Z2 has announced "Amon Amarth: The Great Heathen Army", a new graphic novel and board game collaboration celebrating the heavy metal quintet's last album of the same name. Channeling the thunderous epic poem winding through these nine tracks, the graphic novel dives into the heart of the Viking Age, as oars propel longships to shores awaiting the brutal collision of steel and bone.

The project unites the band with writer Dan Watters ("King Diamond's Abigail", "Lucifer"),artist Ario Murti, and cover artists Montos ("Death For Hire: The Origin of Tehk City") and Tom Thiel.

"Heathens from shore to shore! We are thrilled to announce that we've partnered with Z2 to bring you 'The Great Heathen Army' as a full-length graphic novel," AMON AMARTH explains. "It's a brutal story of war, bloodshed, and glory during the time when the Viking raids brought terror to the shores of England. We've also produced an accompanying replica of 'The Great Heathen Army' board game that you see in our music video of the album title track. We hope you enjoy it. Skål!"

The pages of "The Great Heathen Army" unspool throughout a ninth-century battle siege, in which a coalition of Viking warriors from Scandinavia invades England, wreaking unprecedented chaos. The tale dynamically pivots between large-scale dioramas of destruction to the lives of the men and women whose decisions leveled populations, capturing the devastating human cost to both sides of this legendary clash. The book will also include a foreword from professional WWE Wrestling Hall Of Famer and Viking devotee Adam "Edge" Copeland.

"Raise your mead horns to Valhalla! Saxons beware because the mighty AMON AMARTH is releasing a graphic novel!" Copeland exclaims. "Vikings. Metal. Comics. As Stan Lee (and maybe Odin?) would say…'nuff said!"

"Getting to work with AMON AMARTH on 'The Great Heathen Army' means diving into myth, history, and heavy metal, which sounds like a perfect date night to me," Watters explains on the writing process. "Our aim with this book is to make the reader feel like they're truly there, facing the terror of the invaders in that old world where monsters and gods lurk beneath every stone and in every bloodthirsty eye. And also to show some Vikings doing some terrible things with some very big axes."

Since 1992, AMON AMARTH has elevated metal into a primal onslaught of increasingly blistering albums. The Swedish group channels the awe and fury of a Medieval Viking raid into a horizon of bass-pedal-lined, chugging anthems destined to ignite chaos at live shows the world over. The group's latest full album, "The Great Heathen Army", punctuates 30 years of reaving hooks with a concept album about sea-ward ravagers clashing with swelling armies — and the generals who continually grind the cogs of war.

"AMON AMARTH are well known for their historic epics and mythology, woven throughout the band's history," editor Rantz Hoseley continues. "A graphic novel inspired by their music feels long overdue. The songs of 'The Great Heathen Army' conjure a saga in the listener's mind, ancient and timeless and powerful, and it's our honor to expand upon that bloody experience."

Z2 and AMON AMARTH present "The Great Heathen Army" in standard hardcover and deluxe hardcover editions, set to release in fall 2023. The deluxe hardcover will come signed with three art prints illustrated by Tom Thiel, a Silver Pennigar Viking Collector's Coin, and a limited-edition board game with an oversized battle map.

"The Great Heathen Army" board game will also be available separately. In the deck-building war game, players assume the role of the Vikings on the attacker's side or that of the Anglo-Saxons on the defender's side; each side will strategize their own goal to defeat or repel the other in absorbing, hours-long campaigns.

Preorder now at this location.

KORN drummer Ray Luzier recently launched a "studio drum cam series" on his YouTube channel where he performs songs that he's recorded on past records shot from multiple camera angles. Check out some of his earliest clips below.

In a recent interview with the "Drum Candy" podcast, Luzier explained his decision to relocate his family to Franklin, Tennessee nearly a decade ago. He said: "I moved [to the Nashville area] — June [2022], it'll be eight years here, which is nuts, 'cause I'm still in a band based in Bakersfield, California. I always joke with people, 'I have a two-thousand-mile commute to work.'

"When Head [KORN guitarist Brian Welch] rejoined the band in 2013, I said to him first thing, 'cause he lived out here [in Nashville], and I said, 'When are you gonna move back to Cali?' And he said, 'I'll never live in L.A.' And I said, 'How are you gonna be in the band?' And he was, like, 'There's airports and Internet, isn't there?' And right at the time, [my wife and I] had just had our first kid; it was almost three years into it. And I was thinking to myself, 'Man…' 'Cause my wife never really got L.A. And I was, like, 'Man, I wonder if we can get out of here,' if it was feasible enough. So I got permission from the band."

Luzier, who was raised just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before moving to Los Angeles in 1988 to pursue a career in music, added: "Jon [KORN singer Jonathan Davis] is really adamant about stuff on the cuff, like, 'Ray, come up here. Drive up to [Bakersfield]. I've got this idea. Play drums on it and drive back down.' It was a two-hour commute for me when I lived in L.A. This only happened a few times where I've had to jump on a plane the next day and go out there. But for the most part, [Head] is right. We meet at the airport. If we do a European tour, we meet at the airport. If we do a record, we all meet in Bakersfield. I have a four-hour flight. That's nothing to me; I live on airplanes."

Luzier married his longtime girlfriend, model Aspen Brandy Lea, in June 2016. The nuptials took place at the Keys Creek Lavender Farm in Valley Center, California in a "totally private" ceremony attended only by the couple's two sons, now-11-year-old Hudson Ray and seven-year-old Beck Jagger.

Luzier and his wife started dating in 2009 after she interviewed him while on assignment for Rivalry Nights. It was one of his first interviews as a member of KORN, having spent the initial two years of his tenure with the group as a session drummer.

Ray lived in Los Angeles for 16 years before moving to Nashville.

KORN's latest album, "Requiem", was released in February via Loma Vista Recordings. The LP was produced by Chris Collier and KORN.

"Requiem" entered Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 1. The band sold 23,000 equivalent album units in the February 4-10 tracking week, according to Billboard. Of that sum, 20,000 units are from album sales. "Requiem" also landed at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. On the all-format Billboard 200, it arrived at No. 14.

In a new interview with The Shred Shack, singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, who joined ICED EARTH in 2003 and stayed in the band for four years before being fired in December 2007, was asked if he would ever consider rejoining the Jon Schaffer-led outfit if he got the call. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, no. And contrary to his issues he has… It wasn't a good falling out.

"People don't realize that it's been a long time since I was in ICED EARTH," Owens explained. "It wasn't a good ending. And career-wise, I've moved on, and I do my thing now.

"No, I would never do ICED EARTH again. No," Tim reiterated.

Owens previously reflected on his split with ICED EARTH in a December 2021 interview with Metal Mythos Aftershock. At the time, he said: "It wasn't a very good parting. I was leaving to go to [Jon's] house to record a new record. And I walked back into my house to grab something and I got an e-mail and I looked at it and it said, 'Brothers and sisters… You're fired,' or whatever. It's the same e-mail he sent Blabbermouth at the same time. And it wasn't a good falling out. It was two weeks before Christmas. It wasn't good."

Owens continued: "Two weeks before that, [Jon] sent me an e-mail saying, 'Listen, I really need to teach you how to be a frontman and teach you how to do things.' And Wendy Dio, who was my manager at the time, was beside herself. She kept saying, 'Get out of this thing, man. You've gotta get out of this thing.' And it was unfortunate that it ended like that — two weeks before Christmas with an e-mail that's the same e-mail he sends Blabbermouth. I was kind of sad, but life goes on, and you move on to the next thing. And I think two days later I was recording a new Yngwie [Malmsteen] record. So it's kind of, like, everything moves on for a reason."

Owens had also discussed his departure from ICED EARTH in a 2012 interview with Australia's Loud. He said: "It was handled poorly, I think, the situation. It could've been handled good and everybody could've looked good in the situation. But it was handled poorly, I think… I started getting all the blame when things weren't the same. Or things weren't what Jon thought they could be. And then, of course, it all came down on me. None of the blame ever came down on Jon. I'm fine with that, but the funny thing is that nothing really changed when I left anyway. I read numbers and I talk to agents, and the crowds are the same or smaller now. I think it was also me wandering a bit, knowing that ICED EARTH was kind of like a solo project. It's really Schaffer's band, and I knew that. And I started having my own: I started doing BEYOND FEAR, and pushing BEYOND FEAR when probably I should have been talking about ICED EARTH. I think Jon read a lot of that and he read into it that my heart and soul wasn't into ICED EARTH."

Schaffer addressed Owens's exit from ICED EARTH in a 2008 interview with Metal Exiles. At the time, the guitarist said: "Tim was great to work with in the studio, and from a standpoint of performing live, he was great as far as being an incredible vocalist, but he was not a true believer in this band. It was a job for him, and ICED EARTH is not about that… He was more interested in doing his solo thing — that was where his head was at — and it was becoming more and more obvious. This band was a means to an end for him."

In April 2021, Schaffer pleaded guilty to his role in the U.S. Capitol riot. As part of the plea deal, Jon entered into a cooperation agreement with the government.

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. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. 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.

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Life In The Stocks" podcast, former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi was asked if he had an opinion on founding guitarist Mick Mars's recent announcement that he would no longer tour with the legendary rock act. Mick is being replaced on the road by former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5. Corabi responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I do [have an opinion]. I will just say this: I know John [5] as well. He's a brilliant — and I cannot say 'brilliant' loud enough — he's a brilliant guitar player and a great dude. But the verdict for me is out until I hear a statement from Mick. The statement that we heard was put together by MÖTLEY and their people. And I'm not totally sure I believe what they're saying. So I'll just leave it at that."

He later elaborated on his comments, saying: "I don't totally believe Mick's reasons for leaving MÖTLEY. And I don't even know if he left MÖTLEY. I believe maybe he was shown the door. Because as long as I can remember… Fuck, when we were doing the 'Generation Swine' record, they were complaining about his guitar playing then. And if you really look at all of the records they've done since then… The majority of the guitars on the 'Swine' record, which is one of the reasons why I sued the guys, are mine. They were complaining about Mick the whole fucking time. And I don't know if he played on 'New Tattoo' — I'm not sure — but I know on 'Red, White & Crüe', it was D.J. Ashba; on 'Saints Of Los Angeles', it was D.J. Ashba; and on 'The Dirt' [soundtrack], it was John 5.

"I don't know," he continued. "I could be totally wrong about this, so don't run around and fucking, whatever, put it in print yet, but I'm just saying I'm waiting for Mick's response. The one that we've all heard came from MÖTLEY and their management."

Corabi went on to say that there was something else that was "kind of bugging" him about the way Mars's supposed retirement was announced. "Because since that announcement came out, I've reached out to Mick and his wife a few times," he said. "And Mick hasn't responded at all. And I sent [his wife] — she's from Switzerland — so when I was there last week, I sent some photos of the Alps — I was in the Alps — and I wrote to her, and I said, 'Hey, I'm in your motherland.' And she wrote back. Then I came back, and I was, like, 'Hey, man, how's Mick?' And she goes, 'He's fine.' [And I said], 'Hey, what's going on?' Crickets. So that's kind of unusual behavior for Mick and [his wife]; they would normally [be] just, like, 'Yeah, dude. Everything's cool. Whatever.'"

Speculating about the possible reasons for Mick's silence, Corabi said: "I don't know if he's embarrassed or he's maybe… Who knows? Maybe he's angry and maybe he's being told not to say anything to anybody. Maybe there's gonna be a lawsuit. I don't know. But I just know how those guys operate, and I would not be surprised if they didn't say, 'Mick, look. You're in pain. We've got John 5. We're gonna bring him in.' Maybe throw him a bone — like every time they tour, throw him some money — but 'we're gonna move forward with this guy.' It wouldn't surprise me."

Corabi clarified: "Now, this is all a theory. I know about as much as you guys do. But personally, I don't believe a word of that statement at all."

Mars said 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.

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, bassist Nikki 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.

In October, it was announced that MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD will go global in 2023 with their co-headline "The World Tour". Produced by Live Nation, the trek will kick off on February 18, 2023 at Foro Sol in Mexico City and include stops throughout Latin America before heading to Europe in May 2023.

Last month, Sixx praised John 5, saying he "checks all the boxes" as Mars's replacement.

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 struggles with ankylosing spondylitis.

"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 joined by Rob Zombie and drummer Tommy Clufetos.

Back in 2016, Mars released snippets of two solo songs, apparently called "Gimme Blood" and "Shake The Cage". The tracks, which were recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, where Mars has lived for about nine years, featured Corabi, who appeared on CRÜE's 1994 self-titled album. Corabi later said that he didn't contribute to the writing process for the two songs, but that he was open to collaborating with Mars on some brand new material.

THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland has confirmed to Times Colonist that he and his bandmates are planning to enter the studio in January with longtime producer Bob Rock to begin recording a new album, due next year. It will be the follow-up to 2021's "Let The Bad Times Roll", which has been a huge global success, hitting career-high chart debuts with seven top 5 and ten top 10 international debuts and nine top ten debuts in the U.S. The album peaked at No. 3 on the U.K. chart and hit No. 1 on the Alternative Albums chart in the U.S.

"In a funny way, I think the [pandemic] break really energized us," Holland told Times Colonist. "It gave us time to let us finish the last record, and we got the band real tight. We've decided to keep on going, so when we're in-between tours, we're working on new material."

Holland went on to say that he and his bandmates plan to ride the rollercoaster for as long as they can. "The nature of the music business is that you never know when your time is up," he explained. "We're very fortunate to still be here. But as Jim Morrison once said, 'The future is uncertain and the end is always near.' It always seems like we can do this for a few more years — people are still coming to the shows, and we're still getting played on the radio — so for the time being it seems okay. But beyond that, who knows?"

In a previous interview with the Dallas Observer, Dexter stated about the decision to release an album during the coronavirus pandemic: "It seems like a strange thing to release a record right in the middle of a pandemic when you can't tour. It had been so long since we had done a record, and we didn't want to wait anymore. We thought, 'This is what we do as a band, so let's go ahead and put it out anyway.' It wasn't supposed to be that long. You just get busy with touring and what else goes on and writing songs. We go into the studio when we can; we don't really block off, like, 'Okay, in six months we're going to write a record.' The songs have to come when they come, so it took a little longer. I went back to school for a while, there were a bunch of things, so we did not intend for it to take that long, but it just did. That was the time when the record was finished and we thought, 'Well, what the hell. Let's get it out.'"

Frequently regarded as one of the best rock bands of all time, THE OFFSPRING have garnered a reputation for their unmistakable sound and social comment. The multi-platinum band first achieved worldwide success in the 1990s with the release of their album "Smash", which sold over 11 million copies. Following "Smash", they continued to release hit after hit, popularizing rock at a mainstream level.

Throughout THE OFFSPRING's career, they've sold over a staggering 40 million albums, and toured arenas, and built a global fan base. "Let The Bad Times Roll" marked the band's tenth studio album and third album produced by the legendary Rock. True to the irreverence at the core of their rock music, the band and Holland took a view to today's cultural moments and didn't shy away from creating topical material in this album.

"This album is probably the most cathartic thing we've done," Holland previously said. "The messages might be dark, but at the end, what's left is that communication is important, working through feelings is important and most of all, hope is important."

Originally formed under the name MANIC SUBSIDAL, THE OFFSPRING's lineup consists of Holland, guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman and bassist Todd Morse. THE OFFSPRING is often credited — alongside fellow California bands GREEN DAY and RANCID — for reviving mainstream interest in rock in the 1990s.

In a new interview with Border City Rock Talk, Eric Martin was asked if it's true that MR. BIG will reunite to record new music and play live shows in 2023. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes. I'm not a hundred percent on the recording part, but, yeah, we're gonna do it. We're definitely gonna tour."

Regarding bassist Billy Sheehan's recent revelation that MR. BIG has found a new touring drummer to replace Matt Starr, the singer said: "I can't really talk about the drummer yet, but we have some somebody we're looking at.

"We're definitely gonna tour," he repeated. "I don't know when, but it will be in the middle sometime of 2023. It's time to do it, and it might be even time to say goodbye as well.

"I don't know where we're going, but we've all agreed to do it — to go on tour. I'm excited about that," Eric added. "It is time to do it, because there's no better band that I've ever been in. I've played with a lot of great musicians — I mean, tons. I don't even wanna name 'em. Tons of really talented guitar players, bass players, drummers, keyboard players, singers, but playing with my boys — Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert — they're the best of the best."

MR. BIG went on hiatus following the passing of Pat Torpey. The drummer died in February 2018 at the age of 64 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

Earlier in the month, Billy told Conversaciones Necias that there are plans for MR. BIG to return to the road soon. "We wanna play again," he said. "Matt Starr did an amazing drumming job. He's fantastic. He was friends with Pat. When Pat couldn't play his kit but still could tour, he toured together with Matt and they were very dear friends. But we need a guy that has Pat's voice. And Matt's got a great voice but it's a different range. We need a guy [who can sing] way up here," he explained while raising his right hand just above his head. "So we found somebody. We'll let the world know about it soon. And we're hoping to do some shows maybe in the summer 2023."

This past August, Sheehan said that MR. BIG was "strongly considering" playing some shows in 2023. Speaking to Dr. Music, Billy said at the time: "We might do some MR. BIG [dates] at some point next year. We're not sure. Possibly."

Asked if MR. BIG has found another drummer to step in for Torpey after utilizing Matt Starr for much of the recording sessions on MR. BIG's last studio album, "Defying Gravity", as well as on the road, Sheehan said: "Possibly. We're looking at a couple of people. We loved playing with Matt Starr — he was really great — but we need a higher-pitched voice. Matt's a great singer but he doesn't have the range that Pat Torpey had. And to make everything sound the way it did, we're gonna need that extra thing there. So that makes it a little difficult for us and it narrows the field down. But there's a couple of people we might look into. But we still don't know."

Billy added: "After we did the shows without Pat — the first time after we lost him — again, Matt Starr did a great job. But it wasn't Pat; Pat wasn't there. So I'm glad we took some time — a couple of years — to just kind of lay off of it. But a lot of people write all the time and they really wanna see the band. We would like to play for them too. So we'll see. Nothing's for certain at this point, but we're certainly strongly considering it."

In May 2020, Sheehan gave an interview to the "Music Mania" podcast in which he claimed that a "mastering problem" with MR. BIG's latest album, "Defying Gravity", which came out five years ago, made the LP "unlistenable." He went on to say that "the label ruined the record" by insisting on having the album and "putting it out when it's not ready." He explained: "If we had another day to get it to proper mastering and get it done right, it would have been fine. 'Cause I was there for the final mixes — I went in there every day and listened to mixes. Pat was there with us too. We went through the mixes, and they were sounding great. And, unfortunately, we got screwed.

"I've seen it before in many other situations with many other bands," he added. "We've got the marketing department and they're ready to go and they've gotta have the record now. And then I've also seen other bands just say, 'No. The record is not done. You're out of luck.' And I wish we would have just said that, because I just don't think the record had the kind of life it had when I heard the final mixes."

A short time later, Frontiers Music Srl released a statement clarifying that it wasn't the label responsible for "ruining" "Defying Gravity", which marked Torpey's final recorded appearance with MR. BIG.

"Defying Gravity" was released via Wowow Entertainment, Inc. in Japan and Frontiers Music Srl in most of the rest of the world.

After announcing his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2014, Torpey continued to write, record and perform with MR. BIG.

MR. BIG, formed in 1988, produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres — be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits include "Alive And Kicking", "Just Take My Heart" and the chart-topping ballad "To Be With You".

In February 2021, MR. BIG released a new live set, "Raw Like Sushi Mega Edition - Revive 2017: 2017 Japan Tour Official Bootleg Box". A complete collection of MR. BIG's 2017 performances in Japan, it features all nine concerts which took place between September and October of that year.

British metal sextet Bury Tomorrow have shared the video for new single "Boltcutter," another crushing taste of their forthcoming seventh album, the aptly titled The Seventh Sun.


The record will be released on March 31 via Music For Nations. Pre-order or pre-save it here.


Lead guitarist Kristan Dawson says, "From the second we put the finishing touches to 'Boltcutter,' we knew it had to be a single. Whilst it is a fundamental Bury Tomorrow track, being both loud and heavy, it also emphasises the new era of our band. Specifically, it highlights influences we haven't necessarily channelled through Bury Tomorrow before, and it's a pleasure to continue to expand the possibilities of our music. It began its existence through Tom crafting the foundations of the track with an ambient and electronic soundscape, before the rest of the band provided their usual expertise."
The accompanying video was once again created in collaboration with director Matt Sears, who directed its prequel, "Abandon Us," in the guise of a horror-inspired, two-part short film. This time around, the fate of the protagonist is irreversibly established in the heavy-hitting and thought-provoking video.




Speaking on the process and continuing collaboration, Dawson enthuses, "Continuing the visual narrative with video director Matt Sears was an absolute joy, and thanks to his knowledge of horror and unique filmmaking skills, 'Boltcutter' delivers the perfect sequel to 'Abandon Us.' It's another video with a visceral and confronting nature, and we feel it perfectly represents the song and its themes."


The release of "Boltcutter" coincides with the band nearing the end of their momentous tour across the UK and Europe, which saw their most extensive routing since pre-pandemic, selling more than 35,000 tickets, with multiple dates completely sold out, and also being able to preview the new single on each night of the tour.


Dawson expands on this by stating, "Considering its weighty riffs and catchy dual vocal hooks, we also knew that 'Boltcutter' was going to be an undeniable addition to future setlists. And for those who have attended recent shows on our tour, they will have already had a sneak preview. We've loved being able to preview a single release like this with our fans, and it seems that it has already made an impact with team BT and we can't wait for the rest of our wonderful community to hear it."


Additionally, the band has announced its Spring 2023 headline tour of North America. All dates are below. Tickets go on sale on on Friday, December 1.


The tour marks the first time the band has toured North American since 2010 and it is a welcome return.





Dates:


May
2 — Los Angeles, CA — The Echoplex
3 — Tempe, AZ —The Marquee
5 — Dallas, TX — Granada Theater
6 — Austin, TX — Come And Take It Live
7 — Houston, TX — House of Blues Bronze Peacock
9 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade (Hell)
10 — Charlotte, NC — The Underground
11 — Nashville, TN — The Basement East
12 — Indianapolis, IN — Hi-Fi Annex
13 — Chicago, IL — Park West
14 — Detroit, MI — El Club
16 — Toronto, ON — The Velvet Underground
17 — Montreal, QC —Fairmount Theatre
19 — Cambridge, MA — Middle East Downstairs
20 — New York, NY — Gramercy Theatre


It's never too late to be what you might have been. Sometimes you just need a push to take the plunge. Few people would be greater advocates for this truth than Bury Tomorrow.  


Faced 18 months ago, following a period of external and internal strife, with the very real reality that it might be time to pack up their successes and close the book on a storied career of 15 years, with their hands forced and backs to the wall Bury Tomorrow instead picked up fate's gauntlet and set about writing the chapter they had always imagined.


The Seventh Sun stands as testament to the bonds and belief required to shape themselves a new reality, a new sound, and a new future.


If standalone singles "Death (Ever Colder)" and "Life (Paradise Denied)," released little over a month apart earlier this year, gave a first glimpse at what lay in store, then The Seventh Sun amounts to the glorious arrival at a destination in this new era. Not Bury Tomorrow's final destination, either, you must understand, but one that both perfectly encapsulates their revivified present while offering further tantalizing hints at an unwritten future.


This is no beast tamed, but rather one with its teeth and claws sharpened, intent on killing with targeted precision rather than with overwhelming bludgeoning. Refocused yet no more restrained, The Seventh Sun's expanded sonic palette platforms sky-high melodies, layered with textured atmosphere, cloaking an underlying savagery.





Tracklisting:


"The Seventh Sun"
"Abandon Us"
"Begin Again"
"Forced Divide"
"Boltcutter"
"Wrath"
"Majesty"
"Heretic"
"Recovery?"
"Care"
"The Carcass King"


"Boltcutter" video:





"Abandon Us" video:





LIneup:


Kristian Dawson - Lead Guitar
Daniel Winter-Bates - Vocals
Davyd Winter-Bates - Bass Guitar
Ed Hartwell - Rhythm Guitar
Adam Jackson - Drums
Tom Prendergast - Keyboards/Vocals


(Photo - Nic Bezzina)

Swedish bashers, Sabaton, have shared an official lyric video for "Long Live The King", taken from their 2012 album, Carolus Rex. Watch below:





Sabaton released the video below, stating, "The 2022 edition of our advent calendar, 24 Days Of Metal Christmas, kicks off December 1 which means exciting offers, giveaways, limited edition merch, competitions and SO MUCH MORE! All surprises will be announced at 19:00 CET/13:00 EST on our social media channels and website. Can you tell Tommy is excited? 🤘 Stay tuned!"







Spring 2023 will see Sabaton touring across Europe on the eagerly awaited re-scheduled tour: The Tour To End All Tours.


Starting in Leeds on April 14, the tour will bring Sabaton to 21 cities in 14 countries. They will present their biggest and most spectacular show to date in Europe's largest arenas. Fans can be assured that the band will write history with the ground-breaking live shows on The Tour To End All Tours.


The band has now confirmed that Japanese dance metal sensation Babymetal will appear as very special guests, marking their first international shows in over three years. Finnish Eurovision winners Lordi will open all shows.


"We are extremely happy to welcome Babymetal to our already much anticipated tour in Europe 2023,” says bass player Pär Sundström. “The energy and power of this band will for sure make each night something special."


“If there ever was a band that would break all the rules, it’s Babymetal with the power and precision to deliver a full on heavy metal show!” echoes frontman Joakim Brodén. “It’s not our first rodeo together, expect nothing but excellence from Babymetal!”


Joakim participated as a guest on “Oh! Majinai (feat. Joakim Brodén)" on Babymetal’s third album, Metal Galaxy, released on October 11th, 2018. He also made a guest appearance at Babymetal’s headline show in October 2018, Babymetal World Tour 2018 in Japan Extra Show Dark Night Carnival.


Tickets for European shows are available here. Tickets for the UK shows on sale here.





Tour dates:


April
14 - Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
15 - London, UK - OVO Arena Wembley
16 - Cardiff, UK – Motorpoint Arena
18 - Glasgow, UK – The OVO Hydro
21 - Paris, France – Zenith
24 - Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena
25 - Esch / Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
28 - Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena
29 - Oslo, Norway – Spektrum
30 - Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena


May
2 - Hannover, Germany – ZAG Arena
3 - Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
5 - Berlin, Germany – Mercedes Benz Arena
6 - Leipzig, Germany – Quarterback Immobilien Arena
7 - Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle
12 - Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena
13 - Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis
15 - Munich, Germany – Olympiahall
18 - Tallinn, Estonia – Saku Arena
19 - Helsinki, Finland – Ice Hall
20 - Kuopio, Finland – Kuopio Hall

Guitar legend, Joe Satriani, has shared the video below, stating: "Just a glimpse at the electric energy in the air at the G4 Experience! This year's immersive music event kicks off on January 3rd for four days of total guitar. 🎸 Register at g4experience.com and join in on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."





Joe Satriani and Dreamcatcher Events recently announced the long-awaited G4 Experience V6.0, happening January 3-7, 2023 at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, NV. Guitar players and aficionados of all ages, skill levels, and interests are invited to join Satriani and an all-star lineup of special guests and distinguished instructors for an immersive four days of workshops, mentor sessions, exclusive live performances, and other activities.




“When I first put together the G3 concerts,” Satriani says, “it was to create a camaraderie that is often missing in the general day-to-day competition of the music industry. It was to formalize us breaking the rules and saying, No, we’re going to hang out and play in front of an audience together. From there we came up with the concept of the G4 Experience. I didn’t want to do a traditional clinic, just getting up in front of people and giving impersonal lessons to a room full of people – I thought, what can we do that will truly reflect my values as a teacher? With the G4 Experience, we create an interactive community where I’m joined by these other stars that have been making amazing music and pushing the art form of guitar forward for decades. From all stylistic approaches and musical walks of life.”


Satriani’s special guests for G4 Experience V6.0 include legendary musicians Peter Frampton, Steve Lukather, and Steve Morse, all of whom will offer instruction and share their knowledge with attendees on a more intimate basis than most fans ever get to opportunity to experience. In addition, a wildly diverse faculty of top players will lead clinics and jam sessions throughout the event, including Alex Skolnick, Andy James, Cory Wong, Eric Gales, John 5, Mateus Asato, and Nili Brosch.


“We bring together this eclectic mix to show all the different sides of playing guitar,” Satriani says. “They’re all brilliant musicians with styles that are all over the map. They all have such different jobs, they’ve made millions of people happy with their playing, and yet they do it so differently. Every one of these players comes with fantastic new insights and innovations on playing guitar.


“Our faculty really reflects the anything-goes aspect of the instrument,” he continues. “Not only does the guitar have the ability to play melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, it does this thing where it transmits the personality of the player to such a high degree that it kicks its versatility way ahead of other instruments. It’s really a remarkable instrument. The G4 Experience is a testament to its astounding diversity.”


Joe Satriani’s G4 Experience V6.0 will cover a comprehensive range of themes and topics, spanning songwriting, playing, equipment, gigging, gear, and much more, all within an intimate small group setting that allows attendees to pick up a maximum amount of information, expertise, and personal connection. In addition, the four-day event will feature nightly live performances from Satriani and his longtime backing band – Kenny Aronoff (drums), Bryan Beller (bass), and Rai Thistlethwayte (keyboards and vocals) – as well as his special guests, faculty members, and other surprises.


“It’s very different from the usual concerts we’re all used to playing,” Satriani says. “It’s very intimate but everyone turns it on one hundred percent. The shows really break down the walls between the players and the audience. The shows put these incredible people just three feet away from you, it allows you to watch them and think very differently about how they’re playing than you can do at a concert in a big venue.”


Most of all, Joe Satriani’s G4 Experience V6.0 will allow all who attend a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend time among their fellow players, allowing for a singular community experience where music lovers can share their fascination with the guitar and engage in unlimited dialogue and free-flowing exchange of ideas unlike any other.


“The G4 Experience is all about the community,” says Satriani. “I can’t state that enough. Everyone is not only there to enjoy the music, they’re trying to learn everything they can. The G4 is such a fantastic spiritual experience. I’ve got my instruments ready. I’ve got my amps ready. There’s a lot of information stored up in this head that I want to give to the fans and I’m very much looking forward to sharing it with everyone who attends.”


For more information, and to register, head here.

Earlier today (Monday, November 28),METALLICA announced the title and release date of its forthcoming 12th studio album. "72 Seasons" will be available April 14, 2023 via the band's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track album is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since 2016's "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct". METALLICA also dropped the first single from the album, "Lux Æterna", which is Latin for "eternal light" and part of the Catholic requiem mass. Tim Saccenti, who has helmed videos for DEPECHE MODE and KORN, directed the song's accompanying clip.

METALLICA also announced a series of concerts for 2023 and 2024. Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only) and promoted by Live Nation, the "M72" world tour will see METALLICA playing two nights in every city it visits — with each "No Repeat Weekend" featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour will feature a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age.

On Monday morning, Ulrich joined SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show" to talk to Howard Stern and co-host Robin Quivers about the new METALLICA music and tour. He said: "We've been working on a new album for the last year, year and a half — our COVID lockdown record. And the one thing that we've done all through that is for the first time in our career, we never really talked about it. So, rather than, 'Hey, there's a new record' and countdowns, and, 'Guess what's coming your way,' and all that kind of shit, we've been tight-fucking-lipped about it. And this morning I wanna share a new song with the world and I wanna tell everybody about the new METALLICA album. And we have a new tour, we have a song, we have a video — all the bells and whistles."

Lars went on to say that he was surprised by the fact that news of fresh music from METALLICA hadn't reached social media or the press prior to today's announcement.

"We thought for sure this thing would leak," he said. "It hasn't fucking leaked."

Regarding "M72", Ulrich said: "We're announcing a two-year world tour. We have all the dates for '23 and '24 ready to go. We're coming to a city near you. We're playing two nights in every city, playing two completely different shows. So you buy one ticket for two shows — a Friday and a Sunday — and you get what's called a no-repeat weekend, which, obviously, is an old radio term. You get two one hundred percent completely different and unique shows."

Two-day tickets for "M72" will be on sale Friday, December 2. Single day tickets will be available beginning January 20.

In an official press release announcing "72 Seasons", Hetfield explained the album title by saying: "72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told 'who we are' by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is re-enactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry."

In the six years since the arrival of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", METALLICA has reissued some of its classic albums, released a second live album with the San Francisco Symphony, commissioned a covers album featuring the likes of GHOST, VOLBEAT, WEEZER, Corey Taylor and THE HU, and landed on the Billboard songs chart with "Master Of Puppets" after a prominent placement in the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things".

Nickelsack Jack has shared more Cattle Decapitation live footage. In the video below, the band perform the Death Atlas album track, "The Geocide", on November 26 at The Arogon Ballroom in Chicago, IL:





During their November 11 concert at Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, Cattle Decapitation performed their new song, "We Eat Our Young", live for the first time. Video, courtesy of Nickelsack Jack, can be viewed below. Introducing the song, frontman Travis Ryan reveals that the track will be featured on the band's new album, to be released in May 2023.







Cattle Decapitation are closing out 2022 supporting label mates Amon Amarth on their North American headlining tour, wrapping up on December 17 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Additional support provided by Carcass and Obituary making this the must-see tour for fans of death metal.


Get your tickets for The Great Heathen Tour here.





Dates:


November
30 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE


December
1 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
2 - Toronto, ON - History
3 - Laval, QC - Place Bell
5 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee
6 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore
7 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown
9 - Denver, CO - The Fillmore
10 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
12 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
13 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
15 - Wheatland, CA - Hard Rock Live
16 - San Diego, CA - SOMA
17 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum





(Photo - Alex Scolca)

After 4 top 50 Active Rock singles with Candlelight Red, Jeremy Edge launched The Jeremy Edge Project in 2020 making a departure stylistically with more blues-based, guitar-based rock. 


After extensive gigging in 2021 including dates with Lita Ford, Jackyl, Randy Hansen, Derek St. Holmes and Gary Hoey, Edge and crew are back with their sophomore effort Saints and Souls, being released in two volumes. This record was more than a year in the making, recorded and mixed in different locations and is in the spirit of the classic rock and blues albums that first inspired Jeremy to play. The album contains artwork and lyrical imagery inspired by New Orleans and some of the stories and folklore surrounding it. It is named as a tip of the hat to the Haitian traditions of "All Saints Day" and "All Souls Day" as a means of celebrating life and those who have passed. There is a recurring theme of light and dark and a struggle to overcome adversity. Some are personal stories, some are about modern times, and some are based on fiction and folklore but all have this recurring theme.


The band is rounded out by John DeLowery on bass and Ray Gieda on drums with guest appearances by Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Black Country Communion) playing keys on "Move On" and "Hellride", with select tracks mixed by Kevin "Caveman" Shirley (Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes, Joe Bonamassa,). The band will be out on the road supporting this through 2023.




The first single: "Move On" hits streaming outlets on December 2, with the full album of volume dropping on December 23. Preorder at dekoentertainment.com.





Volume 1 tracklisting:


“No Way Home”
“Better Way”
“Ghosts Of The Living”
“Liberation Song”
“Move On”
“Bad Times”
“White Sand”
“Slow Breeze”





Volume 2 tracklisting:


“Hellride”
“Cold Day In Texas”
“Coral Castle”
“South Of The Border”
“No Way Home (Reprise)”
“Devil’s Hand Blues”
“Marie”
“The World Is Gone”


“Move On” video:





Show dates:


November
25 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater


December
2 – Williamsport, PA – The Bar on Market
10 – Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
16 – Williamsport, PA – The Stonehouse
31 – York, PA – New Year’s Eve at Wyndham Garden Grand Ballroom


January
14 – Annville, PA – The Allen Theater 

Urferd has released a lyric video for "Dvala", the closing track of the band's debut album, Resan, released earlier this year. Watch below:





A concept waiting years to emerge, Urferd officially saw the light of day in late 2020. The first album, Resan, is a musical odyssey in both a literal and figurative sense. The album takes the listener on a journey through dark and olden nordic forests; where strife and hardships follow in our steps, yet where the beauty and vastness of the solemn nordic landscape persists and permeates.




From the album opening’s depiction of a serene morning’s dawn, to the closing track’s respite of a hearth at nightfall, Resan traverses a multitude of captivating musical landscapes and themes throughout its eight songs.


Urferd signifies the beginning of a new and additional musical chapter for its founder and sole member, Daniel Beckman, and brings a refreshing new perspective to the genre, challenging the boundaries of dark atmospheric folk music.


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"Gryning"
"Avfärd"
"Strövtåg"
"Hymn"
"Envig"
"Vaka"
"Hemfärd"
"Dvala"


"Hymn" lyric video:





"Strövtåg" video:





"Gryning" video:

Queen's music video for "Scandal" from The Miracle album has been remastered in HD, and can be viewed below. Remastered in HD from the original 1-inch videotape masters by Oli Maingay at Vanderquest. Video Restoration by Silver Salt.





Queen recently released The Miracle Collector's Edition. In celebration of the band's hit 1989 album, the YouTube series Queen The Greatest returned to pull back the curtain on how the album originated. With archive interview material from all four members of the band and behind the scenes footage, we discover what made this such a unique Queen record. Watch two segments below:




Part 1:





Part 2:





33 years later Queen deliver the long lost original LP cut of the classic 1989 album. The 8-Disc Box Set: Vinyl LP/5CD/DVD/Blu-ray is available for order here.





Find complete details here.























Queen also released the rediscovered track, "Face It Alone", featuring the band's late and legendary frontman, Freddie Mercury. The digital/streaming single and 7” single are available now.

Former Cradle Of Filth backing vocalist / keyboardist turned solo artist Lindsay Schoolcraft took home The Artist of The Year award at this year's OMA's, which celebrates artists in Ontario's Durham Region. Pro-shot video of Lindsay performing her song "Twin Flame" can be viewed below.





Lindsay posted the following message on October 2nd:




"Hello, friends on the internet. I’ve finally had a chance to catch my breath after such a wild week. The OMA award show was fabulous and I wanted to sent out my many thanks again to everyone involved who made it possible.


I also wanted to extend my gratitude to those of you who voted. Thanks to you I took home Artist of The Year for the second year in row. I’m so incredibly humbled and honoured by this.


The Artist of The Year award is for outstanding achievements that put my home city (Oshawa, Ontario) on the map. This year this win recognizes my work and collaborations with such acts and artists as Motionless In White, Cancer Bats, Jen Majura, Fabienne Erni, Rocky Gray, IVEEN, Phantasma Photography and many, many others. Thank you for making music with lil ol’ me, y’all!" 

During an appearance on the latest episode of Bill Maher's "Club Random" podcast, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons spoke about former U.S. president Donald Trump, on whose "The Celebrity Apprentice" show he was once a contestant.

"For the record, when [Trump] first ran in 2016 and got elected, I was happy," Gene said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I knew the guy from before then, seeing him in clubs and stuff like that. And for the record, he had Bill and Hillary [Clinton] at his wedding and Howard Stern went to his wedding. He's not a politician. But my point, I wanna say for the record, and people will tell you who know me, 'Oh, yeah, Gene was happy that Trump won.' I was. I didn't want Hillary [to be president]. I thought, 'Oh, a businessman is coming in. He understands how to run things.'"

When Maher pointed out that Trump doesn't understand how government works and doesn't care to learn, Gene said: "I agree. The person that I saw first coming into power is not the person I saw within a year or two of that… But I changed, the way lots of people changed."

Gene went on to question current U.S. president Joe Biden's fitness for the job at age 80.

"I thought Biden was gonna come in and be a major force," Simmons said. "I've got some big reservations about the man — not about his ethics and morality, but just about his physical ability to do all that."

After Bill expressed his surprise at Gene's "ageism," which refers to stereotypes, prejudice and/or discriminatory actions or practices against older persons that are based on their chronological age or on a perception that the person is "old," Simmons fired back with: "I am an ageist. I am an ageist, depending on the vibrancy and the mental alertness of what you've got. There's a certain age you can't look at a person and not say, 'Okay, you're X number of years old. Now, how sharp are you?' You're talking about the most powerful person on the planet… I'm not talking about policy. Communication skills are flat. There is such a thing as the cult of personality. And I like the man, but the ability to communicate a message is nil."

When Maher countered that Simmons is implying that words are more important than the deeds, Gene said: "Initially, yes. Because the first impression you have of a female walking up to you before you talk with her is the impression. And then you find out where and who and what she [is like]. As a male, you understand that. And the first impression I have of somebody coming on screen is the Nixon-Kennedy debate. [People] weren't listening to what the debate was all about. Nobody understands political platforms. All they saw was the five o'clock shadow of Nixon and the little beads of sweat. That's all they remember. And Kennedy was a good-looking guy who was able to put a sentence together. Do people remember what the political differences were? Not in the least."

Elsewhere during the chat, Gene went on to say that he is one of the more than sixty percent of the U.S. electorate which doesn't necessarily identify with a major party.

"Generally speaking, I'm a centrist," he said. "I don't like AOC [New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and I'm not a fan of [Vermont senator] Bernie [Sanders], but I think they're both fine people. I do like [Utah senator] Mitt Romney and [Wyoming congressperson] Miss [Liz] Cheney, I do like that, and both sides hate you for saying those things, because they both want you to align yourself with what the marching orders are. 'If you're a Democrat, it means this. You're a progressive.' I'm not a progressive. I know that business has to involve people who don't agree with you."

This is not the first time Simmons has been critical of Trump. This past May, he told SPIN: "I know the previous [U.S.] president," he said. "I knew him before he entered politics. Look what that gentleman did to this country and the polarization — got all the cockroaches to rise to the top. Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist and out there with conspiracy theories. Now it's all out in the open because he allowed it."

Simmons went on to say that he and Trump "knew each other" before "The Celebrity Apprentice", "in clubs and all that. You have a different responsibility when you're just a citizen or an entrepreneur," he added. "You don't make policy. It doesn't affect life and death. When you get into a position of power, it does affect lives.

"I don't think he's a Republican or a Democrat," Gene said of Trump. "He's out for himself, any way you can get there. And in the last election, over 70 million people bought it hook, line and sinker.

"The current president [Joe Biden], I like the ethics and morality — not a charismatic guy, unfortunately. The first word I keep hearing from people, even friends is 'feeble.' I don't think he should run next time. So then who's around? There are no stars and invariably people vote for stars, not even what they believe in. The cult of personality. Americans are star obsessed: 'Kylie's got a new lip gloss? Fuck!'"

Simmons previously touched upon his feelings about the Trump presidency in August 2021 while speaking to Yahoo!'s Lyndsey Parker about the negative response he gets from some of his fans every time he shares his pro-vaccine stance on Twitter.

"It's been politicized," he said. "The gentleman who was in office, the former president [Donald Trump], I knew before the political world. It's the same person I knew before; the stripes of a tiger don't change. And the unfortunate thing is that… Look, we all lie to some extent, but what happened the last four years was beyond anything I ever thought imaginable from people who had lots of power — not just him, but the administration, everybody. And unfortunately, that disease — The Big Lie notwithstanding — has really infected a large portion of the population."

Asked to elaborate on his comment that Trump is "the same person" he knew when he was a contestant on Trump's "The Celebrity Apprentice" series, Gene said: "We were in a restaurant together, and I happened to be with an attractive young lady. And he walked up and said, 'Hey, Gene, you and I, we're exactly the same. We like the hot chicks.' That was a strange thing to say, but yeah, I guess that's true. But I think it's the same person. And maybe that was the appeal and continues to be. People are sick and tired of politically correct language and stuff.

"In a political dialogue, if somebody spews complete fiction and QAnon stuff, you wanna be able to have somebody who says, 'Are you out of your fucking mind? Did you just shit your diapers and forget to wipe it?'" Simmons added. "We're looking for that politician who just says instead of watching your language. Because the other side will spew garbage and lies and everything."

Back in 2019, Simmons said that Trump had "forever changed" politics. He added that "earth has never been in better shape" than it was in the summer of 2019. "I know — climate change and a polarized political thing — but there are no more world wars," he stated at the time. "I mean, imagine what London looked like 60 years ago. This is the best of times. Unemployment in the United States is the lowest it's been in 50 years — 5-0. When I rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange at their behest, the Dow [Jones Industrial Average] was about 8,000. It's almost 27,000 today. More people are working. More people are making more money. Unions are more powerful."

In the past, Gene had defended Trump's occasional off-color remarks and frequently outrageous statements, saying: "I don't know anybody here who hasn't said stupid things publicly or privately. You've said potty words and so have I. So I'm gonna give the guy who was duly elected a chance to show us what he can do, and then I'll judge his legacy."

Simmons said that he "didn't necessarily vote for Trump or [Hillary] Clinton" in the 2016 presidential election, adding that "it's really nobody's damn business" whom he voted for. "I think you'd be surprised by my choice — but he's President Trump, because even if you don't like the man, you must respect the office of the presidency and the will of the Electoral College," he said.

In 2017, Simmons confirmed that KISS was invited to perform at Trump's inauguration but turned it down because it was "not a good idea."

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the upcoming release of Dennis Ward and Khymera's new album, Hold Your Ground, on February 10. A new single and video, "Firestarter" is out today. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Hold Your Ground here.


On Hold Your Ground, Dennis handles lead vocals, bass, and keyboards and is joined by guitarist Michael Klein, keyboardist Eric Ragno, and drummer MIchael Kolar, with Pete Newdeck contributing backing vocals. As has come to be expected with Khymera and Dennis, Hold Your Ground is another fine slice of high pedigree melodic rock.







Tracklisting:


"Don't Wait For Love"
"Firestarter"
"Hear Me Calling"
"Sail On Forever"
"Our Love Is Killing Me"
"Hear What I'm Saying"
"Believe In What You Want"
"On The Edge"
"Could Have Been Us"
"Runaway"
"Am I Dreaming"


"Firestarter" video:





Lineup:


Dennis Ward - Lead Vocals, Bass, Keys
Michael Klein - Guitars
Eric Ragno - Keyboards
Michael Kolar - Drums
Pete Newdeck - Backing Vocals

During a recent appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, legendary Danish heavy metal singer King Diamond spoke about the differences in the songwriting styles between MERCYFUL FATE and his namesake band. He said: "Well, Hank [Shermann, MERCYFUL FATE guitarist] is a different type of songwriter than Andy [La Rocque, KING DIAMOND guitarist] is. And, of course, I write a lot myself, especially for KING DIAMOND I do about two-thirds of the music and all the lyrics. And then MERCYFUL FATE is — we're doing it a little bit more like the old days, like 'Don't Break The Oath' maybe, where I will probably write three or four songs, and Hank will be doing the rest, whether it's five or six or whatever. So, he will do a little bit more music than I will do, and I do still all the lyrics.

"I was always the one that was swinging this big scalpel around, kind of," King continued. "Whenever Hank came with some riffs and ideas for putting a song together, I would often sit there and — I wouldn't say I would 'steal' some of his solo riffs, some of the riffs that he was gonna play solo [over], but it often happened that they were better to sing to than the ones I was given for vocals, you know? So we would do these exchanges and kind of, 'Hey, can I sing over this instead 'cause it's much better to sing over?' 'Oh, sure. I'll fix another piece up for me to play a solo over.'

"So it's still the same right now, I would say. It's very much the old-fashioned way we're doing it now. 'The Jackal Of Salzburg', the new [MERCYFUL FATE] song [that we have been playing at recent shows], when I first heard it, I think it was seven minutes and 24 seconds, and now that it's finished, it's about eight minutes and 54 seconds. So it's almost nine minutes. So, from me listening to it, and then Hank had a very nice response to it when finally I said, 'Try these and these and these things. He said, 'Okay.' And then he went back to the studio and started working on all this stuff and then he came back and said, 'Man, it sounds so MERCYFUL FATE right now.' … Suddenly it just was right.

"So it's both of us that have these things that they work very well together, these ideas," King added. "And we understand each other. It's the same with Andy; it's just a slightly different style that Andy has. And that's good, because that gives, of course, a purpose to be with KING DIAMOND also, for being able to write songs and stuff like that. We have this very special songwriting relationship with me and Hank, and also me and Andy. And now we have definitely been re-experiencing the way we used to do it in the old days, 'cause that's exactly how we've done this new stuff."

MERCYFUL FATE kicked off its first North American headlining tour in over two decades last month. Stepping in on bass for MERCYFUL FATE at these shows was Becky Baldwin, a British musician who has previously played with FURY, TRIAXIS and CONTROL THE STORM. She filled in for MERCYFUL FATE's regular bassist Joey Vera, who was unable to make the trek due to a scheduling conflict with his longtime band ARMORED SAINT.

In 2019, it was announced Vera would be replacing original MERCYFUL FATE bassist Timi Hansen for the band's summer 2020 European festival appearances due to Hansen's cancer diagnosis. Hansen passed away in November 2019 and MERCYFUL FATE's 2020 summer festival appearances were rescheduled for 2021, and then to 2022.

MERCYFUL FATE's North American tour, which featured support from by KREATOR and MIDNIGHT, wrapped up on November 16 in Atlanta, Georgia. The tour followed MERCYFUL FATE's stunning headlining performance at this year's edition of Psycho Las Vegas.

MERCYFUL FATE debuted "The Jackal Of Salzburg" in Germany this past June.

The band's current lineup is King on vocals, Hank and Mike Wead on guitars, Bjarne T. Holm on drums and Vera on bass.

KING DIAMOND is continuing to write material for its long-awaited new album. Titled "The Institute", KING DIAMOND's first studio LP in 16 years is tentatively due in 2023 via Metal Blade. It will be made available as a two-LP horror concept story, with the second part arriving at a later date.

Back in November 2019, KING DIAMOND released its first new song in 12 years, "Masquerade Of Madness".

KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill" off the band's last album, 2007's "Give Me Your Soul … Please".

KING DIAMOND released a DVD/Blu-ray, "Songs For The Dead Live", in January 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The set captures 1987's seminal "Abigail" album in its entirety, twice, and in very different locales: Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia's Fillmore in November 2015. The performances feature KING DIAMOND's current band, comprising of guitarists La Rocque and Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and drummer Matt Thompson.

In a new interview with Wichita's T95 The Rock Station, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan was asked if he and his bandmates might focus on releasing singles in the future as opposed to full-length albums, as has been the case for much of DISTURBED nearly three-decade career. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's hard to give an answer to that. Back in the day, in our day, you [went] from albums to cassette tapes and cassette tapes to CDs and CDs to MP3s. I know that the hardcore fanbase loves to have the whole body of work.

"I can't really say [what we will go]," he continued. "I know that, yes, today's environment seems to just gravitate towards the singles and just [releasing] one [song] at a time. And for the artists themselves, it's frustrating to put your blood, sweat and tears, and all this time and effort and budgets into making a full album if seven songs don't see the light of day — if you only put out three singles and you have 10 songs on an album. So it's frustrating to think that you put all that work and effort and the same amount of energy into those other seven tracks that maybe a handful of the hardcore fans will love but the average listened may never get to. So, that's a tough call. It's really hard to say what the future's gonna hold for us on that. So, we'll see. I can't say one way or the other. But it seems like it's kind of headed in that direction for most."

DISTURBED singer David Draiman previously floated the idea of focusing on singles and EPs in a November 2021 interview with HardDrive Radio. At the time, he said: "We live in an environment right now and in an age where people's consumption of music has been very soundbitish and very track-driven and very single-driven. And there's definitely some beauty towards continuing to try and [make] things like concept records and telling a long story over the duration of a series of songs — there's huge merit to that — but I think that when you write 10 songs and three of them actually get worked at radio and maybe, if you're lucky, the fans are really familiar with half the record and the rest ends up sitting on a shelf, and if you do end up pulling it out one day, it's like an obscure, weird moment during the set, and it's almost like gratuitous for yourself. I don't wanna do that anymore. I wanna make everything count. I wanna make sure that we get the biggest bang for everything we're putting out there. I think that that should be easily attainable. It seems to be where the environment is going, and it seems to be — whether we like it or not — what the digital age has funneled us into."

DISTURBED's eighth studio album "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". 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.

BRITISH LION, the side project of IRON MAIDEN bassist and founder Steve Harris, has released a live video for the song "Legend". The clip was recorded during BRITISH LION's European tour this past summer, which included an appearance at U.K.'s Download festival as well as headlining performances at clubs throughout Germany, Poland, Spain and France.

"Legend" is taken from BRITISH LION's second album, "The Burning", which came out in January 2020 in digipack CD, double gatefold vinyl and digital download formats via Explorer1 Music (E1). The LP was recorded, engineered and mixed at Barnyard Studios by Tony Newton and produced by Steve Harris.

As previously reported, BRITISH LION will embark on an 11-date tour of the U.K. in January 2023. Special guests at all shows will be CONEY HATCH. Additional support on the tour will come from AIRFORCE.

BRITISH LION last played live in the U.K. at the aforementioned Download festival to a packed Dogtooth Stage following a headline pub and club tour of late 2021.

In October 2021, BRITISH LION withdrew from a U.K. tour with THE DARKNESS, citing "completely unacceptable" tour "protocols."

BRITISH LION's first U.S. tour took place in January and February 2020.

BRITISH LION comprises singer Richard Taylor, guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, Harris on bass and keyboards, and drummer Simon Dawson.

Asked by the Tampa Bay Times what the itch is that BRITISH LION scratches that he doesn't get in his job with MAIDEN, Harris said: "I suppose playing small clubs and being close and personal with the audience. I love playing big places as well. I enjoy them all, and I'm very lucky that I can do them all. But also, it's clubs that I never played with MAIDEN, even in Europe. There's a famous club called the Milky Way in Amsterdam, which I managed to play with BRITISH LION, but I never did that with MAIDEN. There's places that I'm playing on [the U.S.] tour that I've never played before. So it's all new ground. It's a challenge. It's nice. I like a challenge."

In a 2020 interview with Bass Player magazine, Harris said that he loves playing small clubs. "I'm very lucky that I can play all types of gigs; massive gigs and small ones as well," he said. "It's a change. I'm not trying to conquer the world with this band; there's not enough years left in me to do that anyway."

Asked if the different venues present a different set of challenges, Steve said: "I actually think it should be the same, whether you're playing for 200 or 200,000 people, you know. To me, there's no difference. You still give 110 percent wherever you're playing. We had one gig where the promoter just didn't do [anything]. I think we had, like, 95 people in there, but it was still a great gig, one of the best of the tour. It doesn't matter. We're still going for it, and I was proud that we went out there. It was fantastic."

In a new interview with Alamo True Metal, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill was asked what it was like to reunite with original PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony earlier in the month. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The whole thing was magical. It was way different to what I thought it was gonna be. I didn't know it was gonna be such a large event, for start. It was loads of people — your paying public, if you know what I mean, not just the stars and the celebrities down at the tables in the front there. So that was a real big surprise — the actual scale of it all.

"It was a joy to do at the end of the day," he continued. "It was great to see Ken again. I hope he feels the same. [Laughs] It was very, very quick. We saw him for an hour or so on rehearsal day [two days before the induction] and then another hour or so on the show day. And then everybody went their separate ways. But it was nice to see Ken. Les, I hadn't seen Les — wow — since 1980, probably; 1979, 1980. But it was good to see him again and good to shake everybody's hand."

Speaking about the first time he saw K.K. and Les just prior to the Rock Hall rehearsals, Ian said: "I went over and said hello to Ken, said hello to Les. That's about as far as it went, really. So did Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer]. Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist], he was rather frail on the day, so he just sort of sat on the sidelines until he had to do his thing. And of course Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist] — Richie's gregarious; he was on the same side of the stage anyway, so he was talking to Ken a lot. But yeah, it was all very professional. It was all well done. At the end of the day, we put on a great performance, and we all got the gong, which was great news. [Laughs] "

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at this year's Rock Hall, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

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

Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by Binks, Downing and Faulkner for a three-song medley consisting of "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

Earlier in the month, Halford was asked in an interview with the San Antonio Current if performing with Downing at the Rock Hall ceremony helped put aside some of the acrimony that K.K. has shown about not being in band for these last few tours. Halford responded: "I think we should let the music speak for itself, really, because as you'll see from the performance, you'll see that all of that other stuff is irrelevant. All the things that have been said and suggested just float off into the air. What matters is what's going down on that stage at that time you're performing together. And there he is on my right-hand side. It just felt like he was always there. Look behind me and there's [Les], and the memories just are overwhelming. But, more than that, you're focusing on the moment that you're back together again and playing live. It was really a whirlwind. We were in each other's company for a very, very short space of time. We had very little time to communicate. But for the purpose of the induction of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame together, it was absolutely crucial that K.K. and Les were there. They were inducted, they needed to be in the room. And more than that, we were thrilled that they took the opportunity to say, 'Yeah, we'll come and jam on stage again with you guys.'"

PRIEST was inducted into the Rock Hall by fellow rock legend Alice Cooper, who described them as "the definitive metal band." He added: "They defined the sound we know of heavy metal and their sound is unmistakable. And what can you say about Rob Halford's voice? Never have screams covered such a range. Is there any emotion that he can't express?

"They're electrifying on stage and one of the hardest-hitting live bands in the history of rock and roll. PRIEST has carried the flag of hard rock and heavy metal proudly for something like 50 years, never wavering or following trends or pretending to be anything but exactly what they are," Cooper said. "They are flying high tonight. Much deserved and long overdue."

In his acceptance speech, Halford told the crowd: "I'm the gay guy in the band. We call ourselves the heavy metal community which is all-inclusive, no matter what your sexual identity is, what you look like, or what you believe in or don't believe in. Everybody's welcome."

Halford also addressed the fact that PRIEST recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, saying: "We should get out another 50 years, but the joy about music is that it lives forever. And that's the reason why we're here. We live for heavy metal. We live for music. And we're living for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame."

In a separate interview with Lauren "Lern" Elwell of the KSHE radio station, Halford said it was "good" performing with Downing and Binks at the Rock Hall. He added: "We hadn't seen [Downing] forever. And I've still yet to watch footage of that. All I remember is my brief interactions with K.K., because I'm always running around the stage like a mad drag queen. My interactions with Ken and with Les, it was great. It felt wonderful to have that moment together after such a long time. And that just shows you the power, the weight, the vibe that the Rock Hall suggests you try to attempt. Try and recapture something of the essence that it really part of why you're here, why you're being inducted. I was just so happy that Ken and Les showed up, because they needed to be there. It was entirely their choice, but I said it makes absolute sense if you're in the room and we're playing together. And we did, and it was magical."

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

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

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

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

JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year's class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

Ace Frehley is putting the finishing touches on his new solo album for a tentative early 2023 release.

The original KISS guitarist offered an update on the LP's recording progress while sharing a list on social media of his "Best 10 Sci-Fi Movies Released Up Until 1960". At the end of the message, he wrote: "My New Studio Record is nearing its completion! Hopefully it will be out Spring-Summer 2023!!!"

Back in November 2021, Ace said that he had collaborated with his longtime friend Peppy Castro on "some heavy songs."

Peppy reportedly taught Frehley how to play guitar and previously collaborated with KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons as a songwriter and performed on Frehley's and KISS frontman Paul Stanley's solo records.

In December 2020, Frehley told Talking Metal Live that he would start recording his next all-original album the following year. The record will be the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne. At the time, he said that had "been writing all along. Plus, I have tracks that I've already recorded that I have to revisit and decide whether they have a chance to make it on my new studio record — [if they] have to be rewritten or [they're] just good the way they are," he explained. "And I've got people sending me song ideas constantly… So, little by little, it's an ongoing process, and it evolves as it goes."

Earlier in 2020, Frehley told Canada's iHeart Radio that he had "only written about three songs" for his next LP, and he added they were "not finished." He said: "Now that I'm [living] on the East Coast [after moving to New Jersey from Southern California], my engineer only lives an hour from me, Alex Salzman, who worked with me extensively on this last record, and he played a lot of bass guitar as well, So it's gonna be even easier, 'Origins Vol. 3' and the next [original] record."

Frehley's latest release was "Origins Vol. 2", the sequel to his 2016 collection of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist.

"Origins Vol. 2" featured cover versions of THE BEATLES' "I'm Down", DEEP PURPLE's "Space Truckin'", LED ZEPPELIN's "Good Times Bad Times", THE ROLLING STONES' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", THE KINKS' "Lola" and THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's "Manic Depression", among others. A cover of the 1975 KISS tune "She" also appeared as a bonus track. Guests on the set included CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Lita Ford and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Simmons's bass playing.

….Happy Holidays To All My Fans!!!…Here’s an Early Christmas 🎄 Present from the Aceman!!💫❤️

….My List of the Best 10...

Posted by Ace Frehley on Monday, November 28, 2022

Currently on tour in Europe with POWERWOLF and WARKINGS, DRAGONFORCE has dropped a new video today for fans as a special holiday surprise. Inspired by the Skyrim game, the epic clip for "The Last Dragonborn" can be viewed below. The track is taken from DRAGONFORCE's latest album, "Extreme Power Metal", which came out in September 2019. Produced in Los Angeles, California by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited, the LP was also recorded, in part, on guitarist Herman Li's livestream channel on Twitch with participation from the fans.

"The Last Dragonborn" is the first DRAGONFORCE music video to feature new bassist Alicia Vigil, who checked in from the road with the following comment: "It's been an honor and an incredible experience playing with these guys the last few years. I'm excited to be a part of their upcoming album with them, plus continue touring — and everything else in between — as an official DRAGONFORCE member!"

This past March, Li told Finland's Chaoszine that DRAGONFORCE had "a lot of music written" for the follow-up to "Extreme Power Metal". "We haven't recorded it," he said. "So we're actually gonna look for a new record deal at the moment to do it.

"We don't do music for money, so we only release stuff when we want to and it sounds good," he explained. "We're not on a hamster wheel: 'You've gotta release an album every two years.' It's hard to be creative when you just force yourself to make good music, and every artist knows.

"We don't just make music now; we're content creators at the same time. We have a pause on YouTube at the moment, but we were posting every week before that. So if you want something — an art form; I don't know if you can call YouTube 'art form' — if you want something from us, there's always something coming from DRAGONFORCE, even if it's not new music.

"When it comes, it'll be a good album that we'll be proud of," he added.

A month later, Li told Elliott Fullam of Little Punk People about new DRAGONFORCE material: "Well, you know, it's gonna be epic, triumphant, fun and catchy and uplifting. We're gonna carry on sounding like DRAGONFORCE."

DRAGONFORCE's platinum-selling single "Through The Fire And Flames" brought the London-based Grammy-nominated extreme power metal group international acclaim and was featured as the most challenging song on "Guitar Hero III".

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

DRAGONFORCE's 2020 European and North American tour dates marked the band's first with Vigil, who joined DRAGONFORCE in January of that year.

In August 2019, DRAGONFORCE parted ways with longtime bassist Frédéric Leclercq. He has since joined German thrashers KREATOR.

Photo credit: Alice Baxley

Former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5 has uploaded a video of him playing along to "Wild Side", a song from MÖTLEY CRÜE's sixth album, "Girls, Girls, Girls", which was originally released in 1987. The 52-year-old rocker captioned the clip: "It's Motley Monday kids here is Wild side, hope everyone 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" title track and two 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.

Last month, 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.

In a new interview with NME, EVANESCENCE frontwoman Amy Lee spoke about how being outspoken about sociopolitical and socioeconomic issues in and outside of her music has resulted in her being labeled a "bitch" by some people. Asked if that kind of criticism is something she cares less about as she gets older, she responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's not that I care less; I just feel more confident in my decisions. And I guess, yeah, I care less when I think people don't get it or don't understand. I go, 'I'm not gonna worry and change what I believe or who I am because somebody might misunderstand or call me a bitch or whatever.' I'm not one — I'm confident that I'm not one. And I think that no matter what you do…

"I don't know… Especially when you're on a large stage… It was harder for me to understand this when I was 21 and we were just starting," she admitted. "But you can't expect everybody to really know you. They get to see a part of you and they get to see your music and they get to hear your voice and see the piece of you that is shown. But there's more to all of us. Just like I don't know them. So you've gotta kind of not be mad when people don't understand.

"[You just have to] be strong," Amy added. "When you know you're doing the right thing and you know you're being true to your heart, just don't think about it."

In August 2020, EVANESCENCE released a single, "Use My Voice", which was written to celebrate the power of speaking out in order to promote more justice in the world. The track, featuring contributions from THE PRETTY RECKLESS's Taylor Momsen and HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, was chosen by HeadCount in the USA to encourage voters to register, check their registration, or find out about their remote voting options amid the COVID-19 pandemic at UseMyVoice.org.

Asked in an interview with Lisa Sanchez of the KLAQ radio station if she was concerned about potentially alienating some fans by speaking out on political issues, Lee said: "Well, first of all, we have an incredible team with us now, and my manager is so supportive about things like that. The art has to come first. And that's a given in everything that we've been doing about being true to ourselves.

"[EVANESCENCE's new] album's called 'The Bitter Truth' for a reason. It's not about showing your prettiest side; it's about showing your realest inside and being more of your true self on the outside at any cost.

"I feel like there's a way that you can have a strong opinion and still be respectful to your fellow humans that don't necessarily agree with you.

"We all have different family members and friends that don't believe exactly like we do and aren't on the same political path, or whatever, in this moment when things are so controversial and crazy," she continued. "But we can still love each other and we can still respect each other and we can certainly still listen to each other, and that's how it's all gotta start. And I feel like that's an important line in 'Use My Voice' — if we can't talk about it, we'll just keep drowning in it.

"I think that this is a year and a moment for awakening and conversation, and I wanna be a part of that.

"I got to a point in the studio — we were working on the song, and I just felt convicted by my own words.

"Being silent right now is a statement in itself and not one that I wanna make," Amy added. "So we can do that — we can be true to ourselves and still leave room for other people's beliefs as well. But I do think it's important right now to stand up for what you believe in, and also find your own information. Open your eyes and ears."

In May 2020, Lee said that she was " angry, horrified" and "ashamed" over the murder of George Floyd in police custody as well as then-U.S. President Donald Trump's response to the subsequent protests and riots.

Just three months earlier, Lee opened up about her political views for the first time, explaining that she couldn't "stand by" and keep her mouth shut while her "country's freedom is taken away." He decision to speak out was apparently prompted by the GOP-controlled Senate's vote to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment without calling witnesses.

She wrote at the time: "I do not accept lying, cheating or bullying from my government… Accepting this abuse says it's okay for our leaders to lie to us, cheat on us, make decisions without our input, and silence us when we try to speak up. This isn't about your policies or beliefs, it's about our freedom."

Lee added: "I will never bow down to a dictator."

"The Bitter Truth" arrived in March 2021. The LP was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who also worked on 2011's self-titled LP.

Black Star Riders have announced the replacement for Stone Sour / Corey Taylor guitarist Christian Martucci, who departed the band earlier this year.


Sam Wood, from Wayward Sons, joins the band and his first dates will be the UK shows this coming weekend in London (Earache Records' 35th Anniversary party) and Trecco Bay in South Wales for Planet Rockstock.


Ricky Warwick comments: “I first saw Sam back in 2019 when Wayward Sons were guests to Black Star Riders and I was absolutely blown away! I had Sam join me for some Fighting Hearts dates a few months back and knew he was the guy for us. If ever there was a new Guitar Hero waiting in the wings, then it’s Sam! Black Star Riders have had some of the world’s finest guitar players in their ranks and Sam is truly up there as one of them. We couldn’t be happier!”




The line-up for the two aforementioned shows together with the 10th Anniversary UK tour in February 2023 will see Black Star Riders welcome back guitarist Scott Gorham and original drummer Jimmy DeGrasso for the celebrations.


Ricky adds: “We are really looking forward to playing with Scott and Jimmy again and this is the only time you will get to see us all together again for this 10th anniversary of the band. After February, Zak St. John will be with us for all future dates. The set list will be tracks from the new album Wrong Side Of Paradise to start the show, then we welcome Scott on stage for the 'greatest hits' set to celebrate our 10 years.”


The 10th Anniversary UK tour takes place in the following cities:


February
11 - Belfast - Limelight
13 - Nottingham - Rock City
15 - Norwich - UEA
16 - Ipswich - Corn Exchange
17 - Manchester - O2 Ritz
18 - Wolverhampton - KK's Steel Mill
19 - Leeds - O2 Academy
21 - Cardiff - Tramshed
22 - Bristol - O2 Academy
23 - Glasgow - SWG3
24 - Newcastle - O2 City Hall
26 - London - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire


Special guests are Michael Monroe and Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons on all shows except Belfast where Trucker Diablo open.





Masters of anthemic rock ‘n’ roll, Black Star Riders, have announced that their new album, Wrong Side Of Paradise, will be released via Earache Records worldwide on January 20, 2023.


The pre-order is now live. You can get your copy on vinyl, CD and cassette, with loads of limited exclusives from the Earache webstore.





"We’re most proud of the Collector’s Edition, which houses a half black/half white vinyl with lavish photo booklet, a bonus 2 track 12” of extra songs not on the album, 2 CDs including a rare signed edition, a cassette, USB and download," says the band.


The album, featuring 11 tracks, was recorded in the fall of 2021 at Studio 606 in Northridge California and Toochtoon Sound in Redmond, Oregon with producer and longtime BSR associate, Jay Ruston.


With Ricky Warwick on lead vocals / guitar, Robert Crane on bass, Christian Martucci on guitar and drummer Zak St, John, the band have released the first single and video, “Better Than Saturday Night” (with backing vocals from Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott). The video features a lightning-hot performance from the four-time UK Top 25 band, and teases the watcher into suspecting a standard rock video cliché before flipping it on its head with the entrance of the rough'n'tough Roller Derby Dolls. Watch below.


About the album Ricky says, “I am very proud of this record, Black Star Riders fifth release and the first with our new and exciting relationship with Earache Records. As with all BSR albums, Wrong Side Of Paradise is an anthemic statement of intent,  driven by ferocious guitars and thundering drums. I can only write about my own personal experiences, my families, my friends and how I see a world that is unraveling and changing faster than we can comprehend. That being said, I’m a firm believer in the power of positivity, something that echoes throughout this album."





Tracklisting:


"Wrong Side Of Paradise"
"Hustle"
"Better Than Saturday Night"
"Riding Out The Storm"
"Pay Dirt"
"Catch Yourself On"
"Crazy Horses"
"Burning Rome"
"Don't Let The World"
"Green And Troubled Land"
"This Life Will Be The Death Of Me"


"Better Than Saturday Night" video:








(Photo credit: Robert John)


 

Brazilian metallers, Angra, have released Ep. 04 of a video series on their Rebirth 20th Anniversary Tour. This episode focuses on Angra in Santiago, Brazil on July 7. Watch below:





Watch previous episodes below:













Angra perform next on December 2 at Brasuca in Campinas, Brazil. Find the band's live itinerary here.