ABKCO Records is set to release The Rolling Stones In Mono (Limited Colour Edition) vinyl box set in early 2023. Originally issued on black vinyl, CD and digital in 2016, the updated version contains the entirety of the Rolling Stones’ 1960s recorded output (186 tracks spread across 16 180-gram LPs), now presented in a plethora of vinyl colours - 14 total - chosen to match the original cover art of classic albums such as Aftermath and Beggars Banquet.


Spanning the era between 1963 and 1969, The Rolling Stones In Mono (Limited Colour Edition) covers the formative years of the legendary London-based quintet, who were dubbed and acknowledged as “the world’s greatest rock and roll band,” as they were churning out era-defining hits such as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Paint It, Black,” “Ruby Tuesday” and “Honky Tonk Women.” Packaged as 15 separate albums, The Rolling Stones In Mono contains key releases from the band’s US and UK discographies, organized to include every track from the era while minimizing catalog redundancies. Stray Cats, a 2-LP compilation exclusive within the vinyl box set, ties up all loose ends, incorporating every 1960s Rolling Stones track that isn’t found on the other 14 albums, for a total of 24 tracks. It includes two versions of the aforementioned “Poison Ivy,” Barrett Strong’s 1959 hit “Money,” as well as “Fortune Teller.” Other rarities include “Con Le Mie Lacrime,” a version of “As Tears Go By” sung in Italian, “Stoned” (the instrumental b-side of “I Wanna Be Your Man”), and the 1965 outtake of Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” now freed of the fake applause to disguise its studio origin when the track appeared on the 1966 LP Got Live If You Want It.   


During this period, most rock and pop recordings were mixed in mono, with the stereo version often an afterthought, and only dealt with following the completion of the original (mono) version of a given track. In short, mono reigned and this was, indeed, the case for the Rolling Stones at that time. While typical playback systems of the ‘60s were less than sophisticated, the original mono recordings, especially as heard through quality components, were of the highest audio quality and had a powerful and very direct impact. "You felt you were in the room... listening to exactly what went down in the studio, no frills, no nothing," Keith Richards wrote in his autobiography, Life. "Rock was a completely new musical form," Mick Jagger explained in a 1995 Rolling Stone interview. "It hadn't been around for ten years when we started doing it... You felt like one of the chosen few, one of the only ones in the world who would get to play with this new toy. We had evangelical fervor." Late recording engineer Dave Hassinger explained how he mixed his ’64-’66 works for the Stones in mono. "They always played together at the same time. They would run the parts down, work out the changes here and there, nail it down, then start recording."




Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke, in his 5,000-word essay that accompanies the set, writes, “The Rolling Stones In Mono is the full studio account of that first decade of history and mayhem, newly remastered with unprecedented fidelity and revelatory detail.” His commentaries are included with the box set as part of a 4-colour deluxe 48-page lie-flat book that features numerous rare photos by renowned photographer Terry O’Neill. The 16 LPs are housed in the original full colour album jackets that fit along with the book into a one piece specially crafted box.


The Rolling Stones In Mono (Limited Colour Edition) was mastered by Grammy® award-winning engineer Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering. For the project he utilized Direct Stream Digital (DSD) transfers from the original master recordings, with a sampling rate of 2,822,400. Lacquer cutting for vinyl was performed at Abbey Road Studios by Sean Magee. The Rolling Stones In Mono (Limited Colour Edition) project has been overseen by Teri Landi, ABKCO’s Grammy award-winning Chief Audio Engineer.


Pre-order the limited edition box set here.





The Rolling Stones In Mono (Limited Colour Edition) 16LP vinyl box set:


- The Rolling Stones (UK, 1964) - Cobalt Blue vinyl
- 12 X 5 (1964) - Yellow vinyl
- The Rolling Stones No. 2 (UK, 1965) - Steel Blue vinyl
- The Rolling Stones Now! (1965) - Gold vinyl
- Out of Our Heads (US, 1965) - Sky Blue vinyl
- Out of Our Heads (UK, 1965) - Green vinyl
- December’s Children (And Everybody’s) (1965) - Silver vinyl
- Aftermath (UK, 1966) - Purple vinyl
- Aftermath (US, 1966) - Grey vinyl
- Between the Buttons (UK, 1967) - Azure Blue vinyl
- Flowers (1967) - Pink vinyl
- Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) - White vinyl
- Beggars Banquet (1968) - Maroon vinyl
- Let It Bleed (1969) - Red vinyl
- Stray Cats (2-LP collection of single A & B sides plus E.P. tracks) - White vinyl

Fan-filmed video of LIVING WRECKAGE — the modern metal band comprised of vocalist Jeff Gard (DEATH RAY VISION), guitarists Jon Donais (ANTHRAX, SHADOWS FALL) and Matt LeBreton (DOWNPOUR), bassist Matt Bachand (SHADOWS FALL, ACT OF DEFIANCE) and drummer Jon Morency (LET US PREY) — performing covers of ALICE IN CHAINS' "Man In The Box" and AUDIOSLAVE's "Show Me How To Live" on October 22 at Geraldines Live Music Bar & Grill in Chicopee, Massachusetts can be seen below.

LIVING WRECKAGE's self-titled debut album was released in September via M-Theory Audio on CD, limited-edition colored vinyl and digital. Produced and engineered by Shane Frisby (UNEARTH, BURY YOUR DEAD),and mixed by Pete Rutcho (REVOCATION, FALLING IN REVERSE),the LP was anticipated by fans curious to hear more music, as evidenced by how quickly LIVING WRECKAGE's three-song EP, which was available solely at the group's shows and via mail-order, sold out.

In a 2021 interview with the "2020'd" podcast, Donais was asked how we landed the gig with ANTHRAX after previously spending almost two decades with SHADOWS FALL. He said: "SHADOWS FALL, a couple of the guys were having kids or about to have kids and got married, and they just didn't wanna be on the road anymore. And we weren't making enough where you could have that kind of stuff; you had to be on the road all the time. You can't be selfish anymore once you have a wife and kids. You can't [go], 'Well, I might make this much money, or I might not. But I'm gonna go have fun.' It came to the point where they had to choose that path. And then ANTHRAX lost their guitarist, and they asked me to fill in — just to fill in. And I was, like, 'Absolutely,' 'cause I kind of saw the writing on the wall with SHADOWS FALL."

According to Donais, his predecessor in ANTHRAX, Rob Caggiano, hooked him up with his current gig. "'Cause he knew he was gonna leave, and he wanted to make sure that they were all set," Jon said. "He wanted to make sure that they were covered and didn't wanna leave 'em hanging. And he knew we knew each other, and he asked me if I'd be interested, and I was, like, 'Yeah. A hundred percent.' And then I didn't hear anything for a little bit, and I didn't know what was going on.' Then, maybe two or three weeks later, [ANTHRAX guitarist] Scott Ian called, and he goes, 'I heard you know what's going on.' I go, 'Yeah.' He goes, 'Can you do it?' I go, 'Fucking absolutely.'"

Donais made his live debut with ANTHRAX in Australia without a single rehearsal with the band. "I jammed with Scott a little bit, but it was, 'Here. Learn these songs and be ready,'" he recalled. "Oh. God. That first show — I was shaking."

Donais contributed lead guitar to ANTHRAX's latest album, "For All Kings", which came out in 2016 via Nuclear Blast in Europe and Megaforce in the U.S. At the time of the record's release, his ANTHRAX bandmates praised his playing, with bassist Frank Bello saying: "I think Jon has brought a great energy to the band. He stepped up and then some on this record." Ian added: "Jon's approach towards lead guitar playing, he's more of a guy who's looking to construct something that makes sense and helps a song rather than the 45 seconds for him to be showing off how many notes he can play in X amount of measures."

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons underwent a procedure earlier today to have excess kidney stones removed.

Some of Gene's fans expressed their concert after the 73-year-old rocker's wife, Shannon Simmons, uploaded a photo of her husband's socks at the hospital, along with the caption "Gotta love #hospitalsocks @genesimmons getting #kidneystones blasted again! #poorbaby". A couple of hours later, Gene himself shared a video of him lying on the hospital bed while wearing a medical gown and a head covering, and he included the following message: "Hey, thnx you guys for the calls, but honestly I'm fine. Shannon took the video..Just cleaning the tubes for excess kidney stones. Looks awful, but really no big deal. Took an hour, then drove to have a hot dog. I appreciate your good wishes".

Back in October 2019, Simmons underwent a successful kidney stones surgery. The non-invasive operation at Cedars-Sinai Hospital only took about an hour to complete and involved inserting a stent in his urethra to help him pass his stones. The stent was reportedly removed within a week.

A few days earlier, KISS postponed its concert in Salt Lake City. At the time, Simmons tweeted that he had to fly to Los Angeles "to do a medical procedure." He added: "Nothing serious. But it must be taken care of now."

Earlier this year, Simmons said in an interview with The Sun that he is against drugs and booze which he says lead to you "fucking around with cancer."

Simmons, whose KISS bandmate, drummer Eric Carr, died of cancer over 20 years ago, said: "You can fill your body with garbage. Put it into your car and see how far your car goes. I don't care if it's a Rolls-Royce, it's going to splutter and die. The more shit you put into your body, the more you're going to be a walking pot of shit."

Simmons went on to say that he avoids toxifying substances, particularly crack cocaine and alcohol, at all costs.

"I don't mean to say I don't love cake or pasta, or things like that, but crack is out of the question," he said. "Drugs don't work, booze don't work, cigarettes — all the people who think you look cool. You're fucking around with cancer. It just doesn't work."

KISS's "End Of The Road" farewell tour launched in 2019 and is scheduled to end sometime in 2023, 50 years after the band's formation.

KISS was forced to put its farewell trek on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but has since been extended. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Simmons and vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley, KISS's first "farewell" tour in 2000 was the last to feature the group's original lineup.
Hey, thnx you guys for the calls, but honestly I’m fine. Shannon took the video..Just cleaning the tubes for excess kidney stones. Looks awful, but really no big deal. Took an hour, then drove to have a hot dog. I appreciate your good wishes 🤟😎. pic.twitter.com/3EThQziSc1

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) November 14, 2022


Gotta love #hospitalsocks@genesimmons getting #kidneystones blasted again! #poorbabyhttps://t.co/lyTXI4DDw7

— Shannon Tweed-Simmons (@shannonleetweed) November 14, 2022

Aussie heavy rockers Audio Reign has released a heart-warming, emotional video for their latest single “Shining Light”. Purchase/stream the single here.





The offering was fueled by fans stating their love for this song and was the catalyst for releasing this single and music video from their recent International Deluxe Edition album.




“We’re really excited to release this music video to the world. This song is very special to us and so many fans have told us of their love for it too. As a band we had to make an important decision on whether to bring this fan favourite to life or drop a brand new single and video from our forthcoming new album. It was now or never and we decided that Shining Light was too special to leave behind so we chose to immortalise Shining Light in this video,” states Jake Fleming, lead vocalist and guitarist for Audio Reign.





“Although ‘Shining Light’ is one of our most gentle songs, make no mistake, when it all kicks in halfway through, it explodes into a massive wall of sound. This is most definitely a stadium power ballad (haha).”


“The video story is so humanly enchanting and utilises vintage handy-cam style footage which brings an authentic feel to the whole concept. The emotional and heart-warming scenes of the couple really shine through and are guaranteed to touch your soul.”


‘Shining Light’ is about two people who love each other immensely, but they both have such busy lives now that they barely seem to get a moment anymore to share that special bond. This song tells of when that special moment arrives. This is an affirmation that no matter how hectic and busy life can get, you are still and always will be everything to me, you are my ‘Shining Light’.





The International Deluxe Edition album is out now and distributed internationally via MR Records.

Billy Idol and Steve Stevens recently performed a special acoustic set of fan favorites and songs from Billy's most recent EPs, The Roadside EP and The Cage EP, on the Amoeba Hollywood stage. Video footage can be found below.


Setlist:


"Dancing With Myself"
"Bitter Taste"
"Eyes Without A Face"
"Cage"
"Rebel Yell"
"White Wedding"














Billy Idol's The Cage EP is out now via Dark Horse Records. The new music follows the release of Idol’s 2021 The Roadside EP, which included the Top 15 hit “Bitter Taste” and received praise from fans and critics alike. As on The Roadside EP, Idol is joined on the new project by his longtime collaborator, co-writer and guitarist Steve Stevens.


Order The Cage EP on your choice of CD, vinyl LP, and limited edition red vinyl LP with a limited amount of signed copies available while they last, here.





Tracklisting:


"Cage"
"Running From The Ghost"
"Rebel Like You"
"Miss Nobody"


"Cage" video:





"Running From The Ghost" video:





"Rebel Like You":





"Miss Nobody":

"Inception" is the first solo single from Swedish rock singer Guernica Mancini, the vocalist for Thundermother, and is available now via Golden Robot Records. 


Having forged a successful career at the helm of Thundermother, with over 300,000 monthly listeners and millions of streams, Guernica has been working on a solo side-project that can only be described as a mind blowing fusion of rock and pop.


"Inception" toys with the idea of a rebirth; a place in time where you have to get up, dust yourself and rise from the ashes with no limitations. It's a song fit for a fighter, so it only made sense that fellow Swede, Linn Sandstrom, premiered the track for Guernica at the WBA Intercontinental Title fight late last month. Having already won a WBC Australasia and WBA Asia Boxing Championship, Linn selected "Inception" as the song to make her U.K. main event debut with at York Hall - leading to a unanimous win and a third title belt. 







In 2007, Guernica enrolled at the prestigious Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, CA, where she won a songwriting contest. This led her to record with famed music producer Darryl Swann, who’s worked with acts such as Black-Eyed Peas, John Frusciante and Macy Gray, just to name a few.


During her time at the Musicians Institute, she formed the all-female band Inglourious, performing at music venues in LA as well as Las Vegas, including House of Blues, Hard Rock Café, The Key Club and The Roxy.


2010 saw Mancini team up with Jeff Young (former member of Megadeth) as the lead singer for his band Souls On 11.


After five years in LA, Guernica moved back to Sweden and formed her own band, The Royal Ruckus. The following four years the band played throughout Sweden and toured around Europe.


2017 gave Guernica the opportunity to audition for the Swedish all female rock band Thundermother, where she has since become the lead singer. 


Mancini has been lead vocalist on the last three Thundermother albums, and was a songwriter on the latest ones. They have toured all over the world, played massive Festivals such as Wacken, Sweden Rock Festival, Alcatraz, Exit Festival and Reload Festival. They also featured on The Kiss Cruise, Full Metal Cruise and supported The Dead Diasis, Backyard Babies and Rose Tattoo.


Thundermother is by far one of the hardest working, extensively touring bands in the world and Guernica is the voice of this thunder machine! In 2020 she joined Hank Von Hell on his single "Crown" off his album Dead. In 2021 the band King Zebra, also signed to Golden Robot Records’ metal label Crusader Records, asked Guernica to join them on their song, "Wall Of Confusion". 


Guernica Mancini: "Getting to do something creatively that’s completely my own is something that I’ve been longing to do since I was a very young girl. It’s scary but at the same time so exciting and fun! I feel very fortunate to have gotten this opportunity. More than anything I feel so happy that my bandmates in Thundermother are really supportive and excited for me. So now let the Guernica solo legacy begin." 

Ted Nugent has offered to sit down with former U.S. president Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis to cool the tensions between two of the country's most popular Republicans.

Trump, who has been teasing another bid for the White House, has been jabbing away at DeSantis in last few days, calling him an "average Republican governor with great Public Relations" and giving him the nickname "Ron DeSanctimonious". He also posted Wednesday on Truth Social that he got more votes in Florida in 2020 than DeSantis did this week — even though they were running for different offices and not against each other. Meanwhile, DeSantis delivered Republicans one of the most sweeping statewide victories in Florida in recent memory, prompting a number of conservative media making it clear that they would prefer to cast aside Trump in favor of DeSantis as the leader of the Republican party. The New York Post's front cover on Thursday put Trump's face over the drawing of a boy from a well-known nursery rhyme. The headline was "Trumpty Dumpty". The Wall Street Journal's opinion section ran a sharp editorial headlined, "Trump is the Republican Party's Biggest Loser".

Nugent, a vocal Trump supporter who campaigned for America's 45th president in his home state of Michigan, addressed the perceived feud between Trump and DeSantis during the November 11 edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which Ted Nugent offers his take on the news of our world every night. Asked by co-host Keith Mark how the "potential rift" between the two Republicans "should be resolved," Nugent said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "From my point of view, where my radar for truth, logic and common sense never rests, I believe that Ron DeSantis is a great conservative leader. I believe that President Donald Trump is a great conservative leader. I do not see a rift. I do not see a separation. I see that we the people need to unite on conservative values.

"I'll be going down to Mar-a-Lago as a guest of President Trump receiving some gonzo, we-the-people, middle-finger-on-fire patriot award because I've dedicated the last 50 years of my life doing so," he continued. "And while I'm in Florida with the greatest governor in America, in Florida with the greatest president in the history of America, I'm gonna see if I can reach out and recommend that the three of us get together.

"So, governor Ron DeSantis, congratulations and salute. President Donald Trump, we are with you. And I would recommend and invite both of you great, great patriots to sit down with Ted Nugent at your first convenient opportunity and maybe we can strategize to make sure that the conservative real Republican community of this country is united. I think we can do that.

"Ron? President Trump? I'm here for ya," Ted added.

Nugent has been very publicly critical of Joe Biden, comparing him to Adolf Hitler following a speech the U.S. president made in September. Last year Nugent declared Biden a "rotten" human being and railed against Democrats who support the president's "ugly policies." He said during an appearance on "The Wild Initiative" podcast: "You say that some of the liberals have good intentions. I haven't met one. And I meet an awful lot of people. Because if you are on the side of Joe Biden, you're just plain a rotten human being. You support a man with a liberal agenda that renegotiated all the contracts with the globe that Trump finally negotiated on behalf of our country. That's not my hunch; that's not a guess; that's not an opinion. Trump renegotiated global contracts for the first time in my lifetime to actually benefit America, and Joe Biden reversed them to hurt America. So if you're a liberal and a Democrat, you're the enemy of freedom. And if you don't believe in those ugly, ugly policies, then you have to quit."

He continued: "If you don't agree with forcing Americans to get vaccination passports, but people are flooding in through the borders without any vetting whatsoever, then you have no soul, and you can't be on that team. If you disagree with these toxic, dangerous, tyrannical policies, you've gotta quit that gang. That gang is the Democrats. Their agenda is extreme liberal Marxism. And if you're part of that team, you're as rotten as that man who's searching for a syllable in the White House."

Nugent has repeatedly said that the 2020 presidential election was a fraud, insisting that "hundreds of thousands of dead people" voted and claiming that machines were "rigged" to give a Donald Trump vote to Joe Biden. Trump lost the election by more than 7 million in the popular vote and by 306-232 in the Electoral College.

There is no evidence of any widespread fraud or manipulation of voting machines in the 2020 election, as has been underscored by audits, court cases and the conclusions of Trump's own Department Of Justice.

In a new interview with Heavy Debriefings, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares spoke about his band's search for a new vocalist following the departure of Burton C. Bell more than two years ago. Regarding how having a new voice will affect the setlist for FEAR FACTORY's upcoming tour as the support act for STATIC-X, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're definitely gonna be throwing in our biggest, most streamed song, which is 'Linchpin'; we're gonna be able to finally put that in the setlist. And we're gonna be able to do a lot of songs like that, stuff that we haven't been able to do in a while. [The new singer has] got an amazing voice, which definitely opens doors for us to be able to go and pick and choose any song that we want and add it to the setlist.

"When we're doing this tour with STATIC-X, we've only got 50 minutes, so we're gonna be trying to squeeze in as much from our catalog as possible — at least doing two songs or one main song from each record," he explained. "Of course, you can't do 'Shock' without 'Edgecrusher'. You can't do 'Demanufacture' without 'Replica'. 'What Will Become?' and 'Linchpin' from the 'Digimortal' era. So there's a lot of songs for us to choose from — 'Poweshifter', 'Dielectric'; there's a lot of songs. So we're gonna try to squeeze 'em all in there and try to not talk as much, just so we can get another song in there."

Dino added that he is "very excited" about working with a new vocalist. "The singer that we have now, he's a multi-instrumentalist; he can play more than one instrument — guitars, bass, drums, keyboards — and he sings," he said. "Yeah, he's a multi-talented guy, and I can't wait to introduce him to the world. And it's gonna be killer. It's gonna be great… He's much more of a musician than I am. [Laughs]"

Cazares went on to say that he knew what to expect from a vocalist search once Bell had announced his decision to leave FEAR FACTORY. "It's nowhere that I haven't been before," he explained. "I've done [my other band] DIVINE HERESY, where I've been through a couple of singers, so I've gone through stuff like that before — vocalist change, member change. I've done that. For various reasons, people leave, people come and go. That's just how it is. People's lives change; people have a different path they wanna go. And that's all fine with me. I'm still here. My passion is with metal, industrial and all the other elements that come along with it. My passion is still there to write these heavy riffs, make these killer melodic choruses, sick double bass, syncopated guitars and drums. My passion is still there for all that, and I'm excited to actually do a new FEAR FACTORY record and fucking complete it with the new singer. So I can't wait."

Earlier this month, Dino told Sonic Perspectives that he and his bandmates have commenced work on the follow-up to 2021's "Aggression Continuum" album. He said: "We started pre-production about a week ago. So right now we're just demoing everything. And then we'll be recording probably early next year. But then I've gotta go on tour… We've gotta go on tour starting in late February, and we're gonna be on tour till at least June. So we probably be able to finish the production sometime until July, and then shortly after that hopefully get the record out as quickly as possible."

Cazares also addressed the fact that FEAR FACTORY's upcoming album will be the band's first to feature the group's new vocalist, the identity of whom has not yet been revealed.

"You wanna take your time [working with the new singer]," he explained. "You wanna make sure you find someone that best fits the job. It's not anything new for me; I've started many other bands with other singers, and I've had to replace singers before. But not in a band like FEAR FACTORY. So, yeah, it's definitely very challenging, and I'm definitely up for the challenge. I understand there's probably gonna be some sort of backlash, but there's a backlash with everything. So, yeah, I'm up for the challenge. I'm not planning on changing anything. I'm gonna pretty much keep what FEAR FACTORY is known for and try to honor the legacy of who we are."

Asked if musical chemistry, stage presence and personality were all factors in his decision when selecting the new vocalist of FEAR FACTORY, Dino said: "All of the above, especially when you're working with people that you don't know. Especially someone like the singer, who I don't know that well. When I hired him, I didn't know him that well. Of course we've spent some time together and we got to know each other. You wanna make sure you're not making a bad decision, 'cause this is gonna be something that's gonna last a while. Plus, relationships are relationships. You can't always control how things are gonna turn out. You try your best. And you put your right foot forward and you just keep moving."

Cazares also confirmed that FEAR FACTORY is currently "label-less" after working with Nuclear Blast for the band's last two albums. "We don't have any record company. FEAR FACTORY doesn't have any new record company right now," he said. "We haven't signed any new deals. And we are in the process also of negotiating and evaluating different offers that we have. That's another thing too. I didn't realize that this year that our record contract had expired with Nuclear Blast. But they still have the obligation to promote this record, 'Recoded' [the recently released collection of remixes of the songs from 'Aggression Continuum']. But now, moving forward, we're exploring our options and it's looking really good. So hopefully we'll get some sort of deal done and be able to get this music out to you as soon as possible."

In September, Cazares told "The Jasta Show" that FEAR FACTORY fans will have to wait a few more months to find out the identity of his band's new singer.

"FEAR FACTORY singer and music will be coming just before the [group's North American] tour with STATIC-X," he said. "End of February is the first show, so just before that we'll be releasing the single and the singer. And then boom — right on the road."

According to Dino, he has been working with the new FEAR FACTORY vocalist for a year. "It's just a lot of developing," he said. "You know, FEAR FACTORY is precious to a lot of people, and so I've gotta make sure that it's right.

"I wanted to release some tracks a while ago with the singer, but then I had nothing behind it — no tour or anything like that — so the hype was gonna die down quick," he explained. "So I wanna do it around a tour; that way you've got something to work. And I just didn't wanna release his name too quick, because no one's gonna care by the time I release a track a year later. So I want it all to be done together."

This past February, former NIGHTRAGE singer Antony Hämäläinen, who unsuccessfully auditioned for the vocalist slot in FEAR FACTORY, claimed in an interview that the new FF frontman is "a person from Italy."

In April, Dino told "The Garza Podcast" that the new FEAR FACTORY singer is emotionally ready to handle the inevitable pushback from some fans that he will get once his identity has been revealed. "I think that they're ready," he said. "When it comes to talent, they're very ready. But 'tour ready' is completely different. Let's hope that… Well, the person that we have has done some touring, but not touring like we do touring. Like, a full U.S. tour can be anywhere from four weeks to six weeks to whatever, then you fly over to Europe and do another four to five weeks, come back to the States, do another tour, then you go to South America and do another few weeks there, then you go to Australia and do another few weeks there, and then you plan for next year. I think one of the other things, too, is when this person is announced, they're gonna have to be able to handle all the criticism. That's gonna be the hard part. 'Well, it didn't sound like Burt [former singer Burton C. Bell].' Well, of course not. I want this person… They do actually sound like Burt — they can handle all the old stuff like Burt — but as far as moving forward, I would like them to have their own identity. We're still gonna have the formula of what makes FEAR FACTORY — for sure — but I want this person to somewhat have his own identity as well."

Pressed about what happened to cause Burton to leave FEAR FACTORY, Dino said: "Good question. I don't know. I think he just lost interest in… I can only assume, because we went through some really heavy lawsuits for four years, and it financially crippled us — personally as well — and I just believe that he lost interest. I think that possibly all the stuff that we went through in FEAR FACTORY was just, like… He's one of those guys, 'Fuck it. I'm out. I quit. Fuck it.' He doesn't come across as a fighter — as somebody who's gonna be, like, 'Fuck it. We went through it. Let's go through it and let's just continue.' I mean, I left the door open for him for a while to come back into the band, but he pretty much said fuck me, Raymond [Herrera, former FEAR FACTORY drummer] and Christian [Olde Wolbers, former FEAR FACTORY bassist] — everybody. Fuck everybody.

"I'm not gonna push it," Dino added. "I'm not gonna push him or nothing like that. Fans ask me all the time: 'Hey, call him up. Just call him up.' Well, if you saw the stuff he said when he left, he's not exactly a phone call away… He left pretty bitter, and that's pretty much where… It looks like he's having a good time being free. So I'm not gonna force anybody to come back or [any] stuff like that.

"Some people want change in their life, but sometimes fans just can't accept that. Fans are, like, 'He was the singer for 30 years. Come back.' That was his decision. No one pushed him out; no one forced him to leave — none of that stuff. That was his decision."

Asked about his previous comment that he was open to hiring a female vocalist for FEAR FACTORY, Dino told Bucketlist TV: "That was true. I auditioned a few women, yes. But it didn't work out — not because they were female or anything like that. Because I wanted to pick whoever was best for the position, and it turned out to be a guy."

Dino also addressed his statement from last year that he wanted to give an "unknown guy a shot" at fronting FEAR FACTORY. He said: "Well, it wasn't like I was only looking for somebody that nobody knew. I was looking for all different [types of singers]. Sure, if the guy turned out to be, or the girl turned out to be, someone that nobody knew and I gave 'em that shot, yeah, great. I was open to all of it, is what I'm saying. Male, female, whatever, known, unknown — I was open to all of that."

In September 2020, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's latest LP.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

In October 2020, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with Herrera and Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

"Aggression Continuum" was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside drummer Mike Heller.

Zakk Wylde has revealed some of the songs that PANTERA might perform at its upcoming shows.

In July, it was reported that Wylde and ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante, along with PANTERA's surviving members, singer Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, will tour as PANTERA, headlining a number of major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts.

According to a report by Billboard, Wylde and Benante's involvement in the project has been approved by the estates of PANTERA's late co-founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.

Zakk discussed his participation in the PANTERA celebration tour during an appearance on "Sunday With Ola", the YouTube program hosted by Ola Englund, the Swedish guitarist, record producer and owner of Solar guitars. Regarding how his involvement in the PANTERA tribute came about, Zakk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's always been talks about it, for years, especially when Vinnie was still alive. And it was just, like, well, I'll just wait till that day comes. 'If you guys decide you wanna do it, you know I'm always gonna be here for ya.' Phil called me up one night, and he was just, like, 'Zakk, I was talking with Rex. We're thinking about doing this. We were wondering if you would wanna honor Dime.' And I was, like, 'Of course, man.' How could I say no? So now, it was just, like, 'All right. Well, send me the songs for the setlist so I can start learning this stuff, man.'"

Asked if he has already started learning the PANTERA material, Zakk said: "Yeah, of course. I've been working on it for a while now. I had to get a whammy pedal. I never owned one of those things. Grady [Champion, who was Dimebag's guitar tech throughout his career with PANTERA] will probably be running that thing, the guy who ran it for Dimebag. So, yeah, I'm a proud owner of a whammy pedal now. [Laughs] And I've got my Dime guitars, the ones that actually he gave me… I've got my rig. Obviously, what Dime used that I don't use, obviously, is noise gate. Obviously, if you're gonna be doing [hums 'Cowboys From Hell' main riff]… My stuff, it's just pure lightning all the time. If I'm gonna stop, you stop. Dime would have, like, two distortion pedals on at the same time. I remember in his rig, he goes, 'Zakk, what pedals do you use?' My overdrive pedals — he had one of those things in his board. I go, 'Dime, it's probably not even panning anything 'cause you've got so much overdrive on there.' But for him, there wasn't enough gate. He loved it. And there's an art to controlling it."

As for whether there is a particular song or a solo he's especially worried about when it comes to performing it live, Zakk said: "To me, it's just like learning Randy's [Rhoads] stuff [to play with Ozzy Osbourne], whether we're doing 'Mr. Crowley' or 'I Don't Know' or anything. To me, it's fun. But whether we're playing 'Goddamn Electric', that solo's beyond… I mean, all the solos are blazing; they're all awesome. It's gonna be fun when you're playing 'Walk', and stuff like that, or 'Cowboys From Hell' or anything like that. Some of the other ones that we've got on there like… I mean, 'A New Level' and stuff like that — those are all cool. I think I may have gone on your web site, just to see 'Becoming', watching you play. Any of these things that I got stumped on, I was, like, 'What the hell was that?' I would just go, 'How to play…' and I'd go on to YouTube and just see all these other amazing players playing the stuff… For me, that's the whole thing, too — playing it with the record is one thing, but then you take the record away and it's, like, 'All right. Play it for me.' It's a guideline. It's like cover by numbers; you know where you're going. Or taking the GPS off your car. It's, like, 'All right, do you remember how to get back down to Hollywood?' You're, like, 'Zakk, I have no idea. I was following the GPS the whole time.'"

Zakk went on to say that he will be seeing the other PANTERA guys later in the month. "I'll be hooking up with the fellows," he said. "And then we just start going over everything and just go probably light pads, go over it nice and quiet, until we can start… so we start firing it up and just go full volume."

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.

Confirmed PANTERA shows so far:

Dec. 02 - Texicoco, Mexico - Hell & Heaven Metal Fest
Dec. 06 - Monterrey, Mexico – Monterrey Metal Fest
Dec. 09 - Bogotá, Colombia – Knotfest Colombia
Dec. 11 - Santiago, Chile - Knotfest Chile
Dec. 12 - Santiago, Chile - Movistar Arena
Dec. 15 - São Paulo, Brazil – Vibra São Paulo (with JUDAS PRIEST)
Dec. 18 - São Paulo, Brazil – Knotfest Brazil
Jun. 2-4 - Nürburgring, Germany - Rock Am Ring
Jun. 2-4 - Nürnberg, Germany - Rock Im Park
Jun. 10 - Sölvesborg, Sweden – Sweden Rock Festival
Jun. 22-24 - Oslo, Norway - Tons Of Rock

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

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

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.

Canadian rock band NICKELBACK has shared "High Time", the third single from the band's long-awaited tenth studio album and first release in five years, "Get Rollin'", which will arrive on November 18 via BMG.

According to a press release, "'High Time' takes listeners on a hazy cross-country road trip that reminds us that it's always 4:20 somewhere."

"High Time" follows the LP's first two singles, "San Quentin", which was made available in September, and "Those Days", which arrived a month later.

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.

"Get Rollin'" track listing:

01. San Quentin
02. Skinny Little Missy
03. Those Days
04. High Time
05. Vegas Bomb
06. Tidal Wave
07. Does Heaven Even Know You're Missing?
08. Steel Still Rusts
09. Horizon
10. Standing In The Dark
11. Just One More
12. High Time (Acoustic) *
13. Does Heaven Even Know You're Missing? (Acoustic) *
14. Just One More (Acoustic) *
15. Horizon (Acoustic) *

* "Get Rollin'" deluxe version

NICKELBACK will play three intimate shows this week to celebrate the release of "Get Rollin'". The band's first performances in three years will take place at the following venues:

Nov. 15 - Toronto, ONT, Canada @ History
Nov. 18 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom (WRAT Nutcracker Ball)
Nov. 20 - Mashantucket, CT @ Foxwoods Resort Casino

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.

SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg has recorded a public service announcement about hearing loss for the Hearing Health Foundation (HHF),the largest nonprofit funder of hearing and balance research based in the United States. Check it out below.

In the four-minute clip, Jay says (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm here on behalf of the Hearing Health Foundation to talk to you a little bit about hearing loss prevention and hearing protection, because it is a vital component of what all of us do.

"I'll tell you a little bit of a story. Back when I first started teaching myself how to play drums when I was about 14 or so, I was kind of holed up by myself with some sound-canceling headphones, listening to my favorite records, trying to teach myself how to play. And that certainly helped — playing loud drums, loud cymbals, but having this kind of hearing protection while I was teaching myself how to actually do it, that was super helpful. But then when it came time to actually collaborating with people and playing music with other guitar players and stuff, I got a very quick lesson in how important hearing loss prevention and hearing protection really is.

"So back when I was 14, I got into a jam room with two buddies from school who started to teach themselves how to play guitar. And we're in a room and we're jamming, but I can't quite hear them because their amps are turned away from me. And I'm playing everything I can, playing hard and it's already — the drums and cymbals — everything is super loud, but I can't hear their guitars. So I have a bright idea and tell 'em, 'Well, I can't really hear your guitars. Why don't you turn it all the way up to 10 and turn both of your guitar amps towards me and then I can hear your guitars?' That was not the most astute decision. And I learned that really quickly. We had a great day jamming, but then the next morning I had no high-end frequencies in my hearing. I thought I honestly lost my hearing altogether, and I was really frightened 'cause I didn't know how to deal with that. And especially when you're recovering from major hearing loss or a hearing loss event like that, the one thing you wanna do to kind of pass the time is listen to music, and you can't even do that 'cause it's too painful.

"So I learned really quickly, at a young age, that hearing protection is an absolute must if you want any sort of longevity and sustainability in playing music," he continued. "So ever since that day, I've never sat down at a kit and played the way I play without hearing protection — not even once. It's not an option. If you want to have a sustainable life in the creative field of playing loud rock music, especially if you're a drummer with… These are dangerous tools that we have and we have to use them carefully and not shortchange ourselves for the experience of playing music and still play super hard and still play super loud, but it has to be done intelligently. And that's where hearing loss prevention comes into play and where the Hearing Health Foundation comes into play.

"I'd like you to head to HearingHealthFoundation.org and check out the 'Keep Listening' campaign, because it is very important, and it's very important to start at a young age to start taking care of your hearing health. For me personally, I don't go to a single show without wearing earplugs; I don't go on stage without wearing earplugs or in-ear monitors where I can hear myself and my bandmates. It's incredibly important, and if I had not worn earplugs and in-ear monitors from a young age, I might have done a tremendous amount of damage to my hearing. So I strongly encourage you, wear earplugs, do it the right way, do it intelligently. You can still rock out, you can still play the way you want to, and you'll be able to play for the rest of your life. So take care of your ears, keep listening and head to HearingHealthFoundation.org."

Jay discovered SLIPKNOT when he was a pre-teen, through his father Max, of Bruce Springsteen's E STREET BAND, and leader of the house band on Conan O'Brien's talk show. He was hooked immediately and was a huge fan of SLIPKNOT by the time he was invited to Los Angeles to try out as replacement for Joey Jordison in 2013.

For the first few months after the release of 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter", the members of SLIPKNOT had declined to name the musicians who were playing drums and bass on their tour, despite the fact that their identities were revealed as Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella by a disgruntled former drumtech for SLIPKNOT who posted a picture of a backstage call sheet on Instagram.

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

Jordison passed away "peacefully in his sleep" in July 2021 of an unspecified cause. He was 46 years old.

Prior to joining SLIPKNOT, Weinberg was a member of AGAINST ME!, having played with the Florida-based act from November 2010 until December 2012.

Weinberg joined AGAINST ME! shortly after he was ousted from MADBALL and following the departure of AGAINST ME!'s previous sticksman, George Rebelo.

In May 2013, Weinberg filled in for KVELERTAK drummer Kjetil Gjermundrod during the band's North American tour because Gjermundrod had to bow out of the run after experiencing significant pain in his arm.

Original AC/DC frontman Dave Evans recently rehearsed a version of the band's classic song "Highway To Hell" with more than 150 singers from Argentina's Kennedy Choir (Coro Kennedy). Video of the rendition can be seen below.

Chrystal Records, along with Coro Kennedy director Raúl Fritzsche, are organizing this version to be recorded with other choirs around the world.

Dave recorded AC/DC's first two singles, "Can I Sit Next To You Girl" and "Baby, Please Don't Go". But in October 1974, less than a year after AC/DC's first gig, Evans was out of the band. He was replaced by Bon Scott, who sang on AC/DC's first six studio albums and became a legend himself after his death in 1980.

Evans discussed his post-AC/DC career in a recent interview with Argentina's Urbana Play 104.3 FM. Asked if he has any regrets about the way his time with the band ended, Dave said: "I've had a fantastic career. I kept rocking with RABBIT and DAVID EVANS AND THUNDER DOWN UNDER, and I'm traveling around the world now, still recording. So as far as my career is concerned, I've had a fantastic career; I'm still having an amazing time. Bon Scott joined the band, but he was there about five or six years, and he's dead. So it was bad luck for him.

"You can't have regrets," he continued. "I'm having the most incredible life. I travel the whole world. And I'm a solo artist, of course, so I don't have to take a band with me. I have musicians in all different countries. I go wherever I want to go. And I see all the countries and I do what I want to do, not what the band has to tell me to do and that kind of thing. So I have freedom to be where I want to be with the people I wanna be with. And at the end of the day, it's all about freedom — life is about freedom; freedom of choice and being with people that you really love. And I'm lucky to do that."

Evans previously talked about his exit from AC/DC in a 2021 interview with DJ Grant from New Zealand's Galaxy 107 FM. At the time, he said: "You've gotta remember that Bon Scott did a lot of the songs that I already did, like 'Baby, Please Don't Go', we already did that. That's the song that I got Angus [Young, AC/DC guitarist] up on my shoulders, and, of course, he used to watch us doing our show, so he copied that. I understand that he copied what I was doing. And the songs too, and re-recorded them and re-wrote the lyrics to some of the songs that I had already put down. But he was told to do that. I know that he was under instructions to do this, so I don't really hold it against Bon Scott for that, because when he joined the band, he was washed up at the time, and he got a great chance to do something, and he did too. He did a great job, but his lifestyle just let him down."

Evans also talked about the enduring popularity of "Can I Sit Next To You Girl", which was originally released as a single in July 1974 and featured drums by Colin Burgess and bass by George Young (older brother of AC/DC co-founders Malcolm and Angus Young).

"It's one of those songs, I play it around the world — I still do, of course, every show I do — and people love the song," he said. "And it's amazing how many people say to me that's their favorite AC/DC song. I can't believe it. [AC/DC has] 'T.N.T.' and all those great songs, 'Highway To Hell' and all these other great songs, and fans come up to me and say that that's their favorite song."

Earlier last year, Dave was asked in an interview with The Rocker Diaries if he thought "that would be it" for AC/DC after Bon's death in 1980. He responded: "No, not at all. I mean, we all keep going. And AC/DC has had that many players through [the history of] the band. I don't know how many. 20? And three singers, plus a stand-in singer as well.

"We were always ambitious when we first started," he continued. "We always wanted to be the best in the world — all of us. And after me, Bon Scott got his chance. He did great with the band. And when he died, I just thought, 'Who are they gonna get?' I never thought [I would be approached about it] myself, because that's water under the bridge. And I was busy with bands as well at the time, and doing my own music and recording. I was just wondering who it would be. I had heard of [Brian Johnson's pre-AC/DC band] GEORDIE — just the name GEORDIE. I'd never heard of Brian. And then Brian popped up and, of course, the 'Back In Black' album came out, which was a massive album around the world, and they were off and running with Brian. But if Brian quit, they'd get another singer, and another singer. [They've gone through] different bass players [and] different drummers.

"The drive was always Malcolm Young," Dave added. "I remember Malcolm when I first met him. He was such a driving force. Just a tiny little guy — just a little touch over five foot tall — but, boy, he had a big heart and a big personality. And he was tough, too — Malcolm was very tough. And no matter what, he was AC/DC through and through. And, of course, once he passed away, which is very sad, AC/DC, of course, will never, ever be the same without Malcolm. How can it be?"

In May 2021, Evans released a new compilation album called "BADASS Greatest Hits". The effort contains "20 massive hits on one album," including Dave's version of "Rockin' In The Parlour", the song that originally appeared as the B-side of the "Can I Sit Next to You Girl" single.

In a new interview with Markus Morrison of Germany's "What's Metal" radio show, vocalist Fernando Ribeiro of Portuguese metallers MOONSPELL spoke about how he and his bandmates have managed to avoid falling into the trappings of alcohol and drugs in the three decades since the group's inception. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I grew up in the '80s in Portugal, we had a big heroin problem. My neighbors, a lot of people died; it was very heavy in Portugal. So I kind of was brought up in a situation where I witnessed that deterioration on a daily basis, not only from the people who addicted themselves but also from the families, the neighborhood, et cetera.

"One thing that we've always been very keen in MOONSPELL is that, yeah, we had our nights, we did our stuff, we tried a little bit of everything, but we never depended on it," he explained. "The problem is the way that the drugs, for instance, or the alcohol takes over you. So dependence was something we totally wrote off our vocabulary and we were very keen on it. And also the way that we feel the band is. We never thought that the band is ours to manipulate. Maybe musically we are free to do whatever we wanted — we exploited that freedom to a large extent — but I hate to see even friends of mine that are almost pulled by strings to go on stage or that they skip shows. It's disrespectful for everybody — for themselves, for their crowds. Because if someone comes here in Stuttgart [to see me perform], he or she doesn't care or doesn't have to care or doesn't know that yesterday I was drinking a bottle of absinthe in my bunk and today I can't perform.

"I think everybody has their meltdowns, their breakdowns, and that's human; it can happen to everybody," Fernando added. "But when you do it consciously, that you're having a Jack Daniel's bottle every night, people have to know there is a consequence and a price. And the price is that you kill something you like for something that you depend on. So you really have to have your priorities straight, and I think MOONSPELL always has."

This past August, MOONSPELL canceled its summer 2022 North American tour due to "unsolvable logistic and transportation problems".

In September, MOONSPELL released a very special Blu-ray/DVD and album, a live performance of their latest studio album, "Hermitage" (2021),with "From Down Below - Live 80 Meters Deep" via Napalm Records.

MOONSPELL's 13th studio album, "Hermitage", was released in February 2021 via Napalm Records. The LP was recorded, mixed and mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano (PARADISE LOST, PRIMORDIAL, GHOST, SÓLSTAFIR) at the Orgone Studios in the U.K.

In 2020, MOONSPELL parted ways with original drummer Miguel "Mike" Gaspar and replaced him with Hugo Ribeiro (no relation to Fernando).

Three former members of CHILDREN OF BODOM — Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henri "Henkka T. Blacksmith" Seppälä (bass) and Janne Wirman (keyboards) — officially opened their own bar and a band museum this past Thursday, November 10 in Espoo, Finland. In addition to serving as an "unholy concoction of a hard rock café and a dive bar," Bodom Bar & Sauna is offering visitors a chance to experience the Finnish sauna culture, which is considered an integral part of the lives of the majority of the Finnish population.

In a new interview with Tuonela magazine, Janne, Jaska and Henkka were asked what the experience was like for them, while putting the bar together, to look back on the entirety of what they did as a band.

"Well, it's been emotional, you know, digging up old stuff and putting it up on our walls and thinking about [late CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman] Alexi [Laiho]," Janne said. "I stop at pretty much every item [and] I think about Alexi and about his relation to all this stuff. It's been very emotional the past couple of days."

Added Henkka: "And it's been so cool to be in very close touch with Alexi's family, Alexi's sister about this, they've been super supportive of everything we do. They gave us some of Alexi's personal items to put here."

Continued Janne: "And we wouldn't do anything without asking them."

In addition to regular bar facilities, Bodom Bar & Sauna features displays of gear and memorabilia from across CHILDREN OF BODOM's career, as well as a spa, which is comprised of three sauna rooms.

When the new business venture was first announced in September, Raatikainen, Seppälä and Wirman wrote in a joint message: "We toured actively from 1998 until 2019. We have visited a bar in almost every town we ever played in. From Hard Rock Café Tokyo to a dive bar in the outskirts of Milwaukee. Everything from the legendary Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood to the Crobar in London UK.

"Almost everyone in our profession dreams of opening their own bar at some point and we were no exception. When the active career of COB was already coming to an end we started looking into it a bit more seriously. We had a warehouse full of memorabilia and we thought that a lot of people would want to see some of this stuff that used to be and still was very meaningful to us and the career of the band.

"A thought of a museum felt a bit foreign but an idea of a bar that works as a museum displaying our gear and memorabilia seemed quite natural at this point. We had almost given up on this dream when the power duo of Jykä Peltonen and Kimmo Helistö emerged and were ready to provide us with their know how in the matter. Together we will build this unholy concoction of hard rock café and dive bar with a lot of BODOM in it. The new HQ of COB will combine a museum and a bar but also include the possibility to experience the Finnish sauna culture. Situated naturally in Espoo only a stone's throw away where the band started their career.

"Bodom Bar & Sauna is being built in Espoo into a location with easy access to a Metro station. The establishment will also include three saunas. There will be no entry fee to the Bar and no age limit. There will be a fee for the sauna experience."

Alexi passed away on December 29, 2020 in his home in Helsinki, Finland. He died of alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue. Furthermore, Laiho had a cocktail of painkillers, opioids and insomnia medication in his system. He had suffered from long-term health issues leading up to his death.

Alexi and Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. In 2020, Alexi put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, which recorded three songs and shot one music video, all of which were released posthumously.

Earlier this year, Raatikainen, Seppälä and Wirman discussed publicly for the first time the circumstances that led to CHILDREN OF BODOM's split and ultimately Laiho's death. In an interview with Finland's Helsingin Sanomat, the three surviving members of CHILDREN OF BODOM said the real reason for the band's breakup was not that they wanted to stop touring in order to spend more time with their families, which is how Laiho explained it to Helsingin Sanomat in November 2019. Instead, what caused the group to split was Laiho's substance abuse, and that is also what eventually killed him a year after they went their separate ways.

Yesterday we had so much fun at the unofficial opening of BODOM BAR & SAUNA in Espoo! Jaska, Henkka and Janne also took...

Posted by Kati Rausch-Seite on Thursday, November 10, 2022

Closing down the first official night of @bodombar public opening yesterday🔥 thank you Jaska and Henkka for being so...

Posted by Erick Solorzano on Friday, November 11, 2022

It took 25 years of collaboration and friendship before they opened a local bar and sauna for me in my neighbourhood...

Posted by Mika Jussila - Mastering of the Universe on Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Video of Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW) and Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS) performing a cover of the LED ZEPPELIN classic "Whole Lotta Love" on November 1 aboard this year's "Kiss Kruise" can be seen below. They were joined by bassist Todd Kerns, guitarist Brent Woods and drummer Brent Fitz.

Two years ago, Sebastian was asked on Twitter to name his favorite ZEPPELIN track. He responded: "In the light, song remains the same, all of led Zeppelin III, all of my love, Carollabusa or whatever that is, whole lotta love almost doesn't count because I've heard it so many times but of course it's deadly and sexy and the best of the best. I dig @RobertPlant solo = LedZep".

In 2020, footage emerged of a pre-fame Bach covering LED ZEPPELIN's "Rock And Roll" at the wedding of renowned rock photographer Mark Weiss in New Jersey in 1987. Joining Sebastian for that performance were Zakk Wylde — who'd just joined Ozzy Osbourne's band — plus MADAM X bassist Chris "Godzilla" Doliber, photographer Dave "Face" Feld and Weiss himself.

In 1997, Bach was featured on a LED ZEPPELIN tribute album, "Stairway To Heaven: Tribute To Led Zeppelin", performing "Communication Breakdown" and "Immigrant Song".

Back in 2018, Bach told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF 101.1 FM radio station that he was going to ink a deal with a U.S.-based heavy metal record label that would help him make a "career-defining" new solo album.

Bach hasn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in 2014. Like its predecessor, 2011's "Kicking & Screaming", the disc was released through Frontiers Music Srl, the Italian label which specializes in what's commonly called AOR, a term that once signified a popular radio format ("album-oriented rock") but nowadays applies to acts whose airplay is marginal.

Eric Martin says that "there are big things coming" from MR. BIG.

The singer made the comment while discussing MR. BIG's decision to go on hiatus following the passing of Pat Torpey. The drummer died in February 2018 at the age of 64 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

Asked by Chile's Radio Futuro if there are any plans for MR. BIG to get back together, Eric said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "If you asked Paul [Gilbert, MR. BIG guitarist], he'd go, 'Oh, well. I don't know. Never say never.' And same thing, Billy [Sheehan, MR. BIG bassist] would go, 'Well, you know, it would be a good idea.' But I'm here to tell you that there is a rumor. Did I start this rumor? I don't know.

"I believe that there are big things coming," Eric said cryptically. "I keep saying that, and I want people to believe me that we're not down for the count. It's not over. I think we've got some things to do."

Martin said earlier in the interview that he still gets asked all the time if there is any chance of him reuniting with his MR. BIG bandmates.

"I miss MR. BIG; I really do," he said. "I've been waiting for MR. BIG to maybe do something for the last four or five years now, since Pat Torpey passed away. And even though I've been doing it for years and years, incorporating MR. BIG songs in my set and playing my solo stuff, I like playing the songs of MR. BIG.

"The band, we've been on kind of a permanent hiatus for the last four years — four or five years — and I miss playing MR. BIG songs," he added. "People ask me to play solo stuff all the time, but the majority of people love the songs of MR. BIG — from the hard, fast rockers to those little spluffy, warm and fuzzy ballads. They love it. So I give the people what they want."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rez Metal Podcast has uploaded video of Florida death metal veterans OBITUARY performing their new single, "The Wrong Time", live on November 10 at the El Rey Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Check it out below.

"The Wrong Time" is taken from OBITUARY's upcoming studio album, "Dying Of Everything", which will arrive on January 13 via Relapse Records.

OBITUARY commented: "We couldn't be more excited to FINALLY get this new album out and into the hands of the fans!

"We chose 'The Wrong Time' for the first single as it is a true depiction of the sound, style and feel we went for in the studio and is a great taste of what you can expect from 'Dying of Everything'."

"Dying Of Everything" destroys in the time-honored tradition of early OBITUARY classics "Slowly We Rot" and "Cause Of Death", while maintaining the killer studio sound that the band has been perfecting in their own studio since 2007's monstrous "Xecutioner's Return".

"Dying Of Everything" track listing:

01. Barely Alive
02. The Wrong Time
03. Without A Conscience
04. War
05. Dying Of Everything
06. My Will To Live
07. By The Dawn
08. Weaponize The Hate
09. Torn Apart
10. Be Warned

Like just about every album in OBITUARY's vast catalog, "Dying Of Everything" is instantly memorable; it's a skill that OBITUARY have only improved upon over the years.

It's unusual for a band that's been around since the '80s to be doing some of their best work in the 2020s, but that's exactly what OBITUARY have accomplished through their do-it-yourself attitude and relentless touring on a worldwide level.

"I think it comes down to passion," vocalist John Tardy offers. "I say this all the time, but if something's not fun, I'm not gonna do it. And we're having more fun than ever."

This past February, OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy confirmed to Finland's Chaoszine that the band had completed work on its long-awaited new studio album. Regarding the musical direction of the follow-up to 2017's self-titled effort, he said: "It is fucking awesome. It is OBITUARY, absolutely 100 percent, meat and potatoes, but with Ken's [Andrews, lead guitar] influence and him being able to write a few songs with me on this one, he brings a much more old-school thrash metal feel. So it's fresh, it's killer, it's exciting on some of those songs, but then also the meat and potatoes, there are some songs that are so heavy on this record, man. I'm so proud of it. I can't wait for people to hear it. And the production — we recorded it at our studio and then we sent it off to Joe Cincotta, my boy who's done the last four albums with us. He did an amazing job; the sound of this record is fantastic. I can't wait for everybody to hear it."

In March 2021, John Tardy told France's United Rock Nations that OBITUARY had used some of the downtime during the coronavirus pandemic to work on material for a new studio album. "We've definitely been working on new tunes, and we've been taking our time," he said. "We didn't feel like releasing [a new album] now in the middle of the pandemic when you can't go on tour and support it is not what we wanted to do, so we're in no hurry. But by the time next year comes around, we're gonna be hitting the road again. We're getting tours set up, and we will be releasing another album next year before we hit the road and start touring again."

Asked what fans can expect from the new LP, John said: "I think it's just gonna sound like OBITUARY. [Laughs] You know us — we're kind of cavemen; we don't like to evolve too much. We like to change it up and do a little here and there, but we're getting too old to change too much, I think. So as long as it's heavy and pounding, then that's what you can expect."

Earlier this year, Decibel Books released "Turned Inside Out: The Official Story Of Obituary", the fully authorized biography of OBITUARY. In the book, David E. Gehlke — author of "Damn The Machine: The Story Of Noise Records" and "No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost" — provides an unprecedented look at the death metal legends through all-new, in-depth interviews with bandmembers past and present, recording engineers, scene contemporaries and music industry veterans who've worked directly with the band throughout OBITUARY's nearly four-decade career. Packed with hundreds of rare and never-before-seen photos, as well as a foreword from Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA),the 328-page hardcover "Turned Inside Out: The Official Story Of Obituary" is exclusively available for order via decibelmagazine.com.

DISTURBED's upcoming album, "Divisive", marks the first time the band has included a guest feature on an LP, boasting the epic emotionally charged duet "Don't Tell Me" with HEART's Ann Wilson. Regarding how the collaboration came about, DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren told Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That was always supposed to be the 'power ballad,' per se. And as we were tracking it in the studio, David [Draiman, DISTURBED singer] just threw out the idea, 'Hey, let's do a duet on this song.' We've tossed around the idea before, but there wasn't ever either the right material or the right time. So in this particular case, we kind of said, 'Well, who you've got in mind?' And he didn't even have a list; he just had one person, and that was Ann. It was a no-brainer. 'Hey, let's hit up Ann. Let's see if she'd be into it.' And she was on board right away; we didn't have to convince her."

Mike continued: "[David and Ann] sort of struck up a bit of a friendship, a little bit of a rapport. When [DISTURBED cover version of] 'The Sound Of Silence' came out years back and had its success, she was one of many artists and celebrities that took it up themselves to go on Twitter and praise the song and praise our version of it, which we couldn't have been more honored. Iconic, legendary Ann Wilson thinks that we did a great job with a SIMON & GARFUNKEL cover. That's pretty incredible, a pretty great honor. So when we reached out to her, she was more than willing to jump on board. And she came in and she killed it… And she's super cool and down to earth too, and just incredibly talented. It's such an honor to have her be on our record. And to me, the blending of her voice and David's voice, they really, really work so well together. I'm so proud of David and just so honored to have her a part of our record. And the thing is, now that the record's coming out, we can finally… We've been sitting on this for months and months, and we've had to keep quiet about it. So to be able to finally let it out, it's, like, 'Yeah! Guess what! Guess what we did.' [Laughs]"

Two months ago, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan spoke about the band's collaboration with Wilson, telling Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station: "Early in our career, we wanted to really establish ourselves without having any guests. We didn't really talk about it much, but just [felt], 'This is the band.' Not that we were ever against it, but this far along in our career… We're always pushing ourselves, trying to do stuff that's different musically. And there's so much talent out there and so many people we would love to do collaborations with now or later in our career.

"Ann Wilson had mentioned before — she tweeted about us before," he continued. "A few years back, somebody asked her in an interview or whatever if there's anything new out there, or newer, musically that she's heard that she's fan of, and she mentioned she really loved our version of 'The Sound Of Silence'. And that kind of opened the door to a social media friendship between her and David a bit. And then when we wrote this song, it just seemed like it would lend itself to Ann's voice and then trying to see that merge between her and David's voices together. She jumped on the opportunity. Immediately she responded, and we were, like, 'Holy shit. She just said yes to this.'"

Asked by Meltdown if "Don't Tell Me" is a more mellow track than the standard DISTURBED fare, Dan said: "I can't give it away, but their voices, it's like Fergie and Jesus — a little 'Step Brothers' [2008 movie] quote there… It was a pretty magical moment to be in the room and to hear the two of them harmonize together.

"We tracked David's vocals in Nashville, and we wanted to make it easy and convenient for her, 'cause we were, like, she said yes, she's gonna do it," Donegan continued. "Let's make it as easy as possible on her.' We flew out to California to meet with her. We went into a studio out there for just a couple of hours, and she sang against David's tracks. And he was there kind of going over the harmonies with her and stuff too. So it was kind of a really magical moment to see the two of them working on those harmonies together. It was pretty impressive. And she's such a pro, and she's so damn good. She's a legend. So it was pretty exciting. And it's not like she sits there and jumps on people's albums either, so we take that as a badge of honor to think that there's not many times where somebody as big a legend as she is that she would jump on any album. She doesn't have to, and she chose to be on this one. And she loves the track. And it just came together great."

"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".
There’s an epic track coming out soon that I recorded with @Disturbed!

Below is a repost from @davidmdraiman

“People are going to lose their minds when they hear the duet we did with Ann Wilson. It’s called “Don’t tell me”, and it’s on our upcoming Disturbed album, #Divisive” pic.twitter.com/eRugQ6DkU6

— Ann Wilson (@AnnWilson) September 23, 2022

Brazilian modern prog / groove metal band X-Empire shares a brand-new cathartic, tense and emotional music video for their latest single "My Demons (The Price Of Blood)", addressing the troubling and current issue of the daily struggle against depression, suicide, drug addiction, and other psychological illnesses.





The lyrical theme of "My Demons (The Price Of Blood)" is a metaphor against all kinds of wars, also including the daily battle against the inner demons that haunt a great part of humanity.




Michel Villares, singer, producer and lyricist of "My Demons (The Price Of Blood)", was initially influenced by the conflict in Ukraine and Russia, creating an anti-war theme trying, in some way, to show solidarity with the people of these countries, but as the theme developed other forms of war were being addressed.


"Not only the war for territory, which is already something unacceptable in today's world, but the fight against the ghosts of depression and suicide were incorporated into the story," Michel comments. "Life is already like a battlefield, an inner war, so it was a way to achieve catharsis. The tip is always to forgive yourself for those you couldn't save, as there are situations that the outcomes are not up to us. In 2013, my father was diagnosed with cancer, a strong  and smart man, healthy, vigorous, courageous, and with deep insights in life, a true teacher in my life. His fight was hard, but he won. Only in the end he lost the battle against himself, old and destructive habits claimed him from living. 'My Demons' tells the heavy, deep and lonely story of a father in mourning for his daughter with drug addiction, people facing themselves and faithfully showing the struggle against inner demons," he concludes.





Bassist Emerson Soares thinks, "The sound of 'My Demons' is another step in the evolutionary process of X-Empire, both in something even more complex, as in more captivating melodies. We brought new elements, coming from other styles, and that helped us in the maturation process of the band's musical identity. This music video is one of the most amazing and impressive jobs we've ever done, and it doesn't even seem like it took 19 days from recording to final editing!"


Guitarist Andre Marques also comments that, "The song in its initial conception talked about the dilemmas and conflicts of a soldier sent to war. However, we realized that life is already like a battlefield where we human beings are in a constant inner war with our own demons."


About its sound, Andre concludes by saying that, "It became very current, with melodic lines, but without losing the heaviness, inspired by bands like Gojira and Slipknot. After we recorded our takes, we were anxious about the final result, because we knew it would be a big reality shock! I remembered so many friends who had hard struggles with depression. Remember your essence before it is too late, because someone in the world loves you and will miss you. Don't be ashamed or afraid to ask for help."


"Every life is important, every existence must be contemplated. Every piece on the board is missed in some game, every loved one is remembered," concluded vocalist Michel Villares.


 

Besomora were founded by vocalist / guitarist Vlad Martynov and drummer Daniel Zolotic in February 2021 as a Covid-19 project. The band is a Sydney-based melodic death metal four-piece. The name Besomora is derived from Slavic mythology and draws inspiration from dark spirits and demons, as reflected in the band’s music.  


Over its short existence, Besomora played a sold-out show alongside Be’lakor, Orpheus Omega, and Andy Gillion (ex-Mors Principium Est), during their joint Australian tour, and shared the stage with well-known Australian bands including Psycroptic, Disentomb, and Nicolas Cage Fighter.


Besomora have been working hard towards the release of their debut EP, a six-track record that will feature Joe Haley (Psycroptic) and Tobi Morelli (Archspire) as guest musicians. A taste of that EP has been offered up in the form of the single and video, "Mass Starvation". 










Get a closer look on how the music video for Besomora's new single "Mass Starvation" was shot in this Behind The Scenes featurette.





In February 2022, Besomora issued a video for their cover of the KISS classic, "I Was Made For Lovin' You".





For further details, visit Besomora on Facebook.


 

Kamelot performed an exclusive show at Hristo Botev Hall  in Sofia, Bulgaria on Saturday, November 12th following their November 11th gig at Switzerland's Urrock Festival. Fan-filmed video is available below.


League Of Distortion / Exit Eden singer Anna Brunner performed as a guest vocalist during the show.


Kamelot: "Bulgaria! You were amazing! We had a blast! Thank you all for coming and having a great time with us."




The setlist was as follows:


"Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)" (with Anna Brunner)
"Rule the World"
"Insomnia"
"The Great Pandemonium"
"When the Lights Are Down"
"Veil of Elysium" (with Anna Brunner)
"End of Innocence"
"Karma"
"Here's To The Fall"
"Center Of The Universe"
"Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)" (with Anna Brunner)
"Forever"
"Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)" (with Anna Brunner)
"March of Mephisto" (with Anna Brunner)












 

Screamer, the Swedish band surrounding vocalist Andreas Wikström, have released a guitar playthrough video for the title track of their new album, Kingmaker, featuring guitarists Dejan Rosić and Jon Morheim. Check it out below.





Kingmaker will be released on January 13 via SPV/Steamhammer as CD DigiPak (incl. poster), LP version, CD/LP bundle with shirt (only at the Steamhammer shop). Pre-order here.







Tracklisting:


"Kingmaker"
"Rise Above"
"The Traveler"
"Hellfire"
"Chasing The Rainbow"
"Ashes And Fire"
"Burn It Down"
"Fall Of A Common Man"
"Sounds Of The Night"
"Renegade"


"Hellfire" video:





"Kingmaker" video:

Swedish bashers Sabaton have shared an official lyric video for the Emglish version of their song "Gott Mit Uns" ("God With Us"). The song is taken from their 2012 album, Carolus Rex.










Following the release of their tenth studio album, The War To End All Wars, Sabaton announced that spring 2023 will see the band touring across Europe on the eagerly awaited re-scheduled tour: The Tour To End All Tours.


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


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


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


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


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


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





Tour dates:


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


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

Electron are the new breed of an old sound with a twist. Musically and technically amazing, to say they are a powerhouse is an understatement. All former students of BIMM and originally hailing from Portugal, Electron have permanently settled in England to shake up the rock and heavy metal scene internationally.


"We’re working on the album. It’s been recorded at RAK Studios London and Marshall Amplification. It grabs you by the balls, hoists you up by them and throws you off a cliff. You’ve never heard guitars this mean, massive statement I know," says the trio.


Electron’s new single / video 'Wake Up!' invokes the angst of today’s youth counterculture, an underground movement forced to stare at society without being able to make a difference. A full 1980s-styled modern metal tribute that screams out its bleak look at an almost Orwellian image of modern life as we know it.










For further details, visit Electron on Facebook.


 

November 11th marked the official release of Blasphemy Blues, the debut full-length from Swedish melodic blackened death / thrash unit Vittra


Vittra’s Blasphemy Blues is packed with the all the band’s trademarks: a combination of crushing death metal with strong songwriting and catchy hooks. Produced at SolnaSound in the Fall of 2021, supported by both Simon Johansson (Soilwork) and Mike Wead (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate), Blasphemy Blues was finalized in April 2022. Lawrence Mackrory (Bloodbath, Lik, Firespawn) handled the mixing and mastering. Hjules created the cover artwork.


Notes Vittra guitarist Johan Murmester of the tracks contained within, “[They are] strong songs with a natural flow, but still not too predictable or obvious. It’s basically pop but with more energy and aggression to it.”




In celebration of the unveiling of Blasphemy Blues, Vittra has released a video for the track “Self-Loathing”. The idea for the video is about “getting high on self-pity,” portraying how we sometimes seem to indulge in our self-imposed mental torture and punishment.





Of “Self-Loathing”, vocalist David Döragrip notes: "I wrote this one for myself when I was in a dark place. It helps to put words to your thoughts.”


From a songwriting perspective, guitarist Johan Murmester remembers, “Alex presented an idea of a pretty straightforward verse and a more melodic pre-chorus, all in the feel of At The Gates, The Haunted, and one of his favorite drummers, Adrian Erlandsson. I Vittra-fied the riffing, sort of making it my own, added some parts, but kept the original feel. Great song to play!”


Blasphemy Blues artwork and tracklisting:





"Colossal"
"Halls Of Ancients"
"Satmara"
"Lykantropi"
"Feeding Frenzy"
"Self-Loathing"
"Temptation"
"Sommarfödd"
"Undead" (Bonus Track)


"Halls Of Ancients" video:





"Satmara" video:





"Lykantropi" video:





For further details, visit Vittra on Facebook.


(Photo by Glen Mountford)


 

In the Fender Guitars clip below, head into the studio with the legendary Jeff Beck as he discusses the magic of discovering new songs, the allure of vintage music. He also performs the once-banned Link Wray track "Rumble" on the new American Vintage II 1957 Stratocaster.


Link Wray & His Ray Men released "Rumble"on March 31st, 1958, as a single. The instrumental was banned in several US radio markets because the term "rumble" was a slang term for a gang fight, and it was feared that the piece's "harsh sound" glorified juvenile delinquency. The record is the only instrumental single ever banned from radio in the United States.


Learn more about American Vintage II here.







Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp recently sat down for a SiriusXM Town Hall special hosted by Stevie Van Zandt, on SiriusXM’s Underground Garage, where they spoke about their new music, being on the road together and answered SiriusXM subscriber questions.


During the exclusive Town Hall at SiriusXM’s NYC studios, Beck and Depp shared insight into their unique friendship and the making of their collaborative studio album, 18. 


In the video below, Beck recalls a funny memory about being treated coldly by The Beach Boys, in particular, Brian Wilson.





Johnny Depp is currently with Jeff Beck on his North American tour. All shows are on sale now with VIP packages also available here. The full itinerary is below with all dates subject to change.


The duo will highlight songs from their newly released musical collaboration, 18, and join forces with Beck’s current band (bassist Rhonda Smith, drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Robert Stevenson) to perform a lengthy set of tunes culled from throughout Beck’s iconic career.


Beck and Depp’s 13-track album, 18, debuted at #10 on both the Billboard Top Albums and Top Current Albums charts marking the first top 10 for both Beck and Depp on the 31-year-old Top Album Sales chart. The set is available on CD and digitally, with a 180-gram black vinyl version coming on September 30. The duo recently wrapped a successful European tour together on July 25 in Paris, France to much fan and critical acclaim with sold-out dates throughout northern Europe, Italy and France - including a stop at the revered Montreux Jazz Festival.





Jeff Beck found a kindred spirit in Johnny Depp when the two met in 2016. They bonded quickly over cars and guitars and spent most of their time together trying to make each other laugh. At the same time, Beck’s appreciation grew for Depp’s serious songwriting skills and his ear for music. That talent and their chemistry convinced Beck they should make an album together.


Depp agreed and they started in 2019. Over the next three years, they recorded a mix of Depp originals along with a wide range of covers that touches on everything from Celtic and Motown, to the Beach Boys and Killing Joke. “We were going to call the album ‘Kitchen Sink’ because we threw everything in it,” the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer says with a laugh. “The only game plan we had was to play songs we like and see where they took us.”


Beck is universally acknowledged as one of the most talented and significant guitarists in the world and has played alongside some of the greatest artists of rock, blues, and jazz. Over the course of his distinguished 50+ music career, he has earned an incredible eight Grammy Awards, been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” and been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice – once as a member of the Yardbirds and again as a solo artist. In the summer of 2016, the guitar virtuoso celebrated his five decades of music with an extraordinary concert at the famous Hollywood Bowl with special guests including Buddy Guy, Steven Tyler, Beth Hart, Billy F. Gibbons and Jan Hammer.

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo performance of the Skid Row classic "18 And Life". Check it out below.





Johansson recently shared his cover of the Twisted Sister classic, "The Price", taken from the 1984 album, Stay Hungry.




Johansson: "Video recorded during the North American tour with Sabaton and Epica 2022. Recorded in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Graceland, Camden, Montreal CA, Minneapolis, Detroit, Richmond, Las Vegas, LA, Hollywood, Boston to name some of the places.


A big thanks to those who helped me film this video: Pablo Christlein, Jens De Vos, Matt Teixeira, Johan Bengs, and thanks to Hannes Van Dahl for your expertise!"

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, were back in the kitchen together this past weekend for another Sunday Lunch. Check out their rendition of The Sonics hit "Have Love, Will Travel".





A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below: