In a new interview with Australia's Heavy, POWERMAN 5000 frontman Spider One reflected on the band's 2003 split with its then-record label, DreamWorks. Asked if that was a difficult time for the band, he responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, it was. In fact, in all honesty, I thought that was it. I was, like, 'Well, that was a fun ride. I guess we're done.'

"2003 was a weird time because things were starting to change — downloading music was starting to become a thing; CD sales started to go down — but it wasn't over yet," he explained. "For a lot of bands, your identity and your survival was based on whether or not you had a record deal. Which is funny now, because no one wants a record deal. But back then, it felt like, 'Oh, if we don't have a record deal, what are we doing? What are we gonna do?' So when DreamWorks closed up shop and we had no label, I remember finishing this tour out and we all kind of looked at each other and said, 'Well, that was fun. I guess it's time to find a job.' But a funny thing happened. Maybe it was a year later. I was kind of just not sure what I was gonna do. And I found there was a video game company and they put out a request for music supervisors to find them music in the style of POWERMAN 5000. And I was, like, 'Well, you can have the real fucking thing. I'm still alive.' So I reached out to them, and they [went], 'Hell yeah!' And I wrote them some original music for the video game. And that's when the light bulb went off. I'm, like, 'Wait a minute. This thing still has value. I don't need a record label.' And that's reinvigorated the whole thing and then [we] just kind of started going on more of this independent route. And fast forward 20 years later, and we're still here."

POWERMAN 5000 is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "The Noble Rot", which came out in August 2020.

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 released 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. 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".

In a recent interview with Jai That Aussie Metal Guy, Spider One spoke about the increased importance of touring for rock bands compared to how it was when POWERMAN 5000 first started out. He said: "For a band like us, [touring is] the lifeblood of the band. We're not going to stream enough on Spotify to matter. Unless you're, I guess, the top of the top of the top — Drake or Post Malone or something — streaming is not a source of any income for probably any rock band; maybe METALLICA or something. So you play live.

"It's funny how, as much as things change, it all comes full circle back to when you started the band and you had nothing and it was just you and your band and a couple of crew guys and you went on the road and you played and fucking hawked some t-shirts and booked a couple of rooms at the Holiday Inn," he continued. "It's kind of always been that and will always continue to be that — no matter how much technology changes with music distribution. Because it's the one thing so far that hasn't been able to be replicated by technology. So if you want that experience, there's only one way to get it."

Spider One also talked about what it has been like for POWERMAN 5000 to return to performing live after the pandemic. He said: "After COVID and being off the road for a couple of years, it was weird. We went back [on the road], and I was, like, 'I wonder what this is gonna be like,' if people were gonna be, like, 'Eh, I don't need that anymore.' And at least for us as a band, when we went out, I found more enthusiasm and the shows have been more fun and crazier than they were before. So I'm hoping that meant that people really learned to appreciate what it's like to [be in a room] with a few hundred sweaty people and just fucking rock out. So I found the experience to be really positive after the whole COVID lockdown."

Image credit: FrontRowOrBust

MANOWAR has shared a performance video of the song "Warriors Of The World United", recorded live at the band's first-ever concert in Mexico at the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest on March 14, 2020.

"Warriors Of The World United", first released on MANOWAR's 2002 best-selling album "Warriors Of The World" is the group's hymn dedicated to their fans, affectionally dubbed the Manowarriors.

A few days ago, MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio said that the band was working on "ass-kicking" songs for its long-awaited new studio album.

Although MANOWAR has released a couple of EPs in recent years — including "The Revenge Of Odysseus (Highlights)", which came out in June — the group hasn't issued a full-length effort since 2012's "The Lord Of Steel".

Asked in a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne when MANOWAR fans can expect to see a new studio LP, DeMaio said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Here's the problem: the stuff that we just released ['The Revenge Of Odysseus'] was a small portion of a huge, huge, big work — much bigger than [1992's] 'The Triumph Of Steel'. And so it was kind of the appetizer. Which a lot of people didn't understand. They were, like, 'What is this shit? Classical music, narrations…' But that music was all composed the way Wagner composed; it was setting the tone for the future of what this big work would be, like a meisterwerk. So a lot of people misunderstood it. Well, while we were planning this big epic about Odysseus, the gentleman who spoke the narration as Odysseus passed away. So now we can't honor him with this huge work, because he's gone; he wouldn't be able to perform it live. So now we are going to condense that into a smaller piece that will, of course, this great Greek story and honor the life of Kostas Kazakos; he was the greatest actor in Greece. So that made us kind of shift gears. So now we're working on songs that are what people would normally expect. Instead of some big, epic, long three-, four-hour piece, now we're gonna be working on songs that I think people would expect from MANOWAR — ass-kicking stuff that will fry the hair on your balls, basically."

According to the bassist, there is a good chance that some of MANOWAR's new material will be performed live on the band's "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal Anniversary Tour '23", which celebrates the band's over-four-decades-long career with focus on four signature MANOWAR albums and their anniversaries: 40th anniversary of "Battle Hymns", 35th anniversary of "Fighting The World", 30th anniversary of "The Triumph Of Steel", 20th anniversary of "Warriors Of The World".

"This anniversary tour, is what it is, we're gonna be playing, hopefully, all the stuff people want, but there'll be a couple of the newer tracks in there — stuff that's hard hitting and kicks ass, because the band now has a different guitar player, a different drummer," he said. "And, of course, that changes the energy structure of the band. It always happens when you have different members come in. They bring their energy to what MANOWAR is. It's still MANOWAR, but with a different personality. It's like a different girlfriend, whatever. You get more information. You mix whisky and beer; you still have a lot of alcohol, but it's a different fun."

Asked if the new MANOWAR album is "pretty much finished," Joey said: "Well, let's say some songs are pretty much finished. Because now that we have a new guitar player, all of a sudden, as I said, it changes things and ideas come: 'Let's try this and try that.'"

Conceived as a "thank you" for the steadfast and passionate support of the Greek Manowarriors, "The Revenge Of Odysseus" is MANOWAR's take on Homer's classic tale of the great hero Odysseus and his long and perilous quest to return to his wife and son, and protect his home and family.

MANOWAR played the first of two "secret" warm-up shows in June at Jovel Music Hall in Münster, Germany. DeMaio and his bandmates were billed as THE LORDS OF STEEL (performing "the music of MANOWAR") for the gig, which marked MANOWAR's debut live appearance with new drummer Dave Chedrick, who has previously played with RAVEN and KILL RITUAL, among others.

Chedrick joined MANOWAR as the replacement for Anders Johannson who announced earlier that day that he would be unable to join MANOWAR on the band's "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal Anniversary Tour '22/'23" due to "family commitments."

Based in Los Angeles, Chedrick has been a metal addict his entire life. Early influences include John Bonham, Neil Peart and, most of all, late MANOWAR drummer Scott Columbus. An accomplished studio musician, Dave is praised for his professionalism, easy-going spirit, and willingness to always go the extra mile in the quest for the perfect sound.

Three months ago, MANOWAR announced that it had recruited metal shred legend Michael Angelo Batio to play guitar for the band on its 2023 "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal" tour. The news came in the wake of guitarist Evandro "EV" Martel's announcement that he was taking a break from touring for a while for "personal reasons".

Batio, who will play his first shows with MANOWAR starting February 2023, is a veteran both in the studio and on stage.

Voted by Guitar One magazine the "No. 1 Fastest Guitar Shredder of All Time", Chicago native Batio is an accomplished musician in many genres, but is best known for his lightning-fast metal performances. He is renowned the world over for his technical mastery of the fretboard, extremely fast picking and his invention, the "MAB Over Under" technique. His ability to play a double-necked and quad-necked guitar using both hands has earned him the respect of fans and fellow musicians alike.

"We've known Michael for many years and have always admired his work," said DeMaio. "His technique is astounding. When we invited him to come and jam with us, we played together at the speed of light. Everything fell into place immediately. We're ready for a killer tour!"

Michael Angelo Batio said: "I could not be more excited! I love metal more than anything, and it doesn't get more metal than MANOWAR! I can't wait to get on stage and play for the MANOWAR fans!"

In a new interview with AndrewHaug.com, SABATON vocalist Joakim Brodén opened up about the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's tricky in a sense… A lot of us — not only us, but a lot of bands — have tours with tickets sold a long time ago that have been postponed. And those tickets are sold with a special calculation in mind, that these are our costs, and that's what we need to be able to make. So there's the reason as well for a lot of bands that even if they sold out a show, they're gonna lose money because of the increased costs. So it is a bit of a struggle for a lot of bands. Luckily enough, we're not in danger of becoming bankrupt, so for us it's more of a situation — luckily enough — that we aren't really making much money but we aren't, on the other hand, on the brink of extinction either."

Joakim's comments echo those of FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares who told the "Vulgar Display Of Podcast" about his band's upcoming tour with STATIC-X, which was originally scheduled to take place in 2022 before being postponed: "So much has changed in those couple of years, because look how much the economy has gotten really, really over the top, with gas and even availability on certain things, even drivers; just getting a driver, it's hard. People really don't understand the cost that goes into doing these tours. Everything affects you, whether it's venues taking a big cut of the merch sales to insane diesel and gas prices. A lot of people don't realize that these buses take diesel, and diesel is more expensive than gas. So that adds up, when you're spending eight hundred to a thousand dollars just to fill up a tank of a bus. People don't realize the cost of all that. So it's getting harder and harder.

"It's really kind of weird, because when we first booked the tour, the economy was much lower than now," Dino continued. "And then we do these show contracts for 'X' amount of dollars, and all of a sudden we postpone the tour to a year or so later, and so much has changed. Now these contracts, it doesn't match to where the economy is at now. A lot of people don't realize that either, that a lot has changed so much. I wish we can go back and renegotiate our contracts, but it's too late — can't do it. It is what it is. We're just not gonna be making the money that we would normally make to do that tour, but we're still gonna do it; we're committed to it. We can't wait to get back on the road and just play in front of all those people."

This past September, SABATON announced a new EP trilogy titled "Echoes Of The Great War". The trilogy features new songs specifically about World War I, coupled with topically related catalog music.

SABATON climbed the international charts with its tenth studio album, "The War To End All Wars", securing No. 1 positions in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Poland, Hungary and Finland. Having achieved the top position for the second time in Germany, Sweden and Finland, the album peaked at No. 1 in Poland, Hungary and Austria for the first time in the band’s career. This and additional outstanding results in other territories have made "The War To End All Wars" SABATON's most successful album so far.

SABATON announced the rescheduled dates for the European leg of their tour, known as "The Tour To End All Tours", as well as an extension of "The Great Sweden Tour" with 20 additional shows in 20 more cities taking place in early 2023.

In a new interview with AndrewHaug.com, DEFTONES vocalist Chino Moreno and drummer Abe Cunningham spoke about the band's penchant for always pushing boundaries on their albums. Asked what the "secret" is to their always-evolving sound, Chino said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know if there's a secret, other than just curiosity — wanting to be excited to some degree… And also, we don't make that many records. If you really think about it, I think we have nine records. We've been a band for 30 years almost here, so it's not really that big of an output, I guess, of music. So when we go in to make a record, we still have that mentality of making a record from start to finish. It doesn't revolve around one song or a single or anything; it's kind of just like trying to put together sort of a movie, in a way — a beginning, a middle, an end."

He continued: "I feel like towards the beginning of our career, we started, sort of, always trying to just go left or right of what is expected from us as a band. Expectations, to me, usually always seem to ruin things. Not just even music. If you expect one thing and then you get that, it's, like, 'Okay.' So it's exciting sometimes when something unexpected happens, whether it's in the creative process or whatever. That's what keeps it fun, I think, and exciting."

Added Abe: "I'm just thinking too many expectations lead to a lot of letdowns — or can. We were always a touring band too, so that's why a lot of this took a long time. Up until maybe 12, 15 years ago — around [2010's] 'Diamond Eyes' time — we actually really started figuring out how to have a better pacing of things and the way that we would work and get together to work. And that really changed our whole attitude.

"[If] you're talking about changes in the industry, it's funny because these things sort of just happened as we were going.

"I think you need to be aware of things — definitely be aware of shit — but you don't gotta dwell on it," Abe added. "But then also time allows things to fade — trends or whatever — and then if you're still doing your stuff and you feel about it, [it works out better in the long run]."

Earlier this year, DEFTONES recruited Fred Sablan as their new touring bassist following the departure of Sergio Vega. They were also joined by second guitarist Lance Jackman.

Sablan made his live debut with the DEFTONES in April at the opening concert of the band's spring 2022 U.S. tour at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon.

Sablan is best known as the former bassist for MARILYN MANSON, having toured and recorded with the shock rocker between 2010 and 2014. He has also played bass for CHELSEA WOLFE and PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT, and is a member of the punk-rock supergroup HEAVENS BLADE alongside YOUTH CODE singer Sara Taylor, ROB ZOMBIE bassist Piggy D. (on guitar) and SUICIDE SILENCE drummer Alex Lopez.

Vega, who officially joined DEFTONES in 2009, confirmed his exit in March, just days after a new photo of the band without him emerged online on various digital service providers. At the time, he took to social media to share a video explaining his perspective on the split. In the Instagram video, Vega detailed the contractual issues that created a rift between himself and the group's core members.

Jackman is known for his work in Sacramento bands EIGHTFOURSEVEN, HORSENECK and WILL HAVEN.

DOPE leader Edsel Dope has shared his thoughts on "Xer0", the masked frontman of STATIC-X who is widely believed to be him. In a recent interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Edsel talked about the unique position of fronting STATIC-X in place of deceased vocalist/guitarist Wayne Static while trying to remain faceless.

"The motive behind it is that I, Edsel Dope, have zero interest in being the frontman, face or [being] known as the singer of STATIC-X," he said. "I feel like as long as we never put another face to STATIC-X, Wayne will always be the face of STATIC-X. It's appropriate. That was the number one most important thing. I'll help my friends. This all started in 2014. In 2014, I moved to L.A. I was working on the DRAMA CLUB project and I really, really wanted to produce another band and make a great record without me being in the band. I just wanted to move the controls, do what I do and help another band sound great. I had done it with a couple of other bands that I produced, but I wanted to do it with a band of note.

"When I got to L.A., the first thing I did was a short West Coast tour with DOPE and Wayne Static," Edsel continued. "I purposely did this because I wanted to reconnect with Wayne and start the conversation with him about — I'm a businessman and energy guy. It made no sense to me that Wayne Static was on tour celebrating the anniversary of 'Wisconsin Death Trip', playing the album in its entirety as Wayne Static to small crowds. Sadly, even though it's Wayne Static playing STATIC-X songs, it's not the same as STATIC-X. The amount of people showing up to see Wayne Static was infantile to what would have been if it was STATIC-X. I started having those conversations with Wayne on that tour. They went really well. I didn't understand at the time the depth of addiction that Wayne was under. I thought there was a 'Yoko Ono'. [Editor's note: referring to Wayne Static's wife, Tera Wray, who passed away in 2016] That was what I was going to have to worry about. I can handle 'Yoko Ono', but the drug addiction and the fog were what I realized when I was out there with him was this was going to be the biggest challenge. 'I'm not sure without rehab it will be possible.' I really felt like it was because I'm a big believer that if somebody wants it, they can do it. Long story short, obviously, we know what happened. Six or eight weeks after that, Wayne passed away. That idea disappeared."

Edsel then discussed the role he's taken on to ensure Wayne Static's legacy is handled properly, including the 2020 "Project Regeneration" album that consisted of Wayne's last recordings. "For me, when coming onboard to help complete the last bit of music that Wayne left behind, which ended up accidentally stumbling into what became a treasure trove of content, which I'm so excited and so blessed to have been the guy who got to uncover it," he said. "In many ways, I'm not a big afterlife person, but in this very room, I have felt him tapping me on the shoulder going, 'Don't fuck this up, man.' I have a really great relationship with his family. If there was any pressure, it was self-induced because I try to imagine what it would be like if someone were doing this for me and how much I would want them to care and how much I would want them to make sure it was done right. That was the number one focus. That was where all the energy went.

"When it came time to put it on stage and take it on tour, it was, 'There should never be another singer of STATIC-X that's a person.' The entity idea became where it was, 'Let's put a mask out there.' A lot of it was predicated on the 20th anniversary of 'Wisconsin Death Trip'. We want people to come and have a 'Wisconsin Death Trip' experience. How can you do that without the dude in the middle's hair standing up? I couldn't imagine people in the crowd hearing those songs and not getting that. What are you going to do? If it were me or if it were some guy named 'Steve,' are you going to walk on stage with your hair standing straight up? It's stupid. The mask allowed it to have anonymity. It's also funny because that guy standing in the middle of the stage, playing guitar, singing all those parts and in many ways, the entire thing is reliant on that dude doing a great job, but at the same time, it's like, 'Pay no attention to the guy in the middle holding it together. But if that guy sucks or fucks it up, this whole thing is going to sink.'"

Back in October 2019, a photo was posted online clearly showing that Dope and Xer0 shared the same neck tattoo. However, Edsel later posted a lengthy statement on his band's Facebook page attempting to quash the rumors, implying Xer0's distinctive body ink was in fact a Photoshop job. Dope even provided a photograph of himself supposedly observing a STATIC-X performance sidestage to prove he and Xer0 were not the same person.

In July 2020, STATIC-X released "Project Regeneration Vol. 1". The first of two volumes, "Project Regeneration Vol. 1" featured 12 brand new tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of Static, along with bassist Tony Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda. Both volumes are being worked on by longtime STATIC-X producer Ulrich Wild.

Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

Two years ago, Campos discussed STATIC-X's comeback during an appearance on "The SDR Show". Speaking about how the idea of Xer0 wearing a mask in the likeness of Static came about, Tony said: "When we were trying to figure out how we were gonna do this live, the first thing that came up was the hologram thing, and that got shot down pretty quick.

"The thing about the band for us was the energy and the vibe that we all got from the interaction the four of us had on stage, and you just don't get that with a hologram. So that got chucked out the window pretty quickly. So we figured out it had to be somebody. Once we found Xer0 and saw and heard that he could do the job, we were, like, 'Cool. How do we present this in a cool way that doesn't make it about…?' 'Cause we didn't wanna come out and, like, 'Hey, here's STATIC-X with their new singer.' That's not what we were trying to do. It was about remembering Wayne and remembering the good times we had back in the early days and remembering the fun we all had together 20 years ago touring on 'Wisconsin Death Trip'. And so we really wanted to keep the focus on that and not on the new singer. So the idea of a mask came."

Campos continued: "Initially, we came up with a helmet that looked like the robot from the 'Push It' video and even shot some video footage of Xer0 wearing that, and it looked great. Logistically, it wasn't gonna work, though, 'cause you're blind in the thing. And so, what are you gonna do? Have somebody walk him out to the front of the stage, make sure he doesn't fall off the stage? So we were, like, 'Okay, what else can we do?' And so we thought of all these different merchandise items that we had, with skulls, with Wayne's hair and beard, and thought, 'Well, let's try something like that.' So we gave the idea to a friend of ours who designs masks for the SLIPKNOT guys, John 5, various other people, and she came back with that Xer0 mask. And then once we put the hair up, we were, like, 'Oh, yeah. Dude, that's it.' And so we went with that."

Asked if STATIC-X was still keeping Xer0's identity a secret even though "everyone knows" who he is, Tony said: "Yeah, but I still like to keep that distinction, 'cause, again, I'm trying to keep the focus [on remembering Wayne]."

According to Campos, Xer0 wasn't the only singer who was in the mix for the STATIC-X frontman job. "I had a few ideas in my head, but he was the first to come up and actually demonstrate that he could do the job," Tony explained. "So I was, like, 'I don't think I need to look any further.' [Laughs]"

Campos went on to say that he "knew there would be some negativity" on the Internet once STATIC-X had announced its comeback. "It was definitely a talking point, for sure," he said. "But I think once people heard our story and heard that Wayne's family had given us their blessing to do what we were doing, and then once they actually saw it, I think that was the big turning point. Once people came out and experienced the show and saw what we were doing, I think it made most of those people turn around."

Multi-camera fan-filmed video of PANTERA performing the song "Cowboys From Hell" on December 11 at Knotfest Chile in Santiago can be seen below. Bassist Rex Brown was unable to make the show after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2. Filling in for him were CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR, and Bobby Landgraf, who previously played with Anselmo in DOWN.

As previously reported, the reformed PANTERA played its fourth concert without Brown on December 18 at Knotfest Brasil at Sambódromo Do Anhembi in São Paulo, Brazil.

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.

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 recent interview with Pod Scum, guitarist James Murphy (ex-DEATH, TESTAMENT, OBITUARY) spoke about his plans to complete the long-awaited DEATH tribute album, "Within The Mind - In Homage To The Musical Legacy Of Chuck Schuldiner" which he had started work on nearly two decades ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I still have all those tracks in the can. The bottom line is I stopped working on it for a number of reasons, one of them which was pretty pernicious but which has… that problem has gone away; it's resolved. Now, obviously, the moving parts that were in place to get that behemoth of a project moving forward and rolling when it did, those have all been at rest for a long time. So now it's a matter of getting the proper lubrication and fuel and impetus back into those moving parts so that it can roll again. And that's what I'm figuring out, if that's still wanted, desired and needed by everyone involved. And if it is, then I will get it done — now that the main hindrance and problem has resolved itself. I'm not gonna go into what that is — it wouldn't be fair to everyone involved — but a major hindrance came to a resolution. So that sort of leaves it open for the beast to be revived."

Murphy went on to say that the tribute LP is still a long way from being finished. "It's not as simple as flicking a switch; there's a lot of things to get done to make it happen," he explained. "So perhaps it will get done; I certainly hope so. But it was put to bed — it was put to bed quite some time ago. There's still a lot left to do. There's still some recording to do and there's all the mixing and mastering to do. There's some re-recording that will need to be done. And there's also a lot of clearances and permissions and stuff like that that will have to get done, because paperwork and clearances and permissions that were in place back in the day when we started are no longer valid. We've gotta redo a lot of that work, and we will."

"Within The Mind - In Homage To The Musical Legacy Of Chuck Schuldiner" was originally conceived by then-CKY guitarist/vocalist Deron Miller as a means to help Murphy raise money for his medical bills (Murphy was diagnosed with a massive brain tumor in August 2001).

Among the musicians who were scheduled to appear on "Within The Mind" when it was first announced were Miller, Murphy, Dave Culross (MALEVOLENT CREATION, SUFFOCATION),Richard Christy (ICED EARTH, DEATH, CONTROL DENIED),Matt Thompson (KING DIAMOND),Luc Lemay (GORGUTS),Patrick Mameli (PESTILENCE),Jean-Francois Dagenais (KATAKLYSM),Mick Thomson (SLIPKNOT),Paul Gray (SLIPKNOT),Brett Hoffmann (MALEVOLENT CREATION),Ross Dolan (IMMOLATION),Mike Chlasciak (PAINMUSEUM, HALFORD),Matt DiFabio (PISSING RAZORS, SINGLE BULLET THEORY) and Terry Butler (OBITUARY, DEATH, MASSACRE).

A year ago, Murphy joined former DEATH bassist Terry Butler to play two shows commemorating the 20th anniversary of Schuldiner's passing at Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida. Murphy and Butler performed DEATH's classic third album, "Spiritual Healing" (1990),in its entirety under the LIVING MONSTROSITY banner.

In October 2021, Eric Greif, former manager of DEATH and president of Perseverance Holdings Ltd., which manages Chuck Schuldiner's (DEATH, CONTROL DENIED) legacy, died. Greif also worked as an entertainment lawyer, representing bands like OBITUARY and MASSACRE. He was 59 years old.

British guitar sensation, Sophie Lloyd, has released a new shred version of the Aerosmith classic, "Dream On". Check it out below.





Following the recent release of her new single, “Do Or Die" feat. Nathan James, Lloyd has dropped a video to accompany the track.




Shot in Birmingham Film Studios by Matt Daley of Clearway Media, the video sees Sophie team up with Inglorious frontman Nathan James, and boasts a stunning performance from fire artist Lula.


“The response to ‘Do Or Die’ has been amazing, and I love seeing people react to the song” says Sophie on the reaction so far. “It's so cool seeing guitarists cover the solos and videos of people having it on in their cars and stuff. It's so awesome to see all the positive comments and it just makes me so much more excited to release the rest of the songs.”


On the video and working with Lula, Sophie says: “Working with Lula was amazing, she is such a talented performer, and takes her craft so seriously and is so dedicated. We've become such great friends and I'm so excited to see what she's doing next.”





“Do Or Die" feat. Nathan James sees the shred extraordinaire team up with the Inglorious frontman for a high octane, hard rocking collaboration, with music written by Sophie, vocals and lyrics by Nathan and a stunning production from famed studio wizard Romesh Dodangoda (BMTH, Nova Twins, BFMV, Motörhead), who will produce the debut album.


Entitled Imposter Syndrome, the full length album is expected next year on Sophie’s own Autumn Records, and will see her collaborating with some impressive names from the world of rock.


“I can finally say that I have new music coming!” says Sophie. “All my music before was instrumental, so this is a very special release for me as it includes vocals, and some of the people we’ve worked with are people I used to have as posters on my wall as a kid, so it feels very full circle. It's something that I have been working on before the first lockdown, and to be here talking about it feels amazing!”


“Do Or Die" is streaming now on all platforms. Watch the video below:

Wintersun frontman / founder  Jari Mäenpää has shared more video from his archives. This time out, it's the band's performance of "Battle Against Time" from their North American tour in 2018.


The footage was shot by Nix Lynn Ullrich and edited by Mäenpää.







Finnish metallers Oceanhoarse checked in at the end of October with the following update and video:


”Ozztober is here again! This year we picked a true pinnacle of Ozzy’s extensive catalog of songs: 'No More Tears'! To make an epic song choice even more special, we had a privilege to join forces with not just one, but two true masters of their craft – the keyboard wizard Suvimarja Halmetoja (Humavoid) and the living legend of Finnish metal: Jari Mäenpää (Wintersun). Shout out to Suvimarja for arranging all the orchestra-parts and playing ’em live – sounding just like on the record, and Jari for nailing Ozzy’s sinister lyrics and feeling 100% on his vocals!”


Jari Mäenpää comments:


“Ozzy’s music has played a big part in my life, especially albums like Bark At The Moon, No Rest For The Wicked and No More Tears. We chose the title track from the last mentioned, 'No More Tears'! This song has always been my favourite Ozzy song. It's a monster! Mysterious, dark and epic. Ozzy's legendary vocals and melody lines in this song are simply brilliant. It was an absolute pleasure singing it with such great musicians!”

Capitol Chaos TV has uploaded multi-cam footage of all-female death metal crew Castrator covering the Venom classic “Countess Bathory” with Exhumed’s Matt Harvey at Elis Mile High Club in Oakland, CA on December 17.





Castrator released their full-length debut, Defiled In Oblivion on July 29.




Check out "Tormented By Atrocities" below. The video was directed, produced and edited by Castrator drummer Carolina Perez.





With Defiled In Oblivion, the New York four-piece have perfected their blend of fierce old-school USDM to a fault. More uncompromising and ruthless than ever before, Castrator’s zero-f*cks-given approach rips and shreds across nine hypnotically violent new tracks (alongside a cover of Venom’s "Countess Bathory") and makes Defiled In Oblivion a release to be reckoned with. Boys club beware!





"Inquisition Sins":





"Tyrant's Verdict":





Castrator is:


Robin Mazen - bass
Carolina Perez - drums
Kimberly Orellana - guitars
Clarissa Badini - vocals

Rockshots Records has announced their signing of Manigance for the English release of their latest album The Shadows Ball (Les Bal Des Ombres) due out on February 24th, 2023. The original francophone version was released on March 18, 2022.


What started out as a cover band to doing full fledge originals and being garnered "Best French Group of 2003" by Hard Rock Magazine and triumphing on the stage at Hellfest (Live video), The Shadows Ball is the band's eighth studio album and first to be sung in English by new vocalist Carine Pinto who replaced Didier Delsaux in 2018. The band made the decision to do English songs as they wanted to make their music more accessible to foreign audiences in preparation for their 2023 European tour with Rhapsody Of Fire in March.


"This album contains different songs from the Manigance standards. We have shortened the songs and worked on the arrangements. We think we can play a lot of these songs in our shows. It's a sign that the fans should enjoy these songs. They are adapted to be played live. We have evolved in our writing process. The songs are still very rich, but the structure is simpler. We also listen to the latest productions to offer a modern album with a current sound," adds guitarist François Merle.




Sharing powerful music with melodies that hook with you and that are instantly memorable, fans of the band will hear lots of surprises in each song that will make you want to listen to them again and again to catch all the details. From the big riffs that make you want to move your head, to modern guitar solos, and big bass drums that roar like a V6 twin-turbo.


"I decided to do some new guitar parts that were heavier than on the previous albums. I bought new amps to be able to produce a new guitar sound for the new album. I wrote the majority of the new songs. With Carine's new voice I proposed new structures. I preferred to shorten the instrumental parts of the solo to focus on the composition. Lionel worked a lot on guitar arrangements to bring a new and more modern atmosphere. We took advantage of the break with the covid to find new inspirations. The time allowed us to work on the melodies. We also decided to replace some keyboard parts with guitar parts to have a heavier sound than on the previous albums. As soon as the demos of the songs were finished, we started the recording process." says band composer and guitarist François Merle.


With Carine Pinto's voice, Manigance was able to work on new atmospheres. She has a very warm voice in the low register and can also reach high notes. This allows the band to cover a lot of melodies and to try out new structures for the new full-length. The band chose the songs that they thought were the most successful and had different moods. For example "End Of Lock Up", which is a duet between Carine and Zaher Zorgati of Myrath (whom the band toured with across Europe in 2018), is a song with a strong focus on the chorus. They created this song mainly as a crowd-chanter during their live performances.


"As soon as the melody was built, the sound of the guitars came to reinforce the atmosphere of the song. We did a lot of guitar recordings with different amps. This created a very rich guitar sound to accompany Carine's voice." adds Merle.


The new album features twelve tracks that are inspired by Pinto's lyrics from personal and intimate emotions, but also can relate to most listeners, from the betrayal of a friend, the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris – France), climate change, violence against the LBGT community, confinement during COVID, and domestic violence.


The Shadows Ball is recommended for fans of heavy metal and bands like Battle Beast and Accept.


Preorder the CD at the Rockshots Records webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Odyssey”
“Cold Blood”
“All Your Excesses”
“End Of Lock Up”
“The Shadows Ball”
“Death Warrant”
“High Treason”
“Eternity”
“At Gates Of Memory”
“In Spite Of Everything”
“Dawn Of The New Fight”
“Forgotten Survivor” 


“High Treason” (French version):

Original VENOM guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn has blasted the band's frontman Conrad "Cronos" Lant over disparaging comments the bassist/vocalist made in a recent interview.

Earlier this month, Lant told Metal Hammer magazine that the chances of a reunion of the band's classic lineup — also featuring Dunn and drummer Anthony "Abaddon" Bray — are "less than zero. I owe them nothing, and they've got nothing I want," he added. "We still get fans saying, 'The VENOM legions want the old lineup back together.' We tried in the '90s and it wasn't well received. The last thing I want to do is get onstage with those other two doddery old fuckers and put on a subpar performance. I'm getting better album sales now, so why the fuck would I want to go back to that? I just want VENOM to be great."

Asked if he feels sad that there's no relationship between the three of them now, Cronos said: "Yeah, of course it's sad. But we had a blast, and I'll cherish those memories."

Dunn, who currently plays in VENOM INC. alongside another former VENOM member, bassist/vocalist Tony Dolan, addressed Lant's comments in a brand new interview with Heavy Culture. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Cronos has just done an interview with Metal Hammer, which there's stuff in that interview where I looked at it and I just went, 'What the fucking hell planet did that happen on?' He's talking about the [VENOM] reunion that we did for Dynamo [in 1996]. He was saying, like, 'Oh, I called the guy…' No, he did not call fucking anybody; he didn't call anybody at all. It was Eric Cook, our manager, who's now sadly since departed us, but it was Eric Cook and Tony Bray, Abaddon, who put that fucking reunion period together. It wasn't fucking Cronos who put that reunion period together."

He continued: "I remember turning up to a bar in Newcastle called Trillians and we had agreed to have a meeting there. And Cronos was the first one in the bar. I walked in and there was a sort of tentative handshake and a 'hello.' And I remember saying to Cronos, 'I've only come here to say no. I'm not doing this.' And that was before the Dynamo thing. It took so many talks to get us together for the Dynamo. We did the Waldrock festival first. And he turns around and says, 'Oh, it wasn't very well received.' He was the one that was saying, 'I'll do it.' 'No, I'm not doing it.' 'I'll do it.' There was one day we had a meeting, and Abaddon actually stood up in the office, in the VENOM office, and said, 'Right, Conrad, fuck off. It's all off. Forget it.' Conrad picked up his bag. He walked out of the office. He walked past me and said, 'Adios, amigo,' and he walked out. I went home and I spoke to my wife and I said, 'Well, that's it. That's all fucked.' About an hour later, I received a phone call from Eric saying, 'It's back on. He's gonna do it.' So don't go to the press saying it was your idea in the first place."

Regarding the fact that VENOM INC. commemorated the 40th anniversary of VENOM's classic second album, "Black Metal", by performing it in its entirety on October 2 at the Keep It True festival at Posthalle in Würzburg, Germany, Dunn said: "VENOM INC. are the people who have been asked to do the anniversary shows. And we've done it. Because you know why? Because this fucking shit show of three originals can't get their fucking act together to get together on a stage and give the fans that. And [Cronos is] turning around now and saying, 'Oh, I'm not getting on stage with those doddery old fuckers to give a subpar performance.' I'll tell you what: watch the videos of your own band if you wanna see a subpar performance. This pisses me off to the hilt.

"I put a call out to everybody who's been a member of this band — not just the originals," Mantas continued. "And even me and Tony Dolan had a conversation about this, and we said that to celebrate VENOM, there should be a concert where everybody who's been a member — Mikey Hickey, Jim Clare, fucking Abaddon, Cronos, Mantas, Tony Dolan, Al Barnes, fucking Danté, Stu — whatever his fucking name is — they should all be on one stage together playing their era of VENOM, and at the end of the night, the original lineup plays some of the classic songs just for the fans. I put that out. Who contacted me? Fucking nobody. Because none of them have got the balls to do it. And that's the fucking truth."

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.

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford says that he is thrilled that the band's late drummer Dave Holland was part of PRIEST's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Speaking to PVT's Rock N Roll James, Halford said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Dave has been up in heaven for a few years now. He passed away. But I thought it was beautiful that they included him in the induction, as they do. Your music lives forever. That's what's so important. And so we were representing Dave in spirit. His drum work on all those albums that he made with us — 'British Steel' especially — man, he was a great drummer."

Holland died in January 2018 in Lugo, Spain, where the 69-year-old had reportedly been residing after spending several years in a British jail for attempting to rape a teenage boy. The drummer was sentenced in January 2004 of trying to assault the 17-year-old in his cottage in Northamptonshire, England, while giving him drumming lessons. The abuse was revealed in a letter written by the teenager to his parents. Holland always denied any involvement in the attempted rape of the special-needs student and was at one point said to be planning to write a tell-all biography of his life and career.

In reporting on Holland's passing, the Spanish newspaper El Progreso said that he had lived discreetly in a secluded part of Spain and had been described by the neighbors who knew him as "very kind and polite."

Dave joined PRIEST in 1979 and stayed in the band for a decade, playing on such classic albums as "British Steel" (1980), "Point Of Entry" (1981), "Screaming For Vengeance" (1982), "Defenders Of The Faith" (1984), "Turbo" (1986) and "Ram It Down" (1988). He exited the band in 1989 and was replaced by Scott Travis. Holland was also a founding member of TRAPEZE alongside Glenn Hughes and Mel Galley, his bandmates from a previous group named FINDERS KEEPERS.

The JUDAS PRIEST members who got inducted into the Rock Hall at last month's ceremony include current members Halford, Ian Hill (bass),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Travis, along with former members Holland, K.K. Downing (guitar) and Les Binks (drums).

A few days after Holland's death, Downing issued a statement in which he called the drummer "a solid friend in life and solid musician both on the stage and in the studio."

In February 2019, Downing's book collaborator claimed to have obtained new information about Holland which painted the band's disgraced drummer in a far different light than the public had previously known. Scottish author and journalist Mark Eglinton, who co-wrote Downing's 2018 autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", said that he was given the new information by a purported friend of Holland's who wanted to inform people of "a very sad injustice" which had been perpetrated upon someone who she claimed was "a true gentleman."

Fan-filmed video of MACHINE HEAD's December 22 concert at House Of Blues in San Diego, California can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Imperium
02. Ten Ton Hammer
03. Choke On The Ashes Of Your Hate
04. Now We Die
05. The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
06. Unhallowed
07. Locust
08. Become The Firestorm
09. No Gods, No Masters
10. Slaughter The Martyr
11. Hallowed Be Thy Name (IRON MAIDEN cover)
12. Old
13. I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)
14. Aesthetics Of Hate
15. Arrows In Words From The Sky
16. Darkness Within
17. Catharsis
18. Bulldozer
19. From This Day
20. Davidian
21. Roots Bloody Roots (SEPULTURA cover)
22. Halo

MACHINE HEAD is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which was released in August via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings. The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis", "Of Kingdom And Crown" includes the three songs that were featured on last year's "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

As previously reported, MACHINE HEAD recruited HAVOK's Reece Alan Scruggs to play second guitar on the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" fall 2022 tour. Scruggs filled in for MACHINE HEAD's Polish guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, who was unable to make the trek due to his touring commitments with his longtime band DECAPITATED.

Reece made his live debut with MACHINE HEAD on November 3 at Strummer's in Fresno, California at the opening show of the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" tour.

Vogg joined MACHINE HEAD's touring lineup prior to the launch of the band's "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour in late 2019.

Back in November 2019, MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn said that Vogg's audition for the band "just fucking blew" his "mind — it was so fucking tight and fucking accurate," Robb said. "He sent over [a recording of] 'Imperium' as his first song just as a test. We always had all the dudes do a sound test, just to make sure the levels are good and stuff. I was, like, 'Oh my God! This dude is playing 'Imperium' better than I can right now.' [Laughs] It was crazy. And we ended up talking. Super-nice guy."

In May 2021, Vogg told Finland's Kaaos TV that his addition to MACHINE HEAD's touring lineup was "a big surprise" for him, because he "didn't plan" to play with the band. "It kind of accidentally happened," he said.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin held the first-ever live edition of their "Hannukah Sessions" project on December 5 at the 250-capacity Largo in Los Angeles, California. This year's event, which was presented by director Judd Apatow, with profits going towards the Anti-Defamation League, featured Jewish rockers presenting both their own songs and choice covers, with Grohl on drums and Kurstin on keys.

The concert was recorded and is now being released as this year's "Hannukah Sessions" video series. The latest track to be made available, a rendition of RUSH' "The Spirit Of Radio", with Jack Black on vocals, can be seen below.

In a note accompanying the cover's release, Grohl wrote: "Geddy Lee's mother was so proud of her son that she put RUSH posters up all over their family store and gave away RUSH albums to kids who didn't have money to buy them. In tribute to that proud Jewish mother, we give you — free of charge — 'The Spirit Of Radio' featuring Jack Black!"

The setlist for the Largo concert was as follows:

01. Spinning Wheel (BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS cover) (with Judd Apatow)
02. Get The Party Started (P!NK cover) (with P!nk)
03. The Things We Do For Love (10CC cover) (with Inara George)
04. At Seventeen (JANIS IAN cover) (with Violet Grohl)
05. E‑Pro (BECK cover) (with Beck)
06. Heads Will Roll (YEAH YEAH YEAHS cover) (with Karen O)
07. The Spirit Of Radio (RUSH cover) (with Jack Black)
08. We Love L.A. (RANDY NEWMAN cover) (with Greg Kurstin)
09. Just A Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody (LOUIS PRIMA cover) (with Kyle Gass)

Grohl and Kurstin originally launched the "Hanukkah Sessions" project during the pandemic. The inaugural "Sessions" featured covers of songs by BEASTIE BOYS ("Sabotage"),Drake ("Hotline Bling"),MOUNTAIN ("Mississippi Queen"),PEACHES ("Fuck The Pain Away"),Bob Dylan ("Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"),ELASTICA ("Connection"),THE KNACK ("Frustrated"),and THE VELVET UNDERGROUND ("Rock & Roll"),while the 2021 follow-up included a black metal take on Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)", along with THE RAMONES' "Blitzkrieg Bop", Barry Manilow's "Copacabana", THE CLASH's "Train In Vain", KISS's "Rock And Roll All Nite", VAN HALEN's "Jump", Amy Winehouse's "Take The Box" and Billy Joel's "Big Shot".

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have released the second video in which singer Bruce Dickinson takes you behind the scenes of the band's recently completed "Legacy Of The Beast" tour. The new clip, along with the initial video, which was made available yesterday, can be viewed below.

The fall 2022 North American leg of "Legacy Of The Beast" ended on October 27 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with yet another sold-out U.S. show in front of over 12,000 fans.

A few days after the final gig of the tour, MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood of Phantom Music Management issued a statement, saying: "On behalf of the band, myself and all at Phantom, we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made this 'Legacy' tour such a special and memorable experience. First and most importantly you, the fans, especially those affected by problems caused by the global pandemic which led to the 2020 European stadium shows having to be rescheduled not just once but twice! Your patience and good-will in holding on to your tickets and waiting until we could finally bring the 'Legacy' show to you was very much appreciated. You truly are the best and playing to over 3 million of you over the extended tour was a hell of an achievement so thanks to each and every one of you for making this both possible and also making it incredible fun for the band who enjoyed pretty much every minute on stage.

"We'd also like to thank our brilliant touring Killer Krew — both the longstanding and newer members to the MAIDEN family, who never cease to rise to any challenges thrown their way — and there were a few — no mean feat considering this tour covered 33 countries and 139 shows played since we started in Tallinn way back on May 26 2018.

"Thanks also to all our Special Guests and support acts who played on the tour since 2018: AIRBOURNE, AVATAR, FOZZY, GOJIRA, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, LORD OF THE LOST, MASTODON, POWERWOLF, RAGE IN MY EYES, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, SABATON, SERPENTOR, SHINEDOWN, TEMPT, THE HELLACOPTERS, THE RAVEN AGE, TREMONTI, TRIVIUM and WITHIN TEMPTATION. Thanks also to our suppliers, our agents, promoters, merchandisers and everyone else involved in bringing this show to you night after night, city after city.

"And finally, both personally and, I am sure, on behalf of all of you — massive thanks to Bruce, Steve, Dave, Adrian, Janick and Nicko who never let up, played, and sang! magnificently and matched every crowd for passion and enthusiasm every single night, wherever they were. Guys — I don't know how you do it but we are all bloody glad you do!!

"We are all now going to take a well-earned break and we'll be back again next year with a great new show, 'The Future Past Tour' playing just Europe this time as the 2022 'Legacy' tour was such a long run to enable us to see as many of you fans as possible post-pandemic. However, 'The Future Past Tour' will continue into 2024 and who knows where it will go… ..so stay tuned!!"

IRON MAIDEN's "The Future Past Tour" will feature previously unperformed songs from the band's most recent studio album, "Senjutsu", along with a focus on 1986's iconic "Somewhere In Time" record, plus other classic cuts.

"Senjutsu" came out in September 2021. It marked MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.

IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, "Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

After releasing their latest full-length, Lifestyles Of The Sick & Dangerous, earlier this year via Century Media Records, Finland's Blind Channel are back today with a remix of the album track "Bad Idea", by the band's own Alex Mattson (keyboards). Listen to this new single here, and below:





The band previously released a remix of the album track "Alive Or Only Burning", by Inhuman.







Blind Channel recently announced tours in support of Lifestyles Of The Sick & Dangerous: first, joining I Prevail across the EU/UK in March 2023, before heading to the USA in May 2023 for a West Coast trek with labelmates Lacuna Coil.





Tour dates:


March
7 - Zurich, Switzerland - X-TRA
8 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
9 - Leipzig, Germany - Täubchenthal
11 - Cologne, Germany - Palladium
12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
14 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
15 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
17 - Portsmouth, UK - Guildhall
18 - Bristol, UK - O2 Academy Bristol
19 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Academy Birmingham
21 - Leeds, UK - O2 Academy Leeds
22 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy Glasgow
23 - Liverpool, UK - O2 Academy Liverpool
25 - Dublin, Ireland - Olympia Theatre
27 - Manchester, UK - O2 Victoria Warehouse
28 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
29 - London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton


May
4 - San Jose, CA - The Ritz
6 - Tacoma, WA - Spanish Ballroom
7 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
9 - Sacramento, CA - Ace Of Spades
11 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theater
13 - Las Vegas, NV - Sick New World Festival *
15 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
16 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
17 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
18 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco


* - No Blind Channel, Edge Of Paradise


(Photo - Kiril Kainulainen)

Ingested recently released their new album, Ashes Lie Still, via Metal Blade. Today, the band share guitar and drum playthrough videos for the single, "All I've Lost". Watch both below:










Ingested are the flagbearers of modern UK death metal. They have been churning out bilious anti-anthems for more than a decade-and-a-half, dropping a string of releases that have helped shape the genre. They return with Ashes Lie Still, their most dynamic, inventive, and daring release to date, holding nothing back. The band describes it as "a modern essential. It still has the core Ingested elements of groovy slamming riffs, quick drumming, and guttural vocals but there's also atmosphere, ethereal moments, and some raw old school aggression."


Over the course of 10 tracks, Ingested hack, slash, and steamroll through everything in their path, and Ashes Lie Still easily stands as the highpoint of an already impressive career.


Founded in 2006 in Manchester, England, Ingested have since toured extensively with Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Nile, Carnifex, and Revocation, and have been seen on European festival stages including Summer Breeze Open Air. Slimmed down to a three-piece, the band feels it is in the best place it ever has been, enabling the members to work at the top of their game.


Ashes Lie Still was co-produced by the band and previous collaborator Nico Beninato, with drummer Lyn Jeffs living close to Beninato's studio in Mallorca and recording his drums there, while Sean Hynes recorded his guitars at home in the UK with the producer assisting remotely. Vocal tracking was interrupted by Jason Evans falling seriously ill when finally making it to Mallorca and was ultimately tracked back in Manchester. Bass was again supplied by Dominic Grimard (Ion Dissonance/The Last Felony).


Ingested succinctly encapsulate their existence, saying, "We've always been the underdogs, always fighting for scraps. Well it's time to get out of the fucking way, because now it's our turn to eat at the table."





The album comes in several vinyl variants, all listed below:


* Clear with Black Smoke (US exclusive)
* Sunset Peach Marble (US exclusive)
* Violet purple marbled (EU exclusive ltd to 1000)
* Natural clear w/ white splatter (EU exclusive ltd to 250)
* White/orange color in color (EU exclusive ltd to 250)
* Natural clear w/ blue-purple, orange & black splatter (EU exclusive ltd to 250)


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"Ashes Lie Still" (Feat. Julia Frau)
"Shadows In Time"
"You'll Never Learn"
"Tides Of Glass"
"From Hollow Words" (Feat. Sven de Caluwé)
"Sea Of Stone"
"All I've Lost" (Feat. Matthew K. Heafy)
"With Broken Wings"
"Echoes Of Hate"
"Scratch The Vein"
"Rebirth" (Digital version only; new mix by Christian Donaldson)


"All I've Lost" video:





"From Hollow Words" video:





"Tides Of Glass" video:





"Ashes Lie Still" video:





"Shadows In Time" video:





Lineup:


Jason Evans - Vocals
Sean Hynes - Guitars + Backing Vocals
Lyn Jeffs - Drums

The addresses YouTube channel has uploaded 4K video of QUEENSRŸCHE's entire October 21, 2022 concert at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan. QUEENSRŸCHE was the support act on the fall 2022 leg of JUDAS PRIEST's "50 Heavy Metal Years" tour, which kicked off on October 13 in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Featured songs:

01. Queen Of The Reich 0:00
02. Warning 4:31
03. En Force 9:14
04. Behind The Walls 15:20
05. Empire 21:39
06. Operation: Mindcrime 26:01
07. Screaming In Digital 29:11
08. Eyes Of A Stranger 32:53

Earlier this month, QUEENSRŸCHE announced an early 2023 U.S. tour in support of its sixteenth studio album, "Digital Noise Alliance". Direct support on the trek will come from former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman, with TRAUMA opening each show.

Speaking to Canada's The Metal Voice, QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre stated about the upcoming trek (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We have Marty Friedman as direct support, which I think people will really dig, 'cause it's kind of a more rare sighting to see him over here. So I'm really looking forward to that. And then we also have the band TRAUMA, who's first on the bill. For those that don't know, that was the band that Cliff Burton was in before he joined METALLICA. So they have a brand new record out called 'Awakening' that I've been listening to. It's really good.

"So that's gonna be a good six-and-a-half-week, whatever that turns out to be, tour, and then we've got other stuff in the works for later in the year. But that's the first thing that's gonna be coming up," he added.

As for QUEENSRŸCHE's setlist for the upcoming tour, Todd said: "We're gonna play a nice handful of songs from ['Digital Noise Alliance'] and the last three records. And then I think we're talking about doing some pretty deep cuts that have never been done since the beginning of the band and maybe something that hasn't been done for sure at least maybe since I joined the band. And then you'll have a few staple songs, but I'm pretty sure that this setlist is gonna be really for the diehards that follow everything we do, because you're gonna have a huge chunk of my era with the band being played. If you [think] you're just gonna get a lot of the old stuff that we kind of usually play, a lot of that stuff is not gonna happen on this tour. So I'm looking forward to it."

QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Micheal Wilton previously discussed the band's 2023 tour in an interview with Rock Show Critique. He said: "It's a full 'Digital Noise Alliance' headline tour. We're really excited to get out there and get touring again. We're rebuilding and establishing again, because for us it's a bit of the Wild West. There's a lot of congestion out there, there's a lot of bands touring, and to put a tour together like this, we're really happy that we can get out there and do a full tour."

"We appreciate the fans, their input," he continued. "For us, I think we're gonna make this different than previous tours 'cause we're really gonna mix up the setlist. So, for people saying, 'Oh, they're just gonna play the same stuff again,' they'll be surprised.

"You've gotta keep a balance, 'cause you've got the hardcore fans that wanna hear the deep cuts and they wanna hear the new stuff," Wilton explained. "And then you've got the casual fans that just wanna hear the hits, the staples from the legacy albums. But it's a headline set, so we have 90 minutes. There's a lot of wiggle room in there for some different stuff."

"Digital Noise Alliance" came out on October 7 via Century Media. The record was once again helmed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with QUEENSRŸCHE on 2015's "Condition Hüman" and 2019's "The Verdict" LPs.

Guitarist Mike Stone, who rejoined QUEENSRŸCHE last year, contributed guitar solos to the band's new studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July 2021 that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past five and a half years, drummer Casey Grillo has been filling in for Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against Wilton and Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Wilton and Jackson filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group's assets to his own personal benefit.

In the video below, drummer Thomen Stauch​​​​ (Mentalist, ex- Blind​​​​ Guardian) performs an alternate drum cover of "For Whom The Bell Tolls", from Metallica's Ride The Lightning album


This version was performed and recorded by Thomen at his ThomenDrumChamber (TDC) in 47506 Neukirchen-Vluyn, NRW, Germany, where he also offers local and online drum classes via Skype with multiple webcams, as you can see in his uploaded YouTube videos.


Says Thomen: Contact me by email, if you are interested in drum classes online or local and want to know more details about my fair prices, required equipment, a.s.o.! unterricht@thomen-drumchamber.com. Enjoy the video and watch out for my next performances. Please, leave a thumb up, if you like what you hear and see."







Thomen has also shared a drum cover of the Roxy Music classic, "Oh Yeah (On The Radio)". Watch below:

New York’s Streetlight Circus have released the official video for "Take Me To The River", the current single from the band's new album, Super Fine Sugar, released back in September via UK-based label, Escape Music.


The video features a collection of live clips from the band's summer 2022 Road To Rock Fest North American tour. Included in the video are clips from Rock Fest in Wisconsin in July at which Streetlight Circus shared the bill with heavyweights such as John 5, Evanescence, The Pretty Reckless, Nothing More, and Halestorm.


Viewers will also see live and behind-the-scenes clips from tour stops in Chicago, Toledo, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Toronto, and Rochester as well as moments from the Super Fine Sugar record release party in New York City, The Interstate Rock Fest in Boonsboro, MD, an Arlene's Grocery NYC livestream, and the Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, VA where the band supported Firehouse.




The video is the band's second from Super Fine Sugar, following one for the album's title track. Plans to film a third Super Fine Sugar video in February are underway.


The "Take Me To The River" video was edited by former MTV Producer Rick Ernst who directed the band's "Ghettoblaster," "Needle Down," and "Downside" videos. Ernst is the producer and director of the award-winning Get Thrashed, the definitive documentary on the birth and rise of thrash metal.


Written by David Shaw, produced by Streetlight Circus, and mixed and mastered by Grammy winner Bob St. John, "Take Me To The River" features Streetlight Circus at its best, combining crisp musicianship, energetic riffs, and ear-worm melodies.





Super Fine Sugar is available for purchase on CD as well as download on all major streaming platforms. For more information, head here.





Tracklisting:


"Super Fine Sugar"
"Drive It Like I Stole It"
"Cherry Cola"
"Ex Machina"
"Pay My Rent"
"Dirty Earth"
"Take Me To The River"
"This Means War"
"Trouble"
"Clown Parade"
"Zero At The Bone"
"Rattle The Cage"


"Super Fine Sugar" video:





"Dirty Earth" visualizer:

In a new interview with RichardMetalFan, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares was asked about the 2020 departure of the band's original singer Burton C. Bell. Cazares said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I could see over the years that he always had one foot out the door; he was always that guy. He originally quit way back in 2002, and he ended up coming band into the band and restarting the band with the other guys without me. At least that's what I thought. But I don't know. I never really got the full story of why they did what they did. But to me, it always seemed like he always had one foot out the door, and I think that this was just his time to exit, for whatever reason. I mean, you have to ask him, really, to get [the full story of why he left]. But he pretty much left me to handle the rest of the duties for [FEAR FACTORY's latest album] 'Aggression Continuum'. And so now I'm moving forward without him, and the band's gonna go on without him, and that's just how it is. He's moved on, and so have I. Fans can cry all they want and people can want what they want. And I get it; I understand. He was in the band for many years, and he was the only vocalist on the record, even though he had quit the band two or three times before that. But he's gone, and I've moved on, and so has he."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, EXODUS frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza was asked to name his top three metal singers of all time. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I could go on forever; there's so many that I could say. But you have to give… For me, Bon Scott [AC/DC], Ronnie James Dio [BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL] and, obviously, Rob Halford [JUDAS PRIEST]. But I then I could go Biff Byford [SAXON], I could go John Bush [ARMORED SAINT, ANTHRAX]. I have so many that I love and am influenced by — that I'm influenced by. They're such legends and they had such an impact on how singers like myself sing today, especially Bon Scott; I mean, my voice is a pretty much imitation of it."

When he is not busy touring with EXODUS, Souza plays occasional shows in the San Francisco Bay Area with his long-running AC/DC tribute band AC/DZ, in which he is joined by DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll.

In addition to Souza and Carroll, AC/DZ's current lineup includes Dave Chapman on lead guitar, Joel Proto on rhythm guitar and Mike Butler on bass.

In an interview with Myglobalmind, Souza stated about AC/DC's singer change following the death of Scott: "You know, it took a while for everybody to get used to Brian Johnson after Bon. I was 16 when Bon Scott died, and I remember, I was, like, 'Oh, my god, what are they going to do?! That voice is that music.' He fitted that guitar, what they were doing; it was like a glove. How do you replace that? And then in time, Brian has become that, and out of everybody, I would have to say him and Bruce Dickinson [IRON MAIDEN] taking over from Paul Di'Anno did an amazing job in the transition."

Back in 2015, Souza told Southeast Of Heaven that he preferred the Scott era of AC/DC over the Johnson era. "There's no comparison," he said. "That's not to say that Brian's not any good. I respect Brian. Hell, he took over and if you think about it, he's been in the band three times longer than Bon. Bon, the way that he sang. The way he wrote that tongue-in-cheek stuff. Like 'Big Balls'. What's that about? It's about dance? It's about his balls? [Laughs] The metaphors in that song were just clever as hell, and it's hard to write clever."

EXODUS is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Persona Non Grata", which came out in November 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Persona Non Grata" was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band's history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

"Persona Non Grata" is the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

In a recent interview with AndrewHaug.com, Australia's first-ever dedicated 24/7 rock and metal online radio station launched by Andrew Haug, the former host of Triple J Australia's "The Racket" radio show, CLUTCH drummer Jean-Paul Gaster was asked if there is a "retirement plan" in place for him and his bandmates. Gaster replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, there is no retirement plan in the future. We're gonna do this for as long as we can possibly do it. We still enjoy it. We just wrapped up a very extensive European tour, probably the longest we've done over there. And it was certainly difficult to do, and it was tiring, but it was also probably one of the most exciting things I'll ever do for my entire life. It was amazing. It was an experience of a lifetime. And I think we all feel like that. This opportunity to play music is such a special thing. And I think we all appreciate it more. And so we're just gonna keep doing this thing for as long as we can. We really enjoy it. I enjoy making music with these guys. It's a very special thing."

Gaster's bandmate, CLUTCH singer Neil Fallon, previously discussed the group's longevity in an interview with RVA magazine earlier this year. He said: "The way I calculate success is like, you got to do something that you love, and that's all you have to do. Most of our friends that are in bands or are musicians have to relegate that to weekends, maybe. I've known plenty of musicians that bang their head against the wall for years, to no avail. And sometimes things are looking good and then fate just deals them in, all four hands. But you know, we've stayed committed, through feast and famine as well. Sometimes you can generate more quote-unquote 'luck' the harder you work. But I also understand it's a rare thing, to have the same lineup and to be able to do this. And as every tour passes, every year passes, I think we get more and more defensive and protective about it, because we realize that we dodged a lot of bullets along the way. We don't, and we shouldn't, take any of it for granted. I mean, the last two years [of the pandemic] was sort of a preview of what retirement might feel like. And it's a drag. We don't want to do that."

CLUTCH's thirteenth studio album, "Sunrise On Slaughter Beach", was released in September. The LP, which = was recorded at the The Magpie Cage Recording Studio in Baltimore, Maryland, was produced and mixed by Grammy-nominated Tom Dalgety (GHOST, ROYAL BLOOD, PIXIES) with additional engineering by J Robbins (JAWBREAKER, AGAINST ME!, THE SWORD).

As part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE drummer Justin Foley was asked what the best thing has been, other than music, that being in the band has afforded him since he joined nearly 20 years ago. He responded: "That is easy. It's friendships. I can't even imagine not knowing all these people that I know now from being in KILLSWITCH. All the other guys in the band, everyone that's been in our crew over the years — people that have been in our crew longer than [I have been in the band] and people that have just done maybe one or two tours. It's just incredible all the people that I've met and all the friendships that I've made that have been afforded to me because of the band. So I can't imagine my life without those people."

Earlier this year, Foley's LYBICA instrumental project released its self-titled debut via Metal Blade Records.

Two months ago, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE announced a trio of holiday season shows. The band will play at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey on December 28; at The Paramount in Huntington, New York on December 29; and a hometown show at The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts on December 30. RIVERS OF NIHIL and UNEARTH will serve as support at all three shows.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's latest album, "Atonement", was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc featured guest appearances by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marked the band's third full-length release since the return of singer Jesse Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

Extreme metal band Siglos features the transcendent strings of two-time Grammy-nominated guitarist Sin Quirin, who played with Ministry for 15 years, and the demanding vocals of Pedro Sanchez from the band Transtorno.


Siglos will release their debut EP, Rituales Sagrados, on January 27th, 2023. A teaser clip of the first single, "Soga De Los Muertos", can be enjoyed below. 







Pedro Sanchez shares, "'Soga De Los Muertos' honors the Spirit of the Ancestral Medicine, Ayahuasca. The translation of the word of Ayahuasca is Soga De Los Muertos or Soga De Los Espiritus, which in English is Rope Of The Dead or Rope Of The Spirits.


Sin Quirin views the song from a different perspective. "'Soga De Los Muertos' touches on the 'sound' people seem to know me for. It has that 'industrial-ish' element to it. I love the heavy, mid-tempo, driving, and groovy riff this song has."


Rituales Sagrados was written by Sin Quirin, with lyrics from Pedro Sanchez, and it was produced, mixed, and mastered by Alex Crescioni at Stygian Sound. Alex adds, "It's impressive to see the growth and transformation of Sin's songwriting and guitar playing with Siglos. This aesthetic and genre seems to be a perfect fit for Sin and Pedro to fully express themselves at this stage of their journey as musicians. I truly feel they have forged a new genre of metal and am thrilled for their escalation and expansion in 2023!" 





(Artwork by Nestor Avalos, logo by Gogo Melone)