The freshly crowned Top 10 charting band, Xandria, recently returned to the peak of the mountain with an impressive new lineup and their brand new studio album, The Wonders Still Awaiting. Once again, the pioneers of German symphonic metal enchant their fans with the captivating official lyric video for the single, “My Curse Is My Redemption”. Singer Ambre Vourvahis underlines the intimate setting with breathtaking vocals.


Xandria on “My Curse Is My Redemption”: “As many of you Xandria fans have named this song as one of your favorites from the new album, we decided to make a video for it - with beautiful pictures underlining the meaning of the lyrics: Music, art, as something that can derive from painful experiences, and then not only heal you, but also others. It is a wonderful gift for us all then.


Another musical colour from the rich palette of our album The Wonders Still Awaiting, on which each song has its very own identity and its own atmosphere. This one is symphonic for sure, but also has some straight rock vibes, and a certain 80's flavour to it. It is melancholic but also has a hopeful twist, in both the music and the lyrics.




We noticed that it is a wonderful song to play live - and we are looking forward to play that song for you on the upcoming tour!”


Watch the official lyric video for “My Curse Is My Redemption”:





Order The Wonders Still Awaiting here.





The Wonders Still Awaiting tracklisting:


"Two Worlds"
"Reborn"
"You Will Never Be Our God" (feat. Ralf Scheepers)
"The Wonders Still Awaiting"
"Ghosts"
"Your Stories I'll Remember"
"My Curse Is My Redemption"
"Illusion Is Their Name"
"Paradise"
"Mirror Of Time"
"Scars"
"The Maiden And The Child"
"Astèria"


“Two Worlds” video:





"The Wonders Still Awaiting" video:





"Ghosts" video:





"You Will Never Be Our God" video:





"Reborn" video:





Xandria is set to embark on a European tour with symphonic metal greats, Delain. Compelling the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, France and Germany in April and May, this package promises an unforgettable experience!
 



Xandria lineup:


Ambre Vourvahis - Vocals
Marco Heubaum - Guitar
Robert Klawonn - Guitar
Tim Schwarz - Bass
Dimitrios Gatsios - Drums


(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)

On April 28, UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records continue the comprehensive Rush 40th anniversary album series with new and expanded editions of the band’s decade-defining 1982 release, Signals, an album that signified how the band was in no way detached and subdivided from the ever-shifting 1980s musical landscape.


Today, the band release a new visualizer for the Signals track, "The Weapon". Check it out below:







Signals-40th Anniversary will be available to fans in three distinct configurations, including the (1) Super Deluxe Edition, (2) one-LP Picture Disc Edition, and (3) Dolby Atmos Digital Edition. There will also be a limited edition Super Deluxe box featuring eight lithographs of Neil Peart’s original hand-drawn lyrics for each song on Signals only available through the official Rush online store.


All configurations can be pre-ordered and pre-saved, here. Watch an unboxing video below.


Signals, Rush’s ninth studio album, was originally released in September 1982, and its technology-embracing riffs and rhythms, continued the forward-thinking trajectory of the acclaimed Canadian trio as it continued to chart the demands of a new decade. The album’s eight songs built upon Rush’s penchant for adapting to the flow of the times without compromising its flair for melding long-established progressive roots with radio-friendly song arrangements. Signals, co-produced by Rush with longtime band confidant Terry Brown and engineered by Paul Northfield, was the third of numerous Rush recording sessions held at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec. The band’s synergistic recording process at Le Studio had been well-established during sessions for the aforementioned Moving Pictures, as well as the sessions for that album’s predecessor, January 1980’s Permanent Waves.


“Subdivisions,” the generation-defining lead-off track on Signals, succinctly captures the angst of the perennial restless dreams of youth, and this synth-driven song subsequently became one of Rush’s most celebrated FM favorites as well as a cherished concert staple for many years to come. Next, the band shifts gears and leans back into the wide-eyed yearnings of “The Analog Kid,” a propulsive track that also reached No. 19 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Meanwhile, the quest for emotional interactivity reaches a combustive head in the connective musical tissue of “Chemistry.” Side A closes out with the fast-forward thinking of “Digital Man,” presaging our eventual reliance on the 0s and 1s that now permeate our daily lives.


Side B commences with the angular thrust of “The Weapon” (subtitled as being “Part II of Fear”), a rumination on personal apprehension and doubt that also serves as a modernized offshoot of the mob-mentality prejudices of “Witch Hunt” (a.k.a. “Part III of Fear”) from Moving Pictures. “The Weapon” also became another Rush concert favorite featuring a videoscreen-projected introduction courtesy of Count Floyd, one of Joe Flaherty’s many notable characters from SCTV. The kinetic, reggae-tinged lilt of “New World Man” peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, Rush’s singular Top 40 hit in the United States. The truly beautiful “Losing It,” a starkly honest assessment of knowing when the optimal-performance curtain is coming down and how to gracefully deal with its consequences (or not), features poignant electric violin accompaniment from guest performer Ben Mink. “Losing It” was never played onstage until Rush’s final R40 Live Tour in 2015, with Mink reprising his role at the tour’s stop in Toronto and Jonathan Dinklage of the Clockwork Angels Ensemble playing on it when the song was performed in the States. The album wraps up with the optimistic skyward views of “Countdown,” an unabashed celebratory chronicle of the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981. “Countdown” also features approved audio of the voice communications between the Columbia astronauts and ground control.


The Super Deluxe Edition includes one CD, one Blu-ray Audio, one high-quality 180-gram black-vinyl LP with new artwork from original album designer Hugh Syme in a premium tip-on jacket, and four 7-inch singles (“Subdivisions,” “Countdown,” “New World Man,” and “The Weapon (Single Edit”), all of them with new artwork from Syme. The set encompasses the Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015 remastered edition of the album for the first time on CD. The Blu-ray Audio disc contains the core album newly mixed from the original multi-tracks in 48kHz 24-bit Dolby Atmos (the second Rush album to appear in Atmos, following Moving Pictures) and 96kHz 24-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1 as done by esteemed producer/engineer Richard Chycki, alongside the previously available 48kHz 24-bit PCM Stereo mix. Also included on the Blu-ray are new animated visualizers for all eight songs, as well as two bonus remastered vintage promo videos: the high-school halls narrative of “Subdivisions” and “Countdown,” the latter of which features authorized Space Shuttle Columbia launch footage. Additionally, the LP in the Super Deluxe Edition has been cut via half-speed Direct Metal Mastering (the second Rush album to have been done as such, again following Moving Pictures) on a 180-gram audiophile black-vinyl LP, and it has been pressed at GZ Media in the Czech Republic.


The Super Deluxe Edition of Signals-40th Anniversary will also include several exclusive items, including a 40-page hardcover book with new song illustrations and new artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme and unreleased photos from the Signals Tour, along with three lenticular lithographs that transition from the original black-and-white band headshots into the original album’s “Digital Man” color headshots; four Signals Tour band lithographs; Syme’s original album cover sketch lithograph; and a double-sided 24x24-inch poster featuring Syme’s new Signals artwork on one side, and an outtake photo from the original album cover shoot on the other side. All contents are housed in a premium lift-top box, which features significantly reimagined cover artwork by Hugh Syme.


The second configuration Signals-40th Anniversary will be released in is a one-LP Picture Disc Edition. The picture disc is housed in a transparent plastic sleeve, and it showcases new Hugh Syme artwork on both album sides.


Finally, the third configuration, the Dolby Atmos Digital Edition, is the digital equivalent of Richard Chycki’s expert Atmos mix of all eight tracks from the original album.





Tracklistings:


Super Deluxe Edition:


CD - Disc 1: Original Album - Produced by Rush and Terry Brown / 2015 remaster on CD for the first time:


"Subdivisions"
"The Analog Kid"
"Chemistry"
"Digital Man"
"The Weapon"
"New World Man"
"Losing It"
"Countdown"


Blu-Ray Audio - Disc 2 (Dolby Atmos* / Dolby TrueHD 5.1* / PCM Stereo; * Previously unreleased mixes):


"Subdivisions"
"The Analog Kid"
"Chemistry"
"Digital Man"
"The Weapon"
"New World Man"
"Losing It"
"Countdown"


Bonus Promo Videos (Dolby TrueHD 5.1* / PCM Stereo; * Previously unreleased mixes):


"Subdivisions"
"Countdown"


1LP - Signals (DMM Half-Speed Mastering / Original Album - Produced by Rush and Terry Brown):


Side A


"Subdivisions"
"The Analog Kid"
"Chemistry"
"Digital Man"


Side B


"The Weapon"
"New World Man"
"Losing It"
"Countdown"
 
7" Singles (All four singles feature brand-new Hugh Syme artwork):


Single 1 - Side A:


"Subdivisions"


Single 1 - Side B:


"Red Barchetta" (Live)


Single 2 - Side A:


"Countdown"


Single 2 - Side B:


"New World Man"


Single 3 - Side A:


"New World Man"


Single 3 - Side B:


"Vital Signs" (Live)


Single 4 - Side A:


"The Weapon" (Single Edit)


Single 4 - Side B:


"Digital Man"


1LP Picture Disc Edition:


Signals (DMM Half-Speed Mastering / Original Album - Produced by Rush and Terry Brown; Both sides feature brand-new Hugh Syme artwork):


Side A
"Subdivisions"
"The Analog Kid"
"Chemistry"
"Digital Man"


Side B


"The Weapon"
"New World Man"
"Losing It"
"Countdown"


Signals (Dolby Atmos Digital Edition* / previously unreleased):


"Subdivisions"
"The Analog Kid"
"Chemistry"
"Digital Man"
"The Weapon"
"New World Man"
"Losing It"
"Countdown"


"Digital Man" visualizer:





"Chemistry" visualizer:





"The Analog Kid" visualizer:





Unboxing video:

In any serious conversation about death metal, the name Vomitory has to come up. Following their inception in 1989, between 1996 and 2011 they dropped eight of the most blistering albums the genre has spewed up, the quartet parting ways in 2013. However, the band's retirement turned out to be short lived, returning to stages in 2019 to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary, and now they drop their first new full-length in twelve years, the monstrous All Heads Are Gonna Roll.


For a first preview of the album, a video for the title track, directed by Marcus Svensson, can be viewed below.


Boasting the classic Vomitory sound with a few new twists and turns, it is everything their faithful could have hoped for, the band having taken their time before committing to it rather than rushing in. "We weren't feeling any pressure, it was rather about making a decision whether we should continue as a band, i.e. release new material, or simply put the band back in the grave again," explains drummer Tobias Gustafsson. "We wrote a few songs first just for the fun of it, to see if we still 'had it', before we made the final decision to continue and make a new full-length album."




All Heads Are Gonna Roll is best described as "fast, grinding, D-beat, fist-in-your-face death metal", it features fresh aspects that are uncommon to Vomitory records. "One thing in particular we did was to try to build distinct choruses in the songs, which is something we didn't put too much effort into earlier," explains drummer Tobias Gustafsson. "We have also spent a lot more time working with the backing vocal arrangements, which we certainly think paid off very well. It brings something new to our sound. We have also tried to write more straightforward riffs, like we did in the early 2000s."


The instruments for the record were tracked in the band's rehearsal space, on a mobile studio setup engineered by Mats Lindström, and was self-produced. This allowed them to work at their own pace in the hours that worked for them, rather than having this dictated to them as would be the case if they had rented a studio. "Although we had a lot of flexibility to choose our working hours, it was still crucial to keep the recording schedule as strict as possible, because it was so easy to say 'let's do it tomorrow instead'." For vocals, they went to Leon Music Studios and engineer Rikard Löfgren, which was where they recorded their last three albums. They brought in good friend Christian Fredriksson (Vulkan) to play some guitar solos, but otherwise it is entirely their own work. With vivid horror movie-inspired artwork - with a hint of anti-religion thrown in for good measure - All Heads Are Gonna Roll really is the whole package for death metal fans, and a stunning return to form after so many years between releases.





All Heads Are Gonna Roll, out May 26 via Metal Blade, can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:


- Digipak-CD
- 180g black vinyl
- dim gray marbled vinyl (limited to 700 copies)
- crimson red marbled vinyl (limited to 500 copies)
- clear w/ red & white splatter vinyl (limited to 300 copies)
- silver w/ black splatter vinyl (limited to 300 copies)
- red w/ purple splatter vinyl (limited to 300 copies) Sound Pollution exclusive


Cover art by Giannis Nakos.





All Heads Are Gonna Roll tracklisting:


"All Heads Are Gonna Roll"
"Decrowned"
"Ode To The Meat Saw"
"The Deepest Tomb"
"Piece By Stinking Piece"
"Raped, Strangled, Sodomized, Dead"
"Dead Man Stalking"
"Disciples Of The Damned"
"Dead World"
"Beg For Death"


"All Heads Are Gonna Roll" video:





Vomitory lineup:


Erik Rundqvist - vocals/bass
Urban Gustafsson - guitar
Peter Östlund - lead guitar
Tobias Gustafsson - drums


(Photo - Erik Hansen)

Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK will release their new album, "Endling", on September 8 via Rise Records/Petroleum Records.

The official music video for the LP's first single, "Krøterveg Te Helvete", can be seen below.

"'Krøterveg Te Helvete' is a celebration of the intolerable levels of hardships of being in a popular rock band in 2023," says KVELERTAK.

Thematically, "Endling" continues on the path of 2020's critically acclaimed "Splid" — which received press accolades from Stereogum, MetalSucks, Kerrang!, Revolver, Invisible Oranges, BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Guitar World, and more — by delving further into local lore and legend, though guitarist Vidar Landa summed it up best. "On 'Endling', we tell the stories of the extinct and dying men and women of Norway. Old and new myths, culture, and rituals come to life — the folklore that doesn't fit a TV series concept. Vikings and trolls are for television. This is the real deal."

"As the sun fell, at the time when oxen are unyoked, following the trail cut by the footsteps of Rasmus Vardal, the marauders of rock came riding again, screaming Kielland is dead, long live Kielland!," exclaims the band.

"Endling" track listing:

01. Krøterveg Te Helvete
02. Fedrekult
03. Likvoke
04. Motsols
05. Døgeniktens Kvad
06. Endling
07. Skoggangr
08. Paranoia 297
09. Svart September
10. Morild

The follow-up to 2016's "Nattesferd", "Splid" marked KVELERTAK's first release since the departure of longtime frontman Erlend Hjelvik and addition of Ivar Nikolaisen.

Landa told Ireland's Overdrive that the singer switch "was seamless in a way. We knew that Erlend wanted to quit and do other stuff," he said. "We were lucky that we had that close connection with Ivar. He's been part of KVELERTAK for a long time and has sung on a few tracks for us in the past, doing backing vocals. We've toured together in the past also so he was really the only one that we were thinking of to replace him when Erlend was first talking about leaving. Luckily, Ivar wanted to do it and it's all just fit really well, thankfully. It would have been much harder to go through the audition process and undergo that process of looking for a new vocalist. We were very lucky for the way it all happened."

Nikolaisen made his live debut with KVELERTAK in July 2018 at the Fjellparkfestivalen in Flekkefjord, Norway.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's manager has accused Mick Mars's representatives of "elder abuse" in the guitarist's legal dispute with his bandmates over their ongoing tour.

When Mars, a co-founding member of MÖTLEY CRÜE, announced his retirement from touring with the group last October as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, in his lawsuit, which was filed last Thursday (April 6) in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, the 71-year-old musician said that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

Specifically, Mars claims he was asked to sign a severance agreement that would divest him of his 25 percent stake in the band's various business interests in return for a 5 percent stake in the band's 2023 tour. This stake, the lawsuit alleges, would be reduced to 0 percent for future tours. Mick claims CRÜE's management later upped the offer from 5 percent to a 7.5 percent stake in the band's 2023 tour, which would remain contingent on Mars divesting himself from the band and their businesses. When Mars refused to sign the papers, the band took the dispute to arbitration "rather than a public lawsuit so that the public would not be aware of the deplorable manner in which they treated their 'brother' of 41 years," Mick claims in the lawsuit.

In a new interview with Variety, CRÜE's manager of 29 years, Allen Kovac, said he was so incensed by an interview Mars gave Variety after the suit was filed that he agreed to go on record addressing the musician's accusations — including whether or not the group's performances are largely on tape.

Kovac said Mars is coming out with a list of allegations "to gain leverage in a smear campaign on MÖTLEY. He's attacked the band, and he's done it in a slanderous way, with false accusations and misrepresenting the facts to the fans. Mick is not the victim. The victims are MÖTLEY CRÜE and the brand, which Mick is so prideful of." But, he added, "What's upsetting to me is not Mick, but his representatives, who have guided Mick to say and do harmful things to the brand he cares about so much, MÖTLEY CRÜE. He has a degenerative disease and people are taking advantage of him. It's called elder abuse."

He continued: "Mick's representatives have no idea what they've created, but I've stopped the band from speaking about this, so they're not gonna turn the fans against Mick. But I am going to make sure that people understand that Mick hasn't been treated badly. In fact, he was treated better than anyone else in the band, and they carried him and they saved his life."

Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS),a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. After years of performing through the pain, he informed the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE last summer that he could no longer tour with them but would still be open to recording new music or performing at residencies that did not require much travel.

In his lawsuit, Mars also alleged that he was the only band member to play 100 percent live on their most recent tour, claiming Sixx "did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour."

"Everything is live with Nikki's [Sixx] bass playing and Tommy's [Lee] drum playing," insisted Kovac in his Variety interview. "When they've used loops, they're still playing. There are augmented vocals, which were (recorded) in the studio and are backgrounds behind the two ladies who are singing and (other background vocals by) John 5 and Nikki Sixx, and before that Mick and Nikki." He described the pre-recorded vocal layering as where "you multi-track and you do gang vocals with, like, 20 people, just like all the other bands do with background vocals. They've got background vocals in the mix. That's the truth.

"But Nikki played his bass and always has," Kovac continued. "Vince [Neil] was singing better than he was before (on the latest tour). That was in reviews. Now, John 5 is playing like who John 5 is. I've heard John 5 perform and I heard Mick perform. Both are great guitar players. Unfortunately, Mick is not the same. He hasn't been the same for a long time. Which was in reviews! You see that the professionals knew. DEF LEPPARD (which alternated headlining spots on tour) knew. And (Mars) caused a train wreck up there, because he would play the wrong songs and the wrong parts, even with the guide tracks. When he played the wrong song, it wasn't Nikki Sixx that had a tape; it was the soundman bringing it into the mix so the audience could hear a song, even though the guitar player was playing a different song." He says audiences "would hear it at first, but (sound engineers) would fix it so that we could keep the song going. I heard it. I'd go to the sound board."

The manager said that, despite what he alleges was a pattern of terrible performances, the band never thought of firing Mars — until he announced that he would be coming off the road due to the difficulties of touring with Ankylosing Spondylitis. "They honored their commitment and propped him up," Kovac said. "Now there's a new guitar player. I want people to hear the difference. They're gonna play the U.S. again in a bunch of markets, and people will be able to use their own ears, just like they can use their own judgment about third-party declarations and contracts instead of spin."

After Mars filed his lawsuit on Thursday, Sixx responded on Twitter, writing: "Sad day for us and we don't deserve this considering how many years we've been propping him up. We still wish him the best and hope he find's [sic] lawyers and managers who aren't damaging him. We love you Mick."

According to Variety, Mars's attorney said he was warned by the band's lawyers that "if your client rejects the severance package that was graciously offered to him by the band, he will get next to nothing. I suggest you think about the repercussions of this decision… There is undisputed legal cause here for Mick's removal. Mick is unable to perform as a full-fledged band member. Among other things, as demonstrated during the last tour, he repeatedly forgets his chords, does not play the right song, plays chords of a different song while on stage, and so on."

Mick's filing claimed that MÖTLEY CRÜE filed an arbitration case against him in February, "essentially suing him" to prove that it had the right to fire him from the band.

"They clearly commenced an arbitration, rather than a public lawsuit, so that the public would not be aware of the deplorable manner in which they treated their 'brother' of 41 years," lawyers for Mars wrote in the petition.

Mick is suing MÖTLEY CRÜE so he can go over all the financial books and determine if he's getting what he feels he deserves.

American metal act ICED EARTH will release two new EPs on April 28 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records. Titled "Hellrider" and "I Walk Among You", these releases will include rare recordings from the transition phase between singer Tim "Ripper" Owens and predecessor/successor Matt Barlow in 2007 and 2008, a particularly exciting and eventful period in ICED EARTH's band history.

The "Hellrider" EP consists of the songs "Prophecy", "Birth Of The Wicked" and "The Coming Curse", originally from the album "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (1998),voted one of the best power metal records of all time by Metal Hammer. In late summer 2007, all three tracks were re-recorded, featuring Owens.

The second EP "I Walk Among You" includes the studio tracks "Setian Massacre", "A Charge To Keep" and "The Clouding" from the 2007 album "Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part I)", which were remixed and remastered in 2008 and feature the then-recently returned Barlow. In addition, there are the live tracks "Dark Saga", "Pure Evil" and "Iced Earth", cut at the 2008 Graspop Metal Meeting and also featuring Barlow.

The official lyric video for "The Clouding", taken from the "I Walk Among You" EP can be seen below.

ICED EARTH comments on the EPs: "Before now, these releases hadn't been issued on anything other than CD. Now they've been remastered, with new artwork, new mastering, new formats on vinyl, picture disc, and they'll be available for digital download for the first time."

Both EPs will be made available on various vinyl formats and will also be released as a two-in-one digipack CD and 2LP picture disc combo.

"Hellrider": Produced by Jon Schaffer and Jim Morris. Engineered and mixed by Jim Morris. Cover art by Monte Moore and Roy Young. Layout by Roy Young.

"I Walk Among You": Produced by Jon Schaffer and Jim Morris. Engineered and mixed by Jim Morris. Cover art by Sun Khamunaki. Layout by Roy Young.

Track list CD:

"Hellrider" (feat. Tim "Ripper" Owens)

01. Prophecy
02. Birth Of The Wicked
03. The Coming Curse

"I Walk Among You" (feat. Matt Barlow)

04. Setian Massacre
05. A Charge To Keep
06. The Clouding
07. Dark Saga (Live at Graspop 2008)
08. Pure Evil (Live at Graspop 2008)
09. Iced Earth (Live at Graspop 2008)

Track list 2LP Picture Disc:

Side A:

"Hellrider" (feat. Tim "Ripper" Owens)

01. Prophecy
02. Birth Of The Wicked
03. The Coming Curse

Side B:

• "Exclusive Artwork"

Side C:

"I Walk Among You" (feat. Matt Barlow)

01. Setian Massacre
02. A Charge To Keep
03. The Clouding

Side D:

01. Dark Saga (Live at Graspop 2008)
02. Pure Evil (Live at Graspop 2008)
03. Iced Earth (Live at Graspop 2008)

"Hellrider" vinyl track list:

Side A:

01. Prophecy
02. Birth Of The Wicked
03. The Coming Curse

Side B:

• "Exclusive Etching"

"I Walk Among You" vinyl track list:

Side A:

01. Setian Massacre
02. A Charge to Keep
03. The Clouding

Side B:

01. Dark Saga (Live at Graspop 2008)
02. Pure Evil (Live at Graspop 2008)
03. Iced Earth (Live at Graspop 2008)

"Hellrider" lineup:

Jon Schaffer - Rhythm, Lead, Bass Guitars, Backing vocals
Tim Owens - Lead Vocals
Brent Smedley - Drums
Tim Mills - Guitar Solos

"I Walk Among You" lineup:

Jon Schaffer - Rhythm, Lead, Bass Guitars, Backing vocals
Matt Barlow - Lead Vocals
Brent Smedley - Drums
Troy Seele - Guitar Solos

"Graspop Raw 2008" lineup:

Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitar, Backing vocals
Matt Barlow - Lead Vocals
Brent Smedley - Drums
Troy Seele - Lead Guitar
Freddie Vidales - Bass Guitar

Two years ago, Schaffer pleaded guilty to his role in the U.S. Capitol riot.

Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term.

As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases. In return for Schaffer's assistance, the Justice Department might later urge the judge to show leniency during his sentencing.

According to an April 2021 Justice Department press release, Schaffer has "acknowledged he is a founding lifetime member" of the right-wing Oath Keepers extremist group.

The 54-year-old musician was the first Capitol riot defendant to reach a plea deal.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

On Tuesday (April 11),the second of METALLICA's four-night residency on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", the Rock And Roll Hall of Famers performed "Holier Than Thou", a song from their self-titled 1991 album, better known as The Black Album. Check out video of the performance below.

METALLICA kicked off the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" residency Monday night (April 10) by sitting down for a chat with host Jimmy Kimmel and performing "Lux Æterna", the lead single from the band's upcoming album, "72 Seasons".

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" has the distinction of being the longest-running late night program still on the air.

Last Friday, when METALLICA first announced its "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" residency, the band wrote on social media: "In a first for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, it's 'Metallica Week,' as we will be the musical guest each night, beginning on Monday, April 10, through Thursday, April 13. We'll be playing live for all four shows, and you'll also catch us on the couch, chatting with Jimmy one night. Keep your eyes peeled for other sightings during the broadcast, as we really don't know what else Jimmy will get us involved in!"

METALLICA previously appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2021 when they read one-star reviews of their classic Black Album on the show. More recently, Kimmel hosted METALLICA's "All Within My Hands" benefit concert and auction in December.

"72 Seasons" will be released April 14 via METALLICA's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with Hetfield and Ulrich, and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track "72 Seasons" is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since 2016's "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct". The album will be released in formats, including 2LP 140g black vinyl and limited-edition variants, CD and digital.

METALLICA and Trafalgar Releasing will hold a worldwide "72 Seasons" listening party. For one night only on Thursday, April 13, "72 Seasons" will be played in full in surround sound, exclusively for cinema audiences worldwide — with every one of the new songs featuring its own music video and exclusive commentary from the band.

The "72 Seasons" global premiere sees METALLICA and Trafalgar joining forces once more, having previously worked together on the October 2019 worldwide cinematic release of "S&M²", which documented METALLICA and San Francisco Symphony reuniting to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their original "S&M" (Symphony & Metallica) concerts and releases.

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".

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


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


The newly remastered version of “The Mob Rules” is available digitally, today. Listen below.







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


The newly minted quartet debuted in 1980 with Heaven And Hell, a platinum-certified smash that won over fans of the original lineup. Halfway through the album’s tour, Ward left and was replaced by Vinny Appice. When the tour ended in 1981, the group decamped to Los Angeles and quickly recorded Sabbath’s 10th studio album, Mob Rules. Released in November 1981, the album would be certified gold. While touring for the album, the band announced plans to record several shows for what would become its first official concert album.


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


When Live Evil arrived in 1983, the double album was a commercial and critical triumph, reaching #13 in the UK and #37 on the Billboard Top 200. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, including one from influential heavy metal magazine Kerrang! that hailed it as “one of the greatest live albums of all time.”


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


Alas, the lineup split before the album was released. Iommi and Butler continued as Black Sabbath, while Dio and Appice left to record Dio’s solo debut, Holy Diver. Still, it wasn’t the final chapter for the band.


The story continued over a decade later when Dio and Appice rejoined Iommi and Butler to record 1992’s Dehumanizer. They went their separate ways yet again, only to reconvene in 2006 - under the moniker Heaven and Hell - to record three new songs. After a hugely successful world tour, the quartet released what would be its final studio album, 2009’s The Devil You Know, which entered Billboard’s Top 200 chart at #8. Shortly after the album’s debut, Dio was diagnosed with cancer, a disease that led to his passing in 2010.





Live Evil (40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) tracklistings:


CD:


CD1 (Remastered)
“E5150”
“Neon Knights”
“N.I.B.”
“Children Of The Sea”
“Voodoo”
“Black Sabbath”
“War Pigs”
“Iron Man”


CD2 (Remastered)
“The Mob Rules”
“Heaven And Hell”
“The Sign Of The Southern Cross / Heaven And Hell (Continued)”
“Paranoid”
“Children Of The Grave”
“Fluff”


CD3 (2023 Remix)
“E5150” (Live In Seattle, April 24, 1982)
“Neon Knights” (Live In Seattle, April 24, 1982)
“N.I.B.” (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
“Children Of The Sea” (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
“Voodoo” (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
“Black Sabbath” (Live In Dallas, May 12, 1982)
“War Pigs / Drum Solo” (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
“Iron Man” (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)


CD4 (2023 Remix)
“The Mob Rules” (Live In Seattle, April 24, 1982)
“Heaven And Hell” (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
“The Sign Of The Southern Cross / Heaven And Hell (Continued)” (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
“Paranoid” (Live In San Antonio, May 13, 1982)
“Children Of The Grave” (Live In Fresno, April 18, 1982)
“Fluff” (Live In Fresno, April 18, 1982)





LP:


Side One
 “E5150”
“Neon Knights”
“N.I.B.”
“Children Of The Sea”
“Voodoo”


Side Two
“Black Sabbath”
“War Pigs”
“Iron Man”


Side Three
“The Mob Rules”
“Heaven And Hell”


Side Four
“The Sign Of The Southern Cross”
“Heaven And Hell” (Reprise)
“Paranoid”
“Children Of The Grave”
“Fluff”


- 40th Anniversary Remaster (LPs 1-2)
- 40th Anniversary New Mix (LPs 3-4)


"The Mob Rules" (live):





(Photo - Mark Weiss)

Fen are now unleashing the fierce video clip “Scouring Ignorance”, the first single-track taken from the East Anglian's forthcoming album Monuments To Absence, which is scheduled for release on July 7, 2023. Preorders available here.


"We originally wanted to pen a piece from a perspective of strength and self-actualization, addressing the idea of literally scouring ignorance from the world through determination and drive", mastermind Frank "The Watcher" Allain writes. "We swiftly became aware of the futility of such a notion and instead, 'Scouring Ignorance' confronts ignorance itself as an almost tangible force – an infectious, quasi-elemental power that sweeps across our reality. Enlightenment, reason, empathy, and rationality are scoured from thought by the corrosive nature of ignorance itself, willingly embraced by the hapless herds that infest this world. This is a more realistic way to address the manifestations of ignorance swirling around us, reflected in the feverish gaze of foaming-mouthed demagogues and lapped up by the multitudes of the witless. Accompanied by one of our most intense compositions to date and placing the piece as the opener of the album we feel is a defiant and determined statement."


The colour of any Fen album always provides a dead giveaway to its conceptual and musical direction. The cover artwork of the East Anglian's seventh full-length Monuments To Absence features an abundance of the colour red for the first time in the band's history.




Psychologically red is an energetic colour often associated with anger or warnings. And indeed, Fen describe Monuments To Absence as an expression of anger, hopelessness and despair – anger at the desperate futility of a human species hell-bent on self-destruction, cosseted in a shroud of wilful ignorance with all of the resulting hopelessness and despair that this entails.


The themes of anger and despair are also reflected in the musical direction of Monuments To Absence, which is audibly harsher and blacker compared to its predecessor The Dead Light (2019). Yet Fen have not merely shifted the balance back from the 'post-' to the black metal part of their music. The English trio views Monuments To Absence as a crystalline fusion of all of the elements that constitute their sound delivered with power, focus, and intent.


That Monuments To Absence is undoubtedly Fen's most extreme recording to date does not mean, the band has abandoned their atmospheric glory with spatial clean sections, heaving doom, and full-blown riffs, augmenting this furious expression of despairing rage.





Tracklisting:


“Scouring Ignorance”
“Monuments To Absence”
“Thrall”
“To Silence And Abyss We Reach”
“Truth Is Futility”
“Eschaton’s Gift”
“Wracked”
“All Is Lost”


“Scouring Ignorance” video:

Following their recent announcement of joining Nuclear Blast Records, Southern Californian melodic death mongers, Exmortus, have revealed plans to release their sixth studio album, Necrophony, on August 25.


Available for pre-order now, the record four years in the making finds the shredders at a new creative peak, re-born in the isolation of the pandemic and wielding a master craft of metallic savagery.


Commenting on the impending record, guitarist/vocalist Conan says: "Necrophony was an album title idea for as long as I can remember. This Symphony of the Dead couldn't be realized for a collection of songs until now. Finally, we have our darkest and most classically inspired work yet, with artwork by the great Toha Mashudi to match perfectly. We returned to Sharkbite Studios to have the mighty wizard that is Zack Ohren aid us again in forging our metal, and resulted in the finest steel we're all proud to wield on the battlefield."




Today, the band has released the new single "Mind Of Metal," which can be streamed here. Watch the music video for "Mind Of Metal" below.


Conan says of the song: "'Mind Of Metal' is a great compliment to our previous single 'Oathbreaker,' in that it has contrasting rhythms and structure, but shares lyrical inspiration by Tolkien. It's a tribute to the wizard Saruman and other like characters in the legendarium, for their will to power and domination by crafty and industrial means. This song features groove, fast licks, and some of our favorite riffs ever written. Can't wait to perform it live!"





Necrophony tracklisting:


"Masquerade"
"Mask Of Red Death"
"Oathbreaker"
"Mind Of Metal"
"Storm Of Strings"
"Test Of Time"
"Darkest Of Knights"
"Prophecy"
"Children Of The Night"
"Beyond The Grave"
"Overture"
"Necrophony"
"Moonchild"


"Mind Of Metal" video:





"Oathbreaker" lyric video:





Exmortus will take their shred show on a West Coast tour this month with Paladin and Graveshadow, starting tonight in Santa Cruz, CA. Tickets are on sale now.


Tour dates:


April
12 - Santa Cruz, CA - Blue Lagoon
13 - Eugene, OR - John Henry's
14 - Spokane, WA - The Big Dipper
15 - Vancouver, BC - Hyperspace Festival
17 - Eureka, CA - Savage henry Comedy Club
18 - Sacramento, CA - Old Ironsides
19 - Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction


(Photo - Hugo Juarez; Juarez Photography, Heavy Defender)

Grammy Award-nominated Sevendust are back with the announcement of their 14th studio album, Truth Killer, slated for worldwide release via the band’s new label, Napalm Records.


Truth Killer is the follow-up to the band’s 2020 release, Blood & Stone, that saw the band gain newfound notoriety with their cover of Soundgarden’s “The Day I Tried To Live”. Truth Killer showcases that the original and current lineup - comprised of Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery, John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose - sound as relevant today as they did on their 1997 self-titled debut. Producer, friend and collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette returns to produce Truth Killer which is now available for pre-order in multiple configurations.


From the introspective opening of “I Might Let The Devil Win” to the classic Sevendust sound of “Fence”, the twelve songs on Truth Killer demonstrate the diverse style that has won the band a legion of loyal fans. “Truth Killer”, “Everything” and “Holy Water” combine elements of the classic Sevendust sound with modern updates, pointing their lyrical lens at the world today.




The first song released is the album closer “Fence”, out now and accompanied by a claymation music video directed and animated by Ollie Jones. The video tells the story of a chemical leak during a Sevendust show that causes the band to turn in to zombies - but Sevendust will live forever. Watch below.





Truth Killer will be available in the following formats:


- 1CD 6p. Digisleeve
- 1LP Gatefold Vinyl Black       
- 1LP Gatefold Vinyl Mint - North American retail Only           
- 1LP Gatefold Vinyl *Die Hard* Marbled Blue/White/Black (Slipmat, Record Butler) - Napalm Mail Order Only, limited to 300
- 1LP Gatefold Vinyl Glow In The Dark - Band Mail Order Only, limited to 500
- 1LP Gatefold Vinyl Curacao Transparent - Band Mail Order Only, limited to 500
- 1LP Gatefold Vinyl Gold - Band Mail Order Only, limited to 500
- 1LP Gatefold Vinyl Orange Transparent - Band Mail Order Only, limited to 500
- Music Cassette Neon Yellow Transparent - Napalm Mail Order Only
- 1CD 6p. Digisleeve + Shirt "Truth Killer" Bundle - Napalm Mail Order Only
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Truth Killer tracklisting:


"I Might Let The Devil Win"
"Truth Killer"
"Won’t Stop The Bleeding"
"Everything"
"No Revolution"
"Sick Mouth"
"Holy Water"
"Leave Hell Behind"
"Superficial Drug"
"Messenger"
"Love And Hate"
"Fence"


"Fence" video:





Having a reputation as being one of the best live bands and recently making headlines as the band you “don’t ever, ever, ever want to go on after,” Sevendust will be heading out on tour next month opening for longtime friends Alter Bridge. The band has also been confirmed for the WJRR Earthday Birthday 2023 (April 22), WDHA’s Rock The Rock Fest (April 28) and Sick New World 2023 (May 13). As a band who loves to bring the music to their fans live, more dates will be announced in the future and 2023 /2024 will be busy years for Sevendust.


More information on all upcoming tour dates and ticket and VIP info can be found here.


(Photo - Chuck Brueckmann)

Steve Lukather and The Players Club / Mascot Label Group have announced the release of a new studio album, Bridges, on June 16. Today, they present the lead track, “When I See You Again”. View a lyric video for the song below, and pre-order the album here.


His ninth solo album, Bridges, could not be more accurately titled. Luke shares, “I see it as a bridge between my solo music and Toto Music. The fact that Joseph Williams, David Paich and I wrote most of the record, and the fact I invited many of the old Toto gang to come and play, co-writers like Randy Goodrum and Stan Lynch brings all this together. It also proves that most of my old pals and I are still great friends, and I wanted to do a record ‘in the style of,' as Toto will never record another studio album. This is as close as we will get.” He continues, “We still love writing and creating and recording together, and we will no doubt continue to work with each other on our respective solo works. It's complicated, and at the age I am now, I do NOT wish to do anything complicated.”


Amongst the repertoire recorded, “Far From Over” is a co-write with his eldest son Trevor. Luke reflects, “It’s funny…when he was born 35 years ago, I looked into his eyes before I cut the cord and said to myself, 'I wonder IF he will follow in my footsteps?' He sure did! It is a joy beyond belief cause he really is f*cking good! I wish I could say I taught him everything but I didn't. He is the only one of my four kids that has gotten into music (so far), and made it his life. He has a natural gift that one can’t learn. I could not be prouder than I am.”







Over the course of Luke’s career, both Stan Lynch and Randy Goodrum have frequently co-written with him. On Bridges, both of these prolific writers once again have collaborated. Lynch, of Heartbreakers fame co-wrote multiple songs with Lukather / Paich / Williams, and Goodrum with Luke alone on “All Forevers Must End.” As Luke offers, “These guys are the guys that come in and write the lyrics way better than me. I knew they would bring it as always and they did. They are also dear friends as well, and we love working together. I do have input to the lyrics. I give them ideas of what I wanna say and they articulate my feelings into the music, and then perhaps once I see their first drafts we talk about it, edit here and there, and the end result is what we have on this record.”


Bridges presents deep roots and branches from Toto’s family tree. Past and present members contribute on both the writing and performance side. Joseph Williams has writing credits on six of the songs, while David Paich does on four. Williams performs on all recordings contributing background vocals, synths, percussion or keys pending on the track, while Paich plays keyboards on five. Drummer Simon Phillips performed on “Far From Over,” “Not My Kind Of People,” “When I See You Again,” and “Burning Bridges.” While Shannon Forrest returned to play on “Someone,” “All Forevers Must End,” “Take My Love” and “I’ll Never Know.” Both old friend and former member Lee Sklar and Gov’t Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson perform bass on a couple of tracks, while Luke himself performs on several others. On “Far From Over,” Trev Lukather performs guitars, bass, background vocals, and synths. Current Toto keyboardist Steve Maggiora co-wrote “Take My Love” and performs all keys alongside singing background vocals on that track. Luke shares, “Some people think cause someone has left the band or moved on to their own thing that we stopped being friends or stopped wanting to work together. I think this proves that is not the case, and I wanted to make music with my old friends, alongside having a laugh or two. It was a lot of fun and it also has a sound that is familiar.”


When it comes to David Paich and Joseph Williams, the three remain close to this day. Paich remains the musical director of Toto although he no longer travels appearing at every show. Williams and Lukather are the Dogs of Oz, helming the career of the band in to the future. As Luke shares, “I have been working with both these guys since I was a kid. I revere their talent, and wanted to take pressure off myself. Joe produced the record so I could just be an artist. Paich is the guy that not only taught me how to make records, but he was the one that encouraged my songwriting in Toto, and really pushed me in every musical sense. And, I love these guys and it is so easy. We all like the same stuff and have worked together for most of our lives. It was like going back to summer camp with my best pals!” He continues, “Joe is a remarkable Producer and songwriter as is Dave so…I was able to relax and enjoy the process. Hence it may have a 'familiar' sound or style when this is all mixed together. Not intentionally…it's just what happens when we create together.”





Tracklisting:


"Far From Over"
"Not My Kind Of People"
"Someone"
"All Forevers Must End"
"When I See You Again"
"Take My Love"
"Burning Bridges"
"I'll Never Know"


"When I See You Again" lyric video:





Over the course of five decades Steve Lukather has placed an indelible stamp on pop culture. Alongside his tenure as the only member of Toto to never take a hiatus from the band, he has performed on thousands of albums as a session musician. Amongst these musical contributions are some of the most successful, influential and enduring records of all-time including Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Additionally, he released a memoir titled The Gospel According To Luke which was a global best-seller. He continues to be Toto’s band leader, a long tenured member of Ringo’s All-Starr Band, and a solo artist.


Toto has enjoyed a celebrated global resurgence over the last decade. Through 2022-2023, the band will perform in front of close to a million fans. Their repertoire has 3 Billion+ streams at Spotify alone, with “Africa” counting for one billion plays on its own. Album sales exceed 40 Million copies. Toto is one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles, and 45 years in to a career enjoy a multi-generational fan base and still selling out shows around the world. Toto was inducted in to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.


For more information on Steve Lukather visit stevelukather.com.


(Photos - Alex Solca)

On June 2, Omnium Gatherum will release their new Slasher EP via Century Media Records.


Today, the band has shared its thoroughly metallic cover of the classic '80s dance pop anthem "Maniac" from the Flashdance film.


Watch the video, produced by Coldstore Productions, below.




Vocalist Jukka Pelkonen comments, "This classic pop song is shapeshifting into the Omnium Gatherum style of modern melodic death metal blast. Here is something to dance and headbang to in summertime!"


Guitarist and clean vocalist Markus Vanhala adds, "I heard it from the start with this classic '80s banger — that it had all the usual OG elements there. Our band just had to play this and turn this into an OG song! Get your upcoming summer spiced with this one and it's gonna be a good one!"


The band has also offered fans the opportunity to possibly choose a new track that they might cover. Fans can select a song from a list, as well as a mood and style that this new cover song could have. It will eventually be released in one of their future formats. Take advantage of this fantastic chance by pre-saving the Slasher EP here and pre-ordering Slasher here. The EP is available in the following formats:


- Ltd. CD digipak
- Black vinyl
- Digital EP


Mixed by Jens Bogren and mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios, Slasher is modern melodic death metal of the highest caliber. This 4-track EP includes a cover version of the 80s classic "Maniac", plus the first studio recordings with new guitarist, Nick Cordle. After 25+ years, Omnium Gatherum proves once again that they're still leading the pack!





Slasher tracklisting:


"Slasher"
"Maniac" (Cover Version)
"Sacred"
"Lovelorn"


"Maniac" video:





"Slasher" video:





Omnium Gatherum lineup:


Jukka Pelkonen - Vocals
Markus Vanhala - Guitars and Clean Vocals
Nick Cordle - Guitar
Aapo Koivisto - Keyboards
Mikko Kivistö - Bass and Clean Vocals
Atte Pesonen - Drums


(Photo - Terhi Ylimäinen)

UK-based melodic metal band The Raven Age, which features Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris's son George Harris, will release their new album, Blood Omen, on July 7 via Music For Nations / Sony.


A music video for the new single, "Serpents Tongue", can be viewed below.


Lead singer Matt “MJ” James muses "'Serpents Tongue', right from the off felt like a very special track for us. It’s that perfect balance between melodic and heaviness. There are so many different styles going on, but they all work and complement each other as a whole. When I first heard that lyrical hook that starts off the chorus, I knew we were onto a winner! It gets stuck in your head.”




Lead guitarist George Harris adds "'Serpents Tongue' is one of our favorites from the album and we knew it’d be a single straight away. Conceptually, the song is about deceit and lies, how you can only truly trust yourself and the loneliness that comes with that.”


The video finds the band performing the song in a ghoulish mansion to soundtrack a demonic dinner party hosted by the Raven King.


James reminisces: “The video had to compliment the track and give it the right representation. We knew we had to go even further creatively than we had done previously (which was difficult). I had this whacky concept of an Adams family-style dinner party, a meeting of the weird and wonderful but unsure if we’d be able to pull it off… luckily with a great team around us in Music For Nations and the support and tools from Dark fable media we feel we’ve brought the vision to life and created something pretty special that does the song justice.”





Blood Omen is the follow-up to the band's 2019 studio album, Conspiracy, which achieved over 35 million streams and a Top 30 Billboard Radio single "Fleur De Lis".


Pre-order the album here.





Tracklisting:


"Changing Of The Guard"
"Parasite"
"Serpents Tongue"
"Essence Of Time"
"Nostradamus"
"Forgive & Forget"
"The Journey"
"War In Heaven"
"Tears Of Stone"


"Parasite" video:





This summer, The Raven Age will be touring arenas across Europe and the UK with Iron Maiden. They will also be performing at Germany’s Rock am Ring, Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting, Return Of The Gods Festival in Italy, Sweden Rock, and Metal Days in Slovenia.


Full list of tour dates here.


(Photo - John McMurtrie)

Pride Of Lions, the revered melodic rock band featuring legendary songwriter and The Ides Of March member Jim Peterik, together with powerhouse vocalist Toby Hitchcock, are back with their seventh studio album, Dream Higher, out on June 16.


Once again, Peterik shows why he is a world class songwriter and musician on this new batch of stunning melodic rockers. And his partner in crime in Pride Of Lions, the talented Toby Hitchcock is in as fine a vocal form as he has ever been, belting out these songs with the authority and finesse that only he can.


The first single from the album, "Blind To Reason", is out today. Watch a video for the track below, and pre-order/save Dream Higher here.




Jim Peterik has never lost his verve for melodic rock, a style of music he inarguably helped forge. Pride Of Lions showcases everything that you should love about the genre: powerful vocals, thanks to Toby Hitchcock, and unforgettable melodies.


Since the start of Pride of Lions, Jim Peterik wanted to take listeners back to the glory of his best, most successful songs. His name is rightfully in the pantheon of great songwriters in melodic rock due to his love for melody and driving rock. His phenomenal rise to the top was borne on the back of amazing songs he co-wrote like “Eye Of The Tiger” from the film Rocky III ( an indelible classic), “The Search Is Over”, “High On You”, and “I Can’t Hold Back”. Further hits from films followed like “Burning Heart” from Rocky IV and Jim co-wrote the theme song of the seminal animation classic Heavy Metal with Sammy Hagar. A long lasting and fruitful relationship started in 1980 between Jim and the southern-rock group .38 Special, where he co-wrote their platinum hits “Hold On Loosely”, “Caught Up In You”, “Wild-Eyed Southern Boys”, “Fantasy Girl”, and “Rockin’ Into The Night”. Jim has also written with the beloved Lynyrd Skynyrd.





Dream Higher tracklisting:


"Blind To Reason"
"Dream Higher"
"My Destiny"
"Find Somebody To Love"
"Another Life"
"Renegade Heart"
"Driving And Dreaming"
"Through It All"
"Everything To Live For"
"Generational"


"Blind To Reason" video:





Lineup:


Jim Peterik- Lead & Background Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar
Toby Hitchcock - Lead & Background Vocals
Ed Breckenfeld - Drums & Percussion
Mike Aquino - Lead & Power Guitar
Bob Lizik - Bass
Christian Cullen - Keyboards & Orchestration

During an appearance on the "Into The Combine" podcast, veteran metal bassist Steve DiGiorgio spoke about his work on MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!"

The longtime TESTAMENT bassist temporarily stepped in to record the bass tracks on MEGADETH's follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" in the summer of 2021, shortly after the exit of David Ellefson. With the kick-off of MEGADETH's tour a couple of months later, MEGADETH alumnus James LoMenzo rejoined the MEGADETH family as permanent bass player.

Regarding how he approached his playing on "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!", Steve said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Riff-wise, you know the riff style, so it wasn't an over-the-top, brutal, technical death metal band that doesn't ever repeat any line. The riff information was in my wheelhouse, obviously, but what I realized is… From my background and my road that took me there, I wasn't equipped all the way to be in an arena that big. The pressure was huge. And maybe a lot of that was self-imposed, but that kept me on my best behavior. And I put my nose to the grindstone, and I wanted to leave a good mark. I wanted Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] to be proud of his decision. He picked me, and he told me on the phone he didn't really have a list [of other bass players that he could reach out to]. He's, like, 'If you can't, I don't have the two and three written down.' He goes, 'I've gotta kind of start over.' And so I when I got off the phone, [I went], 'Holy shit. That's huge. I'm it.' So I tried to stop saying 'Why me?' and say, 'Okay. It's me. Let's go. Let's do this the right way.'"

Steve continued: "It was brutal. But the cool thing was [Dave] treated me awesomely. He gave me absolutely all the room to learn the stuff. I can't say I didn't hear the songs before I got [to the studio], because he did send me a folder and I could listen to the songs. Even just asking me to do it, they were already at that point, so it wasn't, like, 'Yeah, four months later we'll…' No. It was, like, 'As soon as you say 'Yeah', get here.' So I didn't have any time to sit down and work out anything. And I didn't really want to anyway. I mean, it's MEGADETH, so you weren't gonna get [DEATH's] 'Individual Thought Patterns' [-style playing] on that album. I'm not that naïve. I'm, like, 'I'm going in to do MEGADETH. I know more or less what he wants. He wants MEGADETH bass.' But he did choose me. So I'm, like, 'Let's see what he wants. So let me just go into this completely unprepared and see what he wants.' And he was fucking great.

"A lot of people — and I've heard it, and you probably have heard it; Dave [Mustaine] stories are out there and everything," DiGiorgio added. "My experience, I can't validate any of that, because I was in the studio for, like, 13 days and gone. And for every single day I was there, he was an awesome human being. We got along great. We played great. He pushed me and he pulled me, but when it was done, he let me know it was done. It was a big high five and a hug, and we had a celebratory meal. I wanted to cook for him, but when you're there doing bass, it's, like, you've gotta do bass. So one night I managed to… they were working on something else and I cooked something, so we had a nice DiGiorgio feast.

"But it went very well," Steve reiterated. "[Dave] was very generous, very gracious. He gave me space to do stuff. And I told him flat out: 'Look, I want to use a pick. I know I need to use a pick.' I said, 'But I'm not super proficient with it. It's not my strong point.' I'm not a predominantly pick player. I break one out on a TESTAMENT song here and there. It's more like a novelty. Well… there's a sonic benefit to it. There's a [TESTAMENT] song called 'Electric Crown'; it's just got this steady rock kind of thing. I [use a] pick on that one, and there's a couple of others here and there. So one percent of the time I use a pick. I use a pick for one song for just the effect of it, but very little. And I told [Dave] that. I said, 'Hopefully we don't have this big hole in the road or whatever.' And he said, 'However it comes out of you, that's what we need.' And so I did a little mixture. A lot of the speed stuff, I could get that thing going and then nail it down, and that was the majority of it… And he didn't stare at me or nothing, so sometimes I'd put the pick down and I'd play it, and I'd see that nod, like, 'Okay, that sounds good.' So there's a few parts on there where I got to do my thing like that. But that's how he was, like, 'Whatever works for you.' And so that whole, 'Was he a tyrant in the studio? Did he force you…? Did he make you…?' No, he was fucking great to work with. So it turned out to be cool. It was a fucking amazing experience. I had to pinch myself when I drove away from that studio, like, 'Holy crap. I did it. I made it out alive.' But that was self-imposed. I don't mean 'I made it out alive…' They made sure I stayed alive. They took great care of me. The management team, Dave, his engineer Chris and his assistant Brian there, everyone was awesome. And I've got nothing but good [things] to say about that session. It was, like I said, two weeks — in and out. But it went great."

When Mustaine first confirmed that DiGiorgio laid down the bass tracks on "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" in March 2022, he told SiriusXM Liquid Metal: "We obviously had that weird little… Well, it wasn't little, but we had something happen that we needed to make a decision on, and it kind of set us back a little bit timing-wise, because we needed to recalibrate and find someone to perform the bass parts. And we found someone that I thought was the perfect fit for us while I was trying to decide what to do."

He continued: "It was a good choice. I didn't think about anybody else at the time. I was thinking about 'who's the hottest guy out there that can play these new songs?' Because [Mustaine's son] Justis told me one of the fastest songs we've ever written is on this record. And I don't care what anybody says — bass may be less strings than a guitar, but it's difficult to play. If you're like me, I have a real hard time playing the bass. I can play it, and I wrote the riff for 'Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?', for Pete's sake, but, you know, having to jam some of those parts that fast, it just kills your fingers.

"It took a little bit of some getting to know each other," Mustaine added. "We hung out and had some meals. And he and Dirk [Verbeuren, MEGADETH drummer] and Kiko [Loureiro, MEGADETH guitarist] and [engineer] Chris Rakestraw got along really well. We had talked about what he was doing with TESTAMENT and stuff like that, and we just all kind of realized that it was perfect the way that it was, and now's time for me to find someone who's gonna join MEGADETH, and I'm not gonna hurt another band in the process."

There has been speculation about DiGiorgio's involvement in the new MEGADETH LP since July 2021, based on a Cameo video Mustaine recorded in which he offered the first glimpse of the bassist that re-recorded David Ellefson's bass tracks on the much-anticipated MEGADETH effort. In the clip, the MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist could be seen walking around a studio where he showed Rakestraw sitting behind the studio console as well as the mystery bassist "hiding behind the chair on the floor." Although it was impossible to tell who the bassist was based on the video, the musician appeared to be using the same brand of Ibanez bass played by DiGiorgio.

DiGiorgio is widely renowned as a pioneer on the fretless bass in heavy metal music, having played with TESTAMENT, DEATH and SADUS, among others. Within his genre, Steve is respected for his playing skills, versatility and incredible technique. He has more than 40 studio album recordings and over 20 years of touring the world.

Ellefson laid down his bass tracks on MEGADETH's sixteenth LP in May 2020 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee. A short time later, he raved about his performance on the record, telling the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire" that his musical chemistry with Verbeuren was comparable to the interplay between Geddy Lee and Neil Peart on classic RUSH albums. "I feel like on the new MEGADETH record, me and Dirk have those same moments," he said. "It's MEGADETH — it's not RUSH, obviously — but in the field of what we do, there were these moments that I was just going, 'Oh, my God.' This is me as a kid going, 'This is my Geddy/Neil moment right here.'"

In June 2021, Mustaine announced during an episode of his Gimme Radio program "The Dave Mustaine Show" that Ellefson's bass tracks would not be used on the new MEGADETH LP.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest departure.

Last September, TESTAMENT's Chuck Billy said that he didn't think DiGiorgio "would have lasted" very long as a member of MEGADETH had he been asked to join the band. Billy discussed DiGiorgio's involvement with the new MEGADETH album during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Asked if he was concerned that TESTAMENT might lose its bass player to MEGADETH, Chuck said: "Well, of course. We're definitely always concerned that… We've had so many lineup changes, it wouldn't faze us. But Steve's an important part of the band; he was a great addition when he came back. And we went through a lot together personally. So, of course, when you get the opportunity to play on it, and I'm sure they were courting him to join the band. I'm glad he made the decision to stay with us."

Billy continued: "I think his intentions always were just, 'I'll go record the record,' 'cause that's what Steve does — he plays on a lot of people's albums. So we kind of took it as that at first. And I thought, 'That's what he does.' 'Go for it, Steve. Just don't leave.' [Laughs] And I'm sure they asked him to join the band. And he decided, 'You know, I've been with my bros here for a long time. I'm gonna stick with my bros.'"

According to Chuck, Verbeuren "had a lot of influence getting Steve" the MEGADETH recording gig because Dirk is "really good friends with Steve and they've done a lot of projects together." However, Billy added that he doesn't "personally think Steve would have lasted in the band. I know Steve very well, and I know Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] very well, and I'm sure the two worlds would have collided," Chuck said with a laugh.

In August 2022, Mustaine discussed his decision to hire DiGiorgio to lay down the bass tracks on "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" during an appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. Asked what he appreciates most about DiGiorgio and LoMenzo musically and as people, Mustaine said: "I think that both of them are really fun people to be around. Although I didn't know Steve DiGiorgio as much as I know James LoMenzo, I found him to be just as enjoyable to be around as James was."

Referencing the fact that Ellefson was fired from the band in May 2021, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter, Mustaine said: "I think the band and everybody that's associated with us, that period that we went through was a little touchy. So we wanted to do the right thing. And trying to find the replacement for anybody, I think, wasn't the right thing to do at the time because nobody really knew all the facts and I certainly didn't want to poach anybody. Not from TESTAMENT — they're my friends — and I don't think from anybody."

Mustaine, who was a member of METALLICA for 11 months before being fired in 1983, continued: "As great as Steve is, I remember what it felt like when we [METALLICA] went up and poached Cliff [Burton] from TRAUMA. I mean, granted, the band TRAUMA wasn't that good, but there are still guys in the band and their lives were changed when that happened.

"I tend to believe that… You've gotta ask yourself, 'Did he jump or was he pushed?' And I like to make sure, if I was gonna hire somebody, that I wasn't stealing him from anybody."

In a new interview with Joe Rock of the WBAB 102.3 radio station, QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton was asked how hard it is for him and his bandmates to come up with a setlist considering that they have sixteen studio albums' worth of material to choose from. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):"It's extremely difficult. It's like pulling teeth — trying to figure out what the band wants to play and what the fans wanna hear. It's a balance of all of it. And we listen to the fans a lot. They're kind of our guidance into some of the things. But you've gotta make it interesting for the musicians. But you've gotta put a hit in there and something new as well. So that's kind of our philosophy — let's promote the album in a way that we can still kind of have some kind of a balanced setlist that everybody can enjoy. So it's not easy."

QUEENSRŸCHE kicked off its 2023 U.S. tour on March 3 at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida. Support on the trek is coming from former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman, with TRAUMA.

QUEENSRŸCHE's 18-song set includes no less than five songs from the band's sixteenth studio album, "Digital Noise Alliance", which came out last October via Century Media. The record was once again helmed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with QUEENSRŸCHE on 2015's "Condition Hüman" and 2019's "The Verdict" LPs.

Last December, QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre told Canada's The Metal Voice about the band's setlist for the current tour: "We're gonna play a nice handful of songs from ['Digital Noise Alliance'] and the last three records. And then I think we're talking about doing some pretty deep cuts that have never been done since the beginning of the band and maybe something that hasn't been done for sure at least maybe since I joined the band. And then you'll have a few staple songs, but I'm pretty sure that this setlist is gonna be really for the diehards that follow everything we do, because you're gonna have a huge chunk of my era with the band being played. If you [think] you're just gonna get a lot of the old stuff that we kind of usually play, a lot of that stuff is not gonna happen on this tour. So I'm looking forward to it."

Wilton previously discussed QUEENSRŸCHE's 2023 tour in an interview with Rock Show Critique. He said: "It's a full 'Digital Noise Alliance' headline tour. We're really excited to get out there and get touring again. We're rebuilding and establishing again, because for us it's a bit of the Wild West. There's a lot of congestion out there, there's a lot of bands touring, and to put a tour together like this, we're really happy that we can get out there and do a full tour."

"We appreciate the fans, their input," he continued. "For us, I think we're gonna make this different than previous tours 'cause we're really gonna mix up the setlist. So, for people saying, 'Oh, they're just gonna play the same stuff again,' they'll be surprised.

"You've gotta keep a balance, 'cause you've got the hardcore fans that wanna hear the deep cuts and they wanna hear the new stuff," Wilton explained. "And then you've got the casual fans that just wanna hear the hits, the staples from the legacy albums. But it's a headline set, so we have 90 minutes. There's a lot of wiggle room in there for some different stuff."

Guitarist Mike Stone, who rejoined QUEENSRŸCHE in 2021, contributed guitar solos to the band's new studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July 2021 that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past six years, drummer Casey Grillo has been filling in for original QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Wilton and Jackson filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group's assets to his own personal benefit.

Original Britny Fox guitarist Michael Kelly Smith recently guested on the 80's Glam Metalcast and looked back on the history of the band, as well as the future. Check out the interview below.


On what he has been up to in recent years and future plans for the band 


Smith: "I was laying low for quite awhile. I had other interest and different things going on. I had been teaching guitar forever, so I picked that up again after the Britny Fox shows didn’t pan out in the 2000’s. My wife and I also rescue thoroughbred horses. That’s kept me busy as well, taking care of them. I have been writing a lot too. Recently been thinking about getting the original band back together to do some some shows this year to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of our debut album. I know Dean was interested in doing something for the 25th Anniversary, but that never panned out for whatever reason. I have been getting a lot of requests from people to do this and we can’t wait forever. So I decided this would be be a great year to do some shows and ultimately, do a new album. I think there is a better chance of this happening now than ever before. I think it’s looking good."




Looking back on their musical influences and the voice of Dean Davidson 


Smith: "Since we came out in the later 80’s, people thought we were just another 80’s band. With us, we had to have influences from somewhere - it was evident that the 70’s is where those influences were going to come from. In our case, we all grew up w/ KISS and Aerosmith, Nazareth, Sweet, Zeppelin, Montrose, you name it. Those sounds really came through, because all of us were influenced by all the same bands. For the vocals - Dean had the ability to sing in a lower clean register or a higher screaming register. He was able to do both really well. It was an attribute for us, because it sounded like two different singers. We got two for the price of one!!! Coming out of Cinderella, it was luck finding someone who could do what Dean could do. We were super fortunate to have him around when he was." 


On their second album, Boys In Heat 


Smith: "I love all the albums we did, but the first two have a real charm to them. They show the development of the band, but still stayed true to what we were all about. The biggest difference on Boys In Heat wasn’t the songs, but the sound production. It has a slicker production. So yeah, I love that album. To this day, when I listen to 'Standing In The Shadows', our cover of 'Hair of The Dog', 'Dream On', 'She’s So Lonely', 'Long Road', really the whole album, I feel we really had our act together on that one. Dean quitting the band when he did put a screeching halt to everything though. Had we released 'Hair of The Dog' as a single and had a straight up rock video, that probably would have put that album way over platinum. I thought we did a great cover of it and it was already a proven song, it was already a hit. We questioned the album cover for Boys In Heat, we weren’t happy with it all. I just recently found the original artwork that was done when the album was called Fuel The Fire. It was really cool. At the eleventh hour, the label didn’t like that artwork or the title. They told us we needed a new title and new artwork. We weren’t happy with that decision at all. Dean ended up throwing out the title Boys In Heat,  because he originally had a band with that same name. The label thought it was great, but we were cringing. A week later, they showed us the album art they created for that title and what you see is what we got! We were definitely not happy with it, but it is what it is." 


On Dean leaving and doing the Blackeyed Susan album 


Smith: "The reason Blackeyed Susan sounded they way they did, is because Dean had those kinds of songs kicking around. He admitted to me that he had people in his ear saying that he didn’t need us and he could expand his musical horizons. That’s always gonna happen. Unfortunately, he was swayed by others opinions who had their own best interests at heart. I think it’s pretty obvious it was a mistake. Dean is really good at what he does, because he can write songs that could be on a Black Crowes type of album or in any kind of genre. Yeah a third Britny Fox album with Dean would not have been the Blackeyed Susan album. I believe we would have stayed in our lane and done a straight up hard rock album." 


Bite Down Hard and the rise of grunge 


Smith: "We did our best. We found Tommy Paris, who we thought was a great singer and songwriter. We pulled it all together. We knew the musical climate was changing, but we couldn’t do anything about it. We did Bite Down Hard, released it in 1991 and it fell through the cracks, like everything from that genre did. It just didn’t make an impact whatsoever. The album is way more appreciated now than it was then. When we were out playing in support of that album with Tommy, I was shocked and dumbfounded by how many fans didn’t know we had a new album out or even a new singer.  There just wasn’t a lot of push from the record company. Everybody knew there was no point promoting something from that genre at that time. Everyone always says that grunge killed hair metal, but I disagree. I don’t believe grunge killed hair metal, I think hair metal killed hair metal. There was such an over abundance of poor quality hair metal that was being signed and put out, that it hurt the bands that were good. It wasn’t really the fault of those bands, it was just labels being labels. They were signing everything that resembled Cinderella, Britny Fox, Bon Jovi, Poison, etc. Some were good, some not so good. It just got over saturated and it pulled down the whole thing."





Britny Fox were initially active from 1985 to 1992, subsequently reforming from 2000 - 2003, again in 2006 - 2008 and from 2015 - 2016. They are best known for their music video for the songs "Girlschool" and "Long Way to Love". Bassist Billy Childs has been the only band member to be a part of each of the band's line-ups.


The original line-up of Michael Kelly Smith, Dean Davidson, Billy Childs and Johnny Dee released two albums: the self-titled debut (1988) and Boys In Heat (1989).

In a new interview with BBC News, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about his band's decision to buy their own vinyl factory in Virginia.

As the sixth biggest-selling artist on vinyl in the U.S. last year, having sold 387,000 records from its back catalog, acquiring the majority interest in Furnace Record Pressing, a leading provider of high-quality vinyl records and related services, will enable Ulrich and his bandmates to meet demand.

In order to have enough vinyl ready for the release of their new album "72 Seasons", METALLICA had to submit the album six months in advance. All that time, they were faced with the possibility of the music leaking. By purchasing Furnace, which has pressed their discs for the last 15 years, they can reduce those lead times.

"It's a little daunting, but we're trying to figure out a way to integrate what we're doing with helping our brothers and sisters in other bands, and making sure the presses keep running towards maximum capacity," Ulrich told BBC News. "Hopefully that way, we can help get more independent music out to people."

METALLICA's Furnace acquisition formalized a long-standing relationship between the band and Furnace that has produced more than five million pieces of METALLICA vinyl since 2014.

Having worked together on such landmark projects as the highly acclaimed definitive deluxe box set editions of METALLICA's "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "…And Justice For All", "Metallica" (a.k.a. The Black Album) and "S&M2", METALLICA and Furnace have long enjoyed a prolific and productive relationship — one rooted in a shared fiercely independent ethos and passionate dedication to quality. This partnership between METALLICA and Furnace represents yet another example of the band's unflagging commitment to artistic control of all aspects of its career, as well as its devotion to its fans: The capacity to meet the massive demand for METALLICA vinyl via trusted partner and industry leader Furnace will enable the band and its Blackened Recordings label to better serve the needs of any and all vinyl lovers in the METALLICA family — as well as those of the various artists and record labels who will continue to utilize Furnace's services.

Founded by Eric Astor in 1996, Furnace is known for making extremely high-quality records at its 70,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility in Alexandria, Virginia. With its 12 Pheenix Alpha presses and two Finebilt presses, Furnace is one of the largest record pressing companies in the U.S. Furnace offers standard and heavyweight pressings, color vinyl, special effect color vinyl, and custom vinyl etching to meet the creative needs of any music artist. Furnace also oversees other services related to the creation and packaging of records. In addition to METALLICA, Furnace counts many major artists, global music companies, record labels and indie/punk acts as clients. Eric Astor (founder and CEO),Ali Miller (COO) and Mark Reiter (VP - operations) will continue in their respective roles leading Furnace. Each remains an equity owner of the company and each will be a member of the company's Board Of Directors.

In a 2018 interview with Classic Rock, Ulrich opened up about why vinyl mattered so much to him. "I still have all of my old records," he said. "I still occasionally take them out. I would be lying to you if I said there was no nostalgic undertone to the whole thing. It’s just nice to be able to sit down and listen to music for no other reason than to sit down and listen to music."

In a 2017 interview with Red Bull, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield also talked about his appreciation for vinyl. "We grew up with and love vinyl," he said. "It's an experience, an event. It's tangible: you hold the record, take it from the sleeve; place the needle in the groove.

"About six months ago, I was in L.A., visiting some old high-school buddies and we just sat around listening to vinyl… stuff like KANSAS," he continued. "Just the act of flicking through the boxes, smelling the cardboard, reading the sleeve notes, and listening to that warm sound — it's very immersive."

In 2020, METALLICA introduced its own Vinyl Club. The subscription-based service provided fans with vinyl versions of rare cuts, demos and rough mixes, live rarities and other cool stuff. And none of it had been offered on vinyl before.

"As huge music fans, the band has been super excited to experience the resurgence of vinyl and the enjoyment of collecting, exploring and connecting with other fans mining for lost treasures," the band said in a press release. "Those who love the look, feel and sonic warmth of vinyl are already in an exclusive club of sorts."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Congregation Of Annihilation" features nine all new tracks from METAL CHURCH and continues to build upon their iconic sound the band established over three decades ago. Infused with intelligent lyrical content, thundering guitar riffs, and Marc's aggressive soaring vocals, "Congregation Of Annihilation" furthers the bands sonic evolution up to the next level and is guaranteed to enthrall metal music fans around the world. From the first guitar riff of album opener "Another Judgement Day" through the driving outro of album closer "All That We Destroy", it is clear METAL CHURCH is back and better than ever. "Congregation Of Annihilation", "Children Of The Lie" and "These Violent Thrills" showcase the sonically charged songwriting that made the early METAL CHURCH albums such fan favorites. Haunting musical opuses "Me The Nothing" and "Making Monsters" each puts the musicianship that METAL CHURCH was known for on full display in 2023. The album also features two bonus tracks: "My Favorite Sin" and "Salvation".

When "Congregation Of Annihilation" was first announced last month, Vanderhoof said in a statement: "This new album is starting a new chapter in the METAL CHURCH legacy. I really love this album. It's a fresh approach for us in one way, but also a return to the very beginnings of METAL CHURCH as part of the New American Thrash Metal movement. This record contains some of the most aggressive songs we have recorded. I hope the fans will like it as much as we do."

Lopes added: "I am beyond honored to be part of carrying on this legacy into a new era of METAL CHURCH. Working with Kurdt and a band that was a huge influence of mine growing up was a surreal experience, to say the least. For me there was no point in trying to imitate what was already done to perfection. So, with respect to the past, we moved forward to a new chapter and here we are!"

The official lyric video for the LP's first single, the anthemic "Pick A God And Prey", can be seen below.

"Congregation Of Annihilation" track listing:

01. Another Judgement Day
02. Congregation Of Annihilation
03. Pick A God And Prey
04. Children Of The Lie
05. Me The Nothing
06. Making Monsters
07. Say A Prayer With 7 Bullets
08. These Violent Thrills
09. All That We Destroy
10. My Favorite Sin (bonus track)
11. Salvation (bonus track)

When Lopes's addition to METAL CHURCH was first announced in early February, Vanderhoof wrote in a social media post: "We auditioned a handful of vocalists and while they were all great, Marc quickly became the clear choice.

"Both David Wayne and Mike Howe had a very unique, irreplaceable quality to their voices, so we were not looking for a clone of either. We wanted someone new, who could embrace the past, and also bring something fresh and exciting to the mix.

"Marc brings a very classic yet modern feel to the songs and we are looking forward to getting this new album out to you later this year [via Rat Pak Records]!"

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

When Mike's death was first announced, TMZ stated that cops in Eureka got a call just after 10 a.m. on July 26, 2021 reporting an unexpected death at a home. By the time deputies arrived, they found Howe dead at the scene.

According to police, drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene.

Four days after Howe's death, the surviving members of METAL CHURCH shared a statement on social media in which they blamed his suicide on the fact that he "was victimized by a failing health-care system and subsequently poisoned by the venom of Big Pharma," a term which refers collectively to the global pharmaceutical industry. "In short and in essence, he fell prey to the real 'Fake Healer'."

METAL CHURCH's statement was quickly met with criticism from some of the band's fans who felt that the long-running metal act was using Howe's death as a platform to assert its political views. As a result, METAL CHUCH pulled its original post from social media and replaced it with a revised version, in which the musicians said they were "in no way, shape or form referring to anything in relation to vaccinations, COVID or politics. We were saying our brother was hurting and while he was seeking medical care for it, the treatments he was utilizing did not protect him," they wrote. "Otherwise, he would still be with us today."

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

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

The reunion between Mike and METAL CHURCH was put in motion in July of 2014 when Mike started working with Vanderhoof on a side project Kurdt was forming with Nigel Glockler from SAXON. Through these initial conversations, Kurdt convinced Mike to ultimately return to METAL CHURCH. The idea was to see if they could recapture some of the magic from the three albums METAL CHURCH released in the late '80s: "The Human Factor", "Blessing In Disguise" and "Hanging In The Balance". Out of those sessions, 2016's "XI" was born and captured the sound that made the band fan favorites in the '80s and mixed it with a new, invigorated sound.

METAL CHURCH's latest release was "From The Vault", which arrived in April 2020 via Rat Pak Records. The effort was a special-edition compilation album that featured 14 previously unreleased songs from the Howe era, including four newly recorded studio tracks, among them a redux of the band's fan favorite classic "Conductor".

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

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

During an appearance on the "Thunder Underground" podcast, JOURNEY drummer Deen Castronovo, who fronts a project called REVOLUTION SAINTS, was asked if there are still any musicians that he would love to work with one day. He responded in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Corey Taylor. I'd love to work with Corey someday. I don't know if that will ever happen. I've met him a few times. He's the sweetest frickin' man. And in my opinion, he's a genius. The books he's written, the spoken-word stuff. He's a brilliant artist all around… Even his solo band. I always wanted to be in STONE SOUR. I loved STONE SOUR.

"I would love to get hold of Corey and say, 'Dude, just let me play drums on a record or a song or something,'" he continued. "I'd love to do something with him. Or have him guest sing on a REVOLUTION SAINTS song. He'd be sick — just sick."

Castronovo added: "[Corey is] a badass. The SLIPKNOT stuff was unbelievable — he's amazing with that. But I loved what he did with STONE SOUR and his new solo band. I think the guy's just so well rounded. He's got a good, solid head on his shoulders. His feet are on the ground. He doesn't believe the hype. And he's brilliant, in my opinion — he's just brilliant. So if you're watching, Corey, or listening, dude, let me play… I'll pay you — I'll pay you to [let me] play on a song."

Castronovo returned to JOURNEY in July 2021 and has been performing with the band ever since, initially sharing the drum duties in the group with Narada Michael Walden.

In March 2021, Castronovo revealed that he was on opiates for over a year while waiting to get his back surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The now-58-year-old musician was dismissed from JOURNEY in 2015 following years of alcohol and drug abuse that led to him being sentenced to four years' probation for a variety of charges involving his now-wife.

Deen is joined in the current lineup of REVOLUTION SAINTS by bassist Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, FOREIGNER) and guitarist Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

Castronovo has always been a well-respected drummer, but fans who took note of his background vocals over his career and who attended JOURNEY shows and saw him take lead vocals on "Mother, Father" during the band's set, came to realize he also had an amazing voice. REVOLUTION SAINTS was, and always has been, a vehicle to show the world Deen's incredible singing talents.

Corey Taylor photo credit: Ashley Osborn

Kiko Loureiro has shared behind-the-scenes footage from MEGADETH's recent visit to Japan, including the band's onstage reunion with former guitarist Marty Friedman. Check out the eight-minute video below.

Friedman came up on stage for three songs toward the end of the main set of the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit's first-ever gig at Tokyo, Japan's famed Budokan on February 27: "Countdown To Extinction", "Tornado Of Souls" and "Symphony Of Destruction".

Asked in a recent interview with The Aquarian Weekly what it was like to play with MEGADETH again, Marty said: "It was wonderful. What I think is great about MEGADETH is that being a legacy act, there's also new kids discovering them, and then they discover you and look to see what you're doing now, so they get that experience of Marty Friedman as well.

"I've always been rooting for MEGADETH and they really did great," he continued. "A lot of the things that they did in my absence led them to a very, very good place, and a lot because of Dave's effort and the bandmembers' efforts. When they made it to Budokan, I was just so glad to hear that. Then they offered me to play and it was just the cherry on top. I had such a great time playing with them. It was something that the fans enjoyed as much as I did."

Marty also reflected on the experience of performing with MEGADETH at Bodokan in a separate interview with The Entertainment Outlet. He said about sharing the stage with Mustaine again: "It was great. It was something that Dave and I both wanted from day one, and we got it. There was just a lot of good feelings in that building that night — not just between us, but you could see in the audience, there was just something different about it. People were screaming, they were crying, they were smiling. It was a little bit different reaction from a normal show. And it was a great moment, I think."

In late February, Marty hinted at another potential MEGADETH performance, telling Guitar World: "We [MEGADETH and Friedman] are both playing at Wacken Open Air festival in Germany this summer, so you never know."

Friedman also revealed that the biggest challenge he faced during his Budokan appearance with MEGADETH was performing his guitar solos the same way fans remember from his original stint with the band.

"If there was any challenge at all, I guess it would be playing the solos the way the fans remember them, which is something I wanted to do," Friedman noted. "My playing has evolved so much since those songs came out, and there are so many nuances I would naturally do differently now. I had to resist the urge to play it like I would in 2023 and stick to the original way. For example, in a couple of those songs, I entered the solo on the downbeat, with the first note being the root of the chord. I would definitely avoid both of those things now, but apparently, I was fine with it back then."

A couple of days before the Guitar World interview, Marty was asked by Consequence if he would be open to playing with MEGADETH again, either onstage or in the studio. "Yeah, man, the door's open," he said. "I think the door has always been open. It's really just a matter of doing something that has meaning to it. Meaning for them and meaning for me. So, Budokan is sort of a no-brainer. But if something were to come up that would be a good thing for them and a good thing for me, and add value to it, then I'm all for it. As far as I'm concerned, their band is just kicking so much ass right now, I can't imagine them needing me for anything. [Laughs] But Budokan was wonderful. There's other things in the future. My door's open and we're on great terms, and I love all the guys in the band. It's very casual."

Three years ago, Friedman guested on "Imminent Threat", the second single from Loureiro's latest solo album, "Open Source".

"Kiko and I are bros," Marty told Guitar World at the time. "He's a good, good friend of mine. Whenever he comes to Japan, we hang out… He's a super, super, super guitar player, and a super guy. So when he asked me to play on his thing, I jumped to it. I had no idea what he was going to come up with, but the song was really cool. So I did my thing with it and a good time was had by all."

Asked if he and Kiko ever trade MEGADETH war stories, Marty said: "I don't remember talking too much MEGADETH with him. But he's a real intelligent fellow. So I have to keep up with him. I remember one thing he said that was really interesting — we were talking about Allan Holdsworth for some reason, and he said something about how when you hear any guitarist or any artist, you're kind of hearing their life in their music. And he used Allan as an example, and he used me as an example.

"I'd never really heard it put in those words before," Friedman continued. "Normally that kind of New Age-y talk makes me want to vomit. But it actually made sense the way he was saying it. I just thought it was a brilliant thing to say."

Metal Justice Tokyo has shared video of Slipknot's entire April 1st and April 2nd Knotfest Japan 2023 shows, which took place at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Tokyo, Japan. 


The setlist was as follows for both shows:


"Disasterpiece"
"Wait and Bleed"
"All Out Life"
"Sulfur"
"Before I Forget"
"The Dying Song (Time to Sing)"
"Dead Memories"
"Unsainted"
"The Heretic Anthem"
"Psychosocial"
"Duality"
"Custer"
"Spit It Out"




Encore:
"People = Shit"
"Surfacing"


Day 1





Day 2





At the beginning of February, Slipknot shared "Bone Church", a surprise standalone single available on all streaming platforms.  The new song arrived with a M. Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan directed video piece titled "Yen – Director’s Cut (Bone Church)", which finds the multidisciplinary artist and founding member refreshing footage from the band’s "Yen" music video.


Says Clown about the new track, “On the road, we have a “jam room” set up backstage at every show, where we play, practice, warm up and sometimes try out new ideas.  Bone Church started life in a jam room on the .5: The Gray Chapter tour.  We’ve been bringing it closer and closer to life ever since, and finally, here it is. This one is for the fans - a further vision deeper into Slipknot’s history, which is still being written. Enjoy.”


Watch the video for "Yen - Director's Cut (Bone Church)" below:





(Photo - Anthony Scanga)

California traditional heavy metal masters Haunt have premiered the music video for their second single, "Chimera". The band's upcoming ninth album, Golden Arm, is due out May 5th via Iron Grip Records and Church Recordings. 


"'Chimera' is all about using your imagination," says frontman Trevor William Church. "In music, we must always keep our imagination running wild."







Recorded by Church and produced, mixed and mastered by Darren Trentacoste, Golden Arm is a new beginning for the leather-clad metallers.


Founded in 2017 as the solo project of Church, Haunt has quickly become the face of the new wave of traditional heavy metal. Since the band's kickstart six years ago, the heavy metal titans have released eight studio albums and multiple extended plays, including two splits, while also touring with bands like Satan, Unto Others, Night Demon, and others.


Golden Arm releases May 5th on digital, vinyl and compact disc via Iron Grip Records and on cassette via Church Recordings.Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.





Tracklisting:


"Hit And Run"
"Golden Arm"
"Piece By Piece"
"Chimera"
"Fight The Good Fight" 
"Save Yourself"
"Vacant Spaces"
"The Horses Mouth"





For further details, visit Haunt on Facebook.


 

TESLA bassist Brian Wheat says that "there'll 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.

Brian discussed his longtime bandmate's absence from TESLA's concerts during a new interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series. Asked if Troy is still a member of TESLA, Wheat said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "He's not touring [with us]. There'll be an official statement soon — very soon. But no. He's kind of doing his own thing, and we're kind of doing our own thing. And we're working out all that stuff.

"Listen, I love Troy Luccketta; he's my brother," Brian continued. "We all love Troy. It just came to a point where we just weren't on the same page anymore as to what we wanted to do. It's not like we had this big massive fight or anything. It's just you start out like this [holds two fingers close together] and then sometimes you go like this [holds two fingers wide apart]. And that gap just got too wide. And he said, 'Look, maybe it's better if I don't do this.' And we said, 'Okay. Maybe it is.' He's out, I think, playing with THE GUESS WHO or something… So he's out playing. So it's not like he retired. He's not playing in TESLA. And who knows? Maybe one day there'll be some reunion tour — [when we do] the last final lap… But that's not now. And who knows? Things always could change and whatever.

"So, to answer your question, Troy is not playing in TESLA," Wheat repeated. "Will he ever come back? Who knows? We'll see. Maybe one day [he will]. But right now we're sorting out all the shit that you've gotta sort out. And there's no bad blood."

Two 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."

When Luccketta first shared the news of his decision to stay off the road, he wrote: "I am happy and well, and couldn't be more grateful to my bandmates for this opportunity. I am also looking forward to some musical ventures closer to home. In my absence please show some love to Steve Brown. Steve is a dear friend, and great drummer! He has played with OLEANDER, Ronnie Montrose just to name a few. He is one of Sacramento's finest, The perfect choice so to speak!"

TESLA 2023 is:

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

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, SEX PISTOLS' original bassist Glen Matlock shared his views on "Pistol", a six-episode limited series about the legendary SEX PISTOLS guitarist Steve Jones, which premiered last May exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Based on Jones's 2018 memoir "Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol", the series from Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, who also serves as executive producer and director, was created by Craig Pearce and written by Pearce and Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Glen said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm very disappointed in it, actually, considering I had meetings with Danny Boyle about it. I'm not disappointed that it came out, and I thought it was important that it went ahead because it was based on Steve's story and take on things. And he was the guy that formed the band — not John [Lydon, SEX PISTOLS singer]; Steve. John was the last one in the band… But my portrayal, and particularly my leaving the band — I left the band; I was not sacked. That whole episode where Steve sacked [me] is just bollocks."

Matlock went on to say that "Pistol" should have depicted his departure from the SEX PISTOLS more accurately.

"I [talked to then-SEX PISTOLS manager] Malcolm [McLaren] about it, and Steve and Paul [Cook, drums], and they all said to me, 'Can't you just pretend you like John?'," he recalled. "I said, 'Not really, no. I'm writing all these kind of tunes and things, and if you can't back me up a bit more… If that's what you want, that's what's gonna happen.'

"I just think it should have been more truthful," Glen said. "And I think the real story is more gritty… And I met Danny Boyle again in Los Angeles after it had come out and I had [attended] a private screening. [He said to me], 'Hey, Glen, how are you doing?' [And I said], 'Danny, you're a cunt.' So he knows where I'm coming from on it."

Asked if he had any input in the series, Glen said: "At the beginning, I had some meetings with Danny in particular and the production team. And I thought it had all been ironed out. But then I was ignored. So, I'm not happy. I feel shafted."

"I went to see it with my son Louis, and I was a bit embarrassed, really," he added. "Louis sort of quite astutely said, 'The thing is I know you did this, that and the other, and I also know this about Steve,' he said, 'but you and Paul just come across like two-dimensional characters; there's no background [or information about] your family and all that.' A bit of that could have been in there and [they could] have fleshed things out a little bit more. And [Danny] can say, 'Well, there's no time for all that in there.' Well, there was a whole episode on Chrissie Hynde not getting married to Steve, which took up an hour of everybody's lives, which never happened."

Matlock also touched upon Hynde's portrayal in "Pistol" as a main character in the SEX PISTOLS saga and an on-again/off-again love interest of Jones.

"I know Chrissie," Glen said. "She's my neighbor in London. I was talking to her about it. She said, 'I only slept with [Steve] once.' They were mates, and they're still mates to this day."

Last May, Jones admitted to The New York Times that Hynde was "shocked" when she saw "Pistol" for the first time. "But I do think it's a good story," he said. "Even if it wasn't as long as that, my relationship with her, I just think the way it's been written makes it interesting. If you're a train spotter, you're going to hate it, because it's not in the timeline, but whatever."

Matlock left SEX PISTOLS in early 1977. In "Pistol", his character is seen having numerous fights with Lydon and chiding McLaren for not paying them enough. At a pub one night, McLaren urges Jones to fire him. Jones then takes Matlock into a bathroom and does just that.

According to Rolling Stone, as Matlock lays out in his book "I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol", his departure from the band wasn't nearly that sudden or unexpected. Lydon's growing ego and bombastic behavior had been gnawing at him for months, and by the time of their tour of Holland in January 1977 he didn't even want to stand on the same stage as the singer. "He was totally conceited, arrogant, and stroppy just for the sake of it," Glen wrote. "I didn't need it. I thought, 'This is stupid. I'd had enough. I've really had enough.'"

SEX PISTOLS' "Never Mind The Bollocks" is frequently listed as one of the most influential albums of all time. Their single "God Save The Queen" was banned by the BBC and reached No. 1 on the U.K.'s NME chart, but appeared at No. 2 on the official U.K. singles chart, leading to accusations that the song was purposely kept off the top spot. For the only time in chart history, the track was listed as a blank, to avoid offence to the monarchy.

In a new interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn, WINGER frontman Kip Winger was asked if he thinks it's easier or harder these days to connect with the band's fans compared to how it was in the pre-Internet and -social media days of the 1980s, when WINGER first came on to the scene. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's way easier through social media. For those people who really work the social media, look what's happened — it's like you just go straight to the fans; you don't have to have the middleman. So that point is better. But for dinosaurs like me, it's different, 'cause social media is extremely time consuming and I like to spend my time writing. And I don't wanna film myself doing every single thing every day, 'cause I find it just extremely distracting. And the one biggest killer for creativity is interruption. And so you're always trying to, 'Hey, look at me. I'm doing this.' I find it really difficult to keep that up. But having said that, if you don't do it, it's do or die. So I understand. And I'm the same. I'm a fan of Peter Gabriel. I like to see what he's doing in the day. What does he do? Where does he go for coffee? It's interesting. So it's kind of a double-edged sword.

"But to answer your question, I think it's much easier now," he repeated. "But it's much more difficult because there's so many more people out there. The competition has become exponentially way more intense."

WINGER's seventh studio album, "Seven" is due on May 5 via Frontiers Music Srl. The 12-track album was produced by Winger and recorded in Nashville.

In January, WINGER shot music videos for three of the songs from "Seven", including "It All Comes Back Around" and "Proud Desperado".

As with "Proud Desperado", the "It All Comes Back Around" clip was filmed in Nashville and directed by Jack Sawyers.

WINGER's next LP will be the follow-up to 2014's "Better Days Comin'".

In December 2020, guitarist Reb Beach described the new WINGER material to the 213Rock Podcast by saying: "It's WINGER — heavy riffs with big vocals. Very catchy songs and very heavy stuff — very progressive."

A month earlier, Beach told the "Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged" podcast that he and Kip had initially pieced together ideas for 11 tracks for WINGER's next album, but that Kip "threw away six of 'em, saying that this has to be like the first BOSTON record where every song is undeniable. And he just wants it to be progressive and like nothing he's hard before," he said. "I brought him these riffs that are just straight-ahead rock riffs, and he said, 'I already know what the next three chords are gonna be after I've heard three chords.'

"We're going for something that's poppy and sing-along stuff yet cool, heavy, progressive riffs — kind of like [2009's] 'Karma'," Reb explained. "That's what we're going for."

WINGER will hit the road beginning with a U.K. tour with STEEL PANTHER in May, followed by a U.S tour with the Tom Keifer in June. Additionally, the band will play a number of headlining shows throughout the summer.

WINGER formed in the late 1980s and soared to immediate success with its 1988 self-titled release. The album spawned the hit singles "Seventeen" and "Headed For A Heartbreak" and achieved platinum sales status. "Winger" also stayed on The Billboard 200 chart for over 60 weeks where it peaked at #21. Their next album, "In The Heart Of The Young", also achieved platinum status behind the singles "Can't Get Enuff" and "Miles Away". The change in musical climate of the mid-'90s, compounded with unprovoked ridicule on MTV's popular "Beavis And Butt-Head" show, led the band to go on hiatus in 1994. In 2001, WINGER reunited and has not looked back since. Kip also earned a 2016 Grammy nomination for the classical album "C.F. Kip Winger: Conversations With Nijinsky", recorded with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra.

In a new interview with Duffy of the Z93 radio station, LINKIN PARK bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell was asked if he thinks there will ever be new music from him and his bandmates. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The best answer I can give is I think that we will do something again at some point. I think we'll do, hopefully, new music. And I would love to play some shows.

"The reality of it is that the timetable, I have no idea what that is or what that looks like," he explained. "And we're not trying or haven't made any progress toward doing it.

"The relationship in the band is still intact between all the guys and we're still in communication, but everybody is always in different kind of spaces. And the amount of earth that needs to be moved to begin the construction project of LINKIN PARK and whatever that may look like is a ton, and it's not going anywhere fast.

"And so it's just kind of a 'wait and see,'" Farrell added. "I know that's not the answer that anybody wants 'cause it's not really any information. But at the same time, I think it's just kind of honestly where it's at."

LINKIN PARK has been on hiatus since the death of singer Chester Bennington in 2017.

A year ago, LINKIN PARK's Mike Shinoda said that there are no plans for new music, albums or live shows from the band. The 46-year-old musician addressed LINKIN PARK's future during a Twitch livestream.

"The only LINKIN PARK news I have for you is that… Yeah, we talk every few weeks — I talk to the guys, or some of the guys," he said. "And there's no tours, there's no music, there's no albums in the pipeline. Okay, so let me just tell you that. So just keep in your minds that that is not happening.

"I'm just gonna say that much for now," he continued. "I say that because anytime the band says anything or does anything, everyone tries to start up the hype train, and we're, like, 'No, no, no, no. Don't start up the hype train.' You're gonna disappoint yourself. Don't do that."

LINKIN PARK has not performed together in public since October 2017, when the surviving members staged a tribute concert in Los Angeles to Bennington. The band has not officially announced whether it intends to carry on following the death of Bennington, who committed suicide in July 2017 at the age of 41.

Four years ago, Shinoda shot down reports that LINKIN PARK was actively searching for a replacement for Bennington. In February 2019, Shinoda took to his Twitter account to write: "Lemme clarify a rumor: we are not looking for a new singer, and if it were to happen organically, I'd be open. Seems pretty clear, yet I guess some folks have a hard time understanding.

"I'm not into predicting the future. The future will happen."

Shinoda made his comments in an apparent response to how the media covered an interview he gave to Rock Antenne. When asked about the possibility of finding a new singer, Shinoda said: "That's not my goal right now. I think it has to happen naturally. And if we find somebody that's a great person that we think is a good personality fit and a good stylistic fit, then I could see trying to do some stuff with somebody... I wouldn't wanna ever feel like we were replacing Chester."

Shinoda added: "I know the other guys, they love to get onstage, they love to be in the studio, and so to not do that would be — I don't know — almost unhealthy. If doing that means that we need to have some other people in the mix in order to do it and do it well, then we would do that... But, like I said before, it has to happen naturally. I'm not running out and putting up 'vocalist wanted' posters."

Bennington's passing was ruled a suicide soon after his body was found in July 2017 at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

Chester had been candid about mental-health battles in numerous interviews over the years, saying he grappled with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse. His struggles with drugs and alcohol landed him in rehab twice around 2006.

LINKIN PARK released a concert album titled "One More Light Live" in December 2017.

Florida crossover thrashers Intoxicated have released a video for their cover of the Angry Samoans’ song, "Gas Chamber", featuring Obituary guitarist Ken Andrews.


Intoxicated vocalist / guitarist Erik Payne commented: “Growing up with an older brother and skate ramp in the backyard was a musical and cultural gift in my case. I was exposed to a ton of great punk and metal at an early age and Angry Samoans were always a stand out for me. Listening back to 'Gas Chamber' recently, I just started playing along with heavy distortion; it sounded so pissed! I called my long time friend and guitarist of Obituary, Ken Andrews, to come over and fuck around with some recording. Ken has always been like a fifth member of Intoxicated and has contributed in some way on the majority of our albums / earlier EPs. We also played together as part of the Andrew W.K. touring band with Obituary drummer DT, so our history / friendship runs deep.”


“Once we laid down a few tracks, the real excitement began! We started doing this just to have fun, but it quickly began to take shape and sounded awesome! Within 48 hours and a few phone calls, drums, vocals and bass were added. I sent the tracks to Ryan at Candor Studios (Foo Fighters, Melvins, Whores) in Tampa to mix, and then to our label Seeing Red Records. Everyone was excited and the label was like fuck it, shoot a video! Ken, being the trooper he is, came out to shoot the night before Obituary left for Europe and we got it done!”




“We all love Angry Samoans and this is us paying our respects! They're actually out on tour right now so go see them!”





 

In a new interview with Lazer 103.3's Andy Hall, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix spoke about the inclusion of the band's iconic song "Last Resort" in "Friends, Romans, Countrymen", the Season 2 premiere of Showtime's creepy, ambient survival drama "Yellowjackets". Asked if he has seen the show already, Jacoby said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, I have not, but everybody tells me I've gotta watch it. They're, like, 'Dude, don't sleep on this show, bro. It's amazing.' And what a great placement for us. And what a cool opportunity to feature that classic track years later."

He continued: "What's rad about it is our old-school music and new-school music is grabbing this new generation of rock fans. What was happening with the [RED HOT] CHILI PEPPERS back in 2000 is kind of happening with us now, and that blows me away. 'Cause I've been a huge CHILI PEPPERS fan for many years, and when they had that second wave of their story, it blew me away. And I see a lot more years of P-ROACH; I don't see this thing letting up. And having placements like that, in 'Yellowjackets', which is an iconic piece of entertainment for the people, and our music is in it? That's a good sign."

"Last Resort" is featured in a "Yellowjackets" scene where Jeff (Warren Kole),who is married to Shauna (Melanie Lynskey),airs out some of his frustration over the state of his relationship with his wife while sitting alone in his car and blasting the song at full volume.

"We knew immediately it was going to be this song" that played in this scene, showrunner Jonathan Lisco told The Daily Beast. "We needed a way for him to expurgate all that rage. He's obviously being very cool trying to get over the fact that Shauna had an affair, but we needed a very terse, intense way to show that he is not okay. That song popped into our minds right away because of that really intense, anthem-like quality of it."

Kole admitted that he had never heard "Last Resort", which was released in 2000, the same year he graduated college, before shooting the scene. "So use your imagination as to how that one was jarred out of my memory," he laughed. He went on to say that he listened to "Last Resort" about 50 times to figure out how he wanted to play the scene. He added: "I hate it. Terrible song. A perfect song for the scene. But oh, I can't stand it."

"Last Resort" originally appeared on PAPA ROACH's breakthrough album "Infest", which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020. The LP peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for sales in excess of three million copies in the U.S. alone. It also featured the fan favorites "Broken Home", "Blood Brothers" and "Between Angels & Insects".

In June 2020, Shaddix told "Offstage With DWP" that he still feels the same way about "Last Resort" as he did when PAPA ROACH first released it. "I feel that that song is a lifeline to a lot of people, and has been," he said. "I've met thousands of kids over the years that have told us, 'Yo, that song saved my life. That song was there for me in my darkest hour.' If I could look back on my career just for that one moment, just that piece, it's, like, 'Wow!' To be able to make a song that impacts people in a positive way, that it has, it's, like, mission accomplished. It wasn't really my intention. It was just, like, 'We're just writing music. We've gotta get this off our chest.' But to look back on it now and see the effect that it's had, the positive effect… And also, man, it's one of those songs that cuts deep and it's at the heart of the matter… Yeah, people have been through some really dark stuff, and 'Last Resort' has brought some people through some feelings of suicide and whatnot. But then on the other hand, it's also become this crazy party anthem. I just saw this dude [on video at] a Walmart the other day and just start singing 'Last Resort' in the middle of everybody pandemic shopping, with a broom. So it's just one of those songs, it's survived the test of time, and I'm just fortunate that it's been such a positive piece of art out there floating around to be a lifeline for people struggling."

PAPA ROACH's latest album, "Ego Trip", was released in April 2022 via New Noize Records in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG's independent label and artist services arm).