Japanese trad metal act Coven Japan has signed with No Remorse Records. 


The history of Coven Japan goes back as far as 2016 when the two metal maniacs Akihiro Ito and Taka from Tokyo, Japan, started to record some demos. They had composed, played, recorded, mixed, and mastered all songs by themselves. Songs that are inspired by NWOBHM acts such as Angel Witch and Satan, ‘80s metal, Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost, ‘70s hard rock, Japanese rock, metal and Japanese animation songs, to name a few.


The Japanese identity is strong in their songwriting and want to spread their own original Japanese metal to the world, so their songs are written in two languages: Verse and bridge parts are written in an old (Medieval) Japanese literary style, with the oriental accent and unique rhythms being one of their special characteristics. Coven Japan believe that sing-along is one of the best parts of heavy metal music so chorus parts are written in English as this is the world's common language. They are also Japanese animation and comic fans, known as “Otaku”. They have been growing up watching and reading Japanese comics and animation, and especially love dark fantasy genres, adding this culture in their visual aspects such as their album covers and layout.




Coven Japan’s metal is based on traditional and classic heavy metal with twin guitars and female vocals, also putting and mixing various elements like catchy Japanese animation songs, creating a unique style. In the end of 2016, their demos caught the attention of many record labels and they got offers to release the debut EP. In 2017, their debut EP The Advent was released by Svart Records as a 12” vinyl EP and CD, while cassette tapes were released by Heavy Chains Records. At that time in 2017, they were still just a project, not a full band, and they started looking for members so they would start playing as a band in concerts. At the end of 2018, the line-up was completed and in 2019 they started playing in Tokyo. The band’s live performances attracted offers from promoters overseas but due to Covid-19 restrictions, their shows at some festivals were postponed and canceled. 


Meanwhile, the band kept writing new material and currently recording the debut full-length album that will be mixed by Olof Wikstrand of Enforcer (who also mixed Electric Elite of Riot City) and will be mastered by Bart Gabriel (Cirith Ungol, Riot City, Konquest, Crystal Viper). The album will be released later in 2023 by No Remorse Records.

Former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee has paid tribute to the band's frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister on the seventh anniversary of his death.

Earlier today (Wednesday, December 28),Mikkey took to his social media to write: "It's now been 7 years since Lemmy moved on. Time goes by so fast.

"I have been touring the world with the mighty SCORPIONS since Lemmy's passing and its been great but my MOTÖRHEAD days are forever welded in to my backbone. It's a huge part of who I am and the MOTÖRHEAD family is as steady as a rock, forever.

"Lemmy, I miss you and think about you a lot but I am quite certain your are rocking the house and raising hell wherever you are.

"Let's have a great New Year celebration and an amazing 2023.

"'Don't sit and cry in your fucking beer. Drink it!'.// Lemmy Kilmister

"Cheers to Lemmy!"

In a May 2021 interview with the "Waste Some Time With Jason Green" video podcast, Dee said that Lemmy refused to quit touring in the weeks leading up to his death, even when his health was clearly deteriorating.

"We played the last show the 11th of December [of 2015] in Berlin, and he passed just [two] weeks later," Mikkey recalled. "And that tells you, the guy died with his boots on. And both me and Phil [Campbell, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist] were trying to talk him out of starting the second part of the European tour after Christmas. But there was no way in hell we could do that. And I said to Phil, 'Look, instead of arguing with Lemmy or pushing him not to do this,' because we said maybe we should break for a couple of months for him to catch his wind, basically. I said, 'Let's not push him anyway. Let him decide what he wants to do. He knows best what he wants to do.' And he wanted to be on stage. So we said, 'Let's just support him instead,' and that's what we did. But we never made it to the second leg of that European tour, unfortunately. It was the U.K. that was on the next part of it, I remember that."

Asked if he knew when he came home to Sweden that it would probably be the end for Lemmy, Mikkey said: "No. Not at all. Because I talked to Lemmy after that show in Berlin. We were all gonna go separate ways, obviously. I was gonna just fly out to Sweden, and Phil went back home to Wales. Lemmy was flying back to L.A., but I believe he was gonna fly to London and stay one night or two or so and say hi to friends and then fly back home. And I spoke to him right after the show. I went down to Lemmy's dressing room, and I said, 'All right. Go back to L.A. and figure out, maybe, another two songs from [MOTÖRHEAD's final album] 'Bad Magic' that you think that we should do. And we take out the two songs that we already played on this leg, and we put in two new songs from the record.' And he said, 'Yeah. All right. I'll check that out.' And I said, 'Let's hook up after Christmas.' Because it was the 11th of December at that time, and I figured we'd talk between Christmas and New Year's Eve and decide which two songs that we agreed on on playing on that next leg. And he said, 'Yeah, I'll go back and work on that.' And that was it. He had no intention of not coming back to Europe and touring. So we did a little finger hook, as we always did, and that was the last time I saw him, actually. Very sad."

Dee went on to say that Lemmy had made some changes in his life to improve his health after dealing with several issues over the last few years of his life, including heart trouble. "But my personal belief is that it was maybe a little too late," he said. "He should have maybe changed a little earlier. But knowing Lemmy, he was not for that. He was doing it his way or the highway, basically. And that made him to what he was. He never compromised with his music, he never compromised with friendship, he never compromised with what way he was gonna go for anyone else in that way, which is why MOTÖRHEAD was MOTÖRHEAD, and still is MOTÖRHEAD. But with that said, of course, the three of us were talking a lot about stuff, and it was not like he was some kind of a boss here. But we all worked so good together, and that's what created the magic, I would say."

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

It's now been 7 years since Lemmy moved on. Time goes by so fast. I have been touring the world with the mighty...

Posted by Mikkey Dee on Wednesday, December 28, 2022

In a recent interview with Australia's Metal Mal, former VENOM and current VENOM INC. frontman Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan was asked about some fans' criticism that VENOM cannot truly be VENOM without the band's singer Conrad "Cronos" Lant. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's quite an odd thing because there's a subversity that goes on with the VENOM thing, which was always there. And I go back to the scene of the crime, so I was there at the beginning. We're all from the same place. We all saw each other. Mantas's [former VENOM and current VENOM INC. guitarist Jeff Dunn] girlfriend lived across the road from me, so I saw him all the time. Cronos's girlfriend was my girlfriend's friend, so I know him. We used to go to the same pubs and same shows. I saw VENOM with ten people in a little old church hall with Clive [Archer, original VENOM singer]. And, of course, I had my band.

"When I went into VENOM, it was 'cause Conrad had gone and they wanted to make it happen. And I was instrumental in bringing Mantas back 'cause he didn't wanna [do it], but they knew that me and him are kind of like brothers so I could convince him to come back, which we agreed I would do it if he came and he would do it if I was there. So that's what we did. And at the time I didn't think about anything. These were my friends. I got to write new music and play and tour. And I got to play some great songs: 'Bloodlust', 'In Nomine Satanas', 'Warhead'. Who doesn't wanna do that? So I was, like, 'Fucking brilliant.' And they were, like, 'We can only think of one person who a) knows the band from the beginning, and b) can do the job and knows where we went wrong, and that's you.' So I was, like, 'Brilliant.' So I didn't consider I was 'replacing Cronos' and, 'Oh my God' — I was not thinking that. In fact, it was about 10 or 15 years later before the first person said, 'How did it feel filling big boots?' And I said, 'I wear my own boots. I don't fill anybody else's boots.' I just didn't think about it. Why would I? So the meaning becomes something else.

"Of course, those characters and those people from that time don't wanna let go of that, because they still wanna be 16 even though they're 50, or they still wanna be 20," Dolan continued. "Music is evocative and it gives us a sense of time — from an ABBA song to whatever it is. And kids these days will hear the new album that we're [VENOM INC.] doing, for example, but in 30 years' time when they hear one of those songs, it might evoke an emotion the same way, so you become quite protective about that. And I think initially his fans — the Cronophiles, I call 'em — and Abaddon [drummer Anthony Bray] created his own little bowl of wax, and Mantas has his too, and I have mine, when they feel that you're disparaging them or you're trying to make their place in history less than it is, then they attack. But they only do that when you're succeeding. So I don't get it at any other point from young fans or nobody else. But every time we release something or every time we announce a big show, like Wacken [Open Air], I got it, you'd find these people going, 'No Cronos, no VENOM.' … It's just word speak. But a lot of those fans that have done that I will challenge and just go, 'I don't mind that you feel like that, and I totally understand that — totally understand that — but justify why, why it's so important. What do you think that I'm doing…?'

"I can't change the history. I can't go, 'No. Now I'm this. The 'Black Metal' album was never recorded and doesn't exist. The shows that VENOM did never happened.' I can't — I can't do that. That's history. It's there. And the person who was there is still performing. He's on those records. You've got them. He's still performing and able to sing those records. 'So what do you think is really bad I'm doing? I'm not gonna shoot you.'

"It's just panic," Dolan added. "They wanna keep it as pure as it is. I totally understand that, but sometimes it's not so pure. And my view is exactly that. If a fan wants to hear a B-side that any form of VENOM will never play, as a fan of music, I wanna hear it too. So if I can play it, then I'm gonna do it — absolutely… And so far I've managed to play, or convinced us to play, every song off [VENOM's debut album] 'Welcome To Hell', every song off [VENOM's second album] 'Black Metal', and I'm halfway through [VENOM's third album] 'At War With Satan'. So I'm gonna get there. Even if they don't wanna do it, I'm gonna get there."

Released in 1982, "Black Metal" is considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general. VENOM's second album proved influential enough that its title was used as the name of the extreme metal subgenre of black metal. The band classic lineup trio of Dunn, Lant and Bray recorded two further studio LPs, "At War With Satan" (1984) and "Possessed" (1985),and live album, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (1986). Often cited by bands such as METALLICA, BEHEMOTH, CELTIC FROST and MAYHEM as major influences, they are one of the most revered bands of their generation. VENOM is still fronted by Cronos and headlines festivals all over the globe and continues to release new music while Dunn and Dolan have joined forces in the similarly named VENOM INC.

Dunn, Bray and Dolan released three albums as VENOM between 1989 and 1992 — "Prime Evil" (1989),"Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992).

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the aforementioned Cronos-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

In a recent interview with DJ Mermaid, VOIVOD singer Denis "Snake" Bélanger spoke about the decline of the music industry as consumers value access over ownership and experiences over assets. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the industry has changed a lot, that's for sure. I won't be the only one to say that streaming is something that we still have to [contend] with, the streaming situation as for artists. But you cannot stop the wind with your hand like that; if it goes, it goes, and you have to follow the path and get the best out of it. There's different strategies that bands have used. If it fits you… It all depends on being aware… The record company does good stuff for you. You try to work with the record company to give the best product for your type of fan. That's the thing that the label has to understand. It's, like, okay, they have to understand VOIVOD and they have to understand what it is for a fan. And the vinyl thing — that's another aspect. Vinyl came back after so many years. So it moves. It's sometimes a fashion thing. But sometimes all good things come back. You say, 'Hey, man, I love the streaming. It's really efficient. But a record is a record.' And it's another way to listen to music and it's completely different and it's a different experience. So it evolves, and you have to follow what comes and goes and basically make the best out of the situation."

VOIVOD released a new EP, "Ultraman", on November 4 via Century Media Records. The effort features a highly original tribute to the "Ultraman" TV series theme as well as previously unreleased bonus live cuts, available both as a 12-inch vinyl EP or as a digital EP.

The "Ultraman" EP was made available to coincide with VOIVOD's return to European stages as special guests for Swedish progressive metal/rock group OPETH on their "Evolution XXX" tour.

VOIVOD's 15th studio album, "Synchro Anarchy" was released in February via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2018's "The Wake" was produced by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio and features cover artwork created by Langevin.

VOIVOD released a new live album, "Lost Machine - Live", in November 2020 via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded in Québec City during the worldwide touring cycle for "The Wake".

In the summer of 2020, VOIVOD released a new three-track 12-inch vinyl and digital EP titled "The End Of Dormancy" via Century Media Records. The EP was centered around a special "Metal Section" version of the title track (off VOIVOD's latest album, "The Wake") with added trumpets, saxophone and trombones. The complementary songs on this release were exclusive live versions of "The End Of Dormancy (Metal Section)" and the group's classic "The Unknown Knows", recorded at Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.

In a new interview with Australia's Metal-Roos, POWERMAN 5000 frontman Spider One was asked what he and his bandmates did to promote their latest album, "The Noble Rot", which came out at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in August 2020 via Cleopatra Records. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We didn't do anything. Like everybody else, we were stuck home and didn't get to play for almost two years, or about two years. So it was strange. But it's interesting. I don't know. There used to be a time when there were these things called album cycles — you put an album out; you tour on that album for a year or whatever; and you release the singles. And there was sort of this standard way you did business. I feel like those days, at least for us, are over. I'll find Spotify activity will go up when we're doing nothing sometimes, or it'll go down when a new record [has come out]. There seems to be no real logic to the way things function anymore. So the inactivity didn't really hurt us, I don't think, in any way. Maybe it even helped us a bit. There were a lot of bands that were trying to do stuff and maybe went out a bit too early and their tours didn't do well. We really waited it out until we felt like people were comfortable with going out again. And ever since, everything's been just super successful. So it worked out fine. But, yeah, the record was sort of… I think everybody kind of feels like they had a lot album in those couple of years."

Regarding whether there are any plans for POWERMAN 5000 to work on new music, Spider One said: "Yeah. We're in the middle of it now. I've got a bunch of songs written and sort of demoed out, I suppose you'd say. So the goal is to have that done quickly. That'll be priority once we get back from [our tour of] Australia [in January]. 'Cause we don't go back on the road until March. So probably in that window of February, [we'll] try to maybe get everything mixed and finished to have it released some time in 2023."

In May 2020, POWERMAN 5000 released its reimagining of the classic '80s new wave smash "We Got The Beat". "We Got The Beat" was originally made available in 1981 as part of THE GO-GO'S' multi-platinum debut album "Beauty And The Beat".

"Tonight The Stars Revolt!", POWERMAN 5000's second album, was released on July 20, 1999 by DreamWorks Records. It has sold over one million copies and achieved platinum status on the back of such hits as "Nobody's Real" and "When Worlds Collide". With cyberpunk imagery, catchy riffs, funky beats and rap rock vocals, POWERMAN 5000 bridged the gap between nu metal and industrial metal and packaged it up in a retro-science fiction B-movie aesthetic that separated them visually and musically from their peers.

In a recent interview with the "Talkin' Bout Rock" podcast, former GREAT WHITE frontman Terry Ilous confirmed that he has been working on new music with his 1980s band XYZ. "We have new stuff," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Pat [Fontaine, bass], Joey [Shapiro, drums] and I have recorded a mini LP. It's recorded. It's done. We're actually shopping it right now. The reason we haven't released it is because we don't know how to release it. Nowadays the music scene has changed so much, so releasing an LP or a complete album and putting it out there, and what happens. The music scene has changed; the record companies are gone. So [we're] trying to find the best way to release it with the maximum impact. So we are currently shopping it with different labels; we have some interest. It's just a matter of finding the right house."

Terry added: "Releasing [a full-length] album, it's kind of a waste of time, if you think about it, and waste of money. And most of the fans will not be able to know there's a new album out there because there is so much information out there nowadays, so many people releasing albums, songs everywhere. So it's hard for the fans to catch up and say, 'Oh, wow, there's an album from so-and-so.' Before you know it, it's already six months down the line, so it's old news. So we just have to make sure that we find the right label and the right team to promote that LP together."

XYZ hasn't released album since 2003's "Letter To God", which featured JK Northrup on guitar. In a 2021 interview, Ilous told Sleaze Roxx that "XYZ has been Joey, Tony [Marcus, guitar], Pat and I for nearly 30 years. Same lineup since ’91. JK was kind enough to come on board for 'Letter To God', along with Sean McNabb. It was a great experience, but it was honestly more of a solo album. 'Letter To God' allowed me to express myself during a very difficult time both personally and professionally. In retrospect, it should not have been called XYZ, as Pat was not a part of it. But XYZ was how I was known at the time. JK is an amazing friend and artist. He's worked with me on many projects, including helping me write songs during my time with GREAT WHITE."

Ilous relocated to Hollywood, California from Lyon, France in 1986, forming the metal band XYZ along with friend Fontaine. Ilous quickly became a favorite on Sunset Strip scene in the late '80s before getting signed to Enigma/Capitol. After selling over 1.5 million records worldwide and touring with artists such as FOREIGNER and ALICE COOPER, Ilous continued to release albums well into the 2000s, along with film, songwriting and television work.

In 2009, Terry was contacted to play a handful of dates with GREAT WHITE, and within a couple of years, the lineup was made official. GREAT WHITE immediately headed out on an extensive year-long tour, followed by a new album, "Elation", in 2012 that was highly praised by the media and fans alike. "Full Circle" arrived five years later.

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford has shared sidestage video of PANTERA performing the song "5 Minutes Alone" on December 15 at Vibra in São Paulo, Brazil. Check it out below. The gig — which was co-headlined by JUDAS PRIEST — marked the reformed PANTERA's third concert without bassist Rex Brown, who was forced to leave the band's South American tour after testing positive for COVID-19. Filling in for him at the show was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

On December 12, Brown released the following statement via PANTERA's social media: "I caught a very mild strain of Covid, but because of our own protocols, I simply do not wanna risk getting my brothers or the crew sick!! I'm feeling better & am on my way to a speedy recovery. Merry Fckn Christmas & see you all next year!"

On December 11, Chilean radio station Futuro reported that Brown flew from Bogotá, Colombia, where PANTERA performed at Knotfest Colombia on December 9, back home to the United States to quarantine, thereby missing the remainder of the PANTERA shows in South America.

Joining surviving members Brown and Anselmo in PANTERA's reformed lineup are guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

The new PANTERA lineup made its live debut on December 2 at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest and also performed on December 6 at Monterrey Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico.

It was first reported in July that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

The band will headline a number of major festivals across North America and Europe and stage some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who last year said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

Halford discussed his views on the PANTERA comeback in an interview last month with Loudwire. He said: "I put a picture of me and Phil at [Denmark's] Copenhell [festival in June] on my Instagram while [JUDAS PRIEST and DOWN] were out over there. And he goes, 'Hey.' I go, 'What?' [He goes], 'I've got a secret.' [And I go], 'Go on. Tell me. Give me the dirt, Phil.' He goes, 'PANTERA.' And I go, 'Thank God for that.' Thank God for that, because this band means so much to us. And to have it validated by Zakk and Charlie, to me, that's it — it's complete. And Charlie and Zakk love PANTERA as much as we all do, as fans of the band.

"As much as we love and miss Dime and Vinnie, these guys are going to blow your fucking mind; I know they are," Rob continued. "So we should just cherish and relish the moment. I hope they take it around the world because there's millions and millions of PANTERA fans who can't wait. Like me. I'm gonna be there [when PANTERA and JUDAS PRIEST share the stage at the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in December] — I'm gonna be there on the side of that stage. I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna watch the whole thing. And it's gonna be wonderful. Phil loves that band still so much, as Rex does. And I know he misses Dime and Vinnie, and Rex does, every single day of their life, like we all do. So this is just sensational. I think it needs to be done, because there's healing there."

Halford added: "I read some of these comments, 'Oh, they're digging up the past.' No, they're not. They're doing a tremendous service to all of us PANTERA fans, and the incredible healing that's gonna go out into the world. And to bring in new PANTERA fans. There's gonna be people at this show in South America that maybe have heard of this PANTERA band but then are gonna witness this assault and are gonna go straight out and get every PANTERA album, t-shirt, vinyl, whatever.

"It's beautiful. We must keep the metal alive, no matter how we can. And to have it brought back to us this way is gonna be sensational."

Eight years ago, Halford spoke to Revolver magazine about the first time he met PANTERA.

"PRIEST was in Canada rehearsing for the 'Painkiller' tour," he recalled. "I was doing an interview from the hotel room and I turned the telly on to [Canadian music-video channel] Much Music. The sound was turned off, and I saw this guy and he's got a 'British Steel' t-shirt on. So I quickly finished the interview, and I turned the volume up and he's just talking about his band, PANTERA, and 'Cowboys From Hell'. And just watching him and listening to him on the television, you just felt like, This is a great guy. Firstly, I saw a clip of the band. I was like, 'My God, this guitar player is fucking phenomenal,' besides the rest of the band. And then just hearing him talk, I thought, I really would like to meet this guy. So I called up Much Music and I said, 'Was that Darrell? Is he still there?' It wasn't Dimebag in those days, it was Diamond Darrell. They said, 'Yeah, he still is.' And he was, like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe it, I'm wearing a PRIEST shirt.' And I said, 'Yeah, I've just seen you on the Much Music.' He said, 'Oh man, I'd love to see you. We got a show tonight at the club in Toronto.' I'm pretty much sure that it was PANTERA and STRYPER.

"So I went down there, and we had a great time together, and we just talked about metal, this, that and the other. I think I jammed 'Metal Gods' with them. It's a bit blurry — it should be more significant than this, but this is 1991. I was clean and sober then, but you know how things get jumbled up in your brain. So that was the start of that. And I told [JUDAS PRIEST guitarists] Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing specifically after that: 'I've seen this band. They're absolutely fucking amazing and they are going to be huge. They are going to be huge!' And I said, 'We should try to get him on the tour.' So, to cut a long story short, we brought them with us on the PRIEST 'Painkiller' tour of Europe and nobody had a clue who they were. They had no distribution as far as I understood in Europe. So they went out blind, in front of Germans and French and whatever. I used to watch every show, and the first reaction fans gave them was, 'Who the hell is this?' And it was, like, 'Oh my fucking God, what's going on in front of my eyes?' They would just win an audience over in 30, 40 minutes. From playing fresh, new music that nobody had heard before. The communication was instant with that band. So, there it was. So, by the time we'd done the European tour, and they went back to the states, 'Cowboys' was shooting up the charts. And that was it, they were off and running. They were just launched into the stratosphere on that first release."

Halford also talked about the song "Light Comes Out Of Black" which he recorded with PANTERA for the "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" soundtrack. Regarding how the track came together, he said: "I was away from PRIEST. Sony were working on the soundtrack. They wanted Sony artists and asked me to write a song. I hadn't written as a solo writer for years and years and years. But it's one of those things where you don't know what you can do until you put your nose to the grindstone. So I wrote 'Light Comes Out Of Black', and I was stuck. And I got Dime's number, and I called him up and I said, 'Here's the deal.' And he goes, 'Let's do it. Just get in the plane and come down to Dallas.' So, that's what I did the next day, went to the studio, laid the track down in a very short space of time. Phil wandered by, said 'Oh, how's it going, 'Metal God'?' So, I told him and he said, 'You got a spot for me?' I said, 'Pfft, here's the mic.' So Phil joins me on the back end of the song. And it turned out really good. It's amazing to think that that's a PANTERA song really. It is PANTERA with me on lead vocals, and Phil obviously doing the outro sections. But it's a PANTERA song, really."

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

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

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

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Former HIM frontman Ville Valo, who is promoting his upcoming debut solo album, "Neon Noir", was asked in a new interview with Montreal Rocks if he had given any thought to HIM's passionate fanbase while writing and recording the material for his new LP. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, none whatsoever. The only way I think to write music is… it's a very instinctual ritual. There's no intellect behind it. I don't like to think about what would make sense or how this next song should sound like or whatever. I just go with the flow and see what comes up. And I think that that instinctual work is probably the reason why maybe some people are very passionate about what HIM did and hopefully passionate about what I'm doing [as a solo artist]. It can get scary at times, but then again, that's one of the reasons — again — to shut myself from the outside world and concentrate on the essential."

Valo also elaborated on his songwriting approach and how it relates to the title of his debut solo album. He said: "Musically speaking, melancholy and sad music still makes me happy; that's what rocks my boat. And I still haven't made up my mind whether I wanna be Dave Gahan or Ozzy Osbourne; I think I fall somewhere right in between DEPECHE MODE and BLACK SABBATH. That's my comfort zone, musically speaking, and I think that the title covers that up quite well as well. And it's a bit cheeky, so it has a sense of humor about it too. So it's not too serious."

"Neon Noir" will arrive on January 13 via Heartagram Records, distributed by UMG/Spinefarm.

Ville has released three singles so far from "Neon Noir": "The Foreverlost", "Echolocate Your Love", and "Loveletting". The latter marked Ville's first new music in over two years, following the release of the three-track "Gothica Fennica Vol. 1" EP, also released under the VV banner, in March 2020.

Like "Echolocate Your Love" and "Loveletting", "Gothica Fennica Vol. 1" bore a strong musical resemblance to HIM and featured the tracks "Salute The Sanguine", "Run Away From The Sun" and "Saturnine Saturnalia".

HIM completed a farewell tour in 2017, closing the final chapter on the band's 26-year career.

Formed in 1991 by Valo, guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström and bassist Mikko "Migé" Paananen, HIM offered the world a new take on the metal genre, which became known as "love metal" (also the title of their fourth album).

HIM in 2015 parted ways with its longtime drummer, Mika Kristian Karppinen (a.k.a. Gas Lipstick),and replaced him with Jukka "Kosmo" Kröger (formerly of HERRA YLPPÖ & IHMISET).

Three years ago, Valo teamed up with guitar legend Esa Pulliainen to record an album based on songs by the late, legendary Finnish singer Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki. The self-titled album by VILLE VALO & AGENTS was released in February 2019 and was followed by a short tour.

Photo credit: Juha Mustonen

Eric Martin has confirmed that MR. BIG has found a new drummer and is planning to play some shows again starting next summer.

The 62-year-old singer made the comment while addressing MR. BIG's decision to go on hiatus following the passing of Pat Torpey. The drummer died in February 2018 at the age of 64 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

Asked in a new interview with The Metal Voice if there are plans for MR. BIG to return to the road any time soon, Eric said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm here to tell you… I still can't really the drummer now… Well, look, MR. BIG is definitely gonna happen. There's no question about it. It's gonna happen in the middle of 2023. And it's gonna be multiple dates. We're working on the U.S. and a possible tour… Paul is involved — obviously, Paul Gilbert, the original guitar player. [Bassist] Billy Sheehan… The spirit of Pat Torpey. And there will be a phenomenal drummer. It won't be Matt Starr [who played with MR. BIG in the past] on this thing. Matt's doing his own thing; I think he's playing with Ace Frehley now."

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

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

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

This past August, Sheehan said that MR. BIG was "strongly considering" playing some shows in 2023. Speaking to Dr. Music, Billy said at the time: "We might do some MR. BIG [dates] at some point next year. We're not sure. Possibly."

Asked if MR. BIG has found another drummer to step in for Torpey after utilizing Matt Starr for much of the recording sessions on MR. BIG's last studio album, "Defying Gravity", as well as on the road, Sheehan told Dr. Music: "Possibly. We're looking at a couple of people. We loved playing with Matt Starr — he was really great — but we need a higher-pitched voice. Matt's a great singer but he doesn't have the range that Pat Torpey had. And to make everything sound the way it did, we're gonna need that extra thing there. So that makes it a little difficult for us and it narrows the field down. But there's a couple of people we might look into. But we still don't know."

Billy added: "After we did the shows without Pat — the first time after we lost him — again, Matt Starr did a great job. But it wasn't Pat; Pat wasn't there. So I'm glad we took some time — a couple of years — to just kind of lay off of it. But a lot of people write all the time and they really wanna see the band. We would like to play for them too. So we'll see. Nothing's for certain at this point, but we're certainly strongly considering it."

In May 2020, Sheehan gave an interview to the "Music Mania" podcast in which he claimed that a "mastering problem" with MR. BIG's latest album, "Defying Gravity", which came out five years ago, made the LP "unlistenable." He went on to say that "the label ruined the record" by insisting on having the album and "putting it out when it's not ready." He explained: "If we had another day to get it to proper mastering and get it done right, it would have been fine. 'Cause I was there for the final mixes — I went in there every day and listened to mixes. Pat was there with us too. We went through the mixes, and they were sounding great. And, unfortunately, we got screwed.

"I've seen it before in many other situations with many other bands," he added. "We've got the marketing department and they're ready to go and they've gotta have the record now. And then I've also seen other bands just say, 'No. The record is not done. You're out of luck.' And I wish we would have just said that, because I just don't think the record had the kind of life it had when I heard the final mixes."

A short time later, Frontiers Music Srl released a statement clarifying that it wasn't the label responsible for "ruining" "Defying Gravity", which marked Torpey's final recorded appearance with MR. BIG.

"Defying Gravity" was released via Wowow Entertainment, Inc. in Japan and Frontiers Music Srl in most of the rest of the world.

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

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

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

SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan has weighed in on the news that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) have united with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, are headlining a number of major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who last year said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

Bolan discussed his views on PANTERA's comeback in a recent interview with Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11. Asked if he will see any of the shows from the reformed PANTERA, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, absolutely, yeah. I'll see it as many times as I can. I see a lot of naysayers, but here's the thing… First of all, Dime and Charlie were best friends. At Dime's funeral, Charlie gave a eulogy that was so incredible, it's giving me chills just thinking about it. And those guys were super tight, Zakk and Dime. And the rest of the guys were super tight. Those two people were like extended family to PANTERA, and PANTERA to them.

"I think it's really great that they're doing this and keeping the PANTERA music alive, keeping Dime and Vinnie's spirit alive," Rachel added. "It's not like they're doing it without the okay of the Abbott estate and everything like that, and Rita [Haney, Dimebag's longtime girlfriend]. So I think it's a great thing. I'm just so happy for Phil and Rex. I'm buds with all these guys, but Phil and Rex… And I've known Zakk for such a long time. I'm really happy for everyone involved, especially Phil and Rex. They're going and playing those songs… I mean, how many years has it been since they played 'em? Especially Phil and Rex together. It's gonna be frickin' amazing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it."

Bolan's bandmate, SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo, manages Anselmo's DOWN project as part of the successful management company McGhee Entertainment (KISS, TED NUGENT) headed up by Doc McGhee.

This past summer, Sabo told the "Talk Toomey" podcast about the PANTERA comeback: "I will say this: in no way is it a reunion at all, obviously. This is a celebration of the legacy of a band that changed music, heavy music. And that's how I believe everybody is treating it. And for me as a fan, I can't wait to witness it, because those songs are amazing, as was the band. So to be able to go out and turn new people on to the machine that was PANTERA, the music that they created, and to celebrate the legacy of the band and to celebrate the lives of Vinnie and Dime, I think everything is right with that. And to be do it in a way — which I know they will — to do it in a way that is nothing but deeply respectful… And I think it's something, too, that gives people a reminder just how influential they were as a band and how influential both Dime and Vinnie were as musicians and songwriters.

"There's a lot to digest here, I guess," Snake acknowledged. "But really, the thing is that… It's really simple. It is a celebration of PANTERA's music and PANTERA's history with really great musicians."

The new PANTERA lineup made its live debut on December 2 at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest.

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

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

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

In a new interview with LifeMinute, Steve Vai reflected on studying under Joe Satriani as a youth and how those lessons inspired him musically from an early stage. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I can't even fathom what my life would be like without him. When I was 12, a friend of mine, John Sergio, who was a friend when we were in diapers, was also a great mentor, because he introduced me to all this music that I was unaware of — progressive rock from the '70s. He brought me to my first QUEEN concert. He brought me into his band; it was the first band I was in when I was 13. He's been a dear friend. [He had an] incredible musical taste. And he was playing the guitar when I was 12, and I couldn't believe it, 'cause he lived two houses away. And then he said, 'If you think I'm great, you should see my guitar teacher, Joe Satriani.' So he gave me Joe's number, and I started taking lessons. And my lessons with Joe were all that mattered to me.

"Joe was always cool," Vai continued. "He was always solid, sharing and strict. And it was the best thing because he was great, and that's what you want in a teacher; you're inspired by seeing.

"To this day, the thing that I got most… There's so many things. And we're so fortunate that all through these years we've been joined at the hips," Steve added. "When I would watch him play, when I was 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, everything he touched on the instrument sounded like music. When it came out of his fingers, it just sounded good; it sounded like there was a soul in it. It wasn't just noodly nothingness, the kind of academic exercises and stuff like that. I mean, we did some of that; that's part of the training… So I always appreciated that. And still, he's so solid and he's so musical. His inner musical ear is inspired, that he's continued to be an inspiration my whole life."

A year and a half ago, Vai told the "Striking A Chord" podcast that he took lessons from Satriani "religiously" on a weekly basis for about "three to four years."

"When I was in Joe's room, learning, I never felt as though I was going to run out of mentorship," Vai recalled. "There was always this greatness about Joe that always seemed to surprise and delight. He was always teaching one new lesson after another, [and] just revealed a wealth of information and almost what seemed to me at a time infinite depth of musicality."

Vai went on to say that his lessons with Satriani helped him develop into the accomplished player he has since become.

"I didn't know anything," he said. "I mean, I was noodling around with a guitar in my bedroom before that, but I didn't know what I was doing. I was just playing by ear and I didn't know how to keep the strings tuned. In the beginning, it was basically like finger exercises and just things to kind of get my dexterity going, but it was very well-balanced. My lessons [with Joe] evolved very organically. He was an incredible teacher."

Back in 2018, Satriani spoke to Albany, New York's Q103 radio station about what it was like giving lessons to Vai. He said: "Steve Vai was 12 years old and could not play guitar at all when I met him. He showed up on my front door with a guitar with no strings in one hand and a pack of strings in the other, and said, 'Hey, you're teaching my friend. Can you teach me how to play too?' So that was my introduction to Steve."

Several other Satriani students went on to achieve fame of their own, including Kirk Hammett, Alex Skolnick, Andy Timmons, Larry LaLonde, Rick Hunolt, Charlie Hunter, Jeff Tyson and Kevin Cadogan.

Joe Satriani photo credit: Eduardo Peña Dolhun

American singer David Reece, who fronted ACCEPT in the late '80s, says that he "did the best" he could as the replacement for Udo Dirkschneider.

The current IRON ALLIES vocalist, who is based in Italy, was recruited for ACCEPT's "Eat The Heat" LP in 1989. Reece's higher-pitched delivery was in sharp contrast to Dirkschneider's distinctive style, and overall, the album was a critical and commercial disappointment. Midway through the "Eat The Heat" tour, differences between the band and Reece had come to a head, leading to the altercation between the singer and bassist Peter Baltes in Chicago. By the end of 1989, ACCEPT had hung it up.

Asked by Via Nocturna 2000 YT how he looks back on his time with ACCEPT, Reece said: "Well, I can be blatantly honest — it was super positive and super negative, but I wouldn't be speaking with you right now if I hadn't done that album. The doors were opened; the floodgates happened. The critics hated me. Some loved me. But I have to be honest and say that was an opportunity of a lifetime. I did the best I could. I have no animosity towards those guys. I don't care what they're doing; they don't care what I'm doing; but I'm grateful for the opportunity. It speaks volumes as a singer that I was chosen over 50 people to be the guy. It was a difficult job."

David went on to say that his association with ACCEPT landed him a call from JUDAS PRIEST after the latter band parted ways with Rob Halford. "At that time I could really sing like that," he said. "It was myself, Ralf Scheepers [PRIMAL FEAR] and Ripper Owens; [we] were the top three guys. So they chose Ripper. But they were contacting me six months later: 'Come over to England and let's jam.' So, obviously, it did a lot for me in a positive way."

According to Reece, he looks back on "Eat The Heat" fondly. "I mean, everybody has an album they regret, but if you regret an album, maybe you're not thinking clearly about the personal turmoil that was going on during the album," he explained. "That could affect how you think about it. And I've gotten to my old, mature state where I can go, 'That's pretty damn good.' I still play 'X-T-C' and 'D-Train' and 'Hellhammer' live, and 'Generation Clash', and people go crazy. So those songs are timeless for people."

In January 2021, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann called "Eat The Heat" "a dark time in our history of ACCEPT. I would say that all of the '90s were very difficult and very dark in a way, and I don't even like to think about it so much," he told Hardrock Haven. "If only you journalist guys didn't constantly ask me about it, I would never even think about it. [Laughs] 'Cause it was just a time when heavy metal was going through a very dark period. The traditional sound was out of style and nobody wanted to listen to it, so it was sort of searching for a new direction — especially in the '90s. 'Eat The Heat' came out at the beginning of that era and it was meant to be a new chapter, but it's just never panned out because basically everything went wrong with that album. And it's just something you go through in life. I don't see why I still have to defend myself in a way… People always ask me this question almost in a provocative way, as if I have to defend myself about this album. It's ridiculous… It's almost like people have to apologize that they like it."

He continued: "There's something about this album that rubs a lot of people the wrong way and they have such a strong opinion about it… It's sometimes laughable. In my mind, it had some fantastic songs but it was just never executed properly, and it was not meant to be. But over the years, I've met so many fans who said exactly the same thing, 'Man, I really wanna apologize, but I really like this album… I know nobody likes it, but I think it's great.' And I think that's so bizarre. If you like it, you like it. It's so strange that people are so opinionated about it.

"It's just music," Wolf explained. "You can like it or not, but it's not more than that. In any case, it wasn't the period of time that I like to even think about much, 'cause it was very difficult."

Joining Reece in IRON ALLIES is former ACCEPT guitarist Herman Frank. The band's debut album, "Blood In Blood Out", arrived on October 21 via AFM Records.

Reece has also played with BONFIRE and BANGALORE CHOIR.

Former DIO guitarist Craig Goldy says that he is battling a non-life-threatening illness.

The 61-year-old musician, who was born and raised in San Diego, offered an update on his health in a social media post Monday night (December 26). He wrote in part: "I've had a bit of a set back health-wise....nothing life threatening but no known cause and no known cure for just 1 of 4 things going on!

"Everything happens for a reason and even bad things come with a benefit! The reason and benefit is much more clear than what's going on ( a story for another time ) that has baffled 6 doctors and specialists...they don't know what it is either. But through a biopsy the one became known because what my symptoms were did not match anything in their data base.

"I have a new doctor and am optimistic that this is the beginning of the end for all four!"

Goldy joined DIO during the "Sacred Heart" tour in 1986 after original guitarist Vivian Campbell was fired from the band following a contentious business disagreement with the legendary heavy metal singer and Ronnie's management. After joining DIO, Goldy became Ronnie James Dio's right-hand man and went on to co-write such DIO classics as "Dream Evil", "One More For The Road", "As Long As It's Not About Love" and many others.

For several years, Goldy played sporadic shows with DIO DISCIPLES, which is made up of former members of DIO, along with a rotating lineup of singers, including former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens.

Goldy played in VENGEANCE, ROUGH CUTT and GIUFFRIA before joining DIO. "Dream Evil" was the first DIO album Goldy played on, recorded in 1987, but he left the group shortly thereafter, returning in 2000 to help record "Magica". Craig had left to do solo work, re-emerging in 1991 touting his CRAIG GOLDY'S RITUAL project, a group that involved Mike Stone on lead vocals, bassist Tom Rucci, keyboard player Doug Allen and drummer Carl Marelli. He left DIO again shortly after the release of the "Magica" album due to family commitments, at which point Doug Aldrich stepped in. Aldrich then joined WHITESNAKE, facilitating Goldy's final return to DIO.

Hey everyone!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! I've had a bit of a set back health-wise....nothing life threatening...

Posted by Craig Goldy on Monday, December 26, 2022

Dino Cazares says that FEAR FACTORY won't be taking part in any paid meet-and-greets during the band's upcoming North American tour with STATIC-X, MUSHROOMHEAD and DOPE.

Earlier today (Tuesday, December 27),Dino took to his Twitter to write: "If anyone bought VIP tix for the upcoming 'Rise Of The Machine' tour thinking they are for a FF meet n greet we never put any up for sale. I will be at the merch table every night for autograph/photos with the purchase of FF merch. It's a much more affordable way to meet me".

"V.I.P Packages" seem to be the only way for fans to meet the bands they admire these days. Some of these come at a really inflated price on top of the standard ticket costs and include anything from a signed item, a photo to watching soundchecks or a collectable lanyard.

Paid meet-and-greets are becoming staples of the touring circuit and are seen by some artists as a necessary evil to survive nowadays. Other musicians object to meet-and-greets on moral grounds, believing they favor richer fans over poorer ones. Similarly, many people view the fact that groups charge fans to meet them as completely exploitative, since artists are usually aware that young admirers are prepared to pay any amount of money to see their favorite band, sometimes at their parents' expense.

A few years ago, Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend defended the culture of "V.I.P Packages," telling Noisey: "A lot of the times, fans may think bands are taking the piss by simply doing a meet-and-greet, but if we don't do them, we simply can't do what we're doing. It's not like we do them then get a bonus at the end of the tour. On the other side of it, if you're in the band and you're hypersensitive to people's energy, like I believe I am, meet-and-greets fucking beat the shit out of you. Not because you don't want to meet people, but because in order to do it correctly, you really have to invest yourself and be present and ready to talk to people and sometimes accept hyperbolic praise or criticism, and you have to be emotionally resilient enough to not let either… I mean, it's about them. They're paying for a moment and your job is to be present and that's really challenging on tour."

Y&T frontman Dave Meniketti made headlines in 2016 when he said he was completely opposed to fans paying for meet-and-greets, explaining that "we should be paying [them]." "Some bands will charge for meet-and-greets or they'll charge for some special types of meet-and-greets," Meniketti said. "I don't like to do that. I think that's gouging the fans. I think that's a little too much of trying to get every last dollar out of everybody, dollaring people to death. I don't like that whatsoever. To me, your fanbase is golden. They're the people that are keeping us going. They're the people that love the music."

He continued: "Why do we want to charge them to meet us? That, to me, seems like the most bizarre thing you can do and too opportunist. That's not my thing. They pay for a ticket. Come see us live, that's what's going to keep us alive. Buy a t-shirt, something like that. But don't pay to see me. My God. I should be paying you guys. I'm happy to shake a hand, take a picture or listen to a story or something like that. In fact, more than happy. It makes us all feel good. It makes us feel connected to our fans."

Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted called the paid-meet-and-greet practice "bullshit" in a 2012 interview. He explained: "My guys had been talking to me about doing those things, and they talk about KISS making money for this meet-and-greet. People will pay it, but that's not the point. I don't want to take money like that. If they want to buy a t-shirt and have something to show for it, that's what we do. You can't download a t-shirt.

"There are certain things that make sense to me. I have never charged for my autograph up until [I launched my own] web site. That is my first time in my thirty-year career that I have charged for my autograph, and I have signed for hundreds of thousands of people.

"I don't feel comfortable with charging people to meet me; I don't feel comfortable with charging people to get me to sign something when they are standing with me. If they buy it off the Internet and want an 8x10 or an autograph CD, they have that momentum. That's fine, but I'm not going to charge people to meet me. I just don't feel that's right. I'll pay to meet one of my old sports heroes, or something like one of the cats from the 1970s Orioles. I'll pay a couple of bucks for something, but I'm not going to pay for Gene Simmons. It's ridiculous; that's not what it's about."

STATIC-X's "Rise Of The Machine" North American tour will now kick off February 25, 2023, in San Francisco, California and wrap up April 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
If anyone bought VIP tix for the upcoming “Rise Of The Machine”tour thinking they are for a FF meet n greet we never put any up for sale. I will be at the merch table every night for autograph/photos with the purchase of FF merch. It’s a much more affordable way to meet me

— Dino Cazares (@DinoCazares) December 27, 2022

In a recent interview with Harley Roxx of Houston's Eagle and Rock Rage Radio, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner was asked to name his favorite PRIEST song to perform. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I love 'Victim Of Changes'. I love 'The Sentinel'. I mean, the ones that I've written with the band, they're kind of your favorites for a different reason — you've had a part in creating them and they're great to play for a different reason. But the classics you've grown up with, like, as I said, 'The Sentinel'… 'Freewheel Burning' is always fun to play. 'Night Comes Down' is a great one to play. I think they're all great. 'Electric Eye'. When that intro goes off, 'The Hellion' before 'Electric Eye', that's like a goosebump moment. They're all great. But I have to say if there was one, it would probably be 'Victim Of Changes'. It's just an epic, epic song. 'Painkiller' is great too. It just goes off; the audience goes off. For a guitar player, it's great. It's just a fantastic song."

Faulkner joined JUDAS PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing.

Faulkner, nearly three decades Downing's junior, hooked up with PRIEST after K.K. left amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Singer Rob Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003.

Tipton announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of PRIEST's latest studio album, "Firepower". He was replaced by "Firepower" producer Andy Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at last month's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

The JUDAS PRIEST members who got inducted include current members Halford, Hill, Tipton and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members Downing, drummer Les Binks and late drummer Dave Holland.

Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by Binks, Downing and Faulkner for a three-song medley consisting of "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

The Meinl Cymbals YouTube channel has uploaded a drum playthrough video of LAMB OF GOD's Art Cruz performing the band's song "Vanishing".

In a recent interview with Finland's Chaoszine, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton was asked if Cruz, who has been the band's drummer of the past four years, was more involved in the songwriting process on LAMB OF GOD's latest album, "Omens", than he was on 2020's self-titled effort. He responded: "I think so. Yeah, I'd say so. Not that he wasn't involved in the first one — he was very involved in the first one — but I think his confidence was up. And I think psychologically, everyone, especially him, was ready to have a bigger impact sonically on the record and to have more personality in the drums rather than… I think on the last album, the self-titled album, he played phenomenally but he stuck very close to traditional LAMB OF GOD movements, and on this album he stretched out quite a bit."

Morton continued: "I think it's about finding a balance about staying true to the historic sound of the band and how the band has sounded; you don't wanna come in sounding radically different. But I think we're all ready, and have been ready, to allow him to grow within the context of LAMB OF GOD, and he's done that for sure."

Cruz filled in for original LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler on several of the band's tours before being named Adler's official replacement in July 2019.

Art spoke about his contributions to "Omens" — which arrived on October 7 via Epic Records — during an appearance in June on "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza. "The first, self-titled one we did, it was great, man — we wrote some great songs," he said, referring to 2020's "Lamb Of God", which marked his recording debut with LAMB OF GOD. "But I was still learning their vibe. I was green to that level of… Those guys had been doing it for 28, 29 years — almost 30 years — and I'm the new guy, a young kid coming in. You have to go through the trenches in every which way. And that first album was a very secure, safe way for all of us to just, 'Here's the tunes. Let's figure it out. Learn how we work.' And this one that's coming out, 'Omens', they really let me spread my wings and they really let me play me — they let me be me.

"I'm always inspired by LAMB, and LAMB is a signature sound," he continued. "LAMB OF GOD, to me, is that sound as a unit. It's a unit — it's not one individual. It's Randy [Blythe, vocals], it's Mark [Morton, guitar], it's Willie [Adler, guitar], it's John [Campbell, bass], it's Chris. That's, to me, what LAMB OF GOD was. So I'm not far off from that. That's what inspired me to be listening to metal and shit. It's my favorite metal band of all time. So to take that inspiration and then become my own person, my own player, from WINDS OF PLAGUE to AZUSA to my first band ENTHRAL to PRONG, to finally come to this point, and this is the album. It's all of those bands, it's all of those struggles, all of those trenches, all of those challenges, all of those tours — this is the album that I was able to really… And then the last LAMB OF GOD album, that is what built me to be to this 'Omens' album, for real. And we're just getting started, man — we're so just getting started. And I'm ready. And I'm mentally in a better place to do that, and I'm ready to do it. And the band is, they're my brothers."

The band tracked "Omens" with longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH) live in the room together at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Studios) in Los Angeles, California, a location that birthed classics from THE DOORS, PINK FLOYD, RAMONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among others.

LAMB OF GOD supported the new album with a massive Live Nation-produced U.S. headlining tour featuring special guests KILLSWITCH ENGAGE on all dates. The tour kicked off September 9 in Brooklyn and ran through October 20.

METALLICA played an acoustic cover version of THIN LIZZY's "Borderline" live for the first time on December 16 at the band's annual benefit concert in support of their All Within My Hands Foundation. Professionally filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

The "Helping Hands Concert & Auction", which was held this year at Los Angeles's Microsoft Theater, also included METALLICA's debut live performance of the band's latest single, "Lux Æterna", as well as a cover of UFO's "It's Killing Me" (performed acoustic) and an appearance by special guest St. Vincent on "Nothing Else Matters".

"Lux Æterna" is the first single from METALLICA's upcoming 12th studio album, "72 Seasons", which is due on April 14, 2023 via the band's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with METALLICA's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track "72 Seasons" is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since 2016's "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

Last month, METALLICA announced the "M72" world tour featuring two-night stops in nearly two dozen cities. Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only) and promoted by Live Nation, the 46-show trek will launch in Amsterdam on April 27 and will include shows all over Europe and North America through 2024. Each "No Repeat Weekend" on "M72" will feature two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour will feature a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age. Opening acts for the tour include PANTERA, MAMMOTH WVH, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, ARCHITECTS, VOLBEAT and GRETA VAN FLEET.

In the six years since the arrival of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", METALLICA has reissued some of its classic albums, released a second live album with the San Francisco Symphony, commissioned a covers album featuring the likes of GHOST, VOLBEAT, WEEZER, Corey Taylor and THE HU, and landed on the Billboard songs chart with "Master Of Puppets" after a prominent placement in the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things".

New York based rock band Killcode has released a new single and music video teaser directed by David Swajeski for "Let's Get Back to Rock N' Roll". 





The new single is off the upcoming album Life, Death, Rock N' Roll produced by Joey Zampella (Life of Agony, Stereo Mud, Carnivore) and will be released world-wide on the NYC born, L.A. based Mother West label Friday, January 20, 2023.