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)

A savage, and visceral deathcore band from Cleveland Ohio, 72 Legions - based on the myth of Ars Goetia - bring brutal death, deathcore, and elements of black metal into a melodic yet violent mix of music.


Formed in 2022 by Devin Wirick (vocals) and Curran Murphy (guitars), the lineup was completed with Dan Gates (bass), Robert Quad (guitar) and Colton Zeitler (drums). The independe tly released three song EP, 72-EP, available now, will be followed up with the full length album in February 2023. 


Plans for touring are being organized for 2023, and a second full length album is planned for the end of 2023.







Tracklist


"Procession"
"Paradise"
"Muted Empathy"


Pick up the EP via Bandcamp here.

Legendary guitar player Jeff Beck passed away on Tuesday, January 10, at the age of 78. Beck’s family shared in a statement that Beck died on after contracting bacterial meningitis.


The statement reads: “On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”


Beck was famous for replacing Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds in 1965 and released numerous classic albums with his own band, the Jeff Beck Group. He is a two time Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer with the Yardbirds and as a solo artist.




Former Danger Danger guitarist Andy Timmons has paid tribute to Beck with a piece he wrote called "Beautiful Strange".


Timmons: "Written the night I saw Jeff Beck for the first time in 1999. I had never been so moved by a performance in my life. Every note and nuance had such incredible emotional intent. Truly an enlightening and inspiring evening. I recorded this video a few days after Jeff's passing with a version of my signature Ibanez AT100 guitar that I had made specifically to look like Jeff's 'Wired' Strat. Also. I set up the tremolo to be 'floating' similar to his. My heart still hurts now that he's gone, but may we all continue to reach for that incredibly high bar that he set. Much Love, Gratitude and Respect." 

Swedish rockers, Creye, will release their new album, III: Weightless, on February 17. Watch a video for the new single, "One Step Away", below, and pre-order/save III: Weightless here.


As with their last album, II, this new album sees the band’s songwriting and playing jumping by leaps and bounds to put them at the forefront of the Swedish melodic rock scene. With an album and live EP as well as multiple gigs under their belt, this lineup of Creye has truly gelled and that cohesiveness shines through on III: Weightless. Fans of the band's previous work certainly won't be disappointed and will also be thankful that the band has managed to evolve while staying familiar.


After releasing the Straight To The Top EP in early 2017, Creye signed a multi-album deal with Frontiers and released their self-titled debut album in October 2018. After announcing that August Rauer would be the new frontman for the band in late 2018, Creye toured in Sweden and Europe in 2019, including appearing at Melodicrock Fest, Frontiers Rock Sweden, and the Rockingham Festival. Creye regrouped in the studio in late 2019 to start working on the follow-up album to their self-titled debut. The plan was to refine and improve their songs and approach. The band’s strong determination to achieve this goal shone through on what would become their second album, II.




With III: Weightless, Creye's evolution as a premiere band in the Swedish melodic rock scene continues unabated.





III: Weightless tracklisting:


"Glorious"
"Air"
"One Step Away"
"The Game"
"Spreading Fire"
"Weightless"
"How Far"
"In The Shadows"
"Stay"
"Dangerous"
"Pieces"


"One Step Away" video:





"Air" video:





"Spreading Fire" video:





- Produced by: Jacob Gustafsson


Lineup:


August Rauer - Lead Vocals
Andreas Gullstrand - Lead Guitar
Fredrik Joakimsson - Rhythm Guitar
Joel Selsfors - Keyboards
Gustaf Örsta - Bass
Arvid Filipsson - Drums

During a recent edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which Ted Nugent offers his take on the news of our world every night, the legendary rocker was asked about the decline of Christianity in the United States, with some people predicting that the U.S. will be majority non-Christian by about 2035. He told co-host Keith Mark (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's no question there's a parallel between the abandonment of God, the abandonment of the spirit — the Native Americans' great spirit — which guided our conscious and our soul and our decision making to do the right thing, as that faith is abandoned, this is what you get: RuPaul, Al Not-So-Sharpton, Joe and Hunter Biden, the whole Democrat party, Disney having these horrible, horrible images and agendas in their movies for children. This really is the devil at play, and we can beat the devil by praying and getting back to God.

"I'm not a churchgoer, but you know what I do? I get under a tree almost every night six months a year or in a duck blind and I pray," Ted continued. "I pray that I am the best that I can be and God's humble servant and being a conservationist, a steward of his miraculous creation. And I'm a Christian. I'm a God-loving man. I don't know where the term 'God-fearing' [comes from]. I don't fear God; I love God. And I think the further we get away, the farther we get away, both physically and spiritually, from faith and God, this is where the RuPauls and the Al Not-So-Sharptons and the Hunter Bidens rule the world. Don't let it happen. Pray and remind your family and your friends and people at work and school and church to pray harder."

Nugent previously touched upon his faith in an October 2022 interview with Katy Christian Magazine. At the time, he said in part about his "relationship with God": "I was raised in a hunting family, and when you hunt, and you kill an animal, that's a great challenge and discipline and higher level of awareness. You realize that the Big Bang could not have created a heart and lungs and the incredible escape mechanisms of these magnificent animals that God created. That was creation by the Hand of God, and you're driven to participate as a servant of God. So yes, I believe in God, I'm a Christian… I could give you many, many examples, I should not have survived certain occurrences, and God saved my life and pulled me through. Many, many dangerous situations. He has a plan for me, He woke me up, and He continues to wake me up,"

Ted added: "We've really become some dumb, ignorant, careless, de-souled, sheeplike people out here, and so that was my calling [from God], to stand up against the lie of 'peer pressure,' and when people made fun of me for carrying a gun… God gave me the precious gift of life, and I have a moral obligation to defend it. That's why we wrote the First Amendment; it's a God-given individual right."

Back in June 2020, Nugent told "Triggered", the show hosted by then-U.S. president Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., that the billionaire real estate mogul was "on a mission from God. This is divine intervention," he said. "We needed a status quo crusher, and I can't think of anybody except Donald J. Trump that could have pulled it off with such effectiveness, such absolutism and, shall I say, aplomb. He came in when he came down that escalator, [and] he's still grining all these years later, and I think we can all learn lessons from [him]."

Nugent has spent the last few months promoting his latest album, "Detroit Muscle", which was released in April 2022 via Pavement Music. The follow-up to 2018's "The Music Made Me Do It" was recorded with Ted's current band, which includes bassist Greg Smith and drummer Jason Hartless.

Robert DeLeo, bassist and principal songwriter of the iconic band STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, has released two digital bonus tracks from his critically acclaimed solo album, "Lessons Learned".

DeLeo recorded covers of two Gordon Lightfoot songs, "Affair On 8th Avenue" and "Your Love's Return" with Pete Shoulder on vocals.

"Gordon Lightfoot is one of the sculptors of a musical era that I cherish and hold so dear to my heart," says Robert. "I covered these two songs out of respect and relating to Gordon's willingness to convey his vulnerability in his songs. I decided to leave Gordon's songs off 'Lessons Learned' so my musical journey and personal experiences would be my own."

Robert played virtually all the instruments on the album, complemented by guest musicians and vocalists, all of which lend to the undeniable intimacy of the music.

"Pete Shoulder is one of my favorite singers," says Robert. "His voice captures the same elements that great singers of the past have emotionally stirred up in all of us."

Like so much of DeLeo's body of work, "Lessons Learned" is the kind of record that feels so alive in the present and instantly soundtracks the moment for the listener.

AllMusic describes "Lessons Learned" as a "rich, reflective record, one that serves as comfort during moments of contemplation." Guitar Player says, "DeLeo proves himself a crafty and accomplished finger style guitarist as well as brilliant tunesmith."

Last March, Robert spoke to AXS TV's "At Home And Social With" about his solo album. The 56-year-old musician said: "Through this pandemic, there's been a lot of time and a lot of free time. And it gave me a chance to pick up all my acoustic instruments and kind of talk to them a little bit and see what they had to say back. And before I knew it, I had a bunch of songs together of my own — acoustic-based songs. And I had some friends of mine, who are very talented, do some vocal stuff. So I have different vocalists — about five different vocalists — through the record, and great, great, very talented people helping me out with this."

In February 2022, DeLeo revealed on his Instagram that his solo album would include a guest appearance by Kara Britz, who has worked as a backing singer on NBC's "The Voice" and has backed up country artist Blake Shelton, as well as piano playing by producer, engineer and mixer Bill Appleberry and cello playing of Dave Eggar.

In the summer of 2021, DeLeo discussed his solo album in an interview with Bass Player magazine. At the time, he stated about the set: "It's all acoustic bass, and I got a chance to sharpen up my acoustic guitar skills too. I wound up finding a guitarrón — you know, the Mexican bass? I found one that was converted to four strings and it was fretted, and it sounds unbelievable. I've reached out to people that I really wanted to write and collaborate with."

DeLeo has been discussing the possibility of releasing a solo album for at least the last two decades. Back in 2002, he said that he was "compiling a number of songs" that had not made their way on to STP records, "not because they're bad songs, [but] just because they never found a place. Though they're different from STP, they still mean a lot to me," he explained.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS features three original members — Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz.

Singer Jeff Gutt, a 46-year-old Michigan native who spent time in the early-2000s nu-metal act DRY CELL, among other bands, and was a contestant on "The X Factor", joined STONE TEMPLE PILOTS after beating out roughly 15,000 hopefuls during an extended search that began more than a year earlier.

Original STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland, who reunited with the group in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus but was dismissed in 2013, died in December 2015 of a drug overdose.

Chester Bennington, who joined STP in early 2013, departed nearly three years later to spend more time with his main band LINKIN PARK. Bennington committed suicide in July 2017.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS released their first all-acoustic album, titled "Perdida", in February 2020. The disc was Gutt's second with STP. His recording debut with the group was on its self-titled seventh album, which arrived in March 2018.

Photo credit: Duke DeLeo

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci spoke to Ollie Winiberg of "The Heavy Hooks Show"about the band winning its first-ever Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which was held in April 2022 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. DREAM THEATER was nominated for "The Alien", a track from its 2021 album "A View From The Top Of The World". DREAM THEATER's previous Grammy nominations were for the song "On The Backs Of Angels", from 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album, and the single "The Enemy Inside" from 2013's "Dream Theater".

Petrucci said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It really is something you have to kind of just scratch you head, like, 'Did that really happen?' and take it in. In fact, today, when we were doing soundcheck, it's, like, 'Okay, what song do you wanna do?' We always a little bit of the songs. And I said, 'How about the Grammy Award-winning song 'The Alien'?' And everybody's ears perk up. It's, like, 'Oh, yeah. That happened.' … That's how bizarre it is. You're, like, 'What are you talking about?'"

John also reflected on the moment when he first heard DREAM THEATER's name announced as the winner of the "Best Metal Performance" Grammy. He said: "That was a surreal moment. The [other DREAM THEATER] guys didn't go to the Grammys that year. It had been postponed because of COVID. It had been moved from L.A. to Vegas. And it was sort of scheduled in between two DREAM THEATER tour legs. Nobody was really sure [how it was going to be]. So my wife and I went — my wife Rena. It's, like, 'Let's go to Vegas for five days. How bad can it be? If we win, awesome. If we don't, we'll hang out in Vegas.' So she was there with me. And when they announced it, I was, like, 'What?' And all of sudden, I'm running up to the thing in my suit.

"But the point I wanted to try to get across [in my Grammy acceptance speech] was that we've been doing what we do for a long time the way we do it, sort of against all odds, and we built a career out of it, and then to achieve that sort of recognition from that community was really just great," John explained. "Because it's not like it was some sort of pop version of us that we attempted to do that got out there. It was probably one of the most complicated songs we ever wrote. So my point was, do what you do, believe in what you're doing, and do it with a ton of conviction. And then when those sort of moments happen, it feels that much more satisfying."

Last April, DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie told Myglobalmind that "it was overwhelming" to finally win a Grammy Award. "It was quite surreal and it took a while for it to sink in — I think a couple of days before I was, like, 'Wow. Okay. So this actually did happen. I guess the third time's the charm, 'cause we were nominees a couple of times before for 'On The Backs Of Angels' and 'The Enemy Inside'.

"When it happened and our name was called and then John went up on stage, I thought he did an amazing acceptance speech," he continued. "He was well poised and well worded, as always; he's a very intelligent individual.

"It's an amazing feeling. I guess it's another level of recognition for us and another feather in our cap, so to speak," LaBrie added. "But, no, it's just a great feeling and it's affirmation as to the kind of band that we are and how we've been around for some time. And it's good to get that recognition from the Grammy [Awards]."

That same month, DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess told VWMusic about the band's first-ever Grammy win: "It was very exciting to get that Grammy, as we've been nominated three times. And I have to say that I didn't really expect to get it because I was getting used to being nominated and not getting it. The other reason I thought we wouldn't get it is that DREAM THEATER is really prog metal, and we were in a metal category. I mean, that was the best category for us, but I thought maybe the voters would sort of stick together in that more traditional metal frame of mind. I was really pleased that we got that kind of recognition and validation, and it's the one award that definitely makes a difference. In a musician's life, a Grammy can affect your whole career. It changes the way you do business with people, and the way people deal with you. It's a really big deal. I definitely have to say that it feels really good. We are riding high over it for sure."

Regarding "The Alien", Jordan said: "What's interesting about that song is, as you know, it's not necessarily like the most commercial kind of song — it's definitely not commercial at all; it's in this odd time signature. When we started, Mike [Mangini] was doing this crazy time signature thing on drums that inspired us to get the song off the ground. The next thing you know, we were all writing our parts, and it came together. It actually was the first thing that we wrote for the album, so it kind of flowed out from there. It's cool because it has all the classic DREAM THEATER elements in it, and that's what I really liked about the song. It has the unison between me and [guitarist] John Petrucci, it has the keyboards, the great guitar leads, and these crazy meters, but it also has a solid hook. I was glad that we decided to put that out there when the record came out, and have that song be the one that was out front because I think it tells the DREAM THEATER story really well."

During a January 24 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", STRYPER's Michael Sweet talked about meeting MERCYFUL FATE singer King Diamond — whose real name is Kim Bendix Petersen — for the first time when the two bands performed at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest on December 4, 2022. Regarding how the encounter came about, Sweet said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When we got to that festival in Mexico, I walked into our dressing room, and right next to ours it said 'MERCYFUL FATE'. And I said to myself, 'Okay, there's no way I'm gonna leave this festival without meeting Kim.' And I spoke to someone, and they spoke someone and arranged us meeting. I went out in the hallway, and there he was. And he said, 'Michael, nice to meet you.' I said, 'Oh, it's so nice to meet you. What's going on?' And he was all smiles and very gracious. And we talked about the weather where he lives and the weather where I live, and just regular stuff. And it was really incredible. Because you have this idea of what it's going to be — good versus evil; and is there gonna be a war? Is there gonna be this? And it's the exact opposite. And that's really the way life is nine out of 10 times."

When host Eddie Trunk asked if there was any discussion about their differing religious beliefs, Michael said: "No. [It was just] two dudes talking. And we enjoyed each other's conversation. And if we were out at a restaurant, we would have hung out and had some wine and broke bread together and talked more.

"It's just interesting because some people from both camps freaked out," Michael admitted. "Most people were positive, but some people from my camp are, like, 'Did you get to talk to him about the Lord?' I'm, like, 'Really? You're kidding me, right?' So I'm gonna go up to Kim and immediately say, 'Let's talk about the Lord.'"

As for whether there was any talk about him and King doing a duet, Sweet said: "That's something I would have talked to him about. I did not, and maybe that will happen someday; that would be amazing. But we just talked about regular stuff. And it was brief; it wasn't a long conversation — maybe five minutes, six minutes. And his wife wrote on my Facebook page about how she wanted to meet me and meet the band and how great it was that Kim and I met. It was just really cool, man. It was amazing."

Pressed about whether he would be open to doing a song together with King, Michael said: "Sure. Of course. Let me put it this way: before I do anything, I think about it, and not to sound silly, but I do pray about it. I pray about everything that I do, like, 'Should I do this?' And some people might think, 'That's weird,' but it's just how I live my life. And I would certainly pray about that, as I did do in SWEET & LYNCH," referencing his ongoing project with legendary guitarist George Lynch, who describes himself as a "freethinking atheist".

Sweet previously reflected on his meeting with King during an interview last month with Waste Some Time With Jason Green. At the time, he said: "I just met Kim, King Diamond [of] MERCYFUL FATE. In all these years, I've had this perception of Kim, and then I met Kim, and he was so polite — one of the nicest guys I've ever met. [He was] very cordial and friendly, and took a picture and shook my hand and looked into my eyes and engaged in conversation. And you could tell he was interested in talking. And I just was blown away. And all those perceptions were annihilated because I felt like, 'Okay, here's this guy that probably won't like us — or like me.' And we had a great conversation. If we went to dinner and had a dinner, we'd probably have a great dinner. But we're polar opposites. So I find that very interesting. And at the end of the day, it makes me realize that we're all the same — we're all flesh and blood; we all have feelings; we all have emotions; and most of those are the same."

Michael also spoke about his conversation with King in an interview with Metal Edge. Asked what he and King discussed, Michael said: "The weather, the birds, the bees. It was just a normal conversation. It's like, wow, he has this persona. We have this persona. You're Satanic. We're Christian. But then when you break it down, we're just people."

In a 2013 interview with Indie Vision Music, Sweet explained why STRYPER plays with secular bands. He said: "A lot of Christians have given us a ton of heat over the years for doing that. Not understanding… 'Why do you guys play clubs? Why do you play with secular bands?' Well, why wouldn't we? Aren't we to go into the world… into the dark… and bring the light? I mean, that’s what we're called to do as Christians. That's why we do it. We play clubs, we go to places where no Christian bands go. We play with mainstream secular bands so we can play to their fans and we can talk to them. I mean, that's kind of the whole point in what we do. We've been doing that for thirty years and there's no sign of stopping. We're planning on continuing to do that, of course. It really works for us. Again, it's kind of cut us off with a lot of people in the church, because they think we're not really Christians, or we're this, or we're that. It's like, okay, whatever. Someday we'll all stand before God and we'll know who was real and who wasn't."

Even though STRYPER's third album, 1986's "To Hell With The Devil", made Sweet and his bandmates the first contemporary Christian act to score a platinum album, the group has often felt unwelcome in Christian circles, with some members of the church feeling that Christianity and heavy metal are incompatible.

In a 2018 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Michael said that STRYPER was never fully embraced by the heavy metal and hard rock communities, largely because of the band's Christian lyrics.

Formed 40 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen", "God Damn Evil", "Even The Devil Believes" and the band's latest effort, "The Final Battle".

Heaven and Hell.. it was a pleasure to see Michael Sweet of Stryper yesterday at Hell And Heaven Fest 😈

Posted by MERCYFUL FATE on Monday, December 5, 2022

In a new interview with Ibagenscast, vocalist Jeff Scott Soto was asked if fans can expect new music soon from SONS OF APOLLO, his project with bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS),former DREAM THEATER members Mike Portnoy (drums; also of THE WINERY DOGS) and Derek Sherinian (keyboards; also of BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION),along with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (guitar; ex-GUNS N' ROSES). He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wish I had an answer for that. SONS OF APOLLO has always been a band that had to go in stages, in windows of open time schedules. And the reason why we were able to do [a second] album so quickly — and that's quick for this band — three years [after 2017's 'Psychotic Symphony'], is because there was no pandemic. The pandemic stopped us in our tracks for an entire year and a half. So, basically, you have to think if the 'MMXX' [pronounced '2020'] album came out in the end of '21, beginning of '22, that's when the real cycle begins with everything else that we have to wait for. So, in reality, if we do a SONS OF APOLLO record, it's not gonna be till '25 — maybe '24, if we're lucky — only because THE WINERY DOGS; MR. BIG is planning to go back out; BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, they're planning a new thing. Bumblefoot, he's not really touring and doing anything outside anymore; he really wants to concentrate on things that he wants to do on his level. So he's pretty open. But I'm busy, everybody's busy, so to try to find that, 'Okay, guys, let's keep this window time open. This is when we're gonna do it.' But that discussion hasn't been made yet."

SONS OF APOLLO completed a South American tour last August. Sheehan was unable to join his bandmates on the trek due to COVID-19 vaccine-related travel restrictions. His replacement on the tour was ANGRA's Felipe Andreoli.

"MMXX" was released in January 2020 via InsideOut Music/Sony.

About five years ago, Portnoy told Let's Rock about SONS OF APOLLO's chemistry: "I'd like to say that I was surprised by how easy it came together, but, to be honest, I kind of expected that. That wasn't really a surprise. I knew it would work. I knew it would be easy once once we started playing just because I know the guys involved. So, I can't really say there were many surprises. Everything kind of went according to plan. Everybody was kind of chosen for the band because I knew their personalities. And Jeff and Bumblefoot in particular are the two most easy-going guys, and [laughs] that's very rare for a guitar player and a singer. But in this case, you couldn't ask for two sweeter guys. That's a huge part of [the] importance in picking band chemistry. A lot of times, it's well beyond the music. It's more about the personalities and in this case, it's a great group of guys."

Grammy Award-nominated hard rock outfit IN THIS MOMENT is preparing to enter the studio to begin recording its eighth full-length album.

On Saturday (January 28),IN THIS MOMENT shared the following update via Instagram: "The recording of the new ITM album is about to begin, This album is for you all. Through thick and thin you reman our constant… We cannot wait for you all to hear what we are conjuring up".

Last October, IN THIS MOMENT released an EP called "Blood 1983". The effort commemorated the tenth anniversary of IN THIS MOMENT's gold-certified album "Blood" (2012) and was made available digitally across all digital service providers as well as CD via BMG.

"Blood 1983" was co-produced by Tyler Bates and Dan Haigh, and mixed by Zakk Cervini.

Since coming to life in 2005, IN THIS MOMENT has presided over a diehard fan base under the watch of "mother" figure and frontwoman Maria Brink — joined by co-founder and lead guitarist Chris Howorth, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel and drummer Kent Dimmel. As millions convened upon the group's otherworldly and unforgettable concerts, they quietly emerged as one of the most influential and impactful bands of the 21st century.

To date, in addition to the gold-selling album "Blood", the quintet has garnered two gold singles — "Blood" and "Whore" — followed by Top 25 entries on the Billboard Top 200 with "Black Widow" (2014) and "Ritual" (2017). Bringing their total stream tally well past 200 million as of 2020, "Ritual" elevated them to new creative and critical peaks as well. Between selling out headline tours coast-to-coast, the group performed in arenas everywhere alongside DISTURBED and appeared at countless festivals from Welcome To Rockville to Sonic Temple. Along the way, they assembled their seventh full-length, the aptly titled "Mother" (Roadrunner) with longtime collaborator Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH).

IN THIS MOMENT is Maria Brink (lead vocals),Chris Howorth (guitars),Travis Johnson (bass),Randy Weitzel (rhythm guitar),Kent Dimmel (drums).

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has once again said that the Axl Rose-fronted AC/DC concert he caught in New York City was one of the best rock shows he has ever seen.

AC/DC postponed the last ten dates of its North American tour seven years ago after doctors told singer Brian Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. AC/DC completed the tour in the summer of 2016, with the GUNS N' ROSES singer as a "guest vocalist".

Ian reflected on the experience of seeing Rose with AC/DC at Madison Square Garden during an appearance on the latest episode of the GUNS N' ROSES-centric "Appetite for Distortion" podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That Axl/DC show, it was fantastic, because I just thought he nailed [late AC/DC singer] Bon [Scott]. He nailed it — he nails Bon and Brian. And his joy as a fan of that band… 'Cause I don't know Axl, other than having said 'hi' to him a couple of times over the decades — I don't know him. I think I hung out with him, kind of, one time in the '90s at a bar in New York, but other than a, 'Hey, how are you…' But I've always been a fan of certainly [GUNS N' ROSES' debut album] 'Appetite [Of Destruction]' and that record. And I've always known he's an AC/DC fan, 'cause he talks about it."

Scott continued: "[Axl] crushed it. And boy, his fanboyness came out so strong on that stage, you could tell how happy he was to be fronting one of his favorite bands of all time. And not only did he do it justice, but it just couldn't have been… Other than Bon coming back from the dead and a zombie walking out onto that stage, it couldn't have been better. I mean, he nailed it — he fucking nailed it. He took a backseat to [AC/DC guitarist] Angus [Young]. It was just so respectful. The fact that between songs, it was, like, ''You probably know this next one,' and then they bust into 'Highway To Hell'. It's just, like, 'Jesus Christ.' Everything about it was great. It was two and a half hours of headbanging — just non-stop. A fabulous, fantastic show."

Ian previously talked about Rose's performance with AC/DC five years ago during a previous appearance on "Appetite For Distortion". At the time, he said: "I'll be completely honest: when I first heard that Axl was gonna do shows with AC/DC, I just wasn't feeling it. I can't tell you why other than maybe because I'm just such an AC/DC fan for so long and it just seemed weird to me that all of a sudden Brian was pushed to the wayside. And like a lot of AC/DC fans, I think that was kind of a bitter pill to swallow. So I was kind of like, 'Ehhh…' It's not my band. I get it. I'm never gonna be the guy to tell someone else how to run their business; I understand it. But as a fan, I don't have to buy into it — no one's forcing me to buy into it. But it turns out we get to have a night off on tour and it turns out we're close enough to New York to go see AC/DC at Madison Square Garden. And then Axl was kind enough to… A friend of mine who knows Axl and his assistant was kind enough to get a bunch of us on the guest list for that show. And I can't speak highly enough about it.

"And even before that… I'm sorry, I skipped a step," he continued. "I saw a clip online — I can't remember from where — but I saw Axl singing 'Riff Raff' with AC/DC and it blew my mind how great it was. [I was] just like, 'Holy crap! That's perfect! It's perfect!' So then, of course, I got excited about the show. And then the show itself was two and a half hours of perfection. I've gone on record: it's the best AC/DC show I've ever seen. And I headbanged for two and a half hours, which is about an hour longer than I even headbang in an ANTHRAX show, so I actually, even on a night off, I worked harder at the AC/DC show [laughs] than I normally would at one of my own gigs."

Ian added: "It was incredible — one of the best rock shows I've ever seen. I can't say enough about it. The setlist was mindblowing and Axl was note-perfect on all the Brian and the Bon stuff. His passion for it was obvious. It was incredible — it was really, really an incredible night.

"20 years from now, if someone asks me, 'What's the best show you've seen in the last 20 years?' I have the answer. No question, it's that."

AC/DC's North American tour ended in Philadelphia in September 2016, and despite initial fan trepidation, Axl got generally good reviews for his performances. Angus said at the time: "I mean, under the situation that we had, it was very good that he volunteered and said, 'Hey, if I can help, let me try.' So he's been very good. And he had to learn a lot of songs very quickly, and he's done a great job."

AC/DC released its long-awaited comeback album, "Power Up", with Johnson on vocals, in November 2020.

In a new interview with Pete Pardo of Sea Of Tranquility, singer Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, MSG) spoke about ELEGANT WEAPONS, his new project featuring guitarist Richie Faulkner (JUDAS PRIEST). Ronnie said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's something Richie [brought] to the table a couple of years ago. He call[ed] me and said, 'Listen…' If I remember correctly, he had the album recorded already, but he told me [at the time], 'We feel that doesn't work with the singer we have. So we're gonna try with another singer.' So I recorded a song, and then they loved it. And we ended up working together. And the plans are we're gonna release the album in, I think it's gonna be May, it's gonna be released by Nuclear Blast. And then we're gonna make some summer festivals around Europe. Then probably we'll go properly on tour, if everybody's okay. And probably we're gonna record a second album, and then we will see."

Romero went on to say that ELEGANT WEAPONS is "a very solid project," adding that "it's not something we will do once, and that's it. And also we're not doing it because of a contract that we need to fulfill. It's because we really want to do it together," he explained. "Richie is a cool guy; we are friends. And the rest of the guys also. Andy Sneap, [who did] the production, is a cool guy also. And we really want to see what happens with the band because we think people are gonna be very surprised about what they're gonna listen on the music side. It's not the typical thing Richie and I were doing for the last few years. It's a different thing. And I think the people are gonna like it. So we will see what happens. And we're gonna build the house from that point."

ELEGANT WEAPONS, which is rounded out by Dave Rimmer (URIAH HEEP) on bass and Christopher Williams (ACCEPT) on drums, has announced the following 2023 European festival appearances so far:

June 16 - Clisson, France @ Hellfest
Jun. 23-25 – Cartagena, Spain @ Rock Imperium
July 02 - Bologna, Italy @ The Return Of The Gods
July 28-30 - Ebbw Vale, U.K. @ Steelhouse Festival

ELEGANT WEAPONS' debut album, "Horns For A Halo", was recorded with bassist Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS and MEGADETH, among many others.

Regarding the ELEGANT WEAPONS band name, Faulkner said: "In almost any endeavor, the craftsman needs the right tools for the job. For a musician, those tools are things like their instruments, their voices and the emotions that the right combination of all those can bring to the surface. You can also consider it a reference to the instruments we play, because they're almost antiquities now. So yes, it references our instruments and also this kind of music, where we're carrying on the tradition of the greats like SABBATH and DIO but also bands the guys are connected to, like RAINBOW, PANTERA and PRIEST."

Richie and Rex have been friends for years, so when Richie was recording "Horns For A Halo" during the pandemic, he called on his friend to record the bass for the album.

"Well, Rex brings a sound, first of all, that is like no other bass sound," explained Richie. "The way he plays bass is instantly recognizable. But I got involved with Rex, you know, as with a lot of things that we do, as humans, really — we got involved as friends first. But Rex has got a great way of hearing the way the bass parts and the drums interact together. I mean, Rex's parts just breathe grit and life and dynamic into the songs. So it's a pleasure to have him on the record and it's a pleasure, obviously, to know him and have him as a friend — he's a legend."

As for Travis's involvement with the LP, Faulkner said: "I always wanted to make a record with Scott playing on it outside of PRIEST. His technique and style are legendary but also his groove."

When it comes to the live show, there was no other bass player even considered other than Rimmer. Davey and Richie go back over 20 years and they played the bars and pubs of London and England together, night in, night out for many years. Their musical relationship is almost telepathic in the way they communicate, from that early hard graft together on the circuit.

"Davey is an untouchable player," Richie said. "In sound, style and presence. A killer writer too, contributing great songs with URIAH HEEP. A great friend and a great musician."

When it came to choosing the drummer for the touring band, it was a no-brainer for Richie to enlist fellow Nashville resident and good friend Williams. Christopher had played and recorded the initial demos for the "Horns For A Halo" album, and was the obvious choice for the drum position. A phenomenal player, a great personality and a consummate professional.

And finally there's the new hotshot on the scene, Romero, Chilean-born, now living in Eastern Europe.

"Ronnie's got that heritage," says Richie, "and he nailed his parts in a week, which was a testament, really, to how good the guy is and how perfect he was for it. And he's just such a lovely guy, and, I think, one of a dying breed. There's not many people like him. There's good singers, like [Rob] Halford and [Ronnie James] Dio, but there's not many of them. He's really something special. When he sings with RAINBOW, he sounds obviously like Dio, but when he sings this stuff, there's something in there that comes out of him — he's his own monster, with his own trademark quality, which is an important thing to have."

Producing is PRIEST's touring guitarist of the past five years Sneap, who has been respectful of Richie's vision concerning a certain classic sound he wanted across the expanse of the record's 11 songs (ten originals plus a cover of UFO's "Lights Out"),and that is a signature Flying V through a Marshall Plexi amp.

"With the Marshall Plexi I've kind of gone back to the ‘70s, really," figured Faulkner. "And, you know, it's just one channel. And I've been using a prototype Flying V by Gibson, a blue Flying V with signature pickups, which I had been using on the PRIEST tour. I used it on the whole record, every track. So it's pretty straightforward technology-wise — the Flying V through a Marshall on 11."

As for the music, Richie described it as "a mix of Jimi Hendrix, PRIEST, SABBATH, solo Ozzy and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, but with a lot of melody, sort of old school and modern at once if that makes any sense, and actually down-tuned a whole step. The Marshall Plexi basically does one thing, but you've got to crank it to 11 for it to have that distorted sound. It hasn't got a lot of bells and whistles on it or different channels and effects. It basically does one thing and does it very well. But again down-tuning creates more of a modern sound, and by using the classic sound of the Marshall Plexi, you get that juxtaposition, that contrast. All told, there are a lot of guitar solos and the songs are on the heavier side. And even though there's a lot of melody, it's still going to shake your bones."

Specific to the songs, Richie explained that, "Me and acoustic don't really get along, so there's only one mellow song on it, a sort of smoky, haunted, New Orleans kind of tune called 'Ghost Of You', with de-tuned 1920s piano on it. That one is about a memory, or ghost of a lost love. But that's about as acoustic as it gets. I'm not really attracted to acoustic guitar in general. It's mainly kind of heavy and full-on, really. There's a song called 'White Horse', plus 'Horns For A Halo', which is like Tony Iommi crossed with ALICE IN CHAINS. That's about the way we justify the bad things we do. When we turn up on Judgement Day, will the angels kind of confuse our horns for halos, if you know what I mean. Then there's 'Rose Girl', which has a bit of a psychedelic '60s hippie vibe. It's about the rose girl who sells roses to the patrons at a strip club, and reflecting on what her life is all about."

Besides having these stories told, another mandate of the band is for Richie to propose more fully than he can across a PRIEST record, his own voice or style as it pertains to the guitar.

"Yes, everything that you do, without sounding pretentious, is trying to find your own voice and extension of your voice," he said. "I've been in cover bands all my life. Then you find yourself replacing K.K. Downing and it's, like, 'Now what am I gonna say?' I can't sound like K.K. Downing. I can't sound like Eddie Van Halen. I can't sound like Zakk Wylde. So it's refining and honing what your voice is, constantly fine-tuning what that voice is. And hopefully when people listen to it, they'll think, 'Oh, that's Richie.' In every song and every solo hopefully there's that sound, that narrative, that voice, and hopefully it stands the test of time."

But really, the over-arching mandate with ELEGANT WEAPONS is to perpetuate the rich legacy of the traditional proto-power metal invented by the heavy metal titans of the '70s and '80s, most pertinently JUDAS PRIEST.

"All four of us have got that original DNA in us, as does the new breed of traditional heavy metal fans," Richie said. "And so maybe a band like ELEGANT WEAPONS, hopefully we've got the credibility to make those original bands proud, because we were accepted by the members of those bands and by their fans. That's really the idea behind ELEGANT WEAPONS — to keep flying the flag for this style of timeless heavy metal."

Dee Snider has addressed TWISTED SISTER's future plans following the band's one-off onstage reunion at the Metal Hall Of Fame in Agoura Hills, California. The singer was speaking to Eonmusic hours before the legendary New York band's induction at the event, which took place Thursday night (January 26) at The Canyon Club.

On hand to be inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame were Snider, guitarist Jay Jay French, bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza and Mike Portnoy, who has played drums for TWISTED SISTER since the passing of former member A.J. Pero. Guitarist Eddie Ojeda was absent from the event after contracting COVID-19; filling in for him was Keith Robert War.

The highlight of the ceremony — which also saw FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm, NWOBHM heroes RAVEN, and guitarists Chris Impellitteri and Doug Aldrich honored — was TWISTED SISTER's highly charged three-song set consisting of the staples "You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll" and "Under The Blade", as well as the anthem "We're Not Gonna To Take It".

When asked what it's like to be back fronting TWISTED SISTER for one night only, Dee quipped: "Well, we tested it last night [during rehearsal], and apparently you can forget how to ride a bicycle. No, it was great. Somebody said that they never saw Mark 'The Animal' Mendoza smile so much. So, we had a great time last night, and we're looking forward to tonight."

Going on to crack wise about the time elapsed since the last TWISTED SISTER performance, Snider said: "Since then I've eaten a lot of pancakes and muffins so I'm not quite as fit as I was." Speaking more seriously for a second, he continued: "But, you know, it's fun. I love these guys, and that was one of the best things about reuniting was becoming friends again, and we are friends."

When asked the obvious question of, "Are you going to go forward with anything else, or is this just a one-off?", the singer was emphatic: "A hard 'no plans.' No plans at all to do that."

Going on to reference both OZZY OSBOURNE and MÖTLEY CRÜE's retirement and returns, he added: "You know, I ‘ve said when people retire, they should leave the stage, and all those bands, I'm tired of buying 'No More Tours' shirts and seeing people signing contracts in blood and then they show up three years later. I don't believe in that bullshit, so I don't think it's going to happen."

Eonmusic also spoke with French and Portnoy about the induction. For the full story, visit the site at Eonmusic.co.uk.