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."

Trailight mastermind Omer Cordell has released his new single, "The One You Feed" features stunning performances by Daniel Cardoso, Cory McBain and Devin Townsend. It is now available on all streaming platforms. 


Cordell: "I started compiling bits and pieces of riffs for Mirrors in the summer of 2021. Demos were finished late spring of 2022. We started tracking drums during Fall of 2022. 


Thank you Cory and Daniel for the colossal amount of work and your unbelievable talent. Thank you to all the beautiful guests. Devin, Dave, Conan, Eyal, Oswin, Meris and Andrea." 







Daniel Cardoso - Drums 
Cory McBain - Guitars / keys 
Devin Townsend - Lead guitar 
Omer Cordell - Bass / vocals / keys 
Meris Williams - Backing vocals


"The One You Feed" is taken from the new Trailight album, Mirrors, due out later this year. Song titles on Mirrors include:


"The One You Feed" (featuring Devin Townsend)
"Mirrors"
"Lead A Horse to Water"
"Traveller"
"Elegy"
"Harbour"
"Victory"
"Harbour" (acoustic)

Former MANOWAR guitarist Ross "The Boss" Friedman says that bands who rely heavily on backing tracks during their concerts are not very good live performers.

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

Ross addressed some rock acts' reliance on pre-recorded tracks in a Cameo video message requested by the Syncin' Stanley YouTube channel. Asked for his opinion on singers who lip sync during live concerts, Ross said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Back in the '80s with MANOWAR, we really didn't lip sync anything — nothing. That was not even a question with my version of MANOWAR. We had intros. That was it. As far as anything was concerned, the band played everything; the band played all the music; we didn't rely on anything.

"My thoughts about today with lip syncing? Oh, God. Lip syncing is horrible. I don't even know what that is. Backing tracks? Occasionally, that's okay. If you have to rely on backing tracks as a live band, I don't think you're a very good live band [laughs] at all.

"What the current MANOWAR, or the band that calls itself MANOWAR, today does, I have no idea what they're doing," Ross continued. "I don't know. The ROSS THE BOSS band, my band, we don't use anything. Zero. Zero. Okay? No tapes. Everything that we do, we do it live on stage. The old-school way and the honest way, so people can see it that we're doing it. That's what they're getting and that's what they're paying for.

"I don't know what anyone's talking about with lip syncing and backing tracks, because I don't use 'em, we didn't use them in MANOWAR, and I don't know what they're doing now," Ross added. "And actually bands that do it, I think that's a bullshit crutch for a lack of talent. I hate to say that, but that's just the way it is. [Laughs] I'm, like, what are you there for? Why are you playing? Why? Why don't you just go out and do your thing? Just do it. If you're the real deal, why don't you just do it? No need to put up bullshit. I don't, and I never will. And you can count on that."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The grand finale of Atrocity's Okkult trilogy, Okkult III, is out now via Massacre Records. Order here, and check out Micki Richter's guitar playthrough video for "Born To Kill" below.





Guest musicians on the Okkult III album include: Elina Siirala (Leaves’ Eyes, Angel Nation), Zoe Marie Federoff (Cradle Of Filth, Catalyst Crime), Robse Dahn (Equilibrium), Misstiq, Jonah Weingarten (Catalyst Crime, Pyramaze) as well as Igor Górewicz.




Killer production by Alexander Krull at Mastersound Entertainment. Striking horror sound effects provided by Emmy Award-winning Canadian sound designer Katie Halliday (Saw, Stranger Things, Star Trek: Discovery).


The lyrical concept about the dark side of human history, obscure stories and mysterious places is spun further on Okkult III. "We look deep into the mental abysses of the serial killer Józef Cyppek from Szczecin, Poland, in the 1950s ('Cypka'), experience the great conspiracy of the Schwarze Reichswehr after World War I ('Born To Kill'), dive into the world of modern ghost conjuring ('Faces From Beyond') and into the occult machinations of the Vatican and the Order of the Knights Templar ('Bleeding For Blasphemy')," says Atrocity.


Okkult III is the culminating conclusion of the Okkult trilogy, and a self-proclaimed German death metal masterpiece.





"Desecration Of God"
"Fire Ignites"
"Born To Kill"
"Bleeding For Blasphemy"
"Priest Of Plague"
"Malicious Sukkubus" (feat. Elina Siirala & Zoe Federoff)
"Lycanthropia"
"Faces From Beyond"
"Cypka"
"Teufelsmarsch" (feat. Robse Dahn & Misstiq)


"Fire Ignites" video:





"Malicious Sukkubus" video





"Desecration Of God" video:





"Born To Kill" video:





"Faces From Beyond" video:

VIO-LENCE's founding guitarist Phil Demmel has addressed the band's future, just one day after the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers played their first show with drummer Adrian Aguilar (EXMORTUS) at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Aguilar joined VIO-LENCE following the departure of Perry Strickland.

VIO-LENCE recently announced that Demmel will be unable to make the group's shows in Asia, Australia and New Zealand in early March and will be temporarily replaced by Miles Dimitri Baker (VOIDBRINGER, INTERLOPER, ex-RINGS OF SATURN).

The rest of VIO-LENCE's current lineup includes singer Sean Killian, former FEAR FACTORY, bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and guitarist Ira Black (VICIOUS RUMORS, HEATHEN, METAL CHURCH).

Notably, VIO-LENCE's shows in Asia, Australia and New Zealand will feature only Killian from the lineup that played its first comeback gig in April 2019 at the Oakland Metro in Oakland, California. The VIO-LENCE lineup that appeared at the Metro consisted of Killian, Demmel, Strickland, bassist Deen Dell and guitarist Ray Vegas.

On Sunday (February 26),Demmel got on Instagram Live to offer what he called "state of the VIO-LENCE address", including to discuss what he involvement in the band may, or may not, be going forward.

He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In all honesty, 'cause that's kind of how I roll, it's kind of weird playing these shows. With Perry gone now… Everybody's awesome. Miles is awesome. I love Christian. Ira is super pro… It's just weird. And being the founder, co-founder of this band and being a part of just about everything that it's done, seeing it come to a bunch of fill-ins and me and Sean, it's just…

"I'm in a weird spot right now with how it is," he admitted. "We played last night. The show was great. Adrian did awesome. Playing the tunes was great. The fans loved it. It was packed. But I'm just kind of really torn right now in the sense of what VIO-LENCE is and what it's gonna be and what my role is gonna be in that and how I feel about that. So I'm just spitting it all out right now.

"I had a talk with Sean about it. And actually, in all honesty, I've asked him to — [laughs] this is an overshare, for sure — but I've told him I wanted to shut it down," Demmel revealed. "I get the feelings of 1991 all over again when Robb [Flynn] left and then Perry left. And God bless Ray and Mark Hernandez, and it just became something that it wasn't. And that's how it's kind of feeling to me a little bit. It's kind of what it feels like.

"I'm in a very fortunate spot music-wise, with lots of options and lots of things I could be doing or am doing, in a sense, and realizing that to ask that of those dudes to not do it anymore is selfish on my part. And maybe that's why I made the first reachout about… So thinking about it today moved my perspective to the point where it's… The kids are loving it. And for the people that didn't know the members of the band, as opposed from the older fans that have known us as those five that were on those records, then it's…

"I don't know what to do," Phil added. "I'm just sharing how I feel about it all. I love the dudes that are jamming with them. Like I said, I do. It's nothing against them. I think they play the parts great. It's definitely different.

"The thing with me and VIO-LENCE is that we were always this dangerous element — not, like, dangerous… Well, back in the day, definitely. [Laughs] But it was just this weird things-can-go-off-the-rails-at-any-moment-type deal. And as you put different people in those pieces, then you kind of lose what that's about. And maybe that's what I'm missing right now. And I've been apart from it, from all the things that I've been doing and have chosen to do. So it's hard to let go. And I'm not letting go; I'm a partner in the business. And as much as I'm gonna be playing? Probably not a bunch. So I think it's fair to the fans to know that… I will announce what shows I'm gonna be at, and I think it's fair of the band to let the fans where and what lineup is gonna be playing, in that sense, and let them decide what they wanna do."

Demmel also confirmed that he will perform with VIO-LENCE at the Hell's Heroes V preparty on March 23 in Houston, Texas and at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in late May in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but revealed that he will likely scale down his live appearances with the band, to the point where he will no longer play any live shows with the group.

Strickland announced his departure from VIO-LENCE earlier this month by sharing a video of him performing with the band and captioning it: "I'll Miss playing these songs !" After one fan asked Perry in the comments to clarify whether he has in fact exited the group, Strickland responded: "yes about a month ago".

Among the people reacting to Strickland's announcement was former OVERKILL and VIO-LENCE guitarist Bobby Gustafson, who wrote: "Good luck with what ever you do in the future. We had some good times finally."

One day after BLABBERMOUTH.NET posted a story about Strickland's exit, VIO-LENCE took to Instagram to share a posted for the band's upcoming Asian tour dates and captioned it: "Nobody quit Vio-Lence!!! #blabbermouth". When one fan responded, "Perry says different!", the VIO-LENCE account doubled down with: "like I said nobody QUIT Vio-Lence." Another fan wrote "Well he did" in reference to Perry "quitting" VIO-LENCE, to which VIO-LENCE responded: "No he didn't he is no longer in the band."

Gustafson joined VIO-LENCE in January 2020 as the replacement for Vegas but announced his departure from the band last October. At the time, VIO-LENCE cited "logistical difficulties that weigh too heavy to function in a productive manner" as the reason for the split with Bobby.

In March 2022, VIO-LENCE released a new EP, "Let The World Burn", via Metal Blade Records. The five-song collection, VIO-LENCE's first original release since 1993's "Nothing To Gain", was tracked at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California by Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS),mixed by Tue Madsen (DARK TRANQUILLITY, HEAVEN SHALL BURN) and mastered by Ted Jensen (ALICE IN CHAINS, DEATH ANGEL).

Formed in 1985, VIO-LENCE helped define and refine what came to be known as the Bay Area sound, dropping three seminal albums before splitting in 1993. Leaving behind a heady legacy, they reformed briefly a couple of times in the intervening years before becoming a full-time going concern once more in 2019. After playing a string of successful shows, the quintet started to think about new music and delivered "Let The World Burn", showcasing their first new material in 29 years.

VIO-LENCE's recording lineup on "Let The World Burn" consisted of Gustafson, Demmel, Killian and Strickland along with Olde Wolbers.

VIO-LENCE reunited soon after Demmel left MACHINE HEAD in late 2018.

Demmel was in MACHINE HEAD for nearly 16 years, during which time he played on five of the group's studio albums: "Through The Ashes Of Empires" (2003),"The Blackening" (2007),"Unto The Locust" (2011),"Bloodstone & Diamonds" (2014) and "Catharsis" (2018).

VIO-LENCE played its first show with Black in August 2022 at the Brutal Assault festival in Jaromer, Czech Republic.

Black, who grew up in the Bay Area and previously played with VICIOUS RUMORS, HEATHEN and METAL CHURCH, filled in for Demmel, who was on the road at the time with LAMB OF GOD as the temporary replacement for Willie Adler.

Although MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn was part of VIO-LENCE's classic incarnation and played on the band's debut album, "Eternal Nightmare", he wasn't approached about taking part in the band's reunion.

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A post shared by Phil Demmel (@phildemmel)

Austrian hard rock band Sergeant Steel has shared the video for "Please Me, Tease Me", the first single from their upcoming album Mister Sippi, which will be released on June 30, 2023.










Mister Sippi is the fifth album from Sergeant Steel. Fans can once again expect fireworks, spiced up with the band‘s very own sense of humor. The cover art and tracklisting are as follows.





"Down To Mississippi"
"Please Me, Tease Me"
"Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool"
"Alive"
"My Way"
"Knight‘s Tale"
"One Way Ticket From Hell"
"Caught In The Web"
"My Girl"
"Rock Your Pants Off"


Pre-save your copy now at this location. For further details, visit Sergeant Steel on Facebook.


 

In a new interview with SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard host Mark Strigl, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked if guitarist Andy Sneap will continue to tour with the band, five years after he was initially tapped to step in for Glenn Tipton, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease. Halford responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think that's the idea, yeah. Glenn comes out when he's able. Glenn's still with us. Glenn's still a very important, integral part of JUDAS PRIEST and all the decisions and moves that we make.

"This fucking Parkinson's is horrible, the way it intrudes into your life and it takes away some of the things that made you as a person," Rob continued. "Thank God we've got all these incredible things that Glenn has done. Listen to his lead break on 'Painkiller', listen to that beautiful solo in 'Beyond The Realms Of Death' and more. Glenn's mark is indelible in JUDAS PRIEST music as a lead guitar player and a rhythm guitar player.

"So, yeah, we've agreed that because the fans have so loving and supportive of taking Glenn's idea, which is, 'I wanna put Andy on that spot, on the stage where I've stood for decades, and Andy will be doing the work that needs to be done for me,' that's just really powerful, man. That's so much love. And that really is Glenn's love for this band in wanting this band to continue.

"So, yeah, we've agreed that Andy will still be with us as we go out again, and that's great, man," Halford added. "That makes the great work he's done with us since he stepped in at the beginning of where we are in PRIEST now, and it worked — it worked. The fans love him. He does great work on stage. He's committed. He loves this band… He's doing very important work."

Last March, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill was asked by The Aquarian Weekly why he and his bandmates reversed their decision to remove Sneap from their touring lineup. The U-turn came days after PRIEST's original announcement, in which the group said it had planned to resume its "50 Heavy Metal Years" tour as "an even more powerful, relentless four-piece heavy metal band." Sneap later released a statement expressing his disappointment with the decision, while fans were understandably upset about the band's choice to forgo its classic twin-guitar attack sound. Some even called for the return of guitarist K.K. Downing, who joined PRIEST in 1970 and remained in the group until 2011.

"When it became apparent that Glenn Tipton wasn't going to be able to do the 'Firepower' tour [in 2018], the first thing that Rob said was, 'Well, we'll carry on as a four-piece. We started out as a four-piece, so we can do it again,'" Hill recalled. "I'm a pragmatist, I see positives in most things, so at first I thought, 'Yeah, it'll work.' Then, when you start to think, you're, like, 'No. Really, all of our success is gained from the two guitars.'

"We decided to get Andy Sneap involved for that tour [in 2018]," Ian continued. "Andy was the perfect choice. He had just produced 'Firepower', so he knew all the new songs we'd be playing. He was a fan of the band, as well, so he knew all the old stuff. He was the perfect choice. Then suddenly, Rob gets the idea to do the four-piece thing again. He rang Andy up and told him. Andy was fine about it. But then we thought, 'There's been some [fan] comments and if we do it at all, this probably isn't the time.' So, we had a quick U-turn and asked Andy if he'd do it again. Thank goodness he said yes."

On January 15, 2022, JUDAS PRIEST released a statement announcing that it was reversing its decision to tour as a four-piece, explaining that the bandmembers "decided unanimously" to continue their live shows "unchanged" with Halford, Hill, Sneap, Richie Faulkner (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums).

In February 2022, Halford admitted to Billboard that PRIEST's short-lived plan to embark on its 50th-anniversary tour as a quartet was his idea. "Of course, that blew up in my face, didn't it?" he said. "To have done something like a four-piece now would've been just not right, ridiculous, insane, crazy, off my rocker, have a cup of tea and relax. It's kind of water under the bridge now. I think my heart was in the right place, but I'm not the first musician to have a crazy idea."

Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT, began touring with PRIEST five years ago after Tipton — who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of "Firepower".

Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Downing parted ways with the band more than a decade ago and was replaced by Faulkner.

In January 2022, Downing said in an interview that it was "very, very strange" for PRIEST "to even think about" the possibility of going out as a quartet. "I'm like everybody else. I'm totally bemused," he told the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen" classic rock show. "It was just so extreme and insulting in a way, I guess, and insulting to Glenn as well. It was kind of a slap in the face, saying, 'Okay, you two guys did it, but we think just one guy could do what…' It kind of made us and everything that we've done and created, saying it was all superfluous, really, and didn't really have the value that… I'm sure Glenn will agree with me that it does have a value."

JUDAS PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at last year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

The JUDAS PRIEST members that got inducted include current members Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis, along with former members Downing, Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.

At the ceremony, Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by Binks, Downing and Faulkner for three-song medley consisting of "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

On April 7, 2023, Heathen Foray will release their new album Oathbreaker via Massacre Records. Following a previously-shared album single "Leben", today, the neo-pagan death metal band revealed a second song taken of their forthcoming offering.


The band comments:


"The third track on our album ‘Ahnenreih’ (Eng.: Line of ancestors) might be the most personal track the band has ever recorded. We collected stories and quotes from passed away relatives and combined them into a heart-wrenching song that shows us that we all stand on the shoulders of giants. We have used our native local dialect of Styrian-German to express our emotions as undiluted as possible. Musically we also look back at our roots and deliver the folkiest song on the whole album."




Heathen Foray began their journey with the ambition to blend the heaviness of death metal with lighthearted and catchy melodies that will stay in your mind long after you heard them. This authentic mix, seasoned with folk music elements, paid off as the band's sing-along themes and skull splitting riffs earned them a following of underground metal fans and media taste-makers.


Whereas other bands in the general vicinity of this genre mix tend to dress up in medieval clothing or play Vikings on stage, Heathen Foray made a clear statement that their kinship with the Pagan ways is a modern interpretation of them. What else is a modern Pagan than an activist for a cleaner environment, sustainable living, and social solidarity? This led to their music often being described as "neo pagan metal" and their songs being advocates against climate-change and oppression.


The band's new album Oathbreaker embraces these ideas both lyrically and musically. The album sees the band return to their melodic and uplifting musical roots that will remind fans much more of earlier albums like The Passage and Armored Bards rather than the much darker Weltenwandel from 2020. Oathbreaker was produced by Jürgen Brüder & Adam Train, and was mixed/mastered by Adam Train. Preorders available here.





Tracklisting:


“Oathbreaker”
“Leben”
“Ahnenreih”
“Heimdalls Spross”
“Allvoll”
“1000 Years Of Human Flesh”
“Raiment”
“Covenant of Swords”


“Ahnenreih” lyric video:

Multi-platinum hard rock heroes EXTREME — Gary Cherone (vocals),Nuno Bettencourt (guitar),Pat Badger (bass) and Kevin Figueiredo (drums) — have today (March 1) unveiled the video for "Rise", which marks the first single from their upcoming album "Six", due out June 9 via earMUSIC. Watch the band's undeniable firepower and chemistry in the video, directed by Nuno and filmed in Los Angeles, streaming below.

"Musically, it's aggressive," says Gary about album opener "Rise". "Lyrically, it's a cautionary tale on the rise and fall of fame. You get seduced into it. Once you're on top, they'll rip you apart and tear you down. That's the nature of the beast."

"When Eddie Van Halen passed, it really hit me," shares Nuno. "I'm not going to be the one who will take the throne, but I felt some responsibility to keep guitar playing alive. So, you hear a lot of fire on the record."

With the force of a wrecking ball, EXTREME swing between unapologetic fits of fret-burning hard rock and intimately introspective balladry on the 12-track "Six", which also features such tracks as "Other Side Of The Rainbow", "#Rebel" and "X Out". For the recording of the Nuno-produced "Six", the members buckled down at his home studio in Los Angeles. Once again, they channeled the electrifying eclecticism that defined their seminal output with a 21st century twist.

This dynamic affirms the iconic Boston quartet as one of rock's most unpredictable, undeniable, and unbreakable groups whose songs course through the very fabric of popular culture. They're the rare band whose music has appeared in an actual cult series a la "Bill & Ted" as well as the Netflix juggernaut "Stranger Things". They've sold 10 million records, topped the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, packed major venues on multiple continents, memorably performed at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in London, and regularly average over five million monthly listeners on Spotify. However, their dynamic approach hits harder than ever on their 2023 full-length offering "Six".

"With EXTREME, there's always a lot of passion and a little piss and vinegar," says Gary. "We're not in competition with anybody else, but we strive to outdo ourselves. There are some moments on this album where we did. We've managed to stay together after all these years. We feel like we have something to prove when we get on stage or in the studio. Because of that, I believe some of these songs are among the best we've written."

"Whatever you think an EXTREME album is after two or even three songs, it's not," states Nuno. "That goes for every record we've ever done. True EXTREME fans know to 'expect the unexpected.' I feel like we need a good old school rock album. 'Six' is definitely modern, but you can put on headphones and go on a journey from top-to-bottom. It's like 'EXTREME 2.0'."

Formed in 1985, the Boston group's quiet grind resulted in the release of the self-titled EXTREME in 1989. Among many highlights, "Play With Me" not only graced the soundtrack of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", but also the season four opener of "Stranger Things", Meanwhile, EXTREME "II: Pornograffitti" bowed in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and eventually picked up a double-platinum certification. Of course, it notably spawned "Hole Hearted" (No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100) and the generational smash "More Than Words". The latter soared to #1 on the Hot 100 and remains one of the most popular rock songs of all-time with over half-a-billion streams and 633 million YouTube views and counting. It appeared in the blockbuster comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", while Jimmy Fallon and Jack Black covered it (and reimagined the iconic video) on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". In its wake, the gold-certified "III Sides To Every Story" saw them return to the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. Following "Waiting For The Punchline" (1995) and "Saudades De Rock" (2008),the musicians enraptured the masses on tour. Along the way, everyone from Tom Morello of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and Brian May of QUEEN to John Mayer publicly sung their praises. Plus, they played to a sold-out crowd at Fenway Park opening for AEROSMITH. On top of that, Gary was lead singer for VAN HALEN ("Van Halen III") and has recorded and performed with Joe Perry, while Nuno has recorded and performed with Steven Tyler and Rihanna.

Photo credit: Jesse Lirola

Seven years have passed since Blood Ceremony last released a full-length album, but that all changes in 2023. Pieced together during lockdown months, and brought to fruition with a host of esteemed special guests, the Canadians’ fifth album, The Old Ways Remain, is set to emerge May 5.


Diverse, hypnotic and eminently groovy, the new songs push Blood Ceremony’s sound into new territory while also honoring the atavistic ethos that has led them to such triumphs in the past. Initial plans to repeat the successful formula that birthed Lord Of Misrule and fly to the UK to record again at Toe Rag Studios in London, fell victim to Covid restrictions, and so Sean and his comrades – Alia O’Brien (vocals/flute/organ), Lucas Gadke (bass) and Michael Carillo (drums) – switched to a simpler but equally satisfying Plan B.


“By late 2021, we realized that if we were ever going to finish a new album, we’d just have to record locally and do it ourselves,” says guitarist Sean Kennedy. “And that’s what we did. We started rehearsing the material again and were still really excited by it. Once we revisited everything, we had a new burst of energy. We found a local studio that had what we needed and we were off! Recording nearby allowed us to bring in friends like Laura Bates from (fellow folk-doom crew) Völur to play fiddle, Joseph Shabason added saxophone to 'Eugenie', and Mike Eckert played pedal steel on 'Hecate'. We produced ourselves, along with our friend, Paul Keyahas. We worked with an engineer named Chris Snow who immediately got what we were trying to do. Richard Whittaker mixed the tracks at his London, UK, studio, and we think he did a great job.”




A vital testament to Blood Ceremony’s collective efficacy, The Old Ways Remain is an album for those who love great songs, great riffs and cryptic tales from the outer limits.


Album art and preorders will be available soon.


“The Old Ways Remain is taken from a line in an earlier Blood Ceremony song,” Sean explains, “It seems appropriate, actually. We always seem to come back to this idea of the ancient world haunting the present. Arthur Machen explored this in books like 'The Hill of Dreams' and his writing has been a big influence.”


Undeniably long-awaited but very much worth the wait, Blood Ceremony’s return promises to inject some otherworldly charm back into the underground. As their songwriting prowess grows and their music takes on deeper and brighter colors in response, the quartet are perfectly poised to renew their special relationship with nostalgic riff-worshippers everywhere. Come the spring, The Old Ways will cast their spell all over again.


“We’re looking forward to releasing The Old Ways Remain. It’s been a long time coming, so we’re eager to finally get the songs out there and we hope people enjoy them,” Sean concludes, "We have a UK and European tour coming up in May 2023 with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats which will be a great time. It’s been a rough few years, but the old ways remain and the ancient gods live on!”


Tracklisting:


“The Hellfire Club”
“Ipissimus”
“Eugenie”
“Lolly Willows”
“Powers Of Darkness”
“The Bonfires At Belloc Coombe”
“Widdershins”
“Hecate”
“Mossy Wood”
“Song Of The Morrow”


Tour dates with Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats:


May
6 – Edinburgh, Scotland – La Belle Angele OR Liquid Rooms
7 – London, UK – Desertfest
8 – Brugge, Belgium – Cactus Club
10 – Toulouse, France – Le Metronum
11 – Madrid, Spain – La Paqui
12 – Barcelona, Spain –Sala Apolo 2
13 – Villeurbanne, France – Le Transbordeur
15 – Zurich, Switzerland – Plaza
16 – Milan, Italy – Santeria Toscana 31
18 – Budapest, Hungary – A38 Ship
19 – Krakow, Poland – Soulstone Gathering
20 – Prague, Czech Republic – Palac Akropolis
21 – Berlin, Germany – Desertfest Berlin 

Greek black metal legends, Rotting Christ, performed at the 2022 edition of Germany's Wacken Open Air Festival, and organizers have released professionally-filmed video footage. Watch the band perform three songs below, and watch the full show here.





In late 2022, Rotting Christ dropped a surprise EP, The Apocryphal Spells Vol. I, via Century Media Records. This first volume of songs is a collection of studio and live bonus tracks that were previously only available on select physical products; now, fans can stream these rarities for the first time online here.




Sakis Tolis (vocals, guitars) commented: "My dear friends, I can proudly announce a compilation of rare Rotting Christ tracks that have never been released on digital platforms before. We have now the opportunity to release them via the first part of a compilation: The Apocryphal Spells. Thanks for your attention, and I hope you will enjoy them, as we also did, recording them back in the days. Spirit Up!"





The Apocryphal Spells Vol. I tracklisting:


"Astral Embodiment"
"Moonlight"
"Phobia"
"Tormentor" (Kreator cover)
"Flag Of Hate/Pleasure to Kill" (Kreator cover)


Rotting Christ was founded by Sakis Tolis (vocals, guitars) and his brother Themis Tolis (drums) in 1987. Starting out as death/grind, the Greeks embarked on a darker musical journey by the time their debut full-length, Thy Mighty Contract (1993), was released.


On the following seven albums [spanning a ten-year period from Non Serviam (1994) to Sanctus Diavolos (2004)], Rotting Christ steadily defined their own distinct style by experimenting with elements from death, heavy, and gothic metal without betraying their black roots. At the same time, the band went from underground heroes to headliner status.


With their highly acclaimed ninth album, Theogonia (2007), the Greek stalwarts added an unmistakable native element to their sound, which has remained with them as a signature trademark ever since.


 

In a new interview with Radioacktiva Colombia, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen was asked what it's like to be touring once again with his longtime friends in MÖTLEY CRÜE decades after they first shared the stage together. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's great. We've known 'em for years. I've known all of 'em since the '80s — early '80s — and we played with them first time in '83. It's great. It's like being at school with all of your best friends. It's really fun. We've got this [shared chartered] airplane [on the tour] that all of us are on there. And it's great. There's two bands that are still around. And I think it means more as you get older. There's this thing being young, ta-da-da, but there's something about really doing it still later on that makes you — I don't know — appreciate it more."

DEF LEPPARD's performance in Bogotá Saturday night (February 25) went ahead as scheduled, hours after it was revealed that singer Joe Elliott was hospitalized for respiratory issues.

After playing in Mexico City and Monterrey last week, DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE arrived in Bogotá Friday night (February 24) for what is scheduled to be the third stop on their joint 2023 world tour. However, a short time later, El Tiempo reported that Elliott had checked in to Clínica de Marly, a hospital in Bogotá, because he was experiencing dyspnea, which is the medical term for difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.

On Saturday afternoon, DEF LEPPARD's social media shared a brief video of Elliott at the Parque Simón Bolívar venue in which he said he was suffering from "moderate-to-severe altitude sickness" but vowed to play the Bogotá show.

DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE's co-headline "The World Tour" is hitting Latin America and Europe before it comes to the U.S. in August. Produced by Live Nation, the U.S. leg of the world tour kicks off on August 5 in Syracuse, New York.

Earlier this 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.

DEF LEPPARD is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", which sold 34,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release in May 2022 to land at position No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the band's eighth top 10 LP.

Of "Diamond Star Halos"' 34,000 units earned for the week, album sales comprised 32,000, SEA units comprised 2,000 (equaling 2.7 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprised less than 500 units.

DEF LEPPARD's previous Top 10 albums included "Pyromania" (which peaked at No. 2 in 1983),"Hysteria" (No. 1 for six weeks in 1988),"Adrenalize" (No. 1 for five weeks in 1992),"Retro Active" (No. 9; 1983),"Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection" (No. 10; 2005),"Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" (No. 5; 2008) and "Def Leppard" (No. 10; 2015).

Last summer, DEF LEPPARD completed "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE and guests POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS. The 36-date trek was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus crisis.

In a new interview with Taryn Daly of Audacy Check In, GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna was asked for this thoughts on his band being eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year and possibly one day being inducted. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it would feel great, I know that, to know that you're acknowledged in the industry.

"I've always felt like we were kind of the band that flew under a lot of the radar, because we were never a part of the MTV clique or the things that were blowing up during the times when the band was first coming out with our first album," Sully continued. "So we always considered ourselves the little engine that could. We came out and just chugged along and we did what we did every album, and these other big bands, big steam engines would come blowing by us and sell 15 million records. And we were always, like, 'Man, what are we doing wrong.' But up the road, we would see those bands break down and go away, and here comes the little engine that could, and we'd keep chugging along and do our million records every cycle or whatever it was, and that's something to be said for. It's hard these days to be able to continue to sell records in this digital world that's been created.

"So, if we were acknowledged in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at some point — which, by the way, '98 was our first record release, so this is our 25th year since the first record came out but 28 years since we started the band," Erna added. "And I don't know if they judge it by first record coming out or when the band was created, but either way, I guess we're there. And if that happened — amazing. I mean, we would be so grateful."

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

The Rock Hall didn't induct BLACK SABBATH until 2006, and METALLICA followed three years later.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.

IRON MAIDEN is among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2023.

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to have been released in 1998 or earlier.

This is the second nomination for IRON MAIDEN.

The 2023 class will be chosen by a group of over 1,000 artists, historians, and members of the music industry the Rock Hall has selected as voters.