Clint Switzer of the "Music Mania" podcast recently conducted an interview with former SCORPIONS and current KINGDOM COME drummer James Kottak. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On KINGDOM COME's current reunion tour which features four-fifths of the band's classic lineup, minus lead singer Lenny Wolf, who has been replaced by Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB):

James: "It's something I've been wanting to do for years. We actually got to the point in 2013 where we were all here in L.A., but I get a call [from SCORPIONS] saying, 'Hey, we're not saying farewell and we're going to do another album.' I had to pull the plug on it then but we finally made it here until now. I'm super excited, of course."

On whether KINGDOM COME will add future dates once their current tour is complete:

b>James: "Yeah, we're getting up and running right now. That's the whole object of this and we want to just test the waters, see what's going on out there because, I mean, being away that long, it's the original four of us, me, Danny Stag [guitar], Johnny B. Frank on bass and Rick Steier on guitar. We're going to get together and rehearse and have a good time. We're super excited."

On what he's been up to since he left SCORPIONS in 2016:

James: "This will sound funny, but having the opportunity to take a break, come home and just recharge, I've never been off. I've been working full-time since I was 15. I'm 55 now and it's been a really wonderful time just to be home. So, I hang out, ride my bike a whole lot, bicycle, you know, just kind of do what I wanted to do for a while. I never had that luxury. We had that here and there with the SCORPIONS, but in the back of your head, you're, like, 'Oh, I have to go back to Europe in two weeks.' It's always in the back of your head. I was jet-lagged for 20 years because we went over there so many times. We went everywhere. I'm so grateful and thankful for all that time with SCORPIONS. They're really cool guys. I just saw them all here at their show in L.A. about a week ago. It's great to reconnect, take some photos and goof off and laugh."

On his dismissal from SCORPIONS in 2016 due to his ongoing problems with alcoholism:

James: "When you see quotes like I was 'dismissed from the band,' it kinda wasn't like that. We talked for months, from April through October or November of 2016 and it just felt like time to get going, and, you know, it worked out. It's worked out for them. They're just really cordial, cool guys and they're my friends. I had the opportunity to go around the world 55,000 times with them. I've been in bands where I wasn't friends with people, and let me tell you, it's no fun. That's the one thing in KINGDOM COME, myself, Danny, Johnny and Rick, we've stayed friends all these years. We talk regularly and as soon as we all four get in a room, we click. That's the only way I can put it."

On whether he has any issue with how often KINGDOM COME has been compared to LED ZEPPELIN:

James: "I said that many times and in the early days and whatever, I'm, like, 'Are you kidding? Thanks for the compliment.' It was the thing during that time and they accused WHITESNAKE of that of sounding like ZEPPELIN and now here we are, 30 years later and we have GRETA VAN FLEET and they're exploding and they're great, but they mentioned in their interviews a couple of times, 'Yeah, I remember reading about [KINGDOM COME].' Apparently, they really love rock and roll, they love classic rock and they knew about KINGDOM COME and the LED ZEPPELIN thing, so they even said in a couple of interviews, 'Wow, we can understand what KINGDOM COME went through.' That's so cool. They're just like me. I was always going, 'Fuck. This is LED ZEPPELIN.' I was told not to say that. I would go 'Why?' We do sound a little bit like ZEPPELIN. And also during that time, we weren't like other bands. We weren't a big hair band. We weren't playing metal. We were kinda doing blues-based rock, it's hard rock, too."

KINGDOM COME's reunion tour kicked off September 27 in Seattle, Washington.

After its early run of success in the '80s, KINGDOM COME released several albums, with Wolf remaining the only constant member of the band. The group's most recent effort was 2013's "Outlier".

As part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante was asked how long it took him to learn the PANTERA material that he is currently performing during the reformed band's initial run of shows. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I know these songs, and, of course, I've loved these songs for so many years. For me, I knew the songs, but maybe some of the songs I didn't know the little details in the songs, as far as the drum parts went. So I really started to dissect each song and approach it that way. I've seen Vinnie [Paul Abbott, PANTERA's late drummer] play these songs so many times, but sometimes when you record a song and then you start to play it live, it starts to take on a different — it becomes something different sometimes when you play it a live way. So sometimes they would even speed it up a bit. So I was trying to get these songs to a place where it's almost in the middle — somewhere like the studio version and somewhere like the live version. Because when you're playing live, the adrenaline is pumping. You're human, and we're not playing to a click or anything. So I always wanted to keep that groove going, 'cause Rex [Brown, PANTERA bassist] and I, we look at each other and we feel and we connect. And the connection he had with Vinnie is the same type of connection that I wanna have with him.

"So, to answer the question, it took me a couple of months to really play each song the way we're playing it now," Charlie added. "And every time we play, it's gonna get better and better. Or at least I hope it is.

"The first show we played [at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest on December 2], there were so many emotions, but I had to keep focused on the songs and the show and not let my emotions get the best of me."

PANTERA's second live performance in over 20 years took place Tuesday night (December 6) at Monterrey Metal Fest at Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. Surviving members Brown and Philip Anselmo (vocals) are joined in PANTERA's reformed lineup by guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and Benante.

Earlier on Tuesday, Benante reflected on the Hell & Heaven concert during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said: "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, Vinnie Paul 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.

In a recent interview with "Rock Talk With Jacqui Neal", JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner reflected on his time with the band since he joined in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's massive. It evolves over the years. I remember when it first started, the main focus was about the guitar parts; that was kind of what it was about. And the performance, and stuff like that. The more you become a part of the band, it becomes, 'What can we do? How can we do things differently? How can we write a better album? How can we give a better experience for the fans? How can we do this differently? How can we make things bigger, better?' Less about your performance but the performance of the machine that is JUDAS PRIEST. People are buying tickets. They're working, they're spending their money, they're choosing you as a night out.' It turns into that. You become part of a team rather than just focusing on, 'Am I playing the right notes tonight?' More of an all-encompassing thing. And obviously you're concentrating on playing the right notes every night still. But it becomes more of a bigger thing.

"[The band has been around] more than 50 years now," he continued. "It's the 50th-anniversary tour. I've been in the band over 10 years now. We're working on the third album that I've done with them. So as you go into the third record, it's more of that. So how do we make this one different — better quote-unquote. 'Better' is a subjective term, but it's gotta be better from our point of view. And how do we get maybe something that sounds better, or a different journey through the songs, or whatever it may be — better performances. Whatever it is. A concentration on how to make things better for the people that put them there for those 50 years. And you become part of that. So it's an honor to be part of that, really."

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

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

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

Back in 2019, Faulkner dismissed the criticism he received for supposedly trying to look too much like Downing. "Obviously, you get the [haters] — the 'clone' comments," Richie told the "Let There Be Talk" podcast. "I've got long blond hair, playing a flying V [guitar]… [Michael] Schenker, Zakk [Wylde], K.K., Randy Rhoads — all those guys. To say I was a Ken clone was fairly narrow-minded. There's tons of guys who have flying Vs and long hair.

"The thing is if I had dyed my hair black to be different, I would have been shot down," he continued. "You've gotta be real; you've gotta be who you are. And I grew up on Ken, I grew up on Glenn [Tipton, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist] and the guys that I mentioned. So you've just gotta be who you are. And I grew up with those guys, and I'm not ashamed. I wear it on my sleeve — they're all my influences, and I'm not afraid of that… There's no point in trying to hide it. But it's gotta be natural as well. And I think somehow it worked out organically. I didn't try to copy him. And as it goes on, you always try to do your own thing and make your own statement."

Four years ago, Downing said that he felt like he was "being cloned" when he first found out he was being replaced by Faulkner.

Downing, who announced his retirement from PRIEST in April 2011 after nearly 42 years in the job, admitted to the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast that he was taken aback when he first saw his replacement.

"Richie, as far as I know, is a nice guy and obviously an excellent player," Downing said. "I was a bit disappointed when, basically… I think the idea was to replace me [with a lookalike], so I did feel as though I was kind of being cloned. But I'm not sure that was exactly fair to Richie. I mean, I could be off the mark here, but I think Richie had the right to bring himself to the stage with his own… portray his own image and ability to play the instrument the way that he does. But it is what it is."

He continued: "When Glenn retired from touring [in early 2018], the same didn't happen — obviously, [Tipton's replacement] Andy [Sneap] doesn't look anything like Glenn; he doesn't wear the same clothes, the red pants, guitars or anything like that. So I don't really know what's going on. But it is what it is."

In a 2011 interview with the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, Halford stated about Faulkner's physical resemblance to a younger Downing: "People are saying, 'It's a clone. You've got some of K.K.'s DNA.' It's just the way it turned out. We made, like, a secret search. When we knew K.K. was not gonna be making the tour, we did a lot of secret, kind of, searching for another player. And Richie just happened to be the guy. And he just happens to look a little bit of the K.K. image, you know?! I think it would be silly to say, 'We looked for a guitar player that looks like Ken.' What we want is a very good metal guitar player, and that's what Richie Faulkner is."

METALLICA's new single, "Lux Æterna", has 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".

Photo credit: Tim Saccenti
Hear James talk about what our new single, “Lux Æterna,” means to him. pic.twitter.com/4Jx7IKYO4T

— Metallica (@Metallica) December 8, 2022

Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA have shared a compilation of recap videos from their fall 2022 "Quadra" European tour with SACRED REICH and CROWBAR. Check it out below.

In an interview with the "Pollution Nocturne" radio show conducted at this past summer's Plane'r Fest in Rhône-Alpes, France, SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green was asked when fans can expect to see a follow-up to the band's 2020 album "Quadra". He responded: "It's really difficult to say what we'll do for the next album because we're just starting to tour for this album. So there's quite a bit of touring we need to do this year, till the end of the year, and then next year as well before we even start to think about going in the studio again. So I think our focus is really based on touring right now for 'Quadra'."

As for how it feels for him and his bandmates to be back on the road after a two-year pandemic-related break from touring, he said: "It feels great to be back. To play live music is everything to us; it really is a big part of our lives. And being away from it for so long was strange at first, but I think it made us stronger in a lot of ways. We were able to determine what we really enjoy in life, what we take note of what really matters in our lives. So that break actually helped in ways. Now being here playing, it feels unbelievable; it feels like something that was missing but now it's back; that piece that was missing is now there again."

In June, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser left the band's European tour due to what was at the time being described as a "family emergency." A couple of weeks later, it was revealed that Andreas's wife had died after a year-and-a-half battle with colon cancer. He was temporarily replaced on the road by Jean Patton of fellow São Paulo, Brazil-based heavy metal act PROJECT46.

SEPULTURA comprises Kisser, Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Eloy Casagrande.

SEPULTURA was formed in Belo Horizonte by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, who are no longer with the band.

That’s all she wrote on this KILLER 🇪🇺Europe tour🇪🇺 with Sacred Reich and Crowbar 🤘🤘 Thank you to our amazing fans for...

Posted by Sepultura on Tuesday, November 22, 2022

To mark the 15th anniversary of LED ZEPPELIN's historic live performance at London's O2 Arena, a global streaming event of "Celebration Day", the resultant concert film, will be held this Saturday, December 10, at 8 p.m. U.K. / 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST on the official LED ZEPPELIN YouTube channel.

Recorded live on December 10, 2007, the film captures a two-hour-plus tour de force of the band's signature blues-infused rock 'n' roll that instantly became part of the legend of LED ZEPPELIN. Founding members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were joined by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham, to perform 16 songs from their celebrated catalog, including landmark tracks "Whole Lotta Love", "Rock And Roll", "Kashmir" and "Stairway To Heaven".

The film of "Celebration Day" saw a worldwide theatrical release by Omniverse Vision on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories in October 2012.

LED ZEPPELIN met with the press in September 2012 in London to launch "Celebration Day". Page told the press that he was thrilled with Jason Bonham's performance filling in for John Bonham, saying, "Jason was absolutely monumental. From the very first rehearsal right through to the O2." Plant added: "It was appropriate and it was wonderful and also his vigor was so fantastic too. He drove us, y'know? It was peculiar and strange at times, but at the same time it was very rewarding for all of us."

When asked why it took five years for the 2007 reunion concert to see the light of day, Jones joked: "Five years is like five minutes in ZEPPELIN time."

After the the O2 Arena concert, Page and Jones were looking for a way to keep working and tried out several singers, including AEROSMITH's Steven Tyler and ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy.

The option for a three-quarter ZEPPELIN reunion ended when Jones accepted an offer to form THEM CROOKED VULTURES with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme. Page later said: "I guess that was a pretty definitive statement."

Page said "the LED ZEPPELIN question" is never far from people's lips, joking, "People ask me nearly every day about a possible reunion. The answer is 'no.' It's been [more than a decade] since the O2. There's always a possibility that they can exhume me and put me onstage in a coffin and play a tape."

This past October, French progressive metallers GOJIRA released a new song titled "Our Time Is Now". The track appears on the soundtrack to EA Sports' long-running NHL video game franchise "NHL 23".

In a new interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast, GOJIRA drummer Mario Duplantier stated about "Our Time Is Now": "Actually, to tell you the truth, it was a bonus from [GOJIRA's latest album] 'Fortitude'. It's a song we wrote during the process of writing 'Fortitude', actually. So we did record that song at the same moment. Just the mastering step has been done after that. But the song did exist a long time ago, so we were already listening to the song for two years. But we wanted to find the perfect moment to release it, and we had this opportunity with the video game. But there is a true meaning behind the song for us, so we wanted also to add a little bit of a spirit behind [it]."

When "Our Time Is Now" was first released, GOJIRA guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier commented: "This song goes out to all the fighters out there sparking a light in a dark world."

He added, "If you care about something meaningful to you and your community. If you are standing for a cause, if you show compassion and solidarity for the ones whose rights are taken away, if you're in a war defending your inherent rights or fighting against deforestation, if you're standing for animal rights, human rights, you are the lightning bolt, the spark that will shape our world. Your time is now! Our time is now!"

In solidarity with the women of the Iranian uprising, Joseph said: "Rest in peace, young Masha Amini. She was killed in Teheran for not wearing her hijab 'properly' by the 'morality police' and rest in peace all victims of brutalities during the protests that followed her death. We support the women of Iran in their fight, for taking a stand against oppression."

A total of 42 songs are featured in the 2023 edition of EA Sports' yearly hockey game, including music from GHOST, KORN, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, TURNSTILE, WAGE WAR, A DAY TO REMEMBER and STICK TO YOUR GUNS.

In a recent interview with Colombia's Radioacktiva, Mario was asked how he and his bandmates go about exploring fresh musical areas every time they are making an album. He responded: "It's not very intellectual; it's not very mental — it's more organic. We jam, and when we hear something cool, we say, 'Let's go.' It's not very we try to catch more people here and there.

"I would say… I have to be very honest, but the fact [that] we are touring so much… We are a live band mainly — 90 percent of our life is on the road. So we play shows — we do soundcheck and we play shows; soundcheck, shows, soundcheck… Over and over and over again, it's like a huge circle. We do Europe and U.S., Europe and U.S., sometimes South America, Asia — it's crazy. So when we write the music, we want to play songs that are gonna be fun, maybe, to play live as well. And it's not a conscious thing — we're not trying to do something, 'Let's catch more people.' It's really, 'Let's have fun onstage and have something maybe more simple sometimes.' Because when you play very technical music and you start to play arenas or stadiums and festivals — huge festivals — you just notice that if it's too crazy, too technical, it doesn't really work."

Mario's comments echoed those of his brother, Joseph Duplantier, who told SPIN in a 2021 interview: "When you start to play bigger slots at festivals in front of more people — when every show on your tour is now a freaking area because you're opening for an arena band — the response, the echo of your song, is different than in a 1,000-capacity club. Sometimes when we end up performing for a large audience and all we have to play is death metal songs, subconsciously we want to adapt our repertoire to a wider audience. We're, like, 'What do we have in our back catalog that we can play and not freak people out? Not so intense and long and epic."

He continued: "Naturally and organically, a sound is shaped by our experiences on tour. This is something people might not understand or think about, but the progression of the band is also shaping our sound, as much as our songs and our sound dictating how good we're going to do. Of course we keep that in mind that if we do a song with a chorus that people can sing along to, we're going to have bigger chances to succeed in this business. But it's not also a business for us — it's been a reason to be alive, to play music in the first place, since we were teenagers. If we betray ourselves, our tendencies, if we don't fulfill our creative hearts, we are going to fail. We are going to lose the point. For us, it's very important to be in tune with our music because this is what we eat and breathe for years on the road. We play these songs every single night. We want to punch people in the face with our music. We're not here to sing a lullaby. We want it to be powerful and meaningful, and also it's a little bit more political than before in a weird way. Also we were [ages] 14 to 18 or 19 when we started, and now we're in our 40s. So we have a different internal pace. It sounds clichéd and bragging a little bit — 'I don't care about the pressure or success.' Of course we want to drive a career in a smart way, but we try to concentrate on what the music will create in our hearts."

"Fortitude" came out in April 2021 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2016's "Magma" was recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE).

GOJIRA initially laid the foundation for "Fortitude" in 2020 with the surprise release of the single "Another World".

The artwork for "Fortitude" was created by Joseph Duplantier.

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions are set to release the debut album from Philadelphia's ultraviolent assassins, The Crippler. I'm Just Gonna Let Myself In will be released December 23 on CD and digital formats along with merch. Watch the band's video for the title track below.





The Crippler consists of current and former members of Eat The Turnbuckle, Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganza, Brutal Truth and Total Fucking Destruction. Below is the official description:




Horror Pain Gore Death Productions welcome The Crippler to the roster with the debut album I'm Just Gonna Let Myself In! Hailing from Killadelphia, The Crippler feature current and former members of Eat The Turnbuckle, Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganza, Brutal Truth and Total Fucking Destruction. I'm Just Gonna Let Myself In features 13 tracks of forceful, distasteful, aggressive, audible strong armed robbery... grindcore, punk, death and thrash metal with a side of beat down hardcore. This powerful debut album from The Crippler is loaded with a choice of multiple stab wounds in a dark alleyway or your wallet. Literally all killer and no filler! For fans of Blood Duster, Deicide, The Exploited, Phobia and Repulsion.





Tracklisting:


"I'm Just Gonna Let Myself In"
"Mangled Bodies"
"I Don't Want To Hurt You, I Just Want To Kill You"
"I Keep Hearing Noises In Your Basement"
"Suicide By Cop"
"Human Offals"
"Stabbing People"
"Let's See What's In Those Pockets"
"I Have A House Full Of Guns"
"21 Nails"
"Where's My Fucking Money"
"Orgy Of Violence"
"Rabies Is A Killer" (Agony Bag cover)


"Human Offals" video:

Pickled Preservation from pathological death grinders Sequestrum. Featuring members of Chaotian and Undergang, Sequestrum’s debut EP delivers seven furious offerings of extreme filth, including a cover of Impetigo’s “Dis-Organ-Ized”.


The EP was tracked at Mayhem Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was mixed and mastered by J. B. Hviid. The follow-up to the band’s 2021 demo, Pickled Preservation presents a clearer, more refined production, though still horribly soaked in sonic sewage.


Pickled Preservation is set to be released worldwide on January 27, 2023 through Extremely Rotten Productions on CD and cassette formats.







Tracklisting:


"Giblet Excreter"
"Preserved To Last"
"Necromucouphagia"
"Guts"
"Consigned To Humus"
"Human Broth"
"Dis-Organ-Ized" (Impetigo tribute)


Aiming to induce grimy grinding and gory death metal with a bit of rock, Sequestrum is trying to offer a bit of a different approach than widely seen in today's worldwide death metal scene. 


Sequestrum are:


Andreas Nordgreen - bass & vocals
David Mikkelsen - guitar & vocals
Frederik Laursen - drums
Søren Willatzen - guitar & vocals

Steve Vai and Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group recently announced the release of Vai / Gash digitally and on CD on January 27. The vinyl album release will follow on February 24.


Today, they present a second preview of the upcoming release. Listen to the track, "Busted", below:







About the new album, Vai shares, “This record was written and recorded in somewhat of a stream of consciousness in 1991 within perhaps a 2-week period as an answer to my desire to have a particular kind of music to listen to when I was riding my Harley Davison Motorcycle with my friends. It’s reminiscent of a certain type of rock music I enjoyed as a teenager in the 1970’s. These recordings sat on the shelf for over 30 years and are being released now in 2023. Here’s the story…”


An abbreviated synopsis of the anecdotal history and fond remembrances as articulated by Vai in the liner notes offer detail on singer Gash and his deep connection to Vai. From his teenage years on Long Island, to today, he has openly shared his love of motorcycles. Gash shared that passion.


Vai reflects, “Around 1990, I was overcome with a desire to rip out what I thought would be a straight-ahead type of rock record that contained the kind of music I wish I had to listen to when I was that teenager ensconced in the biker culture. And then I met Johnny “Gash” Sombrotto.”


John was born in Queens, New York and as a youth was an avid motorcycle enthusiast. In 1977 at the age of 21, he endured a serious accident that caused his body to catch fire while plunging 30 feet onto a barbed wire fence. Vai wrote in the liner notes, “The doctors told his family that he had third degree burns over 60% of his body, and that if he even survived, there was a strong possibility that he would lose his right arm and left leg. While in the Burn Unit, he endured excruciating pain, especially when given the intense daily cycle of hot baths for his burns. He soldiered on, and after a month he was finally discharged from the hospital. Luckily, no limbs were amputated. He was, however, left with a partial left ear and layers of skin grafts over his neck, arms, legs, and entire chest. The stories he told about his recovery and the excruciating pain involved were crushingly gut wrenching. But he survived, and eventually thrived again. He made his way out to Los Angeles in 1982 and got right back up on his motorcycle.”


Vai met John through a mutual friend, Mark Cimino. They bonded over biker culture, and he choose the name “Gash” as a nickname. Vai wrote, “…I’ve observed many people interacting with him on our numerous motorcycle road trips and other adventures. At first sight, many people could be taken by his bald head, scarred neck and burnt-off ear. Looking as he did and riding a Harley it was easy to assume he was perhaps a tough, menacing biker with a nefarious attitude, but after engaging with him for even a minute, his charm and magnetic charisma had them laughing in their shoes and completely enjoying his uplifting presence. He endeared people with his wit, warmth, and sparkle. John hit it off instantly with the most unlikely of people of every age, color, size, political or sexual persuasions. He was non superficial and never judged people. This allowed his engaging personality and intoxicating charm to draw you in. Under all those scars was a bold and fearlessly warm heart that can be seen in his disarming and big soft blue eyes.”


He continues, “…something in me wanted to get him in the studio and see how he would belt over these biker type songs I had demoed, but nothing could have prepared me for the voice that came out of his mouth. I had to think, off course he sounds like that because that’s him, confident, authentic, fearless but with a lighthearted intention. This was the voice I wanted to hear wailing over these slamming rock tracks. I was stunned. Around that timeframe I was also starting to launch work on ‘Sex and Religion’ and was hoping to eventually record more than the 8 songs I had laid down with John for an alternative project, but that was proven impossible. On September 7th, 1998, two days after my father had passed away, the phone rang, and it was John’s beloved girlfriend Nancy. Her voice was quaking, and I somehow knew what she was going to tell me. ‘John was in a bike accident and was killed’.”


After three decades, Steve Vai has finally shared this master with The World. In his opinion, “He would have absolutely been the greatest rock lead singer you would ever want to know. All the elements were in place, but he was gone. Disheartened, I put the entire project on the shelf, and would listen to it at least once a year for the past 30 years, especially around the anniversary of his passing. Then recently something compelled me to want to put it out now.  I wish you would have had a chance to get to know John. I believe you would have loved him just as we all did. For now, he is ‘In the Wind’.”


Pre-order the album here.





Tracklisting:


"In The Wind"
"Busted"
"Let’s Jam"
"Woman Fever"
"She Saved My Life Tonight"
"Danger Zone"
"New Generation"
"Flowers Of Life"


"In The Wind" video:





(Photo - Larry DiMarzio)

During an appearance on a recent episode of the "I Am All In With Scott Patterson" podcast, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach spoke about his plans for the long-awaited follow-up to his latest solo album, 2014's "Give 'Em Hell". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have a new record label and we're putting out a new record very soon. I'm not supposed to talk about that, but I'm always working on new songs and new music."

Regarding what has taken him so long to get the new record ready for release, Bach said: "Basically, I kind of had to take this year off a little bit, because I — I'm not supposed to say this stuff — I've been working on music since two SKID ROW singers ago. [Laughs] I've been working on music since before the pandemic, so I have amassed a lot of music. And the thing about putting out music in 2022 is that you have to figure out a way to cut through the clutter, because everybody and their cousin puts out an album or has a YouTube page. A long time ago, there used to be record companies that you had to be good to get signed. Not just anybody could put out records; it was a privilege, and you had to work for it. But with the advent or Pro Tools and technology, you can be a wrestler and then just wake up the next day and go, 'I'm gonna be a rocker.' … And then you just walk in there and waffle out some half-ass take and then fix it up on a laptop. So with there being no gatekeepers, you've got to have a plan. And if noticed, albums that are big now, they have such a long setup time. An artist will put out three or four songs, or three or four videos even before the album comes out. So it's this big plan. And there's also the vinyl backlog. You have to get in line to produce vinyl right now, because vinyl is so hot — everybody collects it — that you have to have six months lead time even to get into the vinyl pressing plants.

"So, that's very boring, but that's what's happening," he added. "We are amassing the plan."

Among the musicians who have assisted Bach during the writing and recording process for his new music are Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, Michael Jackson),John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Steve Stevens (Billy Idol),Devin Bronson, Brent Woods, Eli Santana and Jeremy Colson.

Less than two years ago, Sebastian told The Aquarian Weekly that he was working on a new album but he declined to name the record company that will be putting it out. "Yes, I have a new American label and I have been working somewhat on the album during this damned quarantine," he said. "But there is only so much I can do in my house. I have been sending files back and forth [to my bandmates], but it is not as exciting as being together in the same room. Maybe Taylor Swift lives with her whole band. I don’t know how that works."

He added: "My new album is going to be heavy. In many ways it is my follow-up to [2007's] 'Angel Down'. I am trying to make the best record I have ever made. There will be a lot of heavy [music] coming your way."

Back in 2018, Bach told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF 101.1 FM radio station that he was going to ink a deal with a U.S.-based heavy metal record label that would help him make a "career-defining" new solo album.

Bach hasn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014. Like its predecessor, 2011's "Kicking & Screaming", the disc was released through Frontiers Music Srl, the Italian label which specializes in what's commonly called AOR, a term that once signified a popular radio format ("album-oriented rock") but nowadays applies to acts whose airplay is marginal.

Although Bach had said in some of his interviews a few years ago that his next record would be less musically aggressive and it would be "more uplifting and fun," he told WRIF that he has since had a change of heart.

"Well, before [the new record deal] happened, I was thinking of doing more of an acoustic-based record because I've done a lot of solo records," he said. "I've done 'Angel Down', which I'm very proud of that album,. Then 'Kicking & Screaming', which is a great album. 'Give 'Em Hell'… Not to mention 'ABachalypse Now', which is a three-record set. 'Forever Wild' DVD, 'Bring 'Em Bach Alive!'… I've put out a lot of records. And putting out the last one, when I put so much time and effort into it and it doesn't get the attention that it deserves, for me as an artist, I'm, like, 'Fuck!' So I was, like, you know what? If I'm gonna put out another heavy metal, hard rock album, I need help. I need a company around me that's gonna put the same kind of attention and time and effort into it as I am. So now that looks like it's happening. So now I'm changing the way I'm looking at things."

Dark Fortress are calling it quits, but not before bringing their unique, darkened version of black metal to European stages for one last tour. They have issued the following statement:


"We are hereby announcing the end of Dark Fortress. This has been coming for a while, and it's been an extremely hard decision. But since we did not want to simply let the band fall apart, we decided to end Dark Fortress with a bang, properly and in dignity, something that we owe not only to our fans and to all the people who have supported us for over two decades, but something that we also owe to ourselves. So we are proudly announcing our final tour together with co-headliners The Spirit and special guests, Asphagor. Come and let's celebrate one more time. This will be your last chance to see Dark Fortress live."


Tour dates are as follows:




May
3 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
4 - Aarau, Switzerland - Kiff
5 - Paris, France - Backstage
6 - Gent, Belgium - Asgaard
7 - London, UK - Boston Music Room
8 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg
9 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
10 - Berlin, Germany - Hole 44
11 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
12 - Poznań, Poland - U Bazyla
13 - Wien, Austria - Viper Room
14 - München, Germany - Backstage





Photo by Markus Laakso