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)


 

Finland's Arched Fire, signed to Wormholedeath Records, have released a video for "Fear", the first single off their second album, Trust Betrayal, which will be released in spring of 2023. The B-side, "Trigger", is a Motörhead cover originally recorded for Antichrist Magazine's tribute album.


"'Fear' is one of those songs that just happen," says guitarist Ari Väntänen. "I had some riffs that I asked Kristian (Herkman / vocals) to record. As it turned out, the song was right there, just waiting to be born. We came up with the chorus part while recording the verses and the bridges. Kristian probably wrote the vocal parts while driving home from my place. And after the guys arranged their own parts, 'Fear' started to sound like Arched Fire."







The band also consists of Aslak Purojärvi (drums), Mika Rytilahti (bass), and Janne Särkelä (lead & rhythm guitar). Musically, Arched Fire is where heavy metal meets speed metal. Mixing rock groove and metal riffage, "Fear" represents a lighter side of the dark theme on the Trust Betrayal album. It’s about how a general lack of trust can make things difficult.


“Don't be afraid to live! Do things before it's too late! And be careful because everything tries to kill you and death is horrible!” says Herkman.


The prologue of the band took place in 1989–1990 when a bunch of school kids formed Arched Fire in Finnish Lapland. Thirty years later they got back together and recorded their acclaimed first album, Remote Control, out on Wormholedeath Records in 2021. The band’s second full-length effort, Trust Betrayal, takes their old-school metal game to a whole new level.

Danish progressive metal band, Third Eye, returns 12 years after releasing their debut album Recipe For Disaster, with an even darker soon to be metal classic. Their upcoming new album, Vengeance Fulfilled, is full of intense and captivating musicianship, killer vocals and most importantly amazing songs. Third Eye will appeal to all fans of Beyond Twilight, ARK, Anubis Gate and Symphony X.


Vengeance Fulfilled will be released on January 27 on CD format via Netherlands based No Dust Records for Europe and US based Animated Insanity Records for North America. A 2LP version of the album will be released in summer 2023.







Ttracklisting:


"Ashes In The Rain"
"At The Break Of Dawn"
"Forest Of Lies"
"Even The Gods Cry"
"Vengeance Fulfilled"
"Pages On Fire"
"Impending Doom"
"Fire And Lightning"
"The Silence Of Indifference"
"Rise From The Waters"


"At The Break Of Dawn" lyric video:





Third Eye lineup:


Tiago Masseti – Vocals
Michael Bodin – Guitars, Keyboards
Martin Damgaard – Drums
Andreas Schumann – Bass
Jonas Hansen – Guitars

Ex-STATIC-X guitarist Tripp Eisen says that "it's silly" for DOPE leader Edsel Dope to pretend that he isn't Xer0, the masked frontman of STATIC-X who has spent much of the last three years performing and touring alongside bassist Tony Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda.

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.

Tripp — whose real name is Tod Rex Salvador — previously took credit for getting Edsel involved with STATIC-X's comeback after Eisen and Campos supposedly "reconnected and re-established their friendship" in late 2016.

In a new interview with Germany's Moshpit Passion, Eisen was asked if he regrets publicly revealing Xer0's identity in a 2020 press release. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's kind of goofy, isn't it? It's kind of silly. It's kind of goofy. You look on the back of the STATIC-X album, it says 'produced by Xer0', 'executive producer: Edsel Dope'. You wanna say, 'Edsel, what was it like working with Xer0 in the studio? Did he take long to do his vocal takes?' 'Oh, yeah.' It's weird.

"I think it was a bad decision to sit there… He had to get Edsel Dope's name on the album. It couldn't just be, 'I'm an alternate person, Xer0.' There had to be the Edsel brand on there too. Yeah, we know what's going on.

"But, yeah, I did put it a press release, so it's official: he's Xer0," Tripp continued. "You wanna pretend, 'Oh, no. He's still denying this.' And everybody knows.

"I understand what he's doing, because it's a weird thing. I know his personality. I know what he's trying to do."

Eisen also criticized STATIC-X's decision to have Xer0 sporting a mask in the likeness of the band's late frontman Wayne Static, saying: "The original idea was not put your hair up and put a mask on and do a Wayne cosplay type of thing. The original idea was the 'STATIC-X man' — a mask with the mouth cut out and an 'X' like the 'X Man' from the comic book. It was supposed to be maybe a futuristic type of thing, not like this zombie mask, 'Wayne came back from the dead.' Everybody knows it's weird. 'Hey, it's metal.' Yeah, no. If someone else did it… They're not doing that on the PANTERA tour, are they? There aren't any Dimebag or Vinnie [Paul] masks going on."

Two years ago Eisen, who served time more than a decade ago for meeting and sexually assaulting two underage females in January and February 2005, said that his "past legal troubles were addressed early on" after reconnected more than six years ago "and Tony Campos had Tripp's back, knowing the details of his case, the exaggerations in the press and judged his friend fairly and without prejudice." Tripp also claimed that "Edsel shared Tony's sentiments about Tripp and knew his good character."

A short time later, Edsel released a statement in which he called Tripp a "two-time convicted sex offender" and "an egotistical, low-talent idiot" who was fired from DOPE 20 years ago and dismissed from STATIC X more than 15 years ago because he was "a 40-year-old creep who was arrested for having sexual relations with multiple 14-year-old fan girls." Edsel went on to say that Tripp has "not progressed in the least bit after spending two separate stints in jail" and claimed that Static "hated" Eisen and "had no interest in ever associating" with Tripp again. Edsel added that Tripp has been "begging for people to pay attention" to him and him new band for three years and "attempting to tie" himself to "virtually everything STATIC-X or DOPE does."

STATIC-X's recent tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band's platinum-certified "Wisconsin Death Trip" album and paid homage to Static, who died eight years ago.

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."

In July 2020, STATIC-X released a new album called "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 Campos, Jay and 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.

In a new interview with Metal Talk, ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing reflected on his reunion with his former bandmates at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Downing, who sat at the same table at the induction ceremony as the other PRIEST musicians at the event, said that he had a chat with drummer Scott Travis and was able to "break bread" with singer Rob Halford and bassist Ian Hill. He also exchanged some pleasantries with guitarist Glenn Tipton, with whom he had shared a stage for decades, and guitarist Richie Faulkner, who replaced him in 2011.

After PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by former drummer Les Binks, Downing and Faulkner for a three-song medley consisting of "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

Regarding what it was like to speak and play with Faulkner, Downing said: "Yes, I managed to have a chat with him, and we shared the stage and even jammed together. It could have been awkward, but it wasn't. I've nothing but respect for him, and I know he's working on other projects outside PRIEST, and I wish him well." He laughingly added: "The only potentially awkward moments were because I like a lot of room and have always raced around the stage, and we had to avoid each other."

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

Earlier this month, JUDAS PRIEST's longtime manager Jayne Andrewstold the "Gabbing With Girlfriends" podcast that PRIEST's reunion with Downing "was a bit strange" because K.K. "just kept himself to himself. Even when he got on stage with the band [to perform at the Rock Hall], he didn't really communicate much with anybody," she said.

Andrews went on to say that Downing missed an opportunity "to try and build bridges" with his former bandmates, adding that K.K. "could have stuck his head around the door" in the dressing room "and said, 'Thank you for inviting me on stage with you.'" She also said that he K.K. "seemed a little bit nervous and almost out of his depth" during the Rock Hall performance.

Last month, Halford was asked in an interview with the San Antonio Current if performing with Downing at the Rock Hall ceremony helped put aside some of the acrimony that K.K. has shown about not being in band for these last few tours. Halford responded: "I think we should let the music speak for itself, really, because as you'll see from the performance, you'll see that all of that other stuff is irrelevant. All the things that have been said and suggested just float off into the air. What matters is what's going down on that stage at that time you're performing together. And there he is on my right-hand side. It just felt like he was always there. Look behind me and there's [Les], and the memories just are overwhelming. But, more than that, you're focusing on the moment that you're back together again and playing live. It was really a whirlwind. We were in each other's company for a very, very short space of time. We had very little time to communicate. But for the purpose of the induction of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame together, it was absolutely crucial that K.K. and Les were there. They were inducted, they needed to be in the room. And more than that, we were thrilled that they took the opportunity to say, 'Yeah, we'll come and jam on stage again with you guys.'"

In a separate interview with Lauren "Lern" Elwell of the KSHE radio station, Halford said it was "good" performing with Downing and Binks at the Rock Hall. He added: "We hadn't seen [Downing] forever. And I've still yet to watch footage of that. All I remember is my brief interactions with K.K., because I'm always running around the stage like a mad drag queen. My interactions with Ken and with Les, it was great. It felt wonderful to have that moment together after such a long time. And that just shows you the power, the weight, the vibe that the Rock Hall suggests you try to attempt. Try and recapture something of the essence that it really part of why you're here, why you're being inducted. I was just so happy that Ken and Les showed up, because they needed to be there. It was entirely their choice, but I said it makes absolute sense if you're in the room and we're playing together. And we did, and it was magical."

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

In his 2018 autobiography "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", Downing wrote that he told Tipton and Andrews that he had "hated" them both "since 1985." Last year, he explained his outburst to Classic Rock magazine: "I was angry. Glenn had formed a relationship with Jayne from day one, and it felt a bit like a John-and-Yoko situation. I didn't like that."

JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year's class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

In a new interview with the "Vulgar Display Of Podcast", FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares opened up about the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs. Speaking about FEAR FACTORY's upcoming tour with STATIC-X, which was originally scheduled to take place in 2022 before being postponed, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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."

When the interviewers noted that it's refreshing to hear Dino speaking so openly about the financial challenges faced by touring artists, he said: "I'm not the only one that really talks about that. There have been other people — Devin Townsend's been talking a lot about it; DARK FUNERAL and a few other bands as well, talking about what it's like out there. Of course a lot of people who follow me who are fans of the band, they don't really understand what it is, how it is out there. But in a way, they should, because, obviously, gas prices affect everything. Food prices — food prices have gone insanely high. So people should be able to relate to it in that way. Speaking in the third person, if it's hard for that person to pay rent or to buy food, imagine what it's like for us to be out there touring. People have this misconception, just because you're on the road, you're making big bucks and you're a rich guy. We are affected by it just as much as they are — as a matter of fact worse, 'cause we have more overhead."

FEAR FACTORY's upcoming tour will be the band's first with its new lead singer, whose identity has not yet been revealed. The 36-year-old musician, who is "basically unknown," according to Dino, joined FEAR FACTORY as the replacement for Burton C. Bell, who left the band more than two years ago.

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."

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.

"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.

JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain has fired back at his bandmate Neal Schon after the JOURNEY guitarist called him a "hypocrite" for performing the band's 1981 hit song "Don't Stop Believin'" at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property. Cain, whose wife, Paula White-Cain, is the former president's self-styled spiritual adviser, played the track late last month with a backup chorus of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

Earlier today, Cain released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Neal Schon should look in the mirror when he accuses me of causing harm to the JOURNEY brand. I have watched him damage our brand for years and am a victim of both his — and his wife's — bizarre behavior. Neal sued Live Nation twice, losing both times, and damaging our ability to ever work with them again; Neal outrageously tried to take away trademarks from Steve Perry; Neal and his wife continually insult the professionalism of numerous accountants, road managers, and management firms with endless legal threats and their bullying, toxic, and incoherent emails; Neal argues online with fans who don't see eye to eye with him; and Neal and his wife recklessly spend JOURNEY's money until there is none left for operating costs. If anyone is destroying the JOURNEY brand, it is Neal — and Neal alone."

Cain's statement comes just a couple of days after an attorney for Schon sent a cease-and-desist order to Jonathan in a bid to prevent him from using JOURNEY's music at political events.

Variety obtained the letter served to Cain, which accuses him of politicizing the band. Part of it reads as follows: "Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of JOURNEY or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the JOURNEY brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. JOURNEY is not, and should not be, political."

"Mr. Cain has no right to use JOURNEY for politics. His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on JOURNEY's brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band."

Responding to the order, a representative for Cain said: "Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court and is now falsely claiming that the song has been used at political rallies."

"Now he's claiming I keep losing in court?" Schon tweeted later. "Infuckingsane. Get off the Kool-Aid. Wow - lies after lies. I've won one case in court with Cain and the residing one has not been heard yet. … Judge did not feel it was an emergency. Zero ruling." Schon also shared a link to a 2017 interview with Cain, adding, "Have a listen right around 9:25 minutes. Jonathan Cain himself talking about politics and religion not a good idea with our music. One word – hypocrite – just have a listen."

In the 2017 video interview, which was conducted in the studios of the radio station ONE FM 91.3, Cain can be heard saying: "We're not political; we don't get into politics. We try to stay in our lane, and I just think that's the best answer we can give you."

In the past, Schon has publicly voiced his opposition to having JOURNEY's music associated with political or religious causes. Back in 2017, he derided Cain on social media after the keyboardist, singer Arnel Pineda and then-bassist Ross Valory were photographed with Trump in the White House.

"I've stated how I felt about mixing religion and politics and how our music is not of one religion - Democratic or Republican," Schon wrote. "This is and has been an issue with myself Mr. Cain and his now wife, since he married. I've had to fight this whole time to protect the brand I built with Steve Perry, way before Gregg [Rolie] and I picked Cain to replace himself when he wanted to retire from the road back then. Well frankly, I'm tired of having to defend all by my self. Ross is no help."

Two years ago, former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry also said that he was against having the band's music used in political campaigns. Perry took to his Twitter to write: "As one of the songwriters of Don't Stop Believin', I have not given permission to any political candidate to use this song!"

Perry didn't indicate what prompted his tweet, but his objection came after "Don't Stop Believin'" was heard during the White House's Mount Rushmore event celebrating Independence Day in 2020. The song was played over the public address system while then-president Donald Trump was flying to the site on Marine One, the official presidential helicopter.

Several hours later, Schon, who co-wrote the 1981 hit with Perry and Cain, responded to Perry's tweet, writing: "Huh .., funny when I tried to stop it before a couple of years ago management told me you and [Perry's longtime attorney] Lee Phillips didn't want to mess with it... @NealSchonMusic so what makes it different now ?"

The latest legal move comes a few weeks after Schon filed a lawsuit against Cain in California state court, alleging that Cain set up an American Express card without telling Schon and that "millions of JOURNEY funds have flowed through it." Cain, for his part, accused Schon of misusing the card, citing his "excessive spending and extravagant lifestyle."
Now he's claiming I keep loosing in court ?!? Infuckingsane. Get off the kool-Aid. Wow lies after lies. I've won 1 case in court with Cain and the residing one has not been heard yet.Was trying to get in spooner then the court date. Judge did not feel it was an emergency.0 ruling

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) December 22, 2022


Have a listen right around 9:25mins. Jonathan Cain himself talking about politics and religion not a good idea with our music. One word -hypocrite - just have a listen 👂🏽 https://t.co/fUUYrQcLeqhttps://t.co/ynxfNxTfsE

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) December 22, 2022


This was just written on my FB by a fan. I don't know what you'd expect from people who are married to outright Christofascists that don't think gay people should be allowed to existhttps://t.co/UtVEiRYl5W

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) December 22, 2022

THE LUCID, the four-piece hard rock band featuring bassist David Ellefson (ex-MEGADETH),vocalist Vinnie Dombroski (SPONGE),guitarist Drew Fortier and drummer Mike Heller (RAVEN, FEAR FACTORY),has released a new song called "Saddle Up And Ride". It is the first single and title track from THE LUCID's upcoming EP, which will arrive on January 27, 2023.

From the ferocious vitriolic sonic assault of the title track to the epic off-the-wall and out-of-left-field "Sweet Toof", "Saddle Up And Ride" showcases the various genres the eclectic quartet have tackled for this release, including country, thrash, rap and funk.

Violent J, one half of the legendary rap duo INSANE CLOWN POSSE, is featured on the EP's title track as well as the album closer "Sweet Toof".

Fortier states: "We are thrilled to join forces with an iconic artist like Violent J. He added such a kick-ass and dangerous element to 'Saddle Up And Ride' and 'Sweet Toof'. J has without a doubt taken THE LUCID to another level."

He continues: "As far as live shows go, we had to cancel those shows back in May 2021 due to my cancer situation resulting in surgery which I have fully recovered from, but with David and Mike looking to have a busy 2023 with KINGS OF THRASH/DIETH and RAVEN/FEAR FACTORY, respectively, it's looking like the most pragmatic route would be if Vin and I team up for some acoustic shows to promote THE LUCID, so be on the lookout for that."

"Saddle Up And Ride" was produced by Mike Heller and mixed/mastered by Lasse Lammert and features artwork by Alex Sarabia.

"Saddle Up And Ride" track listing:

01. Deep Country
02. Saddle Up And Ride (featuring Violent J)
03. Mumps
04. Risk Machine
05. Sweet Toof (featuring Violent J)

Ellefson confirmed earlier in the year that THE LUCID was working on new material as a follow-up to THE LUCID's self-titled debut album, which was released in October 2021 via SpoilerHead Records.

"The Lucid" was also produced by Heller and mixed/mastered by Lasse Lammert.

Ellefson previously stated about the LP: "It's been a real blast making a record with these guys and I must say that it's refreshing to explore some new musical avenues… to step out a bit from what each of us have done stylistically in our own careers. There was an effortless synergy that came with creating these songs together which is always amazing when working with new people."

During a November 2020 appearance on "The Chuck Schute Podcast", Ellefson stated about how he got involved with THE LUCID: "Drew sent me a track and said, 'Hey, can you throw a bass on here?' And I was writing a new ELLEFSON solo record at the time, so my studio ears were on. I was plugged in and ready to go. He sent it over and I was, like, 'Yeah, this is freaking cool, man.' I'd seen Drew play, I know his BANG TANGO history and the other stuff he's done. But this was really cool stuff that spoke to me. And then he called me up and he said, 'Hey, Vinnie is gonna come in and write some vocals and lyrics and lay down some tracks.' And it turned into a thing."

"I love [Vinnie]. I love SPONGE," David continued. "He's such a rock star. He's just a cool guy. And he writes such great lyrics — very trippy lyrics. He's the type of lyricist I'd never worked with before, so it's fun with that. And Drew is a great guitar player. Mike Heller — he's good friends with [MEGADETH drummer] Dirk Verbeuren. And Dirk's, like, 'Mike's awesome.' They're good friends. We all met in L.A. We got the songs together and we all met in L.A. in mid-July [2020]. I plugged in and banged out 10 songs in two days. And it was fun. Mike was very good in the studio; he really knows his way around."

As for THE LUCID's musical direction, Ellefson told VWMusic: "It's definitely a rock album. It may trend slightly into metal with songs like 'Damned' and 'Deaths Of Despair'. It’s not a thrash metal record. It's not a doom or a power metal record or any of that kind of stuff. I just think it's just a straight-up hard rock record."

Fortier was diagnosed with testicular cancer in May and subsequently underwent surgery.

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH in May 2021 after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

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

JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon has blasted his bandmate Jonathan Cain as a "hypocrite" after the JOURNEY keyboardist performed the band's 1981 hit song "Don't Stop Believin'" at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property. Cain, whose wife, Paula White-Cain, is the former president's self-styled spiritual adviser, played the track with a backup chorus of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

Earlier this week, an attorney for Schon sent a cease-and-desist order to Cain in a bid to prevent him from using JOURNEY's music at political events.

Variety obtained the letter served to Cain, which accuses him of politicizing the band. Part of it reads as follows: "Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of JOURNEY or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the JOURNEY brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. JOURNEY is not, and should not be, political."

"Mr. Cain has no right to use JOURNEY for politics. His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on JOURNEY's brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band."

Responding to the order, a representative for Cain said: "Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court and is now falsely claiming that the song has been used at political rallies."

"Now he's claiming I keep losing in court?" Schon tweeted later. "Infuckingsane. Get off the Kool-Aid. Wow - lies after lies. I've won one case in court with Cain and the residing one has not been heard yet. … Judge did not feel it was an emergency. Zero ruling." Schon also shared a link to a 2017 interview with Cain, adding, "Have a listen right around 9:25 minutes. Jonathan Cain himself talking about politics and religion not a good idea with our music. One word – hypocrite – just have a listen."

In the 2017 video interview, which was conducted in the studios of the radio station ONE FM 91.3, Cain can be heard saying: "We're not political; we don't get into politics. We try to stay in our lane, and I just think that's the best answer we can give you."

In the past, Schon has publicly voiced his opposition to having JOURNEY's music associated with political or religious causes. Back in 2017, he derided Cain on social media after the keyboardist, singer Arnel Pineda and then-bassist Ross Valory were photographed with Trump in the White House.

"I've stated how I felt about mixing religion and politics and how our music is not of one religion - Democratic or Republican," Schon wrote. "This is and has been an issue with myself Mr. Cain and his now wife, since he married. I've had to fight this whole time to protect the brand I built with Steve Perry, way before Gregg [Rolie] and I picked Cain to replace himself when he wanted to retire from the road back then. Well frankly, I'm tired of having to defend all by my self. Ross is no help."

Two years ago, former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry also said that he was against having the band's music used in political campaigns. Perry took to his Twitter to write: "As one of the songwriters of Don't Stop Believin', I have not given permission to any political candidate to use this song!"

Perry didn't indicate what prompted his tweet, but his objection came after "Don't Stop Believin'" was heard during the White House's Mount Rushmore event celebrating Independence Day in 2020. The song was played over the public address system while then-president Donald Trump was flying to the site on Marine One, the official presidential helicopter.

Several hours later, Schon, who co-wrote the 1981 hit with Perry and Cain, responded to Perry's tweet, writing: "Huh .., funny when I tried to stop it before a couple of years ago management told me you and [Perry's longtime attorney] Lee Phillips didn't want to mess with it... @NealSchonMusic so what makes it different now ?"

The latest legal move comes a few weeks after Schon filed a lawsuit against Cain in California state court, alleging that Cain set up an American Express card without telling Schon and that "millions of JOURNEY funds have flowed through it." Cain, for his part, accused Schon of misusing the card, citing his "excessive spending and extravagant lifestyle."
Now he's claiming I keep loosing in court ?!? Infuckingsane. Get off the kool-Aid. Wow lies after lies. I've won 1 case in court with Cain and the residing one has not been heard yet.Was trying to get in spooner then the court date. Judge did not feel it was an emergency.0 ruling

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) December 22, 2022


Have a listen right around 9:25mins. Jonathan Cain himself talking about politics and religion not a good idea with our music. One word -hypocrite - just have a listen 👂🏽 https://t.co/fUUYrQcLeqhttps://t.co/ynxfNxTfsE

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) December 22, 2022


This was just written on my FB by a fan. I don't know what you'd expect from people who are married to outright Christofascists that don't think gay people should be allowed to existhttps://t.co/UtVEiRYl5W

— NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) December 22, 2022

METALLICA performed its new single "Lux Æterna" live for the first time on December 16 at its "Helping Hands Concert & Auction", which took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The third edition of the "Helping Hands Concert & Auction" opened with a special set from guest GRETA VAN FLEET followed by a unique set from METALLICA. Professionally filmed video of the "Lux Æterna" performance can now be seen below.

Earlier this month, "Lux Æterna"landed at position No. 2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The band now boasts 25 top 10s on the tally, with its first, "Enter Sandman", arriving in 1991. "Lux Æterna" also entered Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart at No. 1 and at the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart at No. 2.

"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".

In a recently released behind-the-scenes look at the making of "72 Seasons", Hetfield stated about "Lux Æterna": "'Lux Æterna' is an upbeat, kind of fast and joyous song, I would say — really indicative of New Wave Of British [Heavy] Metal stuff, so kind of a harkening-back-to-'80s kind of riff. It's just fun and makes me move. It was fun making the video, fun recording a song that comes out really easy, that was a real easy song to write and to perform, like I said, very much like the early '80s for us."

As for the inspiration for the "72 Seasons" album title, Hetfield said: "'72 Seasons' came out of a book I was reading about childhood, basically, and sorting out childhood as an adult. And 72 seasons is basically the first 18 years of your life. How do you evolve and grow and mature and develop your own ideas and identity of self after those first 72 seasons? Some things are more difficult than others — you know, some things you can't unsee and they're with you for the rest of your life, and other things you're able to rewind the tape and make a new tape in your life. So that's the real interesting part for me, is how you're able to address those situations as an adult and mature."

He continued: "There's been a lot of darkness in my life and in our career and things that have happened with us, but always having a sense of hope, always having the light that is in that darkness… Without darkness, there is no light, and being able to focus a little more on the light in life instead of all of the… how it used to be and how horrible it is... There's a lot of good things going on in life — focusing on that instead, and it helps to balance out my life. And there's no one meaning to it — everyone has some sense of hope or light in their life, and, obviously, music is mine. And the song specifically talks about gathering of people at a concert and [being] able to see the joy and the life and the love that comes out of music and the family and the kinship in that, and just a sense of uplifting."

Late last month, METALLICA released the Tim Saccenti-directed music video for "Lux Æterna", along with details about the album's accompanying "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".

SEVENDUST co-founder, guitarist and vocalist Clint Lowery will release a new solo EP, titled "Ghostwriter", in February 2023. The five-track effort will be the follow-up to his debut solo album, "God Bless The Renegades", which came out in January 2020 via Rise Records.

Regarding his decision to record an EP this time around, Lowery said back in August: "I have debated on doing a full length but considering the fact that [SEVENDUST] downtime will not be as long as I originally planned, I think the better play is to do [an] EP to release sooner than later.

"It's been nearly 3 years since I recorded 'God Bless The Renegades' and really want to try some new directions as a writer.

"I do these releases as a labor of love and because it's an opportunity to explore some new ground."

On December 7, Clint offered an update on the EP sessions, writing on his social media: "Around a week or so go I completed recording an EP of 5 songs. Most of which was recorded in my basement and a make shift vocal booth.

"This is the first time I've attempted to track most everything myself and was an amazing experience and challenge to say the least.

"As for details on release, I plan on releasing it Feb 3 2023.

"I haven't released any music since early 2020 and want to start releasing songs regularly. I'm at a place where I feel like it doesn't make sense to just sit on ideas. I cherish the process of writing and have written over 100 ideas over last few years. Our new [SEVENDUST] record will also be dropping in 2023 which is another reason I wanted to release something sooner than later.

"I'm excited about the songs for this EP and proud that I was able to do it mainly myself. My friend Rich Wicander is currently mixing it for me.

"After this I plan on releasing another EP in the fall. Also concentrating on writing for other artist, collaborating with writers and supporting the new [SEVENDUST]."

Lowery recorded "God Bless The Renegades" with producer and co-writer Michael "Elvis" Baskette (SLASH, ALTER BRIDGE) at Studio Barbarosa in Florida. The drums on the disc were laid down by former VAN HALEN bassist and current MAMMOTH WVH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen.

In addition to SEVENDUST, Lowery has been a member of, written, recorded, or performed with CALL ME NO ONE, DARK NEW DAY, KORN, RED, Tommy Lee's METHODS OF MAYHEM, SNOT, 10 YEARS and DIGITAL SUMMER, among others.

New EP coming in Feb- 5 songs- preorder details and preview track coming soon- stay tuned- #ghostwriter #darkblanketrecords

Posted by Clint Lowery on Thursday, December 22, 2022

Hello friends,
Around a week or so go I’m completed recording an EP of 5 songs. Most of which was recorded in my...

Posted by Clint Lowery on Wednesday, December 7, 2022

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, vocalist Joel Birch of Australian metalcore trailblazers THE AMITY AFFLICTION revealed that the band completed recording its new album five months ago. Pressed about the LP's title and other details, Joel said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm not sure I'm allowed to say the title. I'm just gonna fucking say it. It's called 'Not Without My Ghosts', which is something that I saw in… I ripped it off. It's from this art show in Sheffield. And I was just walking past and I saw it, and I just wrote it into my notes. And I never went in or anything."

Birch went on to say that he wants to make it clear that he didn't come up with the phrase himself. "I'll tell everyone. I don't care about that shit. You've gotta credit people," he explained. "I didn't come up with that, but that did inform the direction for my lyrics. 'Cause I was, like, 'Oh, fuck. That's something I can apply to my past behaviors, my past experiences — everything; past traumas and everything.' One of the lines on one of the songs is 'I have to carry on but not without my ghosts.' That's sort of the overarching theme, I guess, of the record."

The 40-year-old singer, who has been diagnosed with the bipolar II disorder, a condition in which people experience patterns of hypomanic episodes, which are briefer and less severe than full manic episodes, along with depressive episodes, elaborated on the meaning of the "Not Without My Ghosts" for him, saying: "You can help it sometimes. No amount of therapy can excise [your ghosts]. It's sort of discussing how to move forward despite them. So happiness despite trauma."

Last month, THE AMITY AFFLICTION shared a powerful new song, "Show Me Your God", which will appear on "Not Without My Ghosts". Speaking about the single, Birch said: "'Show Me Your God' is the first song of our first self-produced record. The song is the first in a series of explorations and internal meditations on how our past shapes us and interacts with our various mental struggles in the present, drawing from both personal experience and also the trauma of close friends who have passed away or who have dealt with close loved ones passing away."

THE AMITY AFFLICTION will kick off a European tour in Paris, France in early January. Support on the trek will come from FIT FOR A KING, GIDEON and SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY.

Since emerging in 2008 on the debut "Severed Ties", THE AMITY AFFLICTION has served up two ARIA gold-certified albums, "Youngbloods" (2010) and "Chasing Ghosts" (2012),and earned a platinum certification from ARIA for the seminal "Let The Ocean Take Me" (2014). "This Could Be Heartbreak" (2016) marked the band's second consecutive Top 30 debut on the Billboard Top 200 and went gold in Australia, while "Misery" (2018) elevated them to new critical heights and most recently "Everyone Loves You...One You Leave Them" (2020) showed the band returning to their heavier side and saw the group's total stream tally surpass a billion.

Photo credit: Tom Barnes

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci has released a video message updating fans on what they can expect to see from him and his bandmates next year. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Coming up in 2023, DREAM THEATER will be continuing our 'Top Of The World' tour. For all of our friends in Europe and the U.K., we're gonna see you in January and February. And if you've already seen the show, we have made some significant changes and additions to the set, so you're not gonna wanna miss it. Come down again. We have other touring plans that we will announce throughout the year, so stay tuned. And, of course, I have my 'Guitar Universe' camp 2023 in August and some really cool John Petrucci and Tone Mission signature product coming. So, stay tuned for all of that in 2023. Happy holidays. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. And I will see all of you real soon."

This past June, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie spoke to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about what it has been like for him and his bandmates to return to the road during the pandemic. He said: "We just did six and a half weeks all throughout Europe, and it went great. There's still the 'COVID hangover' going on, so some of the shows were a little lighter than we had expected. But what was crazy is as the tour went on, the room were, 'Hey, guys, you sold out tonight,' 'Hey, guys, you know what? It's gonna be packed tonight.' And that became more and more evident the longer the tour was in place. But when we first started out, it was half-filled rooms, three-quarter rooms. And the promoter was, like, 'Don't worry about it, guys. This isn't your fault. This is happening to every single artist out there.' And we were, like, 'Wow. People are still very much affected by it over here.' But like I said, by the time we were maybe two or three weeks into it, everything looked like a normal DREAM THEATER tour, and it was amazing; it was excellent. We finished in Istanbul on June 1st. And that was amazing. We played this big outdoor venue and there was about ten thousand people. And it was just frickin' kickin' butt big time — big time. So it was a great tour."

LaBrie's comments echoed what DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess told the "Talking Into Infinity" video podcast about going back on tour. Jordan said: "Yeah, finally getting back on the road, it's been awesome… It's been amazing getting on the road. It was really hard to get on the road as well. But the fact that we are out here has been just incredible. We finally got through all the logistics that it took to make this happen, and luckily got through the U.S. tour, we got through the European tour successfully, without anybody getting COVID and having to cancel the whole thing. And it's been totally re-energizing. The energy of the fans has been amazing to see. I mean, it is a reality that in some locations there weren't as many people as there would have been if we weren't having a world pandemic; it's just what's going on. But when you feel the energy of the people and the joy in that they can get out there and experience live music again, it's incredible. And it's a great feeling.

"I have to say that when I first was heading out, I was, like, 'Oh my God. What's gonna happen? How is this gonna work?'' Jordan admitted. "But the reality of it has been amazing. Actually, last night was probably one of the greatest shows that I can remember because we were in Istanbul, Turkey and the crowd there — there was at least five thousand people — and it was so powerful. I walked on stage [and] I was almost like breathless for about two minutes because the energy from the crowd was so strong. I'm, like, 'Oh my God. I've gotta settle down and kind of collect myself.' 'Cause you wanna just play — you don't wanna get too crazy. But the impact of that crowd was so insane. But that was kind of related to what was going on. We just felt this love and support and energy. And [we were, like,' 'Wow.' [It was] amazing."

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

"A View From The Top Of The World" was described in a press released as "DREAM THEATER at its musical finest, expanding on the sound they helped create while maintaining the elements that have garnered them devoted fans around the globe." The seven-song album also marked the second studio album with InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "A View From The Top Of The World" was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, engineered and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap.

Original BULLETBOYS guitarist Mick Sweda, who exited the band seemingly for the final time a year ago, along with drummer Jimmy D'Anda, discussed his latest departure from the group in a new interview with Marko Syrjala of Metal Rules. He said: "Well, anytime we get together — and we've tried to do reunion things over the years — we know there's a shelf life. We know that there's going to be a moment when everything either implodes or explodes, one or the other. And unfortunately, it happened sooner than we had all hoped. There are some pretty interesting personalities in the band. Very strong, for better or worse. So yeah, it was really unfortunate that it came to pass. I was really looking forward to going out and doing a lot of dates that summer, and we had a lot of things lined up. But it's such that some people don't want to deal with that sort of negativity."

Sweda went on to say that "there are some very deep foundational cracks" between the original members of BULLETBOYS and added: "I'm never going to do anything with BULLETBOYS again. It's just been so… I don't know what the right word is. I suppose that it's just tainted by all the different people that have been in it. It doesn't even make sense for me to even think about it… And it's unfortunate because there was some good money coming with BULLETBOYS if we had stayed together. There aren't many bands that are all original. And that was a big thing — the promoters like that. But unfortunately, it wasn't to be. So yeah. And it's funny, too, because every time that happens, and it's happened a few times where I've had to leave the band again, it's like, 'Thank you. Now, I can clear my head. I don't have to take the calls. I don't have to stay up at night. I can just do something else.'"

Sweda previously opened up about his most recent departure from BULLETBOYS in an interview with "This That & The Other With Troy Patrick Farrell" nearly a year ago. Speaking about the personal differences that ultimately caused the reunited BULLETBOYS to fall apart, Mick said: "It's very difficult to explain. I know there's a lot of external noise, I know that there are voices whispering in everybody's ear, and once everybody gets away from that buzz [from playing together], it starts to set in. I'm not gonna speak for anybody else, but you start wondering what's happening. And then you hear something happened and somebody did this or somebody did that or said this, and it all just starts manifesting in this… I suppose it is insecurity, I suppose it is distrust. And for me, I have to be able to trust the guys in my band; I have to be able to know that somebody isn't gonna go behind someone else's back and say something or do something. And that just starts to dissipate, I suppose, with the time away. It's funny — when you get back together, all of that just sort of subsides into the background because there's a bigger goal in mind and a bigger picture; you want to achieve that and you don't wanna let everybody down. So it's easy to overlook that. But there comes a time where it just feels like it's toxic and poisonous, and nobody needs that in their life, especially at our age."

When Sweda first discussed his exit from BULLETBOYS during a January 3, 2022 Facebook Live stream, he said: "In the past, I know it's been brought up that anybody who isn't in BULLETBOYS has quit on the fans. And that may or may not be something you'll hear in interviews or whatever. And trust me, it has nothing to do with quitting on fans and everything to do with just not wanting to travel down a path that is fraught with strife and distrust and bitterness and everything else.

"It's really, at this point in our lives, imperative — at least for me; I'll speak for myself here — that I just remove all forms of toxicity," he explained. "And I'm sure all of you understand it just can't be a part of my life anymore. And the fact that we were all original and having some good shows and having a great time playing the shows — there's no doubt about that; I had a wonderful time and I was looking forward to doing it all of 2022 — but once it gets to a point where it's poisonous, you can't have it in your life…

"I'm grateful that everybody understands, and I apologize to you. I was really looking forward to this being a nice run, being a nice year and finding a way to make our way through it. But that is not to be."

The original BULLETBOYS lineup made its live return in December 2019 with a sold-out performance at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

Aside from one show in 2011, original BULLETBOYS members D'Anda, Sweda, bassist Lonnie Vencent and Torien had not performed together since 1993.

BULLETBOYS formed in 1988 at the very peak of the Los Angeles glam metal movement. As a collection of talented musicians, BULLETBOYS were able to quickly capture the attention of music fans around the world. Unlike other rockers of the day, the BULLETBOYS possessed more hard rock-blues fusion than pure hair metal. Thanks to comparisons to the likes of AEROSMITH and VAN HALEN, talent scouts came running and the band quickly received their first major label contract.

BULLETBOYS' self-titled debut was released in 1988 via Warner Bros. and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned two hit singles, a cover of the O'JAYS classic "For The Love Of Money" and "Smooth Up in Ya", both of which charted on the Mainstream Rock chart and saw regular airplay on MTV. BULLETBOYS went on to release two more albums, 1991's "Freakshow" and 1993's "Za-Za", before splitting up.

In a new interview with Dawn Osborne of TotalRock, PRETTY MAIDS singer Ronnie Atkins, who is battling stage four cancer, was asked if there are any plans for him to do anything again with the long-running Danish hard rock outfit. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Nothing. We haven't seen each other since 2019. And there are some issues within the band that haven't been [resolved]. So nothing is happening. Ken [Hammer, guitar] is doing some other projects. Everybody is doing their own things, kind of. I'm not saying we won't get back together one day. Maybe — I don't know. But time is not on our side. Let's see. It would need some talks — a band meeting and some talk — before we go on."

He added: "I'm a bit like 'I've been there, done that.' I mean, sometimes I miss it. On the other hand, I'm on with something else now, doing my own stuff. And I'm probably gonna do a new [solo] album at some point."

As for how he plans on spending the next few months, he said: "I don't really know what the plans are for 2023. Right now, it's really, really, really tough times for rock and roll. It's really tough setting up a tour, because a lot of people have told me recently that the gigs are not packed for bands of a certain level. And I think we're looking at a very difficult '23, not to be pessimistic."

Formed in early 1982 by Atkins and Hammer, PRETTY MAIDS' third album, 1987's "Future World", is still today regarded as a "classic."

During the ensuing years, PRETTY MAIDS continued to release albums usually followed by European and Japanese tours.

PRETTY MAIDS' latest album, "Undress Your Madness", came out in November 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

This past July, Ronnie told Chaoszine that he is "living in intervals of three months — from scan to scan. You never know what's gonna happen," he explained. "I never know what they're gonna tell me next time I turn up. I feel okay now, but it can happen pretty fast sometimes. The red light's been flashing a couple of times. They didn't find anything. The last two years I've been cancer-free, so to speak. It's still there; I've got metastasis in my bones — it's spread to the bone now, which is very bad. But I had immunotherapy for two years, which is probably why I'm still here. Now I'm not getting any treatments. I'm just saying that the future is very unpredictable."

Atkins went on to say that he is battling "constant pain issues" but added, "I've got 20 pills a day to keep it under control. It's nerve damage from the surgery and all the radiation therapy. Everything comes with a price. But [at least] I'm alive."

Asked how long he thinks he can keep recording music and touring, Atkins said: "I'm happy every day I can open up my eyes. That's just the conditions of my life now. The cancer thing is totally a game changer, not just for me but for my family too. It's there 24-7 in your subconscious. But I feel good. It's not that I'm whining all the time or anything like that. I just go ahead and try to live my life as I used to, as much as I can. And that's it. It's not that I'm sitting [and saying], 'I've got half a year left.' I don't know how [long I have]. I'm not terminal. I just take it as it comes, really. That's all I can do."

He continued: "If you read the statistics, four or five percent [of the people with my type of cancer] are alive after five years. That's not really good. I'm on my third year now. So I try not to think about that. As I say, I take it as it comes."

Regarding how much of his daily thought process is occupied by his cancer battle, Ronnie said: "It's in your subconscious, 'cause you get reminded every day. Now I'm doing an interview with you, and we're talking about it. So I can never really let it go. I might meet somebody at the grocery store [and they ask you], 'Hey, how are you doing?' and stuff like that. You go on the Internet, and somebody died of cancer. You get constantly reminded about it. So that, of course… it's a bit of a dagger hanging above your head. But it is what is, and I can't change that. I'm alive."

After being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019, the now-58-year-old Atkins underwent at least 33 radiation and four chemotherapy treatments in the fall of that year before being declared cancer-free. In October 2020, he announced that his cancer had returned.

In a 2013 interview with Myglobalmind, Atkins joked that the secret to keeping his voice in shape was "twenty cigarettes a day and little drink now and then."

Ronnie's second solo album, "Make It Count", was released in March via Frontiers Music Srl.

Photo credit: Tallee Savage

In a newly uploaded interview with AndrewHaug.com, recorded this past June, KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza was asked if he still listens to new albums from other classic thrash metal bands, such as TESTAMENT. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Absolutely. I think the last TESTAMENT album was really cool; I really liked it. And I think thrash metal is in a very healthy state in general. The classic bands are releasing amazing albums still — EXODUS, TESTAMENT, you name 'em. DEATH ANGEL… All these bands are still putting out crushing records. Even the new DESTRUCTION is really, really good. I think a lot of the bands have their shit together, it seems, and they come up with cool stuff still to this day."

Mille previously discussed his appreciation for other thrash acts in a 2017 interview with Metal As Fuck. He stated at the time: "There is a lot of new bands now. Some great new bands and some of the older bands are coming out with great new material also. I think it is a vital and healthy scene still and the energy is still there. It is also still a very youthful style of music even though some of the bands are not as young. We're all still young at heart. That is how I would describe thrash metal today."

KREATOR's fifteenth studio album, "Hate Über Alles", was released in June. The follow-up to 2017's "Gods Of Violence" was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.

The "Hate Über Alles" cover artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

In March 2020, KREATOR surprise-released a new single, "666 - World Divided". The song was produced by Andy Sneap and Markus Ganter and was recorded at Hansa Tonstudios.

"Hate Über Alles" marks KREATOR's first album with bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019.

KREATOR played its first show with Leclercq in October 2019 in Santiago, Chile.

Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.

In a new interview with PRS Guitars, DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li reflected on how he and his bandmates developed their sound, which combines the sing-along choruses of classic 1980s rock with triumphant, uplifting melodies and fantasy-themed power-metal-inspired lyrics. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Looking back now, and I still remember, the only reason we were playing music is because we enjoyed it. And we wanted to play onstage. I've always thought the experience of performing in front of an audience was exciting; same thing with Sam [Totman, guitar]. But we made this band, and we thought, 'Well, in order to play live, we've gotta make demos and we have to get record deals. That's the only way we can get on tour and have a great time.' And at that time, when we started the band, playing guitar solos, any kind of technical, melodic [music] — with melodic singing — was kind of being laughed at a lot around the world, especially in England and America. People laughed at us: 'Oh, you guys play solos. That is so yesterday. Who cares?' And, 'You guys have singing. That's so cheesy.' So what happened is it actually made us do more of everything that people [were] laughing at us for. So we made double the amount of guitar solos, made it more melodic [with lots of] harmonies. It was kind of like a 'F.U.' way to say, 'You don't like what we play? Well, you know what? We're gonna go an extra mile and take it to another level to the extreme.'"

Herman continued: "That's what happened. And as the albums went on, we took it to another level. And people didn't really like it at the beginning. They thought, 'This is too fast, too much guitars.' But slowly, the world kind of turned around and we were the only people at that time that went up with that kind of extreme guitar playing on to the mainstream; it kind of exploded. And, of course, I had to have the longest hair, because if you're gonna have long hair, [you should have it] the longest. Go most crazy. Trampoline on stage, everything — the clock, everything. You name it. We tried to go one up. More was more. And that's kind of how it came about. And it defined our sound, was going against the grain of what was popular at that time."

Last month, DRAGONFORCE released a music video for the song "The Last Dragonborn". The track is taken from DRAGONFORCE's latest album, "Extreme Power Metal", which came out in September 2019. Produced in Los Angeles, California by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited, the LP was also recorded, in part, on Li's livestream channel on Twitch with participation from the fans.

"The Last Dragonborn" is the first DRAGONFORCE music video to feature new bassist Alicia Vigil, who first joined the band as a touring member in January 2020.

DRAGONFORCE's platinum-selling single "Through The Fire And Flames" brought the London-based Grammy-nominated extreme power metal group international acclaim and was featured as the most challenging song on "Guitar Hero III".

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

In August 2019, DRAGONFORCE parted ways with longtime bassist Frédéric Leclercq. He has since joined German thrashers KREATOR.

As part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, former LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler, who played on MEGADETH's "Dystopia" album, was asked if he received a Grammy statuette for his work on the LP. MEGADETH was honored with a Grammy for the "Dystopia" title track in the "Best Metal Performance" category in at the 59th annual Grammy Awards in February 2017.

"The ceremony itself I did not attend," Adler said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And that was kind of a good and mutual decision in that Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] and myself agreed that for Dirk [Verbeuren, current MEGADETH drummer] to feel like he was part of the band and Dave to be supportive of that, he should be the one there. And I had no problem with that. In fact, I was the one that recommended Dirk for the position. So I thought it was great. And they were cool enough to send me my own [Grammy Award] with my name on it. So it's good stuff all the way around. So I was very happy, clearly, with that."

Adler took part in most of MEGADETH's live shows in support of "Dystopia" between January and May of 2016. On those shows in late 2015 and early 2016 where Adler was unable to perform with MEGADETH, he was temporarily replaced by Tony Laureano (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, NILE, ANGELCORPSE),the veteran extreme-metal skinsman who had worked as the band's drum tech since 2011. Since May 2016, MEGADETH has utilized the services of Verbeuren, the Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer who had previously played with SOILWORK for more than a decade.

Less than two years ago, Chris talked about how he landed the MEGADETH gig in an interview with Saint Virus Bar. He said: "I'm in L.A. I'm recording drums for [LAMB OF GOD's 'VII: Sturm Und Drang' album]. We had been on tour in 2005 with MEGADETH. And I get a call really early in the morning — like, six in the morning. And it is Dave Mustaine's guitar tech, a guy named Willie G who I became good friends with along the tour; a great guy. And Willie's, like, 'Hey, your phone's gonna ring in about five minutes, and you should answer it.' I'm, like, 'Okay. Sure.' And the phone rings in five minutes, and it's Dave. And Dave's, like, 'Hey, I enjoyed touring with you. Good chat now and then.' He's not a particularly social guy on tour, but we did hang out a couple of times for breakfast or whatever. And he's, like, 'There's a lot of people that I really trust that tell me you're somebody that I think I should be talking to right now. I'd really like to go back and make a pretty sick thrash record, and I'm interested in having you be a part of that, if you'd like to be.' And it was a 'Candid Camera' kind of moment. 'Is something happening?' It really was the band that changed my life, and now I'm on a phone call that's about to change my life again."

Dirk was recommended for the MEGADETH job by Adler, who called Verbeuren "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

During a July 2016 press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, Mustaine said that Adler was never a full-time member of MEGADETH and was merely "a session guy" for the "Dystopia" album and some of the subsequent shows. "It was what you could call 'work for hire,'" he said.

Four months earlier, Mustaine told the South Orange, New Jersey radio station WSOU that he "thought it was really inspiring being around [Chris] and his positive energy and really optimistic outlook towards life and music in general. It was good for me [and] it was good for the band."

In a 2015 interview with "The Jasta Show", Chris stated about the songwriting sessions for "Dystopia": "When I first heard the demos, it was well played and it was drum machine, drum samples and stuff, and it wasn't really, kind of, my style of playing. It felt like, kind of, what had been going on before, where it was just [hums a basic beat]. And I really wanted to not have to do that. And so, right away, I brought that up [to Dave]. I said, 'Listen, I'm thankful that you're calling me. But are you calling me because somebody is telling you to call me, or are you calling me because you've heard what I've done and you want me to do some of that — at least some of that — on your record. Because this stuff that's on here is not… that's not cool.'"

Adler went on to say that Mustaine was open to suggestions during the songwriting process. "For example, we did a [cover of a] song called 'Foreign Policy' by FEAR — and old punk rock tune — and it was fun," he said. "And it's a punk rock tune. But as we soon as we learned it… We learned it and played it in one day. And I'm throwing in a ton of double bass. And he stops the song in the middle. He's, like, 'Woah woah woah. What's with the double bass? It's a punk rock song. What are you doing?' I was, like, 'Yeah, it's a punk rock song. But FEAR was a punk rock band. MEGADETH is a metal band. This is MEGADETH. Let's do this the MEGADETH way.' And we kind of moved on to other things. And the next day he came back in. He said, 'You know what?! I was thinking about that last night. You're right, man.' He was, like, 'Let's do this. Let's make it MEGADETH.'"

The Punk Rock Museum will debut the world's most comprehensive attraction dedicated to the history, culture and absurdity of rock 'n' roll's bastard stepchild in Las Vegas on March 10, 2023. To be located at 1422 Western Ave. next to a strip club in a gritty industrial area between the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown, the 12,000-square-foot museum is now under construction.

When it opens, The Punk Rock Museum will house not only artifacts and memorabilia from across the world's punk scene — such as handwritten lyrics, instruments, clothing, photos, flyers and artwork — but also a bar, tattoo parlor, wedding/wake chapel, punk merch shop, performance space and more. Guests will also be able to take guided tours with notable punk and hardcore musicians — including Roger Miret from hardcore pioneers AGNOSTIC FRONT, Louiche Mayorga from SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Noodles from THE OFFSPRING, Stacey Dee from BAD COP/BAD COP, Don Bolles from THE GERMS/45 GRAVES, Angelo Moore from FISHBONE, Greg Hetson from CIRCLE JERKS/PUNK ROCK KARAOKE, Warren Fitzgerald from THE VANDALS, Pete Koller from SICK OF IT ALL, Smelly from NOFX, Joe Escalante from THE VANDALS, Linh Le from BAD COP/BAD COP and Zach Blair from RISE AGAINST.

Guided tours will be offered multiple times a day and will be limited to 20 people per tour.

The Punk Rock Museum began when Mike "Fat Mike" Burkett of the American punk rock band NOFX was bouncing around the idea of opening a punk rock store with a bunch of friends, including former Warped Tour manager Lisa Brownlee. Quickly, the idea grew, and Burkett put together a group including PENNYWISE guitarist Fletcher Dragge, Bryan Ray Turcotte, Vinnie Fiorello and hundreds of like-minded musicians and industry professionals who became the Punk Collective. With their collaboration, the concept snowballed into a much larger endeavor — the creation of The Punk Rock Museum. Together, the Punk Collective envisioned a museum celebrating the genre's substantial cultural impact over the last half-century. Prominent figures from the scene who stepped forward as museum investors include Pat Smear, Brett Gurewitz, Kevin Lyman and Tony Hawk.

"The Punk Rock Museum will celebrate not only famous punk bands, but also every punk band that has ever been on a flyer, played in a basement or recorded a demo tape," states the Punk Collective. "We chose Las Vegas as our location because the destination welcomes visitors from all over the world, plus its always-growing concert and festival scene is unmatched."

Lifelong punk fans and curious looky-loos alike will enjoy a distinctively hands-on, punk rock experience when they tour The Punk Rock Museum. Visitors will see extraordinary artifacts, such as Debbie Harry's iconic VULTURES shirt, Johnny Thunders's 1959 guitar, the molds for the DEVO helmets, DC SCREAM's amp form the "Faith/Void" cover, the chainsaw SUM 41 used to kick off their shows during the "Does This Look Infected" tour, FEAR's saxophone, an entire outfit from THE INTERRUPTERS' Aimee Allen and other well-used-and-abused objects from their favorite artists.

In addition, punk fans of all ages can visit the museum's Jam Room, where they can play real guitars and basses owned by artists using their actual amps. Artists whose instruments and amps are featured in this room include RISE AGAINST, NOFX, PENNYWISE, SICK OF IT ALL, STRUNG OUT and many more.

We have two huge announcements! Our new opening date is March 10th, 2023 with single day tickets available in January....

Posted by thepunkrockmuseum on Wednesday, December 21, 2022