"Bohemian Rhapsody", the iconic single by British rock legends QUEEN, recently crossed the threshold of two billion streams on Spotify. The news comes less than two years after the QUEEN classic was officially certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),representing 10 million or more in sales and stream equivalents in the United States.

QUEEN was the first British band in music history to earn the diamond song award.

This is the latest in a long line of extraordinary achievements for "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was QUEEN's first Top 10 hit in the U.S. In the U.K., it went to No. 1 for 9 consecutive weeks, a record at the time, before returning to the top of the charts again in 1991. It was named the most-streamed song of the 20th century and its companion video passed one billion views on YouTube, making history as the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on the platform. In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and Freddie Mercury's vocal performance was named by the readers of Rolling Stone magazine as the best in rock history.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is also one of the many QUEEN hits featured on the band's blockbuster compilation "Platinum Collection, Vol. 1-3", which was certified five times platinum. This blockbuster compendium, which hit No. 6 on the Billboard 200, features tracks like "Another One Bites The Dust", "Killer Queen", "Under Pressure", "We Will Rock You", "We Are The Champions" and so many more.

QUEEN remains one of the most popular groups in the world today, transcending multiple generations of fans, a position further buoyed by the phenomenal global success of their Academy Award-winning 2018 biographical film "Bohemian Rhapsody", which tells the incredible story of the band's historic career and quickly became the highest grossing music biopic in history.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was first released as a single on October 31, 1975. Despite its unconventional structure and exorbitant length for a single, it became QUEEN's first Top 10 hit in the U.S. In the U.K., it went to No. 1 for nine consecutive weeks, a record at the time. The song revisited the charts 16 years later, when it appeared in the 1992 comedy "Wayne's World", starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.
👏👏 2 BILLION streams of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody!’ on @Spotify! 👑 pic.twitter.com/ByV46qqDZg

— Queen (@QueenWillRock) December 20, 2022

Former Sodom guitarist Andy Brings has shared an unreleased video performance from his private collection of the band performing "Bombenhagel" live at the Philipshalle in Düsseldorf, Germany on the Christmas Metal Meetings Tour ´93. Along with Sodom, the tour featured Motörhead, Kreator, Entombed, Depressive Age and Skew Siskin.





Sodom released their fifth album, Tapping The Vein, on August 1st, 1992. Back in August, Brings celebrated the record's 30th Anniversary with the following message:




"Happy birthday Tapping The Vein! Thirty years ago today, my very first album ever came out, and for many fans around the world it is one of the absolute highlights in the Sodom discography. This makes me very proud.


This anniversary marks 30 professional years for me, as well as a path traveled, which has been quite unique in shape and diversity. This makes me a little bit more proud because I took it on my terms, no matter what price I had to pay for it.


To the next 30 years!"





On June 5th, Sodom made an unhrehearsed surprise appearance at Rock Hard Festival 2022 in Gelsenkirchen. Celebrating the 30th anniverasary of their Tapping The Vein album, the band performed three songs with Andy Brings (Double Crush Syndrome), who was a band member at that time.


Setlist:


"Body Parts"
"One Step Over The Line"
"Wachturm"





Tapping the Vein is the last Sodom album to feature original drummer, Christian "Witchhunter" Dudek.





Tracklist:


"Body Parts"
"Skinned Alive"
"One Step Over the Line"
"Deadline"
"Bullet in the Head"
"The Crippler"
"Wachturm"
"Tapping the Vein"
"Back to War"
"Hunting Season"
"Reincarnation"

Mexican heavy rock / stoner combo Devil's Whiskey has signed a deal with WormHoleDeath for their album Historias de Muerte, due for release on January 27th, 2023.


Devil´s Whiskey is the reflection of a sterile, sordid, and violent border between México and the United States of America. Is the terror of disappearing from one side of the wall, or ending up jailed on the other? Is sad drunkenness, a joint, a contradiction between a maniac god and a reasoning devil?


Historias de Muerte cover art and tracklisting:







"A Ritual Of Eyes"
"Behind The Hills"
"Black Poison"
"Born In The Dirt"
"Obsidiana"
"Féretro"
"45"


Historias de Muerte album teaser:





 

Grab-you-by-the-collar Louisiana metal outfit Vermilion Whiskey is preparing to release their third album, Crimson & Stone, on May 26th, 2023. The album varies from head-nodders to fist-pumpers, with no pretensions of being anything other than a heavy hunk of good ol’ southern style. Check out the official trailer:





The American south is steeped in rich musical tradition. In a time when metal is in a constant cycle of who can be the most brutal, we often forget where the tradition started and its signature sound. Leading the stripped bare and played loud is hard rocking stoner metal outfit Vermilion Whiskey. The Louisiana-based band is southern-fried hard rock at its finest. 




Hitting the studio hard in early 2022, the band is eager to return to playing live shows across their regional Gulf Coast stomping ground and beyond. Vermilion Whiskey recruited Tommy Buckley of Crowbar / Soilent Green to rehearse and record drum tracks, and also found current live drummer Wade Perkins, who was instrumental in helping to produce drum tracks alongside Tommy and Duane Simoneaux at OCD Recording and Production in New Orleans, Louisiana.


This newest offering is a blend of classic Vermilion Whiskey southern hard rock, driving stoner riffage, dabs of dissonant overtones, and a heavy helping of pure Louisiana sludge. 





Tracklisting:


"Intro"    
"Down On You"    
"The Get Down"    
"Confidence"
"Good Lovin"    
"Interlude"
"Dissonance"
"Atrophy"
"Hollow"


"Atrophy" sizzle reel:





For further details, visit VermilionWhiskey.com.


 

WARMEN, the brainchild of former CHILDREN OF BODOM keyboardist Janne "Warman" Wirman, has inked a deal with Reaper Entertainment. The band's new album will arrive in 2023.

WARMEN started as a solo project of Wirman, and when the keyboardist wasn't traveling the world with CHILDREN OF BODOM, he was regularly recording albums with his brother Antti Wirman (guitar),Jyri Helko (bass) and Mirka Rantanen (drums; KOTIPELTO, ex-HEVISAURUS). After the much-too-early end of CHILDREN OF BODOM and the tragic death of Alexi Laiho, Janne, together with Antti, found his way back to music through WARMEN.

Janne comments: "After the abrupt ending of CHILDREN OF BODOM, I wasn't sure if I'll ever make music again. We did a couple of song writing sessions last year with my brother and Jyri and I realized that I still have a lot of desire for music and together we wrote an album of exciting new stuff. We teamed up with Flori and Greg from the Reaper Entertainment, as I had worked with them before with great results, and knew they understood my past with BODOM and where we wanted to go next with WARMEN."

Flori from Reaper Entertainment adds: "After all, it's an open secret that our company name was a reference or tribute to CHILDREN OF BODOM. Greg and I were big fans and attended many of the band's concerts together. In the process, we developed a great friendship with the band — but especially with Janne. When we saw on Facebook that Janne and Antti were working on new WARMEN songs, we just had to offer them our help. It's a great honor for us that Janne accepted immediately and now we can eagerly wait for the new album."

WARMEN's last official album, "First Of The Five Elements", was initially released in 2014 via the crowdfunding platform PledgeMusic, which however ceased operations shortly thereafter. Since very few copies of the album hit the market, Reaper Entertainment is now re-releasing the album to shorten the wait for the new album. The direction of the material is classically inspired power metal, but, similar to CHILDREN OF BODOM, the focus of WARMEN is on the interplay of guitar and keyboard perfected by the Wirman brothers. In addition to ten original songs, cover versions of Madonna and Alice Cooper provide surprises, and for the vocals on "First Of The Five Elements", the quartet was able to secure Pasi Rantanen (THUNDERSTONE),Jonna Kosonen and Laiho as guest musicians.

"First Of The Five Elements" will be re-released in March 2023, to be followed by a new WARMEN album later in the year.

Former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo has collaborated with his wife on a "love song" called "The Gift".

Earlier today, the 57-year-old Cuban-born musician shared an Andy Wallis-created video for the track via his YouTube channel, and he wrote in an accompanying message: "A romantic love song for the holiday season, written by my wife and I."

"The Gift" was written and recorded by Paula and Dave Lombardo and was mastered by John Golden of Golden Mastering.

During a recent question-and-answer session with the readers of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Lombardo was asked if he would have joined SLAYER guitarist Kerry King's new band had he been approached about it. He responded: "I knew that was coming. I am, right now, working on too many other projects and I wouldn't be able to accept. New DEAD CROSS, MR. BUNGLE… the pandemic put a lot of stuff on hold, so we need to play some catch-up there. Besides that, he's got Paul Bostaph [playing with him], and I don't think he would have the need to ask me."

Lombardo was also asked if he would play with SLAYER again if the band reunited and wanted him to be part of the lineup. He said: "I don't think that's ever going to happen. But, yeah, I'd listen to whatever it is they had to say. That's it. You can't go any further than that."

Lombardo, who has spent most of the recent years between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.

Shortly after his dismissal, Lombardo said that he discovered that 90 percent of SLAYER's tour income was being deducted as expenses, including fees to management, costing the band millions and leaving them with about 10 percent to split four ways. While he and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya hired auditors to figure out what had happened, Lombardo said he was never allowed to see any of the information obtained.

SLAYER played its last-ever show in November 2019 at The Forum in Los Angeles.

Lombardo rejoined TESTAMENT earlier this year.

Congratulations Dave & Paula,all the best!!!

Posted by Dave Lombardo official fan club on Friday, August 31, 2018

On December 4, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet met MERCYFUL FATE singer King Diamond — whose real name is Kim Bendix Petersen — for the first time when the two bands performed at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest. Speaking to Waste Some Time With Jason Green about the experience, Sweet said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just met Kim, King Diamond [of] MERCYFUL FATE. In all these years, I've had this perception of Kim, and then I met Kim, and he was so polite — one of the nicest guys I've ever met. [He was] very cordial and friendly, and took a picture and shook my hand and looked into my eyes and engaged in conversation. And you could tell he was interested in talking. And I just was blown away. And all those perceptions were annihilated because I felt like, 'Okay, here's this guy that probably won't like us — or like me.' And we had a great conversation. If we went to dinner and had a dinner, we'd probably have a great dinner. But we're polar opposites. So I find that very interesting. And at the end of the day, it makes me realize that we're all the same — we're all flesh and blood; we all have feelings; we all have emotions; and most of those are the same."

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

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

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

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

Formed 39 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

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

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

Posted by MERCYFUL FATE on Monday, December 5, 2022

Stjepan Juras, founder at Full Metal Service and former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno's care giver, has checked in with the following update on Di'Anno:


"For those wondering what Paul Di'Anno is doing next... Paul is currently in Split, Croatia. He is recording an album with the group Warhorse and at the same time undergoing physiotherapy treatments. He will stay in Split until the beginning of 2023. His time in Croatia is coming to an end, as Paul travels to the UK in mid-January, after which he goes on a Latin American tour. He successfully underwent all the necessary treatments and operations and now all that remains is a strong will and exercise in order to regain his muscles and gradually walk. Technically speaking, his legs are ready for it. What he needs most now is motivation to get his life back in the best possible way.


"Three sold-out concerts in Greece, the longest tour by a foreign musician in Brazil and Latin America ever, the recording of a new album and the release of a new documentary are just a small part of what follows and what motivates him to train and fight. His album with Warhorse will feature a special guest musician, and he will also appear in a special concert in Brazil. Who is that, can you guess?




"To cut a long story short... Paul's recovery and starting to walk requires constant work and motivation, so I invite all fans to once again help Paul get back on his feet with motivational messages and constant support. And I will try to make something happen after that, which everyone has been dreaming about for a long time..."


Di'Anno, along with guitarist Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne), recently played dates Greece, performing tracks from the two albums he recorded with Maiden - the self-titled Iron Maiden (1980), and Killers (1981). Fan-filmed footage from the Athens date, courtesy of the YouTube channel Hronis Arva, can be viewed below.

Finnish rockers, Leaflet, will release their sophomore album, Something Beyond, this coming January via Rockshots Records. The album follows their debut album Outta Door released through VR Label Finland in 2017.


Today, the band releases the album's title track. Stream the song here, and watch a visualizer below.


Says the band: "'Something Beyond' was the last song to be written for this album and it also ended up being the title track. It deals with battling your inner demons and therefore is an extremely personal song. When we went recording this song we only had the bare minimum of the song finished with hardly any vocals and lyrics. Luckily it ended up as one of the strongest performances on the album!"







The band comments on Something Beyond: "With this album, we are definitely showing that rock music is alive and pumping! The album is full of catchy metal-influenced rock tunes that would fit perfectly in the heavy rotation of every rock radio station. The album has a lot of variety within the songs and we got a diverse selection of singles as well. Three very different singles trying to represent the entire album as well as possible. As singles, we got one heavy and hard-hitting tune, one straightforward and super catchy tune, and one fast-paced in-your-face type of tune. You should check out them all to see what you think! "


Formed in 2013, Leaflet is a four-piece hard rock band from Turku, Finland. Their music can be described as metal-infused American-style hard rock and while you might hear echoes of bands like Alter Bridge or Shinedown they have their own unique Nordic flavour. “Our musical cocktail is a blend of many things. Although we love the ‘80s, we are trying to keep our hard rock fresh and not follow the retro route”, the band says.


The band has performed on Finnish festivals such as Kuopiorock and Saaristo Open Air along with touring across their home country to support their debut album. They also spent time on the road in the Baltics with Willie & the Goodsouls in 2018 again playing clubs and festivals.


In 2019, Leaflet released “Johnny Two-Face” as a single through VR Label Finland followed by an ambitious music video shot in both Turku, Finland, and Tokyo, Japan. After a couple of years of silence due to the pandemic, the band is now back with their second album “Something Beyond” to be released by Rockshots Records in January 20, 2023, sounding stronger than ever.


Pre-order at the Rockshots Records webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Gonna Do It”
“Resonate”
“Alone Alive”
“Earth”
“Johnny Two-Face”
“Tattoos Of Life”
“Shades Of Black”
“Someone Somewhere”
“Something Beyond”


“Gonna Do It” video:

MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn has weighed in on the fact that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) have united with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

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

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

Flynn discussed his views on the PANTERA comeback in an interview with Brazilian journalist Gustavo Maiato. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's gonna be awesome for fans. I think if you were born in 1999, two years before PANTERA broke up, you're gonna get to see those songs again and see the band live, which is cool. Good for the fans."

Back in January 2016, Flynn released a video message criticizing Anselmo for the apparent "white power" gesture the PANTERA singer made onstage after his appearance at "Dimebash".

Anselmo performed the PANTERA classic "Walk" at the January 22, 2016 event at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood, California in honor of Dimebag. As he left the stage, he made a Nazi-style salute. He appeared to say "white power" as he made the gesture, but he later claimed he was referring to drinking white wine as part of an "inside joke" and was reacting to the audience members up front who he said were taunting him.

Flynn, who performed at "Dimebash" alongside Anselmo and a number of other notable musicians, uploaded an eleven-minute video response to the incident in which he called Anselmo a "big bully" and described Philip's actions as "fucking wrong." The video has since been viewed nearly two million times on YouTube.

In December 2016, Anselmo responded to Flynn's comments publicly in an interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", accusing the MACHINE HEAD frontman of wanting to "ride the coattails."

Anselmo told host Eddie Trunk: "Everybody in my camp and everybody around us, anybody who's ever watched Robert [Flynn] over the years knows that he watches me, and watches me, and watches me, and sits in the corner, and watches me, and then when we get on stage together… You know what? It all comes down to, and straight up, he wants to ride the coattails, Jack — he wants to ride the coattails. He started off a song, and I told him to stop. I hadn't even announced the song, so he took that as a slight. He started a song without me announcing the goddamn song, and I said something like, 'You don't know me,' which is, once again, my sense of humor, and I know it hurt his little… his ego or whatever, which, you know, sorry for you, brother, but I'm not sorry. So he made an eleven-minute video, and some dude who knows nothing about me except PANTERA and this and that. I'm a believer in freedom of speech whether you're joking around or not — whatever."

Anselmo added: "This whole I'm-a-racist thing is infuriating, because it's false — absolutely false. And I'd like to turn around and say, hey, what have you done to better your community, Robert? If you're gonna call me out on this supposed heinous act, what have you done? What have you done? I know what I've done. I know what I've done for the inner-city kids in Detroit when the Kronk boxing gym was getting closed down, I forked over thousands of dollars that I most certainly did not have to make sure those kids got fed, clothed and had a place to sleep, because it was run by the last father figure I had in my goddamn life, a black man named Emanuel Steward, rest in peace, who used to call me before every fight that he would call on HBO, and say, 'Whatcha think, Phil?' And he would ask me my opinion of what I thought the outcome would be."

In June 206, Flynn confirmed that he re-wrote part of the lyrics for the MACHINE HEAD song "Is There Anybody Out There?" to include lines that are a commentary on the "white power" gesture Anselmo made onstage at "Dimebash".

The reformed PANTERA played its third concert without Rex Thursday night (December 15) at Vibra in São Paulo, Brazil. The show took place three days after Rex confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test forced him to miss PANTERA's performance at Knotfest Chile in Santiago on Sunday (December 11). Filling in for him at both gigs was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

PANTERA is next scheduled to play another show in São Paulo — on Sunday, December 18 at Knotfest Brasil.

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.

In a recent interview with "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless looked back on his involvement with "Stars", the 1985 charity single for famine relief released under the HEAR 'N AID banner.

On May 20 and May 21, 1985, 40 artists from the metal community gathered at A&M Records Studios in Hollywood, California to participate in the making of a record called "Stars" as a part of a very special fundraising project spearheaded by Ronnie James Dio known as HEAR 'N AID. The "Stars" single and a video documentary on the making of the record was used to raise money for famine relief efforts in Africa and around the world. These 40 artists — including members of MÖTLEY CRÜE, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, QUIET RIOT, TWISTED SISTER, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT and even SPINAL TAP — along with hundreds of other volunteers, donated their time and talent over four months to make HEAR 'N AID a reality. "Stars" was a plea for unity in the fight against world hunger.

Lawless spoke about his experience recording "Stars" during a "VIP Experience" question-and-answer session before W.A.S.P.'s December 11 concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Ken Kragen was the guy that produced that, and Ken was also — he passed away, like, two years ago — Ken was the guy that put together 'We Are The World' [with] Michael Jackson and Ray Charles and all those guys. Actually, in the same room at A&M Records where they had done that. Well, as the story went, Ken had a big sign posted on the front door, when you walked in the studio: 'Check your ego at the door.' Well, when we got there, the same sign was on the door. But the odd part about it was once you got in the room, the sign was not necessary at all. Because you're looking around the room at all those faces you recognize, and if anybody had an ego in there, they didn't show it. Because it humbles you when you're in there with that kind of talent. As a matter of fact, Ronnie came out at one point… When we started the group thing when we were in the room, and Ronnie came out after about ten, fifteen minutes, he goes, 'C'mon, guys. Loosen up. You're all so stiff out here.' So that's when I went down and got Kevin DuBrow [QUIET RIOT] on my shoulders and started loosening up. And plus, there was an open bar. And the longer that went on, people got loose."

Due to contract differences with the labels, the "Stars" song and album weren't released until New Year's Day, 1986, and were only ever made available on vinyl and cassette. But Ronnie's wife and manager Wendy Dio has said in recent years that she is continuing her efforts to correct that.

Wendy previously revealed that one of the reasons the HEAR 'N AID reissue was taking so long to come out was the "legal stuff" that needed to be taken care of. "You can always get the bands to do something, but it's the legal licensing of talking with the record labels they're on and the management and so on, to get something off the ground," she said. "So we're hoping to do that."

In a new interview with The Metal Voice, former JUDAS PRIEST vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens spoke about the status of the sophomore album from his new group KK'S PRIEST, in which he is joined by another ex-JUDAS PRIEST member, guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just finished [recording the vocals for] the last [song] a couple of days ago. I'm sure I'll have to go back and redo a few things on 'em — maybe add some parts, whatever. I mean, I sent a lot of vocals.

"I really like it," he continued. "And the music I had, it still needed guitar parts, which is already done. Because they just sent it to me early stages, which they've already added stuff; [K.K.] and [guitarist] A.J. [Mills] have been in the studio doing it.

"It's really close [to being done]," he added. "Now it's really in the mixing process, I think, and producing the stuff and moving some stuff around."

As for the musical direction of the second KK'S PRIEST, album, Owens said: "I actually really like it. I think it's next level from the last one [2021's 'Sermons Of The Sinner']. I think the last one was the perfect record.

"What I said to people, when they would say [about 'Sermons Of The Sinner'], 'This kind of sounds like PRIEST.' But it's, like, no, it sounds like K.K. Downing. I mean, that's what he has written. This next one, though, I think, is that and beyond. Vocally, it's gotten a little heavier. It's got tons of highs still, but it's got edgier vocals. It's got some melodic, beautiful vocals, but it's just edgier, I think. I enjoyed doing this one a lot."

Owens also talked about the fact that KK'S PRIEST was recently announced as one of the co-headliners of next year's edition of the Alcatraz open air hard rock and heavy metal festival, set to take place August 11-13, 2023 in Kortrijk, Belgium.

"Next year is gonna be pretty swamped because KK'S PRIEST, now we're finally gonna put this record out and tour," Tim explained. "So the plan is to just tour non-stop for a year or two… I think the plan is to hit the road [extensively].

"I don't think [K.K.] wants to just do festivals," Owens added. "It's too hard. It's fine for me to do festivals [as a solo artist] if I show up and there's a band waiting for me that I can just jump onstage. But it's just hard to just go and pop and do festivals here and there. The plan is definitely to tour. The plan is definitely to hit the road and do stuff. So hopefully it all comes together. I know we have an agency looking into that. It's all in the hands of everybody."

Downing, Owens and Mills are joined in KK'S PRIEST by bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

"Sermons Of The Sinner" was released in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the '80s.

K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.

Last month, Downing told Danny Stoakes about KK'S PRIEST's upcoming LP: "It's imminent, for sure. Everything's gonna be sticky-taped and glued together, and we'll fire it out very soon. It's more than well on the way; we're in the mixing process."

He continued: "It's great. I can't wait. It's so frustrating. You just want it out now. But it will happen. So I'm looking forward to that."

Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

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 Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

A little over a year ago, Downing said that he had no problems with fans making comparisons between PRIEST and KK'S PRIEST. "It's absolutely fine, because it's who I am and what I am and what I do and how I do it," he told Brazilian journalist Igor Miranda. "It's too late to change; I can't change. I can't go out and buy different guitars and different amplifiers and start to write differently and think differently. I have to do things the way that I like them to be done. And that's what I did in JUDAS PRIEST for all those years to the best of my ability. But even now that I don't have to consult with anyone else, really, then I feel a lot more freedom to be able to do this.

"I think I can do what I do better now than I did before, if that makes any sense," he continued. "Because I'm working and writing and putting things together for me — and, obviously, of course, the rest of the members in [KK'S PRIEST] as well. But I was on my own, for the most part, in the lockdown doing this. But there was a lot of things I wanted to say and get off my chest.

"The [KK'S PRIEST] album's full of emotions, sentiments and messages and also rejoicement. It's a lot of things, all in one package. And it was very important for me to be able to express myself through this album.

"I know that people will make comparisons, but that's fine. I either succeed or fail, like everyone else in life. But I'm a fan of this wonderful style of music, and if I like it, I'm hopefully sure that the fans will like it too. And I really hope they do. And I'm very much looking forward to the feedback from everybody all over the world.

"Towards the end for me in JUDAS PRIEST, it wasn't as energized as it was in former years, and I missed that. I remember the days when Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer] used to come offstage and he used to empty his boots out, and the water — which was sweat — used to just pour out of the boots. And it was the same for all of us. It was like we ran a marathon or something. So, hopefully we deliver that up. So I'm looking forward to doing that. I'm definitely gonna do my best, put it that way."

In September 2021, Owens said that there was no competition between JUDAS PRIEST and KK'S PRIEST. "I don't think we look at it [like that]," he told The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn in an interview. "There's one JUDAS PRIEST. They're JUDAS PRIEST. If [K.K. and I] wanted to take that angle, we would have called [our new band] KK'S JUDAS PRIEST. But I think fans are happy 'cause they know they do have two things that are the same vein, and they have K.K. back. I went nowhere — I've been putting music out like crazy — but they have Ken and I back together again. So there's no competition. I mean, how awesome would it be if we do shows with them? I don't care. I really don't. I love the guys in PRIEST. Rob's [Halford, PRIEST singer] my idol. And Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist] and I are friends. But this isn't a competition. We're not trying to make it a competition or another JUDAS PRIEST. That's why we put an album out first; that was the difference. If we were trying to make it that, we would start touring right away, doing the back catalog."

Asked if KK'S PRIEST is really open to touring with JUDAS PRIEST, Tim said: "I'm open to anything. I've never burned bridges. From the sounds of it, it's never gonna happen. 'Cause it never happened with me. I tried to get BEYOND FEAR to support JUDAS PRIEST on tour. Wendy Dio was my manager, and they were, like, 'Absolutely not. You're not gonna support us.' But we're all friends. I mean, I'm speaking for me — I'm not speaking for Ken. But, yeah, listen, I always look at it as how much fans would love stuff. How cool would it be if that happened?"

Photo by George Chin

The reformed PANTERA played its third concert without bassist Rex Brown Thursday night (December 15) at Vibra in São Paulo, Brazil. Newly uploaded 4K video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube channel chriskato76).

The São Paulo gig took place three days after Rex confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test forced him to miss PANTERA's performance at Knotfest Chile in Santiago on December 11. Filling in for him at the São Paulo gig — which was co-headlined by JUDAS PRIEST — was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

PANTERA's setlist for the Vibra concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. 5 Minutes Alone
07. This Love
08. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit
09. Fucking Hostile
10. Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH cover)
11. Walk
12. Domination / Hollow
13. Cowboys From Hell

On Monday, 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!"

Last Sunday, 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).

PANTERA is next scheduled to play another show in São Paulo — on Sunday, December 18 at Knotfest Brasil.

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.

FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares took part in a meet-and-greet and guitar clinic on December 10 at the Ormsby Guitars headquarters in Perth, Australia. A video report from New Breed TV and photos from Ormsby and others can be found below.

In a recent interview with the "Everblack" podcast, Cazares once again opened up about FEAR FACTORY's search for a new vocalist following the departure of Burton C. Bell more than two years ago. Regarding the decision to keep the new singer's identity a secret for so long, he said: "The thing about it is everybody's expecting it to be this massive rock star dude coming in. But it's not that at all. The guy is basically kind of unknown. There are some FEAR FACTORY fans that kind of know who it is, but they don't really know yet. He's a super-talented guy. He sounds like the classic Burton from the 'Demanufacture'/'Obsolete' era. He's a younger guy — 36 years old. Compared to me, he's younger."

In a separate chat with the "Fantasm" podcast, Dino reflected on the FEAR FACTORY singer search, saying: "It's very challenging to try to find somebody. It took me a year. People think that the minute that [Burton] was out of the band that I found somebody right away. No — it took a good year or so to find somebody. And I auditioned a lot of people. A lot of people submitted their vocals, video tryouts for me to check out. There was a lot of great singers, there was a lot of good guys, so it was hard to find somebody… Very challenging. And I know there's gonna be a lot of challenges coming up. It always is that way. But, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I think we found a really good guy. I can't wait for the world to see who he is and move forward."

Last month, Dino told the "Everblack" podcast about the qualities he was looking for in the new FEAR FACTORY singer: "You want a person who's gonna be able to respect the legacy that we started 32 years ago. And so you want that person to be able to sing those parts as they were meant to be. But moving forward with newer stuff, he's gotta somewhat have his own identity."

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

"It's going great," he said. "We just started pre-production, so we just started writing. We're about four songs in. So it's great. Everything's flowing really good. We've been working on it for about two and a half weeks. This writing so far has been pretty exciting. The four tracks that we do have… I don't know how to say it — it's classic stuff."

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 April, Dino told "The Garza Podcast" that the new FEAR FACTORY singer is emotionally ready to handle the inevitable pushback from some fans that he will get once his identity has been revealed. "I think that they're ready," he said. "When it comes to talent, they're very ready. But 'tour ready' is completely different. Let's hope that… Well, the person that we have has done some touring, but not touring like we do touring. Like, a full U.S. tour can be anywhere from four weeks to six weeks to whatever, then you fly over to Europe and do another four to five weeks, come back to the States, do another tour, then you go to South America and do another few weeks there, then you go to Australia and do another few weeks there, and then you plan for next year. I think one of the other things, too, is when this person is announced, they're gonna have to be able to handle all the criticism. That's gonna be the hard part. 'Well, it didn't sound like Burt.' Well, of course not. I want this person… They do actually sound like Burt — they can handle all the old stuff like Burt — but as far as moving forward, I would like them to have their own identity. We're still gonna have the formula of what makes FEAR FACTORY — for sure — but I want this person to somewhat have his own identity as well."

Dino also addressed his statement from last year that he wanted to give an "unknown guy a shot" at fronting FEAR FACTORY. He said: "Well, it wasn't like I was only looking for somebody that nobody knew. I was looking for all different [types of singers]. Sure, if the guy turned out to be, or the girl turned out to be, someone that nobody knew and I gave 'em that shot, yeah, great. I was open to all of it, is what I'm saying. Male, female, whatever, known, unknown — I was open to all of that."

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.

Thanx to everyone that came to the two meet n greet/ guitar clinic in Perth Australia at the Ormsby Guitars headquarters, I had a blast and I promise I will come out and do it again.

Posted by Dino Cazares on Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Not bhed. Not a bhed weekend at all. Thanks to Dino Cazares, The New Breed of Fear Factory, and Perry Ormsby of Ormsby...

Posted by Ando Paul on Sunday, December 11, 2022

Lovely day spent with Dino Cazares from Fear Factory at Ormsby Guitars.

Posted by Brody Bell on Sunday, December 11, 2022

Joe Bonamassa and Robby Krieger are among the guests who joined ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons for his annual birthday jam on Thursday, December 15 at the Troubadour in West, Hollywood, California. Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

When one thinks of the most influential rock musicians on the planet, Gibbons is a name that should come to the forefront of any such list. Before becoming one of rock's most recognizable figures, Billy and his first band MOVING SIDEWALKS gained recognition by opening up for THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE on their first-ever headline tour. On that tour, Jimi himself taught a 17-year-old Billy how to play the opening lick to "Foxy Lady", a story that he recounts onstage to this very day. In 1969, Billy met bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard to form the classic lineup of boogie and blues rock mainstays ZZ TOP. ZZ TOP released "ZZ Top's First Album" in 1971. The albums that followed, "Rio Grande Mud" (1972) and "Tres Hombres" (1973),along with extensive touring, solidified the group's reputation as a hard-rocking power trio. In the 1980s, ZZ TOP released their three biggest-selling albums: "Eliminator" (1983),"Afterburner" (1985) and "Recycler" (1990). The band found great success through the ever-shifting landscape of music by embracing emerging styles of the times, incorporating elements of synth-rock, punk, and new wave into their newer material. The group not only secured six No. 1 singles, but also won countless MTV Music Video Awards for songs like "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man". Gibbons was ranked at number 32 on the 2011 Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time". ZZ TOP was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2004.

Aside from his work in ZZ TOP, Gibbons has collaborated with a slew of rock and blues heavyweights, including QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan and Jack White. His latest solo album "Hardware" (2021) is out now via Concord Records.

On December 15, Mark Tremonti — guitarist/singer-songwriter/founding member of the rock bands CREED, ALTER BRIDGE and TREMONTI — performed a set of Frank Sinatra classics with members of Frank's orchestra at London, England's Indigo at The O2. Video of the concert is available below.

In May, Tremonti released a collection of Sinatra covers to support NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society). "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" was made available as part of a new charity initiative created by Tremonti called Take A Chance For Charity. Proceeds from the album will go to support NDSS and the work they do to advocate for and support individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Mark and his family were blessed to welcome their first daughter Stella in March 2021 — who was born with Down syndrome — and the idea for the project was born.

"For years, I've loved singing along to Frank's songs," Mark explained. "One night, I found an old video of him performing 'The Song Is You' from 1944. It made me want to dive into his vocal approach. I was all in and I wanted to do something with it. When we found out about our daughter Stella's Down syndrome diagnosis, the stars aligned. My obsession with Sinatra had its reason. Frank Sinatra raised more than a billion dollars for charity and that is a fact I wish the public the public knew more about. Beneath his cool and calm persona, he had a big heart. Doing this charity in his name was another way the stars had aligned. I decided to do this record to raise funds for families and individuals with Down syndrome. This project is the start of a new purpose that I will have for the rest of my life."

Tremonti has come together with surviving members of Frank Sinatra's orchestra, creating new takes on some of the classics and some deeper cuts from Frank's catalog. From the opening horns and piano of "I've Got You Under My Skin" to final vocal outro of "All Or Nothing At All", Tremonti showcases the signature vocal approach and exemplary musicianship that made Sinatra's work timeless. To see his vision through, Mark reached out to Sinatra's musical director Mike Smith who collected as many remaining members as possible of Frank's touring band to record the music for "Tremonti Sings Sinatra". Popular standards like "I've Got The World On A String", "My Way" and "That's Life" find new life in the hands of these incredible musicians. Tremonti — known for his guitar work that has won him countless accolades — leaves the instrument behind and just sings on the 14-track album. The artwork on the album cover is an original painting that Tremonti created especially for this project.

The track listing for "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" is:

01. I've Got You Under My Skin
02. I've Got The World On A String
03. I Fall In Love Too Easily
04. Wave
05. Fly Me To The Moon
06. Nancy (With The Laughing Face)
07. My Way
08. You Make Me Feel So Young
09. Luck Be A Lady
10. That's Life
11. Come Fly With Me
12. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
13. The Song Is You
14. All Or Nothing At All

Take A Chance For Charity is a new charity focused on giving artists, actors, athletes and anyone with a platform the ability to get out of their comfort zone. The idea is to have people get out of the genre they are known for to raise funds and awareness for the charity of their choice. An actor can sing, an athlete can dance, a musician can perform a song out of their musical genre - any artistic interpretation. This gives participants the ability to do something out of the ordinary — in fact, extraordinary — all in the name of charity. "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" is the first release for the cause, the recipient being NDSS.

The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome. NDSS envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations, and become valued members of welcoming communities. Founded in 1979, NDSS supports and advocates for the Down syndrome community by focusing on three key areas of programming: resources & support, policy and advocacy, and community engagement. Within these focus areas, NDSS engages in various activities, events, and programs on topics that are critical to our community such as federal and state advocacy and public policy, health and wellness, education, and employment. NDSS creates resources to support individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and caregivers across the lifespan and hosts awareness and engagement events throughout the country including the National Buddy Walk Program, the Times Square Video presentation and New York City Buddy Walk, Racing for 3.21 on World Down Syndrome Day, Run for 3.21, DC Golf Outing, the annual NDSS Gala & Auction, and various other events. Visit www.ndss.org for more information about NDSS.

Some quotes about "Tremonti Sings Sinatra":

Hank Cattaneo, Frank Sinatra's "Duets" producer: "Mark did a fantastic job on this record, His voice and take on the tunes are amazing!"

Slash (GUNS N' ROSES): "Mark's take on Sinatra is nothing short of uncanny. I could never have expected one of my fave metal guitarists to do such faithful renditions of Sinatra classics. Not only instrumentally, but vocally! And these recordings are for a cause near and dear to my heart; I was very close to an uncle who had Down syndrome when I was growing up. I fully appreciate and support Mark's commitment to NDSS."

Kirk Hammett (METALLICA): "Holy shit, I knew Mark was a ripping guitar player, but no way did I ever have a notion that he had golden pipes as well!!! Totally blown away. Totally into it. Let's hear more, Mark."

Chris Daughtry: "When Mark first played me a track from this project, my jaw dropped. Gave me chills! This is a side of Mark's voice that people need to hear and I'm certain they will be just as blown away as I was."

John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER): "Wow! I am absolutely blown away by Mark's performance on this album!! He delivers the songs authentically, embodying all that is Frank but giving us a glimpse of his own personality as well. I love the arrangements and the fact that some of Frank's original band members contributed to these tracks. Honestly, I've known Mark for a long time and know he is super talented but had no idea he was capable of channeling Old' Blue Eyes like that! Just absolutely beautifully done and what makes everything even that much more touching is the cause. I bet Mark's daughter Stella was in his heart during every step of the recording processes. Incredible!"

Tyler Connolly: "Okay this is so frickin' good! I had a smile on my face when I heard marks voice come in on 'I've Got You Under My Skin'. The production is fantastic, and I love that he has gifted the album to the NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society) Not surprised that he's killed it on this one. Congrats, Mark. This is amazing!"

Brent Smith (SHINEDOWN): "Once again, Mark Tremonti never ceases to amaze me. These renditions of some of the most beloved Sinatra tunes, are so eloquently done that it is remarkable. And what a beautiful gift to the NDSS. Much love, respect, and success to this incredible project."

James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER): "I met Mark around 10 years ago. First thing that struck me was his easy going, down-to-earth, respectful nature. That, to me, is a priority and a true measure of one's makeup. Mark's talent precedes him, I've listened to him since the '90s 'til present day. It wasn't until I listened to Mark's solo albums that I was able to fully realize his vocal abilities. What a great voice!!! A beautiful and unique sound, alongside perfect delivery, dynamics and feel.

"When asked for my take on Mark's Sinatra project, I really didn't know what to expect. I went into this from the perspective of what I've heard. I was asked to listen to two tracks. I listened to the whole damn thing!!! I was completely blown away. He sounds just like Frank, with just enough of his own vocal characteristics to infuse just the right amount of himself while honoring Frank's musicality. Mark did absolute justice to the number one iconic, legendary crooner of all time. A stellar job, nailing the inflections, nuances and all the subtleties in Frank's delivery that made him unparalleled. Bravo, Mark. An admirable endeavor and cause for NDSS. All the best, Mark, Vicky and lovely Stella."



Mark Tremonti sings Frank Sinatra in London. Mark treated us to a few Christmas carols. Here’s “Santa Claus is coming to town”. #takeachanceforcharity #ndss #downssyndrome

Posted by Maggie Rock Wright on Thursday, December 15, 2022

Mark Tremonti - That's Life (Frank Sinatra Cover)

Mark singing That's Life 🎙️🎵🎶

Mark Tremonti sings Frank Sinatra at London, UK 🇬🇧 (15.12.22)

#marktremonti #sinatra #franksinatra #cover #london #unitedkingdom

📹 Daniel Gordon

Posted by Alter Bridge Perú on Saturday, December 17, 2022

What a night! 🤩🎉 Our team members Kandi, Sara, and Colleen had a great time at the Mark Tremonti #TremontiSingsSinatra...

Posted by National Down Syndrome Society on Thursday, December 15, 2022

London - tonight is a special night, I will be teaming up with Frank Sinatra’s orchestra for an unforgettable evening...

Posted by Mark Tremonti on Thursday, December 15, 2022

Earlier this month, QUEENSRŸCHE announced an early 2023 U.S. tour in support of its sixteenth studio album, "Digital Noise Alliance". The band has just wrapped up a fall run in North America supporting JUDAS PRIEST on the "50 Heavy Metal Years" tour, and will now launch their first headlining campaign to promote the new LP. Direct support on the "Digital Noise Alliance" tour 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.

Welsh glam metal veterans TIGERTAILZ have announced the addition of Ashley Edison (POWER QUEST, DENDERA) as their new vocalist.

TIGERTAILZ guitarist and founding member Jay Pepper commented: "Some things should never happen, and yet when Ashley came to the studio and began singing 'Sick Sex', the mountains in Wales started to rumble, an earthquake was happening, and his voice was causing it! From that moment I knew people had to hear it. Ashley singing TIGERTAILZ songs is like a jet engine running on Nitroglycerin!"

Added Edison: "I am SO excited to be joining the legends in TIGERTAILZ! A band that not only inspired so many but still put on a hell of a show!

"When I was with Jay singing 'Sick Sex', everything just felt right and fell into place perfectly!

"The guys have been so incredible to work with and I can't wait to get going on some exciting future projects together!"

To introduce Edison as the new singer of TIGERTAILZ, the band has released a new version of the "Bezerk" song "Sick Sex", reworked and accompanied by a powerful video depicting stereotyping of women and the dark world of S&M.

The new "Sick Sex" single is available digitally from all usual outlets.

TIGERTAILZ's new lineup has scheduled one live show for 2023 so far: Saturday, June 3 at the Underworld in London.

TIGERTAILZ in 2015 tapped its bassist, Rob Wylde, to sing for the group following the departure of Jules Millis. Wylde was previously the frontman in TEENAGE CASKET COMPANY and the U.K. POISON tribute act POIZON. This past May, TIGERTAILZ announced that Wylde was no longer a member of the band.

Millis left TIGERTAILZ in March 2015 "due to personal reasons." He joined the band in 2012 folllowing the acrimonious exit of TIGERTAILZ's longtime singer Kim Hooker.

TIGERTAILZ's was originally fronted by Steevi Jaimz, who left the group in 1988. Jaimz later attempted to register the TIGERTAILZ name as a trademark with the U.K. Patent Office and launch his own version of TIGERTAILZ with drummer Ace Finchum.

Pepper is the sole remaining member of TIGERTAILZ's classic lineup.

METALLICA performed its new single "Lux Æterna" live for the first time last night (Friday, 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. Fan-filmed video of the "Lux Æterna" performance can 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".

Swedish hard rock outfit, Nestor, choose to reunite and reinvent the iconography of rock, and brought back its glory in 2021 with their debut album Kids In A Ghost Town. Originally formed more than three decades ago in 1989, the unbreakable bond of Nestor is back for good and is shining brighter than ever. As the year is coming to an end, Nestor wants to thank their fans for their incredible support throughout their journey. Gaining millions of streams on Spotify and hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube has made them the hottest newcomers of modern rock.


The band's heartwarming recap video, set to the lively and emotional tune of "These Days", pays tribute to their dedicated fans. The five-piece expresses their gratitude for the support they received from their fans during this year’s festival performances, as well as shows with rock legends KISS, Alice Cooper, and H.E.A.T. Their recap video captures these very precious moments with their fans at Nestor Fest 2022 and Sweden Rock Festival.


Nestor and singer Tobias state on their incredible journey: "How can we even try to summarize this last year? Amazing, fantastic or just a simple thank you? We agreed that words are not enough so we put this little gem together instead. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hope to see you on the flip side.”







Order Kids In A Ghost Town here.





Tracklisting:


"A FanfareFor The Reliable Rebel" (Intro)
"On The Run"
"Kids In A Ghost Town"
"Stone Cold Eyes"
"These Days"
"Tomorrow" feat. Samantha Fox
"Signed In Blood"
"Perfect 10 (Eyes Like Demi Moore)"
"I Wanna Dance With Somebody"
"A Losing Game"
"We Are Not OK"
"Firesign"
"1989"
"It Ain't Me" (edited)


"Signed In Blood” video:





Nestor is:


Jonny Wemmenstedt - guitar
Mattias Carlsson - drums
Tobias Gustavsson - vocals
Marcus Åblad - bass
Martin Frejinger - keyboards


(Photo - Henrik Mill)

Canadian hard rockers, Coney Hatch, have released their new single, "Devil's Deck" (Live). The track is available on streaming services here. Listen to the single below.





The new single will be featured on the new Coney Hatch live album, Postcard From Germany, expected at the beginning of 2023. Stay tuned for updates.







The El Mocambo in Toronto is undoubtedly one of the most instantly recognizable names when it comes to music venues. After all, such iconic artists as the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, The Cars, and Stevie Ray Vaughan have all performed at the legendary hall over the years (and also issued recordings from their performances there). And on Thursday, December 29, Coney Hatch will headline the venue - to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their gold-certified self-titled debut.


VIP tickets will include entry to the venue early to witness part of the soundcheck, plus a meet & greet with all four members and a photo with the band. The band will also autograph one item per person. Details TBA - limited to 50, so purchase quickly before they sell out. Tickets can be purchased here.





The El Mocambo performance will be a homecoming of sorts for the band (lead vocalist/guitarist Carl Dixon, guitarist Sean Kelly, bass player/vocalist Andy Curran, and drummer Dave Ketchum), as they previously played the venue in 1983, and hail from Toronto. To mark this special occasion, the band will be performing the debut album in its entirety that evening (a recording that spawned such hard rock gems as “Monkey Bars,” “Devil’s Deck,” and “Hey Operator”). This is Hatch's only Canadian show before they start a UK tour in January 2023 (opening a string of dates for Steve Harris’ British Lion). The show will also include additional songs from their extensive catalog.


"The El Mocambo is a venue that has been near and dear to our hearts,” says Curran. “All of the Coney’s loved performing there and we all saw so many amazing bands and artists perform there, as well. It’s so rich in history and the logical place for us to perform our debut record for the 40th anniversary for our hometown Toronto fans.”


Also, arriving soon from the Hatch will be a live album, Postcard From Germany. “We’re very excited and grateful that after all these years, we’re still getting along and releasing new songs. We’re a brotherhood and this new live record totally captures the spirit of Coney Hatch live. In your face double guitar attack! Also two spankin’ new songs to boot! That’s a pretty cool thing for our fans.”


But first, Toronto fans will get the unique opportunity to close 2022 by witnessing Coney Hatch perform a classic album…at a classic venue!


Tickets for the band's UK tour with British Lion are on sale now from britishlionuk.com).


“The history between Steve Harris and Coney Hatch dates back to 1983, and the Iron Maiden Piece Of Mind Tour, and we all got along famously,” recalls drummer Dave Ketchum. "We did some Canadian dates supporting British Lion back in 2018,” adds Curran. “And it was a giant rock n roll love in….so we’ve decided to extend that caravan, and we’re thrilled to join them again in the UK where we’ve only ever performed once.”


Fans can expect to hear such Coney Hatch classics as “Devil’s Deck,” “Monkey Bars,” and “Stand Up” on the upcoming tour with British Lion.





Tour dates:


January
6 - Queens Hall - Nuneaton, UK
7 - Leadmill - Sheffield, UK
8 - The Garage - Glasgow, UK
10 - Brickyard - Carlisle, UK
11 - Parish - Huddersfield, UK
13 - Sin City - Swansea, UK
14 - Chinnerys - Southend, UK
15 - Concorde 2 - Brighton, UK
17 - The Booking Hall - Dover, UK
18 - Islington Assembly Hall - London, UK
19 - Epic Studios - Norwich, UK

Dream Theater have checked in with the following update:


"A brand-new, unreleased addition to our Lost Not Forgotten Archives project, Live At Wacken (2015) sees us playing the world-famous German festival during the Summer European tour where we celebrated our 30th anniversary as a band. Includes material from throughout our career up until that point, including 'Burning My Soul', 'Panic Attack' and 'Bridges In The Sky'. Out now and available as Special Edition CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD and as Digital Album."







Tracklist:


"Afterlife"
"Metropolis - Pt. 1"
"Burning My Soul"
"The Spirit Carries On"
"As I Am"
"Panic Attack"
"Constant MOtion"
"Bridges In The Sky"


Pick up Live At Wacken (2015) here.