THE QUIREBOYS guitarist/vocalist Guy Griffin (pictured) has paid tribute to the band's original guitarist Guy Bailey, who died earlier this week.

Griffin took to his social media to write: "36 years since we met, 6 years in a band together, through so many great highs and another 30 years as friends, brothers in arms. I learnt a lot from you, most definitely, Chuck Berry licks! Your songwriting set the bar - great songs.

"We set the world on fire for a while and I'm happy I was along with you on that amazing ride we shared - things that only we can understand, no one else. You had the driest, most intelligent wit, sometimes it was hard to have a come back but it was fun trying!

"I'll miss the conversations, also the disagreements, but more than that I will miss you. I'm glad I got to say goodbye…

"Condolences to Bianca & your family.

"God Bless you Guy."

The news of Guy's passing was broken by the band's singer Spike (a.k.a. Jonathan Gray),who took to his social media on Friday (April 7) to write: "I'm heartbroken to have to write this.

"My best friend Guy Bailey passed away peacefully in hospital last night in the arms of his beloved Bianca.

"Guy was the kindest, funniest man you could have the pleasure of being around. He was loved by everyone who he ever worked with, all the bands he ever toured with and all THE QUIREBOYS fans he ever met. He certainly loved you all more than you will ever know.

"I have so much I would like to share and say to everyone about him but this is just such a hard time for me and everyone close to him. I hope you all understand. But for THE QUIREBOYS fans out there I would just like to say, me and Guy Bailey have written the songs for a new album, and me and Chris Johnstone, Nigel Mogg and Rudy Richman will fulfill his wishes that these songs are recorded and a new QUIREBOYS album will be released this year.

"So everyone raise a glass for Guy Bailey and lets keep rock 'n' roll alive for him. I love you mate. I know you're having a drink with our dads now and looking down and watching us bubble. Your best mate Spikey xx".

Bailey and Spike formed THE QUIREBOYS in 1984 and were responsible for writing many of the band's signature songs, including "Hey You", "7 O'Clock", "I Don't Love You Anymore" and "There She Goes Again" from THE QUIREBOYS' classic debut album "A Bit of What You Fancy". After THE QUIREBOYS split in 1993, Bailey was part of the British band's brief reunion in 1995 but wasn't included in THE QUIREBOYS' lineup when the group reformed in 2001.

Last May, Spike and Bailey announced that they had reunited and were writing a new album together which they said would be released under THE QUIREBOYS name.

The reunion between Spike and Bailey came just weeks after THE QUIREBOYS — led by Griffin — announced they had parted ways with Spike. In response, the singer said that he was fired via a letter signed by three bandmembers and he accused his former bandmates of trying to "re-cast events". He also vowed to continue recording and touring under THE QUIREBOYS name.

Last December, the Griffin-fronted version of THE QUIREBOYS released a new single called "Lie To Me". The track will appear on a new studio album, "The Band Rolls On..." , which is due later in the year.

36 years since we met, 6 years in a band together, through so many great highs and another 30 years as friends, brothers...

Posted by The Quireboys - This Is Rock And Roll on Saturday, April 8, 2023

Original THE QUIREBOYS guitarist Guy Bailey has died.

The news of Guy's passing was broken by the band's singer Spike (a.k.a. Jonathan Gray),who took to his social media earlier today (Friday, April 7) to write: "I'm heartbroken to have to write this.

"My best friend Guy Bailey passed away peacefully in hospital last night in the arms of his beloved Bianca.

"Guy was the kindest, funniest man you could have the pleasure of being around. He was loved by everyone who he ever worked with, all the bands he ever toured with and all THE QUIREBOYS fans he ever met. He certainly loved you all more than you will ever know.

"I have so much I would like to share and say to everyone about him but this is just such a hard time for me and everyone close to him. I hope you all understand. But for THE QUIREBOYS fans out there I would just like to say, me and Guy Bailey have written the songs for a new album, and me and Chris Johnstone, Nigel Mogg and Rudy Richman will fulfill his wishes that these songs are recorded and a new QUIREBOYS album will be released this year.

"So everyone raise a glass for Guy Bailey and lets keep rock 'n' roll alive for him. I love you mate. I know you're having a drink with our dads now and looking down and watching us bubble. Your best mate Spikey xx".

Bailey and Spike formed THE QUIREBOYS in 1984 and were responsible for writing many of the band's signature songs, including "Hey You", "7 O'Clock", "I Don't Love You Anymore" and "There She Goes Again" from THE QUIREBOYS' classic debut album "A Bit of What You Fancy". After THE QUIREBOYS split in 1993, Bailey was part of the British band's brief reunion in 1995 but wasn't included in THE QUIREBOYS' lineup when the group reformed in 2001.

Last May, Spike and Bailey announced that they had reunited and were writing a new album together which they said would be released under THE QUIREBOYS name.

The reunion between Spike and Bailey came just weeks after THE QUIREBOYS announced they had parted ways with Spike. In response, the singer said that he was fired via a letter signed by three bandmembers and he accused his former bandmates of trying to "re-cast events". He also vowed to continue recording and touring under THE QUIREBOYS name.
pic.twitter.com/7jaQDsFHEF

— The Quireboys Spike Official (@SpikeQuireboys) April 7, 2023

The European leg of W.A.S.P.'s 40th Anniversary World Tour began on March 17 with a sold out show in Manchester, England. Fan-filmed video of the band's entire April 1st show in Barcelona, Spain at Razzmatazz is available below.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"On Your Knees" / "The Flame" / "The Torture Never Stops" /"Inside the Electric Circus"
"L.O.V.E. Machine
"Wild Child
"The Idol
"The Great Misconceptions of Me
"Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue)
"Blind in Texas




Encore:
"Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)"
"The Real Me" (The Who)
"I Wanna Be Somebody"





VIP tickets can be purchased at waspnation.myshopify.com/. Tour dates and tickets for the 2023 European tour can be found at WASPnation.com/tour.


W.A.S.P.'s European dates are listed below. Support act from  April 22 - May 18 is Images Of Eden.


April
9 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
11 - Malmö, Sweden - Moriskan
13 - Tampere, Finland - Tampereen Tullikamari (Pakkahuone & Klubi)
14 - Helsinki, Finland - Kulttuuritalo
15 - Oulu, Finland - Club Teatria
16 - Umeå, Sweden - Idun
18 - Sundsvall, Sweden - Sporthallen
19 - Gävle, Sweden - Gasklockan
20 - Eskilstuna, Sweden - Lokomotivet
21 - Karlstad, Sweden - Nöjesfabriken
22 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset Klubben
23 - Huskvarna, Sweden - Huskvarna People's Park
25 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller Music Hall (Sold Out)
26 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller Music Hall
27 - Norrköping, Sweden - Flygeln
28 - Kalmar, Sweden - Kalmarsalen
29 - Göteborg, Sweden - Restaurang Trädgårn


May
1 - Bremen, Germany - Aladin Music Hall
2 - Mannheim, Germany - Capitol Mannheim
3 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
4 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
5 - Saarbrucken, Germany - Garage
6 - Geiselwind, Germany - Music Halle
7 - München, Germany - Backstage Werk
10 - Zurich, Switzerland - Komplex
11 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
12 - Milan, Italy - Live Club
13 - Padova, Italy - Padova Hall
14 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Center urbane kulture kino Šiška
15 - Brno, Czech Republic - Soda Music Club
17 - Bucharest, Romania - The Roman Arenas
18 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Universidada Sports Hall

Melodic black metal formation Imperial Demonic have released their bleak debut, Beneath The Crimson Eclipse. Not far from the brisk fjords of the black metal motherland, Imperial Demonic from Belfast, Northern Ireland pay homage to the more polished black metal sound of the late '90s and early 2000s. Beneath The Crimson Eclipse is available here.


The band has released their new single and video, "Ways Of The Secular Flesh". Check it out below.







The emerging melodic black metal project is rising from the underground to bring forth something as vicious and violent as it is elegant and melodic. Imperial Demonic first emerged as a solo project, showcasing project architect Cameron Åhslund-Glass’ impressive musical prowess. Expanding the lineup, Andy Heathen (vocals), Daniel Dempster (lead guitar), Kacper Lewandowski (rhythm guitar), and Gareth Murdock (bass), were enlisted, completing the vision for the band.


Moving forward as a five-piece, the forthcoming opus sees Imperial Demonic pursue heavier, more aggressive territory with relentless blast beats, melodic hooks and visceral lyrics. Bringing the fire and brimstone back to modern black metal, Imperial Demonic weave together fury and triumph, aggression and melody.





Tracklist:


"The Furnace"
"Ways Of The Secular Flesh"
"The Path Of Night"
"Dawn Of The Infernal Age"
"Beneath The Crimson Eclipse"


"The Path Of Night"





"Beneath The Crimson Eclipse"

In their career spanning over 50 years, Magma had never produced a music video. At the request and with the support of Adami, a French organization who promote, career development and the promotion of performers, Magma has finally done it with “Hakën Deïs” directed by Nino Le Chenadec. Artificial Intelligence blends in with the subtle choreography created by two magnificent dancers of the Paris Opera, Loup Marcault-Derouard and Ida Viikinkoski’.





Magma’s new album Kartëhl is now available on all Digital Platforms and on Apple Music in a Dolby Atmos Version.




Kartëhl was recorded and mixed by Francis Linon at UZ studio between March 7 and June 12, 2022. Mastered at Greasy records studio by Marcus Linon. Produced by Stella Vander Linon.





Lineup:


Christian Vander - drums, solo vocals, tambourine
Stella Vander - solo vocals, vocals, chime
Hervé Aknin - solo vocals, vocals
Isabelle Feuillebois - vocals
Sylvie Fisichella - vocals
Caroline Indjein - vocals
Laura Guarrato :-vocals
Rudy Blas - guitar
Thierry Eliez - piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards
Simon Goubert - piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards
Jimmy Top - bass


(Photo - Magma Facebook)

Arrival Of Autumn absorb the icy emotion of their surroundings in a hard-hitting hybrid of heavy metal proficiency, metalcore intensity, and skyscraping melodic sensibility. The group channel this energy on their second full-length offering, Kingdom Undone, which will be unleashed on May 26 via Nuclear Blast Records.


Today, the band releases their second single, "Ghosts". The punishing single takes listeners on a rollercoaster of riffs and haunting vocals. Check out the somber music video below.


Ty Fox comments, “Lyrically 'Ghosts' is the heaviest song we’ve ever written and it points the finger at religious entities that have never once taken proper responsibility for their actions. To this day. The church continues its role in lying, extortion, and its disgusting treatment of children and continues to protect the people who hurt them. 'Ghosts' touches on the dark history of Canada and the genocide committed against the indigenous people in the residential school system. We chose not to talk over them as it’s their story to tell but we do point the finger at those responsible. We had to end up censoring the music video as it was too disturbing but it is nowhere near as disturbing as the atrocities of any organized religion."




Arrival Of Autumn began the recording of Kingdom Undone in August of 2021 at Mark Lewis Studios in Hendersonville, Tennessee & at their own studio in Grande Prairie AB, and concluded in December 2021. The album was engineered by the band and Mark Lewis who also was in change of producing,  mixing, and mastering. The artwork for the album was created by Travis Smith.





Kingdom Undone will be available in the following formats:


- CD Jewel case
- T-shirt
- CD + T-shirt Bundle
- Orange/ Blue Swirl Vinyl


Pre-order Kingdom Undone here.





Tracklisting:


"Scars"
"Your Fiction"
"Trust"
"Ghosts"
"Hell Comes Home"
"One More Day"
"Liminal"
"Burn"
"Who The Masters Serve"
"Bury Me"
"Hallowed"


"Ghosts" video:





"Scars" video:





Next month, Arrival Of Autumn will hit the road with labelmates and Bay Area thrash legends, Heathen. The "Empire Of The Blind" tour will kick off on March 9 in Rhode Island and will travel up and down the east coast making stops in Chicago, Atlanta and Orlando before concluding in Philadelphia on March 26.


Lineup:


Jamison Friesen - Vocals
Brendan Anderson - Guitar
Ryan Sorensen - Bass
Ty Fox - Drums

Melbourne, Australia-based progressive metal band, Teramaze, will release their new album, Dalla Volta, on April 27 via Wells Music. Pre-order the album here, and find a video for the reimagined version of "Shadows", entitled "Shadows II", below.


“The original ‘Shadows’ was our most popular song from our second album Tears To Dust and it was the first Teramaze song to give the band airplay on American radio. We all thought it would be great to redo ‘Shadows’ and give it a modern new edge. 


“We are extremely happy with how it turned out and we hope old and new fans can rediscover this song like we have." - Dean Wells - Guitars/Vocals




The album features not only new songs, but also reimagined versions of some of their classics. Dalla Volta blend together old and new sounds to create something truly unique. You'll be transported to another dimension with their mind-bending riffs and complex time signatures.





Tracklisting:


"Navigate In Solitude"
"Chaos In The Way"
"These Crystal Walls"
"Shadows II" (Re-Imagined)
"The Heist"
"Waves" (Piano Version)
"Broken" (Piano Version)
"Weight of Humanity" (2017 Demo Version)
"From Saviour To Assassin" (2017 Demo Version)
"Fight or Flight" (2017 Demo Version)
"Are We Soldiers" (2017 Demo Version)


"Shadows II" video:





"Chaos In The Way" video:

South American metallers Cultura Tres, who feature Sepultura’s Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. on their ranks, have released their massive new studio album Camino De Brujos via Universal Music in the Americas and Bloodblast in the rest of the world.


To celebrate the event, the band unveils the new single “Signs”. The song shows a mixture of aggression and melancholy inspired by the Master Of Puppets era of thrash metal. Its musical intro lures the listener into a hard-hitting riff with powerful vocals, later an unexpected outro filled with guitar solos and emotion turns the song into a movie soundtrack.







“'Signs' is maybe the only song you'll hear in 2023 which still follows Cliff Burton’s vision of thrash metal,” states the frontman Alejandro Londono Montoya.


Camino De Brujos explores both new and old musical textures. The power of thrash metal meets the eeriness of sludge and the melancholic feel of classic rock.


“Camino de Brujos is an album aiming to evoke what the metal genre seems to have left behind in the last decades; realism. The record attempts to bring back the human factor in heavy music. From the composition to the production itself. No drum samples, no quantized artificial performances, just raw with imperfections as part of the artistic expression that was done back in the ‘90s.


“However, even though Camino De Brujos wholeheartedly embraces the ‘90s vision in music, it doesn’t just repeat what was done back then. There are plenty of daring musical choices bending the edges of the genre that lure the listener into a fresh, dark and aggressive psychedelic journey. Thrash, sludge and classic rock becoming one sound, so to speak. A sound captured in the most realistic way.


“Something we’ve learned while listening to Andy Wallace’s albums (he is god in our little world) is that if you can’t imagine a band performing while you listen to their album, then you are just listening to a computer. We are not interested in having you listen to a computer. We’d rather invite you to hear four people playing their hearts out on a record. This record,” explains Alejandro.


Camino De Brujos is available on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital. Order at culturatres.com.





Camino De Brujos tracklisting:


"The World And Its Lies"
"Time Is Up"
"Signs"
"The Land"
"Proxy War"
"19 Horas"
"Zombies"
"De Maracay"
"The Smell Of Death"
"Camino de Brujos"


"The World And Its Lies" video:





"Proxy War" lyric video:





Lineup:


Alejandro Londono Montoya - guitar, vocals
Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr - bass
Juan M de Ferrari Montoya - guitar
Jerry Vergara Cevallos - drums

Italy’s blackened deathcore outfit The Modern Age Slavery have unleashed a stunningly beautiful new cinematic masterpiece video for their new single “Pro Patria Mori”. The video clip was directed by Matteo Ermeti (Nove Film) and features the wonderful and talented actress Chiara Simonetta.


The Modern Age Slavery’s frontman Giovanni Berselli explains: "The title -- which is part of the sentence Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori from the Latin poet Horace -- literally means how sweet and dignifying it is to die for one’s country. The meaning of that sentence has then been overturned by Wilfred Owen that somehow tries to tear down the same concept of nation. In my lyrics, I have tried to portrait, though using subtle images, and avoiding any clear reference to actual facts, a tortured prisoner forced to betray his most profound values.”


The Modern Age Slavery will release their fourth studio album, 1901 | The First Mother, on May 5, 2023 on their new label Fireflash Records (Holy Moses, Mystic Circle).




Preorder 1901 | The First Mother in the physical format of your choice (CD digipak, bundle with the CD and an exclusive T-Shirt), pre-save it on your favorite DSP or pre-order it digitally to receive “Pro Patria Mori” and “KLLD” immediately now here.





Tracklisting:


“Pro Patria Mori”
“KLLD”
“Irradiate All The Earth”
“The Hip”
“Lilibeth”
“Overture To Silence”
“OXYgen”
“Nytric”
“Victoria’s Death”
“The Age Of Great Men”
“Blind” (Korn cover)


“Pro Patria Mori”:





“KLLD”:

Fresh off winning "Best Rock Album Of The Year" at the iHeart Radio Music Awards, GHOST has announced "Phantomime", a five-song covers EP intended from the start to follow last year's international chart-topping opus "Impera". A diverse and spellbinding sampling of the Grammy Award-winning band's musical DNA, "Phantomime" is comprised of covers of classics and deep cuts by TELEVISION, GENESIS, THE STRANGLERS, IRON MAIDEN and Tina Turner. "Phantomime" pays tribute in equal measure to every one of these unlikely bedfellow, influences while stamping them all with GHOST's undeniable sonic signature.

The announcement of "Phantomime"'s impending release also solves the mystery of GHOST's recent "Jesus Is Coming" campaign, as referenced in the Good Friday premiere of the newest installment of the band's long-running webisode series, "Chapter 17: Nap Time". "Phantomime"'s May 18 release via Loma Vista Recordings is heralded by GHOST's interpretation of GENESIS's 1992 satirical stab at televangelists "Jesus He Knows Me", available now to stream and download.

This second coming of "Jesus He Knows Me" is accompanied by an Alex Ross Perry-directed video that will surely make the case that one person's beauty is another's blasphemy. Culminating in a climactic ritual that must be seen to be believed, GHOST's visual interpretation of "Jesus He Knows Me" rises to the occasion in unholy fashion — and then some.

"Phantomime" track listing:

01. See No Evil (TELEVISION)
02. Jesus He Knows Me (GENESIS)
03. Hanging Around (THE STRANGLERS)
04. Phantom Of The Opera (IRON MAIDEN)
05. We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) (Tina Turner)

GHOST is no stranger to covers, having previously tackled material originally written and recorded by THE BEATLES ("Here Comes The Sun"), ABBA ("I'm A Marionette"), DEPECHE MODE ("Waiting For The Night"), Roky Erickson ("If You Have Ghosts"), METALLICA ("Enter Sandman"), PET SHOP BOYS ("It's A Sin") and EURYTHMICS ("Missionary Man"), among others.

This past February, GHOST revealed details of its upcoming "Re-Imperatour" summer 2023 U.S. tour with special guest AMON AMARTH. Produced by Live Nation and FPC Live, the 27-date trek kicks off on Wednesday, August 2 in Concord, California at Concord Pavilion, with stops in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Cincinnati, Austin and more before wrapping up with the band's Monday, September 11 return to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

GHOST is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Impera", which sold 70,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the third top 10 album — and fifth top 40-charting set — for the Swedish act. The 12-song effort was produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace.

"Impera" landed at position No. 1 in Germany and Sweden, No. 2 in the U.K., Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, No. 3 in Australia, No. 5 in France and Ireland, and No. 20 in Italy.

GHOST leader Tobias Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018's "Prequelle" with Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

In January, GHOST released a new version of its song "Spillways" featuring a guest appearance by DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott.

"Spillways" is taken from "Impera", which was released in March 2022.

Drummer Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, SLAYER, ANTHRAX) has uploaded the latest in his "Big Four" drum-cover series: ANTHRAX's "A Skeleton In The Closet". The clip, which can be seen below, follows his previously released videos for METALLICA's "Damage, Inc.", SLAYER's "Killing Fields", METALLICA's "Blackened", ANTHRAX's "A.I.R." and MEGADETH's "Wake Up Dead", SLAYER's "Postmortem" and METALLICA's "Fight Fire With Fire".

Says Jon: "1987! Another great year for heavy metal! KING DIAMOND dropped 'Abigail'. TESTAMENT came onto the scene with 'The Legacy' and ANTHRAX dropped 'Among The Living'.

"Who remembers playing 'Master Of Puppets' for the first time and saying, 'Holy shit! This is better than 'Kill 'Em All' and 'Ride The Lightning'!' Who remembers playing 'Reign In Blood' for the first time and saying, "Holy shit, this is better than 'Show No Mercy' and 'Hell Awaits'!' Well I do! And that's exactly what I said when I heard 'Among'!

"There's something special about the 3rd releases from these bands (MEGADETH I'd say 4th release was more special than the 3rd) that when I listen to them today, they still sound as fresh to me as they did in the '80's.

"ANTHRAX really came into their own with 'Among The Living', with some of their greatest songs ever! To this day, the band plays more tracks live off 'Among The Living' than any other album in their catalog.

"Call me old school, but I also prefer these older albums that weren't tracked to a click! No putting tracks on a grid. No samples. Just good old fashioned mixing and great playing! What a concept! Lol!

"'Skeleton' was one of my favorite songs off 'Among The Living'. When I started filling in for Charlie [Benante] in 2012, I was always hoping we would play it live. 5 years later, I finally received the amazing news that the band wanted to perform the ENTIRE 'Among The Living' album on the 2017 tour, celebrating 'Among The Living''s 20th anniversary. What a great tour that was!"

The 52-year-old Dette played as a full-time member of SLAYER from 1996 to 1997 and as a touring member in 2013.

In a 2013 interview with Metal Rules, Dette revealed that he collaborated with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King on some of the early ideas for what became the band's final studio album, 2015's "Repentless", before he was replaced by a returning Paul Bostaph. "I actually started working with SLAYER after we had gotten back from Australia [in early 2013]," he said. "We started working for demo and music for their new record. And then obviously what happened with Jeff [Hanneman, guitar] passing away, that changed some things. But it was definitely moving in that direction for me to be working with SLAYER [again]. But as I said there are just some things that changed with that once Jeff passed away, and I think, ultimately, they felt more comfortable with ‎Paul Bostaph, just because Paul had been in the band for longer. I think it was not going to be as much of a shock to their fans, because first Dave is gone, and now Jeff is gone, the band, it's now down to two original members. So if Paul makes them feel more comfortable and at home, then more respect to him and I wish them the best with that."

King confirmed that he worked with Dette early on in the songwriting process for "Repentless" before deciding to re-hire Bostaph instead. "We pursued it," Kerry said in a 2015 interview. "We got back from Australia. I did demos with Jon Dette, I did demos with Paul — the same two songs, under the same circumstances; they each had, like, 24 to 36 hours to learn 'em — and just see where it went. And Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] and Jeff [Hanneman, SLAYER guitarist] both decided Paul, and in hindsight, that was the right choice."

Dette originally joined SLAYER in 1996 when Paul Bostaph left to work on his side project THE TRUTH ABOUT SEAFOOD. Dette performed with SLAYER at the 1996 Ozzfest to promote the band's covers album, "Undisputed Attitude".

Prior to joining SLAYER, Dette appeared on TESTAMENT's "Live At The Fillmore" album, which came out in 1995.

In recent years, Dette had played sporadic shows with ANTHRAX as a temporary replacement for Charlie Benante, who had been undergoing physical therapy in his battle with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Legendary Canadian band THE GUESS WHO will release a new studio album, "Plein D'Amour", on June 30 through its new partnership with Deko Entertainment. Artwork for the LP is provided by world-renowned graphic designer Ioannis (DEEP PURPLE, ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, LED ZEPPELIN) with limited prints to be autographed by both THE GUESS WHO and Ioannis.

"Plein D'Amour" was recorded at Villa Sound in Singhampton, Ontario, Canada, with Adam Fair, and it features such standout tracks such as "Headline" and "Across The Line". Bandmembers Derek Sharp, Michael Staertow, Leonard Shaw, Michael Devin and founding member Garry Peterson have crafted a collection of songs that raises the bar and continues to take it up a notch both musically and sonically.

THE GUESS WHO released the LP's first single, "The King", on February 10 and it immediately landed on multiple Spotify playlists racking up over 50,000 streams, making it the highest new release in the band's history. THE GUESS WHO has just dropped its latest single, the "Plein D'Amour" title track.

Sharp, songwriter and lead vocalist, had this to say: "The title track/grand finale, 'Plein D'Amour', is a simple message. Black, White, Blue, Red, Up, Down, All Around may be part of the great illusion, but we are all one. Being genuine and full of love transmutes fear and anger into clarity and joy! It is the ultimate answer to everything…and it costs nothing."

THE GUESS WHO enjoyed chart-topping hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s with an impressive catalogue of songs, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "No Time". During the course of its career, the band has released 11 studio albums, all of which charted in Canada and the United States. THE GUESS WHO is best known internationally for its 1970 album "American Woman", which hit No. 1 in Canada and No. 9 in the United States, with five other albums also hitting the Top 10 in Canada. All in all, THE GUESS WHO boasts 14 Top 40 singles in the United States and more than 30 in Canada.

THE GUESS WHO is currently on tour in North America.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With the album's pre-order starting today, you can now check out the opening track, "This Hollow Shell", in a lyric video created by Cloud Music Typography.

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

"II" track listing:

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

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

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley returned to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" today (Wednesday, April 5) to offer an update on his ongoing war of words with his former bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. His latest appearance on the program came a week after he threatened to "tell some dirt that nobody knows about Paul and Gene" if the KISS leaders did not apologize for the disparaging remarks they made during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show".

Asked if Stanley contacted him after the ultimatum was issued, Ace said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, he did — not long after the show was over. And I was blindsided by the phone call because I saw his name come up on my cell phone. And I spoke to him a hundred different times on that number, and that can be verified by Verizon, who is my cell phone carrier. I figured he was calling me maybe to apologize or at least explain why he said that. Maybe he meant it really more towards Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer] than me, and whatever the case may be. But instead of an apology, I got a five-second phone call which said, 'Fuck you, Ace. I'm not gonna apologize,' and hung up. He wasn't even man enough to let me give a rebuttal and explain why I'm so upset or anything like that…. It wasn't a text. It was a phone call. And the only reason I picked up it is because it said 'Paul S'. When it comes to the guys, I never write their full name [into my phone]. God forbid somebody finds my phone. They may not figure out that it's Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and I would never give out their phone numbers."

When host Eddie Trunk asked Ace if he is certain the call came from Paul, the guitarist said: "Absolutely. And I did screengrabs from [my wireless carrier] Verizon on… It's the same day as our [previous] interview, and it says [the call lasted] five seconds… Some idiot out there might say, 'Oh, well. Ace is a graphic artist. He's really good at Photoshop. He could have probably Photoshopped it.' Well, guess what. It's still on the servers, and I'm still gonna get a bill from Verizon that's gonna say a five-second phone call from 'P.S.', Paul Stanley. And God forbid I sue them for defamation of character, a judge can order them to pull it off the servers, because it's still there."

According to Ace, he been in contact with KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee regarding the incident. "I told Doc McGhee this whole story, and you know what he came back with? He said, 'Paul said he never called you,' number one. Number two, Doc said to me [Paul] uses AT&T — not realizing that it really doesn't matter if he calls me from Tokyo from [some foreign] cell phone company," Frehley said. "My carrier documents every phone call I get. I can't believe Doc said that to me. I thought he was a little smarter than that when it came to cell phones."

Frehley went on to say that he "would have been happy if Paul had just called me one on one like a man and apologized. That would have sufficed," he explained. "But after cursing me out on the phone, the gloves are off… And I've known Paul for almost 50 years, and we've always had a really good rapport on the cell phone. But I recognized his voice. If you know somebody 50 years, you know their voice. I would never lie about something like that, and I can prove it. We're living in a world with technology that has footprints."

As for his previous threat to release "a 120-page manuscript" that he wrote after he finished his book that would supposedly "ruin" Paul and Gene's careers, Ace has apparently had a change of heart.

"I spoke to several good friends of mine who are God-fearing people and I go to AA [alcoholics anonymous] meetings with, and they said, 'Don't ever sink to their level. That's what they do. That's what they've been doing for years. Why are you goonna sink to their level?'" he said. "So, then I came to the realization that I don't even have to bring up anything that I have hidden away in my attorney's safe deposit box. I can just talk about things that they've said about me in black and white. They can't come after me after that because they said it — it's in black and white."

When Trunk asked Frehley if all this means that "the ship has sailed" on the possibility of him playing with KISS at the band's final shows in New York City in early December, Ace said: "Not necessarily. Money motivates me, just like it motivates them, but I don't put money before God. If I got a quarter of a million dollars a night, and I can make half a million dollars for playing three or four songs, five songs, I'd take the money. [I'd] buy a Ferrari… buy a Maserati. [Laughs] I don't really wanna play with those guys ever again after what they've done, but money can change my mind."

Frehley continued: "Look, I'm a capitalist. I grew up in America. But I'd never put money before people's feelings. I like money as much as the next guy does, but money isn't my God, like it is theirs. They're all atheists. Whatever they can do or say, whether it's true or false, as long as it makes them the most amount of money, they're gonna do [it]."

Ace also addressed the issue of whether he would perform with KISS at the band's final concerts while wearing his trademark "Spaceman" makeup — the same makeup his replacement Tommy Thayer has been sporting for more than two decades. "Sure. For a quarter of a million dollars," he said, explaining that "I'm a good-looking guy. I don't need the makeup."

When Trunk pressed Ace about what he thinks the odds are of him playing with KISS at the final concerts in New York, Frehley said: "It all depends on money. If I get a formal invitation with a check, I'll be there. But they've gotta have deep pockets… If they don't wanna pay me, I won't be there, ladies and gentleman."

Ace also once again confirmed that he has never received a formal invitation to join his former bandmates at their last-ever shows. "Absolutely not," he said. "From what I understand, the shows are sold out. The only reason they sold out is they made innuendos that me and Peter were gonna be there, [that] they invited us. I wasn't invited. They lie all the time. Haven't they said, 'We're inviting Ace and Peter to come up and play?' Or at least me? Multiple times. So, people bought the tickets. But I haven't been given a formal invitation or given an offer monetarily. And I'm probably not gonna get one now after this interview. And guess what: I don't give a shit."

Despite everything that has been said between all the parties, Ace claims that he still looks back fondly on his time with KISS and he doesn't hate his former bandmates.

"Look, the bottom line is this: deep down in my heart, I love those guys, because we created something so special that it will be remembered for years," he said. "When we're all dead and buried, there will still be people listening to KISS music. And I'm overjoyed. But I want my legacy to be cleared of any of this bullshit and lies."

The initial comment from Stanley that caused Frehley to issue his ultimatum came a little over a month ago during KISS's appearance on "The Howard Stern Show". On that day, radio host Howard Stern asked Stanley why he and Simmons didn't perform with Frehley and Criss at the Rock Hall induction. Stanley responded: "[The Rock Hall organizers] were demanding, quite honestly, that we play with the two original guys, Peter and Ace, and at this point, that would be demeaning to the [current KISS] band, and also would give some people confusion. 'Cause if you saw people on stage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS."

Simmons concurred, saying: "We've been all over the world, through decades, with this present lineup. It bears noting I've never seen a single banner or sign that mentions any other lineup. When Tommy takes a solo, 'Tommy! Tommy!' That's me backstage going, 'Tommy!' When Eric takes a solo, 'Eric! Eric!' They're pumping their fists. It's legitimate. Nobody is in KISS and doing it by the numbers."

The last leg of KISS's North American tour will kick off in October and culminate in the MSG concerts on December 1 and December 2.

A little over a month ago, ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman reunited with his former band during the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit's first-ever gig at Tokyo, Japan's famed Budokan. Friedman came up on stage for three songs toward the end of the main set on February 27: "Countdown To Extinction", "Tornado Of Souls" and "Symphony Of Destruction".

Asked in a new 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 admitted that money was a major motivator for him when he was approached about taking part in a reunion of MEGADETH's "Rust In Peace" lineup.

Friedman had met with Mustaine and then-bassist David Ellefson at the 2015 NAMM show in Anaheim, California to discuss the reunion, which would have seen him and drummer Nick Menza back in the mix.

Friedman opened up about his reasons for turning down the MEGADETH reunion in Mustaine's latest book, "Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece", which details the making of the iconic record "Rust In Peace".

"My main thing was I'd be happy to do it, but I'm not going to take less money than I'm already making to do it," Marty said in part.

"I'd been in Japan for more than ten years cultivating a career with solid rewards. I was making money not only for myself but also for my management and staff. My manager has been with me fifteen years.

"Everything was sound and solid professionally, and when the offer came up to all of a sudden join MEGADETH again, as long as I would not be making less money, I was ready to go," he said. "But I was certainly not going to take a loss to join a band that, frankly, at that point, didn't seem like they had too much to offer musically. A couple of members of the band had recently quit, and musically I hadn't heard anything that they've done in a long time. I didn't know about how relevant they continued to be in the music business. It wasn't like MEGADETH was on the tip of people's tongues, at least not in Japan. I had reached the point where people stopped immediately connecting me to MEGADETH and were talking about the things that I had done in Japan."

According to Friedman, part of the reason he turned down the MEGADETH reunion is the fact that the group is largely seen as Mustaine's solo project, with members coming and going every couple of albums.

"Had it been more of a band situation and not such a one-man, Dave Mustaine-main-man party, I might have considered doing it for a little less," Marty said. "But, at the end of the day, MEGADETH is so much Mustaine because that's the way he engineered it. I didn't feel that kind of camaraderie, the four-man diamond, THE BEATLES, KISS, METALLICA. I felt like I would be going out there and tour and it was going to be Mustaine's big success. If I'm going to do that, I'm certainly not going to lose money to do that; I was doing great on my own in Japan."

Mustaine told Loudwire that he was put off by Friedman's financial demands when the topic of a "Rust In Peace" reunion was broached.

"Marty has a really successful career in Japan where he makes quite a lot of money," Dave said. "And this is the part where I thought it was a little weird, where he said he said that he has to pay all his team while he's gone instead of just himself. 'Cause I thought we'll pay you what you're making so that's switching horses in the middle of the river — it's no big deal unless you fall off. And then when we found out that he wanted to sell his merch, his this, his that, his this, his that, then he wanted this crazy amount of money and he wanted to fly first class everywhere. I said to our management, 'I can't deal with this.'"

In a 2016 interview with the "Eddie Trunk Podcast", Mustaine confirmed that MEGADETH didn't hold any rehearsals with Friedman while attempting a reunion of the "Rust In Peace" lineup.

"Marty had sent some e-mails saying, 'Oh, man, you know, the fans have this self-inflated importance of 'Rust In Peace' beyond what it really is. And I was, like, 'Huh?'" Dave said. 'So I didn't know if that was a backhand to the face of the fans or not, but he had basically said that if we were gonna do anything, it had to be better than 'Rust In Peace'. And he sent me over some links to some songs that he thought should be the direction that we were going in, and one of it was this J-Pop band with some Japanese girl singing, and I was, like, 'Uh-uh. This ain't gonna work.' More power to [Marty for being into that stuff]. Do what you want, Marty. He's a great guitar player. But I'm not gonna sing like a Japanese girl."

The Grant's Rock Warehaus YouTube channel has uploaded video of original FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm being interviewed by Mark Goodman on March 8 aboard The 80s Cruise. You can now watch the question-and-answer session below.

Asked for his opinion on FOREIGNER's announcement that the band was embarking on its farewell tour, Gramm said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's a good thing. At this point of the FOREIGNER career, epic career, I think it's run its course. And it's been good years for all involved, especially the band that was FOREIGNER's inception. There were changes in personnel after that while I was still in, and that was a damn good band too. And Mick's [Jones, FOREIGNER founder and guitarist] choice to keep it going after there were no original members other than himself, that's his option. I can't quite get… I know his health, he's had his ups and downs. And I don't understand how they can be touring with no original members and still calling themselves FOREIGNER and going on for years like that. I guess it's not my business, and maybe it is a business decision for them, but it just doesn't feel right to me."

He added: "Honestly, for years [Mick has] been showing up for half the show or he'd come in the last four or five songs of the set. And apparently lately he's come in for the last song and the encore, and that was it. And then I know there's been many, many shows lately where he's not there at all."

Asked if he would be interested in making a special guest appearance at any of the shows on FOREIGNER's farewell tour, Lou said: "I'm not sure. I'm so at peace with where it is now and how it's ended. And we had our 40th[-anniversary] reunion of one of the albums — the first album or FOREIGNER '4' or 'Double Vision' — we had those. We played some shows with the new band and the old band, and those have been a lot of fun. But just for me to come in and sit in with a band that emotionally doesn't mean that much to me and just play for the memories of it… If there were other members of the original band onstage, I might be inclined to seriously think about it. But to come and guest with the new FOREIGNER, that doesn't appeal to me."

When Goodman noted that Gramm had previously performed with FOREIGNER's current lineup, Lou said: "Yes, when they had the reunion tours. I have not gone to any of the shows and guested myself on stage with the new band — just me. I haven't done that. It's always been with members of the original band with me."

Last October, Gramm was asked during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk"what he thinks of the band's current frontman, Kelly Hansen, who has been in the group for nearly two decades. "I think he's a good singer," Lou said. "And he sings those songs okay; he sings them good. But he mimics my style right down to the ad-libs, and I'm offended by that… I just think that if he's gonna sing the songs, he could sing the melodies that are familiar, but when it comes to the ad-libs and all the little things that set me aside as a vocalist when I sing them, he should make his own up. He should have his own ad-libs that are his own; he doesn't have to mimic me."

Gramm's comments echoed those he made a little over two months earlier when he told John Beaudin of RockHistoryMusic.com about Hansen: "Kelly is all right. He's a good singer. But I think Mick [Jones, FOREIGNER's founding guitarist and leader] really told Kelly, when he first got in the band, that he had to study me, because he sings those songs with the same musical innuendos and vocal licks and ad-libs as I have. He's mimicking me. His voice doesn't sound like me, but he's singing the songs the way I would sing them.

"Some people say, 'Well, take it as a compliment, Lou.' I don't take it as a compliment," Gramm continued. "You're a singer with a big band like that — use your voice and your style. Don't hang your coat on my hook.

"I don't think he should sing the songs verbatim like me," Lou added. "Maybe sing a couple of parts. But let his own influences show — show the fans that he's the new singer now, not me."

Asked what it was like to share the stage with Hansen and other members of the current and original FOREIGNER lineup in 2017 and 2018 to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary, Lou told RockHistoryMusic.com: "It was okay. [Kelly] was bouncing off the walls. He couldn't stand still or sit still. After a song ended, I couldn't even get a word to thank the audience or tell 'em that I was happy to be part of the reunion. At the end of the song, the last song hit, and there wasn't a quarter of a second of space before he was yapping away to the audience… It was, like, 'Jeez, will you quiet down for a minute?'"

Pressed about whether it is "over now" for him and FOREIGNER, Lou said: "I think so, yeah. I don't wanna be a part of it. Well, Ian [McDonald, guitar] has passed away and Ed Gagliardi [bass] passed away, even though he wasn't part of the reunions. Two original members of the six are now gone. And Mick is in very poor health. I think when the new FOREIGNER plays, I've heard that he comes on for one song and then waves and goes offstage. [In the recent past] he would play the whole last half of the set. But then he was in the hospital again for weeks. He had some heart problems and his recovery time was very long and tedious. And I heard that he comes out for one song now — when he comes on. Most of the time FOREIGNER has no original FOREIGNER members in it."

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

The 72-year-old Gramm left FOREIGNER for good in 2002 and has battled health issues in recent years, including the removal of a non-cancerous tumor. He told the Democrat & Chronicle in 2018 that he was planning to retire, but still reunited with FOREIGNER for several shows that year.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Hansen in 2005. Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012.

Gramm and Jones's June 2013 performance of "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Juke Box Hero" at the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in New York City marked the first time the pair performed together in a decade after Gramm left FOREIGNER for a second time. Hansen has fronted the group for the past 18 years.

The 80s Cruise is about to get Cold As Ice, because Lou Gramm is joining the 2023 lineup! So, Say You Will join Lou...

Posted by The 80s Cruise on Friday, January 6, 2023

METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation is granting a total of $150,000 to three separate organizations to provide assistance and relief to areas affected by severe weather in the United States.

The first two organizations to receive $50,000 each are Team Rubicon and Direct Relief. The funds will assist in their recovery efforts related to the powerful thunderstorms which swept through Mississippi and Alabama on the evening of March 24, 2023, producing multiple tornadoes. According to the National Weather Service, there were reports of 20 tornadoes that swept through the two states that day, including a violent scale 4 Enhanced Fujita (EF) in Rolling Fork, MS. By March 26, another tornado was confirmed to have touched down near LaGrange, Georgia, about 65 miles southeast of Atlanta.

Residents in the path of funnel clouds have lost nearly everything, and in many areas, flipped cars, demolished houses, ripped powerlines, and toppled water towers are all that remain. Homes, businesses, farmland, and most devastatingly, 26 lives have all been lost. The damage to these communities will last a very long time, but the need for aid and the response by both Team Rubicon and Direct Relief are immediate.

Team Rubicon's volunteers, known as "Greyshirts," are boots on the ground in impacted communities, assessing damage and clearing trees and debris from roadways. They are the only non-profit organization conducting this type of service, allowing first responders to come in and residents to leave to access vital resources.

The environment is not the only thing in need of attention. Public health and safety are also serious concerns, from acute injuries to unmanaged chronic conditions that can develop into medical crises. Direct Relief is sending supplies to the Mississippi and Alabama Primary Care Associations, the Mississippi and Alabama Free Clinic Associations, and National VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) to support emergency medical care.

The third organization to receive $50,000 from All Within My Hands is Monterey County Storm Relief Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC). The funds will aid those affected by the widespread destruction from recent winter storms and the Pajaro levee breach in Monterey County, California.

The 2023 storms brought a tremendous amount of rain, downed trees, power outages, and flooding that forced nearly 2,000 members of the community of Pajaro to evacuate. Some residents will be unable to return home for weeks, relying on county evacuation centers for support.

The CFMC created the Monterey County Storm Relief Fund to provide relief and recovery for those affected and for first responders. Funds raised will go toward desperately needed food, emergency shelter, financial assistance to those evacuated, and recovery efforts.

In a new interview with Revolver, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was asked if he and his bandmates have ever thought about reaching a certain benchmark before retiring from the road. He responded: "It's not something we've talked a lot about, no. I think most of the energy and the resources go into trying to stay healthy, stay cohesive, stay functioning. As I get older, I spend more and more of my time on my daily workouts, on my cardio, on my strength training. I'm chained to my Peloton hours a day. It's all about trying to stay healthy: eating healthy, living healthy, whatever it is each of us need to bring to the table. Obviously, there is a point where it's maybe not going to function anymore at some level, where we can't play 'Battery' or 'Master Of Puppets' or songs like that. I know there's some people in the comments section that think that point has already come — and I appreciate that. [Laughs] But the only thing I can say is that it hasn't happened yet, knock on wood. Hopefully it won't happen for a while. I mean, [Paul] McCartney's out there past his 80th birthday. THE [ROLLING] STONES are still out there. [Bruce] Springsteen just started his tour."

When the interviewer noted that "none of those dudes are playing anything even close to 'Battery' tempo every night," the 59-year-old Lars concurred: "Right. But at the same time, Springsteen plays three-hour shows and just played 28 fucking songs on the opening night. He looks healthier and stronger than ever. But I appreciate what you're saying. None of them are playing 'Battery'. I would say if we stay healthy, hopefully we've got another decade. I mean, the second I'm done with you, I'm getting on the Peloton."

Lars previously discussed the possibility of METALLICA calling it quits in a September 2019 interview with Pollstar. At the time, the drummer, who will turn 60 in December, spoke about METALLICA's future plans while discussing the band's "WorldWired" tour, which launched in late 2016.

"When people go, 'How long is the tour?' Maybe to my early-to-mid-70s and then as long as we can keep going without, you know, falling prey to the physical ailments that can cut these things short," he said. "Knock on wood."

Asked if he thinks METALLICA can keep going that long, Ulrich said: "I'm pretty sure that the notion of us playing or functioning when we're 76 mentally is not a stretch at all. In terms of the desire to want to play music, connect with each other, connect with the fans and take METALLICA music, I think that we can, definitely. I mean, obviously, you know, sanity/insanity aside — which some could argue is certainly a part of what we do. But I'm not worried about that side of this. I think that we'll always be inspired.

"We'll always get an incredible joy out of playing music, sharing it with people will always have incredible respect for the audience and will always feel that. Playing is something that keeps us alive. Obviously, the physical part of it is the big unknown. So when you look into the future, when you look into the pipeline, who knows what that will look like?

"And if I don't want to be disrespectful to the Charlie Wattses of the world or whatever. But yeah, you know, obviously playing 'Master Of Puppets' or 'Fight Fire With Fire' or 'Battery' or any of these songs, maybe has a slightly different demand.

"I just don't know — I don't know how long it can go. We'll see. But we're taking precautions — or cautions is the right word — but we've found these bound balances for us. So right now playing 50 shows a year is good, but we could play 50 shows every year rather than play 50 shows one year and then not play any the next year. But 50 shows a year is really good for us. We play them in two-week increments. And that works really well. We go out, we play our ass off a couple of weeks and we get all beat up and banged up and burned out, and then we'd go home and then we recharge the batteries for two, three weeks and then we go out and do it again. That model works for us.

"I think that we've got a couple of guys out here that are taking care of the physical elements and stretching us and stitching us back together after the show. And, you know, we spoil ourselves with a chef that cooks good, healthy food. So we invest a lot of resources and time into trying to make the physical experience as kindly as possible.

"So hopefully there's a few years left in the tank, physically. Like I said, I'm not worried about the mental side of it now."

Ulrich's comments echoed those made by METALLICA frontman James Hetfield, who said in 2015 that retirement was not on the agenda for him and his bandmates.

"Look, musicians never retire," Hetfield said. "They just become less popular. People think you've retired, but no, I'm still writing. It's a part of me. It's what I do on this planet. That's why I've been put here, I believe. And if I stop that, part of me dies. There's no retirement. So we do what we do until physically we can't do it."

METALLICA's 12th studio album, "72 Seasons", will be released April 14 via the band'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 exclusively for cinema audiences worldwide — with every one of the new songs featuring its own music video and exclusive commentary from the band.

In November, METALLICA released the details about the album's accompanying "M72" world tour featuring two-night stops in nearly two dozen cities. Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only) and promoted by Live Nation, the 46-show trek will launch in Amsterdam on April 27 and will include shows all over Europe and North America through 2024. Each "No Repeat Weekend" on "M72" will feature two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour will feature a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age. Opening acts for the tour include PANTERA, MAMMOTH WVH, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, ARCHITECTS, VOLBEAT and GRETA VAN FLEET.

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".

Former HIM frontman Ville Valo played his first solo concert in the U.S. under the VV banner on March 31 at TLA (Theatre For The Living Arts) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joining Ville on stage as part of his backing band are Mikko Virta on guitar, Risto Rikala on drums, Sampo Sundström on guitar and Juho Vehmanen on bass.

Fan-filmed video of the March 31 concert can be seen below (courtesy of the Angel Gomez YouTube channel).

VV's debut album, "Neon Noir", was made available on January 13 via Heartagram Records, distributed by UMG/Spinefarm.

In April 2022, Valo released the first single from "Neon Noir", a song called "Loveletting", which marked his first new music in over two years, following the release of the three-track "Gothica Fennica Vol. 1" EP, also released under the VV banner, in March 2020.

Like "Neon Noir", "Gothica Fennica Vol. 1" bore a strong musical resemblance to HIM and featured the tracks "Salute The Sanguine", "Run Away From The Sun" and "Saturnine Saturnalia".

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "Neon Noir", Ville told Kerrang! magazine: "I wouldn't call it 'suicidal', but most of the stuff was written during the pandemic, and there weren't many rays of sun hitting me. Everybody was in the mental gutter. Times were tough. This album was the kind of like the lifebuoy for me. It gave me a reason to wake up every morning and work on something else and try to shut the world outside. When I was working on the music, maybe it was selfish to a certain extent, but also it was a matter of survival."

He added: "It seems that mankind needs a bit of a breather from all this shit, myself included. So I tried to put all that frustration onto paper. And if it's love and darkness, and all sorts of things like that, that's probably because it's my vocabulary. Hopefully, the words have been rearranged in a fresh order this time around. But me trying to do something completely different, just because, that doesn't make any sense to me at all."

Back in April 2022, Ville told Metal Hammer that "Loveletting" was one of the more mellow songs on "Neon Noir". Ville said: "I've always been shit with picking singles — I'm always wrong, so I let the label choose that and everybody was smiling when they heard it the first time, so they suggested it. I'm hoping the next one will be a lot more rock 'n' roll, harder hitting."

Regarding the musical direction of "Neon Noir", Ville told Metal Hammer: "The new stuff definitely does sound like HIM. But I did write most of the songs, so… I'm to blame for that. It's a continuous journey from HIM for me. A lot of people when they move on to solo projects want to distance themselves from the past, burn bridges and start their solo career. It's different for me. VV is me building a bridge between HIM and the future. That's what 'Neon Noir' is."

Ville spoke to Spotify about why it has taken him so long to complete "Neon Noir". "Since the pandemic hit, I started working on the album," he explained. "I actually learned how to record — I learned how to record drums and bass and guitar because I wasn't able to get any musicians; I had to do it solo — literally solo. So I'm really sorry but it did take me two and a half years to get the album done. 'Loveletting' is the first single. It's kind of what I normally do — it's a loud love song; it's a very sad and melancholy wistful one, but sort of maybe light at the end of the tunnel which is hopefully not the oncoming train.

"So there's not much new under the sun of VV, but I love it. [Laughs]"

HIM completed a farewell tour in 2017, closing the final chapter on the band's 26-year career. At the time, Ville explained to Kerrang! magazine why the band decided to call it a day. "We were tired of the same shit," he said. "When you've done it for a long time, at some point it doesn't taste good anymore. We started working on some stuff, it didn't sound good enough, and we didn't get the teenage buzz you're supposed get."

Formed in 1991 by Valo, guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström and bassist Mikko "Migé" Paananen, HIM offered the world a new take on the metal genre, which became known as "love metal" (also the title of their fourth album).

HIM in 2015 parted ways with its longtime drummer, Mika Kristian Karppinen (a.k.a. Gas Lipstick),and replaced him with Jukka "Kosmo" Kröger (formerly of HERRA YLPPÖ & IHMISET).

Four years ago, Valo teamed up with guitar legend Esa Pulliainen to record an album based on songs by the late, legendary Finnish singer Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki. The self-titled album by VILLE VALO & AGENTS was released in February 2019 and was followed by a short tour.

WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale spoke to Ultimate Classic Rock about the band's decision to cancel several European shows last summer and pull out of its previously announced North American tour with the SCORPIONS last fall due to his "continued treatment for a persistent upper respiratory infection."

On June 28, 2022, WHITESNAKE scrapped three shows on its spring/summer European tour due to Coverdale's infection of the sinus and trachea. Three days later, the rest of the trek was also called off. At the time, David blamed the decision on "continuing health challenges, doctor's orders, and our concern for everyone's health and safety."

David was not the first member of WHITESNAKE to fall ill during the group's spring/summer 2022 European tour. Guitarist Reb Beach missed several shows on the trek in June 2022 after being "under the weather." On June 25, 2022, WHITESNAKE canceled its show at the Rock Imperium festival in Spain due to the fact that drummer Tommy Aldridge "went down" and "was bad enough at the time to have missed the first show ever in his career," according to Coverdale.

"Last year, I was so incredibly compromised by, without any doubt, the worst sinus infection I've ever had in my life. And as a singer, I know them like fucking relatives of mine," Coverdale tells Ultimate Classic Rock in a new interview. "This was one of the ugliest illnesses I think I've [ever] had. For seven months, I was taking ever-increasingly strong antibiotics and horrifying Prednisone steroids."

Coverdale went on to say that he really doesn't know when he will be back on stage. "I'll be 72 this year," he said. "But, you know, my passion is that of a much younger man, particularly with the new creative team that I have, working on these legacy projects and also new things at the same time. It's like bluebirds flying out of every orifice."

According to David, the time off will give him a chance to address a torn rotator cuff and get back in shape for what will be the remainder of WHITESNAKE's farewell tour, which was originally announced in 2021.

"When you announce something like a farewell tour, certainly, I want it to be the best shows I've ever done," he explained. "I want them to be unforgettable for me and the crowd."

WHITESNAKE launched its farewell tour on May 10, 2022 at Dublin, Ireland's 3Arena. The band's 14-song set, which was part of a European tour with special guests EUROPE and co-headliners FOREIGNER, marked WHITESNAKE's inaugural performance with the group's two latest two additions, keyboardist, guitarist and backing vocalist Dino Jelusick and bassist Tanya O'Callaghan.

Coverdale had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

Prior to the pandemic, WHITESNAKE had been touring in support of its latest album, "Flesh & Blood", which was released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

On April 28, WHITESNAKE will release a legacy retrospective, "Still Good To Be Bad". The collection will be available in different configurations, a few days after the 15th anniversary of "Good To Be Bad", the band's tenth studio album and its first in over a decade. The first collection is a 4-CD/Blu-ray with two new versions of the original album (one remastered and the other newly remixed),a selection of rare and unreleased studio and live recordings from the period, and videos all the music videos, interviews, and electrifying live performances from the "Good To Be Bad" world tour. Three other versions of "Still Good To Be Bad" will also be available. The album's 2023 remix will be released on vinyl as a double-LP and a single CD. "Still Good To Be Bad" also comes as a 2-CD set that includes the remixed and remastered versions of the album. The new alternate mixes also feature new background vocals from the "Hook City Harlots", Cami Thompson, Misty Rae and Jackie Landrum, plus the "Hook City Horns" with Rick Metz on saxes and the trumpet of Joshua Reed.