Longtime PANTERA engineer, bass tech and friend Sterling Winfield, one of the people who control PANTERA drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott's estate, spoke to the "Is Breakfast Included?" podcast about the reformation of PANTERA, featuring surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals) along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

Winfield, who was one of the people who attended a PANTERA dress rehearsal in New Orleans last November, less than two weeks before the reconfigured band played its first show, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've been talking about [doing this] probably for the last two years — something like that. It really started to take shape about two years ago on my end."

Regarding what his impressions were when he saw the PANTERA rehearsal in New Orleans, Sterling said: "Listen, I came in the door with my doubts — I had my doubts — but they were silenced. The production is off the hook. I personally think Phil is at peak performance; he's singing better than I've heard him sing in years. They're all in good shape. Rex is still doing his thing and in good shape. And they couldn't have asked for two better people to fill those shoes. I know that they can't be filled, but to jump in and take up that responsibility, which is pretty heavy, they could not have picked two better people than Charlie and Zakk. I walked out of there just dumbfounded. Seriously."

Sterling also once again confirmed that other musicians were considered for guitarist position in the new PANTERA lineup.

"There were no auditions — I'll put that out there — not that I know of," he said. "And there were just names tossed around, put in a hat. And I'm not gonna name names. Of course there were other people suggested; of course there were other people brought up. But Zakk, he's the obvious choice. Him and Dime [late PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] were like brothers; they were so close. And as one guy — I believe it was Mark Tremonti [CREED, ALTER BRIDGE], who is an outstanding, one of my favorite guitar players — said that his name was tossed about. But that the reason he declined was because there is a certain personality, I think, it takes to fill that position or try to convey those things onstage. And he didn't feel that he was the guy. And well, again, coming back to that obvious choice, he and Dime had very much alike personalities. So they really vibed together in that respect. And so, yeah, very obvious choice, perfect choice."

Winfield also addressed Wylde's approach to performing the parts originally written and recorded by Dimebag, saying: "People keep bitching about, 'It doesn't sound like Dime.' Of course it doesn't sound like Dime. It's Zakk. It blows my mind that people are that picky. But whatever… Instead of picking it up apart, listen to the song, man. Don't just listen to Zakk, okay?"

Winfield previously discussed PANTERA's comeback in an interview with Reckless Rock Radio 89.3 KNON FM a few weeks ago. At the time, he said: "When I was in New Orleans [for the PANTERA rehearsal in November], I knew it was gonna be huge because I got to see how serious they are taking this, how to heart they are taking this. Phil and Rex are different people now; they are not the same people from 20-something years ago. You mature, you grow up, you own your mistakes, you move forward in your life and you hope to make a better way for yourself. And that's exactly what I see here."

Winfield went on to say that "this is not a reunion", despite the fact that Brown, Anselmo, Wylde and Benante are touring under the PANTERA banner. "It is not PANTERA 2.0, at least not at this point," he said. "Whatever you wanna think, that's fine; go ahead and make your assumptions. But it was the media that called this a reunion; it was the media that called this the reformation of PANTERA — not them. They never put this out there as that; they put this strictly out there as a tribute to the brothers [Vinnie Paul and PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] and for the fans and for the music and for the legacy of this music, to bring it to another generation of people."

He added: "There's little kids out there wearing PANTERA shirts, and it's amazing to watch, because, yes, since Dime got killed, there's a whole generation of people that have been born on this earth."

According to Sterling, Wylde and Benante are absolutely the right people to perform the PANTERA material with the kind of respect and attention to detail that it deserves. "I cannot think of anyone better to handle the duties of Dime and Vinnie than Zakk and Charlie," he said. "I've known both of those dudes for a very long time. And Charlie is just a model human being himself and a monster drummer and loved the brothers like you wouldn't believe. And same goes for Zakk.

"They're not trying to be Dime and Vinnie, guys; they're not trying to be that," he explained. "That would be disrespectful. But they are being themselves and they are having fun. And I think you should come out and do it too. Even just watch some of the videos. You've seen 'em on YouTube. These crowds are insane, and I think you're gonna be missing out if you don't come check it out."

Regarding the possibility of the reformed PANTERA recording new music, Winfield said: "It's not unheard of, it's not blasphemous. I will say that it is entirely plausible, it is entirely possible, but at this point in time, I don't know that anybody's looking that far down the road. They've got a world tour to tackle, man, for the next two years, and they are gonna be busy doing that. Now, could it happen? Yes."

Asked if he "would be cool" with Brown, Anselmo, Wylde and Benante making new music together, Sterling said: "It depends, man. Again, it has to be done right, like this whole thing; the whole tour that's happening has to be done properly. And I don't really feel comfortable — if it were to happen, I would not feel comfortable calling it PANTERA. I don't think that would be classy. I'll put it that way. And I'll just leave it at that for now. [But] this lineup could make some very badass music. And the music is all that matters."

In a recent interview with Overdrive, Tremonti said that he spoke with Brown "a number of years ago" about PANTERA's then-hypothetical return, and Rex suggested that he "put [his] name in the hat" of potential guitarists who might fill the shoes of Dimebag. According to Tremonti, he responded to Brown's suggestion with an emphatic "Hell no!", explaining that "you have to be a certain type of personality to take on that role." BLABBERMOUTH.NET has also heard rumors that SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was approached to take part in the PANTERA comeback, but this has never been publicly corroborated by anyone associated with Anselmo, Brown and the Abbott brothers' respective estates.

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

According to TMZ, Vinnie Paul left the bulk of his estate to his longtime girlfriend Chelsey Yeager and his best friend; Charles Jones got 38% while Chelsey walked away with 37%. The rest was split between Vinnie's tour manager (10%),drum tech (5%),producer (5%) and friend (5%). In addition, Vinnie gave his interest in Dimebag's estate to the guitarist's longtime girlfriend Rita Haney.

While he was alive, Vinnie Paul had repeatedly dismissed talks of a PANTERA reunion, telling Germany's EMP Rock Invasion in 2014: "People are selfish, man. They want what they want; they don't care what you want. And it's unfortunate that people go, 'Oh, wow, man, they can get Zakk Wylde to jump up there on stage and it's PANTERA again.' No, it's not, you know. It's not that simple. If Eddie Van Halen was to get shot in the head four times next week, would everybody be going, 'Hey, man, Zakk, go play for VAN HALEN. Just call it VAN HALEN.' You see what I'm saying? I mean, it's really selfish for people to think that, and it's stupid. It's not right at all."

He continued: "They call it a reunion for a reason. It's called bringing the original members back to what it was. So there's a lot of these things that they call reunions that aren't really reunions. They've got one dude from the band floating around in them, you know. That's not a true reunion. With PANTERA, it'll never be possible."

He repeated those same sentiments a few months later, telling PlanetMosh in a separate interview: "Without Dimebag Darrell, there is no [PANTERA] reunion. And that's all there is to it. We were a very influential band, and we touched millions and millions of people with that band, but it's over. People really have to come to grips with that, and that's all there is to it. If all of us were still here, then the possibility would truly be there, but since it's not, you know… It's selfish of the fans to want something that they can't have. And they don't ever understand that, and I get it. There's things I want in this world too. You know, people in fucking hell want ice water, but they're not gonna get it. So… Anyways, I'm glad that the people who have decided to follow me in HELLYEAH do, and hopefully more of them will. And the ones that wanna live in the past are gonna live in the past."

Up until his passing in June 2018, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

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

Haney in 2011 called on Vinnie and Philip to settle their differences in honor of Dimebag.

Vinnie, who is Dimebag's brother, and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie suggested that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.

Haney told the producers of "Behind The Music Remastered: Pantera" that she forgave the singer after they found themselves unexpectedly face to face at a concert in California.

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

PANTERA will tour North America this summer with LAMB OF GOD as special guests. Fans can also see PANTERA at their recently announced support dates during METALLICA's North America stadium tour dates in 2023 and 2024 and headlining major rock festivals in 2023 including Rockfest, Inkcarceration and more.

In a new interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Synyster Gates (real name: Brian Haner, Jr.) was asked about his biggest guitar influences. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Jimi Hendrix, chordally most especially — what he was doing with his chords at that time. Taking R&B and fusing that with rock was just absolutely legendary. George Harrison is super underrated. That guy could write as great a melodic solo as any of his actual melodies in his greatest tunes. An absolute freak. And I think a lot of people know that Slash [GUNS N' ROSES] changed my life as far as actual note choices and tone; that's incredible. Dimebag Darrell [PANTERA]. If I could play like anybody, it would probably be Dime. That's just the thrashiest, most fucked up raping and pillaging of an instrument I've ever heard. It's so beautiful how he just mastered this feel. You can't sound like him, no matter how hard you try; it's impossible.

"[Eddie] Van Halen, once he passed, unfortunately, it took me a second to kind of revisit some stuff," Synyster added. "I wasn't the biggest VAN HALEN fan as a fan, 'cause I guess the songwriting didn't speak to me as much. But my good God, that's the godfather of rock and roll, or certainly metal. The art of guitar was this, and he just fucking skipped 10 lines and went 50 years into the future in a single breath. I've never seen anything done like that since Django Reinhardt, the godfather of gypsy jazz. Freaks! What he was doing in the '30s and what Van Halen was doing in the '80s? Freak shit."

Almost a decade ago, Gates was asked by Maniacs which guitar player he would have liked to have taken a master class with when he was growing up. He responded: "When I was young, probably Dimebag Darrell. That was my guy. I respected Steve Vai's playing technique a little bit more, but just to be able to meet Dimebag would have been phenomenal. He could have shown me so much cool stuff. That's the guy.

Gates also talked about his songwriting chemistry and twin-guitar sound with fellow AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Zacky Vengeance, particularly during the band's formative years. He said: "I don't know if that kind of perspective was there, but definitely it was a guitar-driven band. When Matt [M. Shadows, vocals] writes songs, he's writing on guitar. When [late drummer] Jimmy ['The Rev' Sullivan] was alive, he was writing for AVENGED on guitar, mainly. I mean, we borrowed some elements from our old band PINKLY SMOOTH — songs like 'Fiction' or 'A Little Piece Of Heaven' are very much him on the piano doing his thing."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD recently completed work on the long-awaited follow-up to 2016's "The Stage" album for a tentative early 2023 release. The LP was once again produced by Joe Barresi, who previously worked on "The Stage".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's upcoming effort was mixed by legendary producer Andy Wallace. Wallace has mixed all of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's studio albums since 2005's "City Of Evil".

MACHINE HEAD was joined by LIFE OF AGONY guitarist Joseph Zampella (a.k.a. Joey Z) during the San Francisco Bay Area act's November 29 concert at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, New York for a rendition of the LIFE OF AGONY classic "This Time". Fan-filmed video of Joey's appearance can be seen below (courtesy of the Professor HeadbangerYouTube channel).

MACHINE HEAD is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which came out last August. The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis" includes the three songs that were featured on the 2021 "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

As previously reported, MACHINE HEAD recruited HAVOK's Reece Alan Scruggs to play second guitar on the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" fall 2022 tour. Scruggs filled in for Polish guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED),who was unable to make the trek due to his touring commitments with his longtime band DECAPITATED.

Reece made his live debut with MACHINE HEAD on November 3 at Strummer's in Fresno, California at the opening show of the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" tour.

Vogg joined MACHINE HEAD's touring lineup prior to the launch of the band's "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour in late 2019.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Joey Z & Machine Head at Saint Vitus

Posted by Life Of Agony Famiglia on Wednesday, November 30, 2022

ABKCO Films has launched "The Rolling Stones Chronicles" series on its VEVO-hosted YouTube channel. Co-produced by BBC Motion Gallery and ABKCO, "The Rolling Stones Chronicles" series consists of six documentary shorts, each featuring a different '60s-era hit song by THE ROLLING STONES as its soundtrack. The music is combined with thematically relevant interview clips from the band and contemporaneous historical figures, interspersed with historical documentary footage of related world events. Each episode will be released one week apart, every Thursday between February 9 and March 16, starting with "Episode 1 - The Last Time".

Set to THE ROLLING STONES' 1965 hit single "The Last Time" (U.S. No. 9; U.K. No. 1),"Episode 1" explains the influence of early rock and roll and Chicago blues on the band, and the irony of the British Invasion being the selling of American culture back to its country of origin. Featuring footage of B.B. King, Little Richard and many other heroes of THE STONES, as well as audio of Marshall Chess telling the story of meeting the Londoners and inviting them to record in Chicago, one of the highlights of "Episode 1 - The Last Time" is Keith Richards describing the day he met future musical partner Mick Jagger on a train holding classic-yet-still-obscure R&B and blues records. "What you've got under your arm is worth robbing," Richards gleefully remembers thinking.

Future episodes of "The Rolling Stones Chronicles" are based around the seismic cultural shifts between 1965 and 1969, of which THE ROLLING STONES themselves were emblematic. "Episode 2 - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (release date: February 16),set to the intercontinental No. 1 hit, follows the theme of sexual liberation, with a brief nod to David Bowie's (then Jones) "Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Long-Haired Men".

The explosion of psychedelics and the infamous "Redlands bust," wherein Jagger, Richards, singer Marianne Faithfull and other friends were arrested for drug possession at Richards's home in '67 is the theme of "Episode 3 - She's A Rainbow", being released February 23.

"The Rolling Stones Chronicles" "Episode 4 - Street Fighting Man" (release date: March 2),set to the song partially inspired by the 1968 student upheaval in Paris and elsewhere, focuses on the intense social unrest in the latter part of the '60s, centered around the struggle for racial equality, gay rights, the movement against the Vietnam War, student demonstrations and the troubles of Northern Ireland. Among the featured audio/visual clips are Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali, the latter of whom states, "My people first deserve freedom, justice and equality."

The theme for "Episode 5 - Jumpin' Jack Flash" (release date: March 9),is the dual nature of technology and its hyper-acceleration during the birth of the computer age. The Cold War, the space race, and innovation in recording techniques are threaded together with footage of nuclear testing, astronauts and THE ROLLING STONES recording at Olympic Studios as featured in Jean-Luc Godard's film "Sympathy For The Devil").

The final installment of "The Rolling Stones Chronicles" ("Episode 6 - Gimme Shelter") will be released on March 16. The haunting 1969 track that opens the "Let It Bleed" album provides a backdrop for the theme of revolution and the turmoil that ended the decade. The hippie movement, the funeral for original guitarist Brian Jones and the Hyde Park tribute concert, and the tragedy of Altamont are all captured. At one point, Jagger explains to an interviewer, "Most young people are dissatisfied with the generation which they think is running their lives." He is then asked, "What things are you dissatisfied with?," to which he responds, "The generation that runs our lives."

"'The Rolling Stones Chronicles' puts the band's music in context with history," said Robin Klein, executive producer of the series. "While they were very much of that time, THE ROLLING STONES themselves served as a vehicle for, and reflected and inspired change."

Samira Choudhury, producer for BBC Motion Gallery, said: "This project provided a unique opportunity to unearth contemporary and authentic voices from the BBC's rich archive to give deeper meaning to THE ROLLING STONES' most influential records, and show how the cultural and societal shifts of the 60s still resonate today".

"The Rolling Stones Chronicles" release schedule:

* Feb. 9: "The Rolling Stones Chronicles - The Last Time" (episode 1)
*Feb. 16: "The Rolling Stones Chronicles - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (episode 2)
*Feb. 23: "The Rolling Stones Chronicles - She's A Rainbow" (episode 3)
*Mar. 2: "The Rolling Stones Chronicles - Street Fighting Man" (episode 4)
*Mar. 9: "The Rolling Stones Chronicles - Jumpin' Jack Flash" (episode 5)
*Mar. 16: "The Rolling Stones Chronicles - Gimme Shelter" (episode 6)

Steve Vai has commented on his recent reunion with his "Swiss cheese" guitar, which was stolen from a California rehearsal space in 1986.

The guitar, which was originally used in the video for David Lee Roth's "Yankee Rose", and was due to be taken out on tour that summer, was returned to the guitarist after being discovered in an attic in Tijuana, Mexico.

Speaking to Radio Forrest in a new interview, Vai said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That guitar was stolen from me 36 and a half years ago, and I thought it was gone. It was made for me by my best friend at the time, Joe Despagni. He'd make all these wacky guitars for me, and he made the Swiss cheese guitar, which is totally unique. And it was stolen during rehearsals with Dave Roth. And I had used it in the 'Yankee Rose' video and I was planning on taking it on tour, putting it through the gauntlet. And it was gone. And 36 and a half years later, it [resurfaces]. And it was this young kid, 21-year-old kid, that discovered it in the attic of his grandparents' house in Tijuana, Mexico, and it was as it was never even opened. And he somehow recognized it and returned it to me."

Vai originally revealed the return of the "Swiss cheese" guitar in a social media post a month ago. At the time, he shared a photo of him with the guitar, and he included the following message: "Reunited, and it feels so good. Oddly enough, after going missing 36 and a half years ago, my custom Joe Despagni 'Swiss Cheese' guitar was finally returned to me. This guitar was custom built for me by Joe Despagni. Joe was my best friend in life growing up and he made me some of the wildest guitars I ever laid my fingers on such as the Flame guitar, the Lightning Bolt, this Swiss Cheese guitar, ZNG ZNG, and his final piece that he made for me before he passed away, Theadolite. He worked with his brother Rob on many of these guitars.

"I used 'Swiss Cheese' in the original 'Yankee Rose' video while I was with David Lee Roth, and stretched it out in rehearsals and was planning on touring with it, but this guitar, along with 3 others, was stolen in Pasadena CA at Perkins Palace during rehearsals for the 'Eat 'Em And Smile' tour. It is officially the first guitar to receive a 'monkey' grip handle, and the first one Joe made with a handle at my request.

"The guitar was discovered by young Iván Gonzáles Acosta in the attic of his grandparents home in Tijuana, Mexico not too long ago. It seems the people that lived in his grandparents house before them purchased the guitar somewhere along the way and it was just stuck in the attic only to be discovered recently when they were reorganizing things.

"When Ivan discovered this guitar, he posted some images online and they came on the trusty radar of our very own Mike Mesker. Mike is THE authority on the history and specifics of all my guitars. Mike started reaching out to Ivan and after some time he was able to arrange a drop off where Ivan was met by Mike, Doug MacArthur and myself. Thanks to Mike for his solid vigilance in bringing this guitar home.

"The condition of the guitar when I saw it was a shocker. It's as if it was put in the case and never played for 36 years. The colors are still vibrant and the neck is in great shape.

"Thank you Ivan for your kind consideration and for reuniting me with this piece of my history. Receiving this guitar feels like an old friend has returned home after so many years to jam with me. I believe that we will make a wonderful Ham and Swiss sandwich together."

Vai spent several years as the guitarist in Roth's post-VAN HALEN solo band, alongside former TALAS bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette.

Vai played with Roth on his 1986 album "Eat 'Em And Smile" as well as its 1988 follow-up, "Skyscraper".

"Eat 'Em And Smile" was the first of two Roth albums to feature the duo of Vai and Billy Sheehan on guitar and bass. Throughout the LP, the two would often sync complicated bass lines together with the lead guitar parts, as on tracks such as "Shyboy" and "Elephant Gun".

Reunited, and it feels so good. Oddly enough, after going missing 36 and a half years ago, my custom Joe Despagni “Swiss...

Posted by Steve Vai on Saturday, January 14, 2023

After releasing their latest record, "Deceivers", last year to critical acclaim, extreme metal masters ARCH ENEMY have returned today with a new video for the track "Poisoned Arrow". The clip, which was produced by Mirko Witzki of Witzki Visions, can be seen below.

ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott comments: "I almost can't believe we're releasing a seventh (!) video off our recent 'Deceivers' album. Yet here it is, 'Poisoned Arrow', a mid-tempo track drenched in melodic guitar work and a somewhat different vibe overall compared to the other singles we've had out.

"The video was shot in Berlin, Germany during a hectic whirlwind schedule with director Mirko Witzki and his talented crew — they even made it snow in the middle of the sweltering German summer heat!

"Here's another Deutschland connection for you; our German friend Raphy played the beautiful cello part on the intro and outro of the song, thanks again mate!

"2023 is upon us and ARCH ENEMY is back on the road again, we launch the proceedings in New Zealand, Australia and Japan and have a big European summer run too. Who knows where we'll go after that...but for now, check out 'Poisoned Arrow'!"

Starting this weekend, ARCH ENEMY will hit the road, touring the world in support of "Deceivers". The quintet will first appear in New Zealand and Australia before heading to Japan. This summer, fans will have the chance to catch ARCH ENEMY at the biggest festivals across Europe (with more European shows to be announced soon!).

ARCH ENEMY played its first post-pandemic show at the opening date of "The North American Siege 2022" tour with BEHEMOTH and NAPALM DEATH on April 16, 2022 at The Marquee in Tempe, Arizona.

Amott previously stated about "Deceivers": "Having just celebrated our 25th anniversary as a group and now releasing our 11th studio album, one could easily assume that we would be cruising along and going through the motions at this point. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to ARCH ENEMY and our new album, 'Deceivers'.

"It is, without a doubt, always a challenge to raise the bar each time in both the songwriting and production side of things, and it can feel a bit daunting before we get into it. But once we do get started and fully immerse ourselves in the creative process, it's really like there is nothing else in the world and we are very focused. And believe it or not, for the most part, we have a ton of fun making this music! Creating 'Deceivers' was no different. Once again we shut out the outside world and went deep into the artistic zone. I believe we pulled out some really interesting musical and lyrical themes this time, a few things might even raise an eyebrow or two — while retaining all the signature elements of the band. In the end, it's ARCH ENEMY at full speed and power."

In a new interview with Baltimore's 98 Rock radio station, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman discussed his views on this year's Grammy Awards. Premiering live from Crypto.com Arena, the 65th annual event honored this year's biggest musical releases on Sunday, February 5, with Ozzy Osbourne walking away with two Grammy Awards for "Best Rock Album" (his first-ever win in the category) and "Best Metal Performance" from his hugely successful and critically acclaimed "Patient Number 9" album.

Saying that he caught "some of" this year's Grammy Awards, Draiman added: "I'm [a Recording] Academy member. I support it. I do — as many other rock musicians feel — I do wish there was a stronger rock presence and at least more of a representation. I'm happy that Ozzy got two awards. I voted for him. So I'm happy to see him get it."

Draiman also addressed the criticism leveled at Sam Smith and Kim Petras for their performance of their hit single "Unholy", in which Petras, a German singer-songwriter who identifies as transgender, performed alongside drag stars Violet Chachki and Gottmik dressed in devil costumes, while Smith — who was born a male and identifies as a "gender nonbinary individual" — was in a bright red top hat with devil horns sticking out from it for the final chorus. Instead of celebrating the fact that the pair made history for the LGBTQ community as the first openly transgender woman and first openly non-binary artist to win the Grammy for best pop duo for "Unholy", some prominent Republicans and conservative viewers expressed disgust over the performance slammed the performances for promoting the worship of Satan.

Draiman said: "It's taking the pop stars to be rock stars these days. I said it on Twitter after I went ahead and saw the performance, too. It's, like, nobody can complain that rock is too edgy or pushes the envelope too far for mass broadcasts anymore. You can't. Sorry. They definitely took it to the next level; Sam Smith and everybody took it to the next level."

David went on to praise Smith and Petras's performance, saying: "Look, that's exactly what you need to do. That's what everybody is talking about. [Sam] pushed the envelope. He did this [extends middle finger] to the camera for everybody and knew exactly how to push everybody's button to make them recognize and piss the people off that he wanted to piss off and make the people that he wanted happy, happy. It was the perfect double-edged sword. I applaud him."

In a video posted on Twitter, Donald Trump Jr., son of former U.S. president Donald Trump and a right-wing influencer, blasted Smith and Petras's performance, saying that claims Hollywood and the entertainment industry are into Satanic rituals would be dismissed as conspiracy theories "despite all of the symbolism, despite all of the coincidence with said symbolism."

"Maybe it's art, but why is it always this kind of art? Why is it never, like, regular art?" he said.

Elsewhere, Fox News host Tucker Carlson criticized the awards on his show, saying: "Yeah they stormed Omaha Beach for that: Trans ideology plus Satanism, popular entertainment."

At Sunday's Grammy Awards, Petras elaborated on the mindset behind the performance: "I think a lot of people, honestly, have kind of labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as religiously not cool.

"I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it, but then slowly realizing it doesn't want me to be a part of it. So it's a take on not being able to choose religion and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live, because, you know, as a trans person, I'm kind of already not wanted in religion."

Bordeaux, France-based technical death metal goliaths, Gorod, will release their long-awaited seventh album, The Orb, on March 7.


The follow-up to the band’s Æthra full-length stands as their most accomplished work of their twenty-six year career. With The Orb, the quintet delivers both a synthesis of their previous efforts and opens to new, more accessible horizons. Far from being an average classic tech death act, Gorod continually diversifies its inspirations. With a unique groove mingled with melodies and rich harmonies inspired by ‘70s jazz, funk, and rock, their progressive and sophisticated approach to their sound has always given them a unique identity. The Orb furthers that trajectory.


Comments the band, “The overall composition of this album stretched out more in time than Æthra, which allowed us to try new things. We wanted to go both a little further in new experiments but also return back to our own sources in order to highlight the contrasts. From the most spontaneous to the most polished, we've put together the most accessible and extreme material we could.”




In advance of the record’s release, Gorod has released two videos. Watch a lyric video for “Breeding Silence”, and a video for The Orb’s title track, below. An additional album teaser will be unveiled in the coming days.


The Orb was produced by David Thiers at Secret Place Studio and will be released on CD, LP, and digitally. Find pre-orders here.





Tracklisting:


"Chrematheism"
"We Are The Sun Gods"
"The Orb"
"Savitri"
"Breeding Silence"
"Victory"
"Waltz Of Shades"
"Scale Of Sorrows"
"Strange Days"


"The Orb" video:





Breeding Silence" lyric video:





Gorod’s art is fully expressed on stage thanks to their explosive energy and mind bogglingly tight live performances. In conjunction with the release of The Orb, Gorod will return to North America for a month-long headlining run. The Orb Release Tour will begin March 16 in Brooklyn, New York and run through April 15 in Richmond, Virginia. Support will be provided by Cognitive, Summoning The Lich, and Flub.





Gorod lineup:


Mathieu Pascal – guitar
Benoit Claus – bass
Julien "Nutz" Deyres – vocals
Nicolas Alberny – guitar
Karol Diers – drums


(Photo - Pierre Wetzel)

This Friday February 10, Distant - the multinational down-tempo/deathcore juggernaut from Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and the Slovak Republic - will release their third full-length, Heritage, via Century Media Records. For a new preview of Heritage, the single/video for the title track,feat. Lorna Shore's Will Ramos, can be seen below.


Distant comments: "'Heritage', the title track from the newest Distant album, is a playful and colorful track featuring Will Ramos from Lorna Shore. 'Heritage' is a breathtakingly heavy track yet still emotional, with a huge chorus and pace to last you for days, showcasing the diversity of our Dutch/Slovak collective! At last, the father and son cross blades; during this exhausting battle, they remember the times forgotten as the clash of their blades sparks new light and brings up the twisted revelation of this catastrophic deception."







Heritage is available to pre-order in the following formats:


- Ltd. CD Digipak
- Black LP             
- Transp. red LP available from CM Distro Wholesale EU, CMdistro.de and USA outlets (limited to 500 copies)
- White LP available from CM Distro Wholesale EU and CMdistro.de (limited to 300 copies)
- White-red marbled LP available from Distant (limited to 500 copies)
- Digital album   





Tracklisting:


"Acid Rain"
"Paradigm Shift"
"Born Of Blood"
"The Grief Manifest"
"Exofilth"
"Argent Justice"
"The Gnostic Uprising"
"A Sentence To Suffer"
"Human Scum"
"Heritage"
"Orphan Of Blight"
"Plaguebreeder"


"Argent Justice" video:





"Exofilth" video:





"Human Scum" video:





"Orphan Of Blight" video:





Distant lineup:


Alan Grnja - vocals
Elmer Maurits - bass guitar
Nouri Yetgin - lead guitar
Vladimir Golic - rhythm guitar
Jan Mato - drums


(Photo - Luca Roman)

"Time for a mid-week treat metalheads," begins an update from Sabaton. "Check out our brand new lyric video for 'Gott Mit Uns' (Swedish). Blast it loud, sing it LOUDER!"





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




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


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


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


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


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


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





Tour dates:


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


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

Those Damn Crows continue their enviable ascent with the release of empowering new single, "Takedown", included on their forthcoming new album. A ten-track collection of bona fide, modern rock bangers, Inhale/Exhale is set for release worldwide on February 17 via Earache Records. Tiding fans over ‘til the new album is released, "Takedown" is available today on all streaming platforms.


Frontman Shane Greenhall gets personal, confiding, "'Takedown' is the feeling you get when someone challenges you. I’m a very competitive person and have no issue going up against ANYONE… Especially if someone tells me I can’t do something… WATCH ME! You know the people who big themselves up by knocking down others? The ones who talk like they’ve been there, done that, know everything. They haven’t lived a day in your shoes though; they don't know the real you. But 'Takedown' isn’t just about the bullshit you hear from others. It’s also about the bullshit you tell yourself everyday too. ‘You’re not good enough’, ‘you can’t do that’ - the constant put downs we tell ourselves. I used to get caught up in how others saw me and do this to myself… it was a red rag to a bull. I’m always happy to prove people wrong, but these days I can see that coming a mile away and try to avoid it like the plague. Focus on you and what you CAN achieve as you ‘fly and soar’ above the negative, life sucking bullshit!”


Watch the official video for the single:







Inhale/Exhale is available for pre-order worldwide now at earache.com/thosedamncrows on an immense number of formats including: a collector's edition bundle (which will house a burnt orange and black splatter vinyl with alternate fire carousel cover, exclusive to this edition); limited edition coloured vinyl with an exclusive 12-page booklet (clear with black smoke, purple, yellow), plus blue and white splatter vinyl with alternate blue sky carousel cover; signed CD with exclusive 12-page booklet and alternate fire carousel cover; a cassette collection of the band's full discography; USB; and digital download. HMV carry two more exclusive formats: CD with alternate blue sky carousel cover and black vinyl with alternate fire carousel cover. A green vinyl format exclusive to indie stores is also available.





Inhale/Exhale tracklisting:


"Fill The Void"
"Takedown"
"Man On Fire"
"Wake Up (Sleepwalker)"
"This Time I'm Ready"
"I Am"
"See You Again"
"Lay It All On Me"
"Find A Way"
"Waiting For Me"


"See You Again" video:





"Man On Fire" video:





"Wake Up (Sleepwalker)" video:

Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Paul Stanley, Joan Jett and Gary Clark Jr. appear in a Super Bowl commercial for Workday, a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources.

In the hilarious clip, the musicians admonish Workday and the corporate world at large for co-opting the phrase "rock star," noting it should be used sparingly, and only for those who have rightfully earned it through years of decadent, defiant — and at times wild — behavior.

The campaign, titled "Rock Star," highlights a singularly bold offender: Workday, the technology company defining the future of work through the products it provides. Workday is famous for creating "rock stars" in the workplace, including more than half of the Fortune 500 companies, and a customer community of more than 60 million workers around the world. Workday has brazenly celebrated its finance and HR rock star customers via national press advertisements, social media campaigns, and digital out-of-home advertisements. Following this outrageous display, rock and roll icons felt their melodic voices could no longer remain silent.

Punk rock icon Billy Idol said members of the rock and roll community were disheartened by the flagrant proliferation of the term "rock star" in emails, pings, and meetings.

"We're frustrated that a corporation like Workday is committed to turning normal people into rock stars," Idol said. "We understand that its enterprise cloud applications help customers deliver value fast, but Workday clearly doesn't grasp the knock-on effects of its success on the rock and roll community. Just because anyone can be called a rock star, doesn't mean they deserve the moniker. At the end of the day, Workday's customers shouldn't receive a larger standing ovation than we ever did."

To help raise awareness, Idol, along with Clark Jr., Jett, Osbourne and Stanley starred in a commercial, which will air in front of the largest TV audience in the world during the Big Game on February 12.

Stanley, legendary frontman of hard rock band KISS, opens the new commercial pointing out the ongoing offense and reminding rock fans, "9 to 5? Sure! 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.! I love my office because I share it with 50,000 fans and the only suit I wear has studs all over it. Now 'Who's a rock star?'"

The "Rock Star" commercial reminds viewers what true rock star antics look like, with Clark Jr. demonstrating the commitment required to shred a guitar lick, Jett reminding viewers she's been touring since she was 16, Idol recounting the determination required to trash hotel rooms in 43 countries, and Osbourne recalling the complete lack of business synergy that led him to do his fair share of "bad things."

"Back in the day, we were wreaking havoc in every town, not managing processes through 'real time reporting and analytics,'" said rock icon Osbourne. "In fact, I don't even know what that means. Real rock stars don't 'circle back,' or 'take it offline,' and we sure don't send 'friendly reminders.' Really mate, I'm happy Workday makes your job easier, and I bet your boss even likes you more. I've got to say, the thought of making a boss happy really annoys me…"

For guitarist and songwriter Clark Jr., the offense stings when he reflects on his commitment to rocking audiences all over the world night after night. "I've spent countless hours keeping my skills up to snuff, running licks, ensuring my mind and body are ready to hit the stage to give fans the performance they expect," said Clark Jr. "Staying in rock and roll shape transcends the 40-hour work week—I'm out here until my fingers bleed."

While these rock icons acknowledge that Workday does make people very, very good at their jobs, they implore businesspeople to cease using "rock star" in a corporate context.

"I'd like to acknowledge the distress that the use of the term 'rock star' in the workplace has caused these rock and roll icons," said Pete Schlampp, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of corporate growth, Workday. "Out of a deep and abiding respect for rock and roll, we at Workday pledge to only use the phrase when we mean serious business in celebrating the fantastic work of our customers."

Image courtesy of Workday

Frontiers Music Srl will release Archon Angel's second album, II, on April 14. It follows the band's 2020 debut, Fallen, which saw vocalist Zak Stevens (Circle II Circle, Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and producer/guitarist Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Edge Of Forever) delivering a fantastic slab of power/progressive metal.


A new single and music video, "Fortress" is out today. Watch the clip below, and pre-order/save II here.


Fans of Archon Angel's debut will surely find no sophomore slump awaits them on II. In fact, Stevens and Lonobile have locked in on all the key parts that worked so well on their debut and amplified and perfected them for this glorious follow-up.




The seeds of Archon Angel were planted when producer/guitarist Lonobile and vocalist Stevens were collaborating on songs for Timo Tolkki's Avalon's Return To Eden album, which Aldo produced and played guitar on and Zak did some guest lead vocals for. After some discussions about what musical direction they wanted to take, Aldo sent Zak some demos that were reminiscent of classic Savatage records like Edge Of Thorns and Gutter Ballet. The two felt they were onto something and followed their musical muse, ultimately culminating in what would become Archon Angel's debut album, Fallen.





Zak Stevens first came to prominence in the metal scene when he was hand-picked by Savatage's Jon Olivia to take over as lead vocalist for the band. Starting with 1993's Edge Of Thorns, he would record four studio albums with the band, including the aforementioned album plus Handful Of Rain, Dead Winter Dead, and The Wake Of Magellan. He has also performed on multiple Trans-Siberian Orchestra releases, including Christmas Eve and Other Stories, Beethoven's Last Night, and more, while also being a member of the band's touring production.


Around 2001, Zak started a band, Circle II Circle, which has recorded seven studio albums, with the most recent being 2015's Reign Of Darkness. Additionally, he has appeared on albums by Timo Tolkki's Avalon, Machines Of Grace, Jon Olivia's Pain, and more.





II tracklisting:


"Wake Of Emptiness"
"Avenging The Dragon"
"Fortress"
"Quicksand"
"Away From The Sun"
"Afterburn"
"I Will Return"
"One Last Reflection"
"Bulletproof"
"Shattered"
"Lake Of Fire"


"Fortress" video:





Lineup:


Vocals: Zak Stevens
Guitars: Aldo Lonobile
Bass: Nik Mazzucconi
Drums: Marco Lazzarini
Keyboards & Piano: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Synth & Orchestral Arrangements: Antonio Agate

After the successful celebration of the 20th anniversary of their seminal sophomore album "Machine" and a major North American tour supporting ROB ZOMBIE in 2022, multi-platinum selling industrial music icons STATIC-X have announced their eighth studio album, "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2". The LP is a collection of 13 brand-new songs that contain the final vocal performances and musical compositions of founding vocalist Wayne Static, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" lineup featuring Tony Campos (bass),Koichi Fukuda (guitars) and Ken Jay (drums). The new album was produced by STATIC-X's current vocalist/guitarist Xer0 and mixed/mastered by longtime collaborator Ulrich Wild. The new album is scheduled for release on November 3 and is now available for pre-order at static-x.com in various configurations, including limited color vinyl, limited shirts, hoodies and more.

The first single released from "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2" is a cover of the NINE INCH NAILS "Pretty Hate Machine" classic track "Terrible Lie". The re-imagined version features vocals recorded by Static, along with an epic musical interpretation created by the original lineup and their producer Xer0. Wayne's vocals were discovered as part of a series damaged audio tapes that the band uncovered a few years back. The band's unique interpretation retains the electronic feel of the classic NIN song, while injecting it with the signature energy of STATIC-X and their Evil Disco sound. A music video for the single — which features Static projected behind the band — is now available and can be seen below. The video was directed by the album's executive producer and longtime friend Edsel Dope, who is also believed to be touring and recording with STATIC-X as Xer0, and co-directed by Matt Zane.

All of the music associated with "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2" is the result of collaborations between the four founding members along with their new vocalist/guitarist/producer Xer0. No additional guests appear on the album and there were no outside contributions to the songwriting, musical compositions, or the performances on "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2". Between the two releases, STATIC-X fans around the globe have been treated to over two dozen brand new songs — most of which feature Static on lead vocals — and all released after his untimely passing.

Campos says: "I am so happy that the recording for 'Project Regeneration: Vol. 2' is finally finished, and the album is currently being mixed by our longtime producer Ulrich Wild. The only thing left is for the vinyl manufacturing to be completed. I am proud to say that between 'Project Regeneration: Vol. 1' and 'Project Regeneration: Vol. 2', we have been able to bring the fans 25 brand new STATIC-X songs, most of which feature Wayne Static on lead vocals. Nobody would have imagined that any of this could even be possible a few short years ago."

Wayne's mother, father, and three siblings remain involved with STATIC-X's work to this day and have proudly attended several shows since the band's reformation in 2019.

Wayne's younger sister Aimee says: "We all miss Wayne very much and we are so proud of the way that the band has chosen to honor him through the completion of his final works. They continue to place an emphasis on his presence within their live shows and it’s been incredible to see the fans continue to connect with the band's music and with Wayne's memory. We fully support the journey that STATIC-X is currently on, and we know that Wayne would be incredibly grateful for all of the hard work that Tony, Ken, Koichi and Xer0 have done over the past few years."

Xer0 states: "We are so grateful to Wayne's family for giving us their blessings and trusting us to complete Wayne's final works. This has been an incredibly challenging task, to say the least, and it has all been done with an immense amount of love and respect. I am also grateful to all of the STATIC-X fans around the world for all of the love and support they have shown towards me."

Adds Jay: "Due to this being a two-part album and the fans having already been treated to 13 original songs from 'Vol. 1', we thought it would be fun to share the NIN cover, as we announce the completion of 'Vol 2'. 'Terrible Lie' is just a taste of what is to come, and we can’t wait for fans to heart the rest of this album!"

STATIC-X — featuring the lineup of Campos, Fukuda, Jay and Xer0 — will hit the road in 2023, headlining the "Rise Of The Machine" tour with FEAR FACTORY alongside DOPE, MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID. The 42-date trek kicks off February 25 in San Francisco, California and wraps up April 15, in Los Angeles, California. Dates have been selling out across the country, with select markets upgrading to larger venues to meet the demand for the tour. STATIC-X also recently revealed plans for a tour of Australia and an appearance at the Blue Ridge Rock Fest this year.

Photo credit: Matt Zane

In a new interview with the "Heavy Metal Mayhem" radio show, former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens addressed the fact that he is a often a magnet for controversy with some of the things he says or posts on social media. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think the problem is I use a lot of humor [when I do interviews or post things on social media]. It's funny, you say something 10 years ago or five years ago, and people still talk about it.

"Nobody knows me. They don't really know me politically," Tim continued. "They don't know me personally. They don't know what I do [or] who I am. They just know the Tim 'Ripper' Owens who does these interviews.

"What gets me in trouble is I kind of like to use a lot of humor, so I'm always saying something funny, and the next thing you know it's taken out of context.

"It is what it is. And that's what you have to deal with," Owens added. "You post something — even if it's a positive thing… Listen, I've lost a lot of weight [and I posted something about it on social media]. It's a positive thing, and I'm really healthy and taking care of myself. And then people even knock that. You read headlines… And it was a nice, positive thing. Blabbermouth took it off my Instagram and posted it and said I lost 50 pounds and blah, blah, blah. And it was nice; it wasn't like they took it and made something bad out of it. I don't ever read comments — ever — but this one I thought I would, to see how people can actually make this a bad thing. And, of course, they did. And that's just what they do. And you deal with that."

Tim went on to say that he is "definitely" more careful about what he says publicly nowadays. "I've watched what I've said now for probably the past three or four years," he said. "I still get in trouble; I still say something [that gets people riled up].

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a guy that talks [publicly] about politics," Owens clarified. "I used to like posts or say a few things in the past, but I don't talk [publicly] about politics, just because it doesn't matter if you're left or right or middle, whatever you say, the left, the right or the middle is gonna attack you. So it's kind of a silly thing. But whatever you say, that's just the way it is nowadays. People, they like to hate; they're never positive. But with that being said, that's five to 10 percent of the people. I mean, it depends on the headline on social media, because that might be more, but a lot of times, what happens is you happen to gravitate toward the negative stuff that people say about you more than the positive stuff, and I think that's the bad thing.

"When people say to me, 'I don't like you. You suck. You can't sing. You have a bad stage presence,' this and that. But that's not true. That's not true," Tim said. "If you just said, 'I don't like it. I don't like his singing,' okay, I can live with that. That's fine — I can live with that. You don't like me. That's fine. There's a lot of singers I don't like either. But I wouldn't say that, though. The difference is I don't go on somebody's page and go, 'Jesus, look at you.' Or, 'Man, that's a terrible record.' I don't do that. I'm not that stupid. But when people say I can't sing, they need to open their fucking ears, because I can sing just about anything."

Owens recently released a solo EP, "Return To Death Row". The effort was produced by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Nick Bellmore (JASTA, DEE SNIDER). Players on the EP, which contain Owens's "heaviest songs yet," include Nick Bellmore, Charlie Bellmore (DEE SNIDER, ex-TOXIC HOLOCAUST) on guitar, and Chris Beaudette (JASTA, ENTEIRRO) on bass.

Owens is currently the frontman of KK'S PRIEST, featuring fellow former JUDAS PRIEST member K.K. Downing.

Owens joined PRIEST after being discovered when the band's drummer, Scott Travis, was given a videotape of him performing with the PRIEST cover act BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Rob Halford.

Owens recorded two studio albums with JUDAS PRIEST — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before the band reunited with Halford in 2003.

"Demolition" and "Jugulator" are included on "50 Heavy Metal Years Of Music", JUDAS PRIEST's 2021 limited-edition box set which contains every official live and studio album to date plus 13 unreleased discs.

Swedish melodic death/thrash practitioners Vittra have unveiled a new video for “Sommarfödd.” The track comes by way of the band’s debut full-length, Blasphemy Blues, released in Europe late last year. Blasphemy Blues boasts a gripping combination of crushing death metal with strong songwriting and catchy hooks.





Originally called Vildvittra, based on the characters created by Astrid Lindgren as part of Ronja Rövardotter [Swedish for "Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter," a children’s fantasy book first published in 1981], their name later evolved into Vittra, inspired by the mythical creatures appearing in Swedish folk stories. And while Swedish folk is a recurring theme weaving in and out of their music, the band is firmly rooted in melodic death and thrash metal in the veins of Dissection, early In Flames, Megadeth, and At The Gates.




Comments the band of their frosty new video, “Sommarfödd = The raw forces of a dark cold winter, combined with the strong longing for a verdant spring! The track is groovy melodeath with some intense Swedish melodic black metal vibes.”


The record will see official US release on February 24. Preorder at vittraofficial.ffm.to.


Produced at SolnaSound in the fall of 2021, supported by both Simon Johansson (Soilwork) and Mike Wead (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate), Blasphemy Blues was finalized in April 2022. Lawrence Mackrory (Bloodbath, Lik, Firespawn) handled the mixing and mastering.


Blasphemy Blues artwork and tracklisting:





"Colossal"
"Halls Of Ancients"
"Satmara"
"Lykantropi"
"Feeding Frenzy"
"Self-Loathing"
"Temptation"
"Sommarfödd"
"Undead" (Bonus Track)


"Halls Of Ancients" video:





"Satmara" video:





"Lykantropi" video:





For further details, visit Vittra on Facebook.


(Photo by Glen Mountford)


 

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine took part in a video chat on Monday (February 6) during which he discussed the band's upcoming one-off global livestream, "They Only Come Out At Night", from the legendary Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

"They Only Come Out At Night" will be streamed worldwide and fully live on Monday, February 27 at 6 p.m. Tokyo time (JST).

Asked what MEGADETH fans can expect to see during the livestream, Mustaine said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we haven't been to Japan for a while, and we obviously proudly are boasting a new lineup. And fans in Japan, they all know Dirk [Verbeuren, MEGADETH drummer] and Kiko [Loureiro, MEGADETH guitarist]. And they know James [LoMenzo, MEGADETH bassist] too; James has been over there with a multitude of different performers. So it's not gonna be like any of us are gonna go and say, 'Hey, look, we're gonna surprise you.' But I think the sum of the parts… this is probably the best-playing lineup that we've had for a long time.

"Usually when you're out with a new record, the person who's in the band is able to play those songs because they recorded them, but it's kind of hit-or-miss with the other material, 'cause it's not theirs," Mustaine explained. "They're doing the best that they can to kind of comprehend it, and then sometimes they just don't feel like it. I know there's times I've done cover songs of other people, and when it's time to do the solo, if I make a mistake, it's a new solo.

"I think the show that they can count is gonna be 90 minutes of MEGADETH music," Dave added. "We're hoping to play some songs that they haven't heard for a very long time and a lot of new ones they haven't heard at all. And also we're gonna be going to have an opportunity to meet all the fans while we're there. Not all of them, per se — I think it's only 150 of them — but whoever is out in the street in front of where we're gonna be, we'll be able to say hi and wave and all that good stuff."

Before the livestream commences, fans will be treated to an exclusive behind-the-scenes video capturing the band's trip through Japan, leading into their first-ever live performance at the Budokan where they will be performing classic tracks, as well as songs from their current album, "The Sick, The Dying...And The Dead!" The show will then be re-broadcast three times, so fans around the world can watch at a time suitable for them. Thereafter, the whole performance will be available to watch "on demand" for another 48 hours, as follows:

• Live Show: 6 p.m. JST / 9 a.m. GMT / 4 a.m. EST / 1 a.m. PST
• Rebroadcast #1: 7 p.m. GMT / 8 p.m. CET
• Rebroadcast #2: 8 p.m. EST
• Rebroadcast #3: 8 p.m. PST
• On demand opens: Monday, February 27 11:30 p.m. PST / 2:30 a.m. EST* / 7:30 a.m. GMT* (*Tuesday, February 28)
• On demand closes: Wednesday, March 1 at 11:30 p.m. PST / 2:30 a.m. EST* / 7:30 a.m. GMT* (*Thursday, March 2).

Ticketholders will get access to the livestream, all re-broadcasts, and to on-demand replays. Fans can buy tickets via Dreamstage and watch all broadcasts and on-demand replays from anywhere around the world, except Japan.

For fans in Japan, "They Only Come Out at Night" is only accessible via Wowow.

Exclusive livestream merchandise is available to pre-order with tickets, during the livestream, and during the on-demand period. Orders will begin shipping approximately four weeks after the show.

According to the MEGADETH fan page Megadeth Of Destruction, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman strongly insinuated that he will join the band on stage during the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit's concert at Budokan.

While appearing on the Japanese radio program "Next Guitar Hero Is..." on InterFM897, the 60-year-old Friedman — who has been living and recording music in Japan since 2003 — said: "I can't give details. But we'll play together … I believe it will be a magical night."

If Friedman's performance with MEGADETH materializes, it will be his first appearance with the band since he exited the group in 2000.

Mustaine has seemingly been on good terms with Friedman in recent years, with the MEGADETH leader stating in a Cameo video (see below) that he had spoken with Marty as recently as this past New Year's Eve.

Three years ago, Friedman admitted that money was a major motivator for him when he was approached about taking part in a reunion of MEGADETH's "Rust In Peace" lineup.

Friedman had met with Mustaine and then-bassist David Ellefson at the 2015 NAMM show in Anaheim, California to discuss the reunion, which would have seen him and drummer Nick Menza back in the mix.

Friedman opened up about his reasons for turning down the MEGADETH reunion in Mustaine's latest book, "Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece", which details the making of the iconic record "Rust In Peace".

"My main thing was I'd be happy to do it, but I'm not going to take less money than I'm already making to do it," Marty said in part.

"I'd been in Japan for more than ten years cultivating a career with solid rewards. I was making money not only for myself but also for my management and staff. My manager has been with me fifteen years.

"Everything was sound and solid professionally, and when the offer came up to all of a sudden join MEGADETH again, as long as I would not be making less money, I was ready to go," he said. "But I was certainly not going to take a loss to join a band that, frankly, at that point, didn't seem like they had too much to offer musically. A couple of members of the band had recently quit, and musically I hadn't heard anything that they've done in a long time. I didn't know about how relevant they continued to be in the music business. It wasn't like MEGADETH was on the tip of people's tongues, at least not in Japan. I had reached the point where people stopped immediately connecting me to MEGADETH and were talking about the things that I had done in Japan."

According to Friedman, part of the reason he turned down the MEGADETH reunion is the fact that the group is largely seen as Mustaine's solo project, with members coming and going every couple of albums.

"Had it been more of a band situation and not such a one-man, Dave Mustaine-main-man party, I might have considered doing it for a little less," Marty said. "But, at the end of the day, MEGADETH is so much Mustaine because that's the way he engineered it. I didn't feel that kind of camaraderie, the four-man diamond, THE BEATLES, KISS, METALLICA. I felt like I would be going out there and tour and it was going to be Mustaine's big success. If I'm going to do that, I'm certainly not going to lose money to do that; I was doing great on my own in Japan."

Mustaine told Loudwire that he was put off by Friedman's financial demands when the topic of a "Rust In Peace" reunion was broached.

"Marty has a really successful career in Japan where he makes quite a lot of money," Dave said. "And this is the part where I thought it was a little weird, where he said he said that he has to pay all his team while he's gone instead of just himself. 'Cause I thought we'll pay you what you're making so that's switching horses in the middle of the river — it's no big deal unless you fall off. And then when we found out that he wanted to sell his merch, his this, his that, his this, his that, then he wanted this crazy amount of money and he wanted to fly first class everywhere. I said to our management, 'I can't deal with this.'"

In a 2016 interview with the "Eddie Trunk Podcast", Mustaine confirmed that MEGADETH didn't hold any rehearsals with Friedman while attempting a reunion of the "Rust In Peace" lineup.

"Marty had sent some e-mails saying, 'Oh, man, you know, the fans have this self-inflated importance of 'Rust In Peace' beyond what it really is. And I was, like, 'Huh?'" Dave said. 'So I didn't know if that was a backhand to the face of the fans or not, but he had basically said that if we were gonna do anything, it had to be better than 'Rust In Peace'. And he sent me over some links to some songs that he thought should be the direction that we were going in, and one of it was this J-Pop band with some Japanese girl singing, and I was, like, 'Uh-uh. This ain't gonna work.' More power to [Marty for being into that stuff]. Do what you want, Marty. He's a great guitar player. But I'm not gonna sing like a Japanese girl."

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Excited to announce ‘They Only Come Out at Night’ - Live at Budokan!

This will be a Global Livestream Event from the legendary Budokan Arena in Tokyo on February 27, 2023 + on-demand for 2 days.

Get Livestream Tickets NOW at https://t.co/RZLlh59zlFpic.twitter.com/dVelipm89l

— Megadeth (@Megadeth) February 6, 2023



MARTY FRIEDMAN TOCARÁ JUNTO A MEGADETH EL PRÓXIMO 27 DE FEBRERO EN JAPÓN.

Hace unos meses, cuando adelantamos sobre la…

Posted by Megadeth of Destruction on Friday, January 20, 2023



Hoy, Dave subió un video en Cameo comentando que recientemente había hablado con Marty Friedman y dando a entender que lo saludó por Año Nuevo. Esto indicaría ¿buenas noticias?

A finales de agosto de 2022, Mustaine afirmó que Friedman aceptó la invitación para tocar junto a Megadeth, la próxima vez que la banda esté de gira en Japón. Posteriormente, los primeros días de septiembre, la productora UDO, confirmó dos conciertos de Megadeth en Japón (27 y 28 de febrero de 2023) y los boletos salieron a la venta, ese mismo mes.

Recientemente, la página web oficial de Megadeth, confirmó un tercer concierto en Tokio (Japón),para el 24 de febrero.

Lo curioso es que, Marty estará libre precisamente a finales de febrero de 2023, ya que, el 03 de marzo iniciará con su tour por Estados Unidos.

Posted by Megadeth of Destruction on Saturday, December 31, 2022
Thanks Marty. You helped in a big way. So @Megadeth and the @marty_friedman project, play Budokan in Tokyo. Sound fun? Haha! Love ya bud 🙂 https://t.co/0SzoFimmKc

— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) February 13, 2017

Eternal Evil was formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 2019, with the intention to carry on the legacy of early high energy early classic thrash insanity.


Conjuring malicious old school metal powers, Eternal Evil’s debut, 'The Warriors Awakening... Brings The Unholy Slaughter’, was issued in November 2021 via Redefining Darkness Records. 


The band comments on their recent line up change: “Eternal Evil has risen up from the departures with the new members Adam Schmidt on drums and Niklas Saari on bass."




"During Autumn of this year the band will be heading to Studio Humbucker to work with Robert Pehrsson once again to make the second album of Eternal Evil."


"Fast, atmospheric and pounding riffs dominate tracks like 'The Gates Beyond Mortality' and 'Guerilla Warfare' with lyrical themes ranging from occultism to violent warfare. With this installation of Eternal Evil, influences including Annihilator, Dark Angel and Dissection will be even more memorable.”


Eternal Evil 2023 band lineup:  


Adrian Tobar – vocals and lead guitar
Tobias Lindström – lead guitar
Niklas Saari – bass guitar
Adam Schmidt – drums


 

During an appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt was asked why it's still important for him and his bandmates to make new music, even after the economics of the music industry have completely changed the business of releasing albums. He responded: "There's only so much you can do playing the same stuff over and over again. I guess the simplest way to put it is I need to make new music; it's what keeps me motivated and keeps me interested. If I'm just gonna do tours and tell myself, 'I've got enough albums. We'll just make sure we vary the setlist a lot and we don't need to make new music anymore,' I would become incredibly bored incredibly fast and I probably wouldn't wanna do it anymore. I mean, we make crushing, killer albums that stand up against any of the classic stuff. So we're not out there force-feeding the audience a bunch of new songs they don't wanna hear. People wanna hear the stuff. And I wanna play it. And it makes me happy. It makes all of us happy."

Regarding EXODUS's plans to write the follow-up to 2021's "Persona Non Grata" album, Holt said: "I've always got a million riffs. I have probably a thousand that I didn't use on the last album. Sometimes it's just 'cause I get OCD, and I get caught up in the latest riff, and I won't go back and bother to listen to the other stuff. And sometimes I'll pull up really great stuff that is decades old — like, 'Wow. How did I not use that?' Writing riffs is easy. After this [North American] tour [with ANTHRAX and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY], I've got three months off, and I'm gonna start working on the new record."

When host Full Metal Jackie noted that we have heard stories of how artists have had all these riffs stored on their phones or their computers and then the phones got lost or the computers crashed, Gary said: "Here's the thing. Here's the difference between me and a lot of other guys: I'll just write new ones. I'll write a riff right now without a guitar in my hand. Easy. Writing riffs is like breathing; it's not difficult, if you love it. I've got my voice recorder on my phone, and they are backed up. I've got so many riffs. And some of the best stuff might not ever get used 'cause I'll come up with something else and I won't feel like it's necessary to dig into the vaults for stuff. Sometimes [EXODUS drummer] Tom Huntingmakes me do that, and then we'll find some real gems. Some of my favorite stuff on the record will be like that. But if I lost them all, I'd just write new ones."

"Persona Non Grata" came out in November 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band's history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

"Persona Non Grata" is the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

In July 2021, EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting underwent a successful total gastrectomy in his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach. He rejoined his bandmates on stage in October 2021 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

EXODUS tapped John Tempesta to play drums for the band at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada in August 2021 and at Full Terror Assault in Cave In Rock, Illinois in September 2021 while Hunting was recovering from surgery. Tempesta was a member of EXODUS from 1989 until 1993 and played on the band's albums "Impact Is Imminent" (1990) and "Force Of Habit" (1992).

Today World Gone Cold, featuring members of P.O.D, Demon Hunter, Disciple, The Letter Black, and Attack Attack!, have unveiled their first hard-hitting single “Opposites Attract.” The melodic, high-intensity track enmeshes influences from all five members’ musical backgrounds to deliver the epic energy of a true supergroup. The band proudly showcases the debut track as our first taste of their upcoming self-titled EP, which is set to release on March 17, 2023 via Rockfest Records. 


“‘Opposites Attract’ was an easy choice for our first single. It’s all of our favorites on the EP and it's the strongest representation of World Gone Cold’s sound. We’ve been waiting so long to release these songs and we can’t wait for everyone to finally hear this music.” - Ryland Raus







World Gone Cold, comprised of members from legacy bands: Traa Daniels (P.O.D), Tim “Yogi” Watts (Demon Hunter), Andrew Stanton (Disciple), Mark Anthony (The Letter Black), and Ryland Raus (Attack Attack! & Inhale/Exhale), deliver massive hard rock anthems with a huge wall of guitars, fluid bass rumble, monstrous drums, and soaring vocals, exploding into a mixture of heavy groove and melodic hooks.


A combination of organic metal and radio-ready songwriting encompasses the foundation of a band that began as one man’s solo outlet and quickly transformed into an unprecedented supergroup. This new band arrives armed with songs akin to the timeless catchiness of Rob Zombie or Nine Inch Nails, with the postmodern urgency of Bring Me The Horizon, Architects, and I Prevail.