British guitar sensation, Sophie Lloyd, has released another shred video, this time taking on Avemnged Sevenfold's "Hail To The King". Check it out below.





Sophie recently released the new single, "Fall Of Man", featuring Trivium frontman, Matthew K. Heafy. Listen to the single on streaming platforms here, and below.







Sophie tells Louder Sound, “Working with Matthew K. Heafy has been a dream come true! Trivium have been one of my favourite bands since I was a kid, I used to dye my own Trivium t-shirts and wear them everyday.”


“Sophie Lloyd is an immensely talented force of a musician and songwriter,” adds  Heafy. “I recall first seeing Sophie’s guitar playing online and being truly blown away - so having been a fan of Sophie’s for several years, I was honoured when asked to guest on an upcoming track. When I learned that Trivium had been a long-time favourite band of Sophie’s - I was humbled and appreciative.”


“My co-writer/drummer Christopher Painter and I had a lot of fun experimenting with different time signatures and using some scales that I don’t traditionally use," Lloyd explains of the song itself. “Also, Matt writing and recording the song on Twitch was really cool as we got real-time feedback from fans on what they want to hear. He really elevated the song into a metal masterpiece and I’m so excited for people to hear it!”

Nuclear Blast Records has announced the signing of progressive-metal juggernauts Stellar Circuits. Recruited by A&R legend Monte Conner, the Winston-Salem, North Carolinians join the ranks of the world's biggest metal label with plans to release their eagerly awaited sophomore album later this year. 


Commenting on the signing, the band states: 


"We’ve always been such big fans of Nuclear Blast and the bands they’ve worked with over the years. It’s an honor and a privilege to be welcomed into the NB family like we have. This partnership marks the beginning of a new era of Stellar Circuits and we couldn’t be more excited.”




Combining the progressive artistry of innovators like Tool and the powerful ferocity similar to that of Gojira, Stellar Circuits recent upward trajectory is no surprise. Amassing millions of Spotify plays on their own, the band has developed a worldwide cult following with their distinctive prog sound that weaves in and out of metal sub-genres, providing a dynamic yet fully accessible listening experience as heard on previously released singles like "Go With Your Ghost," "Penny Dreadful" and "Skylights."


Details of their impending second, full-length album will be revealed in the weeks to come.

NWOBHM veterans White Spirit have released a video for the instrumental version of “Rock ‘N’ Roll”. This version of the track is available on the Japanese release of their Right Or Wrong album.





Since the release of Right Or Wrong, the band has been preparing for live shows since the release of Right Or Wrong in July 2022.







Says White Spirit: "We had been asked to play at many venues throughout Europe and the UK as well as South America/Japan/Australia and the US since the album release in July, but decided to continue writing the next album due out in November 2023 before heading out on the road again. This week we can announce the answers to all of those questions.


"The answer to the first and second questions are we will make our first live appearance for 43 years in May 2023 in the UK. Details will be announced shortly in line with our contracts. But we can say: The Boys are Back in Town!


"The lineup of the band has been a matter of great discussion due to the artists involved on the album, but this is the preferred lineup for 2023.


Vocals - Alexx Stahl
Keyboards - Mal Pearson
Guitars - Mick Tucker
Guitars - Mick McCrystal
Bass - Barend Courbois
Drums - Russell Gilbrook
Backing vocals - Linzi Hunter, Jackie Fox, Ian (Gillie) Gillson


"We would like to thank Uriah Heep & Michael Schenker for the services of both guys for touring and recording as well as Mr Thomas Broman on drums who will be touring with us later in the year, having just recorded the the 4-track EP for us in Sweden, produced by White Spirit and Pontus Norgren, due for release around April /May 2023.


"Check out the here for all videos, news and information about the band including shows as they are announced."

Platinum-certified Los Angeles quintet, Hollywood Undead will release the deluxe version of their eighth studio album Hotel Kalifornia on April 28 in both digital and vinyl formats. 


The vinyl deluxe will feature five new tracks including “Evil,” which the band is excited to share today. The digital deluxe version will also feature an exclusive bonus track “House of Mirrors” featuring multi-genre sensation Jelly Roll.


Hotel Kalifornia, originally released in 2022, represents “a juxtaposition between the ‘haves’ and the ’have-nots,’ highlighting the ongoing homelessness and cost of living crisis that is affecting the band’s home state of California.” Hotel Kalifornia saw placements on genre playlists such as Spotify’s Rock Hard, Hard Rock & Rock Rotation, Apple Music’s Breaking Hard Rock & New in Rock, and Top 40 placement at US Rock & Active Rock Radio with the standout single “City Of The Dead.”




Hollywood Undead is currently wrapping up the Rockzilla Part 2 Tour with Papa Roach and Falling In Reverse. The band will make several festival appearances throughout the spring and summer worldwide with Bamboozle Festival, and international festivals including Rock Im Park, Rock Am Ring, Nova Rock, Hellfest, and more. Find tickets and tour info at hollywoodundead.com.





Tracklisting:


“CHOAS”
“World War Me”
“Ruin My Life”
“Hourglass”
“Go To War”
“Alone At The Top”
“Wild In These Streets”
“Dangerous”
“Lion Eyes”
“Trap God”
“Happy When I Die”
“Reclaim”
“City Of The Dead”
“Alright”
“Evil”
“Salvation”
“First Class Suicide”
“Ransom”
“Break On Through”
“House Of Mirrors” (feat. Jelly Roll) (Digital Deluxe only)


“Evil” video:

The world's favorite hard rock monsters, Lordi, are set to add the next chapter to their spooky history. They will release their eighteenth studio album, Screem Writers Guild, on March 31 via their new label home, Atomic Fire Records.


"Thing In The Cage" is the second digital single release from the album. The production of the lyric video below was once again in the hands of the band's head Mr. Lordi himself.


Mr. Lordi comments: "In the making of this song we were guided by old sideshows or freak shows. Arranged a little differently, it could have passed musically as a disco hit and I think that it is still such at its core, only its hard rock production gives it a Lordi-typical garb. The bass track of the track, on the other hand, definitely keeps the disco vibe alive. We have never looked very deeply into the creation of our costumes and masks, which is why the accompanying lyric video is something special, as it lets the fans look behind the scenes of that process. Even if the video itself does not seem to be particularly spectacular, it is quite capable of showing how we mutate into such eerily beautiful figures time and time again."




Stream / get "Thing In The Cage" via digital platforms found here.





Screem Writers Guild was produced by Mr. Lordi with Mana and Janne Halmkrona as executive producers. Ilkka Herkman took care of mixing and Pauli Saastamoinen mastered the record. The artwork was also designed by Mr. Lordi himself who has made a name as director for the band's vision since the early '90s.


Screem Writers Guild will be available in the following formats:


- Limited Collector's Box Set - Includes alternative cover artwork, digipak CD, 2xLP in gatefold, exclusive Live At Masters Of Rock DVD featuring five live songs, five band member portrait art prints plus Lordi notebook.


The box set will be available in three color variants:


- Red/Black Splatter vinyl @ Atomic Fire Records Mailorder
- Green Marbled vinyl @ EMP
- Purple/Black Marbled vinyl @ Atomic Fire Records US Mailorder, Nuclear Blast, and Levykauppa Äx


Other configurations:


- digipak CD
- 2xLP gatefold (Transparent/Blue Marbled)
- 2xLP gatefold (Red/Black Splatter; only available in Europe)
- 2xLP gatefold (Green Marbled; only available @ EMP)
- 2xLP gatefold (Purple/Black Marbled; only available @ Atomic Fire Records US Mailorder, Nuclear Blast, and Levykauppa Äx)
- digital


Pre-order the album, pre-save it on your favorite DSP, or pre-order it digitally to receive “Lucyfer Prime Evil” immediately, here.





Tracklisting:


"Dead Again Jayne"
"SCG XVIII: Nosferuiz Horror Show"
"Unliving Picture Show"
"Inhumanoid"
"Thing In The Cage"
"Vampyro Fang Club"
"The Bride"
"Lucyfer Prime Evil"
"Scarecrow"
"Lycantropical Island"
"In The Castle Of Dracoolove"
"The SCG Awards"
"Heavengeance"
"End Credits"


"Lucyfer Prime Evil" lyric video:





Lordi lineup:


Mr. Lordi - vocals
Kone - guitars
Hiisi - bass
Hella - keyboard
Mana – drums


(Photo - Eero Kokko)

Helsinki’s longest serving gothic rock vampires, The 69 Eyes, arise from their crypt announcing their new studio album, titled Death Of Darkness. The record will see the light of the day on April 21 via Atomic Fire Records worldwide, excluding Finland where it will be released by Vallila Music House. Physical versions will be available in the US on May 5.


Comments The 69 Eyes’ frontman Jyrki 69, “We started to make this album single by single, releasing first singles then an EP and now eventually the whole album. The method kept everything fresh and us on our toes while recording and writing new music. Our main aim was to get The 69 Eyes back to the Finland’s airwaves. Our music is still on the radio but over fifteen-year-old classics. How about new ones? The first single, ‘Drive,’ made this happen and we hit the jackpot here in Finland by being a part of Sing meinen Song - Das Tauschkonzert mainstream TV music show format! Now The 69 Eyes are back in the spotlight and Finland’s top rock band is playing sold-out shows.”


Check out the official video for the title track below.




Jyrki 69: "'Death Of Darkness' is about the love that leads us back into the light time and time again. It's that simple. The song sounds like we wrote it 25 years ago, kind of melancholic gothic rock from 2001."





Death Of Darkness was recorded and produced by Erno Laitinen at Inkfish Studios in Helsinki. Miles Walker took care of the mixing at Westside Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia alongside with Erno Laitinen while mastering duties were handled by Tom Baker. The artwork was created by the UK artist Adrian Baxter (Paradise Lost, The Halo Effect, Mayhem, Schammasch).


Death Of Darkness will be available in the following the formats:


- Digipak CD
- Blue-Clear vinyl
- Blood Red Marbled vinyl
- Digital


Pre-order the album in the physical format of your choice or pre-save it on your favorite DSP, here.





Death Of Darkness tracklisting:


"Death Of Darkness"
"Drive"
"Gotta Rock"
"This Murder Takes Two" feat. Kat Von D
"California"
"Call Me Snake"
"Dying In The Night"
"Something Real"
"Sundown"
"Outlaws"


"Gotta Rock":





"Drive" video:





Recently The 69 Eyes announced their upcoming Gotta Rock tour dates through Europe and the US. See all confirmed dates below.











The 69 Eyes lineup:


Jyrki 69 - vocals
Bazie - guitars
Timo Timo - guitars
Archzie - bass
Jussi 69 - drums


(Photo - Marek Sabogal)

QUEEN guitarist Brian May has once again opened the door to the possibility of a sequel to the band's biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Released in November 2018, "Bohemian Rhapsody" has become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, bringing in more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It was also No. 1 biggest-selling film of 2019 on home release.

Speaking to Daily Star about a possible sequel, May said: "We've been talking about it. I felt proud of it and the people who played us were just phenomenal.

"It's so tempting to do the sequel. It would be worth it just to work with those boys again.

"'Bohemian Rhapsody' climaxed in Live Aid and I suppose implicitly Freddie [Mercury, late QUEEN singer] starting to deal with his AIDS, but an awful lot happened between the end of the film to the end of the glory days of QUEEN.

"I loved the fact we were able to do it for Freddie. That really means a lot and I felt we did it in the right way, and in the right spirit. Of course we were represented in the movie because we were a group, but it was really all about Freddie, and I think we did him good."

May previously touched upon a possible "Bohemian Rhapsody" sequel in an August 2021 Instagram Live video. At the time, he said: "We are looking at it. Yeah, we have been looking at ideas."

He added: "It's going to be hard to follow that one as none of us could have predicted how massive that was going to be. We put a lot of heart and soul into making it and no one could have predicted [its success] as it was bigger than 'Gone With The Wind'. But yes, we are thinking maybe it could happen, but it would have to be a great script. It's going to take a while to figure that out."

In July 2020, QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor said that a "Bohemian Rhapsody" sequel was unlikely. "I really do think that we need to sit back for a year or two and look at things and see if that is a believable or credible thing to do," he told Rolling Stone. "The movie was a great hit. We were delighted, obviously. But I think I wouldn't want to be seen as cashing in again. I'd have to have a very, very good script and scenario to make that work. Right now, I can't think of a way of doing a sequel."

He continued: "If somebody comes up with a genius plan, maybe we'll think about it. [Laughs] Right now, we're just very happy with what the movie did. There are so many sequels that don't match up to the original one. There are obvious ones that did, but on the whole, I think it's a dangerous territory."

Roger went on to say that he was surprised by the success of the movie.

"It was extraordinary," he said. "There was the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs and then the Oscars! We thought, 'Hey, we'll take it!' It was a great ride, but it wasn't our world. Our world is the rock and roll world. It was fascinating and very interesting to be involved. When the movie got four Oscars, it took a while for that to sink in. Mind you, they didn't give Brian [May, guitar] and me any. That's okay, though."

In early 2020, May also ruled out a follow-up film, telling Rolling Stone: "Don't think we didn't think about it. We've talked. Basically, we think not, at the moment. Things could change, I suppose, but I think it would be difficult."

According to May, part of the challenge in making another movie is that it would likely focus on Mercury's battle with AIDS, with which he was diagnosed in 1987. Mercury battled the disease in private, telling only a select few close friends in the years which followed. He died in November 1991.

"I don't think that would be an uplifting thing to do," May told Rolling Stone. "I'm not saying it's impossible because there is a great story there, but we don't feel that's the story we want to tell at the moment."

QUEEN's six-song performance at Live Aid serves as the triumphant finale for "Bohemian Rhapsody", starring Rami Malek as Mercury. But the movie left out a ton of the actual Mercury story, as May acknowledged during his Rolling Stone interview.

"There's a million things in our career which you couldn't show in a movie since the movie had to be so simplified to make it watchable," the guitarist said. "But we don't really think there's another movie there. That's the long and the short of it. I think we should look somewhere else. There are other ideas that we had, but I don't think a sequel will happen. But we have looked at it pretty seriously."

Despite poor reviews and a problematic director (original director Bryan Singer was replaced by Dexter Fletcher during shooting),"Bohemian Rhapsody" came out of the gate a massive hit and has since dethroned "Straight Outta Compton" to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time.

In the film, Mercury's AIDS diagnosis comes earlier than it did it real life; before the Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium, when, in reality, Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987.

Regarding any changes to the timeline of what actually happened in real life, Taylor told Mojo magazine: "The important thing is it did happen. We're not telling lies. The chronology doesn't really matter."

Earlier today (Wednesday, March 1),MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren spoke to Stefan Nilsson of Roppongi Rocks about the band's reunion two days earlier with ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman 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".

Asked what the experience of playing with Marty was like, Dirk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, very unique and very crazy. Marty was such a sweetheart, and it seems like he just hasn't changed at all in the years that have ensued after he left MEGADETH. It was super natural for him to come back and play with us. He still has the Marty sound, and it was just wonderful to witness and to be a part of that. And then the excitement of the fans. You could feel the roar before the 'Tornado Of Souls' guitar lead, for example, and that was just cool to see. It was a really nice vibe. And Dave and Marty exchanging memories, that was just wonderful. So, yeah, it was fun and a night I won't forget anytime soon."

Earlier this week, Marty told Consequence that sharing the stage with Mustaine again "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."

Verbeuren recently teamed up with Roppongi Rocks in Japan to launch a collectable limited-edition drum key for the Japanese market.

The limited-edition drum key features a red radiation sign as well as the MEGADETH logo and Dirk Verbeuren's name. The back of the key features an illustration of Vic Rattlehead, the legendary MEGADETH mascot.

Roppongi Rocks is Japan's international online magazine for rock music. The Roppongi Rocks brand also includes an online rock shop and a showroom in Tokyo.

For more information, visit www.roppongirocks.com.

On the latest episode of SiriusXM's "Ozzy Speaks", Ozzy Osbourne sat down with co-host Billy Morrison and gave an update on his touring status. He said: "Well, I've been working my guts out to try and get back on my feet. I've come to the point where Sharon [Ozzy's wife and manager] says to me, 'You know what? The truth of the matter is you can't keep booking tours and failing, canceling. So, if I can ever get back to where I can tour again, fine. But right now, if you said to me, 'Can you go on the road in a month?' I couldn't say yes. I mean, if I could tour, I'd tour. But right now I can't book tours because right now I don't think I could pull them off."

Osbourne also commented on the fact that some of the media outlets reported that he was retiring from the road after he released a statement earlier this month in which he said that he would have to cancel his tour because of a spinal injury he suffered four years ago and other health problems.

"The fucking press drive you nuts," Ozzy said. "I mean, I looked in the magazine, 'Ozzy's on his last legs.' I'm fucking not dying… Come on, guys. Haven't I've had it bad enough already? If I get okay today, if the doctor said to me today, 'Oh, you can tour, it would take another six months to get it together, you know?"

Osbourne also touched upon his ongoing health issues, saying: "You've got no idea. You got no idea what my… I feel like a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest. The only thing I've got that keeps me going is making records. But I can't do that forever. I gotta get out there… [I'm] still in constant pain. I do to the best I can to stay away from the pain medication, but there are times when I go, 'You know, I've gotta take something.' I mean, last week I couldn't… I've been sleeping great, and all of a sudden for two back-to-back nights. I never slept a wink. If you're gonna torture me, just keep me awake for a couple of days. I'll tell you whatever the fuck you want me to say."

"Ozzy Speaks" airs monthly on SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard, Ozzy's exclusive SiriusXM channel. The newest episode airs today at 5:00 p.m. EST and will be available on the SiriusXM app.

Osbourne was due to embark on a tour of Europe later this year, but in the aforementioned statement said that he has "come to the realization that I'm not physically capable … as I know I couldn't deal with the travel required.

"This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to share with my loyal fans," the 74-year-old musician continued in his statement. "As you may all know, four years ago this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine. My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage. My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) treatment, my body is still physically weak.

"Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really FUCKS ME UP, more than you will ever know," he wrote. "Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way."

In the statement, Osbourne added that he was looking into "ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country", and thanked his fans for "their endless dedication, loyalty and support, and for giving me the life that I never ever dreamed I would have".

Osbourne's previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, was officially canceled in early February. The trek was scheduled to begin in Helsinki, Finland, on May 3, and include gigs in Nottingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin and London, before finishing in his original hometown of Birmingham on June 14.

Ozzy has had extensive spinal surgery and other treatment over the past four years, after a fall at home in 2019 aggravated injuries he suffered in a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003. But despite his health problems, Osbourne has performed a couple of times in recent months, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last August and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game last September.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera was asked which METALLICA song he would like to cover if he had a chance. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I would love [to do] 'Ride The Lightning', the title track [of METALLICA's second album]. It's a sick song. The riff is sick. The lyrics are sick. 'Flash before my eyes, now it's time to die.' It's, like, 'Aaarrrgh.' So good."

Max went on to say that he cut his hair for a copy of "Ride The Lightning" when he was "a kid in Brazil." He explained: "I had a cousin that was trying to make me go to the straight and narrow. He was, like, 'You've gotta cut that long hair. I'll give you whatever you want. I'll buy you an imported record.' And I was, like, 'The hair will grow back again.' So I shaved it. I shaved my head. That copy of "Ride The Lightning' was worth it. It's a record that's worth shaving your hair for.

"I love that record," Max continued. "I love the old-school stuff. And if I ever have a chance, that's a great song to do a cover song… It's a sick song. I love it, man. I love it. It's so heavy.

"METALLICA rules. What can you say?" Cavalera added. "It's a great band. I'm so happy that they're still going strong."

Less than two years ago, Max told RadioactiveMike Z that METALLICA "was a big influence on the early SEPULTURA records. You can hear the '…And Justice For All', 'Garage Days' influence."

Cavalera also said that he was very fond of METALLICA's 1991 self-titled album, despite some fans' dissatisfaction over the LP's more streamlined musical direction.

"I remember when I first heard the 'Black Album.' The first thing that jumps out is the production — it's an amazing, well-produced record," Max said. "There's really amazing songs in it. It's a controversial record for a lot of people, but I love it, man. I think there's some great songs in it. It's a bit different from the early stuff, but that's part of life. All of us musicians, we have to understand it's part of growth when bands do that. And I think they did it in a really killer way."

Back in 2005, Max was more critical of METALLICA's musical evolution, telling Movie Poop Shoot: "I think METALLICA, I feel that they were really on this path, like, maybe to be the most ultimate, unbelievable metal rock band, and for some reason they went the other way, you know. And I don't know. I can't answer why, but I know the lyrics stopped making as much sense. I don't know, maybe it's money. Money can do a lot of things like that. Who knows what went on their path but it is not the same band. It's kind of a bummer because I really liked them a lot and I thought they were, since, fucking BLACK SABBATH, there's nothing like that, with that level of attitude and intelligence in lyrics. James Hetfield wrote the most amazing lyrics in metal ever. But it's cool, as long as they're happy with it."

Asked if he thought the METALLICA members themselves were happy with it, Max responded at the time: "Uh, I don't think so. I don't think so. It's just like, I think once you make things like that, albums like that, you have to continue to make those kinds of records or you get depressed, so it's like once you did 'Ride The Lightning' and 'Master Of Puppets', you have to keep up, you know… I think a lot of people wanted them to be more like what they used to be, because they were revolutionary. Once you stop being like that, you know like 'Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire', that's HATEBREED's album's name, it's great. I think that's kind of what happened to METALLICA. Maybe they fulfilled all their goals and where do you go from there? And on one end it sucks, but sometimes I put myself in their position, and it's even maybe more sad to act like you're still that thing, that kind of guy with the huge, fat bank account. That's even more pathetic."

Jagger Shaddix, the 18-year-old son of PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix, joined his father and his bandmates on stage during their February 22 concert at Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado to perform the song "Dead Cell". You can watch video of his appearance below.

The Colorado Springs show was part of PAPA ROACH's "Rockzilla" tour with co-headliners FALLING IN REVERSE, special guests HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and openers ESCAPE THE FATE.

PAPA ROACH recently announced the digital deluxe edition of the band's eleventh studio album "Ego Trip", and the long-awaited release date of "Ego Trip" standard edition on vinyl. The 20-track digital deluxe release features remixed versions of songs from the original record, as well as new music.

An album that sprouted almost by mistake in the throes of a global lockdown, "Ego Trip"'s seeds were planted when the quartet entered a COVID-secure mansion in Temecula, California in the summer of 2020. What started as an escape and an exercise in keeping the creative juices flowing, in a world that had completely ground to a halt, quickly grew into something bigger.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music, who in 2020 celebrated the 20th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest".

PAPA ROACH bassist Tobin Esperance recently told Albuquerque Journal about his band's longevity: "I'm always amazed at how we have went through all the different phases and eras. We remained true to ourselves. The music industry has changed so much. We used to perform in record stores and then spend time putting up fliers to promote the band. It's been a journey.

"I never dreamed of it being this big or lasting this long," he added. "I was a dreamer and knew I was going to be a musician in a band. We're still enjoying ourselves and challenging ourselves with each step."

"We know each other's strengths and weaknesses," he said. "We have a chemistry together that is greater than the sum of all its parts. We're also an independent band now and we can release music the way that we want to. We're in a great position to keep writing the chapters in our life."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Papa Roach (@paparoach)

STAIND has completed work on its long-awaited new studio album. The band's frontman Aaron Lewis offered an update on the LP's recording progress during his February 24 solo concert in Mount Vernon, Kentucky. Before launching into his song "I Ain't Made In China", the 50-year-old guitarist/vocalist told the crowd: "I just finished a new STAIND record. And I just finished my new solo record. How I found the time to do it, I'm not really sure. I guess I'll sleep when I'm dead."

This past December, STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok told the Loaded Radio podcast about the musical direction of the group's new material: "It's a little bit more modernized, I think. I think that was something we kind of wanted to do. There's a little bit more of an electronic element on there, which is something new for us, but I feel like everybody is kind of doing that. But I think it's cool. It's not overused. I think the songs are really good. I'm really happy with it. I can't wait for people to hear it."

Mushok also talked about his working relationship with Lewis, saying: "We've been doing it for a long time. It's great to be back and doing that… I think that we definitely respect each other. It's kind of always been that. I think that STAIND's really kind of been… For the most part, I bring some music in and he decides what he likes and what he wants to write to, and we kind of take it from there. That being said, he's come in, obviously, with some amazing songs as well. So it's been a really good writing partnership, I feel."

Last September, Mushok told Atlantic City Weekly that both he and Lewis will continue to pursue other projects — Mushok with SAINT ASONIA, the band he co-founded in 2015 with former THREE DAYS GRACE singer Adam Gontier, and Lewis with his country solo career — alongside their long-running outfit.

"Aaron's built up a great following and great career that he'll fully pursue," Mushok said. "If we can do some STAIND shows in there, it would be great. If we can find a week here or there or maybe a tour every now and then, I'd be cool with that. Like we are looking to do a [STAIND] record, so we'll see how much we do to promote that. Honestly, I'm kind of taking it as it comes, one day at a time. It's hard to plan, you know what I mean. Who would have thought the world would shut down? So you've got to take it as it comes."

In 2021, STAIND supported KORN on a U.S. run of dates.

In June 2021, Mushok told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that he and his bandmates were working on their first studio album since 2011's self-titled effort. "There's a bunch of [new] songs kicking around," he said. "It's just kind of [a matter of] sorting through that stuff and seeing what, if anything, we like, and figuring out… I imagine, having not put out a real record of new music in 10 years, we're gonna be pretty critical of what it is and wanna make sure that it's great."

In March 2021, Lewis told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he "would certainly love to" have the new STAIND album released in the not-too-distant future. "All of our plans that were kind of semi on the books and on the table, everything just had a year taken off of it [due to the pandemic]," he said at the time. "We were gonna have a record come out sometime in 2020 or certainly in 2021, and there was a schedule that was on the table that, just like everything else, got burned to the ground as soon as [the lockdown] started."

STAIND has released seven albums since 1995, the latest being 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

STAIND released its first album in nine years, "Live: It's Been Awhile", in May 2021 via Yap'em/Alchemy Recordings. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album was accompanied by "The Return Of Staind", a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents. The series launched with STAIND's "Live: It's Been Awhile (From Foxwoods)" concert, which streamed globally on May 1, 2021. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album and concert were recorded at the band's comeback show at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut in October 2019. The never-before-seen concert celebrated the band's reunion after a five-year hiatus. STAIND also performed its iconic multi-platinum 2001 album "Break The Cycle" in its entirety for a May 8, 2021 streaming event, exactly 20 years after the album's release. The "20th Anniversary Of Break The Cycle, Performed In Its Entirety" took place at Mill 1 in Open Square in Holyoke, Massachusetts, bringing the band back to their Western Mass roots.

STAIND played its first full live show in five years in September 2019 at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

KREATOR was joined by German-French singer Sofia Portanet on stage during the band's February 27 concert at L'Olympia in Paris, France to perform the song "Midnight Sun". Fan-filmed video of her appearance can be seen below.

Portanet was the featured guest on the studio version of "Midnight Sun", which was included on KREATOR's fifteenth studio album, "Hate Über Alles", released last June via Nuclear Blast.

Last year, KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show about using a female voice for the first time in a KREATOR song: "The song 'Midnight Sun', which was inspired by this Ari Aster movie 'Midsommar' that came out a couple of years ago, in that movie there's this very strong female protagonist, and she's kind of carrying the story a little bit. And I had a vision of bringing that into our music since the lyrics were very inspired by that movie.

"Sofia, I've known her for a little bit and we were friends," he continued, "And when we got together in the studio, it kind of clicked. And I wanted to make sure that it really fits what we do, because we have never… Unfortunately, in the past we've never really had a song where it did fit to have a female guest singer. And Sofia, to me, sounds like she's a part of the band and it really feels natural to me and it feels very unique. And it's not like your everyday…

"I think sometimes in metal it can be a little cliché if bands would do a growling voice and all of a sudden [there's a guest appearance by] an opera singer, like CELTIC FROST started back in the day," Mille explained. "We didn't want that; we wanted to do something that we haven't done before — absolutely — in order to have more variety on the record."

As previously reported, KREATOR will join forces with Brazilian/American metal legends SEPULTURA for a North American co-headline tour, "Klash Of The Titans", in May and June of 2023. Support on the trek will come from DEATH ANGEL and SPIRITWORLD.

The follow-up to 2017's "Gods Of Violence", "Hate Über Alles" was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.

The "Hate Über Alles" cover artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

"Hate Über Alles" marks KREATOR's first album with bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019.

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

Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.

Hordes of Paris, we love coming to your city!

Thank you to Sofia Portanet for joining us for 'Midnight Sun' once again...

Posted by Kreator on Tuesday, February 28, 2023

During an appearance earlier today (Wednesday, March 1) on SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show", 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 kicks off in October in Texas and culminates in the MSG concerts on December 1 and December 2.

Tickets will be available starting Monday, March 6, with a KISS Army presale at 10 a.m. local time. Additional presales will be available throughout the week before the general on sale starting on Friday, March 10 at 10 a.m. local time at livenation.com.

Speaking to "The Howard Stern Show", KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley said: "December 1st and 2nd is Madison Square Garden. Those are the last two shows of the band. We're finishing up where we started. I believe there are 17 shows before that in the States.

"Some people have kind of snickered and said, 'This 'End Of The Road' tour has gone on for years.' Yeah, we lost two and a half years to COVID," Paul explained. "We would have been done already. Yeah, this is the end.

"When you come to see the show, it's awesome," he added. "It's the most high-tech show out there, and yet it's clearly a kick-ass rock and roll show. It's not Vegas; it's not something that loses its balls, so to speak. It's everything KISS, just amped up and ramped up."

When host Howard Stern brought up the fact that Gene Simmons had previously said he will shed tears at KISS's final gig, the 73-year-old bassist/vocalist said: "Oh, I'm sure. I kid around a lot about 'men don't do that.' I'm sure I'm gonna cry like a nine-year-old girl whose foot's being stepped on.

"KISS was born on 23rd street. It's only taken us 50 years to go play the final shows 10 blocks away on 33rd street, which is Madison Square Garden," he added.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but has since been extended to late 2023. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

In a recent interview with Yahoo! entertainment music editor Lyndsey Parker, Stanley was asked whether he thinks it will be emotional for him to play the final KISS show. Paul said: "More so than I know. There's gonna be some tears shed, for sure.

"You've gotta remember that Gene and I started this together when I was 17 and he was 20, 21. It's 50 years later. We've lived pretty interesting lives, and we have families and children and huge sales in terms of albums and concerts. So it's a big part of who we are; it's a big part of our lives. So, that final show, yeah, that's momentous. And it's gonna hit harder than I think we know. And we know it's gonna hit hard."

Asked whether the last concert of KISS's "End Of The Road" tour will truly mark the band'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."

In early 2019, Stanley told Australia's "Sunday Night" that "Rock And Roll All Nite" "has to be" the song that KISS performs as the last encore at the final concert of the "End Of The Road" tour. "That is the rock anthem that connects the world," he explained. "It was the start of other people coming up with anthems. They really didn't exist, per se. So, 'Rock And Roll All Nite And Party Every Day', that's a song that just connects with people on all different levels."

Simmons concurred, telling BUILD Series: "How do you not end with 'Rock And Roll All Nite'? We will have played that song, probably without exception, more than any other song we've ever been involved with. You might say, 'Aren't you sick and tired of hearing that?' But I will tell you the roar of the crowd, the smell of the grease paint, there ain't nothing like it. When you hear everybody getting jazzed about that and you get off the stage... [it's] like the fire in the belly. You're dog-tired; you've just done a big show; and you get up on that stage, when you see the joy in everybody's face... We've seen it all. We've been around for generations, but when you see a little 5-year-old kid in KISS makeup on his dad's shoulders who's wearing KISS makeup, next to his father... we're badass kind of guys — nothing affects us much — but that stuff will put a lump in your throat. You have to turn around for a second. It gets me. Yes, it's music, but it's generational, and it brings families together instead of separates [sic] them."

Frontiers Music Srl announces the upcoming release of the long-awaited new studio album, Get It Right, from Philadelphia hard rockers, Heavens Edge.


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.


The first single from the album, "Had Enough", is out today. Watch the lyric video below.




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"


"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

Chicago legends of murder metal/death metal, Macabre, released their second full-length album, Sinister Slaughter, in 1993 via Nuclear Blast. This April marks the 30th anniversary and what better way to celebrate than reissues of the iconic album available in CD, three vinyl variants, and a red cassette? Don't miss your chance to add the physical format to your collection on April 14.





Sinister Slaughter 30th Anniversary Edition will be available in the following formats:




- CD Jewel Case
- Vinyl
*  Sinister Splatter
*  Blue/Red Solit w/ Black Splatter
*  Orange In Red W/ White Splatter (Band Exclusive, limited to 300)
- Red cassette


Pre-order your copy here, and watch the Sinister Slaughter product teaser video below.





Tracklisting:


"Night Stalker"
"The Ted Bundy Song"
"Sniper In The Sky"
"Montreal Massacre"
"Zodiac"
"James Pough, What The Hell Did You Do?!"
"The Boston Strangler"
"Mary Bell"
"Mary Bell" (Reprise)
"Killing Spree (Postal Killer)"
"Is It Soup Yet?"
"White Hen Decapitator"
"Howard Unrah (What Have You Done Now?)"
"Gacy's Lot"
"There Was A Young Man Who Blew Up A Plane"
"Vampire Of Dusseldorf"
"Shotgun Peterson"
"What's That Smell?"
"Edmond Kemper Had A Horrible Temper"
"What The Heck, Richard Speck (Eight Nurses You Wrecked)"
"Albert Was Worse Than Any Fish In The Sea"

Liquid Death, a water company that packages its product in a can instead of plastic bottles, has rolled out a commercial for its new iced tea beverages, featuring grannies playing brutal death metal, among other antics. The 80-second ad was inspired by Monty Python's "Hell's Grannies" sketch, as Liquid Death VP of creative Andy Pearson told Muse.

"We grew up on Monty Python and 'Jackass', so it's no surprise we made an homage to some of our heroes," he said.

More to the point, he explained: "Tea has been around for thousands of years. In fact, most people probably see it as something their grandmas drink. With that little kick of caffeine, it's almost like the original energy drink. Ironically, most of the tea that's on the market today is packed with caffeine and sugar. As a health beverage company, we set out to make a killer iced tea that didn't come with all the unhealthy junk–something your grandma would probably even approve of."

Liquid Death is reportedly one of the top water brands on Instagram and TikTok, as well as among all beverage brands. As for the reason why, Pearson said: "We like taking a stance that other brands would never touch."

Liquid Death previously put skateboard icon Tony Hawk's blood on a line of limited-edition skateboards, made a horror movie, and promoted its product as the ideal bongwater.

In May 2020, Liquid Death enlisted GRUESOME drummer Gus Rios to write and record a heavy metal album called "Greatest Hates" using angry online comments about Liquid Death as its song titles and lyrics. In November of that year, Liquid Death released a second album about why people hate their product. "Greatest Hates, Vol. 2" featured musicians from bands like the LAWRENCE ARMS, RISE AGAINST, ALKALINE TRIO, THE BOMBPOPS, ANTI-FLAG and more. Songtitles on the effort included "Your Product Is Dumb", "Fuck Your Ads", "I Thought This Was Alcohol" and "Another Contribution To A Very Sick Culture". A trailer for "Greatest Hates, Vol. 2" billed the album as a "new collection of angry online comments set to classic three-chord punk that will take you back to the days of hating your stepdad," and the artwork featured a can of Liquid Death getting guillotined.

FEAR FACTORY played its second concert with new singer Milo Silvestro and touring drummer Pete Webber Tuesday night (February 28) at the Shobox in Seattle, Washington as part of the "Rise Of The Machine" tour as the support act for STATIC-X. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of Loud Flash).

The Italian-born Silvestro recently joined FEAR FACTORY as the replacement for the band's original singer Burton C. Bell.

Webber is playing drums for FEAR FACTORY as the replacement for the band's longtime drummer Mike Heller who is unable to make the trek due to "scheduling conflicts."

FEAR FACTORY's setlist for the Seattle concert was as follows:

01. Shock
02. Edgecrusher
03. Disruptor
04. Dielectric
05. Powershifter
06. What Will Become?
07. Archetype
08. Demanufacture
09. Zero Signal
10. Replica

The 42-date North American trek also features DOPE as well as select dates with MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID.

In a recent interview with Revolver, conducted prior to the start of the tour, Silvestro was asked if he was feeling nervous about taking the stage as the singer of FEAR FACTORY. He responded: "Yes, a little bit, but I always thought that being nervous is part of the game. My dad always told me, the moment that you're not scared of going onstage, you better quit music. I think it's supposed to be a really emotional thing, an emotional [moment in] your life. Also, the fact that it's my very first tour experience, my very first FEAR FACTORY experience, my first huge [musical] experience in general, of course that makes me a little bit nervous. But the good thing is that Dino [Cazares, FEAR FACTORY guitarist] and also the fans, fortunately enough, are making me really comfortable. I want to say thanks to them because they've been amazing. You're always scared about the hating, the negative comments and stuff, which I started seeing because my name had been leaking even before [I got the job] because of the [vocal] covers [I put on YouTube]. People were like, 'Oh, this guy is really good, so maybe it could be him.' Some haters started popping up: 'Oh, he's fucking garbage.' At first I was a little bit scared — and of course Dino had been preparing me for a long time. 'Be prepared. Either in a good or bad way, it's going to be a shitstorm.' But fortunately enough, [when] the announcement came out, [the reaction] was 99.9 percent positive. The negative comments were mostly about [how] this band without [the] previous singer is not FEAR FACTORY anymore. They just need to change the name, blah, blah, blah. Maybe one or two guys were like, 'I don't like him. He sucks.' But nothing that big to fuck with my brain or make me insecure. I was really happy to see literally thousands of people — either friends of mine, people that I know from Italy and totally unknown FEAR FACTORY fans — going, 'Welcome to the family, dude.' It was a really amazing love showering. I'm so thankful and so humbled for that."

Asked how he planned to win those skeptical fans over, Milo said: "I get that certain people are skeptical, because as a fan of music, as a metalhead and a fan of music in general, I know that metal fans are so dedicated, so crazy about their music, which is a good thing. It's almost like a religion. When your favorite band changes singers or a guitar player or whatever, you can feel a little bit sad about it. It can be hard to move on. I had favorite bands of mine that changed either singers or drummers. Maybe I was so affectionate to the style of that musician, and then I had a hard time moving on. But then once I found myself in this position of being the actual guy that is replacing the previous one, now I realize even more that, yeah, sometimes it can be tough for a fan. But it's just something that you either get over, or you don't care about the band anymore.

"What I want to say to [the doubters] is, I know you're skeptical, and it's totally understandable because the FEAR FACTORY vocal legacy is so iconic. The vocals were so identifiable and iconic and it's like replacing James Hetfield in METALLICA. What I want to say is that it's okay to be skeptical, but we are making sure that we're going to do this right. ... I've been working hard these past three years on the vocal style to make sure even the small nuances [are accounted for], how [Bell] pronounced certain things, how he goes from that note to that other note, how he pronounced certain screamed words. Also, from a vocal effects standpoint, we're making sure that everything sounds exactly like the record. I brought a bunch of effects, which I'm a bit of a freak about because I also run a studio. I like to tweak some shit, so I brought them a bunch of shit. Dino, at first, was like, 'What the fuck is this?,' but then he was like, 'Okay.' I was like, 'What if we recreate some of the vocal effects on the record, the beautiful delays which are parts of the vocal legacy?' Songs like 'Self Bias Resistor', the beautiful chorus has got a lot of deeper delay. That's part of the vocal sound. That's also what makes FEAR FACTORY's trademark sound."

Earlier in the month, Cazares told "The Jasta Show" about the band's vocalist search: "A lot of females stepped up. And there was definitely some females in the top five that I almost chose. But it did take a long process for me to find somebody. I was touring with SOULFLY [as a session guitarist] around late 2021 up till recently. And in that process I was looking for singers, and I was very meticulous, because I know how important it is for FEAR FACTORY fans that I pick the right guy. And I believe, and I know that I got the right dude. So I'm very happy [about] that."

Cazares went on to say that he "definitely" considered "guys [who] were in other bands" but that he thought "there would be a lot of scheduling conflicts, if the guy is in another band, and then we wouldn't be able to tour as much. What it somebody wanted us to do something like the Milwaukee Metal Fest, I wouldn't be able to do it because the singer has another gig somewhere else," Cazares explained. "So I wanted a guy who was fresh off the boat, new-school guy. I like discovering new talent. There's a lot of talented people out there, and they just never get the shot. So I wanted to give kind of an unknown guy a shot, or an unknown person a shot."

Dino previously told RichardMetalFan that he wasn't "afraid" of replacing someone like Bell. "I've been there before," he said. "I'm ready to move on forward. I look forward to it. I think it's gonna be fucking ripping. It's gonna be killer. I'm gonna put out some more heavy shit. So I don't think anybody needs to worry. The vocalist I got is amazing. He's younger; he's in his mid-30s. He's at his vocal peak, I think. He's there and ready to go."

In September 2020, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside Heller.

KINGS OF THRASH, the new band featuring former MEGADETH members David Ellefson (bass) and Jeff Young (guitar),has shared another performance video of a new original song called "Bridges Burned" during the "Thrashin' USA" tour. Check it out below.

According to Young, the seeds for the KINGS OF THRASH original music were planted more than a year ago when he and Ellefson took part in the filming of the upcoming documentary on late MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza. "We had dinner [at the Rainbow in West Hollywood] the night before the Menza documentary filming," Jeff recalled to "Brews & Tunes" podcast. "We were getting up to leave, and something hit me… It must have been '89. We were demoing a couple of tunes for what became 'Rust In Peace'. There was invitations to contribute to the writing, so David and I were demoing some stuff up on cassette. Unfortunately, I did not save those; I don't know what happened. But two of the riffs really stuck in my head. And I sang 'em in [Ellefson's] ear as we were paying the bill. He was, like, 'Dude, I totally remember those riffs. That's killer. We've gotta get in a room and work that stuff up.' So flash forward a couple of months later, he was back in L.A. I had another song idea that I actually started with a drum beat I had of Nick Menza's, and then I blew it out from there. He and I took those two riffs, demoed them. And a couple of more months went by, he was back out in L.A. again. We got together. And he had a couple of skeletons. And the cool thing about it is we never really had the opportunity to write together — it was so fast and furious back in the day — but now it was like we were finishing each other's sentences. We're more seasoned; we're better musicians; we're better songwriters. We're calmed and there's no ego in the room; there's no toxicity in the room — wink, wink… And we walked out of two writing sessions with four songs."

Last month, KINGS OF THRASH shared a teaser demo of some of the new original material the group is working on.

In October, Young told Ghost Cult magazine that KINGS OF THRASH's first original song was being recorded at a North Hollywood studio previously used by legendary producer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix). As for the musical direction of KINGS OF THRASH's original material, Jeff said: "It's got the vibe of MEGADETH — it's on that playing field, but it's got all of its own stuff and all of our influences and some SOUNDGARDEN/TOOL vibes in maybe the music and melodies."

As previously reported, KINGS OF THRASH will release a live CD/DVD package called "Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go" on March 24 via Cleopatra Records. The 17-song set, featuring performances of MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!", was recorded and filmed live at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on October 15, 2022 and includes an appearance by another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar). The DVD was directed by Michael Sarna for Inmotion Entertainment.

Asked in a recent interview with Ultimate Guitar if he and Ellefson have received any feedback from MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine about their new band or their recent live shows, tour, Young said: "Nah, we couldn't care less… and it's a win-win for him. Because all the publishing, for example, on the 'Best Of The West', he's getting all that money. We're making him money and he doesn't have to do anything. So, we're performing the songs because they're part of our history and the fans want to hear them and we will benefit from that, and so will he, so it's a win-win. How much cooler can anything be than that? So, if he has something to say about it… I wouldn't imagine it would be very objective… not that anything he's ever said has been objective."

Jeff's latest comments echo those he made last year when he told Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series, Young that he and Ellefson were "really not concerned" about Mustaine's reaction to KINGS OF THRASH. "I don't pay attention," he said. "I haven't really paid attention or followed MEGADETH since, I think, I heard the 'Rust In Peace' album a couple of times, and then what you might hear on the radio or in the press.

"For us, this isn't about any spite or retaliation; it's a celebration of the music that we were all a part of, that we helped create," he explained. "And it's fun for us to do this.

"People said, 'You should do this.' And we said, 'Hey, yeah, you're right. We should do this.' It's a win-win — it's a win for us, and it's a win for [Mustaine], because any performance royalties, anything… If we did include live tracks, he would make money off that. It's promoting albums that hopefully fans will go back and buy, which is putting money right in his pocket. Especially 'Killing Is My Business', I think a lot of people are gonna go back and wanna rediscover that album after this tour.

"For us, it's all about positivity," Young added. "We're all in this moment — we're living in the moment, and we're not looking beyond. We're not reading any of the comments on Blabbermouth or any of the stuff. Because we know what our intent is, and intent is everything. And our intent's positive. We like playing together. We know we're crafting original music. We're not relying on this; we don't need to ride the coattails of this. This is just something that the fans wanted, and you wanna give fans what they want."

Ellefson told Yes! You CAN Play Guitar! that the intention behind KINGS OF THRASH is not to stick it to his former bandmates. "This is a celebration, not a retaliation," he explained. "This is a good moment. This is a happy moment, to celebrate these songs and these tracks and these records. So we go at it with just fun… It's, like, 'Wow. Wouldn't it be fun if we went out and played these records?' And we're doing it. So it's meant to be this celebration and bringing people together. And honestly, that was kind of always my role in MEGADETH. Dave [Mustaine] always called me 'The Ambassador', and I was always that guy, and I am that guy. So it's, like, let me just continue that role in our community and have one of good will."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH nearly two years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

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

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Dave Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH leader shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

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 Mustaine of, among other things, "dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble." He also disputed Mustaine's claim in an interview that Young's drug problem led to MEGADETH's 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being "banned" from performing in the country.

Poland was a member of MEGADETH from 1984 to 1987, during which time he performed on the band's classic albums "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" and "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" He is also a featured soloist on the group's 2004 album, "The System Has Failed".

Back in 2004, Poland and/or his management and attorney filed a lawsuit against Mustaine regarding the use of the three "Rust In Peace" demos on the album's reissue without Chris's permission. Chris eventually settled for $9,500 and thereby ended a professional relationship with Dave and MEGADETH.

For the past couple of decades, Poland's main musical focus has been the fusion band OHM:, which has released several full-length studio albums to date.

KINGS OF THRASH' "Thrashin' USA" will cross the Midwest, East Coast, and southeastern part of the USA through March 15. As with the band's 2022 warm-up shows, the group, which also includes drummer Fred Aching as well as guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon, is performing "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!" in their entirety. Support on all shows is coming from HATRIOT.

Jeff was full of praise for Aching and Leon, telling Ghost Cult: "We really feel in a way how Ozzy [Osbourne] must have felt introducing Randy Rhoads to the world with these young two guys we have, both half our age and both so composed and mature musically for their age. And we've just been having a blast. And it's great that they're fans of the music and they've really studied it. Chaz, the singer/guitar player, plays in a MEGADETH tribute and fronts a SOUNDGARDEN tribute. So he has some of that Chris Cornell huskiness… So it's really cool to hear him sing these songs with a bit more huskiness and that young exuberance that he has. I think the kids are gonna love him 'cause he has that Dimebag Darrell kind of likability."

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee was asked if he and guitarist Phil Campbell would ever go out and perform as MOTÖRHEAD again, with someone else stepping in to play late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister's parts. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. I really don't think [the fans] want us to do that. That, to me, is stepping over the line. We will never, ever, ever tour with MOTÖRHEAD as a name ever and bring someone else in [to play Lemmy's parts]. That will never happen. But what we are doing is doing some shows here and there…

"I just did two shows Saturday and Sunday here in Sweden with two younger guys and did 10 MOTÖRHEAD songs," Mikkey continued. "And this show sold out in less than two weeks. We had to add that Sunday. And it's so great to play the old classics again and perform. But it has nothing to do with trying to be MOTÖRHEAD. And this is not advertised as MOTÖRHEAD; it's advertised [as] 'Mikkey Dee With Friends', for instance. So there's definitely a line there."

Dee also said that he didn't necessarily have a problem with other bands who go out and perform their classic songs without most or any of the original members. "I just don't get it [as to why fans complain so much about that]. I just don't get it," he said. "Because all [fans] have to do, if they have such a problem with it, just stop listening and stop following. But there is people out there that still wanna hear these songs. But with that said, it has to be done in a respectful and tasteful manner. And I won't mention any bands or names here, but everyone does not do that, and they're kind of overstepping, where it kind of becomes so obvious that there only is money that they're out for."

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Back in May 2021, Dee told the "Waste Some Time With Jason Green" video podcast that Lemmy refused to quit touring in the weeks leading up to his death, even when his health was clearly deteriorating.

"We played the last show the 11th of December [of 2015] in Berlin, and he passed just [two] weeks later," Mikkey recalled. "And that tells you, the guy died with his boots on. And both me and Phil [Campbell, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist] were trying to talk him out of starting the second part of the European tour after Christmas. But there was no way in hell we could do that. And I said to Phil, 'Look, instead of arguing with Lemmy or pushing him not to do this,' because we said maybe we should break for a couple of months for him to catch his wind, basically. I said, 'Let's not push him anyway. Let him decide what he wants to do. He knows best what he wants to do.' And he wanted to be on stage. So we said, 'Let's just support him instead,' and that's what we did. But we never made it to the second leg of that European tour, unfortunately. It was the U.K. that was on the next part of it, I remember that."

Asked if he knew when he came home to Sweden that it would probably be the end for Lemmy, Mikkey said: "No. Not at all. Because I talked to Lemmy after that show in Berlin. We were all gonna go separate ways, obviously. I was gonna just fly out to Sweden, and Phil went back home to Wales. Lemmy was flying back to L.A., but I believe he was gonna fly to London and stay one night or two or so and say hi to friends and then fly back home. And I spoke to him right after the show. I went down to Lemmy's dressing room, and I said, 'All right. Go back to L.A. and figure out, maybe, another two songs from [MOTÖRHEAD's final album] 'Bad Magic' that you think that we should do. And we take out the two songs that we already played on this leg, and we put in two new songs from the record.' And he said, 'Yeah. All right. I'll check that out.' And I said, 'Let's hook up after Christmas.' Because it was the 11th of December at that time, and I figured we'd talk between Christmas and New Year's Eve and decide which two songs that we agreed on on playing on that next leg. And he said, 'Yeah, I'll go back and work on that.' And that was it. He had no intention of not coming back to Europe and touring. So we did a little finger hook, as we always did, and that was the last time I saw him, actually. Very sad."

Dee went on to say that Lemmy had made some changes in his life to improve his health after dealing with several issues over the last few years of his life, including heart trouble. "But my personal belief is that it was maybe a little too late," he said. "He should have maybe changed a little earlier. But knowing Lemmy, he was not for that. He was doing it his way or the highway, basically. And that made him to what he was. He never compromised with his music, he never compromised with friendship, he never compromised with what way he was gonna go for anyone else in that way, which is why MOTÖRHEAD was MOTÖRHEAD, and still is MOTÖRHEAD. But with that said, of course, the three of us were talking a lot about stuff, and it was not like he was some kind of a boss here. But we all worked so good together, and that's what created the magic, I would say."