During an appearance on the "Brews & Tunes" podcast, Jeff Young confirmed that KINGS OF THRASH, his new band also featuring fellow former MEGADETH member David Ellefson, is putting the finishing touches on a new original song called "Bridges Burn". "We're hoping to bust that out on tour," the guitarist added, referring to KINGS OF THRASH recently announced first leg of a planned 2023 world tour, commencing February 16 in Joliet, Illinois.

According to Young, the seeds for the KINGS OF THRASH original music were planted more than a year ago when he and Ellefson took part in the filming of the upcoming documentary on late MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza. "We had dinner [at the Rainbow in West Hollywood] the night before the Menza documentary filming," Jeff recalled. "We were getting up to leave, and something hit me… It must have been '89. We were demoing a couple of tunes for what became 'Rust In Peace'. There was invitations to contribute to the writing, so David and I were demoing some stuff up on cassette. Unfortunately, I did not save those; I don't know what happened. But two of the riffs really stuck in my head. And I sang 'em in [Ellefson's] ear as we were paying the bill. He was, like, 'Dude, I totally remember those riffs. That's killer. We've gotta get in a room and work that stuff up.' So flash forward a couple of months later, he was back in L.A. I had another song idea that I actually started with a drum beat I had of Nick Menza's, and then I blew it out from there. He and I took those two riffs, demoed them. And a couple of more months went by, he was back out in L.A. again. We got together. And he had a couple of skeletons. And the cool thing about it is we never really had the opportunity to write together — it was so fast and furious back in the day — but now it was like we were finishing each other's sentences. We're more seasoned; we're better musicians; we're better songwriters. We're calmed and there's no ego in the room; there's no toxicity in the room — wink, wink… And we walked out of two writing sessions with four songs."

Earlier this month, KINGS OF THRASH shared a teaser demo of some of the new original material the group is working on. Check it out in the TikTok clip below.

In October, Young told Ghost Cult magazine that KINGS OF THRASH's first original song was being recorded at a North Hollywood studio previously used by legendary producer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix). As for the musical direction of KINGS OF THRASH's original material, Jeff said: "It's got the vibe of MEGADETH — it's on that playing field, but it's got all of its own stuff and all of our influences and some SOUNDGARDEN/TOOL vibes in maybe the music and melodies."

As previously reported, KINGS OF THRASH will release a live CD/DVD package called "Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go" on March 24 via Cleopatra Records. The 17-song set, featuring performances of MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!", was recorded and filmed live at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on October 15, 2022 and includes an appearance by another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar). The DVD was directed by Michael Sarna for Inmotion Entertainment.

Asked in a recent interview with Ultimate Guitar if he and Ellefson have received any feedback from MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine about their new band or their recent live shows, tour, Young said: "Nah, we couldn't care less… and it's a win-win for him. Because all the publishing, for example, on the 'Best Of The West', he's getting all that money. We're making him money and he doesn't have to do anything. So, we're performing the songs because they're part of our history and the fans want to hear them and we will benefit from that, and so will he, so it's a win-win. How much cooler can anything be than that? So, if he has something to say about it… I wouldn't imagine it would be very objective… not that anything he's ever said has been objective."

Jeff's latest comments echo those he made last year when he told Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series, Young that he and Ellefson were "really not concerned" about Mustaine's reaction to KINGS OF THRASH. "I don't pay attention," he said. "I haven't really paid attention or followed MEGADETH since, I think, I heard the 'Rust In Peace' album a couple of times, and then what you might hear on the radio or in the press.

"For us, this isn't about any spite or retaliation; it's a celebration of the music that we were all a part of, that we helped create," he explained. "And it's fun for us to do this.

"People said, 'You should do this.' And we said, 'Hey, yeah, you're right. We should do this.' It's a win-win — it's a win for us, and it's a win for [Mustaine], because any performance royalties, anything… If we did include live tracks, he would make money off that. It's promoting albums that hopefully fans will go back and buy, which is putting money right in his pocket. Especially 'Killing Is My Business', I think a lot of people are gonna go back and wanna rediscover that album after this tour.

"For us, it's all about positivity," Young added. "We're all in this moment — we're living in the moment, and we're not looking beyond. We're not reading any of the comments on Blabbermouth or any of the stuff. Because we know what our intent is, and intent is everything. And our intent's positive. We like playing together. We know we're crafting original music. We're not relying on this; we don't need to ride the coattails of this. This is just something that the fans wanted, and you wanna give fans what they want."

Ellefson told Yes! You CAN Play Guitar! that the intention behind KINGS OF THRASH is not to stick it to his former bandmates. "This is a celebration, not a retaliation," he explained. "This is a good moment. This is a happy moment, to celebrate these songs and these tracks and these records. So we go at it with just fun… It's, like, 'Wow. Wouldn't it be fun if we went out and played these records?' And we're doing it. So it's meant to be this celebration and bringing people together. And honestly, that was kind of always my role in MEGADETH. Dave [Mustaine] always called me 'The Ambassador', and I was always that guy, and I am that guy. So it's, like, let me just continue that role in our community and have one of good will."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH more than a year and a half ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

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

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

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

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

Poland was a member of MEGADETH from 1984 to 1987, during which time he performed on the band's classic albums "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" and "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" He is also a featured soloist on the group's 2004 album, "The System Has Failed".

Back in 2004, Poland and/or his management and attorney filed a lawsuit against Mustaine regarding the use of the three "Rust In Peace" demos on the album's reissue without Chris's permission. Chris eventually settled for $9,500 and thereby ended a professional relationship with Dave and MEGADETH.

For the past couple of decades, Poland's main musical focus has been the fusion band OHM:, which has released several full-length studio albums to date.

KINGS OF THRASH' "Thrashin' USA" will cross the Midwest, East Coast, and southeastern part of the USA through March 15. As with the band's 2022 warm-up shows, the group, which also includes drummer Fred Aching as well as guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon, will be performing "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!" in their entirety. Support on all shows will come from HATRIOT.

Speaking to Ralph Rasmussen of Radio Bypass about KINGS OF THRASH's recent shows and future plans, Ellefson said: "That was a thing where… Of course everybody knew our names — me, Jeff Young and Chris Poland. We advertised we were gonna play the 'Killing Is My Business' and 'So Far, So Good… So What!' records. And as it turns out, we ended up playing, like, half of 'Peace Sells' too. That's probably the most frickin' muscular setlist I've played since probably [MEGADETH's] 'Rude Awakening' [live album and DVD], when we filmed that in 2001 and I was 20 years younger. So we turned up the gas; there was no screwing around on that one. And it was great. It was super cool. It was super fun. It made me just realize how cool those songs are, how the detail and intricacies… It was a very different era, too. The songs were written under much different pretenses. There was a real innovation in those records, the stuff of the '80s, back then, that we were doing."

He continued: "We picked four cities. We said, 'Let's just go out and fire this off, kind of a proof of concept, show everybody what we've got.' I think the first night, when we played in San Diego, the fans right away got it. They were, like, 'Oh my God. Holy shit. We've been asking for this and wanting this for years. And oh my God. There they really are. Those are really the guys that played on those records. This is it.' And our drummer Fred and our singer Chaz, they got it in their hear as younger guys, so they get it and were excited to be there with us doing it. So, yeah, it really was just a moment in time for that to fire off like that so well. And now as a result, look, we've got live recordings, we've got more stuff coming up here in the New Year for that. So, yeah, that was just the beginning; that was just the first firework we blew off. There's definitely gonna be more after this."

Jeff was full of praise for Aching and Leon, telling Ghost Cult: "We really feel in a way how Ozzy [Osbourne] must have felt introducing Randy Rhoads to the world with these young two guys we have, both half our age and both so composed and mature musically for their age. And we've just been having a blast. And it's great that they're fans of the music and they've really studied it. Chaz, the singer/guitar player, plays in a MEGADETH tribute and fronts a SOUNDGARDEN tribute. So he has some of that Chris Cornell huskiness… So it's really cool to hear him sing these songs with a bit more huskiness and that young exuberance that he has. I think the kids are gonna love him 'cause he has that Dimebag Darrell kind of likability."
@kingsofthrash NEW ORIGINAL #3 DEMO (Day 1) - JEFF YOUNG LEAD SOLO IMPROV #kingsofthrash#davidellefson#jeffyoung#reverseIommi♬ original sound - kingsofthrash

Björn Gelotte, guitarist of Swedish melodic death metal band IN FLAMES, has weighed in on THE HALO EFFECT, the new project featuring five former IN FLAMES members — Jesper Strömblad (guitar),Daniel Svensson (drums),Peter Iwers (bass),Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals). Asked by El Cuartel Del Metal what he thought about all the comparisons between THE HALO EFFECT and IN FLAMES that were thrown around by the heavy metal music media after the former band released its debut album last year, Gelotte said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I didn't really think too much about it, to be honest. These are extremely good musicians, all of 'em, and they all have been part of IN FLAMES as members — as touring members or as recording members — and they, for different reasons, chose not to tour, basically, or be part of this anymore. And if they found a way back to music, they are really good. The music I haven't really heard that much, but I know what they're all capable of. So this is obviously not gonna be bad in any way. And I haven't really thought about it in any other way."

Björn continued: "I think it's a great opportunity, maybe sort of a second chance for these guys, to do it in a way that fits their life now. And timing-wise, they get to do it in a pace that they wanna do it. So I think it's only positive, obviously. And I think the world's probably a better place with more music in it. And these guys know what they're doing."

Last July, IN FLAMES singer Anders Fridén was asked by Chaoszine if he had a chance to catch THE HALO EFFECT when they played at Sweden Rock Festival alongside IN FLAMES a month earlier. Anders said: "They played the day after [IN FLAMES played], and we were already gone by that time. We played on Friday and they were playing on a Saturday."

Fridén went on to say that he hasn't "really paid attention" to THE HALO EFFECT and added that he doesn't care about a supposed rivalry between the two bands. "People can do whatever they want," he said. "There have been former members of IN FLAMES that played in other bands. Why would this be any different?

"I think you — not you personally, but media, they want it to be something [more than that]. But they do their thing.

"Honestly, I haven't listened, but from what I hear, it sounds more like DARK TRANQUILLITY than IN FLAMES," Anders said, referencing the fact that Stanne has been a member of DARK TRANQUILLITY since that band's inception more than three decades ago. "But it's fine. I don't care. They are allowed to do music, and as long as they are happy doing whatever they do, then that's fine. It's never gonna change us and what we do. It's just one band out of many.

"Good luck. I don't have anything else to say," Anders added. "I know you want me to say more. But that's the way it is."

THE HALO EFFECT released its debut album, "Days Of The Lost", last August via Nuclear Blast.

Asked in an interview with "The Back Lounge" podcast about some fans' perception that THE HALO EFFECT was formed primarily with the intention of "sticking it" to IN FLAMES, Iwers said: "No, no, no. It couldn't be further from the truth. Somebody said it to me perfectly… When you get that question, well, it's like talking about your ex-wife. You had it, it was great at the time, but then you moved on. So THE HALO EFFECT started out of love for music — not at all to spite anybody or to create some rivalry; nothing like that at all. And it needs to be said, and it probably will be said a bunch of times. The love for music and the love for each other is a hundred percent what it's all about."

Peter went on to say that forming a band with the intention of competing with someone else "would be totally the wrong reason" to do it. "Everything I do I base upon how I feel," he explained. "I try to do everything with a good vibe and everything that makes me feel good, feel great. And that's what it's all about with everything that I do. So if I would ever start something to piss somebody else off, then it wouldn't make me feel good, and I couldn't keep on doing it. It's real simple in my world, but I understand how people think that and how some people would like to think that. But there's no rivalry. IN FLAMES, I was a member for 20 years. And it is what it is. It's a great band and they always will be."

THE HALO EFFECT made its live debut in June 2022 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

Eight months ago, Iwers was asked in an interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast if he would agree that "Days Of The Lost" is, in some ways, a "spiritual successor" to "Reroute To Remain", IN FLAMES' sixth album, which came out in 2022. Peter said: "Ooh, interesting. I haven't really thought about it. When you make music, like we do, you tend not to overthink stuff — you just go in and you write music and kind of know that what comes out will sound a certain way because of the style that we are playing and how we are playing and performing our music. So I haven't really thought about it, but maybe — maybe. It was definitely nothing intentional. We just went in. We had a bunch of ideas and we came out with a bunch of songs that happen to sound a certain way. But none of us really overthought it and it was never meant to 'it's gonna sound like this' or 'it's gonna sound like that.' We just [went], 'Let's write this music and see what happens.' And because of, like I said, how we're playing, it will sound a certain way."

Added Daniel: "A lot of people like to analyze music, and, of course, it sounds Gothenburg metal-ish because we all are from that genre and we are some of the people that kind of created it. So, of course, it will sound Gothenburg metal-ish, IN FLAMES-ish. And then which era, I don't know. And as Peter said, we don't really think about how it should sound. This is how we sound today, and with our legacy this is inevitable, that we sound as we do."

Continued Peter: "Obviously, people like to do a lot of comparing between us… It's a difficult topic to discuss because none of us have — even though we've all been in IN FLAMES at some point, none of us have really thought about this as what you're saying. But then a lot of people that we speak to say it. So it's a little hard to take in, as we've been very thorough in just writing music. But I'd say it's a little flattering to hear it."

Svensson, who joined IN FLAMES in 1998, announced in 2015 that he was leaving the group to focus on his family life.

A member of IN FLAMES since 1997, Iwers issued a statement in November 2016 saying that he was exiting the band "to pursue other endeavors."

A founding member of IN FLAMES, Strömblad quit the band in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

Engelin has been sitting out IN FLAMES' tour dates for the four years but has never officially confirmed his departure from the band. Engelin's replacement for IN FLAMES' live shows since then has been former MEGADETH and current ACT OF DEFIANCE guitarist Chris Broderick.

Shortly after leaving IN FLAMES, Iwers joined CYHRA, the band featuring vocalist Jake E (ex-AMARANTHE) and Strömblad. Iwers announced his departure from that band in May 2018.

David Lee Roth has shared a 45-second video of him dancing along to Kendrick Lamar's "Alright", is one of the biggest songs from the rapper's sophomore major label album, 2015's "To Pimp A Butterfly".

Over the course of the last few months of 2022, Roth released solo versions of several VAN HALEN classics, including "Everybody Wants Some!!", "You Really Got Me", "Dance The Night Away", "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". The new tracks were laid down on May 3, 2022 during a session at Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California. Joining Roth in the studio were Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler on bass and Francis Valentino on drums. A total of 14 songs were recorded in two hours. The music and the vocals were tracked live with "no samples" and without the pitch-correction technology Auto-Tune.

Back in 2020, Roth included five previously unreleased songs in The Roth Project, an online comic narrated by the legendary VAN HALEN singer, with music from John 5 on guitar and bass, Gregg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. The tracks "Giddy-Up!", "Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill", "Alligator Pants", "Lo-Rez Sunset" and "Manda Bala" were recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.

More than three years ago, Roth was asked by Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF if his LP with John 5 will be made available at some point. He responded: "It will. There's been a revision of things, and I can start making real plans and start marching into the future. And, of course, you'll start hearing that material. This is material that we wrote variously for me solo and for VAN HALEN, and it's quite a bank of stuff."

Roth, who was promoting his Las Vegas residency at the time, didn't offer a possible time frame for the release of the record, explaining that his priority was "getting out on the road first. Let's see the band, let's show ourselves off, let's travel all over the world."

Roth canceled a series of Las Vegas residency shows in January 2022 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Three months earlier, he had announced in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was planning to retire after the residency.

In July 2022, Roth released a new solo song titled "Pointing At The Moon". The acoustic-based, Americana-flavored tune was accompanied by a new abstract painting from Roth.

KILLSWITH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach says that the band's next album is " almost demoed out".

The 44-year-old musician, who lives in Woodstock, New York with his fiancée, Corinne Paris (a.k.a. Philia Porphyra),offered an update on the follow-up to 2019's "Atonement" in an Instagram post on Wednesday (February 8). Jesse shared a few photos from his recent trip to Canada with Paris and wrote in an accompanying caption in part: "When I make a record I get so lost in it, it can drag me down and truly hold me prisoner. I've got the songs to show for it and I'm proud of my work so far! New @killswitchengage album is almost demoed out and ready to be reworked and considered. Then on to re writing and deciding what the ideas and concepts are before we actually begin to attempt to record. Slow going for sure but I am really happy so far with what's come out of us. Grateful for a break and grateful to get back to it in a few days. I am fortunate, blessed and indeed lucky to be able to do what I do!"

Last June, Leach told Australia's Heavy that he and his bandmates would try to get the new KILLSWITH ENGAGE LP "wrapped up and done quickly, because we want it to be a record that's not gonna take a lot of time to create. We want that raw, fresh feeling, so a lot of these demos I'm trying to [get] through quickly just to get the energy and then we'll sort of dissect them as new get into the studio," he explained. "So I think there's a real spirit within us to put out new material and then tour on that new record come next year, hopefully. So that's kind of what we're all thinking."

Elaborating on the time table for the completion of the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE LP, Leach told Heavy: "We've got a couple of sessions [scheduled]. We haven't really put deadlines or anything. But I'm personally setting goals for me to create quick, very emotional, raw stuff for the demos and then probably taking a little more time, once we get to the studio, to polish that up and make it sound really good. Some of these demos I'm getting ready to send to the guys, if you would listen to them, most people would probably laugh 'cause they're just me going nuts, just trying to get the idea out quick and then we'll worry about re-recording it and polishing it and sort of making it sound KILLSWITCH-y.

"I've always been really hard on myself — a perfectionist, if you will — and I think it's hindered me in the demo-making process," he explained. "So my approach to this record is I wake up in the morning and I write lyrics out of the sleep. I listen to the music. It's moving very quickly for me, and it just feels fresh; it feels new. And then us getting into a room and jamming on that shit together, which we haven't done in years, that's the vibe we're going for. We kind of wanna bring that live feeling, that live sound to this next record… I want that energy to be there.

"Live music shouldn't be perfect," Leach added. "I don't like the studio fixes, I don't like the tuning — I hate all that shit. So the less that can happen, I'm into it. I'd rather keep it raw. It's rock and roll, man — it shouldn't be perfect. I think metal, over the years, has become very compressed and very manufactured. To me, I'm all about pushing away from that. So I think this next record will be a push-and-pull, 'cause [KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and producer] Adam [Dutkiewicz] is very much a perfectionist with the way he likes things to sound. So it should be interesting. He's on board of that too — sort of getting more of a live feel to what we're doing. I think it comes across. When you come see a band live like us, it is a little different than a record. But it should be."

As for the lyrical content of the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album, Jesse said: "I've purposefully been extremely spiritually minded and positive and trying to write uplifting things that are gonna help people process what we've been through.

"I think there's two ways you can go — you can get angry and write hyper-political stuff and anti-government or whatever, which I've done in the past, and I still stand by that, but I think, for me, where my gift lies, after what we've been through, is more of a comfort, more of an uplifting thing," he noted. "So I'm leaning hard on that — a little more existential, more looking forward, if you will, lyrically. It's probably gonna be some of the most positive stuff that I've ever written, and I'm doing that on purpose — for myself, but also for the listener. I think it's just time for us to put out a record that's just beaming with positivity and hope. And that's what I'm going to do."

"Atonement" was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc featured guest appearances by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marked the band's third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

In July 2021, Leach and Dutkiewicz released the second album from their TIMES OF GRACE project, "Songs Of Loss And Separation", via the band's own imprint label, Wicked Good Records, distributed by ADA Worldwide.

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Legendary German/American metallers ACCEPT have announced that violinist Ava-Rebekah Rahman will join them for three shows — on February 14 in Berlin, Germany; on February 17 in Munich, Germany; and on February 18 in Filderstadt, Germany — as a guest artist for the instrumental "Samson And Delilah" in a never-before-heard arrangement.

Says ACCEPT: "Ava has performed all over the globe as a Soloist from Carnegie Hall to the Berlin Philharmonic. We first met and collaborated with her on our 'Symphonic Terror' tour in 2019 where she 'duelled' with [ACCEPT guitarist] Wolf Hoffmann on many musical pieces and we couldn't think of a better fit for a hot musical Delilah!;-)

"Get yourselves down there for some smouldering, seductive Metal fire. Tickets available for Berlin and Munich only now."

Last April, Rahman announced via Instagram that she had been romantically involved with Hoffmann for the previous three years, calling it a "mad, crazy messy, blissful, soaring, heart-breaking heart-healing union and love". She added: "We came together through music… He asked me to be the solo violinist on his #Symphonicterror tour. We first fell for the way each other played .. the others musicality, phrasing, the handling of our instruments, the tone….the sound of souls inside the music. To say we have am insane musical connection is an understatement! As a professional musician, I know how rare it is to have THAT chemistry with another colleague. Let alone between a classical violinist and metal guitarist! The chemistry of not even needing to to read or look at the other to play in perfect unison. Familiar yet thrilling. Little did we know at the time we would end up in the most extraordinarily loving relationship of our lives as man and woman… Especially as he had been with a partner for 40 years and I had built a whole life with someone else. It wasn't an easy ride to get where we are but Life truly is full of wonder when we keep opening our hearts over and over again…"

Wolf had previously been married to Gaby Hoffmann, who had served as ACCEPT's longtime manager, designer and lyricist virtually since the band's inception.

In July 2019, it was announced that Gaby was officially retiring, with an official statement on ACCEPT's web site explaining that she was "a bit tired after many years of intense activity, and she needs some rest and time for herself. It's not a farewell," the statement added. "Her heart will still be with us, but she won't engage in professional activities anymore."

In a 2014 interview with MusicInterviewCorner, Wolf credited his then-wife with coming up with the visual imagery for ACCEPT. He explained: "Well, my wife and our manager, Gaby, has a lot of these ideas over the years; she's responsible for a lot of the lyrics and a lot of the album covers, a lot of ideas. Everything around the band, really, in one way or another way goes back to her ideas. She's really the invisible, silent force behind this band. Sometimes we're just like puppets on a string and she's guiding us from above. A mind controller."

Asked if it's an advantage being married to the band's manager, Wolf said: "Of course it is. It can be a disadvantage too, because you've gotta do what she says a lot of times."

After then-ACCEPT bassist Peter Baltes denied that he was jealous about the fact that Wolf was married to ACCEPT's manager, Hoffmann said: "This has been going on for so long. I mean, I've known Peter for, what? 40 years now. Can you imagine? We've been playing and writing songs together for all these years, so something seems to work here."

Baltes exited ACCEPT in November 2018 after 42 years with the band.



Accept to feature violin vixen Ava-Rebekah Rahman for an exclusive and new LIVE version of Samson and Delilah.

We are thrilled to announce that for 3 shows, violinist Ava-Rebekah Rahman will feature as a guest artist for the instrumental Samson and Delilah in a never heard before arrangement!

Ava has performed all over the globe as a Soloist from Carnegie Hall to the Berlin Philharmonic.

We first met and collaborated with her on our Symphonic Terror Tour in 2019 where she “ duelled” with Wolf Hoffmann on many musical pieces and we couldn’t think of a better fit for a hot musical Delilah!;-)

Get yourselves down there for some smouldering, seductive Metal fire 🔥

Tickets available for Berlin and Munich only now. Get them in the link below 👇

https://www.acceptworldwide.com/tour/

📸@rudydoncker

@avarebekah2019 @wolfhoffmann #samsonanddelilah

Posted by ACCEPT on Thursday, February 9, 2023

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During the question-and-answer session at his January 20 spoken-word appearance at Slagthuset in Malmö, Sweden, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was asked how he takes care of his voice. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's not that I take care of it — I kind of do — but I just try not to abuse it, if that makes sense. 'Cause the voice will kind of take care of itself, as long as you don't abuse it. So, yeah, common-sense things: drink plenty of water, don't smoke loads and loads of cigarettes or gargle with razor blades before a show, and anything else like that. And preferably don't go out to a football match the night before a gig and [yell at the players and the referee], 'cause afterwards [you will have no voice left]. So, obvious things like that. Warm up a little bit and everything else. Oh, and the other thing is, learn how to sing. It helps."

Bruce previously talked about how he takes care of his voice in a 2017 interview with the Scandinavian talk show "Skavlan". At the time, he said: "Your voice is a muscle, like anything else, and as long as you don't abuse it and you use it correctly, then it will last.

"I'm not a great believer that a voice is just about singing," he continued. "A voice is a tool for communication. And as a singer, all you are, really, is a storyteller, and it just so happens that, obviously, with my voice I tell stories a particular way, but if you're Leonard Cohen, you have a different voice and you still tell great stories.

"When I got diagnosed with throat cancer [in 2014], the thought occurred to me I might not be able to sing again," Bruce said. "Thankfully, that was not the case. But I did think about it, and I thought, 'You know what? Even if my voice changed completely, it still doesn't mean I can't tell stories.' Maybe I'd have to tell them a different way. Maybe I couldn't do them with IRON MAIDEN. But it still doesn't stop you… If what you want to do is tell stories, then you find a way to do it."

According to Bruce, "talking is disaster for the voice. Because when you sing, all the muscles in the voice are used in completely the opposite way to when you talk," he explained. "So I'm talking to you now and I'm using everything from here [points to his throat] down. Well, when I'm singing, I'm using everything from here up. So all it is is… Think of it like an organ pipe — basically, lots of rest, sleep, plenty of water, keep it hydrated. Don't go out yelling in pubs after the show."

In early 2015, Dickinson underwent a seven-week course of chemotherapy and radiology to treat a small cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue. A couple of months later, he was given "the all-clear" by his specialists following an MRI scan.

Also in 2017, Dickinson spoke to the Swedish TV show "Malou Efter Tio" about how his singing voice has changed following his cancer diagnosis. He said: "[It's] a little bit different. Two things are slightly different. One is my saliva, which obviously lubricates your throat a little bit, is a bit less than it used to be. Although, back ten years ago, if I had the same cancer, I wouldn't be making any saliva. But now, I'm probably 70 percent, which is great. Thanks very much, everybody upstairs. [Laughs] And the other things is that I think that the shape of possibly the back of my tongue, which forms vowel sounds and things like that, might have changed shape slightly, because, obviously, it had a big lump in it, and the lump's gone. So maybe the surface has changed shape. So I notice a few differences. Funnily enough, the top end of my voice is maybe even a little bit better than it was before. [Laughs]"

Bruce Dickinson - Malmö, Sweden 20/01/23.

Q= Will you pick up Alexander The Great this coming tour?
A= Yes, no no no no no no no absolutely not, maybe possibly, you never know...

An Evening With Bruce Dickinson 2023 - Slagthuset, Malmö, Sweden 20/01/2023.

Video by Daniel Lundell.

Posted by Eddie The Head Fan Club on Monday, January 23, 2023

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Scars And Guitars" podcast, Swedish guitarist Michael Amott reflected on his three-and-a-half-decade career as a member of some of several acclaimed extreme metal acts, including ARCH ENEMY, CARCASS, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS and CARNAGE. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In many ways, I'm still living my teenage fantasy. I just walk around with my head in the clouds and full of riffs and metal. I think about stuff like that all day. And that's my job, and that's what people want me to do. I'm very, very fortunate in that way. My job is to wake up, have coffee and start playing guitar. And that's great. I play guitar for hours each and every day. How cool is that? That's kind of unbelievable, really.

"When I started playing this music, the music that I was interested in, that I wanted to play, when I was a young teenager, I never saw that as a potential career or something like that," he explained. "Because the kind of music that I was interested in playing was not popular. A lot of times, there weren't even albums out with this kind of music. This is before there were records; there would just be tapes and demos and live tapes and underground rehearsal tapes of bands from all over the world playing this extreme music. And that's what I was interested in. And then, of course, there were some established bands, but you'd go see these bands and you'd think they were big, but there was nobody there. There would be a hundred people there to see what you thought was an established band. It kind of made me realize, 'This music isn't that popular. Not a lot of people are into it.' But that all changed in the '90s, and it became more of a business. And it became more of a… I wouldn't say 'mainstream,' but there was a way to market and sort of spread that kind of underground metal. The scene became so much bigger. I guess I saw that happening when I was in CARCASS in the early '90s. Suddenly there would be thousands of people at certain shows. It was, like, 'Wow. This is really something. How did this happen? How can so many people be in one spot at the same time really enjoying this level of noise?' [laughs], you know, this kind of level of extremity that we were doing. It was really interesting to see it grow like that. And, of course, nowadays people have expectations maybe. If you start a band, if you're starting out now, that it's gonna be… I had zero expectations of anything like this happening in my life. I always thought I would have a normal job and then I'd do music as a hobby. But as it turned out, I've actually never been employed in my whole life — properly employed — so I've always done this. So it's kind of crazy. I never expected that."

Michael is the older brother of Christopher Amott, who is the current guitarist for DARK TRANQUILLITY. Some major influences in Michael's music have been Tony Iommi, Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth and Dave Mustaine.

Amott was ranked one of the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists Of All Time" by Guitar World.

ARCH ENEMY's 11th studio album, "Deceivers", arrived last August via Century Media Records.

The band played its first post-pandemic show at the opening concert of its "The North American Siege 2022" tour with BEHEMOTH and NAPALM DEATH last April at The Marquee in Tempe, Arizona.

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, vocalist Michael Starr of California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER was asked if he ever gets "bored of being a parody of rock bands." He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I love playing heavy metal. It's the most exciting job in the world for me. I've always dreamed about doing this — being on stage and being able to go all over the world with my buddies and play for people that like our music. It's really cool.

"Before we got signed by Universal, we were writing songs, and they were going, 'No. No. No.' They never signed us," he continued. "And then finally we were, like, 'You know what? Fuck it! We're gonna sing about what we wanna sing about. We're gonna sing about what we're thinking.' And once we did that, we got signed right away and we put out 'Death To All But Metal', and the rest is history.

"So, I don't care if people think it's a joke or a parody or whatever — who fucking cares?" he added. "It's STEEL PANTHER at the end of the day.

"No, I'm not bored. I love it."

STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", will be released on February 24.

The band's "On The Prowl" world tour 2023 will kick off later this month and will run throughout North America through April. CROBOT and TRAGEDY will be joining the band on the North American tour. The band will take a short break before bringing the party to the United Kingdom and Ireland in May.

In September, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.

Formed in 2000, STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Fourteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

Finnish symphonic doom/death metal band Depressed Mode have released a new single, "Dead & Living". This single was supposed to be part of Words Of Death EP, which was already recorded, but was unfortunately destroyed because of hardware failure. This brand new single and earlier released re-recorded version of "Suffer In Darkness" are the only tracks that survived from the planned EP. 


"Dead & Living" is available here.



 
Otto Salonen comments: "This is a new song which was composed right after our Decade of Silence album. It was quite different from our previous songs, so I was a bit insecure about how it’s going to sound, but after drum recordings by Marko Tommila, I was sure it’s going to be loved by fans worldwide. Due to hardware failure, this is it for our Words of Death EP. In other words, all the remaining songs were destroyed, and won’t be released."
 
Listen to "Suffer In Darkness" featuring Gogo Melone (Aeonian Sorrow, Clouds) on streaming services here.







Photo by Jamppa Lamminpää

On February 17, Scarlet Records will release the vinyl versions of the three Moonlight Haze albums: De Rerum Natura (2019), Lunaris (2020) and Animus (2022).


De Rerum Natura and Lunaris will be available for the first time on vinyl in two different colors (black & marbled green and black & marbled blue, respectively), while Animus will be released in a new marbled yellow edition.







The three records have been specially remastered for the vinyl version. Preorder at the Scarlet Records webshop.


Singer Chiara Tricarico:


“After the release of Animus, all our albums were sold out we can't help but thank you for your great support. You have also been asking us for some time to release the first two records in vinyl format too and now we are finally able to make you happy!”


Moonight Haze will be the special guests of the Vision Of Atlantis show on April 5 at the Alchemica Music Club (Bologna, Italy).

Since the release of the first single back in March last year, news about Celtibeerian's new album has been a long time coming, but the time has come for things to pick up speed. At last, the folk metal outfit have unveiled the title and cover of their fifth studio album, as well as the band's new logo. A natural change that follows the line-up changes that have taken place over the last few months.


Nertos is the title chosen for the album that is called to open a new stage in the career of one of the most successful Spanish folk metal bands.


Artwork by Joel Marco:







The band comments: “As we already announced, we present the cover with a new logo and also the link where you can get the preorder of the album and EXCLUSIVE MERCHANDISING that will only be available for those who help us in this way to get the album out, because after so long without concerts, change of line-up and without much movement due to the pandemic, it is costing us as many other bands to continue with our projects. Thanks to the collaboration of great artists and friends, this album will be of the highest quality we will do to date, using new sounds and ideas in each song. We really appreciate if you share this link with everyone and leave us a comment about what you think about this great cover designed by Jmdesign.”   


Preorder on Bandcamp.

Despite The Reverence, a staple in the Canadian music scene for the last decade, has a brand new album Stress Of Evolution coming out this April. It’s a twelve-track, neck-breaking monster of an album that builds on all of their previous work and cumulates into a release that is accessible, yet devastating. The second look into this dynamic album is the single “Cyborg”. A video for the track can be found below.


Says the band: “One of the more technical songs on the album featuring a blistering opening lead riff and heavy pounding guitars under the verse sections of the song. The vocals are heavy and growling over the verses but break into a melodic crescendo during the chorus. The song slips into a quiet dark interlude in the middle section which builds in intensity back into the chorus and outro. The lyrics touch on the melding of humans and robotics.”


Despite The Reverence wanted the album to be dynamic from heavy to melodic and accomplished that with a mixture of tempos, styles, and instrumentation. They cite that variety is the spice of life and they tried to bring everything under one roof creating unique and interesting compositions which flow together under a common concept.




When playing live, they are very professional and love putting on a big live show including lights, smoke, and stage backdrops. They write the set to flow together and generally do not take a lot of pauses or chit-chat. They figure the fans are there to hear the music so they keep the songs flowing as they play with high energy and intensity. They are recommended listening for fans of Pantera, Tool, and Black Sabbath.


Stress Of Evolution comes out on April 14th.





Tracklisting:


"Cyborg"
"Khali Yuga"
"Surprise Kill Vanish"
"Primate Centurion"
"Killing Plebs"
"Fears Of Our Fathers"
"Stress Of Evolution"
"Human Obsolete"
"Thinning The Herd"
"War Machine"
"At My Door Knocks Death"
"Disco Death Tech"


"Cyborg" video:





"Primate Centurion" video:

On February 4th, Kamelot kicked off their co-headlining South Anerican tour with Turilli/Lione Rhapsody in Santiago, Chile at Teatro Caupolicán. Fan-filmed video is available below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)" (with Melissa Bonny)
"Rule the World"
"Insomnia"
"When the Lights Are Down"
"Veil of Elysium"
"Here's to the Fall"
"Karma"
"Center of the Universe"
"Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)" (with Melissa Bonny)
"Forever"




Encore:
"March of Mephisto" (with Melissa Bonny)
"One More Flag In The Ground"
"Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)" (with Melissa Bonny)

With their long awaited European tour taking place this spring, Conception has released a live video in conjunction with their highly acclaimed mini-album, My Dark Symphony, being made available for physical sale everywhere through Sound Pollution.


The video for the song ”Quite Alright” was shot when the band headlined the Rock The Coast festival in Spain, and celebrates the close contact between Conception and their fans.


Vocalist Roy Khan: ”We are very happy that My Dark Symphony is so much more accessible to all our fans now when it’s available through regular physical distribution.”




Guitarist Tore Østby: -”The video to 'Quite Alright' brings up great memories from meeting our fans. Now we really look forward to creating new memories on our upcoming tour!”





The band will once again start the tour with a show in their hometown Gjøvik, Norway, on March 11, followed by headlining the Thunder Metal Fest in Belgium and club gigs in Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Spain and Portugal. 


Tour dates are as follows:


March
11 - Friscena - Gjøvik, Norway
26 - Thunder Metal Fest 2023 - Antwerp, Belgium


April
20 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, Netherlands
21 - Rockhal - Esch Sur Alzette, Luxembourg
22 - La Maroquinerie - Paris, France
27 - Salamandra - L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
28 - Shôko Madrid - Madrid, Spain
29 - Lisboa Ao Vivo - Lisbon, Portugal

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen has checked in with the following update:


"Starting the day off with a bang! Just found out that I've been nominated for the Best Rock Award at the Edison Pop Awards 2023 for my solo music! The Edisons are a celebration of the best in Dutch music, and the oldest music award in The Netherlands. I'm honored to be a part of it."


Go to this location for information on the Edison Pop Awards.







Jansen recently announced the release of her debut solo album, Paragon, on March 24.


This album showcases Jansen's impressive vocal range and powerful voice on a diverse collection of pop-infused tracks and emotional ballads influenced by the sounds of her career. Paragon has something for everyone and is a must-listen for fans of Jansen.


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


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


Paragon will be released digitally and physically on CD, vinyl, and a limited edition deluxe box set. The album will be available on all major streaming platforms and at music retailers worldwide. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here.





Tracklisting:


"My Paragon"
"Daydream"
"Invincible"
"Hope"
"Come Full Circle"
"Storm"
"Me Without You"
"The Calm"
"Armoured Wings"
"Fire"


""Me Without You" video:





"Storm" video:





"Fire" video:





Following the release, Jansen will embark on a tour of The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in April and May of 2023. Fans can expect to hear more details and possibly some sneak previews of the album in the coming months.

A lyric video for "Where Is The Joke", the second single from Frenzy's new album, Of Hoods And Masks, has just been issued by the band, and can be seen below.


Frenzy will release Of Hoods And Masks on April 20, 2023 via Fighter Records in CD, LP, and Digital formats.







Of Hoods And Masks, the second full-length from the group of heavy metal and comic book fanatics will contain nine tracks, including a conceptual story in seven songs inspired by The Watchmen graphic novel.





Tracklisting:


“One Minute Closer To…”
“The Doomsday”
“Where Is The Joke”
“Spectre Of Love”
“Uncompromised”
“Betrayal In Cold Blood”
“Fear The Hood”
“Living In Oz” (Rick Springfield cover)
“Give Me Shred (Or Give Me Death)”


“The Doomsday” video:





 

Offering up a unique, progressive, and memorable sound with traditional heavy metal, sludge, and doom at its core, North Carolina's Aittala unleashed its sixth full-length album, Live To Regret, this past November via Exitus Stratagem Records. Lyrically, the album chronicles a chaotic period of time for members of the band personally, as well as the global events happening in parallel.


Today, in support of the full-length, Aittala is unveiling their next music video for the track "War Of Attrition"; a Quentin Tarantino inspired story video where the hunter unsuspectedly becomes the victim.







Aittala's latest album, Live To Regret, has eleven tracks, each defying the limits of genre rules. There is the thrash-inspired track “Cannibals” that confronts the tightening grip of governmental monitoring and control. The sludgy “Big Brother” is about the devolution / zombification of the human race due to technology. The smoky stoner infused “Never Forget” talks about dealing with a toxic person, along with many more.


Band founder Eric Aittala adds: "I wrote this album during a chaotic time in my life. Not only was it during the height of the lockdowns of the pandemic, but I was also in a very chaotic relationship. That chaos fueled my creativity both musically and lyrically. I was constantly walking on an uncertain tightrope, and I never knew if it was going to break. We hope the fans feel the same pleasure, pain, chaos, and passion that I was going through and infused into the songs when they listen to the album and singles."





Tracklisting:


"Live To Regret" 
"Collateral Damage" 
"War Of Attrition" 
"Saint" 
"Cannibals" 
"Betrayed" 
"Big Brother" 
"Dancing With Disaster" 
"Never Forget" 
"Well Enough Alone" 
"Juliet (2022)" 


"Collateral Damage" video:





In additional news, Aittala will be doing a mini tour next month in Florida and Georgia. Confirmed dates are as listed:


March 
1 - Rain Dogs - Jacksonville, FL 
2 - Propaganda - Lake Worth, FL 
3 - Uncle Lous - Orlando, FL 
4 - Sweetwater Bar and Grill - Duluth, GA


(Photo credit: Formont Photography)


 

When was the last time you heard of a rock/metal band that has a former elementary and middle school principal as its lead vocalist? When was the last time you heard of a rock/metal band with father and daughter vocalists? When was the last time you heard of a rock/metal band that formed from the staff and parents of an Armenian elementary school? Well, Central California rock/metal band, Seerd, has all three and is now looking to make a serious dent in the rock and metal world.


Vocalist Curtis Shamlin formed Seerd by recruiting all its members from Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School in the Fresno, California area. Mher Ezekian and Robert Gonzalez were both parents, Kayla Shamlin was the volleyball and soccer coach, and Curtis Shamlin was the principal/superintendent.


Seerd incorporates melodic hooks, a rollercoaster range of emotional and aggressive vocals with modern heavy industrial sounds, and just a hint of 80’s metal.




Listen to the single "I Won't Comply" here, and below.





Lead vocalist Curtis Shamlin shares, I have always been a rebel against the “Rule Makers” especially when I think the rules are ridiculous and do not benefit me or people I care about. My rebellion gave me the reputation of “Most likely to be expelled” in school. As an adult, I hear, “They let you be a Principal?” a lot. I rebelled against just about everything and everyone because I especially don’t like people telling me what to do.  My daughter (Kayla Shamlin) has many of my characteristics and rebellion against authority is at the top (Except against me, LOL). We have an amazing relationship even though we have some different views on life, we love each other no matter what. We feel that’s the way humans should act with each other.


"'I Won’t Comply' has really become our motto in life. We wrote this song together to share our feelings with others even though this song means different things to us. We both agree to disagree but still love each other unconditionally. We question everything. We will always rebel against those that force their views on us or force us to do anything against our will! Our answer to them is simply,


“I WON’T COMPLY!”





Curtis Shamlin blasted on to the metal scene at the end of the last millennium as the frontman for GRYP (Walden Media/ W Records, Metro One Records). Then again in 2002 with Rock/Metal band Speakers for the Dead (Magna Carta Records).


Robert Gonzalez has an extensive music career playing in many bands including Mynis, The Next Page, GRYP, Fusion Porn and several more. Robert and Curtis became friends when Robert helped to record and produce Speakers for the Dead’s demo. Robert’s band Mynis and Speakers for the Dead toured the northwest together.


Mher Ekezian came from the EDM scene where he performs as Mike EFEX (Coldharbour Recordings) and is known in the EDM industry worldwide.


Kayla Shamlin is an avid metal fan. She grew up in the music industry due to her close relationship with her father. She now gets her first chance at a taste of the stage.


Seerd music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and almost all digital distribution apps.


(Photo - www.theandylei.com)