On November 30, EVANESCENCE's "Fallen" album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for sales and streams of ten million units in the United States.

Led by the smash single "Bring Me To Life", which also appeared on the soundtrack to the movie "Daredevil", "Fallen" yielded three more singles with "Going Under", "My Immortal" and "Everybody's Fool". EVANESCENCE also won Grammys in 2004 for "Best New Artist" and "Best Hard Rock Performance".

Asked in a recent interview with Rock Sound if there are any plans for EVANESCENCE to commemorate "Fallen"'s 20th anniversary in 2023, singer Amy Lee said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I do have an idea. It's gonna take a little bit of work. But I think it probably won't be what everybody expects. I think everybody just is, 'Oh, why don't you do a show that's, like, [playing] the album front to back?' We've been playing so many shows, I would rather do something that, to me… I don't know. I don't wanna give it away, in case it doesn't work out. Maybe I'll do nothing. Expect nothing, and then if I do something, you'll be really, really grateful. [Laughs]"

Amy also talked about the fact that "Bring Me To Life" experienced a resurgence this past summer, 19 years after its original release. The song, which initially reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was EVANESCENCE's first U.K. No. 1 single, reached No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes chart in August.

"It is satisfying," Lee said about the track's renewed popularity. "And it's cool now, because I remember a lot of the feeling in the beginning. It was so much about, like, 'What's next?' And, 'Are we gonna be able to make it?' And, 'Are we gonna be able to survive?' And, 'Are people gonna listen to our next song?' And, 'What about the next record?' And just getting to the next place always.

"There is an element to a song like 'Bring Me To Life' that didn't exist before, which is this nostalgia," she explained. "The song has grown live. It's something that we've added to. But part of how it's grown is with its history and with what it means to everybody in the room. It's not something new; it's just something that you already have known for so long that has a place in your heart. It's just able to be more than it would have been then. So I, in a lot of ways, love it more than I did."

The success of "Fallen" led to turmoil within the group, as founding guitarist Ben Moody left in late 2003, leaving Lee as the only original member of the band.

Lee continued with new members, and EVANESCENCE issued "The Open Door" in 2006. While a hit, it did not equal the sales of "Fallen". Lee told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that she wasn't concerned about matching the previous album's success. "I just haven't ever looked at it that way," she said. "'Fallen' is a great record, but I don't think you can try to match the success of another body of work. I think that's only gonna frustrate you. And if, honestly if what you really care about is record sales and money, there's no way you're gonna make a great piece of art, because then you're just gonna get all confused and make something ingenuine."

This past February, EVANESCENCE's music video for "Bring Me To Life" — which featured guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 STONES — surpassed one billion views on YouTube. The Philipp Stölzl-directed clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in December of 2009, was filmed in Romania in January 2003. It features Lee in a night gown and barefoot, in her room, inside a tall building in the city at night. The rest of the band is playing on a higher floor of the building.

In March 2021, Lee told Alternative Press that EVANESCENCE's original record label Wind Up threatened not to release "Fallen" if she and her bandmates didn't add a male voice to lead single "Bring Me To Life" to make it more palatable for radio.

EVANESCENCE's latest album, "The Bitter Truth", arrived in March 2021 via BMG. It was EVANESCENCE's first album of original music in ten years.

On November 30, GHOST's "Mary On A Cross" single was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for accumulating 500,000 certified units.

According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams.

"Mary On A Cross" is the fourth GHOST single to achieve gold status this year. This past June, "Cirice" (from GHOST's third album, 2015's "Meliora"),"Dance Macabre" (from 2018's "Prequelle") and "Square Hammer" (from 2016's "Popestar" EP) were also certified gold. These marked GHOST's first RIAA certifications.

In September, GHOST scored its first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Mary On A Cross". The song, which was originally released as a two-track single in 2019 via Loma Vista/Concord (alongside "Kiss The Go-Goat"),debuted at No. 90 on the chart with six million U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold, according to Billboard.

"Mary On A Cross" had been gaining traction after a TikTok user used a slowed down version of the song to soundtrack a short video about the Netflix show "Stranger Things". Since then, the "Mary On The Cross" hashtag has amassed over one billion TikTok views and the song was used to soundtrack tens of thousands of videos on the platform. GHOST later released the official slowed down version of "Mary On A Cross" with added reverb.

Six of GHOST's albums have charted on the Billboard 200: "Infestissumam" (No. 28, 2013); "If You Have Ghost" EP (No. 87, 2013); "Meliora" (No. 8, 2015); "Popestar" EP (No. 16, 2016); "Prequelle" (No. 3, 2018); and "Impera" (No. 2, 2022). Nine GHOST songs have charted on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, with five reaching No. 1: "Square Hammer" in 2017; "Rats" in 2018; "Dance Macabre" in 2019; and "Hunter's Moon" and "Call Me Little Sunshine" in 2022.

In September, GHOST scored its first-ever Top 40 single in the U.K. with "Mary On A Cross".

GHOST's fifth album, "Impera" sold 70,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the third top 10 album — and fifth top 40-charting set — for the Swedish act.

"Impera" landed at position No. 1 in Germany and Sweden, No. 2 in the U.K., Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, No. 3 in Australia, No. 5 in France and Ireland, and No. 20 in Italy.

"Impera" was released on March 11. The 12-song effort was produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace.

GHOST leader Tobias Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018's "Prequelle" with Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

Regarding his collaboration with Åhlund, Al Fakir and Pontare, as well as OPETH's Fredrik Åkesson who was brought in to sharpen the album's guitar attack, Forge recently told St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "I found that I can work really well with someone I respect, who is always pushing for the best. They make me want to write better, to get my game up a little."

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of "Prequelle".

Photo credit: Mikael Eriksson

Former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5 has uploaded a video of him playing along to "Primal Scream", a song from MÖTLEY CRÜE's 1991 greatest-hits compilation "Decade Of Decadence 81-91". The 52-year-old rocker captioned the clip: "OK Kids it's another episode of Motley Mondays. Here's Primal Scream. Hope everybody has a great week. @motleycrue".

The latest video share comes a week after John 5 posted a video of him playing along to the "Girls, Girls, Girls" song "Wild Side", two weeks after he shared the "Girls, Girls, Girls" title track and three weeks after he uploaded a play-along video for "Too Fast For Love", the title track of MÖTLEY CRÜE's debut album, which celebrated its 41st birthday on November 10.

In October, MÖTLEY CRÜE's Nikki Sixx praised John 5, saying he "checks all the boxes" as Mick Mars's replacement following the latter's decision to no longer tour with the legendary rock act.

Sixx commented on John 5's addition to CRÜE while answering fan questions on Twitter. Asked why the band chose John 5, who is one of the credited co-writers on the three original songs on CRÜE's "The Dirt" soundtrack, Sixx said: "He checks all the boxes. He's a insane player. Has respect for our music, is funny as fuck and has history with us and we've written some pretty big hits together."

Sixx also addressed Mars's announcement that he was retiring from touring because of his long struggles with degenerative disease ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time, according to the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases.

"He's been a soldier along with us for 4 decades," Nikki said about his longtime bandmate. "We will continue to carrying our legacy to Generations of fans and honor Micks request for us to keep touring as Motley Crue."

In addition to co-writing the three songs on "The Dirt", John 5 collaborated with Sixx and Desmond Child on Meat Loaf's "The Monster Is Loose". Last year, Sixx and John 5 launched the L.A. RATS supergroup in which they were joied by Rob Zombie and drummer Tommy Clufetos.

The 71-year-old Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

A day after Mick announced his retirement from touring, remaining members Sixx, singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee vowed to "continue the legacy." In a statement, they said: "While change is never easy, we accept Mick's decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health. We have watched Mick manage his Ankylosing Spondylitis for decades and he has always managed it with utmost courage and grace. To say 'enough is enough' is the ultimate act of courage. Mick's sound helped define MÖTLEY CRÜE from the minute he plugged in his guitar at our very first rehearsal together. The rest, as they say, is history. We'll continue to honor his musical legacy."

The statement continued: "We will carry out Mick's wish and continue to tour the world as planned in 2023. No doubt will it take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick's shoes so we are grateful that our good friend, John 5 has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward. We'll see all you Crueheads out on the road!”

John 5, whose real name is John William Lowery, said: "I'm honored to carry on Mick's legacy and am looking forward to playing these songs."

In his statement, Mick said that he had decided to step back from live shows due to his "ongoing painful struggle" with ankylosing spondylitis and while he will continue to be a member of the band, he cannot "handle the rigors" of touring life.

The statement read: "Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band MÖTLEY CRÜE for the past 41 years, has announced today that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis, he will no longer be able to tour with the band. Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine."

John 5's involvement with MÖTLEY CRÜE as the band's new guitarist was first reported as a rumor by the Metal Sludge web site on October 7.

Speculation about John 5 replacing Mars gained strength after the longtime ROB ZOMBIE guitarist failed to appear with the shock rocker at this year's Aftershock festival in Sacramento. Rob was instead joined on stage by returning guitarist Mike Riggs for the first time since 2006.

John 5 has performed MÖTLEY CRÜE songs a number of times in the past. Back in 2018, John 5 was joined by Sixx along with ANTHRAX's Scott Ian and his wife Pearl Aday at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California to play a cover of "Shout At The Devil". Earlier this year, the guitarist ran through renditions of both "Home Sweet Home" and "Kickstart My Heart" at various shows on his U.S. tour.

Ex-JUDAS PRIEST drummer Les Binks, who was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame earlier in the month along with some of the other former and current members of the band, reflected on the experience in a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it was a long time since I'd met the guys in the band, since I left the band. And obviously K.K. [Downing, former PRIEST guitarist] left in 2011 as well, so it was his first time playing with them again. And you may be aware that the atmosphere between the two hasn't been great over the last few years. So a lot of people were surprised to see that actually happen. Not many people thought they'd ever see K.K. back with JUDAS PRIEST, let alone me, especially two drummers. But Richie Faulkner [current PRIEST guitarist], he's an old friend of mine anyway because we both worked together long before he joined JUDAS PRIEST. So it was good to catch up with Richie again. And he and K.K. got on really well, especially on stage together. I got on great with everybody in the band; I never had a problem with anyone in the band when I was working with them. My reason for leaving the band was purely down to the management they had then. Unfortunately, the management weren't very nice people, and they were ripping me off and ripping the band off. It's a long story, but if you get to a situation where you can't feel comfortable and confident in the people you're working with, especially on that level, there's no other choice but to walk away. So, as I say, my relationship with the band was never a problem."

Asked if there was a positive and relaxing vibe between the musicians before and during the event, Les said: "Yeah, it was quite an occasion, obviously. The show was on a Saturday, the 5th of November, and we had a rehearsal on the Thursday. So there was a break in between. We had a very limited time slot — about eight minutes, I think it was. 'Cause originally we weren't actually supposed to be performing. We were just there to accept the award, and that was it. There are two categories: the 'Performance' category and the 'Musical Excellence' category. And they put us in the 'Musical Excellence' category, which means you don't always have to perform. But something happened in between, and they decided we should perform. They gave us that limited spot of eight minutes, so we decided the best thing to do was to put a medley together of three songs. So we opened up with 'You've Got Another Thing Comin'' into 'Breaking The Law' and then 'Living After Midnight'. So those were the three songs we played. The thing is it was all over in a flash. When you're up there, the time just goes really fast. And we all had a little acceptance speech to do."

The 74-year-old Binks went on to say that the current members of PRIEST were "staying at a different hotel" from him and Downing, "so we didn't get to spend a lot of time together. We mostly saw them at the venue, the Microsoft Theater, when we had the rehearsal," he said. "And backstage, we socialized more then. On the night of the performance, you can imagine it was hectic. And the security there is amazing. I mean, it's like going through an airport security system. And they also have sniffer dogs, so it was really very tight on security. Alice Cooper inducted the band, gave a little speech. They showed a five-minute video of the band's career, from early days up to today. Then we did the performance and accepted the awards and made a little speech. Apparently the speeches are all being edited down to [very little]. But I kept mine very short and sweet anyway, 'cause I knew it would be edited. So I got straight to the point, so there shouldn't be too much editing in mine. I'm not sure about Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer] — he and Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist], they spoke the longest, so theirs will be edited down quite a bit."

The JUDAS PRIEST members that got inducted include current members Halford, Ian Hill (bass),Tipton and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members Downing, Binks and late drummer Dave Holland.

Binks played drums on PRIEST's "Stained Class", "Hell Bent For Leather" (released as "Killing Machine" in the United Kingdom) and "Unleashed In The East" albums.

Downing reconnected with Binks in 2017 for the first time in nearly four decades. Downing later described the experience of meeting his former bandmate as "great" and called Les "one of the greatest drummers in the world and a good friend and a great guy."

After the release of "Unleashed In The East", Binks exited PRIEST and was replaced by ex-TRAPEZE member Dave Holland. Les later told Downing's official web site that the making of the live album "caused a rift between me and [PRIEST's] manager and ultimately led to my decision to leave the band. I just didn't see the point in continuing to work with a band whose manager didn't want me to receive any payment for that live album. A completely ludicrous scenario. It's a classic heavy metal live album which I believe eventually went platinum and he didn't want me to receive a penny for it. Crazy fucker!!! But that's what happens if a band allows someone like that to manage them — they lose members. So exit drummer number four."

Three years ago, Binks told Metal Rules that he understood how Downing's disparaging comments about his former bandmates in the press made it more difficult for K.K. to rejoin PRIEST in time for the group's 50th-anniversary tour.

"When I met up with K.K. [after not being in contact for many years], it sorts of altered my impression of him because I thought he was actually quite more accommodating and easy-going and it was a pleasure to be in his company," Binks said. "And I understand exactly his attitude about the relationship with Glenn, and Glenn is the dominant character in that setup. And how frustrating that must have been for K.K. because he had to put up with that for many years. But I also know one thing: I got on fine with Glenn. I like Glenn. I like them all, and I always thought they were all nice guys. So, I feel that the band as a unit on what they achieved, and throughout the entirety of their career right up until now. The last album, the 'Firepower' album, did really well. So, I think as a unit, and as an entity, it's bigger than any one of them. Do you know what I mean? Even Rob's career, when he went solo, it didn't exactly hit the heights of success that he would have liked."

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In a new interview with Metallerium, KING'S X frontman Doug "Dug" Pinnick spoke about the decline of the music industry as consumers value access over ownership and experiences over assets. Asked how the industry has changed since his band released its debut album, "Out Of The Silent Planet", nearly three and a half decades ago, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's pretty completely different. [Laughs] When our first record came out, there was MTV and there was radio, and that's what everybody listened to. And now there's not a lot of radio airplay and there's no MTV. So there's a whole new world and several new generations of kids out there that have a different take on the world, have different experiences that I'll never have.

"Music always progresses," he continued. "In the 1980s, they invented a drum machines, and so drummers had to deal with a drum machine. We learn with whatever comes our way. People don't buy CDs anymore — they stream — so there's no money to be made on streaming, so you go on tour to make money and you sell your merch. There's always ways to make it work if you really wanna do this."

Less than three months ago, Pinnick told Reno's rock radio station Rock 104.5, that KING'S X has "never been profitable. We've never recouped all the [funds] that the record companies put into us," he revealed. "Even [our current label] InsideOut, we owe them a couple of hundred thousand [dollars], 'cause they haven't recouped from the last couple of records. [Our former label] Atlantic Records we owe five million or four million to — something like that… Three — I'm not sure. It's in the millions somewhere they spent on us. Everybody that's ever signed us has always lost money, and so we've never made any money off of record sales. The only way we make a living is going on tour, and hopefully when people come to see us play we'll get a paycheck for that and merchandise. And KING'S X fans love to buy our merch 'cause they know that that's what supports us. But other than that, sometimes — well, not sometimes. We all have to do outside things to make ends meet."

He continued: "I just do side projects. I go get a record deal and pay the bills for a couple of months. Ty [Tabor, guitar] masters things; Jerry [Gaskill, drums] does stuff. None of us go to nine-to-five jobs; we don't do that. But something about what we can do. We have value in the marketplace, so we can do clinics, we can do things like that. Or I do handwritten lyrics — KING'S X lyrics that I wrote, I'll write 'em out on black paper in silver ink, sign it and put a date on it. I've written hundreds of them. … So it all works out. And at my age now, I get social security. And when I started getting social security about three years ago, that's when I stopped worrying because my social security will pay my rent. The rest of it I can do. I can get on a street corner and play guitar and I can get five dollars. I can call a friend up and say, 'Hey, I ain't got no money. Can you feed me today?' And they'll say, 'Yeah, let's eat.' But paying your rent — you want your rent paid; you don't want to depend on other people. And also I have a dUg [signature] pedal and I have a signature bass and a 12-string bass, and people buy 'em. And so every now and then I get that six-month check, which helps. So it's all good."

KING'S X released its 13th studio album, "Three Sides Of One", on September 2. The LP was recorded during 2019 at Black Sound Studio in Pasadena, California with Emmy Award-winning producer Michael Parnin.

The new KING'S X LP was mastered in June 2021 at the Bernie Grundman Mastering facility in Hollywood, California,

KING'S X was sidelined by several health scares in recent years, including Pinnick's two hernia operations and two near-fatal heart attacks suffered by Gaskill.

In October 2019, KING'S X canceled all of its previously announced tour dates for the year so that Gaskill could undergo undisclosed heart "procedures."

"XV" was KING'S X's highest-charting album since 1996's "Ear Candy".

In 2005, VH1 included KING'S X in its list of "100 Greatest Artists In Hard Rock."

In a new interview with "HRH Metal With Dan Chan", bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such of German thrash metal veterans SODOM spoke about how the music industry has changed in the four decades since the band's formation. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's getting harder nowadays, I think. When I look back at the first contract I signed, with SPV/Steamhammer, it was horrible — the contracts and all this stuff. But nowadays, everything, the complete music scene changed. Too many bands are spreading to the scene every month. If I get a new magazine — Rock Hard, Metal Hammer magazine — hundreds of bands are coming out every month. In my opinion, everything is getting out of control. Metal is getting more common.

"When we start [listening to] metal music, we wanna to be hated," he continued. "We don't want [all other] people listening to heavy metal because heavy metal has to be something really special. And, in my opinion, that is the reason why SODOM is still alive. SODOM is a band — we never changed, also in the business nowadays. We never changed our music. We always did the music we love. There was no dictation from outside changing something. When you go back to the '90s, a lot of bands changed their music because of commercial interests from the record companies. SODOM is the last band — we never changed anything. We just do the music we want. And that is the secret behind our music. But the business changed, really. It's getting more and more commercial. The metal bands — the so-called metal bands — if you're gonna see the bands live on stage with bigger shows, and I know a lot of metal bands don't play live in a 'live' show. And this is the end.

"But SODOM is still a metal band. And that is the secret. We never changed. We're gonna do metal as heavy as possible. We always try to write good songs, and we try to get better [as] musicians, with our instruments and all that stuff.

"If you talk to younger bands or younger musicians, it's really hard to get into the scene, because of the contracts," Such added. "Now record companies, they wanna have money from the merchandise selling, which the bands are selling on tour. That wasn't possible in the beginning — that was my merch; I'm gonna sell this. So I can always give the tip — if you get a record deal or a record contract, take a lawyer who's gonna check this. Don't sign anything. It's really hard. But SODOM, we never look what other bands do — we never look left or right — we just do our music, and that is the secret."

Last month, Angelripper confirmed to Agoraphobic News that SODOM has commenced work on the follow-up to 2020's "Genesis XIX" LP. He said: "We are still working on new material for a new album. We have three [songs so far]. I can tell you this will be the heaviest SODOM album ever.

"I don't know when it's gonna be released — next year or 2024 — because I wanna work on it without any pressure," he continued. "It's very important. When the songs are finished, everything is fixed, we can talk to a record company to get an option to release. That's also the business.

"But, yes, we are always active," Tom added. "During the corona times, we had more time for writing songs and recording an album. That was the only positive in these times. But 'Genesis XIX' was a wonderful album 'cause we spent more time recording it."

SODOM's 40th-anniversary album, "40 Years At War - The Greatest Hell Of Sodom", arrived on October 28 through Steamhammer/SPV. The LP includes one song from each of the previous studio albums receiving a re-recorded treatment from SODOM's current lineup. The CD and vinyl double LP with their martial cover artwork penned by Eliran Kantor (KREATOR, TESTAMENT, GWAR, among others) contain 17 tracks, all newly recorded by Such, Frank Blackfire (guitar),Yorck Segatz (guitar) and Toni Merkel (drums).

"Genesis XIX" came out in November 2020 via Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and Steamhammer/SPV in Europe. The disc was recorded by Siggi Bemm and mastered by Patrick W. Engel and comes shrouded in the cover art of Joe Petagno of MOTÖRHEAD fame.

Angelripper previously described "Genesis XIX" as "one of the toughest and most diverse studio recordings that SODOM have ever released."

During an appearance on a recent episode of the "I Am All In With Scott Patterson" podcast, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach was asked if there has been any talk of a reunion of the band's classic lineup. He responded: "There was texting and a little talking. But there needs to be more talking."

When interviewer Scott Patterson pointed out that some of the other 1980s rock bands have been able to play stadiums in recent years, Bach concurred, saying: "Absolutely. POISON and Joan Jett, MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD… Yeah."

Asked "what is wrong" with the SKID ROW guys that they won't agree to reunite with Bach, Sebastian said: "Well, I have a manager named Rick Sales, and he protects my interests. So they've gotta deal with the business side of things, and they would rather maybe not deal with that, as far as I can tell — just not deal with that. But there's always a number. I mean, we're all still alive."

Earlier this year, SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo was asked by Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio how he feels about people still calling for a reunion with Bach. He said: "Well, it's been 23 years [since SKID ROW reformed], so to say that I'm over it would be an understatement. We attempted [a reunion] slightly [back in 2016]. We dipped our toes in the water and realized that it didn't feel so good. It's just one of those things where we still could not see eye to eye; we couldn't even get past the point of simple texting.

"I am really, really happy where we are," Snake continued. "I'm very proud of our past, and all due credit to everybody who's been involved in every aspect of our career, whoever that may be, 'cause it all led to where we are now.

"I've been asked a thousand times: 'What about the payday [of a reunion with Sebastian]?' And that's all well and good, but if that's why I did this — if that's why we did this; I can speak for everybody — we probably wouldn't be doing it," Sabo explained. "I wanna be happy, and I am very, very happy. And so are the guys; everybody's really happy.

"The music climate is what it is, and we're a classic rock band, and I'm proud of that. And we're still able to make music. I mean, Jeez — I live a very, very blessed life, man," Snake added. "I have nothing but gratitude and humility for what we have achieved and for what we're able to continue to do. So while there may be people out there who are flashing dollar signs with a lot of zeroes, I still have to be happy doing it, and I am. And that's what's most important. I need to be happy being in a band with the people I'm in a band with. A lot of other bands can go out and they don't see each other till they're on stage and travel on separate buses and all that stuff, and that's all well and good, but I don't wanna live my life like that. I don't wanna be up onstage and kind of living a lie; it just doesn't feel good. So, while I'm thankful for people's interest and whatnot, I'm even more thankful that we still get to play music for a living under our terms."

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.

In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I. Theart was fired from SKID ROW in February and was replaced by Erik Grönwall, who was previously a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T.

Last year, Bach told Florida's 98.7 The Gater radio station that "there's no reason" for the classic SKID ROW not to reunite. "When those guys [in SKID ROW] try to say [about me], 'He's difficult to work with,' let me just say this one more time. We have not been in the same room together since the year 1996," he said. "Shut the eff up about you thinking you know what I'm like. You don't know anything about what I'm like. And the 'Gilmore Girls' think I'm okay to work with; Broadway thinks I'm okay to work with; the 'Trailer Park Boys' think I'm okay; GUNS N' ROSES think I'm pretty cool. We're not getting any younger."

Sebastian went on to say that a SKID ROW reunion "should" happen "for the fans. And we are absolutely running out of bands — bands that can play in sheds," he said. "The fact that we are all still alive and we are all in our 50s — some closer to 60 than others — but that, to me, is selfish that we're not together.

"I can play with anyone. I do play with everyone [laughs] — except for them."

Two years ago, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan also confirmed that he and his bandmates "were entertaining the idea" of reuniting with Bach following Harnell's departure. But Rachel shot down the possibility of a rekindling of his friendship with Sebastian, explaining: "Well… Here's the soundbite for Blabbermouth. I wouldn't say we were friends [when we were in a band together]. We were bandmates. You know what I mean? We're two very different people." Bolan added that he hadn't seen Bach "in years."

Three years ago, Bach was asked by Rolling Stone what it would take for SKID ROW to be reunited. He responded: "It would take those guys to realize that I have a lifetime manager. His name is Rick Sales. I've been with him since 2006. They don't want to deal with a guy like that. They want to give some singer who doesn't have a manager $700 to $800 bucks a week. I've got a team that's worked with me and don't allow me to get fucked around. I didn't have that team when I was 19 years old."

In response to Bach's statements about the earnings of SKID ROW's singer, Sabo told Rolling Stone in an e-mail: "I guess fact-checking isn't in his skill set… The five of us go on that stage as a band and we all get paid equally. We're in this together. There's no egos."

Sebastian went on to say that SKID ROW was "close to reuniting, but then it didn't happen. The fact that it didn't happen obviously makes me somewhat bitter, because life is only getting shorter, as the song says," he added.

"I wouldn't say 'came close,'" Bolan told Rolling Stone in an e-mail response to Bach's account of the reunion talks. "We entertained the idea. Snake and I went as far as talking with agents and promoters about money. But we quickly learned after a few text conversations, why we fired him in the first place. Nothing is worth your happiness and peace of mind."

Sabo added: "It was already a miserable experience, and we didn't even get on the phone."

Last year, Bach completed a U.S. tour during which he celebrated the 30th anniversary of SKID ROW's sophomore album, "Slave To The Grind".

In a new interview with Colombia's Radioacktiva, DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott was asked what keeps him and his bandmates motivated to write and record new music. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Because it's what we do. When we got together, yes, playing in front of an audience was priority — that's what every band wants to do, 'cause we're all showoffs; I mean, c'mon, let's be honest. But you can't get up on stage unless you write some songs. Nobody's gonna be a cover band forever, so you wanna write songs. So it's in your DNA, because the bands that you grew up wanting to kind of mimic — THE WHO, THE [ROLLING] STONES, THE KINKS, THE BEATLES — and then, as you get a little older, like you're 10, 12 years old, you start listening to David Bowie, T.REX, QUEEN, MOTT THE HOOPLE, SLADE and then the punk scene — THE [SEX] PISTOLS, THE CLASH — you see these bands, they're writing all their own songs. It's what you do. Now, it's only recently that there's been bands that are 30, 35, 40 years old. There were no 40-year-old bands when we started out. [LED] ZEPPELIN was still together; they'd only been together maybe eight, nine years when we formed. THE STONES and THE WHO were probably 15 years old. It's crazy to think. So there were no legacy artists. So it's in your mindset from being a teenager that if you're in a band, you're expected to write. And as we got older, we just never lost that hunger to write; we've always done it."

He added: "The day that I don't have any new songs, I'll dry up, as we all will, but we just keep pushing each other… My head is always churning up new ideas, and that's one of the reasons that we keep writing, is because we can't stop. We like to challenge our history. 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and 'Photograph' and 'Rock Of Ages' and 'When Love And Hate Collide' and 'Let's Get Rocked', they may well be our most well-known songs, but we have to think, as artists, that they're not necessarily the best songs we'll ever write. We have to challenge ourselves to think we could write a better song. It may not be as popular, and it will always fight the history — a song that's 30, 40 years old — but we haven't necessarily written our best song yet. So that's what we keep challenging ourselves to do."

DEF LEPPARD's latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", arrived in May via UMe.

Over the past two years, DEF LEPPARD recorded "Diamond Star Halos" simultaneously in three different countries with Elliott in Ireland, Rick Savage (bass) in England, and Phil Collen (guitar),Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) in the United States. Without the pressure of timelines or a fixed schedule, they poured all of their energy into crafting 15 meaningful tracks with a mixture of classic spirit meets modern fire. Thematically, they nodded to their earliest collective influences such as David Bowie, T.REX and MOTT THE HOOPLE, among others. The title itself notably references T.REX's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)". However, they didn't embark on this journey alone. The multi-Grammy Award-winning and legendary artist Alison Krauss lent her instantly recognizable and angelic voice to "This Guitar" and "Lifeless", while David Bowie pianist Mike Garson performs on "Goodbye For Good This Time" and "Angels (Can't Help You Now)".

DEF LEPPARD's "The Stadium Tour" with with MÖTLEY CRÜE was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

DEF LEPPARD will team up with MÖTLEY CRÜE for the co-headline "The World Tour" in early 2023. Produced by Live Nation, the trek will kick off on Saturday, February 18, 2023 at Foro Sol in Mexico City. Both bands will bring their electrifying stage shows across the globe with stops throughout Latin America before heading to Europe in May 2023 — which includes a stop at the iconic Wembley Stadium on Saturday, July 1, 2023 — then wrapping up in Glasgow, U.K. at Hampden Park on July 6, 2023.

In a new interview with "That Metal Interview" podcast, drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz of long-running Florida death metallers CANNIBAL CORPSE was asked what keeps him and his bandmates inspired to continue touring and recording nearly 35 years after the group's inception. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've been doing it for that long. That's a big inspiration. You're living your dream. Here we are — when we started out, we were basically teenagers, and then you're just wanting to play music. You have a dream, like everybody else: 'Wouldn't it be great to be in a band [and have] our band make it and be able to tour?' You never thought that it would end up being to this level [and] this long. So I think we feel very lucky, in a lot of ways, to be doing this as long as we have. So I think as long as we feel healthy — and we are — and we still have the attitude and wanna play music and create, then that's gonna give us incentive to keep moving forward. I mean, all those clichés — you only live once; all those kinds of things that you can say that make sense. Why not just take it as long as we can, because, like I said, it's been a dream come true for us. And life's too short, you only live once — all those, like I said, clichés that… You know, why not? I think that gives us a lot of inspiration."

Last December, Mazurkiewicz told Laughingmonkeymusic about how long he thinks CANNIBAL CORPSE can keep going: "As long as we're all healthy, then who knows how long we can take it. I wouldn't have ever thought when I started that I'd still be doing this still at [54] years old. So, how long can we take? You've just gotta look at it, at this point, day by day. You never know. If you stay healthy and you keep active and you keep doing it, it's just gonna come down to that — it's gonna come down to the health factor. Because everybody knows — the older you get, anything can go wrong at any given time, whether it's a disease or an injury or whatever that you just go, 'I can't do it anymore. No matter how much I practice and how much I do the right thing, it doesn't matter.' So we've gotta just take it day by day at this point. There's no denying — we're more at the end of our career than we are in the beginning. Can we go another 30 years? Well, I highly doubt it. I would be [84] doing this… That would be incredible [if we could still do it at that age], but I would have to almost think that would slightly be impossible. I guess it's possible — who knows? We don't know. Nobody's done it in that sense in the extreme form.

"When you had [THE ROLLING STONES drummer] Charlie Watts still doing it at 80 years old, that's amazing," he continued. "So the fact that [he was] still drumming and [he was] on stage at 80 is incredible. I just met Carmine Appice the other day, and he's 75. And the guy is still up there and playing and doing his thing — albeit it's not maybe extreme death metal, but still, he's up there playing drums…

"So, you never know. You take it day by day," he repeated. "As long as we're healthy and we're feeling good and everything is going good in those ways, then who's to say we can't last another 20 years. But who knows?"

CANNIBAL CORPSE's 15th studio album, "Violence Unimagined", was released in April 2021 via Metal Blade Records. Erik Rutan, one of the death metal's most acclaimed guitarists who is known for his time as part of MORBID ANGEL throughout the '90s and early 2000s, as well as handling vocals/guitars for HATE ETERNAL, lent his guitar as well as production skills to the effort, which was recorded at his Mana Recording in St. Petersburg, Florida. Rutan previously produced four CANNIBAL CORPSE albums (in addition to "Violence Unimagined"),alongside the likes of GOATWHORE, SOILENT GREEN and BELPHEGOR. Filling in live on guitar since 2019, in 2020 he became a full member, contributing to the writing process.

During an appearance on THE HAUNTED guitarist Ola Englund's YouTube show "Coffee With Ola", IN FLAMES guitarist Björn Gelotte spoke about the criticism he and his bandmates have faced for their musical evolution, which has seen them adopting a more alternative metal sound after starting out as melodic death metal act. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You have to remember, and I think most people know — just they don't think about it when they say stuff like that — but this is all a matter of taste. I think every album that we've done, we've put in the hours, we have invested in the album, we've done the absolute best that we can and to our liking. That's all it is. And that's just how it works, because we need to be happy with what we're playing. We're not a cover band. And we're not a radio band. We make the music for us, because we know if we like it, we can actually be on stage and enjoy it. This is the most fun I ever had, is being on stage, so I need to like it. And we all need to like it. So having that mindset — do music that we like — we're kind of… I wouldn't say 'bulletproof', but we don't really care what people say. But one thing that is important is that people actually, in one way or the other, care. 'Cause if nobody had any opinion whatsoever or couldn't give a shit about it, then it would probably be more frustrating."

Björn went on to say that he is particularly bothered by the way people treat each other online, lashing out at others when they don't share their opinions.

"When it comes to attacks on other people… That's why I don't get it," he said. "I get it if people are not happy with a record, but if somebody posts that 'I really do like this record' or 'I like that one song' and then somebody else, just for the sake of picking a fight, attacks that guy…

"I'm fine with it. We write it, we record it and master it," he explained. "They press it, or whatever they do, and it's not ours anymore. We've done exactly what we wanted to do. After that, it's just a matter of taste. So that's fine. But people get picked on. And it's a really rough environment; 'toxic' is a good word. So I don't read any of it. I don't go to any forums. I don't read any of music outlets or anything, because I am so tired of the comments. And it's a bad thing, because a lot of times that's the only way to find out about certain tours and stuff. But I simply don't go there, because of that toxic environment."

Earlier in the month, IN FLAMES singer Anders Fridén told Czech Republic's Metalshop TV that he and his bandmates have been at the receiving end of criticism for their entire career.

"I've been in this band since late '95," he said. "My first album was 'Jester Race'. When we released 'Whoracle', there were people saying, 'It doesn't sound like 'The Jester Race'.' And then when did 'Colony', and people said, 'It doesn't sound like 'Whoracle'.' And then we did 'Clayman' and people said, 'It doesn't sound like…' So it's been like that all the time. And I'm happy that we can release albums that are challenging to people, that they don't know where to put it, but in time it will be a classic IN FLAMES album. And I think this new one is gonna surprise people, but in 10 years' time they're gonna say it's their favorite. So it changes.

"Every album is important to us. All the albums led up to where we are today. So if you take away one of them, we won't sound the same today. But yeah, people have opinions. But it's fine. That's music. It's a matter of taste. And we can't all have the same taste; that would be extremely boring. And it's cool. I like it."

IN FLAMES' fourteenth studio album, "Foregone", will arrive on February 10, 2023 via Nuclear Blast.

Earlier in the year, Fridén spoke to MoreCore.TV about IN FLAMES' upcoming album. Asked if the LP's first single, "State Of Slow Decay", is a good representation of what fans can expect from the record, Anders said: "IN FLAMES has always been about melody and aggression. The short answer is yes, but it's not gonna be all fast. We try to explore all corners of metal with our music. Let's put it like this: if you're a fan of IN FLAMES, then you will love this album."

Elaborating on what fans can expect from the LP, Anders said: "This is the fourteenth album. So if you know IN FLAMES, you know sort of what you're gonna get. But I think this is a good mix of the past, the present and wherever we're going, and [it] has a little thing for everyone; it has the heavy, it has the melodic, it has the uptempo and the slow parts. I think it's amazing, and it really represents who we are at this time."

Asked if the pandemic influenced the songwriting process for the new IN FLAMES effort, Anders said: "Well, in a certain way. Lyrically, for sure. I thought this two-year break would make us see us who we are as people and maybe come out on the other side being a little bit more nice and gentle and with more understanding, but I think it's the opposite. So it definitely inspired the lyrical side.

"Of course, a break like that, it's a pause, so when you get back into it, maybe unintentionally you have more energy across the board, [and] with the music as well," he explained.

IN FLAMES performed "State Of Slow Decay" — which was produced by Howard Benson, mixed by Joe Rickard and mastered by Ted Jensen — live for the first time on June 10 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

This past March, Gelotte confirmed that IN FLAMES' upcoming album was once again recorded with Grammy-nominated producer Benson and Howard's longtime engineer Mike Plotnikoff.

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The James McMahon Music Podcast", ex-HIM frontman Ville Valo was asked if he would consider reuniting with his former bandmates if they ever got an amazing offer to play a one-off gig at a festival. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Never say never, I'd say. HIM was so much more than just a band to me. I met Migé [Mikko Paananen], the bass player, when I was about 12. I met Linde [Mikko Lindström], the guitar player, when I was maybe 13 or 14. So we grew up together and went through so many different phases in our lives anyway together, with HIM providing the soundtrack for it and the focus or being the focal point. And it's so much more than about just monetary things.

"If there would be a good reason, good sort of idea or good cause, or if, all of a sudden, everybody would start to gravitate towards each other, I think that would be the best thing," he continued. "[If] all of a sudden everybody in their own lives just start[ed] to… where it would make sense [to get back together] after all this time. 'Cause you need to take breaks.

"[Toward the end of HIM], it wasn't necessarily fizzling out, but we had definitely lost the spark regarding creating new music. We tried to work it out, but it didn't sound good. It started to feel like a day job, and when it starts to feel like that, it's definitely time to end it, in the world of rock and roll, I think. Or in our world of rock and roll. So I cannot tell you whether we're gonna feel like that in the future. I wouldn't mind, but I don't wanna do it right now. It's not something I will think about constantly, or ever, to be honest with you."

Asked if he ever had people suggesting to him during his time with HIM to pursue a solo career or whether he had those aspirations himself, Ville said: "It was a weird existence, because I did write most of the songs [in HIM], and a lot of people, when we started out, they thought it was a solo project, also because it was called 'HIM'. It was a weird combo. So all those 25 years I had to fight for the guys to get some recognition, saying that I do write the songs, I sing the songs, but we are childhood mates and that the sound and the way they play their instruments, it makes a big difference; it cannot be just whomever. So I'm actually glad not to talk about that at all [when it comes to my solo project]; I don't have to, 'cause I played all the stuff by myself and I'm the one to carry the blame or the good and the bad and the ugly.

"I was told that many a time. And especially when something happens to be successful… I mentioned [earlier in the interview] 'Join Me In Death' [HIM's 1999 single] being sort of a pop hit in Germany and all that stuff, and you can't imagine the amount of cooks that wanted to be in that kitchen at that time. Everybody had something to say and dollar signs in their eyes. But it's not a world I feel comfortable in.

"Music is still my safe place, so whenever in doubt, I start listening to BLACK SABBATH," Valo explained. "That's what I did. And that's where it all started. And that's also how it happens. Because I don't wake up in the morning and say to myself, 'Now I'm gonna write a song.' Working on music or being creative, it's my way of understanding the reality around me — it's my survival kit. It helps me out to understand the world and cope with the pressures and the struggles that we all go through. That's been my method. And it's funny that it's a passion that turned into a hobby that turned into work, and it's all those things in one neat little box. It's terribly hard at times, but then again I wouldn't change it for the world."

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

Earlier in the month, Ville told Radio Bob! about the band's split: "I think it was the right call to call it a day with HIM. We'd done it for a long, long time and it started to sort of, like, wither away a bit. It was maybe our interest and maybe just sign of the times. We'd been together for such a long time that we were ourselves really surprised that it lasted for such a long time."

Ville (VV) will release his debut solo album, "Neon Noir", on January 13 via Heartagram Records, distributed by UMG/Spinefarm. The LP will arrive four months after Ville released "Echolocate Your Love", the second single from "Neon Noir". Five months earlier, Valo issued "Loveletting", which 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.

VV's headline tour dates will take place next year across Europe and North America. Naturally starting in Helsinki, Finland, the 2023 extensive run reaches the U.K. in March before heading to America come April.

When HIM announced its farewell tour more than five years ago, Ville explained to Kerrang! magazine why the band decided to call it a day. "We were tired of the same shit," he said. "When you've done it for a long time, at some point it doesn't taste good anymore. We started working on some stuff, it didn't sound good enough, and we didn't get the teenage buzz you're supposed get."

Formed in 1991 by Valo, Lindström and 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

In a new interview with "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", DISTURBED frontman David Draiman spoke about the band's plans to hit the road in support of its latest album, "Divisive". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've had to be very choosy, whether we like it or not. It's a weird environment right now. It is very difficult. Between inflation and everybody running out to go tour out of the gate the minute the gates opened, and the fact that we lost 60 percent of our labor force during the pandemic. All the techs, all the roadies, all the engineers that were a part of it, a lot of 'em couldn't wait two and a half years, three years to go back to work, and they went and did other things. And so now there's less people available to work; fuel costs are through the roof; busing costs are through the roof; trucking costs are through the roof. We have colleagues of ours calling off tours after they've already been on sale because they're looking at the financial repercussions and realizing they're gonna come back with a huge loss and realizing they can't do it. So we don't wanna end up throwing something out there once again, like what happened with 'The Sickness' anniversary tour. That was out of our control, but I hate that shit. I don't wanna have to throw dates up and then maybe not be able to complete them. So we're trying to make sure that everything is as sound as possible and as confirmed as possible before we go forward.

"It's weird. There's also… We don't have the desire to… As much as we missed touring and as much as we missed being out there, it's not gonna be the frequency — it simply can't be at the frequency that it used to be anymore," he explained. "We're all older. God knows I am. This shit does not get any easier as you get older.

"So the plan right now is to start up in the spring and be done by the end of summer, to do a big U.S. run, to do some of the European festivals. And then we'll see. I'm sure that we'll get some asks for another festival or two here and there in the States, and whatnot, and I always enjoy doing stuff like that. But we're not going to tour as frantically as we used to in the past. That's for sure. So when we do come around, people need to kind of take advantage of it, just like we are. It's a rarer occurrence than it used to be."

Draiman previously talked about DISTURBED's touring plans earlier in the month in a new interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3. At the time, he said: "We're planning on starting up in the spring. We've already announced a few shows here and there. We're trying to finalize all of our plans. But DISTURBED performances will be getting more and more infrequent. We'll start up in the spring. We'll finish in the fall. There will be a full U.S. run. Exactly when we're going where, I don't know yet; it's still a moving target. I know we're planning to do a European festival run as well; a couple of those dates have been announced already. But it's tough to navigate the waters right now. So we're doing the best we can. Hopefully we'll be able to announce more as soon as it's able to be announced."

In a separate chat with HardDrive Radio, Draiman elaborated on some of the challenges DISTURBED has encountered trying to book a pandemic-era tour. He said: "Figuring things out is almost like a fluid thing. Literally just last week I thought we had a solidified schedule and where we were stopping and starting. And we've had to switch gears because things changed again. You roll with the punches. The idea is for us to start in the spring and to do a full-blown summer tour of some kind. [Laughs] And we were planning on going to do some of the European festivals. What actually ends up solidifying and happening, other than what's already been announced, your guess is as good as mine, because there's so much in flux right now. But that at least is the intention. We'll see what happens."

"Divisive" arrived on November 18 via Reprise. The LP was recorded earlier this year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee. The follow-up to 2018's "Evolution" includes the three recently released singles "Hey You", "Unstoppable" and "Divisive".

Guitarist Dan Donegan's divorce inspired the "Divisive" song "Don't Tell Me", which is a duet with HEART's Ann Wilson. In two decades, it breaks ground as the first-ever guest collaboration on a DISTURBED record. Clean guitar soundtracks the story of a long-term relationship in the middle of its last gasp. David and Ann engage in a call-and-response before locking into a skyscraping harmony as the solo reaches for the heavens.

On December 3rd, Judas Priest performed at the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest 2022 in Toluca, Mexico. Fan-filmed video from their show can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"The Hellion / Electric Eye"
"Riding on the Wind"
"You've Got Another Thing Comin'"
"Jawbreaker"
"Firepower"
"Judas Rising"
"Devil's Child"
"Turbo Lover"
"Genocide"
"Steeler"
"Between The Hammer And The Anvil"
"Halls Of Valhalla"
"The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)"
"Screaming For Vengeance"
"Painkiller"




Encore:
"Breaking The Law"
"Living After Midnight"

On Saturday, December 3rd, Alabama Thunderpussy reunited and took to the stage for the first time since 2007. Vocalist Kyle Thomas, guitarists Erik Larson and Ryan Lake, bassist Sam Krivanec, and drummer Bryan Cox ripped the roof off of Richmond Music Hall in the band’s hometown of Richmond, Virginia.


Fan-filmed footage of this special performance has since surfaced online:










The setlist was as follows;


"Dry Spell"
"The Cleansing" 
"Void Of Harmony"
"Victory Through Defeat"
"Crying Out Loud"
"A Dreamer's Fortune"
"Motor-Ready"
"The Beggar"
"Middle Finger Salute"
"Wage Slave"
"Words Of The Dying Man"
"None Shall Return"
"Esteem Fiend"
"Greed"
"Open Fire"
"Rockin' Is Ma' Business" (The Four Horseman cover)





  

New, previously unreleased, re-edited enhanced drum playthrough video of late Megadeth drummer Nick Menza playing along to the band's classic song "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" can be seen below.


The HD video, shot in a five-camera-angle mix, was filmed in March 2014 at Uberbeatz Studios in Seattle, Washington and is believed to be some of the final studio drum recordings of Menza before he passed away more than two years later. The audio was mixed by Richard Easterling / KRM Studios.







The footage was supposed to be used for the late drummer's first-ever instructional DVD, "Intense Mega Drumming", that was to feature 10 re-recorded classic Megadeth drum tracks with tons of tips and tricks from Menza's arsenal to help teach anybody out there become a better player. The DVD, which was produced and directed by Kari Pearson and edited by Menza's manager, Robert Bolger, has since been shelved.


The unreleased video footage from the session will be a featured highlight in the recently announced official Menza documentary film, This Was My Life - The Story Of Nick Menza. It is described in a press release as, "An unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life, including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic Rust In Peace lineup."


This Was My Life will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow bandmembers, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with.


This Was My Life - The Story of Nick Menza is being produced / directed and edited by Holly Mollohan from Screaming Butterfly Entertainment and expected to arrive in 2023.


David Ellefson has signed on as a co-producer of the film, and also will provide narration to guide the viewer through the exploration of the late Megadeth drummer's life.





The cover photo for the film was shot by Los Angeles music photographer Alex Solca and designed by Brazilian artwork designer Alcides Burn of Burn Artworks.


Nick rightfully earned his place as one of heavy metal's fiercest drummers during Megadeth's 10-year commercial peak. The highlight of his career, Nick said, was playing Rock In Rio before more than 100,000 people. The lowest point was being fired by Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine while he was still in a hospital bed after surgery to remove what doctors feared was a cancerous growth.


Late in the evening on May 21, 2016, Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.





 

On November 30th, the East Coast company of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra brought The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve 2022 Tour to the SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH. During their set, they performed the Savatage classic "If I Go Away", taken from the Streets album, dedicating it to the memory of TSO co-founder Paul O'Neill and Savatage guitarist Criss Oliva.


Line-up:


Guitars - Chris Caffery & Joel Hoekstra 
Drums- Jeff Plate
Bass - Tony Dickinson 
Violin - Roddy Chong
Keyboards - Derek Wieland & Mee Eun Kim
Narrator - Bryan Hicks
Vocals - Natalya Rose, Georgia Napolitano, Erika Jerry, Gabbie Rae, Kayla Reeves, Zak Stevens, John Brink, Robin Borneman, Caleb Johnson, Russell Allen










After its first year off the road in more than two decades, TSO made a triumphant return to touring in 2021 with a 25th anniversary celebration of Christmas Eve and Other Stories. For 2022, TSO brings a completely updated presentation of the unforgettable, multi-generational holiday tradition, “The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve,” to 60 cities across the nation.  This year’s tour kicked off on Wednesday, November 16 with performances in Green Bay and Council Bluffs, and will conclude after 101 shows on Friday, December 30 (see full itinerary below).


Keeping with the O'Neill's vision (Paul O’Neill, and his wife Desi), TSO remains one of rock’s most charitable bands. Once again, thankfully, TSO will give at least $1 from every ticket sold to charity. To date, approximately $18 million has been donated by the group. Desi O’Neill said, “we want to thank the fans so much for the kindness they showed in coming out last year. It meant the world to our family. Moreover, the credit for any charitable donation is due to you not us. The only way we are able to help all is because of you.”


A product of the imagination of TSO’s late founder Paul O’Neill and his wife Desi, and based on TSO’s multi-platinum CD and TV special, “The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve,” the rock opera features such enduring fan-favorites as "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," "O’ Come All Ye Faithful," "Good King Joy," "Christmas Canon," "Music Box Blues," "Promises To Keep," and "This Christmas Day." 2022’s tour will also boast a rousing second set containing more of TSO’s greatest hits and fan-pleasers including “Wizards In Winter,” “A Mad Russian’s Christmas,” and many more.


“It was so special to be back playing live last year. When you love something as much as we do and it's taken away, it made us super thankful to be back. I look forward to seeing all our ‘repeat offenders’ and all our new friends when we hit the road,” said TSO’s music director and lead guitarist Al Pitrelli. “I love all of Paul’s stories, but ‘The Ghosts of Christmas Eve’ is one of my favorites and can’t wait to unveil this incredibly amazing new show for everyone. We know some people may be having tough times, so we worked hard with the local promoters and arenas to have a low priced $29 ticket to do our part in helping out. God Bless all of you and see you in November and December when we celebrate in-person once again.”


For more details on tour dates and ticket sales, visit trans-siberian.com.





Remaining tour dates:


December
4 - Phoenix, AZ - Footprint Center (Matinee & Evening)
4 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena (Matinee & Evening)
7 - Austin, TX - Moody Center (Evening)
7 - Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena (Evening)
8 - Oklahoma City, OK - Paycom Center (Evening)
8 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson-Boling Arena (Evening)
9 - Little Rock, AR - Simmons Bank Arena  (Evening)
9 - Greenville, SC - Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Matinee & Evening)
10 - St Louis, MO - Enterprise Center (Matinee & Evening)
10 - Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center (Matinee & Evening)
11 - Indianapolis, IN - Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Matinee & Evening)
11 - Atlanta, GA - Gas South Arena (Matinee & Evening)
14 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena (Evening)
14 - Raleigh, NC - PNC Arena  (Evening)
15 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC (Evening)
15 - Charlottesville, VA - John Paul Jones Arena (Evening)
16 - Jacksonville, FL - VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (Evening)
16 - Allentown, PA - PPL Center (Matinee & Evening)
17 - Orlando, FL - Amway Center (Matinee & Evening)
17 - Pittsburgh, PA -  PPG Paints Arena  (Matinee & Evening)
18 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena (Matinee & Evening)
18 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center (Matinee & Evening)
21 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena (Matinee & Evening)
21 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center (Matinee & Evening)
22 - Milwaukee, WI - Fiserv Forum  (Matinee & Evening)
22 - Buffalo, NY - KeyBank Center (Matinee & Evening)
23 - St Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center  (Matinee & Evening)
23 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide (Matinee & Evening)
26 - Kansas City, MO - T-Mobile Center (Matinee & Evening)
26 - Washington, D.C. - Capital One Arena (Matinee & Evening)
27 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center (Matinee & Evening)
28 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center (Matinee & Evening)
29 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center (Matinee & Evening)
29 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena  (Matinee & Evening)
30 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Matinee & Evening)
30 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center (Matinee & Evening)


Since its touring debut, TSO has played more than 2,000 Winter Tour shows to approximately 18 million fans, with tour grosses of more than $725 million, and has sold more than 12 million albums and DVDs. Year-after-year TSO hits the upper reaches of the domestic and worldwide tour charts. Recently, Pollstar published its compiled touring charts for the past 40 years. TSO ranked #11 in Tickets Sold and #21 in Top Box Office Grosses. In June, Billboard placed TSO at #9 on its Mid-Year Boxscore Report, based on concerts from November 1, 2021, through April 30, 2022. Previously, TSO placed #31 on Billboard’s “Top Touring Artists of the Decade (2010s).” Additionally, at the close of the aughts, the group was ranked at #20 on Pollstar’s “Top Tour(s) of the Decade” and #25 on Billboard’s “Top Touring Artists of the Decade.”

Powerhouse vocalist, Les Carlsen, is the lead singer/co-founder of Bloodgood, the legendary Christian Heavy Metal band and inductee into the Christian Music Hall of Fame. Over the past three decades, his songs such as, "Crucify", "Messiah", and "Lamb of God" have reached hundreds of thousands of people with the gospel message and remain classics in the Christian rock / metal genre to this day. 


 


He carries on his passion for music and his calling for ministry wuth his new solo album, He’s Coming. It represents what Les has always wanted to do in his music: soulful rhythms, vocal riffs and fills, big chorus harmonies, theatrical drama, shredding, soaring, screaming guitars, and… you can actually dance to this music! 




 





 


Tracklist:


 


"I Wanna Know You" (Re-mastered)


"Scars"


"Judas Is Dead"


"The Jesus Freak Show"


"Faith Is Tested"


"How Long"


"River"


"River (Radio Edit)"


"He's Coming (Remastered)"


"Return Me To the Fire"


 


"He's Coming" lyric video


 





 


Back in July, word came down that Christian hard rock / metal bassist and founder of Bloodgood, Michael Bloodgood, had passed away. The band issued the following statement:
 



 



"Dear, Friends – It’s with a heavy heart we share that we lost our beloved, Michael Bloodgood at 8:15am Central this morning (July 30th). After a gallant fight that began with a severe hemorrhagic stroke in February 2022 he’s gone home to be with our Heavenly Father. We’ll cherish Michael’s generous spirit, off-beat sense of humor, and musical soul. His devotion to the Lord and sharing of the Gospel through his ministry as a pastor and musician touched countless lives. Our hearts go out to his family and friends during this unimaginable time. He is survived by his cherished wife of 46 years, Marilyn, three sons, and two grandchildren."



 



Stryper frontman Michael Sweet paid tribute to Michael Bloodgood with the following message:



 



"My heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Bloodgood Family, friend and fans worldwide. We lost Michael Bloodgood yesterday morning here on earth but we believe undeniably, that we will see him again in heaven.



 



I met Michael back in 1985, in Seattle when Stryper performed with Bloodgood. Michael was so gracious, humble and as always, smiling. The Light shined in and through Michael eyes everytime I saw him and he was the perfect representative of The Lord. His vision and his band Bloodgood helped shape and pave the road ahead for Christian metal musicians around the globe. His legacy and life will never be forgotten.



 



May God bless the Bloodgood family as they navigate through this storm. We love you Michael and will always miss you. Thank you for being such an inspiration.



 



Love & Respect eternally."



 




 
 
 



 



Bloodgood formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984. By 1988, they represented one of the four largest Christian metal bands (excluding the mainstream success of Stryper) alongside Barren Cross, Leviticus, and Whitecross. They released six studio albums: Bloodgood (1986) Detonation (1987) Rock In A Hard Place (1988) Out Of The Darkness (1989) All Stand Together (1991) and Dangerously Close (2013).



 

Fan-filmed video footage of Geoff Tate's December 4 performance at Arcada Theatre in Saint Charles, Illinois can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube channel MusicJunkie422). The show saw Tate playing many of QUEENSRŸCHE's biggest songs, including early classic "Queen Of The Reich", which originally appeared on the band's debut EP.

Tate had previously expressed his reluctance to perform "Queen Of The Reich" at his live concerts, telling Rock Show Critique in a 2012 interview: "It's funny, actually — a lot of people don't know about that song. A lot of people don't care about that song. It's an early song that was written and it shows. It's funny the reaction you get, because it's a lot of blank stares. In fact, it's the same stare you get when you play a new song that nobody's heard before. People just aren't that familiar with it. Given there are a few hardcore fans that might know that song, or like that song, and know what it is, but the majority of the people there don't. So it's not really a song that I enjoy singing, strictly because, lyrically, it's pretty adolescent. It was the first song written thirty-some-odd years ago and obviously I cannot relate to it anymore. I think, for performance, it's always best for the performer to really believe in the material they're singing or playing. If you don't believe in it, it's really difficult to get behind a song, do it well and do it at a level that comes across with any kind of believability. For me, I honestly can't relate to the whole dungeons-and-dragons lyrical content of that song; it's really cartoonish and juvenile to me."

Tate's current tour is celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Empire" and "Rage For Order" albums.

1986's "Rage For Order" introduced a much more polished look and sound for QUEENSRŸCHE. The album featured keyboards as prominently as guitars, and the group adopted an image more closely associated with glam rock or glam metal than with heavy metal (of which glam metal was a subgenre). A video was filmed for the song "Gonna Get Close to You", originally recorded in 1984 by DALBELLO.

Released in 1990, "Empire" included the hit ballad "Silent Lucidity", which reached No. 9 on the Billboard singles chart, helped propel "Empire" to No. 7 on the album chart and earned two Grammy Award nominations.

Prior to the launch of the trek in early 2020, Tate told MisplacedStraws.com that he would take the "Empire 30th Anniversary Tour" to "as many countries as I can and playing the album in its entirety, which I've never done before. So that'll be real fun. In fact, I think there's some songs on that album that I've never, ever played live before, so it'll be a treat — for me, as well, I think, for the audience too," the former QUEENSRŸCHE singer said. "I'm really looking forward to that."

Tate told Eonmusic that one song from "Empire" that was rarely performed live is "Anybody Listening?" "When QUEENSRŸCHE was together, we never really put that song in our set," he said. "We just had a hard time playing it, for some reason; it just never jelled or felt right. And I'd really like to play that song again, and play it right."

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Original QUEENSRŸCHE members Michael Wilton (guitar),Scott Rockenfield (drums) and Eddie Jackson (bass) responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform the albums "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

Tate was replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

Geoff previously celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Operation: Mindcrime" on European and U.S. tours.

Geoff Tate's Big Rock Show Geoff Tate still sounds just as awesome as he did he did on all the Queensryche albums to me!! What a great show!

Posted by Mark Drabicki on Monday, December 5, 2022

Geoff Tate is here tonight! 😈 Come out to hear the vocalist of Queensrych rock out with this HEAVY, LOUD and BIG...

Posted by Arcada Theatre on Sunday, December 4, 2022

Hansi Kürsch says that ICED EARTH's Jon Schaffer "deserves the right to explain his side", nearly two years after the BLIND GUARDIAN frontman quit their collaborative side project, DEMONS & WIZARDS.

Kürsch announced his departure from DEMONS & WIZARDS two weeks after Schaffer was arrested for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The now-54-year-old ICED EARTH guitarist has since pleaded guilty to his role in the Capitol riot and is continuing to cooperate with authorities while on pre-sentencing release.

In a new interview with Metal Hammer magazine to promote BLIND GUARDIAN's latest album, "The God Machine", Hansi declined to discuss DEMONS & WIZARDS, saying: "It's an open case. I believe [Jon] deserves the right to express himself, to explain his side, and we wouldn't want to interfere with that."

When Hansi announced his exit from DEMONS & WIZARDS in February 2021, he said in a statement: "I notified Jon and Century Media [DEMONS & WIZARDS' then-record label] on Monday that I was leaving the DEMONS & WIZARDS project with immediate effect. My collaboration with Jon in DEMONS & WIZARDS is over."

DEMONS & WIZARDS released its third studio album, "III", in February 2020 via Century Media Records. The LP marked the band's first collection of new material in 15 years.

In a 2019 interview with The Greene Room Magazine, Hansi stated about how DEMONS & WIZARDS was formed: "It started with a friendship. [Jon and I] met each other for the first time in 1991 when we toured together with ICED EARTH and BLIND GUARDIAN, and an immediate friendship came to happen because we were alike — in many ways, spiritual brothers from the beginning. And that goes for the two of us, but also for the two bands in general. We had a blast, and ever since, we established a very close friendship. We were not even talking about making music together. By whatsoever reason, more or less seven years later, Jon came to visit me, and we had a hangover morning he started playing guitar. I started humming to it, and we thought, 'Well, that might be the creepy melody to work on. Let's go to the BLIND GUARDIAN rehearsal room and try to do something with it.' Then we called it a song within a short amount of time; it was maybe three, four hours. That song was 'My Last Sunrise' which ended up on the very first album. When doing this song, we just recognized that there's not only a friendship, but a strong spiritual, creative chemistry between the two of us. We said, 'We may want to use that later on for whatever reason or purpose.' We thought about it for a while, and then we said, 'Well, let's use that creativity and do an album.' Then we started working on DEMONS & WIZARDS."

Schaffer talked about his collaboration with Kürsch in a 2020 interview with Myglobalmind. He said: "This is an exercise in brotherhood first and foremost. Hansi and I were very dear friends before we realized that we could write songs together. Writing together actually happened by accident. When it happened, the next question was, what are we going to do with it? The first song we wrote was 'My Last Sunrise' and it was the last song on the first DEMONS album. Initially, we talked about BLIND GUARDIAN and ICED EARTH, each doing a version, but at some point, I just said to Hansi, 'Let's just do our own thing and write a bunch more together.' It has always been about having fun and spending time together, but we do hold the pressure to ourselves in delivering something we are happy with. Nine times out of ten, the fans will be right on board. It's all about satisfying yourself as an artist first; then we let the dice roll."

Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer acknowledged that on January 6, 2021 he was in Washington to attend the "Stop The Steal" rally at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. to protest the results of the presidential election, which he believed were fraudulent. Schaffer wore a tactical vest and carried bear spray, a dangerous weapon and chemical irritant used to ward off bears. When the rally finished, Schaffer joined a large crowd that marched from the Ellipse to the Capitol, where a joint session of Congress, presided over by then-Vice President Michael Pence, was in session to certify the electoral college vote results. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., members of the mob forced entry into the Capitol building, disrupting the joint session and causing members of Congress and the Vice President to be evacuated from the House and Senate chambers.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer admitted that after arriving on Capitol grounds, he walked past barriers intended to restrict access to the public and to a set of locked doors on the Capitol's west side. At approximately 2:40 p.m., Schaffer positioned himself at the front of a crowd that broke open a set of doors being guarded by four U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers wearing riot gear. Schaffer admitted to being among the first individuals to push past the damaged doors and into the Capitol building, forcing officers to retreat. Schaffer and others advanced toward five or six backpedaling USCP officers while members of the mob swelled inside of the Capitol and overwhelmed the officers. The officers ultimately deployed a chemical irritant to disperse the mob. Schaffer was among the people who were sprayed in the face, after which he exited while holding his own bear spray in his hands.

As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases, according to CNN. In return for Schaffer's assistance, the Justice Department might later urge the judge to show leniency during his sentencing.

Also as part of the agreement, the Justice Department has offered to sponsor Schaffer for the witness protection program.

Jon was the first Capitol riot defendant to reach a plea deal.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations.. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

The DeftonesLive YouTube channel has uploaded video of SOULFLY's Max Cavalera joining DEFTONES on stage last night (Sunday, December 4) in Brisbane, Australia to perform the song "Headup". Check it out below.

DEFTONES singer Chino Moreno and his bandmates were indirectly responsible for the name of Max's post-SEPULTURA project. Fresh off his December 1996 split with SEPULTURA, Max spent the better part of 1997 trying to assemble a new group while guesting on "Headup", which appeared on the Sacramento alt-metallers' "Around The Fur" studio album. Cavalera was struggling to find a name for his new act, going as far as to consult with the leader of the Brazilian Xavantes tribe, who played an integral role in shaping SEPULTURA's "Roots" album. Remembering the made-up word "soulfly" from "Headup", Cavalera found the right name for his post-SEPULTURA band, subsequently revealing it in a surprise announcement on live French television in 1997.

In a 2019 interview with Asgard Video Channel, Cavalera admitted that the SOULFLY moniker was initially not to the liking of his then-label Roadrunner Records.

"It started with the song 'Headup' with the DEFTONES," he said. "I recorded with them and in the song, I said 'soulfly'. When I recorded with the DEFTONES, which was in '97, I didn't have SOULFLY until '98. For a whole year, I was looking for another name. I had a whole list of Brazilian names. I even had a guy from the tribe in Brazil [Xavantes] that we recorded the 'Roots' record, even he gave me a list of names. That's how deep it was to search for a name. It was right in front of me the whole time. I just didn't look hard enough. One day, it finally clicked, like 'Hey man: The DEFTONES song. 'Headup'. 'SOULFLY is great.' It's a made-up word.

"I like made-up words like 'Straighthate', when you put two words together," he continued. "We mentioned, I think we mentioned to the label [Roadrunner] and they didn't like it. I don't know if that was the case or I didn't mention it all and when I was in France and I was on TV and I said it. [Roadrunner] didn't like it. They said at the time, 'We need a cool name like LIMP BIZKIT or KORN.' I was, like, 'I don't have one of those. I have SOULFLY. Fuck it.' They didn't like it. I was, like, 'Fuck it. I don't care if they like it or not. It's my thing, it's my band.' I went on TV in France and I announced it: 'The name of my new band is SOULFLY.' It's a big channel called Canal Plus. They did a lot of stuff and I was playing live, I think with the DEFTONES, actually. I was doing 'Headup'. I just blurted it out: 'SOULFLY is the name of the new band.' I think that was pre-Internet. If it was today, it would be a lot more shocking. It would be all over the news: 'Max announces the name of his new band.' At that time, the Internet wasn't pumping like it is now. It's still cool."

According to Max, the SOULFLY name is based on "a tribal belief." He explained: "Many tribes — I did this research — in South America and Africa and even North America, believe when they make music, they are evoking the spirits of their ancestors through the music and their souls are flying around them when they are playing their instruments. A lot of them even believe — this is where it gets really crazy — the animal sacrificed to make skins for the drums, even the spirits of the animals get out through the drumming. It's really deep. It's a cool name; it's a positive name. I wanted to do something different. Like I said, I tried for a year to find a name and I had all these names that sounded like SEPULTURA, but it would just be a copy. I just went the other way. SOULFLY is as different of a name as it can get from SEPULTURA. I've tried to do things in a little bit of a different way and that's how it turned out."

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On Saturday, December 3, IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain performed a set of MAIDEN classics with TITANIUM TART at the 13th-anniversary celebration for Rock N Roll Ribs, the barbecue restaurant owned by McBrain and close friend Mitch Tanne, in Coral Springs, Florida. Also appearing at the event were KINLIN, ANGELS OF WAR, CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE, SCHOOL OF ROCK, JETTER and METALUSCIOUS. There were also appearances by special guests, ex-JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens and legendary drummer Carmine Appice. Photos and video can be found below.

A barbecue joint with a musical bent, Rock N Roll Ribs showcases its love for smokey Southern cooking with food like barbecued pork and chicken and clever takes on MAIDEN songs, like "Final Frontier" dog, "Moonchild Mahi" sandwich and "Aces High" fries.

"It's not just MAIDEN fans that come in," McBrain said about the restaurant in a 2010 interview. "We do get a lot of pilgrimages, people come in and look at all the stuff on the walls, but most people that come in always come out satisfied. And it's not major expensive. A rack of ribs is [$20], and you get a pound and a quarter to a pound and a half of ribs."

Asked if he has always been a BBQ fan, McBrain told Broward Palm Beach New Times back in 2013: "Yeah! You know, I'm a Brit, and we don't have a very long summer, so it's very few and far between people get out and do a barbie in the backyard. Touring around America, I always used to love buying a rack of baby backs and some cole slaw and French Fries, and that was my main BBQ experience, the baby backs. Then a friend of mine taught me how to make the ribs we make in the restaurant, and I started to make some sauce, and it was very successful and people liked it, and that's where Rock N Roll Ribs was born, really. It was a dream we had and it finally came into fruition. I've got to be honest, it's not a business that's making a lot of money for us, but we make a lot of people smile and a lot of people happy. I'm very happy, it's great! I love it when I meet people and they say things like, 'these are the ribs I've ever had,' or, 'Your pulled pork is to die for,' and it warms the cockles of me heart!"

Rock N Roll Ribs
4651 State Rd. 7 (US441)
Coral Springs, FL 33073
954-345-RIBZ (7429)

Joining Nicko in TITANIUM TART are Rob Stokes on bass, Eldad Kira on keyboards, Mike Rivera and Mitch Tanne on guitar, and Paolo Velazquez on vocals.

McBrain was born in Hackney, East London, on June 5, 1952. His first experience of music came via his father's love of traditional jazz. Young Nicko's hero was Joe Morello, the late, great drummer with the legendary THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET. Nicko would often take to the kitchen, using forks and knives to beat on anything he could find at home. Fed up with him bashing up the kitchen utensils, his parents finally bought him his first drum kit when he was 12.

By the time he left school at 15, he was already a veteran of several part-time pub groups. Musically, however, his tastes had broadened to include more contemporary sixties sounds from THE SHADOWS, THE ANIMALS, THE BEATLES and THE ROLLING STONES. On the recommendation of another drummer he knew, he began to take on session work, playing on countless different recordings.

In 1975, Nicko joined STREETWALKERS, the band formed by ex-FAMILY members, vocalist Roger Chapman and guitarist Charlie Whitney. From the late seventies until 1982 when he joined IRON MAIDEN, Nicko had spent his time in session work, most memorably with the PAT TRAVERS BAND on their 1976 "Makin' Magic" album, and also appeared in the band MCKITTY in the early 1980's. It was during a MCKITTY gig in Belgium that he first met IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

He officially joined IRON MAIDEN in December 1982 for the 1983 "Piece Of Mind" album and tour, replacing Clive Burr, after McBrain's previous band TRUST had supported IRON MAIDEN during the U.K. leg of the "Killers" tour in 1981.

With 14 studio and eight live albums currently under his belt with MAIDEN, Nicko's role as the driving force behind the band's sound has served as a major influence to many of today's top drummers and solidified his place in music history.

McBrain and his wife still live in the same Boca Raton, Florida home they bought in 1989 when Nicko relocated from England.



A very long winded Nicko McBrain.

Posted by Terry Johnson on Saturday, December 3, 2022



Nicko McBrain's Speech

Posted by Randy Rock on Saturday, December 3, 2022



Nicko McBrain's Titanium Tart - The Number Of The Beast - at Rock N Roll Ribs.13th Anniversary Party Celebration, Coconut Creek South Sunshine State, 12/3/22 \m/

Posted by Randy Rock on Saturday, December 3, 2022

Titanium Tart tonight at 6:00! Rock-n-Roll Ribs 13th Annual Anniversary Party! Come have some fun! 🤘🏽💜🤘🏽

Posted by Titanium Tart on Saturday, December 3, 2022

At @rockandrollribs by Iron Maiden’s drummer Nicko McBrain. Met the drummer of @waspnationofficial and the bassist of @...

Posted by Anisha Saikia on Saturday, December 3, 2022

More from Nicko Mcbrain Rock n Roll Ribs bash.

Posted by Ryan Bales on Sunday, December 4, 2022

So last night I got to share a stage with these two legends. Somebody pinch me! So blessed! 🙏🤘🎹❤️
Carmine Appice Nicko Mcbrain

Great capture, Susie Levin Fineberg!

Posted by Eldad Kira on Sunday, December 4, 2022

Carmine Appice and Nicko McBrain tonight at the Rock n Roll Ribs 13th Annual Anniversary Party in Coral Springs.

Posted by Dave Lawrence on Saturday, December 3, 2022

Nicko McBrain the drummer of IRON MAIDEN (for my friends that don't know) always nice to meet this guy.

Posted by Terry Johnson on Saturday, December 3, 2022

Happy 13th Anniversary Rock n Roll Ribs with Nicko Mcbrain of IRON MAIDEN.

Posted by Kyle K Cook on Saturday, December 3, 2022

Quick phone pic from behind Nicko Mcbrain of Iron Maiden while he plays with his band, Titanium Tart. #ironmaiden #ivanromerophotography #RocknRollRibs #nickomcbrain #titaniumtart

Posted by Ivan Romero Photography on Saturday, December 3, 2022

Nicko, Carmine Appicce and Tim Riper singing autographs at Rock N Roll Ribs Annual Party in Boca Raton Florida! ...

Posted by Maiden Mania Iron Maiden Tribute Band on Saturday, December 3, 2022

Nicko Mcbrain of Iron Maiden hosting the 2022 Anniversary Party at Rock n Roll Ribs in Coral Springs, Fl. #rocknrollribs #ironmaiden #nickomcbrain #ivanromerophotography

Posted by Ivan Romero Photography on Saturday, December 3, 2022

Just two days after performing with the newly reformed PANTERA at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest, Zakk Wylde took part in a special Jimi Hendrix 80th-birthday concert event at Austin City Limits Live's Moody Theater. The December 4 concert featured BAND OF GYPSYS and JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE member Billy Cox anchoring the rhythm section, along with additional appearances by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, LOS LOBOS' David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, Dweezil Zappa, Eric Johnson, Doyle Bramhall II and Chris Layton (from STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN AND DOUBLE TROUBLE),SLIDE BROTHERS and Mato Nanji of INDIGENOUS, among others. Fan-filmed video of Zakk's performance can be seen below.

In a November 2013 interview with Music Radar, Wylde stated about his involvement with the "Experience Hendrix" tour: "I'm totally honored to be part of it, just because of my love for Jimi Hendrix, for one."

He continued: "My guitar teacher, LeRoy Wright, was a huge Hendrix guy, so he turned me on to Jimi. As a kid, I was coming more from BLACK SABBATH and stuff like that — that's what I was into at first. I dug Hendrix, and I totally got that he's the messiah; he's the Jesus Christ of the electric guitar. One of the first tunes LeRoy showed me was 'Hey Joe', and that was C, G, D, A and then E major. Eventually, he taught me the little lick in the beginning, which I couldn't get at first. I was happy right off with playing the chords. [Laughs]

"Through Hendrix, I discovered guys like Robin Trower and Frank Marino. It's interesting, though: I'll hear Stevie Ray Vaughan play the blues, or when I go and listen to Hendrix... It's blues licks, but the way they twist them and bend them and interpret them changes everything. It's like they're making a new recipe from this thing called the blues. If you were cooking chicken, depending on which spices and sauces you used, you'd be like, 'Wow, that tastes like Frank Marino,' or 'That takes like Robin Trower, and that takes like Stevie Ray Vaughan.'

"Jimi didn't start the whole thing — he got it from Buddy Miles and BB King and all the blues guys that he dug — but he put his own spin on it. A pretty serious spin. [Laughs] It's amazing how you can tell these guys apart, though. You can't tell everybody apart, but the guys I mentioned, and especially Hendrix, of course, you can pick them out from everybody else. Hendrix you can pick out from a mile away. His sound, his execution — he was about as unique as it gets."

PANTERA will next co-headline the Monterrey Metal Fest on Tuesday, December 6 at Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico.



Zakk Wylde at Experience Hendrix last night in Austin, texas. #sdmf 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🎸🎸❤️❤️

Posted by Erin Patty on Monday, December 5, 2022

EXPERIENCE HENDRIX LIVE IN AUSTIN,12/4/2022(ZAKK WYLDE,ERIC JOHNSON,KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD)

Posted by Cleiton Uliana on Sunday, December 4, 2022

TONIGHT!!! CELEBRATING ST.JIMI’s 8Oth B-DAY w/My EXPERIENCE HENDRIX FAMILY & The AUSTIN,TX CHAPTER!!! tBLSt SDMF @experiencehendrix #experiencehendrix

Posted by Zakk Wylde on Sunday, December 4, 2022

Multi-camera fan-filmed video of PANTERA's first live performance in over 20 years, which took place last Friday (December 2) at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest, can be seen below. The show featured PANTERA's reformed lineup, consisting of surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals) along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

Featured songs:

Intro 00:00
* A New Level 05:13
* Mouth For War 09:42
* Strength Beyond Strength 14:05
* Becoming (with "Throes Of Rejection" outro) 18:57
* I'm Broken (with "By Demons Be Driven" outro) 23:04
* Use My Third Arm 28:50
(Duplicated Clips — Skip This) 33:48 - 47:59
* 5 Minutes Alone 48:44
* This Love 55:10
* Yesterday Don't Mean Shit 01:06:59
* Fucking Hostile 01:12:10
* Dimebag and Vinnie tribute 01:15:46
* Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH cover) 01:17:19
* Walk 01:23:49
* Cowboys From Hell 01:29:14
* Domination / Hollow 01:36:39

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 will play one more show in Mexico this week —Monterrey Metal Fest on Tuesday (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.

Regarding the criticism floating around social media about relaunching the PANTERA name more than two decades since the group played their last show, and all the chatter about it not being a true reunion without Vinnie and Dime, Benante told Metal Edge: "First off, it's not a reunion. It's a celebration of the music. If you saw the thing that went out, it was like, 'PANTERA featuring…' the four of us. Those two guys are a part of this and who else is there? Vinnie and Dime are not here, so, Philip and Rex, they were that band, too. [They] deserve to be there as much as anybody. I see the negative stuff sometimes, and I'm just like, ‘This is so ridiculous, man.' Just enjoy hearing those songs again."

Benante told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about how he planned to approach the PANTERA gig: "I can't go do this as the drummer from ANTHRAX because it would be a different sound completely. So the way I'm gonna do that is if you close your eyes, it's gonna sound like it's Vinnie, basically. And that's how it's gonna be. The sound is gonna sound exactly like him."

Wylde said that he had a similar mindset. "You approach it the same way as you do when I'm playing with Ozzy," he said. "Obviously I've gotta learn [Randy] Rhoads's stuff and I've gotta learn Jake's [E. Lee] stuff, and when I was doing the [BLACK] SABBATH stuff, you learn it and do it as faithful as you can. Charlie's gotta learn all of Vinnie's parts. You approach it as if you're in a cover band. When we do the ZAKK SABBATH stuff," referring to his BLACK SABBATH cover band, "I don't start changing lyrics midway through 'War Pigs'. You learn the songs — so that's what you do."

A year ago, Anselmo said that he was up for reuniting with Brown for a special tour celebrating the music of PANTERA. The 54-year-old singer, who has spent the past few years playing a PANTERA-centric set with his solo band, THE ILLEGALS, discussed the possibility of re-teaming with his former PANTERA bandmate during an interview with Brazil's Inside With Paulo Baron. Asked if he and Rex would be open to playing some shows in celebration of PANTERA's legacy, Anselmo said: "If Rex and I had a show to play, or we were ever gonna be on stage again together, I would welcome it with open arms. I love Rex. And he'd be the same way. We're brothers forever. So playing on stage together, or doing some shows together, is not out of the question. It could happen."

In April 2021, Rex told Eonmusic that he and Philip still get offers for a PANTERA tribute tour. "But if you don't have the other guys in the band, it's not going to sound the same," he said. "If we were ever to do something like that, it would have to be spot-on, or I wouldn't do it. It would be a tribute."

Talk about a possible PANTERA "reunion" intensified when Anselmo regularly joined Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY to perform PANTERA's song "I'm Broken" during DOWN's 2014 stint on the "Revolver Golden Gods Tour". That buzz only got stronger after Brown joined the jam on May 23, 2014 when the tour swung through Texas.

Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

During an appearance on SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show" this past Monday (November 28),METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich reflected on his participation in the Taylor Hawkins tribute shows in September. He said: "The one thing in this band is the four of us don't stray a lot. And I think a big part of the fact that METALLICA, 41 years in, is still as functional as we are is because we just haven't strayed a lot. Of course, Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] has gone and done his solo stuff, and James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] did something with one of the Waylon Jennings kids a few years ago, and I've done one or two things, and [Robert] Trujillo [METALLICA bassist] goes back to SUICIDAL [TENDENCIES] occasionally and INFECTIOUS GROOVES, but we don't stray a lot.

"Dave Grohl [FOO FIGHTERS leader] called me three or four months ago and asked me if I would partake in the Taylor Hawkins tribute shows at Wembley and at the L.A. Forum, and, obviously, before he was done explaining it, I just said, 'Yes, Dave. I'll be there. Just tell me what you want and I'll show up with bells and whistles on."

Ulrich continued: "Straying outside of the METALLICA world is not the most comfortable thing for me. I think a big part of why we just love staying inside the METALLICA universe is because there's that safety in numbers, and we just support each other and have that thing. But playing with Grohl and the other three FOO FIGHTER guys, and then at Wembley we did, with Brian Johnson, the AC/DC singer, we did an AC/DC set, and it was so much fucking fun to play."

When host Howard Stern noted that there is a special kind of energy when musicians from different background play together, Lars said: "For me, and I use the word 'wheelhouse' a lot, playing those AC/DC songs is right in my wheelhouse. If they had said — I mean, I love RUSH — [but] If they had said, 'Come up and play '2112' with Alex [Lifeson] and Geddy [Lee], I'd go, 'I think there's somebody more qualified to do that than me.' But playing those AC/DC songs with the four FOO FIGHTERS guys and Brian was just a fucking next-level magical experience. And then in L.A., a couple of weeks later, we did a BLACK SABBATH medley with Geezer Butler, O.G. bass player and absolutely one of the geniuses of the early days of hard rock and metal, we did a couple of BLACK SABBATH songs. So it was great fun to go do that.

Pressed about whether he could play a RUSH song with Lee and Lifeson if asked, Ulrich said: "Could I do it? Obviously, playing with Alex and Geddy would be incredible. Some of the guys, Chad Smith played and Dave played a couple of songs [with Geddy and Alex]. It would be an uphill thing. It would take a lot of rehearsal, a lot of prep. '2112' would probably be too much of a bite of the apple for me. But in terms of just feeling comfortable, and kind of doing the thing that exists sort of where I am, that AC/DC stuff is right in my fucking pocket. And I love that so much."

After Stern said that Ulrich could probably play some of the LED ZEPPELIN material with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page if he wanted to, Lars said: "I could do some of that, yeah. I could do the DEEP PURPLE stuff, definitely do the SABBATH stuff. Obviously, I've studied all three of those for close to 50 years now, so that's definitely in the wheelhouse… The first band I ever saw was DEEP PURPLE. When I was nine years old, I went and bought a DEEP PURPLE album the next morning. And BLACK SABBATH came soon after. ZEPPELIN was there also, but primarily DEEP PURPLE and SABBATH. So when I say I've studied it, it's just been there for 45, 50 years for me."

In 2020, Ulrich said that he is no longer bothered by people's criticism of his drumming abilities. Speaking to METALLICA's So What! fan-club magazine, the Danish-born musician said: "I've got to tell you, 20 years later, 30 years later, it just doesn't register anymore. I am so comfortable with who I am, I'm so comfortable with who METALLICA is, I'm so comfortable with our place in all of it. I've got an incredible wife, three great kids, my dad and [his partner] Molly, incredible friends, and lots of cool acquaintances. It's all good. I've got nothing left to prove, so it just doesn't register anymore."

Back in 2016, Ulrich, who has gotten a lot of flak over the years from people who accused him of being a poor drummer, told the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast that he went through a period in the mid-1980s "that probably culminated in the '…[And] Justice [For All]' album where I felt sort of compelled to try to show ability."

According to Lars, part of the reason for him feeling insecure about his abilities was the increased competition from some of his peers.

"Listen, when you've got Dave Lombardo and Charlie Benante breathing down your back, it was, like, 'Okay, I've gotta…' I tried to step it up a little bit and tried to do my own thing and do all this crazy shit," he said. "I was trying really hard to push the drums kind of into the foreground. And then, after like a year or two of that, I was, like, 'Okay. Seriously? Just do your thing. Chill out. Support the riffs. Do what's best for the song.' So since around I guess the late '80s — so I guess it's been, like, 25 years now — the only thing that's really interested me is just doing the best thing for the song."

Asked in a 2008 interview with U.K.'s Rhythm magazine if he was troubled by the fact that he's gotten a lot of flak over the years from people who accused him of being a poor drummer, Lars said: "It used to, back in the day — and I spent a lot of time overcompensating for that on the early records. But then you wake up one day and you're like, whatever. It hasn't bothered me for [many] years. I'm no Joey Jordison, I'm no Mike Portnoy, and I have nothing but love and respect and admiration for all those guys. When I hear some of the young dudes, they blow my mind with what they can do with their feet and stuff — but it's not something that makes me go, 'I need to feel better about myself so I'm gonna learn how to do what they do with my feet.' I'm not a particularly accomplished drummer but I am very, very, very good at understanding the role of the drums next to James Hetfield's rhythm guitar. I guarantee you I'm the best guy in the world for that, and that's enough for me!"

Ulrich stated about his playing ability in a 2012 interview with DRUM! magazine: "I usually feel like I've regressed. [Laughs] I'm like, 'Why can't I do that anymore?'" He continued: "I can't say that I necessarily sit down to practice, like, 'I'm going to play and practice so I can get better.' What happens is that I just sit down and kind of play to just more stay in shape."

Ulrich added: "You know, METALLICA was up to two or three months off [in 2011], and I would sit down, I have an iPod next to my drums so I can play along to all kind of crazy stuff, and try to see if I can land in the same zip code of some of that stuff occasionally. But I can't say that I sit down to necessarily practice to sort of get better. For most of my stuff, it's about listening and about interpreting stuff that I'm listening to. So all the kind of sitting down and, you know, 'Now I'm going to do thirty-second-note paradiddles standing on my head — you know what I mean? I don't do that kind of stuff so much. For me it's more about the regimen of staying in shape, running every day, eating healthy, you know, being on top of that side of it."

In a new interview with Tom Power, host of "Q" on Canada's CBC Radio One, NICKELBACK guitarist Ryan Peake talked about the metal overtones in the band's music, particularly in the initial teaser that was released for the group's latest album, "Get Rollin'", which some fans thought featured a more "metalcore" sound than was the case with NICKELBACK's previous outings. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Speaking as a metal listener…. I grew up listening to metal… I grew up initially with pop, but then, when I started playing guitar, it was metal — ANTHRAX and TESTAMENT… I loved metal growing up… But what I just find interesting — and this is more of an observation — is if you say [about a NICKELBACK song], 'Okay, this sounds a bit metal,' I can just hear all the metalheads just [getting all worked up about it]: 'Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?' Because I come from that initially, and I understand there's some kind of protective nature in the metal audience. And it's weird, because if you play a rock song — like a really heavy rock song — to an audience that likes the more melodic stuff, they're kind of taken aback, maybe not expecting it, but they'll still — live especially — they'll get it and they'll be accepting, or they'll just go, 'Oh. Maybe not for me.' Metalheads? They'll be just, like, 'They're not metal,' and they'll just drag you through the mud for even suggesting that. It's really interesting. They're really protective of their genre. And if you dip your toe in there without fully being metal, you're just gonna get tore up."

Earlier in the month, Peake spoke to RockSverige about NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger's comment about three years ago that he wanted to make a SLAYER covers album. Asked if that is something all four members of NICKELBACK could agree on doing and whether it's even a possibility for NICKELBACK to make a record like that, Ryan laughed and said: "I don't know if it would be something we all could agree on because we are all have our different likes and dislikes when it comes to music. Mike's is really heavy, and I like SLAYER, so I get that. I think we could probably agree on doing a heavy covers album or something like that."

He continued: "I got kicked out of Ryan Vikedal's [former NICKELBACK drummer] garage for playing [SLAYER's] 'South Of Heaven'. I went down to see him before he was actually in the band and I was just kind of jamming with him. We grew up with that."

Circling back to the idea of NICKELBACK making a SLAYER covers album, Ryan said: "I don't know. This is what I like about this band. I don't think anything's going to be so crazy to hear from us. I think if a metal band went and made a full-on country album, it might be, like, 'What are you doing? You've got nine metal albums, and now this?'

"We've kind of dipped our toes in a lot of different music, I feel, and especially with 'No Fixed Address', where we kind of tried to stretch our legs a bit, that it's maybe believable.

"I love metal stuff, I love pop stuff, I love some country, for sure. Chris Stapleton is unreal. He is singlehandedly saving country music. I grew up with country music, but I haven't been listening to it in years until I heard him do something with an acoustic and another guy with an upright bass and his wife singing harmony. That was it. I had goosebumps like crazy, and I love when music does that. And it doesn't matter where it comes from.

"Maybe [we can] do a TESTAMENT, SLAYER, MESHUGGAH album? I don't know. [Laughs]"

In January 2019, Mike told Australia's Wall Of Sound that metal is "what I listen to without fail," adding that "if we could actually sink in and do a metal album, all four of us would love it. I know that we're all — on differing scales — metalheads at our core. We all know everything about the 'Big Four' — METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and SLAYER. I would do a SLAYER cover album if I could. That's where my heart lies. There are just never enough hours in the day to do everything, but let's just say I wouldn't count it out."

But six months later, Kroeger offered a different take on the possibility of recording a SLAYER covers album, telling the New Hampshire Union Leader that he never said NICKELBACK as a band would partake in such a project.

"As a journalist yourself, you realize the importance of context and how context can be manipulated," Mike said. "I can't remember who I was talking to, but I know this got somewhat distorted, and then it was put on a wire and then everybody got it.

"I said this in an interview with somebody in, I think, Australia, and then it got regurgitated and switched around and then reformatted it into this clickbait form," he continued. "What I said was, 'I would like to make a SLAYER cover record or have a SLAYER cover band or make a metal album.' I didn't say [it involved] NICKELBACK … Like, 'Hey, everybody, be outraged because NICKELBACK wants to make a heavy metal album.'"

According to Mike, he still has a passion for the heavier forms of music and he often entertains the idea of dabbling in the more extreme styles than NICKELBACK is known for.

"I'm a metalhead, love metal music, love SLAYER in particular; they're one of my favorites," he said. "And I would love to play that music, but I couldn't speak for NICKELBACK in saying that we want to do a SLAYER cover band or make a death-metal record.

"I know that the drummer, Daniel [Adair], he's a big fan of metal. I don't know if he wants to be in a metal band. He might. I know Chad [Kroeger, guitar/vocals] and Ryan both like heavy metal, but I don't know if they wanna make a record of it or play in a band that plays SLAYER covers. I sincerely doubt it."

Asked if SLAYER was the first metal band he really got into, Mike said: "I remember particular moments in my life when I heard a kind of music or a band for the first time, and I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. SLAYER's one of those. I was skateboarding with friends and we had a little boombox with us. And I remember one of the guys put on a cassette tape … [I] put on a cassette tape of the 'Reign In Blood' album. I just sat down and I was' like, 'What on earth is that? What, what is this? I need to know what this is.' And it just got me. That's one in particular that I remember distinctly socking me right between the eyes."

Anders Fridén, frontman of Swedish melodic death metal band IN FLAMES, recently spoke to France's Loud TV about how the state of the world has changed more than two years into the coronavirus pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It is a scary place we live in. What I was hoping, after the pandemic, the pause that we all had, that we would come out and be nicer and show more respect and love, between people, between nations and stuff like that, but it seems like it's more hostile than ever. And now we have a war here [in Europe] that's going on for a while. I don't understand the way we treat each other. And the language that's happening online, with social media and stuff. We're pointing fingers left and right. There's not a debate even anymore. If I don't agree with you, then I hate you, which is just so weird. I'm, like, what is that? There's no 'agree to disagree' anymore — it's just full of anger, and, like I said, pointed fingers. And 'you're wrong' and 'you're wrong' and a bunch of fucking opinions left and right. And we treat opinions like they're facts, which they are not."

He added: "I mean, we have to have hope — we can't just give up — but we have to start talking to each other on a good level and be nicer and kinder to each other."

Last month, Fridén spoke to Czech Republic's Metalshop TV about the criticism he and his IN FLAMES bandmates have faced for their musical evolution, which has seen them adopting a more alternative metal sound after starting out as melodic death metal act

"I've been in this band since late '95," he said. "My first album was 'Jester Race'. When we released 'Whoracle', there were people saying, 'It doesn't sound like 'The Jester Race'.' And then when did 'Colony', and people said, 'It doesn't sound like 'Whoracle'.' And then we did 'Clayman' and people said, 'It doesn't sound like…' So it's been like that all the time. And I'm happy that we can release albums that are challenging to people, that they don't know where to put it, but in time it will be a classic IN FLAMES album. And I think this new one is gonna surprise people, but in 10 years' time they're gonna say it's their favorite. So it changes.

"Every album is important to us. All the albums led up to where we are today. So if you take away one of them, we won't sound the same today. But yeah, people have opinions. But it's fine. That's music. It's a matter of taste. And we can't all have the same taste; that would be extremely boring. And it's cool. I like it."

IN FLAMES' fourteenth studio album, "Foregone", will arrive on February 10, 2023 via Nuclear Blast.

Canada's The Metal Voice recently spoke to Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Les Binks, former drummer for Judas Priest.


In the chat, Binks spoke about his current tour plans with Les Binks' Priesthood, getting inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and the extent of his participation in KK's Priest potential tour. Watch the full chat below.


On whether he was part of the upcoming KK's Priest studio album




Binks: "I chatted to him (K.K. Downing) about this, and I think there was problems regarding getting (KK's) management sorted out and getting tour dates set up, so he just decided to press on with (KK's Priest) album Number Two. Now, the thing is that there's another drummer involved in the band, so I presume he's played on this album as well. The only time that I would be involved would be through a live situation as a guest performer. So as I say, until there's some dates that are like actually confirmed I'll have to wait and see what develops there."


Bibnks was initially due to perform on the debut album, Sermons Of The Sinner, but had to bow out due to an injury. Drum tracks were recorded instead by Sean Elg from Cage and Deathriders


Binks joined the up-and-coming Judas Priest in March 1977 for their world tour and remained with the band for two and a half years, until July 1979, recording the studio albums Stained Class and Killing Machine, and the live album Unleashed In The East. Binks received a writing credit for the song "Beyond The Realms Of Death" from Stained Class. Binks was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year as a member of Judas Priest via the Award For Musical Excellence.





On November 11, 2022, former Judas Priest guitarist and recent inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame K.K. Downing was at his club, KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, UK to catch Ugly Kid Joe's headlining set.


Just prior to UKJ taking the stage, K.K. Downing spoke to Danny Stoakes about the current status of the second KK's Priest album (the audio can be heard below). Downing commented: "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. 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."





Playing alongside Downing in KK's Priest is vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth), guitarist A.J. Mills (Hostile), bassist Tony Newton (Voodoo Six), and drummer Sean Elg (Deathriders, Cage).


KK's Priest released their debut album, Sermons Of The Sinner, in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.





Tracklist:


"Incarnation"
"Hellfire Thunderbolt"
"Sermons Of The Sinner"
"Sacerdote Y Diablo"
"Raise Your Fists"
"Brothers Of The Road"
"Metal Through And Through"
"Wild And Free"
"Hail For The Priest"
"Return Of The Sentinel"


"Return Of The Sentinel" video:





“Raise Your Fists” video:





"Sermons Of The Sinner" video:





"Hellfire Thunderbolt" video: