Fan-filmed video of former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens's February 25 performance in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México can be seen below.

Owens recently released a solo EP, "Return To Death Row". The effort was produced by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Nick Bellmore (JASTA, DEE SNIDER). Players on the EP, which contain Owens's "heaviest songs yet," include Nick Bellmore, Charlie Bellmore (DEE SNIDER, ex-TOXIC HOLOCAUST) on guitar, and Chris Beaudette (JASTA, ENTEIRRO) on bass.

Owens is currently the frontman of KK'S PRIEST, featuring fellow former JUDAS PRIEST member K.K. Downing.

Owens joined PRIEST after being discovered when the band's drummer, Scott Travis, was given a videotape of him performing with the PRIEST cover act BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Rob Halford.

Owens recorded two studio albums with JUDAS PRIEST — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before the band reunited with Halford in 2003.

"Demolition" and "Jugulator" are included on "50 Heavy Metal Years Of Music", JUDAS PRIEST's 2021 limited-edition box set which contains every official live and studio album to date plus 13 unreleased discs.

In a recent interview with the "Heavy Metal Mayhem" radio show, Owens addressed the fact that he is a often a magnet for controversy with some of the things he says or posts on social media. He said: "I think the problem is I use a lot of humor [when I do interviews or post things on social media]. It's funny, you say something 10 years ago or five years ago, and people still talk about it.

"Nobody knows me. They don't really know me politically," Tim continued. "They don't know me personally. They don't know what I do [or] who I am. They just know the Tim 'Ripper' Owens who does these interviews.

"What gets me in trouble is I kind of like to use a lot of humor, so I'm always saying something funny, and the next thing you know it's taken out of context.

"It is what it is. And that's what you have to deal with," Owens added. "You post something — even if it's a positive thing… Listen, I've lost a lot of weight [and I posted something about it on social media]. It's a positive thing, and I'm really healthy and taking care of myself. And then people even knock that. You read headlines… And it was a nice, positive thing. Blabbermouth took it off my Instagram and posted it and said I lost 50 pounds and blah, blah, blah. And it was nice; it wasn't like they took it and made something bad out of it. I don't ever read comments — ever — but this one I thought I would, to see how people can actually make this a bad thing. And, of course, they did. And that's just what they do. And you deal with that."

Tim went on to say that he is "definitely" more careful about what he says publicly nowadays. "I've watched what I've said now for probably the past three or four years," he said. "I still get in trouble; I still say something [that gets people riled up].

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a guy that talks [publicly] about politics," Owens clarified. "I used to like posts or say a few things in the past, but I don't talk [publicly] about politics, just because it doesn't matter if you're left or right or middle, whatever you say, the left, the right or the middle is gonna attack you. So it's kind of a silly thing. But whatever you say, that's just the way it is nowadays. People, they like to hate; they're never positive. But with that being said, that's five to 10 percent of the people. I mean, it depends on the headline on social media, because that might be more, but a lot of times, what happens is you happen to gravitate toward the negative stuff that people say about you more than the positive stuff, and I think that's the bad thing.

"When people say to me, 'I don't like you. You suck. You can't sing. You have a bad stage presence,' this and that. But that's not true. That's not true," Tim said. "If you just said, 'I don't like it. I don't like his singing,' okay, I can live with that. That's fine — I can live with that. You don't like me. That's fine. There's a lot of singers I don't like either. But I wouldn't say that, though. The difference is I don't go on somebody's page and go, 'Jesus, look at you.' Or, 'Man, that's a terrible record.' I don't do that. I'm not that stupid. But when people say I can't sing, they need to open their fucking ears, because I can sing just about anything."

Hoy Salón SUTERM frente a plaza del sol

Posted by Zona Zero Tuxtla on Saturday, February 25, 2023

Ahead of BABYMETAL's forthcoming concept album "The Other One", due March 24, the Japanese pop-metal group has released the LP's fifth single, "Mirror Mirror". The official lyric video for the song can be seen below.

Last year BABYMETAL was "sealed" from the world after a successful 10-year journey. In April 2022, "The Other One" restoration project began to recover the BABYMETAL we never knew existed within a virtual world called the Metalverse. A total of 10 songs have been discovered within "The Other One" restoration project, with each song representing a unique theme based on 10 separate parallel worlds that they have discovered.

"Mirror Mirror" follows previous singles "Light And Darkness", "Metal Kingdom", "Divine Attack - Shingeki -" and "Monochrome".

BABYMETAL is preparing for its next performance on April 1 and April 2 at Pia Arena MM. Their first day is named "Black Night" and their second day is named "Clear Night". At their previous show, they conveyed that together with the departure into a new world, a new metal will be born. We will continue to see what the future will unfold for BABYMETAL.

BABYMETAL will make a return to the live scene alongside SABATON and LORDI on their European tour in April and May.

"The Other One" track listing:

01. Metal Kingdom
02. Divine Attack - Shingeki -
03. Mirror Mirror
04. Maya
05. Time Wave
06. Believing
07. Metalizm
08. Monochrome
09. Light And Darkness
10. The Legend

BABYMETAL was formed in 2010. Their mission was to unify the world through heavy metal by creating a fusion of heavy metal and the Japanese pop genre. Their music contains a stunning mix of electronic pop, a pinch of alternative and industrial rock, and is leveled up by fast-driven heavy metal. Their live shows are ground-breaking and epic visual as well as sound performances. BABYMETAL continued to travel the path of metal with the international release of their three albums, telling the story of the mighty Fox God and his brave metal warriors.

A book about the first ten years of BABYMETAL, "Bessatsu Kadokawa Souryoku Tokushuu", was released in Japan in October 2020. It contains a long interview with Su-metal and Moametal as well as never-before-heard stories from band producer Kobametal from BABYMETAL's decade-long history, photos taken from live shows, a discussion between Demon Kakka and Kobametal, and much more.

BABYMETAL's third studio album, "Metal Galaxy", came out in October 2019 via earMUSIC/Edel. The follow-up to 2016's "Metal Resistance" was based on the concept of "The Odyssey Of Metal Galaxy".

In 2018, BABYMETAL announced the departure of Yuimetal, who was formerly one of the members of the Japanese group's core trio. She exited the band, explaining in a statement that she would go on to pursue a solo career as Mizuno Yu.

In a new interview with Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind, Biff Byford spoke about SAXON guitarist Paul Quinn's recent decision to "step back from touring". The SAXON frontman said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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."

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.

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", will arrive 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".

*NSYNC singer Joey Fatone and STEEL PANTHER's Michael Starr engaged in a sing-off during the latter band's concert on March 10 at Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida. Fan-filmed video of Fatone's appearance can be seen below.

Fatone had joined STEEL PANTHER on stage a number of times in the past, including in December 2020 at Ace Café in Orlando when he performed the song "Girl From Oklahoma".

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.

In a recent interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, Starr was asked if he ever gets "bored of being a parody of rock bands." He responded: "I love playing heavy metal. It's the most exciting job in the world for me. I've always dreamed about doing this — being on stage and being able to go all over the world with my buddies and play for people that like our music. It's really cool.

"Before we got signed by Universal, we were writing songs, and they were going, 'No. No. No.' They never signed us," he continued. "And then finally we were, like, 'You know what? Fuck it! We're gonna sing about what we wanna sing about. We're gonna sing about what we're thinking.' And once we did that, we got signed right away and we put out 'Death To All But Metal', and the rest is history.

"So, I don't care if people think it's a joke or a parody or whatever — who fucking cares?" he added. "It's STEEL PANTHER at the end of the day.

"No, I'm not bored. I love it."

On March 21, SKID ROW stopped by Gator 98.7 FM's Gator Garage at iHeartRadio Performance Studio in West Palm Beach, Florida for a VIP performance and question-and-answer session. Video is now available below.

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The BlackSheep Podcast", SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo spoke about how the introduction of the band's latest addition, Swedish-born singer Erik Grönwall, brought about a rejuvenated energy and a burst of creativity that had been previously missing for quite some time.

"One of the great things about the way the band is now is that we've already started writing for the next record," Snake said. "I mean, there's four potential songs for the next record already. And who knows whether they'll make it or not. We've never done that before. So that's kind of where everybody's head is at. We're really staying in the moment, but we're also utilizing this newfound energy, shall I say, to be really creative and productive.

"We always kind of went by write the record, record the record, tour, get off tour and get done with touring, write the record, record the record, tour. That's been kind of the way that we've worked," he explained. "But not this time. We're actively writing. Erik is a very creative guy. He's a really good guitar player. So it really helps. We're exchanging ideas back and forth again and writing during soundchecks and things like that. So it's been nothing but positive."

Grönwall famously went from auditioning for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of SKID ROW's "18 And Life" to now fronting the band.

Grönwall joined SKID ROW as the replacement for ZP Theart, who had been in the group for more than six years.

In March 2022, SKID ROW released its first single with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here". The song is the title track of the band's latest album, which arrived in October via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW recorded most of "The Gang's All Here" in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.

Grönwall, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021 and was declared cancer free six months later after receiving a bone marrow transplant, released his cover version of "18 And Life" that same month via all streaming platforms.

Last May, Snake was asked by The Aquarian Weekly if it helped that Erik was a huge SKID ROW fan and knew all the songs coming into the band. He said: "Oh, he knew the songs. He did his homework. That's another thing — he has this incredible work ethic. His story is incredible. He's the one that deserves to tell his own personal path, but he has such an amazing appreciation for music and for singing. It shows. He's not just up there singing and doing a job. He's living it. He's living those lyrics and owning all of that stuff. That's one of the things that we noticed with the songs on the new record is that he owned it. He owned it. We finished the vocals while we were in Las Vegas [opening for the SCORPIONS in March and April 2022] because we had such great success with him doing it remotely from Sweden with our producer Nick Raskulinecz that we said we can do it on our days off to finish the record. We did a bunch of different vocal tracks and did some comping and stuff, but it wasn't a lot of takes. That's for sure. Rachel [Bolan, SKID ROW bassist] and I were in the studio and were, like, 'Man, we don't even need to be here.' That's how much he owned these new songs. You can see the live performances too. He owns our whole catalog as well."
It's a Gator Ticket to Rock Weekend with your chance to win access for two to our private performance with #SkidRow live from the Gator Garage! Listen all weekend long for the hidden contest page. LISTEN: https://t.co/eQ2GVtKcvDpic.twitter.com/f1q97Zm9ub

— 98.7 The Gator (@gator987fm) March 18, 2023

THE GEMS, the new Swedish rock band featuring former THUNDERMOTHER members Guernica Mancini (vocals),Emlee Johansson (drums) and Mona Lindgren (bass),made its live debut last night (Wednesday, March 22) at Pustervik in Gothenburg, Sweden as the support act for THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

THE GEMS sees Lindgren returning to her original instrument, the guitar. Playing bass at last night's show was THE GEMS' friend and collaborator Johan Randén.

Earlier today, Mancini shared a photo of the Pustervik show and she wrote in an accompanying message: "Last night was amazing! After all that has happened and we so quickly got on our feet and just regrouped and kept pushing, I'm so extremly proud of us @trumemlee and @demonaofficial! This is just the begining & I know the future is bright because I get to make and play music with you two.

"A million thanks to @voxbybjorn and @nightflightorchestra for giving us this opportunity and believing in us! I'm Forever grateful.

"Thanks to @jranden who not only has written amazing music with us but also helped us out on bass last night. And last but absolutely not least I'm beyond happy about this new found friendship with @donnacannoneofficial you guys rock!

"Thank you Gothenburg".

THE GEMS are planning to release their debut single, "Phoenix", in April.

Regarding the "Phoenix" single title and how it relates to the trio's sudden and unexpected exit from THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica recently told Germany's Metal Hammer magazine (translated from German): "We wanted a hopeful and positive first single. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. This is how we felt as we struggled through this dark period of our career."

Mancini and Lindgren also noted that THE GEMS' live performances will include material from THUNDERMOTHER's last two albums, 2020's "Heat Wave" and 2022's "Black And Gold", both of which featured songwriting contributions from Guernica and Emlee.

Last month, it was announced that Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren were exiting THUNDERMOTHER and would form a new band together. At the same time, guitarist Filippa Nässil revealed that she would continue with a new THUNDERMOTHER lineup featuring singer Linnéa Vikström (THERION, AT THE MOVIES) and returning bassist Majsan Lindberg. Filippa has also since recruited Joan Massing (HONEY CREEK) as THUNDERMOTHER's new drummer.

Mancini, who joined THUNDERMOTHER in 2017, reflected on her split with the band in an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. Asked when she first had a feeling that things were not as they should be within THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica said: "It's a tough question to answer. I would say like this, that it's never been great for me. And it's been six tough years. But regardless of that, I don't regret anything. I still had amazing experiences with the band. And I wouldn't take anything back, 'cause I've grown and I've become the singer that I am. And there are so many positives to that. So even though it has been a very bumpy ride, I still think that it's been a beautiful ride. Because it does teach you a lot about yourself, and you grow as a human."

She added: "When you go through something that's tough and hard for you, you can either choose to learn from it and try to do something positive with it. And that's kind of what I'm aiming to do for myself."

When asked by host Jimmy Kay if she is saying that she was unhappy for six years, Mancini replied: "Not a hundred percent unhappy. It's been [up and down]. Definitely I've questioned how my dream of doing music and everything that I love so much and hold so dear had to be so tough. But in my mind I've always thought that it's probably the price you pay for getting these experiences or whatever. But I think that it doesn't necessarily have to be that. But like anything in life, nothing is gonna be happy and roses all the time. You go through things. It's normal."

Guernica also addressed the fact that Emlee and Mona both voluntarily left THUNDERMOTHER, once they found out Mancini was being kicked out of the group.

"It does make me feel [good], but I also felt really guilty… I felt guilty because I knew the opportunities that they were giving up because of this, but they had their own reasons," she said. "They did this completely on their own. And the problems that we've had in the band, they're not just something that is between [Filippa] and I; it's something that's been brewing and been there always. So when this happened, they also felt that it was very disrespectful towards them, being that they believed that we were a democracy and that we had a say in these things. She more or less [told] them, 'I wanna do this, and I've already found a new singer.' And that's when Emlee just said, 'I don't wanna play with another singer. And if you're gonna go ahead and do this, I'm gonna leave the band.' And that's what she did. And Mona felt the same way."

Guernica added: "I love [Emlee and Mona], and I'm forever grateful. I wouldn't have expected anything, but I also feel like I'm so blessed. Honestly, I'm so incredibly grateful that they are my new band. And they are the two that I enjoyed working with. And I have so much fun with them. And we already had two songwriting days, and we had just so much fun. And it was drama free. It was just a dream. And it's just, like, this is what a band is supposed to be."

Mancini then clarified: "We've had our differences. If you don't fight with your family and friends, that's kind of weird in itself. And we have. But we always… we say 'sorry', and we move past it. And our relationships always grow stronger and stronger and stronger. And that's, I think, the testament of a real, solid, healthy relationship. And that's how it is with them. So I'm really grateful that we have something and we get to continue playing together."

Guernica previously discussed her departure from THUNDERMOTHER last month in an interview with the "Rock And Roll Geek Show". Regarding how she found out she was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica said: "I was blindsided. It's almost like I'm in an episode of fucking 'Survivor'. [Laughs]

"I got an e-mail [letting me know that I was no longer in the band]. I had a feeling it was coming because the week prior, [Filippa] had taken me off all our social media accounts. And I thought we had gotten hacked. I wrote to the group; I was, like, 'Girls, I think we're getting hacked. I can't get into our e-mail or Instagram — none of the accounts.'"

Asked if Filippa had any issues with Guernica's live performance or what she was doing on stage, Mancini said: "No, that's not something that I've… no information that I've received. I think that there's nothing you can complain about my performance or my singing, 'cause I've always brought my 'A game.' And if you have problems with that, I think that's strange, considering that's something that people really enjoy and respect the band for. So I think that would be weird."

Clarifying that the reasons for the split were "a hundred percent personal", Guernica revealed that "a lot of things happened behind my back, and I was the last one to know… Like there were meetings behind my back, trying to convince my fellow bandmates that I'm an awful person, I'm all these things that I'm not."

When interviewer Michael Butler noted that all the girls in THUNDERMOTHER looked like they were getting "along really well" when they were supporting the SCORPIONS on a tour of North America last fall, Guernica said: "I deserve an Oscar nomination for my acting. [Laughs]"

According to Mancini, she is still "really close" to Emlee and Mona. "We're actually really good friends, and that's the best part of my time in THUNDERMOTHER," she said. "Me and Emlee, she's legitimately one of my best friends. And Mona has become a really good friend as well. And we have a mutual respect and similar work ethic and we want the same things. We just work together. I just feel like, if anything, it's really lovely and positive that we have each other and that we all feel the same way and we all have had the same experiences and the reasoning behind not feeling great in the band as it was."

Asked how Emlee and Mona found out Guernica was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Mancini said: "[Filippa] had a secret meeting behind my back. She just told the girls, 'I wanna fire Guernica, and I already have a new singer.' And the girls were, like, 'Woah. Hold up. Wait a second. We did not sign up for that. And we thought we were a democracy in this band,' because that's something that we'd been told and that's how we've done everything.' So they were shocked."

Earlier this month, Nässil shared a six-minute video in which she addressed some of the questions surrounding the departures of Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren as well as her decision to carry on with a new lineup. She said in part: "Some stuff you read online and even now in some magazines is true and some stuff has more to it," she explained. "I mean, there's a depth to what happened and it's impossible to read in a few lines or a quote from someone. And I wanna assure you and tell you guys that I did my absolute best to work everything out between the old members. I think we should be conscious in what we're saying and trust that I have done my absolute best for peace, love and rock and roll and I did everything in my power to work it out with the previous bandmembers.

"I would never throw anybody under the bridge. I think that's another private matter. What happened has been behind the curtain, so to speak, so it's not everything that people need to know about or should know about because it's just unnecessary to throw stuff at each other, I think."

"I'm thrilled to have Majsan back, who's done hundreds of shows with me in THUNDERMOTHER. She's the THUNDERMOTHER bass player. And I'm thrilled to have Linnéa Vikström, my friend since many, many years, on vocals. And we have a great new drummer we will announce soon. She likes great bands like CLUTCH, FOO FIGHTERS, BLACK CROWES and stuff like that, so a really groovy drummer. And I can't wait for the future."

Nässil went on to say that all the previously announced THUNDERMOTHER concerts "will happen. Not a single canceled show. Everyone has faith in THUNDERMOTHER and so should you.

"We are super stoked to tour with the SCORPIONS in Europe again and doing our own shows," she added. "So that's something we're doing right now — rehearsing."

According to Filippa, she and her new bandmates are "hoping to release a new song before" they hit the road, but she acknowledged that this may be hard to pull off as "it's crazy hectic right now."

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West Coast metal veterans METAL CHURCH will release their 13th studio album, "Congregation Of Annihilation", on May 26 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The new album marks the first release since the tragic death of legendary frontman Mike Howe who passed in July of 2021. It also marks the first album with new vocalist Marc Lopes (ROSS THE BOSS, LET US PREY) who came on board in the summer of 2022, and features the current lineup of founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland. The new songs are a return to the band's musical roots harkening back to the vibes of the self-titled first album and "The Dark". "Congregation Of Annihilation" was produced by Vanderhoof and is now available for pre-order in various bundle configurations.

Vanderhoof comments: "This new album is starting a new chapter in the METAL CHURCH legacy. I really love this album. It's a fresh approach for us in one way, but also a return to the very beginnings of METAL CHURCH as part of the New American Thrash Metal movement. This record contains some of the most aggressive songs we have recorded. I hope the fans will like it as much as we do."

Lopes adds: "I am beyond honored to be part of carrying on this legacy into a new era of METAL CHURCH. Working with Kurdt and a band that was a huge influence of mine growing up was a surreal experience, to say the least. For me there was no point in trying to imitate what was already done to perfection. So, with respect to the past, we moved forward to a new chapter and here we are!"

"Congregation Of Annihilation" features nine all new tracks from METAL CHURCH and continues to build upon their iconic sound the band established over three decades ago. Infused with intelligent lyrical content, thundering guitar riffs, and Marc's aggressive soaring vocals, "Congregation Of Annihilation" furthers the bands sonic evolution up to the next level and is guaranteed to enthrall metal music fans around the world. From the first guitar riff of album opener "Another Judgement Day" through the driving outro of album closer "All That We Destroy", it is clear METAL CHURCH is back and better than ever. "Congregation Of Annihilation", "Children Of The Lie" and "These Violent Thrills" showcase the sonically charged songwriting that made the early METAL CHURCH albums such fan favorites. Haunting musical opuses "Me The Nothing" and "Making Monsters" each puts the musicianship that METAL CHURCH was known for on full display in 2023. The album also features two bonus tracks: "My Favorite Sin" and "Salvation".

The official lyrics video for the LP's first single, the anthemic "Pick A God And Prey", can be seen below.

"Congregation Of Annihilation" track listing:

01. Another Judgement Day
02. Congregation Of Annihilation
03. Pick A God And Prey
04. Children Of The Lie
05. Me The Nothing
06. Making Monsters
07. Say A Prayer With 7 Bullets
08. These Violent Thrills
09. All That We Destroy
10. My Favorite Sin (bonus track)
11. Salvation (bonus track)

When Lopes's addition to METAL CHURCH was first announced in early February, Vanderhoof wrote in a social media post: "We auditioned a handful of vocalists and while they were all great, Marc quickly became the clear choice.

"Both David Wayne and Mike Howe had a very unique, irreplaceable quality to their voices, so we were not looking for a clone of either. We wanted someone new, who could embrace the past, and also bring something fresh and exciting to the mix.

"Marc brings a very classic yet modern feel to the songs and we are looking forward to getting this new album out to you later this year [via Rat Pak Records]!"

Howe was found dead at his home in Eureka, California in July 2021. According to TMZ, Howe's official cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to hanging. A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. told the site authorities are calling it a suicide. He was only 55 years old.

When Mike's death was first announced, TMZ stated that cops in Eureka got a call just after 10 a.m. on July 26, 2021 reporting an unexpected death at a home. By the time deputies arrived, they found Howe dead at the scene.

According to police, drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene.

Four days after Howe's death, the surviving members of METAL CHURCH shared a statement on social media in which they blamed his suicide on the fact that he "was victimized by a failing health-care system and subsequently poisoned by the venom of Big Pharma," a term which refers collectively to the global pharmaceutical industry. "In short and in essence, he fell prey to the real 'Fake Healer'."

METAL CHURCH's statement was quickly met with criticism from some of the band's fans who felt that the long-running metal act was using Howe's death as a platform to assert its political views. As a result, METAL CHUCH pulled its original post from social media and replaced it with a revised version, in which the musicians said they were "in no way, shape or form referring to anything in relation to vaccinations, COVID or politics. We were saying our brother was hurting and while he was seeking medical care for it, the treatments he was utilizing did not protect him," they wrote. "Otherwise, he would still be with us today."

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, officially rejoined the band in April 2015.

Prior to joining METAL CHURCH more than three decades ago, Howe spent two years fronting California metal act HERETIC.

The reunion between Mike and METAL CHURCH was put in motion in July of 2014 when Mike started working with Vanderhoof on a side project Kurdt was forming with Nigel Glockler from SAXON. Through these initial conversations, Kurdt convinced Mike to ultimately return to METAL CHURCH. The idea was to see if they could recapture some of the magic from the three albums METAL CHURCH released in the late '80s: "The Human Factor", "Blessing In Disguise" and "Hanging In The Balance". Out of those sessions, 2016's "XI" was born and captured the sound that made the band fan favorites in the '80s and mixed it with a new, invigorated sound.

METAL CHURCH's latest release was "From The Vault", which arrived in April 2020 via Rat Pak Records. The effort was a special-edition compilation album that featured 14 previously unreleased songs from the Howe era, including four newly recorded studio tracks, among them a redux of the band's fan favorite classic "Conductor".

Howe is not the first singer of METAL CHURCH to die. David Wayne passed away in May 2005 from complications following a car crash. He was 47 years old.

Wayne sang on METAL CHURCH's first two classic offerings (1984's "Metal Church" and 1986's "The Dark") before leaving the group and being replaced by Howe.

Left to right in photo: Stet Howland (drums),Steve Unger (bass),Marc Lopes (vocals),Rick Van Zandt (guitars),Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitars)

Photo credit: Rat Pak Records

On April 7, 2023, Paul Gilbert will release an album celebrating one of heavy metal's greatest icons when he releases "The Dio Album" via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. To get another taster, check out Gilbert's take on RAINBOW's "Man On The Silver Mountain" below.

It was pure chance that led Paul Gilbert to recording the music heard on latest release "The Dio Album". The American guitar virtuoso, best known for his masterful fretwork in chart-topping hard rockers MR. BIG and high-octane trailblazers RACER X — as well as numerous solo records — was in his car when he saw something that made his heart start beating faster in a moment of unexpected, unadulterated joy. This was not a high value item of interest or even particularly rare, simply a baseball cap with the word "Dio" emblazoned across the front. Sometimes, even for the biggest of guitar legends, it's the little things that hit us in the most profound ways.

On his drive home, a plan was being formulated. Why not capture all of that raw energy and excitement on an album devoted to Ronnie James Dio's most celebrated tracks — spanning across his career from RAINBOW to BLACK SABBATH and the singer's own solo endeavors? Gilbert is no stranger to instrumental music, but an entire album dedicated to replicating well established and world-famous vocal melodies on his trusty six-string genuinely felt like new territory. This was already shaping up to be a challenge that he would truly relish.

It would be fair to say human voices don't come much more magical than Ronnie James Dio's. He was a man who brought a sense of classical finesse to loud and heavy music, ultimately laying down the blueprint for generations and generations of rock singers to come. Taking on the daunting challenge of mimicking those distinguished vocal lines down to a tee — each legendary performance decorated with its own idiosyncrasies and nuances — actually involved unlearning some of the technical precision that turned Gilbert into a household name for guitar players in the first place.

"The Dio Album" consists of 10 standout and career-defining tracks, from "Neon Knights" and "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" to "Holy Diver" and "Man On The Silver Mountain". As well as analyzing Ronnie James Dio's electrifying vocal melodies, Paul also enjoyed paying tribute to three incredibly talented guitar legends — Tony Iommi of BLACK SABBATH, Ritchie Blackmore of RAINBOW and Vivian Campbell from the DIO band, who has been a member of British stadium rockers DEF LEPPARD since 1992.

"Playing all these metal riffs like 'Stand Up And Shout', 'Neon Knights' and 'Kill The King' gave me serious chills," grins Paul. "The guitar parts of Ritchie, Tony and Vivian brought no small number of goosebumps." "These amazing riffs are the steel girders of the songs, upon which everything else rests," smiles Paul. "It had been a while since I'd been this deep into metal rhythm guitar playing, and it felt like I was digging up gold nuggets of fire with a magic platinum shovel. All while wearing a star-covered wizard hat! The guitar solos in these songs came screaming from distant mountaintops. Ritchie, Tony, and Vivian set the standard breathtakingly high."

Engineered by Zach Bloomstein with Paul handling all of the instrumentation, save for Bill Ray's inspired drum work, "The Dio Album" is undoubtedly the most sonically accurate tribute to the songs that made Ronnie James Dio a bona fide rock and roll legend. In order to truly hone in on the late singer's essence, Paul Gilbert dissected many of the melodies line by line, throwing every inch of himself into the music. It was the only way to capture every ounce of the energy and emotion.

"Just like he sang: 'The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams... it's Heaven and Hell!' Thank you, Ronnie, and long live rock and roll."

"The Dio Album" track listing:

01. Neon Knights
02. Kill The King
03. Stand Up And Shout
04. Country Girl
05. Man On The Silver Mountain
06. Holy Diver
07. Heaven And Hell
08. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll
09. Lady Evil
10. Don't Talk To Strangers
11. Starstruck
12. The Last In Line

Australian metalcore trailblazers THE AMITY AFFLICTION will release their new album, "Not Without My Ghosts", on May 12 via Pure Noise. To celebrate the news, the band has shared the video for "It's Hell Down Here". Watch it below.

"It's Hell Down Here" address mortality — a topic frequented several times on the album. It also boasts the vocal dynamics and pummeling breakdowns that are the band's signatures.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION vocalist Joel Birch states: "This song is a letter from myself and Ahren [Stringer, bass/vocals], written by me, to our friends who have passed on to the other side."

He continues: "I'm 41. I'm bipolar. And I'm pretty tired of it. That's where lyrics like 'Like a snake I tire / the cold dark clouds, they steal my light' come from. The song is wrapping up how I feel daily, and reflecting on the time leading up to my friend killing himself. I'm sure a lot of people who have experienced that guilt at not seeing what becomes glaringly obvious after the fact."

The album boasts multiple features — something the band has not incorporated into a release in quite some time — including late New Zealand rapper Louie Knuxx, who passed away in 2021, as well as COMEBACK KID's Andrew Neufeld, THE PLOT IN YOU's Landon Tewers, and Phem.

"Not Without My Ghosts" track listing:

01. Show Me Your God
02. It's Hell Down Here
03. Fade Away
04. Death And The Setting Sun (feat. Andrew Neufeld)
05. I See Dead People (feat. Louie Knuxx)
06. When It Rains It Pours (feat. Landon Tewers)
07. The Big Sleep
08. Close To Me
09. God Voice
10. Not Without My Ghosts (feat. Phem)

In a recent interview with AndrewHaug.com, Birch revealed that the "Not Without My Ghosts" title is something that he "ripped off. It's from this art show in Sheffield. And I was just walking past and I saw it, and I just wrote it into my notes. And I never went in or anything," he said.

Birch went on to say that he wants to make it clear that he didn't come up with the phrase himself. "I'll tell everyone. I don't care about that shit. You've gotta credit people," he explained. "I didn't come up with that, but that did inform the direction for my lyrics. 'Cause I was, like, 'Oh, fuck. That's something I can apply to my past behaviors, my past experiences — everything; past traumas and everything.' One of the lines on one of the songs is 'I have to carry on but not without my ghosts.' That's sort of the overarching theme, I guess, of the record."

The singer, who has been diagnosed with the bipolar II disorder, a condition in which people experience patterns of hypomanic episodes, which are briefer and less severe than full manic episodes, along with depressive episodes, elaborated on the meaning of the "Not Without My Ghosts" for him, saying: "You can help it sometimes. No amount of therapy can excise [your ghosts]. It's sort of discussing how to move forward despite them. So happiness despite trauma."

Last November, THE AMITY AFFLICTION shared a powerful new song, "Show Me Your God", which will appear on "Not Without My Ghosts". Speaking about the single, Birch said: "'Show Me Your God' is the first song of our first self-produced record. The song is the first in a series of explorations and internal meditations on how our past shapes us and interacts with our various mental struggles in the present, drawing from both personal experience and also the trauma of close friends who have passed away or who have dealt with close loved ones passing away."

THE AMITY AFFLICTION will appear at several festivals this year, including Louder Than Life in September and Aftershock in October.

Since emerging in 2008 on the debut "Severed Ties", THE AMITY AFFLICTION has served up two ARIA gold-certified albums, "Youngbloods" (2010) and "Chasing Ghosts" (2012),and earned a platinum certification from ARIA for the seminal "Let The Ocean Take Me" (2014). "This Could Be Heartbreak" (2016) marked the band's second consecutive Top 30 debut on the Billboard Top 200 and went gold in Australia, while "Misery" (2018) elevated them to new critical heights and most recently "Everyone Loves You...One You Leave Them" (2020) showed the band returning to their heavier side and saw the group's total stream tally surpass a billion.

Power / progressive metal band Immortal Guardian continue building the anticipation for their next opus, sporadically issuing new material it completes as we head towards a late summer release of the band’s next full album. Today, the group unveils “Roots Run Deep” along with a corresponding music video. To heighten the experience, the group has enlisted the services of famed vocalist Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear, ex-Gamma Ray) who guests alongside Immortal Guardian singer Carlos Zema.


Recording independently and remotely, the quartet is assembling the follow-up to 2021’s successful Psychosomatic track-by-track and sharing the material as it is completed, along with visually captivating music videos, that again the self-contained group produces themselves. Check out “Roots Run Deep” on all streaming / download services, including Spotify, and watch the following clip.​







“This Super Metal style song brings together the powerful vocals of Mr. Scheepers with Immortal Guardian’s signature sound to create an epic and inspiring anthem,” explains Carlos. “’Roots Run Deep’ takes us on a journey back to a time when we were all united before our differences and conflicts divided us. It reminds us that we all share a common history and that as a society we must learn to survive the separations and unite to conquer. With a message of hope, unity, and perseverance, ‘Roots Run Deep’ encourages us to make the world a better place. So let us embrace our shared history and let this song inspire us to make a positive change in the world. Thank you for watching this powerful and inspiring video.”


“’Roots Run Deep’ is about the levels of today’s division. Black and white, religion vs religion, left vs right, rich and poor, war and peace, etc.,” further explains guitarist / keyboardist Gabriel Guardian. “The world is so divided right now and what we want more than ever is unity. This song is about putting our differences aside and remembering that we are all humans just trying to survive. We all just want a happy life, and that would be more likely to happen if we all just agreed to disagree and respect each other and celebrate the things that make us all so different and unique.”





Heavy topics are not unfamiliar to Immortal Guardian whose previous album focused on the Covid pandemic, likely the first full album to be thematically linked to the disease and its effect on the globe and its people.


In the past year, Immortal Guardian has revealed four other brand new songs including “Perfect Person”, “Ozona”, “Echoes” and “Southern Rain”, forming a basis for their next conceptual piece, Unite And Conquer. The band will continue to share new material as the creative process proceeds to build up to a new full-length album planned for late summer 2023. Watch for pre-orders soon for CDs and limited-color vinyl variants. More info will be released by Immortal Guardian and M-Theory Audio in the weeks and months to follow. 














Immortal Guardian is:


Gabriel Guardian – guitars / keyboards
Carlos Zema – vocals
Justin Piedimonte – drums
Joshua Lopez – bass


For further details, visit Immortal Guardian on Facebook.


(Photo credit - Arturo Pina)


 

After releasing their full-length debut, Seething Malevolence last year, Northeastern death metal outfit Vomit Forth are back today with a video for the album track, "Pain Tolerance". Directed by Peter J-T, the clip can be viewed below.





Vomit Forth comments: "This song is about dealing with the trauma of existing in the modern world. You have to develop a thick skin or you might end up hurting yourself or everyone around you, and it's an exploration of everyone's limits when it comes to that. Everything seems parasitic and harmful now. People's self-worth and mental health is constantly picked at and eroded by social media and unrealistic expectations."




Currently on tour with Upon Stone, Vomit Forth are making their way across the USA this spring, before appearing at Baltimore's Hell in the Harbor festival in May.





Dates:


March
17 – Louisville, KY – Triple Crown Pavilion (LDB Fest)
18 – Kansas City, MO – Farewell
19 – Denver, CO – Hi Dive
20 – Salt Lake City, UT – Ace’s High Saloon
21 – Las Vegas, NV – Eagle Aerie Hall
22 – San Francisco, CA – Thee Parkside
23 – San Fernando, CA – Midnight Hour
24 – Tempe, AZ – Cornish Pastry
25 – Albuquerque, NM – Eclipse
26 – Ft. Worth, TX – Tulips FTW
27 – Memphis, TN – Hi Tone 





(Photo - Paul Longo)

Norway’s Vulture Industries have unveiled the first offering from the band’s upcoming new album. The dark progressive metal quintet have announced that their new LP, Ghosts from the past, will see a June 16 release, and the first single, “New Lords Of Light”, is out today.


The new record, which will be released on Dark Essence and distributed via RedEye, is the band’s first full-length release since 2017’s Stranger Times.


Speaking about the record’s first single, the band shares:




“Starting life with the working title ‘For Roky’, I felt this one had a haunting feel, reminiscent of Roky Erickson. This was back during the pandemic summer of 2021, and I remember listening to early versions of the track in my car, driving up and down the west coast with my kids in the back. Processing the song in this way probably had a defining influence on the final product, so in the end it turned out upbeat and energetic, yet bound in somber atmosphere that harkens back to the ‘80s.”


Commenting on the themes and external influences that inspired the creative process for Ghosts from the past, the band states:


“(This album) was written and recorded in a period of big changes, both in our personal lives and in the world around us, this album is somehow a mirror of this. It reflects fear of a world spinning out of control, and sense of powerlessness in the face of world order falling apart. Crumbling only to be replaced by old ideas fronted by autocratic warlords with no sight in mind but their own power and legacy.”


Detailing the journey of recording the LP, the group adds, “With a writing and production period that started in 2018 and ended last year, the process was our longest haul to date, and for a long time we felt lost and struggling to find a sense of direction. Now, having finished the mix and mastering some months ago, it is a great relief to have some distance from the process and I would say ('Ghosts from the past') is our strongest album to date. We hope you enjoy what is essentially a piece of our soul.”


Ghosts from the past draws a line from childhood spells of dark mystery and a sympathy for the outcast, to a present where monsters hide under your bed. Waiting, not to prey upon the sleeper, but to hide from the monstrosity of the day. Pulling on a wide range of influences; from dust-riddled Spaghetti Westerns accompanied by Ennio Morricone, past the monochrome melancholia of apocalyptic post-punk, through deep valleys and steep hills shrouded in progressive darkness and a Nordic noir looking to solve the murder of the truth.


Tracklisting:


“New Lords Of Light”
“Saturn Devouring His Young”
“This Hell Is Mine”
“Deeper”
“Right Here In The Dark”
“Not By Blood But By Words”
“Tyrants Weep Alone” 


“New Lords Of Light” video:

Bergen based, progressive metal band Drott have just released the first single from their new album Troll. The band, consisting of Arve Isdal (Enslaved), Ivar Thormodsæter (Ulver) and Matias Monsen, present the song “Våkenatt” featuring Kristian Espedal on vocals.


The track is accompanied by a haunting music video that can be viewed below.


The band's second full-length Troll explores the realms of old myths and trolldom, while unveiling a new direction in their music. The album will be released on May 19 and can be preordered at bynorsestore.com.







Tracklisting:


“Troldhaug”
“Allting”
“Våkenatt”
“Til Stein”
“Det Ser”
“Solskodde”
“Mara”
“Troll”
“Nattas Blot”
“Sabbat”
“Fornjots Born”
“Grotten”
“Natt”


“Våkenatt” video:

Detroit, MI-based rock band, Artificial Agent, have released an official music video for "Pop Culture Disruptor", the title track of the band's latest album, Pop Culture Disruptor, out now. Watch the clip below:





Artificial Agent released 200 hot pink vinyl records to coincide with the music video. You can get more info about the vinyl on Artificial Agent's Facebook page, here.







"Pop Culture Disruptor" is the second single released from the album, The first was "Down And Out", and you can find a lyric video for the song below.


Artificial Agent has been nominated for multiple Detroit Music Awards in 2023:


- Outstanding Heavy/Hard Rock Artist Or Group  
- Outstanding Rock Recording (Pop Culture Disruptor)
- Outstanding Anthology/Compilation/Reissue (Various Artists - "WLLZ Motor City Rocks 2022" Featuring Artificial Agent's song "Do You Love Me Or What?")





Beating at 90 miles an hour, Artificial Agent's heart of rusted metal hemorrhages oil and spews acrid fumes. Pop Culture Disruptor will hit you in the face like a tennis racquet strung with barbed-wire if you don't bend the knee. Here's your warning.





Tracklisting:


"Pop Culture Disruptor"
"Down And Out"
"Off The Deep End"
"Headed For Disaster"
"No One Lies To Me"
"Do Or Die"
"Don't Breathe"
"Tight Rope"


"Down And Out" lyric video:





Lineup:


Derek Jendza - Lead Vocals
Mike Elgert - All Guitars and Vocals
Brad Jendza - Bass Guitar and Vocals
Karl Crafton - Drums

During a latest edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which Ted Nugent offers his take on the news of our world every night, the legendary rocker was asked to weigh in on the prospect of former U.S. president Donald Trump being arrested on Tuesday (March 21) as New York prosecutors consider charges over a hush money payment to a porn star. The 74-year musician, an avid Trump supporter, said: "Put on your truck light. Put on your porch light. Carry a lantern. We need to stand strong. And if they wanna arrest President Trump, we need to not protest; we need to not put on rallies… Because Antifa, Black Lives Matter and these imported Chinese nationals and Somali nationals who are coming across our open border, as orchestrated by Biden Satan gang, they are ready to do battle. "

Nugent went on to call for nonviolent forms of protest in anticipation of a Trump arrest in Manhattan this week, suggesting that they make their voices heard in other ways instead of demonstrating on the streets.

"Do not go into battle — yet," Ted said. "Remain peaceful and shine a positive, loving, patriotic light on the darkness, as perpetrated by this Satan Manhattan D.A., and let them show their cards, because if it all goes down as it's already headed for, the trajectory is that… we will win this election with this great President Trump in a landslide. Because Satan has made his move; now Michael The Arcangel can make ours."

Perhaps referencing the fact that Trump on Saturday called on his supporters to protest in response to a potential arrest, echoing the calls Trump made for protests in Washington, D.C., in response to his 2020 election loss, Nugent said: "America, I have thought non-stop diligently. God has sent me for times like this. He has sent you for times like this. Put on the armor of the Lord. Remain peaceful. Remain strong. Remain spiritual. Pray like you've never prayed before, and in a loving, supportive, civil manner, convince anybody in your life — family, friends, co-workers, people at church or school… Some churches are actually coming out for the Satanism of child molestation and drag queens, under auspices of church. So we are surrounded by pure evil.

"You know what? I'm loading up my truck right now. Improvise, adapt and overcome," Ted continued. "Pray, remain forceful for Constitution, Bill Of Rights, truth, logic and common sense to your elected employees, and let the other side show their terrorism. Let the other side show their hate and their dishonesty. We should remain peaceful and support Donald Trump like never before. He is the answer.

"Donald Trump was sent for times like this, as Putin and Xi are meeting and galvanizing the evil empires against what was once the shining city on the hill. Let's remain positive and bring light to their darkness.

"There are so many examples we can give how the left has not prosecuted thousands of Democrats that have done far worse on film, recorded, evidence drenched, than anything Donald Trump has ever done, and no one goes after the Democrats," Nugent claimed. "Hunter Biden. Are you kidding me? Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama. Eric Holder running guns, illegal guns to the Mexican drug cartels. I could go on and on and on.

"So, remain positive."

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels claims that she had an affair with Trump, which he has denied. Last week, Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified to the grand jury that Cohen paid Daniels $130,000, for which Trump's business, the Trump Organization, later reimbursed him. An indictment from the Manhattan District Attorney's office would focus on the attempt to cover up the payment by falsifying records.

Last December, Nugent received the "Great American Defender Of Freedom" award from Trump at American Freedom Tour's Winter Gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Nugent previously spoke about his admiration for America's 45th president in an October 2020 interview with InfoWars' "The Alex Jones Show", hosted by noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. At the time, he said: "I genuflect at the altar of this great man. He is just pulling off miracle after miracle. He's really touching the heart and soul and representing the heart and soul of the best American families out there. Just praise God for that. This is one of those divine intervention moments, like the founding fathers. Believe me when I tell you that.

"I've been so honored and humbled to spend time with the great man," Ted continued. "There's something very spiritual about this crazy guy. I say 'crazy' — he's crazy like you; he's crazy like me; he's crazy like this welder I know down the road that, no matter what welding job you have, he shows up early and he welds something that will never break, and then he goes to his next welding job, and he leaves a vapor trail of high energy, of positive spirit.

"The energy from this president… Like the founding fathers defined the history of slavery and tyranny and kings and emperors and despots, that was divine intervention, Alex. And I've witnessed this great commander-in-chief Donald J. Trump, and he goes from rally and rally, and he gets up there with piss and vinegar and vim and vigor… You should see the sparkle in this man's eye."

Nugent went on to say that Trump's appeal lies in his image as the bold, no-B.S. boss who tells it like it is and cuts a fair deal.

"Here's the bottom line: the most admirable attribute of a human being is believability," Ted said. "If you believe this man, you believe he believes in what he says and that he represents your beliefs, that identifies President Donald J. Trump. This man just wants to renegotiate global contracts to benefit the United States. He wants the United States to be the winner. He wants to have fair deals, and he wants to have fair trade. He wants to benefit the United States Of America, because this is the last best place. If we turn it over to the freaks like [Nancy] Pelosi and [Joe] Biden and [Kamala] Harris, if we turn it over to them, we are Venezuela overnight."

Nugent added: "[Trump] sees the threats to the American Dream. He sees the oath violating by elected employees who have turned the corner into criminality, from [Barack] Obama to [Eric] Holder to [Loretta] Lynch to Lois Lerner to Adam Schiff, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton — we go right down the list of these gang bangers. I mean, it's MS-13, Black Lives Matter, Antifa in the Democrat party… [Trump] sees the threats to America and he's gonna use every maneuver, every trick, every law he can to stop the Marxists. He's saving his family from the wolves. That's his motivation."

A former board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent has drawn intense criticism for his controversial past remarks, including telling then-president Barack Obama to "suck on my machine gun." He also made inflammatory remarks about Hillary Clinton, calling her a "devilbitch" who "hates everything good about America."

In a lengthy Facebook post in 2016, Nugent said Obama and Clinton should be tried for treason and hanged over their handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

In 2019, Nugent defended Donald Trump after the then-U.S. president was accused of making racist remarks about Democratic congresswomen from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.



President Trump says he expects to be arrested tomorrow by a Soros backed DA in New York. How should we react if this happens? Leave to Uncle Ted to provide clear, calm and sane advice to every America who values truth, logic and common sense.

Posted by The Nightly Nuge on Monday, March 20, 2023

Dez Fafara says that DEVILDRIVER will not be able to play this year's edition of the U.K.'s Bloodstock Open Air festival due to health issues related to his battle with COVID-19.

Fafara explained DEVILDRIVER's decision to pull out of the event after it was announced that his other band COAL CHAMBER was going on tour with MUDVAYNE this summer.

Earlier today, Dez released the following statement via the Bloodstock Open Air social media:

"Hello Bloodstockers, this is Dez from DEVILDRIVER.

"In 2021, I came down with Covid which left me with heart problems. I had to live downstairs in my house, as I could barely walk more than a few feet without collapsing. I, in fact was saying goodbye to my family at the time and didn't think I would pull through.

"I took 2022 off and very slowly started to walk one block, then two blocks, and had to fight my way back very hard - it took me 14 months to get to a point where I could perform again on stage.

"My cardiologist (who saved my life) has asked me to not take any long flights this year at all as we monitor the situation. It has been a very long road for myself and my family, but am returning to form. Even on tour [in the U.S.] now with DEVILDRIVER, I must do the show, then go straight to my bunk to rest, as I still have inflammation in my lower heart and it's that what's preventing me from taking flights overseas. So it is with the heaviest of hearts that DEVILDRIVER must pull down our long awaited Bloodstock performance. I am sorry if this causes any inconvenience and I hope within the next 12-24 months to get the all clear from my doctor to fly and tour overseas.

"I want you all to know it's thinking about touring, being on stage again, and playing music that's actually helped me to survive this.

"I love you all please be good to each other and I'm grateful for any prayers you can send our way as they will certainly be well received. We certainly would not be pulling out had health not come into play.

"We sent Bloodstock a mail regarding this a little ago, but due to us being on a tour bus, we have now realized it went to our outbox and had not sent, so that's where the confusion is with COAL CHAMBER announcing US shows at that time. We see Bloodstock as extended family to us and feel horrible our mail didn't get sent.

"Stay blessed, Dez Fafara".

According to University Hospitals, COVID-19 is known to cause a variety of cardiovascular problems in some patients, including inflammation of the heart muscle, known as myocarditis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in September 2021 research showing patients with COVID-19 had nearly 16 times the risk of myocarditis compared with patients without COVID-19.

Earlier this year, researchers from Columbia University in New York City examined autopsied heart tissue from people who had COVID-19, and found that the infection damaged the way cells in the heart regulate levels of calcium, a mineral that plays an important role in how the organ contracts and pumps blood throughout the body. In another part of the study, the same damage was seen in mice with COVID-19.

MUDVAYNE's "The Psychotherapy Sessions" tour, with support from COAL CHAMBER, performing for the first time in eight years, along with GWAR, NONPOINT and BUTCHER BABIES, will kick off on July 20 in West Palm Beach at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, making stops across the U.S. in Syracuse, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and more before wrapping up in Englewood, Colorado at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre on August 26.

DEVILDRIVER will release its tenth full-length, "Dealing With Demons Vol. II", on May 12 via Napalm Records.

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

Unfortunately, we have to share that both Nonpoint and DevilDriver have pulled out of Bloodstock this summer.

Putting...

Posted by Bloodstock Festival on Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Andrew Freeman, who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months, discussed his short tenure with the band in a new interview with the "This That & The Other With Troy Patrick Farrell" podcast. The Las Vegas-based musician said about his vocal approach for the gig (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was never a big fan of GREAT WHITE. So when I went in there, there was a couple of songs that I liked. I love their first album. But I wasn't a fan of certain elements of that. So when I went in there, I went in as like a blues guy. A lot of those songs are very bluesy and they have a very hard blues element to them, so I wanted to bring out that blues element to it. So I kind of approached it as HUMBLE PIE — kind of where they were influenced from — HUMBLE PIE or LED ZEPPELIN instead of coming like a student of [original GREAT WHITE singer] Jack Russell or a student of [RATT's] Stephen Pearcy or a student of '80s singers. I wanted to come in as a student of what inspired that music."

Regarding the circumstances that led to his split with GREAT WHITE, Andrew — who has spent more than a decade playing in LAST IN LINE, which also features DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell and former BLACK SABBATH and DIO drummer Vinny Appice — said: "I don't wanna get these bands more press from what I'm doing. Because a lot of these guys — and I'm not talking about anybody specifically — but a lot of these bands that are trying to keep the lights on and keep their brand name out there, when I join a band, they get a lot of press because it's connected to DIO, it's connected to DEF LEPPARD, it's connected to BLACK SABBATH, it's connected to all the guys that I play with.

"Our LAST IN LINE band is cool in the sense — it's frustrating for me sometimes — but it's cool in the sense that we don't overplay; we're not oversaturated," Freeman explained. "Some years we've done a lot of shows, and we have put records out, and they're usually — nine times out of ten — rated very well. So I kind of know where I stand as far as where I am in the public eye, I guess, in the small public eye that we exist in. So when I start talking about these huge bands from back in the day, about what happened with me and them, it just brings more press to them… So I don't wanna get them any more press than the argument between Jack Russell and the other guy [GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall]. 'Is Jack coming back to sing for you guys?' 'Never' 'I don't know why they threw me out.' 'Well, you're a drug addict.' I don't have any fucking stake in that fight; I have no skin in that game. So for me to go, 'Oh, this is why they threw me out'… I was only in the band for four months, five months, so why the fuck does it matter? Why does it matter? Because they're just gonna take it, and he's gonna say something about me, and then I'm gonna say something about him, and then he's gonna see me out and he's [gonna be], like, 'Hey, bro. How's it going?', and it's gonna be just a fake fucking thing that I don't really have any interest in."

Andrew added: "They were in a situation where they needed someone to come in, because they were not happy with their old singer, and I said, 'I have these dates, and I have this band. And I'm not gonna quit, but I'm sure we can coordinate it.' And what it came down to was my manager, for LAST IN LINE, and their agent, for GREAT WHITE, didn't talk to each other. And I did all the work to try to get them to talk to each other to make it work, but it just didn't work out because nobody wanted to budge. I said to them, at the beginning of the whole thing, that 'I have these dates,' and they said, 'Okay. Cool. We'll try to work around them.' And then they made a mistake on the booking and they decided to find somebody else. So that's how it worked out. And good for them, because they're probably happier."

Elaborating on the specific episode that eventually caused him to get booted from GREAT WHITE, Freeman said: "There was a gig that I had booked, and I gave all the information to everybody when I joined; it was back in June. And somebody didn't write it down. [Laughs] I spoke to the agent. I spoke to the band — the band representative, when I thought the band communicated with each other. But they don't have great communication. Nothing against them personally; they just don't have great communication. The show got moved to a date that I had — and it was in Vegas — a show that I had booked already. They knew. And we went through all the rigmarole of that, of trying to figure that out. And I personally called 12 singers to cover the show, that I knew [or that were] friends of mine. I personally tried to get it covered for them, because, basically, they screwed up; their agent screwed up. And then I had three weeks booked in November with LAST IN LINE. And they also had that, and they booked a second show on that date, and I said, 'I can't do it.' And, of course, there was another show I wanted to do; it was right down the street from where my dad lives in Florida. So I was, like, 'Oh, great.' But then a week of the LAST IN LINE tour got canceled, so it was a non-issue. And I kind of figured out that they were gonna get rid of me before they knew.

"I had actually quit [GREAT WHITE] back in September, because of the first conflict," Freeman revealed. "Somebody got a little mouthy with me over e-mail, got a little nasty over e-mail. And I said, 'You know what? I don't really need this gig. I wish you the best. And why don't you get somebody else? I'll finish up what you have, and get somebody else.' And then it was, like, 'Woah! Woah! Woah' Woah!' The phone started ringing. And I didn't answer it… That's usually how it works: when you tell somebody to fuck themselves and you have value, then they're gonna call you. But at that point they didn't have anybody… And listen, I'm just as replaceable as the next guy. Everybody is.

"People say, 'Oh, they're gonna be terrible without you,' blah blah blah. I'm sure they're fine," Andrew added. "I don't even know who the guy is that they've got now. But I didn't think there was really anything wrong with [former GREAT WHITE singer Mitch Malloy]. Mitch was great. Mitch has got a great persona; he looks great. I remember when he joined the band, I was, like, 'Wow. This is a really good move for them.' 'Cause he's got a name. He's known in that community. But that's their deal."

Brett Carlisle was officially named GREAT WHITE's new vocalist last October.

Last fall, before Carlisle's addition to GREAT WHITE was officially announced, Kendall addressed Freeman's Facebook comment that the singer "wouldn't give a fuck if" GREAT WHITE threatened to fire him over his touring commitments with LAST IN LINE. Mark said: "That's okay. I still have respect for him because of his loyalty to his band. There's gotta be something to say about that. If he made a comment that was kind of rude, I'm sure it was just to kind of save face or something. He's a great guy, and man, he can sing too. He was a joy to be around. I was really sad that he did multiple projects.

"If we were a different situation that we were used to just having random singers every gig… It's just too much work to do that, because when somebody has to cancel a show, then we've gotta audition people," Kendall added. "And we don't wanna go out there with a different singer every time. But I thought Andrew was really gonna work out, and then, all of a sudden [LAST IN LINE] get this tour. We were really in a tough spot. And we're really happy that things worked out with Brett, 'cause he's dynamite, man."

Last May, GREAT WHITE announced that it had parted ways with Malloy and had replaced him with Freeman. Malloy had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.

Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features Russell.

In a new interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn, KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee spoke about the band's upcoming biopic "Shout It Out Loud". The film, which landed at Netflix, will be directed by Joachim Rønning, the Norwegian filmmaker whose credits include "Kon-Tiki", "Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil" and "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales". The script is written by Ole Sanders.

"We're just starting it now," Doc said. "We've already sold it. [The deal is] already done… So that's moving along. And that'll come in '24."

Back in September 2021, Doc said that the "Shout It Out Loud" script was "completely done". He added: "Mark Canton, who is a very, very powerful producer and production company who has the TV series 'Power' and 'Ghost' and all that stuff, and he was a president of Sony and all that, he's done 300 films — a really, really great guy — his team and Universal Music and ourselves have partnered up with Joachim Rønning, who is a very sought-after director that did things like 'Pirates Of The Caribbean', and 'Kon-Tiki' was up for an Academy Award. And the script is about the first four years of KISS. Basically, it's before they were famous — it was up to Cadillac High, that kind of thing," referring to the October 1975 concert KISS played in a high school gym in Cadillac, Michigan. "And I think it's a very interesting look at the formation of KISS, the mindset of how that came about, the social pressure that everybody was in in the '60s and '70s that brought something like KISS to the forefront, that it could actually happen. So it's a very interesting, and I think it's a well-written movie. And our partners right now is Netflix. It'll be a theatrical release, then Netflix."

Earlier that same year, KISS frontman Paul Stanley told Download host Kylie Olsson that the KISS biopic was "definitely happening. And that's gonna be really interesting," he said. "The script was really good. And we really waited until we felt comfortable.

"Look, you get once chance to do it, and I would rather not do it than do it half assed or poorly," he explained. "Our director is the real deal. He did 'Maleficent 2', and he's not some hack; he knows how to make movies. It should be great. Casting hasn't begun yet. But that will be interesting too."

Asked which actor he would like to play him in the movie, Stanley said: "And I will tell you this: for casting to be accurate in terms of age, we are looking at actors in their early 20s. Honestly, I don't know a whole lot of actors in their early 20s. When people get asked these kinds of questions, they'll say, 'Oh, Brad Pitt,' or this one or that one. Well, those guys are in their 50s or 60s, so you're talking about another generation of actors. And I'm the first to say I'm not up on a lot of them. But as the casting process goes on, I'll certainly be there and watching. It'll be interesting to see how someone else — be it the casting people or the director — how they view who I am and who they see doing that. I think I'll learn a lot about their perception of me by who they cast."

"Shout It Out Loud", which will have close cooperation from bandleaders Stanley and Gene Simmons, will be a co-production of Canton's Atmosphere Entertainment and Universal Music Group. The film will be produced by Canton through his Atmosphere Entertainment, Leigh Ann Burton through Opus 7, Courtney Solomon, David Blackman and Jody Gerson through Universal Music Group, McGhee through his McGee Entertainment, Rønning, and Simmons and Stanley. Atmosphere's Dorothy Canton and David Hopwood are the executive producers.

Earlier this month, KISS announced the final shows of its last tour — two back-to-back shows at Madison Square Garden in New York at the end of 2023. The last leg of KISS's 19-date North American tour will kick off in October in Texas and culminate in the MSG concerts on December 1 and December 2.

This past January, Stanley was asked by Yahoo! whether the last concert of the "End Of The Road" tour will truly mark KISS's final performance or if there is a chance of one-off shows or a Las Vegas residency in the future, Stanley said: "I really can't say. But it is the last of any kind of regular shows or touring.

"It's just time," he explained. "And in the same way, it's time consuming. And physically, it's grueling to do what we do. Hell, if I could go out on stage in my jeans and a t-shirt, give us another 10, 15 years easily. But what we do is a whole different sport. I mean, we're athletes; we're running around on stage with 30, 40, pounds of gear, and it's not possible to do it that much longer. So we're not like other bands.

"So, will we do more shows or one-offs? I really have no idea," Paul admitted. "But this is a real clear mindset that the touring days and doing those kind of shows, that's over."

Having blasted dancefloors to smithereens just before Christmas with their ferocious anthem "Gimme That Boom", Welsh ragga-metallers SKINDRED return with another instant classic in the form of "Set Fazers". The second single to be taken from their forthcoming album "Smile", it's an addictive sci-fi slam-dunk designed to quake arenas and festivals around the planet this summer.

Lead singer Benji Webbe states: "Star date 22.3.23: With this song we're boldly going where no ragga-metal has gone before. We come in peace, L.O.V.E and unity, to bring SKINDRED's outergalactic sound-system to the infinite expanse of the cosmos.”

And that galactic soundsystem comes under attack in the ridiculously entertaining video for "Set Fazers", where the band are hunted down on the streets of London and "fazered" by a giggling purple assassin. It also features social media star Shin who sparked a SKINDRED-shaped TikTok dance craze last month, so the band invited him on set to bring his moves to "Set Fazers".

SKINDRED drummer Arya Goggin explains: "The idea with the 'Set Fazers' video was to make a sci-fi-meets-dancehall epic! Through TikTok we met an amazing dancer called Shin (whose dance to our song 'Nobody' went viral earlier this year) and he's added his unique style to the video too. We had so much fun filming it and can't wait to share it with everyone."

Both "Set Fazers" and "Gimme That Boom" will be igniting moshpits and stages in coming months as SKINDRED headline both Takedown and Dominion festivals in the U.K. before heading out on a massive arena run as special guests of American legends KISS on their much-anticipated farewell tour. The band will also be bringing their unparalleled live set to the main stages of 2000trees and Maid Of Stone festivals in the U.K., plus special appearances at various other key European festivals this summer, including the likes of Wacken Open Air, With Full Force, Nova Rock and Graspop Metal Meeting, to name but a few.

"Smile" is set to be hailed as SKINDRED's masterpiece; an album that brings together all facets of the band's music — from reggae to metal, rock to pop, dub to electro — into the most mind-expanding and potent collection of songs, designed to melt stereos around the world. It's their eighth long-player and their first for Earache Records, with whom they signed a global four-album deal last year.

Blackmore's Night are celebrating the band’s quarter century anniversary with a deluxe, remixed reissue of the band’s debut, Shadow Of The Moon, out now via EARMusic. In the video below, Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night do their first unboxing video to celebrate the release.





The fully remixed 25th Anniversary Edition of Shadow Of The Moon is available in a variety of physical Deluxe Editions, all carrying an exclusive Shadow Of The Moon documentary on DVD as bonus as well as two previously unreleased acoustic recordings.




Order here.


Blackmore’s Night were founded in 1997 by legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and award-winning lyricist and singer Candice Night to stage and explore their love for traditional Medieval and folk-rock music. Together, they created a band that like very few others is a prime example of truthfulness and creative integrity.


The band’s debut album Shadow Of The Moon (1997) was not only Blackmore’s deliberate radical cut from his previous life as celebrated rockstar in Deep Purple and Rainbow; it was a ground-breaking statement of his artistic ideals: mainly acoustic music, influenced by the songs of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance with a touch of genius that made them sound contemporary. Shadow Of The Moon was a milestone album. It encompasses everything that Blackmore’s Night stand for to this day: beautiful melodies and warm atmospheres that are able to reach the soul as well as joyful songs to dance to and to celebrate.


The 25th Anniversary Edition of Shadow Of The Moon was converted in HD audio from the original recording, and it has been fully remixed, allowing the original performance to shine in its original glory. The original iconic artwork has been refreshed and reworked to celebrate the anniversary. Two previously unreleased acoustic recordings will be part of this reissue: “Spirit Of The Sea” and “Shadow Of The Moon”, both recorded in an intimate home session by Candice and Ritchie in 2022. All physical first print editions will also carry an exclusive “Shadow Of The Moon” documentary on DVD as bonus.


“It’s hard to believe that 25 years have gone by since the snowy nights spent by the fireplace writing these songs. Much has changed since those early days, but the magic of the music still shines as brightly as it did back then. We feel truly blessed to have been able to bring these songs to the world, and do so again, in this remixed reissue proving they truly do stand the test of time. For 25 years we have graced historical venues stages worldwide and now we are able to revisit again, with you, this beautiful version of “Shadow Of The Moon”. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed revisiting those early days. We find that the songs are still timeless...” - Candice Night & Ritchie Blackmore





CD tracklisting:


"Shadow Of The Moon" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"The Clock Ticks On" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Be Mine Tonight" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Play Minstrel Play" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Ocean Gypsy" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Minstrel Hall" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Magical World" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Writing On The Wall" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Renaissance Faire" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Memmingen" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"No Second Chance" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Mond Tanz" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Spirit Of The Sea" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Greensleeves" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Wish You Were Here" (25th Anniversary New Mix)
"Shadow Of The Moon" (Ritchie & Candice Anniversary Home Session)
"Spirit Of The Sea" (Ritchie & Candice Anniversary Home Session)


Bonus-DVD:


- Documentary: The story of “Shadow Of The Moon” (30 min)
- Music Video Clips “Shadow Of The Moon”, “No Second Chance” & “Renaissance Faire” (with optional audio commentary by Candice Night & Ritchie Blackmore)


"Wish You Were Here" (25th Anniversary New Mix) video:





"Play Minstrel Play" (25th Anniversary New Mix):





"Greensleeves" (25th Anniversary New Mix) lyric video:





"Shadow Of The Moon" (Ritchie & Candice Anniversary Home Session) lyric video:





"Shadow Of The Moon" (25th Anniversary New Mix) lyric video:





Trailer:

During Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons' February 26 concert at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, England, the band were joined on stage by Hanoi Rocks legend, Michael Monroe, for a performance of the Motörhead song, "Born To Raise Hell".


Video of the full performance can be viewed below:







Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons recently released a brand new live album, titled Live In The North. Listen to Live In The North on streaming services and purchase digitally here.





Recorded in 2021 during a particularly intense show at The Independent in Sunderland, UK, Live In The North is the first recording to feature the band's new vocalist Joel Peters.


Phil Campbell comments "Get a load of this folks, it’ll blow your speakers! We are happy to release our first ever full length live album! We really wanted something to showcase our new vocalist Joel and our raw live sound to the rest of the world and we had the opportunity to record the set at a packed out, off the beaten track venue in the north of England during the winter of 2021."

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, "Chemistry". 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"


"The Analog Kid" visualizer:





Unboxing video:

Exploring a new style like never before - symphonic metal icons Sirenia revolutionize their melodic darkness on the brand new studio album, 1977, set to be released on May 26 via Napalm Records. Transporting the listener to a retro auditory arcade harking back to when groovy synthwave melodies dominated the world of music, the international band merges late 70’s and 80’s pop rock stylings with synthwave elements and their remarkable, hard-hitting symphonic melodies - shaking the listener to the core.


Showing off their multifaceted nature at its best, the first single cut from 1977 comes as an absolute time machine in form of the record's bonus track, “Twist In My Sobriety”. The cover of the million-times-over streamed track by German born British singer Tanita Tikaram matches the surprisingly deep voice that presents vocalist Emmanuelle Zoldan in a very new range, while the eerie mid-tempo appears in a brand new light of modern synth beats and characteristic synth-oboe. Transporting their fans right into smokey, neon lit nightclubs, the eclectic mix of 1977 opens up exciting new facets of symphonic, electronic and groove elements in Sirenia’s music.


Bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter Morten Veland states:“'Twist in my Sobriety' is the first single from our upcoming album entitled 1977. This is the bonus track of our 11th album, and it is a cover version of Tanita Tikaram's original from 1988. I have loved this song since it was released, and it has a very melancholic vibe to it, so it felt like an interesting project to make a Sirenia version of it. I hope that you will enjoy it while we wait for the upcoming album release.”




Watch the performance video for “Twist In My Sobriety” below.


Captured within the magic of 80’s sonics, the four-piece opens up their enchanting new offering with the mesmerizing opener “Deadlight”. The world of soulful violin and fragile piano lines builds up an energetic atmosphere, underlined by the wistful tunes of the multi-talented mezzo soprano voice of French singer Emmanuelle Zoldan. The track is followed by the fast-paced “Wintry Heart”, which gives a bittersweet taste of early 90’s vibes and roaring guitars, while “Nomadic” represents Sirenia’s characteristic dark and heavy side as shredding guitar riffs alternate with playful interludes while relentless drums and symphonic electronic elements go hand in hand with one another. “A Thousand Scars” marks a totally new fusion for Sirenia, as heavy symphonic tunes dressed as remarkable rock riffs and poppy rhythms dance together with the feathery light vocals of Emmanuelle. With the eerie and epic tunes of “Fading to the Deepest Black”, the song is reminiscent of their last album, Riddles, Ruins & Revelations (2021). Kicking off with vertiginous blast beats and a mesmerizing performance by Emmanuelle Zoldan, a warm vocal interlude by Morten Veland supports the song's stunning atmosphere before it leads into an impressive guitar solo. Following their operatic symphonic highs, the heavy side of Sirenia is not forgotten and appears especially towards the end of their 11th record.


Once again, Norwegian mastermind, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter Morten Veland produced the 11th record, while HK at Vamacara Studio, France, took care of the mixing. It’s proof that, after more than twenty years of existence, Sirenia still ranks at the very top of the genre.


1977 will be available in the following formats:


- Digipak Album
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





1977 tracklisting:


"Deadlight"
"Wintry Heart"
"Nomadic"
"The Setting Darkness"
"A Thousand Scars"
"Fading To The Deepest Black"
"Oceans Away"
"Dopamine"
"Delirium"
"Timeless Desolation"
"Twist In My Sobriety" (Bonus track)


"Twist In My Sobriety" performance video:





Sirenia is:


Morten Veland – Vocals, guitars, bass, synth, programming
Nils Courbaron – Solo Guitar
Emmanuelle Zoldan – Vocals
Michael Brush – Drums


(Photo - Cécile Delpoïo)

Melbourne, Australia-based progressive metal band, Teramaze, will release their new album, Dalla Volta, on April 27 via Wells Music. Pre-order the album here, and find a video for the single, "Chaos In The Way", below.


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







Tracklisting:


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


"Chaos In The Way" video:

SALIVA's founding guitarist Wayne Swinny has died. He was reportedly 59 years old.

The news of Swinny's passing comes one day after he was admitted to an intensive care unit following a brain hemorrhage.

SALIVA singer Bobby Amaru has released the following statement regarding his bandmate's death: "I'm not even sure what to think or how to feel right now. My heart aches for Wayne's family, his friends, and anyone who had the joy of being around him. My heart aches for his daughter Nikki. He loved that little girl so much. He was a guitar hero onstage with all the rock 'n' roll swag that most guitar players dream of. Offstage he was a proud father, an Ancient Aliens expert, and an incredible human who had zero enemies! He would go out of his way to make sure you had a good time.

"I'm grateful that I got to share almost 12 years of my life with Wayne on the stage and most importantly off the stage. He was the older brother I never had. I learned so much from him and we had a fucking blast together! I will cherish it all for the rest of my life!

"God Bless you, Wayne. I know we'll meet again!!"

Tracy Veal, who is in a relationship with longtime SALIVA drummer Paul Crosby, took to her Facebook page less than an hour ago to write: "Our family along with our SALIVA family's hearts are completely broken right now. To know Wayne Swinny was to love him and that we all did so very very much.

"We ask that you all please give us time to process this and some space so we can mourn this loss with our family right now. Please no more phone calls. Us along with our kids who loved their Uncle WayWay are trying to accept this right now".

Also mourning Swinny's passing was Kendra Lynnette, wife of original SALIVA singer Joey Scott (a.k.a. Joseph Sappington). She wrote on her Facebook page: "We are in complete shock and heartbreak over the death of our brother Wayne Swinny. Josey referred to him as his 'musical soulmate' you wouldn't have found a guy with a better sense of humor than Wayne. Please be in prayer for his family and all of his brothers in the music industry. This is a huge loss".

Josey himself wrote: "I have no words. Just the love, and the little moments, and the looks that we shared, just between us and the fans, on stage, after stage, all over the world, that no one will ever know. Playing music, and writing music with a man like Wayne Swinny, for as long as we did, like we did, in all those places we did, is so very intimate. It was a love we shared together, and I will go into eternity holding on to that love, and those memories. Forever #TheToxicTwins".

Earlier today, SALIVA shared a statement on Facebook in which the band said that Swinny had been found on Tuesday morning "in medical distress."

Paramedics were called and the musician was transported to hospital "where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain."

SALIVA was on the road in the U.S. as part of the "Spring Mayhem" tour with THROUGH FIRE and ANY GIVEN SIN and had played in Nashville Monday night (March 20).

SALIVA launched its career in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a double-platinum selling album with hits that include "Click, Click Boom" and "Your Disease".

The band has toured the U.S. with SEVENDUST, AEROSMITH and KISS.

SALIVA reunited with Scott for a one-off appearance at last year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last four releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016) and "10 Lives" (2018).

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.

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Our family along with our Saliva family’s hearts are completely broken right now. To know Wayne Swinny was to love him...

Posted by Tracy Veal on Wednesday, March 22, 2023

We are in complete shock and heartbreak over the death of our brother Wayne Swinny. Josey referred to him as his...

Posted by Kendra Lynnette on Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Such horrible news I just got about one of the coolest guys I ever had the opportunity to work with. I grew up listening...

Posted by Chuck Burns on Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the upcoming release of the long-awaited new studio album, Get It Right, from Philadelphia hard rockers, Heavens Edge. A music video for the new single, "What Could've Been", can be found below.


This will be their first official release since 1998, when the demos and other rarities, considered the band’s second album, Some Other Place, Some Other Time was put out. Original members Reggie Wu (guitars, keyboards), Mark Evans (vocals), David Rath (drums), and Steven Parry (guitars) are joined by newest member, bassist Jaron Gulino (Tantric, Mach 22), who joined the band after the tragic passing of original bassist George G.G. Guidotti.


Formed in Philadelphia, PA in 1987 with original band members Reggie Wu (guitars, keyboards), Mark Evans (vocals), David Rath (drums), Steven Parry (guitars) and George G.G. Guidotti (bass), Heavens Edge immediately began performing on the local club circuit and surrounding areas. Gigging at well-known venues in the rock and metal scene in Philly such as The Empire Rock Club, The Galaxy, and The Trocadero, with nearby prestigious venues Hammerjacks (Baltimore, MD) and the 9:30 Club (Washington, D.C.) becoming regular stops for the group, the band began smashing attendance records and rapidly gaining the attention of local press and radio. The European press started to take note as well, with Metal Forces Magazine publishing features on the band’s building notoriety and Japan's world famous Burrn! Magazine giving them significant coverage as well.




While the 80’s metal scene was in full swing, the greater Philadelphia, PA/New Jersey region had already produced mega-acts such as Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Skid Row, and Britny Fox and labels were on the hunt for exactly what Heavens Edge was delivering. In a flurry of label activity from all the major players in the rock world, Heavens Edge secured a recording agreement with Columbia Records. Unfortunately, soon after the band was signed, a crazed gunman entered a club the band was playing in and randomly opened fire, striking bass player George G.G. Guidotti. G.G. was hospitalized and required months of rehabilitation to get back into playing shape. All of this delayed the commencement of the album recording for months and slowed the band's momentum.


With G.G. on the mend, Heavens Edge entered the studio in the fall of 1989 and recorded their self-titled debut album with producer Neil Kernon (Dokken, Queensrÿche, Judas Priest). Well received tracks like “Skin To Skin", “Find Another Way”, and “Play Dirty” were all included and in keeping with their reputation for exciting live shows, a live recording of the song “Is That All You Want” was added to the album. [This track was originally recorded during a live radio broadcast on the powerhouse local Philly FM rock station WMMR.] With album artwork and a music video for the first single “Skin To Skin” ready to go, Columbia Records released the album in the spring of 1990. The reviews were immediately favorable and the band hit the road with dates in Los Angeles, Boston, Baltimore, and many others. Heavens Edge was added to the Ronnie James Dio/Yngwie Malmsteen tour, culminating with a seminal performance at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.


The next few years for Heavens Edge saw significant changes. The band was yet another victim of the well-documented shift in popular music tastes of the early '90s and made a label move from Columbia to Capitol Records, as well a guitarist change from Steve Parry to Jimmy Marchiano, all of which led to uncertainty within the group. Live audiences still supported the band, but the industry at large seemed ready to move on from the entire culture that preceded the new era of baby-boomer-influenced dark rock music.


After some time seeking their place in a shrinking market, the band called it quits in 1993. Each of the band members pursued various music ventures. Reggie, George and David teamed up with vocalist Shawn Carmen and formed the band American Pie. Jimmy Marchiano joined Dean Davidson’s (Britny Fox) new band Black Eyed Suzan. Steven linked up with Tangier vocalist Bill Mattson to form Mattson/Parry. Mark played several solo acoustic shows in European markets and midwestern US cities. None of these ventures achieved the same level of success as Heavens Edge.


Though not formally together, the band inked a deal in 1998 with European label MTM and US label Perris Records and released demos and other rarities considered the band’s second album 'Some Other Place, Some Other Time'. This album includes previously unreleased self-titled album B-sides “Rock Steady Rock” and “Just Another Fire” along with songs “Jacky” and “Some Other Place", which were recorded as demos for Capital Records.The next twenty years of activity for the band was not much more than the occasional benefit performance or appearance by an individual band member at various events.


This was all until 2013’s official reunion show with the original line up at Firefest in Nottingham, UK. The event proved so successful that the guys continued the live show momentum with performances on The Monsters Of Rock Cruise, the Melodic Rock Festival in Chicago, and main-stage sets at M3 in the Baltimore, MD area.


They soon returned to their home market with sold-out headline shows at the legendary TLA, Trocadero, and World Café Live.Then tragedy struck again with the diagnosis of lung cancer for G.G. in 2019. He sadly passed away in August of that same year. The band assumed they would never play as Heavens Edge again.It wasn’t until bassist Jaron Gulino (Tantric, Mach 22) and Mark Evans became acquainted that the idea of continuing as Heavens Edge became a reality. Jaron rehearsed with the group and immediately locked in with the band. A live performance with the band on The Monsters Of Rock Cruise soon followed and Heavens Edge now officially had a new member in Gulino.  


Now that the band was intact and the audiences were turning up, it was again time for the band to draw the attention of record companies. In 2022, Heavens Edge signed a new global recording deal with Frontiers Music Srl and will release their first studio album in twenty-five years in 2023, Get It Right.


Pre-order/save Get It Right on CD/Limited Edition LP/Digital here.





Get It Right tracklisting:


"Had Enough"
"Gone Gone Gone"
"Nothing Left But Goodbye"
"What Could’ve Been"
"When The Lights Go Down"
"Raise ‘Em Up"
"9 Lives (My Immortal Life)"
"Dirty Little Secrets"
"Beautiful Disguise"
"I’m Not The One"


"What Could’ve Been" video:





"Had Enough" lyric video:





Heavens Edge are:


Mark Evans - Lead Vocals
Reggie Wu - Guitars, Backing Vocals
David Rath - Drums, Percussion
Steve Parry - Guitars, Backing Vocals
Jaron Gulino – Bass


- Produced by: Heavens Edge
- Additional Vocal Production: Jacob Bunton