PANTERA headlined the 2023 "comeback" edition of Japan's Loud Park festival. The two-day "limited" event took place on March 25 at Intex Osaka in Osaka and March 26 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City near Tokyo.

Fan-filmed video of the Tokyo concert, which marked PANTERA's second live appearance of 2023, can be seen below.

PANTERA's setlist for the Tokyo show was as follows:

01. Mouth For War
02. A New Level
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. Use My Third Arm
07. 5 Minutes Alone
08. This Love
09. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit
10. Fucking Hostile
11. Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH cover)
12. Walk
13. Domination / Hollow
14. Cowboys From Hell

PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX),are headlining a number of major festivals across South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who in 2021 said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

In December, PANTERA played seven shows in Mexico and South America.

Brown was forced to leave PANTERA's Latin American tour after testing positive for COVID-19. Filling in for him at some of the shows was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

A few days after the announcement of the new album Ashes Of Doom, Germany’s Stormage present the first "firecracker" from the new album: "Deniers Of Reality" is the name of the song and deals with missing values, selfishness, greed, war and violence, and that each individual can do something against it.


Ashes Of Doom is out on May 26 via El Puerto Records. Album presale is available on the El Puerto Records webshop.


Bassist Dirk Heggemann on the album: "The idea behind it is to address the things that are currently going out of control worldwide. The character stands as a representation for all of humanity, hoping for a helping hand through a broken window to turn everything around. That helping hand could be any one of us."




In the 20 years of their existence, the quartet from the German Sauerland has continuously honed their own style. For the upcoming fourth album Ashes Of Doom has Sebastian "Seeb" Levermann (Orden Ogan) co-producer. The result is a multifaceted, cleverly arranged power metal album, but just a touch "darker" than the rest.


Cover art by Harley Velasquez / cover layout by Nina Heggemann:





Tracklisting:


“Overture Of The Abyss”
“Beyond The Horizon”
“Deniers Of Reality”
“Fierce As A Dragon”
“Slide On Your Knees”
“Our Latest Endeavor”
“Ashes Of My Doom”
“The Spirit Never Dies”
“Blood Shot Eyes”
“Put The Hammer Down”
“Son Of Hatred”
“The Wind Will Take Us Home”


"Deniers Of Reality":

Finnish melodic death metal newcomer Shade Of Sorrow are the latest talent to collaborate with M-Theory Audio and are looking forward to the completion of their debut album.


The one-man project is spearheaded by multi-instrumentalist Mika Kankainen, the former drummer of Finnish bands WWOC, Soul Terror, and Warceremony. With Shade Of Sorrow, Mika plays all instruments including drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, while also handling vocals showcasing his immense talent and virtuosity.


"My dream came true as M- Theory Audio contacted me and proposed a collaboration with Shade of Sorrow,” explains Mika. “I know they have a huge amount of professional experience in the field of music business, and I really think that the company has a heartfelt purpose of lifting promising bands and music up for the masses. Needless to say, I´m super stoked about this collaboration and will make sure that we will get a hell of a debut album to release!  There is a lot of passion, big dreams and a huge work ethic behind this project and I’m really looking forward for the future release and collaboration with M-Theory Audio!”




The genesis of this band started back in 2017 when demo songs were sent to friend and collaborator Tuomas Saukkonen (Wolfheart, Before the Dawn, Dawn of Solace) who promptly agreed to produce. Fast forward to 2020, their busy schedules finally lined up and they went into the studio to record the first two Shade Of Sorrow songs -- “No Return” and “Fabricated Hope”.  Both songs were recorded, mixed and mastered by Esa Uusimaa (Wolfheart, Rain of Acid, Crowen) with vocals produced by Juha Kylmanen (Full Nothing, For My Pain…) from Whiteleaf Studios. Those two songs were then followed up by a stand-alone digital single “Meteor” in 2022, which Tuomas from Wolfheart played some acoustic guitar on. Videos were made for all three songs and all will be available on the forthcoming full-length release, along with six new ones again produced by Saukkonen.

Multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw has uploaded a video commentary for the reissue of the 1999 Notre Dame album Vol 1: Le Theatre Du Vampire which was made available on March 25 on all streaming platforms.


Says Snowy:


"Eventually after 18 years I have all the rights back to the Notre Dame records, I will be reissuing a total of six Notre Dame albums, one a month for 6 months, under my own artist profile Snowy Shaw on all the streaming platforms, I have been involved with so many bands and projects, I would like some new fans to discover this music"




“This is the first in a series of videos and will offer entertaining and detailed insight and background on all the Notre Dame albums.”

Grymheart has signed a multi-album deal with Scarlet Records.


Grymheart is a new heavy metal band founded in 2022 by Gabriel Blacksmith (Gábor Kovács), former leader and main songwriter of the acclaimed Hungarian power metal band Wisdom.


Combining melodic death, folk and power metal with an epic and energetic sound, Grymheart will take you into a mythological dark world where demons and monsters threaten humanity. Gabriel & his yet mysterious fellows will be fighting the evil ones and protecting the innocents.




Grymheart's debut album is expected to be released in the fall of 2023.


(Photo: Krisztina Máté)

Guitarist Thomas Zwijsen has released the new video below, in which he performs an acoustic cover of Iron Maiden's "When Two Worlds Collide", featured on the band's 1998 album, Virtual XI.


A messages states: "'When Two Worlds Collide' was written by Blaze Bayley, Dave Murray and Steve Harris and is on the Virtual XI album with Blaze on vocals. Blaze is a frequently returning guest on Thomas' Nylon Maiden albums, on tracks such as 'The Clansman', 'Judgement of Heaven', 'Como Estais Amigos' and 'Blood Brothers'. Blaze Bayley recently suffered a heart attack and had to cancel his current tours, which is a great loss of income. In order to support Blaze in his recovery, order his albums and merch at BlazeBayley.net."

earMUSIC has released the video below, featuring Annihilator performing the title track from the album King Of The Kill (originally released in 1995) live at the Masters Of Rock festival in 2008.


The video has been remastered in HD for the first time. Enjoy Annihilator at its best, in front of 30.000 metal fans.







Annihilator frontman / founder, Jeff Waters, invited fans to show up at the Newcastle, UK train station on Sunday, March 5 at Costa Coffee to hang out with him and bassist Rich Gray. He checked in with an update and photo gallery from the day.


Waters: "Speechless. What can I say other than THANK YOU to all the fans and friends that showed up to our fun Newcastle Train Stn. hangout! So many people, so many stories and I am grateful to meet you all! Thanks, too, for the awesome gifts!!! We all sure caused quite a fun disturbance and it was cool that station security joined in and approved!!! Looking forward to seeing all of you on the big tour coming."


Additionally, Rush On Rock has shared a recap  of the afternoon and some photos, as well as a short interview with Waters. An excerpt is below.


Waters: "It was just a goofy idea. I was sitting around wondering whether I had any fans left! On Facebook, sometimes the filters kick in but every time I put the words ‘UK’, ‘Durham’ or ‘Newcastle’ in there, they’d get through and I was thinking to myself I might just have a few fans in this area. I’m always going to see concerts at the City Hall and I’d planned to catch Blaze Bayley at Trillians, so I thought why don’t I test this theory? I just put up a few goofy posts suggesting we all meet up at Newcastle Central Station in front of Costa and the rest is pleasant history!”


Check out the complete recap, interview and photos here.


A photo gallery is available on the Annihilator Facebook page here.

On May 16, the world will see rock and classical royalty unite on Drastic Symphonies - a brand-new euphoric album featuring Def Leppard’s greatest produced tracks dramatically reimagined, and sounding more exhilarating than ever before, via the band teaming with London’s iconic The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.


"‘Animal" Director’s Cut’ is out now. Featuring a selection of footage captured on shoot for the album’s atmospheric album artwork, the new 4K video exemplifies the re-imagining of the band’s biggest hits, and the drama of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as featured on Drastic Symphonies. Watch below:







Drastic Symphonies represents a bold new approach to Def Leppard’s most loved songs. Def Leppard have deconstructed and rebuilt not only some of their most well-known tracks, but also some of their hidden gems as well. By and large, they have intertwined the audio from the original tapes and performed them alongside The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, consistently ranked as one of the world's leading orchestras. The album additionally includes new vocals and guitars that culminate in stunningly beautiful symphonic arrangements, which at different points you can hear Joe Elliott duetting with his younger self.


Vocalist Joe Elliott says, “Def Leppard has always enjoyed veering off the expected path - working with the likes of Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Alison Krauss for example. So, when the offer to revisit some of our back catalogue with the Royal Philharmonic was presented to us, we all jumped at it. Although we’re far from the first band to ever do this, working directly with an orchestra at Abbey Road on some of our more orchestrated songs seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up.”


The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded at Abbey Road in March 2022 and is produced by Def Leppard, Ronan McHugh & Nick Patrick (producer of the following RPO/Orchestral albums - xElvis, Roy Orbison, Beach Boys and Buddy Holly), with arrangements by Eric Gorfain (Neil Diamond, Ryan Adams, Christina Aguilera).


Guitarist Phil Collen says, “When the offer of doing an orchestral album with the RPO was suggested, we were honoured. But we didn’t just want an orchestra plonked over our previous recordings. We decided to create something special where we would have something classic but present it in a brand new way that would involve making everything work in the context of Drastic Symphonies. Recording new parts, remixing previous sounds, taking some of our instruments out so the orchestra could breathe, and literally making a new album. It was an amazingly inspirational process culminating in the live recording of the RPO at Abbey Road studios in London. An absolute team effort that took a good part of a year. It’s a new Def Leppard album, it’s a greatest hits plus album with some songs rarely heard before, it’s a live RPO album and we think it’s perfect. We’re so proud of how Drastic Symphonies turned out and can’t wait to share it to the world.”





The album will be available on CD, 2LP black vinyl, limited 2LP colored vinyl, limited 2LP picture disc, CD/Blu-Ray (Atmos) and digitally. Building upon elements from the album artwork, a collection of exclusive merch is now available for pre-order in the band's official store, here.


- Album Pre-Order
- Hero Link (Pre-Order & Pre-Save)





Tracklisting:


"Turn To Dust"
"Paper Sun"
"Animal"
"Pour Some Sugar On Me" (Stripped version)
"Hysteria"
"Love Bites"
"Goodbye For Good This Time"
"Love"
"Gods Of War"
"Angels (Can’t Help You Now)"
"Bringin’ On The Heartbreak"
"Switch 625"
"Too Late for Love"
"When Love & Hate Collide"
"Kings Of the World"
"Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" (Vinyl and Atmos bonus track)


"Animal":





Trailer:








Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe's The World Tour continues on May 22 at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, UK. Check local listings for complete ticket details including VIP offerings. To purchase tickets please visit motley.com and defleppard.com.

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


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







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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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





Tracklistings:


Super Deluxe Edition:


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


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


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


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


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


"Subdivisions"
"Countdown"


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


Side A


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


Side B


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


Single 1 - Side A:


"Subdivisions"


Single 1 - Side B:


"Red Barchetta" (Live)


Single 2 - Side A:


"Countdown"


Single 2 - Side B:


"New World Man"


Single 3 - Side A:


"New World Man"


Single 3 - Side B:


"Vital Signs" (Live)


Single 4 - Side A:


"The Weapon" (Single Edit)


Single 4 - Side B:


"Digital Man"


1LP Picture Disc Edition:


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


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


Side B


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


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


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


"Chemistry" visualizer:





"The Analog Kid" visualizer:





Unboxing video:

Once again, Dutch thrash icons Legion Of The Damned unload hatred and anger into their remarkable depths of black and death metal, releasing yet another unmatched demon with the upcoming album, The Poison Chalice, out May 26 via Napalm Records. Surrounded by pitch-black darkness and tortured souls, the demonic underworlds are ready to eat.


With title track “The Poison Chalice”, Legion Of The Damned embrace the Beast together with an official lyric video. For the first time ever on a studio album, the band hails as a five piece and brings their aggressive and brutally blackened soundscapes to a higher level - closing the album with a steel-breaking track.


Legion Of The Damned on “The Poison Chalice”: “Title track 'The Poison Chalice' praises the dangerous fruits of the left hand path and is straight forward heavy and furious death thrash“







Founded in 1990 as Occult, the thrash machine around founding members Maurice Swinkels and Erik Fleuren was reborn as Legion Of The Damned in 2005. On The Poison Chalice, the band unites with Fabian Verweij as second guitarist besides Twan van Geel and hails together with bassist Harold Gielen performing as a five piece for the first time ever on a studio album.





The Poison Chalice will be available in the following formats:


- 1 LP Gatefold Glow In The Dark Vinyl with Slipmat - strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide. Napalm Records Shop exclusive
- 1 LP Gatefold Light Green Transparent - strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide. EMP exclusive
- 1 LP Gatefold Black
- 2 CD Digipak incl Bonus CD containing live recordings from Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022 and Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
- Music Cassette Green (strictly limited to 100 copies worldwide)
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Saints In Torment"
"Contamination"
"Progressive Destructor"
"Skulls Adorn The Traitor’s Gate"
"Behold The Beyond"
"Retaliation"
"Savage Intent"
"Chimes Of Flagellation"
"Beheading Of The Godhead"
"The Poison Chalice"


Bonus CD:


"Werewolf Corpse" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Pray And Suffer" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Diabolist" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Bleed For Me" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Legion Of The Damned" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Intro/Slaughtering The Pigs" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Doom Priest" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020’
"Place Of Sin" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Undead Stillborn" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Intermezzo" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Taste Of The Whip" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Slaves Of The Southern Cross" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"The Window's Breed" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Legion Of The Damned" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Dark Coronation/Outro" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020


"Beheading Of The Godhead" video:





The Poison Chalice comes to life by spreading its eerily beautiful wings within the first few seconds, then dives headfirst into a hellishly furious storm before the second song "Contamination" absolutely kills. In classic Legion Of The Damned manner, there is no escape as the track relentlessly drives into the abyss.


The album spreads brutal and ice cold thrash soundscapes through relentless attacking drums and incredible guitar harmonies from both lead guitarists, underlined by angry bass lines. Infectious thrash treasures such as “Progressive Destructor”, and the almost seven-minute berserk “Behold The Beyond” break necks with hammering guitar riffs and bloody double bass infernos. “Beheading of The Godhead” delivers what the song title promises, before the past 48 minutes of hate closes with a final deep gulp from “The Poison Chalice” - leaving no one behind.


Together with producer Erwin Hermsen, the band has closed the gates of the underworld in Toneshed Studio and demonstrates that they remain the unchallenged masters of brute and unrelenting death-thrash metal in 2023.


Legion Of The Damned are:


Maurice Swinkels - vocals
Twan Van Geel - guitars
Fabian Verweij - guitars
Harold Gielen - bass
Erik Fleuren - drums


(Photo - Stefan Heilemann)

On April 28, Enforced will release their third full-length, War Remains (32 minutes of aggressive, no-frills thrash!), via Century Media Records. For a new preview of the album, the video for the new single, "Starve", can be viewed below.


Vocalist Knox Colby states: "Ultimately, 'Starve' is about being forced to produce when there's no resources to do so, you then become the resource that's produced/harvested. If I'm profitless, then I'm expendable, chaff; but even then I could've still given my life. So the song sketches out the final moments of someone who has given everything they have left to give, and it's still not enough. They starve themselves to death and watch the world they've given everything to save still fall to shit. They give up and go crazy in the end. Their fruitfulness is deemed fruitless; leaving this world in agony; howling to rebel but not the desire to do so. Starved."







"We didn't overthink anything," says Knox Colby, describing the ethic that went into the making of the Richmond, Virginia-based quintet's third album, War Remains. "It's all very straight forward, no bells and whistles production-wise. It's almost ten minutes shorter than our last record and packs ten times more of a punch."


Blazing out of the pandemic, Enforced carved a trail throughout North America and Europe, sharing stages with the likes of Obituary, Municipal Waste and Exhumed as well as festivals like Maryland Deathfest and France's Hellfest. With that bloodied road behind them, Enforced set metallic standard with their power-of-the-riff-wreck-your-neck take on classic thrash and crossover hardcore from the same pissed-off hometown womb that had given the world the likes of GWAR and Lamb of God.


Teaming with Richmond-based producer, Ricky Olson, with mixing help from Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Kreator), the band delivered on every iota of extreme aggression they've flexed since their inception in 2016. War Remains is the sound of Enforced pushing themselves to the next level: a serrated-edge classic. "It has the intensity of At the Walls (2019) but is more mature than Kill Grid (2021)," Colby explains. "It has that tenacity of us live. It spills through the record. If you're a fan of really aggressive music, you're gonna love it. It's seething!"


War Remains is available for pre-order in various formats, here.





War Remains tracklisting:


"Aggressive Menace"
"The Quickening"
"Hanged By My Hand"
"Avarice"
"War Remains"
"Mercy Killing Fields"
"Nation Of Fear"
"Ultra-Violence"
"Starve"
"Empire"


"Hanged By My Hand" video:





"Ultra-Violence" visualizer:





Lineup:


Knox Colby - Vocals
Will Wagstaff - Guitars
Zach Monahan - Guitars
Ethan Gensurowsky - Bass
Alex Bishop - Drums


(Photo - Jacky Flav)

The Cult have released a music video for their new single, "Vendetta X", featured on the band's new album, Under The Midnight Sun, out now via Black Hill Records. Watch the clip below:





Under the Midnight Sun was produced by Tom Dalgety (Pixies, Ghost, Royal Blood). Order the album here.







Under The Midnight Sun tracklisting:


"Mirror"
"A Cut Inside"
"Vendetta X"
"Give Me Mercy"
"Outer Heaven"
"Knife Through Butterfly Heart"
"Impermanence"
"Under The Midnight Sun"


"Mirror" video:





"A Cut Inside" visualizer:





“Give Me Mercy” video:





The Cult have announced Europa + UK tour dates in June. Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 31 at 10 AM, local time here.





As The Cult are now returning to performing live and sharing Under The Midnight Sun, Astbury hopes that the record connects to something deep within and subconscious in their listeners - something Astbury found within himself when given the moment to look for it.


“At the core of it all, music contains the vibrational frequency of how we once communicated before we could even speak,” he says. “Bird songs, animal calls, string theory, quantum physics, psychedelics. The record ultimately is about finding and uniting beauty in those strangely natural moments.”

Tom Morello spoke to Rolling Stone magazine about RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's future plans following the cancelation of the band's North American tour last October. The trek was scrapped three months after RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE frontman Zack De La Rocha severed his left Achilles tendon, leaving a mere eight inches of the tendon intact.

De La Rocha's injury happened during RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's July 11, 2022 concert in Chicago. The incident occurred during the fourth song of the second show on the group's long-delayed "Public Service Announcement" reunion tour. For the remainder of the trek, Zack performed while seated and the shows went off without a hitch, even though stagehands had to carry the vocalist on and off the stage every night.

Speaking about the show where De La Rocha first got injured, Morello said: "Zack toughed it out that night. And for the next 17 shows, he was more compelling as a frontman sitting on a box in the middle of the stage than 99 percent of the frontmen in the history of all time. It was completely unexpected, but the fact that he soldiered on … and he didn't just soldier on, but he was able to be that electric, compelling, powerful transmitter of truth that he is, while remaining fairly immobile, was fairly impressive. I didn't hear from one fan that felt the show was diminished in power by one percent."

Pressed about when RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE might perform again, or whether or not they were even still a band, Morello said: "RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE is like the ring in 'Lord Of The Rings'. It drives men mad. It drives journalists mad. It drives record industry people mad. They want it. They want the thing, and they're driven mad. If there are RAGE shows, if there are not RAGE shows, you'll hear from the band. I do not know. When there is news, it will come from a collective statement from the band. There is no news… If RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE was going on a hiatus, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE would say, 'We're going on a hiatus.' That has not happened. I will say that I understand and respect the frustration. There is a sort of frustration to not knowing when you're in the band! But that's led to a lot of great music."

Morello is currently preparing for upcoming dates with his band the FREEDOM FIGHTERS ORCHESTRA.

De La Rocha injured his leg while he and his bandmates were performing "Bullet In The Head", a classic song from the group's 1992 self-titled debut album.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's comeback tour marked the first time the reunited rap-metal quartet had hit the road together since 2011.

Prior to the most recent tour, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE last played together at L.A. Rising and has resisted calls for a reunion, with De La Rocha previously believed to be the lone holdout. Morello and his fellow RAGE bandmates Tim Commerford (bass) and Brad Wilk (drums) later teamed up with PUBLIC ENEMY's Chuck D. and CYPRESS HILL's B-Real in the similarly styled PROPHETS OF RAGE.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE recorded three original studio albums and one set of covers before breaking up in 2000. The group reformed in 2007 but only played sporadic gigs and never a full tour until last year's run of dates.

Tech death metal group, Abiotic, returns with their new single, "Ocean Of Worldly Suffering", featuring Matt Heafy of Trivium, who will produce the band's upcoming EP, due this year.


John Matos, guitarist and Abiotic leader, had this to say about the track: "'Ocean Of Worldly Suffering' is one of my favorite songs the band has ever written and I could not be more excited to get this song out to the world. Getting to collaborate with someone like Matthew K Heafy from Trivium was a dream, especially for a song like this one, where we wanted an epic, melodic, and catchy chorus. I feel like this song delivers everything we're known for; the tech, the heavy, groovy, and the melodic, with some things you might not normally hear from us. The song was mixed, mastered, and engineered by our drummer Tony Simone, who also handled art duties. This song is for anyone who feels overwhelmed with the weight of existence. Anyone who feels like they're drowning, like they're screaming out and there's no one there to pull them out of the violent current. You matter. Endure."


Stream the track here, and watch the video below:

A massive wall of sound will emerge in the desert this fall at the world’s greatest live music destination Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA with the arrival of Power Trip. It’s a three-day historic event set for October 6, 7 and 8 that will bring together six iconic bands that define loud and powerful music: Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden (Friday, October 6), AC/DC and Ozzy Osbourne (Saturday, October 7) and Metallica and Tool (Sunday, October 8).


This unique night-time desert setting with unmatched concert production will amplify the experience beyond the traditional stadium or parking lot concert norm with three double-billed headlining performances. This is the most rocking line-up to ever perform in an unparalleled location for heavy music audiences looking for an unforgettable weekend escape.


3-Day General Admission tickets start at $599 + fees, or turn the volume up with The Pit, Reserved Floor, Grandstand Seating options, and various VIP Packages. Learn more and register for first access to tickets starting Thursday, April 6 at 10:00 AM (PT) on powertrip.live. 50/50 payment plan available for general admission tickets.




Camping Trip: Camp at the Trip in ease. Options include Car & Tent Camping, ready-to-go 2 person Lodge/4 person tents, RV spots and more. Amenities and activities are available for all campers.


Accommodations include hotel packages: Bundle your Power Trip tickets with nearby hotel accommodations and “any line” shuttle passes. Available for groups of 2 or 4 people, exclusively through Valley Music Travel. Packages start at $3,199 + fees.


Music fans who want to commemorate the weekend can pre-order a Power Trip Commemorative Print. Frame the Power Trip memories by purchasing a premium quality giclee print poster delivered in advance of the show. Designed and printed by artist J. Bannon (and limited to 300), the posters are available in 18"x24" on fine art textured stock.


For more information about ticket types, packages and more, head to powertrip.live.

Sharon Osbourne has confirmed that Ozzy Osbourne will take part in the 2023 edition of the Power Trip festival.

Earlier this week, rumors emerged that Ozzy will join GUNS N' ROSES, AC/DC, METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN and TOOL as one the headliners of the Goldenvoice-produced three-day event, which will reportedly take place Friday, October 6 to Sunday, October 8 at the Empire Polo Club In Indio, California.

While the 74-year-old Osbourne's health issues forced him to cancel some of his previously announced tours, the legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman said he would return if his condition improved.

Appearing earlier today on "Piers Morgan Uncensored" on TalkTV, Sharon told host Piers Morgan about her husband's health: "He's good. He's doing so much better. I think I told you about it the other night, but now it's been announced; we can talk about it. He's doing a show October 6th in America. It's at the Coachella site. It's gonna be a great show: GUNS N' ROSES, METALLICA, AC/DC, Ozzy…"

When Piers commented that "the rocker is still rocking," Sharon replied: "He never stopped. He's back."

According to Hits Daily Double, GUNS N' ROSES and IRON MAIDEN will perform on Friday, AC/DC and OZZY OSBOURNE on Saturday and METALLICA and TOOL on Sunday.

Earlier this week, AC/DC, METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, OZZY OSBOURNE and TOOL shared a teaser video for Power Trip that featured iconic metal images, including a Gibson SG guitar, a stack of amplifiers and cactuses creating the "devil horns", plus logos of each of the five bands.

The full festival lineup and further details are expected to be officially revealed on Thursday, March 30, at 7 a.m.

Passes for this year's Power Trip will go on sale next week.

The news of Osbourne's participation in Power Trip comes nearly two months after he released a statement in which he said that he would have to cancel his tour because of a spinal injury he suffered four years ago and other health problems.

Ozzy most recently gave an update on his touring status last month during an episode of SiriusXM's "Ozzy Speaks". He said: "Well, I've been working my guts out to try and get back on my feet. I've come to the point where Sharon says to me, 'You know what? The truth of the matter is you can't keep booking tours and failing, canceling. So, if I can ever get back to where I can tour again, fine. But right now, if you said to me, 'Can you go on the road in a month?' I couldn't say yes. I mean, if I could tour, I'd tour. But right now I can't book tours because right now I don't think I could pull them off."

Osbourne also commented on the fact that some of the media outlets reported that he was retiring from the road after he released his statement canceling his tour.

"The fucking press drive you nuts," Ozzy said. "I mean, I looked in the magazine, 'Ozzy's on his last legs.' I'm fucking not dying… Come on, guys. Haven't I've had it bad enough already? If I get okay today, if the doctor said to me today, 'Oh, you can tour, it would take another six months to get it together, you know?"

Osbourne also touched upon his ongoing health issues, saying: "You've got no idea. You got no idea what my… I feel like a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest. The only thing I've got that keeps me going is making records. But I can't do that forever. I gotta get out there… [I'm] still in constant pain. I do to the best I can to stay away from the pain medication, but there are times when I go, 'You know, I've gotta take something.' I mean, last week I couldn't… I've been sleeping great, and all of a sudden for two back-to-back nights. I never slept a wink. If you're gonna torture me, just keep me awake for a couple of days. I'll tell you whatever the fuck you want me to say."

Osbourne was due to embark on a tour of Europe later this year, but in the aforementioned statement said that he has "come to the realization that I'm not physically capable … as I know I couldn't deal with the travel required.

"This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to share with my loyal fans," the 74-year-old musician continued in his statement. "As you may all know, four years ago this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine. My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage. My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) treatment, my body is still physically weak.

"Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really FUCKS ME UP, more than you will ever know," he wrote. "Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way."

In the statement, Osbourne added that he was looking into "ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country", and thanked his fans for "their endless dedication, loyalty and support, and for giving me the life that I never ever dreamed I would have".

Osbourne's previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, was officially canceled in early February. The trek was scheduled to begin in Helsinki, Finland, on May 3, and include gigs in Nottingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin and London, before finishing in his original hometown of Birmingham on June 14.

Ozzy has had extensive spinal surgery and other treatment over the past four years, after a fall at home in 2019 aggravated injuries he suffered in a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003. But despite his health problems, Osbourne has performed a couple of times in recent months, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last August and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game last September.
"He never stopped. He's back."

Sharon Osbourne tells Piers Morgan about her husband Ozzy returning with a new US show.@MrsSOsbourne | @OzzyOsbourne | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMUpic.twitter.com/WycIVX71uY

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) March 29, 2023

An up-scaled version of the 1993 music video for "Dreams" from Van Halen has been uploaded by the official Sammy Hagar YouTube channel. “Dreams” is a featured track on the band’s 1986 album 5150 and reached #22 on the Billboard charts.


This special version of Van Halen's "Dreams" was filmed in March 1993 at the famed Whisky A Go Go to celebrate their 15-year anniversary. It followed on the heels of the February 1993 release of their first live album Live: Right Here, Right Now. They hadn't played the Whisky since 1978.







"When you been around as long as I have, there's some kind of anniversary/celebration every other day haha. I can't believe it's been 37 years since 5150. Playin’ the Whisky was right up there with Dallas Alley as one of the craziest things we ever did. What a great band. #Dreams" – Sammy


This version has been up-scaled to 1920x1440 from its original 640x480 resolution.





Live: Right Here, Right Now has been remastered and will be re-released for the first time in a limited edition red vinyl edition on April 22, 2023. This version also feature three additional tracks: "The Dream Is Over” and “Eagles Fly” from the companion DVD release that were not released on the original 2CD set and “Mine All Mine” from the Live: Jump EP from 1993.