ROAR! has announced their signing of legendary German heavy metal figurehead and unmistakable voice of Grave Digger, Chris Boltendahl, to release - after more than four decades in the metal business - his first ever solo album under the Chris Boltendahl's Steelhammer flag in 2023. 


With guitarist Tobias Kersting Orden Ogan), bassist Lars Schneider (Orden Ogan) and drummer Patrick Klose (Iron Savior), Chris has brought an illustrious guild of outstanding musicians on board who will actively support him in his endeavor to act as a real band. What can be expected? A glowing classic heavy / power metal mixture, best described as "Grave Digger meets Metal Church" with banging steamers, speedy hymns, grooving monsters, filigree riffings and world-class solos... everything a real metalhead's heart and ear desires!


Listen to a first inviting sound snippet below. More details and unveilings soon, stay tuned.







For further details, follow Chris Boltendahl's Steelhammer on Facebook.


(Photo credit: Jens Howorka)


 

Manowar have released a short 2002 video of their performance of the Hail To England album track, "Kill With Power", filmed at Ringfest Germany.


Says the band: "From our vaults to the greatest fans in the world. Clip from Ringfest, Germany 2002... 'Kill With Power'!"







Last week, Manowar shared the video below, in which shred legend Michael Angelo Batio reveals how he invented his one-of-a-kind four-neck guitar, and talks about his unique performance style.

Former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5 has uploaded a video of him playing along to "Louder Than Hell", a song from MÖTLEY CRÜE's third album, "Theatre Of Pain", which was originally released in 1985. The 52-year-old rocker captioned the clip: "Happy Crue year everyone here is one of my favorite @motleycrue songs for this weeks Motley Monday louder then hell."

The latest video share comes a month after John 5 posted a video of him playing along to "Looks That Kill", a song from MÖTLEY CRÜE's second album, "Shout At The Devil", which was originally released in 1983. Prior to that, he shared play-along videos for "Wild Side", the "Girls, Girls, Girls" title track and "Too Fast For Love", the title track of MÖTLEY CRÜE's debut album, which celebrated its 41st birthday on November 10.

In October, MÖTLEY CRÜE's Nikki Sixx praised John 5, saying he "checks all the boxes" as Mick Mars's replacement following the latter's decision to no longer tour with the legendary rock act.

Sixx commented on John 5's addition to CRÜE while answering fan questions on Twitter. Asked why the band chose John 5, who is one of the credited co-writers on the three original songs on CRÜE's "The Dirt" soundtrack, Sixx said: "He checks all the boxes. He's a insane player. Has respect for our music, is funny as fuck and has history with us and we've written some pretty big hits together."

Sixx also addressed Mars's announcement that he was retiring from touring because of his long struggles with degenerative disease ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time, according to the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases.

"He's been a soldier along with us for 4 decades," Nikki said about his longtime bandmate. "We will continue to carrying our legacy to Generations of fans and honor Micks request for us to keep touring as Motley Crue."

In addition to co-writing the three songs on "The Dirt", John 5 collaborated with Sixx and Desmond Child on Meat Loaf's "The Monster Is Loose". Last year, Sixx and John 5 launched the L.A. RATS supergroup in which they were joied by Rob Zombie and drummer Tommy Clufetos.

The 71-year-old Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

A day after Mick announced his retirement from touring, remaining members Sixx, singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee vowed to "continue the legacy." In a statement, they said: "While change is never easy, we accept Mick's decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health. We have watched Mick manage his Ankylosing Spondylitis for decades and he has always managed it with utmost courage and grace. To say 'enough is enough' is the ultimate act of courage. Mick's sound helped define MÖTLEY CRÜE from the minute he plugged in his guitar at our very first rehearsal together. The rest, as they say, is history. We'll continue to honor his musical legacy."

The statement continued: "We will carry out Mick's wish and continue to tour the world as planned in 2023. No doubt will it take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick's shoes so we are grateful that our good friend, John 5 has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward. We'll see all you Crueheads out on the road!”

John 5, whose real name is John William Lowery, said: "I'm honored to carry on Mick's legacy and am looking forward to playing these songs."

In his statement, Mick said that he had decided to step back from live shows due to his "ongoing painful struggle" with ankylosing spondylitis and while he will continue to be a member of the band, he cannot "handle the rigors" of touring life.

The statement read: "Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band MÖTLEY CRÜE for the past 41 years, has announced today that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis, he will no longer be able to tour with the band. Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine."

John 5's involvement with MÖTLEY CRÜE as the band's new guitarist was first reported as a rumor by the Metal Sludge web site on October 7.

Speculation about John 5 replacing Mars gained strength after the longtime ROB ZOMBIE guitarist failed to appear with the shock rocker at this year's Aftershock festival in Sacramento. Rob was instead joined on stage by returning guitarist Mike Riggs for the first time since 2006.

John 5 has performed MÖTLEY CRÜE songs a number of times in the past. Back in 2018, John 5 was joined by Sixx along with ANTHRAX's Scott Ian and his wife Pearl Aday at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California to play a cover of "Shout At The Devil". Earlier this year, the guitarist ran through renditions of both "Home Sweet Home" and "Kickstart My Heart" at various shows on his U.S. tour.

SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan has once again said that plans are still afoot to put out a set of 11 previously unreleased songs recorded by four members of the band during the sessions for its 2008 LP "All Hope Is Gone".

Crahan revealed the existence of the music in 2018, saying that he, singer Corey Taylor, guitarist Jim Root and DJ Sid Wilson wrote and laid down the more psychedelic-flavored tunes at a separate studio during an impasse in the recording of "All Hope Is Gone".

While speaking to Upset magazine, Crahan stated about plans to issue the unreleased material, tentatively titled "Look Outside Your Window": "It's an amazing body of work. You will never hear another Corey Taylor like this. The music and the words… it's one of the best things I've ever done in my life."

Crahan went on to say that he wants to make sure the project gets its own time to shine rather than being a half-hearted release.

"We wouldn't want SLIPKNOT to hurt 'Look Outside Your Window', and we wouldn't want 'Look Outside Your Window' to be a little irritation to SLIPKNOT. Why? Because it's beautiful God art and people deserve it. The good news is that six months from now, April Fool's Day 2023, we're off the label. There are no plans to immediately release something, and we haven't talked about it, but I would imagine it'll probably come very soon afterwards. There's nothing else to do, and it's ready to go. It'll be worth the wait."

Crahan previously spoke about "Look Outside Your Window" in an April 2021 interview with Knotfest.com. He said: "The reason why we never can commit to a date or anything is because — don't make it confusing. Don't make it something it's not. Don't call it something it's not. Accept it. It's music. It's art. It doesn't carry the SLIPKNOT name. Joey [Jordison, then-SLIPKNOT drummer] wasn't up the hill playing drums. He doesn't know anything about the songs. I think he's only been to the house once or twice. It's a completely different project. It was never held to piss people off. It was never held to prove a point.

"It's been mixed. It's been mastered. It's ready to go," he revealed. "We wanna put it out. But it's only gonna be put out when the priority is created correctly. It's up to everyone to sort of shut their mouths and not make it confusing. Don't let it affect SLIPKNOT. That's the priority — SLIPKNOT, SLIPKNOT, SLIPKNOT, SLIPKNOT. Everything else is just beautiful things that branch off of it. Everyone, quit confusing it. Accept it. We are an anomaly. We're too much. We're everything and anything at the same time and no time at all."

Regarding when the project might finally see the light of day, Crahan said: "It was created because we wanted to create art, and we did, and it ended up being something that everybody's gonna want, and they're gonna get it when it's right. Like we should think about having babies — only do it when we know we can be good mothers and fathers, when we know we're not gonna walk away from each other, when we know we're gonna be there for a reward for the child and give all of ourselves. That's the way we tried to do it, and we did — we tried to get it out.

"The reason why I'm holding out is because it's absolutely beautiful — I'm very proud of it; I'm so proud of everybody in it — and it just needs to be represented correctly," he added. "It needs not affect anybody negative. Nobody should be affected by it in any negative way; I won't allow it. And if it means people are going to, it will never see the light of day. 'Cause people make things confusing, and I won't allow it. Because when you grow older, you become wiser."

One of the songs from "Look Outside Your Window", "'Til We Die", surfaced on the digipak of "All Hope Is Gone", but the rest have not been made available anywhere.

In 2019, Taylor described the material on "Look Outside Your Window" to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" as "experimental," "super vibey" and "super melodic." He added: "There's something about those songs. They're very solemn, very energetic, very artistic. For people who are used to a certain way of SLIPKNOT sounding, this doesn't sound anything like that. It's much more of a rock vibe. Honestly, it's much more of a RADIOHEAD vibe, to be honest."

According to Taylor, the music that was recorded for "Look Outside Your Window" was originally supposed to be released simultaneously with the "All Hope Is Gone" tracks, but the plan never quite came together.

"Man, I tried like hell to make those two worlds come together — 'All Hope Is Gone' and 'Look Outside Your Window' — to the point where I was taking songs from both and kind of putting them together, like arrangement, sequencing," Corey told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "I had two different versions of 'All Hope Is Gone' that I had put together with songs from that. And just honestly, because of the emotional rifts that were in the band, the turmoil that was going on, nobody wanted to try and make that work. So what we ended up with was 'All Hope Is Gone' and then this unreleased album, which we've been trying to find a way to release this for a really long time."

SLIPKNOT's latest album, "The End, So Far", arrived in September.

After many years of being a DIY artist I've finally found a place with Black Lion Records in Sweden for the release of my new album. The burden (pun intended) of releasing music independently made me skip releasing physical copies and always being limited to what I can do on my own. Now thanks to BLR we are going to have great worldwide distribution and we'll be able to release physical formats for the album as well.

"Come 2nd week Jan 2023 we will start making announcements and I think you'll be happy to see both CD and vinyl available for the new record along with some cool merchandise. Cheers & Stay Metal!"

Tony Iommi has confirmed that the albums BLACK SABBATH recorded with singer Tony Martin will be reissued in 2023.

The legendary SABBATH guitarist touched upon the group's re-release plans while celebrating what would have been drummer Cozy Powell's 75th birthday on Thursday, December 29.

Iommi took to his social media to share a photo of Powell and he included the following message: "Cozy Powell would have been 75 today. Looking forward to the release of the IRS albums in 2023, a tribute to his great playing."

Martin most recently spoke about previously announced plans to reissue the albums he recorded with SABBATH last month in an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. At the time he said: "Honestly, I have no idea what's happening with it. I know it's gonna be next year, but that's all I know."

This past summer, Martin told "The Rock And Metal Profs: The History And Philosophy Of Rock And Metal" podcast that "two record labels" were going to re-release the albums he recorded with SABBATH. "I don't know when, and I don't know what it's gonna look like," he said. "There was some suggestion a while back that we might be able to put extra tracks and stuff on it. I did offer, and I went to see [BLACK SABBATH guitarist] Tony Iommi and offered some things. And then he said we can't use anything new 'cause nothing new can be released under the BLACK SABBATH name. It can only be stuff that's got the original four members on it.

"I'm expecting it to be a remixed version of whatever the original was; that's what I'm expecting," Tony added. "So I await as you do to find out. Let me know if you hear it first."

When the interviewer expressed hope that the box set will include some live recordings from the Martin era of SABBATH, either in audio or video format, Tony said: "I recorded the writing session with… Eddie Van Halen came over and helped us write one of the tracks [for 1994's 'Cross Purposes' album]. And I had an eight-track recorder at the time in the 1980s, and I used to take it everywhere, this thing. I've got all of the writing sessions and rehearsals recorded. So I sent [Iommi] this, and he went, 'Wow! That's fucking great.' And I said, 'Well, you're welcome to use it, if you wanna put that on.' So, I don't know… Maybe you'll get that on there."

Martin added: "It's great to hear Eddie play."

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987),"Headless Cross" (1989),"Tyr" (1990),"Cross Purposes" (1994),"Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden"-era bandmates were ousted when Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.

This past January, Martin reflected on his time with SABBATH during an appearance on "The Ron Keel Podcast", saying: "It doesn't haunt me. It's not a bad thing. I've got a lot to be grateful for. SABBATH is the reason why you, and the world, knows about my voice. So there are things to be grateful for. It was hard work for me. I'm 12 years younger than the rest of the guys, so even just circle of friends was different — they're hanging out with Ian Gillan and Brian May, and my best friend is Dave down the road. So that was a gap. And also the experience — they were way ahead of me in experience, at least 12 years further up the road from me, and I never could quite catch them up; they will always have that much more experience than me. So that was hard work."

He continued: "When I first got the gig, it was actually 1986 that I was put on standby when they were with Glenn Hughes on the 'Seventh Star' album. And I don't know what the issues were, but something went wrong with Glenn and they put me on standby. That scared me to death, 'cause it's Glenn Hughes. I can't sing like Glenn Hughes; nobody can sing like Glenn Hughes. Only Glenn Hughes can sing like Glenn Hughes. So that was really scary. Then they got Ray Gillen in. Then he left — he left to join BLUE MURDER with John Sykes, so they called me again and said, 'You'd better come down to the studio and try this out.' And they gave me one song, which was 'The Shining' off 'Eternal Idol', and then two days later said, 'Okay. You've got the job. You've got a week to finish the album.' So right from the start it was scary — it was huge; suddenly being the frontman of BLACK SABBATH was just ridiculous. And yeah, the whole association with me and my voice lasted 11 years."

Six years ago, Iommi told I Heart Guitar that "it's a shame" that "it took a lot for people to accept" Martin as SABBATH's vocalist. "It's taken all these years later for people to say, 'Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing.' So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was."

In 2018, Iommi spent time in the studio remixing "Forbidden" for a future release. The LP, which features Martin, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray, is often regarded as SABBATH's worst studio recording.

In a 2012 interview with Über Röck, Martin said that he was "surprised" to see Iommi criticizing him in the guitarist's "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath" book (referring to the Martin period, especially the touring phase following the release of "Cross Purposes" in 1994, Iommi lambasted his former singer as "unprofessional" and having "no stage presence"). Martin said: "I mean, they never said anything to me. Surely, if you've got a problem, the first person you should say something to is the person that's in the band with you... It sounds like a really stupid thing to say, as they didn't say anything to my face — and, if that's the case, then more fool them for not saying anything, because, you know, we could have fixed it. I said to them, endlessly, that if there was anything they wanted changed, done differently, just to say and we could fix it, but clearly, they didn't, they hadn't got the guts to, obviously, and to write about it in a book afterwards seems a bit daft to me. I'm not bitter about it, but it is surprising... It seems a bit stupid to say that after the event."

Powell died on April 5, 1998 following a car crash, driving his Saab 9000 in bad weather on the M4 motorway near Bristol, while talking to his girlfriend on his mobile phone. He was living at Lambourn in Berkshire at the time and had returned to the studio shortly before his death to record with FLEETWOOD MAC co-founder Peter Green. By that time, he had been the drummer on at least 66 albums, with minor contributions on many other recordings. It was generally felt that Powell's death was a great loss to the world of popular music. Countless rock-based drummers have cited Cozy Powell as an influence.

Photo credit: I.R.S. Metal (promotional photo)
Cozy Powell would have been 75 today. Looking forward to the release of the IRS albums in 2023, a tribute to his great playing. pic.twitter.com/sKTQHx4YKB

— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) December 29, 2022

Iggy Pop claims he was once approaching about becoming AC/DC's leader singer.

The legendary rocker made the revelation while speaking to The New York Times about his new album, "Every Loser".

Pop said: "They had a manager many years ago, when I hadn't reformed THE STOOGES, I hadn't moved to England. And this guy said, 'Are you interested in joining AC/DC?' They were looking for a singer."

Pop went on to say that he didn't think he was the right man for the job. "I listened to their record. I thought, I can't fit that bill," he said. "I wasn't, like, 'Ugh, I don't like them.' It was quite well made. They do careful work, but I'm not what they needed."

It's not clear when Iggy was actually asked about joining AC/DC and if the offer came after the death of Bon Scott in February 1980.

According to Pop, he met Scott once in 1977 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood. "I had some wonderful encounter with Bon somewhere, and we were both drunk and stoned," he explained. "I see pictures sometimes. I go, I don't remember, but that's me with Bon. I loved what he did."

Scott was invited to join AC/DC by Malcolm and Angus Young in 1974, and achieved international stardom before his death at the age of 33 from alcohol poisoning.

He sang on AC/DC's first six studio albums, including "High Voltage", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Let There Be Rock" and "Highway To Hell".

Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking at a club in London, just days after attending a session with Malcolm and Angus Young where they began working on music for what became the "Back In Black" album.

"Back In Black" was the first album AC/DC released after Brian Johnson replaced Scott, and it went on to become the third-biggest-selling LP of all time.

Greybeard are back with the first single off their second full-length album, Dark Age. A blistering track brimming with melody and shred, "Terra Umbra" clocks in at just over six minutes, but the pace and dynamics make it feel more like three. Filled with hooks and loads of brutality, the song tells the tale of a family lurking in an abandoned, desolate cityscape as the father's mental state collapses, imagining a witch speaking to him about how to save his family.





Greybeard is a metal band hailing from the desolate north of Canada. Combining elements of death, black, and prog, with a solid dose of classic metal influences, Greybeard has created a sound that's all their own.







Tracklisting:


"Boreal Decimation" 
"Light From 1,000 Suns" 
"Barren" 
"Vultures" 
"Beneath" 
"Terra Umbra" 
"1,000 Years Of Night"
"Hall Of The Gods" 
"Dark Age" 


"Boreal Decimation" lyric video:





 

Vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (Sons Of Apollo, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) has shared the following message via social media:


"In solidarity to the final TSO shows this year today in San Antonio, I wanted to share an important and personal dedication.


Sometimes one takes for granted they will see those in their lives annually so something as simple as taking a photo together ends with ‘next time’. This was the case with me and TSO founder Paul O’Neill.




Paul not being that much older than me, us being overall healthy and moving through life with plans to be here until we are old and grey left me with that exact ideal, 'next time/year.'


I started working with TSO in 2007 and it was in 2014 I realized I had NO photos with the man together except for the onstage ones folks took of us. During rehearsals in ’14, my longtime bro world acclaimed photographer Mark Weiss was at rehearsals for that tour doing pics before the tour launched. It was then I thought it would be great to finally get some pics with Paul….and who better to take them!


That time passed and I never got a copy, we continued on with life and work until we lost Paul without warning or even concern that this could happen anytime soon. I asked Mark if he would be able to find the pics but in our normal mode of ‘crazy busy’ AND finding the time to go through hundreds if not thousands of pics to find them, I kicked myself for not doing a simple phone pic with the man.


A few days ago, Mark presented me NOT with the digital ones but actual pro prints of Paul and me; this is one I am sharing with you now. I miss this man every year, every tour, every note I sing with TSO. He was a mentor, he was the ideal human being. I am so fortunate he took me under his wing and I am proud to continue his vision year after year to date!"





Photo by Mark Weiss

Arizona extreme metallers JOB FOR A COWBOY are apparently putting the finishing touches on their long-awaited fifth studio album.

On Sunday (January 1),producer Jason Suecof, who has previously worked with TRIVIUM, AUGUST BURNS RED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL THAT REMAINS, WHITECHAPEL and DEVILDRIVER, among others, took to his Instagram to write: "It's been a long night…jfac vocals done 👌🏼👌🏼 @jfacofficial happy new year ! #audiohammer #jobforacowboy #jfac #naptime".

JOB FOR A COWBOY has reportedly been working on the follow-up to 2014's "Sun Eater" for at least the last two years, with drummer Navene Koperweis (ENTHEOS, ex-ANIMALS AS LEADERS) having laid down his parts back in August 2020.

"Sun Eater" was released via Metal Blade Records.

Audiohammer producer Suecof's first collaboration with JOB FOR A COWBOY was 2009's "Ruination" album.

In September 2020, JOB FOR A COWBOY frontman Jonny Davy explained to MetalSucks what he and his bandmates have been doing for the past decade, saying: "Tony [Sannicandro], the guitar player, is working on his medical degree. A couple of guys in the band went back to school, and I went back to college to work on my computer programming degree."

He added: "I got married, I had a kid, so that puts a lot of things on hold quite a bit. That was probably the biggest brunt of it, on my end. I know a lot of the guys wanted to tour but around that time my wife got pregnant so that just kinda put everything on hold."

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A post shared by Jason Suecof (@jason_suecof)

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has blasted Rolling Stone magazine for placing Bob Dylan above Elvis Presley on its list of the 200 greatest singers of all time.

The updated list, which began in 2008, ranges from Aretha Franklin to Rosalía and other artists known for standout singing. This time around, the list excludes powerhouses like Celine Dion, Pink, Jennifer Hudson, Nat King Cole, Dionne Warwick and more.

After the Elvis Presley News Twitter account expressed its disbelief on Monday (January 2) over the fact that Dylan made the list above Presley, Friedman responded: "Not surprised at all, consider the source. If a media outlet uses 'sui generis' to describe the most influential singer of all time, said media outlet`s assessment should be taken with a grain of salt the size of Iceland. Nothing to see here."

The publication anticipated complaints from fans who disagreed with Rolling Stone's choices, writing in the introduction: "Before you start scrolling (and commenting),keep in mind that this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List. Talent is impressive; genius is transcendent. Sure, many of the people here were born with massive pipes, perfect pitch, and boundless range. Others have rougher, stranger, or more delicate instruments… In all cases, what mattered most to us was originality, influence, the depth of an artist's catalog, and the breadth of their musical legacy."

Last June, Marty praised the new biopic of Elvis Presley, calling it "the be-all-end-all movie" about the iconic singer.

The 60-year-old ex-MEGADETH guitarist, who says he's been "an Elvis maniac" since the age of six, offered his opinion of Baz Luhrmann's biopic, in which Tom Hanks stars as the singer's manager, in a social media post.

He wrote: "Long 'ELVIS the movie' rant ahead…you have been severely warned…continue at your own risk

"Aside from family of course, the only constant that has continued through the vast majority of my life so far is Elvis. A lot of you wonderful folks in here know how much of a fan I am, but for those who don't. I'm a world class otaku when it comes to anything Elvis. I have over 1000 different vinyl records of his from all around the world, from remote countries on every continent except for Antarctica.

"Of course I have all of his movies and specials on DVD, read all the Elvis books from the fantastic to the moronic, and have seen every Elvis related bio, be it a movie, a documentary or TV series, several times. I brought some of my Elvis collection onto the Japanese TV version of 'Antiques Roadshow'. I'm not a religious guy, but the closest thing I have to a religious presence in my life is the way I feel towards Elvis which is completely different from all of my other favorite artists.

"So you get it, I'm a fan. So you might think I'm biased about this new Elvis movie.

"There have been many Elvis biopics and I enjoyed them all a lot. But nothing could have prepared me for this one, and how it utterly destroyed every one I had ever seen before. Don't get me wrong, the others were very well done and top class productions all the way. But this one is in such a different world that it obliterated its predecessors so violently, it's made me envision a stadium class band showing up at a high school battle of the bands contest to the shock of all witnessing it.

"My expectations were high because I heard Lisa Marie give it big praise and Tom Hanks has a solid record of being associated with hits. Still how many times do I need to see the same story I have seen countless times already? The filmmakers managed to tell the story we all know and love with so much fresh creativity, wonderful modern sense and from such a fresh angle that even a jaded Elvis maniac like myself felt like I was seeing everything for the very first time.

"In any movie (or any entertainment vehicle) there are thousands, if not millions of tiny choices to make in its production. It seemed that every choice in this movie was well thought out and executed with deep love and respect of Elvis' music and of Elvis the human. It was a huge treat to look forward to what was coming next in every scene.

"Elvis has suffered the most disgusting posthumous 'duet mashups' imaginable, not the least of which being the criminal pairing with Celine Dion. Most others have been almost as heinous, but some have been pretty good too. When I saw 'Viva Elvis' on stage in Las Vegas, the 'duet mashups' in that show were spine tingling and beautiful, created with love of Elvis as top priority rather than just showcasing the hits everyone knows. So in 'Elvis the Movie', when the opening sequence (!?) started with a jaw dropping and haunting reworking of a very deep cut from the barely known 'It Happened At The World's Fair' soundtrack, I knew this was no cash grab biopic. The opening sequence! Not 'Hound Dog', 'Jailhouse Rock' or 'All Shook Up', but they went with 'Cotton Candy Land', (!!) which was a throwaway song from a movie scene where Elvis sings it as a quick lullaby to a 6 year old girl. How they transformed this lame little ditty from 1963 into such a strong opening for a blockbuster film in 2022, was so incredible that I knew from that moment that I needed to strap myself in for what may come next. The entire 2 hours and 39 minutes of the film was at that same level of ingenuity and the storytelling aspect was so fresh and entertaining, that I didn't want it to end. I shed tears at several points in the film, not only because of the content of the story, but in many instances because of the absolutely exquisite performances and creative new ways to interpret the Elvis songs I have heard my whole life. This is coming from a guy who usually abhors anyone messing with Elvis music. The music in this movie and how it tells the story is out of this world. I'm pretty drained after watching it, actually. I rarely sit still for that long, but I was glued to every frame of this movie. My bony ass hurts.

"I'm so curious to what people will say about this movie, Elvis fans or not. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. I hope I didn't spoil any of it for you, or get your hopes up too high. Maybe I just loved it because I'm an Elvis maniac since I was 6. Maybe a non-Elvis fan may think otherwise.

"Either way, I can't remember being this impressed by a movie, so if you are on the fence about seeing 'one more Elvis biopic', rest assured, you ain't seen nothing yet. Unless they make a new movie documenting the fact that he is actually still alive, this is, and will likely always be, the be all, end all movie about Elvis."

"Elvis" debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film chronicles Elvis's "rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and the loss of innocence in America," according to Warner Bros.

During a press event early last year, Luhrmann said he was inspired to make a movie about Presley due to "musical icons in my life that were so important to me."
Not surprised at all, consider the source. If a media outlet uses "sui generis" to describe the most influential singer of all time, said media outlet`s assessment should be taken with a grain of salt the size of Iceland. Nothing to see here.

— Marty Friedman (@marty_friedman) January 3, 2023

Ozzy Osbourne (BLACK SABBATH),Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST),Axl Rose (GUNS N' ROSES),Ronnie James Dio (BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, DIO),Robert Plant (LED ZEPPELIN),Chris Cornell (SOUNDGARDEN) and Steve Perry (JOURNEY) are among the rock vocalists who have been included on Rolling Stone's list of the 200 greatest singers of all time.

The updated list, which began in 2008, ranges from Aretha Franklin to Rosalía and other artists known for standout singing. This time around, the list excludes powerhouses like Celine Dion, Pink, Jennifer Hudson, Nat King Cole, Dionne Warwick and more.

The publication anticipated complaints from fans who disagreed with Rolling Stone's choices, writing in the introduction: "Before you start scrolling (and commenting),keep in mind that this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List. Talent is impressive; genius is transcendent. Sure, many of the people here were born with massive pipes, perfect pitch, and boundless range. Others have rougher, stranger, or more delicate instruments… In all cases, what mattered most to us was originality, influence, the depth of an artist's catalog, and the breadth of their musical legacy."

Rock singers included on Rolling Stone's list:

#12 - John Lennon
#14 - Freddie Mercury
#26 - Paul McCartney
#32 - David Bowie
#52 - Mick Jagger
#63 - Robert Plant
#80 - Chris Cornell
#82 - Steve Perry
#105 - Eddie Vedder
#109 - Roger Daltrey
#112 - Ozzy Osbourne
#129 - Rob Halford
#134 - Axl Rose
#165 - Ronnie James Dio
#176 - Iggy Pop
#181 - Bob Seger
#199 - Glenn Danzig

Former OVERKILL and ANVIL guitarist Sebastian Marino has died at the age of 57.

According to Sebastian's friend Bruce Pilato, Marino died suddenly in the early hours of January 1 after being rushed to a hospital while doing a sound job on New Year's Eve in Florida.

Sebastian played on ANVIL's 1991 album "Worth The Weight" and was featured on three OVERKILL LPs in the 1990s: "The Killing Kind" (1996),"From The Underground And Below" (1997) and "Necroshine" (1999).

Earlier today, ANVIL frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow tweeted: "Condolences to my friend Sebastian Marino's family and friends. Seby was a dear friend and I will miss him profoundly!! Worth The Weight was an extremely special ANVIL album and it will keep Seby alive through our history forever! RIP SEBASTIAN MARINO".

In Pilato's post, he said that "Sebastian owned and operated AUDIO IMAGES one of the most acclaimed audio & video production companies in the country." Bruce added: "He and I go back to the 1980s and in the mid 1990s we worked together with Linda Rutherford & Celtic Fire, which featured his first wife. It was Sebastian who I approached for a road crew when I first started working with Carl Palmer in 2005. Sebastian essentially brought a slew of top quality production people who made up the road crews of Carl Palmer's band; ASIA; YES and other platinum level acts around the globe. A brilliant musician in his own right (he played guitar for OVERKILL and ANVIL among others)- he was like a best friend to any working musician or road tech's who interacted with him. He always treated them fairly and often working for less than he should have just so the music could survive."

Marino concluded: "Sebastian... you were a diamond whose legacy will shine on forever. RIP, pal."
Condolences to my friend Sebastian Marino's family and friends. Seby was a dear friend and I will miss him profoundly!! Worth the Weight was an extremely special Anvil album and it will keep Seby alive through our history forever! RIP SEBASTIAN MARINO

— LIPS ANVIL (@LIPSANVIL) January 1, 2023



FAREWELL to my dear friend Sebastian Marino, who died suddenly in the early hours of today after being rushed to a...

Posted by Bruce Pilato on Sunday, January 1, 2023

Hearing tonight of the loss of a musician friend and beautiful person whom I got to know in my early, formative years...

Posted by Michael Amico on Sunday, January 1, 2023

Just learned of the passing of my ole pal Sebastian Marino! He was such a kind soul with a huge heart! He was one of the...

Posted by Robert E Armstrong on Sunday, January 1, 2023

In a new interview with Ireland's Overdrive, ALTER BRIDGE and CREED guitarist Mark Tremonti was asked if he would step into Zakk Wylde's shoes for the PANTERA comeback shows if he was approached about it. He responded: "Hell no! [Laughs] A number of years ago, I was talking with Rex [Brown, PANTERA bassist] at the Download festival, and he was talking about a possible PANTERA reunion. He looked at me and said, 'You should put your name in the hat', and I was like, 'No way, man.' You have to be a certain type of personality to take on that role. It's not just about the playing, it's very much the personality, and Dime [late PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] had a huge presence. Put it this way, nobody's gonna flip off Zakk Wylde onstage. They very well might do that to me, but there's just no way I would put myself in that situation."

A decade ago, Tremonti spoke to Noisecreep about what he listened to as a kid and what helped shape him musically. He said: "The first record that really made me a music fanatic was METALLICA's 'Master Of Puppets'. That's probably my favorite record of all time. From there I searched for the heaviest, darkest, meanest sounding stuff I could find. I grew up in Detroit and my friends listened to SLAYER and TESTAMENT. I got into punk, too, like BLACK FLAG and MINISTRY. And I got really into black metal. I got into CELTIC FROST, KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE. I loved that stuff. I'd have to control the volume though so I'd turn it down when they said 'praise Satan' or whatever to keep my parents from taking my records away. [Laughs]"

When asked if there were there specific metal guitarists that influenced him and his riffs, Mark said. "[METALLICA's] James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, for sure. That down stroke thing they do is one of my core sounds — my rhythm playing is very rooted in the METALLICA-based style. And SLAYER's approach, too. Some of my favorite riffs of all time are on SLAYER's song 'Raining Blood' and that really inspired me to write man of the menacing metal riffs that I have over the years. That's really what turned me on when I was younger, that kind of music."

ALTER BRIDGE's latest album, "Pawns & Kings", was released in October via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2019's "Walk The Sky" was once again recorded at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with SEVENDUST, MAMMOTH WVH and Slash, among others.

In a recent interview with T Stone of the radio show "Sonic Boom" on Real Rock 100.3 The Fox in Rapid City, South Dakota, JUDAS PRIEST's Richie Faulkner was asked what he thinks about Zakk Wylde stepping in for "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott in PANTERA's reformed lineup. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think there's only one guy that could have done that gig. He's the right guy for it. He's the only guy for it. The relationship he had with Dime over everything else. I mean, there's tons of guys that can play that stuff note for note for note, but I think the integrity that Zakk brings to that whole thing because of his relationship with Dime, I don't think there's anyone else on the planet that can do the gig like Zakk can do it.

"I don't think you need to play that stuff note for note," Richie continued. "I think it's all about what comes from the heart. People are sure to disagree with me there, but that's just my opinion on it. Dime played from the heart. It was all about emotion and passion. And I think as long as you put emotion and passion into that music, that's what it's about. Anyone can learn notes off a page, but if you don't have the passion and the emotion, what have you got with that music?

"So, Zakk's the guy," Faulkner added. "It was always gonna be Zakk. It always should have been Zakk, and it's gonna be fucking amazing. It's gonna be great… PANTERA were fantastic, and to hear those songs again, it's gonna be off the charts, man.

"The Internet is one reality, and then reality is another reality. And it's gonna be off the hook."

In July, it was reported that Wylde and ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante, along with PANTERA's surviving members, singer Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, would tour as PANTERA.

According to a report by Billboard, Wylde and Benante's involvement in the project has been approved by the estates of PANTERA's late co-founders, Dimebag and drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott.

Zakk discussed his participation in the PANTERA celebration tour during an appearance on "Sunday With Ola", the YouTube program hosted by Ola Englund, the Swedish guitarist, record producer and owner of Solar guitars. Regarding how his involvement in the PANTERA tribute came about, Zakk said: "There's always been talks about it, for years, especially when Vinnie was still alive. And it was just, like, well, I'll just wait till that day comes. 'If you guys decide you wanna do it, you know I'm always gonna be here for ya.' Phil called me up one night, and he was just, like, 'Zakk, I was talking with Rex. We're thinking about doing this. We were wondering if you would wanna honor Dime.' And I was, like, 'Of course, man.' How could I say no? So now, it was just, like, 'All right. Well, send me the songs for the setlist so I can start learning this stuff, man.'"

Wylde told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about how he planned to approach the PANTERA gig: "You approach it the same way as you do when I'm playing with Ozzy. Obviously I've gotta learn [Randy] Rhoads's stuff and I've gotta learn Jake's [E. Lee] stuff, and when I was doing the [BLACK] SABBATH stuff, you learn it and do it as faithful as you can. Charlie's gotta learn all of Vinnie's parts. You approach it as if you're in a cover band. When we do the ZAKK SABBATH stuff," referring to his BLACK SABBATH cover band, "I don't start changing lyrics midway through 'War Pigs'. You learn the songs — so that's what you do."

PANTERA recently played seven shows in Mexico and South America and will next headline a number of major festivals across North America, Europe and Asia, and stage some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

Black Star Riders frontman Ricky Warwick has kicked off the new year with a cryptic post about his former band, The Almighty, making a return. See for yourself....




 

 
 

 


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A post shared by Ricky Warwick (@rickywarwickofficial)



Zisis Pekanas at RockOverdose spoke with Warwick in January 2021 about his solo album, When Life Was Hard & Fast, and during the interview Warwick addressed the possibility of The Almighty reuniting.




Warwick: "I will answer that question as no and yes. No is because I never close anything. I never say 'That’s it! I’ll never going to do this again!' because you don’t know what’s going to happen a year from now or 15 years from now. But I don’t think The Almighty are going to play together again. You ask me for it now, I can’t see it happening. Nobody in the band wants to do it. We are all very proud of the legacy and what we’ve created but we don’t really want to go back. Everyone is happy, I don’t really want to reform a band. I’m so busy doing my solo stuff, Black Star Riders and I’m going forward.


I don’t think the intensity The Almighty had would be the same and that worries me. So the memories are good for the people who remember us, everything that we stood for, now we are older, so many years have passed and I don’t know if that would be the right thing to do. It’s better to leave it the way it is. It was an amazing band, I’m proud for being a part of it. Still love the songs and play some in my solo shows."


Check out the complete interview here.


The Almighty were formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1988. They were active until 1996, then returned in 2006 before going on indefinite hiatus in 2008.  They have released seven studio albums, two anthologies and one live album.

In an interview with Sysi Media conducted at this past summer's Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland, legendary hard rock vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, Yngwie Malmsteen) was asked about still recording and performing at the age of 71. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Age doesn't matter unless you're a wine or a cheese. To me… Look, I'm so thankful at this age that I can still sing and write… Physically… I mean, I've had my problems with health — everything — but I'm at my 'thank you' stage of my life.

"When I was younger — [it was all] sex, drugs and rock and roll," he continued. "Now you start to really understand what this is about. This really is deeper than what we used to do as kids. You start to grow and mature in your philosophies, in your art, your originality, your persona.

"So, to me, I'm lucky," Joe added. "I'm thankful. I'm blessed. I wake up every day and I thank I'm alive. I'm going, like, man, I'm breathing, blinking. I have the ability to be here and create something that's worthwhile, that's gonna stick around. That's what it means to me."

Turner went on to say that he "never thought" he would get to be 70 years old. "Honest to God, right now, 70 is the new 40," he said. "But I never thought I'd get to this age. I still feel 19. When I'm listening to music and doing stuff, I still feel 19. Okay, you do slow down a bit. I think more than slow down, I think what you do is you become more aware of things and you're not as stupid as you were and you don't do as many ridiculously dangerous things and you don't kill yourself as much as you did and you try to take it easy. I mean, I can remember waking up in Utah naked under a piano. I don't do that anymore. I've got responsibilities."

Nearly five years ago, Turner suffered a heart attack. He later called the experience "a wake-up call" and insisted that he had "cleaned up [his] act a lot," saying that he had "a new lease on life."

Turner's April 2018 hospitalization was first reported by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, which quoted the press service of the Ministry Of Health Of Belarus as saying that the singer was treated at a Minsk facility for "myocardial infarction," commonly known as a heart attack. Turner's presence at the hospital was also reported by Belarus's most influential daily newspaper, the state-owned SB Belarus Segodnya.

Joe was the frontman of RAINBOW between 1980 and 1984 and he sang on the album "Difficult To Cure", which featured the band's most successful U.K. single, "I Surrender".

During Turner's time with RAINBOW, the band had its first USA chart success and recorded songs that helped define the melodic rock genre.

1990 saw Turner reunited with RAINBOW leader Ritchie Blackmore in a reformed DEEP PURPLE for the "Slaves And Masters" album.

Joe is married to Maya Kozyreva, a lawyer from Minsk.

December 29th marked two years since the passing of Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho. Nekrogoblikon have shared their cover of the band's "Bodom Beach Terror" in memory of Laiho.


Guitarist Alex Alereza offered the following:


"There is no single other band or artist that I can say has had as much of a musical influence on Nekrogoblikon as Children of Bodom, and I can say with confidence that had I not been exposed to Alexi Laiho's compositions and playing style I would be a completely different guitar player today.




Upon being collectively saddened by Alexi's passing in the midst of the pandemic, we began revisiting the COB albums that had the greatest impact on us and decided to record a cover of 'Bodom Beach Terror' off of Hate Crew Deathroll. We each recorded our parts ourselves from home and made it a point to be as faithful to the original recording as possible.


Hope you enjoy listening to this tribute as much as we enjoyed recording it, and long live the legacy of Alexi Laiho and Children of Bodom!"





 


Children Of Bodom played their final show on December 15, 2019 at the Black Box in Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki, Finland.


 


 


The band's frontman, Alexi Laiho, passed away in December 2020 at the age of 41, and today remaining members Jaska Raatikainen, Janne Wirman, and Henkka Seppälä made the following announcement:


 


 


"Exactly three years ago, 15th December 2019, Children Of Bodom played their last show at the Helsinki Ice Hall. To keep this precious last moment alive and also available to everyone who couldn’t make it to see the show, Alexi’s estate, Daniel, Henkka, Janne and Jaska will release the show next year as a live album.


 


 


"To make it more special we’d love to have photos from YOU to be included in the album booklet. What we’re looking for is any Bodom related memories, from any era. We would like the Hate Crew to be part of the album, as the Hate Crew was always the essential part of the phenomenon called Children Of Bodom. That’s why we are asking you to be part of this!


 


 


"If you feel like taking part in this project please submit your photo via email to fans@cobhc.com by 31st December 2022. Looking forward to see you what you guys have in your archives and stay tuned for more news.


 


 


"Please note that we have to be sure that the photos are ok for us to use, hence we kindly ask you to read this: By submitting a photo you agree that you will grant us the irreversible compensation free and royalty free right to use the material in our album materials. We can’t guarantee that we will use your photos but we will go thru all of them and pick the ones suitable. By submitting a photo you guarantee that you have all the rights to do so and that you have the consent of all the persons that can be recognized in the photo."



 


 





 


 





 

Billy Idol is set to start 2023 in style!


"Join me in Los Angeles this Thursday January 5th at 11:30am PT when I am honored with a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame," reads a statement from the iconic singer.


"The location is 6212 Hollywood Blvd, right by Amoeba Music. If you can’t make it on Thursday you can watch the ceremony live stream at WalkOfFame.com. Hope to see you there!"







Rock icon Billy Idol will be honored with the 2,743rd on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star, the first of the new year, will be dedicated at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard in front of Amoeba Music. Idol will be awarded his star in the category of Recording.


Joining emcee Lupita Sanchez Cornejo for the star unveiling will be artist Shepard Fairey and rocker Henry Rollins.


Billy Idol was an early architect of the sound, style, and fury of punk rock. His lip-curling sneer and fist-pumping persona vaulted him into the mainstream as one of MTV’s first megastars, making him one of the most recognizable faces in pop music, He has sold 40 million albums while scoring numerous platinum albums worldwide, nine top forty singles in the U.S. and 10 in the U.K. including “Dancing With Myself”, “White Wedding”, “Rebel Yell”, “Mony Mony”, “Eyes Without A Face”, “Flesh For Fantasy”, and “Cradle Of Love”. Billy was responsible for some of punk rock’s most memorable, literate, and evocative moments and created a pioneering new sound by bringing the spirit of ’77 to the dance floor, going on to fashion an immediately identifiable musical blueprint that integrates club-land throb, rockabilly desperation, and rock’n’roll decadence.


Forty-five years after releasing his first 45, Billy Idol still makes gliding, thumping, cinematic songs about sin, redemption and the love of rock’n’roll… and that’s what you will find on The Roadside and The Cage, Billy Idol’s latest two four-song EPs released in 2021 and 2022, respectively.


Both EPs will be instantly familiar to lovers of classic Billy Idol, while announcing a firm step into the future full of color, power, atmosphere, attitude, and mystery.


And on both new releases Billy Idol is joined by his friend and collaborator since 1981, guitarist and songwriter Steve Stevens. For 41 years – 41 years! ­– Steve has been Billy Idol’s sonic assassin and master blender of tones and textures, the thinking man’s shredder and the shredding man’s Picasso.


Billy Idol, together with his band featuring Steve Stevens, have consistently toured the World for the past two decades, headlining theatres and arenas and performing at major festivals all over the world.


Billy Idol has always found time to support various causes in need, including Teenage Cancer Trust, Teen Cancer America, Goldberg Kids Fund, World Wildlife Funds, Rural Aid Australia, Animals Australia, March of Dimes, Autism Speaks and the Boston Children’s Hospital.


 

Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" has been given the lounge treatment by Postmodern Jukebox vocalist  Robyn Adele Anderson and her band. Check out this new rendition of the song below.


Robyn: "Some of you might not know this, but I make the arrangements for most of my covers! However, I have to give credit to my amazing band who all helped put this song together. I came into the studio with an arrangement I wasn’t crazy about so they decided to take matters into their own hands and it came out great!" 


The Band:




Robyn Adele Anderson — Vocals
Ben Covello — Piano
Josh Davis — Drums
Georgia Weber — Bass
Kevin Moehringer — Trombone
Stan Killian — Saxophone

In a new interview with Primordial Radio, HALESTORM bassist Josh Smith and drummer Arejay Hale spoke about the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs. Josh said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're navigating the troubled waters, but logistically, it is a lot. It's different. Everything costs more. It seems like everybody's out, which is awesome, but at the same time, it makes for some tricky routing. You look at some of our routing maps, and it looks like someone was just throwing darts. And it was the same in the States. And also our summer tour, I feel like we haven't had a six- or seven-week tour since… We haven't toured like that since we were in our 20s… It feels like we've started over in a way, and we're working hard for it. It's incredibly humbling. We just feel so fortunate to be back out after such a hiatus."

Asked if they are concerned about the future of touring, Josh said: "I think things will adjust. I hope we can keep doing it, because this is what we love to do. For us, the live show is such an important part, so to have had a taste of it over the pandemic — like, 'You can't tour' — was difficult. So I'll remain optimistic that now we'll figure this out and we'll be able to continue doing it. We need it, and I think the fans need it too. So we'll figure it out."

Added Arejay: "We're fortunate enough to be at a position where we can afford to take a year and a half off and get back into it and kind of pick up where we left off. But I feel bad for a lot of newer bands that just released debut records right before COVID and can't support 'em. It was tragic for a lot of the younger bands out there."

On December 9, HALESTORM released a deluxe edition of its album "Back From The Dead". "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" includes seven previously unreleased B-sides, including "Mine", a 1980s-inspired rocker. "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" is available digitally, on CD, and cassette tape, marking the first time that the album has been offered in those physical formats.

"Back From The Dead" was released in May via Atlantic. The follow-up to 2018's "Vicious" was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, MASTODON, ALICE IN CHAINS) with co-production by Scott Stevens (SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY, NEW YEARS DAY).

Arejay and his sister Lzzy (vocals, guitar) formed HALESTORM in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".