West coast metal veterans, Metal Church, were scheduled to perform a string of North American tour dates in support of their 13th studio album, Congregation Of Annihilation, this March.


One of scheduled dates was at Toronto's Rockpile on March 29, but the venue's talent buyer, Steve Hoeg, has shared the following message from guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof on behalf of the band:


"Dear Friends (Kurdt here), As some of you may have recently noticed during our live performances, I frequently will disappear to the side of the stage during a set and continue playing while sitting on a chair. This is due to an ongoing back issue that I've needed to deal with for a while now. I kept putting it off and it's finally caught up with me, so I'm going to get this taken care of so I can continue performing live in the future.




"That being said, sadly we will be canceling all upcoming show dates for 2024. I apologize for this but I need to get this taken care of. Check with your local venues for any refunds.


"Thank you for your continued support and I'm looking forward to seeing you in the future! Refunds will be given at point of purchase and sent out by Ticketweb!"

Today, Canadian melodic rock band, Honeymoon Suite, share a new single from their upcoming studio album Alive, out February 12, internationally distributed by Frontiers Music Srl. The track is titled "Find What You're Looking For" and is accompanied by a new music video.


Alive features core band members, including Johnnie Dee (Lead Vocals), Derry Grehan (Guitars/Keyboards/Background Vocals), Dave Betts (Drums), Gary Lalonde (Bass), and Peter Nunn (Keyboards). The album is produced by notable Canadian producer Mike Krompass, whose songwriting and production credits include artists like Meghan Trainor, Steven Tyler, Theory of a Dead Man and Smash Mouth. His expertise combined with the bands celebrated melodic rock, powerful vocals and memorable guitar riffs, is sure to make this a timeless record of unforgettable rock anthems.


Watch the video for "Find What You're Looking For" below:







Honeymoon Suite was originally formed in 1981 by lead vocalist and guitarist Johnnie Dee from Niagara Falls, Ontario. Following the departure of the original lead guitarist, Derry Grehan, also from the Niagara Falls area, joined the band. Johnnie and Derry decided to re-build the band at that point and recruited Dave Betts on drums, Ray Coburn on keys, and Gary Lalonde on bass. They hit the road hard playing 6 six nights a week and writing songs with the hope of scoring a record deal.


In 1983, the band entered a demo of “New Girl Now” to a homegrown contest put on by Toronto rock station Q107. They won that year and this led to a multi album deal with WEA Canada after being signed by Bob Roper.


The band recorded their debut self titled album which was released in July, 1984. The album was an instant success, and with the help of massive airplay, several videos on MTV and MuchMusic, it went on to sell over 300,000 units in Canada alone.


Since their debut release, Honeymoon Suite has released a total of seven studio albums with over 1 million units sold worldwide driven by the success of a string of hit singles such as "New Girl Now", "Burning In Love", "Wave Babies", "Stay In The Light", "Feel It Again" and "What Does It Take", to name a few.


The band has won numerous awards including a Canadian Juno for group of year in 1986, triple platinum sales in Canada with the first 3 albums, and platinum sales for the greatest hits CD The Singles, released in 1989. They also received an award in June, 2015 for 100,000 + performances on Canadian radio for “Burning In Love”, “New Girl Now”, “Wave Babies” and “What Does It Take”.


They have toured extensively in the US, Canada and Europe with acts such as ZZTop, Heart, Billy Idol, Journey, Bryan Adams, Saga, Loverboy, Jethro Tull and .38 Special to name a few.


Honeymoon Suite has also enjoyed many of their songs being placed in film and TV shows such as Miami Vice and Bones, and movie's such as Lethal Weapon and One Crazy Summer.


During the 1990’s, the band went through several lineup changes, but in the early 2000’s, the original lineup of Johnnie, Derry, Gary and Dave was re-formed, along with the addition of keyboard player Peter Nunn, and is still intact to this day.


Fast forward to 2020. Derry & Johnnie, armed with a surplus of new original songs, reached out to fellow Canadian producer/songwriter MIke Krompass based in Nashville, TN. Mike, a long-time fan, was all in to co-write and produce a new Honeymoon Suite album for his new record label. They got to work and before long, they were joined by Dave, Gary and Peter cutting bed tracks for studio album number eight.


The first single, “Tell Me What You Want” was released in October of 2019 along with a groundbreaking new video and response was immediate from fans and radio alike. A second single called “Find What You’re Looking For” was released in June, 2020. The song was an immediate hit on AOR Rock Radio in Canada, charting in the Billboard Top 30, the first time in 19 years for Honeymoon Suite!


The band are excited for their upcoming February release and with no sign of slowing down, Honeymoon Suite plan to continue to create new music and tour year round thanks to a legion of loyal fans.


Pre-order Alive here.





Tracklisting:


"Alive"
"Find What You’re Looking For"
"Done Doin’ Me"
"Not Afraid To Fall"
"Tell Me What You Want"
"Give It All"
"Love Comes"
"Broken"
"Livin’ Out Loud"
"Doesn’t Feel That Way"
"Love Changes Everything" (Bonus Track)


"Alive" video:





"Tell Me What You Want" video:





"Find What You’re Looking For" lyric video:





Honeymoon Suite are:


Johnnie Dee - lead vocals
Derry Greham - guitars / keyboards / backing vocals
Dave Betts - drums
Gary Lalonde - bass
Peter Nunn - keyboards

Prog rock legends Kansas, who are currently on their 50th anniversary “Another Fork in The Road” tour, have shared video from their January 20 concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida.


The fan-filmed footage for "Down The Road" and "Carry On Wayward Son" features special guest and former Kansas guitarist, Steve Morse. Additionally, Zak Rizvi is on guitar, filling in for Richard Williams for the night due to illness. Watch the clips below:










“Another Fork in The Road” celebrates 50 years of Kansas' illustrious music history with concerts featuring two full hours of memorable hits, fan favorites and deep cuts rarely performed live. The tour has been hallmarked by energetic and spellbinding performances at some of the foremost theaters and performing arts centers across the United States and into Canada.


Ticket information can be found here.





Tour dates:


January
27 - Melbourne, FL - Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts
28 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center for the Performing Arts


February
2 - Pensacola, FL - Saenger Theatre
3 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Concert Hall


March
1 - Richmond, VA - Dominion Energy Center
2 - Tysons, VA - Capital One Hall
8 - Springfield, MO - Gillioz Theatre
9 - St. Joseph, MO - Missouri Theater
22 - Salina, KS - The Stiefel Theatre
23 - Salina, KS - The Stiefel Theatre


April
5 - Toledo, OH - Stranahan Theater
6 - Elkhart, IN - Lerner Theatre
12 - Champaign, IL - Virginia Theatre
13 - Waukegan, IN - Genesee Theatre
19 - Marietta, OH - Peoples Bank Theatre
20 - Newark, OH - Midland Theatre
26 - Morristown, NJ - Mayo Performing Arts Center
27 - Lancaster, PA - American Music Theatre


May
2 - Rochester, NY - Kodak Center*
4 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall*
10 - Concord, NH - Capitol Center for the Arts
11 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
17 - Providence, RI - Providence Performing Arts Center
18 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger and drummer Arejay Hale joined THEE ROCK N' ROLL RESIDENCY on stage last Saturday night (January 13) at Eastside Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee to perform cover versions of JUDAS PRIEST's "Dissident Aggressor" and THE WHO's "Long Live Rock". You can watch fan-filmed video footage of their appearance below.

HALESTORM's cover of "Dissident Aggressor" appeared on the "ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP", which arrived in October 2013.

In 2011, HALESTORM released the six-track "ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP", which saw them take on tracks by SKID ROW, Lady Gaga, TEMPLE OF THE DOG, GUNS N' ROSES, HEART and THE BEATLES. Two years later, the "ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP" featured covers of JUDAS PRIEST, DAFT PUNK, AC/DC, Pat Benatar, FLEETWOOD MAC and Marilyn Manson.

Released in January 2017, "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP" saw HALESTORM covering classic songs by WHITESNAKE, Sophie B. Hawkins, JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, TWENTY ONE PILOTS, SOUNDGARDEN and METALLICA.

In an October 2022 interview with the "Thunder Underground" podcast, Arejay was asked if he and his HALESTORM bandmates were planning to release a follow-up to "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP". He said in part: "Actually, we kind of already have started on it. We tracked two songs in Nashville before this tour started. But I don't think I'm allowed to say what they are. But, yeah, we've got some ideas in mind.

"I always love covering the modern pop songs," he continued. "Like we did Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance'; we did 'Get Lucky' by DAFT PUNK; we did 'Heathens' by TWENTY ONE PILOTS. Those, to me, are the most fun. But also I do love the challenge of trying to replicate the brilliance of the classic METALLICA stuff, the SOUNDGARDEN stuff. So that was the most challenging, 'cause you have such a respect for that era that you don't wanna mess it up. You wanna pay respect to them and you don't wanna change anything.

"So, as far as '4.0' goes, I feel like it will probably be a nice balance of those things — paying tribute to the classics, putting our own little twist on it, but also kind of rocking up pop songs," Arejay added.

In the summer of 2022, HALESTORM shared its covers of Adele's "Hello" and Dolly Parton's "Jolene" via social media.

HEADS UP, FOLKS!!!
And it’s a weekend show!!!
@theerocknrollresidency @eastsidebowl
#alwaysimitatedneverduplicated

Posted by Thee Rock N' Roll Residency on Friday, November 17, 2023

The ultimate keyboard wizard, Rick Wakeman CBE, will be embarking on a tour of the US with a series of solo piano concerts for the last time in 2024. Rick, who has become almost as well-known for his intimate piano shows as his prog rock extravaganzas, has decided that after a career spanning over 50 years, he is calling a halt to lengthy American one-man show tours, in order to concentrate on composing, recording and collaborating with other musicians.


As an exclusive gift for fans, on these shows Rick will be premiering a brand new piece of music: Yessonata, a 30-minute instrumental work featuring YES themes and melodies, woven into sonata form.


Rick first started establishing a reputation as one of rock’s most original and proficient keyboard players in the late Sixties, when he worked with the likes of David Bowie, Cat Stevens, Marc Bolan, Lou Reed, Al Stewart, Elton John and other artists too numerous to mention, as a much-in-demand session player. He stepped out of the recording studio and into the limelight when he first joined the Strawbs and then YES, helping to make the latter the most successful progressive rock band in the world by contributing to seminal albums such as Fragile and Close To The Edge.




But outside of YES, Rick was really able to unleash his creativity with a series of groundbreaking concept albums: The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, and The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table, which have been performed in large-scale shows featuring bands, orchestras and choirs.


However, he is equally at home as a solo artist in up close environment of concert halls, performing music on a piano – both his own and tunes that have a special resonance for him - and recounting wickedly funny stories taken from the length of his career. In recent years, he has added a rack of electric keyboards to ring the changes and enable him to enlarge his live solo repertoire.


Now, for the last time in 2024, Rick will be taking to the road in the US with an all-new solo piano and keyboard show, featuring the premiere of a stunning new work. Don’t miss this final opportunity to enjoy an evening of great music and hilarious stories, delivered by one of the truly legendary figures of rock music.


Says Rick: “I always planned to stop touring by my 77th birthday - for those of you who wish to send me a card, it’s May 18th! - but there is so much to fit in before then that I’m having to make plans now and so my final one-man shows will have to cease by that date. I have thoroughly enjoyed performing the various one-man shows, but it’s time to call it a day. I intend to throw in the best of what I have done in the past, plus a few new surprises on the way, and possibly even the odd guest joining me on the odd occasion. The plan is not to perform at the same venue twice throughout this period, so whatever venue you are hopefully thinking of coming to, it will be the last performance there - and I am taking this opportunity of thanking everyone and anyone who has supported me over the last 53 years!”


After this initial string of dates, Rick will be taking the tour to South America in April, but will return to North America for the second leg later in the year.





2024 US Tour (First Leg)


March
19 - Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
20 - Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ
22 - Paramount Theater, Huntington, NY
23 - Scottish Rite Auditorium, Collingswood, NJ
24 - Tupelo Music Hall, Derry, NH
26 - The Vogel @ Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank, NJ
27 - The Barns, Vienna, VA
28 - The Barns, Vienna, VA
29 - Egg - Hart Theatre, Albany, NY


For tickets and more information, visit RWCC.com.


(Photo - Lee Wilkinson)

In a new interview with Paul Cashmere of Noise11.com, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson spoke about the upcoming tour in support of his new solo album, "The Mandrake Project". Bruce's touring band features longtime co-writer and producer Roy "Z" Ramirez, drummer Dave Moreno, bass player Tanya O'Callaghan and keyboard maestro Mistheria. Asked if he is planning to play "The Mandrake Project" in its entirety on the trek, Bruce said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. I mean, it's been God knows how many years since I actually went out on the road. I mean, it's [19] years since [my last solo album, 2005's] 'Tyranny Of Souls', Yeah, it's a long time. So, given that, and given the fact that you've got seven albums to pick from now in terms of the setlist, I think it would be cruel and unusual punishment to have people listen to a brand new album start to finish."

He continued: "We're gonna do 'Tears Of The Dragon' [from 1994's 'Balls To Picasso' album], we're gonna do 'Chemical Wedding' [off 1998's 'The Chemical Wedding'], we're gonna do 'Accident Of Birth' [off 1997's 'Accident Of Birth'], and all this, this stuff. I'm gonna limit it, probably, to the things I did with Roy, because that's stuff that we share, with Roy and Dave Moreno, the drummer, and Mistheria did keyboards on all my records. So, you've gotta have a little limit that goes some way. 'Okay, where's our starting point?' And effectively, it's gonna be from 'Balls To Picasso' forward. I'm probably not gonna put any 'Skunkworks' [1996] stuff — not because I hate it, but just because we've got so many other great songs. I'm sure this won't be the last tour that we do together, so we've got we got plenty of opportunity to go and do stuff. There'll probably be three or four off the new record, for sure."

Bruce added: "Roy wasn't on 'Skunkworks'. That was a completely different band, and a completely different feel to everything. But there's some cracking songs on there. And, obviously, Janick [Gers, MAIDEN guitarist] was on 'Tattooed Millionaire'. But, again, I'm not gonna do anything off 'Tattooed Millionaire' — not this tour. I mean, we might dig stuff up for future tours and things like that, but for now I wanna concentrate on the heavy stuff. And I think people will wanna hear stuff off 'The Chemical Wedding' because that was my little bit of a groundbreaking record in the '90s."

"The Mandrake Project" will be released on March 1 via BMG. Bruce and Roy recorded the LP largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on "Tyranny Of Souls".

Last month, Bruce told Brazil's Omelete about the lyrical concept for "The Mandrake Project": "So 'The Mandrake Project' is, one, is an album. It's the name of the album. The comic is a 12-episode graphic novel, kind of adult. There's lots of stuff in it — there's lots of sex and drugs and violence and all kinds of stuff. But it's basically a story about a guy who is looking for his identity, Dr. Necropolis. He's an orphan, he's a genius, and he hates it, and he hates life, but he's involved in The Mandrake Project. And The Mandrake Project aims to take the human soul at the point of death, capture it, store it and put it back in something else. And the guy that's running the project, Professor Lazarus, he has one vision of what's gonna happen with this technology, and Necropolis has other ideas. And on we go with the story."

Asked how he came up with the idea to mash together music and comics, Bruce said: "Well, I think they do kind of go together. They really do. Music and games, music and comics, comics and games, they're all related."

He continued: "Years ago, IRON MAIDEN, we were doing some cover art, and I said, 'Why don't we do a comic?', like the comics that I used to read when I was a kid… When I suggested doing some covers, comic covers, we did some single artwork for IRON MAIDEN, and I thought, 'You know what? This is kind of cool.' Then later, MAIDEN had a video game called 'Legacy Of The Beast'; we still do. But what came with a video game, somebody produced a series of comics. And I thought they looked fantastic, but they lacked a story. And that got me thinking, what if you had an album that had a story that could be turned into a comic and the two things would work together? As it happened, they've actually grown apart. So, the [original] album, in 2014, was gonna be one comic with the album — that's it. Then, COVID happened, other things happened, seven years went by, and I had a 12-episode graphic novel. And I went, 'I don't wanna restrict the album to being like a script for this.' These two things exist separately, but they inform each other. So you can look at the album and go, 'Oh, yeah, that's kind of related to the comic.' And you look at the comic and go, 'Oh, I see that might be a little bit related to the album,' but they're not dependent on each other. So you can buy the comic or you can buy the album — or both."

On November 30, 2023, Dickinson unveiled the dramatic, action-packed video for "Afterglow Of Ragnarok", the first single to be taken from "The Mandrake Project". In front of a packed audience on the opening day of CCXP23, Brazil's huge Comic-Con event in São Paulo, the IRON MAIDEN frontman premiered the spectacular film and revealed further details about the album and forthcoming comic series in partnership with Z2, including releasing 2,000 CCXP-exclusive versions of the comic to the delight of the international comic community.

"The Mandrake Project" track listing:

01. Afterglow Of Ragnarok (05:45)
02. Many Doors To Hell (04:48)
03. Rain On The Graves (05:05)
04. Resurrection Men (06:24)
05. Fingers In The Wounds (03:39)
06. Eternity Has Failed (06:59)
07. Mistress Of Mercy (05:08)
08. Face In The Mirror (04:08)
09. Shadow Of The Gods (07:02)
10. Sonata (Immortal Beloved) (09:51)

Bruce has previously described lead single "Afterglow Of Ragnarok" as "a heavy song and there's a great big riff driving it… but there's also a real melody in the chorus that displays the light and shade that the rest of the album brings."

Directed by award-winning director Ryan Mackfall, written by Dickinson and acclaimed British writer Tony Lee (whose lengthy credits include "2000AD", DC and Marvel ranging from "Dr. Who" and "Star Trek" to "Spider Man" and "X-Men"),the film unveils Dr. Necropolis, the main protagonist at the heart of "The Mandrake Project". It also sets the scene for the story to come, reflecting the dark narrative contained in the eight-page comic book prequel which features in the seven-inch gatefold vinyl release of the single.

"The Mandrake Project" is not just an album, but a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius. Created by Bruce Dickinson, the comic series is scripted by Tony Lee and stunningly illustrated by Staz Johnson for Z2 Comics, released as 12 quarterly issues that will be collected into three annual graphic novels.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith. Since then, Dickinson has only released one more solo album (the aforementioned "Tyranny Of Souls") but has previously said that his solo career is not over.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie (courtesy of Wilful Publicity)

Century Media Records is proud to announce the signing of Sweden’s modern metal standard bearers, Orbit Culture. Hailing from the small town of Eksjö, Sweden (located between the revered metal cities of Gothenburg and Stockholm), the quartet - guitarist and vocalist Niklas Karlsson, guitarist Richard Hansson, bassist Fredrik Lennartsson and drummer Christopher Wallerstedt - has grown into a global force, melding together, riffs that are equal parts thrash, death metal and industrial with arresting hooks and a layered atmosphere that invites comparison to Gojira, Metallica and Static-X while carving out something that is uniquely their own.


Orbit Culture’s 2023 album, Descent, and its subsequent EP release, The Forgotten, topped many recent year-end lists including Metal Hammer who described the album as: “a formidable entwining of modern metal’s most effective and exciting strands into an impressive milestone.” Exhaustive worldwide touring and a steady stream of crowd-pummeling festival slots across the globe, have set the stage for something much larger. 
 
Orbit Culture comments:: “Century Media is home to some of today's biggest metal bands out there and we couldn't be any happier to be part of their roster. We look forward to bringing you new music in the future and working closely together with Century Media's world class team!”
 
“Watching Orbit Culture's rise to becoming one of the greatest new metal bands in the world and now working with them is inspiring,” states Philipp Schulte, Century Media Vice President and Global Head. “I've personally been a fan since the beginning. They are part of both metal and Century Media's future in a very exciting way.”
 
Before initiating work on their next LP and Century Media debut, Orbit Culture will tour North America with legendary metal acts, Machine Head and Fear Factory, as well as newcomers Gates To Hell on the Slaughter The Martour.  The US and Canadian run will continue the Swedish band’s exhaustive work in the territory, which has included tours with In Flames and Avatar, and won the band a rabid fan-base and high placement on Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal “Devil’s Dozen” year-end chart. At the time of this announcement, the band is #1 on Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal Following the U.S. tour, Orbit Culture will then embark on an extensive tour of Europe, fittingly titled, the Descending Into Madness tour.  
 
“We are beyond excited to be working with Orbit Culture and their team at 5B (Management),” adds Mike Gitter, Century Media Vice President of A&R, North America. “They’ve carved an indelible mark on the worldwide metal scene through vision, determination, and hard work. They’re not merely a band leading the charge for extreme music right now – they’re a band that will lead that charge for many years to come.”


Slaughter The Martøur Nørth America 2024 dates:




January
19 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
21 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
22 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
23 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore
25 - Edmonton, AB - Midway Music Hall
26 - Calgary, AB - Grey Eagle Casino
27 - Saskatoon, SK - Coors Event Centre
28 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cumming Theatre
30 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theatre
31 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall


February
1 - Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian Theatre
2 - Northfield, OH - MGM Northfield Park
3 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews
5 - Toronto, ON - History
6 - Montreal, QC - M'Telus
7 - Quebec City, QC - Theatre Capitole
8 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
9 - Bethlehem, PA - Wind Creek Event Center
10 - New York, NY - Palladium Times Square
12 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
14 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Heaven)
15 - Orlando, FL - House Of Blues
17 - Austin, TX - Emo's
18 - San Antonio, TX - Aztec
19 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
21 - Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre
22 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
23 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
24 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bellwether

During an appearance on the January 17 episode of Jackie Brambles's "Greatest Hits Radio" show, Sharon Osbourne offered an update on her husband Ozzy Osbourne's health. "He's doing good," she said, according to Planet Rock. "Each time when I make a trip to England, Ozzy has wanted to come and every single time something happens that he can't make it.

"I just don't want to bring him to the cold because cold weather is no good for people with Parkinson's — muscles seize up — so I've told him 'not this trip' — when it gets a bit warmer."

She continued: "But Ozzy has got nine lives — he's not going anywhere. If a bomb dropped, there would be cockroaches, Keith Richards and Ozzy."

Regarding when she and Ozzy will move back to the United Kingdom permanently, Sharon said: "We're flip flopping the way we live. We're going to live permanently in England but we'll still come back here [to Los Angeles] to visit family.

"The older you get, the more you want to go back to your roots, and that's Birmingham," she explained. "There's so much of Ozzy and BLACK SABBATH there, we can't not go back as a family. We're working on a music school right now, with all Ozzy's memorabilia in there — 55 years of memorabilia — and also they've got Black Sabbath Bridge, the bench and Ozzy the bull It's just the most amazing thing and it means so much to him you have no idea."

Ozzy was first diagnosed with the neurological disorder Parkinson's disease back in 2003, but the legendary singer didn't disclose that he was stricken with the disease until a January 2020 appearance on "Good Morning America". The condition can cause unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Often, the disease can become more severe over time.

Last November, Sharon told BBC's "Woman's Hour" that Los Angeles, where she and her family moved more than 20 years ago, does not give them the privacy that they want.

"Where we live in the countryside [in England], it's not full of [paparazzi]," she explained. "It's very frustrating for [Ozzy] when he goes out and when he goes for a walk being followed by paps. In the pictures, he doesn't look his best and then they say 'how frail' he looks and [speculate over] how long has he got to go. You lose your dignity somehow.

"England has always been home," she said. "I don't think I’m very American. I just feel more at home [in England]. I miss the culture; the lifestyle."

When Phillip Schofield of "This Morning" asked Sharon about how her children feel about the move, considering they are based in America, she replied: "Oh they're not happy. They are saying, 'You can't do this,' and it's, like, I just don't feel content there anymore."

During an episode of "The Osbournes" podcast in September, Ozzy insisted that he still had a lot of life left in him.

"The paps wait to ambush me everywhere," he said. "There's always some precarious photo where my mouth's half open and I'm bent over.

"I'm far from being on my last legs," he clarified.

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The Hook Rocks" podcast, Joe Satriani spoke about the upcoming summer 2024 tour with vocalist Sammy Hagar, bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Jason Bonham that will focus largely on the music of VAN HALEN. Asked why he thinks this tour has come together while the proposed VAN HALEN tribute featuring him, David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen failed to materialize more than two years ago when it was first brought up, Joe said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's tough. I didn't know Eddie [Van Halen] and I don't know the family and I don't think I'll ever really understand David Lee Roth. I thought I really understood Alex, and I think I do. I really think I understand his point of view or where he's coming from.

"I tend to think that the real difference here is that Sammy has a real sort of inclusive way of looking at life and he notices when there's conflict that is getting in the way of doing something good and he'll try to fix it," Joe continued. "So as a result, it's just like he says, 'Yeah, we're gonna do 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love'. I know it's not my song, but that's cool.' Now you ask David Lee Roth, 'Hey, are you gonna do '5150'?' Of course he's never gonna do it. So there's a big difference there, is that you have one guy who is very flexible because he's thinking about the fans, and then you have another guy who, I don't know why Dave is so inflexible on a couple of subjects — I really don't, because I don't know him. I should ask Steve [Vai] about it; I mean, Steve knows [David well]. I can't say that I really know him.

"I felt that Alex really wanted to do it and his heart was pure in its intention. But I don't know about Dave. I know that Sammy and Mike, their intentions are pure. They really do wanna celebrate the music and they're willing to mend any fence to make it happen on stage. They're the original guys. It's more than just a tour. And you feel that when you're standing next to Sammy and Mike. There's just an immense amount of power and love with the two of them and playing those songs. And people, they want to experience it and they should be able to experience it.

"I would hope at some point that [Alex, Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen and David] figure it out. Basically, Wolfgang is the guy to do it — he's the guy to do any tribute there is. The rest of us are just gonna be copying the album as close as we can, but it'll be fodder for the guitar army out there to criticize, like, 'Well, you should have done it like this,' and, 'He could have done it like that,' and, 'She should have done it like this,' because we're not Eddie, and we're not Wolfgang."

Satriani added: "It's taken a while for me to get a really good perspective on it, but I do think that we should all just kind of leave that alone and let them figure it out. It really is up to, I think, Wolfgang and his uncle Alex to figure this out. But in the meantime, this tour with Sam and Mike is really a beautiful thing. And as I'm staring at the immense setlist that's up on my wall over there, it is daunting for me because I'm gonna be really busy right up until the rehearsal period starts. And so, yeah, I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm doing my homework and I'm gonna be hitting the stage ready to shred."

Last month, Satriani spoke to Ultimate Guitar's Justin Beckner about how he plans to play Eddie Van Halen's parts on the upcoming tour. Asked if there are some VAN HALEN songs that he found most challenging to perform, Joe replied: "The main thing is that for the last five decades I've tried so hard to be myself and to be me and not copy anybody. I've been lucky, since the late '80s, to have a solo career, so I really had a job that forced me to be myself as much as possible. So I made a point not to play like anybody. But it happens eventually when you're having fun, you're at a party and someone says, 'Oh, can you play this song?' and you realize, 'I have no idea how to play that song. I love that song. I've listened to it a million times. I don't know what the guy's doing.' And then you go to learn it and you go, 'Wow, that's really weird. It feels so awkward for me to be like this.' And it's not the parts, 'cause I can hear the chords and I know what everything is when I hear it. It's just the sensibility of timing, vibrato, picking. If you're so deep into your own thing, it's really hard to get out of it and try to properly emulate somebody else's playing. It would almost be like if you gave a guitar to Eddie and you said, 'Okay, Eddie, we want you to play 'Summer Song' note for note.' He'd be, like, 'What? I don't play like that. I don't do that. I just kind of do this, this and this.' Of course we'd love it no matter how he did it — it would be fun — but it wouldn't be exactly the same."

Joe continued: "When I was young and I was in cover bands, I knew what it was like to try to get as close as possible when you were playing — for me, it was [LED] ZEPPELIN and [BLACK] SABBATH and THE [ROLLING] STONES and stuff like that; that's what we played. But eventually, you'd have to go, 'I don't play like that. That's not my vibrato.' If I go to play AC/DC, there's no way I can do Angus's [Young] vibrato. He just has his own vibrato. If you're gonna try to play like Jeff Beck — he's so personal. You can play the notes and remind people of this part he did and that part, but it's not gonna sound quite the same.

"If we heard Eric Clapton trying to play 'Since I've Been Loving You' by LED ZEPPELIN, there's no way it would sound the same. It would be great, but it wouldn't sound the same. So, what I noticed right away, when I realized, 'I really have to figure out these songs,' [I asked myself] what is Eddie — what's he operating on?

"So here are a couple of things I've noticed," Satriani added. "Number one, he plays so on the beat and makes it feel like he's pushing the beat, but he's actually not. It's really amazing how he does it. And I realized, when I went back and I listened to my stuff back to back, I thought, 'Oh, that's me, sitting on the backbeat as much as I can,' because I'm playing the melody. When you play the melody, you don't wanna be on top. Actually, you want the band to be pushing, and you're sitting back here, like a singer, playing. I like the way Robert Plant sings in 'Since I've Been Loving You'. He's so behind. Or listen to any hip-hop song — the vocals are way in the pocket; they're just late on purpose. So that's something I've worked on my whole life is 'sit back, sit back, sot back,' and all of a sudden you go to play a song like 'I'm The One', and it's like, 'No, you have to be the guy way in front.' And Alex [Van Halen] is gonna be going, 'No, no. Sit back here.' And that's a difficult sensibility when every nerve ending in your body is saying, 'Sit back.' But to make the song work, you've gotta sit forward. That's the first thing I noticed, like the difference between Eddie's sensibility in timing and mine in terms of timing.

"Our vibratos aren't that different," Joe said. "He holds hick pick [with his thumb and middle finger], so he's always got [his index] finger for tapping, and I don't. So I always have to do something. And what I started to do early on was to use my pick for a lot of hammer-ons because I just wanted to be different, and I thought I'd get a better sound, I'd be able to do some different things that other players weren't doing. And I saw guys using their fingers back in the early '70s, when Eddie was my age, just a young teenager. There were other guys doing tapping for decades before, but as my generation started to figure out how to do tapping, I saw the thing was a split. There's tapping for effect, tapping for riff, and then there's tapping to create an entire musical piece. And Eddie did all of it. The way that he would do the tapping, when he would use it, [was] totally opposite of the way that I had forced myself to go with it.

"The third thing is… Again, we're talking about someone who was just an incredible virtuoso in several areas. One of the things that Eddie had was this super-tight swing that was ultrafast with his right hand. And that is something, again, that once… I remember hearing for the first time and thinking, 'Well, I'm gonna have to work on that.' That's gonna take me, I thought, I bet, three months of 45 minutes a day just working with a metronome to work that into my bag of tricks.' 'Cause that's kind of like what it is."

Satriani went on to say: "I think when you're getting ready for a tour and you're gonna play a song that you haven't played in 20 years, you remember it but you go, 'Ah, I don't do that anymore,' and it physically feels odd. So you say, 'Okay, I've got six weeks before the tour. I'm gonna play this thing ten times a day and I'm just gonna keep working, and start slow and figure out all the different ways of doing it so that when I hit the stage, I can relax and play it the way it should be played.'"

Hagar and Anthony previously worked with Satriani in the supergroup CHICKENFOOT. They recorded two albums between 2009 and 2011 and toured across America but never performed any VAN HALEN material. More recently, Hagar and Anthony have played some of the VAN HALEN catalog with guitarist Vic Johnson and Bonham in SAMMY HAGAR AND THE CIRCLE.

Hagar mended his relationship with Eddie Van Halen months prior to the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's October 2020 passing.

Sammy, Eddie, Alex Van Halen and Michael last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.

Produced by Live Nation, the 28-date "The Best Of All Worlds" tour will commence on July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida and will conclude on August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri.

"We're gonna go deep into the VAN HALEN catalog," Hagar told "The Howard Stern Show". "If you're gonna go deep into the VAN HALEN catalog, you need Joe Satriani."

Although Hagar and Anthony normally play five or six VAN HALEN songs" on the road with THE CIRCLE, Sammy told Stern they are planning to only play "five or six of my songs" alongside VAN HALEN classics and deep cuts.

"When we go out next year in July, it will be almost exactly 20 years since Mike and I did a reunion with Ed and Al in '04," Hagar said. "Mike and I just said, 'We can't wait another 20 years. How long can I even sing these songs? How long can I do this stuff? I just thought it's time to serve the fans."

"There's stuff we're going to do on this next tour that we haven't played since that tour in 2004," Anthony added.

Regarding the challenge of learning legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen's parts, Satriani said: "There are things that are so iconic, you have to nail it. But if you go deep with what he did live, he never played the same thing twice. He kept evolving; he kept pushing. He'd do the recorded version a little bit, but then he moved on.

"It's a daunting task when you do the deep dive into what he did," he continued. "But it's good to start at the beginning, and then you just learn all his little improvs and you get the idea of what he was trying to do. It's thrilling; it's fun."

Eddie died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

David Lee Roth has bizarrely accused Sammy Hagar of spewing out constant "diarrhea vitriol" in his direction after being "sex probed" by aliens.

In a video posted to YouTube titled "The Ballad Of Popsicle Sam", Roth referenced Hagar's belief that a pair of aliens tapped into his mind through some kind of Wi-Fi connection, saying in part about the fellow former VAN HALEN singer: "According to Sam, he was abducted by aliens.

"I know [that] when you're abducted by aliens, you get sex probed," Roth continued. "I am compelled to solicit this sordid subject in an effort to explain Sam Hagar's conduct. For the last 10 summers, I haven't said a single syllable about him. Not one. I defy you. And in the face of a constant fart gas aimed in our direction here at the Mojo Dojo Diamond Dave Laboratories. And I think we've arrived at both the technical and the medical answer that may explain some of Sammy Hagar's conduct and his constant spew of diarrhea vitriol in our direction. Sammy Hagar was abducted by aliens and he was sex probed. Sex probed."

Roth went on admit that he had "no idea" about what "an alien sex probing procedure" might entail. "Does it require apparatus? Is it a beam? We don't know. We may never know," he said. "But what I do know with absolute accuracy is that if you take a half of a popsicle and you jam it into a cassette tape player, no matter how carefully you extract it, that tape player will never play the same again, no matter how carefully you try and fix those delicate little parts. And it'll get worse and it'll seem like the singer that you used to [be] will stop making sense whatsoever. A lot like Sam."

In his 2011 memoir "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock", Hagar wrote about a vivid dream several decades ago where he said he stumbled upon a UFO with two aliens inside near Fontana, California. He later told MTVHive.com the scene he described in his book really happened. He said he played it down in print because he didn't want to sound like "a crazy person."

"It was a download situation," Hagar told MTV. "This was long before computers or any kind of wireless. There weren't even wireless telephones."

Hagar explained that during the experience "knowledge was transferred back and forth" and he could see what was happening.

Hagar replaced Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart. The highest-charting Roth-led VAN HALEN album was a No. 2, and it took until "1984" to achieve that. (2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth" also landed at No. 2.)

Hagar, who, along with Roth, spent the summer of 2002 co-headlining the laboriously titled "Sammy Hagar And David Lee Roth Tour 2002: Song For Song, The Heavyweight Champs Of Rock And Roll" reflected on the run of shows during an appearance last April on Steve-O's "Wild Ride!" podcast. He said: "At that time [Roth] didn't have a solo career, really. I mean, he did, but he wasn't selling out. I was selling out arenas. I was selling out amphitheaters as Sammy Hagar with the WABOS. And I had a solo career.

"Ask Mick Jagger. Ask Robert Plant. You can be the biggest band in the world and you can't necessarily have a solo career," he continued. "But I had a solo career. So when I joined the big band, I went back to my solo career, I'm good. I still sell a lot of tickets. Dave, he had that sort of a big album, one kind of a big album, but he didn't have a solo career. He was playing small places. So when he came in with me, he was making, like, 25 grand a night, I was making 150 grand a night, and they said, 'Oh, you guys are gonna make the same money. Dave gets to make 150.' I said, 'He ain't fucking made 150 in his life except in VAN HALEN.' But I said, 'I've gotta do this.' So I bent over backwards. And he still always tried to fuck with the rules. He's not a fun guy. He doesn't play well with others. I'm not sure what his problem is… He just always is about, 'How can I make this guy look bad?' And not just me — in life. He's a chest-beating motherfucker. And God bless him, 'cause the early stuff is frickin' great. I personally, I've tried to say… [I thought] he'd be a fun guy to know. But he ain't like that. He ain't like his persona. When you get around him, he ain't that guy. He's some other cat. [Laughs]"

Hagar went on to praise Roth's skills as an entertainer, saying: "He's a showman. Hey, listen, I'm a showman too. But that's his gig. He doesn't care about singing. If he did, he'd take care of his voice or he'd take voice lessons and get warmed up and do something. 'Cause the guy sang so bad last time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing… But he's a showman. Everything's show, show, show, show, show, show, show. And he doesn't care about his voice, which drives me nuts, man. I care more about my voice than I do my dick. If my dick didn't work a couple of times, I'd be okay with it — I'd be bummed out — but if my voice fucks up onstage, I'm fucking bummed, man."

Back in October 2021, Hagar said that he had "no problem" with Roth, telling "The Mike & Carla Morning Show" on the 96.3 KKLZ radio station: "Him and I don't even have a feud. To be honest with you, I have no problem with Dave. I don't know what he's got going with me, but I think he always feels competitive. I think he feels like he has to raise his flag, like, 'I'm VAN HALEN.' 'Cause I had a solo career before VAN HALEN. I was in MONTROSE before VAN HALEN. I've had CHICKENFOOT. Dave has got VAN HALEN, so I think he has to hold on to that kind of tight. But I don't care about that. If someone said, 'Oh, I never knew you [were] in VAN HALEN,' I'd say, 'Eh…'"

In June 2021, Hagar blasted Roth, saying his voice "hasn't aged well" and describing the original VAN HALEN singer's onstage persona as "totally bullshit." He told Brazil's "Inside With Paulo Baron" Internet show: "[David is] a real character. He's a showman. He's all show. I enjoy him. But you talk about cringing. I can't imagine how he feels when he looks at some of them old videos, the way he was dancing and moving, and the way he was singing live sometimes. I don't know how he feels about all that, but I don't think he cares. The difference between him and I [is] I sincerely care — I care about everything I do and I care how it affects people and I care what they think. I care that it touches them and it makes them happy. And what is important to me is enlightening and elevating people spiritually and making them happy and making them have big dreams, making them want to be better themselves. And that's my goal with everything I do — is to bring that to people and change their life, if I can. I don't think he cares about anything like that. And that's the difference between our presence. He's very much into himself, very much into being a showman and doesn't really care. I don't know what he cares about; I really don't. I don't know him. I have no idea who that guy is; I don't think anyone does. But he entertains me. I enjoy watching him do stupid shit."

Asked what he thinks when he sees the way David presents himself to the public, Sammy said: "Well, the first thing I'd say is I look at him and I think, 'Wow. He's a strange person. He's a strange character.' He's not what he's saying he is; he's pretending. He's totally bullshit. Everything he does is thought up and it's an image. It's nothing to do with who he is; he's not exposing who and what he is. And I know this for a fact. I knew that the first time I saw him. I said, 'This guy, he's putting on an image, putting on a show.' He goes back home and goes in his house, and he's a whole different guy — nothing to do with that guy [you see on stage]. He's not honest about his image and his performance. That's what I see when I see him; that's how I feel. But I tried to be friends."

Referring to the time when he and Roth teamed up for the co-headlining tour in 2002, Sammy continued: "When we did our together, I thought it was gonna be so much fun. I thought, 'If he's anything like he claims to be, we're gonna have a good time.' But he wasn't. He was the worst guy to be around. He wasn't ever around. He hides out. You never see him. He puts on this whole big front and comes out, 'I'm here. David Lee Roth is here,' and then he goes and hides again. I don't think he's happy. He's never been married; never had a relationship; never had children. It's, like, man, how do you live like that? I don't know. I'm a family man. And I love women — I love women and children… He hasn't aged well — his voice. [Laughs] I don't know. It's hard."

According to Hagar, he has tried a number of times to be respectful to Roth, particularly because of David's immeasurable contribution to VAN HALEN's legacy.

"I used to not wanna cause trouble," he said. "First, in the old days, before I was in VAN HALEN, I ripped him through the fucking coals when I [did] the press, before I ever was in that band. And then when I joined the band, I tried to be nice. And then when I left the band, I tried to be nice about him. And then we did our together, and then I fucking said, 'Fuck this guy. He's an asshole. You can't get along with him. He's no fun. He's full of shit.' And then now, after [VAN HALEN guitarist] Eddie's [Van Halen] death, I feel, once again, he's part of the VAN HALEN legacy and he's important. So I wouldn't wanna ruin anything to do with what he brought to that legacy. I want VAN HALEN to go down as one of the greatest rock bands of all time — but not just my [era]; Dave's era [as well]. I want Eddie to be the legend and get the respect that he deserves, and the only way to preserve that is by being kind about the past. And, like in my [2011's autobiography, 'Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock'], like I said, that's the only thing I would probably [change in the book if I was writing it now is I would] soften it up [as it relates to Eddie]. But it's too late — it is what it is. And it's honest. So I'm not lying, I'm not backpedaling — nope, nope. It's all true. But God rest his soul. He brought a lot to this planet, to this business of rock and roll, Eddie Van Halen did. And Dave was a part of it. It's too bad what he's become. [Laughs] But that's different. It's not VAN HALEN anymore."

In November 2020, Eddie's son Wolfgang revealed that his father had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included classic-era bassist Michael Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Hagar and Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with VAN HALEN on one poorly received album, 1998's "Van Halen III".

Eddie died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Sammy Hagar photo credit: Leah Steiger

Pianote has shared a new video featuring Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess teaching himself to play the Animals As Leaders track, "The Woven Web". Check it out below.





Guitar legend, Steve Vai held his Vai Academy 7.0 from January 2-5, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. Musicians joining him included Mohini Dey, Tim Henson, Scott Lepage, Matteo Mancuso, Mateus Asato, Jordan Rudess, Yvette Young, Sarah Longfield, Ichika Nito, and Daniele Gottardo.




Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess has shared video from a jam session at the event. Check it out below.


Rudess: "Here's my jam with these wonderful guys at the Vai Academy 7.0 - Matteo Mancuso, Dante Frisiello, Jeremy Colson, Philip Bynoe - being at the camp with all these incredible musicians and engaged 'campers' was a truly meaningful experience to me. Loved sharing and meeting everyone! Thanks to Steve for organizing this event!" 

In a pair of brief posts on social media, vocalist / guitarist Ché Aimee Dorval has revealed she and Devin Townsend have started working on a new Casualties Of Cool album.


Ché: "Missed this man with his cut off kicks."


Devin: "Grateful to reconnect with Ché Aimee Dorval after all these years to start figuring out what the next album is about…"




Stay tuned for updates.





In the clip below, released in 2022, Devin Townsend shares demo snippets from his unfinished Casualties Of Cool 2 album. Writing for the album began in 2018.





Following its original release in 2014, Devin Townsend's debut as Casualties Of Cool saw a full worldwide release on the January 15th, 2016 with the two CDs joined by a brand new bonus live DVD featuring a full set filmed at London's beautiful Union Chapel during the short run of shows that took place around the albums launch.


Devin had this to say: "Casualties Of Cool is a project that means a great deal to me, and also one that we have only had the chance to play live with three (3) times (!). This DVD we made was the second show we ever played and the first with Morgan on drums, so there's an element of 'warts and all' involved that I take into consideration. However, Casualties is very refreshing for me. No click tracks, no backing tracks, no talking and a hefty dose of live improvisation make this a situation that I believe with some exposure could hold an absolute ton of potential. The idea is to take a typical folky aesthetic and wrap it in a moody, kind of haunted David Lynch type aura. It's great fun and Che is brilliant.


I have always said that having played metal and then trying to do something different is akin to having had done porn and then trying to be a 'legitimate' actor. I love metal and will always play it, but damn... I think given half a chance Casualties Of Cool could be really awesome as a live entity. So anyways, I'm not holding my breath but we took some time and 3 cameras to our second gig ever at the Union Chapel last year in London, and here is a song. I hope some of you enjoy it.” :)








The expanded album tracklisting is as follows:


CD 1
"Daddy"
"Mountaintop"
"Flight"
"The Code"
"Moon"
"Pier" (Instrumental)
"Ether"
"Hejda"
"Forgive Me"
"Broken"
"Bones"
"Deathscope"
"The Field"
"The Bridge"
"Pure" (intrumental)


CD 2 - Ghost B-Sides
"Ghost Wives"
"Drained"
"Dig for Gold"
"Dead Eyes"
"Drench"
"Mend" (instrumental)
"Where You’ve Been"
"Gone is Gone"
"Fight"
"Glass World"
"Aquarius"
"Perspective"
"Moonshine"


DVD - Live At Union Chapel, London


"Daddy"
"The Code"
"Mountaintop"
"Flight"
"Ether"
"Moon / Pier"
"Bones"
"Forgive Me"
"Jam"
"The Field"
"Deathscope"
"Gone Is Gone"
"The Bridge"


Bonus features:
Interview
"Mountaintop" (video)
"Flight" (video)


Check out the video for the track “Mountaintop”:


Directed by Jessica Cope (Steven Wilson, Storm Corrosion), Devin had the following to say about it: “Here is the video for “Mountaintop”, from Casualties Of Cool. I have been a fan of Jessica Copes' work for a while now, and the opportunity to work with her rose for this album and we are thrilled with the result.  Although the concept of the video is loosely based on the concept of the record, we found it worked better as a standalone piece. Ché Aimee Dorval and I therefore decided not to have the characters in the video portray us personally. I hope you enjoy this, I'm so happy to have an opportunity to work with brilliant artists in the career. I'm very proud of this album and video!"

MACHINE HEAD kicked off the "Slaughter The Martour" North American tour last night (Friday, January 19) with a hometown show at the Warfield in San Francisco, California. Support on the trek, which will conclude on February 24 at The Bellwether in Los Angeles, California, is coming from L.A.'s FEAR FACTORY, Sweden's ORBIT CULTURE and Louisville, Kentucky's GATES TO HELL.

Fan-filmed video of the San Francisco concert can be seen below.

According to Setlist.fm, the setlist for the MACHINE HEAD show was as follows:

01. Imperium
02. Ten Ton Hammer
03. Choke On The Ashes Of Your Hate
04. Aesthetics Of Hate
05. Old
06. Locust
07. Take My Scars
08. No Gods, No Masters
09. Is There Anybody Out There?
10. Slaughter The Martyr
11. Darkness Within
12. Now We Die
13. From This Day
14. Davidian
15. Halo

Last April, MACHINE HEAD canceled its previously announced spring 2023 U.S. tour "due to work visa issues," explaining that "half the band, as well as a handful of key crew members, reside outside of the U.S."

The 18-date "The Electric Happy Hour (Live)" trek was scheduled to kick off on May 15, 2023 in Ventura, California and make its way to Des Moines, Fort Wayne, and Detroit before ending in Los Angeles on June 9, 2023.

MACHINE HEAD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which came out in August 2022. The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis" includes the three songs that were featured on the 2021 "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

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

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

MACHINE HEAD has scheduled a number of festival appearances this summer, a decade after frontman Robb Flynn swore off festival performances, admitting that he and his bandmates were "burnt out on them". Flynn's apparent change of heart came after MACHINE HEAD played a special secret set at the 2022 edition of the U.K.'s Bloodstock Open Air and made a headlining appearance at the 2023 Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium.

Yeeeeeessss!! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

Posted by Matt Dee on Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Two years ago, Plush emerged on the rock scene with its dynamic, self-titled debut album. “The mission of Plush is to bring the heart of rock back to the mainstream with a new, fresh spin on the sounds you already love,” said singer and guitarist Moriah Formica. Plush’s first LP achieved the band’s mission, as the singles “Hate” and “Better Off Alone” both placed on Billboard’s Top 40 Active Rock chart.


Formica shared another one of the band’s core values, saying, “Plush hopes to inspire young women everywhere to follow their dreams, regardless of whatever challenges may lie in the way.” In addition to Formica, Plush is made up of lead guitarist Bella Perron, bassist Ashley Suppa, and drummer Faith Powell, whose accomplishments and talent eclipse their age.


Plush has performed across the United States supporting rock legends, such as KISS, Alice In Chains, Evanescence, and Daughtry, among others. The young ladies have electrified audiences on the big festival stages of Welcome To Rockville, Louder Than Life, Rocklahoma, and more.




After building so much momentum, Plush will embark on the next chapter of its musical journey. The new release, Find The Beautiful, is an EP that features six songs, five original and one classic cover that rock fans know and love. Plush pays homage to Heart with “Barracuda”. This rendition merges the past with the present, proving rock ‘n’ roll will never die. The EP also has the hit single “Left Behind”, which placed on Billboard’s Top 40 Active Rock chart.


In support of Find The Beautiful, Plush is touring with Disturbed and Falling In Reverse across the United States. A complete list of dates can be found here.


Find The Beautiful once again delivers on Plush’s mission of bringing the heart of rock back to the mainstream with fresh takes on tried and true sounds. 





Tracklisting:


"Run"
"Kill The Noise"
"Find The Beautiful"
"Barracuda"
"Hope It Hurts"
"Left Behind"








 

DISTURBED kicked off the 2024 leg of its "Take Back Your Life" tour last night (Friday, January 19) at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois. The band's 21-song setlist included the live debut of the "Divisive" album track "Don't Tell Me" featuring a guest appearance by Moriah Formica of the opening band PLUSH. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Earlier this month, DISTURBED released the Matt Mahurin-directed music video for "Don't Tell Me". The song, an epic emotionally charged duet with HEART's Ann Wilson, marked the first time the band had included a guest feature on an LP.

Back in 2017, Formica was a contender on season 13 of "The Voice". Her blind audition performance of "Crazy On You" by HEART got the attention of all four judges, ultimately earning her a coveted spot on Team Miley Cyrus.

"I chose to play HEART because it is classic rock," Formica said at the time. "One of the reasons why I decided to go on to 'The Voice' is because of the lack of true rock singers. Ann Wilson is one of my favorite vocalists."

Regarding how the collaboration with Wilson came about, DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren told Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM: "That was always supposed to be the 'power ballad,' per se. And as we were tracking it in the studio, David [Draiman, DISTURBED singer] just threw out the idea, 'Hey, let's do a duet on this song.' We've tossed around the idea before, but there wasn't ever either the right material or the right time. So in this particular case, we kind of said, 'Well, who you've got in mind?' And he didn't even have a list; he just had one person, and that was Ann. It was a no-brainer. 'Hey, let's hit up Ann. Let's see if she'd be into it.' And she was on board right away; we didn't have to convince her."

Mike continued: "[David and Ann] sort of struck up a bit of a friendship, a little bit of a rapport. When [DISTURBED cover version of] 'The Sound Of Silence' came out years back and had its success, she was one of many artists and celebrities that took it up themselves to go on Twitter and praise the song and praise our version of it, which we couldn't have been more honored. Iconic, legendary Ann Wilson thinks that we did a great job with a SIMON & GARFUNKEL cover. That's pretty incredible, a pretty great honor. So when we reached out to her, she was more than willing to jump on board. And she came in and she killed it… And she's super cool and down to earth too, and just incredibly talented. It's such an honor to have her be on our record. And to me, the blending of her voice and David's voice, they really, really work so well together. I'm so proud of David and just so honored to have her a part of our record."

In September 2022, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan, whose divorce inspired "Don't Tell Me", told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the band's collaboration with Wilson: "Early in our career, we wanted to really establish ourselves without having any guests. We didn't really talk about it much, but just [felt], 'This is the band.' Not that we were ever against it, but this far along in our career… We're always pushing ourselves, trying to do stuff that's different musically. And there's so much talent out there and so many people we would love to do collaborations with now or later in our career.

"Ann Wilson had mentioned before — she tweeted about us before," he continued. "A few years back, somebody asked her in an interview or whatever if there's anything new out there, or newer, musically that she's heard that she's fan of, and she mentioned she really loved our version of 'The Sound Of Silence'. And that kind of opened the door to a social media friendship between her and David a bit. And then when we wrote this song, it just seemed like it would lend itself to Ann's voice and then trying to see that merge between her and David's voices together. She jumped on the opportunity. Immediately she responded, and we were, like, 'Holy shit. She just said yes to this.'"

Asked by Meltdown if "Don't Tell Me" is a more mellow track than the standard DISTURBED fare, Dan said: "I can't give it away, but their voices, it's like Fergie and Jesus — a little 'Step Brothers' [2008 movie] quote there… It was a pretty magical moment to be in the room and to hear the two of them harmonize together.

"We tracked David's vocals in Nashville, and we wanted to make it easy and convenient for her, 'cause we were, like, she said yes, she's gonna do it," Donegan continued. "Let's make it as easy as possible on her.' We flew out to California to meet with her. We went into a studio out there for just a couple of hours, and she sang against David's tracks. And he was there kind of going over the harmonies with her and stuff too. So it was kind of a really magical moment to see the two of them working on those harmonies together. It was pretty impressive. And she's such a pro, and she's so damn good. She's a legend. So it was pretty exciting. And it's not like she sits there and jumps on people's albums either, so we take that as a badge of honor to think that there's not many times where somebody as big a legend as she is that she would jump on any album. She doesn't have to, and she chose to be on this one. And she loves the track. And it just came together great."

Released in November 2022, "Divisive" was recorded earlier that year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.



Disturbed f/ Moriah Formica

Posted by Victor Lopez on Saturday, January 20, 2024

Moriah Killin it!
with Disturbed🤘🥀
Thanks Roger Aschbrenner
Peoria, Illinois

Posted by Official Moriah Formica Fan Club on Friday, January 19, 2024
Our new single “Don’t Tell Me” debuted last night in Peoria! Moriah from @PLUSHROCKS nailed it 🔥🤘

🎥: @britt_bowmanpic.twitter.com/536P7LPtJi

— Disturbed (@Disturbed) January 20, 2024

Sal Abruscato , the former drummer of Type O Negative and current frontman of A Pale Horse Named Death, has hinted at a new project that may excite fans of both bands. In a recent statement, Abruscato suggested that something new may be brewing over at the King Of The Locusts camp.


While the details are still unclear, Abruscato's history with both A Pale Horse Named Death and Type O Negative suggests that the project could draw heavily from the dark, gothic soundscapes of both bands. Then again it could be something totally different?


Abruscato's statement on social media reads as follows: "This could be in the works in the near future, any new music created will be for this entity. Time to turn the page and lay to rest the past, it won't be about who likes it or not, it's about living and enjoying the moment of creation with good people and friends."




For further details, visit King Of The Locusts on Facebook.





 

Vancouver based metal band 2 Shadows are heading into the New Year in high gear with their blistering new track "Mad God'' on Rock Shop Records. The song starts with a brief acoustic interlude before bludgeoning the listener with crushing down-tuned guitars and staccato snare sounds, underpinned by thunderous bass drums and piercingly intense vocals. The song laments how people blindly follow the rules to get ahead in life – often without ever really knowing why they are doing it.


2 Shadows Glen Bridden says “When Tryst and I wrote the song ‘Mad God’ we were inspired by the Phil Tippett film with the same name. We were blown away by the apocalyptic dystopian setting and the delivery of the horror elements in the movie and it got us excited to try exploring those vibes musically. Our song “Mad God” ended up being the easiest and most fluid song to write and we didn't make many changes after the first demo.







He continues, “When it came to the lyrics of the song I focused on the dissonance visible in everyday urban life, like how lonely you can feel in a densely populated area and how common it is for people to numb themselves with prescription drugs and the like.  It would seem people feel more comfortable ‘under an influence’ and that’s where the lyric ‘overdosed on sanity’ comes from and where the dystopian horror begins to show itself and come full circle.”


2 Shadows are veteran road warriors and are planning a tour for later this year. The band plans to release more new music in 2024.





(Photo – Yvonne Hanson)