Comin' Home" for Apple Music Sessions, a live performance series launched by the tech giant.

Underwood's country-tinged rendition of the track was recorded at Apple's Nashville studio and was accompanied by a take on her 2022 single "Ghost Story" along with her 2012 hit "Blown Away".

In a press statement, Carrie said about her decision to tackle "Mama, I'm Comin' Home": "I have always been an Ozzy Osbourne fan and 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' is one of my all-time favorite songs. I've always thought it felt a lot like a country song, and I've wanted to cover it for a long time. This was a really fun opportunity for me to be able to finally make that happen. I hope we've done Ozzy proud and I hope he likes it."

In March 2023, Axl joined Carrie on stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California to perform the GUNS N' ROSES classic "Welcome To The Jungle".

Underwood previously brought out Rose to sing with her at the Stagecoach festival in Indio, California in May 2022. At that concert, Carrie and Axl performed the GN'R songs "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City".

When Rose performed with Underwood at Stagecoach, Carrie called the collaboration "the greatest night of my life."

Two months later, Underwood joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage during the band's concert at London, England's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Underwood made a surprise appearance toward the end of GUNS N' ROSES' main set, performing "Sweet Child O' Mine" with Axl and his bandmates. She later returned to the stage during the encore to sing "Paradise City".

In an October 2022 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Underwood was asked how she got Rose "out of hiding" to make a guest appearance with her at Stagecoach. She responded: "It was many years in the making. I've been covering GUNS N' ROSES my whole life, pretty much, and definitely onstage for the past 15 years at least. I had asked before if he would ever come sing, or if I could come to him somewhere. We had a couple almost maybes, where it almost maybe would have happened but for various reasons it wasn't the right time. But [for Stagecoach] I asked. I sent him an e-mail and said, 'We're so close to you,' and explained the why and what he meant to me. The way I learned how to sing was I would pick really hard vocalists to try to emulate, and his voice always mesmerized me. I was, like, 'How is he doing the things that he's doing?' So I told him all that… and he came! We had rehearsals and everything went very smoothly. It was easy for all of us to be around each other. Hopefully he had a good time."

Back in 2015, Underwood told E! in an interview with she really wanted to sing with Rose at some point in her life. She said: "I've covered enough GUNS N' ROSES stuff, and it was people like him who taught me how to sing."

"I look at people like him and Freddie Mercury, those people who were doing all these crazy runs. It was so different," Underwood added.

In 2013, Underwood delivered a faithful cover of "Paradise City" at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville.

Two years ago, while promoting her book "Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, And Get Strong With The Fit 52 Life", Underwood appeared on an episode of "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon" and talked about flying to Las Vegas to see her favorite band GUNS N' ROSES and called it "one of the best nights" of her life.

"We were nowhere near Las Vegas, so naturally I said, 'Let's go to Las Vegas with the band and go see GN'R play,'" Underwood shared with Fallon. "It's kind of a life-long dream of mine I never thought would happen. Couldn't waste that opportunity, so I abandoned my husband, abandoned my children, went to Vegas, and saw GUNS N' ROSES. Amazing."

She continued: "Usually, when I go to concerts, I'm like, in a box on the side, which is great — it has its perks, there's usually a bathroom in there, it's kind of awesome,' she explained. "But you miss the energy of the crowd. Because we were in Vegas, we were just in there with everyone else, it was absolutely incredible. You could feel everybody, everybody was screamin', I was screamin' — I was, like, 'I'm never gonna see none of these people ever again, I'm gonna act like a fool!. It was amazing."

Following that show, Underwood actually met Rose backstage. "It's hard to meet your heroes, because I do consider him someone who taught me how to sing," she said. "But he was super cool and great and nice and we talked. We're best friends."

Carrie said in a 2014 interview that late QUEEN frontman Freddie Mercury was high on her list of first loves.

"I've always been a huge fan and lover of Freddie Mercury," she said. "I would listen to him when I was a kid. He could do so many amazing things with his voice. People like that — who had incredible voices — I was always drawn to. I would want to try to do what they do. They were my teachers."

She also said that if you scrolled through her iPod, you'd find some really hard rock music, like MUDVAYNE.

"When I work out, I like to listen to things that are really angry," she said. "I couldn't do it on a daily basis or driving in my car. I think that would be kind of weird."

According to AL.com, Ted Nugent's concert in Birmingham, Alabama has been canceled 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 Thursday afternoon (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 earlier this week 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.

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 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.

Al's On 7th plans to boycott Avondale Brewing Company and Good People Brewing Company over a scheduled concert at their...

Posted by Tread by Lee Hedgepeth on Wednesday, May 3, 2023

During an appearance on yesterday's (Wednesday, May 3) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon was asked how long he and his bandmates think they can keep performing before it's time to call it a day. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH): "Well, I've heard numbers of years being tossed around in conversations with Brian [Wheat, TESLA bassist] — like, five years. Who knows? As long as JK [singer Jeff Keith] can sing these songs, we're gonna continue to do it. And as long as can find ways to play these songs to help him sing them, we're gonna keep on going.

"I equate what we do kind of like to being a surfer," he explained. "You ride a wave and then you end up on the beach. Then you've gotta swim out there and catch another wave. Right now we're on a really good wave, and we're gonna keep riding it as far as we can. I don't see a deadline on this thing… But again, it hinges on the lead vocalist."

Last month, Wheat said that there would be "an official statement soon" regarding drummer Troy Luccketta's status with the band.

In September 2021, Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He has since been replaced at TESLA's gigs by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

Three months ago,Brian told Waste Some Time With Jason Green that Troy is "not coming back" to TESLA. "I don't think he's gonna come back," he said. "He wanted time off. People just do things like that. You start out like this [holds two fingers close together] and it just grows apart. I think that we've probably come to a point in our professional relationship that we've just grown too far apart on things.

"Look, I love Troy. He's my brother, just like [former TESLA guitarist] Tommy Skeoch is my brother. Will we play together again? I don't know. Probably one day, yeah. I mean, look, I'm the kind of guy that… And I know this is gonna funny to anyone, and I'll go ahead and say it… And I haven't even said this to Frankie [Hannon, guitar] and Jeff [Keith, vocals] or Dave [Rude, guitar] or anybody, but when there's one last lap around the track for this band, I think we owe it to our fans that everyone plays together. And I'm not saying Tommy without Dave; I'm saying Dave and Tommy. And Troy too, if he would be up for it. And go out with class and dignity and style, and say, 'Okay, listen. We've been through a few changes. We're gonna do 40 more shows,' or whatever that is. Not turn that into a five-year tour or anything. But I, as I sit here today… And that can change, Jason… And I'm sure Blabbermouth's gonna be all over this tomorrow and say, 'Brian Wheat wants to put the original band back together'. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying when there's one last lap left, and we all know there's one last lap, I'm the one guy that'll stand up in the room and say, 'I'd like us all to go through it all together.' If that means having two drummers and three guitar players and Jeff Keith, I'm in. Now, I can't speak for the rest of the band. This is me speaking. I'm that guy that would like to do that. So, Blabbermouth, if you're out there, don't fucking misquote me, because that's all you ever do."

Wheat didn't specify exactly how BLABBERMOUTH.NET "misquoted" him in the past, but he added that TESLA should eventually stage a final tour with all current and former members in order to make it special for the fans. "I think we owe it to 'em," Brian said. "They've been such a loyal and diehard fanbase, I think they would love the fact that we went out playing; if that's how we're gonna go out, that that's how we would do it."

Pressed about Troy's reasons for no longer playing with TESLA, Brian said: "I don't know. The bottom line is, we wanted to go out and he said he didn't. And after being off for — what was it? — 18 months with COVID, we had to go out. We couldn't just sit home. We're not independently wealthy guys, We make our living from playing concerts. We work. That's our job. We were never fortunate enough to have, like, a 'Hysteria' or a 'Pyromania' or an 'Appetite [For Destruction]' or 'Slippery When Wet' or the Black Album or 'Back In Black'. We quietly would sell a million, a million and a half records, and we've got this diehard fanbase, and every year we have to go out and earn our living. So we couldn't sit home. And that's where it came to the thing."

Wheat added: "[Troy] had his reasons [for leaving TESLA]. And I respect that. And we just decided we were gonna continue to go out and play."

Troy most recently discussed his absence from TESLA's gigs during a September 2022 interview with Tulsa Music Stream. Asked if he was still taking a break from the band, he said at the time: "I am. I'm on a bit of a break. Personally, there's a lot of things going on in my life that I'm… This thing that we do doesn't cater to families. So at the time that this had gone down and COVID and everything, it just really gave me some time to step back and kind of look at things.

"I'd been running hard with the band for 36 years," he continued. "And I love the guys and I love the band. I'm a fan and always will be. I've got nothing but praise for them. They gave me a great life and I think we all share in that.

"Right now I've been doing a lot of different projects," Troy revealed. "I never played in any cover bands, man, so I went out and played in a James Taylor tribute; I went out and did some with this LED ZEPPELIN tribute; I did a VAN HALEN thing with these friends of mine called COMPLETELY UNCHAINED. And then I'm in classic rock tribute. And those are some of the things. And records — I get to do a lot of records. I'm here. I like being home. And quite honestly, I just signed up… I'm doing some dates with THE GUESS WHO right now. I've done half a dozen shows… I'm having fun with the guys. I like the band; I like the guys. Yeah, good stuff — a lot of good stuff happening."

Luccketta was also full of praise for his replacement in TESLA, saying: "He's a great, great drummer, a great person, a great guy. And we're not best of friends or anything, but I've always known Steve over the years and I always knew he was the right choice. I had him pegged out years ago before I even had to make the phone call. So it's perfect. It's really great because, if you think about it, it's a win-win. And I think it's even a breath of fresh air probably for the guys right now. And it's like having a new girlfriend [laughs] for a minute."

As for his future with TESLA, Troy said: "Will we ever play again together? I don't know if that will ever happen or not. I don't know what we will do moving down the road. But right now Steve is the drummer and it's his gig. And I'm happy for everybody. And I'm happy for me."

In an August 2022 interview with Canada's The Metal Voice , Hannon was non-commital about Troy's return to TESLA, saying: "We're just allowing the time for things to work themselves out. He's got things that he's dealing with.

"Touring is not an easy life, man," he explained. "It's a very difficult thing being out there on a bus, with everybody crammed in that tight situation. And when you've got stuff going on at home, those things need to be taken care of. But hey, man, he's a long-standing member of the band.

"We'll work it out," Frank added. "Time will work things out. He's a brother, and, like I said, time will work things out. The founding members of the band are together and Steve Brown is playing drums for us at the moment and really doing a great job. And we're just happy to be able to keep on working."

Hannon went on to praise Steve's contributions to TESLA, saying: "Steve is not only 'Wild' Mick's little brother but he's also a member of our local community here in Sacramento. We've known him since he was a little guy. He used to come watch us play when he was a teenager. And he has done other shows for us in the past, filling in for Troy. So he's a member of our family as well."

TESLA 2023 is:

Frank Hannon - guitar
Brian Wheat - bass
Jeff Keith - lead vocals
Dave Rude - guitar
Steve Brown - drums

KIX drummer Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant rejoined his bandmates on stage for two songs — "Cold Blood" and "Blow My Fuse" — during the band's set on Sunday (April 30) aboard this year's Monsters Of Rock cruise. It marked his first live appearance with KIX since he collapsed onstage six months ago.

On November 18, 2022, Chalfant suffered a cardiac arrest during KIX's concert at the Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, Virginia. Chalfant was unconscious and carried offstage before performing the last song of the show.

For its recent live appearances, including the Monsters Of Rock cruise KIX has been using drummer Matt Starr, who has previously played with Ace Frehley, MR. BIG and BLACK SWAN, among others.

Back in September 2021, Chalfant suffered a heart attack at his home and was rushed to the hospital. He had immediate surgery to insert two stents in his heart then another surgery the next day for another stent.

During appearance on yesterday's (Wednesday, May 3) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Chalfant opened up about his heart disease, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the first [time I was rushed to the hospital] was [due to] a heart attack. The second one was actually a cardiac arrest, where my heart stopped — while we were performing."

Explaining the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest, Jimmy said: "A heart attack, it doesn't actually stop. Basically, a heart attack comes from blocked arteries, which I had three blocked arteries at that time. And fortunately they were able to get me into the cath lab and insert stents in those arteries; they didn't have to do a bypass. So I was really thankful for that. I got four stents that time. And then this [second] time, I guess it was because we were performing and I just finished my solo that my heart was racing a good bit at that time. I just finished my drum solo, stood up, did my thing, and apparently I sat back down, and somebody told me I sat back down and just froze. When they first saw that, they thought I was fooling with my kick pedal or something. And then when I didn't come back in for the end of that song, they figured something was wrong. And thank God for [KIX bassist] Mark [Schenker] and our guitar tech Brandon were right there. They got me off the drum riser and got me down and worked CPR right away. And they saved my life that night."

Elaborating on what caused his cardiac arrest a little over a year after his initial heart attack, Jimmy said: "One of my stents got blocked at one end of it. What they told me [was that] one of my stents that I had had a blockage in one end of it. So I guess that led to the heart stopping. And so they cleared that out and put another stent in."

Reflecting on his September 2021 heart attack, Chalfant said: "I was at home during that. And I just started not feeling real well. Well, I had my chest pains, and it was sort of in the middle of my chest and it radiated out from there. And I went upstairs to lay down, see if I feel any better. And pretty soon I knew it wasn't gonna change. So I told my wife, 'I think we'd better go to the hospital.' She asked me, 'Do you want me to call an ambulance?' And I said 'yes'. And I'm glad I did because on the way there they had two IVs going on me already, did an echo [echocardiogram] on me, so the hospital knew what was coming in before we got there. And they had me in a cath lab in about an hour after I got there."

According to Jimmy, he was told after the first heart attack that there were no physical issues preventing him from performing with KIX again. "Every doctor appointment that I had, my wife Cathy would ask them, 'Is it okay for him to perform?', wanting somebody to say, 'No, he probably shouldn't.' But none of them said that," he explained. "Everyone said, 'Oh, no. We have no physical restrictions on what you do or anything like that.' We tried to explain to 'em what we do and how intense it is, and what my heart rate can get up to while I'm doing that, and they said, 'No. You should be fine.'"

KIX was founded in 1977 and released its first, self-titled album on Atlantic Records more than 40 years ago. Their breakthrough came with 1988's "Blow My Fuse", which sold nearly a million copies, thanks to "Don't Close Your Eyes". The band continued to ride the hard-rock wave until 1995, when KIX took a hiatus. Nearly 10 years later, KIX reunited and started touring regionally. A 2008 performance at the Rocklahoma festival led to more gigs and the release of a live DVD/CD called "Live In Baltimore" in 2012. In 2014, KIX released its seventh full-length album, "Rock Your Face Off", the band's first studio effort since 1995's "Show Business".

British rockers BRING ME THE HORIZON have released a new single, "LosT", their first new music since 2022. The track, out today via Columbia Records, is part of the globally acclaimed "Post Human" series and follows singles "DiE4u" and "sTraNgeRs", which have been streamed over a massive 150 million times to date.

"LosT" is accompanied by a cinematic music video, directed by Jensen Noen. Shot in Los Angeles, the clip is a shocking medical-inspired gorefest, featuring frontman Oli Sykes, Kevin from "American Pie" plus a heavy dose of humor.

"LosT" arrives in advance of BRING ME THE HORIZON's U.S. tour with FALL OUT BOY, which begins June 27th at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Woodlands, Texas. The trek will take them to amphitheaters and pavilions across the States, with what is sure to be huge moments over two nights at BMO Area in Los Angeles July 2 and July 3 and at Boston's Fenway Park on August 2.

Prior to heading to the U.S., BRING ME THE HORIZON will make a very special headline appearance at Download festival on Friday, June 9.

BRING ME THE HORIZON has had an exhilarating few years — selling over five million albums globally to date, playing sold-out shows in over 50 countries, including two sold-out nights at London's O2, a night at The Forum in Los Angeles, wowing a traditionally non-rock crowd at Glastonbury Festival in 2016 and 2018 and a headline slot at 2022's Reading and Leeds festivals. They kicked off their "Post Human" era in 2020 with the release of the first of four EPs aptly titled "Post Human: Survival Horror". The critically acclaimed release debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. Album chart. 2022 saw them appear at the BRIT Awards where they joined Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran for an electrifying performance of "Bad Habits". The group released its gold-certified sixth studio album, "Amo", in 2019, which debuted at No. 1 in 17 markets and was named "one of the most anticipated albums of 2019" by Billboard, it also garnered the band their second Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Album", after the LP's first single "Mantra" earned them a nod for "Best Rock Song" in 2018. The Sheffield five-piece also received its first BRIT Award nomination for "Best Group" in 2021. They have now also amassed over one billion video views on YouTube and are in the top 500 most streamed artists globally on Spotify.

BRING ME THE HORIZON is Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Mat Nicholls, and keyboardist Jordan Fish.

Photo credit: Jonti Wild

WITHERING SCORN, the new band featuring former MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover and his brother, and fellow ex-MEGADETH member, Glen Drover, along with former FATES WARNING bassist Joe DiBiase and German singer Henning Basse, who has previously played with FIREWIND, METALIUM and MAYAN, will release its debut album, "Prophets Of Demise", on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The official lyric video for the LP's first single, the "Prophets Of Demise" title track, can be seen below.

WITHERING SCORN was formed in 2020 by Glen and Shawn, who previously played together in MEGADETH, as well as in EIDOLON. The pair have teamed up once again for their latest musical offering and are joined by DiBiase, who played with FATES WARNING for 14 years on multiple records and world tours, and Basse. The potent combination of these four incredibly talented musicians joining forces has given birth to an uncompromising heavy metal record in the form of "Prophets Of Demise".

Says Shawn: "The four of us have been musicians most of our lives. At this point, we are pretty honed in as to what we want to do musically, and that is to create a 100% uncompromising heavy metal record, which is exactly what we have done. No punches pulled, no holds barred... just flat-out HEAVY METAL!!!

"We are extremely proud of our first record, 'Prophets Of Demise', and worked very hard on this record for almost three years. I believe the results will speak for themselves. We hope you like the record as much as we did creating it."

"Prophets Of Demise" track listing:

01. Prophets Of Demise
02. The Vision
03. Pick Up The Pieces
04. Ancient Desire
05. Dark Reflection
06. Dethroned
07. Never Again
08. Eternal Screams

In a January 2021 interview with the "Nothing Shocking" podcast, Shawn stated about the new project: "We started working on some music probably a couple of months ago now. It's been a couple of months. We've been talking about doing something. Glen owns his own studio up in Canada, so why not utilize the fact that we don't have to go and pay huge studio costs and et cetera, et cetera, and get some friends together that we admire and that we respect and work on a record. And that's exactly what we're doing.

"We have Glen and myself, of course, and we have a bass player named Joe DiBiase, who was in a band called FATES WARNING out of Connecticut for years and years and years," he continued. "A great player; a friend of ours. So he's gonna play bass on it. And we have a singer from Germany who was in a band called METALIUM for a number of years, and his name is Henning Basse, who is a fantastic melodic singer. So that's what we're doing currently.

"It's a slow process, because life gets in the way," Shawn added. "We all have things that we deal with, so we do that. But when we have the time, we work on it, and so far it's turning out to be really exciting. We're pretty happy with the material we've done so far."

Asked how the new band is different and similar to his previous collaborations with Glen, Shawn said: "It's been really similar to the first band that Glen and I did years ago, which was a band called EIDOLON. We released, actually, five records on Metal Blade in the early 2000s, right before we both got into MEGADETH. And the dynamic of that was that I write most of the material. Although Glen does contribute to some of it, I usually have the main germ of ideas, and, of course, he records all that stuff. So he's kind of a studio guy. He's the guitar player, but he handles all of the studio recording affairs, and I just kind of take on the job of creating most of the music. And we finetune it — he tweaks it and kind of makes it his own in a way. But that's kind of the working relationship we have with that. Because if Glen wrote all the music, I'd basically be doing nothing, and he would have to tackle all the work on his own. So we made a decision years ago — that was back in the mid-'90s, actually, when we put out our first bit of music, before we got signed to Metal Blade — that's always been the working dynamic, is I create most of the material, and he handles all the recording affairs with that. And it's worked out quite well. So that's what we're doing this time as well. At this point, we're on song four. I think we're gonna do eight or nine songs, and so far I've written all of them. It's just kind of how it worked out."

Shawn also talked about the status of ACT OF DEFIANCE, which he formed in late 2014 with ex-MEGADETH guitarist Chris Broderick, former SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner and SHADOWS FALL's Matt Bachand (bass).

"It's certainly in limbo," Drover said. "Chris joined IN FLAMES a couple of years back, which is a great gig for him. They're great guys, a great band, and he fits with those guys like a glove. So he's quite happy and content to be doing that. With that said, he was so busy — he basically was gone for pretty much a year touring in support of their latest record they put out — and now with what happened in March of [2020]," referring to the coronavirus pandemic, "everything came to a screeching halt.

"Honestly, I don't know what the [other] guys are doing," he continued. "I talk to Henry and Matt a little bit here and there, but it's more just, like, 'How are you? I hope you're doing well.' We really don't talk about music a whole lot; none of us do. But we're all still friendly. Actually, Henry has released a couple of things — different kinds of music — on his own, which makes him happy, so more power to him. For me, I wanted to do something with my brother again and create some new music. And, like I said before, with the situation we are in, why not utilize that and create some music. So that's what we're doing."

Shawn joined MEGADETH in 2004 as the replacement for Nick Menza, who had only just rejoined the group. Drover performed on four MEGADETH studio records: 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame", 2011's "TH1RT3EN" and 2013's "Super Collider".

Glen Drover left MEGADETH at the end of 2007 and was replaced by Broderick, who previously played with NEVERMORE and JAG PANZER.

In a new interview with Revolver, GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna was asked about the recent revelation that he once dated pop superstar Lady Gaga. He responded: "Listen, I really don't have a lot to say on this topic. What I will tell you is that I have an immense amount of respect for her. I was introduced to her through a mutual friend. We clicked and dated for a hot minute, and there was nothing but respect for each other... There may be a lot of people in the world that think she's kooky and crazy because she's so wild with fashion and things like that, but she knows exactly what she's doing. She's an extremely smart businesswoman. And she's kind and super talented. I'm proud to say that I shared some great moments with her. I was able to meet Elton John through her. She's an incredibly great person and those are some very fond memories for me. And I'll leave it there."

Erna's relationship history with Gaga was first revealed by GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin this past January during an appearance on the "2020'd" podcast. Asked if it's true that Sully once dated Lady Gaga, Shannon said: "Yeah, that's true. And that's not, I don't think, a secret. I don't think Sully would bum out if people knew he dated Lady Gaga. I mean, she's hot, and she's mega talented. "

As for why Erna hadn't publicly disclosed that he was once romantically involved with Lady Gaga, Larkin said: "He's not Tommy Lee or whatever, or whoever the guy is now… What I mean by that is — Travis Barker, Tommy Lee, whatever — is dudes that have public girlfriends that are super famous too. But they're different than Sully. Sully's an East Coast guy. He's like me, Tony [Rombola, GODSMACK guitarist] and Robbie [Merrill, GODSMACK bassist] — we're East Coast dudes.

"L.A. bands and West Coast dudes, they're flashier, maybe, and their rock star-ism is more David Lee Roth than — I don't know — Eddie Vedder," Shannon explained. "You know what I mean? We're more Eddie Vedder, even though we're East Coast. We're probably even flashier than Eddie. He'll show up in an army jacket. You don't even recognize him. 'Oh my God. That's Eddie Vedder.' So we're in between them and the dudes with the flashy girls on their arms.

"So, did her date her? Yeah," Larkin repeated. "But did he ever tell anyone? No — except for his friends and us. The band, we knew… It was a brief thing, by the way."

Back in July 2019, Erna said that the GODSMACK ballad "Under Your Scars" was inspired by Lady Gaga.

"This song came to me shortly after I had spent some quality time with someone who I consider a dear friend, and have grown to admire and respect as one of the smartest and most talented artists today, Stefani Germanotta, who most of you may know as Lady Gaga," Sully said in a statement at the time. "In the short amount of time we hung out, she made me realize that we all have these imperfections, these wounds that we carry (whether they're physical or emotional) that cut so deep they can cripple us. These feelings leave us vulnerable, or embarrassed, or even unworthy at times. And our human nature — when they're exposed — is to shut down, rather than embrace them and realize that not only can we overcome them, but we can also become an inspiration to inspire others to have a voice and find their inner strength to show their scars off loudly and proudly to the world. Our 'Scars' are nothing more than our battle wounds from life and they helped mold you into who you are today."

GODSMACK's new album, "Lighting Up The Sky", arrived on February 24 via BMG.

Fan-filmed video of VANDENBERG, the namesake band of Dutch guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, performing a cover of the WHITESNAKE classic "Here I Go Again" aboard this year's Monsters Of Rock cruise can be seen below.

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).

Recalling his refusal to return to WHITESNAKE when frontman David Coverdale resurrected the band in 2002, Vandenberg told "White Line Fever" that the singer "wanted to stop altogether because he was kind of worn out on the road. He didn't want to do it anymore… When he called me up and said he wanted to start it up again, I couldn't do it because I had all kinds of obligations for exhibitions for my paintings. And those are always planned a year ahead, because art galleries reserve the space a year ahead because exhibitions usually last three to six months or something. I couldn't do it but we did keep in touch always. We still do."

The guitarist added that he and Coverdale became "very good friends over the years, [so] you never know what might happen... We actually have pretty specific ideas about maybe doing a blues album or an acoustic thing or whatever… Sooner or later it might happen, but right now we're really involved in [other projects]. So this is probably not the time. But I wouldn't be surprised if, sooner or later, we end up doing something together in some kind of format. I was in WHITESNAKE for 13 years, which is quite a long time. I still hold the record, I think."

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

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

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

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

Amy also talked about the fact that "Bring Me To Life" experienced a resurgence last summer, 19 years after its original release. The song, which initially reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was EVANESCENCE's first U.K. No. 1 single, reached No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes chart in August 2022.

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

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

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

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

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

In February 2022, EVANESCENCE's music video for "Bring Me To Life" — which featured guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 STONES — surpassed one billion views on YouTube. The Philipp Stölzl-directed clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in December of 2009, was filmed in Romania in January 2003. It features Lee in a night gown and barefoot, in her room, inside a tall building in the city at night. The rest of the band is playing on a higher floor of the building.

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

EVANESCENCE's latest album, "The Bitter Truth", arrived in March 2021 via BMG. It was EVANESCENCE's first album of original music in ten years.

In a new interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor spoke about his son Griffin, who fronts a rising metal band called VENDED. Corey said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I cannot tell you how proud I am of that boy. And, of course, being a typical Taylor, on one hand I'm super proud of him, but I still can't get him to clean anything, dude; he's just such a nightmare.

"The funny thing is you and I were talking the day after he was born. And I keep going back to that night, going, 'What's he gonna be? Who's he gonna be in life?' And now 20 years later, almost 21, and he is this crazy metal pirate, just like I was," Corey continued. "And I'm just, like, 'Oh, I failed as a father. What did I do?' I kept trying to push him to be anything other than what I do. And, yeah, dude, he's crushing.

"I've heard the new stuff that he just recorded with [producer] Chris Collier, and it is so good," Corey added. "VENDED, their new stuff is so rad. Not only Griffin, man, but Simon's [Crahan] drumming sounds incredible. All of the guys — Cole [Espeland] and Grod [Connor Grodzicki] sound great [on guitar]. The guitars have just gone above and beyond. J.J.'s [Jeremiah Pugh] crushing it on bass. I'm really, really proud of those guys, man. And then to be able to watch my boy get out there and just be himself and crush. It's so easy for him, and it just makes me angry. Because he's got all the great stuff that I never had when I was… He can wear anything. It's just criminal. I'm just, like, 'You don't know how good you've got it, kid. The carbs haven't caught you yet.'"

Last November, VENDED released the official music video for its latest single, "Overall".

A year earlier, VENDED dropped a duo of singles ("Asylum" and "Burn My Misery") ahead of its five-track debut EP, "What Is It / Kill It", which arrived at DSPs in November 2021. The collection was recorded with Griffin Landa of THE ACACIA STRAIN. The two singles bookended VENDED's first U.S. headline tour, after which the band went on to open the day's proceedings at the huge Knotfest Los Angeles show at the Banc Of California Stadium, playing alongside SLIPKNOT, BRING ME THE HORIZON, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, FEVER 333, CODE ORANGE and CHERRY BOMBS.

In July 2022, VENDED released a new single, "Ded To Me", ahead of its first-ever European dates.

Formed in February of 2018 in Des Moines, Iowa, VENDED had its first mainstream exposure in 2020 when they performed as part of Knotfest.com's virtual "Pulse Of The Maggots" festival.

VENDED played its first headlining show in March 2020 at the iconic local club Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, Iowa.

Griffin, who looks a lot like his father, previously showcased his skills when he joined Corey onstage during STONE SOUR shows in 2017 and 2018. He's also played cover tunes with Simon Crahan, while Clown's daughter Alexandria Crahan-Conway has snapped some of VENDED's previous press pics.

After several years as the frontman for the iconic rock band GREAT WHITE, Mitch Malloy returned to the studio writing and recording his new album, "The Last Song". The LP will launch with an exclusive, limited release collector's edition vinyl through a partnership with Sing. Pre-sales for the vinyl release went on sale May 3. An international release will follow in June.

Once again, Mitch is undertaking an album solely by himself from start to finish — songwriting, producing, instruments, mixing and mastering.

Mitch reveals: "For this record, I have really taken my time. In the past, I've usually been on deadlines. With this album, there was so much material in my head from a few years of not having a true creative outlet, so it was a lot to process. I'm thankful that I have been in a position to not rush my creativity. I've been tucked away in my Zen zone writing and recording... and amassing lots of new gear! Ha!"

"The Last Song" deluxe package will be released worldwide first on Sing Market as a limited-edition collectible 180-gram signed and numbered white vinyl record. This special vinyl bundle includes a signed CD, large poster, 8" x 10" photo, and more. All of this is attached to a limited, numbered and registered digital collectable bundle packed with behind-the-scenes videos, acoustic videos, a rare handwritten lyric sheet, and a Golden Ticket contest to win a private zoom concert where you hang with Mitch. After this very limited vinyl-digital collectable VIP bundle is gone, it's gone.

In addition to being an artist, Mitch is no stranger to the studio, and has worked with a variety of artists, labels, and brands from Taylor Swift, Boys Like Girls, Kenny Loggins, Craig Morgan and Sony Music, to singer/songwriters Victoria Show, Gary Burr and Billy Falcon, and even voiceover work for Outdoor Channel, Field & Stream and many more. Mitch has even been the voice for Starburst candy.

Mitch is also an award-winning songwriter, and has written with legendary songwriters like Jim Weatherly, Richard Lee, Mike Reid, Desmond Child, Dennis Morgan, Victoria Shaw and Gray Burr. He's been signed to publishing deals with Warner Chappell and Chrysalis Music, but later launched his own publishing company to control his copyrights. Mitch loves the craft of songwriting — telling a story and resonating with his audience.

"Songs are so powerful... it's amazing just how much a song can impact a person's life," says Malloy. "Once again, life has delivered a lot of new material... from losing family members, to moving to the beach, to having a teenager. There's definitely no shortage of inspiration."

Mitch's tenure as an artist has spanned several decades beginning as a regular on the New York music scene in the 1980s. Mitch soon garnered a major recording deal with RCA/BMG, and achieved success on the pop and rock charts, landed a coveted spot on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno", and has toured globally.

Mitch's voice has been highly sought after as a frontman for legendary acts as well as a guest vocalist on other artists' projects. In the mid-1990s, Mitch was asked to replace Sammy Hagar as lead singer for VAN HALEN. But after spending time and recording with the band he declined.

"When the band appeared on the MTV Music Awards with Dave [David Lee Roth], the fans expected his return — I expected his return. I felt as cool as the opportunity was, it just wasn't the right time," said Malloy.

Lastly, if you miss out on the Sing Market bundles, "The Last Song" CD (alone) will be available in the U.S. on Malloy's label, Godsend Records, and internationally by Cargo Records based in the U.K. Mitch looks forward to getting back out on the road and connecting with his fans in person.

So, will this be the last song? According to Mitch, "Give it a listen, and you tell me.

"My hope with 'The Last Song' record is that when listening you will experience some of the experiences and feelings and emotions I had while making it," he says. "If that happens, then the world is a better place through music. And as always, I gave it everything I had. Crank it and enjoy."

"The Last Song" track listing:

01. I'm Living In Paradise
02. One Of A Kind
03. Using This Song
04. My Pleasure
05. Building A Bridge
06. I'll Find A Way
07. Sometimes Love
08. You're The Brightest Star
09. I See You
10. The Last Song

Photos: Debbie Wallace

Mascot Records will release the 15th Anniversary limited edition 180g vinyl of Volbeat's third album, Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood, on June 30, 2023.


Head to your local record store, or pre-order online now. A limited number of unique glow-in-the-dark, splatter, and marble editions will be available.







Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood tracklist:


Side A


"Intro (End Of The Road)"
"Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood"
"Back To Prom"
"Mary Ann's Place"
"Hallelujah Goat"
"Maybellene I Hofteholder"
"We"
"Still Counting'


Side B


"Light A Way"
"Wild Rover Of Hell"
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
"A Broken Man And The Dawn"
"Find That Soul"
"Making Believe" (Bonus Track)


Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood was first released by Mascot Records in 2008, hitting the #1 spot in the Danish and Finnish album charts, and has since gone four-times Platinum in their native country and Gold in Germany, Finland and Sweden. The album features the hit “Still Counting”, which is the most streamed Volbeat track to date. These new limited vinyl variants celebrate both the legacy of the album and the future that will bring countless more performances of these songs to the stage.

• Glow In The Dark - Available worldwide


• Red/Black Marble - Limited to 1500. Volbeat US webstore exclusive


• Gold Marble - Limited to 1500. Volbeat EU/UK webstore exclusive


• Bronze/Yellow/Black Splatter - Limited to 500. Revolver exclusive


• Gold Smoke Marble - Limited to 750. EMP exclusive

 

Rock enthusiasts, Stone Whiskey, have just released their latest single "Doom And Gloom" - a cover of the classic Rolling Stones tune. The band has put their own unique spin on the track, adding their signature sound and style to the legendary song.


"Doom And Gloom" is a timeless classic, originally recorded by the Rolling Stones in 2012. Stone Whiskey's rendition of the song is an electrifying version that is sure to captivate listeners with its edgy guitar riffs and powerful vocals.


The band's passion for music is evident in this new single, as they have infused the track with their own brand of energy and creativity. Fans of classic rock and roll will appreciate the familiar sound of the original, while also enjoying the new twists and turns that Stone Whiskey has added to the song.







Lead singer, Alan Rueda, said of the new single, "We've always been huge fans of the Rolling Stones, and 'Doom And Gloom' is one of our favorite songs. It's an honor to put our own spin on this classic, and we're excited to share it with our fans."


Stone Whiskey has been making waves in the music industry with their dynamic sound and high-energy performances. The band has built a loyal fan base with their original music and covers of classic rock songs. "Doom And Gloom" is sure to be a hit with their fans.


Guitar player, Bill Spears, said on the release “We wanted to give our fans some new content to rock to. Hopefully it will hold them over till our new album is complete.” 





Stone Whiskey is currently in the studio recording their sophomore album, scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2023. 


“We are trying to stick to our roots but also show that we have evolved as a band since our debut album,” said Alan. “We have to make sure that this next album can stand up to our first one” 


The new single is now available for streaming and download on all major music platforms. An official music video to accompany this single will be released on the band’s YouTube channel in the coming weeks. For more information about Stone Whiskey and their music, visit their website or follow them on Facebook.





 

Australian electronic rock outfit, Voyager, are back with their  eighth studio album, Fearless In Love, scheduled for release on July 14 via Season Of Mist.


The band comprised of Daniel “Danny” Estrin (vocals/keyboards), Simone Dow (guitars), Scott Kay (guitars), Alex Canion (bass) and Ashley Doodkorte (drums) have been creating music together for over a decade. On Fearless In Love sweeping vocals paired with emotive lyrics inspired by the grit and glam of 80s and 90s film overlay heavy guitar riffs and percussion to create a sonic journey that pushes the boundary of what fans have come to expect from Voyager.


“Fearless In Love was written and recorded between 2020 and 2022. The writing process was very different to how we’ve done things in the past,” explains Danny Estrin. “As a result, the album is more cohesive and exciting with a cinematic feel, hailing back to gritty films of the 80’s and 90’s showcasing all the layers that make up Voyager. This album takes you on a ride through a dark city and leaves you on a more pensive, reflective note by the end.”




In addition to the announcement of Fearless In Love, Voyager have released a new song from the album, “Prince Of Fire.” Perhaps one of the heaviest tracks in the band’s history, “Prince Of Fire” follows the album’s protagonist desperately trying harder to be better but continuing to go back to his old ways. The accompanying music video features showstopping visuals including pyrotechnics and LEDs which highlight the massive production and experimentation that went into creating the song. Watch the video below.





Fearless In Love tracklisting:


"The Best Intentions"
"Prince Of Fire"
"Ultraviolet" ft. Sean Harmanis of Make Them Suffer
"Dreamer"
"The Lamenting"
"Submarine"
"Promise"
"Twisted"
"Daydream"
"Listen"
"Gren (Fearless In Love)"


"Prince Of Fire" video:





(Photo - Mike Dann)

Demonic Resurrection frontman, Demsontealer, recently released his new album, The Propaganda Machine, via all digital music platforms, as well as exclusively via Black Lion Records as CD, Vinyl, and Tape. Order the album here, and watch a lyric video for "Screams Of Those Dying", below:





The artwork for the new album was created by Daemorph Art, and the album was been mixed and mastered at Hertz Studio in Poland.







Tracklisting and guest musicians:
"The Fear Campaign" (Hannes Grossmann, Dominic 'Forest' Lapointe, Anabelle Iratni & Dean Paul Arnold)
"Monolith Of Hate" (James Payne, Martino Garattoni & Anabelle Iratni)
"The Propaganda Machine" (Ken Bedene, Stian Gundersen & Anabelle Iratni)
"The Art Of Disinformation" (Sebastian Lanser, Kilian Duarte, Alex Baillie & Anabelle Iratni)
"Screams Of Those Dying" (Hannes Grossmann, Dominic 'Forest' Lapointe & Anabelle Iratni)
"The Great Dictator" (James Payne, Martino Garattoni & Anabelle Iratni)
"The Anti-National" (Sebastian Lanser, Kilian Duarte & Anabelle Iratni)
"Crushing The Iron Fist" (Ken Bedene, Stian Gundersen, Sanjay Kumar & Anabelle Iratni)


Album stream:





"The Art Of Disinformation" visualizer:





"The Fear Campaign" lyric video:





"Monolith Of Hate" visualizer:

British singer Lee Small (Phenomena, The Sweet, Lionheart, Shy) presents a lyric video for his new single, "Silhouettes", from the upcoming solo album The Last Man On Earth, available internationally on May 26 via Metalville Records.





The single combines all the elements needed for a real AOR highlight. A catchy melody, a great chorus carried by a world-class voice, and a great guitar solo - all under the roof of a fat production that easily stands up to all international demands.







Because of his melodic voice, Lee Small is often compared to artists like Glenn Hughes, Bobby Kimball, or Steve Walsh and belongs to the most established artists of the AOR scene.


The Last Man On Earth is the album that Lee has wanted to realize throughout his career: a melodic rock feast in the classic style of Journey and Toto. The songs were recorded in London, Los Angeles, and Texas in 2022 and mixed & produced by Tom Cory (Sweet). With its crisp hooks, catchy choruses, outstanding solos, and fat production, The Last Man On Earth has all the ingredients for a future genre classic.


The album graces a wealth of the best musicians around, including Dan Reed as duet partner on one song, guitarists Steve Mann (MSG / Lionheart), Tommy Denander (Bobby Kimball), Charles Berthoud on bass, and Edu Cominato (Geoff Tate) as drummer. Fabrizo Sgattoni (guitar), Mika Gronholm (guitar), Micke Nilsson (guitar), Marshall Harrison (guitar), Sony Stevan (keyboards), and Rossano Capriotti (keyboards) were also involved in the recording as guest musicians. The cover artwork comes courtesy of Tristian Greatrex.





The Last Man On Earth tracklisting:


"The Last Man On Earth"
"Neon Heartbeat"
"Let's Go Together"
"You're Not The Only One"
"Here We Go Again"
"In & Out Of Love"
"Midnight Rain"
"Heaven Sent"
"Silhouettes"
"Revolution Road" (featuring Dan Reed)
"Wings Of Destiny"
"The Nakatomi Heist"
"The Big Unknown"


"The Last Man On Earth" lyric video:

"The Sound" is the first official single released off of Trev Lukather’s forthcoming debut solo album. "The Sound" is a retro, modern 80s arena anthem with a strong message behind it.





Lukather about the song: “'The Sound' is about hope of unity during a brutal time of division. We are so lost in our phones and ourselves. Lack of communication. War. Loss of freedom. Loss of human rights. Racism. Political meltdowns. Misinformation. Deadly earthquakes. We are derailing literally and figuratively. I wanted to send a message of how we are all on this floating speck in the universe together trying to find the meaning of why we are here. The reality is, no one is better than anyone else. We are on the same level. If that was more clear to everyone, we wouldn’t have so much hate in our hearts. If we knew how small we are, it would be liberating, not debilitating.”




Lukather on the inspiration behind the music video: “I was in an Uber and my driver was a young woman from Iran. She was telling me about all of the struggles the people, especially what the women were going through over there. I couldn’t even wrap my head around it. She reached out again on social media begging me to raise awareness because I had a following. I thought to myself, what can I do? I’m just a musician from LA. A post is not going to make a difference but maybe a song with a visual explanation will. At the same time, we have all of the things listed above with what the song is about. The video also shows the message of unity as well. Heroic acts of people putting their life on the line to pull people out of rubble. It strikes a nerve. It hits home. To be honest, I’ve never been more proud of anything that I’ve done.”





- Produced and written by Trev Lukather


Special guest performers:


Josh Devine (former Levara bandmate and One Direction drummer)
Hector Maldonado (bassist of Train)
Steve Maggiora (currently in Toto on keys and background vocals)


- Mixed by Will Brierre
- Mastered by John Greenham
- Single cover art by Jake Hays
- Music video directed and edited by Trev Lukather with performance shots by his wife, Madison Cain-Lukather.


Los Angeles native Trev Lukather comes from rock royalty. Having grown up with Steve Lukather (Toto) as his father, he was raised and surrounded by music his whole life. At an early age he started to self teach by watching some of the greats while out on the road. At the age of 12 he was on stage playing in front of 20,000 people at the Toto reunion tour and from that day forward knew that he was going to be a professional musician.


He got his first professional gig at the age of 17, working with Lindsay Lohan as her guitarist and Musical Director. Following that he worked with Tommy Henriksen (Alice Cooper/Hollywood Vampires/Crossbone Skully) which led him to Atlantic Records and writing for the debut album of arena rock band Halestorm.


Since then he has gone on to become a well known touring musician, session musician, writer and producer working with many established acts such as Dorothy, Classless Act, Amber Van Day, and Blind Channel. He has also started a few of his own projects along the way, including Levara (formerly ZFG) who signed to Mascot Records and toured the world booked by X-Ray Touring and Artist Group International.


In 2023, Trev is looking to the future and focusing on his debut solo album titled Invisible Friends and his other passion of producing albums. Invisible Friends debut album is set to be released in the fall of 2023 and features special guest musicians like Abe Laboriel Jr (Paul McCartney), Josh Paul (Daughtry), Bryce Soderberg (Lifehouse), Hector Maldanado (Train) Jake Hayden (Dorothy)  and Steve Maggiora (Toto) to name a few.


More important than any of the impressive stats above, Trev is driven by his innate desire to provide an escape for other people to forget about their problems and build a connection that lasts forever. And all of this while having fun!  Join him on his journey and get ready to be inspired and amazed…and have your abs hurt from laughing all the way through the process as the one thing not mentioned here is very obvious: there is hardly a funnier and more life-embracing cat than Trev! Let’s go!


Trev is proudly endorsed by Ernie Ball, Music Man Guitars, Line 6, Yamaha and Bogner Amps.


(Top photo - Jake Hays and Madison Cain-Lukather)