Below is the official lyric video for "Dawn Of A Million Souls", taken from the 2022 re-release of Ayreon's Universal Migrator I & II album. Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen comments:


"Both singer Sir Russell Allen and guitar player Michael Romeo of Symphony X recorded their parts in the States. I still remember when Russell played their contributions to me on the phone, I literally cried tears of joy! This song has become one of the fan’s favourites, judging from the crowd’s reaction every time we play it live.


In this re-mixed version I put Russell’s vocals more in the foreground. Personally, I also think that the amazing drums by Ed Warby sound much more powerful and crisp in this new version. Hope you agree, enjoy this great video made by Dave Letelier and Wayne Joyner!"







Ayreon's Universal Migrator Part I & II was re-released in various formats on November 18. Order here, and watch a visualizer for "And The Druids Turn To Stone" below.


Says mastermind Arjen Lucassen: "'And the Druids Turn To Stone' is my personal favourite track from the Ayreon Universe live shows. Mainly because of the amazing vocal performance of my talented friend Damian Wilson. I still remember that back when I sent him the demo for this song, he wasn’t totally convinced. Maybe in part because of the dangerously-close-to-Spinal-Tap lyrics about Stonehenge. Haha! But man, he surely elevated this song to great heights, showing off all aspects of his versatile and distinctive voice. In the re-mixed version I tried to make the track sound more transparent and bring every little subtlety to the surface. Hope I succeeded!"





Universal Migrator Pt 1: The Dream Sequencer and Universal Migrator Pt 2: Flight of the Migrator were released initially simultaneously in 2000, following the majestically sprawling hit album Into the Electric Castle two years previously. The Dream Sequencer continues the plot from The Final Experiment (1995), starting in the year 2084 when the final world war wiped out all life on Earth. Flight of the Migrator continues the story of the last living human being, the colonist on Mars and his decision to use the Dream Sequencer machine to travel back to before the universe was formed.





The two albums feature an extravaganza of stunning musicians and vocalists such as Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), Edward Reekers (Kayak), Damian Wilson (Headspace/Threshold), Neal Morse (Spock's Beard/Transatlantic/Flying Colors), Russell Allen (Symphony X), Andi Deris (Helloween), Michael Romeo (Symphony X) and many more.


Arjen Lucassen continues his crusade of remixing and remastering his finest work to absolute perfection and Universal Migrator, Pt. I & 2 (2022 Remixed & Remastered) is a stunning addition to his spectacular canon. Thanks to advancements in technologyA, fans can now get the chance to hear the albums through the ears of Lucassen as he intended them.


The hardcover artbook has 56 pages, which include lyrics, liner notes, the newly designed comic by Élan López, and additional pages with Élan's "Process".





Limited Edition 56-page / 5CD / DVD Earbook tracklisting:


CD 1: The Dream Sequencer"
"The Dream Sequencer"
"My House On Mars"
"2084"
"One Small Step"
"The Shooting Company Of Captain Frans B. Cocq"
"Dragon On The Sea"
"Temple Of The Cat"
"Carried By The Wind"
"And The Druids Turn To Stone"
"The First Man On Earth"
"The Dream Sequencer Reprise"


CD 2: Flight of the Migrator
"Chaos"
"Dawn Of A Million Souls"
"Journey On The Waves Of Time"
"To The Quasar"
"Into The Black Hole"
"Through The Wormhole"
"Out Of The White Hole"
"To The Solar System"
"The New Migrator"


CD 3: Bonus & Unreleased
"Into The Black Hole" – Damian Wilson (previously unreleased)
"Journey On The Waves Of Time" – Ian Parry (previously unreleased)
"Out Of The White Hole" – Robert Soeterboek (remix)
"Dawn Of A Million Souls" – Ian Parry (previously unreleased)
"Temple Of The Cat" – Lana Lane (remix)
"Through The Wormhole" – Ian Parry (remix)
"Into The Black Hole" – Lana Lane (previously unreleased)
"Carpe Diem (Chaos)" – 1992 Home Demo (previously released on Ayreonauts Only)
"House On Mars" – Instrumental Primal Version (previously unreleased)
Untitled Instrumental (previously unreleased)


CD4: The Dream Sequencer (Instrumental)


CD5: Flight Of The Migrator (Instrumental)


DVD:


5.1 Surround Mix
"The Shooting Company Of Francis B. Cocq" (Binaural Headphone Mix)
"Into The Black Hole" (Binaural Headphone Mix)
"Into The Black Hole" (Music Video)
Making of the comic feat. Élan López





Limited edition 4LP Box Set contents:


- The Dream Sequencer (2LP on 'Pink Nebula' marble vinyl)
- Flight of the Migrator (2LP on 'Pink Nebula' marble vinyl)
- Bonus DVD (with 5.1 surround audio, binaural headphone mixes, music video and featurette with Élan Lopez)
- Comic book by Élan López
- Sticker sheet
- 1 Double-sided poster
- Box is numbered and limited to 1000 copies

On February 24, 2023, Living Dead Girl will release Not That Innocent (The Covers EP) via Buried Alive Records.


Frontwoman Molly Rennick and her band offer up the first taste of their forthcoming five-song collection by way of a visualizer for "Fighter", originally done by Christina Aguilera. 







Pre-order your copy of Not That Innocent (The Covers EP) now at this location. The artwork and tracklisting can be seen below.





"Get The Party Started" (by P!nk)
"Oops!...I Did It Again" (by Britney Spears)
"Come Clean" (by Hilary Duff)
"Sk8er Boi" (by Avril Lavigne)
"Fighter" (by Christina Aguilera)


(Photography and cinematography by Steve Haining)


 

Former Suicide Silence guitarist Rick Ash and former Suicide Silence drummer Josh Goddard have reactivated Ash's original deathcore outfit Torn Within after a 17-year hiatus to drop a surprise new release, The Peregrination EP, out now.


"Reconnecting was important to us; after that, it was important for us to contribute something," says the band. "We're all ready to return to the stage, so there is a sense of urgency to put this record out."


Recorded by the band, mixed by Brian Collins and Rick Ash, and mastered by Wendell Frohwein, The Peregrination EP is violent, textured and served with dissonance and intensity. 




Torn Within was formed in Southern California in 2002 and released a series of demos, performing live at the legendary Showcase Theater in Corona, California, and sharing the stage with Cattle Decapitation, All Shall Perish and others.





Upon their dissolution, guitarist Rick Ash and bassist Mike Bodkins would join Suicide Silence with Josh Goddard, Mitch Lucker and Chris Garza, and record the song "Bludgeoned To Death" and 2005's Suicide Silence EP before Ash and Goddard eventually moved on.  


Presently, Torn Within's members are scattered across the country and plot their return to the stage in 2023. 


The Peregrination EP is out now on all digital platforms and a limited run of CDs via Been There, Scene That Records. Purchase here.

Drummer Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, SLAYER, ANTHRAX) has uploaded the latest in his "Big Four" drum-cover series: SLAYER's "Killing Fields". The clip, which can be seen below, follows his previously released videos for METALLICA's "Blackened" and ANTHRAX's "A.I.R.".

The 52-year-old Dette played as a full-time member of SLAYER from 1996 to 1997 and as a touring member in 2013.

In a 2013 interview with Metal Rules, Dette revealed that he collaborated with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King on some of the early ideas for what became the band's final studio album, 2015's "Repentless", before he was replaced by a returning Paul Bostaph. "I actually started working with SLAYER after we had gotten back from Australia [in early 2013]," he said. "We started working for demo and music for their new record. And then obviously what happened with Jeff [Hanneman, guitar] passing away, that changed some things. But it was definitely moving in that direction for me to be working with SLAYER [again]. But as I said there are just some things that changed with that once Jeff passed away, and I think, ultimately, they felt more comfortable with ‎Paul Bostaph, just because Paul had been in the band for longer. I think it was not going to be as much of a shock to their fans, because first Dave is gone, and now Jeff is gone, the band, it's now down to two original members. So if Paul makes them feel more comfortable and at home, then more respect to him and I wish them the best with that."

King confirmed that he worked with Dette early on in the songwriting process for "Repentless" before deciding to re-hire Bostaph instead. "We pursued it," Kerry said in a 2015 interview. "We got back from Australia. I did demos with Jon Dette, I did demos with Paul — the same two songs, under the same circumstances; they each had, like, 24 to 36 hours to learn 'em — and just see where it went. And Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] and Jeff [Hanneman, SLAYER guitarist] both decided Paul, and in hindsight, that was the right choice."

Dette originally joined SLAYER in 1996 when Paul Bostaph left to work on his side project THE TRUTH ABOUT SEAFOOD. Dette performed with SLAYER at the 1996 Ozzfest to promote the band's covers album, "Undisputed Attitude".

Prior to joining SLAYER, Dette appeared on TESTAMENT's "Live At The Fillmore" album, which came out in 1995.

In recent years, Dette had played sporadic shows with ANTHRAX as a temporary replacement for Charlie Benante, who had been undergoing physical therapy in his battle with carpal tunnel syndrome.

VENOMOUS CONCEPT — the punk band formed by NAPALM DEATH's Shane Embury and former BRUTAL TRUTH vocalist Kevin Sharp — will return with its most expansive, boundary-obliterating album to date, "The Good Ship Lollipop", on February 24 via Decibel Records. The effort finds Sharp and Embury joined by NAPALM DEATH guitarist John Cooke alongside Carl Stokes, former drummer of U.K. death metal legends CANCER.

The anthemic first single from "The Good Ship Lollipop", a song called "Voices", can be heard below.

VENOMOUS CONCEPT's fifth full-length will receive an exclusive North American vinyl and cassette release through Decibel Records. Engineered by Piers Mortimer (DEEP PURPLE) and produced by longtime friend and soundman Simon Efemey (PARADISE LOST, AMORPHIS),the LP was challengingly recorded during the height of the pandemic in 2020.

"It was an amazing fun and creative experience, recording while there were COVID restrictions," Embury offers. "We seem to only now dimly recall the whole process but this record lives it and breathes it...When the pandemic hit, we decided we needed to make an album that didn't fit. We all loved so much other kind of punk and rock, so why not explore that which is, in essence, closer to our hearts? To do the same album over and over again would be boring."

"When Decibel released the DEADGUY live record ['Buyer's Remorse'] this year, my gears turned," says Sharp. "Having supported the band in print and via flexi disc, we were stoked to see [Decibel editor] Albert's [Mudrian] interest in this VC record. It's a different kind record and deserves a different kind of approach. The music industry is in constant evolution and this approach to getting our music out seems like a good fit amongst old friends on our terms."

"The Good Ship Lollipop" track listing:

01. The Good Ship Lollipop
02. Timeline
03. Slack Jaw
04. Pig
05. Clinical
06. Fractured
07. Voices
08. So Sick
09. Flowers Bloom
10. The Humble Crow
11. Can’t Lose
12. Everything is Endlessness
13. Life’s Winter

VENOMOUS CONCEPT lineup:

Shane Embury - bass
Kevin Sharp - vocals
John Cooke - guitars
Carl Stokes - drums

In a new interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman was asked if he and his bandmates are planning to hit the road "pretty hard" in support of their upcoming album, "Divisive". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Not as hard as you would imagine. We're planning on starting up in the spring. We've already announced a few shows here and there. We're trying to finalize all of our plans. But DISTURBED performances will be getting more and more infrequent. We'll start up in the spring. We'll finish in the fall. There will be a full U.S. run. Exactly when we're going where, I don't know yet; it's still a moving target. I know we're planning to do a European festival run as well; a couple of those dates have been announced already. But it's tough to navigate the waters right now. So we're doing the best we can. Hopefully we'll be able to announce more as soon as it's able to be announced."

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

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

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

About the "Divisive" album title, Draiman noted: "Partisan tribal warfare has become a part of our regular existence nowadays. It's one big battle of the cliques. The whole idea of the record is to be a wakeup call for everyone. Our society has become addicted to outrage. Music is the best cure for what ails us though. If only everyone reached out and used it. There's no better environment to forget about all of this shit than live music. We can be together and realize we have more in common than not. Recognize what's happening and let's make a change for the better."

Donegan added: "Whatever it takes, we've got to pull it together. We've always tried to take negative topics and spin them in a positive light. From touring around the world, we've seen the power of music as the universal language to bring everyone together from all walks of life. We can still play songs to unite people, and it's a pretty powerful feeling."

Veteran Japanese metallers LOUDNESS have released the official music video for the song "Tengoku No Tobira (Heaven's Door)". The track is taken from the band's latest studio album, "Sunburst", which was released in July outside Japan via earMUSIC. The effort was originally made available in Japan last December.

During a career spanning over 40 years, LOUDNESS built a rich musical foundation with many studio albums, EPs and live albums. With "Sunburst", they've added another milestone to the great catalogue, their 29th studio album, to be precise.

"Sunburst" is the first official double studio album in LOUDNESS's impressive career, making it particularly special as it can be considered a celebration of the band's rich musical history. The 16 songs represent the classic LOUDNESS sound and style, highly acclaimed by fans and critics alike. Written mostly by original member and guitar wizard Akira Takasaki, the majority of songs are sung in Japanese, representing their appreciation of their origin and roots.

"Sunburst" was released as a digital album as well as a 2CD digipak edition with an extensive booklet that includes the English translation of all lyrics.

Disc 1:

01. Rising Sun
02. OEOEO
03. Yamato Damashii
04. Kaso Genjitsu (Virtual Reality)
05. Crazy World
06. Stand Or Fall
07. The Sanzu River
08. Nihon No Kokoro (The Heart Of Japan)

Disc 2:

01. Kagayakeru 80's (Shining 80's)
02. Emerald No Umi (Emerald Ocean)
03. Tengoku No Tobira (Heaven's Door)
04. All Will Be Fine With You
05. Fire In The Sky
06. Hunger For More
07. The Nakigara
08. Wonderland

LOUDNESS has dominated the Japanese heavy metal scene ever since its birth in 1981 with classic albums like "Thunder In The East" (1985) and "Lightning Strikes" (1986). Their last studio album, 2018's "Rise To Glory", was highly acclaimed both by the heavy metal maniacs and the critics.

LOUDNESS's lineup has changed multiple times since 1981, with the current incarnation consisting of three original members — lead singer Minoru Niihara, guitarist Akira Takasaki and bassist Masayoshi Yamashita — along with drummer Masayuki Suzuki, who joined the group in 2009.

Original LOUDNESS drummer Munetaka Higuchi died in 2008 after a year-long battle with liver cancer.

In a new interview with the
"Sally Steele Rocks! Show", ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked why there have been so many personnel changes in the band over the years. "I'm the big bad wolf. I kick people out just when I feel like it," he quipped (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Well, actually, to be halfway serious for a second, it's just the way it goes sometimes. We started off as teenagers in a sort of garage-type band. And people grow up and they get married, they have different interests, and before you know it, one guy leaves the band and a replacement comes, and then the replacement leaves after a while. It's just the way it goes; it's a natural progression. I wish it wasn't that way. People develop different interests and life changes, so people leave. I'm the only guy who's never left. I'm like the last man standing."

Hoffmann is the sole remaining original member of ACCEPT, which he formed in 1976 in the town of Solingen, Germany with singer Udo Dirkschneider and bassist Peter Baltes.

ACCEPT's latest studio album, "Too Mean To Die", was released in January 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was the group's first without Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

Six months ago, Hoffmann was asked by Greece's Rock Overdose magazine about Dirkschneider's comment that the band's current lineup is "not ACCEPT" anymore because Wolf is the only remaining original member left. The guitarist responded: "Yeah, yeah. Of course. I know. What else is new? Of course he's gonna say that. What else is he gonna talk about? See, that's the thing — if you constantly talk about something that happened 30 years ago, what does that tell you about your own career? That's all I have to say about that. I always think the proof is in the pudding — make some great music and the rest will sort itself out. And that's all we're trying to do. We're not trying to compete with anybody. We don't have to prove ourselves. We are ACCEPT and we make great albums. That's all I know."

In April, Udo said in an interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast that he has had no contact with Wolf in recent years. "And I don't wanna have any contact with him," he added. "I'm really good friends now again with [former ACCEPT bassist] Peter Baltes; he did all the bass guitars on [my new] cover album ['My Way'], for example. I still have a good relationship with [ex-ACCEPT drummer] Stefan Kaufmann. Over the years, he was the guitar player in U.D.O. [and] he was producing U.D.O. and stuff like that. And the only guy I don't wanna talk to — let's say it this way — is Wolf. There's a lot of reasons why. I wish him all the best. [He's] a great guitar player anyway, but for me to work with him again — never."

Last December, Udo told Simfonia Metàl·lica that losing the rights to the ACCEPT name was the biggest mistake he made in his professional career. "This is the only thing I'm really not happy with," he said. "I was creating the name ACCEPT. And then, when we came — let's say in '80, '81, we had to sign a lot of documents. And sometimes you're not really looking on this. And then, in the end, when they fired me [from] my own band, I found a paper [saying] all the rights [to the ACCEPT name] go to Wolf Hoffmann. And that's really a big point, a bad point for me. The name is normally on me and not on Wolf Hoffmann."

He continued: "This was a big mistake — not really to look what you're signing. But anyway, this is history — [it happened] a long time ago. And I think in the end now, in a way I don't care. But sometimes [I think] I did a big mistake. But anyway, it happened."

Last year, Udo ruled out the possibility of a reunion with ACCEPT, telling TNT Radio Rock: "I don't wanna say anything bad. Wolf is a great guitar player. He's a great guy — I know that. But one thing, and that's why never ever can happen again a reunion or stuff like that, is he was stealing my name. A long time ago, in '81, when we had to sign some papers. I was really young, and, 'Yeah, okay,' I signed my contracts. There was some paper in between [all the others], and he [got] the rights [to the ACCEPT name]. But it was not Wolf [who orchestrated it]; I think it was now his wife. She was the manager of ACCEPT, and she was clever to put the [ACCEPT] name on Wolf Hoffmann. And this is the thing that makes me still angry — he was really stealing the name. I mean, I was making ACCEPT in '68.

"In the end, as a person, [he's] definitely a great guitar player, a great guy," Udo added. "It's history. I think I'm quite successful with U.D.O. If I want, I can do anytime a tour under [the name] DIRKSCHNEIDER and play ACCEPT songs. If I really say, 'Okay, I wanna do this again,' no problems at all. But the rest, in a way, is history.

"For example, I was working with Peter Baltes and Stefan Kaufmann together on the single 'Where The Angels Fly', and everybody was, like, 'Oh, what is this? This is more ACCEPT than ACCEPT is doing now at the moment.'"

In January 2021, Hoffmann was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he was surprised to see Baltes working with Dirkschneider on new music. He responded: "Yeah, I probably shouldn't say much about that. Again, I can only speculate what that was all about. At the end of the day, we do our thing, and everybody has to know for themselves what they wanna do. Yeah, let me not say as much about that as I can, please."

Back in 2015, Hoffmann dismissed Dirkschneider's comment that the band's then-lineup — which included Baltes and Tornillo — performed live "without any emotion." "It's just hilarious at this point," Wolf said. "It's just a big joke in our lives. And we just go on about our lives, and we do our thing, and we just… We let these things go by and laugh about it. He's actually sort of our press agent, in a way. He keeps us [in the news]."

In a new interview with Lauren "Lern" Elwell of the KSHE radio station, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford spoke about Richie Faulkner's participation in the group's performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame even though the guitarist wasn't being inducted along with his bandmates.

"He's a miracle man, especially when you consider what he's been through with his challenges," Rob said, referencing the fact that Faulkner suffered an aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection during PRIEST's performance at the Louder Than Life festival in September 2021 (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And he needed to be there. Because originally he said, 'I don't think I should be on stage.' I go, 'Richie, you have to be on stage. It's important. I can't properly express the words 'cause it's a feeling for me. I feel you need to be on that stage with us.' And so did everybody else; everybody else felt that way.

"But yes, he's a miracle man, and for that reason alone, amongst a ton of others, it was important that he was on that stage and showing people the wonders of survivability and the great things that the medical profession and the healing and the health world can do, and some of the Lord's divine intervention, all of these things kept Richie with us," Halford added. "I said, 'Richie, you need to be on that stage, especially if you can do some hair whipping with K.K. [Downing, former PRIEST guitarist]' They do their hair whip. [Laughs]"

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the November 5 event in Los Angeles, 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 (vocals),Ian Hill (bass),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members Downing, drummer Les 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".

In a separate interview with Metal Rules, Richie reflected on the Rock Hall performance, saying: "I was just happy to be there supporting the rest of the guys. From my point of view, I offered to opt out. I didn't need to be there. The guys wanted me there as part of the band. I'm part of the band in 2022. They wanted me there, even though I wasn't inducted, so to speak. They thought it was important that I was there representing the band in 2022. So that was really nice of them. And from my point of view, I was just happy to be there supporting them and being a part of the band in 2022. So it was just a great night."

Asked what it was like for him to perform with both Tipton and Downing, Faulkner said: "Well, for me, it was great. Obviously, I'm a huge PRIEST fan — I have been for a long time and always will be, so that hasn't changed. So to be part of a three-guitar-attack team, which PRIEST has never been before, as far as I'm aware. I'm sure there's someone on the Internet that can dig through the archives and find maybe a gig they did once before. But as far as I'm aware, PRIEST has always been known as that twin-guitar attack, so be up there with Glenn and K.K. as part of that three-guitar attack was… it was an experience. If it was a one-time experience or whether it was something for the future, who knows? But even if it was a one-time experience, it was just something to relish and just to remember forever, really. It was fantastic."

Faulkner, nearly three decades Downing's junior, joined PRIEST after K.K. left in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

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

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

The 2022 Rock Hall induction ceremony will air tonight (Saturday, November 19) on HBO and stream on HBO Max.



Judas Priest - You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Posted by Shawn McCullough on Sunday, November 6, 2022

Judas Priest Enters the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame FINALLY! 👑🤘🔥 #RockHall2022 #DefendersofTheFaith #Metal

Posted by John Arakaki on Saturday, November 5, 2022



Judas Priest live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and nduction ceremony. with Al-x

Posted by Alan Katz on Saturday, November 5, 2022

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A post shared by Nikki Blakk (@nikkiblakk666)



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A post shared by KK Downing official (@kkdowningofficial)

In a new interview with Guitar.com, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was asked if his reputation for being outspoken has benefited or hindered his career in the long run. He responded: "There's three sides to every story, right. There's my side, there would be the other person's side, and then there would be the truth which is somewhere right in the middle.

"You know, oddly enough that was one of the last conversations I ever had with [METALLICA guitarist/vocalist] James Hetfield because we were talking about getting back together and doing a project," he continued. "Something had come up about the publishing discrepancy that we have been arguing about for years and years and years, and I told James, 'I'll do it but we've got to get this stuff sorted out first'. And he said, 'Oh yeah, sure'. So I said, 'Now these two songs you and me split 50/50. Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] didn't write on this song — you know that. I don't know why you gave him percentages but I'm not. I'm not going to sign another deal that's gonna confirm that because I never agreed to that'. And James said, 'Well, Lars has a different recollection of that,' and I said that's fine; there's his side of the story, my side and the truth is somewhere. And that blew his mind, and we haven't talked since."

Mustaine added: "You know, I was trying to be really friendly with him; he told me that the last three projects they did bombed, and they wanted to go back and use all the stuff that I was on, and I said sure. As soon as I said that 'three stories' bit, it was over."

Nearly three years ago, Mustaine said that he didn't want to "perpetuate false information" by giving Ulrich songwriting credit on the previously announced expanded version of METALLICA's 1982 demo tape, "No Life 'Til Leather".

"No Life 'Til Leather" was released as a limited-edition cassette for Record Store Day in April 2015, available exclusively in independent record stores. It featured artwork copies from drummer Ulrich's own personal copy of the original demo, as well as his handwriting. At the time, the band also promised that expanded editions of the demo, which had never before been commercially available, would arrive on CD, vinyl and in a collector's set.

The seven-song tape was recorded with the first lineup of the band that appeared live as METALLICA, including Ulrich, Hetfield, lead guitarist Mustaine and bassist Ron McGovney. The original recordings were paid for by High Velocity record label owner Kenny Kane, with a view of making them available as an EP in 1982.

Mustaine discussed the proposed expanded edition of "No Life 'Til Leather" during a June 2018 interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine. Saying that the last time he spoke to Hetfield was when the METALLICA guitarist/vocalist called him to talk about the "No Life 'Til Leather" re-release, Mustaine recalled: "He was trying to get me to give publishing over to Lars, despite James and I being the sole songwriters. Lars wanted a percentage and I just said no. I love James, he's a terrific guitar player, but yeah, I can't do that. The songs are already out there. I'm not going to release something just to have a product to sell — especially if they are perpetuating false information. Lars did not write the songs. It was just me and James. Period."

Ulrich told Metal Forces in 2016 that "some unexpected difficulties on the legal side… prevented the 'No Life 'Til Leather' box set and our vision for how we were going to kick this whole reissue series off. We spent some time doing that dance, but then James and I decided that it wasn't worth it getting bogged down in all the unpleasantries, because this was supposed to be a celebration and not end up being a tug of war, so we thought, 'You know what? Fuck it. We'll just move on to 'Kill 'Em All'," he said.

Ulrich did not want to get into the details of the exact issues that were preventing the demo tape from being released. "It's a little more complicated than that," he said. "There's no reason to go deeper into it. It was just something that we hadn't expected."

Back in November 2017, Mustaine tweeted that he was contacted by Hetfield two years earlier about "officially" releasing "No Life Till Leather" with "27 tracks, pics, the whole enchilada," but, he said, "the talks broke down because Lars wanted credit on two songs I wrote every note and word to. I have the texts. I passed."

When Ulrich spoke to Metal Forces in 2016, he made it clear that METALLICA was still hopeful that the expanded version "No Life 'Til Leather" would arrive at a later date. "As you know, I am the eternal optimist, and I am the eternal 'glass is well fucking half full,' so who knows?" he said. "I think some of those parties have circled back around now that they've seen that this is real and so we'll have to see. It would be great to share 'No Life 'Til Leather' in a year or two with our fans and with the people that care. We haven't shut the door on it."

"No Life 'Til Leather" was recorded on July 6, 1982 at Chateau East Studio in Tustin, California. All the songs on the tape later appeared on the band's 1983 debut album, "Kill 'Em All", including "Hit The Lights", "Motorbreath", "Jump In The Fire", "Seek And Destroy", "Metal Militia", "Phantom Lord" and "The Mechanix", which was renamed "The Four Horsemen" on the album.

"No Life 'Til Leather" track listing:

01. Hit The Lights
02. The Mechanix
03. Motorbreath
04. Seek & Destroy
05. Metal Militia
06. Jump In The Fire
07. Phantom Lord

"No Life 'Til Leather" recording lineup:

James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Lars Ulrich - drums
Dave Mustaine - lead guitar
Ron McGovney - bass

Mustaine was a member of METALLICA for less than two years, from 1981 to 1983, before being dismissed and replaced by Kirk Hammett.

Mustaine was not inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with METALLICA during the April 2009 ceremony at Cleveland, Ohio's Public Auditorium. Ulrich later explained to The Plain Dealer that Mustaine "never played on any METALLICA records. No disrespect to him. But there [were] half a dozen other people that were in the lineup in the early days. We thought... the fair thing to do would be to include anybody that played on a METALLICA record." He added: "Dave Mustaine was in the band for eleven months, predominantly in 1982... I'm not trying to play it down. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his accomplishments since."

In a new interview with "On The Road To Rock", former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about the importance of musicians branching out and playing other styles of music, especially in the later years of their careers. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've done the grind. I've done the whole 'build the house, keep the house going' in rock and roll, and I've done all that successfully, fortunately. And the only thing harder than getting to the top is staying at the top. And no one stays at the top forever, 'cause there's someone else coming up behind you.

"New genres [are] always driven by younger artists coming up," he explained. "Those of us that have been fortunate enough to create a genre ourselves and carve our place in it, it's cool that we can just kind of stay in that lane and do that. But at the same time, once that lane has been created, which it has for me in thrash and speed metal and that kind of stuff, it is cool to be able to go do some other things, 'cause every day you wake up, that isn't always exactly what you wanna do; there are other things. And I think I've proven now with a lot of these records that I've put out over the years I'm a pretty wide, versatile musician. I'm not just a 'metal dude,' even though every poster on your wall is stuff I listen to and go see. So, my heart is… Look, W.A.S.P. came to town the other night. I went down to go see Blackie [Lawless] and ARMORED SAINT. When KISS comes through, 'Let's go see KISS tonight.' Same with [IRON] MAIDEN, Alice [Cooper], et cetera. So I'm there a hundred percent as a loyalist and a fan myself. But when I create things, it's fun to do it with musicians who… We've grown up together, so we're well known. My rolodex is full of those musicians, because we all grew up together. We weren't famous at one point, and now we all are. So those are the guys I reach to. If I need a drummer, if I wanna partner with, in [the] case [of my recently released album] Jeff Scott Soto, call Jeff. He's that guy. You can count on him; you can rely on him. And sometimes my friends are looking to do other things too. They've made their mark for doing what they do, and it's fun to go try some new things and kind of reinvent our own wheel as we're doing it."

Ellefson left Jackson, Minnesota in the early '80s to move to Los Angeles, where he met former METALLICA guitarist Dave Mustaine, and the pair launched the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning hard rock act MEGADETH, going on to become one of the "Big Four" of thrash metal. Ellefson's smalltown Jackson roots have been immortalized in MEGADETH lore as the subject of classic songs including the smash hit "Foreclosure Of A Dream" and the underground classic "Mary Jane".

Ellefson, who has lived in Scottsdale, Arizona since 1994, was fired from MEGADETH in May 2021, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. In the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been exchanging sexual text messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of several of their virtual "masturbating encounters" without his consent and shared them with friends. (According to Ellefson, the woman was 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter.)

David, a Christian who launched the Mega Life Ministries worship group in 2007, studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis a decade ago.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman has once again weighed in on the news that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) will unite with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, will headline a number of major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and stage some of their own headline concerts.

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

Draiman discussed his views on PANTERA's comeback in a new interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Look, I can't think of two guys who were closer to the original members than those two guys — as friends, as colleagues, as brothers. It's just appropriate. If you're gonna have anybody, it should be those two — it should be Charlie; it should be Zakk.

"No one will ever be able to replace the Abbots — they're irreplaceable — but the music that they created together is so epic and so great, and the new generation, an entire new generation of fans, deserves to experience it live. And I truly feel very confident about that lineup. I think it's gonna be devastating. I selfishly want to go see it. So, yeah, I'm excited about it."

David previously touched upon PANTERA's return earlier in the month in an interview with Germany's Rock Antenne. At the time, he said: "Oh, I can't wait. I'm gonna go see it. I mean, look, there's an entire generation of fans of the music that never got the chance to see it played live. They deserve the opportunity. And I couldn't think of any two guys who are more appropriate and skilled to fill the shoes of the brothers than Charlie and Zakk. I think that was the respectful and smart way to go. Charlie was very, very close to Vinnie, very close to the PANTERA camp. And Zakk, basically, it used to be Zakk and the PANTERA guys in the dressing room backstage at Ozzfest that we'd always be hanging with all the time anyway. He was one of the closest guys to them as well."

Draiman added: "It's never going to be the same as Vinnie and Dime. That's something we've lost forever, and we have to recognize that. But I think that this will be a great way to tribute all that they've accomplished."

This past February, David discussed PANTERA's influence on DISTURBED in an interview with HardDrive Radio to celebrate the 30th anniversary of PANTERA's classic sophomore major label album "Vulgar Display Of Power". Speaking about the impact the LP had on his musical upbringing, Draiman said: "[PANTERA] really, I think, at that point, had honed the whole groove metal thing that they had pioneered; they had gotten it to be so, so perfect. And look, that record was songs we covered, songs we adored, songs that were the soundtrack to many a late-night bit of Sodom and Gomorrah on the bus [laughs] — all kinds of craziness. There was all kinds of moments that those songs are literally part of the soundtrack to our upbringing.

"A lot of people don't really know this, but I don't think that there would be a DISTURBED without PANTERA," he continued. "I mean, the band that was DISTURBED before me that used to be called BRAWL had a singer by the name of Erich [Awalt], and he was very much in the Phil Anselmo school. [Editor's note: A four-song demo from BRAWL can be heard below.] All the stuff that I heard when I went to audition for the DISTURBED guys originally was much, much closer to old-school PANTERA than it was modern-day DISTURBED. And I was not sure I could even complement it properly at the time; I didn't know if my voice could be as ferocious as the music seemed to call for.

"I told Phil this when I saw him — I think the last time I saw Phil was actually in Texas; he was opening up for DANZIG with SUPERJOINT, I think, at the time," Draiman added. "And I told him that. I'm, like, 'Look, dude. You know it, I know it — I learned so much from you over the course of years.' He looks at me and goes, 'I know.' [Laughs]"

Back in July 2018, DISTURBED paid tribute to late PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott by performing a cover version of the PANTERA classic "Walk" at that year's Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin. Prior to launching into the song, Draiman told the crowd: "Our very first Ozzfest, PANTERA was on the main stage. And every night — every night — somehow, I ended up finding my way backstage to the PANTERA dressing room; in fact, I think most of the band did. And they were always so welcoming — they had the warmest heart, and Vinnie especially. Don't get me wrong, I will always love Dime [late PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott], and everyone will always love Dime — he is one of the greatest legends to ever grace the face of the planet. But personally, I don't feel enough has been said about the incredible heart, the majesty and the unbelievable level of musicianship that just came from Vinnie Paul.

"It's funny, because as I was hanging out with them, Dime wasn't really into our stuff," Draiman continued. "He was all telling Vinnie, 'I'm not into all that jumping-up-and-down shit.' Well, we're all about the jumping-up-and-down shit here. And Vinnie said, 'No, no, no, Dime, I'm telling you, you've gotta give these guys a chance. You've gotta give them a listen to.' And by the time our second Ozzfest came around, we were lucky enough to open up the second stage in our hometown of Chicago. And Vinnie and Dime made it out to the show just to come see us. They weren't playing, PANTERA wasn't on the bill — they came to see us. And an area that could probably accommodate maybe 10 thousand people at most at that side stage was swarmed with 25 thousand people that day. And I'll never forget, after the whole experience went down, which was met with a mixture of both shock and wonder, and some regret, because it wasn't the safest situation. But Vinnie and Dime were both blown away, and Vinnie became such a dear friend and such a huge supporter. And I miss him so very, very much, and I know you guys do too."

PANTERA will play its first shows in over 20 years in December 2022, starting with a co-headlining slot at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest and Monterrey Metal Fest, followed by appearances at three Knotfest festivals in South America. There will also be a one-off show with JUDAS PRIEST in São Paulo, Brazil and a headlining concert in Santiago.

Next year, PANTERA will appear at Germany's Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, two simultaneous rock festivals, which will take place June 2-4 in Nürburgring and Nürnberg, respectively. They will also perform at Sweden's Sweden Rock Festival and Norway's Tons Of Rock festival that same month.

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

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

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

According to TMZ, Marilyn Manson claims his "career is in the gutter" and he's still "receiving threats to his life" after at least 15 women have accused the musician of sexual assault. Three of his accusers, including ex-girlfriend Ashley Morgan Smithline and "Game Of Thrones" actress Esmé Bianco, have filed lawsuits. Manson has denied all allegations, which he has called "horrible distortions of reality."

The 53-year-old shock rocker — born Brian Warner — said in new legal documents that online death threats make him feel "anxious, distraught, depressed, worried, frantic, and sleepless" and he's also worried about someone harming his second wife, Lindsay Usich.

Marilyn confirmed he was dropped by his record label, Loma Vista Recordings, and talent agency CAA, and has been "excluded from Hollywood social and business gatherings."

Manson claims his music is suffering, he can't tour, he can't release his book, his paintings have been "devalued" and his art shows have been "indefinitely postponed."

Manson said his "false portrayal as a rapist, abuser, and child pornographer" has also caused him to lose two acting roles, Starz series "American Gods" and Paramount+ series "The Stand".

The singer's latest legal move comes eight months after he filed a defamation suit against former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, alleging that she and her girlfriend conspired to bring him down with a series of coerced sexual abuse allegations.

Manson sued Wood for defamation, emotional distress and "impersonation over the internet," according to a complaint filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court.

In the complaint, Manson accused Wood and her "romantic partner," artist Illma Gore, of recruiting and pressuring women into making allegations against him, and impersonating FBI agents to further coerce the women by making them believe their families were in danger.

Manson alleged in the complaint that the "Westworld" actress and Gore "publicly cast [him] as a rapist and abuser — a malicious falsehood that has derailed [his] successful music, TV, and film career."

Manson later shared the complaint to his social media accounts, writing, "There will come a time when I can share more about the events of the past year. Until then, I'm going to let the facts speak for themselves."

Wood alleged in the documentary "Phoenix Rising" that she was "coerced into a commercial sex act under false pretenses" while filming the 2007 music video for "Heart-Shaped Glasses" with her then-boyfriend Manson.

Manson's attorney Howard King later denied Wood's allegations in a statement to People, claiming that the singer "did not have sex with Evan on that set, and she knows that is the truth."

Wood, who was in a relationship with Manson from mid-2006 until early 2011, claimed in the "Phoenix Rising" documentary that the music video shoot was "the first crime [he] committed against me."

"It's nothing like I thought it was going to be," Wood said. "We're doing things that were not what was pitched to me. ... We had discussed a simulated sex scene, but once the cameras were rolling, he started penetrating me for real. I had never agreed to that. I'm a professional actress, I've been doing this my whole life; I've never been on a set that unprofessional in my life up until this day."

A little over a year and a half ago, Wood named Manson as the previously anonymous abuser she referenced while testifying before the California Senate in relation to the state's Phoenix Act, which extends the statute of limitations on domestic violence from three years to five. In February 2021, Wood claimed in a social media post that Manson "groomed" and "horrifically" abused her for years. After she shared her accusations, several other women posted their own allegations against the singer. The women claimed to have endured "sexual assault, psychological abuse, and/or various forms of coercion, violence, and intimidation" at the hands of Manson.

Manson later released a statement denying the abuse allegations leveled against him, writing on Instagram: "Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality. My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth."

Canadian rockers NICKELBACK played the first of three intimate shows last night (Tuesday, November 15) to celebrate the release of their new album, "Get Rollin'". The gig, which took place at History in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, marked NICKELBACK's first performance in three years.

NICKELBACK's setlist for the Toronto show included the first two singles from "Get Rollin'" — "San Quentin" and "Those Days" — as well as hit songs "Photograph", "Someday" and "Rockstar".

The band will play two more shows this week: November 18 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey and November 20 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

NICKELBACK's setlist for Toronto concert:

01. San Quentin (live debut)
02. Savin' Me
03. Photograph
04. Animals
05. Leader Of Men
06. Someday
07. Far Away
08. Figured You Out
09. Rockstar
10. Those Days (live debut)
11. Gotta Be Somebody
12. How You Remind Me
13. Burn It To The Ground

"Get Rollin'" will arrive on November 18 via BMG.

The official music video for "San Quentin" was filmed on August 30 at the Simon Fraser University Convocation Mall in British Columbia. According to CTV News, hundreds of NICKELBACK fans attended the shoot, including one fan who one fan traveled all the way from Edmonton.

"San Quentin" was inspired after frontman Chad Kroeger met a real-life warden from the notorious high security California prison. The song follows the story as he plots his clever escape.

Regarding why it took so long to produce the follow-up to 2017's "Feed The Machine", Chad told the WRAT radio station: "Well, we should have been making a record a lot sooner, with all that time off [due to the coronavirus pandemic]. But it's weird to say this, but for 25 years it feels like someone's been standing behind us with a cattle prod and telling us, 'Hey, the record's gotta be done at this time. We're gonna tour at this time. We're gonna do Australia and then we're gonna go do Europe and then we're gonna come back. We'll go across Canada. We'll hit America.' Just like every other band that has to do this stuff, you wanna get a chance to see your fans all around the world. But with this, we were, like, 'We'll get to it when we get to it.' [Laughs] And yeah, we took our time with it, which was just a wonderful luxury, to be able to sit back and [go], 'No. I'm gonna play this guitar solo 40 more times for another three days and make sure it's just exactly how we want it as opposed to deadline, deadline, deadline."

"Get Rollin'" and "Get Rollin' (Deluxe)" will be available via digital platforms and physical CD format. The deluxe edition includes four bonus tracks — acoustic versions of "High Time", "Just One More", "Does Heaven Even Know You're Missing?" and "Horizon". Standard and exclusive versions of the album will also be released on vinyl in 2023.

Amassing hits for over two decades, NICKELBACK is the 11th best-selling musical act of all time, counting over 50 million units sold and over 4.7 billion career streams to date. The band has released 23 chart-topping singles, with 19 reaching the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their undeniable success has resulted in over 26 awards, including Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, MuchMusic Video Awards, People's Choice Awards, JUNO Awards, and more. Among their numerous accolades the band has also achieved 12 consecutive sold-out tours, with nearly 10 million tickets sold worldwide.

Named the "most successful rock back of the decade" by Billboard in 2009, NICKELBACK is one of the most commercially viable and important rock acts of the past two decades. The four-piece, comprised of Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and Daniel Adair, is globally celebrated for its career-defining and award-winning hits, including "How You Remind Me", "Photograph", "Far Away" and "Rockstar", which all held top spots on the Billboard 100. Their success includes worldwide sales of more than 50 million units, solidifying their status as one of the top-selling acts of all time and the second best-selling foreign act in the USA in the 2000's decade, behind only THE BEATLES. Their inescapable, irresistible smash "How You Remind Me" was named Billboard's "Top Rock Song Of The Decade". It was the number-one most played song on U.S. radio (any format) in the 2000s decade according to Nielsen Soundscan, with over 1.2 million spins.

Amongst all these accolades, they've also been named Billboard's "Top Rock Group Of The Decade" and received nine Grammy Award nominations, three American Music Awards, a World Music Award, a People's Choice Award, twelve JUNO Awards, seven MuchMusic Video Awards, and have been inducted into Canada's Walk Of Fame (2007). With more than 23 chart-topping singles and fans spanning the globe, NICKELBACK boasts twelve consecutive sold-out world tours, playing to well over 10 million diehard and adoring fans.
Toronto, thank you so much for having us! We’re off to New York!

📸 Richard Beland pic.twitter.com/41VpS7YJ3U

— Nickelback (@Nickelback) November 16, 2022

British progressive rock luminaries JETHRO TULL have completed work on the recording of their 23rd studio album, following swift on the heels of their critically acclaimed return earlier this year with "The Zealot Gene", their first LP in two decades.

JETHRO TULL leader Ian Anderson comments: "We have been putting the finishing touches to the artwork for the album cover and wrapped up the recording and mixing a few weeks ago. Due to the usual long wait for vinyl pressing and manufacturing, we are scheduled for a spring 2023 release, but during the weeks and months to come, you will be hearing more about the record and the various formats which will be available.

"It's a little too early just yet to tease you with titles, tracklists and content, but rest assured that it is all done and dusted as to mastering and the main elements of art and packaging. I hope you will like the concept and themes when I am ready to tell you more. It has been a long and tricky job to get the material recorded during a hectic schedule of touring in these last months. A day here, a day there and the odd burst of a few days together at some points along the way.

"I wrote the main themes and lyrics back in January of this year and sent the first demos to the band in February and March, much as I did with 'The Zealot Gene', back in 2017. Most of the recording took place in June and August with the stereo mixing done in September. My new pal Bruce Soord of THE PINEAPPLE THIEF undertook to create the Surround Sound mixes and an alternative stereo mix too."

JETHRO TULL has live dates scheduled for this year, with shows in mainland Europe before returning to the U.K. for its annual Christmas shows, and then further dates in 2023.

"The Zealot Gene", released in January 2022, was JETHRO TULL's 22nd studio album and it garnered critical acclaim across the board. Reaching No. 9 in the U.K. album charts, a feat the band hadn't reached since 1972, it also debuted at No. 4 in Germany, No. 3 in Switzerland, No. 5 in Austria, No. 8 in Finland, as well as top 10 in the U.S. Current Album chart and Rock Album chart.

With more than 30 albums to their credit and sales totaling more than 50 million, JETHRO TULL is one of the most successful rock bands of all-time with a catalog that contains classics that still resonate today. Led by Anderson, TULL still continues to tour throughout the world, entertaining audiences of all ages.

JETHRO TULL consists of:

Ian Anderson - Flute, acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals
David Goodier - Bass guitar
John O'Hara - Piano, keyboards and accordion
Scott Hammond - Drums.
Joe Parrish-James - Guitar

Originally released 12 years ago, Masterplan’s epic, fourth studio album Time To Be King – long gone out of print – is finally back in stock. For the first time ever as coloured, red LP Gatefold, the re-release of this highly collectable vinyl edition is now available via the AFM Records store.


"We are very proud; that our Time To Be King album will be released in celebration of our 20th band anniversary“, guitarist and band mastermind Roland Grapow comments. "As a big vinyl fan, I am particularly very happy about it!"







Time To Be King was released on May 21, 2010, after Masterplan’s original singer Jorn Lande rejoined forces with the band. The masters of their craft gained a new energy and were set to continue their impressive career from a place of strength. 


With a perfect combination of catchy and challenging songs, the band attracted the attention of the listener from start to finish. Epic, melodic, masterful songs full of beauty and grace; the result of extensive songwriting sessions, re-awakened by the old spirit, were all there to be counted! While the only LP edition was released on black vinyl back in the day, finally, Time To Be King is available as a red LP Gatefold reissue; a MUST-HAVE that belongs into every well-sorted power and melodic metal record collection! Furthermore, AFM Records also reissued the band’s second album, the pathbreaking Aeronautics.


Looking to the future, Grapow reveals: "Our new studio album is almost written, just the vocals and some lyrics are still missing. We will also release a live DVD soon, which was recorded in Gothenburg in 2003. We have already booked a few festivals for 2023 and hope to come back full force with Masterplan!"

ANTHRAX recently canceled shows in continental Europe as part of its fall 2022 touring activities, citing "ongoing logistical issues" and "costs that are out of our control." The pioneering thrash metal band had been due to play numerous shows across Europe following their run of dates in the United Kingdom, which still took place between September 27 and October 8.

In a recent interview with Neil Jones of TotalRock, bassist Frank Bello elaborated on ANTHRAX's decision to scrap the European gigs and forge ahead with only the United Kingdom dates. Asked if it was "a Brexit thing" that caused the cancelations, Bello responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a human thing at this point, my God. I mean, it's a budgetary thing.

"When we originally planned everything, as we do — ANTHRAX has been in the U.K. and Europe forever, we have toured there; we have a great big fanbase there, and we love playing for them — we did a budget, as we do, the year before and before we put the shows on sale. After COVID, when everything went crazy, money-wise, financially it wasn't feasible to do it anymore," he explained. "When I saw the numbers, they were literally triple — triple to what they originally started at. We would be coming home at such a loss — you don't mind a little bit of a loss just to play to the fans — but such a loss, we would have been really bad off for a while. So it didn't make sense. When [we] looked at it, we said, 'All right. There's better times ahead.' And that's the way to look at it now. Look, heating costs and everybody's gotta put food on the table. I get it right now. So it's just a really hard time for everybody.

"I know we're gonna be back, and with a vengeance," Frank added. "So it's gonna be a lot of fun the next time around. I look forward to playing to all U.K. and Europe. We did a great U.K. run. I felt it was a little short, even though we did a lot of places. But I wanna come back and just play the way we should be playing."

Prior to scrapping the European shows, ANTHRAX had just wrapped a U.S. tour with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. HATEBREED served as special guests.

When the European cancelation was first announced on social media, one fan in the comments section suggested that the cancellation could have been a result of low ticket sales. ANTHRAX replied: "Rest assured, there were zero issues with sales. Check out the news over there for a few minutes. We absolutely adore the European fans and love playing there and are very sad not to come. It doesn't work 'example' when tour buses double and triple in cost."

Bello previously discussed the decision to call off the European dates in September in an interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET. At the time, he said: "When was the last time we canceled a European tour? We've never done it. The god's honest truth: Everything budgeting-wise is insane right now. We budgeted it last year and came back to this year with the gas lines and all the shit that's going on. It was three times the budget. We would have gone into a bad deficit, horrible. And the promoters are saying, 'It doesn't make sense for you guys to do it.' The buses, just life in general. It's horrible. We were able to salvage the U.K. But people know us. They know we'll be back. We love it there. I can't wait to go back. It's just a bummer that life is in the way of metal. [Laughs] What's going on in the world is in the way of metal and making people feel good with our music.

"We've been away," he continued. "We just did the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and HATEBREED tour and we got the taste back. We were looking forward to the next leg, the U.K., then right into Europe. We're used to touring a few months at a time. Then our manager comes, 'We can't do this with the accounting.' It's like, 'What? How did this happen?' Then you read the papers and you understand. It's terrible."

ANTHRAX's latest album, "For All Kings", came out in February 2016 via Nuclear Blast.

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

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

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

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the finest band of them all? BLACK SABBATH!

A special tribute to Brummie rock music legends BLACK SABBATH has been unveiled in Birmingham. And BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi was a special guest at Velvet Music Rooms on Broad Street to see the unusual tribute for himself.

The hand-engraved mirror with neon lighting, which will eventually hang in Tony Iommi's studio, depicts the iconic BLACK SABBATH heavy metal bench that adorns the Black Sabbath Bridge on Broad Street. The mirror also bears the name "Never Say Die!" in tribute to SABBATH's 1978 album and title track — the last studio album with the band's original lineup.

The mirror was designed and made by BLACK SABBATH fan Paul Riding, who originally created it for an art exhibition held at Velvet Music Rooms.

Tony, who made his visit after he had been sent a picture of the mirror, said: "This is the first time I've seen it for real and it's fantastic. I love it. I am going to put it up in my studio."

Paul, who engraved the mirror by hand, said: "I'm absolutely thrilled that my work will now adorn a room in Tony Iommi's studio. What an honor! I've been an avid BLACK SABBATH fan since the 1980s. 'Never Say Die!' is one of my favorite songs, so it had to be on there."

Mike Olley, general manager of Westside Business Improvement District (BID),said: "We are buying the mirror as a special gift to Tony for all the work he has done for the BID and Birmingham as a whole. He has, and continues to be, a fantastic ambassador for Westside and his home city."

After seeing the mirror at Velvet Music Rooms, Tony bumped into novelist Paul Finch who was at Velvet for a separate art event. Paul gave Tony a copy of his latest book.

Tony's contributions to the BID include a special guest vlog recording in June this year in which he wrote about his early life as a welder and engineer. He was also heavily involved in approving the now-famous BLACK SABBATH bench, which he and bandmate Geezer Butler unveiled in June 2019.

After the visit to Velvet, Tony then toured Broad Street with Mike Olley and enjoyed sitting on the BLACK SABBATH bench again.

On a city-wide level, Iommi, whose name is also on the Broad Street "Walk Of Stars", played a major part in the opening ceremony for this year's Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium.

Tony Iommi thrilled at reflection in Black Sabbath mirror gift

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the finest band of...

Posted by Geezer Butler 'Walk Of Stars' Broad Street Birmingham on Thursday, November 17, 2022

In a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, JUDAS PRIEST's Ian Hill once again touched upon the prospect of his band one day touring with fellow metal legends IRON MAIDEN. He said: "It's a great concept. I mean, the trouble with IRON MAIDEN and ourselves is we're always busy, always doing something, and trying to get in a gap there when we're both nothing so we can do something together is more difficult than you think. But, yes, it would be a great tour or a great bill — JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN, and maybe one or even two others; it would be a great bill. And, you know, you live in hope that it'll happen one of these days. You never know. The stars might line up again. [Laughs]"

Almost a year ago, former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens revealed during an appearance on the "Who's Your Band?" podcast that PRIEST turned down a tour with MAIDEN while he was in the band. Owens, who fronted PRIEST between 1996 and 2003, referred to the decision in the interview as a "bad move".

Three years ago, Halford said that he would love to see PRIEST join forces with MAIDEN for a tour. "I think both bands would look to do that," he told Consequence Of Sound. "It's all about the timing of doing such a thing. We're good friends."

He added: "When we talk about rivalry, healthy rivalry, it's like the Arizona Cardinals and the Raiders or the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. It's that kind of rivalry, a good rivalry. It's a fun rivalry. But I think both bands have admired each other throughout the metal years, and it would be a spectacular event — PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN together."

In 2019, shortly after Halford made his comments, IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris said that he was open to a hypothetical MAIDEN/PRIEST pairing. He told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "It's funny because I saw [Halford's comments in the media] myself. And also, apparently someone today said that Ian Hill said something about it as well. So, I don't know. I suppose the management has gotta get their heads together and [make] something like that [happen]. But, yeah, why not? I suppose the fans can push for it to happen. But we'll see."

Harris also talked about his recollections of MAIDEN's 1981 North American tour as the support act for PRIEST, which, at the time, was promoting its "Point Of Entry" record.

"[I have] lots of good memories," he said. "And I really love that album, 'Point Of Entry'. Some people don't think it's their favorite PRIEST album. But I suppose 'cause we were on tour [with PRIEST when they were supporting] it, I really liked it."

In 2018, Downing told SiriusXM's Eddie Trunk that the contentious rivalry between PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN developed when the two bands toured together in the early 1980s. "We'd just finished the 'British Steel' record in England, and we were going out on tour [in early 1980 with IRON MAIDEN]," he recalled. "And then the next thing I know, I read in a music paper that [IRON MAIDEN said] something like, 'Yeah, we're gonna blow the bollocks off PRIEST,' or something like that. And I went, 'What the hell is this shit?' We were still in the recording studio, tidying up the last mixes or something. And I said, 'Well, who are these guys?' Why should we have [them] on tour if they're gonna create this type of vibe before we've even met them, let alone done a show together?' I said, 'Let's get rid of them and get somebody that really appreciates the gig,' of which there would have been an awful lot of bands. But anyway, everybody talked me into going with it, and I said, 'Well, fine,' obviously being democratic. And the next thing I know, we were at the rehearsals at some theater in London somewhere, and this bunch of guys walked in and just sat down in front of me. And I said to my guitar tech, 'Who are those dudes there?' [Laughs] And he went, 'Oh, that's the support band.' And I said, 'Well, who the hell invited them into our rehearsal?' I was thinking about what I read in the papers. And I said, 'Well, just go and tell them that they weren't invited and they need to leave.' I didn't see an invite; nobody told me they were coming in — when you're trying to work out songs and this and that and the other. So that's what happened."

Downing continued: "Anyway, we went on tour [together], and can I just say they didn't blow the bollocks off JUDAS PRIEST — we were pretty well established at the time, and those guys were coming up through the ranks. So that happened. But it wasn't a good atmosphere on the tour, and it's not something I like to have happen — it shouldn't be that way. And next thing I know, somebody [said], 'Oh, IRON MAIDEN is opening up for you on their first U.S. tour [in 1981].' And I went, 'Oh, no! Not again. Can we just not have those guys on [the tour]?' But they came on the tour [anyway], and they created upsets, is what they did, for different reasons and it led to a confrontation and it got a bit ugly. I don't know how it all happened, but I did meet [former IRON MAIDEN singer] Paul Di'Anno so many years later, in about 1995, and he said, 'Hey, K.K., we're sorry about that quote in the paper.' And that's all you need.

"But, anyway, like I said, it's all water under the bridge," K.K. added. "Those guys were young, coming up through the ranks, a bit delinquent, but at least they had balls, they got on with it, they knew what they wanted to do."

In his autobiography, Di'Anno claimed that he was the main reason old feelings of rivalry existed between MAIDEN and PRIEST during the early 1980s — something that Downing later denied. "Paul apologized personally to me — what a great gesture," K.K. told Rock Hard magazine in a 2003 interview. "But he wasn't the main reason for the rivalry. At the time of 'British Steel', PRIEST was the bigger band and MAIDEN was the supporting act. They were saying that they [would] blow us off the stage without any problem — well, I thought their behavior wasn't very nice. I'd have loved to send them home to take another band with us, [one] who would have appreciated the chance. But we were told not to do it as it would have looked like we were frightened by them. So we kept on going... but they were very arrogant. And I remember the main rehearsal before the tour when there were a few guys hanging around in the room who didn't say a word and watched everything we did — every step we made and every move of the stage lights. I wasn't very pleased and asked the guitar tech to tell the guys to leave the place. Don't get me wrong: I'm not too good not to play in front of the supporting band — but they could have asked, at least, if it was okay to attend the rehearsal. We went on tour and they didn't blow us off the stage, of course. I watched quite a lot of the MAIDEN shows, but the reaction of the audience wasn't very explosive — because the fans were waiting for us. Okay, MAIDEN became one of the biggest bands of the metal scene — and I'm proud of them. We made a big mistake by focusing more on the U.S. than on Europe after releasing 'British Steel'. [I mean], we lost a lot of attention at home. In the U.S., we were quite big — and MAIDEN asked us for a support slot on our U.S. tour. We said yes — and the same old story happened again. It had a lot to do with rivalry and jealousy."

When asked what he would say to Harris if they bumped into each other, K.K. told Rock Hard: "I'd buy him a beer — because it's an old story. Like I already said, I'm proud of what MAIDEN achieved and of what they did for the British metal. It might sound stupid — but it's true."

SKID ROW guitarist spoke to France's Loud TV about the addition of Erik Grönwall to the group's lineup. The Swedish vocalist joined SKID ROW in January as the replacement for ZP Theart, who had been in the group for more than six years. Theart played his final gig with SKID ROW in February before being officially given the boot.

On the topic of Erik's singing ability, Scotti said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Erik can sing anything, I think. I'm pretty sure he can… Well, I know he can sing anything that SKID ROW has ever done. And I've yet to see something he can't sing. He's an incredible talent. His singing is amazing. And he's equally as great a performer."

Regarding what it's like to share the stage with Erik, Scotti said: "It's like he's doing [the] Power Core [workout] up there. He's all over the place. He's incredible. It's so interesting, because you watch him backstage, and he's just Erik. He's a cool guy. He's funny. He's got a positive attitude. And then he walks out onstage and you're, like, 'Who the fuck is this guy? Who is that person? I don't know that person. He's possessed.' I try and stay out of his way. When I see him coming, I just [step back].

"From the beginning, from the first shows in Vegas, it was great being on stage with him," he continued. "Now we've been doing it long enough where we know each well enough on stage and how to interact with each other. It's a little awkward in the beginning when somebody new comes in. You have to get a feel for what they do on stage. And now we've got it down and we've been out doing lots of shows and I think we're pumping it 98 percent at this point."

Hill also reflected on the lineup changes that SKID ROW went through in the years prior to Erik's addition to the band. He said: "Between the EPs that we did and then some… We lost [former SKID ROW singer] Johnny Solinger. Well, actually, we parted ways with Johnny Solinger and then, unfortunately, years later, he passed away. And that period from then to when we got Erik was a little bumpy. As people know, we've gone through a few singers. And I think it's a matter of finding that missing piece that we've needed the whole time to bring us to the next level. We always say that when [drummer] Rob [Hammersmith] joined the band, we became a better band. We needed that last piece to make us an even better band. So the puzzle is complete. We are ready to go back in the studio and start working again."

Grönwall went from auditioning for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of "18 And Life" to being asked to front SKID ROW earlier this year.

Erik, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. for nearly a decade before exiting the group in October 2020. In September 2021, he announced that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant one month earlier.

Grönwall sang on H.E.A.T.'s last four studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020).

In September 2021, Grönwall released his new cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

In late March, SKID ROW released its first single with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here". The song is the title track of the band's latest album, which arrived on October 14 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW played its first show with Grönwall on March 26 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency.

DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan spoke to Matt Bingham of the Z93 radio station about how the events of the past couple of years have affected the lyrical themes covered on the band's upcoming album, "Divisive". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In a big way. Obviously, with the whole world having to hit the 'pause' button and not knowing what this pandemic was gonna be and turn out to be and just stopping all of our lives, not just our lives, but obviously the music industry being affected by it in a large way, because our whole livelihood is based off of contact and being in front of thousands of people. So, it obviously was one of the later career choices for us to make a comeback, obviously, it was harder for that, to get out of this pandemic and find out what live entertainment was gonna be and what restrictions there may be. So, it was challenging — for all of us, our crew members, everybody that… Their whole livelihood was taken away from them. And my heart goes out to a lot of guys that worked for us and for other artists that had to go out and find new jobs during that whole time and a new career path. So it was challenging. It was challenging mentally. It kind of had an effect on me dealing with it and having the live show taken away from us. It's always been therapeutic for us. That's why we write music and do it. It's our outlet and our way to seek that therapy. And we went through a difficult time. Mike [Wengren], our drummer, went through a divorce early on in the pandemic. I went through a divorce earlier this year. It was a tough time. It affected our personal lives. And then, obviously, all the changes in the world and politically and things going on here in the U.S., it's become quite a mess and quite the division amongst each other. Everything you see on social media, it's just become a mess. It's pretty disgusting. It's sad to see the division that has been going on here. It's like people wake up in the morning and they can't wait to get on social media to see what they can bitch about. We're just so divided. It's, like, 'If you don't believe what I believe, then I hate you.' And 'You're a racist.' And 'You're a homophobe.' Just the name calling. It's just an ugly time right now."

Donegan, who in the past has shared posts on his personal Facebook page that amplified Republican talking points and that were derogatory to Democrats, continued: "It's just shocking to me. And now I see it within friendships and family members. And people are that much at odds to where it's affected those close relationships, not just the strangers that can hide behind the keyboard in their mom's basement and spew out their hatred towards it. I don't know. It's just really disappointing to see people torn apart, a country torn apart like this. And I think we need to take a step back and take a look at the way we've been acting. We're called the United States. We're not really acting all that united in the past couple of years."

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

"It was very personal to me," admitted Dan. "I was going through my divorce, and I wanted to touch on the fact I was in a very long marriage to a wonderful woman. She's a great mother to my kids. We were together for 18 years. Even though the marriage was in a tough spot, it was hard to leg go, because we'd invested so much into each other. I felt like listeners could relate to it."

"Divisive" will arrive 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".

About the "Divisive" album title, Draiman noted: "Partisan tribal warfare has become a part of our regular existence nowadays. It's one big battle of the cliques. The whole idea of the record is to be a wakeup call for everyone. Our society has become addicted to outrage. Music is the best cure for what ails us though. If only everyone reached out and used it. There's no better environment to forget about all of this shit than live music. We can be together and realize we have more in common than not. Recognize what's happening and let's make a change for the better."

Donegan added: "Whatever it takes, we've got to pull it together. We've always tried to take negative topics and spin them in a positive light. From touring around the world, we've seen the power of music as the universal language to bring everyone together from all walks of life. We can still play songs to unite people, and it's a pretty powerful feeling."

SALIVA has released a new radio single, "High On Me", to all major platforms.

SALIVA singer Bobby Amaru stated about the track: "'High On Me' is about a day in the life of someone's opioid addiction. Is it me or the drugs that keep you sticking around? The opioid epidemic is something so many struggle with and most never make it out the other side. I've had many friends die from it and it saddens me when I hear of someone losing that battle."

This past June, SALIVA released another single "Crows". Two months earlier, the band dropped "Revelation Man", which was SALIVA's first new track in four years.

SALIVA will continue to release tracks and ultimately a full album in spring of 2023. The new music has a contemporary feel but sticks to the blue-collar roots that the band's fans love.

SALIVA will be on tour in December with AWAKE AT LAST and SEVENTH DAY SLUMBER.

As previously reported, SALIVA reunited with its original singer Josey Scott for a one-off appearance at this year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival in September at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last four releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016) and "10 Lives" (2018).

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.

Descend into the darkening depths with Undrask's immersive new single "The Thing In The Pit". Brutal rhythms, intricate melodies and eerie choral chants manifest a demonic atmosphere that's enhanced with theatrics in the music video. 


"We're happy to share a taste of our upcoming album, God Emperor. This track is our protagonist's descent into literal and metaphorical darkness, where 'The Thing In The Pit' resides. One of the more straightforward, driving tracks on the album, and we look forward to sharing the rest!" 







Thundering percussion creates a haunting introduction alongside an eerie choir. Metal instrumentation explodes into life with a contrapuntal array of heavy rhythms and sees lightning speed melodies spark into being. Guttural vocals deliver a commanding presence and yield a further burst of aggressive power into the ferocious mix. "The Thing In The Pit", and the upcoming album, delve deeper into the story of the creation of the Longhammer - "Longhammer" is a track featured on the previous LP Battle Through Time. "The Thing In The Pit" showcases Undrask's evolution and provides a thrilling first glimpse of what is to come. 


 

Inverno is a new Italian metal band whose line-up comprises Diego Cavallotti (Lacuna Coil), Danilo Arisi (Avelion), Daniele Salomone (D With Us), Nicola Pedrali (Genus Ordinis Dei) and Simone Orizio (A Hero Named Coward).


"Martyrs" is the fourth single released by Inverno: a song that once again refines the band’s formula with edgy riffs, abundant and vitalizing tempo changes, growling vocals and catchy yet sharp choruses.







The lyrics, music and video further develop the concept of "Hollow", "Lands" and "Roots", the three singles preceding "Martyrs". Inner conflict is still the main theme, as we're often poor arbiters of our own emotions and desires.











For further details, visit Inverno on Facebook.


 

Canadian rockers, Headstones, released their new full-length album, Flight Risk, on October 14th via Known Accomplice. Today, the band has issued a video for the opening track from Flight Risk, a song called "Headlight Holds A Deer".


The clip, which can be seen below, was directed by Stuart Campbell, with special thanks given to Rusty Hook Auto Salvage.







Catch Headstones live on the Flight Risk tour. Tickets are available here, with confirmed dates as listed:


November
22 - Thunder Bay, ON - Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
24 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
25 - Regina, SK - Casino Regina
26 - Saskatoon, SK - Coors Event Centre
27 - Red Deer, AB - Bo’s Bar
29 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre
30 - Grande Prairie, AB - Better Than Fred’s


December
1 - Edmonton, AB - Midway
3 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
8 - Waterloo, ON - Maxwell’s
10 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
14 - London, ON - London Music Hall
15 - Oshawa, ON - Oshawa Music Hall
16 - Ottawa, ON - Bronson Centre
22 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre


Flight Risk is pre-apocalyptic rock and roll at its finest, following up Headstones' 2019 release PeopleSkills, which garnered two Top 10 radio hits with “Leave It All Behind” and “Horses”.


This is one of the most subversive Headstones rock and roll records to date. Flight Risk is the result of years of relentless work ethic and dedication, a testament to the long-standing relationships within the band and their team. The album features a surprise co-write on the track "Ashes", between Hugh Dillon and long-time friend and collaborator Taylor Sheridan; one of the most prolific, premier storytellers of his time, and architect of hit series’ Yellowstone and 1883, Oscar-nominated films Sicario and Hell Or High Water.


The album is available to order / save here.





Tracklisting:


"Headlight Holds A Deer"
"Everything Or Nothing At All"
"Flight Risk"
"When It Goes Badly"
"Tangled"
"Hotel Room"
"Neon Rome"
"Ashes"
"Psychotropic"
"Pilot Light"
"Rink"


"Everything Or Nothing At All" video:





"Flight Risk" video:





"Tangled" video:





Headstones lineup:


Hugh Dillon – vocals, harmonica
Trent Carr – guitar, vocals
Tim White – bass, vocals
Steve Carr – keys
Jesse Labovitz – drums


 

Forged from the melting pot of Detroit's underground metal scene, Asylence is a well-oiled metal machine built with passion, intent, and ferocity like no other. At the beginning of next year, they will be releasing their full-length album, Endanger Us All.


A music video for the single, “Soulless”, can be viewed below.


Vocalist Ryan Lang: “This is another oldie but a goodie. One of the heaviest songs we’ve ever written especially early on in the band. This is screaming in an addict's face. This is how hard it is to see a loved one fade away into the depths of addiction. This song is so emotional for me, I’ve lost far too many friends to drugs and addiction, and I’m no stranger to my own struggles myself. I hope that this song can provide someone with comfort that they are not alone and maybe this could help encourage people to wake up and change their lives for the better.”




A fun fact about the single, the ending was actually first written off the cuff live. They screwed up how it was supposed to end and just ran with it and the crowd loved it. They did too, so it was added to the final song. The album Endanger Us All is a combination of Asylence’s oldest and newest material. The older songs have always been a staple in their live sets and they wanted to finally record them right and do them justice. The new songs have been completed since the release of their 2020 EP Eulogy Of Man and they really constructed the bridge from what we were to what they’re becoming.


Asylence started out trying to be as heavy as they could possibly be but now they find themselves exploring more techniques and ideas that they had never previously thought to pursue. They are recommended for fans of Arch Enemy, DevilDriver, and Amon Amarth.

Recently wrapping up their North American tour supporting legendary German speed metallers Accept, Narcotic Wasteland - founded by guitarist Dallas Toler-Wade - is sharing their assaulting new single, “Victims Of The Algorithm”. A music video can be viewed below.


The track is a crushing speed storm of death thrash, with its visceral vocals, and a demolishing blast beat war to annihilate the mosh pit. The song is the first time drummer/ vocalist Joseph Howard collaborated with Wade.


"I had the music done for an untitled track that I already recorded in the studio, but I didn't have lyrics written yet, then Joseph showed me lyrics he wrote called Victims of the Algorithm and after I read them, I knew they were the perfect match for this song. To break it down, Victims of the Algorithm is about a lot of things, but for me, after reading Howard's lyrics, it's mostly about putting down our phones and breaking free from this ridiculous round of existence we have created for ourselves. Disconnecting from the daily neurotypical absurdities and enjoying life in the moment." says Wade.




The music video was created by Kenji Tsunami of Tsunami films. Footage for the video was captured at the Thirsty Axe in Ukiah, CA, and at the band's rehearsal space in San Francisco, CA.


"I think Kenji really captured our live prowess very well!! It has a very gritty punk rock feel to it, and fits the song and its meaning perfectly," adds Wade.


“Victims Of The Algorithm” will be featured on Narcotic Wasteland's forthcoming 2023 album via Megaforce Records (release date to be determined). The single was recorded with engineer, and producer Erik Schultek who is no stranger to the band having recorded drums, engineered and produced their self-titled debut album. The band's 2023 album will be the follow-up to their sophomore full-length 2017’s “Delirium Tremens”.


Stream “Victims of the Algorithm” here.





Inspired mostly by thrash metal and classic heavy metal, Narcotic Wasteland is becoming more thrash and speed and less death metal and getting better at writing material that is meaningful and powerful. They are recommended for fans of Vader, Death, The Crown, Autopsy, Pestilence, and Nile.


Previous singles:


“Morality And The Wasp”





“The Best Times Have Passed”:


 





 


Narcotic Wasteland started as a side project Dallas Toler-Wade had been working on the past few years when he was not touring or in the writing/studio with metal heavyweights Nile.


"So I just started writing some songs kind of more in the style of things I was playing before my time in Nile. The more we started working on these demos the more we wanted to complete an album and take it to the stage!!! Our observation of what was going on in parts of the town we grew up in and in other parts of the world fueled a new level of angst for me personally.” - DTW


(Photo - Andrea Roberts)