IRON MAIDEN, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and SOUNDGARDEN are among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2023.

According to Rolling Stone, the top vote-getters will be announced in May and inducted in the fall.

"This remarkable list of Nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates," said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation. "These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps."

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to have been released in 1998 or earlier. Eight of the nominees (Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, JOY DIVISION/NEW ORDER, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Willie Nelson, THE WHITE STRIPES and Warren Zevon) are on the ballot for the first time.

This is the fifth nomination for RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, the fourth for Kate Bush and THE SPINNERS, and the second for IRON MAIDEN and A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.

The 2023 class will be chosen by a group of over 1,000 artists, historians, and members of the music industry the Rock Hall has selected as voters.

Less than four years ago, IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris said that he didn't care that his band had yet to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame despite the fact that it had been eligible since 2004.

"I don't mind that we're not in things like that," he told Rolling Stone in an interview. "I don't think about things like that. It's very nice if people give you awards or accolades, but we didn't get into the business for that sort of thing. I'm certainly not going to lose sleep if we don't get any sort of award, not just that one, any award. I don't think we deserve to have this or that necessarily. With what we do, whatever comes of it is great. Whatever doesn't come of it is great, too."

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal groups like MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that band's first year of eligibility.

MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson made headlines in 2018 when he referred to the Rock Hall as "an utter and complete load of bollocks" during a spoken-word gig in Australia, insisting that the Cleveland-based institution is "run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn't know rock and roll if it hit them in the face."

Bruce later told The Jerusalem Post that he was "so annoyed with that coverage because they took my statement out of context to make it seem like I was upset that we weren't in the Hall Of Fame.

"I'm really happy we're not there and I would never want to be there," he continued. "If we're ever inducted, I will refuse — they won't bloody be having my corpse in there.

"Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland," Bruce added. "It's a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it's dead. It's worse than horrible, it's vulgar."

Harris previously told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" that he wasn't concerned about whether IRON MAIDEN would eventually be inducted into the Rock Hall. "I don't really think about it, to be honest. I think awards are things that are nice to have when you get them, but it's not something you're really striving for — it's not what it's about it," he said. "It's never been about that. It's aways been about just trying to make good music and go out and play good live shows, and that's it, really. Hopefully people will appreciate it. It's probably nice when people give you awards — don't get me wrong; I think it's great — but it's not something that you would lose sleep over if you didn't get any.

"It's the way that I am," Harris added. "I don't know. Maybe the rest of the guys [in the band] might think differently to me, but that's the way I think. It's not that I don't care about [awards]. It's just… And it's not that they're not meaningful when you do get 'em — it's nice. But I certainly don't worry about it or anything like that. I think other people are the ones that make a bigger deal out of it than us, about whether we got one or not."

Having been eligible for induction for nearly two decades, IRON MAIDEN is one of the biggest bands on the planet. Since the release of their self-titled debut album, the British heavy metal legends have released a further 16 full-length studio records, and sold over 100 million copies.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee says that the final concert of the band's "End Of The Road" tour will definitely take place this year.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but has since been extended to late 2023. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

Speaking to "Podcast Rock City", Doc said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[The last show of the 'End Of The Road' tour] be finalized in the next few days, and we'll be making an announcement probably in the next days.

"One thing about KISS, we've always been that band that went to places where most bands didn't go. So we play everybody's town… You name it, we've played there. So we always go where the people are anyways. The reason why we're continuing doing this last [run] is because obviously the pandemic has stopped us from finishing. And the fact that people just wanted to see us. But we had to end it at some time, which will be this year."

Asked about the possibility of KISS continuing without co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Doc said: "There's a lot of talk about everything. And nobody knows what's gonna happen in the future. So what we've kind of put in our minds is let's go through this like this is the end of KISS as we know it. And whatever comes our way, with technology and everything else, we'll look at it. Will be Gene and Paul out there in makeup. No. I can tell you that. They're hanging their hats up after the [final] show, which is gonna be very, very difficult and very emotional for them after 50 years of doing this. And they love it.

"A lot of my bands — most of my bands — [say], 'I hate this. I don't wanna be out there anymore. I don't wanna do this. This is bullshit.' That's not [Paul and Gene]," Doc continued. "They love it. They thrive on it. We have a great time on the road, or an extremely good time on the road. So, it's, like, 'Why are we ending this?' And we're ending this because this is the time to end it. This is it, 50 years of KISS. And let them move on to their next phase of whatever they wanna do, whether it's Gene in business or having a country named after him, the Gene Simmons World; we don't know, however that works. And Paul's got a family. He's got three kids — he actually has four kids, but he's got three kids in the house.

"For us, we're just kind of open," McGhee explained. "People are throwing ideas around to us, and then we'll look at it. But, really, it has to be amazing. We don't fall for gimmicks, as much as some people would think we're a gimmick. But we don't fall for 'em. We didn't do NFTs, we didn't do all that stuff, because we didn't believe in it. We didn't believe that people were gonna get anything out of it. And it wasn't gonna be long-lasting.

"I like to think years and years ahead; I don't like to think days ahead. So with that, we're gonna go and finish this up and see what happens in the realm of the metaverse and the world of that type of things that can come back and people can experience things in different ways for KISS.

"To me, KISS is more like Marvel. There's all kinds of things that can happen with KISS, and probably will. So it's a whole new frontier out there starting in '24."

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

In a recent interview with Yahoo! entertainment music editor Lyndsey Parker, Stanley touched upon the fact that the "End Of The Road" tour was originally scheduled to conclude in July 2021. He said: "This tour, interestingly, seems to go on forever. That's because we lost two years to COVID. People go, 'Oh my God. This tour…' Well, yeah, there's two years that didn't count. And it's a big world. So, there've been some countries that I thought we were finished with, and the fans and the promoters wanted us to come back. So we have shows to do.

"The end is in sight — more so than some people know," Stanley confirmed. "But we'll have an announcement about that in the not-too-distant future."

Asked if the KISS farewell tour will end with the band's July 15 performance in Norway, which is the last listed tour date on the official KISS web site, Paul said, "It would only make sense for us to play the States, and I think it would make sense that we would end where we started," strongly hinting that the final concert will take place in New York City.

As for whether he thinks it will be emotional for him to play the final KISS show, Paul said: "More so than I know. There's gonna be some tears shed, for sure.

"You've gotta remember that Gene and I started this together when I was 17 and he was 20, 21. It's 50 years later. We've lived pretty interesting lives, and we have families and children and huge sales in terms of albums and concerts. So it's a big part of who we are; it's a big part of our lives. So, that final show, yeah, that's momentous. And it's gonna hit harder than I think we know. And we know it's gonna hit hard."

Asked whether the last concert of KISS's "End Of The Road" tour will truly mark the band's final performance or if there is a chance of one-off shows or a Las Vegas residency in the future, Stanley said: "I really can't say. But it is the last of any kind of regular shows or touring.

"It's just time," he explained. "And in the same way, it's time consuming. And physically, it's grueling to do what we do. Hell, if I could go out on stage in my jeans and a t-shirt, give us another 10, 15 years easily. But what we do is a whole different sport. I mean, we're athletes; we're running around on stage with 30, 40, pounds of gear, and it's not possible to do it that much longer. So we're not like other bands.

"So, will we do more shows or one-offs? I really have no idea," Paul admitted. "But this is a real clear mindset that the touring days and doing those kind of shows, that's over."

Ozzy Osbourne's previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, has officially been canceled.

Late Tuesday night (January 31),Ozzy released the following statement: "This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to share with my loyal fans. 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.

"I am honestly humbled by the way you've all patiently held onto your tickets for all this time, but in all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I'm not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/UK tour dates, as I know I couldn't deal with the travel required. Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really FUCKS ME UP, more than you will ever know.

"Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way. My team is currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country.

"I want to thank my family……my band…….my crew……my longtime friends, JUDAS PRIEST, and of course, my fans for their endless dedication, loyalty, and support, and for giving me the life that I never ever dreamed I would have.

"I love you all…"

Ozzy's farewell European tour was set to begin in Helsinki, Finland in May.

Ticket refunds are available at point of purchase.

Ozzy initially scrapped his entire 2019 schedule as he recovered from surgery to repair an injury sustained while dealing with a bout of pneumonia. The tour was postponed a second time after Ozzy continued to deal with health issues following a fall in his Los Angeles home. That fall "aggravated years-old injuries" from an ATV accident that occurred in 2003. The tour was pushed back a third time in October 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Had Ozzy's European tour with JUDAS PRIEST tour taken place in May 2023, it would have been more than four years later than originally planned, and almost five years after tickets first went on sale in September 2018.

In December, Ozzy was spotted leaning on a cane while shopping at the luxury supermarket Erewhon Market in Los Angeles. A female assistant helped him maneuver his shopping cart through the store. The 74-year-old is continuing to deal with health woes, including a serious spinal injury that has left him struggling to walk even six months after another surgery.

But he told SiriusXM: "I still have a lot in the tank. I'm determined to get back on the stage again. I'm still in recovery, and I have a goal. And my goal is to get back on stage. It's the driving force in me. I miss my audience. I miss doing gigs. I miss my crew. I miss my band. I miss the whole thing.

"My family has been so good," he added. "I am the man of the family, but I have never been this laid up in my life."

Three years ago, Ozzy publicly revealed his battle with Parkinson's disease. The singer was first diagnosed with the neurological disorder back in 2003, but he didn't disclose that he was stricken with the disease until a January 2020 appearance on "Good Morning America".

Eighteen years ago, Ozzy said that he had been diagnosed with Parkin syndrome, a genetic condition which has symptoms similar to that of Parkinson's disease, such as body shakes. At the time, he said that he was relieved his debilitating body tremors were from Parkin and not his lifetime of drug abuse.

In a recent interview with Australia's Wall Of Sound, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares once again opened up about his band's search for a new vocalist following the departure of Burton C. Bell more than two years ago. Regarding how he is preparing the new singer for the inevitable barrage of criticism once his identity has been revealed, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had a lot of preparation with him because he's gonna have to be able to not only fill some big shoes, which he can vocal-wise, but he's never been inside in that arena, where you're gonna have the media, you're gonna have Internet trolls coming after you. So that's one of the main things I'm getting him prepared for, because some people just can't handle that emotionally.

"If you're in a small band growing to be a bigger band, yeah, eventually you grow into all the Internet hate that you're gonna get, but he's gonna get it instantly and it's gonna be bombarded on him," Dino explained. "But I understand where some people are coming from, 'cause some people are not always adaptable to change. And Burton C. Bell definitely did have the legendary voice for FEAR FACTORY. But things change, people's lives change, and sometimes you've just gotta move on. And that's exactly what we've both done."

Cazares previously told RichardMetalFan, that Bell "always had one foot out the door" during his time with FEAR FACTORY. "He originally quit way back in 2002, and he ended up coming band into the band and restarting the band with the other guys without me," the guitarist said. "At least that's what I thought. But I don't know. I never really got the full story of why they did what they did. But to me, it always seemed like he always had one foot out the door, and I think that this was just his time to exit, for whatever reason. I mean, you have to ask him, really, to get [the full story of why he left]. But he pretty much left me to handle the rest of the duties for [FEAR FACTORY's latest album] 'Aggression Continuum'. And so now I'm moving forward without him, and the band's gonna go on without him, and that's just how it is. He's moved on, and so have I. Fans can cry all they want and people can want what they want. And I get it; I understand. He was in the band for many years, and he was the only vocalist on the record, even though he had quit the band two or three times before that. But he's gone, and I've moved on, and so has he."

Dino also talked about FEAR FACTORY's new vocalist, saying: "There's gonna be big shoes to fill. But I'm not afraid. I've been there before. I'm ready to move on forward. I look forward to it. I think it's gonna be fucking ripping. It's gonna be killer. I'm gonna put out some more heavy shit. So I don't think anybody needs to worry. The vocalist I got is amazing. He's younger; he's in his mid-30s. He's at his vocal peak, I think. He's there and ready to go. We're not making any announcements yet, but people will hear about it soon."

In September 2020, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

Pressed about whether there is any chance of a reconciliation with FEAR FACTORY down the line, Burton said: "I'm done. I haven't spoken to Dino in three years. I haven't spoken to Raymond [Herrera, drums] and Christian [Olde Wolbers, bass] in longer than that, and I have no intention to. I'm just moving forward with my life."

FEAR FACTORY's tour with STATIC-X in early 2023 will be the band's first with its new lead singer, a 36-year-old musician who is "basically unknown," according to Dino.

Cazares recently confirmed that he and the new FEAR FACTORY vocalist have begun work on material for the follow-up to 2021's "Aggression Continuum" album.

In September, Cazares told "The Jasta Show" that FEAR FACTORY fans will have to wait a few more months to find out the identity of his band's new singer.

"FEAR FACTORY singer and music will be coming just before the [group's North American] tour with STATIC-X," he said. "End of February is the first show, so just before that we'll be releasing the single and the singer. And then boom — right on the road."

Last February, former NIGHTRAGE singer Antony Hämäläinen, who unsuccessfully auditioned for the vocalist slot in FEAR FACTORY, claimed in an interview that the new FF frontman is "a person from Italy."

"Aggression Continuum" was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside drummer Mike Heller.

Bell's ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS project released its second full-length album, "Apocrypha", in October 2020 via Dissonance Productions.

2022 saw the unholy return of the German extreme metal band Mystic Circle, releasing their self-titled new studio-album and marking a furious return, which even made them enter the offical German album charts on a sensational #78.


The inspiration kept flowing and the two main members Beelzebub and A. Blackwarcreated nine new tracks for their ninth studio album, which will be called Erzdämon and see the light of day on March 17th via their new label, Fireflash Records.







The tracklist is as follows:


"Erzdämon (Part 1)"
"From Hell"
"Unholy Trinity"
"The Scarecrow"
"Asmodeus And The Temple Of God"
"Welcome To The Midnight Mass"
"The Mothman"
"Skinwalker"
"The Princess Of The Deadly Sins (Erzdämon Part 2)"


"This new album is a logical continuation and further development of the previous album, more detailed and leading more into the world of horror. The satanic, demonic themes got combined with mystical legends of old stories that will make your blood run cold. Musically this is evoked with new and darker sounds and samples as well as classic heavy metal parts“, comments the band and describes their new journey as a mixture of Drachenblut, Infernal Satanic Verses and Mystic Circle. "We gave the the album a German title, because we wanna close a circle and go back to our early days. "Erzdämon" sounds powerful and sublime and represents the album 100%."


For the album cover, Mystic Circle worked with Rafael Tavares again, who came up with the perfect artwork. The production with Nils Lesser continues seamlessly from the previous album: bombastic, brutal and massive! "The new record contains the fastest, but also the most doomy songs in the band's history", the band sums up.


Erzämon will be released on the new founded label Fireflash Records, a sub-label of Atomic Fire Records. "After working closely with Markus Wosgien on Atomic Fire Records, our new album will be released on his own label Fireflash Records. Markus is all in one: a friend, fan and mentor of the band, knowing us very well since the beginning and has also studied our development from afar. With his experience and his power we are ready to continue our way straight and uncompromising. We are all highly motivated and now, this new album is in great hands", comments the band.


"We know each other for ages and back in the days I was doing the publicity work for the Mystic Circle‘s first three studio albums on Last Episode. We became friends and I also had them on the cover of my old fanzine "Circle Of The Tyrants". When I heard the new songs, I was completely blown away. I mean, the band did some real classics and their reunion album was a deadly strike, but this new record tops it all and is simply the best they ever did. The songs are even more versatile, fast and brutal, dark as hell – but also super catchy and pure Mystic Circle. You get addicted immediately", adds Markus Wosgien of Fireflash Records.


Along the release of the new studio album, Fireflash Records will also re-release the Mystic Circle classic Drachenblut on coloured vinyl. More news soon.

Finnish melodic death metal necromancers Torchia have released release a new song, "La Magra", along with with a striking music video. The song is the first single from the band's upcoming third album.


Guitarist Ville Riitamaa: "'La Magra' is a soul-ripping remedy found in evil and misery. For such a spiteful story, a touch of the melancholy of Finnish language was definitely needed. When it comes to the composition, the song is an unprecedentedly nasty Torchia tune, and the main riff takes no prisoners – without forgetting melody."


The sinister music video, typical of Torchia, was produced in collaboration with Obliviart Productions. The video uses CGI graphics, which is a whole new element for the band.




Vocalist Edward Torchia: "When we started writing the script, I soon realized that we are about go beyond this reality. The story of the song was simply crying for visual effects. The end result takes the viewer to another world."


Listen to the single via digital platforms found here.





Photo by Mikko Pylkkö

Japanese supergroup, The Last Rockstars, is  comprised of four of Japan’s biggest rock stars – Yoshiki (X Japan), Hyde (L'Arc-en-Ciel, Vamps), Sugizo (X Japan, Luna Sea), and Miyavi. The group announced their formation at a live event in Tokyo on November 11th, 2022.


The band played their first live show on January 23rd in Tokyo, Japan at Ariake Arena. Fan-filmed video of the entire show is available below.


The setlist was as follows:




"The Last Rockstars"
"6 Or 9" (Hyde song)
"Messiah"
"Here's The Love"
"Beneath The Skin" (S.K.I.N. cover)
- Sugizo and Miyavi Guitar Battle -
- Sugizo Violin Solo
"Folly"
"Hallelujah"
- Yoshiki Drum Solo
- Yoshiki Piano Solo
"Born To Be Free" (X Japan cover)
"Honey "(L'Arc-en-Ciel cover)
"Up And Down"
"Bang!" (Miyavi song)
"Red Swan" (Hyde song)
"Psycho Love"


Encore:
"Shine"
"Glamorous Sky" (Hyde song)
"The Last Rockstars"











, and now they have three upcoming "Live Debut" shows scheduled for New York and Los Angeles. A second New York show at the Hammerstein Ballroom was added last month. 


The group most recently announced a label deal with Virgin Music Group, who will partner with the group for the release of new music in 2023.  The band's debut single is the self-titled anthem "The Last Rockstars (Paris Mix)". The video for the single accumulated an impressive 1.7 million views within a week of its release. Check it out below.





Live dates:


February 
3 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom 
4 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom (SOLD OUT)
10 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium (SOLD OUT)


All of the members are stars in their own right. Yoshiki, leader / drummer of the legendary X Japan, has been named "one of the most influential composers in Japanese history," and has sold over 50 million albums.


Hyde is a vocalist, record producer, and actor. Best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel since 1991, he is also the lead vocalist of Vamps and has a solo career.


Sugizo is best known as the lead guitarist and violinist of the rock band Luna Sea since 1989. He officially joined X Japan in 2009 after coming on board as a touring member in 2008.


Miyavi is a guitarist, vocalist, record producer, and actor known for his finger-slapping style of playing guitar. He has been active since 1999, first as guitarist for the now defunct Visual Kei rock band Dué Le Quartz, and then as a solo artist starting in 2002. In 2007, he became a member of the rock supergroup S.K.I.N. In 2014, Miyavi appeared in the movie Unbroken, directed by Angelina Jolie, and went on to undertake smaller roles in American productions such as Kong: Skull Island and Stray.

Germany's porno metallers Electric Callboy have shared a new video along with the following message:


"Here we go! We had some unreleased footage from our original video shoot for 'Pump It' and we decided to make another music video for the 'Pump It (Velvet Remix)'! Enjoy..."










Electric Callboy released their new studio album, Tekkno, on September 9th, 2022 via Century Media Records. They will release the Tekkno (Tour Edition) on March 24th. Below is the official live video for "We Got The Moves", taken from the record.


Tekkno (Tour Edition) is available for pre-order in the following formats:


- Ltd. 180g. ultra clear-red splattered Vinyl (limited to 1.000 copies / band exclusive)
- Ltd. 180g. yellow-black marbled Vinyl (limited to 500 copies / band exclusive and CM Distro)
- Ltd. 180g transp. light blue-lilac marbled Vinyl (available at all outlets) - Standard CD Jewelcase





Tracklist:


"Pump It"
"We Got The Moves"
"Fuckboi" (feat. Conquer Divide)
"Spaceman" (feat. Finch)
"Mindreader"
"Arrow Of Love"
"Parasite"
"Tekkno Train"
"Hurrikan"
"Neon"
"Pump It" (Live)
"Hate/Love" (Live)
"Spaceman" (Live)
"We Got The Moves" (Live)
"Hypa Hypa" (Live)

Finnish extreme metallers Anzillu – whose sound is punctuated by buzz-saw guitar riffs delivered with equal amounts of dexterous shredding and pummeling anthemic brute force – have released their debut album, Ex Nihilo, upon the masses. Thrashy, intense, infectiously catchy with melodic undertones and shout-along choruses, this album is seismic and relentless.


“We’ve been working on this album for a good three years,” explains guitarist Jesse Kämäräinen. “First demoing and arranging the songs, then recording and mixing it at Sonic Pump Studios with Nino Laurenne (Amorphis, Wintersun, Lost Society, Lordi) and lastly working towards the release with M-Theory Audio. Finally, the day is here and we get to see how people will receive it. I've made some albums in my time and I'm proud of all of them, but this one I'm proud of the most. It took the most work and it paid off. In a certain way, the stars were aligned.”


“As for the new single ‘Mental Graveyard’, I think it's the strongest song on the album. It’s the best song I've ever written, hence I chose it to be the lead single for the album. If you only want to listen to one song from us, it's this one,” cites Jesse. “I wanted to try my limits when writing this song and to do something atypical. I'd like to think I succeeded. Lyrically the song is about quitting a toxic relationship and realizing your own value. It has a lot of personal experience behind the lyrics, but I hope everyone in the same bad situation will realize that there's always better options out there.”







Ex Nihilo artwork and tracklisting:





"Needles (On My Nerves)"
"Mental Graveyard"
"Trumpets Of War"
"The Cleansing Flame"
"Discordia"
"Dauntless"
"Splinter In The Mind’s Eye"
"Vultures"
"Ex Nihilo"


Secure your copy of Ex Nihilo now at this location.


"Needles (On My Nerves)" video:





"Trumpets Of War" video:





"The Cleansing Flame" lyric video:





"Discordia" video:





For further details, visit Anzillu on Facebook.


 

Death / black metal pioneers Inferion will reissue their long out-of-of-print, 1999 debut album, Given To The Ground, on February 10, 2023 on digital and CD digipack formats. The album has been remastered, and the digital version will include three bonus tracks; re-recorded versions of "Entering Death Without A Name", "Killing Off Life", and "Religious War".


Inferion's first full-length album, Given To The Ground, explores the darker side of life such as death, ceremonial burial, and the transformation of flesh to dust. Due to the different influences while writing this album, Given To The Ground takes the form of a mid-paced doom / death metal release with a mesh of the band's signature melodic black / thrash metal influence. This release embodies the warm analog sound of being recorded on ADAT tape.







Tracklisting:


"Given To The Ground" 
"Luxor Massacre"
"Entering Death Without A Name"
"Killing Off Life"
"Religious War"
"When The Fire Dies"
"Realm Of Solitude"
"Angelic Suffering"
"Further Into The Vortex"
"Entering Death Without A Name" (2023 Re-Recording) *
"Killing Off Life" (2023 Re-Recording) *
"Religious War" (2023 Re-Recording) *


* Digital-only bonus tracks


Pre-order Given To The Ground on CD digipack now at this location, or pre-save the digital album here. The reissue will also be available on Spotify on February 10, 2023.


 

The first embers sparked in the frosty Canadian Tundra of Newfoundland, Canada in 2011 when Category VI released their “Vinland” demo. This swiftly ignited their path and their debut album Fireborn (2013) was unleashed in a blaze of burning metal. Those coals were never quenched, and Category VI added fuel to the fire with their 2017 follow-up Inferno “War Is Hell”.


Category VI now in 2023, they return with a full blazing firestorm with their third album and most accomplished release to date, Firecry. From the initial flickering flame of “Firecry” to the final cinders of the absolutely combustible cover of Heart's classic “Barracuda”, Category VI delivers true and classic 80’s heavy metal with utter perfection. “Firecry” boasts a crisp, clear, and scorching modern production that does not distract from the band's true 80’s metal sound.


Lyrically crafted around themes of personal pride and triumph ("Valkyrie", "Heavy Is The Crown"), witchcraft persecution ("Firecry"), women’s strength ("She Runs With Wolves") and their excellent live performances ("Coven"), these concepts are boldly and powerfully delivered by the soaring vocal excellence of Amanda Jackman. Bolstered and fuelled by the powerful stainless steel riffs and catchy melodies of guitarist Geoff Waye, the pounding anvil bass of Keith Jackman, and the thunderous steadfast drumming of Brian Downton, Category VI brings classy and classic 1980s power – Traditional Heavy Metal into the 21st century with blazing glory.




Category VI delivers an immaculate true metal, yet the radio-friendly cover of the chart-topping Heart classic “Barracuda”. With Firecry, Category VI unleashes a global scale climate-changing metal cyclone that just may melt the North American frozen tundra with its blazing power metal.


Firecry is due out March 24 via Moribund Records. Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Firecry"
"Valkyrie"
"The Vultures Never Came"
"She Runs With Wolves"
"Heavy Is The Crown"
"Coven"
"The Cradle Will Fall"
"Burning Bridges"
"Barracuda" (Heart)


"Firecry":

MNRK Music Group announces its newest signing, heavy metal band The Slugganauts. The Slugganauts are featured in the BunnyKitty universe, an animated world created by legendary graffiti artist Dave ‘Persue’ Ross. The Slugganauts will release a new single, “No More Gimmicks”, in February, followed by more new music in 2023, all real-world compositions by musicians on the MNRK Music Group roster.


About this new project, Persue says, “The resurrection will be televised.”


In 2001, Persue’s graffiti propelled him forward into the world of skateboarding and aesthetics, eventually helping him pioneer the marketing space of some of the most iconic streetwear brands, including DC, Circa, and Osiris. In 2001, amidst his abstract letterforms, Persue created the character BunnyKitty, the beloved cat in a bunny suit character, which took on a life of her own, and forever changed the trajectory of Persue’s career.




BunnyKitty was born on a wall, but now she lives on the page and on the blockchain, first in The Origins of BunnyKitty (2016), then in her newly-released adventure, BunnyKitty in the City (December 2022), and most recently an NFT sale in collaboration with Web3 studio, Notables, which sold out in just 3 minutes. The Slugganauts' first single will release in February, followed by more new music this year. MNRK plans to release vinyls, band merch, music videos and stage live performances.

Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY have released the official music video for their new single, "Out Of Pocket". Check it out below.

Speaking about the new track, BLACK STONE CHERRY frontman Chris Robertson said: "'Out Of Pocket' is a song born out of that exact feeling. The song was what I personally, and I think a lot of us, felt over these very trying last couple of years. Facing your demons, knowing that you have to come out the other side stronger than before."

Last October, BLACK STONE CHERRY drummer John Fred Young told Loud TV that he and his bandmates started working on the follow-up to 2020's "The Human Condition" album last summer. "I think there's about eight songs right now that we had done, and we're gonna go back in in December and finish up the rest," he said at the time. "So [it's] a really, really cool situation.

"We've got our own theater back in Glasgow, Kentucky, where Ben [Wells, guitar] lives. We do our home shows there; we do it every two years at Christmas. So we recorded the drums in this big, beautiful theater. And they just sound incredible; even with me playing, they sound incredible. And we're going to my house to do vocals and guitars. So, [it's] really cool, man. I think people will really love the songs and the playing.

"We recorded 'The Human Condition' in 2020, and when we were doing that, everything with COVID, it was really starting to rise up," John added. "And we got done with that record two days before our state locked us down. So we were lucky to get that done. But I think probably next year, early next year, we'll have a new record out."

As for the musical and lyrical direction of the new BLACK STONE CHERRY material, John said: "The first seven or eight [songs] we had done are really… The lyrics on them are very heartfelt and great. The music is really heavy, but also there's the BLACK STONE CHERRY ballad or two, so… I can't give away too much [laughs], 'cause I don't even know what the other ones sound like yet, 'cause we haven't really finished those."

Last August, Robertson told "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen & Shane McEachern" about the band's upcoming LP: "We've got nine songs completely written and about seven more that we've gotta write lyrics and stuff to. But we've been at it, man. And it's good. It's heavy. It's melodic. I think it's gonna be a great record."

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for BLACK STONE CHERRY's new songs, Chris said: "It's crazy because the songs we write… Obviously we write songs that are fun — like 'Blame It On The Boom Boom' and 'White Trash Millionaire' — a lot of fun stuff, but we also write some more serious songs.

"It's different, man," he continued. "We've been writing and stuff. And it's crazy. For me right now, the stuff that's kind of coming out is a lot related to my dad passing, a lot of understanding how to deal with this loss and grief and just learning to live through it.

"The serious songs we write are stuff that we've either witnessed or we've lived or whatever," Chris explained. "Other than a song like 'Rain Wizard' or some of the stuff we wrote that was more folklory, everything we've written is something we've lived. So there's a hell of a lot in the well now. I went a really long way of saying that, but the well is very deep now of things to write about."

BLACK STONE CHERRY's seventh studio album, "The Human Condition", was made available in October 2020 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group.

In June 2021, BLACK STONE CHERRY announced the departure of bassist Jon Lawhon. He has since been replaced on the road by Steve Jewell Jr., the guitarist from the Glasgow, Kentucky band OTIS.

The digital-only release of an expanded edition of "The Human Condition" was made available in August 2021.

FALLING IN REVERSE has released the official music video for the band's new single "Watch The World Burn". The clip, which was directed by Jensen Noen, includes a scene (around 2:08 mark) where a Sebastian Bach lookalike gets hit in the head by a falling laptop, an apparent nod to the recent war of words between FALLING IN REVERSE frontman Ronnie Radke and the former SKID ROW singer.

Just hours before FALLING IN REVERSE was supposed to appear at the WIIL Rock festival last September at Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake, Illinois, Radke and his bandmates scrapped their performance because their laptops — which the musicians use to "run" their "show" — were lost. At the time, Radke said in a video message that he and his bandmates had "no other option" because "as a band in 2022, you need your laptops. It's like driving a car without an engine."
A couple of days later, SiriusXM radio personality Eddie Trunk, who has been a vocal critic of rock bands using pre-recorded tracks at their live shows, blasted FALLING IN REVERSE for canceling the concert, writing on his social media: "How much longer are fans, promoters , media, just going to accept the epidemic of live rock shows… not really being live? Paying your hard earned money to see a band play 'live' that's not truly live?!" In response, Radke wrote: "@EddieTrunk so you wanna talk hella Shit about laptops but go watch kiss lip sync, Steven Tyler plays the piano then half way through the song he stands on top of piano while it sill plays yet here we are acting like they all don't use tracks you fucking idiot. Literal moron". He also shared a video of Trunk introducing Bach's solo band at a performance, and he included the following message: "@EddieTrunk introducing @sebastianbach using tracks, both idiots talking Shit about me using tracks can't make this shit up." A short time later, Bach fired back, writing: "Wow dummy are you trying to say that you believe that I use tracks on stage? @EddieTrunk how f****** funny is this". Radke then responded: "There's a fake audience cheer in your intro tracks and also fake drums the fuck you mean? that shit isn't real you are using a fake audience cheering as you walk out on a fucking track hence you using tracks."

Things escalated further when Bach tweeted "Watch what happens when track bands call real musicians idiots", prompting Radke to write: "The fuck is your bitch ass gonna do? You disrespect an entire generation of people after you that use synths laptops and backing tracks all while using a fake audience on a track as you walk out, fuck you and fuck Eddie trunks bitch ass". Sebastian later added: "It's always so much fun to show someone what the world was like before the internet existed get f****** ready. Virtual reality is so much fun until you have to deal with actual reality. In your face. Can't wait to meet you in person. Name the time and the place and I will introduce you to rock and roll in person man".

Radke addressed his feud with Bach in an interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. He said: "I stand my ground and I just stand by what I believe in. [Sebastian] was so rude; he's rude. Some prominent people in music DMed [direct messaged] me. It made me feel a lot better. I don't wanna call them out. But they were on my side. Even some famous wrestlers — some huge legendary wrestlers — hit me up too. And they were, like, 'He's always been an asshole.' I'm, like, 'What do you mean?' I didn't know this. I had no idea. He was, like, 'Yeah. Look.' And he shows me his screen[shots]. I'm, like, 'God, he's so rude to a lot of people. Oh my God."

Regarding how the war of words between him and Bach began, Radke said: "It started because I said I couldn't play a show 'cause our laptops are like our engine, and I stand by that. Our biggest song is almost multiplatinum, and it was No. 1 on the radio, and 60 percent of the song is literally a rap beat. Am I supposed to, like… They don't understand that; they just don't get it. It's not like SKID ROW or MÖTLEY CRÜE. Even MÖTLEY CRÜE — Nikki Sixx came to my defense, man. I think that's super cool. He defended me too."

"For anybody that's a dinosaur that doesn't understand what I'm saying right now — that's literally a dinosaur — every single band that you heard in the past 20 years has laptops. KISS — I mean, all these older bands have laptops.

"We use laptops," Ronnie confirmed. "I will not go on stage without a laptop. It has a click track to keep the time. It has rap beats that we cannot perform without. Our biggest song, fans will be very let down if we don't play 'Popular Monster' or 'Voices In My Head'. It's just a new mix; it's like a different way to operate. So it is — it's like the engine. Without it, we can't operate. We're the part of the engine, and it helps. I mean, yeah, I can sing a cappella; it's not gonna sound as good. I don't know what they want from me. I think they're just mad. I don't know. They're mad."

According to Ronnie, "all" his fans had his back when it came to the Bach feud. "I'm, like, 'Bro, if you think I'm faking it, just go on YouTube and watch any video. Tweet me a video where it looks like I'm faking it.' And nobody can," he said. "There's no faking it. We're not faking it. We need our rap beats. We need our synths. We could have, like, 25 people on stage, if that's what makes Sebastian Bach happy. I'm sure nobody else would care. Six different fucking keyboard players. Let me get two more buses on tour, which will cost 250 thousand dollars, and their pay and hotels, just so Sebastian Bach is, like, 'That's real.'"

Radke went on to clarify that his lead vocals are always one hundred percent live. "I dare anybody to go try to find a video of me ever lip syncing," he said. "From 2005 all the way to now, you're not gonna find it. I refuse to lip sync. I'll just cancel the show if my voice is gone or something. I would never do that. It's not about the money. And that's why people get mad that I cancel shows. I'm not gonna lip sync. So I challenge anybody to try to find a video of my lip syncing. You can't. And some people, they'll call me out and say, 'You are.' And I'll be, like, 'No, that's my vocal.' And then it's like a huge compliment for me, 'cause I'm proud of being able to sing, and stuff like that, live. You can tell. If you've been doing this a long time and been to a lot of shows, you can tell the difference. It's just usually people on the Internet that say that — nobody at the shows."

Back in 2019, Bach weighed in on artists who use pre-recorded tracks at their live shows, saying that "it's becoming very rare" to see bands "not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running." The former SKID ROW singer told Consequence Of Sound: "I don't know how much longer I can say to you that I don't use tapes onstage, because I don't, and I never have. And I still don't. I'm not going to for this tour. I feel like I'm one of the last people. When I have opening bands, and they're using tapes, and then I come out and I don't use tapes… sometimes, it makes me feel stupid, because I'm like, 'What am I doing, when all these kids half my age can come onstage and do all of my moves, but they don't have to warm up for an hour before the show, or weeks, before the first show?' Sometimes, I'm like, 'Why do I even bother, if the public is so used to this other way'?”

"I just did this cruise, called the Legends Of Rock cruise, and there were all older bands — like KANSAS and Edgar Winter," he continued. "These guys come onstage and destroy you with their musicality. None of these bands on this cruise used tapes. And KANSAS, I was hanging out with that dude with the eyepatch [guitarist Rich Williams], and he said, 'I tell people, 'Come see this while it still exists,'' because it's becoming very rare to come see a good band that's actually a real band — that's not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running. It just becomes more rare as the years go on."

Asked why he thinks artists using pre-recorded tracks live seems much more prevalent nowadays, Bach said: "Because everybody films everything on their phones, and then posts it all. That's the reason. Nobody wants to jump around too much and then hit a bad note, and then have it be posted on the internet, and people say, 'He's not singing it like the record.' Well, nobody is jumping around when they're on the record. So, you can either freeze or sit in a chair — that's how you make a record — and if you want to do that, it's going to be a pretty boring show."

He went on to say: "Most performers say, 'Singing is too hard.' I'm not from that school. I've done four Broadway shows — I don't transpose the keys down; I can still hit all the notes. I might not hit them all just like the record on any given night. I might not be as good as I once was… but I'm good once as I ever was. [Laughs]"

Bach previously defended KISS against claims that the band is using pre-recorded tracks during its farewell tour. "I listened to Paul Stanley sing his ass off LIVE," Sebastian tweeted after witnessing KISS's concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. "I have seen way more obvious use of backing tracks than with KISS… KISS is not lip syncing," he added. "There are too busy putting on the greatest rock show you will ever see."

In July 2020, Bach accused FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho of using pre-recorded lead vocal tracks during live performances. The former SKID ROW frontman initially claimed Jericho was "miming to a tape" at FOZZY concerts in a social media post. In response, the wrestler-turned-rocker insisted that he had "never mimed anything ever" and challenged Bach to a "singoff" with "no effects, no tuning, no bullshit", saying "Bas is a great singer...but I'm better".

In the months that ensued, Bach brought up Jericho's alleged lip syncing on several occasions, most recently in January 2021 in an interview with The Aquarian Weekly. Asked specifically about his feud with Chris, Sebastian said: "I have an open mind about everyone. If I read on Blabbermouth.com [sic] that some band says, 'We're the future of rock 'n' roll and we are the next thing after THE ROLLING STONES,' I think, this must be incredible! What have I been missing out on? So, I checked out one video during which the singer was 100% miming to a tape on stage at The Rockpile in Toronto. I thought to myself, 'That's weird, that's not the next ROLLING STONES.' So, I watch another video where he was opening up for NICKELBACK in an arena and, again, he's miming to a tape. You can go watch it for yourself. Then someone said, 'Here's a clip of him singing live. Legit, bro.' And it's him miming to a tape again. It's crazy obvious. It is not my opinion, it's fact. It is not me starting a fight. But don't tell me what singing live is, 'cause I have never used tape. I don't even know how to do that."

NORMA JEAN has released the official music video for the song "1994". It's comprised of footage spanning the entirety of the band's career.

"1994" is taken from NORMA JEAN's ninth album, "Deathrattle Sing For Me", which came out last August via Solid State Records.

"If you film your band for 20+ years and never do anything with it, you end up with a box full of VHS and hi-8 tapes like what happened to me," says singer Cory Brandan. "Instead of making that expensive documentary you were always hoping to make, just make a three-minute music video instead."

NORMA JEAN invites an intense level of intimacy on "Deathrattle Sing For Me". The group plunges into unparalleled emotional depths, as if their very existence depended upon the catharsis these 13 tracks promised.

"This record was really about banding together," observes Brandan. "It embodies the camaraderie of our brotherhood in NORMA JEAN. At the time, we needed something to do, and we wrote these songs for our own souls. The record was necessary to keep me alive in a very literal sense. It's a deeper place."

The band unearthed a searing signature style on "O' God, The Aftermath" in 2005. They struck up a creative partnership with iconic producer Ross Robinson on the seminal "Redeemer" (2007) and "The Anti Mother" (2008). The latter notably boasted appearances by Chino Moreno of DEFTONES and Page Hamilton of HELMET.

Following the acclaimed "Meridional" (2010),"Wrongdoers" (2013) represented a critical high watermark with a 9-out-of-10 score from Rock Sound and 9-out-of-10 score from Outburn. On the heels of "Polar Similar" (2016),they reached another level on "All Hail" (2019). In a perfect 5-star review, New Noise Magazine raved, "'All Hail' is yet another momentous accomplishment on their part," while Kerrang! attested, "'All Hail''s ambition and execution is worthy of worship." Along the way, they toured with everyone from ROB ZOMBIE and KORN to MASTODON, LAMB OF GOD, and more. During 2021, they recorded what would become "Deathrattle Sing For Me" with longtime collaborator Jeremy SH Griffith. They nodded to inspirations as diverse as ALICE IN CHAINS' "Dirt", THE SMASHING PUMPKINS' "Siamese Dream", and the sample-and-riff onslaught of WHITE ZOMBIE's "La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume 1".

Next month, NORMA JEAN will hit the road on a headline tour with support from FIRE FROM THE GODS and GREYHAVEN.

Photo credit: Rachel Putman

The Legends Of Hard Rock & Heavy Metal YouTube channel has uploaded video of KINGS OF THRASH, the new band featuring former MEGADETH members David Ellefson (bass) and Jeff Young (guitar), performing on January 28 at the Days Of The Dead horror convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Check it out below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jeff was also full of praise for Aching and Leon, saying: "We really feel in a way how Ozzy [Osbourne] must have felt introducing Randy Rhoads to the world with these young two guys we have, both half our age and both so composed and mature musically for their age. And we've just been having a blast. And it's great that they're fans of the music and they've really studied it. Chaz, the singer/guitar player, plays in a MEGADETH tribute and fronts a SOUNDGARDEN tribute. So he has some of that Chris Cornell huskiness… So it's really cool to hear him sing these songs with a bit more huskiness and that young exuberance that he has. I think the kids are gonna love him 'cause he has that Dimebag Darrell kind of likability."

In a new interview with Dawn Osborne of TotalRock, SAXON frontman Biff Byford talked about his plans for the coming months. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've got this album [' More Inspirations'] coming out [from SAXON], obviously. We're still touring [2022's] 'Carpe Diem' [LP]. We're writing the new album, which will be out — I think it will be out sometime early '24. But we've got a lot of touring to do this year. I'm sort of tentatively starting another solo album — maybe. We have another HEAVY WATER album coming out, which is me and my son [Seb Byford of NAKED SIX] in a band together. So that'll be coming out soon as well; that's all finished and ready to go.

"So there's quite a lot of stuff happening for the band and myself, actually, in the next two years," Biff added. "So we'll just keep going, just trying to stay healthy, and we hope everybody likes what we're doing, really."

"More Inspirations" will arrive on March 24 via Silver Lining Music.

Following the release of "Inspirations" in 2021, "More Inspirations" is the second "deep dish" serving of the influences which have fed the mighty SAXON's immensely successful 40-plus-year career.

Produced by Biff, with Seb Byford helping record the music alongside mixing engineer Jacky Lehmann, "More Inspirations" includes enthusiastic takes on RAINBOW, ZZ TOP and CREAM, as well as a thunderous "Razamanaz" by NAZARETH, a tasty take on THE WHO's "Substitute", and a thick groove take on URIAH HEEP's "Gypsy".

Following the success of the "Seize The World" tour 2022, SAXON will be back on the road in March 2023 for a string of European dates, with special guests German metal titans RAGE.

Byford and guitarist Paul Quinn are the sole remaining original members in SAXON's current lineup.

Originally from South Yorkshire, England, SAXON has gone on to sell about 23 million albums and has produced such classic songs as "Denim And Leather", "Princess Of The Night", "Wheels Of Steel" and "Power And Glory".

HEAVY WATER's debut album, "Red Brick City", was released in July 2021 via Silver Lining Music.

Biff's first-ever solo album, "School Of Hard Knocks", came out in February 2020.

Progressive rock band, The Contortionist, release a new box set, Retrospective: Live From Atlanta, today. The box set boasts three double LPs comprised of recordings from the band’s 2021 live-stream performances. The three live streamed performances cover every facet of the band’s career, including a full album performance of the critically acclaimed full-length Clairvoyant, as well as an entire set focused on the band’s heavier catalog.


Featuring over 30 tracks, the impressive package is a limited-edition set, with only 1,500 copies available worldwide. It comes housed in a 12x12x2 embossed box and features translucent acetate overlay alternate covers for each of the three live stream sets. Each live stream set comes pressed on 12” 180g double vinyl in a beautiful gatefold package. Fans can purchase the box set here.


Guitarist Cameron Maynard says, “When we initially conceived this project, our objective was to give something to our fans amidst the inability to physically perform to a live audience. As it turns out, we were so happy with the end result that we thought it would only be appropriate to release in a more tangible way. We have always wanted to release a box set like this, and after seeing some original ideas for the art, we knew it had to be done.”




Keyboardist Eric Guenther adds, “Although the motivation for this project was born out of uncertainty and cancellations, the opportunity to perform and create the definitive musical artifact for this band’s history became a silver lining. To me, this is years of work finally realized, and thanks to our fans’ response, we were able to make this project timeless with a proper release. This is the best representation of The Contortionist to date, and to us, the recording that defines the identity of this band and how we sounded in the first 10+ years. Thanks to our fans for making this band real. Also, we can’t wait to share what we have been working on.”


The band is also releasing two videos from the live-stream performances for tracks “Clairvoyant,” and “Geocentric Confusion.” Watch below.





Tracklisting:


Set 1: The MNRK Heavy Set
"Early Grave"
"Reimagined"
"Follow"
"Geocentric Confusion"
"Flourish"
"1979"
"Integration"
"Thrive"
"Solipsis"
"Language I: Intuition"
"Language II: Conspire"


Set 2: Clairvoyant Album (Full Performance)
"Monochrome"
"Godspeed"
"Reimagined"
"Clairvoyant"
"The Center"
"Absolve"
"Relapse"
"Return To Earth"
"Monochrome (Pensive)"


Set 3: Exoplanet + Intrinsic
"Primal Directive"
"Oscillator "
"Flourish"
"Geocentric Confusion"
"Causality "
"Vessel"
"Solipsis "
"Axiom"
"Exoplanet I: Egress"
"Exoplanet II: Void"
"Exoplanet III: Light"

Having recently announced their signing to Century Media Records, with a debut album on the way, Predatory Void are now giving fans a new standalone single, "*(struggling..)". Stream the track here, and watch a video (by Jeroen Mylle, and shot in the workshop of painter and visual artist Sven Verhaege) below.





Predatory Void comments: "'*(struggling..)' is about how we slowly begin to decay from the inside, trapped in a flesh prison, experiencing pain and longing for a release. Physical agony follows, amplifying despair and misery, and there is no escape."







Predatory Void came to be when guitarist Lennart Bossu (Amenra, Oathbreaker) found himself writing material that wasn't really suited for Amenra. Lennart gathered a group of likeminded people living in the area of Ghent (BE) - including the versatile vocalist and tattoo artist Lina R - and soon after, the band was born, with Tim De Gieter (bass; Amenra, Doodseskader, Much Luv Studio), Thijs De Cloedt (guitar; Cobra The Impaler, ex-Aborted), and Vincent Verstrepen (drums). Predatory Void played their first show at the renowned Soulcrusher Festival (NL) alongside artists such as Ihsahn, Envy, Cave In and Heriot, creating a buzz within the scene. With an album's worth of material already written, they signed to Century Media Records for their worldwide debut.


With this signing news, Predatory Void revealed their plans to perform said debut record - Seven Keys To The Discomfort Of Being - in full at Roadburn Festival 2023.


The band comments: "We feel privileged to be granted the opportunity to present our debut album, 'Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being', in its entirety at Roadburn, one of the institutions that set the standard in the world of underground heavy music. The album contains some things that will be difficult to recreate live elsewhere, so this will definitely be a unique occasion. It will also be one of our very first live shows ever, so we can't imagine a better and more exciting start for a new band."


Stay tuned for more news about Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being coming soon.


Predatory Void lineup:


Lina R - vocals
Lennart Bossu - guitar
Tim De Gieter - bass
Thijs De Cloedt - guitar
Vincent Verstrepen - drums


(Photo - Tetiana Malezhyk / Yoss Photography)