Skid Row vocalist Erik Grönwall has shared a new cover video, this time taking on the Five Finger Death Punch hit "Wash It All Away".





Skid Row have been confirmed to support KISS for six shows in Europe on the End Of The Road Tour this summer. Dates are listed below.




June
12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
13 - Brussels, Belgium - Palais 12
27 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier⠀
29 - Tuscany, Italy - Lucca Festival⠀


July
1 - Mannheim, Germany - SAP Arena
2 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena

Kane Roberts has spoken to Miles "The Shoe" Schuman about the recent announcement that guitarist Nita Strauss was rejoining Alice Cooper's band and would be a part of the touring lineup for the legendary rocker's 2023 dates.

Strauss stepped away Cooper last summer in order to join Demi Lovato's touring band. She was temporarily replaced for Alice's fall 2022 U.S. trek by Roberts, whose appearance on the tour marked his first live performances with Cooper since 1988.

Kane. whose name and abilities first came to prominence on Alice's "Constrictor" album, told Schuman that he was never supposed to be a permanent replacement for Nita. "It's not like she left, I came in, and I wasn't Nita, so they got Nita back," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It's not what happened. There was some talk about having me continue, during the tour. But for me, five weeks was perfect. I have to be honest with you. And Nita's wonderful. She's a friend of mine. And we talked about it. When she came by and played with us, in the dressing, just she and I, we talked about it, and we knew what the plan was."

Pressed about his comment that "there was some talk" about him staying on with Alice beyond the fall 2022 tour, Kane explained: "I think that [Nita] injured her knee or something [early last year]. So I think that's what it was. In case of an emergency, [the idea was floated that] I might have to do a few more shows. I think that was all it was. And that's what we were talking about. And Alice and I were talking about going to South America and playing, how cool that would be. But it was always under the umbrella that she'll be back [ready to return]. And I'm really glad — I'm glad they worked it out. I'm not sure what was going on, but they did work it out. The stars are in alignment again; his band is back together. So that's good."

Roberts went on to say that he doesn't necessarily feel he was the perfect choice for a guitarist in the 2023 incarnation of Cooper's touring band.

"To be honest with you, when I look at some of the tapes, the videos, I don't know how much I fit in," he said. "But I thought it was fun. And those musicians are really good.

"It's really funny — when I see Alice and I together on some of the videos, it looks right," he continued. "But when I'm just sort of walking around and playing with the rest of the band, I don't know — I stick out like a sore thumb a little bit. And the awesome thing is, Nita's stage presence — and her guitar playing, by the way — is kind of the right thing. You can really get that sense, when you see the band and they're playing and she's on stage and the energy goes back and forth with Alice and stuff like that. I think it's kind of perfect."

Kane reiterated that he was never meant to be playing guitar for Alice's band for any of the 2023 shows. "I wasn't ever intending to go beyond November, in my mind," he said. "I was okay [with it ending it then]. 'Cause I knew. But they knew that if they wanted me to [stay with them longer], I would, if they needed me. But as far as the next phase of my life, that wasn't what it was.

"And by the way, doing anything with Alice Cooper is a dream," Roberts clarified. "The greatest thing about the tour was he and I became friends on the level of the '80s. After three weeks, it was just like it was back in the day. So that was the most important thing.

"I was never scheduled to go beyond the fall — ever," he repeated.

Asked if he can foresee getting a call from Alice again if another conflict with Nita's touring schedule comes up, Kane said: "Not necessarily. But if they did call and they needed me… I owe them just about everything, when it comes to the music industry — Shep [Gordon, Cooper's longtime manager] and Alice. So, yeah, that's what it is. That, to me, is loyalty."

When Strauss first left Cooper's touring band back in July 2022, she said there was "no drama whatsoever" and stressed that she was "not pregnant." She also canceled festival dates she had scheduled with her solo band ahead of her "next adventure".

Earlier this month, Cooper shared the news that Strauss would return to his band once again, saying in a statement: "She's Back! Nita asked for a leave of absence to work with someone else, something I always encourage my band members to do. I like them to challenge themselves and try new things.

"I'm thankful to my old friend Kane Roberts for stepping up and filling in for her, but she'll be back with us for the new tour that starts up in late April. It's going to be great to have her back," Alice said.

Strauss also commented on her return to Cooper's band, saying: "From the studio to the stage, it's always an immense honor to make music with Alice Cooper!! I'm very excited to be rejoining the band on the road for the 2023 dates, and so I'll see you on the road in April. Let the nightmare return!"

As a solo recording artist, Kane landed a few Top 40 hits, and his varied musical background includes recording, writing and touring with artists such as Rod Stewart, Desmond Child, KISS, Diane Warren, ALICE IN CHAINS, BERLIN, GUNS N' ROSES, Garland Jeffries and more. He's also written or recorded music for films like "Light Sleeper", Penelope Spheeris's "Decline Of Western Civilization", "Friday the 13th IV Jason Lives", John Carpenter's "Prince Of Darkness", and more. In 1991, his second solo album, "Saints And Sinners", for Geffen Records included the Top 40 Billboard hit "Does Anybody Really Fall In Love Anymore?", originally written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora.

SAXON guitarist Paul Quinn has thanked fans for their "outpouring of love and respect" after his recent announcement that he was "stepping back from touring".

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

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

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

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

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

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

"All my best, Paul Quinn".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Spirit Adrift will release their new album, Ghost At The Gallows, on August 18th via Century Media. The official lyric video for lead single "Death Won’t Stop Me" can be viewed below.


"Spirit Adrift’s gimmick is simple: there is no gimmick," states the band’s mastermind, Nate Garrett. "Just great songs, great heavy riffs, catchy parts that make you want to bang your head and uplifting parts that make you want to fly into the sky."


The single is now available on all digital platforms.

KnuckleBonz has announced the upcoming release of new "Queen II" Rock Iconz statues.


The new statue set from KnuckleBonz features Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon performing during their first US tour in 1974/1975. The tour was promoting the Queen II album and "Sheer Heart Attack" was just hitting the FM radio airwaves - marking the take off point for the band on its way to global rock stardom.


Queen II Rock Iconz are currently in production; pre-order to reserve one of these limited editions. Ships fall 2023. Individual statues also available.







Officially licensed, only 3,000 are created. Each statue is hand-painted, numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity on the base.


“This is the statue set I have wanted to create ever since we founded KnuckleBonz 20 years ago,” said Tony Simerman, CEO & Founder of KnuckleBonz. “I was fortunate enough to see Queen during this era at the Kennedy Center in DC Feb of 75'. An amazing setting to see Queen as they began their ascent to become one of the greatest bands of all time.”

ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records has announced that Queensrÿche frontman Todd La Torre's debut album, Rejoice In The Suffering, will be released in Europe on April 21 under the exclusive license of Rat Pak Records.


Check out the official video for the new single, "Apology", below.







Todd teamed up with longtime friend and collaborator Craig Blackwell, alongside Zeuss for mixing and mastering, creating a diverse heavy metal album that draws influence from different styles. These styles will surprise fans who only know La Torre from his previous work with Queensrÿche or Crimson Glory before that.








Rejoice In The Suffering will be released in Europe on April 21 as jewel case CD, limited to 200 copies on Red Opaque double vinyl and limited to 300 copies on White/Red Splatter double vinyl. Pre-order the album here.





Tracklisting:


"Dogmata"
"Pretenders"
"Hellbound And Down"
"Darkened Majesty"
"Crossroads To Insanity"
"Critical Cynic"
"Rejoice In The Suffering"
"Vexed"
"Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall"
"Apology"


Bonus tracks:


"Fractured" (Bonus Track)
"Set it Off" (Bonus Track)
"One by One" (Bonus Track)











Rejoice In The Suffering lineup:


Todd La Torre – Vocals / Drums
Craig Blackwell – Guitars / Bass / Keys


Guests on the album:


- Solo appearance by Jordan Ziff on “Rejoice In The Suffering”
- Additional Keys by Asgrim Allen Nunn on “One By One”

Swedish dark symphonic metal powerhouse Eleine have unveiled details of their fourth full-length album. Appropriately titled We Shall Remain, Eleine's new opus marks their first full-length release through new label home Atomic Fire Records following their Acoustic In Hell EP (October 2022). We Shall Remain will be released on July 14.


As an appetizer, the band has unveiled their first single off of the record, “We Are Legion,” alongside a music video: An instant hit delivering chuggy riffs, an empowering chorus, and Eleine's signature battle vibe.


"The song is our way of honoring our fans," comments the band. "They have named themselves the Eleine Legion and they have been with us through thick and thin. They have shown us their dedication time and time again, so this song came naturally to us when we started the writing process of We Shall Remain. This is truly a Legion song to and for our fans. It’s a reminder of your own worth, to feel empowered and that you're not alone!"




We Shall Remain was written and produced by guitarist/vocalist Rikard Ekberg and lead vocalist Madeleine Liljestam while Thomas "Plec" Johansson took care of co-recording, mixing ,and mastering at The Panic Room Studio in Skövde, Sweden. Its fiery artwork was designed by Nestor Avalos (nestoravalosofficial.com) and Madeleine Liljestam.


We Shall Remain will be available as a digibook CD, digibook CD + signed photo card (limited edition; EMP & Sound Pollution excl.), jewel case CD, LP (Orange/White), and digitally.


Preorder the album in the physical format of your choice, pre-save it on your favorite DSP, or preorder it digitally to receive “We Are Legion” instantly at this location.





Tracklisting:


“Never Forget”
“Stand By The Flame”
“We Are Legion”
“Promise Of Apocalypse”
“Blood In Their Eyes”
“Vemod”
“Through The Mist”
“Suffering”
“War Das Alles”
“We Shall Remain”


“We Are Legion”:





Besides recently welcoming long-time live bass player Filip Stålberg as a new permanent member, Eleine will embark on their very first North American tour next month. Accompanying legendary Portuguese dark metallers Moonspell on their 30th anniversary tour across the US and Canada, the band will play twenty-three shows from April 29 through May 23 with additional support coming from Oceans Of Slumber and Vintersea on select dates. To help the band on their journey, head to gofundme.com.





Tour dates:


April
29 - Brooklyn, NY - The Monarch
30 - Philadelphia, PA - Warehouse on Watts


May
1 - Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
2 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
3 - Orlando, FL - Conduit
5 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar*
7 - Dallas, TX - Trees*
8 - Santa Fe, NM - Tumbleroot Brewing*
9 - Phoenix, AZ - Last Exit Live*
10 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720*
11 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick*
12 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge*
13 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom*
14 - Vancouver, BC - The Cobalt*
16 - Denver, Co - Oriental Theater
17 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater
18 - Joliet, IL - The Forge #
19 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Piere’s #
20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Preserving Underground #
21 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus #
22 - Quebec, QC - Source De La Martiniere #
25 - Boston, MA - Sonia #


* with Vintersea
# no Oceans of Slumbers


(Photo: Madeleine Lijestam/Rikard Ekberg)

Contemporary dark wave project Host, launched by Nick Holmes and Greg Mackintosh of Paradise Lost, have released a sprawling ambient remix of “Hiding From Tomorrow” by Lustmord. The remix follows the recent release of the band’s debut album IX.





Greg Mackintosh comments "Lustmord has taken this track from electro Goth into a whole new territory. I love it when a remix drifts far and wide from its source material and he has certainly done that. He has created a sprawling, emotive, cinematic soundscape."




Order IX on various formats here

Texas death metal outfit, Creeping Death, will unleash their long-awaited new full-length, Boundless Domain, on June 16 via MNRK Heavy. Preorder here.


Creeping Death is on a quick and furious ascent from the underground. The Texas death metal crew repeatedly delivers a relentless bludgeoning summoned from the furthest reaches of the genre's past, present, and future. A triumphant celebration of the style itself, the Lone Star State five-some whips up gruesome riffage and Southern grooves with an improbable cathartic glee.


The band's formula hits perfection with the brilliant Boundless Domain, a sophomore slab of spectacular weight, dimension, and might. Produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist, Adam Dutkiewicz (As I Lay Dying, The Acacia Strain, Underoath), Boundless Domain is a certified ripper, top to bottom.




"We've never sounded better," guitarist Trey Pemberton shares enthusiastically. "We love the people we've recorded with before, but we've never had anybody challenge and push us as Adam did."


In the wake of the passing of local heroes Riley Gale of Power Trip and Wade Allison of Iron Age, the band – Pemberton, singer Reese Alavi, bassist Eric "Rico" Mejia, drummer Lincoln Mullins, and guitarist A.J. Ross, III – found themselves digging back into some of their metallic hardcore favourites. "We made it a point to bring in more influences from hardcore bands we came up loving, especially Texas hardcore," Pemberton explains. "There's a lot of Mammoth Grinder, Iron Age, and Power Trip influence. Having Riley and Wade pass so close to one another left a huge hole in the scene. We all went on a kick of listening to the Texas stuff for a while, and it definitely seeped into our writing."


Boundless Domain boasts future death metal classics like the super heavy, fast, and groovy Intestinal Wrap, which features George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Cannibal Corpse. Vitrified Earth showcases Creeping Death's increasing skills at songcraft, most evident with the cadence and phrasing of Alavi's vocals while never neglecting the sick riffs. Toward the album's end, there's even a bit of a spaced-out atmosphere, with guitar effects, harmonies, and heady time signatures.





First single and video for “Intestinal Wrap” is streaming below.


Comments Pemberton of the track, "We feel like we collectively stepped up our performances on this record. Working with Adam was a blast and we’re all proud of how Boundless Domain turned out. See you on the road!"


Tracklisting:


“Boundless Domain”
“Intestinal Wrap” (feat. Corpsegrinder)
“Vitrified Earth”
“The Parthian Shot”
“Creators Turned Into Prey”
“Cursed”
“Remnants Of The Old Gods”
“Looming”
“The Common Breed”


“Intestinal Wrap” video:





A US trek supporting Carcass, Municipal Waste, and Sacred Reich is on the books. The journey kicks off on March 31 in Santa Ana, California and winds its way through two dozen cities, including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, before closing on April 30 in Los Angeles, California.





Tour dates:


March
31 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory


April
1 - Mesa, AZ - The Nile Theater
3 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk
4 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
5 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
7 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
8 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
11 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
12 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Sound Stage
13 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
14 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
15 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
16 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
18 - Chicago, IL - Metro
19 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
20 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada
21 - Denver, CO - The Gothic Theatre
22 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
24 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
25 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
26 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
28 - Berekely, CA - The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall
29 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory
30 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco

Nuclear Blast recently announced the release of The Aggression Sessions, featuring Thy Art Is Murder, Fit For An Autopsy, and Malevolence which will be available digitally on April 7th and on CD + Vinyl on July 21st, 2023 via Nuclear Blast.


Today, Thy Art Is Murder releases the second single from the EP entitled, "Until There Is No Longer".







The Aggression Sessions is the follow-up to 2016's The Depression Sessions and follows the same 6-song mini album where each band offers an original single and a cover song. For this session, Thy Art Is Murder is covering Cannibal Corpse and Fit For An Autopsy is covering At The Gates whereas Malevolence is handling a song by American singer Anastacia.


Thy Art Is Murder and Fit For An Autopsy make the following joint statement: "Before we had even completed work on 'The Depressions Sessions' we knew a lifelong friendship had been forged between Thy Art Is Murder and Fit For An Autopsy, and that we would have to do another variation of the project. 'The Aggression Sessions' concept was born almost immediately following the completion of the first iteration but has taken many years to finally find the time to record and release it amidst the chaotic touring and music release schedules of both bands. We wanted to take things back to some of our favorite inspirations for writing and performing heavy and aggressive music this time, encapsulating the tone of the EP title. We hope everyone enjoys!


"Joining us for round 2, please welcome Malevolence into the series. Much love to The Acacia Strain, and thank you to them for being a part of this lineage. Check out their new forthcoming record as well!


"Working with friends and peers and avoiding the pitfalls of competitiveness has always been the most rewarding part of being in a band, so as always thank you for the support and opportunity to have this platform. See you all on the road soon!"


Malevolence's Wilkie Robinson adds, "New Jersey to Australia to Sheffield! it was an absolute pleasure to be involved in this big international metal link-up and a great opportunity for us to have fun creatively outside of the usual expectations. Shout out to Eliran Kantor for killing the artwork and Nuclear Blast for making it all happen."


The Aggression Sessions will be available in the following formats:


- CD jewel case
- Vinyl
  * Grey Brown Swirl w/ Black Splatter (Nuclear Blast USA/EU + Retail)
  * Clear w/ Silver Red Brown Splatter (Fit For An Autopsy) exclusive, limited to 1,000 copies)
  * Red w/ Silver Brown Splatter (Thy Art Is Murder exclusive, limited to 1,000 copies)
  * Silver w/ Red Brown Splatter (Malevolence exclusive, limited to 1,000 copies)


Pre-order your copy of The Aggression Sessions here.





The Aggression Sessions tracklisting:


"Hellions" - Fit For An Autopsy
"Until There Is No Longer" - Thy Art Is Murder
"Waste Of Myself" - Malevolence
"Under A Serpent Sun" (At The Gates Cover) - Fit For An Autopsy
"Hammer Smashed Face" (Cannibal Corpse Cover) - Thy Art Is Murder
"Left Outside Alone" (Anastacia Cover) - Malevolence


"Hellions" visualizer:

Jeff Scott Soto has heavily implied that he is the singer of the new band formed by ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony, BON JOVI guitarist Phil X and current AEROSMITH touring drummer John Douglas.

Anthony, who is currently the bassist for Sammy Hagar's THE CIRCLE, revealed the existence of the project during a March 22 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". When asked if he had any plans to form a new project or band once Hagar has finally retired from performing with THE CIRCLE, Michael said: "Well, I wasn't going to mention anything about it, but there is a little side project thing that I've kind of been speaking to some people, and might be doing a couple of things with. I don't wanna get ahead of myself and mention too much, but it might involve Phil X and John Douglas, who you know as [the touring drummer] for AEROSMITH right now."

Anthony continued: "I've known J.D. for many years, since he's worked with VAN HALEN… What a great guy. And we do have a singer. I don't wanna mention any names, but a really, really cool singer. And we're recording just for fun right now, some stuff. That's all I can say."

On Friday night (March 24),Soto, who has recorded and toured with JOURNEY, Yngwie Malmsteen, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and SONS OF APOLLO, among others, took to his Instagram to share a screenshot of BLABBERMOUTH.NET's original coverage of the project, and he included the following cryptic message: "Hmmm....ummm...no comment =)" When one person asked Jeff, "Who's singer?", he responded: "Read between the lines my friend".

Anthony guested on "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" to promote his appearance at a fundraising event and concert benefiting Save The Heartbeat on March 25 at Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa, California. Also performing at the show will be Phil X, Hagar and John 5, among other musicians.

Save The Heartbeat is a non-profit organization that benefits those that are affected by congenital heart disease (CHD). Danielle and Jonathan Maloof started this charity after their son Remington was born with an undiagnosed congenital heart defect in 2013.

VAN HALEN and Anthony had not been on good terms for more than a decade prior to guitarist Eddie Van Halen's death in October 2020, with Anthony not invited to join the reunion with singer David Lee Roth that began in 2007. The subsequent two tours and studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", featured Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass.

Anthony took a pay cut and signed away all of his rights to the band name and logo in order to participate in VAN HALEN's 2004 tour, which featured singer Sammy Hagar.

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IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson is taking part in a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates in March and April. The concerts are being performed by a symphony orchestra consisting of more than 80 instrumentalists conducted by Paul Mann, a close friend of Jon's, and assembled especially for the occasion with members of OSESP (Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo) and some of the country's main symphony groups. They are appearing alongside Kaitner Z Doka (JON LORD, IAN PAICE, DON AIREY) on guitar, Bernhard Welz (JON LORD, DON AIREY) on drums, John O'Hara (JETHRO TULL) on keyboards, Tanya O'Callaghan (WHITESNAKE) on bass and Mario Argandonia (SCORPIONS) on percussion.

Fan-filmed video of Dickinson's March 22 concert at Sports Hall Mirza Delibasic in Sarajevo, Bosnia And Herzegovina can be seen below.

In a video announcing the "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" shows, Dickinson said: "So I'm really excited to be doing this Concerto For Group And Orchestra all around the place — around Europe and in Brazil.

"Well, what is it exactly? Well, it's about a 45-minute piece of classical music that was written by Jon Lord from DEEP PURPLE involving a group; in this case, it was DEEP PURPLE," he explained. "And it's like a meeting of minds between a rock and roll band and an orchestra, and they play slightly separately, they play together. I'm basically just the singer in the part of the Concerto that is the singing part; that's basically part one of the show. Part two, we kind of really let our hair down a bit. There's a couple of more classical interactions between the band that's more instrumental, and then we do five PURPLE songs with the orchestra and the band, so 'Perfect Strangers', 'When A Blind Man Cries', obviously, 'Smoke On The Water', 'Hush' and 'Pictures Of Home', which is a rarity and it's amazing with the orchestra. And then we're also gonna do something a little bit special. We've done an orchestral arrangement of my version of 'Jerusalem' and also 'Tears Of The Dragon' with the orchestra and the band. So, those two are gonna be in there at end — no particular order at the moment. So it's a really good, amazing evening of fantastic playing by incredible musicians. And that's what it is — it's music."

Remaining dates are as follows:

March 24 - Hall Drazen Petrovic, Zagreb, Croatia
March 25 - Cancarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
April 02 - Hala University Palacheho, Olomouc, Czech Republic
April 15 - Vibra, Sao Paulo, Brazil
April 19 - Teatro Positiva, Curitiba, Brazil
April 21 - Vivo Rio, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
April 25 - Auditorio Araujo Vianna, Porto Alegre, Brazil

For tickets, visit ScreamForMe.com.

Bruce previously performed "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" in November 2021 in Győr, Hungary with DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover and the Győr Symphony Orchestra. Prior to that, he performed at the 50th-anniversary celebration of "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" in November 2019 at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

When the Quebec City concert was first announced, Dickinson said: "As many people know, DEEP PURPLE have been a major, ongoing influence in my life since I was a teenager, and down the years, I have been fortunate enough to become good friends with all of the band, most especially in my collaborations with Jon Lord."

Added Mann: "My long collaboration with Jon Lord, and in particular his innovative, genre-defying 'Concerto', has been one of the greatest joys of my musical life. Jon's spirit will definitely be with us."

During a September 2018 spoken-word gig in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dickinson talked about his friendship with Lord. He said: "Jon Lord was a wonderful gentleman, and we were close friends. And he sadly died of… He had pancreatic cancer, but he survived for a year and a half — much against what everybody had said would happen. And actually, at the end, he didn't die of pancreatic cancer — he died, unfortunately, of some terrible blood collapse that happened with him, possibly as a result of treatment. But we had all kinds of crazy plans, including me going out on tour with him, singing DEEP PURPLE songs with an orchestra, which he was planning to do; that was one of the things we were planning to do. But it all got interrupted and canceled, and [it was] obviously very sad. He was a wonderful man."

Lord died on July 16, 2012 at age 71 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Lord, who was known for his keyboard virtuosity and his reinvention of the Hammond B-3 organ sound, co-wrote such PURPLE classics as "Smoke On The Water" and "Child In Time", among others. Lord and drummer Ian Paice were the only original members to last through the band's initial run from 1968 to 1976. He was on board for their 1984 reunion and stayed on through to his 2002 retirement from the band, after which he worked primarily in the classical field.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, the band featuring guitarist Joe Bonamassa, vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, THE DEAD DAISIES),drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL),will perform on next year's Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea IX cruise, sailing from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico on March 18-22, 2024.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's most recent performance took place in February 2018 at the fourth edition of the Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea, which benefits the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Bonamassa's non-profit organization dedicated to providing students, teachers, and musicians with the resources and tools needed to further their music education.

In a September 2022 interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, Bonamassa spoke about the possibility of a fifth studio album with BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION. Joe said: "We have quite the group chat going right now. So we're gonna start — Glenn and I are gonna start working on writing some songs. We're just gonna get together in October, next month, and we're gonna start. And we're gonna see if we can get everybody's schedule lined up for next year and do another record. 'Cause I really miss those guys. And when we fire on all cylinders, there's nothing better."

Asked what it is about a "band situation" that appeals to him, considering he has spent most of his career as a solo artist, Joe said: "I like nothing more than to be a member of a band and playing guitar. I don't have to front it; I don't have to sing all the time. And it's a lot less pressure than being the front person. Being the person in front is a special skillset. You have to be an entertainer. You can't just sit up there and stare at your guitar and go, 'Wow. Look, I can play guitar pretty good.' That's not gonna fill the theater. You have to put on a show. And to put on a show requires being an entertainer. So being in a band, the sum of the parts is greater than the single entity. So this thing where Glenn co-fronts BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, I can just sit back and play rhythm guitar and watch him do his thing. He's a legend. And then conversely, Glenn doesn't have to sing all night; I'll sing three or four [songs]. So we kind of spread out the whole workload a little bit."

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's next disc will be the follow-up to "BCCIV", which was released in September 2017 and marked BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's first studio effort since 2013's "Afterglow".

Just like its three predecessors, "BCCIV" was overseen by producer Kevin Shirley, who originally had the idea of putting Hughes and Bonamassa in a band after seeing them jamming together onstage in Los Angeles back in November 2009.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's inception took place when Hughes and Bonamassa fused their styles on stage in Los Angeles for an explosive performance at Guitar Center's King Of The Blues event. With the help and guidance of Shirley, they further added to their rock lineage by recruiting Bonham and Sherinian.

In a 2017 interview, Hughes talked about the chemistry between the BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION members, especially since all the musicians have had successful careers prior to launching the group.

"This band was meant to be," Glenn said. "It was formed out of a friendship with Joe and I. We got the [other] guys to come in, and it's always been a strong brotherhood. And we're just very lucky and fortunate to have met. I've known Jason since he was [a kid]. I just think that these four guys in this band are the right guys to play in the band."

Photo credit: Neil Zlozower

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In a brand new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, singer Michael Starr of California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER — whose songs contain what some critics say are racist, misogynistic and lewd lyrics — was asked if he and his bandmates have been affected by "cancel culture", a term which describes efforts to shun, silence or demonetize people who express unpopular beliefs. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, not really. I mean, I don't wanna say 'not really.' I would just say… I mean, the only pushback we got was for a plug-in that [STEEL PANTHER guitarist] Satchel designed called the 'Pussy Melter'. And it was on the TC Electronic web site and a girl guitar player saw it and she got extremely offended by it. And she wrote the company and they took the plug-in off because one person was upset with it. And so Satchel came up with the idea, and he said, 'Why don't we just make a fucking guitar pedal?' So we got into the guitar pedal business. Man, that thing flew off the shelves so quick. 'Cause people were trying to cancel us. We only made, like, I think, ten thousand of 'em or something — just a small order of 'em. Because it's expensive to get that capital to make 'em all. So we made, like, ten thousand and we made it a limited edition and it cut off at a certain number. And we sold 'em all in, like, two weeks. And so that [was a situation where] somebody tried to cancel us — like a subcategory of us — and it kind of backfired on them."

Starr went on to say that people who attend STEEL PANTHER concerts are fully aware of what they are going to see at the performances, including girls being invited girls up on stage to flash their breasts and single-entendre lyrics that seemingly objectify women and demean everybody.

"People that come to our shows, they know what to expect," Michael explained. "No one walks off the street and just goes, 'Oh, that looks like a fun show. I'm gonna go in.' And they buy a ticket and go in and go, 'Oh my God! I am so offended by them saying 'fuck',' or whatever. 'They said 'Asian hooker'. That's so racist.' People that come know what they're coming into. They know they're coming to a show where they're gonna laugh and hear some profane, politically incorrect humor. And if it's their first time [seeing the band], it's because their friend brought 'em. And people are pretty aware of what's going on. So I think everyone is there for the same party. So we really, really haven't experienced any of that [cancel culture]."

Starr added: "Our shows have been selling out on this tour. And I like to attribute it to how great my hair looks. But it's not that. It's more like people are sick of not being heard. And people are sick of fucking getting bullshitted and they want something that they can count on.

"You go to a sports game and, for the most part, you can count on it being an even match. The refs may fuck up a couple of calls. At the end of the day, at the end, somebody wins and somebody loses. There's truth to that. And when you come see us, at the end of the day, you're gonna get drunk, you're gonna laugh and you're gonna have a good time. You can't argue with that. And I think people really wanna just do that."

Less than two years ago, Satchel lamented the current stage of the world when asked about the future of comedy and entertainment during an appearance on the "2020'd" podcast. At the time, he said: "I know that wokeism is out of control and cancel culture is out of control right now, but people love to laugh and people love to be able to speak their fucking mind. And you can't be funny, I think, if you can't push the envelope a little bit and joke about shit that you're not supposed to joke about. And that's one of the things that is great about the differences in people — being able to joke about cultural differences. Because there's huge differences between black and white culture, there's huge differences between Asian culture and black culture, or gay culture and heterosexual culture. Gay guys are fucking hilarious; they're really funny. And I don't understand a lot of it, but they're funny as fuck. I'm not gay, so I don't suck dicks, but, to me, the whole idea of being gay is very funny, and there’s a lot of funny shit in that.

"Listen, stereotypes are stereotypes because they are fucking funny," he explained. "It's funny to joke about Asian people being bad drivers, 'cause there's a lot of 'em."

Satchel went on to say that STEEL PANTHER concerts provide a safe space for people to make fun of all situations and individuals equally without fear of offending someone.

"One of the things that I love about being in STEEL PANTHER, and one of the things I love about our shows, is that people who go to our show, and it doesn't matter whether they're white or black, or male or female, or gay or hetero, they go to our show because they love that they're in a place where everybody's… The playing field is level, because we make fun of everybody, and everybody can laugh at everything, and you don't have to worry about it," he said. "And you don't have to watch what you say because everybody can joke about everything. Everybody's in on it, so everybody has fun. And it really lets everybody let their guard down and everybody can have fucking fun.

"When you're out in public normally, most people are very aware of what they can and can't say in this day and age," he added. "And God, that gets fucking old after a while. Most people are just, like, 'Fuck, I just wanna cuss and make fun of a gay person for once. Come on.'"

STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", was released on February 24.

The band's "On The Prowl" world tour 2023 kicked off in February and will run throughout North America through April. CROBOT and TRAGEDY are joining the band on the trek. STEEL PANTHER will take a short break before bringing the party to the United Kingdom and Ireland in May.

In September, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Fifteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.