Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy will induct TWISTED SISTER's classic lineup of Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Mark Mendoza and late drummer A.J Pero into the Metal Hall Of Fame at the sixth annual charity gala, set to take place January 26, 2023 at The Canyon club in Agoura Hills, California. Portnoy and Vai will both share stories of how TWISTED SISTER influenced them in their early days on the music scene.

Also scheduled to be inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame in January are former FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm, influential British/American speed/thrash metal band RAVEN and world-renowned guitarist Chris Impellitteri. The sixth annual event will include the world premiere of former BLACK SABBATH/DIO drummer Vinny Appice's new band SCREAM TAKER, featuring vocalist Jim Crean (Vinnie Vincent, Carmine Appice) and bassist Tony Franklin (Jimmy Page, David Gilmour).

Metal Hall Of Fame president/CEO Pat Gesualdo said: "The 2023 Metal Hall Of Fame charity gala is going to be an amazing event as always. There will be numerous legendary hard rock and heavy metal artist inductions and many exciting surprises and performances."

A special Rocavaka meet-and-greet with Snider, Rocavaka's brand ambassador, will take place after the induction ceremony where limited-edition Snider numbered Rocavaka bottles will be made available for purchase and signing.

Tickets are $35 in advance or $45 at the door via www.metalhalloffame.org.

Proceeds from the annual Metal Hall Of Fame charity gala go to the non-profit organization D.A.D. (Drums And Disabilities). D.A.D. brings free music programs and therapy services to help special needs children and wounded veterans in various health facilities and community centers.

The Metal Hall Of Fame is a non-profit organization that enshrines forever those iconic musicians, artists, music industry executives who are responsible for making hard rock and heavy metal music what it is today. Their contribution to the genre is invaluable, and they keep inspiring fans throughout the world, from generation to generation.

In 2016, TWISTED SISTER embarked on one final trek, titled "Forty And Fuck It", in celebration of its 40th anniversary. These shows featured the band's "core lineup" of Snider, French, Ojeda and Mendoza, along with Portnoy. The band's last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of Pero.

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.

The surviving members of the classic lineup of TWISTED SISTER — Snider, French, Ojeda and Mendoza — reunited virtually in March 2021 for a special episode of Mendoza's Internet TV show "22 Now". The hour-and-a-half-long program was a tribute to Pero, who died exactly six years earlier at the age of 55 while on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB.

Prior to the March 2021 virtual reunion, the four surviving members of TWISTED SISTER reunited for two days and nights in November 2019 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the band's classic album "Stay Hungry".

Canadian death metal veterans GORGUTS will perform for the first time in nearly six years at Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly on April 14, 2023 at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To celebrate the end of this extended break, the band will play a special set exclusively of material from 1998's landmark "Obscura" and 1991's old-school classic "Considered Dead".

"Dear fans, I just wanna say that we are super stoked to be a part of Decibel's Metal & Beer Fest!" exclaims GORGUTS guitarist/vocalist Luc Lemay. "It's a special moment for the band returning to the stage after a hiatus, so and we decided to craft for you a set of songs that haven't been performed live in over 25 years."

Also scheduled to appear at next year's Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly are headliners SUICIDAL TENDENCIES celebrating the 40th anniversary of their self-titled debut by playing the crossover classic in its entirety and the triumphant return of melodic death metal kings THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. EYEHATEGOD will perform "Take As Needed For Pain" in full for the first time, and U.S. death metal progenitors INCANTATION will honor the 25th anniversary of masterwork "Diabolical Conquest" with an exclusive start-to-finish performance of the record.

The artist bill is rounded out by Northwest black/doom force MIZMOR; Fort Worth deathstorm FROZEN SOUL; old-school metallic hardcore heroes ALL OUT WAR; New York death metal newjacks UNDEATH; Vermont's metalcore finest DROWNINGMAN; blackened doom swamp dwellers WORM; crusty death metal cretins FUMING MOUTH; cavernous death metal upstarts PHOBOPHILIC; and New England blast furnace ESCUELA GRIND.

All ticket options for Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly 2023 are on sale now.

Few extreme bands can boast the pedigree of GORGUTS. During their early days as part of death metal's first wave, they created a legacy of legendary releases including their debut album "Considered Dead" (1991) and its more experimental and technical follow-up "Erosion Of Sanity" (1993). After a hiatus of five years, Lemay returned with a new line-up, which released the highly acclaimed and seminal third full-length "Obscura" (1998). By then GORGUTS had been busy at expanding and redefining the language of death metal. With a new lineup that left Lemay as the sole original member, the next milestone album was released under the title "From Wisdom To Hate" (2001).

Yet again the band went into hibernation, while their musical legacy continued to inspire and thrive as their native Quebec became a focus for technical death metal with acts such as CRYPTOPSY, NEURAXIS and BEYOND CREATION, to name but a few, following in their footsteps. After more than a decade of silence, Lemay unleashed "Colored Sands" (2013) with an all-star line-up including Colin Marston (BEHOLD THE ARCTOPUS),Kevin Hufnagel (DYSRHYTHMIA) and John Longstreth (ORIGIN, SKINLESS),who has in the meantime been replaced by Patrice Hamelin (QUO VADIS, BENEATH THE MASSACRE).

In 2016, GORGUTS released the "Pleiades Dust" EP. In an age of a postulated clash of cultures, Lemay delivered a piece of music that was conceptually and lyrically based on the "House Of Wisdom", a medieval library based in Baghdad and at the heart of the Golden Age of Islam with its many scientific breakthroughs in various fields of learning.

"It is a story about curiosity, beautiful minds and sadly, about how man destroys great discoveries and achievements," explained Lemay. Musically, there is more narrative feeling as each section is introduced in such a way that every riff has the space to evolve like a character in a story.

After a successful year of touring in 2017, GORGUTS once again receded into the shadows and went dark. That is until now, as the band readies to celebrate its storied career with a historical set as they make their return to the stage.

GORGUTS is:

Luc Lemay - rhythm guitar, vocals
Kevin Hufnagel - lead guitar
Colin Marston - bass
Patrice Hamelin - drums

In a new interview with Ernest Skinner of Border City Rock Talk, former JUDAS PRIEST vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens spoke about the status of the sophomore album from his new group KK'S PRIEST, in which he is joined by another ex-JUDAS PRIEST member, guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have one more song, I think, to finish. But they're mixing it and doing it as I finish these songs. So it's gonna be fairly close. It's really moving along really good. And it's really good too. I like it better [than the debut LP]. It's a little heavier, a little edgier on the vocals — and even music, I think."

As for a possible release date for the new KK'S PRIEST album, Owens said: "[K.K.] wants to get it out pretty soon. 'Cause I know we wanna do some touring. So I know he wants to get it out."

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

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

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

KK'S PRIEST's debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", was released in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by George Chin

After releasing their latest record, Spirit Of Ecstasy, avantgarde metal trio Imperial Triumphant are back today with a video for the album track "Metrovertigo" - to coincide with their announcement for a USA headlining trek in 202.! See below for all dates, featuring support from Cloak and Couch Slut (who will be special guests during Imperial Triumphant's performance, providing guest vocals, horns, and more). For a preview of their stunning live show, be sure to check out the clip of "Metrovertigo" (filmed in London and created by Cam Shuck Productions):





Zachary Ezrin (vocals, guitar) comments: "Imperial Triumphant will be bringing the chaos of New York City to the eastern coast of the USA this winter. We are excited to be accompanied by black metal band Cloak and fellow metropolitans Couch Slut on this excursion. This will be our first headline tour since 2021 and we are elated to bring our golden ritual to a few select cities. We will be joined by horns and special guests making this tour one not to be missed."







Spirit Of Ecstasy Tour:


January
31 – Clifton, NJ – Dingbatz


February
1 – Pittsburgh, PA – Black Forge
2 – Cincinnati, OH – Legends
3 – Nashville, TN – The End
4 – Atlanta, GA – Boggs Social
5 – Mobile, AL – Alabama Music Box
6 – Orlando, FL – Haven*
7 – Miami, FL – Gramps
9 – W. Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern
10 – Chesapeake, VA – Riffhouse
11 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts**
12 – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus Bar***


*with Cloak, Couch Slut, plus Artificial Brain
**Imperial Triumphant only
***Imperial Triumphant and Couch Slut


Additionally, Imperial Triumphant will be playing Spirit Of Ecstasy in full with special guests (to be announced soon) on Roadburn 2023's mainstage. "We are pleased to bring the golden ritual once again to the great festival of Tilburg: Roadburn," the band states. "Imperial Triumphant will be performing for the first time ever Spirit Of Ecstasy, in its entirety, complete with special guest musicians and flowing champagne. Please join us in this sacred worship of sonic dissonance."


(Photo - Alex Krauss)

The Serpentarius Arcana – a one-mind power / prog / chip metal act will release a cover album celebrating classic video games on December 13.





Tracklisting:




“Thirteenth Zodiac” (Final Fantasy Tactics)
“Under Persian Skies” (Prince Of Persia)
“Empire Of The Sands” (Journey)
“Struggles In Stranglethorn” (World Of Warcraft)
“Bloodlines (The Sacred And Damned)” (Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night)
“The Devil Sleeps Beneath” (The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind)
“The Devil Speaks In Dreams” (The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind)
“A Doomsday Comet (…And Madness Will Claim Us All)” (Metroid Prime)


Album trailer:

ANTHRAX has canceled its appearance at next year's Bloodstock Open Air festival due to "logistical issues beyond [the band's] control".

The thrash metal veterans were scheduled to perform on the Ronnie James Dio main stage on August 12, 2023.

ANTHRAX has been replaced on the Bloodstock Open Air bill by TRIPTYKON — the occult/avant-garde metal project formed by former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior) — which will perform a special CELTIC FROST set.

Fischer said in a statement: "It was audiences and media in the U.K. who first embraced CELTIC FROST's music in the mid-1980s and gave this band a history and career. Without their support, I wouldn't be here as the musician I have become. Moreover, we have also been very fortunate with TRIPTYKON to be granted an equally warm welcome every time we have played the U.K. This is particularly true for our past appearances at Bloodstock.

"It is thus truly a special honor and pleasure for us to have been asked by Bloodstock to play this unique CELTIC FROST-themed concert at Bloodstock 2023. There will be many memories and emotions."

Also scheduled to appear at next year's Bloodstock Open Air, which will take place August 10-13, 2023 at Catton Hall in Derbyshire, United Kingdom, are MESHUGGAH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, MEGADETH, HELLOWEEN, IN FLAMES, SEPULTURA, WHITECHAPEL, KNOCKED LOOSE, BIOHAZARD, SACRED REICH, ZEAL & ARDOR and CROWBAR.

This past summer, ANTHRAX canceled shows in continental Europe as part of its fall 2022 touring activities, citing "ongoing logistical issues" and "costs that are out of our control." Bassist Frank Bello told BLABBERMOUTH.NET about the decision: "The god's honest truth: Everything budgeting-wise is insane right now. We budgeted it last year and came back to this year with the gas lines and all the shit that's going on. It was three times the budget. We would have gone into a bad deficit, horrible. And the promoters are saying, 'It doesn't make sense for you guys to do it.' The buses, just life in general. It's horrible."

#BOA23 ANNOUNCEMENT!🔥

In these rapidly changing times, unfortunately Saturday's special guest Anthrax have pulled out...

Posted by Bloodstock Festival on Thursday, December 8, 2022

In an unmissable UK EXCLUSIVE performance from iconic metal pioneers Triptykon (Official) they'll be treating BLOODSTOCK...

Posted by Bloodstock Festival on Thursday, December 8, 2022

AEROSMITH has canceled the remaining two "Deuces Are Wild" Las Vegas residency shows due to frontman Steven Tyler's illness.

The band was previously forced to pull out of its December 2 and December 5 concerts at Dolby Live in Park MGM as the singer was unwell with a mystery illness, and now, they've scrapped the final two gigs — on Thursday, December 8 and Sunday, December 11 — as the 74-year-old rocker requires more time to rest.

The legendary rockers said in a social media statement: "To all our fans... We are so sorry to announce we are cancelling these last two Las Vegas Shows. On the advice of doctors, Steven has to sit these out.

"Stay healthy and we'll see you in the new year!"

Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will automatically be refunded, with all other refunds available at point of purchase.

In June, AEROSMITH canceled shows as Tyler had entered a treatment program after relapsing on pain medication following foot surgery.

"As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years," the band's joint statement read in May.

"After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery."

By July, Tyler was released from his latest rehab stint and was reportedly doing "amazingly well."

Leading up to the latest run of shows, AEROSMITH played Boston's Fenway Park to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
To all our fans...

We are so sorry to announce we are cancelling these last two Las Vegas Shows.

On the advice of doctors, Steven has to sit these out.

Stay healthy and we’ll see you in the new year! pic.twitter.com/cNiHypaXVj

— Aerosmith (@Aerosmith) December 8, 2022

Black Cross Hotel, the horror punk/industrial metal unit featuring members of Stabbing Westward, The Atlas Moth, Minsk, Broken Hope, Whipped, and more, has unveiled their new video for “Windows”. The track comes by way of the band’s recently released debut full-length, Hex.





“The song is a gloomy but punishing gothic rock dirge, reminiscent of Killing Joke at their most ominous with shades of early Cure and ’90s-era industrial rock,” writes Treble. “The clip itself is in black and white, featuring ominous imagery and a whole lot of ooze.”




Adds the band, "‘Windows’ was inspired by The Thing — both the film and the soundtrack. The sound combines Carpenter atmosphere and moods with melodic elements inspired by Ennio Morricone. The story is about attempting to blend in with your surroundings for the purposes of self-preservation and maintaining group cohesion and ultimately failing at both goals. The lesson is that denying one’s true nature ultimately hurts everyone. We feel Jakub (Chariot Of Black Moth) perfectly captured the mood and vibe in this video.”


Purchase Hex on Bandcamp.


“What if Mick Mars and John Carpenter joined Killing Joke?”


That was the question that synth player Andrew Ragin (The Atlas Moth) and guitarist Marcus Eliopulos (Stabbing Westward) posed to each other during the darkest depths of the plague. The answer turned out to be Black Cross Hotel. “Marcus and I are brothers-in-law,” Ragin explains. “I’m married to his sister, and we’ve been friends forever. He’s filled in for me with The Atlas Moth from time to time. We’ve been talking about jamming together for damn near twenty years, but the pandemic provided the opportunity.”


With a lineup completed by producer/bassist Sanford Parker (Corrections House, Minsk), vocalist Dee DeEmme (Whipped), and drummer Mike Miczek (Broken Hope, The Atlas Moth), Black Cross Hotel is a punk/industrial metal band forged in the crucible of the finest ‘80s culture. “Killing Joke is definitely our spirit animal band, but John Carpenter’s movies and music, and other classic horror movies, are where we found our inspiration,” Ragin explains. “A lot of the stuff on this first record is inspired by specific ’80s horror movies.”





Recorded primarily at Parker’s own Hypercube Studio in Chicago, Black Cross Hotel’s Hex is steeped in ‘80s fright flicks and their synth-driven soundtracks. Opener “The Shape” references Halloween homicide machine Michael Myers. “Windows” is the name of Thomas G. Waites’ radio operator in John Carpenter’s The Thing. The title track was inspired by the classic 1985 Bava/Argento production Demons and “Siren” conjures the teenage mental ward from Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.


Rather than merely pay homage or recite storylines like so many horror-inspired bands of yore, DeEmme examines these films — and the notion of otherness contained within — from their own non-binary perspective. “It’s part of what makes the band’s deep connection to horror unique,” Ragin offers. Elsewhere, Black Cross Hotel takes inspiration from the famous slow-motion chase scene in Halloween II (“Fugitive”) and Jamie Lee Curtis’ character in The Fog (“Hitchhiker”) while nodding to original horror-punk geniuses the Misfits with a deadly cover of “We Are 138” featuring Randy Blythe from Lamb Of God.


Black Cross Hotel live:


December
17 – Chicago, IL – Sleeping Village (with Ready For Death, Immortal Bird)


(Photo – Derick Smith)

Witch Ripper have released the tongue-in-cheek video clip “Enter The Loop” as the catchy first single taken from the forthcoming album The Flight After The Fall. The sophomore full-length of the American melodic sludge metal outfit is slated to hit stores on March 3, 2023. Find preorder options here.


Witch Ripper comment: "We wanted to start off our new album with a musical bang, and 'Enter The Loop' is clearly making a statement about this band", guitarist and vocalist Curtis Parker writes. "Yes, we can play heavy riffs with pummeling drums, we all know that. Yet with the addition of Chad on guitar and co-vocals, we're now able to execute big dramatic musical passages inspired by bands that we love like Queen and David Bowie. 'Enter The Loop' represents a launching-off point for us both in lyrical and musical terms. It lets people know that they're in for something special, and that this musical journey is just beginning."


Witch Ripper have created a loving pastiche of the legendary pulp science fiction stories of old. The story told on their sophomore full-length The Flight After The Fall has all those tasty ingredients: a mad professor, his dying wife, cryogenic chambers, a black hole as well as themes of love, failure, loss, and acceptance.




Musically, Witch Ripper have packed The Flight After The Fall with as much aggression and barely tamed electricity as anybody knowing them would expect, but there are also fleetly intricate guitar interplay touches of subtle synth, and cosmic atmospherics as well as unshakably catchy clean vocal hooks. In short, Witch Ripper maintain their brutal roots while embracing the arena rock bombast of Queen and David Bowie, the exuberant modern prog of Coheed And Cambria, and Muse.


Artwork and layout by Chris Panatier:





Tracklisting:


“Enter The Loop”
“Madness And Ritual Solitude”
“The Obsidian Forge”
“Icarus Equation”
“Everlasting In Retrograde Pt. I & II”


“Enter The Loop”:

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger was asked if he pays attention to all the online comments about his band. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't really do social media anymore. I have my own Instagram, but I got off Twitter. I never did Facebook, thank God, but I got off Twitter a couple of years ago — three years ago, I guess, now. I'm thinking about getting back on, just because since Elon Musk bought it, it looks like a hilarious, fun time. All these people are so scared, I love it. I might even rejoin, just to see what happens with that guy at the helm, so to speak.

"I'm not scared of comments 'cause I think sometimes even the ones that are assholes can be really funny," he continued. "To me, if something is truly funny, it's funny. Obviously, just to throw hate at something, like us, that's not kind of funny; that's just negative. But sometimes the haters can say some pretty funny things.

"There's a lot of times when you see people… And that's one thing that the Internet kind of has fostered with sites like Reddit, et cetera, is giving people a platform to try to be funny," Mike added. "And a lot of people try to be funny, and that's kind of the problem, because a lot of people aren't funny. So I have to kind of weed through the amateurs to get to the good ones, 'cause there are some good ones in there. There are people who make fun of our band and are funny about it — I'll have a great laugh when I see that — but there is also a contingent of people online who, they want to be funny, but they're just not. And that's just very sad to me."

Arguably the most disliked band in America, NICKELBACK has earned a type of hatred so potent it's hard to fathom what they did that was so terrible to the public consciousness. It's gotten to the point that people who enjoy NICKELBACK are denying their fandom and hiding their CDs like criminal contraband.

Asked by Jorge Botas of Portugal's "Metal Global" if he understands how NICKELBACK came to be so disliked by so many people, frontman Chad Kroeger said: "I think I've got a pretty good grasp of where things kind of went off the rails for us.

"I think that because we write so many different kinds of music, I think that if you were listening to a radio station any time between 2000 and 2010, '11, '12 even, we were kind of tough to get away from," he explained. "'Cause if you didn't wanna hear it and you changed to a different radio station, you'd probably hear it on there, and then changed to a different radio station, you probably were gonna hear it in so many different places. And we were really tough to get away from. And that's not my fault. [Laughs] We just write the songs. And so with that comes backlash. And then what happens is then comedians start making jokes, and then it starts making it on to TV, and then it makes it into movies and stuff like that. And then it just turns into this wave of, it's fun to pick on and it's an easy joke. And I get it. I understand. There are bands that when I hear them on the radio, I… And they're very popular bands… I mean, we all have those. No one is exempt from that. There are certain bands where you just hear them and you just don't like 'em. And other people may — half the world may love them, and I'll just be, like, 'No. I just cannot hear this band one more [time].' And just like everyone else does, I just change the channel.

"But we became the whipping boy of the music industry for a while there. But whatever. It's just part of the history of the band."

According to Chad, NICKELBACK is not the first group to experience the kind of severe backlash that has earned him and his bandmates the title of "the most hated act in the world."

"It's funny because we were at the American Music Awards, and we were presenting, and we presented to DEF LEPPARD," Chad recalled. "And when we walked backstage afterwards, Joe Elliott and Phil Collen turned to me, and they were just, like, 'Dude, thank you so much.' I'm, like, 'For what?' They were, like, 'For taking the trophy. We get to pass the baton to you for being the most hated band in the world now.' And I was just, like, 'Oh, yeah. 'Cause I want that.'

"And it's funny — we went for dinner with AC/DC in Chicago years and years and years ago," Chad added. "And this whole thing came up. And Brian Johnson said when they released 'Back In Black', they were the most hated band on the planet. So I feel like we're in good company. [Laughs]"

Back in 2016, a student named Salli Anttonen at the University of Eastern Finland conducted a study to find out why there is so much hate directed towards NICKELBACK. Anttonen analyzed Finnish reviews of the band from 2000 through 2014 for her paper, which was titled "Hypocritical Bullshit Performed Through Gritted Teeth: Authenticity Discourses In Nickelback's Album Reviews In Finnish Media".

Anttonen found that critiques of the band became harsher as they became more popular, noting: "It became a phenomenon where the journalists were using the same (reasons) to bash them, and almost making an art out of ridiculing them."

Even though the study was based solely upon Finnish reviews of the band, the critics' animosity toward the group has been a global phenomenon.

Anttonen concluded: "NICKELBACK is too much of everything to be enough of something. They follow genre expectations too well, which is seen as empty imitation, but also not well enough, which is read as commercial tactics and as a lack of a stable and sincere identity."

NICKELBACK's new album, "Get Rollin'", was released on November 18 via BMG.

Metal Blade Records announces the signing of Los Angeles, California's The Zenith Passage, a progressive death metal band featuring former members of The Faceless and Cynic.


"We are extremely excited to announce that we have signed with Metal Blade Records. It is an incredible opportunity and big dream of each member of The Zenith Passage to join this eclectic and visionary roster full of friends, heroes, and legends. We've pushed our limits in all directions on this latest album and the album following, they have been some of the most emotionally and physically challenging works of music in our careers that we're very proud of and can't wait for it to be a part of Metal Blade's innovative legacy and to share it with all of you!"


The Zenith Passage is currently in recording mode with Justin McKinney handling tracking and Ryan Williams (longtime The Black Dahlia Murder engineer) producing vocals. The band will be mixing with Dave Otero of Flatline Audio (Cattle Decapitation, Khemmis, Wake, etc.).




Stay tuned for details on the upcoming release and touring in 2023.


Formed in 2012 by Justin McKinney as a small recording project, the band began turning heads after their debut EP, Cosmic Dissonance, which then saw the band become a full touring outfit. Members include Derek Rydquist, Brandon Giffin, Chris Beattie, and Justin McKinney.


The Zenith Passage released the full-length album Solipsist in 2016 and singles "Algorithmic Salvation" in 2021 and "Synaptic Depravation" in 2022, with two new albums on the way.


(Photo - Nicole Papastavrou)

Top 10-charting active rock outfit From Ashes To New turn Mariah Carey’s iconic holiday staple, "All I Want For Christmas Is You" into an electrifying rock song that’s guaranteed to amp up this holiday season. After leaking a teaser of their energetic cover on TikTok, it immediately went viral, gathering over 900k views and 80k likes within the first few hours. 


From Ashes To New  have delivered the full version via Better Noise Music today across all digital platforms. Stream or download "All I Want For Christmas Is You" here.


 




"We always thought it would be sick to cover a Christmas song, but never did," shares frontman Matt Brandyberry. "We had some extra studio time and thought this could be the chance. There were so many obvious choices for our style ('The Grinch', 'Nightmare Before Christmas', 'Carol Of The Bells', etc.) but we thought it would be so cool to put a dark spin on a light-hearted Christmas classic. It’s begun going viral across TikTok and we can’t wait until the whole world discovers it! If you love this, wait until you hear the original material we’ll be releasing in ‘23!"





From Ashes To New just dropped a new song and video, “Until We Break”, via Better Noise Music. The new track centers around feelings of betrayal and uncertainty, telling the story of how sometimes the path of least resistance is often the wrong choice.


Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire lent his vocals to the track, diving deep into the band’s signature emotional storytelling. This summer, the band toured with Memphis May Fire on the Remade In Misery tour and released an official music video for “Heartache,” a song that sonically depicts the triumphant tale behind the band’s name, earning over 1M views on YouTube in just three months. They will be headlining their “Until We Break” tour this fall, visiting cities in North Carolina, New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania and more


Listen to “Until We Break” here. Watch the official music video below.





Reciting lyrics from the song, Matt Brandyberry said, “‘Close our eyes ‘cause there is nothing to see. We’ll all be fine if all we do is believe.’ It seems we are increasingly taking the path of least resistance. Although, that is often the wrong path. Closing our minds to the truth because a lie is easier to believe…A short term solution for a long term problem. We are following our leaders one by one until we break.”


The official music video is a studio performance of the high-energy track. Matty makes an appearance in the video directed by Eric DiCarlo.


Joining forces with From Ashes To New on the track, Matty from Memphis Mayfire said, “I love this tune and I’m so stoked to be a part of it. We had such a killer time having From Ashes To New on tour with us and I can’t wait for people to finally hear this collab!”





(Photo - Jeremy Saffer)

During a "VIP Experience" question-and-answer session before W.A.S.P.'s November 27 concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, frontman Blackie Lawless opened up about his faith and what the catalyst was for him rededicating his life to Christ. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One day some of the folks you used to know just don't come around anymore. But that's not why you make those kind of decisions. You have to do what's right for you. And I've told people that for me it was kind of like the Lieutenant Dan moment [referring to Gary Sinise's character Lt. Dan Taylor in the movie 'Forrest Gump'], where Gary Sinise is sitting up in the crow's nest [of his shrimp boat in the middle of a hurricane], and he's shaking his fist at God: 'You'll never sink this boat.' Well, I went through one of those. And I spent six months studying the New Testament, trying to disprove it.

"You've gotta remember that I was brought up in the church," he explained. "I had an uncle who was a preacher, and my dad was a Sunday school superintendent. My grandfather was a deacon. So when the doors were open, I was there. So I grew up with all that. But I went away for 20 years and I came back, and, like I said, that's when I decided I was gonna have the face-off. It's like trying to determine, is this or is this not real? So it wasn't like a big… I made the Gary Sinise joke just a second ago. But it really wasn't one of those. It was more like a process of evaluation and studying and things like that."

Blackie previously spoke about his faith while discussing how being a born-again Christian affected the overall creative and recording process of the band's then-new album, "Golgotha". He told Ultimate Classic Rock at the time: "Certainly, lyrically everything is written from the eyes of my faith, everything is through that filter. You're also talking about a genre [heavy metal and hard rock] that, in general, is obsessed with the idea of God and/or the devil. Jazz, pop, there is no other genre that is absolutely obsessed with it as this genre is.

"The Bible tells us, 'The truth has been placed in the hearts of all men.' In other words, people know what the truth is. What I see is people in the search of the truth. They're all on a journey, the people that are attracted to this genre are people who are really a lot more in tune with it than they think they are."

He continued: "I'm speaking from a direction where I know what I'm talking about. I was in the church until I was in my late teens, and when I left and came to California, I went as far away as you could possibly go. I ended up studying the occult for three years. I understand what they're looking for — they're looking for the same thing I'm looking for. I'm at a point now where I'm bilingual: I can speak their language. They can't necessarily speak my language, but I can understand where they're coming from.

"When we say 'religion,' we kind of use that as a general term, and when people have the resistance that they have to it, they have every reason to feel that way. That's part of what drove me away — the indoctrination of men that I received; it's man's indoctrination. Now, from my perspective, my faith is based on Jesus Christ and the Bible — nothing more, nothing less.

"I don't want to hear anybody telling me their ideas or their interpretations or interjections of what they've put into the Bible, like telling me I can't eat meat on Friday, or I got to go and worship somebody's old dead bones somewhere. That's not in my Bible. There's a lot of it. Every organized religion has it, every organized faith has it. That's not where I'm coming from."

Blackie went on to say: "When I left the church and then I studied the occult, I walked around for 20 years and thought I was mad at God. I realized after 20 years I was not mad at God, I was mad at man for that indoctrination I received. For me I had to settle this issue once and for all, because I am not going to walk around with this anxiety of what's going to happen to me and where I'm going. I got to know the truth. I got the Bible and I started reading and I thought I was going to disprove this thing once and for all.

"Everyone says the Bible is written by men, but the Bible says it was men who were directly inspired by God. But I didn't believe it for a minute. So I start reading and I start discovering and you have 66 books written by 40 different authors spread over three different continents, in three different languages, over a 2,000-year period. Most of the authors did not know each other, had no knowledge of each other, but yet I see consistently that they're not just answering each other's questions, they're finishing each other's sentences. It was mind-boggling, the deeper I got into it, and one day it hit me like a shot. I'm reading the living word of a living God. After that, I was just scratching the surface. Then, when you get even deeper into it, it's beyond comprehension.

"I cannot say it strongly enough. It is beyond impossible that it could've been written by men. I'm a writer, and even the writers that I know that I admire, I look at how we write, I know what our limitations are, and, like I said, it's so far beyond our comprehension."

W.A.S.P. kicked off its first U.S. tour in a decade in October. The trek coincides with the band's 40th anniversary and includes support from ARMORED SAINT and MICHAEL SCHENKER on select shows.

Lawless has led W.A.S.P. as its lead vocalist and primary songwriter since its beginning. His unique brand of visual, social and political comment took the group to worldwide heights and sold millions of records alongside a legacy of sold-out shows across the globe for four decades. He is joined in W.A.S.P.'s current lineup by bassist Mike Duda and guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band span 26 and 18 years respectively, along with drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester.

According to Billboard, DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE, GUNS N' ROSES, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, IRON MAIDEN and TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA were among the top-grossing touring artists of the 12-month period ending on October 31.

In the magazine's just-published year-end Boxscore chart, which was topped by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny, THE ROLLING STONES was the highest-ranked rock act (and sixth overall),with a combined gross of $179 million from 20 reported concerts. The band sold 950,000 tickets around the world during the 12-month time frame that determined the chart's rankings.

DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" did brisk business, as the two bands' summer run — which ranked No. 8 on the year-end chart — grossed $173 million from sales of more than 1.3 million tickets at 35 reported shows.

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's annual holiday tour continued to be a major draw, as the Yuletide rockers — who ranked 36th on the chart — sold more than 767,000 tickets at 98 reported shows during their 2021 tour for a gross of $55 million.

The only other heavy metal group included on Billboard's chart — which ranked artists by gross income rather than the number of tickets sold — was IRON MAIDEN (No. 26),which grossed $76 million from sales of 985,000 tickets across 47 reported performances.

It should be noted these figures only include gross ticket sales and do not represent an artist's actual earnings. Each artist usually incurs significant expenses — including management, booking agent, promoter, venue, travel, equipment (sound, lights and staging),hired musicians, crew, hotels and buses. On the other hand, these figures don't include ancillary income streams such as merchandise sales, which can be substantial.

Billboard Top Tours 2022 chart:

06. THE ROLLING STONES - $179,349,815 (20 shows)
07. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - $176,998,650 (31 shows)
08. DEF LEPPARD + MÖTLEY CRÜE - $173,474,649 (35 shows)
17. GUNS N' ROSES - $93,383,197 (27 shows)
20. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - $87,926,378 (55 shows)
26. IRON MAIDEN - $76,147,773 (47 shows)
36. TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA - $54,649,313 (98 shows)

It is not clear why German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN, who completed sold-out tours of stadiums on both sides of the Atlantic in 2022, are not included on the list.

To see the complete chart, visit Billboard.

Paul Stanley has praised PANTERA's comeback, saying the band's new lineup is "killin' it".

PANTERA's first live performance in over 20 years took place Friday (December 2) at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest. Surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals) are joined in PANTERA's reformed lineup by guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

Earlier today, the KISS frontman took to his Twitter to share a photo of PANTERA's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest appearance and he included the following message: "THRILLED to see Phil, Rex and PANTERA back and KILLIN' it! Zakk and Charlie clearly did their homework with love and commitment. PANTERA did shows with us years ago and were ferocious and explosive. Others tried but NOBODY could be them. Dime and Vinnie would be proud. @Pantera".

It was first reported in July that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

The band will headline a number of other major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and stage some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

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

PANTERA is playing one more show in Mexico this month —Monterrey Metal Fest on December 6 — followed by appearances at three Knotfest festivals in South America. There will also be a one-off show with JUDAS PRIEST in São Paulo, Brazil and a headlining concert in Santiago.

Back in 2015, Vinnie Paul told The Washington Times that his favorite rock and roll memory involved the original KISS lineup. He said: "PANTERA was the opening band on the KISS reunion tour in 1997, with all the original members. We toured with them in South America. We did three nights in Mexico City, then we had a flight on my birthday, which is March 11, and we were on a flight from Mexico City to Santiago, Chile. KISS was in first class, and we were in business class. Halfway through the flight, all four of the original members of KISS came back to me and sang 'Happy Birthday' in four-part harmony. They gave me a 'Kisstory' book. I felt like a 14-year-old kid. I had tears coming out of my eyes."

Vinnie Paul was buried in a custom "Kiss Kasket" provided by Gene Simmons and Stanley. The casket was offered as a gift at Vinnie's family's request.

Dimebag, who was Vinnie Paul's brother, was buried in the original KISS casket prototype in 2004 after his untimely death. The coffin featured the faces of the four founding members of KISS, the KISS logo and the words "Kiss Forever".

Dimebag was also a huge KISS fan and even had a tattoo of Ace Frehley on his chest. In addition, Darrell had Frehley autograph it and had that tattooed to his body as well.
THRILLED to see Phil, Rex and PANTERA back and KILLIN’ it! Zakk and Charlie clearly did their homework with love and commitment. Pantera did shows with us years ago and were ferocious and explosive. Others tried but NOBODY could be them. Dime and Vinnie would be proud. @Panterapic.twitter.com/BwjH8xyWTp

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) December 4, 2022

In a new interview with Metallerium, Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend spoke about the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's gotten way worse. I don't think it's better at all, actually. Because the costs of touring now, with inflation and the cost of gasoline and diesel… Plus, over the course of the pandemic, we've lost a ton of really good venues. I'd say probably 50 percent of the workforce in touring has now left. 'Cause what's a guitar tech gonna do for two years? You have to get a job, right? And so the ones that are remaining, not only are they already spoken for with other bands, but they're almost twice as expensive.

"I saw this thing about [the events ticketing giant] Live Nation the other day, they're taking 30 percent of merch sales from some of these venues," he continued. "The costs of airlines have gone up. So artists, the ability to make money on tour is almost completely gone now — at least an artist on my level.

"So, yes, it's opened up again, but it's 10 times as expensive. It's, like, what do you do? Even little things like, okay, the hotels are more expensive; the food at the hotels [is] more expensive. So at the end of it, you're touring for what? You're touring ultimately so you can present your work to the people who care about your work, and that's worth it to me. But I think for anybody to think that it's now easy again, you should investigate that, because I'm trying to set up tours for next year, and there's no way to keep them within cost — there's no way. And so you go out there and, like, well, we can't have this vehicle; we can't have this backline; we can't have this production; we can't have these lights. And then if you show up at a place and the audience comes, they're, like, 'The show's not good. There's no lights. There's no production.' So what should you do? And I think a lot of musicians, their decision is, like, 'Well, I'll just stay home then and I'll just create from home.'

"I try to go out with acoustic now, because that way I can afford it," Devin added. "If I just show up with an acoustic guitar and sing for people, it's better than nothing. But it's still, like, man, it's a complicated time, brother."

Townsend went on to say that he has "committed to four tours next year," explaining that "the hope is that by doing it people recognize the effort. Again, it's not like MÖTLEY CRÜE in the '80s, where [you had] three tour buses and a semi-truck and millions of dollars and women and all that sort of stuff. I think for prog metal, none of those things exist."

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

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

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

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