Spotlights, the hypnotic trio featuring married couple Mario and Sarah Quintero with Chris Enriquez, will release their new album, Alchemy For The Dead, on April 28 via Ipecac Recordings.


The album, written and recorded following the band’s move to Pittsburgh, finds the trio once again balancing the tightrope of light and dark, toying with sonic texture.


Mario Quintero shares the band’s mindset while writing and recording Alchemy For The Dead: “Our focus when making this record was to not repeat ourselves. I think we achieved our goal. Though we’re proud of all our releases, making just another ‘Spotlights’ album wasn’t an option. Pushing our own boundaries while creating something cathartic, yet strangely suffocating, with new sounds and textures as well as more personal and self-reflective themes, this album feels like a new fork in the path for us. Hopefully the listeners will follow.”




A preview of the nine-song collection arrives today with the release of the Oleg Rooz- created lyric video for “Algorithmic” (see below). “For me, the song has a religious theme to it,” Mario adds. “It touches on the story of resurrection and afterlife in this one narrative, while wondering, does any of it really matter?” That narrative, one of death, the resistance and acceptance to one of life’s most secretive aspects, is a lyrical theme throughout Alchemy For The Dead.


Album pre-orders, which include two 2LP vinyl variants: a standard black version and a limited-edition gold edition available exclusively via Ipecac.com and on the band’s upcoming Alchemy For The Dead tour, can be found here. Vinyl is slated for an August 4 release.





Alchemy For The Dead tracklisting:


"Beyond The Broken Sky"
"The Alchemist"
"Sunset Burial"
"Algorithmic"
"False Gods"
"Repeat The Silence"
"Ballad In The Mirror"
"Crawling Toward The Light"
"Alchemy For The Dead"


"Algorithmic" lyric video:





Spotlights is:


Mario Quintero (guitar, vocals, keys)
Sarah Quintero (bass, vocals)
Chris Enriquez (drums)


(Photo - John Pope)

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman spoke to Taryn Daly of Audacy's 99.9 KISW in Seattle about the band's upcoming 36-date "Take Back Your Life" spring/summer 2023 North American tour. The trek, produced by Live Nation, will feature support from THEORY OF A DEADMAN in Canada and very special guests BREAKING BENJAMIN and JINJER in select markets in the United States. "Take Back Your Life", which will kick off at Montreal's Bell Centre on April 27, will be DISTURBED's first full tour since 2018.

"We were robbed of normalcy for so long [due to the COVID-19 pandemic]," David said. "To feel like things are normalizing once again and to get back to doing what we are really meant to be doing in this life — all of us; not just us [in the band] — is an incredible thing. But now to be able to experience the celebration known as live performance and to feel that circle of symbiotic kind of relationship that you end up having and that energy surge in a whole new way, because it was taken for so long, it's sweeter now. And I think people are even more passionate. They're so pent up. They're ready. And we are too."

Draiman also talked about our ability to bounce back after the pandemic imposed a devastating effect on the psychological health of so many people, as they spent hours inside the house with little or no social contact with friends and family. He said: "I think that the human body and human spirit are both incredibly resilient. I think we are traumatized. There's no doubt about it. From every walk of life and every age range imaginable. I think the kids got hit the hardest during all this. When you are stripped of the things that keep you engaged, that keep you communicating, that keep you challenged, it can do long-term damage sometimes. I think that people are gonna take — it may take the rest of their lifetimes to sometimes get back to where they were after, not only what this whole experience did to us psychologically, but what it did to some people fiscally, what it did to them financially. It destroyed families, it destroyed jobs, it destroyed worlds. I mean, the effects were more than just the lives that were taken by the virus. Terrible. So it's weird. I feel very, very fortunate that we're still one of the ones that are in a position to go back out there and to do what we do and to keep doing what we love. The music industry as a whole, we lost two-thirds of our workforce. They're gone. They went to do other things, because live events couldn't happen for two to three years. So they had to put food on the table. There are bands like us who did everything that they could for their crew, and we'd do it again, but there are a lot of bands that couldn't. And people had to make a living. And so now, you have a few people left. Now costs are through the roof, now everybody's struggling, and we're still chomping at the bit to get out there. I think the challenge makes it better."

DISTURBED's latest album, "Divisive", was released last November. The LP recorded early last year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

Guitarist Dan Donegan's divorce inspired the "Divisive" song "Don't Tell Me", which is a duet with HEART's Ann Wilson. In two decades, it breaks ground as the first-ever guest collaboration on a DISTURBED record.

According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.

In a new interview with Joshua Toomey of the "Talk Toomey" podcast, SHINEDOWN's Brent Smith discussed the PANTERA concert cancelations in Germany and Austria this spring following an outcry over singer Philip Anselmo's previous racist remarks.

Most of the backlash that led to the cancelations stemmed from the fact that Anselmo made a Nazi-style salute when he performed at the January 2016 "Dimebash" event at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood in honor of late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. He also appeared to say "white power" as he made the gesture, but later claimed he was joking about drinking white wine backstage and was reacting to the audience members up front who he says were taunting him.

Before he delivered that Nazi salute onstage, Anselmo already had a history of making troubling racial statements, including several white-pride speeches at various PANTERA shows in 1995.

Addressing the latest PANTERA concert cancelations, Smith said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They were scheduled to do Germany, Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, and there was an outcry for it… The reality is that Phil, when what happened happened, he addressed it to the best of his ability. Most people, I believe, when he addressed it, believed that he was being sincere. When I watched what he said, and I saw the video — and believe me, man, I'll be honest with you, I was somebody that when I saw the video, the way that it was presented, it's not good; it's not. The fact of the matter is, the way that I see these types of things is how are you gonna grow if there's a constant level of just giving no one an opportunity to say that they made a mistake, that they genuinely made a mistake. And with Phil, if you look at it, I think point blank, in a lot of those interviews that he did, in a lot of those segments, he was, like, 'I would never, ever do anything that supported white supremacy or anything.' He made a lot of strong points that he said what he was doing and his gesture was towards the wine and what have you. A lot of people called B.S. on it and this and that and the other, but to go at it and to be as strong-willed as he was and to have a lot of the backing from people saying that 'this man is not a racist. This man, that's not who he is.'"

Brent continued: "There's gonna be certain people, because you also don't know how they were raised, how they were brought up, how they're gonna feel about it, and that's why it's called society. And I think we're all doing our best to move past… Especially in this country. Look, in the United States, it's always going to be something that we're gonna have to talk about. Will it ever be at a place in America where we'll all be able to get past it? I think there's a threshold inside of all of it. You don't wanna forget it because you're doomed to repeat it. And I think what we all have to focus on as a society from all walks of life is that in 2023 and beyond and for all time, it should not matter whether you're a man or a woman, whether you're younger, whether you're older, the color of your skin, that's irrelevant. We're all the same inside. Your religion, that's totally up to you. That's what makes you an individual. That's what makes you human. That's what makes you who you are. And we're all on this planet together. And I think in a lot of ways music is medicine."

Smith added: "I know a lot of people have been waiting for PANTERA for a long, long time, and the defiance of that music… Another thing that people should think about, PANTERA music — I know this for a fact — has saved a lot of lives. It has. And that's another thing to get brought up. It was born out of chaos, but it had a message and it was built on strength and perseverance.

"I go back to [PANTERA's] 'Vulgar Display Of Power'. It's probably, in my opinion, definitely in the top 20 of the greatest albums ever recorded — in my personal opinion."

The reformed PANTERA — featuring surviving members Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) — was scheduled to appear at Gasometer in Vienna on May 31 and at Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park festivals in Germany in early June as part of its spring/summer 2023 European tour. However, late last month, promoters released separate statements on social media saying that the shows were scrapped.

There was additional criticism with regard to the fact that Rock Am Ring takes place in Nürnberg (known in its English form as Nuremberg),where Hitler supporters held a series of mass Nazi party rallies between 1933 and 1938.

In calling for Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park organizers to cancel PANTERA's appearances at the festivals, the German Green Party said in the Nürnberg city council that Anselmo "repeatedly and deliberately made Nazi gestures and yelled racist slogans." Réka Lörincz, the spokeswoman for the Greens against racism and right-wing extremism, added that "the former Nazi party premises" were "being deliberately misused for the staging and reproduction of racist and inhuman ideology." The Green Party rep told Germany's Stern magazine that Anselmo's apology for his white power outburst was "not credible enough" and that hosting the band on the former Nazi Party rally grounds "clearly exceeds the limit of what is bearable."

“We are relieved about the organizer's decision not to offer the band PANTERA a stage. Their singer Phil Anselmo had repeatedly attracted attention with anti-Semitic and racist incidents," Lörincz wrote in a statement on the Green Party's web site. "Therefore, a performance was unimaginable for us — especially on the former Nazi party rally grounds."

In the days leading up to the Vienna concert cancelation, the Green party in Vienna demanded that this performance also be scrapped.

"Due to its National Socialist past, Vienna in particular has a special historical responsibility to oppose any form of right-wing extremism. The appearance of PANTERA is completely incompatible with this responsibility," they said in a statement. "Therefore, it can only mean for Vienna: No stage for a Hitler salute, no stage for PANTERA!"

Back in May 2019, Anselmo was asked by U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine if he feels the "Dimebash" debate is something he has moved past. He responded: "I feel like it's ridiculous. I made an off-color joke and 'Boom!' — it's like I'm literally Hitler! I'm not. I take each individual one at a time, in the way that any logical individual will. I have love in my heart. Over the years, I've learned to take the first step with love and to put good faith first. I get along with everybody. If there's any doubt about my political leanings, people should get it out of their heads. I was raised amongst a dazzling [cast of characters] from the theatre, from the mental hospital, from all walks of life — all colors, creeds and kinds. It's absurd to me that anyone in this day and age would judge anyone by the color of their skin, their heritage or their religion. I'm a harmless guy. I'm a reactionary, not a troublemaker."

In the days following the "Dimebash" incident, MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn — who played PANTERA songs with Anselmo at the event — released an eleven-minute response video in which he denounced Anselmo as a "big bully" and a racist. He concluded by saying that he would never play another PANTERA song again. ANTHRAX's Scott Ian, who is Jewish, released a statement on his official web site saying, "Philip's actions were vile" and invited Anselmo to make a donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Former PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who hadn't spoken to Anselmo since the band's split in 2003, was dismissive when asked for a comment on the singer's white-power salute. "I can't speak for him," Vinnie said in a 2016 interview. "He's done a lot of things that tarnish the image of what PANTERA was back then and what it stood for and what it was all about. And it's sad."

In 2017, Anselmo blasted "false journalism in the metal community" for suggesting he was racist because of his actions at "Dimebash".

In the weeks after the "Dimebash" incident, Anselmo's DOWN project canceled a number of shows, including at France's Hellfest, Dutch festival FortaRock and U.K.'s Download. The singer wrote an open letter to the Hellfest organizers in which he said it was not the right time for DOWN to tour. He also revealed that he was suffering from a recurring knee injury and needed rehabilitation.

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, David Ellefson was asked if he misses playing bigger venues now that he is no longer in MEGADETH and his main focus at the moment is KINGS OF THRASH, which also features another ex-MEGADETH member, guitarist Jeff Young. The bassist responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's a place for all of 'em. [Playing the ShipRocked cruise in January as part of THE STOWAWAYS] was big, man. That was like playing a midsized arena out on the deck, 'cause people were piled up three tiers high; that was a real gig. And then we go and we play these clubs [with KINGS OF THRASH].

"I saw a review of [KINGS OF THRASH's] Phoenix show that I think the guy really hit it on the head and said to see me and Jeff and to hear these [early MEGADETH] songs performed in, say, a five-hundred-seat club, he put the connection together that these songs were written back in that day when that's the size of how big MEGADETH was; these songs were written to be played in those-size venues. And as the group got more popular and we started playing bigger venues, the thrash stuff didn't translate as well, and that's why we started to slow some of the tempos in the '90s, like with 'Countdown To Extinction' and 'Youthanasia' and 'Cryptic Writings', the songs started to change a little bit to accommodate the venues we were playing and, of course, radio…

"'Cryptic Writings' was a huge era for us," Ellefson continued. "It was a deciding factor: Are we gonna continue just doing thrash metal and that or are we gonna kind of reform the sound a little bit to stay competitive in the mix of what was happening? We talked to IRON MAIDEN's manager about managing us at that point. Obviously, what he did with MAIDEN worked well, because they just kept the band on the road — tour, tour, tour — and that's how he built and sustained MAIDEN. But for us, being an American band, we knew we had a whole other audience here in America that to just be on tour outside of the U.S. would be to leave this whole territory unattended to. So we took a different approach; we actually got Bud Prager, and he had managed FOREIGNER back in the day, and so had sort of an understanding of that kind of music. And his partner Mike Renault managed CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, and they were on the 'Youthanasia' tour with us. So we made the decision to keep our base here in America.

"So 'Cryptic' was a record that really helped us stay tuned in to an American audience," David added. "And it did well around the world; Japan loved it, and South America. So it was definitely the right move. 'Cause, as you know, the '90s were a bit of a challenge, once Seattle showed up and NIRVANA. 'The anti-rock star killed the rock star' kind of thing, that was a challenge. We were one of the bands that survived it and made it through to the other side."

KINGS OF THRASH recently signed a worldwide deal with Cleopatra Records. The group will release a live CD/DVD package called "Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go" on March 24. The 17-song set was recorded and filmed live at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, CA on October 15, 2022 and also features performances with another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar). The DVD was directed by Michael Sarna for Inmotion Entertainment.

Last month, KINGS OF THRASH announced the first leg of a planned 2023 world tour, commencing February 16 in Joliet, Illinois. The "Thrashin' USA" trek will cross the Midwest, East Coast, and southeastern part of the USA through March 15. As with the band's 2022 warm-up shows, the group, which also includes drummer Fred Aching as well as guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon, will be performing MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!" in their entirety.

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

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

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

Young's entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band's 1988 platinum-selling album "So Far, So Good...So What!"

Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing Mustaine of, among other things, "dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble." He also disputed Mustaine's claim in an interview that Young's drug problem led to MEGADETH's 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being "banned" from performing in the country.

YouTube channel Dennis Justus has uploaded video of original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley's entire February 5 concert at The Beacon Theatre in Hopewell, Virginia.

Ace's setlist was as follows:

01. Parasite (KISS song)
02. Snow Blind
03. Speedin' Back To My Baby
04. Rip It Out
05. Rock Soldiers
06. Escape From The Island (KISS song)
07. Insane
08. Detroit Rock City (KISS song)
09. Stranger In A Strange Land
10. Rocket Ride (KISS song)
11. Getaway (KISS song)
12. New York Groove (Russ Ballard Cover includes KISS "God of Thunder" intro)
13. Shock Me (KISS song)
14. Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
15. Cold Gin (KISS song)
16. Black Diamond (KISS song)

Encore:

17. Deuce (KISS song)

As previously reported, Ace is putting the finishing touches on his new solo album for a tentative early 2023 release.

The former KISS member offered an update on the LP's recording progress in late November while sharing a list on social media of his "Best 10 Sci-Fi Movies Released Up Until 1960". At the end of the message, he wrote: "My New Studio Record is nearing its completion! Hopefully it will be out Spring-Summer 2023!!!"

Back in November 2021, Ace said that he had collaborated with his longtime friend Peppy Castro on "some heavy songs."

Peppy reportedly taught Frehley how to play guitar and previously collaborated with KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons as a songwriter and performed on Frehley's and KISS frontman Paul Stanley's solo records.

In December 2020, Frehley told Talking Metal Live that he would start recording his next all-original album the following year. The record will be the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne. At the time, he said that had "been writing all along. Plus, I have tracks that I've already recorded that I have to revisit and decide whether they have a chance to make it on my new studio record — [if they] have to be rewritten or [they're] just good the way they are," he explained. "And I've got people sending me song ideas constantly… So, little by little, it's an ongoing process, and it evolves as it goes."

Earlier in 2020, Frehley told Canada's iHeart Radio that he had "only written about three songs" for his next LP, and he added they were "not finished." He said: "Now that I'm [living] on the East Coast [after moving to New Jersey from Southern California], my engineer only lives an hour from me, Alex Salzman, who worked with me extensively on this last record, and he played a lot of bass guitar as well, So it's gonna be even easier, 'Origins Vol. 3' and the next [original] record."

Frehley's latest release was "Origins Vol. 2", the sequel to his 2016 collection of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist.

"Origins Vol. 2" featured cover versions of THE BEATLES' "I'm Down", DEEP PURPLE's "Space Truckin'", LED ZEPPELIN's "Good Times Bad Times", THE ROLLING STONES' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", THE KINKS' "Lola" and THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's "Manic Depression", among others. A cover of the 1975 KISS tune "She" also appeared as a bonus track. Guests on the set included CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Lita Ford and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Simmons's bass playing.

Rome’s Shores of Null is explaining their discography of melancholic doom with their fourth album The Loss Of Beauty, arriving March 24, 2023. Stylistically, The Loss Of Beauty continues along the sulcus set forth by Quiescence (2014) and Black Drapes For Tomorrow (2017). It’s melancholic dark metal with a wide range of influences, from gothic metal to doom and melodic black/death, with frequent use of vocal harmonies and deep growls. The next single is an emotional homage to stories told to guitarist Raffaele Colace by his grandfather, a WWII veteran. 


He shares the details:


“He was taken prisoner in Russia, but he managed to escape and he traveled all the way to Greece, where he hid for a few years in the countryside, in a swamp between the trees, sometimes in a pigpen. In his stories, he told of a woman that brought him a piece of bread every now and then, thus saving him from hunger. Although he managed to escape and survive the war and return to his family in Italy, sorrow never left him for the rest of his life. Whenever he recalled these memories, his eyes were full of tears, and we know for sure that the horrors he saw were way bigger than anything he was able to tell.”




Vocalist Davide Straccione takes his inspiration from daily life, in particular stories with a deep emotional meaning. Most of the time it’s the mood of the song that inspires him to write about a certain topic, and writing lyrics with a melody in mind allows him to visualize what he wants to tell. For The Loss Of Beauty some of the lyrics came after talking to Martina (Sanda Movies) about a few ideas for some of their videos, creating a triple connection between the music, the words, and the images.


BraveWords is premiering the new lyric video (created by Underrom Studio) for “My Darkest Years” – watch below!





The Loss Of Beauty will be released on March 24 via Spikerot Records. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.


The Loss Of Beauty artwork and tracklisting:





"Transitory" 
"Destination Woe"
"The Last Flower" 
"Darkness Won't Take Me" 
"Nothing Left To Burn" 
"Old Scars" 
"The First Son" 
"A Nature In Disguise" 
"My Darkest Years"
"Fading As One" 
"A New Death Is Born"


Bonus Tracks (CD and Digital only)
"Underwater Oddity" 
"Blazing Sunlight" 


"The Last Flower" video:





"Nothing Left To Burn" video:

Trailight mastermind Omer Cordell has checked in with a new update:


"After five laborious months, I am thrilled to announce that the recording process for Mirrors is officially done! Joining Daniel, Cory and myself is the list of wonderful and talented guests; Devin, Oswin, Eyal, Dave, Conan, Andrea and Meris who have all contributed their unique and beautiful talents to this project. I am extremely proud of this album and I can't wait to share this with all of you. Daniel Cardoso is taking over mixing duties and will commence very soon.


'The One You Feed' featuring a lead guitar performance by the wonderful Devin Townsend will be available in the coming weeks. Daniel is doing a phenomenal job mixing this album as you will all hear very soon!"







Song titles on Mirrors include:


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

2022 was a very active year for South Carolina's Narcotic Wasteland founded by guitarist Dallas Toler-Wade. The band had tours supporting Accept and Malevolent Creation plus a performance at Rustfest (Detroit, MI) along with sharing with fans three new singles “Morality And The Wasp”, “The Best Times Have Passed” and “Victims Of The Algorithm”, which will appear on the band's forthcoming album due out later in 2023.


Today, Narcotic Wasteland is unveiling the latest guitar and vocal playthrough for their latest single “Victims Of The Algorithm”, a crushing speed storm of death thrash, with its visceral vocals, and a demolishing blast beat to annihilate the mosh pit.







"This guitar/ vocal playthrough was footage taken from the video shoot for our latest single Victims of the algorithm. We had rehearsed the song a good bit before the tour and had about two weeks out on the road to play the song live. So even though it's just a video I feel I got the performances pretty close to the studio version. Kenji Tsunami with Tsunami films once again does a fantastic job!" adds Dallas Toler-Wade.


Narcotic Wasteland is currently working on their forthcoming 2023 album to be released via Megaforce Records (release date to be determined). The single “Victims Of The Algorithm” was recorded with engineer, and producer Erik Schultek who is no stranger to the band having recorded drums, engineered, and produced their self-titled debut album. The band's 2023 album will be the follow-up to their sophomore full-length 2017’s Delirium Tremens.





Inspired mostly by thrash metal and classic heavy metal, Narcotic Wasteland is becoming more thrash and speed and less death metal and getting better at writing material that is meaningful and powerful. They are recommended for fans of Vader, Death, The Crown, Autopsy, Pestilence, and Nile.


Previous singles:


“Morality And The Wasp”





“The Best Times Have Passed”:


 





Narcotic Wasteland started as a side project Dallas Toler-Wade had been working on the past few years when he was not touring or in the writing/studio with metal heavyweights Nile.


"So I just started writing some songs kind of more in the style of things I was playing before my time in Nile. The more we started working on these demos the more we wanted to complete an album and take it to the stage!!! Our observation of what was going on in parts of the town we grew up in and in other parts of the world fueled a new level of angst for me personally.” - DTW


(Photo - Andrea Roberts)

Swedish hard rock outfit Steel Rhino has announced crunchy details about the new album, following the self-titled debut release in August 2022 via GMR Music. The mastermind Mikael Rosengren has confirmed that Firewind’s Herbie Langhans will still be on board handling the vocals. 


The new album will be called In Rhino We Trust and it will be released on October 21, via GMR Music.







A first taste of the album will come on February 17 with the brand-new single “Blades”.


In Rhino We Trust continues the identifiable Steel Rhino sound that served the band so well and appealed to all people who love classic hard rock. 


The founder Mikael Rosengren stated: “We could not leave the fans with just one album, so we continued the saga of Steel Rhino. I think this album is more raw and powerful. We have taken our arena rock sound to the next level and the songs have been maturing to become our best material to date.”


Once again Jacob Hansen (Dynazty, Volbeat, Evergrey, Amaranthe) is in charge of the mixing and mastering.


Lineup:
Mikael Rosengren – Drums
Herbie Langhans – Vocals
Filip Vilhelmsson – Guitar, Bass

Former Crimson Glory singer Wade Black has announced his Astronomica band is working on a new album. Astronomica is named after the 1999 CG album that Wade sang on. 


An album promo is now available:







For three decades, Wade Black has triumphed and stayed metal recording and touring internationally in bands such as Crimson Glory, Leatherwolf, Seven Witches, Leash Law, and Chalice Of Sin. 

Hard rock veterans, Black Water Rising, have released a new song, "Hail Mary", along with a music video. Watch the clip below.





"Hail Mary" is the new single from the band’s upcoming album, due out later this year. It also features original guitarist John Fattoruso, who rejoined BWR in late 2019. The video was directed by Tom Flynn (Lamb Of God, I Prevail).




The new material promises to be more melodic, yet still as riff-heavy as BWR’s previous albums - featuring hooks and catchy choruses to pull you in, all while retaining a musical identity of its own.


Commenting on the new video, drummer Mike Meselsohn shares, "It was great working with Tom (director) again on this new video. Although it's strictly a performance video, he was able to capture the live energy of the band while still creating a visually stunning compliment to the song!"


Stream "Hail Mary" here.





Black Water Rising are:


Rob Traynor - Vocals/Guitar
Mike Meselsohn - Drums
Oddie McLaughlin - Bass
John Fattoruso - Guitar

Kelly Clarkson has released her cover version of the WHITESNAKE classic "Here I Go Again".

The "American Idol" alum performed WHITESNAKE's 1987 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper on the Wednesday (February 8) episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show" as part of her opening "Kellyoke" segment.

Back in May 2021, "Here I Go Again" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart. The track saw a renewed interest following the death of actress Julie E. "Tawny" Kitaen, who appeared in the song's video. Kitaen passed away at her home in Newport Beach on May 7, 2021 at the age of 59.

While WHITESNAKE was working on it 1987 self-titled album, the band's lead singer David Coverdale started dating Kitaen, who had recently starred opposite Tom Hanks in the movie "Bachelor Party". Kitaen soon appeared in several of WHITESNAKE's music videos, including those for "Here I Go Again", "Is This Love" and "Still Of The Night". Footage of Kitaen writhing around on the hood of a Jaguar in the "Here I Go Again" clip has been called one of the most iconic — and sexiest — video moments ever filmed.

Coverdale and Kitaen tied the knot in 1989 but the union only lasted two years.

One of the Jaguars from the "Here I Go Again" video was dusted off for WHITESNAKE's clip for "Shut Up & Kiss Me", from the band's latest album, 2019's "Flesh & Blood".

In a new interview with Beef Vegan, DISTURBED's David Draiman commented on GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna's recent announcement that the latter band's upcoming eight album, "Lighting Up The Sky", will likely be GODSMACK's final collection of new material. Asked if he foresees a day when DISTURBED will similarly stop producing new music and just focus on touring, David said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I totally know where Sully is coming from. You put a lot into every single song. You put your heart, your soul, you invest your mind, you lay your thoughts and your inhibitions go away; you lay your thoughts bare. It's tough. And after a while, it's like you don't really need to go through all of the preparation and all of the work and all of the sacrifice that goes along with crafting these songs. But for me personally? Especially considering the experience that we just had making the 'Divisive' record; we had so much fun with it. The magic of that moment of creation, where you just… Like my guitar player Danny [Donegan] used to describe it numerous times, that happens literally every single time we're together, where we come up with stuff right in front of each other improvisationally that automatically resonates. And it's not that you come up with it automatically; you find it. That moment of finding it, of knowing that you have something, of knowing that you've got a chorus hook or you've got a riff is just undeniable. Those are incredible, magical moments. Personally, I don't wanna give those up just yet. I know that we've got at least another record's worth of original material waiting to go that is as good, if not demonstrably better, than what we just put out. So I have no intention of stopping [making new music] anytime soon. But I do understand where he's coming from."

In a recent interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, Erna spoke about the fact that "Lighting Up The Sky", which will arrive on February 24 via BMG, will likely be GODSMACK's final collection of original material. He explained: "It's the most important record, I think, we've ever written and recorded.

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

"We went in there with no plan, no ideas — very minimal ideas, just jamming. And, 'what's gonna be the topic? What am I gonna talk about now? How many times can I talk about a broken relationship?' Blah blah blah. And then it just started happening where song after song that was written, as I'm sequencing it and putting it in the order that I would like people to hear it in… We're still old school and we like an album to have a flow from front to back. I love vinyl — I want people to listen to side A and side B. And this one really told a story. And when I started to realize that, I'm, like, Okay. Let me shuffle these around a little bit more.'"

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

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

According to Erna, GODSMACK plans to hit the road after the release of "Lighting Up The Sky" and never stop. "That's forever now. It's forever now," he said. "From the point we start touring, we will always tour. We may take some breaks here and there, but we're now gonna start setting up the greatest-hits show, because we feel like we're able to do that. We can now play the best of the best that the fans have identified as what they've enjoyed the most over the years and why these songs became hit singles."

Sully said that the decision to stop releasing new albums was influenced by the fact that too many people these days don't care about new music from bands who have been around as long as GODSMACK.

"As a music lover and a fan of live shows and bands in general, that when you go see your favorite bands, there's a certain point in their career where you just go, 'I don't really give a shit about a new record anymore. I'm sorry, but I wanna hear 'Dream On' and 'Train Kept A Rollin'' and 'Same Old Song And Dance'. I don't wanna hear any of this new shit. I don't know it and I don't care. But these other songs have lived with me for two, three, four decades,'", he said. "And I just feel like we're getting to that place where… If we get out there and we don't play 'I Stand Alone' or 'Keep Away' or 'Voodoo' or whatever these songs have been for these people over the years, they ream us for it. So we know we're stuck with that. We're always gonna play the hits. But we have so many singles now that it's time, I think, to try to pull as many as we can off this record, add it to that list and then go out there and play the best of the best. And then maybe throw a few surprises every show, whether it's the drum battle or some fun cover."

Erna concluded by saying that "Lighting Up The Sky" does not represent "an ending" but is rather "a new beginning. This is a new beginning of an era — it's the beginning of our sunset years," he explained. "And in our sunset years we wanna create something really special for the fans live where we can take every cool moment that we've ever done in every album cycle — the 'Awake' album had certain things we featured in the live show; the 'Faceless' record had certain things we featured from the live show; and so on — now we can create a montage of all those special things in each tour and just do a 'holy crap' show. That's what I wanna create. We're gonna try to make it big and special and important, filled with all special moments that people have enjoyed over the years. And I think that's gonna be really satisfying to us as well, 'cause it takes a lot of pressure off of us to know now we can just go out and enjoy what we do. Playing music is what we love the most — live. And it gives us more time to connect with the fans, connect with the live show and just enjoy the best part of why we do this for a living."

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

Bulgarian melodic death metal band, Eufobia, have released a music video for "Wolf Among The Sheep", from the band's latest album, Madness.





The video was created by Nikolai Tsvetkov of Ronin Cinema House. The main roles are played by the members of "Brothers in Arms" airsoft team and Maria Georgieva, who is known from the band's previous video for the song "Madness". Watch both clips below.

Former THUNDERMOTHER singer Guernica Mancini says that she was "blindsided" by her dismissal from the band.

Last week, it was announced that Mancini, drummer Emlee Johansson and bassist Mona Lindgren were exiting the acclaimed Swedish all-girl act and would form a new band together. At the same time, guitarist Filippa Nässil revealed that she would continue with a new THUNDERMOTHER lineup featuring singer Linnéa Vikström (THERION, AT THE MOVIES) and returning bassist Majsan Lindberg.

Mancini, who joined THUNDERMOTHER in 2017, reflected on her split with the band in a new interview with the "Rock And Roll Geek Show".

Regarding how she found out she was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica said: "I was blindsided. It's almost like I'm in an episode of fucking 'Survivor'. [Laughs]

"I got an e-mail [letting me know that I was no longer in the band]. I had a feeling it was coming because the week prior, [Filippa] had taken me off all our social media accounts. And I thought we had gotten hacked. I wrote to the group; I was, like, 'Girls, I think we're getting hacked. I can't get into our e-mail or Instagram — none of the accounts.'"

Asked if Filippa had any issues with Guernica's live performance or what she was doing on stage, Mancini said: "No, that's not something that I've… no information that I've received. I think that there's nothing you can complain about my performance or my singing, 'cause I've always brought my 'A game.' And if you have problems with that, I think that's strange, considering that's something that people really enjoy and respect the band for. So I think that would be weird."

Clarifying that the reasons for the split were "a hundred percent personal", Guernica revealed that "a lot of things happened behind my back, and I was the last one to know… Like there were meetings behind my back, trying to convince my fellow bandmates that I'm an awful person, I'm all these things that I'm not."

When interviewer Michael Butler noted that all the girls in THUNDERMOTHER looked like they were getting "along really well" when they were supporting the SCORPIONS on a tour of North America last fall, Guernica said: "I deserve an Oscar nomination for my acting. [Laughs]"

According to Mancini, she is still "really close" to Emlee and Mona. "We're actually really good friends, and that's the best part of my time in THUNDERMOTHER," she said. "Me and Emlee, she's legitimately one of my best friends. And Mona has become a really good friend as well. And we have a mutual respect and similar work ethic and we want the same things. We just work together. I just feel like, if anything, it's really lovely and positive that we have each other and that we all feel the same way and we all have had the same experiences and the reasoning behind not feeling great in the band as it was."

Asked how Emlee and Mona found out Guernica was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Mancini said: "[Filippa] had a secret meeting behind my back. She just told the girls, 'I wanna fire Guernica, and I already have a new singer.' And the girls were, like, 'Woah. Hold up. Wait a second. We did not sign up for that. And we thought we were a democracy in this band,' because that's something that we'd been told and that's how we've done everything.' So they were shocked."

Guernica went on to say that Mona will play guitar in their new band and that a bassist for the project will be added once it is time to play live shows.

On February 2, Nässil released the following statement via social media: "The last year has been full of adventures, new impressions and we have made memories that will last forever. Unfortunately our journey ends in the constellation known to you until today and a new chapter will be written for THUNDERMOTHER with both old familiar and new faces and for sure a lot more adventures and memories to come.

"After seven years of being together, we unfortunately came to the decision that our paths lead in different directions. Guernica, Mona and Emlee will focus on their own careers and I wish them nothing but the best of luck.

"I am thrilled to announce that our bass player Majsan who left for studies 1,5 years ago has finished and will rejoin!

"I am happy to announce that THUNDERMOTHER could win Linnéa Vikström (THERION, AT THE MOVIES) with her incredible power, her extraordinary voice and her charming manners as a new singer for THUNDERMOTHER!

"We are beyond excited and looking forward to the future filled with a new positive energy and with these girls by my side the future is going to fucking rock.

"Let's show the world that there is so much female talent out there and let's give the girls a heart-melting warm welcome to THUNDERMOTHER! Rock must live on!"

Guernica, Emlee and Mona also released a joint statement regarding their departures from THUNDERMOTHER. "It's with a heavy heart that we are writing this," they said. "Filippa has made the decision that Guernica's time in THUNDERMOTHER is over. Because of this, and the lack of agreement regarding the decision-making process in the band, Emlee and Mona have decided to leave THUNDERMOTHER.

"Filippa will continue with a new THUNDERMOTHER lineup. Guernica, Emlee and Mona will continue playing music together and are forming a new band.

"To all the people who have been a part of this journey; Guernica, Emlee and Mona want to say thank you for the support, we love you all. We are so grateful for everything that we've experienced with THUNDERMOTHER, and hope you all will support our separate journeys.

"We understand how hard it is to read this. This is by far one of the toughest situations we've had to go through and right now we are mourning the loss of a big part of our lives. We humbly ask you to be kind and respectful. Thank you for your understanding."

Following the release of their latest album, "Black And Gold", last summer and countless live shows alongside an extensive tour with iconic SCORPIONS in North America last fall, THUNDERMOTHER recently announced plans to team up with SCORPIONS for more European live dates, as well as headline gigs on the "Black And Gold" tour 2023. It is not clear if any of those shows will be affected by the latest lineup changes.

"Black And Gold" was recorded at Baggpipe Studios in Stockholm, and was mixed and mastered by Søren Andersen at Medley Studios in Copenhagen.

Last November, Mancini released her first solo single "Inception" via Golden Robot Records.

Ron Young, lead vocalist of Little Caesar, shares his story about getting signed by Geffen Records, having Jimmy Iovine and John Kalodner in your corner, Bob Rock producing your debut album and a tour opening for KISS and how having all of that still didn't guarantee success in the music business. As one review on Amazon states, "Probably the most honest book about the music business."





Ron Young had what it takes to make a career in music. He had the talent, the songs, and the backing of a major label (Geffen). His band, Little Caesar, smashed their way onto the music scene—but then it all came crashing down.




Ron’s personal rise and fall began at the hands of an abusive mother. Music was his savior, and rays of hope appeared. However, that hope was ultimately destroyed under constant bad timing, bad luck, and people judging him by how he looked. Then came escape into a heroin addiction and the accompanying darkness. Finally, he found sobriety and a musical resurrection.


Join Ron through his personal story of joy, sorrow, and despair…and find out how he made peace with himself along the way. Through it all, Ron invites you to judge him by his actions, not by what you’ve heard. He urges you to take a closer look…and then judge this book by its cover.


Publisher Steve Olivas, "A runaway favorite, Judge This Book By Its Cover delivers a satisfying emotional connection to Ron Young while it guides the reader through the frustrating maze of his career. We are proud to offer this book to fans of the man, the band, the music industry, and fantastic human interest stories."


Purchase here. Autographed copy available here.

Perris Records announces the release of the Cherry St. CD, Twisted, Rude & Sticky Sweet. The CD features 11 demos that the band recorded before getting signed to JRS/BMG in 1993.


After it was discovered that someone in Russia was illegally selling a bootleg CD with a version of these demos on EBAY for $140.00, Perris Records decided to release the tracks with improved sound quality and original band photos in the CD artwork. The bootleg CD artwork consists of low quality pictures and the recordings were taken off old cassette tapes sold by the band years earlier. For this release on Perris Records, the first six tracks were taken off the master DAT tapes. Tracks 7 through 11 were recorded in smaller studios as pre-production and were never intended for sale. Anthony Focx, whose credits include Ace Frehley, Buckcherry & Night Ranger, mastered all 11 tracks on this CD.


Tom Mathers at Perris Records said, "This CD gives the fans a inside look with the demos recorded in 1989 before that band was signed. Having Anthony Focx master the tracks enhances the sound quality."




Order CDs via the following links:


- Perris Records
- WOWHD Worldwide Free Shipping
- Germany





Tracklisting (all songs written by Chris VanDahl, Todd ‘Taz‛ Anthony, Tom ‘Monroe‛ Mathers)


"Hell Raiser"
"Lickety-Split"
"The Walk"
"Comes Around, Goes Around"
"Soft And Slow"
"Push And Shove"
"Spinner"
"Now And Darkness"
"Nasty Reputation"
"Say You Love Me"
"Come And Get It"





- All recordings self produced in various studios in LA
- CD mastered by Anthony Focx (Ace Frehley, Buckcherry & Night Ranger)
 
Band members:


Chris VanDahl - Vocals, Tracks (1,2,3,7,8,9,10)
Billy Coane - Vocals, Tracks (4,5,6)
Todd ‘Taz‛ Anthony - Guitars (All tracks)
Tom ‘Monroe‛ Mathers - Guitars (All tracks)
Don ‘Spinner‛ Korbecki - Bass, Tracks (1,2,3,7,8)
Jaimie Scott - Bass, Tracks (4,5,6,9,10)
Sam Wilmore - Drums, Tracks (1,2,3,7,8)
Marc Razzle - Drums, Tracks (4,5,6,9,10)

In the early days of Depeche Mode’s career, many dismissed the group as the kind of fluffy new wave electropop that was as inconsequential and easily discarded as chewed up bubblegum. Opinions began to change, however, as the group matured and darkened their sound for their fourth album, 1984’s Some Great Reward, which featured edgier production and lyrical themes of BDSM (“Master & Servant”), persecution (“People Are People”) and, most powerfully, religious disillusionment on the controversial closing track “Blasphemous Rumours”.


Swedish industrial icon Skold knows a thing or two about controversy. As a member of Marilyn Manson’s band and even in his solo career, Skold has courted the wrath of the religious community for his use of spiritual imagery in both his album artwork and lyrics. Thus, it’s no surprise that DM’s “Blasphemous Rumours” would resonate with Skold, and no surprise also that his cover version would have an even sharper bite than the original.


As Skold himself puts it, “Depeche Mode has obviously had a very big influence on me and the music I make. I chose this specific song mainly because the heart crushing lyrics but also because of the very ‘industrial’ stylings of the track. I have covered Depeche Mode before together with Marilyn Manson [2004’s “Personal Jesus”] so I have “experience” for lack of a better term. It may be crazy but I see a clear line from Depeche Mode to music from more current artist too, for example XXXTentacion and the Weeknd and yeah I’m naming those 2 together to underscore the incredible diversity of music that is Depeche Mode.”




Stream/download the single here. Listen below:





Skold’s cover of “Blasphemous Rumours” is the second single to be released from the forthcoming All I Ever Wanted - A Tribute To Depeche Mode, which will feature even more incredible covers by Lebanon Hanover, Priest, Xiu Xiu, The KVB and more. Coming to stores and digital platforms March 17.

In July 2019, legendary rock band, The Who, headlined Wembley Stadium in London for the first time in forty years. The show was the only UK date on their Moving On! Tour and featured the band accompanied by an over 50-piece orchestra performing classic tracks and more as well tracks from their WHO album.





The Who With Orchestra Live At Wembley will be released as a limited edition yellow, orange and red 3-LP set, triple black vinyl, 2-CD / Blu-Ray set which features the audio remixed in Dolby Atmos/5.1 mixes and a 1-CD edition.




For complete details and pre-order options, head here. Watch "Baba O'Riley" from the upcoming release, below:





The Who have announced a UK tour which will see the band performing with a full orchestra each night with shows from July 6 - 23 July in Hull, Edinburgh, London, Derby, Badminton, Durham, St Helens and Brighton. Joining them will be UB40 featuring Ali Campbell across all regional shows except for The O2 London and Edinburgh Castle dates.


Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and band will be performing music from throughout the band’s nearly 60-year career, including sections devoted to classic albums Tommy and Quadrophenia as well as other beloved Who tracks and songs from their 2019 WHO album, their first studio release in 13 years.


The 2023 UK shows include Edinburgh Castle, the band’s first show in the Scottish capital in over 40 years as well as shows in Derby, their first since 1966, The O2 London, Durham and Brighton Cricket grounds. The gigs follow last year’s highly acclaimed The Who Hits Back! tour of the US, where the band shared the with some of the finest orchestras in America.


The 2023 UK tour will feature The Who’s full live band comprised of guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold, second keyboardist Emily Marshall, bassist Jon Button, drummer Zak Starkey and backing vocals by Billy Nicholls, along with orchestra conductor Keith Levenson, lead violinist Katie Jacoby and lead cellist Audrey Snyder.


The Who wound up their The Who Hits Back! tour of the US in November last year having wowed audiences in over thirty cities, with media and fans agreeing that the band were as good as, if not better than ever and that the orchestral arrangements, most of which were done by the legendary David Campbell, brought a new depth and excitement to Pete Townshend’s music.


Performing with The Who and an orchestra had been a long-held ambition for singer Roger Daltrey. “Having not toured the UK for six years, it’s great that at this time of our careers we have the chance to go to places that are not on the usual touring map Edinburgh Castle and Derby, as well as the other cities across the country that we haven’t been to for decades, will make this very special for me. This opportunity will give our UK Who fans the chance to hear our current show, which, with the addition of an orchestra, takes our music to new heights.”


Pete Townshend: “Roger initially christened this tour with an orchestra Moving On! I love it. It is what both of us want to do. Move on, with new music, classic Who music, all performed in new and exciting ways. Taking risks, nothing to lose. I’m really looking forward to bringing this show to the UK.”


The Who are calling upon fans to add an optional £1 donation onto their ticket price at point of sale in support of Teenage Cancer Trust. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are longstanding supporters and Roger has been the driving force behind Teenage Cancer Trust’s Royal Albert Hall concerts since they began in 2000. For more information visit teenagecancertrust.org.


For more information about The Who 2023 dates, visit robomagiclive.com or thewho.com





Tour dates:


July
6 - Sewell Group Craven Park - Hull, UK *
8 - Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh, UK
9 - Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh, UK
12 - The O2 - London, UK
14 - The Incora County Ground - Derby, UK *
16 - Badminton Estate - Bristol, UK *
19 - Seat Unique Riverside - Durham, UK *
21 - Totally Wicked Stadium - St Helens, UK *
23 - The 1st Central County Ground - Brighton, UK *


* with UB40 featuring Ali Campbell

In October 2022, Black Velvet magazine editor Shari Black Velvet celebrated her 20th vegan anniversary. As a way to commemorate this milestone, she decided to chat to another vegan — one that's been vegan even longer than her — Alissa White-Gluz. The inspiring vocalist of ARCH ENEMY chatted via Zoom (audio only),telling Black Velvet what initially made her make the jump to veganism, what her thoughts are on vigils, what makes a person cause pain and sorrow, and if she thinks there will ever be a time when all life is valued.

Asked what she thinks makes a person cause pain and sorrow to animals and whether it's down to a person's upbringing, Alissa said: "I think it is. If we wanna look at this just from a general perspective, children are not raised... If you look at a baby around a bunny or around a cat or a dog, if you just look at any baby when they see an animal, they're in awe — they're laughing; they're smiling; they think it's cool. They're, like, 'Wow, what's that?' They're curious. The same way little kids stare at you, because they're just taking it all in. This is the first time they're seeing another human adult or seeing everything clearly. Their eyesight's developing; they're able to now take in new colors and textures and see the beautiful wings of a bird or the nice soft fur of a cat, and they look at animals and they have love and admiration for animals. And then, somewhere along the way, we are taught that actually we don't love and admire animals; we just exploit and kill them. And that's good and that's normal. And I think that that kind of upbringing is what makes people... It becomes normal — it just becomes a daily routine, it becomes part of their habits, and they just don't understand why there's anything wrong with it. Their parents did it, they do it, [and] they don't see anything wrong with it. And I get that, and that's not their fault, but that doesn't mean that it's not commendable to recognize that it's wrong now and change now."

She continued: "I think, unfortunately, there are a lot of people in the world that do mean to cause pain and sorrow to other humans, to themselves, to animals, and they do that by contributing to the food industries that kill animals or by fishing or by hunting. And they have all sorts of green-washing excuses up their sleeves to make it seem like they're not doing it for any intentionally damaging way. But, at the end of the day, the same excuse that they use, like, 'Oh, we're the top of the food chain,' okay, yeah, we're the most advanced species when it comes to technology, and we now have the technology to not need to eat any animal products. We don't need to hunt. We don't need to fish. We don't need to do that. We're advanced. We're smart. So we're beyond this now. We've evolved past this, and I think it's just time that everybody accepts that and we just move away from using animals in anything. It's completely unnecessary."

You can read this entire interview in issue 107 of Black Velvet at www.blackvelvetmagazine.com.

More than a decade ago, Alissa snagged a Libby Award in the category of "Breakthrough Artist" from peta2, PETA's youth division. The annual Libby Awards ("Libby" is for "liberation") honor animal-friendly people and products.

White-Gluz took a stand against the universally condemned annual seal slaughter in her native Canada by shooting a striking peta2 ad that showed her above a photo of a baby seal who was about to be clubbed and read, "Bang Your Own Head, Not a Seal's." She also spoke out against the fur industry, and she encouraged everyone to buy only cruelty-free personal-care products.

Last year, during a question-and-answer session at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, White-Gluz was asked if it's difficult for her to maintain her lifestyle while she is on tour. She responded: "It super easy, actually, because I still party; I just don't intoxicate myself when I do it. But if other people wanna do that, that's their choice — it's up to them. Smoking, I'd like them to stay away 'cause I don't wanna breathe that in. But otherwise, it's really, really easy, actually. It's not even something that I think about. And actually, we have… In our tour bus, in our band and crew, I'm not the only sober one and I'm not the only vegan either, so I'm surrounded by a lot of different kinds of people and we all get along beautifully."

Two years earlier, White-Gluz explained why being vegan is definitely metal, telling the Mercy For AnimalsFacebook page: "So, I've been vegan for over 20 years now. I was vegan before I ever started in music. I've never eaten meat in my life. I grew up in a completely vegetarian household, so going vegan was just like the logical next step. And when I started doing music, there was nothing that I wanted to talk about more than animal rights. And so I was now using this heavy, passionate form of music to sort of convey a message that I wanted to. When I'm screaming in my band, I feel like I'm screaming for the voiceless. And I can't imagine being that loud if I had nothing to say.

"Being female, being vegan and also being straight edge in the metal world is just a combination of targets on my forehead that make it really easy for me to get singled out or pushed around," she continued. "But those are just things that are so much a part of who I am that I couldn't change them even if I wanted to. And I wouldn't — I wouldn't change for anyone.

"In my opinion, metal is all about rebellion — it's about carving your own path, thinking against what everyone's trying to make you think," Alissa added. "And veganism is the ultimate form of rebellion, because you are literally taking things that people have told you are normal that deep down inside you don't think are normal that you've been conditioned to accept about your day-to-day tasks, like eating or what you wear or what you choose to buy. Everyone says that that's normal, that you need to exploit other living beings for those things, but you don't. And so taking a stand against that is what veganism is. And that is really metal."