King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, are back in the kitchen serving up another Sunday Lunch. Check out their take on the THe Tubes classic "White Punks On Dope" below.





A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below:

From Ashes To New have today (February 3) delivered an intense and captivating new single “Nightmare,” taken from their upcoming as-yet-titled fourth album due this summer via Better Noise Music. “Nightmare” masterfully showcases dual vocalists Matt Brandyberry and Danny Case expertise in contrasting heavy rock anthemic choruses with nu-metal/rap rock verses. ”Nightmare” takes listeners through the emotions of being betrayed and the nightmares that result which are presented in the track’s accompanying apocalyptic-themed music video directed by Josiahx (Distrubed, Miss May I).





“Betrayal by someone we trust happens to the best of us,” says Case. “We befriend someone, let them in, build a connection and then all of a sudden they turn into someone unrecognizable. Someone you once trusted and cared for so deeply is now a backstabbing enemy. In a heartbeat, the person you once thought you knew is now gone. There aren’t many things in life that cut quite as deep as betrayal. Erasing that person from your life and moving forward is the only way to wake up from the nightmare.”




Stream “Nightmare” on all digital platforms here.


The Lancaster, PA-based group—Brandyberry (vocals), Case (vocals), Lance Dowdle (guitars) and Mat Madiro (drums)—will be on tour this spring, joining fellow Top 10 active rock-charting acts Shinedown and Three Days Grace across the East Coast and Midwest from April 3 to May 9 before appearing as some of the summer’s largest rock festivals including Welcome To Rockville (5/19 - Daytona Beach, FL) and Sonic Temple (5/27 - Columbus, OH).


Tour dates:


April
3 - Saginaw, MI - The Dow Event Center
4 - Cincinnati, OH - Heritage Bank Center
7 - Bridgeport, CT - Total Mortgage Arena
8 - State College, PA - Bryce Jordan Center
10 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Mohegan Sun Arena
12 - Huntington, WV - Mountain Health Arena
14 - Jacksonville, FL - Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena
15 - Orlando, FL - Amway Center
17 - Savannah, GA - Enmarket Arena
19 - Huntsville, AL - Von Braun Center
21 - Memphis, TN - FedExForum
22 - Baton Rouge, LA - Raising Cane's River Center
24 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
25 - Lincoln, NE - Pinnacle Bank Arena
27 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
29 - Milwaukee, WI - Fiserv Forum
30 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center


May
3 - Bozeman, MT - Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
6 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
7 - Everett, WA - Angel of the Winds Arena
9 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
19 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville*
27 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple*


*festival date, no Shinedown, no Three Days Grace


(Photo - Jeremy Saffer)

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Net Positive With John Crist" podcast, Scott Stapp reflected on CREED's original split nearly 20 years ago. When the band's breakup was originally announced in June 2004, CREED said that personal issues, mostly between Stapp and the rest of the group, caused an irreparable rift that ultimately led to CREED's demise.

Asked if the backlash that CREED suffered after a deluge of hit singles wore out listeners caused him and his bandmates to "panic", Stapp responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't think there was panic; I think there was some frustration and anger. And I think it was one of the handful of reasons that we ended up breaking up. Of course, there were some more that were much more impactful, but that was just the layer. Because the guys were, like, 'This isn't what we signed up for.' And to their credit, it's because they didn't wanna be fake; they didn't wanna be hypocrites. They were, like, 'Hey, man, we're not living the life that someone who claims to be a Christian is living, and we don't wanna have people perceive us that way and live a lie.' So that's just them being authentic. So I can't blame them for that. And me too. I was telling them, 'Guys, sorry.' At the time, I wanted to participate in the same lifestyle, and was. So we were all kind of a in a conundrum."

He added: "What went on after the shows, when each one of us were single at various times… We were living like rock stars, man. We were young and living the life… And we were on fire, man. Everyone brought something every night to the stage, man, and people came. We started doing multiple nights in arenas, selling out all over the United States, and then we were moving into stadiums. We had giant stadiums on hold, getting ready to move into the stadium tour scene, and that's when the band broke up.

"And there was a lot of factors, bro," Scott explained. "I can own my part. I got mixed up in some things I shouldn't have that I go to a program for today. And that, I'm sure, was a major part, because had I not developed those issues, I think we probably could have worked through everything else. So I'll take the blame about that."

When CREED's original split was announced, guitarist Mark Tremonti said that personal rather than creative issues were to blame.

"Scott and I hadn't been close for a while," Tremonti told MTV at the time, "and things just weren't working out. ... None of us really argued amongst each other. It was always Scott who had the problem."

One of the reasons for the tension was that the other members of CREED got the sense that their singer wasn't as committed as they were, and his attention seemed fractured.

"It's not fun to count on other people when they're not that focused," Tremonti told MTV. "Scott wasn't in the mindset that we were. He wasn't as focused on the current tour. He had 800 things on his mind, and I think that distracted him from what we were doing."

CREED disbanded 19 years ago but reunited five years later for the "Full Circle" LP and an extensive tour. Stapp has since toured and recorded as a solo artist, although he suffered a drug-related mental breakdown in 2014 and spent several years recovering from that.

In 2019, Tremonti said in an interview on Jamey Jasta's podcast that he was sitting on an album's worth of material for CREED. Asked whether CREED could reunite again, Tremonti said, "People say, 'Is it done? Is it over? Is there new music coming out?' I'm sitting on an entire CREED album... When we were together doing the reunion tour, we put a lot of music together and I have like really sketchy little demos of probably 13 songs. I listened to them maybe a year ago and they're good songs."

Tremonti added: "It's just, there's no time. Is it good enough for me to put everything on the back burner that I've been working on for the past 14 years? No. Is it good enough to maybe 10 years from now or seven years from now... or some big resurgence happens or there's an anniversary where everybody's like, 'We want to see CREED and the world demands it like they used to.' I wouldn't say no."

Last month, Tremonti said that he was "sure" that a reunion of CREED would happen at some point in the not-so-distant future.

Nearly three years ago, CREED updated its Facebook profile with an old photo, igniting rumors of the multi-platinum act's imminent return.

Mark, who is promoting the new ALTER BRIDGE album, "Pawns & Kings", discussed the chances of a CREED comeback during an interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio. He said: "There's always talks — people running ideas back and forth — but we don't know as of yet, 'cause we're so in the deep with this ALTER BRIDGE record that's it's tough to kind of get sidetracked right now."

He continued: "I'm sure something will happen at some point. CREED was such a popular band back in the day, it would be a shame to not do something with it. I know there's still tons of fans out there that would appreciate it, so it's just a matter of timing."

Tremonti's latest comments echoed those he made last fall when he spoke to The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn. At the time, he stated about the possibility of a CREED reunion: "It's just a matter of timing. We're all so busy running around the world doing our things, we would just have to have the time where it made sense. I don't think we need to rush into it, because I don't think CREED fans are going anywhere. I think whenever we decide to do something, I think it's gonna be a safe time to do it. It's just gonna be when it makes sense for everybody. You don't wanna derail a whole album cycle by jumping into doing CREED. It would just have to make sense."

In September 2021, Tremonti told The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn that constantly being associated with CREED — more than 10 years after the band completed a tour in support of "Full Circle" — was "definitely both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you right now if it weren't for CREED; I wouldn't have this career, this long career," he said. "But at the same time, for my entire life, I will be that guy from the band CREED, which is good and band. 'Cause certain people loved CREED, certain people hated CREED. So no matter what I do artistically, I'm gonna be the guy who was in CREED that was, at certain points critics liked to come after us. So I've kind of lived in both worlds — I was in a band that sold lots of records but got some critical attacks, but I also got to be in a band that didn't sell as many records but got critical praise. So I got to see both sides of it. It would be great to have it all in one. But it's tough."

Drummer Thomen Stauch​​​​ (ex- Blind​​​​ Guardian) is back with a new video, this time performing an alternate drum cover of his former band's "Nightfall". Watch below.





Thomen's previous drum cover videos are available below:

STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr has commented on Ozzy Osbourne's recent announcement that he was retiring from touring due to declining health.

The 74-year-old BLACK SABBATH frontman revealed his retirement on Tuesday (January 31),scrapping his spring/summer 2023 tour stops because of a spinal injury he suffered four years ago and other health problems.

Starr discussed Ozzy's decision to stop touring in a new interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3. When Hall pointed out that Osbourne no longer hitting the road was "a big deal", Starr concurred. "Yeah, it really is a big deal. It's like Tom Brady retiring from football, if you're into football. It's, like, 'What?' It's coming to an end. And Ozzy is such a huge influence on so many people, including myself. And I'm happy that he's happy and he's moving on with his life. It comes to an end for everybody eventually. And I wish him well. I wish he was still playing, 'cause we had shows booked with him. That's not gonna work out. But it is what it is, and I wish him well."

Ozzy was due to embark on a tour of Europe later this year, but in the statement said that he has "come to the realization that I'm not physically capable … as I know I couldn't deal with the travel required.

"This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to share with my loyal fans," he continued. "As you may all know, four years ago this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine. My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage. My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) treatment, my body is still physically weak.

"Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really FUCKS ME UP, more than you will ever know," he wrote. "Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way."

In the statement, Osbourne added that he was looking into "ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country", and thanked his fans for "their endless dedication, loyalty and support, and for giving me the life that I never ever dreamed I would have".

Osbourne's previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, was officially canceled this week. The trek was scheduled to begin in Helsinki, Finland, on May 3, and include gigs in Nottingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin and London, before finishing in his original hometown of Birmingham on June 14.

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."

Fifteen 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.

KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee has defended Paul Stanley's vocal performance on KISS's "End Of The Road" tour, explaining that the "Star Child" "fully sings to every song" at every concert.

Ever since KISS's "End Of The Road" trek launched in January 2019, there has been persistent online chatter about Paul allegedly singing to a backing tape. The speculation stemmed from the fact that Stanley had been struggling to hit the high notes in many of the band's classic songs for a number of years.

Speaking to the Syncin' StanleyYouTube channel before Stanley's February 4 appearance at Wentworth Gallery in Boca Raton, Florida, McGhee discussed claims that KISS is using pre-recorded tracks during its farewell tour. He said about Stanley (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "He sings every track. So he sings to it. So he's not lip syncing. He fully sings. It's enhanced. It's just part of the process to make sure that everybody hears the songs the way they should be sang to begin with. Nobody wants to hear people do stuff that's not real, that's not what they came to hear."

When Syncin' Stanley asked McGhee to clarify if he is "actually saying there are backing tracks that [Paul is] singing to," Doc said: "He'll sing to tracks. It's all part of a process. Because everybody wants to hear everybody sing. But he fully sings to every song."

Last June, a rare "mistake" by KISS drummer Eric Singer during the band's concert in Antwerp, Belgium revealed what some fans were saying was proof that KISS is using pre-recorded tracks during its performances.

Several KISS fans who attended the group's June 6, 2022 show at Sportpaleis shared video of KISS kicking off the set with "Detroit Rock City", the classic song that has consistently served as the live opener for the band's live performances in recent years. At the end of the track, Singer, who has played with KISS on and off since 1991, apparently "[forgot] to rest for a measure," according to YouTube commenter Austin Ogonoski, "instead continuing to play the standard beat for two additional measures. " After "Eric [realized] he [messed] up," he "[began] the drumroll/breakdown a measure late," which "[meant] Paul's vocal track [was] out of sync with what the band [was] actually playing," Austin explained. "Paul's track [played] 'Everybody's gonna leave their SEAT,' completely out of sync with the song and when nobody [was] at a mic."

Four years ago, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach defended KISS against claims that the band is using pre-recorded tracks during its farewell tour, saying that Stanley sang "his ass off LIVE" during a concert in California. "I have seen way more obvious use of backing tracks than with KISS," Sebastian wrote on Twitter.

FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho also defended Stanley's vocal performance on "End Of The Road" tour, saying that the "Star Child" "has nothing to prove to anybody." Jericho explained: "He's one of the greatest rock and roll singers of all time. I think that's something that anybody would say. I would much rather have him use the technology that's available to not sound like he's hurting himself, which then makes me not enjoy the show as much."

Bach's comments came just hours after MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx called out another band for using taped vocals during its live performances after it previously derided other groups for doing the same thing.

Sixx wrote on Twitter: "Certain band out on the road right now putting other bands DOWN and saying that they are a REAL rock band, no background singers,and other old people cranky comments except his lead vocals are on tape.People in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks. #GetOffMyLawn #WizardOfOz"

Most fans assumed that Sixx was referring to KISS, especially since Gene Simmons had previously slammed bands who used backing tapes for not being honest enough to include that fact on their concert tickets.

After KISS played on NBC's "America's Got Talent" in September 2018, Stanley was asked by Rolling Stone if that was actually a live performance or if he and his bandmates tracked it earlier. "What you tend to do is record it live and that way you know that everything is as it should be," he responded. "It's not like going into the studio or anything like that. It's…with all its imperfections, it's live."

Sixx has been open about his band's used of taped vocals during live concerts, saying, "We've used technology since '87." He added the group employed "sequencers, sub tones, background vox tracks, plus background singers and us. [MÖTLEY CRÜE also taped] stuff we can't tour with, like cello parts in ballads, etc.... We love it and don't hide it. It's a great tool to fill out the sound."

In a 2014 interview, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars admitted that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that his band used pre-recorded backing vocals in its live shows, claiming that he preferred to watch groups whose performances are delivered entirely live. "I don't like it," he said. "I think a band like ours… I have to say '60s bands were my favorite — '60s and '70s bands — because they were real, like, three-piece bands or four-piece bands, and they just got up there and kicked it up. Made a mistake? So what? Sounded a little bit empty here or there? So what? It's the bigness and the rawness and the people that developed and wrote the songs and made them and presented them. To me, that's what I really like. I mean, I could put on a MÖTLEY CD and play with it all day long. I don't wanna do that."

Back in 2015, Simmons slammed bands who used backing tapes, saying: "I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks. It's like the ingredients in food. If the first ingredient on the label is sugar, that's at least honest. It should be on every ticket — you're paying $100, 30 to 50 percent of the show is [on] backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip sync. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks, it's about dishonesty.

"There's nobody with a synthesizer on our stage, there's no samples on the drums, there's nothing," Gene continued. "There's very few bands who do that now — AC/DC, METALLICA, us. I can't even say that about U2 or THE [ROLLING] STONES. There's very few bands who don't use [backing] tracks."

In a new interview with Sunshine Cantu, MR. BIG's Billy Sheehan was asked about the identity of the drummer who will sit behind the kit for the band's upcoming tour dates. The 69-year-old bassist spoke about while addressing MR. BIG's decision to return to the road following the passing of Pat Torpey. The drummer died in February 2018 at the age of 64 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

Regarding who will be playing drums for MR. BIG at the upcoming shows, Sheehan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, you have to wait. We will announce it pretty soon.

"MR. BIG, we wanna play together again," he confirmed. "Nothing is really booked yet, but we wanna do a proper farewell — especially having lost our drummer Pat, we would like to give him a tribute on a proper farewell and pay honor to him and his incredible drumming and his contributions to MR. BIG and general musical contributions in so many ways. So we will probably do something this year. Nothing to announce yet."

Sheehan added: "There will be a drummer. A lot of times, situations like this, the drummer has other things that he's dealing with, so we can't necessarily give his name right now until he's prepared for it to be released. But I guarantee you you're gonna be very pleased."

This past December, MR. BIG singer Eric Martin told The Metal Voice that the band's return to the road "is definitely gonna happen. There's no question about it. It's gonna happen in the middle of 2023. And it's gonna be multiple dates. We're working on the U.S. and a possible tour… Paul is involved — obviously, Paul Gilbert, the original guitar player. Billy Sheehan… The spirit of Pat Torpey. And there will be a phenomenal drummer. It won't be Matt Starr [who played with MR. BIG in the past] on this thing. Matt's doing his own thing; I think he's playing with Ace Frehley now."

Regarding the new MR. BIG drummer, Eric said: "I will tell you that he sent an audition video. And I watched it. It was 'Lucky This Time', which is a song that we hardly ever did — mainly me, because it was really hard to sing it. It's on the 'Lean Into It' album. And what he did was he thought he'd one-up the audition, so he played drums on it and he sang the lead and the harmonies on everything. And it was phenomenal.

"I don't wanna mention the guy's name until the press release comes out. But the guy really stepped up," Martin added. "And everybody knows him. And then one really, really cool thing is that he was a big fan of Pat Torpey. And I totally noticed how when he did the video, when he did the drums and the way he tuned the drums, he's got Pat down. When he was playing Pat's snare hit, the crack of the snare, it was definitely Pat Torpey. I think Pat would approve of this new mystery man."

In November, Billy told Conversaciones Necias that there were plans for MR. BIG to return to the road soon. "We wanna play again," he said. "Matt Starr did an amazing drumming job. He's fantastic. He was friends with Pat. When Pat couldn't play his kit but still could tour, he toured together with Matt and they were very dear friends. But we need a guy that has Pat's voice. And Matt's got a great voice but it's a different range. We need a guy [who can sing] way up here," he explained while raising his right hand just above his head. "So we found somebody. We'll let the world know about it soon. And we're hoping to do some shows maybe in the summer 2023."

This past August, Sheehan told Dr. Music about MR. BIG's future plans: "After we did the shows without Pat — the first time after we lost him — again, Matt Starr did a great job. But it wasn't Pat; Pat wasn't there. So I'm glad we took some time — a couple of years — to just kind of lay off of it. But a lot of people write all the time and they really wanna see the band. We would like to play for them too."

MR. BIG's latest album, "Defying Gravity", was released in 2017 via Wowow Entertainment, Inc. in Japan and Frontiers Music Srl in most of the rest of the world.

After announcing his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2014, Torpey continued to write, record and perform with MR. BIG.

MR. BIG, formed in 1988, produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres — be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits include "Alive And Kicking", "Just Take My Heart" and the chart-topping ballad "To Be With You".

In February 2021, MR. BIG released a new live set, "Raw Like Sushi Mega Edition - Revive 2017: 2017 Japan Tour Official Bootleg Box". A complete collection of MR. BIG's 2017 performances in Japan, it features all nine concerts which took place between September and October of that year.

In a new interview with Ollie Winiberg of "The Heavy Hooks Show", founding DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy was asked if he would consider playing a one-off show as a 'hired gun" with his former bandmates to celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2025. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I would surely welcome the idea — absolutely — and I've told the guys such, depending on the circumstances. Obviously, there's a lot of hypothetical circumstances."

He continued: "I don't know if I'd necessarily wanna be a 'hired gun' for a band that I formed; [that's] a little bit of a strange term in that respect. But if you're asking, would I ever play with the guys again? Sure. If the right hypothetical situation came about, yeah, of course. I'm always open to that."

Two and a half years ago, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci released his second solo album, "Terminal Velocity", via Sound Mind Music/The Orchard. The follow-up to 2005's "Suspended Animation" featured guest musicians Portnoy on drums and Dave LaRue (DIXIE DREGS) on bass. The effort marked the first time Petrucci and Portnoy recorded together in over a decade, as well as their first time playing together since Portnoy departed DREAM THEATER.

During an October 2022 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Petrucci stated about DREAM THEATER fans' response to his renewed collaboration with Portnoy: "You see that right away. It makes people so happy to see that reconnection. It's literally like… Any sort of post of a photo from that, every comment is just literally, like, 'I'm crying. This makes me so happy,' blah blah blah. More than any sort of controversial, stupid thing anyone could say, the overwhelming reaction is just a great, positive feeling in the DREAM THEATER-Mike Portnoy big community. And I love that. It's the way it should be."

When host Eddie Trunk pointed out to Petrucci that the guitarist's reunion with Portnoy, including their recent run of tour dates in support of "Terminal Velocity", had resulted in DREAM THEATER fans speculating about Portnoy's possible return to the band, John said: "I've been very vocal about this and outspoken and very careful about this to be clear with my intentions and Mike and I and our reuniting. The stuff that we are doing together with my solo stuff, with LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, with Mike touring with me, this is its own thing, and DREAM THEATER is its own thing, and the history that we now have with Mike Mangini in the band for 12 years, it's important for me to make sure that people don't misunderstand this. Because it's not good for anybody; that kind of weirdness or controversy, as we all know, it's just toxic. So I've been saying… Maybe I'm selfish but I feel so lucky that I get to do this with Mike [Portnoy] and play live with him, play this instrumental music, record, and being in DREAM THEATER with Mangini, it's like I've kind of been spoiled. I get two of the greatest drummers in the world to be able to play with. And I think it's important for people to know that and to have that clarity — I really do."

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 37 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).

In March 2021, Petrucci and Portnoy's instrumental progressive rock/metal project LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT released its third album, "LTE3", via InsideOut Music. The effort arrived 22 years after the release of 1999's "Liquid Tension Experiment 2".

In a 2017 interview with Rockhok, Portnoy insisted that had "no longing to reunite" with DREAM THEATER but said that he would return to his former band "for the fans." He explained: "The ball's in their court, to be honest. I have no longing to reunite with them; it's not something I necessarily am looking to do or want to do. I'm very content with all the eighty-seven bands I currently have going, so it's something I need. But I would do it for the fans, because I'm a very sentimental person and I have a lot of great, fond memories of those guys and the times. I'm a sentimental guy, so I would never close the door on it. So, really, the ball's in their court, honestly. [But] if you're asking me the odds [of a reunion happening], I would say, don't bet on it, because I know their personalities as well and I don't think they're the type that are looking backwards."

A couple of years ago, Portnoy told Loud that he left DREAM THEATER because he wanted to expand his musical horizons. "[I didn't] want to go to my grave and just be the drummer from DREAM THEATER," he said. "I knew there was way more to what I had to offer."

Last May, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie, who recently said that it was "great" to be back on good terms with Portnoy, was asked in a new interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio if there was any chance of the two musicians working together again. He responded: "I think anything is possible. Listen, Mike and I are in a great place. We've been texting back and forth from time to time. I wished him a happy birthday; he wished me a happy birthday… So we're staying in touch.

"Listen, Mike's a great musician," LaBrie continued. "Put it this way… Who knows what the future holds? Maybe there'll be a day and I'll go, 'Holy shit. This track would be perfect to have Mike do this.' Or it might be something that comes from him, from his side. So we'll see. You know what? I'm open. And that's the thing, is that we're in a really good place now. And yeah, it should have happened a long time ago. But human beings, we have a tendency to… our pride gets the best of us."

Portnoy attended DREAM THEATER's concert in March 2022 at Beacon Theatre in New York City. It was the first time he witnessed his former bandmates perform live since his exit from the iconic progressive metal outfit more than 12 years ago.

According to DREAM THEATER fans who attended the show, LaBrie gave Portnoy a shoutout from the stage and Mike waved. Several fans also took pictures of Portnoy at the venue, with Mike and his wife reportedly watching the performance from near the Beacon Theatre soundboard.

The next day, Portnoy shared a few backstage photos from the concert and he included the following message: "After 36 years, I finally got to see my 1st DREAM THEATER show last night! It was a wonderful evening and it was such a pleasure to spend time with my old friends again".

LaBrie discussed his renewed friendship with Portnoy in a recent interview with Rodrigo Altaf of Sonic Perspectives. Speaking about how Mike's backstage reunion with his former bandmates came about, James said: "What happened was my manager… This is, like, two hours before the show… So, you know the history with Mike and I. The thing is what was sad about that whole duration where Mike and I didn't see eye to eye is that when DREAM THEATER started, 'Images And Words' [1992] and 'Awake' [1994], Mike and I were best friends — way back — and then we started to fall apart, for several reasons. It doesn't matter — the details don't matter — it's just that we started to have a problem with one another. And so about two hours before the New York show, my manager texts me and he said, 'Listen, Mike's gonna be there tonight. He wants to come back and see you. He wants to make amends. I don't mean to do this...' And I said, 'Frank' — to my manager, I said — 'you're putting this in my lap two hours before I play in front of how many thousands of people in New York. Are you kidding me?' So, I thought about it. You know what? I went for a walk, believe it or not. I went incognito and I went for a walk in New York. And I walked the streets and I started thinking about it, and I said to myself, 'You know what? Enough is enough. There's enough hate in this world; there's enough frickin' negativity in this world. If Mike wants to come and see me and make amends, then I should be receptive.' And I got in touch… And John Petrucci was also there. So he said, 'Mike wants to know if he can come back and say hi to you,' like I just said. And I said, 'You know what? Yeah. Let him know. For sure. Tell him to come back and see me after the show.' And that's what we did. We chatted. We had a good, long discussion. We made up and gave each other a hug and did a picture together.

"When I was out on stage before all that, I just said, 'Hey, I just wanna let you guys know, Mike Portnoy's here. Hey, welcome, brother, to the show.' And that was it.

"The thing is that you get to a point in life where you've gotta… You can't carry around that. Don't carry around hate; don't carry around negativity," LaBrie continued. "We carried it around far too long, as far as I'm concerned, and it didn't serve any purpose; it just served frickin' division. It was very divisive and very damaging.

"Hey, listen, just the other day Mike texts me, and he was, like, 'Hey, James, I just wanna congratulate you on [DREAM THEATER's first-ever] Grammy. You frickin' well deserve this — you and the band. Awesome. Kudos. Bravo,' all this stuff. And I text Mike back, and I said, 'Frick, man. Mike, that's very admirable of you.' I said, 'In my book, that's pretty damn cool for you to say these things.' And he said, 'Awesome, man. Love it.'

"So, it's great to be back," James added. "We're talking to one another, we're chatting and all that stuff. And that's the kind of world that I wanna live in as opposed to negativity, hate and frickin'… It's just not worth it. It's not worth it."

LaBrie had previously seemingly closed the door on the possibility of a DREAM THEATER reunion with Portnoy, telling Chile's Radio Futuro in an August 2013 interview: "That possibility, I don't see it ever happening; it's not gonna happen. Because, first and foremost, Mike Mangini is a full-fledged member of the band now, he's a phenomenal drummer and he's doing everything that we could possibly want as a drummer in a band. He's helping us realize exactly what we wanna do right now musically. And he will be our drummer until the day that we finish doing this, when we conclude. Mike Portnoy was a big part of our past, but I think that's where it's going to remain. He was a drummer from the past. And as far as presently and into the future, it will be Mike Mangini, and we all feel very strongly about that. He's an incredible drummer, he's an incredible asset to the band, and he is fulfilling our wildest dreams as far as what we're doing musically and what we're doing with each album. So that's the way it stands."

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", EXODUS's Tom Hunting was asked how he first got into drumming. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I originally played guitar a little bit; I just say 'dabbled.' I was left-handed — I am left-handed — so I played left-handed guitar. And I did that for a couple of years in junior high, and then I just wanted to switch to drums. So I switched to drums in the middle of junior high school. And they finally let me turn the kit around to left-handed, and then I could actually play, 'cause I couldn't do shit right-handed. So that's where that journey stated."

"A lot of drummers out there that are left-handed, they play open-handed," he continued. "A lot of people don't know this, but Dave Lombardo [SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MISFITS, TESTAMENT] is actually left-handed; his prominent hand is left. Which makes him double badass, 'cause when he goes into a drum roll, one hand's gotta climb over the other one. It's crazy. But through that he invented his own sound. There's a lot of goofy-foot left-handers out there too. Like Will Carroll [of DEATH ANGEL], I call him goofy-foot, 'cause he's lefty in the top of his body, doing his rolls and stuff, but his prominent foot is his right for his kick drums. My right kick-drum foot is pretty ridiculous; it doesn't have the same brain as the left one does. It gets me in trouble sometimes. [Laughs]"

Hunting recently released his first solo EP, "Hunting Party", which features covers of some of his favorite songs.

Tom underwent a successful total gastrectomy in July 2021 in his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach.

A GoFundMe campaign to help Hunting with medical expenses had raised more than $111,000 — including $5,000 from Tom's former EXODUS bandmate, current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, and $1,500 from FOZZY singer and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

The 58-year-old rejoined his EXODUS bandmates on stage in October 2021 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

In January 2022, Hunting was asked by Niclas Müller-Hansen of RockSverige if his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach has changed his view on life. He responded: "Well, I definitely don't sweat the small stuff anymore. It gives you a new perspective where that's concerned, I think. Things that used to stress me out, I'm just, like, Meh.' It's just stuff that's gonna happen to some of us. I'm lucky — very lucky — that they were able to take a bad situation and make it okay. I'm walking around, I'm eating, I'm breathing, I'm playing drums. I'm lucky and the science is amazing like what they're able to do. They've done a lot of tests and they can't find cancer inside me right now so that's a good thing. I might've dodged a couple of bullets there. [Laughs]"

Hunting said that there was a short period after the surgery when he couldn't play drums. "They wouldn't let me do anything for, like, five weeks," he said. "Then I started doing pushups. Before the surgery, I was getting chemo doses, like four of them, and they were pretty massive. I did play drums a little bit, but I wasn't feeling it that well. I thought I was gonna be in the throes of getting four more outro doses of chemo, but they're not doing them. They don't need to. Right now I'm getting immunotherapy which does not really have any side effects. Getting small doses of that once every three weeks, but I have no restrictions on playing or anything, basically. They said, 'Just resume your life. Celebrate and resume your life.' And that's kinda what I'm doing."

Poland-based metal band, Death Reapers, have released their new EP, The New Beginning. Get it here, and find a full EP audio stream, as well as a video for the title track, below.





Formed in 2019 in Przytoczna, a small town in Poland by instrumentalists Hubert Potomski, Kamil Winter, Filip Kudliński and Szymon Śmigiel, Death Reapers spent a year creating music and performing live without a vocalist. Hubert's cousin Konrad joined the band as the vocalist and lyric writer in 2020, just prior to the Covid Pandemic.







During the lockdown, Death Reapers recorded and released their first single "Fire & Glass." In early 2021 Death Reapers followed up with their first EP Sightless. The drummer, Szymon, left the band.


Death Reapers continued on, releasing another single "Death Reapers" before finding their newest member, drummer Mateusz Ratajczak in early 2022. With the current lineup, Death Reapers recorded a live session and played their first concert. The band then began the process of creating and recording the The New Beginning EP. The busiest recording period was the summer, which ultimately ended with a concert at a local festival in front of a large audience, and on the same day, the recording of their first music video.


Hubert and Mateusz are 18 years old, Filip and Kamil are 19 and Konrad is 20. The future is bright for these young metalheads!








Lineup:


Konrad Kropidłowski - vocals
Hubert Potomski - lead guitar
Kamil Winter - rhythm guitar
Filip Kudliński - bass guitar
Mateusz Ratajczak - drums


(Photo - Jakub Stefański)

KINGDOM COME singer Keith St. John, who joined the band in 2018 as the replacement for original frontman Lenny Wolf, spoke to Chris Akin Presents about the absence of drummer James Kottak from some of the group's recent shows. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "James Kottak has had some health situations over the last year, and they've really been affecting his playing. Everybody in the band really wanted him to be able to continue and play, but he's just gotta sort some things out and wait for some stuff in his body to heal before he has the strength to play the songs [properly]."

Asked if there is any chance of the current lineup of KINGDOM COME recording and releasing new music in the not-too-distant future, Keith said: "It's gone back and forth. Rick Steier [guitar] and I have probably put more material together than any other combination 'cause we both live in L.A. And we were working with James too, but James kind of… Long story short, he's back down in Louisville, Kentucky, which is his hometown, and he's trying to get… He's got some broken bones and all kinds of stuff going on that… He had an accident and he's just trying to get himself back together before he comes back and tries to get back in the fold.

"The other guys, Danny Stag [guitar] and Johnny B. Frank [bass], they live in different cities — one's in Jacksonville, one's in Pittsburgh — and they're writing and they're sending over ideas all the time," he continued. "I mean, we have communication back and forth. So if we can put some of this stuff together and actually get the whole band in the studio for a couple of weeks or whatnot, I think we can come out of it with an album. I'm hoping."

Last month, James said that he "jacked" his left up last fall when he "tripped and fell on the pavement." The 60-year-old musician discussed his latest medical setback in an interview with "Rimshots With Sean". Confirming that he was speaking from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was born and lived until 1987, Kottak said: "I came over here [to Louisville], actually, at the very end of October [of 2022]. I was just coming to chill out and hang out with my brother and sister. I was gonna stay for a couple of weeks. But I tripped and fell and really jacked my left hip up. I couldn't believe it. I'd never broken anything in my life. So I ended up going to the hospital and I ended up staying at the hospital for five, six days. So after that, I came over here to my sister's house and I've been here since. And I've really been enjoying it. But I've been back to the doctor, like, three or four times, and they're, like, 'You know, it's probably not a good idea to travel.' I'm, like, 'Okay.' So I've just been here and been going back to my appointments. I had one yesterday. And things on the up and up."

Regarding how he is spending his time while recovering from his latest injury, Kottak said: "One of my endless tasks is staying in shape and exercising and that sort of thing. Right now I'm just doing a lot of stretching. And I'm just now able to walk about — probably do about eight hundred steps a day. And that may sound like a lot, but I'm normally used to doing a whole lot more. So I'm here in Louisville, like I said, and I'm just really laying low and enjoying the time over here at my sister's house. And my brother's hanging out. And I've got all kinds of friends here. But like I said, it's been really kind of quiet here. But once I get back to L.A., there's things planned and there's always something popping up… Now we're past the New Year. Somebody will call about this or that. And then we're also planning KINGDOM COME shows and stuff."

He continued: "Man, that COVID thing came, and for the year 2020, KINGDOM COME — we had about 40, 45 shows booked, and everything got wiped out, man, even the European stuff, 'cause we were going to Germany and all over the place, even Japan. Everything, because of that COVID thing, got totally postponed. And a lot of the stuff that was postponed to 2021 and even 2022 never happened, 'cause a lot of places shut down, a lot of promoters went out of business. It really hurt lots of people. So we're just kind of picking up now where we left off and [talking to] our agent and trying to book some shows."

James went on to say that he is "doing great" and is very optimistic about his recovery. "Another two weeks and I'll be almost back to normal," he predicted. "And that's not what they said. They go, 'Look, give it three to six months.' I'm, like, 'No, I'll be good after two months.' … I'll be up and running here in no time. This is probably the worst accident I've ever had. I just tripped and fell on the pavement. And I didn't feel like anything bad happened."

In December, St. John told the "Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged" podcast that "James has had some health issues in this last — [it's] going on for about two years, I would say, and creeping up. And now he's on a break for a little while until he gets recouped and recovered from everything. And my good friend who plays in '[Raiding The] Rock Vault' with me out here, Blas Elias, has stepped in — Blas Elias from SLAUGHTER; he stepped in to take over the drums for now."

KINGDOM COME played its first two shows with Elias in September in Texas.

Six months ago, Kottak announced that he wouldn't play with his KINGDOM COME bandmates at their concerts in Texas. In the early hours of August 21, 2022, James took to his Twitter to write: "I will not be at the Kingdom Come Plano or San Antonio shows so don't waste your time thanks jams k [sic]".

Last June, KINGDOM COME's appearance at Sweden Rock Festival was described by the popular Swedish site Rocknytt as the event's "biggest fuckup." Writer Peter Johansson singled out Kottak, saying that the drummer played "really badly, sluggishly" and at times failed to keep the tempo "worryingly throughout the concert". At the end of the show, Kottak "stumbled to the edge of the stage to bow with his bandmates," according to Rocknytt.

Also critical of KINGDOM COME's performance was renowned Swedish music journalist and guitar player Janne Stark, who took to his Facebook page to share a photo of the gig and he wrote in an accompanying caption: "I've never seen a drummer fall asleep on stage before but James Kottak is pretty damn close. Drunk? He slows down every song to half tempo. KINGDOM COME, sorry guys but this is SHIT!"

Kottak publicly discussed KINGDOM COME's performance at Sweden Rock for the first time in an interview with "This That & The Other With Troy Patrick Farrell" conducted just days after the concert. Regarding what caused the show to fall short of expectations, James said: "I wanna say about eight or nine days ago, maybe 10 days ago, in the middle of the night, like four o'clock in the morning, I was in a dead sleep and I just rolled off the bed and I cracked three ribs on my left side. And I went to my chiropractor guy and he says, 'Oh, you have hairline fractures.' And I'm, like, 'Oh, great.' And dude, it's just been non-stop pain. It's not just my ribs; it's head to toe. That's why things were a little bit slower. 'Cause I took ibuprofen and the usual, Aleve or whatever, but, man, it was an uphill battle from the time we started. And it was just — I mean, not pain; I'm talking pain-pain, big-time stuff. That's no excuse, because the show must go on. But, yeah, I was a little slower than usual. But also we [usually] have a click track, of course, 'cause we might have a little bit of playback. Something was up with that, so we were flying solo… And [when] you don't have it, you go, 'Oh-oh. Okay. We'll do this.' It was just an off day, and there's nothing you can do about it."

According to James, there was "definitely no drinking" involved prior to the KINGDOM COME mishap at Sweden Rock. "Because that with the medication, it doesn't go good together," he explained. "And it was just an off day, man. I did everything to [make it better] — tons of tea, this and that, and all the usual things that I do — but, man, it was just too soon after falling that we went to play this gig. But it's Sweden Rock, and you don't wanna bail out on that."

Asked if alcohol contributed to him falling out of bed prior to the Sweden Rock performance, Kottak said: "I always sleep on the left side of the bed, and I just somehow, in my sleep, rolled off the bed and landed on my left side. I mean, that's really it. I wasn't drinking — nothing like that. Yeah, I have a few white wines here and there, but nothing like that. I just rolled off the bed. And that's the first time in my life that's ever happened where I actually fell off. I woke up and saw stars. It took me 15 minutes to get off the floor. These things happen sometimes, and there's nothing you can do. With SCORPIONS, going up my riser to get to my drums, there were, like, 14 steps, and I fell down those stairs at least five times, if not six times. Because I was like a dummy — I was always spitting this water. And I'd finish a song and I'd come down not thinking, and, just, 'Whoop', right on my ass."

James also denied that his battle with alcoholism was the primary reason he was fired from the SCORPIONS in 2016. He has since been replaced by former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee.

"I hate to say it, but Blabbermouth's kind of been the worst James basher," Kottak said. "They always say — any article about SCORPIONS, they say, 'Yeah, ever since James Kottak was released for alcohol abuse.' So I e-mailed them one day and said, 'Man, stop saying that.' We parted ways. It wasn't just from alcohol, dude. We went through five years of negotiations, 'cause the manager and tour manager both died within six months of each other. Then the band decided to self-manage, which is cool. But I'll tell you what, man — that's when it was a super-bumpy road and we were just not on the same page anymore. And that happens with bands."

Five years ago, SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs said that he and his bandmates "had to make" the decision to fire Kottak, explaining that they gave the drummer "all the chances" to get better. During an appearance on "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon", the guitarist said: "James was a real good friend — and he still is — but we couldn't continue with him. We gave him all the chances, and 10 more. And it was something that developed over the years — the drinking habit. It came in waves — sometimes it was good for four weeks, and then [there] was drama, and if you know him, you know what that's like. Then if it affects the show, you have to go, 'Hmmm…' Because our drum riser goes up 21 feet, or 24 feet sometimes, if the venue allows it, and the production manager, or stage manager, goes, 'I can't have him go up there. It's too risky.' If you can't really walk down the stairs straight, you can't have that. So that affects your intro of the show, and that's not good — it's not professional."

He continued: "We were helping him — we were sending him to [the island of] Antigua [to Eric Clapton's Crossroads drug and alcohol treatment center], and we paid for it, and we did everything we could, because we are extremely loyal. It's always hard if you work with somebody for almost 20 years to say, 'Okay, you've gotta go.' We'd rather do the opposite and try to keep him and help him. But we reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it. After three months or four months even — they gave him an extra month in Antigua, the rehab — he'd come home, we'd start again, and you can't even talk to him. So we had to make that decision. We had Mikkey on the road, so [James] didn't notice. So I rehearsed with [Mikkey] and Paweł [Mąciwoda, bass] in the afternoon, just a backup; that was the original plan. But then there was no way we could continue with James, so we started with Mikkey."

Three years ago, Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996, told the SCORPIONS official fan club Crazyscorps about the circumstances that led to his departure from the legendary German hard rock band: "I always liked a drink here and there. And then I always also take a pain medication called Aleve. It's what all the baseball players take, all the footballers, and it works like a charm. You take those of those and you don't feel anything. But on top of that, I'm a rock drummer in a rock band, and you've got the green light to drink.

"From 2008 to 2011, I didn't drink," he explained. "I just woke up one day and said, 'I just don't wanna drink anymore.' I didn't go to rehab; I didn't do any of that stuff. I just didn't wanna drink anymore.

"If you have any knowledge of A.A. [Alcoholics Anonymous] or any type of program or rehab, it only lasts so long and then you have what we call in recovery a relapse. I would go through these phases of a year or maybe two years of no drinking, and then you gradually…

"SCORPIONS, we play our show, we go back to the hotel, [and] 45 minutes later, we're all downstairs having dinner," he continued. "And everything's just the right price — free. All these flights back and forth from Europe, from L.A. — I was just flying constantly. Which I'm not complaining about, but it's always business or first class, and once again, all the booze is at the right price. I'm going, 'I've got the next two days off. I might as well have a drink.' And that's what triggered me to start drinking again sometimes.

"It's a typical alcoholic way of thinking: 'Well, I may as well have a drink. Why not?' And that's typical alcoholic disease thinking. 'Cause it is a disease."