Ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman spoke to Consequence about his reunion with his former band during the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit's first-ever gig at Tokyo, Japan's famed Budokan. Friedman came up on stage for three songs toward the end of the main set on Monday, February 27: "Countdown To Extinction", "Tornado Of Souls" and "Symphony Of Destruction".

Regarding the experience of sharing the stage with Mustaine again, Friedman said: "It was just like a perfect exclamation point on everything that we had done together up until this point. You couldn't have written a better way for the whole thing to play out. It was just perfect timing, just a very natural and organic way to do it."

On the topic of his current relationship with Mustaine, Friedman said: "Oh, it's great. It's always been great. I think if anything, if there was ever any kind of weirdness, it was probably in the minds of the people who are fans or just people who are reading media things. We chat every once in a while and it's always very nice. We have no … maybe at the time when I left the band there might have been some weird feelings between us, but I think at the time, Dave understood why I left. And at the time I understood why I put the band in a possibly rough situation. But that's such a long time ago. And since then, there's really been nothing but friendly, normal contact — and occasionally, we'll talk about a thing that we might need the other to comment on. But absolutely nothing but complete friendliness."

Asked if he would be open to playing with MEGADETH again, either onstage or in the studio, Marty said: "Yeah, man, the door's open. I think the door has always been open. It's really just a matter of doing something that has meaning to it. Meaning for them and meaning for me. So, Budokan is sort of a no-brainer. But if something were to come up that would be a good thing for them and a good thing for me, and add value to it, then I'm all for it. As far as I'm concerned, their band is just kicking so much ass right now, I can't imagine them needing me for anything. [Laughs] But Budokan was wonderful. There's other things in the future. My door's open and we're on great terms, and I love all the guys in the band. It's very casual."

Three years ago, Friedman admitted that money was a major motivator for him when he was approached about taking part in a reunion of MEGADETH's "Rust In Peace" lineup.

Friedman had met with Mustaine and then-bassist David Ellefson at the 2015 NAMM show in Anaheim, California to discuss the reunion, which would have seen him and drummer Nick Menza back in the mix.

Friedman opened up about his reasons for turning down the MEGADETH reunion in Mustaine's latest book, "Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece", which details the making of the iconic record "Rust In Peace".

"My main thing was I'd be happy to do it, but I'm not going to take less money than I'm already making to do it," Marty said in part.

"I'd been in Japan for more than ten years cultivating a career with solid rewards. I was making money not only for myself but also for my management and staff. My manager has been with me fifteen years.

"Everything was sound and solid professionally, and when the offer came up to all of a sudden join MEGADETH again, as long as I would not be making less money, I was ready to go," he said. "But I was certainly not going to take a loss to join a band that, frankly, at that point, didn't seem like they had too much to offer musically. A couple of members of the band had recently quit, and musically I hadn't heard anything that they've done in a long time. I didn't know about how relevant they continued to be in the music business. It wasn't like MEGADETH was on the tip of people's tongues, at least not in Japan. I had reached the point where people stopped immediately connecting me to MEGADETH and were talking about the things that I had done in Japan."

According to Friedman, part of the reason he turned down the MEGADETH reunion is the fact that the group is largely seen as Mustaine's solo project, with members coming and going every couple of albums.

"Had it been more of a band situation and not such a one-man, Dave Mustaine-main-man party, I might have considered doing it for a little less," Marty said. "But, at the end of the day, MEGADETH is so much Mustaine because that's the way he engineered it. I didn't feel that kind of camaraderie, the four-man diamond, THE BEATLES, KISS, METALLICA. I felt like I would be going out there and tour and it was going to be Mustaine's big success. If I'm going to do that, I'm certainly not going to lose money to do that; I was doing great on my own in Japan."

Mustaine told Loudwire that he was put off by Friedman's financial demands when the topic of a "Rust In Peace" reunion was broached.

"Marty has a really successful career in Japan where he makes quite a lot of money," Dave said. "And this is the part where I thought it was a little weird, where he said he said that he has to pay all his team while he's gone instead of just himself. 'Cause I thought we'll pay you what you're making so that's switching horses in the middle of the river — it's no big deal unless you fall off. And then when we found out that he wanted to sell his merch, his this, his that, his this, his that, then he wanted this crazy amount of money and he wanted to fly first class everywhere. I said to our management, 'I can't deal with this.'"

In a 2016 interview with the "Eddie Trunk Podcast", Mustaine confirmed that MEGADETH didn't hold any rehearsals with Friedman while attempting a reunion of the "Rust In Peace" lineup.

"Marty had sent some e-mails saying, 'Oh, man, you know, the fans have this self-inflated importance of 'Rust In Peace' beyond what it really is. And I was, like, 'Huh?'" Dave said. 'So I didn't know if that was a backhand to the face of the fans or not, but he had basically said that if we were gonna do anything, it had to be better than 'Rust In Peace'. And he sent me over some links to some songs that he thought should be the direction that we were going in, and one of it was this J-Pop band with some Japanese girl singing, and I was, like, 'Uh-uh. This ain't gonna work.' More power to [Marty for being into that stuff]. Do what you want, Marty. He's a great guitar player. But I'm not gonna sing like a Japanese girl."

San Diego, California hard rock / metal band Seventrain have released a lyric video for the song "So Far" from their new 2023 self-titled EP which is out today independently.





Tracklisting:




“So Far”
“Rollercoaster”
“One More Reason”
“Save My Soul” 


“So Far” lyric video:





“Save My Soul”:





Lineup:


Eric Koonze - Vocals
Dave Odegaard - Guitars
Eric Horton - Guitars (Ex-Cage)
Greg Rupp - Bass
Calvin Lakin - Drums

Oakland thrashers, Vio-lence, performed on the Ronnie James Dio stage at Bloodstock Open Air 2022. Professionally-filmed video footage of the set opener, "Eternal Nightmare", can be viewed below. Previously posted clips of the band performing "Upon Their Cross" and "World In A World" are also available.


Setlist:


"Eternal Nightmare"
"Serial Killer"
"Calling In The Coroner"
"Officer Nice"
"Kill On Command"
"Upon Their Cross"
"Phobophobia"
"World In A World"

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford joined SABBATH for two gigs to support Ozzy Osbourne on his last shows for the "No More Tours" tour in November 1992 in Costa Mesa, California after SABBATH's singer at the time, Ronnie James Dio, refused to take the stage. Rob also performed with SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward on August 26, 2004 at the Camden, New Jersey stop of Ozzfest after Ozzy came down with an "attack of bronchitis" and was unable to take part in the concert.

Halford reflected on his appearances with SABBATH in a new interview with SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard host Mark Strigl. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The first time was in Costa Mesa, in California. I can't remember when. I do know there's an amazing video of the whole show on YouTube somewhere, which sounds good and looks good. That's a great memory.

"How that happened was… You know, when Ronnie — God bless you, Ronnie — was working with SABBATH, and there was an opportunity for the band to do a little bit of a reunion at that show in Costa Mesa with Ozzy, Ronnie said, 'I'm just gonna step aside for personal reasons.' So he did," Rob explained. "And then I get a call from Tony, 'Can you come and help us out?' 'Yeah, what do you want me to do?' Blah blah blah. We talked about the setlist. We put a couple of songs in there that SABBATH hadn't done forever, 'cause they were my favorites and I thought the fans would love 'em. And then the next minute we're doing two shows. We have a bit of a blast in the studio here in Phoenix, bang out the set, and the next day we're playing two sold-out shows in Costa Mesa. So that was amazing.

"And then you go forward. And this is just what we do for each other in bands. Ozzy wasn't feeling too well with his throat, and I get a phone call from Sharon [Ozzy's wife and manager]… And the same deal. 'He's got this bronchitis thing. Can you step in for the show? 'Yeah, sure. Which one?' 'Tonight.' I'm, like, 'Tonight?' 'Yeah. Can you do the show tonight?' So I did. I did the PRIEST set, had a shower, got changed, ran out and did the Ozzy thing with SABBATH. So that's happened two or three times.

"That's what we do, man. We love each other.

"PRIEST and SABBATH go back forever," Halford added. "And so we still have this beautiful friendship and relationship that's endured within and without the music. PRIEST and SABBATH, we started it all."

In a 2005 interview with Revolver, Iommi stated about Rob's performance with SABBATH at the 2004 Ozzfest: "At first we were worried, because people expect Ozzy, but if Rob hadn't helped us out, there wouldn't have been a show at all. When our manager told me Ozzy had bronchitis and couldn't sing, he asked me what I thought about Rob doing it. I said, 'I think it's a good idea as long as you tell everybody beforehand so they know.' Of course, they told the audience right before we went onstage, so I thought, 'Oh, no.' But the crowd received him really well."

Dio replaced Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH in 1980, recording the "Heaven And Hell" and "Mob Rules" albums, plus "Live Evil", before leaving in 1982. He rejoined the group 10 years later for an album called "Dehumanizer", and again teamed with the group under the HEAVEN & HELL banner in 2006. HEAVEN & HELL released an album called "The Devil You Know" in 2009.

Ronnie passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Former VENOM and VENOM INC. drummer Abaddon (real name: Anthony Bray) says that he is "doing all right" in his battle with lymphoma.

The 62-year-old musician, who revived his ABADDON project in 2018, discussed his health in a new video in which he answers fan-submitted questions.

Regarding where he stands in his fight against the blood cancer, Bray said: "The treatments and whatever I've gone through have all been pretty well successful so far. I've got a final scan — well, I hope it's a final scan — coming up soon, and we'll find out if we have to take it any further or if that's it.

"The type of cancer it is, it's likely to come back because it's blood related. But I know what I'm facing now," he explained. "So bollocks to it, basically."

"There are a lot of people in a lot worse positions, so I'm doing all right. I've gotta get back to where I build the strength back with a bit of exercising. But I'm very happy with it," he said. "I couldn't have better support and help from everybody, to be fair, as well as, obviously, the doctors and nurses and whatnot, but everybody who's been online and sent me messages and this sort of thing. It couldn't be better."

Bray previously said that his cancer journey began after he noticed a mass growing on the side of his neck in July 2022.

"I thought it was maybe an insect bite as I live near the sea and it was a hot month here," he shared in a Facebook post. "The mass grew bigger and, urged by my wife Rachel, I went to see my [general practicioner] who reassured me that it was most likely not cancer because cancerous lumps don't come up over night usually, rather they take a longer time to grow."

Although Bray's doctor was initially not too concerned, he still referred the drummer to see a specialist.

"He did some tests then sent me straight away for a biopsy, I had three samples taken and then went back to see my specialist who said that sadly it was lymphoma a cancer of the blood," Bray wrote. "He sent me immediately for a CT scan and an MRI scan which showed that I also had cancer in my bowel and lower intestinal tract."

Abaddon was part of VENOM's classic lineup from 1978 to 1992. He then returned to the band in 1995 and stayed with them for four years before joining VENOM INC. alongside fellow former VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn and Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan. VENOM INC. released its debut album, "Avé", in August 2017. A year later, VENOM INC. revealed that it was recruiting Jeramie Kling of the Tampa-based melodic death metal band THE ABSENCE to fill in for Bray on a European tour while Abaddon stayed home to spend time with his newborn daughter. VENOM INC. has since completed several tours with Kling and released a second album, "There's Only Black", without making any announcements about Bray's possible return to the group.

Dunn, Bray and Dolan released three albums as VENOM between 1989 and 1992 — "Prime Evil" (1989),"Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992).

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

ABADDON released its latest EP, "All That Remains", in May 2022.

Any Given Sin and Mascot Records / Mascot Label Group present a second recording in front of the band’s debut studio album release coming later this year. Screen the music video for “Calm Before The Storm” below.


Produced by Chris Dawson, keyboards augment the verses with cinematic scope as guitars power up an undeniable chant, “I’m making no apologies.”  “It’s a song about perseverance,” says the front man Victor Ritchie. “You’re standing up to whatever’s in front of you.” Guitarist Mike Conner adds, “You’re not just surviving a traumatic experience though - You’re also becoming stronger because of it.”







The first reveal, “Still Sinking”, has been streamed more than 3.5 million times since its premiere in July, 2022. The video has been viewed over 108,000 times and can be viewed below:





Inner struggle incites outward expression. Any Given Sin transfigure conflict into caustic and catchy hard rock punctuated by metallic intensity and alternative intimacy. The Maryland quartet - Victor Ritchie [vocals], Mike Conner [guitar], Rich Stevenson [bass], and Mike Showalter [drums] - encase these unrestrained emotions inside arena-size anthems with bold hooks and bludgeoning riffs. Amassing nearly 20 million streams to date, buzzing at radio, and building a devout fan base, the group perfect this pummelling and powerful style on their forthcoming Mascot Records debut coming later in 2023.


Over the years, the band’s grind yielded major traction as they tirelessly wrote, recorded, and honed a signature sound. In 2021, “Another Life” generated north of 5.2 million Spotify streams followed by “Dynamite” with 4.5 million Spotify streams. “Dynamite” and “Insidious” both cracked the Top 40 at Active Rock radio in addition to catapulting to #1 on SiriusXM, overtaking the fan-powered “Big ‘Uns Countdown.” By sharing their trials, tribulations, and triumphs, Any Given Sin ultimately offer a communal catharsis for fans to partake in. “When you listen to us, we hope you feel like you’re not alone,” Ritchie leaves off. “No matter what you’re dealing with, the music shows is a reminder that someone hears you.”  “A lot of it may sound dark and depressing, but there’s a positive message,” Conner concludes. “Keep going.”


Any Given Sin will appear on the Spring Mayhem Tour with Saliva and Through Fire from March 17 through April 5. Confirmed appearances are listed below.


March
17 - Amelia Island, FL - Saddler Ranch
18 - Orlando, FL - The Beacham Theatre
20 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
21 - Pittsburgh, PA - Jergel’s
23 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Piere's
24 - Wyandotte, MI - District 142
25 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
26 - McHenry, IL - The Vixen
27 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly’s
29 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studios
30 - Fort Collins, CO - The Coast
31 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl


April
2 - Phoenix, AZ - Marquee Theatre
5 - Oklahoma City, OK - Beer City Music Hall

Tommy Lee has shared a video from inside MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD's shared chartered plane that the two bands are using on their "The World Tour".

The CRÜE drummer posted the clip on Wednesday (March 1) and captioned it: "Y'all wanted to see the inside of DefCrüe! So small and shitty huh!?! Braaaaaaaaaaap!"

After selling more than 1.3 million tickets on their 2022 North American stadium tour, DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE are going global in 2023 with "The World Tour", along with special guest Alice Cooper.

Produced by Live Nation, the U.S. leg of the world tour kicks off on August 5 in Syracuse, New York.

Last month, MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD played two shows at the 7,000-capacity Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Atlantic City gigs marked MÖTLEY CRÜE's first U.S. live appearances since the announcement that founding guitarist Mick Mars would no longer tour with the legendary rock act. He is being replaced on the road by former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5.

The 71-year-old Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

In his statement, Mick said that he had decided to step back from live shows due to his "ongoing painful struggle" with ankylosing spondylitis and while he will continue to be a member of the band, he cannot "handle the rigors" of touring life.

Last year, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx told Entertainment Tonight that he was initially opposed to the idea of touring again with the band, especially since CRÜE fans who shelled out for the group's 2014/2015 "farewell" tour were led to believe that the band would never return after playing its final show on December 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The group touted the signing of a pre-tour "cessation of touring" agreement as cementing the fact it truly was the end of CRÜE's life on the road.

In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Sixx said "the most important thing about a farewell tour is that the band doesn't lie to the fans, and the band doesn't tour and then come back years later. That's what's important for us, planning what's the right time to go out."

In a new interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, bassist Frédéric Leclercq reflected on his departure from DRAGONFORCE. Leclercq, who became an official member of DRAGONFORCE in 2006, played his last show with the band in August 2019 in Hamburg, Germany. Frédéric said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I left DRAGONFORCE to join KREATOR. I wasn't happy with the direction [DRAGONFORCE] was taking. I was not happy, and there was no point in me being unhappy and arguing all the time with them. And I got the offer from KREATOR, and it was, like, 'This is perfect.' I must have a good star or an angel or a demon or something, because that was right at the time that I was, like, 'Okay, the [new DRAGONFORCE] album is gonna come out, and I'm gonna go on tour and I'm gonna be very unhappy. But I don't have anything else.' And life is life. You need to pay your bills. But then I got a phone call from Mille [Petrozza, KREATOR mainman], and it was, like, 'This is great. Ciao DRAGONFORCE. Ola KREATOR.'"

Frédéric's final collaboration with DRAGONFORCE was the band's eighth full-length album, "Extreme Power Metal", which came out in September 2019.

KREATOR played its first show with Leclercq in October 2019 in Santiago, Chile.

Last summer, Petrozza told Australia's Metal Roos about Leclercq's addition to KREATOR: "Frédéric is a total pro. He's really, really focused. He's probably the best musician in the band, with Sami [Yli-Sirniö, guitar]. Those two are real classically trained musicians. He knows everything about harmonies. He's an excellent guitar player [as well]. So it was a huge help on all levels to have him in the camp and have him be a part of the band. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made, bringing him into the band, because he's also a very nice guy to be around and he's been a friend of the band for many years now. It's a lot of positive energy that he brings into the band, a lot of joy for music. He has a great sense of humor, which is essential."

Asked if Leclercq contributed to the songwriting process for KREATOR's fifteenth studio album, "Hate Über Alles", which was released last June via Nuclear Blast, Mille said: "Most songs were written, but we worked on the song 'Dying Planet' together. And also, of course, he helped me arrange some of the songs. He's a part of the team. And he also produced the demos, really. When we were in the studio doing the band rehearsals, he did the demo recordings, and they sounded great already."

Mille went on to reiterate the importance of maintaining interpersonal harmony when choosing new members for a band.

"You really have to pick the right person," he said. "A band is like a marriage with four people. And if you pick the wrong person, it can ruin the vibe in the band and it can ruin everything, really. And so I'm really happy that we found Fred. Like I said, he's been a friend and I knew that he was looking for a new challenge. There was no such thing as auditioning new bass players. I just called Fred and asked him if he wants to join, and that was it."

Reactivated Michigan hard rock outfit TAPROOT will release its seventh studio album, "SC\SSRS", on September 29 via THC MUSIC/Amplified Distribution. The follow-up to 2012's "The Episodes" was produced by guitarist/vocalist Stephen Richards at The Loft in Saline, Michigan.

"SC\SSRS" is the musical brainchild of Richards, who recorded and wrote the album over the last decade, first as material for a new TAPROOT release, then with the intention of a solo effort, before coming full circle back to TAPROOT.

Says Richards: "I had written most of this record to be the next TAPROOT release years ago, following 'The Episodes', when some health and other issues arose, we decided to take a break that turned into a longer than anticipated hiatus. After my mother's passing, I decided I needed to record these songs and share them with friends and fans that were interested in hearing what was next. I've spent the last six years doing as much as I could around my personal life to make it happen, and after all of the hard work, the other guys jumped behind me to support and we decided to get it out there and release what is the new TAPROOT record 'SC\SSRS'."

Bassist Phil Lipscomb adds: "Steve had all these great songs recorded that he'd originally written for the next TAPROOT record that he was planning to just release independently as part of his solo project, but we started talking, and I encouraged him that we should just do it as a TAPROOT record and pay it the respect that it deserves. And that's exactly what we did."

TAPROOT has also welcomed new guitarist Taylor Roberts, and the return of original drummer Jarrod Montague, who will join the band for select upcoming shows (with all other shows featuring longtime drummer Dave Coughlin of SPONGE) including the "reunion" appearance at Blue Ridge Rock Fest in September, and the "SC\SSRS" album-release party, which will mark the band's first club show in six years, on September 29 at The Machine Shop, in Flint, Michigan.

TAPROOT also recently announced the release of "Best Of Besides", a 17-track collection of remastered demos and rarities, mastered by Richard Easterling (TANTRIC, ZEN FROM MARS),in stores and digital May 5.

TAPROOT formed in 1997 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and went on to sign to Atlantic Records, releasing their Ulrich Wild-produced (STATIC-X, PANTERA, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE) debut album "Gift" in 2000, followed by extensive touring including appearances on Ozzfest 2000 and 2001, and tours with DEFTONES, INCUBUS, PAPA ROACH, SLIPKNOT, MUDVAYNE, DISTURBED and LINKIN PARK.

TAPROOT's sophomore release, "Welcome", their first pairing with legendary producer Toby Wright (ALICE IN CHAINS, METALLICA, KORN, PRIMUS) which Rolling Stone called "a self-preserving transition from new metal to art metal," went on to sell over 500,000 copies and spawn the hit rock singles "Poem", which peaked at No. 5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and "Mine", helping propel "Welcome" to over 50 million digital streams. The band continued heavy touring with ALIEN ANT FARM, CHEVELLE, joining DISTURBED on the "Music As A Weapon" tour, and LINKIN PARK. Richards also appeared on the track "P5hng Me A*wy" on LINKIN PARK's 2002 remix album "Reanimation".

2005 saw the release of "Blue-Sky Research", also helmed by Wright, the band's final release for Atlantic, which spawned the hit radio single "Calling", co-written with FAR vocalist Jonah Matranga, and saw the band collaborate with Billy Corgan (SMASHING PUMPKINS),Nick Hexum (311) and Stephen Carpenter (DEFTONES),with heavy touring again, with the likes of CHEVELLE, STAIND, P.O.D. and FLYLEAF.

TAPROOT released several more full-length studio albums, including 2008's "Our Long Road Home" (Velvet Hammer),2010's "Plead The Fifth" (Victory),with the single "Fractured (Everything I Said Was True)" reaching the top 20 on the Active Rock chart, and 2012's "The Episodes", while continuing to tour consistently through 2013, when the band went on an indefinite hiatus, returning only to play a sporadic handful of local Michigan shows, before reforming officially this year.