Back in July, Metal Sludge posted that it was rumoured that guitarist Kane Roberts would be returning to Alice Cooper's band. Guitarist Nita Strauss announced her departure from the Alice Cooper band after eight years of playing with the legendary rocker and Roberts was indeed welcomed back to the fold.


Roberts played with Cooper from 1985-1988 and performed on the albums Constrictor (1986) and Raise Your Fist And Yell (1987). He recently spoke with Guitar World about his return to Cooper's band. Following is an excerpt from the interview.


Guitar World: To bring fans up to speed, how did you end up on stage with Alice Cooper again?




Kane: “Well, it was basically that Nita [Strauss] was going to take some time and play with Demi Lovato. And they talked about it, which was amicable; nothing was contentious about it. So, I guess Alice was thinking of who he'd like to get to replace Nita, and somebody said, ‘What about Kane?’ So, Alice called me and said, ‘Hey, you want to do the fall tour?’ And I said, ‘Okay, let's talk about it.’ From there, he explained what happened and that Nita was taking some time, so I said, ‘Okay, I'll do it.’”


Guitar World: After being away for so long, what stood out the most for you as the tour unfolded?


Kane: “The most memorable thing was watching Alice and thinking about how amazing he was. As far as getting comfortable, that took about a week, and suddenly, we were back to where we were. 


As you know, Alice and I are still best friends, but now it has become something where we're always laughing, hanging out, and going to dinner. We had breakfast every morning and did stuff like going to the movies. So, it turned into a wonderful hang-out, which made it a tremendous experience beyond what we did on stage. Aside from that, I had massive respect for Alice's ability. He still owns the audience. Like, when the band starts playing the intro to Feed My Frankenstein, which was the first song, Alice would walk out, and he's like a vacuum. 


He came out and sucked the whole audience into his persona. And that's what I remembered so vividly from back in the day, and on this tour, I got to see up close that Alice is still as powerful as he ever was.”


Read the complete interview here.


Roberts played his first show with Cooper since 1988 on September 7th at the fall tour kick-off show in Bethlehem, PA at the Wind Creek Event Center. Fan-filmed video is available below.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"Feed My Frankenstein"
"No More Mr. Nice Guy"
"Bed of Nails"
"Hey Stoopid"
"Fallen in Love"
"Be My Lover"
"House of Fire"
"Under My Wheels"
"He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)"
"Go to Hell"
"I'm Eighteen"
"Poison"
"Billion Dollar Babies"
- guitar solo - (Kane Roberts)
"Roses on White Lace"
"My Stars"
"Devil's Food" (band only)
"Black Widow" jam
"Steven"
"Dead Babies"
"I Love the Dead" (band only)
"Escape"
"Teenage Frankenstein"


Encore:
"School's Out"

KnuckleBonz is excited to announce this new Guns N' Roses set, each statue is hand-cast and painted with a unique number and certificate of authenticity on the base. Only 3,000 are made and sold worldwide.





This set includes: GN'R Axl Rose II Rock Iconz, GN'R Slash II Rock Iconz and GN'R Duff McKagan II Rock Iconz.




These statues are created using a team of highly skilled artists. Each statue is sculpted and cast in poly-resin and then hand-painted in fine detail. Each are numbered and come with a certificate of authenticity printed on the base. These limited-edition statues created by KnuckleBonz are highly collectible. Officially Licensed.


Reserve yours now with a limited pre-sale discount, here. Set to ship in spring 2023.

Shadow Kingdom Records has announced January 27, 2023 as the international release date for Iron Void's fourth album, IV, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.


Consolidating Iron Void's position as proud 'n' pure purveyors of dependable doom metal is the aptly titled fourth album, IV. This new record sees the arrival of "new" drummer Scott Naylor, who's actually been with the band since 2018, and who's renown for his work in Reign Of Erebus, Heathen Deity, and Atra Mors.


Together, this new-look power-trio look back to the old, to Iron Void's roots, and create a stripped-down doom metal album. Whereas Excalibur had a concept encompassing the historical past and legend, IV by contrast takes a long, hard look at everyday matters: real-world themes that are darker and more tangible, particularly in these days of Covid-19 and political unrest across all nations.




Musically, Iron Void match form to content with direct, hard-hitting doom steeped in the old school, but they're equally adept at varying their dynamics whilst retaining their core sound. Like many bands during these dark days, Iron Void had to write the whole album remotely during lockdown using file-sharing software, something Sealey says was admittedly "probably the hardest record to write," since they'd never previously done such before. However, the recorded results of IV burst with energy and personality, proving that these old dogs are anything but tired!


Iron Void - IV artwork and tracklisting:





"Call Of The Void"
"Grave Dance"
"Living On The Earth"
"Pandora's Box"
"Blind Dead"
"She"
"Lords Of The Wasteland"
"Slave One"
"Last Rites"


Listen to "Grave Dance" via the audio player below.


IV by IRON VOID


(Photo: Rob Benson - Black Earth Photography)


 

Tragedy - one of New York City’s most famous tribute bands and the undisputed inventors of “disco metal” - had a glitter-encrusted grip on the entertainment world when they emerged in the early 2010’s. Now, following the 2015 breakout viral music video for their cover of Grease’s “You’re The One That I Want” and 2017’s second viral hit, a cover of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, Tragedy are back with a brand new twist on I Am Woman, out March 3 via Napalm Records.


Flipping the script on sleaze rock tropes, with I Am Woman, Tragedy pay tribute to the most powerful force in their lives, as allies celebrating womanhood in all forms on 14 newly-recorded, reinvented disco and soft rock anthems of power, freedom, feeling and fun. While their 80s hair metal image would imply that plenty of misbehaviour is to be seen on the surface, one only need witness Tragedy live a single time to understand that the band’s true overarching message is one of carefree joy, humanity, acceptance and the simple pursuit of a damn good time.


The band kicks things into high gear today with the album's first single - a swinging glam metal rendition of the legendary anthem "Venus" - alongside a fantastic video featuring appearances by bohemian NYC legends such as Tammy Fae Starlite, Anna Copa Cabanna and Crystal Durant... and tons of bananas!




Frontman Mo'Royce Peterson says about "Venus": "Venus. The goddess of beauty, love and gardening - all areas where Tragedy shines like no other band. Originally done by Shocking Blue and Bananarama, the song explores how we all have our own personal goddess of beauty and love - someone who excites and inspires us like no other. Our version is chock full of MTV-era references, will get your head bangin', your hips shakin', and put a knowing smile on your face."


Watch the video below.


Having introduced their raucous trademark stage show to audiences in the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland and beyond, and releasing several albums of metalized disco, soft rock and pop covers before even tasting their first viral hit, Tragedy proved early on that they were never just your everyday satirical cover band. These six warriors of wacky fully embody the soul of the original and reimagine it from the top down, infusing the tracks with an undeniably infectious energy that can be felt both on stage or on wax.


On I Am Woman, Tragedy turn the energy up to 11 with recharged dancehall favorites like “Le Freak”, “Respect” (featuring soul powerhouse Marcy Harriell) and “I’m So Excited”, and double down on the drama with heavy, recomposed covers of belt-worthy classics “Memory” (featuring legendary drag performer, singer and guitarist Mrs. Smith), “Goldfinger” and “Roar”. Tracks like “I Will Survive” evoke the spirit of Queen with choral harmonies and blazing solos, while unabashed anthems like “She Bop” and “Venus” fully convince with authentic 80s hair metal flavor. Power metal reigns on the band’s opus-like version of “Flashdance… What A Feeling” and the theatrical Maiden-meets-Meatloaf-esque “Lay All Your Love On Me”. I Am Woman is bolstered by a retro production aura that allows the intricacy of each rearrangement decision to shine, as blistering guitar work, classic drumlines and dynamic vocal performances cascade throughout each track. With I Am Woman, Tragedy truly embody the spirit of metal classics while providing a fresh take on some of the world’s most timeless classics of empowerment, independence and self-love - important messages that resonate now more than ever!


Frontman Mo'Royce Peterson adds: "On I Am Woman, we find the inner-metal in disco and soft rock classics made famous by women.  Tragedy’s concept has always been to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, inverting the yin and the yang. Here, we honor, celebrate and explore various themes of womanhood."


Pre-order the album here.





I Am Woman tracklisting:


"Le Freak"
"I Will Survive"
"She Bop"
"Memory"
"Lay All Your Love On Me"
"Venus"
"Goldfinger"
"Respect"
"Flashdance... What A Feeling"
"I’m So Excited"
"Here You Come Again"
"All I Wanna Do"
"I Am Woman"
"Roar"


"Venus" video:





Tragedy is set to tour the world in 2023! First, the band will provide support to Steel Panther and Crobot on their newly announced US tour, beginning February 24 in Las Vegas, NV. Tickets for the US tour go on sale this Friday, December 9 at 10 AM, local time. About a week later, Tragedy will kick off a co-headline European tour with fellow comedy metal icons and labelmates Nanowar Of Steel, beginning April 18 in Southampton, UK. Tickets for the UK & European tour are on sale now. See below for all tour dates and check local venue listings for more information.








Lineup:


Disco Mountain Man - vocals, keys
Mo'Royce Peterson - vocals, guitar
Andy Gibbous Waning - bass, vocals
Gibbon Ass Freehly - guitar, vocals, horns
The Infernal Demigibb - drums
The Lord Gibbeth - drums


(Photo - ireallyhopeyouwin)

Napalm Records announces the signing of Finnish melodic death metal band, Before The Dawn. Formed in 1999, chart-cracking Before The Dawn reigned as one of the most successful Finnish metal bands of the early 2000’s, and since their burial in 2013, hundreds of thousands of new fans have discovered their music on streaming platforms, entirely without promotion or labels involved. Did the music find the people, or the people find the music - one can’t be sure, but after being inactive for almost a decade, Before The Dawn now returns stronger than ever.


Before The Dawn are currently back in the studio and ready to take to stages with a brand new lineup. The band originated as Finnish Metal Award winning Tuomas Saukkonen’s (Wolfheart) solo project, but throughout the years, there have been several lineup changes. With the new exciting lineup, the band introduces its biggest changes so far. Previous guitarist and vocalist Saukkonen has moved behind the drums, and talented Voice Of Finland 2022 finalist Paavo Laapotti has taken on all vocalist duties. The Finns have fully transformed into their new power and are ready to reconquer the scene.


Sebastian Münch, A&R, Napalm Records states: “Tuomas Saukkonen and I have been working together with Wolfheart for a couple years now and from time to time we talked about bringing Before The Dawn back. Last year, when the band released the single 'The Final Storm', I was absolutely amazed by how good the new song turned out. Now being part of releasing a new full length studio album, and it being the first one in over a decade, is a great honor.”




Tuomas Saukkonen comments on the signing: “One cornerstone of the Before The Dawn comeback plan and fundamental criteria was that we needed to find strong enough partners, in addition to our long time Fin label Stay Heavy Records, that will raise the band to a whole new level after a decade of slumber. We could not be happier about the newly signed contract with the mighty Napalm Records and we are absolutely ecstatic for the fact that the new Before The Dawn album will be in the best possible hands when it sees the light of the day worldwide in 2023.”


Before The Dawn are:


Vocals: Paavo Laapotti
Guitar: Juho Räihä
Bass: Pyry Hanski
Drums: Tuomas Saukkonen





(Photo - Teppo Ristola)

First Signal, an ongoing melodic rock project fronted by the inimitable Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), has announced the release of their new album, Face Your Fears, on February 17.


A brand new single and music video, "Never Gonna Let You Go" has been released today. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save the new album here.


The new record, their fifth overall, continues the tradition they've now established over the course of their discography of delivering top notch melodic rock perfectly suited for the legendary voice of Hess.




For Face Your Fears, Hess collaborated with producer Michele Guaitoli, who has produced albums by Issa, Visions Of Atlantis, Kalidia, SheWolf, and many more. (He is also the vocalist for Visions Of Atlantis, Temperance, and Era.) Guaitoli also plays bass and some guitars on the album in addition to overseeing production.


As with all the previous First Signal releases, this will be another must hear for fans of the AOR/Melodic Rock genre. Birthed in 2010, First Signal started as a musical partnership between vocalist Harry Hess and producer Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Khymera). The seeds of this union were planted that same year when Frontiers President and Head of A&R, Serafino Perugino presented Hess some melodic rock songs which had the same vibe and magic as Harem Scarem, who, at the time, were on a hiatus.


The self-titled debut album was greeted with excellent reviews from the melodic rock faithful, so even when Harem Scarem rebooted to record an excellent comeback album, Thirteen, Hess was still keen to record some more excellent melodic rock songs that he had gathered from various songwriters under the First Signal banner.The idea of another First Signal album continued to float around and with the help of Swedish producer/drummer Daniel Flores (The Murder Of My Sweet, Find Me) stepping in for Ward, the second record, One Step Over The Line (2016), started to take shape.


Once again, First Signal's recorded output was greeted with much excitement from the melodic rock / AOR fanbase. With that kind of reception, recording a third album, Line Of Fire (2019), was a no-brainer. With production duties handled again by Flores, Line of Fire was another awesome slab of great AOR/melodic rock for the 21st century. In 2022, the band continued with a fourth entry into their catalog, Closer To The Edge, again produced by Flores.


For 2023, Hess and First Signal are once again prepared to deliver pure melodic rock/AOR bliss with Face Your Fears.





Face Your Fears tracklisting:


"Unbreakable"
"Situation Critical"
"Shoot The Bullet"
"Always Be There"
"Dominoes"
"Rain For Your Roses"
"Face Your Fears"
"Never Gonna Let You Go"
"Not This Time"
"In The Name Of Love"
"Never Be Silenced"


"Never Gonna Let You Go" video:





Lineup:


Harry Hess - Vocals
Marco Pastorino - Guitar
Michele Guaitoli - Bass, Additional Guitar
Marco Andreetto - Drums

The heavy metal 'n' roll, dark, madcap visionaries collectively known as Avatar — vocalist Johannes Eckerström, guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström, bassist Henrik Sandelin, and drummer John Alfredsson — have unleashed yet another track from their upcoming magnum opus and ninth album Dance Devil Dance, out February 17, 2023 via Black Waltz Records, distributed by Thirty Tigers. Pre-order the album here.


Today, they have shared the video for "The Dirt I'm Buried In". Follow the band through a gloriously creepy walk through the woods, and while performing, you'll even encounter some rock 'n' roll werewolves. 







"Our new album is designed to make you move and to move you," says Eckerström. "We destroyed all doubt with 'Valley Of Disease'. We blew the competition off the mountain with 'Dance Devil Dance'. Now the world is ours, and yours with us. The stage is set, all that's left to do is give in and join the circus. This is 'The Dirt I'm Buried In'. You are welcome."





"Dance Devil Dance was recorded in the Swedish wilderness, far away from all the perceived glamour of the big city and modern studios. Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Mr. Bungle, Crobot, Stone Sour, Amon Amarth, Uriah Heep etc.) returned as producer. He first worked with us when he mixed Hail The Apocalypse, a role he reprised on Feathers & Flesh, before taking the wheel as producer on Avatar Country and Hunter Gatherer. No extra personnel were wanted nor needed. We stayed together for a month, eating, sleeping and breathing Dance Devil Dance, just the six of us."


"You always hear bands say, 'This is our best album yet.' This is our best album yet. It is Avatar at our most laser focused, at our most razor sharp. There's no BS, no extra fat. Every track is a weapon and has a purpose. It's all in the title, as this album is our angriest, horniest and most spiritual release, all at once. It's a must-hear," the band says.





Tracklisting:


"Dance Devil Dance"
"Chimp Mosh Pit"
"Valley Of Disease"
"On The Beach"
"Do You Feel In Control"
"Gotta Wanna Riot"
"The Dirt I'm Buried In"
"Clouds Dipped In Chrome"
"Hazmat Suit"
"Train"
"Violence No Matter What" (Duet with Lzzy Hale)


"Dance Devil Dance" video:





"Valley Of Disease" lyric video:





Avatar enjoyed quite a productive summer, traipsing North America on a successful headline tour. They next embarked on some of the biggest shows of their career - a trek with Iron Maiden, supporting the band in stadiums in Brazil. Avatar also played arenas supporting Sabaton. They secured slots at major festivals globally - Inkcarceration, Cadott Fest, Summer Breeze, and Bloodstock along the way.


Avatar added Veil of Maya in the UK and Europe this February and March 2023 on the Dance Devil Dance Tour. All dates are in the graphic below. More US touring will be announced in due time.





(Photo - Johan Carlèn)


 

Louder Sound is reporting that footage has emerged of what is believed to be Metallica's very first interview with Dave Mustaine as part of the band, taking place all the way back in March 1983.


The short but entertaining clip features interviewer Donna Davies introducing the "hot new heavy metal band from LA" , before James Hetfield helpfully confirms that the band have been together "since we started" (nice one, James). Davies then asks the Four Horsemen - singer/guitarist Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, lead guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist Cliff Burton - to name their main influences, to which Mustaine name-drops British heavy metal OGs Angel Witch and Venom in response.


Watch the interview below:

HIM mastermind Ville Valo (VV) spoke to Germany's Rock Antenne about his touring plans in support of his debut solo album, "Neon Noir", which will arrive on January 13 via Heartagram Records, distributed by UMG/Spinefarm. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're gonna be touring Europe in February and then heading over to North America and, after that, coming back over to Europe, playing a ton of festivals — hopefully. I'm not even sure which ones are confirmed yet. There will be German ones as well, but I'm not sure which ones are 'okayed'; I've only seen tentative schedules. And afterward I'm hoping that the touring will continue until the very end of the year.

"We weren't really a big touring band with HIM," Ville explained. "People had their families and stuff like that, so time-wise, it wasn't a problem but we decided that [we were] not gonna be a really heavy-duty-touring band. And with this new project of mine, I don't have the restrictions, or it's a new thing, so we're trying to play as much as we can with the guys. And we're rehearsing. We just finished rehearsals in Helsinki, and once I'm flying back, we're gonna continue. It's all sounding good. It's exciting — playing the HIM songs and the new songs back to back. It'll be a cool set."

"I'm really happy that there seems to be people still interested in what I do, because that's not a given," Valo added. "And I've been around for quite a bit. HIM weren't doing that much in Europe. We were doing some touring, but the last album we put out was back in 2013, so it's nearly ten years; it's a long, long time. It's quite an amazing thing that people still know my name and are interested in the music and are buying tickets and stuff. I hope they buy the t-shirts too."

Asked if he feels any pressure living up to HIM fans' expectations after being away from the stage for so long, Ville said: "If they're true fans, they know that the most important — well, not the most important thing, but the only thing I can be is the best me. I can sing the songs — the best HIM songs — and do them as well as I can, and I can't do much more. I have a good band playing that, and they sound good, and that's exactly what we'll do. So I'm not worried about expectations. I think the expectations on yourself are always the worst because you wanna be better and you don't wanna mess up. But that's normal. That's about everything that is important in life for you, that gets you the butterflies. And same thing with playing gigs. That's what I've been doing for quite a while, with more or less success. So I've messed up and did a few good shows back in the day too. So I know how a good one feels.

"I have a good feeling about this," he continued. "I'm not worried; I think I'm excited. It's great that there's gonna be hopefully new faces and a lot of familiar faces from the past as well. I think it's beautiful. It's great if music can carry through all those years, and hopefully we can make all the music justice — that's all we can hope.

"I don't like the attitude of, 'Yeah, it's gonna be the best ever,' because a) I'm not American, and b) I'm Finnish," Ville added. "So we don't brag in advance. We brag in the bar completely drunk afterwards. But since I don't drink, that's not gonna happen either. [Laughs]"

Ville has released three singles from "Neon Noir": "The Foreverlost", "Echolocate Your Love", and "Loveletting". The latter marked Ville's first new music in over two years, following the release of the three-track "Gothica Fennica Vol. 1" EP, also released under the VV banner, in March 2020.

Like "Echolocate Your Love" and "Loveletting", "Gothica Fennica Vol. 1" bore a strong musical resemblance to HIM and featured the tracks "Salute The Sanguine", "Run Away From The Sun" and "Saturnine Saturnalia".

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "Neon Noir", Ville told Kerrang! magazine: "I wouldn't call it 'suicidal', but most of the stuff was written during the pandemic, and there weren't many rays of sun hitting me. Everybody was in the mental gutter. Times were tough. This album was the kind of like the lifebuoy for me. It gave me a reason to wake up every morning and work on something else and try to shut the world outside. When I was working on the music, maybe it was selfish to a certain extent, but also it was a matter of survival."

He added: "It seems that mankind needs a bit of a breather from all this shit, myself included. So I tried to put all that frustration onto paper. And if it's love and darkness, and all sorts of things like that, that's probably because it's my vocabulary. Hopefully, the words have been rearranged in a fresh order this time around. But me trying to do something completely different, just because, that doesn't make any sense to me at all."

Back in April, Ville told Metal Hammer that "Loveletting" was one of the more mellow songs on "Neon Noir". Ville said: "I've always been shit with picking singles — I'm always wrong, so I let the label choose that and everybody was smiling when they heard it the first time, so they suggested it. I'm hoping the next one will be a lot more rock 'n' roll, harder hitting."

Regarding the musical direction of "Neon Noir", Ville told Metal Hammer: "The new stuff definitely does sound like HIM. But I did write most of the songs, so… I'm to blame for that. It's a continuous journey from HIM for me. A lot of people when they move on to solo projects want to distance themselves from the past, burn bridges and start their solo career. It's different for me. VV is me building a bridge between HIM and the future. That's what 'Neon Noir' is."

Ville spoke to Spotify about why it has taken him so long to complete "Neon Noir". "Since the pandemic hit, I started working on the album," he explained. "I actually learned how to record — I learned how to record drums and bass and guitar because I wasn't able to get any musicians; I had to do it solo — literally solo. So I'm really sorry but it did take me two and a half years to get the album done. 'Loveletting' is the first single. It's kind of what I normally do — it's a loud love song; it's a very sad and melancholy wistful one, but sort of maybe light at the end of the tunnel which is hopefully not the oncoming train.

"So there's not much new under the sun of VV, but I love it. [Laughs]"

HIM completed a farewell tour in 2017, closing the final chapter on the band's 26-year career.

Formed in 1991 by Valo, guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström and bassist Mikko "Migé" Paananen, HIM offered the world a new take on the metal genre, which became known as "love metal" (also the title of their fourth album).

HIM in 2015 parted ways with its longtime drummer, Mika Kristian Karppinen (a.k.a. Gas Lipstick),and replaced him with Jukka "Kosmo" Kröger (formerly of HERRA YLPPÖ & IHMISET).

Three years ago, Valo teamed up with guitar legend Esa Pulliainen to record an album based on songs by the late, legendary Finnish singer Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki. The self-titled album by VILLE VALO & AGENTS was released in February 2019 and was followed by a short tour.

Photo credit: Juha Mustonen

California metallers DEVILDRIVER have parted ways with drummer Austin D'Amond and have replaced him with Davier Pérez.

DEVILDRIVER said in a statement: "Uplifting news here, always sad to part with a brother, but in this case we could not be more proud… Austin D'Amond has been offered a very lucrative spot at his sobriety clinic to head up the program, helping to get people sober, and we are very proud of the steps he's taken in his own life to get sober and also to help others with their struggles."

DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara said: "Working with Austin was fun, but I'm very glad for the next chapter of his life where he will be helping people.

"Sad to see him go, but as he steps away from touring, he's bettering his life and the lives of others — so Austin, we salute you!"

Austin adds: "I'm very grateful for my time playing for DEVILDRIVER and the experience was priceless. These friendships will last forever, and I have nothing but love for all my brothers. I wish them many more years of giving the fans the most necessary SHRED!!!"

D'Amond joined DEVILDRIVER in 2015 as the replacement for original drummer John Boecklin.

Regarding Davier joining DEVILDRIVER, Dez says: "Once I saw him play, I asked around and spoke with him and heard his excitement as well his long-term commitment level. I knew he was our guy!"

Pérez comments: "To say that I'm honored to be part of the DEVILDRIVER family is an understatement!"

This past July, DEVILDRIVER announced the return of original bassist Jon Miller after more than a decade-long absence from the scene. In addition to epic reunion, DEVILDRIVER added guitarist Alex Lee (HOLY GRAIL) to the lineup, replacing Neal Tiemann.

Ibarra joined DEVILDRIVER in 2016 as the replacement for former BURY YOUR DEAD guitarist Chris Towning, who appeared on the Fafara-fronted band's 2013 album "Winter Kills".

In October 2021, DEVILDRIVER parted ways with Tiemann. Neal, formerly of BURN HALO, joined the band in 2015 as the replacement for Jeff Kendrick, who left DEVILDRIVER in October 2014.

In 2020, DEVILDRIVER announced a new double album, "Dealing With Demons". The first volume — titled "Dealing With Demons I" — dropped in October 2020 via Napalm Records and marked the band's first release of new, original material since 2016's "Trust No One".

DEVILDRIVER was formed in Santa Barbara, California in 2002 when Fafara's previous band COAL CHAMBER was winding down. Originally signed to Roadrunner Records, the group's initial lineup featured guitarists Jeff Kendrick and Evan Pitts (who was replaced by Mike Spreitzer later that year),Miller and drummer John Boecklin.

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In a new interview with That Fuzzing Rock Show, ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's progress. It's really hard to put it all in words right now. It'll happen when it's done and ready, or at least ready to even start. But, yeah, there's some progress, for sure — there's movement. And you know what? Good things come… We obviously don't rush anything."

Joey's latest comments echo those of ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello, who told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" last month about a possible new LP from him and his bandmates: "The great thing about this is we're not in a rush. We wanna make sure it's the right record. We can't just throw out something that's not ready. So we're gonna really make sure it's the right record and live with it for a little bit. We have some brutal stuff and some cool stuff coming up — very heavy — we've been working on. Everybody can say that when they're working on a record. But the proof is in the pudding. I'm pretty proud of what we've come up with so far."

This past August, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian praised the production quality on some of the band's recently albums, including 2011's "Worship Music" and "For All Kings". He said: [On] 'Worship [Music]' and 'For All Kings', for me, we've really kind of found our sound. We've got this base level where we're at right now with [producer] Jay Ruston where we know it's gonna be great, and then we could push it even further. Especially with the songwriting that we have right now, going into what will eventually be a new ANTHRAX album, it just lends itself to even a more aggressive production which I think we will have no problem accomplishing."

In April, Scott confirmed to Metal Injection that ANTHRAX had a few songs already written for the upcoming LP. "All I can say is we will get in the studio when we're ready, which I hope is this year," he said. "I would love that. I think we're getting there. I think we have great songs. I think people will be very happy.

"Not to make a weird comparison, but it's our third record back together with Joey. Actually, it's an odd comparison. I should just say it's our third album since our kind of our reboot in 2010 and our third album back in the day was 'Among The Living'. I'm not saying that this is [like that album], because it's not 'Among The Living II' in any sense, but I just think we have some great songs and there's like a fucking mountain of great riffs. I think people are going to be very happy."

Ian previously discussed ANTHRAX's upcoming LP during a July 2021 appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. At the time, he said: "We've been at it for a little while now. We actually started writing in '19 — pre-COVID — and kind of stepped away from things when COVID happened. We were all separate and apart and we would kind of revisit some of the demos, but we weren't actively working on it.

"Yeah, it's the same as it's always been," he said. "I would have to think by the time we get to the other side of the writing process and we decide we're ready to go record it, I would have to assume it's certainly going to represent this time in our lives. And the world having gone through a pandemic, I would imagine certainly that's in some way, shape or form going to come out through this next record. I can't tell you how yet, but I would have to think it's going to."

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

According to Fox 4, TOOL drummer Danny Carey will have his first hearing next week in connection with his arrest last year at Kansas City International Airport.

Danny has a hearing in municipal court scheduled for December 15 after the case was continued (a legal term for a delay, postponement or rescheduling of a trial or other court proceeding) seven times since the incident.

Carey was arrested on December 12, 2021 for an alleged assault at the airport. In TMZ's video of the incident, Carey can be heard berating the officers and telling the person filming him to "videotape all of this." The musician, who could be seen wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey, kept asking one of the officers, "Who did I assault?" and exclaiming, "I just want to get the fuck out of here." At the end of the video, two officers could be seen pushing Carey against a glass wall outside the airport, with one officer ordering Carey not to get too close to them. The officers then slapped cuffs around Carey's wrists, with one of them telling the drummer to "quit resisting now."

According to TMZ, law enforcement sources say Carey allegedly assaulted an employee working security at the airport. A police report stated that Carey allegedly shoved two fingers in the worker's chest and repeatedly yelled, "You're a fucking f****t!"

The 61-year-old musician was booked for misdemeanor assault and was released on bond.

A spokesperson for the Kansas City Aviation Department told Rolling Stone at the time: "Regarding the request for body and dash cam video, our police force does not have this technology. The police report has been forwarded to the prosecutor's office for review."

Carey's arrest came one day after he performed the Jimi Hendrix song "Fire" at the University of Kansas vs. the University of Missouri men's basketball game in Lawrence, Kansas.

TOOL formed in 1990 and has released five studio albums thus far: "Undertow" (1993),"Ænima" (1996),"Lateralus" (2001),"10,000 Days" (2006) and "Fear Inoculum" (2019); two EPs: "72826" (1991) and "Opiate" (1992); and the limited-edition boxset, "Salival" (2000). The band has won four Grammy Awards: Best Metal Performance (1998, "Ænima"),"Best Metal Performance" (2002, "Schism"),"Best Recording Package" (2007, "10,000 Days") and "Best Metal Performance" (2020, "7empest").

"Fear Inoculum" arrived in August of 2019, following years of anticipation. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200, shattering sales and radio records while also earning widespread critical praise.

Photo: Kansas City Police Department

BMG has announced the acquisition of rights to the catalog of one of the most celebrated artists and guitarists in rock history, Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter Peter Frampton.

The deal includes Frampton's publishing interests, songwriter, recording artist, and sideman revenue streams, and neighboring rights, spanning his entire musical career from his late-1960s work with U.K. hitmakers THE HERD to 1970s breakthrough supergroup HUMBLE PIE through gaining superstar status as a solo artist with hit songs including "Show Me The Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do", "I'm In You" and "I Can't Stand It No More", among many others.

Throughout his career, Frampton has collaborated with legendary artists such as George Harrison, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Carly Simon, Harry Nilsson, Donovan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ringo Starr, Diana Ross, Herb Alpert, Dionne Warwick, Steve Miller, Mike McCready and Matt Cameron (PEARL JAM),among many others.

His boyhood friend David Bowie, whom he accompanied on the "Glass Spider" tour, lauded Frampton's guitar-playing, describing it as an "English approach to the blues, American music played in an English style."

Frampton said: "I am so pleased to join the BMG family. As an artist-first company, I trust BMG will care for my legacy and that my songs are in good hands."

Jeff Brabec, BMG SVP, business and legal affairs, who oversaw the deal, said: "BMG is honored to represent the creative works of Peter Frampton, a truly unique songwriter, recording artist, performer and guitar player who continues to produce exceptional work."

Thomas Scherer, BMG president, repertoire and marketing, Los Angeles and New York, said: "From his incredible early rise of success to HUMBLE PIE, his countless collaborations to achieving global stardom as a solo artist, Peter Frampton is one of the most inspirational and tireless musicians of his time. We are proud a legendary artist of his caliber entrusts BMG as the custodians of his most treasured works. A revered musical catalog of this magnitude, paid tribute to by countless artists, will continue to live on for generations."

Frampton became a successful child guitarist and at the age of 16 he joined THE HERD, landing three British Top 10 hits.

At 18, Frampton co-founded one of the first supergroups, seminal rock act HUMBLE PIE, recording four studio albums, as well as the gold-certified live album "Rockin' The Fillmore".

As a solo artist, Frampton achieved enormous commercial success releasing 18 studio albums and four live albums. In 1972, he released his debut album "Wind Of Change", followed by "Frampton's Camel", "Somethin's Happening" and the gold-certified "Frampton".

In 1976, Frampton redefined his music career releasing the U.S. chart-topping, eight-times-platinum-certified "Frampton Comes Alive!", featuring live versions of songs from his first four solo albums. The album would go on to receive a Grammy nomination for "Album Of The Year" and remain No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 10 weeks in the U.S. It was certified three times platinum in Australia and gold in both the U.K. and Canada. After more than four decades, the album remains one of the top-selling live records of all-time with sales of over 17 million worldwide.

His follow-up studio album "I'm In You" again achieved commercial success around the world with the album being certified platinum in the U.S., Australia, Canada, and silver in the U.K.

In 2007, Frampton won the Grammy Award for "Best Pop Instrumental Album" for "Fingerprints" and in 2014 was inducted into the Musicians Hall Of Fame. In 2019, he was the recipient of the prestigious Les Paul Innovation Award from NAMM's TEC Awards and in 2020 was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame.

His 2019 album, "All Blues", was No. 1 for 15 weeks on Billboard's Blues chart, his 2020 autobiography "Do You Feel Like I Do?: A Memoir" debuted on The New York Times bestsellers list, and most recently, his new album "Frampton Forgets The Words" was released to widespread critical acclaim.

Photo credit: Gibson

Veteran U.S. heavy metallers JAG PANZER have signed with Atomic Fire Records for the release of their 12th full-length album, "The Hallowed", which is due out next spring.

JAG PANZER guitar player/founding member Mark Briody states: "JAG PANZER are proud to announce that we have signed to Atomic Fire Records. Over the years, we have seen the incredible promotion work done by Markus, Flori and their team. We felt that our music combined with their hard work could take JAG PANZER to the next level. We are very excited to bring 'The Hallowed' to Atomic Fire Records."

Atomic Fire Records founder/A&R Markus Wosgien adds: "When we got the offer for a new JAG PANZER album, it was already a kind of a no-brainer to give them a deal. When we heard the album, it became a must-have. Honestly, this is one of the best albums they ever did, and they have an armada of classics in their discography. They sound hungry, inspired and take all their trademarks to another level. We cannot wait to release their first singles and believe me, it was a hard choice to make. This is a future heavy metal classic to come!"

What came into being in 1981 in Colorado Springs has lost nothing of its rebellion and power, not even over four decades later. Being inspired by the onslaught of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, Briody and his comrades quickly became one of the most intriguing U.S. power metal acts, releasing some successful studio albums, including their 1984 debut album "Ample Destruction", "The Fourth Judgement" (1997),"Thane To The Throne" (2000),"The Scourge Of The Light" (2011) and their latest effort, "The Deviant Chord" (2017).

JAG PANZER recently welcomed longtime touring guitarist Ken Rodarte as an official band member.

"Ken's done a great job on the last several tours," Briody says. "When he expressed interest in joining the band, we put him on an eight-week audition to see how he'd fit in with our creative process. Ken's contribution to 'The Hallowed' exceeded all our expectations. Harry, Rikard, John and I are all excited to have Ken on board."

JAG PANZER is:

Harry Conklin - vocals
Mark Briody - guitars
Ken Rodarte - guitars
John Tetley - bass
Rikard Stjernquist - drums

Photo credit: Dan Russell

It’s OUT!
Here it is my friends.
The cover of the new JAG PANZER m!
The HALLOWED

Posted by Harry Conklin on Tuesday, September 20, 2022

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen has once again said the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." will be the third part of a trilogy that began with 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album. He told Metal Hammer: "I immediately knew after getting that album ['Endless Forms Most Beautiful'] done that, 'Okay, we have to do more songs about this, because there's so much more to explore and tell the world. We're not done with this.' And the same thing happened after 'Human. :II: Nature.'; we're still not done. So let's do one more. At least one more.

"In a way, [the next album] is the third part of a trilogy, which started with 'Endless Forms…' and then 'Human. :II: Nature.' There are some major surprises there again, but it feels like a natural continuation to 'Human. :II: Nature.'"

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts..

"The wonderful thing is that we have had the demo [of the album] done since last spring. So it's been done for six months now. We really have all the time in the world to go through it all, and we have had a such great time with the band, just listening to the demo in our hotel rooms — me singing the lyrics and the melodies to Floor [Jansen, vocals]. She's recording them and then she's seeing them and throwing ideas to each other."

This past September, Tuomas was asked if NIGHTWISH's upcoming LP will once again be an exploration of evolutionary science, as was the case with the previous two releases. Tuomas said: "Yes and no. It sails on the same waters, but there's some new surprises there as well."

Holopainen went on to say that NIGHTWISH fans will have to wait a while before hearing new music from the band. "We'll enter the studio next year and the album is gonna come out maybe early 2024," he said.

In August, Tuomas told Rock Sverige that he spent "about a year" working on the music and lyrics for the next NIGHTWISH album.

Asked if he got any kind of inspiration from the pandemic, Tuomas said: "Yeah, lyrically there's a couple of things that reflects the pandemic, but not in the way you would expect."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the last year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

In November, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after recently undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.