On March 13, 2007, American gothic metal band TYPE O NEGATIVE released its seventh and final studio album, "Dead Again". This year marks the 16th anniversary of the record that came out three years before the passing of bassist/vocalist Peter Steele.

Last fall, the "Dead Again" 3LP reissue was made available in select colors. On May 5, the band will release "Dead Again" as a 2LP in black vinyl, light green transparent vinyl, light green/black/white splatter vinyl, and mint green marble vinyl as well as a black cassette.

TYPE O NEGATIVE has just released the live music video for "Love You To Death" just in time for Valentine's Day. It contains footage of the band's appearance at the 2007 Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

As an added bonus, the live tracks that were only available on the 3LP and CD reissues, including "Love You To Death", are now available on all streaming services.

"Dead Again" track listing:

01. Dead Again
02. Tripping A Blind Man
03. The Profit Of Doom
04. September Sun
05. Halloween In Heaven
06. These Three Things
07. She Burned Me Down
08. Some Stupid Tomorrow
09. An Ode To Locksmiths
10. Hail And Farewell To Britain

Bonus Tracks

11. Everything Dies (live)
12. My Girlfriend's Girlfriend (live)
13. Black Sabbath (intro) / Christian Woman (live)
14. Love You To Death (live)
15. Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All) (live)
16. Anesthesia (live at Wacken Open Air 2007)
17. Christian Woman (live at Wacken Open Air 2007)
18. Love You To Death (live at Wacken Open Air 2007)
19. Kill You Tonight (live at Wacken Open Air 2007)

In a recent interview with the "Loaded Radio" podcast, TYPE O NEGATIVE drummer Johnny Kelly was asked if there has ever been any talk of staging a concert in honor of Steele. He responded: "Coffee talk. There was never any serious consideration, like, should we do something? Is there even a point of doing it? Or also, is it just a blatant cash grab? So all these things go through your head.

"People celebrate [Peter] all the time," he continued. "They do it daily. I see it online all the time and the impact that he had.

"Maybe somewhere down the road there may be something that's… I don't know. But I know that for me, it would have to include Kenny [Hickey, guitar] and Josh [Silver, keyboards] as well. Anything that we do, it would have to be the three of us. And there's no way you're getting Josh to do anything like that. [Laughs]"

Asked who would handle Peter's vocal parts if they ever did end up doing a tribute concert, Johnny said: "I don't know. I'd want a girl to do it. I'd want a female vocalist — like Ann Wilson [HEART] or something like that. [Laughs] But even so, that's the first thing. When you think about doing some kind of tribute show, you're just gonna get all these people… Yes, Peter was very highly regarded by our peers and stuff like that, and you'll just get a bunch of dudes up there just trying to sound like Peter. And you can't do that. And it's, like, all right, so what's the most remote thing from Peter? You'd have to do something completely abstract. And I would say get a female vocalist. I think Peter would get a kick out of… He would get off on seeing a girl sing his songs, seeing a female sing them. And it would really stress the point of doing something as a tribute instead of trying to recreate something."

Steele passed away in April 2010 from heart failure at the age of 48. Born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York, he stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.

Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.

"Going through a midlife crisis and having many things change very quickly made me realize my mortality," Steele told Decibel magazine in 2007. "And when you start to think about death, you start to think about what's after it. And then you start hoping there is a God. For me, it's a frightening thought to go nowhere. I also can't believe that people like Stalin and Hitler are gonna go to the same place as Mother Teresa."

In a 2020 interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Kelly said about Steele: "Peter, for the most part, he was a clown. He was always joking around — sarcastic, very self-deprecating humor. Just the opposite of what the music portrayed. When we were working on music and stuff, the end result, he was very serious about what he wanted, how he wanted something to sound. Other times, he was a clown.

"I always said that he wanted to be a normal person, but because he was Peter, that was just not in the cards for him; it was completely impossible," he continued. "I bet he would love to just be able to hang out, go to the bar, have a few drinks. And we would try to do that, and the minute he would come out to the bar, everybody gravitated towards him. He couldn't go to the store by his house without something happening to him."

Asked if that was because of Peter's size, Johnny said: "I think so. He just had this very striking look. He didn't look normal. And he had fangs. [Laughs] He was six and a half feet tall, [had] long black hair and fangs. You're not gonna get the normal response when you're going grocery shopping."

EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting has weighed in on the fact that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) have united with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, are headlining a number of major festivals across South America, Asia, 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 band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who in 2021 said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

Hunting discussed his views on the PANTERA comeback in an interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm excited for Phil. And, obviously, the players are all heavy hitters, and the music will sound amazing. I'm also kind of nostalgic too. I'm happy that Phil is gonna go out there and sing that music again. But I saw them in '94 with WHITE ZOMBIE — I think it was 1994 — and it was right when they were a force to see live. They were amazing that night. WHITE ZOMBIE was amazing that night. But I think the fans are gonna go nuts; they are gonna freak out. We're [EXODUS] playing with them, actually, at Hellfest in France in mid-June. And I'm excited to see it too. It's gonna be awesome."

When Erickson opined that Zakk and Charlie are the right musicians to present the PANTERA music live, Hunting said: "Totally. And those two guys, I can see that they're gonna love it. They get to play this legendary music. It's gonna be rad for them. I'm super stoked."

Last month, former EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt told "The Chuck Shute Podcast" that it will be great to hear PANTERA's classic songs played live again. "That's exactly why they're doing it," he said. "You know, there's money involved — of course there is. But who cares? Honestly, if you talk to Zakk or you talk to Charlie, they're doing it because they wanna play the songs.

"Have you seen the crowds [from PANTERA's recent concert] in Chile, in South America?" he continued. "Oh, get on YouTube. [Laughs] Dude, they are insane crowds. I mean, as far as your eye can see, the people are just jumping up and down. It's ridiculous."

Hunolt also reflected on his first time sharing the stage with PANTERA, which happened in the summer of 1990 as part of a three-band package also featuring SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

"They [PANTERA] were crazy, and then we [in EXODUS] were crazy, and then we got together and it was crazy — for real," Rick said.

"I'll tell you a little story about touring with PANTERA. So it was us and SUICIDAL and PANTERA. But PANTERA didn't join the tour until about two shows into the tour. So we had already done a couple of shows with SUICIDAL, and then they [PANTERA] were gonna join the tour. And then we were gonna flip-flop with PANTERA who supports SUICIDAL. And at this time none of us had ever even heard of PANTERA. They had [a few] albums out, but we had never heard of PANTERA. So PANTERA shows up. And I wanna say the show was in Minneapolis, at Prince's club. And PANTERA shows up, and they're setting up for soundcheck. And me and Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] were in the back of the club, hanging out and just talking. And Dime plugs in his guitar and starts playing, and me and Gary looked at each other and said, 'Holy crap! This dude is insane.' And we were, like, 'Oh my God. Listen to this dude play.'

"We became really, really dear friends with all of PANTERA," Hunolt added. "And it was amazing to watch, from that to how they blew up. I don't know why, but PANTERA just blew up — they kind of left us in the dust, bro. But it was fun to watch. And Dime was just the most incredible guitar player. Unbelievable."

In December, PANTERA played seven shows in Mexico and South America. The band will next headline the 2023 "comeback" edition of Japan's Loud Park festival. The two-day "limited" event will take place on March 25 at Intex Osaka in Osaka and March 26 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City near Tokyo.

Brown was forced to leave PANTERA's Latin American tour after testing positive for COVID-19. Filling in for him at some of the shows was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Orange County, California's Slaves To Humanity will release their new anthemic single, "Bully", to all major platforms on February 24. The single was produced by Trev Lukather (Halestorm, Dorothy, Andrew Hagar).





"From a very young age, I was constantly bullied and attacked by kids who weren’t like me. They would push me around and even beat me when I was around. Bullying was just something that I grew up with, just like many other kids at young ages.That’s where the inspiration for 'Bully' came from, and this song is a 'fuck you' to all the people who think it’s okay to treat others poorly," says the band's vocalist Aidan Amini.




In addition, you can catch Slaves To Humanity at The House of Blues in Anaheim, CA on February 25 in support of the single release.





"Bully" lyrics:


You love to cause a scene


Hating on everything


A hit of dopamine


Is what you’re getting


You think you know it all


Getting off when people fall


Acting like you’re ten feet tall


Is so pathetic


Live to ruin the moment


All for enjoyment


In your Mother’s basement


So used to no one fighting back


BULLY


ROLES FLIP NOW YOU’RE UNDER ATTACK


BULLY


You take a swing no time to react


BULLY


Your times up that’s a matter of fact


BULLY


You love to troll the screen


Commenting on everything


Would you like to feel the pain


That you’re causin’


There is no victory


Spreading your toxicity


Projecting insecurity


When the world is watching


Slaves to Humanity's members include Aidan Amini on vocals, Pierce Akers on guitar, Shane Ryan on drums, and Nathan Johnson on the bass. Together the bandmates create a sound like no other, mixing the melodic guitars of the late 80s era hard rock bands and the lyrics and vocal sound of the 90s grunge era, as well as throwing modern rock elements all around.


In 2019 they released their first single, “Battleground”, which had success on radio stations and streaming platforms alike. Following this release, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the band released “Behind My Back”, which showed even more success.


During the pandemic, the band worked hard on putting together their social media presence, and continue to do so today, showing success on Tiktok and Instagram. The band continues to play shows in Southern California, as well as build their social media presence.


The band appeared on Episode 2 and Episode 10 of the show No Cover (The only music competition show with unsigned artists performing original songs).

NONPOINT has released a new single, "Heartless", to all major platforms. The song was helmed by Chris Collier, the producer, engineer, mixer, and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with KORN, WHITESNAKE, LYNCH MOB, Mick Mars and many more, and released on NONPOINT's independent record label, 361 Degrees Records.

The official lyric video for "Heartless", which was created by Francesca Ludikar, can be seen below.

NONPOINT frontman Elias Soriano states: "'Ruthless' introduced you to a dark, re-imagined Tinman. Our new single 'Heartless' will give you a peek inside the emptiness that drives his rusted cogs toward his target, Emerald City."

NONPOINT will embark on "The Emerald Cities Tour 2023" in March. The trek, which will kick off on March 2 in Virginia Beach, Virginia and conclude on March 26 in San Antonio, Texas, will feature support from BLACKTOP MOJO and SUMO CYCO.

Three months ago, NONPOINT released the official lyric video for its previous single, "Paper Tigers". The song, which was originally made available in September via 361 Degrees Records, was also helmed by Collier.

NONPOINT launched 361 Degrees Records LLC in January 2021. They filmed the process of starting the label and making new music in a docu-series titled "A Path To Independence" that can be seen on the band's YouTube and official web site.

In December 2021, NONPOINT released its latest EP, "Ruthless". This followed their independent label plan of delivering music to their fans through more frequent releases and videos from the band.

Asked in a recent interview with "Making Waves: The ShipRocked Podcast" if putting out EPs rather than full-length albums is "the way forward" for him and his bandmates, Soriano said: "For us, I think, like we talked about in our documentary during the pandemic, before we dropped 'Ruthless' and this next one coming up, it was a test on what everyone told us in the last 20 years we could or couldn't do with our music. Because I've worked with a lot of big teams — we started with MCA, went to Lava, went to Geffen, went to Rocket Science, then we went to Razor & Tie and then Concord; a lot of big, big, big names and big, big, big teams. And they have their systems in place. So when you go and you say, 'Hey, I feel like my fans would really gravitate to this kind of song,' there's a lot of doors you've gotta go through to finally feel like you have an answer to whether or not that feeling is right. When it's just completely up to you and the risk is yours and you've been asking that question for as long as we have, at this point it's just, like, 'Fuck it. I'm just gonna do it. And I'm not even gonna ask.'

"What we did with 'Ruthless', because we were flipping into the independent world, is we wanted to make sure that our base was taken care of," he explained. "For the last 20 years, I've dropping shit at radio and doing well at radio; I don't wanna pretend like I don't have radio songs. But I flash back to Hans Haedelt, our first A&R guy, when he signed us, and he was, like, 'You guys are gonna be the Latin PANTERA.' And it was because he saw our live shows with music that we had written that was completely untouched — by producers, by anyone. So when we went independent and I sat down with Robb [Rivera, drums] and I sat down with the guys, it was about answering that question. And we needed to bankroll that, to make sure that… And we did that — the 'Ruthless' EP, the streams, everything did so well for us that we are able to now… Our record label, in the first year, is now in the black and so is our independence. So everything is moving in such a positive way that we don't have to worry about things like budgets anymore, where it was constantly an issue before. Well, we worry about them, but it's dollars versus risk. And it's, like, 'Well, we never got to do this, so let's fucking do it.'

"With the next EP… 'Ruthless' was, like, 'Yes, they can write songs the way NONPOINT writes songs independent. Now watch what they do when the cuffs are off and the gloves are off and we're ready to throw down,'" Elias added.

Earlier last year, Elias told "HRH Metal With Dan Chan" that the group's decision to go it alone with NONPOINT's own record label has resulted in "less anxiety and more anxiety," adding that he has "a team" of "people that are professionals in place" to run the business for him and his bandmates.

"I'm not a neophyte when it comes to the overall scope and understanding of the music industry, but I know when to get the hell out of the way and let someone else steer the ship," he said.

Asked what he misses about having a bigger label behind his band, Soriano said: "The relationships and the friendships. It's fun working with a team that you know everyone around the corner is a professional. That definitely gives less anxiety. But you see, even the staff, they feel the same kind of restriction. They wanna go harder; they wanna spend more money — you know they want to — but they have people to answer to."

As for how he balances the business and the creative side of being in a band, Elias said: "It's not easy but we're doing it, and that's what matters. And the product that's coming out is better than ever. It's a lot of fun. It really is. I'm having fun doing this."

In 2021 alone, NONPOINT's song "Ruthless" reached No. 16 on Billboard's Rock chart and was featured on the New Metal Tracks and Kickass Metal Playlist on Spotify, SiriusXM Octane's Big Uns Countdown, LA Lloyd Top 30 and Loudwire Nights. "Ruthless" was also the featured track on AEW's nationally televised event "Blood And Guts" on TNT in May 2021.

NONPOINT's songs "Bullet With A Name", "Alive And Kicking", "In The Air Tonight", "Circles", "Your Signs", "Everybody Down" and many others have been featured in trailers, hit movies, television, iconic video games, as well as broadcasts from NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWF.

NONPOINT has toured with major acts like DISTURBED, PAPA ROACH, MUDVAYNE and SEVENDUST, to name a few. They have also been featured on the main stages and support stages of iconic festivals like Soundwave, Rock Am Park, Rock Am Ring, Ozzfest, Rock On The Range, Welcome To Rockville and many more.

Photo credit: Francesca Ludikar

Long-running blackened death metal unit, Hate, performed at the 2022 edition of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. Professionally-filmed footage of the band performing the tracks "Sovereign Sanctity", "Erebos", and "Omega", can be viewed below:





No one combines death and black metal quite like Poland's Hate. With unflinching viciousness and a sense of atmosphere unique to the band, on Rugia, their twelfth full-length, they push the boundaries of their craft even further. The album is available on CD, LP, and digital formats. Order here.







Rugia tracklisting:


"Rugia"
"The Wolf Queen"
"Exiles Of Pantheon"
"Saturnus"
"Awakening The Gods Within"
"Resurgence"
"Velesian Guard"
"Sun Of Extinction"
"Sacred Dnieper"


"Exiles Of Pantheon" video:





“Resurgence” video:





Album stream:





Hate lineup:


ATF Sinner - vocals, guitars
Domin - guitars
Nar-Sil - drums
Tiermes - bass

The newest single from The Jeremy Edge Project’s double album release, Saints And Souls Vol 1 & 2, is hitting all streaming platforms this month, with a new music video dropping today.


Entitled “Coral Castle”, the song was recorded in PA and NJ and was mixed by Kevin "Caveman" Shirley (known for his work with Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, Joe Bonamassa, Iron Maiden and more) and features Edge's bluesy "Robin Trower-esque" style in a more ethereal vibe - flanked by funky rhythm section grooves and haunting mellotron strings.


Edge elaborates: "This song was inspired by artists like Sade, Maxi Priest and Seal who utilize a hint of jazz and blues to make haunting yet grooving songs you can get entranced by. It's also Hendrix-ish and 70s rock guitar driven. I used a great Jimi Hendrix/Robin Trower sounding effect pedal sent to me by Chris of ‘Pedal Pawn,’ the ‘Gypsy Vibe’ that just replicates that classic sound so well.




“I love trying to create new things with a ‘melting pot’ approach to songs. This song is the most laid back on the record and although there are several stories going in my head about where the lyrics are coming from it mostly deals with hoping people leave abusive, harmful or simply toxic and unhealthy situations. Many times, they never do.”


“The title and chorus were inspired by the old "Coral Castle" in Florida built by one man who seemed to defy the laws of physics. It's a sad but intriguing story that borders on the supernatural and I just thought it a great concept to try to reference here. Kevin Shirley was so kind enough to mix a couple of tracks for our record in between large album projects and I just love the way it came out."





Saints And Souls Volumes 1 & 2 can be ordered here.





Volume 1 tracklisting:


“No Way Home”
“Better Way”
“Ghosts Of The Living”
“Liberation Song”
“Move On”
“Bad Times”
“White Sand”
“Slow Breeze”





Volume 2 tracklisting:


“Hellride”
“Cold Day In Texas”
“Coral Castle”
“South Of The Border”
“No Way Home (Reprise)”
“Devil’s Hand Blues”
“Marie”
“The World Is Gone”


“Move On” video:

Greek metal legends, Rotting Christ, performed the Rituals album track, "Elthe Kyrie", during their set at the Cosmic Void festival on September 25, 2022. Professionally-filmed footage can be viewed below:





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




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





The Apocryphal Spells Vol. I tracklisting:


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


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


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


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


(Photo - David Parham)

With ten days until the release of Blood Money Part Zer0, New York City electro metal heads Dope have once again partnered with Drama Club to release a re-imagining of The Cure’s 1989 classic, “Lovesong”. The song opens with an electro synth intro before the distortion kicks in on the chorus melody that starts the track. Edsel Dope’s signature vocals demonstrate the industrial sound that catapulted Dope to massive global appeal and garnered them a loyal legion of fans.


To this day, Dope is one of the top streaming artists of the genre. “Lovesong” (Feat. Drama Club) is the ninth piece of music that the band has released to fans in advance of the release of Blood Money Part Zer0 on February 24. The new song is available via all streaming services and a visualizer for the new single can be viewed below:







Blood Money Part Zer0 is the band’s first release in seven years and is the follow up to 2016’s Blood Money Part 1, which debuted at #27 on the Billboard top 200, selling over 15K units in its first week. Dope has sold more than a million combined albums and have amassed an incredible audience of nearly 2-million monthly listeners on Spotify, while racking up more than 130 million plays on their cult classic “Die MF Die”.


In a move to demonstrate the bands sincere appreciation to their loyal fanbase for more than two decades, the band is giving away Blood Money Part Zer0 for FREE digitally. Longtime fans, curious listeners and people that enjoy gratis music can sign up to download the album for free on the band’s website. A physical pre-order will also be available on the band’s website for fans that want to purchase the new album in various physical formats, available here.





Blood Money Part Zer0 tracklisting:             


"No Respect"
"Believe"
"Best Of Me"
"Choke"
"Dead World"
"Misery"
"Love Song"
"Dive"
"Parasite"
"Row"
"Fuck It Up"
"Wide"


"Dive":





"Misery":





"Best Of Me" video:





"Believe" video:





"Fuck It Up" visualizer:





"No Respect" video:





Dope will be touring in 2023 in support of Blood Money Part Zer0 as part of the Rise Of The Machine Tour with Static-X and Fear Factory. The 42-date trek kicks off February 25 in San Francisco, CA and wraps up April 15 in Los Angeles, CA. Tickets for all stops on the Rise Of The Machine Tour can be found at DopeTheBand.com.


Rise Of The Machine North American Tour 2023:


February
25 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
27 - Portland, OR - Roseland
28 - Seattle, WA - Showbox


March
1 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
2 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
3 - Boise, ID - Revolution Concert Hall
4 - Reno, NV - Virginia Street Brewhouse
5 - Sacramento, CA - Ace Of Spades
7 - Phoenix, AZ - Van Buren
8 - Albuquerque, NM - El Rey Theater
9 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
10 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
11 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theater
12 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
14 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theater
15 - Orlando, FL - Plaza Live
16 - Charlotte, NC - Underground
17 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
18 - Philadelphia, PA - T.L.A.
19 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
21 - Boston, MA - Big Night Live
22 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s
23 - Montreal, QC - Corona
24 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix
25 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
26 - Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues
28 - Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian
29 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts
30 - Columbus, OH - The King of Clubs
31- Ft. Wayne, IN - The Clyde


April
1 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
2 - Green Bay, WI - Epic Event Center
4 - Grand Rapids, MI - Intersection
5 - St. Louis, MO - Del Mar Hall
6 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
7 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
8 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore
9 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theater
11 - Denver, CO - The Summit
13 - Las Vegas, NH - House Of Blues
14 - San Diego, CA - House Of Blues
15 - Los Angeles, Ca - Belasco Theater

The Acacia Strain - vocalist Vincent Bennett; guitarists Devin Shidaker and Mike Mulholland; bassist Griffin Landa; and drummer Kevin Boutot - are pleased to announce their new album Step Into The Light, out May 12 via Rise Records. The album, which was produced by Randy Leboeuf (Every Time I Die, Lorna Shore, Bad Omens), can be pre-ordered here.


The band has also shared the visualizer for the new track "Fresh Bones" and it finds them in beast mode, as usual. Watch below.


"Excited to finally be able to talk about the next chapter of The Acacia Strain," says Bennett. "As soon as you think you know what you're getting, we try to surprise you. Hold your breath for a bit - we might just surprise you again."







Tracklisting:


"Flourishing"
"Calf's Blood"
"Chain" (Feat. Jacob Lilly)
"Fresh Bones"
"Teeth Of The Cursed Dog"
"Open Wound"
"Sinkhole" (Feat. Josef Alfonso)
"Is This Really Happening?"
"Untended Graves"
"None Of Us Asked To Be Here"


"Fresh Bones" visualizer:





"Untended Graves" visualizer:





The Acacia Strain, Fit For An Autopsy, and Full Of Hell will hit the road on a co-headliner with special guest Primitive Man for one of the most extreme packages in recent memory. The tour kicks off on March 8 in Brooklyn and runs through April 1 in Worcester, MA. Tickets on sale here.





Dates:


March
8 - Brooklyn, NY - The Monarch
9 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Art
10 -  Columbus, OH - The King of Clubs
11 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
12 - Chicago, IL - Metro
14 - Denver, CO - The Gothic
15 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
17 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
18 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
19 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
20 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
21 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
22 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
24 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
25 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live
26 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
28 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
29 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Heaven)
30 - Greensboro, NC - Arizona Pete's
31 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage


April
1 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium

Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the signing of Demons Down, a new band featuring two talented up-and-coming musicians, vocalist James Robledo (Sinner's Blood) and guitarist Francesco Savino (False Memories), along with hard rock scene veterans - guitarist Jimi Bell (House Of Lords, Autograph), drummer Ken Mary (ex-House Of Lords, Alice Cooper, Fifth Angel, etc.), and bassist Chuck Wright (ex-Quiet Riot, House Of Lords, etc.).


Their debut album, I Stand, slated for release on March 10, sees this gathering of young performers and established skill players delivering a quintessential classic hard rock album. The band have released a video for the new single, "Disappear". Check it out below, and pre-order/save I Stand here.


Demons Down traffic in a hard rock sound that references the late '80s/early '90s movement where massive hooks, huge melodies, and lush keyboards were the order of the day. But this is no simple exercise in paying tribute to yesteryear as the music rocks hard to compliment the vocal talents of Robledo (who has, sonically, been compared to the likes of Jorn Lande and Russell Allen). Fans of early House Of Lords material and their sonic peers from that time period as well as Robledo's debut solo album, 'Wanted Man', will have much to enjoy here.







James Robledo is a Chilean vocalist who comes from a family of musicians with prominent places in the history of Chilean music, with both national and international success. In his youth, he began his foray into metal and rock, but in 2016, James took part in the popular TV show The Voice Chile 2, where his participation generated a stir thanks to his outstanding vocal performances. Since then, he has become a more active member of the larger hard rock/metal community and, with Frontiers, he has released one solo album, Wanted Man and an album, The Mirror Star, with Chilean metal band Sinner's Blood, who are also currently preparing their second album for release.


Francesco Savino is an Italian guitarist and songwriter who founded the up-and-coming gothic metal band False Memories in 2015. That band's latest release, The Last Night Of Fall (2021), was met with praise from both fans and metal media alike. The band also released a covers EP, Echoes Of A Reflection and a live EP, Live Until The Twilight since the release of their last studio album. With his songwriting partner Rossella Moscatello (who is the lead vocalist for False Memories), Franceso has also been contributing songs to Frontiers and is working on the next False Memories album.


Jimi Bell is an established hard rock guitarist who is currently a member of both House Of Lords and Autograph, and, of course, Demons Down. Bell, a Connecticut native, was inducted into the New England Music Hall in 2020. In addition to his work with various bands over the years, he has done a wealth of studio work for sports outlets like ESPN, WWE, Impact Wrestling, and NASCAR. Bell is an official endorser of Roberts Guitar, Viper Guitars, Charvel Guitars, PVX Guitar, Funk Guitars, Ovation Guitars, GHS Strings, Rocktron, Randall, Marshall Amps (Europe), and KickAss Cables. He is also the inventor of the Shredneck.


Chuck Wright is best known as a long-time member of multi-platinum rockers Quiet Riot playing bass and singing on Metal Health which was the first "metal" album to go to #1 on the Billboard charts, selling over 10 million copies. Wright was also a founding member of House Of Lords and Giuffria and has worked alongside such rock music luminaries as Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Pat Travers, and members of Guns 'N Roses and KISS, just to name a few.


Drummer Ken Mary’s lengthy career in music has seen him play in a wide variety of genres that showcased his wide ranging skills at the instrument. In addition to being a drummer, Ken is also an engineer, writer, vocalist, and award winning producer. He has sold a combined 5 million (plus) albums globally over the entirety of his body of work. His drumming can be heard on albums from Alice Cooper, Jordan Rudess, Northern Light Orchestra, Kip Winger, House of Lords, The Beach Boys, Impelliterri, Don Dokken, Fifth Angel, Bonfire, and many more, and of course, very soon, Demons Down.





I Stand tracklisting:


"I Stand"
"Disappear"
"Down In A Hole"
"On My Way To You"
"Where Will Our Tears Fall?"
"Book Of Love"
"Stranded In The Middle Of Nowhere"
"Follow Me"
"To The Edge Of The World"
"Search Over The Horizon"
"Only The Brave"


"Disappear" video:





"I Stand" video:





Demons Down are:


James Robledo - Vocals
Jimi Bell - Guitars
Francesco Savino - Guitars
Chuck Wright - Bass
Ken Mary - Drums


Additional Musicians:


Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards, Guitars, Backing Vocals


- Produced by: Alessandro Del Vecchio
- Executive Producer/A&R: Serafino Perugino

Portland-based goth metallers Unto Others announce the release of Strength II ...Deep Cuts, out now worldwide via Lone Fir Records and Eisenwald. 


Produced by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Cavalera Conspiracy, Ghostmane), the six-track record is a collection of previously unreleased songs meant for the band's 2021 Roadrunner Records debut, Strength. 


Frontman Gabriel Franco comments: “We wanted to do a double LP with Strength back in 2021, considering we had like 25 demos when we first met up with Arthur. However, the label made us whittle it down to fit on a standard LP. So we had to make the tough decision to cut a few songs we really liked. These were by no means 'duds,' in my opinion, they hold their weight with the rest of the songs on Strength. We just had to make the most cohesive record we could. In the end, I think these songs will shine better this way, and I’m glad to finally have them out.”







Tracklisting:


"Sailing In The Darkness" 
"The Fire Of Youth" 
"Over Western Shores" 
"Passion Rules The Game" (Scorpions cover)
"Change Of Heart" (Demo)
"When The Hammer Strikes" (Demo) 


"Over Western Shores" audio stream:





Catch Unto Others live on March 25th in Houston, TX at White Oak Music Hall as part of Hell's Heroes V.





 

Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen recently revealed he has a new project in the works. Details are trickling out slowly, and he has checked in with the following update:


"WARNING! Grab your sunglasses! Here is the flashy front cover of the first album of my new band, Supersonic Revolution, with lots of '70s references. Made by Claudio Bergamin Art, photos by Lori A. Linstruth, layout by Élan López  and Roy Koch, and logo by some tall hippie. Hope you can handle it… hurts the eyes, huh?"







Lucassen has revealed Supersonic Revolution is not another one of his metal opera projects:


"And another piece of the teasing puzzle. Meet my new band Supersonic Revolution… so proud of these amazing musicians!"





Line-up:


Arjen Lucassen - bass
Jaycee - vocals
Joost van den Broek - Hammond (Ayreon, Star One ex-After Forever)
Timo Somers - guitar (ex-Delain)
Koen Herfst - drums (Anneke van Giersbergen, Vandenberg)


Stay tuned for more updates.

South Dakota metalcore band Earth Groans will release the Tongue Tied EP on March 3rd via Solid State Records. Pre-order it here. 


Today, the band has shared the video for "Overgrown". Watch the unsettling, yet thought-provoking clip for this ferocious new track below. "Sometimes our 'hell' is just the waiting room to prepare us for our 'heaven,'" the band says.







As the vision of frontman Jeremy Schaeffer, Earth Groans have tallied millions of streams and built a devout fanbase — and the project has truly found its voice with the forthcoming Tongue Tied  EP. The title holds a special significance for Schaeffer, as it tells his story quite literally.


"I was actually born tongue tied," he states. "I had skin all the way up to my teeth, and I couldn't move my tongue at all. They performed the surgery right away and freed my tongue completely. Throughout my life, it has been a metaphor. I've always had a hard time fitting into the community I'm in. This whole record refers to a person finding his or her voice. I found my voice through music. It's how I've been able to communicate what's in my heart and find my true calling. My dad always said, 'Ironically, you don't talk a whole lot, but your music is really loud.'"


Tongue Tied artwork and tracklisting:





"Tongue Tied"
"Overgrown"
"Over The Edge"
"Same Blood"
"Discordant Symphony"


Catch Earth Groans live in concert at the following shows:


February
24 — Club David — Sioux Falls, SD
25 — Reverb Lounge — Omaha, NE 
26 — Skylark — Rock Island, IL 
28 — The WC Social Club — West Chicago, IL


March
1 — The Strand — Fremont, OH
2 — The L — Horseheads, NY 
3 — The Webster — Hartford, CT 
4 — Fete — Providence, RI 
5 — Jewel — Manchester, NH 
6 — Blvd Bar & Grill — Elmwood Park, NJ
7 — The Crown — Baltimore, MD
8 — HMAC — Harrisburg, PA
9 — Legends — Cincinnati, OH
10 — CBGB — St. Louis, MO 
11 — Vivo Live Music — Kansas City, MO 


 

Modern symphonic metal icons KAMELOT have released "Opus Of The Night (Ghost Requiem)", the second single from their first full-length album in five years, "The Awakening", which will arrive on March 17 via Napalm Records. The track, which features a guest appearance by the Grammy-nominated, soundtrack-featured cellist Tina Guo, is an exciting thematic continuation of a story born on 2007's "Ghost Opera" LP, celebrating the healing impact music has on the human heart and mind.

KAMELOT vocalist Tommy Karevik states: "The music of KAMELOT has always carried the message of hope, light and a feeling of resolution. This story is a prime example of that. 'Opus Of The Night' honors the traditional dark and melodic sound of the band while bringing some new and exciting elements to the table."

Having reigned supreme with the release of internationally top-charting melodic metal pinnacles such as "The Fourth Legacy" (1999),"The Black Halo" (2005),"Silverthorn" (2012),"Haven" (2015) and most recently 2018's acclaimed "The Shadow Theory", "The Awakening" enters the KAMELOT legacy as their most massive and diverse offering yet — mixing symphonic, gothic, melodic, progressive and power metal styles while yielding some of the heaviest tracks in the band's history.

KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood says: "With 'The Awakening', we have one of our most diverse albums in years. We've fused elements from progressive, power and gothic metal to symphonic and melodic metal on this one. Working with incredible guest artists from around the music industry and having producer Sascha Paeth and Jacob Hansen mixing gave us another step up on overall sound. This album offers everything to KAMELOT fans and also reaches beyond borders to new metal and hard rock legions."

KAMELOT is one of few bands in the symphonic genre to fully embrace the dark, but of course, there can be no light without it. Inspiring, engaging lyrical themes of determination, strength, overcoming personal battles and growth are abound on "The Awakening", provoked by extreme societal shifts and the overwhelming realization that we have such a brief time to be true to ourselves and live life to its fullest.

With crystal clear modern production helmed by the band and longtime producer Sascha Paeth, plus mixing and mastering by Jacob Hansen of Hansen Studios, KAMELOT's score-like 13th studio album is accented by guest contributions from the likes of Melissa Bonny (AD INFINITUM) and renowned instrumentalists like violinist Florian Janoske and Guo.

Showcasing the incomparable, stage-seasoned vocal acrobatics of Karevik and increasingly airtight, renowned technical teamwork of Youngblood, drummer Alex Landenburg, keyboardist Oliver Palotai and bassist Sean Tibbetts, "The Awakening" embraces enlivening themes that every listener can relate to. KAMELOT's intense brand of ultramodern gothic and symphonic theatricality is amplified further and with more emotionality than ever on this inspiring, anticipated addition to the KAMELOT legacy.

Tracks honoring KAMELOT trademarks like cinematic "The Great Divide" and darkly hopeful eternal farewell to a loved one, "Eventide", prove that while "The Awakening" stays true to the aural foundations fans have embraced for decades, equally addictive outputs like "One More Flag In The Ground" — a radio-ready anthem about overcoming seemingly unbeatable illness and the mental challenges we all face, featuring additional vocal layers from Juno Award-winning musician and producer Brian Howes — showcase a band devoid of sonic stagnancy. Profound compositions are plentiful, like stage-ready, operatic "Opus Of The Night (Ghost Requiem)", which features a hair-raising dual solo from Youngblood and Guo, as well as epic, synth-laden "New Babylon", elevated by the dynamic vocal attack of Karevik and Bonny. Further balancing darkness with light, grooving, heartfelt "NightSky" and ode to conquering one's adversities "My Pantheon (Forevermore)" boast some of the album's heaviest moments and most complex guitar solos, while pensive hymns such as Celtic-infused "Midsummer's Eve" and ebbing-and-flowing hymn of cherished memories "Willow" provide necessary balance to an album fittingly primed for spectacular performances to come.

"The Awakening" track listing:

01. Overture (Intro)
02. The Great Divide
03. Eventide
04. One More Flag In The Ground
05. Opus Of The Night (Ghost Requiem)
06. Midsummer's Eve
07. Bloodmoon
08. Nightsky
09. The Looking Glass
10. New Babylon
11. Willow
12. My Pantheon (Forevermore)
13. Ephemera (Outro)

Photo credit: Nat Enemede

Australian metalcore trailblazers The Amity Affliction - Joel Birch [vocals], Ahren Stringer [vocals, bass], Dan Brown [lead guitar], and Jon Longobardi [drums] - have just dropped the video for their brutal new single, "I See Dead People", featuring late New Zealand rapper Louie Knuxx, who passed away in 2021. Watch below.


"I See Dead People" is easily one of the most blood-blistering songs in Amity's catalog. It will send chills up and down your spine. "The song is about the ongoing and nebulous struggle that comes with dealing with the pain of friends killing themselves while myself dealing with passive suicidal ideation," says Birch.

Chez Kane has announced the release of a brand new single, a cover of Ghost's "Mary On A Cross". The song is out today and available to stream/download on all digital music services here. Listen below.





“I’m so excited to have teamed up with Danny Rexon again to release our take on the amazing song by Ghost, 'Mary On A Cross'. Now remember guys… if your neighbours can’t hear it, it’s not loud enough!,” exclaims Chez.







This new single follows on the heels of the release of Chez's second studio album, Powerzone, which came out in October 2022. Chez is still touring in support of that album, dates include stops at Sweden Rock Festival and the Monsters Of Rock Cruise.


A talented, young vocalist who fronts, with her two sisters, the band Kane'd, Chez was first brought to the attention of the label after conversations with Danny Rexon of Crazy Lixx about the possibility of him scouting and producing some exciting new talent. Subsequently, Danny started working on some demos with Chez and the label did not pass up the opportunity to get involved with this incredible talent.


Chez's debut solo album embraced the melodic rock style that both she and Danny so admire, while adding a new twist to the current takes on the genre. Their second album together, Powerzone took that formula and made it bigger, better, and bolder.


Chez' star really rose, deservedly so, with the release of her self-titled debut album and with Powerzone'(October 2022), she's only rising higher and shining brighter. Armed with an incredible voice, a downright charming personality, a talented backing band, and the guiding hand of producer Danny Rexon, Powerzone was beyond a shadow of a doubt one of THE melodic rock albums of 2022.

There is no doubt about saying that the band from Goiás, Sunroad, is one of the most relevant names in the melodic hard rock/heavy metal scene in all of South America. After all, they have a 20-year career, eight albums released, concerts in various regions of Brazil and other countries in South America, alongside great artists such as Joe Lynn Turner, Petra, Stryper, L.A. Guns, Whitecross, Narnia, etc.


The band’s 8th studio album and first to feature Steph Honde (Scream Taker, Hollywood Monsters), Walking The Hemispheres, was nominated for the Dynamite Independent Music Award as one of the “Best Rock Albums of 2021”. Soon after the band started work on Sunesthesia. The album has a very fine and sophisticated melodic hard rock sound, such as UFO, Whitesnake, Michael Schenker Group to name a few. Artwork was created by Tristan Greatrex (UFO, MSG, Vinnie Moore, Lionheart, etc…), and the album features guests such as Ronnie Romero (MSG, Rainbow), Carl Dixon (Coney Hatch, The Guess Who, April Wine), Michael T. Ross (Hardline, Lita Ford).


The first single “Speed Warning #1” features vocals by Rainbow vocalist Ronnie Romero. Watch lyric video below.




As drummer Fred Mika states, “Speed Warning #1, as the name says, is one of the fastest and louder Sunroad songs ever, we wanted a very energetic song to be the album opening track, so we worked in a way to provoke something with such strong feeling from the listeners. I had an idea for classical intro and then, and then sudden fast riffs come, as well Steph composed the guitar harmonies and those fast, louder riffs and catchy choruses.”


The album has 12 tracks in total and features a host of guests to add to the core line up of Steph Honde - vocals, keyboards, guitars, Van Alexandre - lead guitars, JP Costa - rhythm guitars, vocals, Gui N Silva - bass guitars, and Fred Mika – drums.  


As Mika continues, “Also, we had the idea of contacting prominent artists everywhere to take part on this, as Chilian singer, Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Sunstorm, MSG), which divides vocals on duet with Steph. Also, American keyboardist Michael T Ross (Lita Ford, Raiding Rock Vault, Hardline), Canadian bassist Ronnie Robson (Hollywood Monsters) and Brazilian lead guitarist Rafael Milhomem (BaRok, ex-Sunroad). I guess with this all we got perfect timing on captive vibrations from many good musicians from everywhere.”


You can pre-order Sunesthesia and limited bundles here.


Bundle Includes:


- 1 (One) - Sunroad - "Sunesthesia" CD
- 1 (One) - Sunroad - Logo T-Shirt
- 1 (One) - Sunroad - Logo Sticker





Tracklisting:


Speed Warning #1
Long Ago
Scanning Skies
Drown
Sink Your Teeth Into Me
By Any Means
Pieces Of Fantasy
Screen Screw
Hit And Run
A.S.A.P. (I Might Not Come Tomorrow)
We Watch The Sparks Fly
Only My Soul


"Speed Warning #1" lyric video:

Former HammerFall bassist, Magnus Rosén, has revealed more details about the upcoming Magnus Rosén Band album, due April 21 on X-World / Sound Pollution.


Says Magnus: "I will thank HammerFall and all the fans for my 10 years with the band - 1997-2007. I take my hat off for this time. So how can we celebrate this moment better than with a HammerFall song on this album."


Entitled, It's Time To Rock The World Again, the new album will include 12 songs, plus five bonus tracks. Magnus describes the album as, "A firework of diversity from my journey through music life from the 60's until today."




Rosén adds: "Everything is marked in the perspective of hard rock and these wonderful rock titles that gild this musical style. There are many tones that are hidden in the structures of the songs that can be recognized more or less from the history of rock. We are also celebrating bands and artists for the great inspiration thought the music life with some riff, tones, feelings, songs or solos in new written material and also few old songs - Gary Moore, Scorpions, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Metallica, AC/DC, ABBA, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix - plus much more. New written songs and fresh interpretations of few old rock songs.”


Musicians featured on the album include:


Fabio Buitvidas - Drums
Raphael Mattos - Guitar
Mikael Erlandsson - Keyboard and vocals
Janne Schaffer - Guitar
Tony Martin - Vocals
Zenny Gram - Vocals
George Keczan - Piano and keyboard
Chitral Somapala - Vocals
Jonas Hansson - Guitar
Stefan Blomquist - Keyboard, piano
Elsa Li Jones - Vocals
Eric Galdyanz - Vocals
Ivan Martin's - Vocals
Jörgen Alnevall - Vocals
Magnus Rosén - Bass


Pre-order It's Time To Rock The World Again here





Tracklisting:


"The World And Times"
"Glitter And Blood"
"Something"
"Circus
"Heart On Fire"
"Terminator"
"Paperplane"
"Street Fighting Man"
"Sign Of The Time"
"The Winner Takes It All"
"Dressed To Kill"
"Aint No Sunshine When She's Gone"


Rosén comments, “The music picks up where the words end and here begins the rock that has influenced me throughout my musical life with recognition factors from musicians and bands I admired during my musical journey that have been inserted a little here and there in the newly written songs. There are also some nice interpretations of songs that mean a lot to us in the band. You could call the albums time machines!”


To follow up the full length, the band is releasing Outside The Rockbox , an instrumental mini-album of six songs celebrating some very famous artists by making a musical braid where fusion, rock, folk music and pop meet to make musical fireworks.


It all started after a Brazilian tour with Fabio Buitvidas (drums and producer), Raphael Mattos (guitar player) and Magnus Rosén (bass player). M.R.B is a rock band that can also adventure in the instrumental music world


The album features two fantastic guest musicians: rock guitarist Jonas Hansson from Silver Mountain and the famous concert piano player, George Keczan.


Available on May 26, Outside The Rock Box is a personal imprint with many beautiful shifts between musical styles. Pre-order Outside The Rock Box here.





Tracklisting:


"Terminator"
"Glory Days"
"Ack Värmeland Du Sköna"
"Automatic Different"
"Polkka Säkijärven"
"Visa Från Utanmyra"

Sabaton have released the new lyric video below, stating: "Do you enjoy listening to our Carolus Rex album in Swedish? Are you feeling particularly METAL today? 🤘 Well, we have another lyric video for you to end this week the RIGHT WAY, this time for 'Konungens Likfärd'!"





Spring 2023 will see Sabaton touring across Europe on the eagerly awaited re-scheduled tour: The Tour To End All Tours.




Starting in Leeds on April 14, the tour will bring Sabaton to 21 cities in 14 countries. They will present their biggest and most spectacular show to date in Europe's largest arenas. Fans can be assured that the band will write history with the ground-breaking live shows on The Tour To End All Tours.


The band also confirmed that Japanese dance metal sensation Babymetal will appear as very special guests, marking their first international shows in over three years. Finnish Eurovision winners Lordi will open all shows.


"We are extremely happy to welcome Babymetal to our already much anticipated tour in Europe 2023,” says bass player Pär Sundström. “The energy and power of this band will for sure make each night something special."


“If there ever was a band that would break all the rules, it’s Babymetal with the power and precision to deliver a full on heavy metal show!” echoes frontman Joakim Brodén. “It’s not our first rodeo together, expect nothing but excellence from Babymetal!”


Joakim participated as a guest on “Oh! Majinai (feat. Joakim Brodén)" on Babymetal’s third album, Metal Galaxy, released on October 11th, 2018. He also made a guest appearance at Babymetal’s headline show in October 2018, Babymetal World Tour 2018 in Japan Extra Show Dark Night Carnival.


Tickets for European shows are available here. Tickets for the UK shows on sale here.





Tour dates:


April
14 - Leeds, UK - First Direct Arena
15 - London, UK - OVO Arena Wembley
16 - Cardiff, UK - Motorpoint Arena
18 - Glasgow, UK - The OVO Hydro
21 - Paris, France - Zenith
24 - Hamburg, Germany - Barclays Arena
25 - Esch / Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
28 - Stockholm, Sweden - Avicii Arena
29 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
30 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena


May
2 - Hannover, Germany - ZAG Arena
3 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
5 - Berlin, Germany - Mercedes Benz Arena
6 - Leipzig, Germany - Quarterback Immobilien Arena
7 - Vienna, Austria - Stadthalle
12 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena
13 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis
15 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
18 - Tallinn, Estonia - Saku Arena
19 - Helsinki, Finland - Ice Hall
20 - Kuopio, Finland - Kuopio Hall

Black death metal force, Thulcandra, has announced the release of their new studio album. Hail The Abyss will be unleashed on May 19 via Napalm Records, and sees the band prove yet again why they’re atop death metal’s malefic vedette.


Thulcandra’s rise to power ignited when the Germany-based outfit unleashed their debut album, Fallen Angel’s Dominion, upon metaldom in 2010. The group, fronted by founding member and visionary Steffen Kummerer (also of Obscura fame), have tightened their hibernal grip on blackened death metal since. The desolate melodic emanations in follow-up studio records Under a Frozen Sun (2011), Ascension Lost (2015), and the chart-topping, 2021-album A Dying Wish, dedicated to late drummer Chris Kratzer, solidified Thulcandra as a superior force, expertly thrusting the magic and mystery of mid-’90s melodic black-death metal into the modern era.


Their fifth attack, Hail The Abyss, showcases the band‘s affinity for dark, aggressive and mellifluous metal while the album rips and terrorizes with the intensity of hell. As always, Thulcandra's about a vibe - there's always a unique "feel" that's distinctly old-school, but without the tired trappings of it.




Give ear, as in support of their upcoming record release, today, the four-piece not only continues to gear up for their first ever North American tour, but has just unleashed a video for their new, fierce album single, "As I Walk Through The Gateway".


Says band guitarist/vocalist Steffen Kummerer: "'As I Walk Through The Gateway' turned into a catchy, relentless and melodic exercise of black & death metal that blends the strengths of the band in a unique form. Catch the band on their first North American tour alongside Fleshgod Apocalypse, Obscura and Wolfheart to feel the blistering power behind this composition in a live setting." Watch the video below.


Cooperation with renowned producer Dan Swanö (Dissection, Opeth, Katatonia) was compulsory, as was the re-invitation to cover-master Lochner.


"With Hail The Abyss, we just count the 5th album within 20 years of Thulcandra“, Kummerer continues. "A banger, and a diverse record that shows a unique blend of black and death metal, combined with classic heavy metal twin guitars. The album turned out excellent and Dan Swanö delivered a splendid mix - raw, natural and showcasing each individual musician on the record. Hail The Abyss undoubtedly turned into a highlight of our long lasting career.“





Hail The Abyss will be available in the following formats:


- 1CD Digipak, incl. Bonustracks
- 1CD Jewel Case
- 1LP Gatefold Black
- 1LP Gatefold Silver
- Ltd. Die Hard Vinyl Boxset (contains several highly collectable items, all packed in wooden box)
- Digital Album
- CD Digipak + Shirt Bundle


Pre-order here.





Hail The Abyss tracklisting:


"In The Eye Of Heaven"
"Hail The Abyss"
"At Night"
"Velvet Damnation"
"On The Wings Of Cosmic Fire"
"Acheronian Cult"
"As I Walk Through The Gateway"
"Blood Of Slaves"
"In Darkness We Descend"
"The Final Closure"
"The Second Fall" - Live (CD Bonus Track)
1"Deliverance In Sin And Death" - Live (CD Bonus Track)


"As I Walk Through The Gateway" video:





Thulcandra is:


Steffen Kummerer - Guitars & Vocals
Mariano Delastik - Guitars
Carsten Schorn - Bass
Alessandro Delastik - Drums


(Photo - Grzegorz Golebiowski)

Perris Records announces the reissue of the Roxx Gang CD, The Voodoo You Love on February 17. This reissue features a bonus track "Magic Carpet Ride".


Roxx Gang first signed with indie label Perris Records in 1995 and released their much anticipated second CD entitled The Voodoo You Love. This CD leaned the band back toward it’s original blues-rock roots that were hinted at on songs like “Ball-N-Chain,” “Red Rose” and “Fastest Gun In Town” on “Thing You’ve Never Done Before.”


The Voodoo You Lov” went on to be one of the biggest selling CD in the history of Perris Records. The Sam Phillips family (Elvis, Johnny Cash) company Select-o-Hits in Memhis TN contacted Perris Records about this Roxx Gang release and started a long time distribution deal with hundreds of Perris Records artist that still carry's on 28 years later.




Kevin Steele, lead vocalist Roxx Gang, "The Voodoo You Love was the second Roxx Gang record. It was produced by the band with Carl Canedy (The Rods, Anthrax) and was mixed by Jon Mathias (Dickie Betts, Ian Hunter, Manowar). The reason for the time gap between the first Roxx Gang record and The Voodoo You Love was that Virgin offered to make a second record to be released on their Charisma label. The band opted out of that deal with Virgin and we signed with CBS/Epic which was bought by Sony shortly after we signed. Sony then fired the staff at Epic and released many of the bands on the Epic label including Roxx Gang. These events along with the onset of "Grunge" rock delayed the release of The Voodoo You Love until it found a home on Perris Records. The Voodoo You Love is my favorite Roxx Gang record as it was a move away from Things You've Never Done Before's more "Metal" sound to a classic "Rock-n-Roll '' sound that included piano, horns and saxophone on various cuts. What most people don't know about The Voodoo You Love is that the Things You've Never Done Before lineup recorded this record. Two songs, "Time Bomb" and "Thick As Thieves." were added afterwards and recorded by the now new lineup pictured on the album cover. The new reissue contains the bonus track "Magic Carpet Ride" (original song not the Steppenwolf classic) that was an outtake from The Voodoo You Love sessions. I can't for the life of me remember why we didn't include it on the record because it's a really cool song"


Order CDs via the following links:


- Perris Records
- WOWHD worldwide (Free Shipping)
- Germany





Tracklisting:


"Daddys' Farm"
"Stone Dead Drunk (Again)"
"Time Bomb"
"Hot For Love"
"Silver Train"
"Can't Catch Me"
"What You See"
"Be Your Man"
"Shame On Me"
"Hot 'Lanta"
"Thick As Thieves"
"Meanwhile Back At The Ranch"
"Magic Carpet Ride" (Bonus Track)








Lineup:


Kevin Steele - Vocals, harmonica
Stacey Blades -Guitar, vocals
Tommy Weder- Drums, vocals
Dorain Sage - Bass, vocal

Since the release of their debut album in 2020, rising modern symphonic metal stars Ad Infinitum have stirred up the scene. They have shared a new live video accompanied by the following message:


"We recorded another song featuring the great Nils Molin (Amaranthe) on our tour together with Amaranthe, Beyond the Black and Butcher Babies through Europe in the autumn of 2022."







Ad Infinitum are about to unveil their electrifying third studio album, Chapter III – Downfall, out March 31 via Napalm Records. Consisting of catchy anthems and heavy, modern riffs paired with the vicious vocal melodies of the incredibly talented Melissa Bonny, Ad Infinitum's unique sound has garnered them millions of video views to date on hits like “Marching On Versailles” and “Unstoppable”. This next mesmerizing offering provides another wave of proof of their breakout success.


With their powerful first single, “Upside Down“, the multinational band garnered over 250k views on YouTube within just a few days. Now, after returning from several sold out shows on their expanded European and UK tour with Amaranthe, Beyond The Black and Butcher Babies, they have unleashed their next appetizer, “Somewhere Better”.


The new track creates an ethereal, catchy soundscape with screaming guitars colliding with vocalist Melissa Bonny’s haunting, perfectly contrasting voice. Underlining the ballad’s captivating feeling, its video creates a perfect symbiosis both musically and visually, carrying the listener into the new world of Ad Infinitum.


Ad Infinitum on “Somewhere Better“: “After playing 'Somewhere Better' on tour and sharing fantastic and emotional moments with thousands of people all around Europe and the UK, we are thrilled to release this song, together with a video full of memories of our tour with Amaranthe, Beyond the Black and Butcher Babies. Warm greetings to all the people who will spot themselves in this video!”


Check out the video for “Somewhere Better“:





Chapter III - Downfall, bewitches with an innovative sound full of soaring melodic splendor juxtaposed against brooding, dark and even gothic heaviness. Exploring concepts of Ancient Egyptian history and mythology, Ad Infinitum melds a perfect balance of storytelling and technically sophisticated songwriting, spreading their wings in both areas of production and lyricism. Charging instrumentals, pounding drums, chunky, grooving riffs, mind-boggling solos and enchanting orchestrations build the band's unique world of sound as frontwoman-to-watch Melissa Bonny’s soul-stirring cleans and haunting growls put her incredible vocal range on display - dropping jaws with each line.


Produced by Ad Infinitum and Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, Chapter III - Downfall showcases that this up-and-coming quartet can effortlessly turn the genre upside down, gracing it with contemporary vibes without forgoing their signature metal origins, and thrilling all metal fans as they rise to the top!


Ad Infinitum add: “The word is out, Chapter III - Downfall is on its way! For this album, we explored stories and legends of Ancient Egypt with, as star character and main inspiration, Cleopatra. We added some extra dimension and sounds to our signature Ad Infinitum sound to create an extra dimension, transporting the listener to mystical landscapes of another era. We are beyond excited to start to unveil this new record!“


Opening track “Eternal Rains” immediately catches your breath with a captivating chorus, followed by electric  “Upside Down” - defying all rules by combining epic melodies and demonic growls with finesse. “Seth” convinces with a resounding modern sound and eerie ambience that’ll have new fans turning heads, whereas “From The Ashes” impresses with reminiscence of artists like Meshuggah, proving that Ad Infinitum never fails to deliver surprises. “Somewhere Better” creates a perfect symbiosis of vicious vocals and ethereal soundscapes, carrying the listener far away with its wide range of infallible instrumentals. “Under The Burning Skies” directs its haunting vocals towards the horizon, unfolding into an intense mid-tempo ballad shortly after. As a special treat, Ad Infinitum welcomes Chrigel Glanzmann of Eluveitie, who provides his voice for the atmospheric monologue introduction on “Legends”, paving the way for a touch of Middle Eastern-inspired djent flavor.   





Chapter III - Downfall will be available in the following formats:


- 1 CD Digipak
- CD Digipak + Shirt Bundle
- 1 LP Gatefold CURACAO - limited to 300 copies worldwide
- 1 LP Gatefold Black
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Eternal Rains"
"Upside Down"
"Seth"
"From The Ashes"
"Somewhere Better"
"The Underworld"
"Ravenous"
"Under The Burning Skies"
"Architect Of Paradise"
"The Serpent's Downfall"
"New Dawn"
"Legends" (featuring Chrigel Glanzmann)


"Upside Down" video:





Lineup:


Melissa Bonny - Vocals
Adrian Thessenvitz - Guitars
Korbinian Benedict - Bass
Niklas Müller - Drums

In a new interview with Czech Republic's Backstage TV, former KAMELOT and current CONCEPTION singer Roy Khan spoke about his plans to eventually release a solo LP. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm still not entirely sure what it's gonna be. But it's starting to shape up. And I will release something — hopefully now this year with stuff that is already recorded.

"This first series that I'm gonna put out is gonna be a series of cover songs where the theme is 'my first.' So I'm gonna do covers of the first song that I heard, the first Norwegian song that I heard, the first musical song I did, the first Christian song I did, the first song I ever sang in a microphone. So that's gonna be the theme for this first round of streaming concerts. But I also have a ton of songs — original songs.

"When you work in a band like -CONCEPTION or KAMELOT, at least you have one or two other people that you can involve them to lean on when it comes to getting all the work done, 'cause there's a lot of work during the production," Roy explained. "If I'm doing the solo thing and have to do everything myself, or pay people to do it for me, it's a little bit overwhelming. So I'm hesitant to even start the process. But the songs are there. And I just need to get the inspiration to actually get it out."

The 52-year-old Norwegian singer announced his exit from KAMELOT in April 2011 after taking several months off to recover from a "burnout."

After his departure from KAMELOT, Khan, who is a devout Christian, joined a church in the coastal town of Moss, Norway.

Last August, Roy — whose full name is Roy Sætre Khantatat — told Chaoszine about his upcoming solo release: "The first thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna do a streaming-type gig, which is actually pre-recorded. And that's gonna be some sort of a kick-off to my solo thing, whatever that's gonna be. I have tons of songs that just need to be recorded. It's all about finding the time and inspiration, the right people and the energy…

"Making an album, a full album, is such a process," he explained. "When you're a band, we divide the work between us, but making a full album yourself, it's a lot of work and it really consumes you for such a long period of time. I mean, when you listen to a record, it's maybe an hour of music, maybe 45 minutes, but making those 45 minutes takes — if you count everything — maybe two or three years. And maybe you spend half a year in the studio, in and out, breaking things down, building them up again and changing things. It's a very energy-consuming and time-consuming process. So I guess I'm a little bit weary of eating myself up and ending up back where I was, where I left KAMELOT. Because part of it was it was just consuming my whole life. I was becoming this character that I was onstage. Even when I was home, I was Roy Khan. I'm not sure my wife and kids were too happy about that."

Khan reformed his pre-KAMELOT band CONCEPTION five years ago and released an EP, 2018's "My Dark Symphony", and a full-length album, 2020's "State Of Deception".

In April 2018, Khan released his first-ever solo song called "For All". The track, which was written by Khan, was recorded at Stable Studios in Oslo, Norway in March 2018 and featured Roy on vocals, piano and keyboards alongside Leif Johansen on fretless bass and Geir Olav Akselsen on all guitars.

KAMELOT officially announced Tommy Karevik as its new lead singer in June 2012. The Florida-based band has recorded three albums so far with the Swedish vocalist: 2012's "Silverthorn", 2015's "Haven" and 2018's "The Shadow Theory".

Asked if he has listened to any of KAMELOT's recent material with Karevik, Roy told Italy's SpazioRock back in 2018: "Yes I have. I really like some of their new stuff. Sounds classical KAMELOT in my ears, and Tommy is a great singer."

MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio says that he is looking forward to presenting his case in court in his dispute with the Hellfest organizers over the cancelation of the band's concert at the 2019 edition of the French heavy metal festival.

It was reported on June 21, 2019 that MANOWAR's performance at the annual event in Clisson was called off just hours before the veteran metal group was supposed to take the stage.

The Hellfest organizers later issued a statement saying that the MANOWAR members "decided to leave the site" and insisting that the cancelation was caused by "reasons beyond our will."

MANOWAR disputed Hellfest's version of the circumstances that led to the band's non-appearance at the event, claiming that the Hellfest organizers canceled the show after they "chose not to honor their contractual obligations."

In July 2019, DeMaio announced during MANOWAR's concert in Istanbul, Turkey that he and his bandmates had filed a lawsuit against the Hellfest organizers, explaining that "we don't fuck around. People try to fuck with our fans… Nobody's gonna push MANOWAR around," he said. "We're not gonna give our fans less than a hundred percent. We don't take shit from anybody. And yes, we would rather give a hundred percent or nothing."

DeMaio discussed the Hellfest legal dispute during a new appearance on Germany's "Metal Hammer Podcast". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think about it every day. I can't wait to get to court. I can't wait. And I hope all the people that were stupid enough to piss on me and the band and call me an asshole and say that I canceled, not one of them can find a cancelation on my web site. I never canceled. It's a fucking dream. It's a lie. They canceled — not me. Why would I show up in France with all my trucks and 50 people if I wasn't prepared to play and wanted to play?

"But don't worry — we're going to court, and on that day, it will be the day of deliverance," he promised. "People will find out what really goes on in this business. So I invite anybody who's out there, when the day comes, come and watch me in action when I get a chance to tell my story to the judge. And I hope everybody who condemned me will use that same energy to apologize. Not to me — I don't give a fuck — but apologize to the fans that believed in the band and stand behind us."

When DeMaio first announced MANOWAR's lawsuit against the Hellfest organizers, he said that he wanted "the world to know the fucking truth, exactly what happened over there. It was the promoters that caused every fucking problem — not MANOWAR."

He added: "I believe we will win this lawsuit, and when we do, we're gonna take some money and we're gonna find a country and we're gonna find a city in that country that will have us, and we're gonna play a free concert, and the whole fucking world is invited. You have my fucking word that that will happen… And don't listen to these fucking ass-kissing motherfuckers on the Internet talk shit about MANOWAR and their rumors. None of those fucking assholes were even there. Do they have a copy of our contract? Were they backstage? Did they see what happened? No. They've got nothing better to do than play with their fucking little dicks and type on the fucking Internet and talk shit about people. But we're the band that showed up there with eight fucking trucks, or however many we had, ready to play. And guess what? We never canceled. Yeah, that's right. The announcement came from them, on their site. But it was nice for people to say we canceled so they wouldn't have to listen to the fans bitch. So maybe those people should ask these fuckers some questions about what really happened."

MANOWAR has just released a new song called "Laut Und Hart Stark Und Schnell" dedicated to the band's loyal German fans. Check out the official lyric video below.

"Laut Und Hart Stark Und Schnell", which translates into "Loud And Hard Strong And Fast", is an anthemic mid-tempo hymn in the vein of MANOWAR's classic "Warriors Of The World United" that invites fans to sing along and raise their hands in celebration of their favorite genre and band.

"Laut Und Hart Stark Und Schnell" was first released digitally on February 10 on all major platforms and will be available during MANOWAR's German tour. The European retail release is scheduled for February 24.

Five months ago, MANOWAR announced that it had recruited Michael Angelo Batio, a veteran both in the studio and on stage, to play guitar for the band on its 2023 "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal" tour. The news came in the wake of guitarist Evandro "EV" Martel's announcement that he was taking a break from touring for a while for "personal reasons".

Although MANOWAR has released a couple of EPs in recent years — including "The Revenge Of Odysseus (Highlights)", which came out in June — the group hasn't issued a full-length effort since 2012's "The Lord Of Steel".

MANOWAR's two "secret" warm-up shows in June 2022 at Jovel Music Hall in Münster, Germany marked the band's debut live appearances with new drummer Dave Chedrick, who has previously played with RAVEN and KILL RITUAL, among others.

Chedrick joined MANOWAR as the replacement for Anders Johannson who announced that same month that he would be unable to join MANOWAR on the band's "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal Anniversary Tour '22/'23" due to "family commitments."

In a new 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 bassist Rex 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."

MÖTLEY CRÜE played its second concert with guitarist John 5 Saturday night (February 11) at Atlantic City, New Jersey's 7,000-capacity Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena. The show also marked the second date of the band's 2023 "The World Tour" with DEF LEPPARD.

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. Looks That Kill
08. The Dirt (Est. 1981)
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.

After last night's concert, John 5 took to his Instagram to share a few photos of the first two gigs, as well as some of his friends and family members who attended the shows, and he wrote in an accompanying caption: "This is a weekend I will never forget for the rest of my life. I'm so happy I got it to spend it with friends and family my sister flew in my friend Jeff, my friend, Joe, and even [original KISS members] Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss] came to celebrate this new beginning and thank you to all of you for your love and support".

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.

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In a new interview with Barry Robinson of Classic Album Review, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan spoke about what it was like for him and his bandmates to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their classic second album, "Slave To The Grind", by performing it in its entirety a couple of shows in 2021. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We did it, I think, two or three times, and it was fun. It was kind of weird, because it's a completely different energy. Especially with 'Slave To The Grind', because that album was basically the point where our demographic, live demographic, went from about 50-50 male to female to about 20-80 male. So now here we are 30 years later and we're playing the whole thing, and everyone that's in the crowd is just, like… You could see all the women asking their husbands, 'What song is that?' [Laughs]

"It was cool, though," Rachel continued. "It was really cool to dig out some of those songs. I think there was one or two that we never played live. So it was really cool to go and dig in and learn those songs again. It was fun. And we had the original backdrop in storage all these years. And I remember we spread it out on my front yard, and it took up the whole damn yard. [Laughs] So we had to pull it out into the street, and my neighbors had to drive around it to go up the driveway. But it was musty and smelly, and a lot of the paint chipped off. But we were, like, it's kind of cool. It kind of shows the age. And just to go out using the original backdrop was kind of a cool thing."

In the summer of 2020, Bolan told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he and his bandmates would embark on a "Slave To The Grind" 30th-anniversary tour in 2021. "We'll do the album in its entirety, and then we're gonna do a bunch of stuff to coincide with it," he said at the time. "We're pretty psyched, and the shows are booked. We're keeping our fingers crossed that everything is gonna come to pass… It'll be cool, to go out there and do 'Slave To The Grind' top to the bottom. That'll be fun."

Bolan went on to say that SKID ROW didn't celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band's self-titled debut album in 2019 because "the timing didn't really work out. We had so much other stuff planned, and then all of a sudden, boom, it was here," he explained. "Maybe down the road [we'll celebrate it]. Maybe [for the] 40th [anniversary]. [Laughs]"

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach also celebrated the "Slave To The Grind" 30th anniversary on a U.S. tour in the fall of 2021. He performed the LP in its entirety at all shows on the trek, which kicked off in October of that year.

Bach previously performed "Slave To The Grind" in its entirety in October 2019 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Earlier that fall, he completed a U.S. tour during which he celebrated the 30th anniversary of SKID ROW's self-titled debut album.

In June 2019, Bach issued an "open invitation" to the other members of SKID ROW's classic lineup to "get onstage and jam" during the vocalist's last tour. A few days later, during an interview with Finland's Kaaos TV, guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo confirmed that he would not accept Bach's latest overture. "I'm working with my band," he said. "This is SKID ROW, and this is what I do."

Drummer Rob Affuso — who left SKID ROW in 1998 and claims to be "the only former member that keeps in contact with all former SKID ROW bandmates and is still good friends with them all" — subsequently joined Bach in September 2019 at Sony Hall in New York City to play the band's classic song "Makin' A Mess".

Asked by Rolling Stone if he thinks his former bandmates are offended that he put his invitation out there publicly, Bach said: "No. I think it's an ego thing. They don't like when I get attention, and they don't get attention. It's always been like that. I can already see them getting mad, because I'm selling out shows, and they're not part of the show, and blah, blah, blah."

Bach was the lead singer of SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of Bolan, guitarists Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I. Theart was fired from SKID ROW in February 2022 and was replaced by Erik Grönwall, who was previously a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T.

SKID ROW's first album with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here", arrived last October via earMUSIC.

PARKWAY DRIVE singer Winston McCall spoke to Brian Aberback of The Aquarian Weekly about the band's recent decision to take six months off to reflect and reenergize. Asked what caused him and his bandmates to take a break, Winston said: "Basically, like 20 years of being in a band kind of took its toll, and I don't mean to say that like, 'Oh, we did this for 20 years and we're tired.' It was a case of you start something when you're 21 — and in our drummer's case, 16 — and you do something for 20 years, and you don't really take the time to grow as people. You just try and survive the grinding machine that is the music industry. You grow into some pretty toxic habits just out of survival and those habits just brew into dysfunction and resentment and a whole bunch of stuff we never really dealt with as friends.

"We dealt with everything to make the band work but we never really dealt with the personal stuff just for the sake of continuing on as a band… because you feel like you have to keep that full momentum going," he explained. "If it stops, you can't start it up again. It came to a point where everyone in the band loved the band but did not want to be around the people in the band. It's an ongoing process, basically catching up on 20 years of emotional growth, and the lack of emotional growth that has caused to all of us."

Asked if he feels a new sense of urgency and camaraderie now, Winston said: "100%. I feel as though I'm in a better place, and everyone else has said the same thing to me, which is really nice. It allowed a connection and a reconnection with my friends in this band that I've never had before. Instead of being at cross-paths and cross-purposes and a lack of understanding, once everyone is on the same page and is able to provide everyone that support and a common goal, the momentum surge was even more, which is really awesome. I'm glad we did [take a break] and I'm really stoked to be able to bring back a new and improved energy. To be able to have a resurgence of energy 20 years in is a really cool thing, because, honestly, when we started this, we didn't think the band would survive one year, let alone 20 years."

Read the entire interview at The Aquarian Weekly.

PARKWAY DRIVE recently kicked off its first U.S. tour support of the band's seventh album, "Darker Still". It marks the first time the band has toured the U.S. since April 2019.

"Darker Still" arrived last September via Epitaph. The LP explores the concept of the "dark night of the soul," which is "the idea of reaching a point in your life where you are faced with a reckoning of your structure of beliefs, your sense of self and your place in the world, to a point where it's irreconcilable with the way that you are as a person," as McCall describes.

Last September, McCall told NME that tensions came to a head between him and lead guitarist Jeff Ling in early 2022 during the recording sessions for "Darker Still". Winston said: "He was really broken at that stage, because of all the pressure he felt and being overworked in the studio, and he didn't know how to cope with it. Basically, the way he coped with it was by lashing out really badly — at various people, but mainly me. And it was one of those situations where it was, like, 'I don't have the tools to respond to this.' So I'd just kind of cop it and feel like shit afterwards."

Last April, the members of PARKWAY DRIVE began having weekly meetings with a professional mediator where they, according to NME, "meticulously deconstructed, analyzed and rebuilt the very foundations" of their band.

Image courtesy of Destructive Viper

"Punk Rock Vegan Movie", a new documentary written and directed by Moby, is now available to stream for free on all platforms via www.punkrockveganmovie.com. The documentary had its world premiere and was the opening night film for the 2023 Slamdance Film Festival last month.

The film, which is Moby's directorial debut, is a passionate and stylistically idiosyncratic look at the ongoing relationship between the worlds of punk rock and animal rights. It includes interviews with some of the biggest names in punk and rock history, like Ian Mackaye, HR, Dave Navarro, Ray Cappo, Andrew Hurley, Tony Kanal, Tim McIlrath, Water Schreifels, Dave Dictor, Derrick Green, Steve Ignorant, Theo Kogan, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, Amy Lee and Captain Sensible.

Moby tells the story of how punk rock became such a fertile and surprising breeding ground for vegan activism. It's also a call to action, unapologetically reminding people that in a deeply broken world it's incumbent upon each of us to stand up and fight intelligently, passionately, and loudly against injustice.

"'Punk Rock Vegan Movie' was created to shine a light on the surprising and inspiring history of punk rock and animal rights, but also to remind people of the importance and desperate urgency of adopting the uncompromising ethics and actions of the original punk rock activists," said Moby. "After it makes its world premiere at Slamdance, it's yours. It's my goal to give the movie away, as I can't in good conscience try to profit from what is essentially a labor of love and activism."

Moby has been a vegan and vegan activist for 35 years. He grew up in and around New York City and played guitar with Connecticut and New York City hardcore band THE VATICAN COMMANDOS. He also sang with FLIPPER for two days, even though none of the remaining members of FLIPPER actually remember this. He loves making music, but his life's work is helping to create a world wherein animals and all sentient beings simply are free to live their own lives.

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci has commented on the cancelation of the band's concert in Oulu, Finland earlier in the month.

The February 3 show was called off just over half an hour before the first support band was supposed to take the stage at Oulun Energia Areena, with Ticketmaster telling ticketholders the show was being scrapped for "security reasons".

On Tuesday (February 7),Finland's Soundi published a statement from Petrucci regarding the Oulu concert. In the statement, the guitarist said (translated from Finnish): "We've never had this happen to us before... We've sometimes been in a situation where, for example, we've had to repair and fix stage structures at the last minute, so to speak, but we've never had to cancel these gigs completely. Now I got the impression that the stage structures or some related issues were not in accordance with safety regulations and it was not possible to fix the problems within the timeframe. In the end, nothing could be done, because safety simply cannot be compromised. The welfare of the band, the technicians and the fans is always paramount, and you can't take the slightest risk with these things. It goes without saying, however, that I am very, very sorry for the fans who turned up. For example, I met a DREAM THEATER fan at the airport who told me that he had come all the way to Oulu just for the gig, and then this happened. A very unfortunate incident."

Toni Peiju, CEO of the event production company All Things Live Finland Oy, which was responsible for organizing the concert, told Ilta-Sanomat that "the subcontractor company had made a stage that was not safe to perform on. The lighting and sound equipment are heavy, and the stage structures would not have been sufficient to support their weight. The lights would not have been allowed to hang. It was purely a security matter."

Peiju went on to say that the platform was supposed to withstand the weight of DREAM THEATER's equipment, but an on-the-spot check uncovered that it would not have been able to handle the load.

"There was no other option but to pull the plug on the show," he said. "I wouldn't have had time to do anything with the stage" before DREAM THEATER was scheduled to perform, Peiju said.

Peiju said that he had no choice but to return the ticket money to the customers.

"The band is moving on [with its tour], so organizing a replacement gig is almost impossible," he said.

"I want to emphasize that this was in no way the band's fault. I can only express my regret on behalf of the organizer."

DREAM THEATER is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "A View From The Top Of The World", which came out in October 2021. A track from the LP, "The Alien", landed the band its first-ever Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which was held in April 2022 in Las Vegas. DREAM THEATER's previous Grammy nominations were for the song "On The Backs Of Angels", from 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album, and the single "The Enemy Inside" from 2013's "Dream Theater".

"A View From The Top Of The World" was described in a press release as "DREAM THEATER at its musical finest, expanding on the sound they helped create while maintaining the elements that have garnered them devoted fans around the globe." The seven-song album also marked the second studio album with InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "A View From The Top Of The World" was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, engineered and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap.
Tonight's concert at Oulu's Energia-Areena has been cancelled due to unexpected safety reasons that the band or the organizer have not been able to influence. We apologize for the inconvenience to our Finnish fans.

Ticket buyers will be refunded via Ticketmaster.

— Dream Theater (@dreamtheaternet) February 3, 2023