On April 21, One Desire will release Live With The Shadow Orchestra, a live concert extravaganza featuring the band performing with a symphony orchestra, The Shadow Orchestra (Wasa Sinfonietta), led by conductor Ville Mankkinen.


”What makes this whole thing special is that it is rather like watching a movie than watching just a regular live show. We really took the long road with this production,” says guitarist Jimmy Westerlund.


Watch a performance of the song, "Never Gonna Stop", below, and pre-order/save Live With The Shadow Orchestra on CD+DVD, Blu-ray, Limited Edition Color LP, and Digital here. Please note, the LP release date will be August 4.




Combining energy, powerful vocals, fantastic guitar solos, and catchy choruses, One Desire is one of Finland's most prominent rock bands. They have released two internationally acclaimed albums, their self-titled debut and follow-up, Midnight Empire, and performed several European tours.


Filmed in Vaasa, Elisa Stadium in the summer of 2022, Live With The Shadow Orchestra was aired on YLE TV in Finland in late December of the same year and will now be available on CD/DVD, Blu-ray, and Vinyl on April 21. The audio will also be available on all digital music platforms.


One Desire is currently working on the recording of their upcoming third studio album.





CD/LP tracklisting:


"Never Gonna Stop"
"Apologize"
"Heroes"
"Through The Fire"
"After You’re Gone"
"Rio"
"This Is Where The Heartbreak Begins"
"Shadowman"
"Whenever I’m Dreaming"
"Hurt"
"Buried Alive"


DVD/Blu-ray tracklisting:


Intro
"Never Gonna Stop"
"Apologize"
"Heroes"
"Through The Fire"
"After You’re Gone"
"Rio"
"This Is Where The Heartbreak Begins"
"Shadowman"
"Whenever I’m Dreaming"
"Hurt"
"Buried Alive"
"Down And Dirty" (credits)


"Never Gonna Stop" live video:





"Through The Fire" live video:





Lineup:


André Linman - lead vocals, guitars
Jimmy Westerlund - guitars, vocals
Ossi Sivula - drums
Jonas Kuhlberg - bass
Johnny Nordström - keyboards, background vocals
Geir Rönning - guest vocals on "Hurt"
Wasa Sinfonietta Symphony Orchestra

Metal Justice Tokyo has shared single-cam, footage of Amaranthe's entire Loud Park 2023 show in Tokyo, Japan, which took place on March 26th. Check out the show below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Fearless"
"Viral"
"Digital World"
"Hunger"
"Strong"
"Helix"
"Maximize"
"Amaranthine"
"The Nexus"
"Call Out My Name"
"Archangel"
"That Song"
"Drop Dead Cynical"




 


Amaranthe recently checked in with the following update:


"Seven. It is with massive enthusiasm and excitement that we now announce that we have entered Jacob Hansen studios to record our seventh, yet untitled album! Expect updates, video clips, pictures and more soon, stay tuned!"


True to their word, the band has shared video of Elize Ryd recording some of her vocals for the new record. Check out the snippet below.

German heavy metal act Stormage has released the cover and tracklist of their fourth album Ashes Of Doom, which goes on sale on May 26.


Bassist Dirk Heggemann: "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”

The Italian black/folk metal band Gotland has released their new single "Roman And Cheruscan". Check out the lyric video for the track:





After years of silence, the band is back with this new song that leads the way to the new album Rise, to be released in the coming months. It represents a new beginning for the band and for its sound.







The art cover of the single is made by Silvatica Illustration and the lyric video by Stefano Mastronicola. Gotland released their only full-length album in 2014 with Gloria et Morte. 

Dutch metal veterans Countess have released a brand new EP, entitled Live By The Sword.


The EP features five songs: three band new ones, including the first song written for the band by our guitarist Valgard who joined in 2019, and two new versions of older songs. These are “Desisdaimonia” that was originally released on their sophomore album in 1994 (and played live last year for the first time since 1995) and “On Wings Of Defiance”, the title track from their 2011 full-length.


Order on Bandcamp.







Tracklisting:


“Raven Banners Fly”
“Spectre”
“Ballad Of Sigrid The Haughty”
“Deisidaimonia”
“On Wings Of Defiance”

Architects have shared video footage of their performance of "Animals", filmed during their set at London's Alexandra Palace in May, 2022. Watch below:





Architects perform next on April 27 at Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Find the band's tour itinerary here.

The Allman Brothers Band is celebrating indie record stores with the exclusive limited release of Syria Mosque: Pittsburgh, PA January 17, 1971 on April 22. First released in October 2022 on CD and digital via Allman Brothers Band Recording Company, Syria Mosque: Pittsburgh, PA January 17, 1971 will now become available as a special numbered limited edition (10,000 units) 2-LP package on “Pittsburgh Steel Grey” vinyl. Available only at participating stores as part of Record Store Day.


Take a look at the vinyl pressing process here.


Every Allman Brothers Band live performance is special and unique. Renowned for their spontaneous improvisation, no two shows are ever the same; each captures a pivotal period in the band’s history and holds a story just waiting to be told.




By January 17, 1971, the Allman Brothers Band had established a sound and a reputation that belied the brief, 22-month existence of its founding line-up. After 300 shows in 1970, the band kicked off 71’ with a run through Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, before heading north to play Pittsburgh for the first time. The venue was the venerable Syria Mosque, a 3,700 seat theatre constructed in 1916 which served as the home for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Syria Mosque saw myriad rock acts like the Who, Pink Floyd, the Band, Deep Purple and Yes grace its stage, with the Allmans making the first of two 1971 appearances on January 17th.


Recorded direct from the band’s soundboard and restored and remastered, this recording captures the arc of the ABB’s sound as they were ramping up to the classic At Fillmore East album recorded just 8 weeks later (March 1971). When you listen, it’s apparent how tight and in the pocket the original ABB lineup - Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe - were on this recording.


After Duane’s heartfelt acknowledgment of the band’s debt to opening act Taj Mahal, the show began with “Statesboro Blues,” and the shuffle perfection of this tune set the standard for the rest of the evening. “Trouble No More” slid right along, propelled by the rhythm work of Berry, Jaimoe and Butch, while “Elizabeth Reed” featured an unusually ethereal solo by Dickey before Duane finished it off in incendiary style.


Gregg’s visceral and weary vocals highlighted the autobiographical “Midnight Rider,” before giving way to “You Don’t Love Me,” which was centered around the run-and-gun guitar work of Duane and Dickey. This version is almost embryonic in development when compared to the magnum opus take that would be recorded two months later for the iconic At Fillmore East live album.


Per usual, “Whipping Post” served as the set closer, but that was the only normal thing about this 20-minute rendition, as Dickey and Duane erupt in a spontaneous combustion exchange that stretched the song for another six minutes or so.


This marks the first official release for this recording which has been circulating among ABB fans as a cassette for years, and occasionally a bootleg CD or vinyl disc. Although, there’s an interesting story there as well. The group returned to Syria Mosque nine months later, on October 15th, playing what would be Duane Allman’s third-to-last show before his untimely death on October 29, 1971. Copies of both the January 17th and October 15th performances would circulate amongst the ABB tape-trading community during the 1990s, with the October 15th tape many times being misidentified as Duane’s final show, and, in some cases, the dates of the Syria Mosque shows were mistakenly swapped. In any case, all the confusion has been straightened out; this band-approved, official release is from January 17th, and you can listen to Duane’s last show from October 17, 1971 at Painters Mill Music Fair, near Baltimore, by picking up The Final Note, which came out in 2020.





Tracklisting:


Side 1 (12 mins):


Introduction
"Statesboro Blues"
"Trouble No More"
"Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’"


Side 2 (18 mins):


"In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed"
"Midnight Rider"


Side 3 (15 mins):


"You Don’t Love Me"


Side 4 (20 mins):


"Whipping Post"

Bloodstock Open Air organizers are releasing professionally-filmed footage from Polish extreme metal overlords Behemoth's set at the 2022 edition of the festival. The latest clip, for "Off To War", joins the previously released "Deathless Sun". Watch both clips below:










Behemoth have announced their European summer tour. A message from the band follows...


"Legions! We have burst open the gates of hell to bring you ‘The Deathless Svmmer’. Alongside our massive festival appearances with some of the biggest names in metal, we’ve also put together some awesome club shows with a mix of legendary and contemporary artists.
We can’t wait to be amongst you, let the summer burn!"


Tickets on sale now.





Tour dates:


June
4 - Plzen, Czech Republic - Metalfest
8 - Gdansk, Poland - Mystic Festival
9 - Sölvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock
11 - Donington, UK - Download Festival
13 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 (with Vended, GAEREA)  
15 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
16 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop
17 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Ronda (with Hypocrisy, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT)  
18 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol (with Hypocrisy, SpiritWorld)
20 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Substage (with Hypocrisy, SpiritWorld)
22 - Oslo, Norway - Tons Of Rock
24 - Nummijärvi, Finland - Nummirock
28 - Viveiro, Spain - Ressurection


July
2 - Bologna, Italy - The Return of the Gods Festival (with Kreator, Pantera)


Metal Blade Records will reissue Behemoth's 1996 album, Grom on March 31.


The third release in the Slavonic Trilogy reissue series. Grom was originally released in 1996 and will be available on March 31 digitally, on CD, and vinyl with pre-orders for physical copies starting today. The reissue is beautifully packaged and is available on the following formats: Digital, 2 CD media book, and a gatefold 2 LP. Physical formats include bonus audio material and booklets containing exclusive archival content. Bonus content contains these following rarities: cover versions, rehearsals, and live tracks.


Comments Nergal: "Twenty-seven years since its first release, it's time to give Grom its time in the spotlight! Our second album now re-issued with plenty of archived, never before seen photos and liner notes. It's a beautiful collector's item. Grom remains a key piece of Behemoth history and I embrace it as much as any of our other albums. Behemoth would never be where it is now without it. Check it out and pre-order your copy now!"


Worldwide pre-order links here.





Metal Blade will release Grom worldwide, excluding Poland.


Gatefold 2LP:


- copper hotstamping
- 24p booklet


Audio:


Disc 1: Grom
Disc 2: bonus vintage material


24-page Booklet Exclusive Archival Content:


- lyrics
- old photos
- flyers
- interviews with former and current Behemoth members Nergal, Baal, Les, Zbigniew "Inferno" Prominsky
- interview with David Thierie, "Grom" cover artist
- interview with Krzysztof Maszota (Warrior Studio, Poland)
- interview with Carsten Molior of Solistitium Records
- interview with Orjan "V'gandr" Nordvik (Helheim)
- interview with Michal Kraszewski (Creator of the Behemoth 1992 logo, Editor of Euronymous zine, Amon Magazine, Vox Mortis Magazine, Novum Vox Mortis Magazine)


Mediabook 2CD:


- hardcover
- copper hotstamping
- 48p booklet


Audio:


Disc 1: Grom
Disc 2: bonus vintage material


48 page Booklet Exclusive Archival Content:


- lyrics
- old photos
- flyers
- interviews with former and current Behemoth members Nergal, Baal, Les, Zbigniew "Inferno" Prominsky
- interview with David Thierie, "Grom" cover artist
- interview with Krzysztof Maszota (Warrior Studio, Poland)
- interview with Carsten Molior of Solistitium Records
- interview with Orjan "V'gandr" Nordvik (Helheim)
- interview with Michal Kraszewski (Creator of the Behemoth 1992 logo, Editor of Euronymous zine, Amon Magazine, Vox Mortis Magazine, Novum Vox Mortis Magazine)


Vinyl Variants:


Europe:


180g Black
Stone Gray Marbled (500)
Gold w/ Black Dust (300)
Dust Gray Marbled (200 of 500)
Picture Disc -band exclusive- (666)


US:
Dust Gray Marbled (300 of 500)





Tracklisting:


"Intro
"The Dark Forest (Cast Me Your Spell)"
"Spellcraft And Heathendom"
"Dragon's Lair (Cosmic Flames And Four Barbaric Seasons)"
"Lasy Pomorza"
"Rising Proudly Towards The Sky"
"Thou Shalt Forever Win"
"Grom"


Bonus material:


"Freezing Moon" (Mayhem Cover 1995/1996)
"Total Desaster" (Destruction Cover 1995/1996)
"Ostatni tabor" (Kat Cover 1996)
"Rising Proudly Towards The Sky" (Rehearsal 1995)
"Dragon's Lair" (Cosmic Flames And Four Barbaric Seasons) (Rehearsal 1995)
"The Dark Forest" (Cast Me Your Spell) (Live in Maastricht, Pagan Triumph Tour 1996)
"Spellcraft And Heathendom" (Live in Maastricht, Pagan Triumph Tour 1996)
"Lasy Pomorza" (Live in Krakòw, XXX Years Ov Blasphemy 2021)


Lineup on reissue:


Nergal: Vocals / Guitars
Baal: Drums
Les: Bass


Current lineup:


Nergal: Vocals / Guitars
Orion: Bass / Vocals
Inferno: Drums / Percussion

Doom metal band, DiGelsomina, are streaming the new song, "Mahanaim", to be included on the band's upcoming debut album, Sic Itur Ad Astra.


Composer-Guitarist Andy DiGelsomina states "The album is about ready to drop, and I owe all inspiration for it to my adored wife, Cheryl DiGelsomina. She's my Metal Goddess, and there will be plenty more killer metal on the way. I want to thank the extraordinary musicians and music people involved in this project, including Robert Lowe, Andre Maquera (of West Street Digital), Gary Spaulding, and Thom Carvey, as well as Gro Anita Meling and Kurt Joye and so many others. Please forgive me if I'm forgetting any of you. An especially huge thanks to all my fans whom have waited years for this, you all kick ass!"







The artwork for the album was drawn by Michael Calandra. The album itself features the performances of Robert Lowe (formerly of Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus) on vocals; Gary Spaulding on percussion, Thom Carvey on bass, and producer / rhythm guitarist / co-conspirator, Andre Maquera.





Tracklisting:


"Mahanaim"
"Harbinger of Doom"
"Otherworldly"
"Shadows and Mirrors"
"Entombed By Choice"


"Entombed By Choice"

In a new interview with the METALLICA fan magazine So What!, Robert Trujillo revealed that he contributes some vocals to a song called "You Must Burn!" on the band's upcoming studio album, "72 Seasons".

"When I joined METALLICA, I'd never sung in my whole life, so the fact that I can now support a backup vocal is pretty cool," Robert said. "For the first time in my life, I get to sing on a METALLICA record and support James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman]. I'm very proud of that… It's the first time that James and [co-producer] Greg [Fidelman] had probably ever really trusted me with that position on a recording of this stature.'

He added: "I was surprised when I got the call from Greg because I was coming up to play a little bass, but then he said, 'I'm going to have you sing on a couple things, too.' And I was, like, 'Really?' I got a little nervous. At the same time, I was very motivated. Fortunately for me, the part really does suit my comfort zone, so to speak. The vibe and the interesting — I don't know, I wouldn't say the 'quality' in what I had to offer, but the part lends itself to my personality, to my voice, and it sits and slots in really well with the moment and bass breakdown. So it's cool that it's this breakdown that James and I were able to jam on and create, and then I get to sing on it too."

Regarding how "You Must Burn!" came together musically, Trujillo said: "One of the things that I was excited about in joining METALLICA was the idea that I'm going to learn how this band creates and develops songs, taking the seed and [seeing] how that grows into a beautiful composition or a powerful, heavy song. Watching the rhythmic approach to vocals, conceptual vocals, and melodic elements with rhythmic elements. Lars [Ulrich, drums] infusing the tribal percussive ingredients that he does on a lot of these songs. Kirk's [Hammett, guitar] feel, he's got a lot of soul. So for me, it's just a really, really incredible learning experience, and one that I can be a part of creatively but also just support.

"But to address 'You Must Burn!' We're taking an idea that birthed itself in the tuning room, and we start to cultivate it. How do we cultivate it? We jam. It starts to take shape, it kind of builds itself, and then at some point, it finds its way. With this particular middle section that came to be, that was really centered around a jam and was very moody, and there's a danger to it; I like how the bass is walking. It's got a feel to it where it's 'walking through a forest,' like a scene from a Tim Burton movie or something. That's the feel I get. And James and I just started kind of grooving on it. It was just the two of us. That was a special moment for me because whenever I can find that magic carpet with James, it's really a lot of fun. You know, we just sync in; it's like we're riding this wave together. With 'Suicide & Redemption' [from 2008's 'Death Magnetic' album], it was the same kind of thing. We were in — I wanna say it might've been South Africa, and I started playing the pulsating bass line. Then he started to hit these power chords, kind of counterpoint and tension chords, stuff like that. So it's always fun when you find that moment where something starts to work."

Trujillo, who was born on October 23, 1964 in Santa Monica, California, tasted success as the bassist in punk-funk pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and Ozzy Osbourne's band. But in 2003, he successfully auditioned to replace Jason Newsted in METALLICA, a process chronicled in the warts-and-all documentary "Some Kind of Monster".

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

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

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

In the six years since the arrival of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", METALLICA has reissued some of its classic albums, released a second live album with the San Francisco Symphony, commissioned a covers album featuring the likes of GHOST, VOLBEAT, WEEZER, Corey Taylor and THE HU, and landed on the Billboard songs chart with "Master Of Puppets" after a prominent placement in the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things".

Progressive metal powerhouse, Eldritch, have a new frontman!


Says the band, "It's time to introduce the world to our new vocalist, Alex Jarusso! The search was long but we have finally found 'the right one' for starting a new Eldritch era. You will soon get to know him through the new music we're working on. Stay tuned!”


The acclaimed Italian prog metal masters are expected to release the new studio album - following the brilliant EOS (2021) – within the end of 2023. Stay tuned for updates.




Eldritch lineup:


Alex Jarusso - vocals
Eugene Simone - guitar
Rudj Ginanneschi - guitar
Oleg Smirnoff - keyboards
Dario Lastrucci - bass
Raffahell Dridge - drums


(Photo - Andrea Bazzichi)

VAN HALEN frontman David Lee Roth performed with the all-star covers band ROYAL MACHINES at a "corporate" event this past Thursday night (March 23) at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada for Home Depot sales managers. Also appearing with the group were Darryl McDaniels, Mark McGrath, Linda Perry and Billy Idol. Fan-filmed video and photos of the concert can be found below.

Formed nearly a decade ago, ROYAL MACHINES is a hard rock group of established musicians who played rock and roll covers at various shows around America from 2002 through 2014 under the name CAMP FREDDY.

When it was first launched in 2014, ROYAL MACHINES consisted of core members Dave Navarro (guitar),Billy Morrison (guitar),Mark McGrath (lead vocals),Donovan Leitch, Jr. (vocals),Chris Chaney (bass guitars) and Josh Freese (drums).

Earlier this month, Roth shared a new solo version of the VAN HALEN classic "Unchained". The new recording, like the previously released "Everybody Wants Some!!", "You Really Got Me", "Dance The Night Away", "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", was laid down on May 3, 2022 during a session at Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California. Joining Roth in the studio were Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler on bass and Francis Valentino on drums. A total of 14 songs were recorded in two hours. The music and the vocals were tracked live with "no samples" and without the pitch-correction technology Auto-Tune.

Roth's version of "Unchained" came seven months after he shared a previously unheard solo recording from 2007, "Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway", in which he looked back nostalgically on his days in VAN HALEN. The latter song was recorded in 2007 with guitarist John 5 and drummer Gregg Bissonette for an album that never came out.

Back in 2020, Roth included five previously unreleased songs in The Roth Project, an online comic narrated by the legendary VAN HALEN singer, with music from John 5 on guitar and bass, Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. The tracks "Giddy-Up!", "Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill", "Alligator Pants", "Lo-Rez Sunset" and "Manda Bala" were recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.

Four years ago, Roth was asked by Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF if his LP with John 5 will be made available at some point. He responded: "It will. There's been a revision of things, and I can start making real plans and start marching into the future. And, of course, you'll start hearing that material. This is material that we wrote variously for me solo and for VAN HALEN, and it's quite a bank of stuff."

Roth, who was promoting his Las Vegas residency at the time, didn't offer a possible time frame for the release of the record, explaining that his priority was "getting out on the road first. Let's see the band, let's show ourselves off, let's travel all over the world."

Roth canceled a series of Las Vegas residency shows in January 2022 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Three months earlier, he had announced in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was planning to retire after the residency.

In July 2022, Roth released a new solo song titled "Pointing At The Moon". The acoustic-based, Americana-flavored tune was accompanied by a new abstract painting from Roth.



Posted by Nicholas Christ on Thursday, March 23, 2023



Posted by Grant Caruthers on Sunday, March 26, 2023

Royal Machines this past Thursday w/guest appearances by David Lee Roth, Billy Idol, and Run DMC. Best part was getting to see Steve Stevens on lead guitar for all the acts - he’s the real deal.

Posted by Grant Caruthers on Sunday, March 26, 2023

Home Depot didn’t disappoint this year with show !!!! David lee Roth / billy idol/ run dmc !!!! Linda Perry and the royal machine !!!! Amazing

Posted by Nicholas Christ on Thursday, March 23, 2023

Royal Machines put on a great show last night!

And of coarse we made it on the floor 🤪

-Mark McGrath
-Billy...

Posted by Tiffany Butcher Smith on Friday, March 24, 2023

Concert at The Michelob Ultra Arena.

David Lee Roth (Van Halen)
Mark McGrath ( Sugar Ray)
Billy Idol
Darryl McDaniels DMC from Run-DMC
Linda Perry
Royal Machines-Band

Posted by Dwayne James on Saturday, March 25, 2023

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A post shared by Billy Morrison (@billymorrisonofficial)

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows spoke to Finn McKenty of "The Punk Rock MBA Podcast" about the band's upcoming studio album, "Life Is But A Dream...", which will be released on June 2. Regarding the LP's musical direction, the singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've said it to a few people — the thing I keep getting back is Abbey Road-esque. It's just different. It's got a bunch of flavors and colors. We don't stay too long anywhere; it's in and out. It's a different mindset — completely reworked from what we think of as records and how they should be made. And what I mean by that is [AVENGED SEVENFOLD's previous album, 2016's] 'The Stage' is a sprawling sort of vibe the whole time — it's got a thing going on — but this one, we were, like, 'We wanna express ideas quickly and more concise. And we wanna use different ways that we're using our instruments.' A lot of people think the record's full of samples — or even [the recently released first single] 'Nobody' — but there aren't any. That's all stuff we went in there and actually crafted ourselves."

Elaborating on THE BEATLES comparison he alluded to earlier, M. Shadows said: "I think this record is BEATLES-esque in the way that it's trying to do a bunch of different things and have a bunch of different flavors. That's what I'll say.

"Without going too deep, 'cause I know people will take some of this and just really worry themselves [laughs] — they'll be very worried — I just want people to sit down and listen to it, and I want them to just be shocked, take it in, be happy, smile, feel uncomfortable," he explained. "There's all sorts of flavors on it. And I think it'll be interesting when it comes out. I'm super proud of it. I love it. But 'The Stage' was one sort of vibe. And the vibe on this one is that you can't really get locked in anywhere. It's kind of always making left turns on you."

Earlier this month, AVENGED SEVENFOLD released "Nobody", the band's first new single since 2016. The song's accompanying music video was helmed by award-winning director Chris Hopewell and can be seen below.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD will support the release with two massive live shows this summer, at Kia Forum on June 9 and Madison Square Garden on June 23. The newly announced arena concerts mark AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first proper New York City on-sale appearance since 2007 and their first Los Angeles County headline on sale since 2009.

"Nobody", the band’s first official music release since their 2016 album "The Stage", delivers nearly six minutes of tension, groove, and dynamics. The song twists and turns beyond conventional songwriting and leans in on discomfort before letting go. The beautifully crafted stop-motion music video, which unfolds like a short film, is a stunning and powerful journey exploring the dichotomy between life and death, love and war, and follows the main character through an existential crisis. Stop motion is a handmade labor of love, often taking 90 minutes just to capture only two seconds of footage.

Prior to the track's release, the band launched an elaborate and mysterious digital scavenger hunt with puzzles, ciphers, images, and blog posts all written by Chat GPT, DALL-E 2, and AI voice modifiers. What was initiated as a cryptic hacker campaign on socials, eventually lead fans to a web site full of challenges to complete over the past two weeks that ultimately lead to the single being "unlocked" for release.

The sprawling sound of "Nobody" is reflective of "Life Is But A Dream..." . Written and recorded over the span of four years, "Life Is But a Dream..." was inspired by the writing and philosophy of Albert Camus. Accordingly, the lyrics are rooted in existentialism and absurdism. Always on the cutting edge of music and technology, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has partnered with Berify to include an NFC tag with bonus content on all CDs, vinyl, cassettes and official merchandise sold on A7XWorld.com. Additionally, the cover art and packaging are by renowned artist Wes Lang. Bold and multi-layered, the band's new album promises to be their most daring.

To date, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has sold over 10 million albums worldwide and earned two consecutive No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart (2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King") to go along with over a billion video views and a billion-plus Spotify streams, as well as multiple No. 1 singles on rock radio. The band is equally known for their spectacular live shows, selling out arenas and headlining the world's most prestigious rock festivals.

ACCEPT's Wolf Hoffmann recently launched a new YouTube channel where he teaches you how to play some of the band's most popular songs, including "Balls To The Wall" and "Fast As A Shark". Check out the most recent clip, for the track "Midnight Mover", below.

This past January, Hoffmann was asked in an interview with Made In Metal if there are any plans for him and his bandmates to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ACCEPT's classic album "Balls To The Wall". He responded: "We've always stayed away from it in the past because we've always been so busy with working a current album or a new album. Five minutes ago [in this interview] you asked me about a new album [from ACCEPT], and now you ask me about [celebrating an] anniversary [of a previous LP]. So I can't do both. I have to [make] a decision [which way to go forward]. And usually we've gone with, 'Hey, let's make a new album. It's time for a new album.' And then we tour this album. So there's never been enough time to do all these anniversary tours so far. But that doesn't mean we won't do 'em one day."

Hoffmann previously dismissed the idea of performing a classic album like "Restless And Wild" or "Balls To The Wall" in its entirety, telling Metal Eye Witness in a 2018 interview: "Probably not. I mean, I've never been a huge fan of this whole idea. It seems to me like a marketing gimmick more than anything. Because in our age, we could have an anniversary every year. 'Cause it was 35 years [ago that] 'Restless And Wild' [was released], 40 years ago this, 30 years that — every year would be another anniversary — and, to be honest, we're so busy with promoting our current stuff that we don't really feel the need to do all that nostalgia stuff. Every year we have a new album, or every other year, and we've made four albums and a live album, so that's five, and I made a solo album — that's six releases in eight years. So I don't think we need to bother with any anniversary stuff at the moment. Maybe one day when we have nothing else, no other ideas. And we've done, actually, one show once where we played a complete album, and it was okay. But, quite honestly, I think we have a perfect setlist of old songs and new songs. I wouldn't rule it out, but at the moment, I've always said, why bother?"

Controversial at the time for its cover and some of the album's themes, "Balls To The Wall" was also ACCEPT's greatest commercial success, reaching No. 75 on the U.S. Billboard chart. "Balls To The Wall" was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for shipments in excess of half a million copies, partly off the back of the heavy rotation the title track's video received on MTV.

Taking much of its inspiration from the likes of fellow German hard rockers the SCORPIONS, as well as a debt to U.K. metal legends JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT at the time was fronted by the inimitable Udo Dirkschneider on vocals, backed by lead guitar heroes Hoffmann and Herman Frank and the backbone of bassist Peter Baltes and drummer Stefan Kaufmann.

Hoffmann is the sole remaining original member of ACCEPT, which he formed in 1976 in the town of Solingen, Germany with Dirkschneider and Baltes.

ACCEPT's latest studio album, "Too Mean To Die", was released in January 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was the group's first without Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.