From the dark roots of Amebix, Discharge, and Nausea, a new twisted branch of thorns shoots from the alternate family tree. Neurot Recordings eagerly welcomes newly formed collective False Fed to the label’s ever-expanding roster and is putting the final touches on the band’s debut album for a Summer release.


In 2019 BC (before Covid), Discharge frontman Jeff Janiak reached out to longtime friend and musician JP Parsons to assist on a new project. The pair wrote and recorded various ideas before reaching out to Amebix guitarist Stig.C.Miller who joined them during the global pandemic. The trio utilized this new creative climate of physical restriction and went on to set the foundations for their first album, via file sharing home recordings, which would be arranged and produced by Miller. It was several months later when he would call upon Nausea, Ministry, and former Amebix drummer Roy Mayorga to complete the lineup. Mayorga went onto record drums, mix, and produce the band's debut album, Let Them Eat Fake.


In these unprecedented times of global restriction, fear, and the everlasting lack of faith in the hierarchy, False Fed has cultivated a heavy sound that is drenched in melody, aggression, and shrouded in darkness; an ominous and dystopian entity that is not bound by genre, yet still offers subtle hints to the creators’ lineage.




Janiak reveals, “When we were finishing up the recording of the Let Them Eat Fake album, the next big question to be was, ‘Who is gonna put this out?’ We all pretty much have punk rock backgrounds, but musically this album touched on something dark and different. So where do we go from here? We all have a lot of different influences, and it really shows on this record, so who is willing to put out an album that is so difficult to pinpoint a specific genre or stick a label on? Neurot Recordings was the first label that came to mind. They always put out releases by bands that were quite different and experimental. We contacted them and sent them our album and they totally ‘got it’ and believed in what we were doing and got behind the project. We are all thrilled to be working with such a great independent label that believes in the DIY spirit and isn't afraid to venture into new territory. We hope you all enjoy the album as much as we did in making it!”


Neurot owner Steve Von Till offers, “Releasing the False Fed album on Neurot is an amazing coming together of both heroes and friends from Discharge, Amebix, and Nausea. Discharge was my gateway to hardcore as a young kid looking for the heaviest music I could find. Their intense wall of noise, bleak imagery, and apocalyptic lyrics opened my mind to the possibilities. A few years later I would have my mind blown by Amebix. Even though they came from the post Crass anarcho punk world, they wielded unique heavy guitar tones with a strangely emotional, mystical, and even spiritual aura. Both were huge and foundational influences on myself and Neurosis. I met Roy on my first Neurosis tour to New York where we stayed and hung out with our crusty brethren from Nausea and their whole scene of good people. Those were formative years for all of us, and now all these years later this gem of an album which takes a moody, melodic, and almost gothic approach to their various pasts gives birth to something new and inspiring with an old soul.”


False Fed’s Let Them Eat Fake will be released on Neurot Recordings in the summer of 2023. Stand by for the album’s street date, cover art, audio previews, and more to be issued over the weeks ahead.


False Fed:


Jeff (JJ) Janiak – vocals
Stig.C.Miller – guitar
JP Parsons – bass
Roy Mayorga – drums

According to Billboard, METALLICA's "72 Seasons" is on track to debut at position No. 1 on the U.K. albums chart.

Based on midweek data published by the Official Charts Company, the band's eleventh studio LP will likely be METALLICA's fourth — and first in nearly 15 years — to top the U.K. chart

METALLICA previously hit No. 1 in the U.K. with "Metallica" (1991),"Load" (1996) and "Death Magnetic" (2008).

METALLICA's 2016 album "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", reached No. 2 on the U.K. chart, while several of the band's other efforts also landed in the Top 10: 1988's "…And Justice for All" (No. 4),1997's "Reload" (No. 4) and 2003's "St. Anger" (No. 3) and the orchestral live album "S&M2" (No. 2).

METALLICA's much-maligned collaboration with Lou Reed, 2011's "Lulu", peaked at No. 36.

"72 Seasons" was released on Friday (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".

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

METALLICA's "M72" world tour will feature two-night stops in nearly two dozen cities. Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only) and promoted by Live Nation, the 46-show trek will launch in Amsterdam on April 27 and will include shows all over Europe and North America through 2024. Each "No Repeat Weekend" on "M72" will feature two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour will feature a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age. Opening acts for the tour include PANTERA, MAMMOTH WVH, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, ARCHITECTS, VOLBEAT and GRETA VAN FLEET.
Catch up with the Official Albums Chart update in full here ✅ https://t.co/EnnYUHnnDC

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) April 17, 2023

W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless says that he has been performing on the band's ongoing European tour with a herniated disc in his lower back.

The 66-year-old guitarist/vocalist, whose real name is Steven Duren, opened up about his injury in a lengthy statement released via W.A.S.P.'s official web site earlier today (Tuesday, April 18).

He wrote: "I feel the time has come to address what has become an ongoing situation here in Europe for the '40th Anniversary World Tour'.

"It has become obvious to many of you that either watching the shows live or on YouTube that there is something physically wrong with me. There is. I've done my best to hide it, but there are times during many of the shows the pain is overwhelming, and it then becomes impossible to disguise.

"I come from a sports background that while growing up we lived with mantra's like, 'no pain, no gain', or 'don't explain and don't complain'. Right or wrong the last one here is what I try to live by. As boys we're told if you get hurt to 'spit on it, and rub some dirt on it', and just keep going. Most of the time we can. But, there are times, regardless of our desires, we simply cannot. I'm in the middle of one of those right now and I'm going to be as transparent as I can be to let you inside, and to let you know why you are seeing me at less than 100% in these shows. In addition to the physical pain there is also the personal pain and aggravation of knowing I'm giving you the fans less than 100% of all I'm capable of giving. For a performer like me this is extremely hard to do and also to admit to myself.

"For about the last 3 weeks I've been doing these European shows with a herniated disc in my lower back. For those out there thinking this is somehow age related, I assure it is not. It's been an ongoing situation stemming from when I broke my leg 10 years ago. I won't go into detail but I had a Doctor here in Europe do what should have been a simple procedure on me and he screwed me up really, really badly. Besides you all see me crawling up and down on Elvis [Blackie's mic stand] all night and that something few people can do at any age. An MRI done at a hospital in Berlin 2 weeks ago confirmed this disc problem.

"Not being a doctor I'll try to explain the best I can. When a disc becomes herniated it pushes out a jelly like substance against its outer ring. Then the wear and tear against that outer ring develops severe nerve pain as it begins to put pressure on the Spinal Cord. This creates mechanical compression of the nerves and releases chemical irritants that then lead to severe nerve inflammation. The MRI clearly has shown that the little holes that the nerve roots that attach to my Spinal Cord are extremely inflamed. Effectively the root nerves at the Spinal Cord are being choked and that leads to even greater inflammation that then moves from the Spinal Cord and can eventually go all the way down the leg and reach into the foot, causing numbness, weakness, and honestly... pain you cannot imagine. These doctors have all told me that nerve pain is the most severe of all pain. I am now a believer.

"Rest is one of the most common prescription's for injuries like this. But, this tour has suffered postponement after postponement. Never again will I have a '40th Anniversary Tour'. I told the Doctors, the Band and the Crew, if I can stand, then I'm going out there! Additionally I knew the fans, would never be able to understand why I just walked away in the middle of a tour like this. So now the time has come to tell you what these Doctors, my Band and my Crew have done to get me ready EVERY NIGHT to finish this tour. There have been several nights on this tour after the shows I could not walk again until the next day.

"After the MRI was completed it was determined I would need a series of Spinal Injections called 'Epidurals'. These are complicated injections that require the patient be in either a hospital or surgical center to receive them. The reason for that is if any of the injections go directly next to the Spinal Cord the patient can be paralyzed. It's an extremely tricky procedure. I promise you every time you're lying on that table you look around the room and see all that surgical equipment those thoughts run through your head. There's no way to avoid it. I received 2 Epidurals on the first day and then traveled to Tampere Finland to do the next show. I felt better than I'd felt in weeks and did the whole show, running around and climbing on Elvis and basically everything I do during the show… and it felt WONDERFUL! But, about an hour after the show I could not walk. So the next day we speak to the Doctors in Berlin and apparently I had undone most of the progress the first 2 Epidurals had done. I was told to take it easy during the show and I thought I did… but apparently not enough. I was then given an oral steroid that was strong enough to get me through the show in Helsinki. But 5AM the next morning I was back on a plane to Berlin, got 3 Epidurals at 11AM and was back on a plane headed for Sweden at 3 PM.

"These Epidurals are painful in themselves because when the medicine is injected it puts pressure in and around the Spinal Cord. When we were there on Saturday the pain was horrific and the nurse looked at the table I was on and it was covered in my sweat. The injections take about 20 minutes and it hurts badly the entire time. This nurse there saw my whole body was shaking and while the Doctor was doing the injections she reached over and started gently rubbing and caressing my left calf. I could not see her face but she could see the pain I was in and little she could do for me to stop it. I'm a big man, but I swear that I wanted to cry because here was a woman who had sworn an oath to help people anyway she can. It hurt so damn bad but just her touch was telling me she knew what was happening to me and that she was there for me. It was like an eternity of absolute hell and tenderness all at the same time. I will never forget her and that moment for the rest of my life.

"For the Band and Crew, you all don't see what great lengths these guys have gone through to get me and this show ready every single night. I see them all giving 110% trying to pick up the slack and there are times during the show I'll look around at all of them and I'll lower my head knowing what they are going through and pushing themselves to 'make it happen'!

"We are absolutely committed to finishing this European Tour. I'm scheduled for 3 more Epidurals in Berlin in 2 weeks. But there have also been logistical nightmares along the way that are direct results of the pandemic that still plague us and every other Band trying to tour in Europe. Those will be addressed in the coming days.

"So now if I haven't seemed to be quite myself on stage hopefully you'll better understand. I've been given every assurance by our Doctors here in Europe and in L. A. that I will be fine for the upcoming U.S. Tour. I'm a warrior and I pride myself as such."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

British hard rock legends URIAH HEEP have released the official music video for the song "Golden Light". The track is taken from the band's 25th studio album, "Chaos & Colour", which was released on January 27 via Silver Lining Music.

"Golden Light" is a smorgasbord of soaring melodies, robust rhythm, luscious guitar lines, and brims with spiritual optimism.

Comments URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box: "We've always had positive energy in everything we do. It's always good over evil no matter where we look at it. That's what we're like as people, which is why it's always been a big part of HEEP to have that positivity.

"'Golden Light' is a typical melodic HEEP rock song," continues Box. "It explains that in this troubled world, there is a guardian angel shining down a light, to guide us through these difficult times. 'Appy days!"

"Chaos & Colour" is an album which bristles with explosive classic rock guitars, supreme harmonies, and HEEP's famously generous keyboard foundation. It is, unsurprisingly, an album that found its extra thrust during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was as bizarre for URIAH HEEP as it was for humanity in general.

"The album title reflects that we were in chaotic times with being locked down, tours being cancelled, businesses folding, and all the chaos that was thrown into the world," explained Box, "and as far as I could see it, the only color people had was through music. It helped so many people get through those difficult years, using that strength and power which music has, to make those bad times not quite so bad."

There were still the looming specter of protocols and rules to follow in the middle of 2021, as the world tried to find its feet. HEEP slowly found their way into Chapel Studios in London during the summer of 2021 as restrictions were tentatively lifted, working once again with Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, COREY TAYLOR, BLACK STAR RIDERS).

"Jay was completely on board with what we are trying to achieve in the studio," said Box. "We're a band that has a fantastic heritage and to carry on that tradition it was vitally important that the band recorded in the studio all playing at the same time. Jay understood that and he pulled out the best of us as a band, as well as individual players, while getting us some amazing sounds."

Led by Box, it is no surprise that themes of light, love and, ultimately, positivity are constant through the album eleven tracks. "One Nation, One Sun" is a journey of soaring balladic contemplation, "Fly Like An Eagle" takes the listener on a journey of meditation, while "Closer To Your Dreams" is a battle cry for all rockers to get out there and do it, with Shaw imploring that "So many have tried but slipped away/Now it's time for you to have your say." During the entire album, Bernie Shaw's timeless vocals sit expertly beside the band's phenomenal artistry, rounding out exceptional performances throughout.

Produced by Ruston and engineered by Pieter Rietkerk, "Chaos & Colour" is a superb album of quality hard rock from the pioneers of the genre who continue to create top class material. Old fans will be reinvigorated whilst new fans will surely find "Chaos & Colour" an exceptional discovery.

Roger Waters today announced a special live broadcast of his "This Is Not A Drill" show from the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic on May 25. The worldwide live event will be distributed by Trafalgar Releasing in over 1,500 cinemas across more than 50 countries in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment. Tickets go on sale at 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. PT) on Tuesday, April 25 via www.ThisIsNotADrillFilm.com.

For one night only, Waters, founder member and creative force behind the golden years of PINK FLOYD, presents his "This Is Not A Drill" tour, live from Prague, in cinemas around the world. Billed as his first-ever farewell tour, the global cinema event, directed by Sean Evans, will give fans the chance to see and hear his critically acclaimed live show in full cinematic glory. A stunning indictment of the corporate dystopia in which we all struggle to survive, the live film will include 20 PINK FLOYD and Roger Waters classic songs, including "Us & Them", "Comfortably Numb", "Wish You Were Here" and "Is This The Life We Really Want?"Waters will also debut his new song, "The Bar".

Waters will be joined on stage by Jonathan Wilson, Dave Kilminster, Jon Carin, Gus Seyffert, Robert Walter, Joey Waronker, Shanay Johnson, Amanda Belair and Seamus Blake to deliver an unforgettable performance with a call to action to love, protect, and share our precious planet home.

"We are excited to give fans around the world the opportunity to experience such an iconic concert performance live on the big screen," said Tom Mackay, president, premium content, Sony Music Entertainment.

Tickets for the event will be available on Tuesday, April 25 when full cinema listings and times will be announced. Visit www.ThisIsNotADrillFilm.com to sign-up and get updates and further information.

As the primary driving force behind PINK FLOYD and acclaimed solo artist in his own right, Waters has created a body of work that has both mirrored and steered the collective unconsciousness. From the early days of PINK FLOYD (when the group pioneered the use of multi-media in their live performances and had the press coining terms like "underground rock" and "psychedelic music" to describe the experience) to the colossal $8 million staging of "The Wall" in a newly united Berlin in 1990, Waters has experienced the full trajectory of fame, from the giddy thrill of musical invention and the harrowing isolation of mega-stardom to the quiet satisfaction of pursuing his own authentic aesthetic goals.

In March 1973, with Waters essentially helming the enterprise came "The Dark Side Of The Moon", which soared to No. 1 on the charts and remained on the Billboard 200 album chart for a staggering 741 weeks (just shy of 15 years!). (When Billboard's "catalog rule" was enacted, "The Dark Side Of The Moon", no longer eligible for the 200 list, entered the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart.)

The band released "Wish You Were Here" in 1975, "Animals" in 1977 and, in November 1979, Waters dropped "The Wall" on the world. "The Wall" spent more than two years on the charts, inspired a film, and generated one of the most elaborate stage shows in rock history. After "The Wall" came "The Final Cut", which Waters dedicated to his father.

Frontiers Music Srl will release Neal Schon's "Journey Through Time", a live concert recorded on February 9, 2018 at The Independent In San Francisco, California, on May 19, 2023. This is the show where Schon, founding member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame-inducted band JOURNEY, first debuted "Journey Through Time" along with two-time Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and former JOURNEY and SANTANA bandmate Gregg Rolie. Joining Schon and Rolie were current JOURNEY member Deen Castronovo on vocals and drums, Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE) on bass, and John Varn on keyboards and vocals.

Performing to a sold-out crowd for a benefit show to raise money for victims of the fires that had ravaged the North Bay area of the San Francisco region in October 2017, the band played songs spanning JOURNEY's entire catalog, largely focusing on the band's '70s repertoire, including the band's first three albums, "Journey", "Look Into The Future" and "Next".

You can now watch a performance video of "Just The Same Way", taken from "Journey Through Time", below.

Multi-Grammy-nominated Schon founded JOURNEY in 1972 and remains the sole consistent member, having participated in every album and tour to date. Before founding JOURNEY, Schon was also a member of SANTANA and has performed with a variety of other acts, including BAD ENGLISH, HARDLINE and HSAS, and with Jan Hammer and Paul Rodgers (BAD COMPANY, FREE). He has released 10 solo albums over the course of his career as well, with his guitar style being described as soulful and melodic and admired by such fellow legends as Eric Clapton and Prince. JOURNEY's worldwide sales have reached over 100 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling bands of all time. Chart-topping hits such as "Don't Stop Believin'", "Open Arms", "Lights", "Faithfully" and "When You Love A Woman" are regarded as some of the defining songs of the rock n' roll musical canon.

"Journey Through Time" track listing:

01. I'm Gonna Leave You
02. Look Into The Future
03. Kohoutek
04. Daydream
05. La Do La
06. Line Of Fire
07. Walk's Like A Lady
08. Feelin' That Way
09. Anytime
10. Lights
11. Still They Ride
12. Separate Ways
13. Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
14. Wheel In The Sky
15. Patiently (Medley)
16. Trial By Fire (Medley)
17. Stay Awhile (Medley)
18. Mystery Mountain
19. Of A Lifetime
20. Just The Same Way
21. Lovin' You Is Easy

Recording lineup:

Neal Schon - Guitar
Gregg Rolie - Keyboards, Vocals
Marco Mendoza - Bass
Deen Castronovo - Drums, Vocals
John Varn - Keyboards, Vocals

JOURNEY played its first concert of 2023 on January 27 in Durant, Oklahoma. The two-hour performance at the 3,000-capacity Grand Theater at the Choctaw Casino & Resort marked the band's first appearance since Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain publicly feuded over several issues, including Neal allegedly causing over $1 million in personal expenses to be charged to the band's shared American Express card and Schon demanding that Cain stop playing events for former U.S. president Donald Trump.

Last fall, former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry took legal action against both Schon and Cain, asking them to stop registering federal trademarks on the names of many of the band's hits.

Presented by AEG Presents, JOURNEY's tour with TOTO will wrap April 25 at the brand-new Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California.

MÖTLEY CRÜE appears to have entered the studio with longtime producer Bob Rock to record some of the band's brand new music.

Late Monday night (April 17),CRÜE guitarist John 5 shared a photo of him laying down tracks in a recording studio. He also posted a picture of Rock in front of a mixing board. The accompanying caption read: "Let's do this @motleycrue #bobrock".

CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee shared the same photos on his Instagram page, along with one showing Lee, John 5 and CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx in the "big studio". He captioned the images: "Hit that mother fucking record button Mr. Rock!!! Go!"

On April 13, Sixx confirmed that MÖTLEY CRÜE was writing new music. Less than two weeks after tweeting that he and John 5 had spent some time "writing random riffs", the bassist returned to the social media platform to share an image of him, Lee and John 5 playing and recording in a studio, along with the caption, "Another killer songwriting day with Tommy Lee and John 5." He offered more information in a follow-up tweet, writing: "We are writing. The creative process of songwriting has always been the heartbeat of our band. We're gonna go in the big studio next week and record a few off the floor and see where it goes. We don't have a definitive plan at this point. Just letting the songs guide us."

John 5 joined CRÜE as the replacement for founding guitarist Mick Mars, who announced last October he would no longer tour with the legendary rock act because of his long struggles with degenerative disease ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time, according to the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases.

In October, Sixx praised John 5, saying he "checks all the boxes" as Mars's replacement following the latter's decision to retire from touring. Sixx commented on John 5's addition to CRÜE while answering fan questions on Twitter. Asked why the band chose John 5, who is one of the credited co-writers on the three original songs on the soundtrack to MÖTLEY CRÜE's biopic "The Dirt", based on CRÜE's 2001 New York Times bestselling autobiography, Sixx said: "He checks all the boxes. He's a insane player. Has respect for our music, is funny as fuck and has history with us and we've written some pretty big hits together."

In addition to co-writing the three songs on "The Dirt", John 5 collaborated with Sixx and Desmond Child on Meat Loaf's "The Monster Is Loose". In 2021, Sixx and John 5 launched the L.A. RATS supergroup in which they were joined by Rob Zombie and drummer Tommy Clufetos.

A year ago, John 5, who previously played with MARILYN MANSON and ROB ZOMBIE, said that he was "so proud" of his involvement with "The Dirt" soundtrack. He said: "Me and Nikki wrote on that. And dude, I fucking MÖTLEY CRÜE, and it was so cool for it to come to fruition. And to hear Vince [Neil, vocals] and Tommy and Mick and, of course, Nikki doing that… I think that song really gave me a real excitement of collaborating with someone. And seeing the video and the history of it, it was really pretty incredible."

John 5 previously discussed his contribution to "The Dirt" soundtrack in a December 2019 interview with Milwaukee's 102.9 The Hog radio station. At the time, he said: "Me and Nikki are like two 15-year-olds who are just on the phone twenty thousand times a day and we hang out all the time. We'll go to the mall and we'll go ride bikes and we'll do ridiculous stuff like that. And so, of course, we like to play music together, and yeah, that's how that came about — writing music for 'The Dirt'. And those songs are killer."

He continued: "I'm so proud to be a part of MÖTLEY CRÜE history… And also, I wanna say, those guys — Mick and Nikki and Tommy and Vince — they just killed it in the studio too; it was, like, one or two takes. It's pretty incredible, it's pretty astounding what true professionals they are. It was really incredible."

Three years ago, John 5 was full of praise for Sixx, whom he called his "best friend." The guitarist told Outburn: "We love each other. He has inspired me and taught me so much about life in general. He's a phenomenal songwriter, lyricist, author, everything. He's always telling me to listen to this audio book or see this movie. He has a happy marriage, a happy life, a successful band he started from the ground up. He's one of the most inspiring people. He'll text me all the time to read something or try something. It's wonderful. He's a phenomenal photographer as well. I remember him telling me that he's going to take bass lessons again and get into playing with his fingers. He was so dedicated."

"The Dirt Soundtrack" featured four new MÖTLEY CRÜE songs, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", and CRÜE's unlikely cover of Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

Earlier this month, Mars filed a lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE, alleging his bandmates are trying to kick him out of the group and reduce his ownership stakes because of his debilitating illness.

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Carrying the same raw energy since their 1991 inception, RANCID has been deemed by Stereogum as "incapable of making a bad album." Today, the Berkeley, California, punk stalwarts continue that streak with the announcement of their highly anticipated tenth studio album. "Tomorrow Never Comes" is due for a June 2 release via Epitaph, produced by longtime collaborator, BAD RELIGION guitarist and Epitaph founder Brett Gurewitz.

Their first new music since 2017's "Trouble Maker", RANCID also shares the exhilarating title track and lead single today. Highlighting their collective ear for melodic rock hooks and catchy, sing-a-long choruses, the song is complete with the familiar wailing guitars and punishing punk rock rhythms that have solidified RANCID as the legends they are.

At a whopping 850 million catalog streams to date, fans and critics alike seem to agree that RANCID's brand of high-impact, no-frills punk still flows abundantly in their blood, while easily translating to a modern audience. Now embarking on their tenth full-length effort, this is evident throughout "Tomorrow Never Comes". With its sixteen blistering tracks barely making the two-and-a-half-minute mark, the album boasts the same gritty, straight forward punk-with-a-purpose that the world just can't get enough of.

On their last studio album, "Trouble Maker", Pitchfork explored the band's themes of "contemporary political turmoil–blue-collar identity crises, tense demonstrations, the ever-present shadow of the Man — through the prism of their rebellious past, a little more wizened but just as rambunctious as ever."

Punk News also raved, "RANCID makes a radical left turn from the norm, pushing far past the boundaries, not just of punk, but of the traditional rules of music itself, creating the most original sound to come out of any musical artist since Beethoven."

Throughout the last three decades, RANCID has remained fiercely independent, never losing their loyalty to their community or each other. Their music confronts political and social issues, while balancing personal tales of love, loss, and heartbreak with attitude. By carrying on the traditions and spirit of the original punk rock bands that came before, Rancid has become a legend and inspiration to punk bands that have come after.

"Tomorrow Never Comes" track listing:

01. Tomorrow Never Comes
02. Mud, Blood, & Gold
03. Devil In Disguise
04. New American
05. The Bloody & Violent History
06. Don't Make Me Do It
07. It's a Road to Righteousness
08. Live Forever
09. Drop Dead Inn
10. Prisoners Song
11. Magnificent Rogue
12. One Way Ticket
13. Hellbound Train
14. Eddie the Butcher
15. Hear Us Out
16. When The Smoke Clears

RANCID tour dates:

May 28 - Las Vegas, NV - Punk Rock Bowling
Jun. 02 - Rimini, Italy - Slam Dunk
Jun. 03 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Media Center Cvetlicarna *
Jun. 04 - Linz, Austria - SBAM Festival
Jun. 06 - Warsaw, Poland - Letnia Scena Progresji *
Jun. 08 - Hyvinkaa, Finland – Rockfest
Jun. 09 - Solvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival
Jun. 10 - Stockholm, Sweden - Annexet *
Jun. 12 - Berlin, Germany- Columbiahalle *
Jun. 13 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof *
Jun. 15 - Vitoria, Spain - Azkena Rock
Jun. 16 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
Jun. 17 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop
Jun. 20 - London, UK - OVO Arena Wembley*
Jun. 21 - Manchester, UK - O2 Victoria Warehouse *
Jun. 23 - Ysselsteyn, Netherlands - Jera On Air Festival
Jun. 24 - Munster, Germany - Vainstream Rockfest
Jun. 25 - Tabor, Czech Republic - Mighty Sounds Festival

* w/ THE BRONX, GRADE 2

Sep. 21 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life Fest
Oct. 08 - Sacramento, CA – Aftershock

On April 8, rock legend Billy Idol and his band - including guitarist Steve Stevens - performed the first ever concert at the Hoover Dam, which straddles the Colorado River and the Nevada/Arizona border.


The once in a lifetime concert, featuring special guests Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) and Tony Kanal (No Doubt), was filmed for a forthcoming concert film, produced by Lastman Media and scheduled for theatrical release through Encore Nights later in 2023.


Further details on the film to come soon. Check out this first look video:







Billy Idol returns to The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on October 20, 21, 25, 27 and 28.


Idol fan ticket and VIP package pre-sales begin Wednesday, April 12 at 10 am PT with passcode: CAGE23 and tickets go on sale to the public on Saturday, April 15 at 10 am PT. Presale, ticket, and VIP packages will be available at this location.





Billy Idol's complete tour schedule can be found here.

IMMORTAL founder Harald "Demonaz" Nævdal says that everything has been resolved in his legal dispute with IMMORTAL member Reidar "Horgh" Horghagen over the rights to the band's name.

One of Norway's first and most successful black metal acts, IMMORTAL was formed by Demonaz and Olve "Abbath" Eikemo in 1990. Horgh joined the group in 1996. Eight years ago, Abbath and the rest of the group went through a bitter breakup.

The highly publicized legal battle in 2014 over the rights to the IMMORTAL name pitted Abbath against Demonaz and Horgh, with Abbath claiming the pair abandoned IMMORTAL after they moved their gear out of the band's rehearsal space. The Norwegian court systems determined otherwise, and awarded the IMMORTAL name to Demonaz and Horgh.

According to documents uncovered by Norway's VG, a conflict arose between the two remaining IMMORTAL members four years ago, with Demonaz registering IMMORTAL with the Norwegian Patent Office as his exclusive trademark in July 2019. The registration was approved, and he was therefore given the exclusive right to use the band name commercially. However, Horgh chose to appeal the registration, and the matter was ruled in his favor, meaning that Demonaz no longer had the exclusive right to the IMMORTAL name.

Asked in a new interview with Chaoszine about the current status of his legal dispute with Horgh, Demonaz said: "We have had some disputes. And there was problems already in 2014 with this. But everything is solved now. But I can't tell you the details because [there is a settlement] agreement [in place preventing us from discussing it].

"Most bands, they are, like, releasing two CDs or LPs and [they] disappear," he continued. "I've had a band for more than 30 years, so it's impossible not to lose some members or have agreements for so long time. I think every band that's lasted more than 20 years or 30 years, you will see the same… Not every marriage is a happy marriage."

Asked what his relationship like now with Abbath and Horgh, Demonaz said: "It's been some time [since we've been in contact]. So that's natural, I think. They're busy with their stuff and I'm busy with my stuff. It's not like in the old days when we were meeting up very often. But for me, it's, like, there's no bitterness. I've moved on, and they've moved on."

As for Abbath's comment in 2020 to Norway's Dagbladet newspaper that he wasn't opposed to an IMMORTAL reunion, Demonaz said: "He has said a lot of things, I think. [Laughs] I think maybe he forgot to tell me. I didn't hear that from him… I just wish him very well in what he's doing."

Three years ago, Horgh told VG that he had no advance knowledge of the IMMORTAL registration made by Demonaz.

"It could never have occurred to me to register the trademark by myself, as Nævdal has done here, but I have found myself having to fight to keep the rights I have earned through a long career in this band," he said. "It is, and after all has been for many years, a large part of my livelihood."

At the time, Demonaz told VG that he disagreed with the decision, pointing out that he was "the band's only remaining original member. I am also the only one who has been on all of the band's releases," he said.

The Norwegian Patent Office ruled that the rights to the IMMORTAL name belong to the band as a whole, and not to the individual members.

"We have jointly as a band built up the trademark IMMORTAL, and it is therefore right that the trademark should be a joint ownership," Horgh said.

The drummer went on to say that he was hopeful IMMORTAL could perform live again.

"It has been my goal all the way, and I know that this is something IMMORTAL fans want and have been waiting for a long time," he said. "I hope in the long run that we can manage to put these disagreements behind us, and again look ahead as a band."

IMMORTAL's first album without Abbath, "Northern Chaos Gods", was released in July 2018 via Nuclear Blast.

Three years ago, Abbath told Dagbladet: "I got a text from Horgh saying it was great that I got sober. Harald and I haven't spoken at all. But there's no evil blood or bitterness on my part anymore. I realize that I was a part of the problem. Things are great for me now. But am I open to an IMMORTAL reunion? Yes, of course. But it has to be something special. I just wish we could sit down and have a talk about things when it all went to hell, instead of involving lawyers."

Abbath used to be married to Demonaz's sister, and they share a son, Torbjørn.

Abbath is now the frontman of his namesake band, which released its third album, "Dread Reaver", in March 2022 via Season Of Mist.

IMMORTAL will release a new album, "War Against All", on May 26 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Photo credit: Leander Djønne

In a new interview with the Tulsa Music Stream, George Lynch, who is considered to be one of the most famous and influential 1980s metal guitarists, was asked if he has been experiencing any loss of dexterity in his hands as he has gotten older. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Not in the sense that you're suggesting but in the sense that I don't really go for that anymore as much. It's not the '80s; I'm not trying to be that guy. I'm not working on having some hyper stretch and playing at super-sonic speeds or anything like that. I'm really not trying to play to impress other guitar players as much as I used to. And I'm not gonna succeed at that, because there's guys out there that… I mean, that ship has sailed. I'm 68 years old… And plus, if we're talking on a technical level, I'm not gonna win any awards for that."

George continued: "My goal is just to play what I'm hearing in my heart and, on a practical level, serve the song. And sometimes that requires being technical and being fast, and sometimes it doesn't. I don't feel like I should be reacting to anyone else to try to compete. So I'm not trying to do these hyper-technical things as much. I mean, I still do it to a certain extent, but it's not the driving force behind my playing; I'm not trying to keep up with Yngwie [Malmsteen] or Eddie [Van Halen] or whoever else is around. I've learned from other people that I listened to — contemporary guys that are very impressive and beautiful players. They're inspiring."

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

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

Image credit: Melvin Zoopers

“We have acoustic guitars but we’re not gonna sing about our feelings,” jokes Junkyard guitarist Chris Gates, ahead of a special unplugged show alongside vocalist David Roach and guitarist Tim Mosher.


The trio has uploaded footage, filmed by Kenny Sinatra, from their VIP Acoustic Meet & Greet at Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco, California on March 25, 2023. And yes, that’s Ace Von Johnson of L.A. Guns behind the turntables.


Part 1:




"Misery Loves Company"
"Simple Man"
"Blooze"
"Clean The Dirt"





Part 2:


"Clean The Dirt" (continued)
"Don't Give A Damn"
"Whiskey Bent And Hell Bound" (Hank Williams Jr. cover)





Catch Junkyard live - as a fully electric six-piece band - performing their 1989 self-titled debut album in its entirety, at the following shows:


May
5 - 3Ten Austin City Limits Live - Austin, TX
6 - Three Links Deep Ellum - Dallas, TX
7 - Cooter's Pub - Eagle Pass, TX





 

In a new interview with Robert Edwards of the Talkin' Bout Rock rock music talk show, Billy Sheehan spoke about MR. BIG's upcoming farewell tour, dubbed "The BIG Finish". Since the group's original drummer and co-founder, Pat Torpey, lost his battle with Parkinson's disease in 2018, Sheehan and his bandmates now feels it's time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy.

The first leg will take the band to Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August, while shows in South America, Europe, and the U.S. will launch in early 2024 and will be announced soon.

Regarding MR. BIG's decision to reunite for a new set of tour dates, Sheehan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We went out and did shows after Pat passed away — God rest his soul — because they were already booked. And we thought, 'Let's just do them and see how it goes.' And Matt Starr [who filled in for Pat] did a great job — he's a great drummer, a great singer — but he's a tenor; we need an alto. I'm a tenor — a tenor or a baritone — and Paul [Gilbert, MR. BIG guitarist] is around the same range as myself. We need that alto voice for the three-part harmony, and Matt can sing great, but it just wasn't his range. And prior to that, Pat was with us; he just wasn't playing drums, 'cause he couldn't, due to the Parkinson's debilitation — he just couldn't do it. And so we went out with Matt. And it was good, but we were looking at each other onstage, and, like… I don't know… The guys in MR. BIG, we're really tight, and Pat was my closest musical friend, I think, that I've had in my career — a very, very dear friend of mine. So it was tough. So we just let it lay for a few years. And then we had a few offers to play that we turned down. And then finally a few offers came in [where we were just, like], 'It might be time, but we're gonna need a great drummer.' Not a good drummer — a great drummer, and somebody that does the kind of things that Pat did. It was a finesse, nuance — all these things going on that you normally wouldn't even notice, but you'd notice when they were missing. So Nick D'Virgilio from SPOCK'S BEARD is gonna take over the drum spot for this farewell… It's kind of a farewell, tribute to Pat Torpey kind of tour. A lot of bands do a farewell tour, and then they go back and do another farewell tour and another farewell tour. We said, 'Let's really make it a farewell.'"

Asked about the possibility of new music from MR. BIG, the bassist said: "They're talking about it. We talked about writing a couple of things and getting together. We're gonna do some rehearsals before the show, and it'll probably turn into a little bit of a writing thing. I know Eric [Martin, MR. BIG singer] and Paul are prolific writers. I write a lot as well. And yeah, we hope to. It's not set in stone yet, but we hope to have some new stuff as well. And again, it's gonna be a farewell tour, so it'll be kind of a way of putting a period at the end of the sentence, saying 'thank you' to amazing fans. We just had a hundred million views of 'To Be With You' on YouTube, which is pretty darn good. We're very grateful."

When D'Virgilio's addition to MR. BIG was first announced last month, Sheehan said in a statement: "We found a wonderful drummer in Nick, and he's got a great voice too. Nick has a vocal range similar to Pat's, and he'll be able to do the parts Pat did with a similar finesse. It's a big relief because MR. BIG has always been heavy on the harmonies. When the band began, we really relied on each other. We knew each guy would do exactly what he needed to do vocally and to do it righteously, on key, and in time. It's difficult to find a drummer who sings in that range, but Nick has the voice we really need onstage."

Gilbert concurred, saying: "Nick gets close to the spirit of Pat Torpey. Billy, Eric, and I have been really happy with the music we've already shared back and forth. I'm impressed with Nick's level of musical adaptability and breadth of skill. He and I have done some recording together, and I was blown away with his groove, and how he just played what fit the song. If the song requires him to be more progressive and stand out, he will stand out. But if the song requires him to groove, he will groove. That's actually a rare thing, and it really fits in with what we do in MR. BIG."

Eric added: "I love the fact that Nick was a fan of Pat Torpey and wants to keep our BIG sound intact. When I first saw his audition demo video of the 'Lean Into It' song 'Lucky This Time', Nick was playing drums with those signature Pat snare hits and singing harmonies spot on to what Pat used to do. It gave me goosebumps!! I am so thrilled to have this man who will be filling some mighty BIG shoes join us on our last tour."

MR. BIG's upcoming tour will see the band performing its breakthrough platinum-selling 1991 album "Lean Into It" from start to finish as a featured highlight of the live setlist.

Martin remains eternally grateful for the never-ending success of "To Be With You", but he maintans that the essence of MR. BIG goes much, much deeper than that.

"That song helped put the stamps in our passports," Martin said, "but we really nailed it on "Lean Into It". I'm still in awe of how Billy and Paul play on that album, because they're such brilliant players. I used to call them the dynamic duo. And Pat Torpey was an underrated drummer, in my opinion. I mean, just listen to his tone! 'Lean Into It' is totally indicative of who we are as a band."

Explained Sheehan, "'Lean Into It' was put together much like a movie, with an opening scene that lets us get into the dialogue and find out what the story is. And then you get the love scene, the car chase, and the punchline ending. I think it's a perfectly sequenced album." Observed Gilbert, "Some people thought we had brought in professional background singers to do all those harmonies on 'Lean Into It', but no, it's really us. We always felt like we had something to prove whenever we went on the road and did all that singing ourselves, just to show everyone that we really could do it."

Just like the consummate performers they are, MR. BIG still want to reach into your dreams. "I hope the people who come see our shows get to feel what it's like when musicians get together and really play and sing the songs they wrote," offered Sheehan. "We want the audience to be one with us, and feel our evening together was a magical and beautiful event." Theorized Gilbert, "Music is like time travel. You can hear something that takes you right back to 1992, and it reminds you exactly of what was happening back then. On this tour, I want to give people the opportunity to time travel like that and go, 'These guys are on fire!' Good music is timeless."

Concluded Martin, "I love playing with these guys. And if I'm being honest, I don't want it to ever end. I'm the guy who just knows we still have that special spark together, and I always want to keep the torch burning. But if it really is the end, then I want us all to have a happy ending together. We're a great live band. I want everybody to come out and see us, because we want to blow you away and have you all think as you're leaving, 'MR. BIG really is the real thing.'"

In May 2020, Sheehan gave an interview to the "Music Mania" podcast in which he claimed that a "mastering problem" with MR. BIG's latest album, "Defying Gravity", which came out six years ago, made the LP "unlistenable.

"Defying Gravity" was released via Wowow Entertainment, Inc. in Japan and Frontiers Music Srl in most of the rest of the world.

In a new interview with U.K.'s Metro, DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott once again said that he would be open to making a LEPPARD biopic in the style of QUEEN's mega-successful "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Elton John's "Rocketman". He said: "There's always something being discussed, but let's not forget there was an MTV movie in 1999 that was fucking awful! It was low-budget, badly researched, and I had to intervene at one stage to say 'you can't put Phil [Collen, DEF LEPPARD guitarist] in the band while we're doing 'High 'N' Dry'.' We'd get slaughtered by our fans. Anything that happens from here on will be a hell of a lot more accurate.

"There is a story to tell, but the only problem is from a media perspective it's just about two big things: Rick's [Allen, DEF LEPPARD drummer] arm and Steve's [Clark, late DEF LEPPARD guitarist] death. After that, there isn't much that would surprise anyone.

"I can walk down the street in a DEF LEPPARD shirt on show day and no one knows who I am! We'd have to pull out a lot of truths that were never told to make it interesting."

The aforementioned movie, "Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story", was produced by VH1 and was described as "the true story of one of the most successful pop-metal bands of the '80s." Upon its release, it was slammed by Deseret News music editor Scott Iwasaki as a "lame" movie which reduced the DEF LEPPARD bandmembers to "one-dimensional caricatures." Iwasaki added: "If the film weren't based on a real band, I'd swear it was supposed to be the sequel to Rob Reiner's 1984 mockumentary 'This Is Spinal Tap'."

In a December 2019 interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation", Elliott said that he "wouldn't say no" to making a proper LEPPARD biopic. "You've got to remember the one that was done for us was 20 years ago," he said. "It was such a non-event. In the history of music, people weren't doing movies on bands; there hadn't been a biopic on THE [ROLLING] STONES or THE BEATLES, so for VH1 to decide to do one on us, because they wanted to pick on the humanistic story of [drummer] Rick's recovery, it only went as far as 1986, you've gotta remember, so Steve was still a very big part of the band. It was low budget. It was an experiment on VH1's part. We had barely any say in what they did… They were trying to rush the storyline so much that they had Phil in the band for the 'High 'N' Dry' tour. And I said, 'You can't do that. You'll be slaughtered by our fans. You have to change it.' Other than that, it was shot in Canada, so everything was on the wrong side of the road. It was 20 years ago. It was an experiment that wasn't really great. Things have moved a long way since then. The QUEEN movie set a precedent that's gonna be pretty hard to top. A billion dollars at the box office is insane. I mean, that's bigger than [James] Bond movies. The Elton [John biopic] did incredibly well. [MÖTLEY CRÜE's] 'The Dirt' did really, really well.

"If somebody comes to us one day and says that they wanna do it, we're not gonna stop them," he continued. "Because now there's such a standard set that it would have to match those three movies that we mentioned. So it would be a much, much better version of what that story was. The story is gonna be the same. There's probably a million biopics about certain presidents, like, say, [John F.] Kennedy. And they all have the assassination thing shot from a different angle, but it's essentially the same story. With us, it's gonna be the same story. Band forms in Sheffield, has some success, drummer loses his arm, has some more success, guitarist loses his life, band carries on, and we basically hang in there as best we can to promote what we are. Yeah, it could make a good film. I personally, as a human being, think that LYNYRD SKYNYRD have got one way over everybody else when it comes to personal tragedy, so they would be above us, in my estimation, as the necessity for a film being made about yet another rock band; they really did have it tough. But, yeah, you never say never. We're not gonna fund one ourselves, but if Pixar or Disney or somebody decided they wanted to do it, we would embrace it the same way we ended up embracing the [Rock And Roll] Hall Of Fame."

In 2014, Flavorwire called "Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story" "one of the most unintentionally funny biopics VH1 has ever put out," saying it "features some terrible acting, awful special effects when it comes to Rick Allen's car accident, and uneven pacing, ultimately resulting in something of a rock 'n' roll PSA."

In 2018, Elliott addressed the significant inaccuracies that appear in "Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story", which was filmed in Canada, saying that much of it was out of the band's control. "The road markings were all wrong," he told Planet Rock. "I mean, the opening scene, I think, has got 'Sheffield 1 mile, London 46.' I was five-foot-eight in the film. I'm six-one. Phil [Collen, guitar] was Australian. Rick's mom was Irish. My parents had a dog — wrong. And my dad was bald. My dad watched it and he went, 'I've got more bloody hair than that.' I think they got Rick Savage [bass] pretty well; I thought that was pretty good. The very ending was not bad. But they didn't really consult us much. I did script doctor it to a point, but then they would actually script doctor my script doctoring, because they wanted it to fit their budget and all this kind of stuff, so we kind of just went, 'Whatever.'"

Elliott didn't completely pan the film, explaining that DEF LEPPARD was pleasantly surprised to be the subject of a biopic at a time when biographical movies about bands were few and far between.

"Looking at the positive on it, if there is one, the fact that they actually made a film about us in 2000 is quite cool, because by then, there was no films on THE BEATLES, there was no films on THE [ROLLING] STONES, but they wanted to make one of us," he said. "And when it got previewed on VH1, eight million people watched it on its first run. And strangely enough, it actually got pretty positive reviews. So, with hindsight, I think we should maybe go back and look at that again."

DEF LEPPARD was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2019 — 14 years after the British rockers first became eligible.

San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD have canceled their previously announced spring 2023 U.S. tour.

The 18-date "The Electric Happy Hour (Live)" trek was scheduled to kick off on May 15 in Ventura, California and make its way to Des Moines, Fort Wayne, and Detroit before ending in Los Angeles on June 9.

The Robb Flynn-fronted outfit broke the news of the cancelation in lengthy statement released earlier today (Friday, April 14). The band wrote: "Head Cases of America, it is with great regret that we must inform you that due to reasons entirely beyond our control, we're forced to cancel our upcoming Electric Happy Hour (Live) tour due to work visa issues.

"As you may know, half the band, as well as a handful of key crew members, reside outside of the US, and while the work visa process can often be quite lengthy, costly and complicated, in the past we were able quickly apply and be granted the needed documents. The same process we've been using forever and most recently with both the pre-Covid 'Burn My Eyes 25th Anniversary Tour' and last year's sold-out Electric Happy Hour Tour dates, this was the last thing on our collective minds. Unfortunately, that is not the case this time around and it is with immense frustration that we bring you this news.

"It must be said, that the post-Covid touring world has complicated this process tenfold and unfortunately, we are feeling the effects of it.

"Preparations for a tour like this takes an enormous amount of work by the agents, tour manager, merchandise printers, ourselves, VIP organizers, and our crew to coordinate. Tens of thousands of dollars have already been spent which we may or may not get back, and most importantly ticket buyers have made plans, and our crew relies on the jobs that the tour provides. It is a staggering blow to us and our team. We wanted nothing more than to pick up where we left off at the end of 2022 with so many shows still fresh in our minds! That was an incredible run and saying we were itching to get back out is a total understatement.

"Our plan is to keep moving forward, starting with a clean slate we begin the process of scheduling dates for the beginning of next year.

"To be clear, we are not postponing the tour. Postponing would mean that you hold on to your tickets until we can reschedule. We know how hard it's been financially these last few years, so we are choosing to cancel the tour. Canceling allows you to get full refunds for both tickets and VIP packages at the point of purchase.

"Thank you, Head Cases, for your patience and understanding during this difficult time."

MACHINE HEAD is still tentatively scheduled to perform at the Milwaukee Metal Fest on May 28 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

MACHINE HEAD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which came out last August. The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis" includes the three songs that were featured on the 2021 "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Hard rock band Blacklist Union has returned with the official music video for their new single, "The Queen Of Everything". Filmed and directed by Thomas Crane of Kill Devil Films, "The Queen Of Everything" is the first single off of the band's upcoming fifth album, Letters From The Psych Ward, tentatively set to release in Summer 2023.


"'The Queen Of Everything' is about never letting love destroy you, and never ever judging a book by its cover," says Blacklist Union.







Blacklist Union are back in the studio working on their fifth CD, Letters From The Psych Ward. Fans are guaranteed inspiration from this brand of street rock with songs like “Out On A Jones”, “Keys To The Kingdom”, and “Dirty Halo”. Gifted singer/songwriter Tony West spins a musical web, tackling subjects not often mentioned with heart wrenching honesty, and sometimes humor. Addiction, sex, friendship, child abuse, death, and living on the edge of destruction are just a fraction of what the band touches on in their music. Blacklist Union is a true rock n’ roll band that continuously pushes themselves to the limit in every aspect of their music and live performance.


“Letters From The Psych Ward is about keeping your sanity before trying to keep someone else’s," reveals Tony West.





 

Joe Lynn Turner doesn't believe there's any truth to the rumor that DEEP PURPLE has been entertaining the idea of bringing Ritchie Blackmore back into the band.

Turner, who has played with Blackmore in both RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE, weighed in on the possibility of Ritchie's return to PURPLE during an appearance on this past Wednesday's (April 12) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk".

After host Eddie Trunk told Turner that he heard "as a rumor from a very reliable source that there were talks that [Ritchie] might do another run with PURPLE," Joe said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'll tell you — I don't know how. They're doing fine with [current PURPLE guitarist] Simon [McBride], and I think, shall we say, [laughs] the friction between [Ritchie] and [PURPLE singer Ian] Gillan is not getting any better.

"But you know what? God bless," the singer continued. "I think it's more people's imagination, people's desire that people want. If it does [happen], happy days. I'll be the first one to buy the record. But at the same time, a rumor is just a rumor. It doesn't seem to be going that way. I think Steve Morse — God bless him — was in the band longer than Ritchie was, and now Simon's in the band. And I don't see where [Ritchie's] gonna fit in again."

Blackmore, who is celebrating his 78th birthday today (Friday, April 14),is a co-founder of DEEP PURPLE and wrote many of their most memorable guitar riffs, including "Smoke On The Water", but he has not played with the group since his 1993 exit. Morse effectively took over Blackmore's slot in 1994 and was in the group for 28 years — longer than Ritchie — before being officially replaced by McBride in July 2022.

Gillan most recently addressed the possibility of a Blackmore return in a November 2022 interview with Spain's RockFM. The 77-year-old singer said: "Look, DEEP PURPLE is a family that's been together before I joined. In '68, it was Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Nick Simper and Rod Evans. Roger Glover and I joined in '69. And in the intervening periods, there's been David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes and a couple of other guys. And then, when we grew up, when we settled down and the human chemistry was okay, we were getting on fine. We had the reunion with 'Perfect Strangers', but everything was slightly different. Ritchie was different, and I think we all were. Ritchie used to be my roommate in DEEP PURPLE; we used to party together. And I don't like to think of the negatives. I just have lots of fantastic memories of Ritchie as a great guitar player [with] a wicked sense of humor — and I mean wicked — and a professional, a real good guy, in that sense. But something changed in Ritchie when we got back together, and we'd all changed, and the human chemistry wasn't quite the same. So it became difficult. And in the end, there was this antagonism. And I got fired from the band because I wanted to do more touring, and Ritchie wanted to do less touring. And we had a meeting one day, and I said, 'Why don't we go to South America? Why don't we go to Russia? Why don't we go all over the world? We're a live band.' And the next day Ritchie went to the management and said, 'Well, it's him or me.' So they chose him. And that was fine. And then they made a record with — another singer; I can't remember his name. And the record label said, 'Either you get Ian back in the band or we're tearing up the contract.' So I went back in DEEP PURPLE, and Ritchie went crazy. He didn't like it. So eventually he walked out. So, in normal terms, in a family or something like that, because we are a family, you'd think it was like a divorce — something like that. He walked out; he's gone. But he wanted to keep control of the band after having walked out. And he's been a pain in the ass ever since. [Laughs] But we are getting on much better these days. I think his manager has got a lot to do with it, the problem that exists. So it's one of those things that you cope with."

Ian added: "I think the idea of a call for a grand reunion or something like that, it would be utterly disrespectful to the living, breathing DEEP PURPLE. It would be awful. The atmosphere would be terrible. It would be artificial. It would be only for money — nothing else. Because there's no love there. There's no affinity.

"Twenty-five percent of the essence of DEEP PURPLE is improvisation, and we've got a musician now that is absolutely unbelievable. And I don't know how much Ritchie has been practicing or anything like that.

"I could go on for a long time, but the simple answer is no. It's the ex-wife. We do not want to get back together again."

Gillan also spoke about his longstanding feud with Blackmore in a September 2021 interview with Vikram Chandrasekar of Tales From The Road. Asked if he was still in contact with Ritchie and whether there was any chance at all of the guitarist ever sharing the stage with DEEP PURPLE again, Ian said: "No. The answer to your question is yes, we are in touch. Tensions eased quite a lot after we got hold of our business affairs and sorted everything out. There were previous managers from the past who had not done things exactly as you would like. I didn't get paid for 10 years when I was with DEEP PURPLE — in the big years — and goodness knows what happened to all that. And there were other tensions too. And needless to say, it was all pretty nasty when we finished and Ritchie walked out. But we're too old for that now. We've both written some pleasant notes via our managers. I can't write to Ritchie or phone him because he doesn't have a telephone, he doesn't have a computer. He lives in a world of greensleeves — he lives in a medieval world, and he has messages given to him and that sort of thing. But he's sent some pleasant words to me, and I've sent some pleasant words to him. There are still issues; there are still bones of contention. I've seen a lot of rubbish being spoken — it's not worth even rising to the occasion — but I hear [former DEEP PURPLE singer] David Coverdale and others talking about what happened at the Rock And Roll Of Fame. Well, we were very kind to everybody, the current band. And we did invite Ritchie to play 'Smoke On The Water' with us at the ceremony, but he declined. So, [those] are just opportunistic remarks from the others.

"We've never had any antagonism towards Ritchie," Ian clarified. "He has his own interpretations, and the rest of us have our interpretations, so it's really not worth being fired up about it. But I think probably this late in our career, and with things moving along so pleasantly for the band, it would naturally enough — we discussed this years and years ago when it was first talked about — it would be a circus and it would be a distraction to everything we're doing, to be honest. It would be no fun at all, because we don't work that way anymore."

Blackmore previously suggested that PURPLE's manager had blocked him from joining his former bandmates onstage during the 2016 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, and he used that as an excuse for not attending the event.

Despite Blackmore being a no-show at Rock Hall, he was given several shoutouts during the induction speeches of the DEEP PURPLE members in attendance. In addition, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich, who inducted DEEP PURPLE into the institution, praised "Ritchie fucking Blackmore" for one of the most memorable guitar riffs of all time on "Smoke On The Water".

In late 2020, Coverdale expressed his exasperation at DEEP PURPLE for how he and Glenn Hughes were treated by their former band ahead of their Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. The singer, who played with DEEP PURPLE along with Hughes from 1973 to 1976, said: "Once it had been announced that we were officially being inducted into it, the current DEEP PURPLE refused to go if Ritchie Blackmore was going to be there. And this was, like, 72 hours before, when I was ready to fly with my family. And this cost me, like, $75,000 [or] $85,000, because you have to pay for all the tables apart from the one you're on, and I had my daughter fly in from Germany, my son came out of college. It was a family affair."

He continued: "Suddenly, Glenn Hughes and I were told, 'Well, we don't want you singing with us.' Initially, I'd spoken to Ian [Gillan] about coming up and singing the backgrounds of 'Smoke On The Water', because originally they were going to close the show. So, that suddenly was pulled, the plug. They tried to stop us doing speeches, and my wife was fucking furious, apart from the fact she spent a fortune on posh dresses. [Laughs] And I said, 'Fuck it! Nobody's going to keep us off.' I got in touch with Carole, Ritchie's manager, and I said, 'Tell him to come with me. Nobody's going to fucking touch him. Tell him to come with me,' and he didn't want to do it."

Coverdale added: "The first thing I said when I was up there, was, 'None of us would have been standing here without Ritchie Blackmore,' and I made sure of that point. Steve Morse and Don Airey [current DEEP PURPLE keyboardist] were more complimentary to Glenn and I than the other guys. We had a blast; we had a fucking great time. I'm very happy that I am who I am, and I just talked to Glenn the other day about it: 'What the fuck was up their ass?!'"

Joe Lynn Turner photo credit: Agata Nigrovskaya

NME is reporting that Pink Floyd legend, Roger Waters, has said he will play in Frankfurt despite a planned performance there being cancelled over claims of anti-Semitism.


Waters was supposed to play at the publicly owned Festhalle on May 28, but the council called off the performance over the musician’s views on Israel. They later described him as “one of the world’s most widely-known anti-Semites”.


According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the cancellation notice cited Waters’ boycott of Israel – also known as the BDS campaign – as well as the musician’s talks with Hamas-affiliated media, comparisons of Israel to apartheid South Africa and what many see as anti-Semitic imagery at shows. It also referenced the sensitivity surrounding the venue, which was used as a detention centre for some 3000 Jewish people who were then deported to concentration camps in 1938.




Now, however, Waters has suggested he’s “coming anyway” despite the cancellation. He posted an update to social media alongside a photo of the grave of Sophie Scholl, a German student and anti-Nazi activist who was beheaded via guillotine in 1943 for distributing anti-war leaflets around the University of Munich.


The post also suggested that Waters has filed an injunction against the council but has not had a response. He had previously indicated that he could take legal action against the motion to cancel his performances, which he argued was “unjustifiable” and an attempt to “silence him”.


“Frankfurt Council were legally required to respond to Roger Waters [sic] interim injunction by midnight April 14,” Waters wrote. “Did they? Nobody knows? We can only guess at what’s going on in Frankfurt? Are they playing for time? Who knows?”


He continued: “Not that it matters much! We’re coming anyway! Because human rights matter! Because free speech matters! Yes!


“Frankfurt City Council, we remember Kristallnacht! Like Sophie Scholl our fathers stood with those three thousand Jewish men and today we stand with the Palestinians! We’re coming to Frankfurt on the 28th of May! [sic] Love, R.”


Read more at NME.com.

In a new interview with Brazil's A Rádio Rock, SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs and singer Klaus Meine were asked to name some of the newer rock bands they have been listening to. Matthias said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For example, this band GRETA VAN FLEET, from the U.S., is pretty cool. Very inspired by LED ZEPPELIN, though, but a very good band. And we had an all-girls band as a support band on the U.S. tour last year. They're called THUNDERMOTHER, and they're from Sweden. They're also very interesting."

Klaus added: "I always enjoy GRETA VAN FLEET. It's one of those young, upcoming bands. VOLBEAT, it's another great band. I don't know if they are quite popular in Brazil. Over here [in Germany], you hear 'em a lot on rock radio. There are a couple of great bands from the young generation. I mean, some of those bands, like VOLBEAT, they're out there for quite a while. But it's great to see that there's a young generation of rock artists, musicians, bands that carry the flame and keep going."

SCORPIONS's latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February 2022. The LP was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

"Rock Believer" marked SCORPIONS' first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS' previous full-length collection of new recordings was "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

In a new interview with Dom Smith of Soundsphere magazine, CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Filth spoke about the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're a bit in a weird state of play at the present because of the whole Russian scenario. That's had a knock-on effect with fuel and bus hire. People really now have not been able to afford to do a lot, so tours are becoming very difficult.

"There's a lot of American bands I've spoken to — big bands as well — who are not touring Europe for a while," he continued. "A lot of English and mostly European bands are not touring America for a while. Now there's even talk of bigger taxation by venues on merch, places taking bigger cuts of the band's merch, which is their life's blood, seeing as everything's digital these days and physical product's down. And America is now talking about upping the cost of touring there, the prices of the visa. I mean, it's about 30 quid for them to come over here; it's in the thousands for us to go there.

"So, yeah, it's all doom and gloom now," Dani added. "Obviously, as everything goes in cycles as well, we're seeing a bit of a re-emergence, a bit of a reaffirmation of the whole metal community."

Financial issues are continuing to wreak havoc on the touring industry, with the economics of the business simply not adding up.

Acts of all sizes are canceling or postponing shows, with several claiming that it was "not sustainable" for them to go ahead with the tours.

For many midsized acts, ticket sales are not even enough to cover their overheads.

Last October, SHINEDOWN canceled its previously announced fall 2022 dates in continental Europe due to "economic and logistical side of touring". ANTHRAX also canceled shows in continental Europe as part of its fall 2022 touring activities, citing "ongoing logistical issues" and "costs that are out of our control."

CRADLE OF FILTH will release its first live album in over 20 years, "Trouble And Their Double Lives", on April 28, 2023 via Napalm Records. The LP was recorded between 2014 and 2019 at different performances in the USA, Europe, Australia and beyond during the band's "Cryptoriana" world tour and dates following.

Produced, mixed and mastered by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk, England with recording captured by Danny B, the brand new live offering not only features a slew of fan favorites encompassing the band's discography — such as "Nymphetamine (Fix)" , "Bathory Aria" and "Blackest Magick in Practice" — but also two bonus tracks and two entirely brand new songs, "She Is A Fire" and "Demon Prince Regent".

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, are back with their latest Sunday Lunch video. Watch below.


A message states: “This week we go back to the one where we locked Toyah up! It's time get a little bit 'Paranoid'!"







A couple of Robert and Toyah's previous videos can be viewed below:

German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN will release a special "anniversary edition" of their second album, "Sehnsucht", on June 9. The iconic 1997 LP will be made available for the first time in remastered HD sound. In addition to the singles "Du Hast" and "Engel", the album exclusively includes a new mix version of the track "Spiel Mit Mir". The elaborately reworked packaging was designed by the original artwork designer Dirk Rudolph. The CD comes in a Blu-ray-sized eight-panel digipak with a 40-page booklet and an embossed silver foil slipcase. The 40-page booklet features numerous unpublished and re-edited portrait photographs by artist Gottfried Helnwein.

Following the release of their debut album "Herzeleid" ("Heartbreak") as a "limited anniversary edition", it is time to revisit "Sehnsucht" ("Longing"),originally released in August 1997, effectively announced the arrival of the six onto the global stage. "Sehnsucht" peaked at No. 1 on the German and Austrian charts, also going Top 50 in the U.S. (it stands as the only fully German album to be certified platinum Stateside).

26 years and a new century on, it's clear that "Sehnsucht" — another 11-tracker like "Herzeleid" — indeed like all of the studio outings has lost none of its initial power. From opener, "Sehnsucht" itself, to the aforementioned "Du Hast" or the follow-up "Engel", through to closing number "Küss Mich (Fellfrosch)" ("Kiss Me (Fur Frog))", RAMMSTEIN's sophomore release sees the founding members spectacularly hitting their stride, making greater use of electronics and samples, as well as the melodic side of Till Lindemann's considerable vocal range.

That signature RAMMSTEIN sound has been given an added boost now — remastered in HD sound for the first time on CD for the "anniversary edition" of an album that can rightfully be termed "iconic". This 2023 version exclusively includes a new mix of the track "Spiel Mit Mir", and comes in a selection of exclusive, elaborately packaged formats: CD, MC, digital, plus a pair of double LPs, one black vinyl, the other white.

To millions heroes, to others villains, there's no question that "Sehnsucht" — the band's first official release in the U.S. — was the album that fully shaped who RAMMSTEIN were, what they sounded like and what they stood for. "Sehnsucht" underlined in red pen just how intriguing, and singular, they really were, and just where that collective mind was prepared to go, starting with the sleeve itself.

"Sehnsucht" anniversary edition track listing:

01. Sehnsucht
02. Engel
03. Tier
04. Bestrafe Mich
05. Du Hast
06. Bück Dich
07. Spiel Mit Mir
08. Klavier
09. Alter Mann
10. Eifersucht
11. Küss Mich (Fellfrosch)
12. Spiel Mit Mir (2023 mix)

"Hangxiety" is the latest single from Denver, Colorado's resident dirt rockers, Lost Relics. Written from the perspective of an outsider watching an already dystopian culture collapse even more, this track will grab you from the broody beginning. Driving guitars and anthemic vocals will have you shouting along in no time!


'Hangxiety' is available now digitally via Iron Head Records / Golden Robot Records. It is the first single from Lost Relics' upcoming EP, Die + Cry + Loathe, which can only be described as an attack on the banal mantras of the perpetually vacuous.


Featuring anthems of disruption, truth and existential dread, these tracks are targeting the mindless echo chambers of celebrated dimness that have become so prevalent in our narcissistic society. Prepare to Die + Cry + Loathe as you turn this one up to 11. The EP is set to release June 23.







Lost Relics formed in 2019 and have been gaining steam since the day they plugged in.


Formed from the ashes of Low Gravity, The Worth and Smolder and Burn, Marc Brooks, Jess Ellis, Jason James and Greg Mason quickly hit the ground rolling with their monstrous riffs, with breakneck changes and dual vocal delivery. 


After releasing their self-titled EP in February of 2019, they have steadily been taking the stage to open for national acts such as Howling Giant, Whores, Serial Hawk, Telekinetic Yeti, Dikaiju, Black Cobra and more.