During an appearance on the "Out Of The Box" show, which airs on the Q104.3 radio station in New York City, Joe Satriani spoke about being approached to reproduce Eddie Van Halen's guitar parts as part of an all-star VAN HALEN tribute project with Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth. Recalling how the proposed pairing came about, Joe said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I get a call out of the blue from Alex Van Halen, who I'd never met until then, and he poses the unimaginable to me, which is to go out with a VAN HALEN tour, playing guitar. And as I've told other people, I heard my voice saying, 'Yeah, I'll do that,' before my brain really thought, 'Don't say 'yes.' That's an impossible thing to do; you can't replace Eddie Van Halen. Nobody can.' But I had such a good conversation with Alex, and just getting to know him on a few phone calls. And he brought Dave into the loop, who I'd met before but I can't really say I know the man… And we came close to doing that sort of coming out show that New York City was holding [in Central Park] last year," he said, apparently referring to "We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert', which was held in August 2021. "And that would have been frightening, 'cause it was only three weeks away. And I was still listening to the VAN HALEN stuff, but still working on [my latest solo] album. So it wasn't like we were prepared. There was no bass player. They hadn't really told me who was gonna play bass. And then there was the whole controversy about who should actually be in the band. And I was on the outside; I'm just some new guy. I was the one saying, 'Who's playing bass, by the way?' And, 'Is Sammy [Hagar, former VAN HALEN singer] gonna come by?' And, 'Did you talk to Mike [Anthony, former VAN HALEN bassist]?' So, conversations kept going on and on. I met with Alex at one point when I went down to L.A. But I think there's some internal stuff that needs to get worked out with the family, and then the VAN HALEN band family, which is kind of big. Again, I feel like I'm not close to the top of that queue. And many times I've told Alex, 'Are you sure? Me?' 'Cause I don't perform like Eddie. I'm just a superfan. And I can certainly play the stuff. But Eddie was such an original — just the way he ran around on stage and sang and played. It's amazing."

Satriani also once again said that Wolfgang Van Halen is a more natural choice to play Eddie Van Halen's parts than anyone else. He made his comments three months after Wolfgang performed his late father's songs at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts. The son of Eddie Van Halen played three VAN HALEN songs — "On Fire", "Hot For Teacher" and "Panama" — over the course of two concerts in September alongside Dave Grohl on bass, Josh Freese on drums and THE DARKNESS's Justin Hawkins on vocals.

"That was beautiful, wasn't it?" Joe said about Wolfgang's tribute to his father. "That's the first thing I thought after. I was, like every other VAN HALEN fan, so relieved to see a very beautiful expression of a son playing his father's stuff. And after all the weight that must be on Wolf's shoulders about this whole thing, and he's had to deal with Dave and everybody else commenting about this kind of stuff. And he just went and settled it right then and there. So I thought to myself, well, he should do it, and maybe just he and his uncle Al should just work this out. And it would be nice if somehow Dave and Sammy could sort of kiss and make up and figure out a way to do it right. I know Sammy quite well and we talk all the time, and he's always open to move forward and mend fences. So I'm hopeful that maybe he can have a hand in it."

This past October, Wolfgang told Classic Rock magazine that he was no longer actively interested in pursuing the idea of a standalone Eddie Van Halen tribute event. "I think I already did it with the Taylor Hawkins tributes," he explained. "I feel a lot of closure because my part of the show was a tribute to my father."

"When it comes to VAN HALEN and entities surrounding the band it's unfortunate, certainly compared to FOO FIGHTERS who have their shit together with interpersonal relationships," Wolfgang added.

"I don't know what it is with some bands but certain personalities just can't get over themselves to work collectively for one purpose. That's been the curse of VAN HALEN for its entire career. So my playing at the Taylor shows delivered that catharsis without the stresses of dealing with the VAN HALEN camp, and the players involved. Their camp is very dysfunctional — everyone! Hell, it was difficult to make plans even when the band was active."

Eddie died in October 2020 at the age of 65. The legendary VAN HALEN guitarist passed away at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.

Eddie was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000 and had tongue surgery. He later battled lung cancer and had been receiving radiation treatment in Germany. Things took a turn for the worse in early 2019 when Eddie got in a motorcycle accident. He was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumor, and received gamma knife radiosurgery to treat the illness.

PANTERA's third live performance in over 20 years took place Friday night (December 9) at Knotfest Colombia in Bogota, Colombia. Surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals) are joined in PANTERA's reformed lineup by guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

The setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

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

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

Earlier on Tuesday, Benante reflected on the Hell & Heaven concert during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Basically, we get up there and there's a big kabuki curtain in front of us and the four of us just up there. And Philip came up to the drum riser and we just had this moment where we were shaking hands. We were so excited. And then I looked to Rex and I looked to Zakk, and the four of us just had this connection. And before I knew it — boom — we were right into playing 'A New Level'. And it was off from that point. And I was looking at the setlist, and I saw the next song coming up, and I was excited about that song. And then that song would finish, and I looked down, and I'm, like, 'Oh, I fucking love this song. Yeah!' It was that all night for me — just getting super hyped up about the next song and what was coming up. So I enjoyed myself."

He continued: "One thing I spoke to those guys about months ago, I said, 'Man, let's just try and be in the moment and just enjoy it.' And that's what we all did — we just kind of enjoyed it."

Speaking about how he and the members of PANTERA came up with the setlist for the Hell & Heaven performance, Charlie said: "Actually, Rex, myself and Philip, we were on a call and we basically came up with the setlist. And I remember saying to them, 'You guys are really close to this stuff. From my point of view, like a fan, man, these are the songs that, of course, must be played.' And, of course, they agreed with that. But then there were some deep cuts that we wanted to do too. And they were welcome to it. We even talked about adding more songs to the setlist for next year. So everybody's pretty much open. The way I kind of looked it is, 'Let's try and hit every record. Let's try and do a song from every record at least.' So that's what we're trying to do."

He added: "For this run here in South America, we're gonna keep [the setlist] as is, but next year I can see a song or two being dropped and replaced with another song. We already talked about that the other day."

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 other major festivals across North America, South 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.

Benante told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that Dimebag and Vinnie are a big part of the new PANTERA show.

"Before 'Planet Caravan' starts, we have this video that runs with a little piece of the song 'Cemetery Gates', and it's basically a tribute to Dime and Vinnie," he explained. "I mean, Dime and Vinnie are all over the place. They are on my drum kit. Zakk has patches with them. But even in spirit, they're there.

"Before we went on, Sterling Winfield, who was very close to Dime and Vinnie — he basically engineered the last three records that PANTERA did — he brought me a pair of Vinnie's old gloves, and he brought me one of Darrell's old wristbands that he wore," Benante added. "And I put the wristband on and I played the show with that wristband. And I put the gloves in my pocket. So I had both of them with me that night."

Regarding how he prepared for the PANTERA live performances, Charlie said: "When I talked to Philip back in — it was, like, the end of December [2021] about this, that day, I hung up the phone and I immediately started to get my head into PANTERA mode and just figure things out. Because I knew these songs, but I didn't know how to approach playing the songs, how I'm gonna do this. And the one thing I wanted to do is I just wanted to play it like Vinnie. When the fans hear it, when anybody heard it, I wanted them to be able to close their eyes and I wanted it to sound like Vinnie."

As for how he felt about his personal performance at Hell & Heaven, Benante said: "I felt good about it. There was a couple of things that I am going to just play a little differently. Not so much the parts, but I think we were all a little bit — the adrenaline was going, and I wanna just pull some songs back a bit. We're playing here [at Monterrey Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico] tonight, and I think I'm going to just kind of relax a little more and just kind of settle down. I mean, it was the first show, so it was expected. We're human. I'm not playing to a click track. So tonight I think I'm gonna lay back a little bit more."

Charlie also talked about his musical chemistry with Rex, saying: "That's the thing. I didn't know how we would kind of come together and when we would make the connection. But I've gotta be honest with you, when I went down to New Orleans in September and it was just me, Rex and Philip. And after the first day, Rex and I, we had such a connection, and he said to me, he was, like, 'Dude, when I close my eyes, I feel like it's Vinnie up there.' So that made me feel so good when he said that. And Philip said the same thing too. So I was so happy about that. Because, honestly, I really did my homework. We're talking these tiny little nuances — things that maybe people wouldn't hear — I'm putting 'em in there because it's important to me to deliver it just like Vinnie would."

As for his drum setup for the PANTERA show, Benante said: "It's a totally different configuration [to what I play with ANTHRAX]. I'm playing more like Vinnie's kit, the way Vinnie played it. I wanted to play a kit like that because it gave me a bit more of a challenge. And I can't add more drums to it, because I just wanted to have the two toms in the front — floor toms — so I'm just sticking totally to the way he had it, and I wanna play it exactly like he had it and it sounds exactly how he had it too. So that's how I approach this."

Charlie went on to say that he doesn't understand all the negative comments that have been directed at him and the other members of PANTERA for trying to keep the band's legacy alive.

"This was never a reunion," he explained. "How can it be a reunion without Vinnie and Dime here? Sometimes people will send me something, and I see things online, and it's so disrespectful to both Darrell and Vinnie, and it's totally disrespectful to us too. And it's just, like, 'Man, if you don't wanna come, you don't have to come.'

"One of the first things I said to Philip on the phone, I said, 'This, to me, is more on an emotional level than any other level.' This means a lot to me personally, to go out there and represent those guys and represent the PANTERA name," he continued. "And that's all I'd ever want for me. I don't care about it financially and stuff like that; this, to me, I had to do this. I didn't wanna see anybody else playing these songs but me up there."

Reflecting on his initial conversation with Anselmo about taking part in the reformed PANTERA, Charlie said: "I was so excited about it. I said, 'Thank you for thinking of me.' And they were, like, 'There was nobody else.' And that made me feel really good. Because they knew my relationship with Darrell and they knew my relationship with Vinnie. And I loved those guys, and I love these two guys just as much."

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.

Posted by KNOTFEST Colombia on Friday, December 9, 2022

Posted by KNOTFEST Colombia on Friday, December 9, 2022

Posted by KNOTFEST Colombia on Friday, December 9, 2022

Coinciding with the release of her Best Of: Living The Dream one week ago, Tarja is being presented with six Impala awards commemorating more than 250,000 sales in Europe for her albums Beauty And The Beat, Act II, Luna Park Ride, The Shadow Self, In The Raw, and From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas).





To celebrate, Tarja and earMUSIC shared the live video for her song "Innocence." First released on Tarja's fifth studio album The Shadow Self, the fan-favorite expresses Tarja’s gratitude towards classical music.




The live version, recorded on January 23, 2020, at the Circul Metropolitan in Bucharest, is part of Tarja's brand new live release Circus Life, which is exclusively available on the Limited Mediabook and Box Set of her Best Of: Living The Dream. The concert shows Tarja playing with an expanded band of 17 musicians and performing many of her most well-known tracks in new arrangements.





Tarja's "best of" collection, Living The Dream, can be ordered here. Tarja unboxes various edition of the collection, below:





"Circus Life" is a powerful two hour concert experience which captures Tarja’s 2020 performance at Circul Metroplitan Bucuresti in Bucharest, Romania. A unique in-the-round presentation adds to the dynamic and heightens Tarja’s connection with her enraptured audience. Available for the first time as part of the Best Of: Living The Dream limited edition Mediabook and deluxe box set. Watch a trailer below:





Looking back on 15 extremely successful years of the Finnish singer's solo career, the Best Of contains not only Tarja's most well-known tracks, many of them newly remastered at Sterling Sound, and personal favorites from all six studio albums — My Winter Storm, What Lies Beneath, Colours in the Dark, The Brightest Void, The Shadow Self, and In the Raw — but also the never-before-heard song "Eye of the Storm."


"After all these years, I still really can't believe it's time for me to release a proper 'Best Of' album," Tarja says. "So many beautiful moments, unbelievable. It has been a dream to put together this collection. And I really hope that you will enjoy this as much as I did while making it."


The compilation was hand-picked by Tarja herself. Each featuring exclusive rarities and/or the previously unreleased two-hour Circus Life concert, which is eagerly awaited by fans — as well as upgraded versions of Tarja's music videos. Rounded out by high-quality artwork, deluxe liner notes, and many formats to choose from, this collection is a delight for casual fans, as well as superfans.


Best Of Tarja: Living The Dream is available on 1CD Digipak, Ltd. 2CD+Blu-ray Mediabook, 2LP (Gatefold, 180g, black), Ltd. Coloured 2LP (Gatefold, 180g, crystal clear), Ltd. Box Set and on Digital.


The standard version of the CD and vinyl contains 16 tracks (including the brand new single) as well as deluxe liner notes. The strictly limited Mediabook holds 13 further tracks and the previously unreleased, two-hour live show Circus Life. The strictly limited box set contains an additional 19 tracks selection of Tarja's projects including Outlanders, 4 Picture Disc, 6 art prints, 2 posters, and a fine art print signed by Tarja!





Content/Tracklisting:


1CD Jewelcase / 2LP Gatefold (180g, black) / Ltd. 2LP Gatefold (180g, crystal clear):
16 Tracks, handpicked by Tarja


Ltd. 2CD+Blu-ray Mediabook (48pages):


CD1: 16 tracks (=1CD Jewelcase)
CD2: 13 further rare tracks from Tarja’s career (B-sides, rarities etc.)
Blu-ray: Two hours of previously unreleased live show Circus Life. Filmed January 23, 2020, at the Circul Metropolitan, Bucharest, Romania + all official music video clips


Ltd. Box Set:


3CD+BD earBOOK (36 pages)
CD1: 16 tracks (=1CD Jewelcase)
CD2: 13 further rare tracks from Tarja’s career (B-sides, rarities etc.)
CD3: 19 tracks selection of Tarja’s classical side projects and Outlanders
Blu-ray:previously unreleased, 2 hours full live concert Circus Life on video. Filmed January 23, 2020 at the Circul Metropolitan, Bucharest, Romania + all official music video clips)
4 Picture Disc (incl. CD1+CD2)
6x art prints
2x posters
1x fine art print signed by Tarja


CD1 / LP1+2 tracklisting:


"Eye of the Storm"
"I Walk Alone" (Single Version)
"Die Alive" (Alternative Version)
"Enough"
"Falling Awake" (Feat. Jason Hook)
"Until My Last Breath" (Single Version)
"I Feel Immortal" (Radio Remix)
"Victim of a Ritual"
"500 Letters"
"Never Enough"
"Innocene" (Radio Edit)
"Demons In You" (Feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
"Diva"
"Dead Promises" Ffeat. Björn "Speed" Strid)
"Tears in Rain"
"You and I" (Band Version)


CD2 + Picture Disc 3+4 tracklisting:


"Oasis"
"Sing for Me"
"Anteroom of Death" (Edit Version)
"In for a Kill"
"Naiad"
"Crimson Deep"
"Mystique Voyage"
"Deliverance"
"Into the Sun"
"Eagle Eye" (Feat. Chad Smith)
"Too Many"
"Love to Hate"
"Shadow Play"


CD3 tracklisting:


"Rukous, Op. 40 : N°2"
"Oi, Kiitos Sa Luojani Armollinen"
"Ave Maria" (Camille Saint-Saëns)
"Ave Maria" (Giulio Caccini)
"Ave Maria" (Tarja Turunen)
"Walking in the Air"
"You Would Have Loved This"
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
"Together"
"O Tannenbaum"
"What Child Is This"
"Varpunen Jouluaamuna"
"Heinillä Härkien"
"En Etsi Valtaa Loistoa"
"Witch-Hunt"
"You Take My Breath Away"
"I Feel Pretty"
"The Cruellest Goodbye"
"World in My Eyes"


Blu-Ray tracklisting:


"Mystique Voyage"
"500 Letters"
"Naiad"
"Diva"
"You and I"
"Love to Hate"
"Demons in You"
"Never Enough"
"Falling Awake"
"I Feel Immortal"
"I Walk Alone"
"Victim of Ritual"
"Innocence"
"Die Alive"
"Tears in Rain"
"Dead Promises"
"Until My Last Breath"
"Shadow Play"


"Eye Of The Storm" visualizer:

Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend, who has spent his entire career making unique inroads with many styles of music, always following his particular muse in any way it leads him for almost three decades, spoke to Belgian Jasper about why he feels the need to pursue so many different genres with his albums. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't necessarily do it on purpose to appear like I'm being provocative. And it's funny: I have heard on several occasions that the interpretation of the fact that I make all these different types of music is indicative of psychosis. But I would argue that doing one thing to the exclusion of everything else, in my opinion, is much more indicative of some sort of lack of balance.

"I think, on a practical level, the reason why I tend to do various different styles is the amount of energy that I put into making any one of these albums is, frankly, so much that when I'm finished, I just don't wanna hear that style anymore," he explained. "So what tends to happen is the next thing I do is very different, just because I love music so much and I love to create so much, but I get sick of it. Working 'Deconstruction' or 'Lightwork' or 'The Puzzle' or 'Ziltoid' or anything, STRAPPING [YOUNG LAD] or any of that stuff, by the time I've finished that record, I wanna be as far away from that sound for the next thing I that do [as I can get]."

Devin released his latest album, "Lightwork", on October 28. Assembled from a barrage of material written during the pandemic, the LP — and its companion album of B-sides and demos, "Nightwork" — represents Devin at this stage of his life, post pandemic, and his reflections on what he (and many of us) all gone through.

For "Lightwork", Devin decided to see what would happen if he included a producer (an experiment he has been excited to attempt for some time) to help guide this selection of material. He chose longtime friend Garth "GGGarth" Richardson to help bring this idea to fruition.

Devin began his professional career straight out of high school when he was discovered by a record label and asked to provide lead vocals on Steve Vai's album "Sex & Religion". After touring and recording with Vai, Townsend became discouraged by what he found in the music industry and went on to produce several solo albums under the pseudonym STRAPPING YOUNG LAD. Since then, Devin has recorded many more successful albums and performed all over the world.

"I've rarely done the same things twice," Townsend previously said, "but as I've grown as a musician, one of the things I've learned is that it should be possible to make different genres 'play ball' with each other while illustrating a common theme."

Devin will embark on a European headline tour in early 2023.

FREDLÖS, the new Stockholm, Sweden-based band featuring ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid, will release its self-titled debut album on February 10, 2023 via Threeman Recordings, Fredlös Produktion and Sound Pollution.

FREDLÖS came together in the spring of 2021, rising from the ashes of previous musical adventures, based in the country around Norrtälje, northeast of Stockholm. United by a deep sense of their historical roots and a love of dark sounds, they create a truly epic landscape, blending heavy guitars with more traditional instruments and a need to relate history true to the facts. The result is a brooding yet effortlessly melodic sound where the listener can survive and thrive in the dark.

"Fredlös" contains nine dark, heavy, intense songs. Lyrically the album is a journey through the late Middle Ages, recounting the historical events from the perspective of the common people. Musically, it's a tour de force that defies any one description, weaving metal, rock, folk, and traditional music themes into a rich and varied tapestry.

"Fredlös" track listing:

01. Våt Varm Jord
02. Otto
03. Farsot
04. Missväxt
05. Fredlös
06. Uppror
07. Undergång
08. Deus
09. Requiem

FREDLÖS has already released two singles, "Farsot" and "Våt Varm Jord", the latter of which was described as "seven minutes and 22 seconds of swirling, dynamic, beautiful heavy music introducing the first chapter of FREDLÖS, where you are implored to reject the light and embrace the wet warm soil."

Hellid and ENTOMBED frontman Lars-Göran "LG" Petrov had been embroiled in a legal battle over the ENTOMBED name for several years prior to the singer's March 2021 death after a battle with bile duct cancer. He was 49 years old.

SAMURAI CAB COMPANY, the band featuring bassist/vocalist Chris McCarvill (DOKKEN),drummer Tony Mei and Chuck Beckman (guitar),has released its cover version of the holiday classic "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year".

SAMURAI CAB COMPANY reunited in 2020 and has been collaborating ever since. This is their first released song.

McCarvill said: "Almost everything we're doing is a creative challenge and there's a momentum building with that.

"We can't wait to get out and perform with SCC because it's taken us years to figure out our direction as we all have such different musical backgrounds. I'm a BEATLES/QUEEN/WHO fan, I'm in DOKKEN, Tony comes from a progressive metal background and Chuck comes from a blues/country/rock background. Not the easiest mix. But a lot of fun."

McCarvill joined DOKKEN in 2015 as the replacement for Sean McNabb. He had previously also toured and recorded with HOUSE OF LORDS.

A year ago, Don Dokken told Tigman of the Poughkeepsie, New York classic rock radio station 101.5 WPDH that DOKKEN had completed work on its new LP — the group's first since 2012's "Broken Bones". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We just finished our new album. We finally got it done, which was hard with COVID and all the guys living in different states, and I couldn't play guitar. But luckily, when we did 'Broken Bones', our last album, Jon [Levin, guitar] and I had written, like, 12 or 14 songs left over, so we picked through 'em and picked the best and wrote some new ones. And I got my pen and paper out, and we'd write on the road and we'd write over Skype. I'd never recorded an album over Skype before. You send a track to the bass player, he records it and sends it back. I send a track over to BJ [Zampa, drums], his house, and he cuts the drums. Then I hop on a plane from Santa Fe, come down to L.A. and stay at Jon's for a few days. And we'll just bang it out. And I just go into producer mode and try to create the best songs. And we're really happy with it."

Regarding the musical direction of the new DOKKEN material, Don previously told The Metal Voice: "We're kind of going retro. I mean, look, you write what you write as a musician — your life changes, the world changes, you write what you write. You're influenced by new bands and other music. But I know where my bread is buttered as far as the classic DOKKEN sound, and Jon's really good at doing that. And so I said, 'I think we should write a record between the lines of 'Tooth And Nail' [1984] and 'Under Lock And Key' [1985].' And that's kind of the direction I'm writing in right now."

Rufus Publications will release an officially licensed AC/DC book, "AC/DC: 50 Years Of High Voltage Rock 'N' Roll", in 2023. A teaser video is available below.

Rufus says in a statement: "AC/DC have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 71.5 million albums in the United States, making them one of the biggest rock bands in the world. In 2023 the band will celebrate their 50th anniversary. We are working on something very special to celebrate that anniversary."

AC/DC's latest album "Power Up", was released in November 2020. The LP features AC/DC's current lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals),Phil Rudd (drums),Cliff Williams (bass),Angus Young (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar). It was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and 2014's "Rock Or Bust".

"Power Up" landed at the No. 1 spot in 18 countries, including in the U.S., where it sold over 117,000 copies in the first week. "Power Up" marked AC/DC's sixth No. 1 album in Australia where the band is the only Australian group in history to have had a No. 1 album across five decades: "Back In Black" (1980s),"Ballbreaker Live" (1990s),"Black Ice" (2000s),"Rock Or Bust" (2010s) and "Power Up" (2020s).

"Power Up" was the fastest-selling album of 2020 in at least three of its biggest markets — U.S., Australia and the U.K. — where it debuted at No. 1.

Veteran thrashers OVERKILL have set "Scorched" as the title of their 20th studio album, to be released next year.

The name of the upcoming OVERKILL LP was revealed earlier today by drummer Jason Bittner in a social media post. He shared a few photos of the band's appearance at the Ruhrpott Metal Meeting in Oberhausen, Germany and included the following message: "Last one of the year!!!! See you in 2023 with 'Scorched' - the 20th album in the OVERKILL catalog! Night all!!! Back on a plane home in less than 8 hours, and my weekend is farrrr from done…..more on that soon!"

Earlier in the year, OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni told Hardrock Haven about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's 20th studio album. He said: "I had almost all of it written when we went out on the tour before COVID, 'cause that's where we were in our cycle. So I had to have my part — the music for the record — pretty much done. I had two songs left that I had to do when I got back home. 'Cause that's where we needed to be, 'cause the record was supposed to come out in the fall of that year or whenever. But then we were, like, 'We've got a little extra time.' And then we had more extra time."

He continued: "It was funny, because usually I'll kind of demo up everything at home, all the songs, and I'll send it out to the guys, and then they'll learn the stuff from the demo and then we'll get together and play. [And then we'll decide] 'Maybe it should be faster or slower' — we kind of noodle around till it feels good in the room. But we weren't able to do that 'cause of COVID. But now that it's taken so long, we could have done that. So, I don't know exactly… This one's still gonna be a bit of an odd record 'cause it was kind of done all remotely — everything. We're gonna put out a record of songs that we've not one single time stood in a room and played together."

As for the musical direction of the new OVERKILL material, Verni said: "Compared to the other ones… It's hard to say. It's maybe got a little bit more SABBATH-y kind of parts in it, a little bit more doomy.

"I know Colin Richardson's gonna mix it," he added. "Poor Colin. We thought we were gonna do it, and then we pushed him off, and then we pushed him off again, and then we pushed him off again. An we said, 'You know what? We'll call you when we're ready.' So whenever that's gonna be, we'll call him again. But we're psyched about that 'cause he's just great. He's a great mixer and a great producer. So if nothing else, it'll sound great."

Richardson previously worked with OVERKILL on 1997's "From The Underground And Below", 2000's "Bloodletting" and 2003's "Killbox 13".

OVERKILL singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth previously told 69 Faces Of Rock that the band's new album was tentatively scheduled for an April 2023 release, "followed by a European tour."

Regarding the sound of the new OVERKILL material, Blitz said: "It's gonna be hard to figure it out for me until it actually takes shape. It seems a little bit more eclectic for us. It's riff driven, not rhythm driven. The songs will contain two or three different riffs throughout it — the main [riff] and then two that are kind of secondary riffs, which I think is a little bit unique for us, to be singing over something like that. Heavy, of course. I mean, there's some sledgehammer stuff on it — that kind of big, thick groove. I think the other side of it is that it shows kind of experienced speed, would be the word. Some of them just take off."

In June 2020, Ellsworth told A&P Reacts that the band's new songs were "a natural progression from 'The Grinding Wheel' [2017] and 'The Wings Of War' [2019]. I think when we had done the 'Ironbound' record [2010], it almost became like a trilogy in there — it was kind of like 'Ironbound', 'The Electric Age' [2012] and 'White Devil Armory' [2014], and they seemed to be the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost kind of a thing," he said. "I think we kind of broke the mold a little bit with 'The Grinding Wheel', and then I think a little bit more with 'The Wings Of War'. And on this one, I see it way more. And what I mean by that is that we've used other tools from our toolshed in the past, and that's the slow grind that is coupled with that fast gallop. So it feels like a natural progression, but maybe two records ahead of what 'The Wings Of War' is. And that's probably as objective as I can be."

OVERKILL spent most of 2019 and early 2020 touring in support of its 19th studio LP, "The Wings Of War", which was released nearly four years ago. The disc was recorded at Gear Recording Studio in New Jersey, SKH Studio in Florida and Jrod Productions with engineering handled by Verni and guitarist Dave Linsk. The album was produced by the band while Chris "Zeuss" Harris took care of the mixing and mastering. Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, OPETH, SOILWORK, DEATH) was again enlisted to create the artwork for the album.

"The Wings Of War" marked OVERKILL's recording debut with Bittner (SHADOWS FALL, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM),who joined the band in 2017.

Last one of the year!!!! See you in 2023 with “Scorched” - the 20th album in the Overkill catalog! Night all!!! Back on a plane home in less than 8 hours, and my weekend is farrrr from done…..more on that soon!

Posted by Jason Bittner on Friday, December 9, 2022

Former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens has weighed in on bands who rely heavily on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances.

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

Speaking to the Syncin' Stanley YouTube channel about some rock acts' reliance on pre-recorded tracks, Owens said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Listen, lip syncing I do not like — unless you're on a TV show or you're [doing] a video. Your main vocal should never be lip synced. Backing tracks, backing harmonies, backing music — that's fine; make the show better. But if you've gotta lip sync, maybe you shouldn't do it. I don't know. I think it's pretty silly. I don't lip sync.

"But, yeah, you don't really need to do that," he added. "No backing tracks — no backing tracks for the lead vocal. If the lead singer is miming it up there and not doing it, then [makes farting sound with his mouth] on that. Use the voice, my friend. If you ain't got the voice, don't do it."
'
In March 2020, SHINEDOWN guitarist Zach Myers said that "90 percent" of rock artists use at least some pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. He told Rock Feed: "It bothers me that it bothers people. I'm, like, 'Why does this bother you?' It's the way it is. People have been doing this since the '80s. And we want the sound to be the best it can be. Could we go up there, just the four of us, and put on the best rock show ever? Of course. But that's not how we wanna do it."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has previously said that he is "one of the last people" who are still not using pre-recorded tracks at their live shows. "I don't know how much longer I can say to you that I don't use tapes onstage, because I don't, and I never have," he told Consequence Of Sound. "And I still don't. When I have opening bands, and they're using tapes, and then I come out and I don't use tapes… sometimes, it makes me feel stupid, because I'm like, 'What am I doing, when all these kids half my age can come onstage and do all of my moves, but they don't have to warm up for an hour before the show, or weeks, before the first show?' Sometimes, I'm like, 'Why do I even bother, if the public is so used to this other way?' It's becoming very rare to come see a good band that's actually a real band — that's not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running. It just becomes more rare as the years go on."

In 2019, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith said that he doesn't "agree" with certain rock artists relying on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. "I tell you what, I see it with a lot of younger bands, and I don't think it's a good thing at all," he told the New York Post. "I mean, the music is getting too technical now. You have computerized recording systems, which we use, but I think we use them more for convenience than because we need to. We've toured with a couple bands that use tapes — it's not real. You're supposed to play live; it should be live. I don't agree with using tapes … I think it's a real shame."

One musician who has been open about his band's used of taped vocals during live performances is MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, who said: "We've used technology since '87." He added the group employed "sequencers, sub tones, background vox tracks, plus background singers and us. [MÖTLEY CRÜE also taped] stuff we can't tour with, like cello parts in ballads, etc.... We love it and don't hide it. It's a great tool to fill out the sound."

In a 2014 interview, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars admitted that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that his band used pre-recorded backing vocals in its live shows, claiming that he preferred to watch groups whose performances are delivered entirely live. "I don't like it," he said. "I think a band like ours… I have to say '60s bands were my favorite — '60s and '70s bands — because they were real, like, three-piece bands or four-piece bands, and they just got up there and kicked it up. Made a mistake? So what? Sounded a little bit empty here or there? So what? It's the bigness and the rawness and the people that developed and wrote the songs and made them and presented them. To me, that's what I really like. I mean, I could put on a MÖTLEY CD and play with it all day long. I don't wanna do that."

KISS lead singer Paul Stanley, who has been struggling to hit the high notes in many of the band's classic songs for a number of years, has been accused of singing to a backing tape on KISS's ongoing "End Of The Road" tour.

Back in 2015, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons slammed bands who used backing tapes for not being honest enough to include that fact on their concert tickets.

"I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks," Simmons said. "It's like the ingredients in food. If the first ingredient on the label is sugar, that's at least honest. It should be on every ticket — you're paying $100, 30 to 50 percent of the show is [on] backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip sync. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks, it's about dishonesty.

"There's nobody with a synthesizer on our stage, there's no samples on the drums, there's nothing," Gene continued. "There's very few bands who do that now — AC/DC, METALLICA, us. I can't even say that about U2 or THE [ROLLING] STONES. There's very few bands who don't use [backing] tracks."

Christian rockers SKILLET will release "Dominion: Day Of Destiny (Deluxe Edition)" on February 17, 2023. With five new tracks, including upcoming Active Rock single "Psycho In My Head", the project is the companion to "Dominion", SKILLET's latest studio album, which arrived in January 2022. Pre-saves and pre-orders start today with "Psycho In My Head" included as the first instant-grat track, followed by "Finish Line", featuring Adam Gontier (formerly of THREE DAYS GRACE, now of SAINT ASONIA and touring with SKILLET this winter) on February 3, 2023.

SKILLET and THEORY OF A DEADMAN recently announced the co-headlining "Rock Resurrection" tour, with support from SAINT ASONIA, which will kick off on February 17 in Gary, Indiana, running through March 26 in Los Angeles. The 25-date trek includes stops in Milwaukee, Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, St. Louis, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, and more.

"We are so excited for our fans to hear 'Psycho', 'Finish Line' and the other new tracks, and to be touring with our friends from THEORY again!," says SKILLET's John Cooper. "It’s been several years since our last tour together, and this time we are also joined by our friends in SAINT ASONIA. We are looking forward to kicking off 2023 the right way by joining forces for a super-charged rock show! Panheads get ready!"

"Day Of Destiny" deluxe edition track listing (*denotes new track):

01. Surviving The Game
02. Standing In The Storm
03. Dominion
04. Valley Of Death
05. Beyond Incredible
06. Destiny
07. Refuge
08. Shout Your Freedom
09. Destroyer
10. Forever Or The End
11. Ignite
12. White Horse
13. Crossfire*
14. Psycho In My Head*
15. Finish Line (with Adam Gontier)*
16. Unbreakable Soul*
17. The Defiant*

Last year, Cooper was asked by the "Undaunted.Life: A Man's Podcast" what he would say to someone who says that Satan works through rock music, and thus Christians shouldn't play rock music. He responded: "I would say Satan can work through just about anything. I would say that music is created not by the Devil; [it is] created by the Lord. All things were created by God. So instead of thinking that the Devil owns a genre of music, I would say capture that music and bring it back into subjection under the lordship of Christ."

As for what he would say to someone who says it is sinful for Christians to have tattoos, Cooper said: "I understand why Christians think that, because of the Old Testament. I would say it probably takes a little bit of a longer explanation of Old Testament law and what it meant. But a short version would be there are some things in the Old Testament that were a picture of something in the New Testament. There are some things that are not pictures, like murder — we don't murder, we don't steal, so and so forth. Dietary restrictions, things like that, were a picture of something.

"Here's what God wanted: God wants to make his people set apart and holy unto his name," he continued. "And I don't think that God does that any longer from the way that we look; he does that now because of Christ's work on the cross, his resurrection, and he sanctifies us, which sets us apart from the sinner and the pagan."

In various interviews over the years, Cooper has said that he "always had faith in God" and that his mother was a "Jesus fanatic." He also claimed that he was willing to put his career on the line to take a stand for Christ.

California rockers PAPA ROACH have released the official music video for the title track of their latest album, "Ego Trip". The LP came out in April via New Noize Records in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG's independent label and artist services arm).

PAPA ROACH stated about the Bryson Roatch-directed "Ego Trip" clip: "We visited the legendary House Of Vans in Mexico City earlier this year and invited fans to come get crazy with us on a day off to film the video for the title song on the 'Ego Trip' album. The energy was truly inspiring to everyone! Thank you, Mexico. We love you! Viva La Cucaracha".

PAPA ROACH and FALLING IN REVERSE recently announced the second leg of the "Rockzilla" tour, featuring special guest HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and opener ESCAPE THE FATE. The trek will kick off in Rochester, New York on February 1 and will include stops in 21 cities across the U.S.

PAPA ROACH will be traveling abroad next year for a string of U.K. dates with DON BROCO and DANCE GAVIN DANCE, followed by summer festival appearances in Europe with more set to be announced.

After two years of work and nearly 10 months of building up excitement with fans, PAPA ROACH recently celebrated the release of their eleventh studio album, "Ego Trip". An album that sprouted almost by mistake in the throes of a global lockdown, its seeds were planted when the quartet entered a COVID-secure mansion in Temecula, California in the summer of 2020. What started as an escape and an exercise in keeping the creative juices flowing, in a world that had completely ground to a halt, quickly grew into something bigger. Purposeful, provocative, and just the right side of the line between confident and cocky ("I really hope [the album title] stops a few people in their tracks," cackles Shaddix),"Ego Trip" is PAPA ROACH — completed by guitarist Jerry Horton, bassist Tobin Esperance and drummer Tony Palermo — at its boldest and most brilliant.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music, who in 2020 celebrated the 20th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest". 20 years into their career, the band continue to have global success.

THE WINERY DOGS — the powerhouse trio consisting of guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen, bassist/vocalist Billy Sheehan and drummer/vocalist Mike Portnoy — will release its third album, "III", on February 3, 2023 via the band's Three Dog Music label (via Burnside Distribution/The Orchard). Following in the footsteps of their first two albums, "III" was once again produced by THE WINERY DOGS and mixed by longtime band associate Jay Ruston.

Yesterday, the first song to be released from "III", "Xanadu", received its world premiere during SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show. It's now available on digital formats.

While the title of the all-out smokin' opening track and lead single "Xanadu" might evoke different imagery in more progressive-leaning listening circles, Kotzen's zen-seeking, hard-rocking ruminations on "Xanadu" once again shine a light on the eternal power of good collaboration.

"Coming out of the gates, that's a barnburner," acknowledges Portnoy. "It's one of the fiercest tracks on the album." Incidentally, eagle ears will also delight in picking up on how definitively Portnoy drops his drumsticks right as the song concludes. "At the end there, you're hearing me toss my sticks — not in frustration, but very much in satisfaction of what we had just done," he clarifies with a laugh.

From the clarion call for connection and societal understanding in "Mad World" to the door-opening personal realizations of "Breakthrough" to the undeniable muscle-flexing reign of the white-hot "Pharaoh" and the album-closing energy spillage of "The Red Wine", all 50-plus minutes of "III" prove THE WINERY DOGS haven't lost a step when it comes to conjuring fresh hooks, gutbucket grooves, and bold harmonies.

That said, it's been a long road back to the collective compound for Kotzen, Sheehan and Portnoy. Back in 2015-16, they hit the road hard together to showcase their mettle as hardcore (you guessed it) road dogs in order to build upon the success of their well-received 2015 sophomore studio effort, "Hot Streak", by touring all across the globe. Eventually, the seasoned trio returned to their respective corners to focus on various other projects for the ensuing next few years. But when that live itch needed another scratching, these three working musicians knew just what they had to do.

"We wanted to tour," Kotzen confirms succinctly of THE WINERY DOGS' 22-date run in early 2019 that was appropriately dubbed "Who Let The Dogs Out", before adding, "We had to get those cylinders firing together once again." Concurs Portnoy, "That was a fun little tour that reignited our enthusiasm — and that's also when we knew a third album was definitely in the cards." Adds Sheehan, "Getting back together like that was really refreshing. We could relax a bit and enjoy being together onstage, playing without any pressure. It was a beautiful thing."

Duly reinvigorated, THE WINERY DOGS were finally aligned to record again by initially ensconcing themselves together in Kotzen's intimate, cozy home studio in Southern California to jam on new material that was mainly created in the moment during many hours of face-to-face musical interaction. Always the driven and intuitive songwriter, Kotzen displays a definitive M.O. whenever he's working out new songs in the studio by scatting melodies and putting forth short bursts of semi-improvised lines and phrases that will soon enough transform into sharply honed subject matter. "My attitude is this: when I'm in the studio creating new music, the last thing on my mind is, 'How am I gonna do it live?'" Kotzen admits. "The reality is, I may never get to where I'll do it live. What's relevant is getting the vision that's in my head, in my heart, and in my soul to come out of the speakers. If it gets to the point where the tour is booked, the dates are confirmed, and we all get back in the rehearsal room together, that's when you figure out, 'Okay, how do I interpret this in a way it can be delivered live, and still be the same song?'"

"III" is the follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed and Billboard-charting album "Hot Streak", which was released October 2, 2015 on Loud & Proud Records via RED (a division of Sony Music Entertainment). After landing in the Top Five on many of Amazon's pre-order charts, including No. 1 on the Amazon BestSellers/Hard Rock chart and No. 1 on the Amazon Pre-Orders/Hard Rock Albums charts, it sold 30% more than their 2013 self-titled debut, landing them on various Billboard album charts including No. 2 on "Top Current Alternative Albums," No. 5 on "Top Current Hard Music" and "Top Hard Music Albums," No. 6 on "Top Current Rock Albums" and "Album Core / Genre Rock," No. 15 "Top Current Physical Albums," No. 16 "Top Current Albums," and No. 30 on the "Top 200 Albums" chart.

Upon its release, "Hot Streak" racked up rave reviews. Allmusic.com hailed, "'Hot Streak' is the trio's second album, and its loose, friendly feel shows that the trio doesn't feel compelled to rely on instrumental pyrotechnics. The bluesy, soulful 'Think it Over' would appeal to those who admire THE ALLMAN BROTHERS, while 'Captain Love' shows that the band also has some hard rock energy to unleash, and the title track lets fly some of the technical proficiency that its members are known for." And GuitarInternational.com praised, "'Hot Streak' picks up where their debut CD left off, but showcases the band coming into their own with straight-ahead rockers like 'Oblivion', 'Captain Love' and 'Devil You Know'."

"III" track listing:

01. Xanadu
02. Mad World
03. Breakthrough
04. Rise
05. Stars
06. The Vengeance
07. Pharaoh
08. Gaslight
09. Lorelei
10. The Red Wine

In addition to the new music, fans will also be excited to hear that THE WINERY DOGS is hitting the worldwide concert trail starting February 15 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania at the Palace Theatre for their "202III World Tour". Ticket and VIP package info can be found on the band's official web site.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Dutch heavy rockers WITHIN TEMPTATION have released a new single, "The Fire Within". The band stated about the track: "Back in 2019 we wrote 'The Fire Within', but it's never made its appearance on an album. However, to brighten up your festive December mood some more, we've decided to release it as a standalone song! Enjoy!"

Speaking to Riff X's "Metal XS", WITHIN TEMPTATION vocalist Sharon Den Adel elaborated on how "The Fire Within" came together. She said: "We recorded it during corona times. And we release it now for the game with IRON MAIDEN, [our collaboration with] the 'Iron Maiden: [Legacy Of The Beast' mobile] game. This is a song that didn't make it for the next album. So we like the song, but it has a different kind of vibe to it. And it's about keeping things real. 'The fire within' [is] the thing that drives you, the thing that you feel the most. That's what the song is about."

"The Fire Within" seven-inch single features both the single version and instrumental version of the track. Due on January 20, 2023, it is available for pre-order as a limited edition of 666 individually numbered copies on orange-colored vinyl at the WITHIN TEMPATION music store.

In recent years, WITHIN TEMPTATION shifted its focus from releasing albums to releasing a series of singles, enabling the bandmembers to indulge themselves in their creative processes thus delivering freshly inspired music. The group has released "Entertain You", "The Purge" and "Shed My Skin", singles that have all thrilled their fanbase, had great critical reception in Europe, peaked in the Top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator charts and topped the official German charts. In July, WITHIN TEMPTATION also released the official Jeb Hardwick-directed music video for the band's most recent single, "Don't Pray For Me". It was the fourth single of the band's independent releases and will lead up to WITHIN TEMPTATION's next studio album.

In an interview with Barbara Caserta of Linea Rock, Den Adel spoke about WITHIN TEMPTATION's new approach to making its music available. She said: "We already decided before we had the pandemic to do it this way. A lot of music scenes already do this — music genres, actually — but in the rock [world], we still do a lot of the traditional way of releasing albums. And we just wanted to try this out. And then the pandemic happened, and everybody started doing the same thing. Which is a good thing, because you live in the moment and you write something and you release it… So this is really how we feel at the moment, and it's what we re reflecting with our music, I think. It's a good thing."

Regarding the differences between recording and releasing singles and concentrating on making full-length albums, Sharon said: "We put a lot of time extra now into every single, where normally this is the maximum of singles that we release, and we're gonna release more. So I think there's more time spent to it. But it's scattered all over a time, so it's really sometimes difficult to get back into the flow of writing again; that's the negative side of it. So it has its positive and negative sides. And with a whole album, it takes sometimes two years when you've written a song that it finally gets released, and it already feels outdated sometimes. So now it's really [easy to give each track] a fast release."

This past August, Den Adel told EMP about the WITHIN TEMPTATION songwriting process: "The thing is we've been around for such a long time that we try to be inspired by new bands that we hear and implement it with our own kind of sound and try to stay updated with the sound that is sounding more modern nowadays and what is more 'in' nowadays. Not to be going along with new sounds but something that sounds refreshing and inspiring to us. And that keeps us going and makes it fun for us to make still music. We've been around almost for 25 years, even longer — now I really feel old — but, anyway, you need it; you need to evolve. So there's no formula, but it's more every time looking what inspires you. And it can be anything."

WITHIN TEMPTATION's last album, "Resist", was released in February 2019 through Spinefarm Records, the specialist hard rock label of Universal Music Group.

"Resist" featured guest appearances by PAPA ROACH's Jacoby Shaddix, IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén and ARID's Jasper Steverlinck.

Finnish hard rock monsters LORDI's two-month "Lordiversitour" across Europe is coming to an end this weekend, thereby closing the touring cycle in support of the group's latest studio offering, "Lordiversity" (2021). But before their new era begins with the release of their Atomic Fire Records label debut in 2023, the quintet has an early (unholy) Christmas surprise for their fans: a 2022 version of its iconic Eurovision Song Contest-winning hit song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" featuring German musician, comedian, actor and dancer Bürger Lars Dietrich.

The multi-talented Dietrich took part in this year's season of German prime TV show "The Masked Singer" dressed as a werewolf and won the audience by covering LORDI's most famous track. The performance made its way to the ears and eyes of Mr. Lordi himself who was so amazed that he wanted the "Werwolf" to join him and the rest of the LORDI horde live on stage — a dream that became reality at Backstage Werk in Munich, Germany as well as Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany early last week where hundreds of fans witnessed this unique collaboration.

The new "Hard Rock Hallelujah" version can now be enjoyed by all those who couldn't attend the aforementioned surprise appearances.

A portion of the track's proceeds will be donated to support Ukraine.

LORDI caused a sensation by winning the 2006 Eurovision with "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which in turn made the band's third release, "The Arockalypse", a hit throughout Europe. On the back of their Eurovision win, they scored a lucrative series of promotions including LORDI-branded cola, boiled sweets and credit cards; and played live at the MTV European Music Awards. A square was renamed in LORDI's honor in the Lapland city of Rovaniemi; a LORDI-themed postage stamp was issued in Finland and the group starred in its first film, called "Dark Floors".

With their monster-movie stage persona, LORDI seemed a most unlikely choice to represent their country in the Eurovision Song Contest. So you can imagine how many people were shocked when the group not only claimed top honors, but also earned the most points in the venerable event's history.

In a 2017 interview with MariskalRock, LORDI leader Mr. Lordi stated about the band's connection to Eurovision: "There was a time a couple of years ago — well, more than a couple — when I really, really, really hated that everybody's always asking about the goddamn Eurovision; there was a time. Nowadays I have come to terms with it. It's, like, okay, I'm actually proud that we are part of Eurovision history and I am proud that Eurovision is part of this band's history. I mean, it is a big part of our awareness. Because the awareness of the band would be so different, it would be so much smaller, without that one TV show ten years ago."

He continued: "I absolutely don't regret that — absolutely not. Because I have nothing bad to say about Eurovision itself, but the problem that we have had in the years is the people who actually don't know anything else except for the fact that we were on Eurovision. And that is a big stamp to get out of — it's like a fucking tattoo, you have a fucking tattoo on your forehead that says 'Eurovision.' And that is something that really, really, really drove me nuts some years ago; I was really struggling with that.

"I have come to terms with it — it's all right; I mean, it's cool," he said. "I am proud of it. And every May, when there's a new Eurovision, I know that my phone will start ringing and people will ask my opinions and then we get requests: 'Do you wanna come to this country's semifinals? Do you wanna come here?' And for years we said, 'No, we don't wanna. We don't want to.' But now, we're, like, 'Fuck it! Let's do it. What the hell?' I mean, c'mon, it's all fun, and it's part of our history, and the Eurovision, they really want us to come there, because, let's face it, we are one of those winners that people still remember."