Riff-tastic Italian metallers, ScreaMachine, will release their second full-length studio album, Church Of The Scream, on May 12. This molten metal album serves as a follow-up to their self-titled debut released via Frontiers Music Srl in 2021. This will be the first full-length album to feature the band's new guitarist Edoardo Taddei, who made his debut on the band's Borderline EP.


A new single and video, "Church Of The Scream" is out today. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Church Of The Scream here.


Hailing from Rome, Italy, ScreamMachine is a driving heavy metal force whose blazing sound is inspired by titans like Judas Priest, Metallica, Savatage, and Accept. Even if the guys from ScreaMachine are in love with that legendary 80’s metal sound, they are not living in the past. Their aim is to deliver an aggressive and traditional heavy metal sound blended with a modern production and songwriting. The members of the band are certainly no strangers to the metal scene, as respected Italian acts like Stormlord, Kaledon, and Lunarsea, all of whom have been active since the ‘90’s with wide discographies and hundreds of gigs under their belts, appear on their collective resumes.




Their self-titled debut album, which featured guest appearances from Steve Di Giorgio (Testament, Death, Iced Earth, Spirits Of Fire, etc.), Herbie Langhans (Firewind, Avantasia, Sonic Haven), Simone Mularoni (DGM), Massimiliano Pagliuso (Novembre), Andrea Angelini (Stormlord), and Francesco Mattei (Noveria), was a red hot stake in the ground to firmly establish themselves as wavers of the traditional heavy metal flag.


In 2022, the talented shredder Edoardo Taddei, one of the younger rising guitar heroes of current times, joined the band for the recording of the band’s first EP, Borderline. The EP, intended as a treat for fans while they waited for the new full-length album, features four songs including the blazing title track, which has an accompanying music video, and an acoustic version of the single “The Metal Monster” featuring Michele Guaitoli (Visions Of Atlantis, Temperance) from their debut album.


Their new album, Church Of The Scream, further cements ScreaMachine's status as enduring metal warriors. The sound of the band has developed, yet remains loyal to their roots. Ten brand new hymns of loud, including the crushing heavy metal music like the majestic “The Epic Of Defeat” featuring Davide “Damna” Moras (Elvenking) on guest vocals, the furiously energetic title track, and the metal anthem “The Crimson Legacy”, will have you worshipping at the altar of the Church Of The Scream.





Church Of The Scream tracklisting:


"The Crimson Legacy"
"Church Of The Scream"
"Night Asylum"
"Revenge Walker"
"Met(H)Aldone"
"Flag Of Damnation"
"Occam’s Failure"
"Pest Case Scenario"
"Deflagrator"
"The Epic Of Defeat"


"Church Of The Scream" video:





"The Crimson Legacy" video:





Lineup:


Valerio “The Brave” Caricchio - Vocals
Francesco Bucci - Bass
Edoardo Taddei -  Lead Guitars
Paolo Campitelli - Rhythm & Lead Guitars
Alfonso “Fo” Corace - Drums

Symphonic death metallers, SepticFlesh, have released a new digital EP, titled Reconstruction, that features three reimagined versions of songs from their latest album, Modern Primitive. The new versions of these songs were recorded with an orchestra and a choir to achieve an entirely symphonic sound.





The band comments "We are excited to present you with Reconstruction, a digital EP that consists of the bonus songs from Modern Primitive, now making them available to all our fans. The title is very representative, as the release encapsulates a variety of musical ideas from Modern Primitive, reconstructed with additional orchestral elements. Check it out in the digital music platform of your choice."




Stream Reconstruction on all platforms now, here.





Reconstruction tracklisting:


"Salvation"
"The 14th Part"
"Coming Storm"


SepticFlesh lineup:


Seth Siro Anton - Vocals, Bass
Christos Antoniou - Guitar, Orchestra
Sotiris Anunnaki V - Clean Vocals, Guitar, 12 String Guitar
Psychon - Guitar
Kerim 'Krimh' Lechner - Drums


(Photo - Stella Mouzi)

MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars has given his first interview about his decision to filed a lawsuit against the band that he was a part of for more than four decades, claiming that he "carried these bastards for years" and insisting that he is "not gonna let anybody take" away from him his "part of this company" that made MÖTLEY CRÜE what it is.

Mars's attorney Edwin McPherson filed the lawsuit on behalf of the guitarist in Los Angeles County's Superior Court on Thursday (April 6),requesting that seven corporate entities associated with MÖTLEY CRÜE hand over records related to their business dealings after he notified the band that he would be retiring from touring due to a medical condition. Mars claims the other members of the band formed a campaign to kick him out of the group and remove him from his ownership in the band's company.

In the lawsuit, Mick said MÖTLEY CRÜE cut his percentage of profits after he announced he was stepping back from touring. Furthermore, he claimed the band's lawyers made him feel like he should be grateful for even that small cut, because they didn't feel they owed him anything at all. Mick also claimed there was a full band meeting and they decided to "unilaterally" remove him from MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Mick also repeatedly accused bassist Nikki Sixx of "gaslighting" him about his guitar skills diminishing, despite the fact that Sixx didn't "play a single note on bass" during a recent tour, according to the guitarist. Mick claims all of Nikki's parts were pre-recorded.

In his interview with Variety, Mars stated about his bandmates: "Those guys have been hammering on me since '87, trying to replace me. They haven't been able to do that, because I'm the guitar player. I helped form this band. It's my name I came up with [the MÖTLEY CRÜE moniker], my ideas, my money that I had from a backer to start this band. It wouldn't have gone anywhere. And then to be hearing stuff from people like Bob Daisley from Ozzy Osbourne's band, when we were touring with them, and Carmine Appice… [In his 2014 memoir, Daisley recounted a conversation with the other members of MÖTLEY CRÜE on a tour bus in 1984 when they allegedly solicited his advice about firing Mars, and he strongly advised against it, saying Mars was an integral part of their chemistry. Daisley retold the story in an interview four months ago which was published on BLABBERMOUTH.NET.]

"The thing that they keep pushing, for many years, is that I have a bad memory. And that's full-blown, out-of-proportion crap. Around 2012, when they first started saying that my memory was bad and I didn't remember the songs, I came home and saw all my doctors, because I keep myself together, because I'm an old bastard. They had all the 10th Street people there [from the band's management] — probably about five or six people — [versus] all my doctors going: "There's nothing wrong with him." And now they're still playing that game with me.

"So, no, the truth is: I want to retire from touring because of my AS [Ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory, arthritic disease that causes vertebrae to fuse]. I don't have a problem remembering the songs. I don't have a problem with any of that stuff. But I do have a problem with them, constantly, the whole time, telling me that I lost my memory. No. Wrong. That's wrong. Absolutely wrong.

"But my stupid body is telling me 'No, don't do that' [stay on the road]. You know, I'm gonna be 72 years old, and I've been touring with these guys 41 years, helping build the brand, helping do this and that. And you're served with papers and going, this is crazy. This is stupid. I mean, come on."

Regarding his allegations in the suit that 100% of the bass parts were pre-recorded and some of the singing and drum parts were not live, Mars said: "Yes, on this particular tour, Nikki's bass was 100% recorded. Tommy's [Lee] drums, to the best of my knowledge, there was a lot. I can't say he did all of it recorded, but there were some reports from people in the audience that said, 'Oh, I heard the drums playing, but there's no Tommy on there. The song started, and there's no drummer.' Stuff like that. And actually everything that we did on that stadium tour was on tape, because if we didn't, if we missed a part, the tape would keep rolling and you'd miss it.

"Anyway, that was the worst 36 gigs ever had with the band," he added. "It was 36 [instead of the originally scheduled 12] because they knew I wanted to retire from it after that. [Mars says in the suit he did not want to do the extra two dozen dates that got added but went along with it.] I don't know, and I can't say I positively know, but I have a pretty good feeling that they wanted me gone anyway. Because they've been wanting that since forever. It's just frustrating for me. I'm pretty upset that they're even pulling this crap, when I carried these bastards for years."

As for what he expects to happen from here, now that he has filed this suit, Mick said: "I think that those guys are hoping that I'll just fold and lay down. Because I've done that many times. But this thing that I helped build for 41 years, I'm sorry, you're not gonna take that from me. I worked very hard for that. It's mine. I'm keeping it. You can't have it. Sorry. But they're well prepared, I can already tell you, because I've known them that long too. But I'm not backing down. I'm not gonna fold. And we'll see what happens. I'm most definitely not afraid of them, or intimidated or anything else."

On the topic of whether he thinks the MÖTLEY CRÜE fans will be disappointed to know for sure that he and the other CRÜE members are "not a band of brothers, per se," or that he thinks people are cynical about it and will automatically think, "Well, of course bands hate each other, Mars said: "Well, that's the way it works. Every band hates each other, right? But it's hard to predict. There's gonna be a lot of disappointed people, and there's gonna be a lot of ones who go, 'Yeah, tell me something new.' But on the stage, all the band members are like a unit, until they're off the stage and then they're not anymore.

"I can't put a number on it, but there's gonna be a lot of people going: 'What the hell is wrong with these guys? You know, Mick just wants to have some peace,'" he added. "I mean, I'm an old man! [Laughs] I think some people will really, really care and go, 'No Mick, no band.' But they say that about everybody (who leaves a group). It is what it is. And like I said, I'm a part of this company that made this name. I'm not gonna let anybody take it from me — anybody."

You can read Mick's entire interview with at Variety.com

MÖTLEY CRÜE has blasted Mick Mars's lawsuit against the band as "unfortunate and completely off base."

In documents filed on Thursday in Los Angeles County’s Superior Court, the 71-year-old guitarist claimed MÖTLEY CRÜE wanted him to sign a severance agreement stripping him of his 25 percent share in the band in exchange for a 5 percent share of the band's current tour, which he is not performing on for medical reasons. Mars also claimed he told his bandmates he would retire from touring duties due to crippling pain from ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time, but that he would remain a member of the group.

Earlier today, MÖTLEY CRÜE released the following statement to the media: "Mick's lawsuit is unfortunate and completely off-base. In 2008, Mick voted for and signed an agreement in which he and every other band member agreed that 'in no event shall any resigning shareholder be entitled to receive any monies attributable to live performances (i.e., tours).' After the last tour, Mick publicly resigned from MÖTLEY CRÜE. Despite the fact that the band did not owe Mick anything — and with Mick owing the band millions in advances that he did not pay back — the band offered Mick a generous compensation package to honor his career with the band. Manipulated by his manager and lawyer, Mick refused and chose to file this ugly public lawsuit. Equally unfortunate are his claims about the band's live performances. MÖTLEY CRÜE always performs its songs live but during the last tour Mick struggled to remember chords, played the wrong songs and made constant mistakes which led to his departure from the band. There are multiple declarations from the band's crew attesting to his decline. The band did everything to protect him, tried to keep these matters private to honor Mick's legacy and take the high road. Unfortunately, Mick chose to file this lawsuit to badmouth the band. The band feels empathy for Mick, wishes him well and hopes that he can get better guidance from his advisors who are driven by greed."

In the attached signed declarations, seven crew members offer complaints about Mars's playing in the 2022 tour. Robert Long, the band's production manager since 2007, said in the statement provided by group attorneys to Variety: "When he is off, the band's entire performance suffers. Mick's performance during 'The Stadium Tour' was unworkable and very difficult to manage. It began with the band's rehearsals in April 2022. Mick would consistently forget chords and songs so the band would have to stop and re-teach those parts to Mick to remind him of the arrangements. … Mick's performance issues continued throughout the tour. He would consistently miss notes; play out of tune; play the wrong chords during a song; stay within a chorus of a song and never come out of it; forget the song that he was playing and start a different one; and would get lost in songs. This happened at every show. … Our playback engineer put in cues for Mick so that he would stay on course but he would miss the cues.”

Tour manager Thomas Reitz declared in his statement that "Mick was struggling, forgetting chords and songs. He was not up to speed with the songs and could not play his solos. The other band members spent hours trying to help Mick. Mick would often get frustrated and confused. I also witnessed the band and crew's frustration with Mick's mistakes first hand during the rehearsals. Mick's issues continued and got worse during the tour. Virtually at every concert, he played the wrong chords, wrong song or would forget what song he was playing. A sound technician would always need to have a backup track ready in case Mick played the wrong song or chord."

The group's monitor engineer, Scott Megrath, said in his declaration that, at certain points, "I had to make sure that the other band members would not get Mick's feed into their earpieces because that would confuse them and potentially ruin the show. Mick's mistakes happened on numerous occasions and at every show. In my years of experience, I have never seen mistakes like this by a guitarist on stage."

Mars, whose real name is Robert Alan Deal, announced in October that he was retiring from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE due to his struggle with ankylosing spondylitis. But in his lawsuit, he said he made it clear he could still record with the band or do limited performances, but he just couldn't handle a full tour with his condition.

Mars lawsuit stated that his bandmates held an emergency shareholders' meeting to throw him out of MÖTLEY CRÜE and strip him of his shares in the corporation that manages the group's business interests.

In the lawsuit, Mick said MÖTLEY CRÜE cut his percentage of profits after he announced he was stepping back from touring. Furthermore, he claimed the band's lawyers made him feel like he should be grateful for even that small cut, because they didn't feel they owed him anything at all. Mick also claimed there was a full band meeting and they decided to "unilaterally" remove him from MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Mick also repeatedly accused bassist Nikki Sixx of "gaslighting" him about his guitar skills diminishing, despite the fact that Sixx didn't "play a single note on bass" during a recent tour, according to the guitarist. Mick claims all of Nikki's parts were pre-recorded.

"Although Mars had indicated that the 12 U.S. stadium dates would be his last shows while touring, the 12 anticipated shows ultimately expanded to 36 shows, and Mars performed at every single one of them, in constant pain," the lawsuit said. "Sixx's gaslighting came to a crescendo during the stadium tour, when he, knowing that this was Mars's last tour as a result of his increasingly painful and debilitating AS, and apparently already plotting to force him out of the band and take his shares, repeatedly told Mars that he was playing the wrong chords, and that fans were complaining about his playing.

"Astonishingly, Sixx made these claims about Mars's playing while he [Sixx] did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour," the lawsuit continued. "Ironically, 100% of Sixx's bass parts were nothing but recordings. Sixx was seen fist pumping in the air with his strumming hand, while the bass part was playing. In fact, a significant portion of [Vince] Neil's vocals were also pre-recorded. Even some of [Tommy] Lee's drum parts were recordings. Some fans actually noticed that Lee was walking toward his drum set as they heard his drum part begin.

"Mars, at times on the tour, did play the wrong chords, but not due to any cognitive dysfunction," the lawsuit continued. "He was playing live, and his in-ear monitors were constantly malfunctioning, causing Mars to be unable to hear his own instrument. The fact is that Mars is rarely mocked or criticized online. He is a quiet member of the group, who shows up to play, and puts his heart and soul into each performance. Conversely, other band members are often criticized online, particularly Neil, who is routinely torn to shreds for, among other things, not remembering the songs."

According to Variety, Mars's attorney says 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."

Regarding Mick's longtime battle with ankylosing spondylitis, which he was first diagnosed with at age 27, the lawsuit stated: "This disease caused Mars' lower spine to seize up and freeze completely solid, causing scoliosis in his back, and also compressing his spine downward, so that he is now at least three inches shorter than he was in high school. His spine is now completely seized from pelvis to skull, a condition known as 'bamboo spine.' He cannot move his head in any direction."

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 asking a judge to rule that he can access MÖTLEY CRÜE's financial records, operating agreements and other key information amid the dispute.

According to TMZ, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars has sued his bandmates, claiming they are ripping him off financially.

Mars, whose real name is Robert Alan Deal, announced in October that he was retiring from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE due to his ongoing painful struggle with ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time. But in his lawsuit, which was obtained by TMZ, the 71-year-old says he made it clear he could still record with the band or do limited performances, but he just couldn't handle a full tour with his condition.

Mars lawsuit, which was filed Thursday (April 6) in Los Angeles County's Superior Court, states that his bandmates held an emergency shareholders' meeting to throw him out of MÖTLEY CRÜE and strip him of his shares in the corporation that manages the group's business interests.

In the lawsuit, Mick says MÖTLEY CRÜE cut his percentage of profits from 25 percent to 5 percent after he announced he was stepping back from touring. Furthermore, he claims the band's lawyers made him feel like he should be grateful for even that small cut, because they didn't feel they owed him anything at all. Mick also claims there was a full band meeting and they decided to "unilaterally" remove him from MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Mick also repeatedly accused bassist Nikki Sixx of "gaslighting" him about his guitar skills diminishing, despite the fact that Sixx didn't "play a single note on bass" during a recent tour, according to the guitarist. Mick claims all of Nikki's parts were pre-recorded.

"Sixx made it clear to Mars that he believed that the [5 percent] offer was a generous one, and that Mars, after 41 consecutive years with the band, did not deserve anything going forward," Mick's lawyers wrote in the filing. "Sixx further 'gaslighted' Mars by severely criticizing his performances on the U.S. tour, and exclaimed that there is no way that the band could tour with Mars anymore."

Mars also claims that Sixx would make "band decisions" without telling the other musicians and would ask his bandmates to sign documents "immediately" on Fridays at 5 p.m.

"How did Mars's brothers of 41 years respond to Mars's tragic announcement [about quitting the road]?" asks the suit, according to Variety. "They noticed an emergency shareholders' meeting for the band's main corporate entity in order to throw Mars out of the band, to fire him as a director of the corporation, to fire him as an officer of the corporation, and to take away his shares of the corporation. When he did not go away quietly, they purported to fire him from six additional band corporations and LLCs."

The suit contends: "During much of the band's recent tenure, Sixx continually 'gaslighted' Mars by telling him that he [Mars] had some sort of cognitive dysfunction, and that his guitar playing was sub-par, claiming that Mars forgot chords, and sometimes started playing the wrong songs.

"Astonishingly, Sixx made these claims about Mars's playing while he [Sixx] did not play a single note on bass during the entire U.S. tour," the lawsuit continues. "Ironically, 100% of Sixx's bass parts were nothing but recordings. Sixx was seen fist pumping in the air with his strumming hand, while the bass part was playing. In fact, a significant portion of [Vince] Neil's vocals were also pre-recorded. Even some of [Tommy] Lee's drum parts were recordings. Some fans actually noticed that Lee was walking toward his drum set as they heard his drum part begin.

"Mars, at times on the tour, did play the wrong chords, but not due to any cognitive dysfunction," the lawsuit continues. "He was playing live, and his in-ear monitors were constantly malfunctioning, causing Mars to be unable to hear his own instrument. The fact is that Mars is rarely mocked or criticized online. He is a quiet member of the group, who shows up to play, and puts his heart and soul into each performance. Conversely, other band members are often criticized online, particularly Neil, who is routinely torn to shreds for, among other things, not remembering the songs."

According to Variety, Mars's attorney says 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."

Regarding Mick's longtime battle with ankylosing spondylitis, which he was first diagnosed with at age 27, the lawsuit states: "This disease caused Mars' lower spine to seize up and freeze completely solid, causing scoliosis in his back, and also compressing his spine downward, so that he is now at least three inches shorter than he was in high school. His spine is now completely seized from pelvis to skull, a condition known as 'bamboo spine.' He cannot move his head in any direction."

Mick's filing claims 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.

The news of Mick's lawsuit comes less than a month after legendary drummer Carmine revealed that he had been talking to the guitarist about his exit from MÖTLEY CRÜE: "[Mick told me, 'When I was on 'The Stadium Tour', I was not happy,'" Carmine revealed to Andrew Daly of Ultimate Guitar. "Basically, everything was on tape; it was all planned out and ultimately a lot of crap. And Mick is a pretty good player, and so to now let him loose and play the way he wants, that was never going to work for him. The truth is that everything has been weird for a while with MÖTLEY CRÜE, and Mick didn't like that everything was on tape. Mick told me that people that came to see it could tell that it was all pre-recorded and that everything was on tape.

"When you play in a stadium like that, you can hear a lot of things come to the monitors or what doesn't. And with Vince's [Neil] vocals, bass, drums, guitars, and all the other stuff, it was obvious that it was all on tape. And Mick was pissed off and said, 'I can play these things. I want to play them. I don't want to make believe I'm playing them.' So, I think that's one of the reasons why he said, 'I'm done.' Sure, the disease that he has doesn't help, and it doesn't make life easy on tour, but Mick can play all the licks, and he was allowed to."

When Daly asked Appice to clarify that "Mick wasn't getting along with the rest of" MÖTLEY CRÜE, Carmine said: No, he wasn't. He had his own means of travel and would travel alone on a bus while the other guys flew everywhere. He said, 'Man, these guys are pissing their money away, flying to every gig.' They were all busy still trying to be rock stars, and Mick just wanted to play the music. Mick wasn't interested in wasting time and money flying everywhere, so he traveled by bus. Their lifestyles are different than his, and so there were a lot of disagreements. I think he was just done. They were supposed to have done their last tour, and then they came back. Then they did 'The Stadium Tour', and that was apparently supposed to be the last. So, when they came back again, he said, 'You can do it. I'm not going out with you for this.'"

On March 15, Sixx, who has not given any interviews about Mars's departure from CRÜE, apparently responded directly to Appice's comments, writing in a tweet: "Love how people talk FOR us without talking TO us. This is why the media has lost credibility. Obviously by printing BS they make money off of advertising and we're not into that clickbait game. When the truth comes out it will be FROM üs."

He added later that same day: "A washed up drummer trying to speak for us? And bottom feeder media running with it to make money off of lies? Welcome to the sad new world of LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME."

On March 17, Sixx took part in a Twitter question-and-answer session and was asked by one fan: "Is what Carmine Appice said true?" the CRÜE bassist replied: "A washed up drummer speaking for our band without any of the facts is as ridiculous as bottom feeder media running with stories without fact checking. When you hear the truth it will be from us."

Appice previously touched upon Mars's exit from MÖTLEY CRÜE last November in an interview with Michael's Record Collection. At the time, he said: "[Mick] just gave up his seat in touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE. And John 5 is gonna tour with them. He said, 'Man, we did our final tour [seven years ago]. Now we're out again doing this major tour with DEF LEPPARD.' And he said, 'I don't wanna do it no more. I'm sick of being in a bus.'"

NIGHTWISH has announced plans to take a break from touring and will not hit the road in support of the band's next studio album.

Earlier today (Thursday, April 6),NIGHTWISH released the following statement via social media: "As the 'Human :ll: Nature - World Tour' is drawing to a close, we feel now is the time to tell you of our plans for the next phase in our journey.

"After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be 'hanging up our spurs' for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won't be touring the next album.

"The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's [Jansen, NIGHTWISH singer] pregnancy or our other individual projects.

"However, an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure.

"Stay tuned for updates from our legendary NIGHTWISH band camp & studio this summer!"

Last December, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." will be the third part of a trilogy that began with 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album. He told Metal Hammer: "I immediately knew after getting that album ['Endless Forms Most Beautiful'] done that, 'Okay, we have to do more songs about this, because there's so much more to explore and tell the world. We're not done with this.' And the same thing happened after 'Human. :II: Nature.'; we're still not done. So let's do one more. At least one more.

"In a way, [the next album] is the third part of a trilogy, which started with 'Endless Forms…' and then 'Human. :II: Nature.' There are some major surprises there again, but it feels like a natural continuation to 'Human. :II: Nature.'"

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts..

"The wonderful thing is that we have had the demo [of the album] done since last spring. So it's been done for six months now. We really have all the time in the world to go through it all, and we have had a such great time with the band, just listening to the demo in our hotel rooms — me singing the lyrics and the melodies to Floor [Jansen, vocals]. She's recording them and then she's seeing them and throwing ideas to each other."

Last September, Tuomas was asked if NIGHTWISH's upcoming LP will once again be an exploration of evolutionary science, as was the case with the previous two releases. Tuomas said: "Yes and no. It sails on the same waters, but there's some new surprises there as well."

Holopainen went on to say that NIGHTWISH fans will have to wait a while before hearing new music from the band. "We'll enter the studio next year and the album is gonna come out maybe early 2024," he said.

In August 2022, Tuomas told Rock Sverige that he spent "about a year" working on the music and lyrics for the next NIGHTWISH album.

Asked if he got any kind of inspiration from the pandemic, Tuomas said: "Yeah, lyrically there's a couple of things that reflects the pandemic, but not in the way you would expect."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August 2022, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the last year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

In November 2022, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after recently undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

Last month, Floor and SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl announced that they were expecting their second child. Jansen and Van Dahl already have a six-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nightwish (@nightwish)

Lillian Axe guitarist Steve Blaze is featured as lead vocalist on the new Waste Down Rebels album, Mercies And Curses. The record will be released on April 21 in the UK and Europe, and on April 28 in the US. First single and lyric video for “Slave The Day” is available below.


Blaze had the following comments on the song:


"‘Slave The Day’ is the final scream of reaching the tipping point in dealing with the path of our society. There is only so much that a person can observe and deal with until it is obvious that stupidity is becoming the norm. This is a rallying cry to all those who are tired of the path this world has taken."




Guitarist Rick Ayers also offered...


"‘Slave The Day’ was the 12th song I wrote which came together musically in a relative short amount of time.  The song starts with a powerful riff and gets directly into Steve's vocal. 


There are numerous layers of guitars - about 25 tracks in total as tracks were doubled and some quadrupled to give on overall thick feel."


The writing process for Mercies And Curses began in early months of 2020. The owner, guitarist and songwriter of Waste Down Rebels, Rick Ayers, had the music for a few complete tracks demo’d and reached out to Steve Blaze from Lillian Axe to see if he would be interested in tracking vocals and writing lyrics.


Ayers: "Listening to the first track Steve wrote for the album, I instantly knew this was the direction I wanted to go for a complete collection that became 12 tracks. During the writing process, I had the opportunity to work closely with the musician known as Virus from the band Dope. Virus played a key role in my song writing for numerous tracks that are on the album."


By the end of 2020, the album was complete. Blaze wrote the lyrics and performed all lead vocals on the album... he didn't touch a guitar for once.





Tracklist:


"Let My People Go"
"The Fork In Your Tongue"
"Mercies And Curses"
"Seasons"
"Slave The Day"
"Fraction Of The Hole"
"Black Hearted Drum"
"One Minute Closer"
"The Day We Take Our Own"
"Solitude"
"Set My Sights On You"
"Everybody Wants It All"


"Slave The Day" lyric video:





The first very limited 100 copies of Mercies And Curses comes with a signed card autographed by Blaze and WDR guitarist Rick Ayers. Details and available here.


The album is available for pre-order here.

There's a massive release available via Subsidia Records. "Reasons" from Excision, Wooli, and The Devil Wears Prada (pictured above) is out now. Listen here, and below.





This track combines Excision's domineering dubstep sounds with Wooli's signature melodic bass underneath The Devil Wears Prada's soaring metalcore vocals. Longtime friends Excision and Wooli have worked together many times in the past, including their recent collaboration "Titans" and "Name Drop."




This is their first time working with The Devil Wears Prada, and it came together flawlessly, meeting in the middle between emotional rock instrumentals, aggressive electronics, and a memorable topline — something fans from all of those worlds will appreciate. There has always been a clear connection between electronic and metal music, from the percussion builds to the headbanging moshpits, and the come-as-you-are attitude of the crowd. With dedicated fanbases across both genres, "Reasons" has unlimited potential.


With over a decade of experience, Excision has established a well-respected bass mecca. His discography spans five full-length studio albums, five EPs, over 30 singles, and numerous fan-favorite mixes, all of which have collectively amassed over 100 million streams. Excision has performed to massive crowds at EDC Las Vegas five years in a row, has headlined festivals across the globe including Shambhala, Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza, and many others, and has consistently toured for nearly 10 years. He's spent the majority of his career being a leader and innovator in the bass music scene, continuously pushing the boundaries of heavy bass and production, championing an unmatched dedication to his craft and the fan experience within the genre. He's helped build an engaged community through his multiple annual festivals, Lost Lands, Bass Canyon, and Paradise Blue.


Wooli's mammoth-sized bass music twists harmonic sounds into a grimy discography of varying tastes. Blending icy compositions with fiery drops, his prehistoric mark captures millions of listeners through immersive performances and heavy bass. He boasts a dynamic suite of releases spanning Monstercat, Never Say Die, Ophelia and Subsidia Records. Wooli's monumental performances draw religious crowds at festival stages like EDC Las Vegas, Lollapalooza, Lost Lands, and more, and his 2021-22 Destination Tour spanned 32 dates across North America’s biggest cities, solidifying his place as a leader within the scene. From primeval performances to melodic masterpieces, Wooli is commanding bass music's future as one of this generation's most compelling acts.
Contrast gives art dimension. The juxtaposition of two seemingly disparate elements sparks friction, bringing life to any canvas. The Devil Wears Prada rely on contrast as they nimbly balance metallic turbulence, hardcore spirit, provocatively eloquent lyricism, and melodic exorcism. In between these opposing extremes, the band have fashioned an ever-evolving signature style buttressed by layers of sonic hues. The group has had consistent album chart success, with six consecutive Top 5 debuts on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart between 2011 and 2021. The Devil Wears Prada released their 8th album, Color Decay, in September of 2022 and have already garnered millions of streams. Over the last 15+ years, The Devil Wears Prada have cemented themselves in the metal scene, and have demonstrated a clear ability and talent to continue innovating and growing with their fans.


"For this one, we wanted to bring together the heavy bass that our fans love with the raw energy of metal-influenced vocals. It was awesome working with Wooli and The Devil Wears Prada on this cross-genre collab," states Excision.


"Excision and I originally started this a while ago and knew we needed a band like The Devil Wears Prada on it," says Wooli. "This was my first time working with a band and I am extremely pleased with how this came along. Working with The Devil Wears Prada was an incredible experience. They are insanely talented writers and artists. I'm super excited for this one to come out!"


The Devil Wears Prada offers, "When Excision and Wooli approached us about working together on a song, we were so stoked for the opportunity to dive into uncharted territory for The Devil Wears Prada. It was fun injecting the lyrical and musical flavors from [the 2022 album] Color Decay onto an EDM track, and the emotional and aggressive nature of our sound fit perfectly with their mastery of modern bass music."





The Devil Wears Prada recently announced a deluxe edition of their eighth album, Color Decay, which arrives May 5 via Solid State. Pre-order it here.


The expanded version will be available digitally and on vinyl. It will include 10 additional tracks - a treasure trove that features two new songs, acoustic versions of Color Decay favorites, live renditions, and remixes. Collectors, rejoice!


"We've been so proud of and grateful for Color Decay feedback, and with that, we're releasing our first deluxe edition in 15 years. Listeners have all chimed in with favorited tracks and we've cooked up a bunch of videos; fast forward, we figured we had no choice but to grow the Color Decay universe even bigger," the band says.


And with that, TDWP shared the video for the new track, "Reaching." Watch it below.


"'Reaching' is a song about unapologetic growth," says Hranica. "I feel we often hear songs of resilience and strength that don't really cover the dirty, harder times. It takes struggle and failure to better oneself, and I think that's the soul of this tune."





Color Decay tracklisting:


"Exhibition"
"Salt"
"Watchtower"
"Noise"
"Broken"
"Sacrifice"
"Trapped"
"Time"
"Twenty-Five"
"Fire"
"Hallucinate"
"Cancer"


Deluxe Edition tracklisting:


"Reaching"
"Ignorance"
"Salt" (Acoustic)
"Broken" (Acoustic)
"Sacrifice" (Acoustic
"Cancer" (Acoustic)
"Watchtower" (Live)
"Salt" (Live)
"Sacrifice" (Ray Volpe Remix)
"Salt" (Fairlane Remix)





(Photo - Imani Givertz)

Former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley is still in the hospital "awaiting specific news of a date for his heart surgery".

Blaze suffered a heart attack at his home on March 25 and was rushed to the hospital. As a result of the health setback, the singer's shows for March and April have been postponed.

Four days later, Mark Appleton and Christopher Appleton, who handle the management and concert bookings, for Blaze's solo band, released a statement via social media saying that Blaze would undergo a triple, or possibly quadruple, bypass surgery.

A heart bypass surgery, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, is used to improve blood flow to the heart. A surgeon uses blood vessels taken from another area of the body to bypass the damaged arteries.

The term triple bypass refers to the number of coronary arteries bypassed in the procedure. In other words, a triple bypass means three coronary arteries are bypassed.

Earlier today (Thursday, April 6),Mark and Christopher released the following update regarding Blaze's condition: "We've been keeping in regular contact with Blaze & he remains in good form, still awaiting specific news of a date for his heart surgery. He's still in hospital & is incredibly grateful for all your messages & comments. Blaze is also so grateful for the support you have given by way of buying merch from our webshop which remains open for business as usual at blazebayleyshop.com.

"Some of you have asked about making donations instead of buying merch. We would prefer you to buy merch but if you really do want to make a straightforward donation please do so through the official channel by Paypal [email protected]

"Thank you everyone. More news coming as & when."

The 59-year-old Bayley fronted IRON MAIDEN from 1994 until 1999. The two MAIDEN albums he appeared on, "The X Factor" and "Virtual XI", sold considerably less than the band's prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group's home country since 1981's "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN in 1999, Bayley has released a number of albums, including several under the moniker BLAZE and more than a handful under his own name. He also appeared on 2012's "Wolfsbane Saves The World", the first album of new material by WOLFSBANE since the group's self-titled 1994 effort, and a follow-up LP, 2022's "Genius".

Blaze's latest studio album, "War Within Me", came out in April 2021. The LP was recorded during 2020 with work split between Blaze's studio at home in the West Midlands and Christopher Appleton's studio in Greater Manchester.

Last month, Blaze told Metal Planet Music 's Gary Spiller about some fans' initial reluctance to embrace his era of MAIDEN: "I think that the girlfriend or partner analogy is the best. It's when your girlfriend or boyfriend leaves you for someone, and they are perhaps slimmer with more hair, more interesting and better looking, it doesn't feel good. And you lose your favorite singer from your favorite band, and I think that's awkward as well.

"There's a certain percentage of fans from that era, I'm their first MAIDEN singer, and I always will be, and they'll always have that affection for me," he continued. "But there's another group of fans who go, 'My favorite singer left my favorite band. I don't want to look at the replacement.' … And what is good is that after so many years and the 'Senjutsu' album coming out, people have good back and they've looked at the Blaze Bayley era of [1996's 'best-of' album] 'Best Of The Beast' and 'Sign Of The Cross', 'The X Factor', they've done that, and they've come back with a different look. And then they check out what I'm doing now.

"Since [leaving] MAIDEN, I've made 11 studio albums of my own. It's over 25 years ago [that I joined MAIDEN]; it's nearly 30 years now. It's just five years [that I was with MAIDEN]. With WOLFSBANE, we're back together, and we're together longer than I was in IRON MAIDEN.

"It's nice that it's so well thought of and people are still interested," Blaze added. "I've learned a lot. The experiences that I had have affected me and I've learned. And if you listen to my 'War Within Me' album, my new album, you can tell the IRON MAIDEN influence on that; you can absolutely tell. I'm not ashamed of it. I'm, like, well, this is what I enjoyed and learned in MAIDEN, and you'll hear parts of that and hints of that in the 'War Within Me' album. You'll also hear the development of me as an artist, going beyond that.

"So it's nice that people are still interested in that brief part of the MAIDEN history that contains me. And a lot of people think very nicely of me. But there are still a lot of people that absolutely hate me."

Blaze went on to say that his era of MAIDEN still plays a big part in his live show, particularly as he nears the three-decade mark since he first joined the band.

"What's nice is that when I do my anniversary setlist, which a lot of festivals asked for, then I can play songs in my set from those two albums that MAIDEN have never played and will never play," he explained. "And they are my songs, personal to me. So that's really, really cool. So if you did get into those albums and you like those albums, then you'll come and see me and go, 'Oh, actually, I've never heard'Como Estais Amigos' live.' So it's a really cool thing.

"Last year, we got a lot of really wonderful German festivals, and we played the anniversary setlist. And then afterwards, on my own tour, people came that saw me on that anniversary setlist and the festivals, they came and saw me do my Blaze Bayley concerts and really enjoyed it. And they got into 'War Within Me' album and my trilogy and a lot of things. So it's good, really.

"I'm very lucky to have actually had the top job in my field, to have attained the absolute top," Bayley added. "For me, I wanted to be a heavy metal singer, and by some quirk of faith, a lot of luck and a lot of help, then I managed to become the lead singer of IRON MAIDEN, which, for me, is the top job in the world for a heavy metal singer. And I got that job. So that's fantastic that I was able to get that. And I played huge venues all over the world and stadiums and theaters and everything."

Blaze : heaIth update

We’ve been keeping in regular contact with Blaze & he remains in good form, still awaiting...

Posted by Official Blaze Bayley on Thursday, April 6, 2023

Grammy-winning rock band GRETA VAN FLEET's third studio album, "Starcatcher", will be released on July 21 via Lava/Republic/EMI Records. The LP's first single, "Meeting The Master", can be streamed below.

GRETA VAN FLEET notes: "'Meeting The Master' peers into an esoteric world heeded by the word of a wise teacher. Sung in the voice of a devout believer, and eventual group exclamation, the song details the love these fervent followers have for their teacher and their firm belief in his vision. It's an exotic spiritual journey. A dark comedy that inevitably ends in chaos."

"Starcatcher" was written and recorded by the band — lead singer Josh Kizska, guitarist Jake Kizska, bassist/keyboardist Sam Kizska and drummer Danny Wagner — alongside Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile). Recorded at the legendary RCA Studios in Nashville, the band utilized the large recording room to capture the pure energy of their world-renowned live performances.

"We didn't really have to force or be intense about writing, because everything that happened was very instinctual," Jake says. "If anything, the record is our perspective, and sums up where we are as a group and individually as musicians."

Throughout the 10-song collection the band explores the duality of fantasy versus reality and the contrast between light and darkness. "We had this idea that we wanted to tell these stories to build a universe," says Wagner. "We wanted to introduce characters and motifs and these ideas that would come about here and there throughout our careers through this world."

GRETA VAN FLEET took multiple concepts from critically acclaimed second album "The Battle At Garden's Gate" and brought them into "Starcatcher", although Sam's take on the new record's big ideas hint instead at new beginnings.

"When I imagine the world of 'Starcatcher', I think of the cosmos," he says. "It makes me ask a lot of questions, like 'Where did we come from?' or 'What are we doing here?' But it's also questions like, 'What is this consciousness that we have, and where did it come from?'"

GRETA VAN FLEET is best known for its renowned live performances, selling over one million tickets worldwide. They sold out their entire 2022 arena tour, holding a special energy between them and their devoted fans. With "Starcatcher" the band aims to capture that energy in the recording studio.

Most recently, the band performed at the inaugural Lollapalooza Mumbai and completed an extensive U.S. arena tour in March. GRETA VAN FLEET will return to the road next month for previously announced festival shows in Atlanta and Memphis, with further shows to come.

"Starcatcher" follows GRETA VAN FLEET's album "The Battle At Garden's Gate", released in 2021 to extensive chart and critical success. In the US, the album debuted at No. 1 Billboard Rock Album, No. 1 Billboard Hard Rock Album, No. 1 Billboard Vinyl Album, No. 2 Billboard Top Album Sales and in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. It was a Top 10 album in the U.K. and a major hit around the world.

GRETA VAN FLEET's debut LP, "Anthem Of The Peaceful Army", was released in 2018 to countless accolades including No. 1 Billboard Rock Album and Top 3 on the Billboard 200. Their "From The Fires" EP, released in 2017, won "Best Rock Album" at the 61st Grammy Awards.

Formed in Frankenmuth, Michigan in 2012, GRETA VAN FLEET consists of three brothers — vocalist Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka and bassist/keyboardist Sam Kiszka — as well as drummer Danny Wagner. Together they have performed across multiple continents and sold over 3.5 million records worldwide.

"Starcatcher" track listing:

01. Fate Of The Faithful
02. Waited All Your Life
03. The Falling Sky
04. Sacred The Thread
05. Runway Blues
06. The Indigo Streak
07. Frozen Light
08. The Archer
09. Meeting The Master
10. Farewell For Now

Photo credit: Neil Krug

Multi-platinum rock act DAUGHTRY has released the official music video for its cover song, "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", a tribute to legendary rock band JOURNEY featuring vocals from Lzzy Hale, lead singer of HALESTORM.

The hit cover, which was originally made available in January, exactly 40 years to the day that the original song was released, is currently sitting at No. 6 on Mediabase's Active Rock chart. The track debuted at No. 1 on iTunes' All Genres chart. True to its roots with an updated grit, the single has racked up millions of streams on YouTube and Spotify, earning praise from heavy-hitters like Variety, Billboard, Consequence and American Songwriter, among others.

"This was an unexpected video in a lot of ways," Chris Daughtry admits. "I don't think either of us, Lzzy or myself, were actually 'dressed' for a video shoot. We were basically just trying to get some b-roll to capture the studio experience of recording this track. But when we got the footage back, it was like, 'Well… This looks way cooler than I expected, so… I guess we have a music video now?' Haha. It was the most low-key, low-pressure video I've ever done."

“There's a magic that happens when you decide to do a project with people you've adored for years," Hale adds. "We cultivated that chemistry into such a beautiful launch point, and 'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)' is the result of that friendship. Thank you to everyone for giving this song wings, and thank you to the incredible Daughtry for inviting me to fly alongside!"

The visual comes hot on the heels of DAUGHTRY's sold-out show at London's Royal Albert Hall last week, where the band surprised fans with a performance of the duet, bringing Hale onstage as a musical guest.

When DAUGHTRY's cover of "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" was first released, Lzzy said in a statement: "Chris Daughtry and I have been threatening to unleash a duet for years. What better way to do that than by paying tribute to one of our mutual influences…. JOURNEY!" said Lzzy. "This song is not only part of the 'Stranger Things' soundtrack, but has been my go-to for karaoke for as long as I can remember! I'm so honored to have been a part of this and I hope it makes you smile as big as I did while recording it!"

Chris added: "I've always loved the song and I was wanting to do a classic cover and my wife and I were watching the 'Stranger Things' season finale and there's this incredibly intense scene and 'Separate Ways' was a big part of this scene. It was so moving just the way it was used, it felt so cool and epic and I was immediately like 'THIS is the one! We have to cover this song.' Then I was, like, 'How can we make this extra special? What if it was a duet? What if we got Lzzy on it!!??" Needless to say I was pumped she said yes and I absolutely love how it turned out."

DAUGHTRY, one of the most visible and best-selling rock bands of the 21st Century, has sold out concerts across the globe. Their debut album, the self-titled "Daughtry", was the top-selling album of 2007, and was the fastest-selling rock debut album in SoundScan history. It was also nominated for four Grammy Awards and won four American Music Awards and seven Billboard Music Awards, including "Album Of The Year". The subsequent albums, "Leave This Town" (2009),"Break The Spell" (2011) and "Baptized" (2013) have all gone platinum, with "Cage To Rattle" (2018) certified gold. In 2020, DAUGHTRY released its first single from the album "World On Fire", which marked a return to the band's rock roots and the top of the charts.

In a new interview with Brazil's A Rádio Rock, German metal queen Doro Pesch spoke about her upcoming studio album, which is tentatively due this fall. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There will be a great duet on it. I can't tell you the name, but it's great. It will be with somebody I love. So you guys have to wait a little bit more. The record will come out this year. But it's just in the making. And there's another collaboration which I dreamt of my whole life… It's somebody everybody knows."

Asked what fans can expect to hear on her new LP, Doro said: "Many anthems. Many diehard metal songs. Many soulful songs. And a great, great guest. A great collaboration on one of the songs. And I think this will be probably my second 'All We Are' that people always wanna hear it and sing it. And there's one song for the animals, because I love animals. It's called 'Heavenly Creatures'. And I wanna do something with this song. So that's dedicated to all these heavenly creatures."

She continued: "I grew up with dogs and horses and parrots, and I miss that in my life. That's the only thing I miss. I have no regrets whatsoever, but I would have loved pets. But it's impossible when you're on tour. So I do something else. And I just adopted two horses. But they're not close to where I live. They're actually in a different country; they're in Austria. But they're someplace where people take care of animals. It's so nice. It's a paradise — for people and for animals."

Pesch added that the plan is for her to release her new album on October 27, one day before her 40th-anniversary concert at the Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf, Germany.

This past February, Doro spent time at Miami Beach Recording Studios laying down vocal tracks for her upcoming studio album.

Last October, Doro spoke to Metal Rules about the status of the songwriting and recording sessions for the follow-up to her 2018 double album "Forever Warriors, Forever United". She said: "The new record is almost done. It's like 80 percent done, and there are awesome songs. There are anthems, fast songs, and some really soulful songs. So, I think that 80 percent of the record is already done. I mean, 80 percent of the songwriting is done, and we have recorded lots of stuff. It will be out sometime later [in 2023]."

Asked if her new album will be stylistically similar to "Forever Warriors, Forever United", she said: "Yeah, but it's probably not a double album. The next year is my 40th anniversary as an artist. And, of course, we want to do something special, but it will be a single album."

"Forever Warriors, Forever United" featured 19 regular tracks and six bonus songs.

In September 2022, Doro released a very unique single — a soulful adaptation of her classic metal anthem "Raise Your Fist In The Air". The track was made possible by the new ZDF (national German TV channel) music show "Music Impossible".

In May 2022, Doro told Sleaze Roxx that she does most of her songwriting now with former SISTERS OF MERCY guitarist Andreas Bruhn. "I met him, I think, in 1986," she said. "We've always worked good together. Actually, the new bass player we have in Europe, we wrote a new killer song together so that's a new friendship. It's an anthem. It's good! And I wrote one song with my very first producer from the 'Hellbound' album. We met up again and wrote a nice song together. It's a song for the animals because I love animals. It's called 'Heavenly Creatures'. That will definitely be on the new record I'm planning on putting out next year. Next year, I have my 40th year anniversary so we want to celebrate it big."

In celebration of 35 years of the "Triumph And Agony" album from her former band WARLOCK, Doro released "Triumph And Agony Live" in various formats, including CD, vinyl, cassette, DVD, Blu-ray, and a huge box set, in September 2021 through her own label, Rare Diamonds Productions. The "Triumph And Agony" artwork centered on Geoffrey Gillespie's famous original drawing of the "Warlock" embracing the blonde rock star.

The Silent Rage have released a music video for "The Serpent Lord", featured on the band's new album, Nuances Of Life, out on May 26 via Scarlet Records. Watch the new clip below.


"'The Serpent Lord" is the opening track of the new album, Nuances Of Life, and one of the very first being composed for the album, if I remember correctly,” guitarist/founder Nikos Siglidis recalls.


“Musically inspired by bands like Iced Earth, Judas Priest and Amon Amarth, it combines all the elements that are characteristic to each band. The main riffing is a straight Iced Earth influence from the Something Wicked This Way Comes era of the band, the chorus is a straight influence of Amon Amarth mostly influenced from the Twilight Of The Thunder God era while the bridges are more into Judas Priest classic elements. The vocal lines on the other hand, are a mixture between Iced Earth and Judas Priest as they are some of Michalis Rinakakis’ earliest vocal influences. Lyrically wise, the whole inspiration comes from the Egyptian Mythology, but as a part of a fiction character. Me and Michalis Rinakakis worked on the lyrics”, Nikos Siglidis comments.




“The solo part was an approach to the Egyptian concept combined with small tastes of bluesy licks. This solo was the first one that I recorded and composed for the band, and I tried to match it to the rest of the track as much as I could”, adds Nikos Sarbanis.


“Even though the main premise of this song was based on Egyptian Mythology, the lyrics ended up having numerous meanings! The eternal battle between good and evil, the ongoing search for deliverance, the never-ending seeking of meaning and hope, the yearning for balance – the list goes on and on… I am often writing lyrics with a few layers in them so that each listener can have their own ideas of what the actual meaning can be to them”, adds Michalis Rinakakis.


“This is also the first song that introduces The Legionnaires Choir Ensemble, which is basically a gathering of people singing chorus gang vocals, an idea that came from Michalis Rinakakis. A brand new element for us and it is here to stay!”, adds Nikos Siglidis.





The Silent Rage is finally returning to deliver their flawless, hefty, fist-pumping melodic power metal. Nuances Of Life combines the characteristic sound of classic metal, filled with blazing riffs and impressive melodies, combined with catchy and blistering vocal lines – courtesy of extraordinary new frontman, Michalis Rinakakis.


Lyrically wise, Nuances Of Life deals with spreading out the deepest, well-hidden human emotions: tales about mighty heroes and distant lands as well as everyday issues that leave a deep scar in our hearts. Get ready to a non-stop exciting headbanging experience.


Produced by Fotis Benardo (Nightfall, Septicflesh, Melechesh) and mastered by George Nerantzis (Pain Of Salvation, Abbath, Nightrage) at Devasoundz Studios (Athens), Nuances Of Life will be released in the following formats:


- vinyl (limited edition)
- digipak CD
- digital





Nuances Of Life tracklisting:


"The Serpent Lord"
"Code Of Destruction"
"Carve Your Rage"
"Crows Fly Back"
"Another Fallen Dreamland" (feat. Stu Block - Into Eternity/ ex-Iced Earth)
"Scarlet Dawn" (feat. Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin - Jag Panzer)
"The Man In The Mirror"
"Exhaling Fear"
"Ghost Of A Wayward God"
" Black Monday" (feat. Bob Katsionis - Stray Gods/ex-Firewind)
"Nuances Of Life"
"Defy The Headhunters" (CD bonus track)





The Silent Rage lineup:


Michalis Rinakakis - vocals
Nikos Siglidis - guitar, vocals
Nikos Sarbanis - guitar
George Haniotakis - bass
Stamatis Katsafados - drums

Reasons Behind has released a video for “Heart Begins To Break”, the first single taken from the new album Architecture Of An Ego, out May 26 via Scarlet Records. The video was made by Matteo Ermeti. Preorder/pre-save here.


Architecture Of An Ego will be released in the following formats:


-digipak CD
-digital




Architecture Of An Ego takes a step deeper into the imaginative Reason Behind EDM-metal universe: a new musical & visual chapter where trance vibes enhance the heavy rhythms and catchy pop melodies.


The final result is a journey where fast songs alternate with mid-tempos and heartbreaking ballads; the silky voice of Elisa Bonafè always fits perfectly, dancing between powerful chorus and soft emotional parts.


Reasons Behind masterfully narrate a true dystopian short novel – conceived once again by the band leader, songwriter and guitarist Gabriele Sapori – about human relationships; an entertaining story that will truly come alive on stage through a flashy neon lights show.





Tracklisting:


“Zero Dawn”
“The Fall Of Human Race”
“A New Breed”
“Into The Break Of A Better Day”
“Heart Begins To Break”
“The Phantom Pain”
“Seas Of Grey”
“13” (feat. Steva and Grace Darkling)
“The Flame Inside”
“Letter To The Last Of Us”


“Heart Begins To Break” video:

Toque have released their new track "Something For The Pain”. The original song was written by four Canadian rockers: Todd Kerns, Cory Churko, Brent Fitz, and Shane Gaalaas.


Yes, the track has been released on all digital music streaming sites. However - the band wanted to do something special for all the fans that may not use those sites.


For one day only - today, April 4th - fans can go to the band’s website and download the new song in mp3 format for FREE with zero strings attached. No sign-ups, codes, passwords or purchase is required.  




“It’s important that we make sure everyone hear this new song, we are very proud of it, it was a great collaboration of us as musicians… we want to share that,” says Brent Fitz, bassist for Toque.  





Toque will also release a video for the track very shortly via YouTube and all other video platforms. Details coming soon. 


Fans can expect more original music to come this year, as well watch for shows this Fall / Winter when Toque will once again tour through the frozen tundra of Canada and the US.


 

Bringing together a solid group of influences, Asylence unleashed their first full-length Endanger Us All this past February. Forged from the melting pot of Detroit's underground metal scene, the melodic death metal band is a well-oiled metal machine built with passion, intent, and ferocity like no other. Today, they share their latest music video for the track "In This Hell".





The band comments on the track:




"This was actually the first song we ever wrote as a band. It really shows the progression we have taken since we all started it's all started, we still love this song and play it often. This song basically says if we are all doomed we might as well have a good time."


Endanger Us All is a combination of Asylence’s oldest and newest material. The older songs have always been a staple in their live sets and they wanted to finally record them right and do them justice. The new songs have been completed since the release of their 2020 EP Eulogy Of Man and they really constructed the bridge from what they were to what they’re becoming.


"We hope that everyone is ready for our greatest effort which is Endanger Us All. We couldn't be more proud of how this album came together. Listeners who are familiar with us will hear some material they are used to and a lot of new attitudes that they have never heard before. Our first EP was merely an introduction to what we can do compared to the range this record has achieved.


We were faced with a decision on whether or not to include some of our oldest songs on this record which we never had properly recorded. After we realized how well our new and old material blended for a well-balanced experience from start to finish we really started to understand the raw energy this album radiates.


It's heavy, it's deadly, and it's a warning and a declaration of desperation. Endanger Us All!" adds the band.


The album was produced, mixed, and mastered by guitarist Aaron Lumsden and the artwork was done by Diyaco Paymazd. It is recommended for fans of Devildriver, Amon Amarth, and Arch Enemy.





"Endanger Us All":





"In Solidarity We Die":





"Soulless":

For hard-hitting modern day metal, Savage Existence is tough to beat. And the buzz surrounding the band will only continue to grow in the coming months – starting with the release of a brand new video for the single “Leap Of Faith,” and then followed by the anticipated release of their self-titled sophomore effort, which will be supported by a Euro tour with Ross the Boss. BraveWords is hosting the premiere for “Leap Of Faith” – jump in below:

Formed in Costa Rica by Daniel Cleland (guitars) and Jesse Radford (drums), both entrepreneurs from Canada, and singer and songwriter Anton Darusso, they are joined by Daniel Ramos (bass) and Andreas Castro (guitars). In 2021, they released their debut album, Animals. 


“The song ‘Leap of Faith,’ composed by Anton, is about fighting the forces of darkness in your mind, and taking a leap of faith on your future,” explains the band. “Going ‘all-in’ if you will, and letting the fear of the unknown guide you on the straight and narrow path. ‘Leap of Faith’ is one of our most anticipated singles that we’ve been sitting on for a year, and are absolutely thrilled to get into the hands of the public. Enjoy!”

The band is also looking to hit the road with former Manowar guitarist Ross the Boss this spring. “Yes, the band will be performing ‘Leap Of Faith’ along with ‘Steady Blows To The Head,’ and the focus track of the new self-titled album, ‘Standing In Flames,’ which will be released April 28 with the album itself. We will also be performing the most popular songs from the Animals album, and if time permits, one additional track from the new self-titled album.”


“Savage Existence revisits old school groove metal with elements of American metal, death metal, and southern rock, with lyrics that speak about real life issues and relevant concerns of the modern day.”


And with the arrival of their new single/video, upcoming tour and album, rock fans worldwide will soon discover the metallic might of Savage Existence.


Tracklisting:


“Still Life”
“Steady Blows To The Head”
“Cull”
“Dumpster Water”
“Leap Of Faith”
“All On You”
“Independence Day”
“Enigma”
“Standing In Flames”
“Matricide” 


Savage Existence tour dates with Ross The Boss:


April
28 - Remchingen, Germany - No Playback Festival
29 - Vorselaar, Belgium - De Dreef
30 - Lingen, Germany - Alter Schlachthof
 
May
2 - Hannover, Germany - Musikzentrum
3 - Magdeburg, Germany - Factory
4 - Kassel, Germany - Goldgrube
5 - Andernach, Germany - Andernacher Metal Days
6 - Gladbeck, Gladbeck Metal Bash Open Air
7 - Drachten, Netherlands - Iduna
9 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg
10 - Oldenburg, Germany - Amadeus
11 - Odense, Denmark - Kansas City
12 - Hademarschen, Germany - Hademarscher Hof
13 - Hamburg Neu-Wulmstorf, Germany - Metal Bash

SAXON has announced that Brian Tatler "will be appearing" with the band as the replacement for recently departed founding guitarist Paul Quinn.

Tatler, a founding member of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal legends DIAMOND HEAD, is expected to join SAXON for the group's festival appearances in the summer.

Earlier today, SAXON released the following statement in a social media post: "Following the official announcement that founding SAXON guitarist Paul Quinn will step down from touring duties, the band are very pleased to announce that Brian Tatler from DIAMOND HEAD will be appearing with SAXON".

Added SAXON singer Biff Byford: "We welcome our good friend Brian Tatler aboard the SAXON battleship on our live journey across the World … Bring It On!!"

Brian joins fellow guitarist Doug Scarratt, bassist Nibs Carter, drummer Nigel Glockler and Byford for shows starting July 7 in Athens, Greece but will continue to be a member of DIAMOND HEAD.

Last month, Quinn thanked fans for their "outpouring of love and respect" after his announcement that he was "stepping back from touring".

As a result of Quinn's decision, SAXON canceled its April 2023 South American tour as well as the appearance at the Monsters Of Rock cruise.

On March 25, Quinn took to his social media to write: "Dear all, seeing the tremendous outpourings of love and respect worldwide, I am deeply grateful. It was an honour sharing this life-enhancing experience with you, our loyal fans.

"I agreed to perform the confirmed shows until autumn, but due to other circumstances the band need time to regroup sooner.

"After 50 years of being on the road, I look forward to trying some new things that this battered body still allows, so our paths might cross again.
"I will always be proud of what we created with SAXON, so it will remain in my DNA. Finishing these last gigs for you and recording music when required is part of the plan.

"I wish all the best to the band for their new chapter and I hope you will join me on mine, whether it is with THE CARDS or other projects.

"Play it Loud and keep the Wheels of Steel rolling.

"All my best, Paul Quinn".

In a recent interview with Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind, Byford spoke about Quinn's decision to retire from the road. The singer said: "Yeah, it's gonna be a change. The thing is it wasn't a surprise. It was talked about for a few years now that he might retire. And the thing is the band are getting bigger, and we're busy and we're doing longer tours and bigger venues. I just think he wants to rest now. So it wasn't really a shock. We talked about it a few times, the fact that he gets very tired quite quickly. There's a lot of pressure on you when you're touring in a band. So, he's gonna be around. He's gonna be doing show till the end of the year with us, and he's gonna doing the new album with us. So pretty much he will be there, but not there, if you know what I mean."

Asked if SAXON is "actively auditioning" guitarists to replace Quinn on the road, Byford responded: "No, not at the moment. We're gonna put somebody in who's been around for a long time and can play great guitar. We want somebody who's from that same era — the '80s era — so I'm gonna let people guess on that."

When Paul's departure was first announced on March 10, SAXON said in a statement: "After much soul searching our great friend and fellow warrior Paul Quinn has decided to step back from touring with SAXON. After many years on the road, with the subsequent stress and tiredness that accompany long tour schedules, Paul doesn't want his performance to suffer and let his fellow band mates and fans down. Paul will continue to record with the band and may play select special shows in the future.

"SAXON stand by Paul's decision and will keep you all informed regarding our next journey.

"The current run of March shows in Europe will continue as is but the band will be cancelling their April dates in South America and the MOR Cruise to give time to re-group. These territories will be re-booked as soon as time permits. All summer festivals will continue as booked."

Quinn alluded to his decision on March 9 in a since-deleted Facebook post. He wrote: "You need to know I will miss you & my SAXON co-workers for the great times on and off stage, so with regret I will leave while I can still hold my head high and not worry about my fingers or brain forgetting riffs, keys or stumbling over licks, as they do occasionally. I am not taking this lightly, and I want to do SAXON proud, whilst continuing to love and play music with THE CARDS and other projects."

THE CARDS is a classic rock trio which Quinn founded in 2016 with DORO/U.D.O. alumnus Harrison Young, and VANDENBERG drummer Koen Herfst. They are currently poised to release their second album this year.

Four years ago, the now-71-year-old Quinn reflected on over four decades of being in the group in an interview with HeadBangers LifeStyle. He said: "Lots of road miles and air miles. It feels great to be relevant still. We always have a blast and I think the audience know that we are one of them. We are one of those party bands that they like. That always helped to get the message across, and Biff shouting at them occasionally. We've always had good members and good songwriters. The present band is included, and we’ve made some good stuff together, I think."

SAXON's new album, "More Inspirations", arrived on March 24 via Silver Lining Music. Following the release of "Inspirations" in 2021, "More Inspirations" is the second "deep dish" serving of the influences which have fed SAXON's immensely successful 40-plus-year career.

Produced by Biff, with Seb Byford helping record the music alongside mixing engineer Jacky Lehmann, "More Inspirations" includes takes on RAINBOW, ZZ TOP and CREAM, as well as "Razamanaz" by NAZARETH, THE WHO's "Substitute", and URIAH HEEP's "Gypsy".

Byford and Quinn are the sole remaining original members in SAXON's current lineup.

Originally from South Yorkshire, England, SAXON has gone on to sell about 23 million albums and has produced such classic songs as "Denim And Leather", "Princess Of The Night", "Wheels Of Steel" and "Power And Glory".

Mandatory Metallica, METALLICA's exclusive SiriusXM channel, is back for a limited time in celebration of the band's upcoming album, "72 Seasons".

The channel kicked off today (April 4) and will run through May 3 and is available to SiriusXM subscribers nationwide in their cars (channel 105) and on the SXM app.

SiriusXM's Mandatory Metallica features the rock great's ferocious, heavy music, including their remasters, demos, alternate mixes, live concerts, and favorite songs by other artists. Additionally, tune in from April 14 at 3 a.m. EDT through April 16 to hear a special simulcast on both Mandatory Metallica and Liquid Metal (Ch. 40) for the release of "72 Seasons", METALLICA's highly anticipated 11th studio album, due out April 14.

Listeners can tune in to METALLICA members James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo deliver an exclusive track-by-track special about "72 Seasons" featuring commentary about each song on Mandatory Metallica. Both Hetfield and Trujillo will also share their music they grew up listening to in special guest DJ sets in honor of "72 Seasons", the title of which refers to how the first 72 seasons (or 18 years) of your life shape who you are. Additionally, a new Lars Ulrich interview will premiere today on the channel.

Speaking about what METALLICA means to him, Ulrich said in one of the clips: "To me, the best part of it is just one of the main parts of the METALLICA experience, which is the community and the collective experience and just sharing.

"I was an only kid growing up," he continued. "I listened to most of my music in my early years by myself. But then you started hanging with your buddies and just sharing those musical experiences. And the reason I wanted to be in a band was to play music and share music with other like-minded people like myself. So being in a band, being out there and playing and playing shows, it's all about that communal experience, trying to break down that barricade, that physical barricade between the band and the audience and just trying to make us all one. And so in METALLICA, that's one of our M.O.s, is just to try to figure out how to sort of get everybody together and share."

Referencing the fact that METALLICA and Trafalgar Releasing will hold a worldwide "72 Seasons" listening party for one night only on Thursday, April 13 when the full album will be played in full in pummeling surround sound exclusively for cinema audiences worldwide, Lars said: "Neighborhood movie theaters, new tunes, the new album. Here we go. So April 13th, strap yourself in. And [I] hope you guys dig it. And we've got some videos and some visuals to go along with the tunes. So there'll be something obviously up on the screen also. So it'll be hopefully fun for everybody. And once again, the key thing is just that the room will be full of — hopefully full of — METALLICA diehard fans in your neighborhood and your community to share this experience with. So we think that's super cool."

Asked what his favorite METALLICA songs are to play live, Lars said: "I have a few favorites from where I'm sitting. 'Sad But True' is a particular favorite of mine. I love the feel of that song and the kind of the stomp and the size of it. You know, it's a song for me that I play pretty much different every [time]. There's some of the songs that are really rigid and some of the other songs that are a little more freeform. 'Sad But True' falls kind of on the far end of the freeform scale; every night [I] play sort of different drum fills and push, pull, all that stuff. So that one I love playing. I love playing 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)', which also subscribes a little bit to the same kind of [approach]; I don't think I ever play it the same way twice. So those are fun. Those are the first two that come to mind."

Broadcast schedules for interviews and specials below.

Lars Ulrich interview (hosted by Shannon Gunz):

Tuesday, April 4 @ 5 p.m. EDT / 2 p.m. PDT
Wednesday, April 5 @ 12 p.m. EDT /9 a.m. PDT
Thursday, April 6 @ 8 p.m. EDT /5 p.m. PDT
Friday, April 7 @ 2 p.m. EDT /11 a.m. PDT

James Hetfield first "72 Seasons" guest DJ s p.m. EDT cial:

Friday, April 7 @ 12 p.m. EDT / 9 a.m. PDT
Saturday, April 8 @ 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT
Sunday, April 9 @ 3 p.m. EDT /12 p.m. PDT
Monday, April 10 @ 9 a.m. EDT /6 a.m. PDT
Tuesday, April 11 @ 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT
Wednesday, April 12 @ 9 p.m. EDT /6 p.m. PDT
Thursday, April 13 @ 12 p.m. EDT /9 a.m. PDT

METALLICA"72 Seasons" track-by-track special hosted by James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo:

Friday, April 14 @ 7 a.m. EDT /4 a.m. PDT, 1 p.m. EDT /10 a.m. PDT, 9 p.m. EDT /6 p.m. PDT
Saturday, April 15 @ 4 p.m. EDT /1 p.m. PDT, 11 p.m. EDT /8 p.m. PDT
Sunday, April 16 @ 10 a.m. EDT /7 a.m. PDT, 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT

Robert Trujillo first "72 Seasons" guest DJ special:

Friday, April 21 @ 12 p.m. EDT /9 a.m. PDT
Saturday, April 22 @ 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT
Sunday, April 23 @ 3 p.m. EDT /12 p.m. PDT
Monday, April 24 @ 9 a.m. EDT /6 a.m. PDT
Tuesday, April 25 @ 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT
Wednesday, April 26 @ 9 p.m. EDT /6 p.m. PDT
Thursday, April 27 @ 12 p.m. EDT /9 a.m. PDT

WINGER has released the official music video for its latest single, "It All Comes Back Around". The track is taken from the band's upcoming seventh studio album, "Seven" which is due on May 5 via Frontiers Music Srl. The 12-track album was produced by WINGER frontman Kip 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 the previously released "Proud Desperado".

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

Three months ago, WINGER guitarist John Roth told Sam Wall about the band's upcoming LP: "[There's] 12 songs on the album. One song's a pretty big surprise.

"To me at least, there's always a song on a WINGER album that comes at you from left field," he explained. "Like on 'Karma', we did a blues song — Kip [Winger, WINGER frontman] and I co-wrote a song called 'After All This Time'. On 'Better Days Comin'', the title track, 'Better Days Comin'', it's kind of funky and it's fun and it's different for WINGER; WINGER's a pretty heavier, darker, metal-ish kind of band. So there's a song on this album that's very different for the band, which is cool.

"It's meticulously produced and recorded, [with] tons of layers of background vocals," he added. "It's heavier lyrically, maybe. All of WINGER's records have a heavier overtone, because the guitars are tuned low; it's just more aggressive. And there's a little bit of a progressive flair on one of the songs. But I think people are gonna really enjoy the album. I hope it's well received."

Roth also spoke in more detail about the WINGER songwriting process, saying: "Well, Kip and Reb [Beach, guitar] are the primary songwriters of the band; they are the nucleus. But I did co-write one song on this album with Kip.

"With WINGER, it normally starts [as] the musical idea. A lot of people write from lyrics and melodies. Most of the songs I write, I have a melody or a lyric which is like the nucleus or the starting point for a song. But with WINGER, it's a riff, it's a musical idea.

"I remember when I was first co-writing with Kip on some songs on 'Better Days Comin'', we're not demoing the songs. We're writing 'em; we're recording the actual songs," he explained. "So, I'm looking at him, going, 'How do you know that you just want one more bar here?' He's, like, 'I hear where I wanna go with the lyrics.' And I'm, like, ''Cause you're making a lot of really big-time decisions for the arrangement,' and we're recording final guitar parts and the lyrics have to revolve around it.

"So everything starts with the music with WINGER," Roth added. "But as the songs are being written and the riffs are coming about, the melodies are in Kip's head. Kip's the maestro, you know? He's the maestro of the band. So he's thinking as we're writing — what the melodies are gonna [be], how they're gonna work around the riffs, and inevitably making final judgment calls on the arrangement as we're cutting the songs. [It] used to be you'd demo songs. You'd demo a song out, and sometimes you couldn't beat the demo. You'd be, like, 'There's a magic on the demo we cannot beat.' So WINGER really doesn't have that problem anymore 'cause as we're writing the songs, we're cutting the final parts."

Asked if he enjoys working that way, Roth said: "I like it. I like it, 'cause stuff moves fast. It's quick. It's exciting. Because a song can sit there when you're layering parts on a song for months at a time. It can get a little bit too thought out, you know what I mean? So when you're writing and you're creating the song, the final [album version], when you're writing [and recording it] instead of coming up with the demo [first], it's exciting. Things move fast."

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

In December 2020, 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.

In the spring of 2020, WINGER invited artists, friends and fans — including Alice Cooper and members of SCORPIONS, STEELHEART and WARRANT — to sing along to "Better Days Comin'", the title track of the band's sixth studio album. An official music video for the new version of the song was made available in late April of that year.

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.