MERCYFUL FATE members King Diamond (vocals),Hank Shermann (guitar) and Mike Wead (guitar) spoke to Guitar World magazine about the band's upcoming studio album, which could arrive before the end of the year. Regarding the new MERCYFUL FATE song "The Jackal Of Salzburg", which the group performed live last June in Hannover, Germany, Wead said: "It's one of the more epic songs out of the new ones I've heard. It's kind of bombastic, with a slight touch of doom metal, which is a bit different for MERCY. But then again, MERCY was never a band that stood still, either."

On the topic of the timeline for the next MERCYFUL FATE album, Shermann said: "That's a really good question, because I really don't know, other than that I have at least eight or nine songs ready to be worked on. We already have three songs worked out, out of those, and the drums for 'The Jackal of Salzburg' are recorded. I would also say it probably depends on what the reaction is from [the fall 2022] U.S. tour."

Lyrically, "The Jackal Of Salzburg" is inspired by one of the last major witch hunts, the Zaubererjackl trials in Salzburg, Austria (1675-90). 139 people were executed as the followers of Wizard Jackl or Magician Jackl or Jäckel, who was himself never found.

"It's so grotesque, man," King told Guitar World about the source material. "There was a young man, 20 years old, whose mother was burned alive as a witch in 1675. Two years later they started hunting [the son] based on confessions the mom had made under torture, where she gave up her son as being in league with the devil.

"It's pretty shocking when you think about spearing a child on this horrible thing that goes up your backend and comes out through your mouth, or on a wheel that would pull them apart. Completely insane."

MERCYFUL FATE played the final show of its first North American headlining tour in over two decades on November 16, 2022 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia. Stepping in on bass for MERCYFUL FATE at these shows was Becky Baldwin, a British musician who has previously played with FURY, TRIAXIS and CONTROL THE STORM. She filled in for MERCYFUL FATE's regular bassist Joey Vera, who was unable to make the trek due to a scheduling conflict with his longtime band ARMORED SAINT.

In 2019, it was announced Vera would be replacing original MERCYFUL FATE bassist Timi Hansen for the band's summer 2020 European festival appearances due to Hansen's cancer diagnosis. Hansen passed away in November 2019 and MERCYFUL FATE's 2020 summer festival appearances were rescheduled for 2021, and then to 2022.

MERCYFUL FATE's North American tour, which featured support from by KREATOR and MIDNIGHT, followed the band's headlining performance at last year's edition of Psycho Las Vegas.

MERCYFUL FATE was formed in early 1981 in Copenhagen, Denmark by King and Hank. They were later joined by guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen, and soon thereafter drummer Kim Ruzz would join to complete the band lineup. The band recorded two demos in 1981 and later signed with Rave On Records in Holland for the recording of their successful self-titled EP, released in November of 1982. The "Mercyful Fate" EP was soon in heavy rotation around core metal radio stations, launching a new breed of heavy metal with their unique sound.

The band joined Roadrunner Records in 1983 and their debut full-length, "Melissa", was recorded and released that same year. The following year, MERCYFUL FATE returned to the studio to record their now legendary "Don't Break The Oath" full-length, released in September of 1984.

MERCYFUL FATE embarked upon a two-month U.S. tour in support of the record, which took them across the States several times sharing the stage with the likes of MOTÖRHEAD and EXCITER. The shows had created a brush fire within the metal community. The band reaped recognition globally, closing the year with a five-date tour in Germany with MOTÖRHEAD, GIRLSCHOOL, HELIX and TALON.

MERCYFUL FATE's first concert of 1985 was in their hometown of Copenhagen at an old movie theater with a large capacity. The show sold out and their stage show exhibited a new level of distinction. The night was a huge victory and a new highlight for the band. By April of 1985, however, MERCYFUL FATE decided to part ways for each to pursue new challenges. The KING DIAMOND band was born and reaped critical acclaim the following years with five studio albums on Roadrunner Records. KING DIAMOND has since signed with Metal Blade Records and is going stronger than ever before.

In the summer of 1992, MERCYFUL FATE decided to reunite and penned a new deal with Brian Slagel and his label, Metal Blade Records. "In The Shadows" was released in 1993 and was an instant triumph furthered by a sold-out U.S. tour.

MERCYFUL FATE has gone on to release another five studio albums and have toured Europe, the U.S. and South America multiple times. The highlight of 1999 was their critically acclaimed album "9" which was followed by a European tour with METALLICA, where King and Hank joined the band onstage several times for the medley "Mercyful Fate" which METALLICA had recorded on their "Garage Inc." double tribute album the year prior. Tours in the U.S. and in South America followed, marking the band's last live performances for over a decade. MERCYFUL FATE then went on hiatus, but made a brief appearance when members joined METALLICA onstage in 2011 for their 30th-anniversary show in San Francisco, California.

Phantom Elite have shared another fantastic single from their upcoming album Blue Blood out March 17. "Black Sunrise" is accompanied by a fiery animated video. Watch the clip below, and pre-order/pre-save Blue Blood here.


Phantom Elite is an international metal band fronted by Marina La Torraca (Exit Eden, live vocalist for Avantasia) with guitarist Max van Esch, drummer Joeri Warmerdam, and featuring executive production by former After Forever guitarist and founder Sander Gommans. The band traffics in modern metal, combining elements of symphonic, progressive, and metalcore into their own unique concoction.


After their independently released debut album, Wasteland (2018), Phantom Elite trimmed themselves down to a power trio and released their sophomore album, Titanium (2021) via Frontiers Music Srl. This album, with its powerful punch, complex rhythms, and stunning vocals, marked Phantom Elite as a band on the rise.




With Blue Blood, and an upcoming European tour already scheduled (details forthcoming), the trio is ready to further expand their fanbase and continue to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with.





Blue Blood tracklisting:


"Skin Of My Teeth"
"Inner Beast"
"This Sick World"
"Birdcage"
"Apex"
"Fragments"
"Laid With Vines"
"Daydark"
"Blue Blood"
"Black Sunrise"


"Black Sunrise" animated video:





"Skin Of My Teeth" lyric video:





"Inner Beast" video:





Phantom Elite will be touring Europe with Temperance this spring. Dates below.





Tour dates:


March
25 - Arci Tom - Mantova, Italy
26 - Klub Kotac - Pula, Croatia
28 - Gustaf Pekarna - Maribor, Slovenia
29 - Hardplace - Zagreb, Croatia
30 - S8 Underground - Budapest, Hungary
31 - Zipp It - Cjuj Napoca, Romania


April
1 - Jack's Cowhouse - Daskabat, Czech Republic
2 - Melodka - Brno, Czech Czech Republic
4 - Lucerna Music Bar - Prague, Czech Republic
5 - Metbar - Lenzburg, Switzerland
6 - tba - Colmar, France
7 -  Rock Box - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
8 - Ragnarok - Bree, Belgium
9 - Nachtleben - Frankfurt, Germany


Phantom Elite are:


Marina La Torraca - Vocals
Max van Esch - Guitars, Bass, Synths/Electronic Arrangements
Joeri Warmerdam - Drums

Downfall Of Gaia has released their latest single, “Existence Of Awe.” The pummeling new psalm comes by way of the band’s sixth studio album, Silhouettes Of Disgust, scheduled to drop on March 17 via Metal Blade Records.


Wanting to keep things short, simple, and a bit more confrontational, the record does not feature the eight- to ten-minute epics of the band’s more recent releases and is indeed punchier, with a lot of classic d-beat drumming driving the action, as on the surging “Unredeemable” and opener/latest single, “Existence Of Awe.”


Elaborates vocalist/guitarist Dominik Goncalves dos Reis, " ‘Existence Of Awe’ is a song about those inner demons and ghostly companions that many in this day and age are at the mercy of and have to fight against in whatever form. A condition that one often carries around unnoticed on the outside, which is not immediately visible to many, and that one must somehow learn to live with…"




Downfall Of Gaia will return to the stage this April on a short run of European live dates celebrating the release of their upcoming sixth studio album, Silhouettes Of Disgust. The tour kicks off on April 11 in Munich, Germany and runs through April 23 in Berlin. Silhouettes Of Disgust will see its official unveiling on March 17 via Metal Blade Records.


Comments vocalist/guitarist Dominik Goncalves dos Reis: "We are excited to be back on tour in April to present our new album, Silhouettes Of Disgust! We haven't been on the road for three years, so this should be an exciting thing for all of us!"


The band will be joined by Implore and Deathrite on select shows. See all confirmed dates below.





Tour dates:


April (with Implore)
11 - Backstage - Munich, Germany
12 - Jugendhaus - West Stuttgart, Germany
13 - Bandhaus - Leipzig, Germany
14 - Underdogs - Prague, Czech Republic
15 - TBA


April (with Deathrite)
19 - Pul - Uden, Netherlands
20 - Rockpalast - Bochum, Germany
21 - Bastard Club - Osnabrück, Germany
22 - Headcrash - Hamburg, Germany
23 - Cassiopeia - Berlin, Germany


With Silhouettes Of Disgust, Downfall Of Gaia progresses in part by looking backwards and returning to familiar territory. The result is best described as a textured, dynamic blend of crust punk and post-black metal with a lot of atmospheric elements, taking everything that ever made the band compelling and pushing it in new and gripping directions.


Silhouettes Of Disgust will be released on CD, LP, and digitally. Find pre-orders here.





Silhouettes Of Disgust tracklisting:


"Existence of Awe"
"The Whir Of Flies"
"While Bloodsprings Become Rivers"
"Bodies As Driftwood"
"Eyes To Burning Skies"
"Final Vows"
"Unredeemable"
"Optograms Of Disgust"


"Existence Of Awe" visualizer:





"Bodies As Driftwood" video:





Lineup:


Dominik Goncalves dos Reis - vocals, guitars
Peter Wolff - guitars, vocals
Anton Lisovoj - bass, vocals
Michael Kadnar - drums


(Photo - David Stöcklin)

Steve Vai has clarified his recent comments that he had enough material recorded with Ozzy Osbourne for a full album.

In an interview with Eonmusic, the guitarist said that he was "sitting on a whole Ozzy record", adding that he couldn't do anything with the material because he didn't have any rights to it.

But now in a social media post, Vai revealed that while there was enough music written for a whole album, the songs were never completed and would require re-recording before being released to the public.

Steve wrote: "In a recent interview I spoke a bit carelessly about 'Sitting on an entire Ozzy album' and then the clickbait headlines went viral.

"To clarify, Ozzy and I got together back around 96 and spent some time trying to come up with some potential songs for an album that he already had half recorded. That record later came out as 'Ozzmosis'. We demoed a handful of tracks and then there was a bunch of tracks I built for him to check out. He ended up picking one song to use on his album and that's 'My Little Man'. It was re-recorded with his band, and it came out great. Only one other demoed track from those sessions had an Ozzy scratch vocal on it and I handed in all the Master demo tapes to the label and kept safety tapes of the tracks I personally built. All in all, there was (is) enough music for a whole record, but those songs would require re-recording. The demos are bumpy road maps but not the goal.

"I, like many Ozzy fans, would love if there was a secret hidden Ozzy album somewhere, only to be revealed to our surprised ears at a future time, but it wouldn't come from those sessions. So sorry for the confusion."

In the Eonmusic interview, Vai said about his Ozzy collaboration: "We did record some pretty good stuff. The interesting thing about that stuff we recorded from a guitar perspective is all of my rhythm guitar parts, I use an octave divider, and that record doesn’t sound like anything else."

He continued: "Ozzy had recorded about half of his record for the record company, and Sharon [Ozzy's wife and manager] and the label wanted to get him together with some different songwriters to just get some more songs. So I was one of the ones that they wanted to get together with. It was really just to write some songs for Ozzy's record that he would then take and go use for his record and whoever he was working with on the record would record it."

Vai also revealed that he worked on an early version of "Dyin' Day" for the Ozzy album, a song which was later reworked for the guitarist's 1996 solo record "Fire Garden". Another track, "Danger Zone", was a song that Vai had already for his project with Johnny "Gash" Sombrotto on vocals, a record that was started around 1990 but was never finished before Gash's death in 1998 and was only released this year.

Ozzy Osbourne photo credit: Ross Halfin

In a recent interview I spoke a bit carelessly about “Sitting on an entire Ozzy album” and then the clickbait headlines...

Posted by Steve Vai on Thursday, February 23, 2023

In a new interview with Darren Paltrowitz, host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith was asked if it's "by design" that not many fans know a lot about his personal life away from his touring and recording activities with the band. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know if it's by design; it's just who I am. I often will tell people that will say to me, 'Do you know you're a rock star?' And I go… I don't necessarily know how to answer that question, because if I am a rock star, or what I would consider a performer, I am for my set time. So the other 20 hours out of the day, what you see right now is exactly who I am. And I spend a lot of time right now, as much as I can, with my son, who just turned 15 in December of last year. And a lot of things are going on in his life right now, and I need to be there with him. But he also understands that I have to be gone also. That's why I'm very thankful that we have technology like FaceTime. 'Cause he's Generation Z, and they don't wanna text and they don't wanna talk on the phone; they wanna FaceTime, which I absolutely love. They like to look at each other. But I appreciate that.

"For me, I look at the 'rock star' element as the set time for when I'm performing," Brent explained. "As soon as I walk on stage, there is a switch that goes off, because I'm there to perform. And then I walk off the stage, I come back to reality. I think that that's one of the reasons why mentally I've been able to do this at the level that I'm doing it at. Not to mention the people around me — I always express this to people: you have to surround yourself with the hardest… the people in your life with the hardest workers in the room. And you need to lead from the front. And that's what I just try to do.

"I'm so immersed in my family, which really and truly is my son. But my livelihood is this band, and it has been from day one. This isn't a hobby. This is my life. And I'm also responsible for a lot of other people's lives. That's something that I make very, very poignant to everybody. Your crew, if you're a live musician, they are your anchor. They are what keeps you grounded and allows you to be able to do what it is you do. I can't stress the fact that… We are in a place now in our career as a band where we have a staff of about 80 people on the road. And we're responsible not only for them… And there's a lot of lifers with us too — people that have been there for over 10 years plus. And we're responsible for their families as well, and their livelihood. So it's a big responsibility."

Earlier this week, SHINEDOWN released the music video for its new Hot AC single "A Symptom Of Being Human", a standout track from its critically acclaimed album "Planet Zero".

SHINEDOWN's 24-date "The Revolutions Live" U.S. tour will kick off April 3 with support from fellow chart-toppers THREE DAYS GRACE and FROM ASHES TO NEW. SHINEDOWN will also play the Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia this September.

The "Planet Zero" album also features pop-rock anthem and No. 1 rock hit "Daylight", which People called one of "the most powerful of pop-rock songs created to remind us that we are truly all in this together." The band's video for "Daylight", set to the Amazon Original version of the song, is a love letter to their fans and shows the impact that the song's message — that you are never alone — had during SHINEDOWN's sold-out "Planet Zero" world tour.

SHINEDOWN also recently released a music video for current fast-rising rock single "Dead Don't Die", a rousing declaration of survival and an anthem about the resilience of the human spirit after trying times.

"Planet Zero" boldly confronts the societal forces that perpetuate divisiveness while offering a restorative path forward through empathy and open conversation - ultimately serving as a reminder that it is our human connections that matter the most. The album debuted in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and the official U.K. albums chart, and at No. 1 on six other Billboard charts, including Top Album Sales, Rock, Hard Rock, and Alternative Albums. SHINEDOWN is nominated for two iHeartRadio Music Awards for "Rock Artist Of The Year" and "Rock Song Of The Year" for "Planet Zero".

Vio-lence performed on the Ronnie James Dio stage at Bloodstock Open Air 2022. Check out pro-shot vdeo of "World In A World" below.


The setlist on the day was as follows:


"Eternal Nightmare"
"Serial Killer"
"Calling in the Coroner"
"Officer Nice"
"Kill on Command"
"Upon Their Cross"
"Phobophobia"
"World in a World"




 


Formed in 1985, Oakland thrashers Vio-Lence helped define and refine what came to be known as the Bay Area sound. Eternal Nightmare originally debuted on June 27, 1988, and is widely regarded as a thrash masterpiece in the world of heavy music. Metal Blade Records reissued this seminal crusher on Vinyl, CD, Digital and Cassette on October 28th, 2022. 


The original tracklisting has been remastered by Patrick Engel for all formats, which will all feature the original iconic cover art by Edward J. Repka. Both the CD and Digital release feature the original tracklisting along with 12 additional live tracks, recorded at Slims in San Francisco, CA on December 14, 2001, while the LP and Cassette feature the original tracklisting. Vinyl comes with a download card that includes all of the bonus tracks.


Vinyl Variants:


- Bloody Flesh Marbled (US)
- Deep Purple Marbled (US)
- 180g Black (EU)
- Blood Red Marbled (EU - ltd. 1000 each)
- Black / White Marbled (EU - ltd. 1000 each)





CD tracklisting:


Disc 1:
"Eternal Nightmare"
"Serial Killer"
"Phobophobia"
"Calling in the Coroner"
"T.D.S. (Take It as You Will)"
"Bodies on Bodies"
"Kill On Command"


Disc 2:
"Liquid Courage" (Live at Slims)
"Ageless Eyes" (Live at Slims)
"Calling in the Coroner" (Live at Slims)
"World In a World" (Live at Slims)
"Officer Nice" (Live at Slims)
"Subterfuge" (Live at Slims)
"Kill on Command" (Live at Slims)
"Phobophobia" (Live at Slims)
"Bodies on Bodies" (Live at Slims)
"I Profit" (Live at Slims)
"T.D.S." (Live at Slims)
"Paraplegic" (Live at Slims)


Vinyl tracklisting:


Side 1
"Eternal Nightmare"
"Serial Killer"
"Phobophobia"
"Calling in the Coroner"


Side 2
"T.D.S. (Take It as You Will)"
"Bodies on Bodies"
"Kill on Command"


 

At The Gates has just uploaded drum cam footage of Adrian Erlandsson performing "Spectre Of Extinction" live at the Gothic Theatre in Englewood, Colorado on August 22, 2022.





"Spectre Of Extinction" is the opening track to The Nightmare Of Being, the seventh studio album from At The Gates, released in July 2021 via Century Media. The official video for the song can be enjoyed below.







 


 


 

Belgian metal band, Noord, have released their new single, "Fractured".





Says Noord: "‘Fractured’ is the opening track of the upcoming album. With songs 'What Am I Breathing For' and 'Lilith', the first part of the story has come to the end! That's right! The album will contain three "chapters”. Each of them has it's own unique character and story which is the purpose to portray the whole album. With a melodic driven vibe and straight forward, headbanging verses, it is the perfect way to lose your mind and go crazy."





Listen to "Fractured" here, and below:





Noord is a 3-piece metal band from Antwerp, Belgium. They saw the first light of day in 2017. Even in the earlier stages it was clear that this band would not sound like any other band. The roots lies in the metal world but there are a lot of roads to walk on without losing the roots itself. They combine different elements and styles to form their own. In easy words; Noord brings something different to the table in the world of heavy music.


Keep an eye on the horizon to see what the next part of the album will be.


Lineup:


Bass: Louis De Bie
Guitars/Vocals: Cédric De Graeve
Drums: Stijn Sallets

MÖTLEY CRÜE played its fourth concert with guitarist John 5 Tuesday night (February 21) at Estadio Banorte in Monterrey, Mexico. The show also marked the fourth date of the band's 2023 "The World Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, following two intimate gigs in Atlantic City, New Jersey and a concert in Mexico City.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's setlist was as follows:

01. Wild Side
02. Shout At The Devil
03. Too Fast For Love
04. Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
05. Saints Of Los Angeles
06. Live Wire
07. The Dirt (Est. 1981)
08. Looks That Kill
09. Rock And Roll, Part 2 / Smokin' In The Boys Room / Helter Skelter / Anarchy In The U.K. / Blitzkrieg Bop
10. Home Sweet Home
11. Dr. Feelgood
12. Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)
13. Girls, Girls, Girls
14. Primal Scream
15. Kickstart My Heart

Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

MÖTLEY CRÜE held its first rehearsal with the former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON guitarist on January 23 in preparation for the band's shows with DEF LEPPARD. A short time later, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx took to his Twitter to write: "Well that was fucking epic.

"@john5guitarist walks into rehearsal and we just rip the set from top to bottom seamlessly. That took 90 minute's and then the next few hours we just laughed and told dumb rockstar war stories.

"@MotleyCrue DAY 1".

He followed that up with an Instagram Story post thanking the band's crew and gushing that "today sounded insane."

John 5 joined CRÜE as the replacement for founding guitarist Mick Mars, who announced last October he would no longer tour with the legendary rock act because of his long struggles with degenerative disease ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time, according to the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases.

In October, Sixx praised John 5, saying he "checks all the boxes" as Mars's replacement following the latter's decision to retire from touring. Sixx commented on John 5's addition to CRÜE while answering fan questions on Twitter. Asked why the band chose John 5, who is one of the credited co-writers on the three original songs on CRÜE's "The Dirt" soundtrack, Sixx said: "He checks all the boxes. He's a insane player. Has respect for our music, is funny as fuck and has history with us and we've written some pretty big hits together."

Sixx also addressed Mars's announcement that he was retiring from touring, saying: "He's been a soldier along with us for 4 decades. We will continue to carrying our legacy to Generations of fans and honor Micks request for us to keep touring as Motley Crue."

In addition to co-writing the three songs on "The Dirt", John 5 collaborated with Sixx and Desmond Child on Meat Loaf's "The Monster Is Loose". In 2021, Sixx and John 5 launched the L.A. RATS supergroup in which they were joined by Rob Zombie and drummer Tommy Clufetos.

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

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

Speculation about John 5 replacing Mars gained strength after the longtime ROB ZOMBIE guitarist failed to appear with the shock rocker at last year's Aftershock festival in Sacramento. Rob was instead joined on stage by returning guitarist Mike Riggs for the first time since 2006.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS 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 pandemic.

After selling more than 1.3 million tickets in 2022, MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD and are going global in 2023 with their co-headline "The World Tour" along with special guest Alice Cooper. After the launch of European and Latin American dates, additional U.S. shows will take place in August.

Produced by Live Nation, the U.S. leg of the world tour kicks off on August 5 in Syracuse, New York. The bands will bring their electrifying stage shows across America throughout the month of August including being the first-ever show at the H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

MR. BIG's music video for the group's classic ballad "To Be With You" has surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube. The Nancy Bennett-directed clip, which was newly restored in 4K and uploaded to YouTube in August 2017, features the band performing in a railroad car and changes from black-and-white to color around the halfway mark.

MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan commented on the milestone, saying: "Well well well—MR BIG! Our #1 hit single just hit 100 million views on YouTube. Quite amazing. Having a hit record has been the adventure of a lifetime for myself, Eric [Martin, vocals], Paul [Gilbert, guitar], and ( may he Rest In Peace ) Pat Torpey [drums]. My sincerest gratitude for all who made this possible. We miss you, Pat. So much."

Decades ago, Sheehan said in an interview that the "To Be With You" video was "done way-super-ultra-cheap. When we tell people how much we spent on the video, they can't believe it. We got this video together dirt cheap. To see it beating up Michael Jackson's million-dollar extravaganza on MTV is pretty amazing."

In a recent interview with Sunshine Cantu, Sheehan was asked about the identity of the drummer who will sit behind the kit for MR. BIG's upcoming tour dates. The 69-year-old bassist spoke about while addressing MR. BIG's decision to return to the road following the passing of Torpey. The drummer died in February 2018 at the age of 64 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

Regarding who will be playing drums for MR. BIG at the upcoming shows, Sheehan said: "Well, you have to wait. We will announce it pretty soon.

"MR. BIG, we wanna play together again," he confirmed. "Nothing is really booked yet, but we wanna do a proper farewell — especially having lost our drummer Pat, we would like to give him a tribute on a proper farewell and pay honor to him and his incredible drumming and his contributions to MR. BIG and general musical contributions in so many ways. So we will probably do something this year. Nothing to announce yet."

Sheehan added: "There will be a drummer. A lot of times, situations like this, the drummer has other things that he's dealing with, so we can't necessarily give his name right now until he's prepared for it to be released. But I guarantee you you're gonna be very pleased."

This past December, MR. BIG singer Eric Martin told The Metal Voice that the band's return to the road "is definitely gonna happen. There's no question about it. It's gonna happen in the middle of 2023. And it's gonna be multiple dates. We're working on the U.S. and a possible tour… Paul is involved — obviously, Paul Gilbert, the original guitar player. Billy Sheehan… The spirit of Pat Torpey. And there will be a phenomenal drummer. It won't be Matt Starr [who played with MR. BIG in the past] on this thing. Matt's doing his own thing; I think he's playing with Ace Frehley now."

Regarding the new MR. BIG drummer, Eric said: "I will tell you that he sent an audition video. And I watched it. It was 'Lucky This Time', which is a song that we hardly ever did — mainly me, because it was really hard to sing it. It's on the 'Lean Into It' album. And what he did was he thought he'd one-up the audition, so he played drums on it and he sang the lead and the harmonies on everything. And it was phenomenal.

"I don't wanna mention the guy's name until the press release comes out. But the guy really stepped up," Martin added. "And everybody knows him. And then one really, really cool thing is that he was a big fan of Pat Torpey. And I totally noticed how when he did the video, when he did the drums and the way he tuned the drums, he's got Pat down. When he was playing Pat's snare hit, the crack of the snare, it was definitely Pat Torpey. I think Pat would approve of this new mystery man."

In November, Billy told Conversaciones Necias that there were plans for MR. BIG to return to the road soon. "We wanna play again," he said. "Matt Starr did an amazing drumming job. He's fantastic. He was friends with Pat. When Pat couldn't play his kit but still could tour, he toured together with Matt and they were very dear friends. But we need a guy that has Pat's voice. And Matt's got a great voice but it's a different range. We need a guy [who can sing] way up here," he explained while raising his right hand just above his head. "So we found somebody. We'll let the world know about it soon. And we're hoping to do some shows maybe in the summer 2023."

This past August, Sheehan told Dr. Music about MR. BIG's future plans: "After we did the shows without Pat — the first time after we lost him — again, Matt Starr did a great job. But it wasn't Pat; Pat wasn't there. So I'm glad we took some time — a couple of years — to just kind of lay off of it. But a lot of people write all the time and they really wanna see the band. We would like to play for them too."

MR. BIG's latest album, "Defying Gravity", was released in 2017 via Wowow Entertainment, Inc. in Japan and Frontiers Music Srl in most of the rest of the world.

After announcing his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2014, Torpey continued to write, record and perform with MR. BIG.

MR. BIG, formed in 1988, produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres — be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits include "Alive And Kicking", "Just Take My Heart" and the aforementioned chart-topping ballad "To Be With You".

In February 2021, MR. BIG released a new live set, "Raw Like Sushi Mega Edition - Revive 2017: 2017 Japan Tour Official Bootleg Box". A complete collection of MR. BIG's 2017 performances in Japan, it features all nine concerts which took place between September and October of that year.

Well well well—MR BIG! Our #1 hit single just hit 100 million views on YouTube. Quite amazing. Having a hit record has...

Posted by Billy Sheehan on Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The animated music video for "Blind Leading The Blind", the first single from ELEGANT WEAPONS, the new project featuring guitarist Richie Faulkner (JUDAS PRIEST) and singer Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, MSG),can be seen below. The track is taken from ELEGANT WEAPONS' debut album, "Horns For A Halo", which will be released on May 26 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was recorded with bassist Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS and MEGADETH, among many others.

"The video is great and gives a quirky and stylistic representation of the meaning of the song," explains Faulkner. "The main character is getting drunk on the power he is given by the people that trust him, only to be found out later when his followers really see the truth. When the power is taken away, he is seen for what he really is."

"Horns For A Halo" track listing:

01. Dead Man Walking
02. Do Or Die
03. Blind Leading The Blind
04. Ghost Of You
05. Bitter Pill
06. Lights Out
07. Horns For A Halo
08. Dirty Pig
09. White Horse
10. Downfall Rising

In a recent interview with Pete Pardo of Sea Of Tranquility, Romero stated about ELEGANT WEAPONS: "That's something Richie [brought] to the table a couple of years ago. He call[ed] me and said, 'Listen…' If I remember correctly, he had the album recorded already, but he told me [at the time], 'We feel that doesn't work with the singer we have. So we're gonna try with another singer.' So I recorded a song, and then they loved it. And we ended up working together. And the plans are we're gonna release the album in, I think it's gonna be May, it's gonna be released by Nuclear Blast. And then we're gonna make some summer festivals around Europe. Then probably we'll go properly on tour, if everybody's okay. And probably we're gonna record a second album, and then we will see."

Romero went on to say that ELEGANT WEAPONS is "a very solid project," adding that "it's not something we will do once, and that's it. And also we're not doing it because of a contract that we need to fulfill. It's because we really want to do it together," he explained. "Richie is a cool guy; we are friends. And the rest of the guys also. Andy Sneap, [who did] the production, is a cool guy also. And we really want to see what happens with the band because we think people are gonna be very surprised about what they're gonna listen on the music side. It's not the typical thing Richie and I were doing for the last few years. It's a different thing. And I think the people are gonna like it. So we will see what happens. And we're gonna build the house from that point."

ELEGANT WEAPONS, which is rounded out by Dave Rimmer (URIAH HEEP) on bass and Christopher Williams (ACCEPT) on drums, has announced the following 2023 European festival appearances so far:

June 16 - Clisson, France @ Hellfest
Jun. 23-25 – Cartagena, Spain @ Rock Imperium
Jun. 29 - Galicia, Spain @ Resurrection Fest
July 02 - Bologna, Italy @ The Return Of The Gods
July 28-30 - Ebbw Vale, U.K. @ Steelhouse Festival

"Horns For A Halo" was recorded with bassist Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS and MEGADETH, among many others.

Regarding the ELEGANT WEAPONS band name, Faulkner said: "In almost any endeavor, the craftsman needs the right tools for the job. For a musician, those tools are things like their instruments, their voices and the emotions that the right combination of all those can bring to the surface. You can also consider it a reference to the instruments we play, because they're almost antiquities now. So yes, it references our instruments and also this kind of music, where we're carrying on the tradition of the greats like SABBATH and DIO but also bands the guys are connected to, like RAINBOW, PANTERA and PRIEST."

Richie and Rex have been friends for years, so when Richie was recording "Horns For A Halo" during the pandemic, he called on his friend to record the bass for the album.

"Well, Rex brings a sound, first of all, that is like no other bass sound," explained Richie. "The way he plays bass is instantly recognizable. But I got involved with Rex, you know, as with a lot of things that we do, as humans, really — we got involved as friends first. But Rex has got a great way of hearing the way the bass parts and the drums interact together. I mean, Rex's parts just breathe grit and life and dynamic into the songs. So it's a pleasure to have him on the record and it's a pleasure, obviously, to know him and have him as a friend — he's a legend."

As for Travis's involvement with the LP, Faulkner said: "I always wanted to make a record with Scott playing on it outside of PRIEST. His technique and style are legendary but also his groove."

When it comes to the live show, there was no other bass player even considered other than Rimmer. Davey and Richie go back over 20 years and they played the bars and pubs of London and England together, night in, night out for many years. Their musical relationship is almost telepathic in the way they communicate, from that early hard graft together on the circuit.

"Davey is an untouchable player," Richie said. "In sound, style and presence. A killer writer too, contributing great songs with URIAH HEEP. A great friend and a great musician."

When it came to choosing the drummer for the touring band, it was a no-brainer for Richie to enlist fellow Nashville resident and good friend Williams. Christopher had played and recorded the initial demos for the "Horns For A Halo" album, and was the obvious choice for the drum position. A phenomenal player, a great personality and a consummate professional.

And finally there's the new hotshot on the scene, Romero, Chilean-born, now living in Eastern Europe.

"Ronnie's got that heritage," says Richie, "and he nailed his parts in a week, which was a testament, really, to how good the guy is and how perfect he was for it. And he's just such a lovely guy, and, I think, one of a dying breed. There's not many people like him. There's good singers, like [Rob] Halford and [Ronnie James] Dio, but there's not many of them. He's really something special. When he sings with RAINBOW, he sounds obviously like Dio, but when he sings this stuff, there's something in there that comes out of him — he's his own monster, with his own trademark quality, which is an important thing to have."

Producing is PRIEST's touring guitarist of the past five years Sneap, who has been respectful of Richie's vision concerning a certain classic sound he wanted across the expanse of the record's 11 songs (ten originals plus a cover of UFO's "Lights Out"),and that is a signature Flying V through a Marshall Plexi amp.

"With the Marshall Plexi I've kind of gone back to the ‘70s, really," figured Faulkner. "And, you know, it's just one channel. And I've been using a prototype Flying V by Gibson, a blue Flying V with signature pickups, which I had been using on the PRIEST tour. I used it on the whole record, every track. So it's pretty straightforward technology-wise — the Flying V through a Marshall on 11."

As for the music, Richie described it as "a mix of Jimi Hendrix, PRIEST, SABBATH, solo Ozzy and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, but with a lot of melody, sort of old school and modern at once if that makes any sense, and actually down-tuned a whole step. The Marshall Plexi basically does one thing, but you've got to crank it to 11 for it to have that distorted sound. It hasn't got a lot of bells and whistles on it or different channels and effects. It basically does one thing and does it very well. But again down-tuning creates more of a modern sound, and by using the classic sound of the Marshall Plexi, you get that juxtaposition, that contrast. All told, there are a lot of guitar solos and the songs are on the heavier side. And even though there's a lot of melody, it's still going to shake your bones."

Specific to the songs, Richie explained that, "Me and acoustic don't really get along, so there's only one mellow song on it, a sort of smoky, haunted, New Orleans kind of tune called 'Ghost Of You', with de-tuned 1920s piano on it. That one is about a memory, or ghost of a lost love. But that's about as acoustic as it gets. I'm not really attracted to acoustic guitar in general. It's mainly kind of heavy and full-on, really. There's a song called 'White Horse', plus 'Horns For A Halo', which is like Tony Iommi crossed with ALICE IN CHAINS. That's about the way we justify the bad things we do. When we turn up on Judgement Day, will the angels kind of confuse our horns for halos, if you know what I mean. Then there's 'Rose Girl', which has a bit of a psychedelic '60s hippie vibe. It's about the rose girl who sells roses to the patrons at a strip club, and reflecting on what her life is all about."

Besides having these stories told, another mandate of the band is for Richie to propose more fully than he can across a PRIEST record, his own voice or style as it pertains to the guitar.

"Yes, everything that you do, without sounding pretentious, is trying to find your own voice and extension of your voice," he said. "I've been in cover bands all my life. Then you find yourself replacing K.K. Downing and it's, like, 'Now what am I gonna say?' I can't sound like K.K. Downing. I can't sound like Eddie Van Halen. I can't sound like Zakk Wylde. So it's refining and honing what your voice is, constantly fine-tuning what that voice is. And hopefully when people listen to it, they'll think, 'Oh, that's Richie.' In every song and every solo hopefully there's that sound, that narrative, that voice, and hopefully it stands the test of time."

But really, the over-arching mandate with ELEGANT WEAPONS is to perpetuate the rich legacy of the traditional proto-power metal invented by the heavy metal titans of the '70s and '80s, most pertinently JUDAS PRIEST.

"All four of us have got that original DNA in us, as does the new breed of traditional heavy metal fans," Richie said. "And so maybe a band like ELEGANT WEAPONS, hopefully we've got the credibility to make those original bands proud, because we were accepted by the members of those bands and by their fans. That's really the idea behind ELEGANT WEAPONS — to keep flying the flag for this style of timeless heavy metal."

GODSMACK has shared the music video for the band's latest single "Soul On Fire". The clip, which was directed by GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna and was produced by RED13 Creative at Red13 Studios, is taken from GODSMACK's new album, "Lighting Up The Sky", out now via BMG. The LP was co-produced by Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER).

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

In a recent interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, Erna spoke about the fact that "Lighting Up The Sky" will likely be GODSMACK's final collection of original material. He explained: "It's the most important record, I think, we've ever written and recorded.

"I've never been that artist who says, 'Oh, this record is our newest record. It's our best work ever.' You can read any interview you want over my whole career, and you've never heard me say it," he continued. "I've always loved our records [and] I always knew there would be some good singles on it and hoped it did well, but I was never the guy that said, 'This is our best fucking work ever.' And I'm telling you right now this is our best fucking work ever. And it's because it's emotional, man. This is the last record we're ever gonna do. This is the last run around the mill for us. We put every single ounce of energy and emotion into this album. Especially for me, when I wrote a lot of these songs, it was about my life journey. That's really what the sequence of this album becomes about. Not that it was planned that way, but this really kind of mystical thing happened where I felt like the universe wrote this record."

Erna went on to clarify that GODSMACK does not intend to stop playing live shows anytime soon. "I wanna make sure people are clear about what we're saying here," he said. "I'm not saying that the band may be breaking up. What I'm saying is I think this may be the last body of work you get musically from the band. And it's because we're in this place in our lives right now where we've done a lot of work over the last three decades. Without sounding egotistical, which we're not trying to do, we're at 27 Top 10 singles, 11 Number Ones. We could literally do back-to-back nights in an arena and play 15 songs a night and never play the same single twice, let alone the 'B' cuts. And we started thinking, when we were in that thought process, why are we in here grinding all the time and doing this new music when we wanna just also know that we've never stopped in the 25 years we've been touring. We'd like to be able to enjoy our lives, our family, our houses, the things that we've earned over the years that we've sacrificed. So I think the balance for that, the happy medium, is to be able to just go out there now and continue to do live shows and put the greatest-hits show together.

"I don't know what we're gonna do after this record," he explained. "And it doesn't make sense to continue to do music. It really feels complete in a good way, in a positive way. We feel like we've honored our career, our relationships with our fans, and we're always gonna be there for them; we're gonna do shows. But as far as to continue this, after this [album], unless we just decide one day, 'Yeah, one more for the road,' I think this could be it for us with new music."

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

Photo by Chris Bradshaw

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor has completed recording his second solo album at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Taylor began tracking the follow-up to 2020's "CMFT" LP in early January with longtime producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with STEEL PANTHER and ANTHRAX, among others.

Corey's bassist Eliot Lorango announced the completion of the sessions Thursday night (February 23),sharing a few photos from the studio on his Instagram and writing in an accompanying message: "All done recording the new @coreytaylor record out in Vegas @thehideoutlv Really awesome 6 weeks with everyone involved! Can't wait for everyone to hear it."

On January 21, Corey shared a video of him driving to the studio to begin recording the new album, and he stated in the clip: "I'm really, really excited. I mean, everything's just bigger this time, man. Everything sounds better; everything's running better; everything's running hot. Instead of where I came from, this is where I'm going. Musically, it's harder, it's faster, but there's still tons of stuff from the first album. So, there's elements of SLIPKNOT, there's elements of STONE SOUR, there's elements of 'CMFT'; there's elements of the stuff that I've been doing for years — just, like, cover-wise or whatever, just all the stuff that I've always wanted to do, we're doing that. We're just cranking it up and it all sounds so fucking good that I can't even describe to you how stoked I am to be starting on this. And today's the day. Today's the day. Today's the fucking one. So, let's get going. Serious as a heart attack, nobody's ready for what they're about to hear. It's for real. But first, we've gotta record it."

Last August, Corey discussed his plans for his second solo album during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". At the time, he said: "We're gonna go in and bang it out and get it ready. And then once I'm done touring with SLIPKNOT, I'm gonna throw together a really rad, 'rock is back' kind of tour for the solo stuff and start bringing out some of the younger — maybe not even some of the younger rock bands, but just some of the bands that don't get the chance or just don't get the looks that are afforded to either pop bands and hip-hop bands or people like me who are kind of grandfathered in. So I'm gonna try and really kind of fly the rock flag and give some opportunities to some of the younger bands and maybe even just the mid-level bands that just haven't had a shot. 'Cause there's so many great bands out there."

Taylor went on to say that he had written about 15 songs for his follow-up to "CMFT". "It's one of those cool things where some of it's older stuff that I've written over the years," he revealed. "There's actually a couple of songs that some of the fans know because I debuted them live when I was doing the JBKB [COREY TAYOR & THE JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND] thing. So there's a song like 'Beyond' and a song like 'Breath Of Fresh Smoke' — both of those songs are getting recorded and released finally after… God, how many goddamn years would it be? Probably about 14 years, 16 years. But then a bunch of newer stuff. And there's definitely a darker edge to it. It's still very melodic, but I'm definitely starting to kind of bring together the things that I'm known for. And it's less an homage of the stuff that I grew up on and more of what people are used to hearing from me — but still a solo album. So there's still great rock and roll on it. There's some heavier stuff, but there's some really great slower stuff. It's gonna be really rad."

In February 2022, Corey released a solo album of covers and acoustic recordings, titled "CMFB…Sides", via Roadrunner Records. The collection comprised nine previously unreleased B-sides, covers of tunes that inspired Taylor, acoustic renditions, and live versions.

"CMFT" made impressive debuts on charts around the world, entering at No. 1 on Billboard's Current Hard Rock Albums chart, while claiming No. 2 on Current Rock Albums, No. 6 on Vinyl Albums, and No. 9 on the Top Albums charts. Furthermore, "CMFT" landed Top 10 on the official album charts in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, with Top 20 debuts in the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan (international chart).

"CMFT" was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with Ruston and Christian Martucci (guitar),Zach Throne (guitar),Jason Christopher (bass),and Dustin Schoenhofer (drums).

"CMFT" had been a long time coming for Taylor, with newly written tracks alongside some dating back to his teens. The album was highlighted by the singles "Culture Head", "HWY 666", "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (featuring Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie),and the Active Rock radio hit "Black Eyes Blue". Taylor also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Songwriters chart following the unprecedented debut of "Black Eyes Blue" and "CMFT Must Be Stopped".

In 2021, Taylor made history as he reached No. 1 at Active Rock Radio with his powerful single "Black Eyes Blue". The achievement put Taylor in a class all his own, making him the first artist in the history of the format to reach No. 1 with three separate projects, following chart-topping efforts from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR.

Featured in Rolling Stone's "Fall Album Preview 2020," "CMFT" garnered widespread critical applause, with Forbes affirming, "Corey Taylor's singing is undeniably the best it's ever been. From SLIPKNOT's last album to his new solo material, Taylor is easily among the best-sounding rock singers alive." Kerrang! raved, "Corey Taylor certainly couldn't have predicted how important a sense of uninhibited joy would be on his debut solo effort, it's just what 2020 needs — and, even more importantly, exactly what he delivers." The Daily Beast attested, "'CMFT' finds the singer broadening his horizons and showing off his considerable versatility," while Stereogum noted, "Corey Taylor's lived several lives in the span that it takes most of us to push through just one, and it's clear that he cherishes every experience he's had so far." New York magazine added that "CMFT" "bridges his vast tastes and influences, dabbling in punk rock, metal, reflective acoustic tunes, plaintive piano ballads, and hip-hop, with Taylor's power-house vocals and introspective lyrics acting as a guide."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eliot Lorango (@eliotlorango)

L.A. GUNS, featuring singer Phil Lewis and guitarist Tracii Guns, has released a new song called "Shattered Glass". The track, which can be streamed below, is taken from the band's upcoming studio album, "Black Diamonds", which will arrive on April 14. This will be the fourth studio album since the much-welcome reunion of the band's core foundation of Lewis and Guns. It will follow the well-received studio albums "The Missing Peace", "The Devil You Know" and "Checkered Past", plus the live release "Made In Milan", and a covers EP "Another Xmas In Hell".

Last October, Lewis took to his personal Facebook page to share the "Black Diamonds" title and track listing, and he included the following message: "Incredibly happy to announce the completion of our forth record (post reunion). Great songs, fantastic playing and some of the best singing of my career. It's heavy and dark in places and bright n breezy in others. It's all over the place as per our usual style. I think it's the best thing we've ever done but yeah I know I say that about all of them but I truly love this record and had fun recording parts on the tour wagon and then five intense days doing vocals with Mitch [Davis] in NYC. Of course the wait for it to drop will be excruciating but I'll do my best to contain the excitement. Seriously it's fantastic and you're all gonna love it."

Written and recorded over the course of 2022, "Black Diamonds" sees Guns, Lewis and company continuing on the same successful and inspiring sonic journey that they've been taking on their most recent albums. The band doesn't shy away from flexing their hard rock influences as they always have, but also incorporates more introspective acoustic tracks reflective of their classic rock influences from the '70s. This makes for a potent and highly listenable cocktail of an album in "Black Diamonds".

"Black Diamonds" track listing:

01. You Betray
02. Wrong About You
03. Diamonds
04. Babylon
05. Shame
06. Shattered Glass
07. Gonna Lose
08. Got It Wrong
09. Lowlife
10. Crying
11. Like A Drug

"Checkered Past" was released in November 2021 via Frontiers Music Srl.

In April 2021, a settlement was reached between drummer Steve Riley and Guns and Lewis over the rights to the L.A. GUNS name. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Guns and Lewis continue to operate under the L.A. GUNS trademark, while Riley and his bandmates from the other version of L.A. GUNS are now operating under the new name RILEY'S L.A. GUNS.

L.A. GUNS was formed in 1983 and have sold over six million records, including 1988's "L.A. Guns" and 1990's "Cocked And Loaded", both of which were certified gold. "Cocked And Loaded" contained the hit single "The Ballad Of Jayne" that went to No. 33 on Billboard's Hot 100 and No. 25 on the Mainstream Rock charts. From the mid-'90s to the mid 2000s, L.A. GUNS continued to tour and release new music. Following their successful performance at SiriusXM's Hair Nation festival in September 2016, L.A. GUNS went into the studio to record the critically acclaimed "The Missing Peace", which was the highest-selling release for Frontiers Music Srl in 2017. Their 12th album, "The Devil You Know", was released in 2019 to the same critical acclaim. Since reuniting, Tracii and Phil continue to tour around the world with L.A. GUNS, which currently includes Johnny Martin (bass) and Ace Von Johnson (guitar).

FIREWIND has shared the official music video for the band's new single "Destiny Is Calling".

FIREWIND guitarist Gus G. comments: "As we're out on a massive 42-date European tour with BEAST IN BLACK, we thought it'd be a good time to finally give you guys some new FIREWIND music. We've been testing the new track live every night and the reception has been phenomenal.

"The video was filmed on February 11th in Munich at Tonhalle in front of 2,000 screaming metalheads and we feel it captures the energy and mood of the song.

"Crank it up and enjoy!"

Last month, Gus confirmed to The Metal Voice that FIREWIND had commenced work on a new LP. The guitarist said: "We actually just recorded the new album. We just drums. I haven't started with the guitars yet, but the drums are done."

As for a possible release date for the new FIREWIND effort, Gus said: "We don't yet, because now… The thing is I was talking to [our record label] AFM Records, to the owner, actually. We met over Christmas and talked about it. And now there's a new approach, it seems — we're just gonna be releasing singles. It was an interesting topic they brought on, because they just wanna keep on releasing singles, and then eventually those singles will be part of an album. I mean, we still worked on the album — we did it old school. I already wrote the songs; I wrote 10 songs and all that. But they were, like, 'We'll just drop singles as we go and see how much traction you get, see if we get playlist placement.' Because Spotify playlists are like the new radio; that's the new medium right now. And that's what makes money for labels and artists, I guess. You get 'X' amount million streams and then that's revenue and that keeps it going. And you move on to the next song and the next song, and then eventually you take those five or six singles over a period of a year and you package them with another four or five songs."

He added: "I know it sounds very boring now — it doesn't sound artistic at all — but that's how labels think nowadays."

Regarding the musical direction of the new FIREWIND material, Gus said: "I think it still sounds like FIREWIND. My goal was to make a little bit more anthemic type of tracks this time around. Because of the whole direction that was, 'Okay, let's work singles,' I thought every song should be a single. So I didn't write any kind of obscure type of tracks or didn't experiment in that type of area. I kind of focused on writing three- [or] four-minute songs that are very high energy, something that you can play in an arena in a festival in front of a large crowd. That was my philosophy behind this one this time. Which is good. It's not easy to write that type of songs. People think it's easy, 'Oh, it's so simple' and stuff. But it's not so easy to make that and resonate with a bigger crowd. So let's see how it does."

FIREWIND's ninth, self-titled studio album was made available in May 2020.

In early 2020, FIREWIND officially parted ways with guitarist/keyboardist Bob Katsionis and singer Henning Basse. The group's current vocalist is Herbie Langhans, who has previously played with AVANTASIA and SINBREED.

Gus and Langhans got to know each other back in the autumn of 2019, when the FIREWIND leader was looking for a suitable replacement for Henning Basse after the tour with QUEENSRŸCHE. Just a few weeks later, the recordings for "Firewind" were a done deal, ready for Swedish sound engineer Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, AVATAR, H.E.A.T.) to mix them in Lindell Audio Studios.

Gus spoke about the evolution of FIREWIND's sound in a 2020 interview with Audio Ink Radio. He said: "Like every band, we go through our different phases. Especially for us, having quite a few different singers in the lineup in the past, each guy brought a different vibe and different things to the band. I think on this record, you'll hear elements from all our past records, especially with our new singer, Herbie, because he reminds me a lot of Stephen Fredrick, our first singer. But this album also has a lot of variety, and that might remind fans of albums like [2006's] 'Allegiance' and [2008's] 'The Premonition'. But then again, we're not trying to be retro or nostalgic or copy those albums. We're moving towards the future. The way I see it, there's always a new song to write. Every album, I try to make better songs, play better guitar, try different tempos, write in different keys. There's always things you can experiment with in the studio."

FIREWIND 2023 is:

Gus G. (guitar)
Herbie Langhans (vocals)
Petros Christo (bass)
Jo Nunez (drums)

Photo: Tim Tronckoe

KILL DEVIL HILL's music video for the band's first single in nearly a decade, "Blood In The Water", can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming third album, which will be made available later in the year via the Ohio-based Legend Recordings. The label, which was founded by artist manager Chris Bianchi, has partnered with Ingrooves/Universal to release the LP worldwide.

KILL DEVIL HILL was established in 2011 by former BLACK SABBATH and DIO drummer Vinny Appice and PANTERA bassist Rex Brown. After going through a few member changes, KILL DEVIL HILL's present lineup consists of Johnny Kelly (TYPE O NEGATIVE) on drums, Mark Zavon on guitar, Dewey Bragg on vocals and Matt Snell (ex-FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) on bass.

Zavon commented: "We are beyond excited to release our first single, 'Blood In The Water', from our upcoming album. It's been a while since our last release, but we've been working hard writing and recording songs for this third record for a long time behind the scenes, and are really looking forward to sharing the finished product with our fans. We are proud to have partnered with Chris Bianchi and Legend Recordings for this release and are looking forward to working with them and Ingrooves to bring these songs to our fans worldwide. It's definitely some of our strongest material, and I can't wait to get out in front of an audience and play it live."

2023 will see KILL DEVIL HILL hit the road for select festival appearances and additional tour dates.

Shortly after he left KILL DEVIL HILL in early 2014, Vinny said that the band's inability to gain significant traction with its music was a major factor in his decision. However, more recently, Vinny has suggested that he exited the group because he "couldn't deal with" the fact that some of his bandmates were consistently tardy for KILL DEVIL HILL activities by an hour and a half or even longer.

Asked to respond to Appice's comments and address the fact that the drummer's explanation for why he left the band appears to have evolved over time, Mark told "J-Bunny's Music Hub": "Well, both [of his stated reasons] are true. And he's right. And there was [tardiness]. Dewey, our singer, at the time, was kind of going through some hard times and some personal difficulties, and he did have a hard time showing up sometimes. And even when we were on tour, he was — I don't know, man — just having a little bit of trouble. He's a totally changed man now, and now he's the first guy, anywhere we go, he's the one telling us, 'Hey, man, we're gonna be late for soundcheck.' But in those days, yeah, it was a little harder to wrangle him. So Vinny was right. And Vinny, he doesn't really put up with that. He's a name guy — he's got a history and a reputation. He's a pro. He's a star. So you can't blame the guy for that. I certainly didn't. I was the first one there [for rehearsals and live shows], 'cause I was stoked to play with those guys. Are you kidding me? Vinny Appice and Rex Brown in a room, and I get to play guitar?"

He continued: "So, anyway, I wish it could have kept going, but sometimes things don't work out, and everything happens for a reason. So I try not to question it. We've got great guys in the band now, and everything happens for a reason. So I'm looking forward to putting out this new record and people hearing what we can do without those guys in the band."

Vinny, who had previously played with BLACK SABBATH, DIO and HEAVEN & HELL, left KILL DEVIL HILL in March 2014.

KILL DEVIL HILL released its sophomore album, "Revolution Rise", in October 2013 via Century Media Records.

British guitar sensation Sophie Lloyd has dropped new single "Fall Of Man Ft. Matthew K Heafy". The second single from her forthcoming debut album, the guitar extraordinaire teams up with TRIVIUM frontman Matthew K. Heafy for an epic metal journey.

"Working with Matthew K. Heafy has been a dream come true!" says Sophie. "TRIVIUM have been one of my favorite bands since I was a kid, I used to dye my own TRIVIUM t-shirts and wear them every day."

"Sophie Lloyd is an immensely talented force of a musician and songwriter." declares Matt. "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 honored when asked to guest on an upcoming track. When I learned that TRIVIUM had been a longtime favorite band of Sophie's, I was humbled and appreciative."

Matt actually started work on his parts of the song live on Twitch, giving viewers, including Sophie, an insight into his writing process.

"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," says Sophie on writing the song. "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!"

Titled "Imposter Syndrome", Lloyd's full-length debut album is expected later this year on her own Autumn Records label, and will see Sophie collaborating with some impressive names from the world of rock, with a stunning production from famed studio wizard Romesh Dodangoda (BRING ME THE HORIZON, NOVA TWINS, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, MOTÖRHEAD).

"I can finally say that I have new music coming!" says Sophie. "All my music before was instrumental, so this is a very special release for me as it includes vocals, and some of the people we've worked with are people I used to have as posters on my wall as a kid, so it feels very full circle. It's something that I have been working on before the first lockdown, and to be here talking about it feels amazing!"

Lloyd is one of the most prolific guitarists on the world wide web, a trailblazer who is redefining the concept of a "bedroom" guitarist. A talented composer and accomplished musician, Sophie graduated from the prestigious BIMM in 2018 with a First Class Honours BMus in Popular Music Performance, honing and refining a talent she has nurtured since childhood.

Since then, she has amassed the kind of following that even the guitar gods she grew up idolizing would be envious of, with a reach surpassing three million followers across her social channels, built through a steady stream of sharing her talent via guitar "shredleys", covers and her own original material.

Most recently, Sophie could be seen shredding on stage as guitarist for multi-platinum recording artist Machine Gun Kelly on his recent "Mainstream Sellout" world tour, which included sold out shows at legendary venues such Madison Square Garden in New York and Wembley Arena in London.

At 27 years old, Sophie Lloyd is just getting started, with work on her debut solo album in progress and a few others items to tick off her bucket list.

Photo credit: Black Card Films

According to RadarOnline.com, PUDDLE OF MUDD singer Wesley "Wes" Scantlin was arrested on Monday (February 20) after he allegedly showed up at an old home he lost to foreclosure.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Inmate Information Center shows that the 50-year-old musician was arrested in Hollywood at around 11:00 a.m. and taken to jail on a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

Although Wes was initially held on a $1,000 bond, he was released on his own recognizance at 2:26 p.m.

According to RadarOnline.com, the arrest came after a woman on TikTok claimed "a famous rock singer" showed up to her Hollywood Hills home and refused to leave. In the video she posted to the platform, she said that the man "camped outside" and threatened her maid and was eventually arrested because he had "an active order against him." The video allegedly shows the man outside the home Scantlin purchased in 2005 for $1.7 million. After Scantlin lost the estate to foreclosure a decade later, he was charged with vandalism and trespassing after breaking into the property. In that January 2016 incident, Scantlin allegedly attempted to get in through a window, and when that failed, he later called a locksmith to change the locks. At the time, Scantlin also ripped an alarm system out of a wall, and caused other damage to a garage door and plumbing. The damage to the home totaled nearly $7,000.

Scantlin's latest arrest comes a little over a year after he made headlines when he walked offstage midconcert at the EPIC Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin after complaining about the venue's lights.

Wes had almost non-stop problems with the law, alcohol, finances and other issues, before claiming to have gotten sober in 2017. Scantlin said that he ended up going back to rehab and receiving treatment "because there's really nowhere else to go." He also credited his family and fans for giving him the strength to try to get better.

Scantlin was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in September 2017 after he attempted to board a plane with a BB gun. He pleaded no contest and was banned from LAX unless it involved traveling for work.

Prior to that, Scantlin was arrested in December 2015 for possession of a controlled substance and had several previous busts that same year for driving under the influence.

Additionally, he was arrested at a Denver airport in 2015 for taking a joyride on a baggage carousel and taken into custody as far back as 2012 for an altercation with a flight attendant.

He also ended a number of PUDDLE OF MUDD shows in 2016 early with various meltdowns, including one in which he accused a fan of stealing his house

PUDDLE OF MUDD was formed in 1991 in Kansas City by Scantlin, the only original member still with the band. The group into the mainstream with 2001's "Come Clean", which yielded three hits — "Control", "Blurry" and "She Hates Me".

PUDDLE OF MUDD's latest album, "Welcome To Galvania", was released in 2019 via Pavement Entertainment.

Texas quintet Judiciary - Jake Collinson [vocals], Kyle Calfin [bass], Austin Looney [drums], Jimmy LaDue [guitar], and Israel Garza [guitar] - will drop their sophomore album, Flesh + Blood, via Closed Casket Activities on March 10. Pre-order it here.


Today, the band has shared the song, "Knife In The Dirt". Listen below:







Grinding full force since 2013, the band unleashed the EP The Axis of Equality in 2016, a split EP with Mortality Rate in 2017, and finally, their first full-length record Surface Noise with Closed Casket Actitives in 2019. Along the way, they also shared stages with a wide variety of bands, including Vein, Power Trip, The Acacia Strain, Exhumed, and Gatecreeper, to name a few.


Citing influences such as Slayer's God Hates Us All and Chimaira's The Impossibility Of Reason as well as "a ton of Machine Head," their vision crystallized in 2021. They recorded what would become Flesh + Blood with producer Arthur Rizk [Power Trip, Cavalera Conspiracy] in August of 2021 before Will Putney [Body Count, Vein] handled mixing and mastering.


In the end, Judiciary rule a world of their own now and forever. "We want this music to take you to the world that we’ve built with it," Kyle says. "To feel it, visualize it, see it how we see it — to us, there would be nothing better."





Tracklisting:


"Flesh"
"Blood"
"Engulfed"
"Paradigm Piercer"
"Knife in the Dirt"
"Stare into the Sun"
"Cobalt"
"Steel Hand God"
"Obsidian"
"Eschatos Hemera"


"Engulfed" video:

German modern power metal band, Vanish, have released a video for "Voyage In Suffering", featured on their new album, A Hint Of Solace, out on March 31 via El Puerto Records. The concept for the video came from singer Bastian Rose, who also realized the clip. Watch below:





Classic metal trademarks combined with innovative elements create a strong new modern power metal sound. The new album, A Hint Of Solace, also provides comfort in difficult times with its eight songs: anthemic refrains, riffs full of power rounded off in a modern sound robe.




Pre-order the album here.





A Hint Of Solace tracklisting:


"Crowdpiercer"
"Walk With Me Through Fire"
"Act/Live/Resolve"
"The Crossing"
"Voyage In Suffering"
"Black Elation"
"As Though The Dead Are Here"
"A Hint Of Solace"


"Crowdpiercer" video:





Lineup:


Philipp Schönle (Guitar)
Andreas Armbruster (Bass)
Bastian Rose (Vocals, Keys)
Ralf Nopper (Drums)
Ben Galster (Guitar, Screams)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"The Dio Album" track listing:

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

Ballads play a very special role in the history of rock music. For one, they document the emotional side of the genre and show that behind (almost) every rocker`s hard chest beats a soft heart. Secondly, those quieter songs are being played by radio stations without rock-affinity – and are loved by listeners for their emotional depth. Additionally, in an increasingly hectic world, ballads offer brief moments of pause, of reflection on the essential things in life.


So, it is no wonder that the ballad compilations of Axel Rudi Pell are an absolute success. Over 250,000 copies have been sold of The Ballads I (1993) to The Ballads V (2017) alone. And nine of the current Top-10 most streamed Pell songs on Spotify are ballads! So it comes as no surprise that fans of the Bochum guitarist and songwriter regularly push for a continuation of this release series.


On April 21, The Ballads VI will be released on CD, double vinyl LP, and digital download via Steamhammer/SPV, and will come with a few small surprises.




The first single from the record, "Morning Star", is released today. Check out the lyric video below.


Axel Rudi Pell: "Lyrically, 'Morning Star' is about a love doomed from the start. Musically, a typical ARP ballad with a very emotional guitar solo from me at the end. The solo is taken from my demo version that I recorded at home."





Not only is The Ballads VI the latest edition of the popular ARP ‘The Ballads’ series, but also the direct successor to his latest studio album, Lost XXIII, which landed at #2 on the official German album sales charts in April 2022. This exciting new compilation comes with a total of 13 ballads “made by ARP,” five of them being brand new recordings.


Axel Rudi Pell sums up his growth as a songwriter and musician, “Looking back, there is not a single ballad during the almost 35 years of my solo career that I need to be ashamed of, quite the contrary: some of them are still among my favourite songs today."





The Ballads VI will be released as:


- CD DigiPak (incl. poster)
- 2LP Gatefold (trans orange black vinyl)
- CD/LP bundle with shirt (only at the Steamhammer Shop)
- Download and stream


Pre-order here.





The Ballads VI tracklisting:


"Revelations" (new instrumental)
"Diamonds And Rust" (new cover version)
"Morning Star" (new song)
"Dust In The Wind" (new cover version)
"Hidden Secrets" (new instrumental)
"Gone With The Wind"
"She's A Lady"
"Room With A View"
"Fly With Me"
"As Blind As A Fool Can Be"
"I Put A Spell On You"
"Beyond The Light"
"Quarantined 1"


Lineup:


Johnny Gioeli - Lead and Backing Vocals
Axel Rudi Pell - Lead and Rhythm Guitars
Ferdy Doernberg - Keyboards
Volker Krawczak - Bass
Bobby Rondinelli - Drums

Floor Jansen, lead singer of the symphonic metal band NIGHTWISH, has released a new solo single, "Daydream". The track is taken from Floor's debut solo album "Paragon", which will arrive on March 24. The LP showcases the Dutch-born singer's impressive vocal range and powerful voice on a diverse collection of pop-infused tracks and emotional ballads influenced by the sounds of her career.

Floor says: "I am thrilled to finally release my latest single 'Daydream'! This song is very personal to me, as it was written during the pandemic lockdown when I felt like I had lost track of myself. I poured all my emotions into this powerful rock ballad, and I can't wait for you to hear it."

"Paragon" includes the following tracks:

01. My Paragon
02. Daydream
03. Invincible
04. Hope
05. Come Full Circle
06. Storm
07. Me Without You
08. The Calm
09. Armoured Wings
10. Fire

Jansen previously said about the LP: "To renew yourself and take leaps into the unknown makes you grow. To age is a gift not everyone gets. I am a fortunate woman who got to make an album I never knew I could make. One that even defines me, where I am on my path. I have reached my PARAGON! I am so proud of this work! And grateful for all the amazing people in this beautiful life that helped me get here!"

With its mix of influences and powerful vocal performances, "Paragon" is an album that will appeal to fans of pop music and metal alike. It's the perfect addition to any music collection, and a must-have for fans of Floor Jansen and NIGHTWISH.

"Paragon" will be released digitally and physically on CD, vinyl, and a limited-edition deluxe box set. The album will be available on all major streaming platforms and at music retailers worldwide.

Following the release, Jansen will embark on a tour of The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in April and May of 2023.

Floor had previously released four singles from "Paragon": "Invincible", "Me Without You", "Storm" and "Fire".

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two number one albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member. NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.