In a new interview with NME, Roger Daltrey was asked if fans can expect to hear a new studio album from THE WHO. He responded: "What's the point? What's the point of records? We released an album four years ago [2019's 'Who'], and it did nothing. It's a great album too, but there isn't the interest out there for new music these days. People want to hear the old music. I don't know why, but that's the fact."

The frontman then explained that the band's fanbase now ranges "from 80 years old all the way down to eight years old", adding: "We've got quite a lot of young people in our audience these days. It's quite interesting that they're picking up on our music. But record companies, they just don't do the same job as they used to."

In October 2022, THE WHO released a new version of the 2019 album "Who" featuring an updated version of "Beads On One String" newly remixed by guitarist Pete Townshend and acoustic tracks from the band's only live shows of 2020.

The songs on the deluxe version of "Who" were recorded in Kingston on Valentine's Day this year exactly 50 years to the day since THE WHO's seminal show at Leeds which became the infamous live album "Live At Leeds".

In December 2019, "Who" entered the U.K. chart at position No. 3, becoming the band's highest-charting U.K. LP in 38 years.

"Who" was THE WHO's first set of new material since 2006's "Endless Wire", which debuted at No. 9 in November of that year.

Two years ago, Townshend was asked about reports that he was working on material for THE WHO's next album. He told Rolling Stone: "I'm not working on the next WHO record. I think what happened is that when I did an interview for Uncut about 'The Who Sell Out', I was asked whether or not I was preparing any material or writing anything. I said, at the time, which is where I was since I did this interview before Christmas, that I had an idea for a series of songs. I'd written a series of essays and I was working on it. And subsequently, I had a conversation with Roger and flew the idea past him, and he half-liked it, and said it would be interesting to hear when the music comes. And then I started to read things that he was saying in the press, which were very much at odds with the conversation that we had face-to-face. I think we really need to have another proper conversation. Until we have that conversation, I don't think there's any real prospect of a WHO album developing because it's all in my hands and I tend to do it, and then Roger comes along and sings the songs.

"I need to know that I'm … what's the word? I don't want to use the word 'servicing.' But I need to know that I'm facilitating Roger's needs as a singer," the now-77-year-old continued. "There's only two of us now. And these days, he insists on having music to sing, which he believes in, completely and utterly, that he can get inside. Unless he can inhabit the story of the song, he can't do a good job. And so it means that I have to, in a sense, work as as tailor. I'm not really that free to write whatever comes off the end of my tape machine.

"I don't know whether there will be another WHO album. It needs Roger to be on it. And I think he was even complaining that he didn't make any money out of it. I was, like, 'Who does make money out of fuckin' records anymore?' I don't know who does. Maybe two or three people, but not many."

Mike Shinoda has once again ruled out the possibility of LINKIN PARK one day performing with a hologram of the band's late frontman Chester Bennington.

A Tupac Shakur hologram performed with Snoop Dogg at Coachella in 2012, and Cirque Du Soleil brought a holographic version of Michael Jackson to the stage. More recently, a hologram of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio toured the world, backed by members of his old band.

Shinoda addressed the prospect of the surviving members of LINKIN PARK one day sharing the stage with a hologram version of Chester during a recent interview with Houston radio DJ Theresa Rockface from 94.5 The Buzz. Speaking about virtual images of deceased musicians which have been used before in other artists' live performances, the LINKIN PARK co-vocalist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Those are creepy. Even if we weren't talking about us, if we weren't talking about Chester, which is… that's a very sensitive subject, and we would have our feelings about how we would represent that… For me, that's a clear no; I'm not into that. But even as a viewer of, like, just a fan of another band — like I heard ABBA, for example, they're doing a hologram show, and they're still alive. Then you get to have an opinion about it based on, like… They're all still here, and yet they wanna do it this way because they wanna transport you back to that moment in time where those songs were new and it was whatever era it was. I get that; I see that. I'm not positive, even under those circumstances, I'm not positive I personally would buy a ticket to the show. But [other people] would. That's fine."

Shinoda went on to say that he is not opposed to other artists using holographic technology during their concerts.

"The problem with the Internet now is that everybody thinks that everything is for everybody," he said. "And what I mean is everyone feels like they need to chime in, like, 'Well, here's my opinion. This is what I have to say. And if it's not for me, like if I don't like it, then nobody should like it.' That's not the way the world works. If you like a thing and I don't like the thing, then you go see the thing; you go buy the thing."

Shinoda previously shot down the idea of LINKIN PARK performing with a Bennington hologram more than five years ago, just a few months after the singer's passing. At the time, he said during an Instagram Live question-and-answer session with fans: "I can't even wrap my head around the idea of a holographic Chester. I've actually heard other people outside the band suggest that, and there's absolutely no way. I cannot fuck with that."

He later added: "I can't do a hologram Chester; that would be the worst. For any of you guys who have lost a loved one, best friend, family member, can you imagine having a hologram of them? Ugh. [It would be] awful. I can't do it. I don't know what we're gonna do, but, you know, we'll figure it out eventually."

Ever since a 3-D projection of the late rapper Tupac Shakur performed at the 2012 Coachella festival, a demand for holographic recreations of dead entertainers had increased.

In 2015, it was announced that Whitney Houston would go on the road in holographic form, but a leak of a duet with Christina Aguilera, which suggested the hologram was not up to scratch, led to the withdrawal of the Houston hologram by her estate.

Guitarist and composer Frank Zappa, who died in 1993, was recreated onstage in 2018 during a hologram tour licensed by the Zappa Family Trust, which is run by his children Ahmet and Diva.

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman said in a 2016 interview that he had mixed feelings about concerts featuring the Dio hologram. He said about the prospect of seeing a holographic version of Ronnie: "It makes me sad. I'm always happy to hear any music from anybody that's left us, that we've lost. But I don't know… The hologram thing, to me, it almost isn't letting the dead be dead." He added, "It just seems weird... Is there a difference between a hologram and a guy dressing up like Ronnie James and doing it?"

Draiman added: "Ronnie was Ronnie, and he was the best in the entire damn world. Whether you're doing it with somebody like Ronnie James Dio or Michael Jackson or whomever, it just seems like, you know what? Respect the legacy. And me personally… it kind of bothers me."

Bennington's passing was ruled a suicide soon after his body was found in July 2017 at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

Chester had been candid about mental-health battles in numerous interviews over the years, saying he grappled with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse. His struggles with drugs and alcohol landed him in rehab twice around 2006.

LINKIN PARK paid tribute to Bennington in October 2017 with an emotional three-hour show that featured numerous guests joining the band onstage in Los Angeles.

LINKIN PARK released a concert album titled "One More Light Live" in December 2017.

In a new interview with Greg Prato of Consequence, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman, who has been living and recording music in Japan since 2003, was asked what it is about Japan that drew him there in the first place. He responded: "It was definitely the music. I wanted to make Japanese music, and the only way to do that is to be here and be completely immersed in it. When I came here, I got very lucky and I joined the band of one of my favorite Japanese singers, Aikawa Nanase. So, I was doing exactly what I wanted to do, pretty much as soon as I got here — six or eight months or something. And that just put my foot right where I wanted to be in J-pop music. I started to work with all of my favorite artists and all of my favorite producers playing live and recording and writing music. And then once I branched into doing television, the whole world really opened."

Friedman also talked about his status as a popular television personality in Japan. He said: "I didn't start off wanting to do that at all, actually. Like I said, I joined the band of one of my favorite J-pop singers when I first got here, and when you do that, people start seeing you. That kind of started a lot of new eyes coming on me, and one of the new eyes was a television production company that put me on a new show. I was initially not really into doing it, because I wanted to just focus on playing music — J-pop music. J-pop, when I say the word 'pop,' it's really very heavy metal. There's a lot of heavy metal influence. People get scared when they hear the word pop, but there's guitar going crazy in it. I was loving it. I wanted to concentrate on that, but they said, 'Just try this TV thing. Your Japanese is very good, and you have a very interesting viewpoint. Just give it a try.' And the first thing out of the box was a really big hit. It was a show called 'Heavymeta-san', which turned into 'Rock Fujiyama'. It lasted for six seasons. For a new show, it's unheard of. So, other offers came up, and my management over here started filling things up, and the next thing you know, more people know me from television than music. And it's still the case. Actually, doing this Budokan show [guest appearance with MEGADETH on February 27], when a lot of it was published on Yahoo! News and things like that, 'He's the guy from TV, but this is what he really does' was like the headline for that thing. Doing television has facilitated the fact that I can leave for two months and tour America with my own music — and not have any problems with that. It's allowed me to live the exact life that I want to do. It's given me a lot of freedom. Of course, you never know when people come up to you, what they know me from. But my real gig is making music, and I love making music more than anything else."

Back in November 2021, Friedman was asked if he experiences culture shock when he returns to his former home country of America. Marty said: "When I moved to Japan, I completely was encompassed by Japanese culture. No one I worked with spoke English. No one around me spoke English. The only time I spoke English was when I was doing international promotion or international tours or international interviews. So 24/7, it was all Japanese. And when that goes on for years and years, you start to dream in Japanese. My wife's Japanese, and we speak only Japanese. So, cultural things also become a part of you, because when you live somewhere, you become a part of the culture. And the things that matter in Japan are not the things that matter in America. Or the things that matter in Europe are not the things that matter in South America. So things that matter on a day-to-day basis are different. So culture 'shock' is kind of a shocking word, so I don't really feel shocked. But I feel like I'm very blessed, because when I go to America, I'm an American, so I can feel all the great things about being American. But I've lived in Japan for almost 20 years, and before I came here, I've been in so many Japanese situations that there's a definite part of me that is really a part of the Japanese culture so I can really feel both of them.

"You should never think that you're trying to belong," he continued. "Because it doesn't matter how perfect my Japanese is — and it's not perfect — but I'm never, ever gonna be Japanese. I feel a part of me is definitely influenced by Japan very much, but if your goal is to belong in another society, I think you're gonna be let down very, very much. Because as hard as you try, Japan is a one-race society and you just look different and you're born in a different place and you have different things in you. So the goal is not belonging; the goal is to add what you have to Japan. If you're trying to belong to something like that, I think you're gonna be let down. But it's not a letdown. You only really belong to yourself. And belonging to something is overrated. So I think you'll enjoy your Japan experience a whole lot more if you celebrate your differences while understanding Japan and enjoying the great things that you're able to enjoy about Japan. And don't be let down when sometimes people are not necessarily so friendly to foreigners. This happens to every country. You just have to let it be; it's just the way it is, especially with older generations. They're, like, 'Oh, the world is changing. Now there's English in the taxicabs. Oh my God.' People fear change. But you can't let that bother you. It's never bothered me once. I'm completely fine being a gaijin [a Japanese word for foreigners and non-Japanese citizens in Japan, specifically non-East Asian foreigners such as white and black people]; it hasn't stopped me from anything. So culture shock, it's not really as bad as people think it is. I enjoy being in America, and I enjoy being in Japan because both things have given me a lot of great things in my life. So learning English — English is the language of the world, so that's helped me everywhere. But in Japan, it's the opposite — in Japan, Japanese is the language, so it's a must. So culture shock is not really that big of a thing."

Friedman played his first U.S. show in four years on March 3 at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida as support act for QUEENSRŸCHE. Marty is confirmed to perform on a total of 31 dates with QUEENSRŸCHE, running through April 16, where the tour wraps up in St. Petersburg, Florida. Along the way, the trek will make stops in Dallas, Texas (March 11); Anaheim, California (March 19); Chicago, Illinois (March 31),New York City (April 10) and Nashville, Tennessee (April 14),to name a few. Also, Marty recently announced two headline shows on his own: March 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Count's Vamp'd and March 18 in Los Angeles, California at the Whisky A Go Go.

On April 6, the Austrian melodic deathers Dystersol will release their new album Anaemic via MDD/Sunset Records. In it, the band tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional serial killer and focuses in the narrative on how a person, negatively influenced and disappointed by his environment and society, becomes a psychopath.


With "Fail Better", a visualiser for the album opener is now available. Anaemic can already be pre-ordered at several retailers and mailorders.







Anaemic is a concept album telling the story of the rise and fall of a fictional serial killer. The album was produced by Milan Steinbach at Pointbreak Recordings and mastered by Nicholas Zampiello/New Alliance East Mastering. 


The result is 12 songs that can inspire friends of death metal as well as modern metal styles with massive riffing, driving grooves, hammering blasts and vocals between screams and growls.





The band states: “For our 10th band anniversary in 2023, we are excited to announce that our third LP will finally see the light of day. Anaemic, a concept album about the rise and fall of a fictitious serial killer, will be released on April 6 via Black Sunset/MDD Records. With this record, we have decided to move into a harder and musically more complex direction, so the genre of Anaemic can best be described as modern melodic death metal.”

VicSolum Records has announced the signing of technical death metallers Structural. The Israelian quintet have landed a multi-album record contract with the Swedish label and an expected release of their new album Decrowned on June 23, 2023. A signing, following the band's touring in Europe as support for first Semblant and later on, Fleshgod Apocalypse.


The band comments:


"If you've followed us you know we've waited for a long time to announce this, and some of our new followers got a little glimpse of it on our tour with Fleshgod Apocalypse. We are super excited to announce that our new album "Decrowned" will be released this year by the Swedish record label ViciSolum. The album was mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson (Shadow Of Intent, The Agonist, Cryptopsy) and it's our second release since our debut album which was released in 2018. 




With festivals looming and even more touring to come, Structural is expected to make huge waves on the scene and create a drastic rise in popularity.


Following the footsteps of acts like Lamb Of God, Nevermore, Periphery and Arch Enemy, Structural delivers an intense and mind-blowing fist of technical death metal, adding layers of fantastic melody on top. Aggressive riffing and intense energy fills the loudspeakers and with the brutal growling of Nadav Zaidman, the experience is complete.

Italian prog/death metallers Wake Arkane have released a new music video for their second single: “Puppets Know The Tears”. It represents the band and its members in a bright and incredibly impactful way.





As in the previously released music video for first single – “The Eternal Return”, the main character is singer Mike Lunacy (former leader of the historical death metal band Dark Lunacy), who also plays the main character in the story told in their concept album.




The letters, also shown in the first single video, carry the prayers of men. Only Mr. Wake has in his hands the ability to realize or hijack their future.


As the materials of this immense record called Awakenings are released, the pieces of the puzzle of the concept will be completed, so that the audience will gradually immerse itself in the incredible story written by Mike Lunacy and narrated by Wake Arkane.


The video was produced, filmed and edited by Davide Rinaldi (also member of the band Dark Lunacy) at ISO-lation Studio and post produced by Daniele Acerbi.


It will be followed by several other singles in the next few months.





"Puppets Know The Tears" brings back the unique sound of Wake Arkane made of theatrical death metal filled with pathos. An energetic track full of drama and refined melodies.


The full-length album Awakenings was mastered by the Swedish musician and record producer Dan Swanö and will be released by the year 2023.


In the coming months and after an eight years hiatus, the band will start performing live again.

Time to kickstart your motorcycle and take a ride with Bad Bones and their next music video for the single "Wanderers & Saints" in support of their sixth album Hasta El Final! due out March 17, 2023 via Rockshots Records.


"Free, without rules, we abandon this society, to live on the margins, aware of the things we will miss, but proud of the choices made, an intro reminiscent of The Police, a song that flies away fast, light and powerful, perhaps the most "modern" song that Bad Bones have ever written," adds the band.


Influenced by NWOBHM to the LA street rock scene, Bad Bones was formed in 2007. The band has made a name for themselves with tours across Europe along with making the move from Italy to LA in 2009 to make a foothold in the USA until returning to their home country in 2010. Over the years, the band has consistently toured the USA and Europe with appearances at events such as the Hollywood Rock Convention, Italian Gods of Metal, and Metalitalia Festival along with supporting bands like Steel Panther, Hardcore Superstar, Crucified Barbara, Entombed, Gotthard, Crazy Lixx, Strana Officina and more.




A musical amalgamation of blues, punk, classic rock, and heavy metal, Bad Bones' latest offering "Hasta El Final!" is a powerful record, that shakes your bones and must be listened to in one go, in its entirety, just like taking a shot of whiskey, throw it down and then enjoy it while it warms your guts.


"The sound of the band has changed since the beginning, the first album Small-town Brawlers was very raw, it sounded almost punk in some ways, in 2012 when Max Malmerenda joined the band, who has an amazing and very melodic voice, a process had begun that led us to write albums more on the ‘80s hard rock side like Demolition Derby in 2016, today, with the return of Mekk we have found a more powerful sound and we have several songs that we could define as heavy metal. We want Hasta El Final! to hit you like a punch in the face, we had this in mind, make it compact and powerful, we didn't use samples, nor quantized/triggered fake drums, everything was played live, even the overdubs were kept to a minimum, and we wanted to keep the fierce spirit of our first albums," says the band.


Making uncompromising rock that is meant to be loud in volume and make ya sweat in the pit, Bad Bones give listeners classic old-school rock n' roll fun. Their lyrics reflect the things they see and hear, from memories, and life experiences, but also from movies or places they've been, there have many sources of inspiration that fans can clearly relate to.


Preorder at the Rockshots Records webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Bandits”
“Behind The Liar’s Eyes”
“Rattlesnake”
“Wanderers & Saints”
“Sand On My Teeth”
“Libertad”
“To Kill Somebody”
“Home”


“Wanderers & Saints” video:





(Photo – Federica Bagagiolo / Hellucination Photography)

Former MOTÖRHEAD and current SCORPIONS drummer Mikkey Dee says that he is "absolutely" against singers who lip sync during their concerts.

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

Dee addressed some rock acts' reliance on pre-recorded tracks in a Cameo video message requested by the Syncin' Stanley YouTube channel. Asked for his opinion on singers who use backing tracks for their lead vocals, the drummer said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Lip syncing sucks big time. I hate it. That's not fun at all. But when it comes to backing tracks, sometimes it's not too bad, if you use it in a proper way. Let's say, you could have a rhythm guitar as a backtrack in certain solos. We never had it with MOTÖRHEAD, ever. And I know a lot of bands that wanna fill up certain parts of a song with some backing tracks — maybe a guitar, a rhythm guitar usually, or maybe some kind of keyboard or something — just to fill up spaces where it's impossible to play. And if you recorded something and you dubbed something on there, some little theme or something, I think that's okay; that's not too bad. I can live with that, as long as the rest of the song is being played properly. But lip syncing — absolutely no. And backing tracks, if you use them properly; if you use them, I would say the way they were intended. But a lot of bands might use backing tracks for the whole musical part of it. And trust me, I hate that — absolutely terrible."

Asked how he thinks MOTÖRHEAD's late frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister would feel about bands relying on backing tracks if he was still alive, Mikkey said: "Lemmy had the same kind of view, I guess, as me, because we never used backing tracks. But sometimes it could have been okay to do it, because it maybe got too thin in certain kind of solo or something, because we were only three [members in MOTÖRHEAD]. So he didn't like it. He would never do it. But he could see bands that used it in a proper way, in a good way. Then I think it's acceptable and then it's all right. But I don't think he would like it. He would be mostly against it. I think it's okay here and there, as I said, in the case of… depending on what kind of song they needed to work on, to fill up, as I said, a solo, a B section, maybe a theme in a solo — I mean, in a chorus — also play something like that. But the song needs to be played by the band and the band only live. That's my view on it."

KISS frontman Paul Stanley, who has been struggling to hit the high notes in many of the band's classic songs for a number of years, has been accused of singing to a backing tape on KISS's ongoing "End Of The Road" tour.

Back in 2015, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons slammed bands who used backing tapes for not being honest enough to include that fact on their concert tickets.

"I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks," Simmons said. "It's like the ingredients in food. If the first ingredient on the label is sugar, that's at least honest. It should be on every ticket — you're paying $100, 30 to 50 percent of the show is [on] backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip sync. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks, it's about dishonesty.

"There's nobody with a synthesizer on our stage, there's no samples on the drums, there's nothing," Gene continued. "There's very few bands who do that now — AC/DC, METALLICA, us. I can't even say that about U2 or THE [ROLLING] STONES. There's very few bands who don't use [backing] tracks."

Last month, KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee defended Stanley's vocal performance on "End Of The Road", explaining that the "Star Child" "fully sings to every song" at every concert. He explained: It's enhanced. It's just part of the process to make sure that everybody hears the songs the way they should be sang to begin with. Nobody wants to hear people do stuff that's not real, that's not what they came to hear."

When McGhee was asked to clarify if he was "actually saying there are backing tracks that [Paul is] singing to," Doc said: "He'll sing to tracks. It's all part of a process. Because everybody wants to hear everybody sing. But he fully sings to every song."

In March 2020, SHINEDOWN guitarist Zach Myers said that "90 percent" of rock artists use at least some pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. He told Rock Feed: "It bothers me that it bothers people. I'm, like, 'Why does this bother you?' It's the way it is. People have been doing this since the '80s. And we want the sound to be the best it can be. Could we go up there, just the four of us, and put on the best rock show ever? Of course. But that's not how we wanna do it."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has previously said that he is "one of the last people" who are still not using pre-recorded tracks at their live shows. "I don't know how much longer I can say to you that I don't use tapes onstage, because I don't, and I never have," he told Consequence Of Sound. "And I still don't. When I have opening bands, and they're using tapes, and then I come out and I don't use tapes… sometimes, it makes me feel stupid, because I'm like, 'What am I doing, when all these kids half my age can come onstage and do all of my moves, but they don't have to warm up for an hour before the show, or weeks, before the first show?' Sometimes, I'm like, 'Why do I even bother, if the public is so used to this other way?' It's becoming very rare to come see a good band that's actually a real band — that's not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running. It just becomes more rare as the years go on."

In 2019, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith said that he doesn't "agree" with certain rock artists relying on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. "I tell you what, I see it with a lot of younger bands, and I don't think it's a good thing at all," he told the New York Post. "I mean, the music is getting too technical now. You have computerized recording systems, which we use, but I think we use them more for convenience than because we need to. We've toured with a couple bands that use tapes — it's not real. You're supposed to play live; it should be live. I don't agree with using tapes … I think it's a real shame."

One musician who has been open about his band's use of taped vocals during live performances is MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, who said: "We've used technology since '87." He added the group employed "sequencers, sub tones, background vox tracks, plus background singers and us. [MÖTLEY CRÜE also taped] stuff we can't tour with, like cello parts in ballads, etc.... We love it and don't hide it. It's a great tool to fill out the sound."

In a 2014 interview, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars admitted that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that his band used pre-recorded backing vocals in its live shows, claiming that he preferred to watch groups whose performances are delivered entirely live. "I don't like it," he said. "I think a band like ours… I have to say '60s bands were my favorite — '60s and '70s bands — because they were real, like, three-piece bands or four-piece bands, and they just got up there and kicked it up. Made a mistake? So what? Sounded a little bit empty here or there? So what? It's the bigness and the rawness and the people that developed and wrote the songs and made them and presented them. To me, that's what I really like. I mean, I could put on a MÖTLEY CD and play with it all day long. I don't wanna do that."

KIX has recruited Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY, MR. BIG, BLACK SWAN) to play drums for the band while Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant continues his recovery after collapsing onstage less than three months ago.

On November 18, Chalfant apparently suffered a heart attack during KIX's concert at the Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, Virginia. Chalfant was unconscious and carried offstage before performing the last song of the show.

Earlier today (Thursday, March 9),Chalfant shared the following update via KIX's Facebook page: "As you all know, I've had some health issues in the last few months. And, I thank the lord for allowing me to continue my life on this earth for a while longer. I've been working hard to get back into playing shape and it has been going pretty well. But, I've also had a couple setbacks in the last few weeks.

"With the support of my wife Cathy, my KIX bandmates and crew, and all of our friends and fans, I will continue working to return to Rock Your Face Off to the best of my ability. BUT, I'm not there yet. And truth be told, I don't know if I'll ever be able to get back to where I was before.

"I've come to the realization that I will not be able to return to the stage as soon as I was hoping. I've been discussing with my wife and bandmates all the different scenarios for KIX to get back to playing for our fans again.

"We've all thought long and hard about it and have decided it is best to go forward with someone to fill-in for me until I can return. And, we have been very fortunate to find someone who I think is the best possible choice for us.

"Please show your love and support to Matt Starr as we welcome him into the KIX camp. He is an amazing drummer/vocalist who has played with a who's who of the hard rock world, most notably with Ace Frehley and MR. BIG. I am humbled and honored that he has agreed to help us out and I welcome him with open arms. As of now, Matt will be playing all the KIX shows through the Monsters Of Rock Cruise April 29 – May 4."

Back in September 2021, Chalfant suffered a heart attack at his home and was rushed to the hospital. He had immediate surgery to insert two stents in his heart then another surgery the next day for another stent.

KIX was founded in 1977 and released its first, self-titled album on Atlantic Records more than 40 years ago. Their breakthrough came with 1988's "Blow My Fuse", which sold nearly a million copies, thanks to "Don't Close Your Eyes". The band continued to ride the hard-rock wave until 1995, when KIX took a hiatus. Nearly 10 years later, KIX reunited and started touring regionally. A 2008 performance at the Rocklahoma festival led to more gigs and the release of a live DVD/CD called "Live In Baltimore" in 2012. In 2014, KIX released its seventh full-length album, "Rock Your Face Off", the band's first studio effort since 1995's "Show Business".

Hello Friends!
Jimmy here! As you all know, I've had some health issues in the last few months. And, I thank the lord...

Posted by Kix Band on Thursday, March 9, 2023

In a new interview with Australia's Heavy, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was asked how he compensates on stage for the fact that maybe he can't do some of the things that he could four decades ago. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I don't really know what I cannot do that I used to do 40 years ago. I think that probably the only thing I have any difficulty doing is getting up in a certain pitch now that I've had my neck operated on and had a metal plate put into my spine because of the damage that happened to my neck.

"It's a wonder, based on everything that's happened, the guy upstairs is even letting me continue to do what I love.

"I don't wanna be a victim — I can't stand people who play the victim — so I'm not gonna give you a litany of all my injuries. But suffice to say, I feel great right now, and I don't really think there's anything that I cannot do.

"I won't jump out of an airplane anymore because of the plate in my neck. And because… you may have seen something about this, but I'm gonna be an Opa [grandfather]; my son [Justis] is gonna be a dad. I remember when I found out we were gonna have Justis, I stopped skydiving. That's one thing I don't do anymore.

"I think given what's happened to me with the stenosis and the broken neck bone, and I've got another broken bone in my back from riding horses, playing polo… 'Cause I don't know how to play polo, and for some stupid reason my wife convinced me to get out there and do it. And I ended up with a broken bone in my back. Go figure. Love makes you do some strange things, man."

Back in 2016, Mustaine addressed some of the challenges singing MEGADETH's earlier material while speaking to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin radio station 102.9 The Hog. At the time, he said: "After I had the surgery on my neck, when my neck [was] broken, I had a plate stuck in my neck and it touched my vocal box so my voice changed, and it's made it so that my voice is a little lower. And that's kind of a bummer, because a lot of songs in the past we had to just skip because the register was so high. But with working through it and exercising and practicing and warming up and stuff like that, I've been able to return a lot of my vocal range, and that's been good for us, because we've been able to have more songs [to choose from for the concert setlists]."

Last September, MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", debuted at the top of the charts during its first week of sales, taking the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 as well as number ones on Top Album Sales, Top Current Albums Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was the highest-charting MEGADETH album of all time around the world, notching No. 1 In Finland, No. 2 in australia, poland, Switzerland, and Scotland, No. 3 in the U.K., and more.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

MEGADETH recently received its thirteenth Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "We'll Be Back" from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

MEGADETH won the 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of the band's 2016 album "Dystopia". This marked the group's twelfth Grammy nomination in this category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category).

Former MEGADETH guitarist Jeff Young has told Canada's The Metal Voice in a new interview that he "passed on" auditioning for David Lee Roth's solo band in 1990, not long after exiting the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit. "Jason Becker got the [gig], which I'm glad, because that gave him a chance to do one really killer project before he got sick," Jeff explained, referencing the fact that Jason has been living with ALS for over 30 years. "And he was a buddy of mine. Once I saw his movie, I was really glad I passed on it. I was being managed by Diamond Dave management, and that's how I got that offer."

Asked if he didn't think that was the "right fit" for the Roth gig, Jeff said: "No, I turned it down… I thought he'd end up in Vegas. And that was all the way back then. And where did he end up? I might have ESP or something.

"I just don't really like [Roth's] voice, to be honest," Young explained. "And now I've since learned he's a lunatic. I made a great choice. He's nuts."

Young's entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band's 1988 platinum-selling album "So Far, So Good...So What!"

Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing

Iggy Pop has shared a new film capturing an exclusive in-depth conversation with fellow icon Flea of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS. Directed by Emmy- and Grammy Award-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny (Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson & Family, Johnny Cash),the intimate "Bitten By Flea!" sees the two Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers exploring a wide range of subjects, including Iggy's storied career leading into the critically acclaimed 19th solo album, "Every Loser". The documentary also features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Iggy, Flea and the album's Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum executive producer Andrew Watt in the studio.

Hailed by Stereogum as "his most immediate, straightforward, energetic record in years," "Every Loser" sets Iggy's signature lyrical aggressions atop a rock solid foundation provided by a murderers' row of modern day rock legends, including the recently unveiled IGGY POP & THE LOSERS lineup of Andrew Watt, Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Josh Klinghoffer and Chad Smith, as well as BLINK-182's Travis Barker, FOO FIGHTERS' Taylor Hawkins, PEARL JAM's Stone Gossard and JANE'S ADDICTION's Dave Navarro, Chris Chaney and Eric Avery.

Iggy's first release via Atlantic Records/Gold Tooth Records, "Every Loser" has been met by ecstatic acclaim from media outlets around the globe, including Rolling Stone, Esquire, Pitchfork, NME, The Guardian and The New York Times, which applauded the album for its "buzz-bombing, hard-riffing rock." Among the 11-track collection's many highlights are such supercharged songs as "Frenzy" and "Strung Out Johnny".

Iggy further marked the arrival of "Every Loser" by teaming with Punk magazine founder and editor John Holmstrom for an exclusive relaunch of the legendary zine (first graced by an Iggy Pop cover appearance in July 1976). The all-new issue of Punk is fully focused on the Godfather of Punk's one-of-a-kind life and career.

IGGY POP & THE LOSERS made their high-profile televised debut earlier this year with an electrifying performance of the feverish "Frenzy" on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". The band's raw power will next be in full force on a series of hugely anticipated live dates, set to kick off April 20 at The Regent in Los Angeles followed by April 22 at The Masonic in San Francisco, April 24 at The Orpheum in Los Angeles, April 27 at The Palladium in Los Angeles and April 29 at The Pearl in Las Vegas.

In a new interview with Metal-Roos, GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin was asked if there are any plans for him and his bandmates to tour Australia in support of their recently released eighth album, "Lighting Up The Sky". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Not yet. And the honest truth is, can we afford to come? It sucks for us because we're here. We're big in America. We're an American band. The radio loves us here. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be a big band. And we didn't really have the success worldwide that we have here.

"We don't run a bunch of tapes; we don't do that shit," he continued. "We're a live band. But what we do like to do is people pay these exorbitant ticket prices and when they come to see us, we have a big show. And we blow shit up with pyro and we have video screens. And there might be lasers that night. We have moving drum risers — all this shit that's part of us and it's been us. Then we go to England and play, or Australia and play, and we've got a rag behind us and a drum set. And it's not a crutch — we still went and we do it — but we never had the growth to where we were big enough, say in Australia, to come there and present what we do, like us live, this badass show that we've always done and that's as much a part of us as our instruments. We perform and we love to do it. And so we're proud of it and we have a lot of pride there. And so sometimes it feels like they're not getting what we are because we can't afford to bring all that shit.

"It's just crazy, man, this business," Shannon added. "We've got 20-some people on the road crew. It's rooms and flights — it's crazy how much it costs to tour the world, especially now after all this bullshit pandemic bullshit. Touring Europe, man, was just… You're literally losing money. And we did it. We'd do it anyway. We've never — I'll say this right here — we've never made money in Europe ever. Period. And we've been there 15 times or whatever. We keep going back because we have a cult following where we can draw a couple of thousand people in these rooms, and we love to play for 'em, but there's never been a moment where we can say, 'Here's what we are.'"

Earlier this month, GODSMACK canceled its previously announced spring tour of South America due to a "lack of ticket sales".

The band announced that it has scrapped the trek, which was scheduled to hit Santiago, Chile on April 21, Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 25 and São Paulo, Brazil on April 27, in a social media post.

GODSMACK wrote: "We are heartbroken to have to announce that GODSMACK cannot get to South America in April as promised. We are so saddened by this as we've been trying for so long to make this work, but due to the lack of ticket sales, we simply can't find a way to fund this tour at this time. Please know we've tried everything we could to make it work, but it has now gone beyond our control.

"We love and appreciate our fans and will remain optimistic that we will play for your country one day. Until then, our deepest apologies."

GODSMACK's South American tour was originally scheduled to take place last November but was postponed to April due to what the band described at the time as "logistical issues."

"Lighting Up The Sky" was released last month via BMG. The LP was co-produced by GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER).

The first single from "Lighting Up The Sky", "Surrender", which arrived in September, marked the first release from GODSMACK in four years, following their globally acclaimed and gold-certified 2018 album "When Legends Rise", which earned the Erna-fronted outfit a No. 1 spot across U.S. Hard Rock, Rock, and Alternative album charts.

GODSMACK will embark on a spring 2023 U.S. tour with special guests I PREVAIL.

Photo by Chris Bradshaw

During an appearance on a recent episode of the GUNS N' ROSES-centric "Appetite For Distortion" podcast, former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens was asked what he initially thought of GUNS N' ROSES and Axl Rose's vocal performance when he first heard the "Appetite For Destruction" album. Owens responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't think I liked it. I think at the time I might have been a little more thrashy — ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL — at that time. So, if you weren't a classic band already — DIO, PRIEST, [IRON] MAIDEN — it was hard for me to get in on board with something else. But, obviously, as time went on, it changed. I loved the voice and I loved the band. I'll tell you, [Axl] was fantastic with AC/DC. And I've gotta be honest, when they said, people were, like, 'Oh my God. Why's he gonna do that?' And I'm, like, but that's a good voice that he has; he has that voice where he could sing that stuff.

"I remember when ['Appetite For Destruction'] came out… You know what? I probably didn't hate 'em yet," Tim continued. "You know what probably happened? I probably liked 'Welcome To The Jungle'; I think everybody liked that one. That song came out, and everybody was, like, 'This is awesome.' But I probably lumped them in at the time with the 'hair metal' bands, which they were nothing like that. But mentally, you're, like, 'I wanna hear 'Caught In A Mosh'. Screw these guys.' Then you just start moving along, and you realize, 'Yeah…' Here I am now, if I'm at a gym, I'll listen to THE BEATLES, James Taylor, a GUNS N' ROSES song will come on, RAMMSTEIN, BENEDICTION… God knows what comes on. THE BLACK KEYS… All that stuff."

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.

Rufus Publications has announced the third title in a new series of black-and-white books called "Portraits" featuring the legendary IRON MAIDEN and covering the years the band emerged as a major force in British Heavy Metal with singer Paul Di'Anno. It features hundreds of previously unseen, carefully restored black-and-white images of the band at play, rehearsing, recording and of course, playing live at a series of pivotal gigs (including the legendary Ruskin Arms) as they emerged as one of the U.K.'s most important heavy metal acts.

The book is 230mm square, casebound, 240 pages, printed on luxury 170gsm matt coated paper. The book comes with a fold out poster and is presented in a black slipcase with a gold foil logo. The main edition comes in 666 numbered copies. In addition to this a much larger, ultra-limited Leather And Metal edition measuring 375mm square and presented in recycled leather and a hand welded aluminum metal slipcase is also being prepared in a run length of just 66 numbered copies. This will sell for £500 and comes with a copy of the standard edition plus a limited-edition print. John Tucker has written a historical essay covering the period and Kerrang!'s founding editor and Sounds writer Geoff Barton shares his thoughts as the band emerged from the ashes of the NWOBHM.

The book will go on sale on Friday, March 10 at 3 p.m. UK time and will feature a 10% pre-order discount if ordered before April 30, 2023. The books will ship worldwide in July 2023.

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN — a self-titled effort in 1980 and "Killers" in 1981 — before being fired and replaced by Bruce Dickinson.

Out of the ashes of the Norwegian thrash band Fallen Saint, This Means War has been given birth. Birger Steneby (ex-NoPlaceToHide) and Børre Jul-Larsen started trading riffs in 2020, and they quickly rediscovered the old magic with a new sense of modern brutality. Their aggressive take on thrash metal, with unholy doses of death metal and even some black metal.


 


The vocal and lyrics duties are shared between Geir Ingemar Henriksen (Kill-Tech) and Bjørnar Kristiansen (Dwaal), which add another layer of violence. A lyrical output with a black heart, that speaks of man's total depravity, either political or the more insane kind.




 


Omnivore Doctrine will be released via Gymnocal Industries on March 29th.


 





 


"Outcast"


"Hunger"


"Worms Chooses Violence"


"Deceit"


"Omnivore Doctrine"


"She is in the Water"


"Chaos & Sickness"


"Crawlspace Necropolis"


 





 


Photo by Christian Roth Christensen

In a new interview with Heavy magazine, Dave Mustaine of MEGADETH, which will perform in Australia later this month as part of Knotfest Australia, was asked what has changed with his band since the last time MEGADETH played in the country back in 2015. Dave responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, a lot. A lot, I would have to say. We've had some lineup changes, and every time we did that, the person that came in was better. When we parted ways with the drummer before Dirk [Verbeuren, current MEGADETH drummer] — it was the person before Chris Adler [LAMB OF GOD], which was Shawn Drover — we tried to get the 'Rust In Peace' lineup back together. It didn't work with Nick [Menza, former MEGADETH drummer]; Nick went off one way and we went the other. [We] contacted Adler and asked him if he would play on the record, and then maybe contact Nickagain and have him tour with us since he couldn't really do the record. That didn't work out either, so we had Chris do the record ['Dystopia'] and stay, and while we were doing that, Chris and his band parted ways. We didn't know if Chris was gonna stay with us [or] stay with them. Of course, we wanted him to stay with LAMB OF GOD. I'm sad that he left and that there's any kind of distance between the family. I do think that Art [Cruz, current LAMB OF GOD drummer] is an amazing drummer. And then after that, Chris Adler recommended Dirk. And Dirk is, in my mind, the best drummer we've had since Gar Samuelson. He's a big fan of Gar, and that is the power that drives MEGADETH — that jazz metal; not, like, rock metal. Nick was a super-talented and powerful drummer, and he, fortunately, was able to do a lot of those jazz hooks too. So we almost had that magic that we did when Gar was there, but we definitely had something that Gar did not, which was the power that Nick Menza possessed."

Mustaine continued: "Same thing if you go down the line with the bass playing. [David] Ellefson [former MEGADETH bassist] was in the band. He was out. James [LoMenzo, current MEGADETH bassist] came in. He was out. Ellefson came back because the Drover brothers [drummer Shawn and guitarist Glen] kept pressuring me to do this, get Ellefson back. He came in, and we had that weird shit that happened. I had Steve DiGiorgio come in and record the record ['The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!'], and James is back. And I love that he's back. The singing is fabulous on stage. He actually can sing really well, so he helps encourage me to sing. And then Kiko [Loureiro, guitar], as you know... After I parted ways with Chris Broderick [former MEGADETH guitarist]… I mean, where do you go from having [former MEGADETH guitarists] Marty Friedman and Chris Poland, and it's time to make a guitar player change again? So, Kiko… I saw a video online of Kiko actually being put head to head against Chris Broderick; someone made a video of that, right? And I watched it, and I went, 'Fuck! I've gotta get in touch with this guy.' The funny thing was that when I contacted him, he said that he had been talking to Ellefson. So when I talked to Ellefson the next time, I said, 'What the fuck's wrong with you, man? Why didn't you tell me you know this guy?' So that was a great addition to the band. Kiko and James play really well together, and Kiko and Dirk have an amazing ability to play those crazy riffs together. Of course, we can always be better, so we all go into the jam room every day and try and work on little bits and pieces of a song. And our record producer is out with us on the road as our music director helping us keep our chops up."

Mustaine fired Ellefson from MEGADETH in May 2021, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

Shortly before Ellefson was dismissed from MEGADETH, he released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

Last September, MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", debuted at the top of the charts during its first week of sales, taking the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 as well as number ones on Top Album Sales, Top Current Albums Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was the highest-charting MEGADETH album of all time around the world, notching No. 1 In Finland, No. 2 in australia, poland, Switzerland, and Scotland, No. 3 in the U.K., and more.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

MEGADETH recently received its thirteenth Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "We'll Be Back" from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

MEGADETH won the 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of the band's 2016 album "Dystopia". This marked the group's twelfth Grammy nomination in this category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category).

Photo credit: Gibson