LINKIN PARK's Mike Shinoda appeared on SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show" yesterday (Tuesday, February 14),sitting down to talk to Howard Stern and co-host Robin Quivers live from the SiriusXM studios in Los Angeles. During the chat, Shinoda reflected on LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington's 2017 suicide, admitting that it was a dark time that found him going through several emotions, including anger. "Yeah, there's points when I felt that way," Mike said. "I'm sure for other people it was the same. Even fans too, by the way. And that's natural; that's normal. It's one of the stages of grief — anger's in there."

Asked by Stern if it was difficult working with someone struggling with depression, Shinoda said: "Nobody knew the depths of it. When I met Chester, I didn't know his stories. As I got to know him, I would find myself oftentimes saying, 'I've never heard such a crazy upbringing, such a crazy childhood.' Running wild in the streets and doing hard drugs on the roof of his high school, just barely staying out of jail. And that's what made our dynamic what it was. I didn't grow up like that. I felt like I was an outsider because I was a mixed-raced kid that didn't have a community to belong to. I'm half Japanese. I didn't speak Japanese; I don't look Japanese. The white kids thought I was obviously not white. The Latino kids were starting to speak to me in Spanish; I didn't speak any Spanish. I was always floating around and didn't have a 'home'."

Pressed about whether Chester was a hard guy to deal with the whole time they were in a band together, Mike said: "No, not the whole time. Early days more difficult because we didn't know how it was gonna go. Like on early days 'Hybrid Theory', we were still getting started. And we'd get a win here, we'd get a loss there. 'We sent a song to radio; they're playing it.' 'Oh, the show is gonna be kind of a small show. It's gonna be hard to get there. You're gonna have to drive all night. It's gonna be tough. You're gonna be exhausted. Oh, by the way, we all just got sick.' It was hard. And so in the midst of all of that, having a guy who would sneak out. He'd just go missing and come back obliterated, that you couldn't even talk to him; he was just so wasted. But also funny.

"Ever see that 'Friends' episode where they had the 'Fun Bobby'? The 'Fun Bobby' is hilarious — everybody loves him — and then the second he gets sober, nobody likes him anymore," Mike added. "There was an element of Chester that was very fun sometimes when he was that way, and usually the next day he'd be, like, so dark. He's super hung over; he's angry at everybody, yelling at everybody, and you're kind of just, like, 'Let's get through the day.'"

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

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

Bennington's friends told Rolling Stone that he fell off the wagon for three days in August 2016 and drank until he blacked out, adding that he had been consuming alcohol again as recently as October 2016. Bennington's longtime friend Ryan Shuck, who played with the singer in DEAD BY SUNRISE, thought Bennington may have had "a couple of drinks" before hanging himself on July 20, 2017.

Investigators found no illegal drugs or prescription drugs while searching Bennington's home following his passing, although a partially consumed bottle of alcohol was found in the bedroom where the 41-year-old singer’s body was discovered.

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

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

Cyhra guitarist Euge Valovirta has launched a new series called In Depth via his YouTube channel, where he recreates a track (without vocals), plays it, and then goes through the production and mix. First up is Mötley Crüe's "Power To The Music", taken from the band's setl-titled 1994 album.










Cyhra, featuring former Amaranthe vocalist Jake E and Kamelot drummer Alex Landenburg, recently released a new single, "Ready To Rumble". Check out the official video below, stream and purchase the song here.


The song will appear on the band's new studio album, due to be released in 2023.

The new effort by the melodic death metal force Dystersol will be titled Anaemic and will be released on April 6 via Black Sunset/MDD Records. 


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


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







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


Check out the title track to their 2018 album – The Fifth Age Of Man.

During an appearance on "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", ALTER BRIDGE and CREED guitarist Mark Tremonti reflected on the recent passings of iconic guitarists Eddie Van Halen and Jeff Beck. He said: "It's crazy. Eddie Van Halen could be the most famous guitar player of all time, I think, one of the most recognizable players. He was just a game changer.

"I remember the exact second I heard the news [of Eddie's death]," he continued. "I think it's one of those moments. It's like you remember when you turned on the news and you heard about 9/11; you know exactly where you were. Same thing when I heard about Eddie's passing.

"Jeff Beck, he's on the Mount Rushmore of everybody's guitar lists of best guitar players ever," Mark added. "He's irreplaceable. There's nobody else… I've never heard anybody say, 'Yeah, he sounds like Jeff Beck.' Nobody says that. He was a beautiful… He was one of the most emotive players ever. I saw him live in Orlando at the House Of Blues, and it was crazy how emotional you get when you watch somebody that good play."

ALTER BRIDGE released its seventh album, "Pawns & Kings", last October via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2019's "Walk The Sky" was once again recorded at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with SEVENDUST, MAMMOTH WVH and SLASH, among others.

ALTER BRIDGE recently launched the North American leg of its 2023 "Pawns & Kings" tour. The 30-city trek — split into two legs — kicked off on January 25 in Tampa, Florida and will wrap on April 1 in Highland, California. MAMMOTH WVH — the band fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen — is direct support on the entire tour. Rockers RED are also playing on the first leg of the tour and newcomers PISTOLS AT DAWN are appearing on the second leg.

Tremonti recently partnered with National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to release an album of Frank Sinatra covers titled "Tremonti Sings Sinatra". The LP of selections from Frank Sinatra's catalog was made available in May 2022 as part of a new charity initiative created by Tremonti called Take A Chance For Charity. Proceeds from the album go to support NDSS and the work they do to advocate for and support individuals with Down syndrome and their families.

Photo credit: Scott Diussa

Chilliwack, BC, Canada's Medevil’s progressive and powerful metal has reached new heights with their second album, which is now up for pre-order and will be fully released in April. Those who pre-order the album now on Bandcamp will be treated to the single “The Signal”, a venture into more progressive territory than they have before. 


They go into detail about the track:


“This is the first song we could consider being an ‘epic’ on the album. This is also the first song to feature Ken Schellenberg’s orchestral elements. ‘The Signal’ is a dynamic blend of heavy emotion and a delicate atmosphere. The lyrics are about looking for signs of issues or problems in your life, with themes of hospitals and life/death.”




Compared to their first album, 2016’s Conductor Of Storms, which was comparatively much simpler lyrically, melodically, and rhythmically, they have pulled a lot more inspiration from progressive bands, and the soundscapes have a lot more depth than they’ve had in the past.


When it comes to song selection, most of the songs came up during the break between albums and were added to the album based solely on the band’s excitement about them. Some other tracks were pulled up from musical experiments that felt like they added some much-needed colour to the overall tracklist. While they don’t currently have other songs recorded, they are still actively working on new music for the future.


Mirror In The Darkness is dedicated to the passing of Medevil's drummer and friend Chris Malcolmson whose drums are recorded on the album. It is recommended listening for fans of Metal Church, Accept, and Baroness.


“The Signal” teaser:





Mirror In The Darkness comes out on April 7, 2023. Preorder on Bandcamp and receive the digital download of "The Signal".





Tracklisting:


“Dead Before Birth”
“Among Thieves”
“Pray For Me”
“The Signal”
“Smoke And Mirrors”
“Weight Of The Crown”
“Mirror In The Darkness”
“Gateways”
“Veiled”
“No Peace In Rest”


"Among Thieves" lyric video:





Medevil live:


March
11 - New Westminster, BC - Bully's Studio
24 – Chilliwack, BC – Flashback Brewing Co. (Album Listening Party)


April
13 – Vancouver, BC – Fox Cabaret – Hyperspace Metal Fest 


(Photo – Matthew Collingwood)

Around the turn of the century, POISON frontman and one of the most iconic figures of the 1980s glam metal explosion, Bret Michaels, found himself struck with a serious case of nostalgia. On the heels of POISON's first "Greatest Hits" compilation as well as a superb "MTV Unplugged" release, Michaels decided to revisit and reimagine some of POISON's biggest songs with a little help from his friends. The result was "Show Me Your Hits - A Salute To Poison", which was released in 2001 and embraced by the POISON fanbase that still lovingly supported the band even in the face of cataclysmic changes in the music world since the band's heyday.

Now that album is getting a full-on makeover for a deluxe reissue. In addition to the new artwork that brings back the 1980s glam metal vibe, the audio has been remastered and several of the tracks given all-new mixes for the smash hits "Nothin' But A Good Time", "Fallen Angel" and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". And now for the first time ever, the album is being pressed on glorious vinyl, in a special limited-edition purple-and-black splatter design.

Track listing:

01. Nothin' But A Good Time
02. Fallen Angel
03. Every Rose Has Its Thorn
04. Look What The Cat Dragged In
05. Talk Dirty To Me
06. Something To Believe In
07. I Want Action
08. Unskinny Bop
09. Stand
10. So Tell Me Why
11. Doin' As I Seen On My TV

For more information, visit Cleopatra Records.

Bret will hit the road in July for a limited run of live dates for his 2023 "Parti-Gras" tour. The trek will feature special guests NIGHT RANGER and JEFFERSON STARSHIP, with appearances from Steve Augeri (former lead singer of JOURNEY) and Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY),plus a nightly surprise guest.

Last month, Michaels released a new solo single, "Back In The Day".

The official lyric video for the song "Right" from THE BANISHMENT can be seen below. The track, which features a guest appearance from Tommy Victor (PRONG),is taken from THE BANISHMENT's debut album, "Machine And Bone", which will arrive on March 10 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The band, a collaboration between guitarist George Lynch (LYNCH MOB, THE END MACHINE, ex-DOKKEN) and programmer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Haze, started in 2011, and since 2020, has also included Los Angeles-based artist/vocalist Devix Szell.

"Machine And Bone", which features an additional guest vocal appearance from Richard Patrick (FILTER),is a brooding, heavy industrial album with explosions of Lynch's bluesy and psychotic guitar licks.

Lynch emerged from the 1980s hard rock scene with the Los Angeles-based group DOKKEN and went on to become a world-renowned guitarist. Aside from DOKKEN, he also enjoyed great success with LYNCH MOB, the group he founded after leaving DOKKEN. Lynch has gone on to become a prolific (that is an understatement, to say the least) music creator, continuing with LYNCH MOB, releasing solo albums, and a wealth of collaborative efforts over the decades. Those include, but are not limited to, KXM with Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) and Ray Luzier (KORN),THE END MACHINE with Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, ex-DOKKEN),Mick Brown (ex-DOKKEN),and Robert Mason (WARRANT),SWEET & LYNCH with Michael Sweet (STRYPER),ULTRAPHONIX with Corey Glover (LIVING COLOUR),DIRTY SHIRLEY with Dino Jelusick (ANIMAL DRIVE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA),and many more. THE BANISHMENT sees Lynch continuing to expand the boundaries of his musical creativity, pushing himself into darker, more subliminal, and chaotic territory.

With production credits in the realms of rock, industrial, jazz, pop, and even reggae, Haze is an incredibly versatile producer, engineer, mixer, remixer, guitarist, and programmer. In the last few years, he has brought his skills to the forefront of the industrial music scene, working prominently with the group PRIMITIVE RACE — first as a remixer and then producing the band’s sophomore album, "Soul Pretender" — and as a member of the live lineup of LORDS OF ACID, touring with the band most recently on the 2017 "Sextreme Fest" tour. He is currently in the studio working on an upcoming album from PRIMITIVE RACE member and former FAITH NO MORE singer, the late Chuck Mosley.

Szell is an American artist, singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. Szell was born in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendora and spent his adolescence practicing guitar, writing original music, and playing experimental noise shows with local punk bands. He has spent time in bands like STAYTE, THE NARCOSIS DESIGN, MOMENTEM and SYMBOLISM, which featured former members of SAMHAIN and CHRISTIAN DEATH. He also contributed and composed scores for Catherine Hardwicke's psycho thriller rock opera "Plush", Jamie Deacon's "Way To Blue" and Susanne Landau's "Stick And Poke". He has also made his directorial debut with THE BANISHMENT's first music video, "Got What You Wanted". As a performer, Szell is earnest and chaotic, his voice haunting, powerful, and soul-stirring, with a stage presence that is mesmerizing and dramatic.

"Machine And Bone" track listing:

01. Reaction
02. Max Pain (featuring Richard Patrick)
03. Right (featuring Tommy Victor)
04. Lost Horizon
05. The Dread (featuring Jason Charles Miller)
06. Reunion
07. Terra Nullius
08. Got What You Wanted
09. Terror (featuring Tommy Victor)
10. Machine And Bone

THE BANISHMENT is:

Devix Szell - Vocals
George Lynch - Guitars
Joe Haze - Programming, Synth, Engineer, Mixer

Steve Vai has spoken about the recording of David Lee Roth's "Skyscraper" album in a new interview with Eonmusic. Recalling how both he and Roth, who both co-produced the album were "really forensic" but lacked the experience of being rock music producers, the guitarist also revealed that the guitar solos on the 1988 set came mostly from the demos, as Roth "liked them so much". Vai made his comments while promoting the VAI / GASH album, which has just been released through Mascot Label.

"Skyscraper", Roth's second full-length album since leaving VAN HALEN in 1985, saw the flamboyant frontman experimenting with at-the-time more contemporary sounds than his straight-ahead rock debut, 1985's "Eat 'Em and Smile". It marked Roth's first time in the producer's chair, along with Vai.

Talk of the album arose when Vai discussed the VAI / GASH album (recorded in 1991),and how it differed to his experiences in the studio on the two Roth albums. Steve said: "I had a fight at times — not 'fight', but I had to argue hard for doubling a guitar part. Like, even with a song like 'Knucklebones'; I didn't write it, Greg [Bissonnette, drums] came in with that. So, even songs I wrote, there's a committee that has an involvement in it: 'What is the band feel? The singer, where is he going to fit. It's his band,' you know. And what does the producer say; the producer is always saying, 'Now, here, listen, let's try this', and then you've got the record company that just says, 'No, not that song,' and so many suggestions."

He went on: "When I made the GASH record, it was a committee of one. Okay, I go into the studio, I locked the door, and I want to build a record. I say to myself, I say to the 'committee', 'You're going to make a record that has that rhythm guitar playing that you love.' When you listen to those rhythm tracks, that's as Steve Vai as I can get. I'm not competing with anybody; it's loose, but it's tight, but it's free and it's liquid, but it's appropriate. I just loved the way the guitar just floats through the whole thing. That wouldn't have happened with any other situation."

Going on to discuss the production of the "Skyscraper" record, Steve said: "Dave and I were just really forensic, because it was his first production outing, and he's got great ears and all but we probably lacked being producers that made rock and roll records as a career. It's different; [VAN HALEN / 'Eat 'Em And Smile' producer] Ted Templeman was just, like, 'All right, let's go', and he knew how to capture 'something', but Dave had been doing that for so long he wanted to navigate to something differently."

It was then that Steve revealed that his soloing on the album had some from the rough demos that they had done prior to recording. "My guitar solos? Well, okay, for instance, I demoed all that 'Skyscraper' stuff, and Dave liked the guitar solos so much that I had to use the demoed solos," he said, concluding, "I didn't really want to, but the committee was involved. And it's his band, you know, and I didn't have a problem with that; it's not like they sucked."

Read part one of the extensive interview at Eonmusic.

PANTERA bassist Rex Brown joined ANTHRAX on stage last night (Wednesday, February 15) at Revel, Albuquerque, New Mexico to perform the ANTHRAX song "Only" as well as a portion of the PANTERA classic "Domination".

Shortly after the concert, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian shared a video of Rex's appearance and he included the following message: "AnthRex!!! It was so great to have Rex on stage with us tonight in Albuquerque. He played Only and then we kicked into the end of Domination. Can you tell we’re having fun? It felt like 1997 up there. Thanks for the sold out show at the Revel (named after my son?) and a huge thank you to Mayor Tim Keller and his staff for the incredible hospitality!"

In a recent interview with Knotfest.com, ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante revealed that he sought the advice of EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt before he played his first show with the newly reconfigured PANTERA. For nearly decade, Holt filled in for SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, after the latter was unable to tour and eventually died.

"I felt Gary adapted so well [to SLAYER]," Benante said. "And more importantly, fans accepted him. Because he was Gary Holt. And it's fun to replace a member in a band that's been so established and people grew to love. And there's a certain style that goes with it. It's tough on the person coming in, of course, because you have to ask, 'Am I going to be accepted? Am I hitting these things right? How much of myself do I throw into this?' So it's a little bit of a struggle. You either have to go full-on, or you don't. I think Gary played a lot of Jeff's stuff like Jeff, but he also had Gary in there too. And for me doing the Vinnie [Paul Abbott, late PANTERA drummer] thing, I'm trying to do it as close to Vinnie as possible, because that is so much of that PANTERA sound. The aggressiveness of those drums, the way they're tuned: they cut through the rest of the instruments in the band."

Benante acknowledged that he and guitarist Zakk Wylde — who is also a member of the current incarnation of PANTERA — are resigned to the fact that they can't please everyone when it comes to filling the shoes of the late Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and "Dimebag" Darrell.

"There's one thing I noticed and it still makes me scratch my head," Benante said. "I don't think I've ever been so judged in my life by people. And I don't understand. People can be really rotten. I don't think they have the ears or the eyes that most people do, and they're so judgmental about it. It's like, man, let it go. You know what I mean? Don't personally attack me or Zakk for something that you have inside of you. You have a problem with something. And it's like you gotta find some way that is somewhat…"

He paused and continued: "I've been doing this for over 40 years. Don't fucking judge me. If I if I didn't do my homework, then fucking judge me. But I did my homework. And if something is off somewhere, is that the thing that you pick on? You don't pick on the 95 percent of the other stuff where pretty much I tried to stay as accurate as possible?"

Wylde and Benante, along with PANTERA's surviving members, vocalist Philip Anselmo and Brown, are headlining a number of major festivals across North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the Abbott brothers.

Last December, Benante told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that Dimebag and Vinnie are a big part of the new PANTERA show.

"Before 'Planet Caravan' starts, we have this video that runs with a little piece of the song 'Cemetery Gates', and it's basically a tribute to Dime and Vinnie," he explained. "I mean, Dime and Vinnie are all over the place. They are on my drum kit. Zakk has patches with them. But even in spirit, they're there.

"Before we went on, Sterling Winfield, who was very close to Dime and Vinnie — he basically engineered the last three records that PANTERA did — he brought me a pair of Vinnie's old gloves, and he brought me one of Darrell's old wristbands that he wore," Benante added. "And I put the wristband on and I played the show with that wristband. And I put the gloves in my pocket. So I had both of them with me that night."

Regarding how he prepared for the PANTERA live performances, Charlie said: "When I talked to Philip back in — it was, like, the end of December [2021] about this, that day, I hung up the phone and I immediately started to get my head into PANTERA mode and just figure things out. Because I knew these songs, but I didn't know how to approach playing the songs, how I'm gonna do this. And the one thing I wanted to do is I just wanted to play it like Vinnie. When the fans hear it, when anybody heard it, I wanted them to be able to close their eyes and I wanted it to sound like Vinnie."

Charlie also talked about his musical chemistry with Rex, saying: "That's the thing. I didn't know how we would kind of come together and when we would make the connection. But I've gotta be honest with you, when I went down to New Orleans in September [for the first rehearsals] and it was just me, Rex and Philip. And after the first day, Rex and I, we had such a connection, and he said to me, he was, like, 'Dude, when I close my eyes, I feel like it's Vinnie up there.' So that made me feel so good when he said that. And Philip said the same thing too. So I was so happy about that. Because, honestly, I really did my homework. We're talking these tiny little nuances — things that maybe people wouldn't hear — I'm putting 'em in there because it's important to me to deliver it just like Vinnie would."

As for his drum setup for the PANTERA show, Benante said: "It's a totally different configuration [to what I play with ANTHRAX]. I'm playing more like Vinnie's kit, the way Vinnie played it. I wanted to play a kit like that because it gave me a bit more of a challenge. And I can't add more drums to it, because I just wanted to have the two toms in the front — floor toms — so I'm just sticking totally to the way he had it, and I wanna play it exactly like he had it and it sounds exactly how he had it too. So that's how I approach this."

Charlie went on to say that he doesn't understand all the negative comments that have been directed at him and the other members of PANTERA for trying to keep the band's legacy alive.

"This was never a reunion," he explained. "How can it be a reunion without Vinnie and Dime here? Sometimes people will send me something, and I see things online, and it's so disrespectful to both Darrell and Vinnie, and it's totally disrespectful to us too. And it's just, like, 'Man, if you don't wanna come, you don't have to come.'

"One of the first things I said to Philip on the phone, I said, 'This, to me, is more on an emotional level than any other level.' This means a lot to me personally, to go out there and represent those guys and represent the PANTERA name," he continued. "And that's all I'd ever want for me. I don't care about it financially and stuff like that; this, to me, I had to do this. I didn't wanna see anybody else playing these songs but me up there."

Reflecting on his initial conversation with Anselmo about taking part in the reformed PANTERA, Charlie said: "I was so excited about it. I said, 'Thank you for thinking of me.' And they were, like, 'There was nobody else.' And that made me feel really good. Because they knew my relationship with Darrell and they knew my relationship with Vinnie. And I loved those guys, and I love these two guys just as much."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Scott Ian (@scottianthrax)

BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler will release his autobiography, "Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath - And Beyond", on June 6 in North America via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books. The book will arrive in the United Kingdom on June 8.

"Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath – And Beyond" is described by the publisher as "a rollicking, effusive, and candid memoir by the heavy metal musician and founding member of BLACK SABBATH, covering his years as the band's bassist and main lyricist through his later-career projects, and detailing how one of rock's most influential bands formed and prevailed.

"With over 70 million records sold, BLACK SABBATH, dubbed by Rolling Stone 'THE BEATLES of heavy metal,' helped create the genre itself, with their distinctive heavy riffs, tuned down guitars, and apocalyptic lyrics. Bassist and primary lyricist Geezer Butler played a gigantic part in the band's renown, from suggesting the band name to using his fascination with horror, religion, and the occult to compose the lyrics and build the foundation of heavy metal as we know it.

"In 'Into The Void', Butler tells his side of the story, from the band's beginnings as a scrappy blues quartet in Birmingham through the struggles leading to the many well-documented lineup changes while touring around London's gritty clubs (Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and THE WHO makes notable appearances!),and the band's important later years. He writes honestly of his childhood in a working-class family of seven in Luftwaffe-battered Birmingham, his almost-life as an accountant, and how his disillusionment with organized religion and class systems would spawn the lyrics and artistic themes that would resonate so powerfully with fans around the world.

"'Into The Void' reveals the softer side of the heavy metal legend and the formation of one of rock's most exciting bands, while holding nothing back. Like Geezer's bass lines, it is both original, dramatic, and forever surprising."

During an appearance on an April 2022 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Butler stated about his autobiography. "[It's] finished," he said. "I sent the manuscript in three weeks ago, so now I'm just waiting for the edited version to come back so I can go nuts."

He added: "The trouble is ever since I sent in the manuscript I thought about seven things I've left out. So I'm gonna probably drive them nuts now."

Geezer first announced the completion of memoir in a tweet on April 6, 2022. At the time, he wrote: "Just turned in the 1st draft of my book so I'm now thinking of titles. So far, I have: Into the Void, Basses Loaded, Past Forward, What The Butler Did, Bassic Instinct. Feel free to send me which of those you think would suit my #autobiography".

A year earlier, Butler told Cleveland.com that he started writing a memoir "because when my parents died, I always wished I'd asked them a lot more things than I knew about. I don't really know much about my mum and dad, 'cause they were always just there," he explained. "So, I started writing a memoir for my grandkids to read, and that's been fun going through stuff — old times and growing up in Birmingham and all that."

In the fall of 2020, Butler told Australia's Wall Of Sound that his book would be "about growing up in Aston, Birmingham and how SABBATH came about." The bassist also reflected on everything he has accomplished in this past half a century, saying: "It's a great achievement to still be relevant 50 years after we recorded our first two albums. We honestly thought we'd last a few years, then be forgotten about. Fifty years ago any form of popular music was seen as a passing fad — people even thought THE BEATLES would be forgotten about after they broke up, but nobody then [realized] how powerful the nostalgia effect would be."

A founding member of BLACK SABBATH, Butler is also the lyricist of such SABBATH classics as "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "Paranoid" and others.

Butler, singer Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi reunited in late 2011 and released a comeback album, "13", in June 2013.

In February 2017, SABBATH finished "The End" tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

"The End" was SABBATH's last tour because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Although SABBATH will not tour again, Butler, Osbourne and Iommi have not ruled out recording together.

Geezer is the third member of the original SABBATH lineup to release an autobiography. Ozzy's memoir, "I Am Ozzy", debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times' "Hardcover Nonfiction" best-seller list. The book was published on January 25, 2010 in the U.S., nearly two years after it was first expected to arrive. "I Am Ozzy" chronicled the legendary metal icon's life from his working-class beginnings in Birmingham, England to his initial fame with BLACK SABBATH to his massive solo career and forays into television.

Osbourne won the "Literary Achievement" honor for "I Am Ozzy" at the 2010 Guys Choice Awards at Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City, California. Ozzy was presented with the award by Sir Ben Kingsley.

Iommi's memoir, "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath", was released in hardback in November 2011. It landed at position No. 35 on the New York Times' "Hardcover Nonfiction" best-sellers list. Da Capo reportedly paid a six-figure amount at auction for the rights to the 352-page book, which was described as "'Angela's Ashes' meets 'The Ground Beneath Her Feet' meets 'Spinal Tap'" by Foundry Literary + Media co-founder Peter McGuigan, who completed the North American rights deal for the memoir.

Those who've been following the trajectory of modern-day guitar hero Chris Shiflett — outside of his role in FOO FIGHTERS — will already know of his musical mission to unite his SoCal rock roots and Nashville influences to create a fresh new sound altogether. In his latest installment, the longtime country-influenced-rocker called upon a couple of Nashville's finest practitioners of rock-influenced-country, Jaren Johnston (THE CADILLAC THREE) and John Osborne (BROTHERS OSBORNE),to join in on his brand new single, "Black Top White Lines". In their initial writing session, the trio kept throwing in line after line until the story was mapped out. Without spoiling the ending for anybody, Shiflett hints, "Thematically it felt like it turned a classic country trope on its head a little."

Arriving on the heels of 2022's "Born & Raised" and "Long Long Year", "Black Top White Lines" picks up right where Shiflett left off; albeit a bit more amplified. The quick-tempo song opens with a wall of unison guitars and doesn't once let up. Thick stacks of different guitar tones (some of which are provided by legendary session man Tom Bukovac and uber-talented multi-instrumentalist Charlie Worsham) ride the pulsing groove provided by drums and bass with lead licks punctuating the bars between each verse. Written with Johnston and Osborne via Zoom in the middle of 2020, it wasn't until Shiflett and Johnston were working out which songs to record that they realized just how rad "Black Top White Lines" could be. "Jaren and I were going over song ideas, and it'd been a minute since we wrote it, so when we re-visited the track he was like, 'Dude you gotta record this one…It's a banger!'," remembers Shiflett. "Right away in the studio I could tell it was a bit of a left turn for me musically but that's also what I like about it."

"Black Top White Lines" is the first listen from a brand new Shiflett album due out in 2023 via his new label home at Blue Élan Records, the Los Angeles-based independent label celebrating its ninth anniversary this year. Fans will hear more about the Jaren Johnston-produced LP in the coming months but can count on hearing an album that represents Shiflett's fully-realized vision of connecting L.A. to Nashville. "A big part of my inspiration to work with Jaren on this record was because I knew he'd push me out of my comfort zone into new territory," Shiflett says.

Fans can watch the official lyric video for "Black Top White Lines" below.

Last week, Shiflett and his band played Nashville's famous Ryman Auditorium supporting fellow country rockers BLACKBERRY SMOKE. The group will next cross the pond for a string of sold-out dates in the U.K.

Punk veteran. Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee. Americana and rock songwriter. Modern-day guitar hero. For more than 25 years, Shiflett has blurred the lines between genre and generation, balancing his full-band projects with a thriving solo career. Named "Americana's biggest rockstar" by Rolling Stone, Shiflett has played a crucial role in shaping the sound and scope of modern-day rock music as a longtime member of the FOO FIGHTERS. He's also an alum of California-based punk rock bands NO USE FOR A NAME and ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES. Shiflett's latest releases refocus his attention on a mix of country twang and rock and roll bang, showcasing the full range of his musical abilities.