In a new interview with Loud TV conducted at this past weekend's Hellfest in Clisson, France, TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There was a big gap because of COVID. But now we're getting ready — probably after this [European] tour to go start working on new material. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that. We have about five, six songs written already, and [I'll] probably try to finish it up when I get home. And then hopefully record right after we go on tour to Japan. So '24 should look like a release for TESTAMENT."

Peterson went on to say that the new TESTAMENT material is shaping up to be "fucking killer." He added: "I'm a fan. For me, I wouldn't release anything unless I'm a fan of what I'm doing. I have to get goosebumps. When I hear it, I'm, like, 'Yeah.' And then, of course, I play it for friends. A few of them go, 'Ehh.' But most of them go, 'Fuuuck!' Except Chuck [Billy, TESTAMENT singer] — Chuck goes, 'Eh.' And then four years later, [he goes], 'That's the best song ever. Write more shit like that.' I'm, like, 'Yeah, but four years ago you said that sucked.'"

As for when TESTAMENT will record the new album, Eric said: "Hopefully maybe October, November. If not, probably January, February. But we're shooting for this year — at the end of the year. I think I'll be done writing in September. So we just have to wait for vocals. Which can take a while. But we'll see what happens."

Peterson was also full of praise for TESTAMENT's new drummer Chris Dovas (SEVEN SPIRES),who officially joined the band earlier this year as the replacement for Dave Lombardo.

This past April, Lombardo revealed in an interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET that he would sit out the remainder of TESTAMENT's 2023 shows, with no guarantee that he will return to the band.

Lombardo, who was the guest drummer on TESTAMENT's 1999 studio album "The Gathering", formally joined the long-running San Francisco Bay Area act last year. The former SLAYER drummer is currently a member of the MISFITS, MR. BUNGLE, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD and SATANIC PLANET, among others. He also played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES from 2016 up until 2020.

Prior to joining TESTAMENT as a full-time member, Dovas previously filled in for Lombardo on the first six dates of TESTAMENT's summer/fall 2022 leg of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour". Lombardo was unable to make those gigs due to a scheduling conflict with the MISFITS.

Peterson told Loud TV about Dovas: "When we were auditioning for new drummers, his video tape was the number one for me. And then, of course, Dave Lombardo called us, so we just kind of pushed everything aside; we said, 'Okay, we'll try Dave.' And when Dave was, like, 'Oh, I've got this show coming up. I've got this show coming up,' I went back to my [videos], [and I said], 'Oh, yeah, this guy.' I remember the other guys going, 'Let's call Paul Bostaph.' 'Let's call John Tempesta.' And, of course, they would probably do it, but with the stipulation of, like, 'I can only do this date,' 'I can only do this date.' I called Chris. He was, like, 'I'm in. I'll do everything.' And so we tried him, and were just, like, 'What?!' Perfect tempo. Everything correct — bam, bam. Very polite. Really nice guy. I can't say enough good things about him. He's just a really good drummer. He's 24; he's my son's age. Young blood back in TESTAMENT. For me, too, he loves black metal, so he was, like, [into] blast beats. But he also graduated from a school called Berklee. So jazz… He's very fluent. He's not, like, 'Oh, I only know blast beats.' He knows blues… TESTAMENT's really diverse — we have ballads, we have rock songs, we have blast beats. That's just it — when he came to visit me before this tour, we were rehearsing for the tour but we would go back to my house at night, do some Jager really late at night and just start jamming at my house. And the next morning we were, like, 'Woah!' Really cool shit. So I'm excited for the next record. It's gonna be killer."

TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick sat out some of the band's spring/summer 2023 European tour dates in order to tend to a family emergency. He was replaced at the shows by former MACHINE HEAD and current VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel.

San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal pioneers EXODUS have signed a worldwide contract with the Austrian record label Napalm Records.

EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt comments: "EXODUS are extremely excited to announce that we are joining the family at Napalm Records!

"It's time for a new chapter for the band, and we are stoked to be joining the label and are starting to put our foot on the gas and get ourselves prepared for the next record! They convinced us with their passion and love for the band, and where we will be going in the future, we couldn't say no.

"It's time to push even further and not only continue to run right over people with our brand of thrash, it's time to increase the body count! Here's to new beginnings with Napalm Records!"

Thomas Caser, CEO, Napalm Records, adds: "We are proud to announce this signing of one of the most influential metal bands in the world — one that has proven to always deliver the highest quality throughout the decades of their career. We cannot wait to start the work and on the road together! Welcome to the Napalm family — EXODUS!"

Last month, EXODUS canceled its previously announced summer 2023 European tour so that Holt could "tend to his family" after his brother was recently hospitalized in Italy.

Holt joined EXODUS in 1981, shortly after the band's formation, and has been the group's main songwriter ever since. Holt has performed on every EXODUS album, and is considered highly influential in the world of thrash metal.

Holt began filling in for SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman at live shows in 2011, and became the band's full-time co-guitarist as of 2013, while remaining a member of EXODUS. Holt played on SLAYER's final album, "Repentless", which came out in 2015.

EXODUS's latest album, "Persona Non Grata", came out in November 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band's history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

"Persona Non Grata" was the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Three months ago, Hachette Books announced that it had acquired Gary's upcoming memoir. "A Fabulous Disaster: From The Garage To Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way" is described in a press release as "a no-holds-barred memoir from the preeminent thrasher's life in metal, from its humble (but not quiet) beginnings in the San Francisco Bay Area through today's current resurgence in worldwide popularity, as he lived big, played fast and crashed hard, written in collaboration with Adem Tepedelen."

Photo credit: Tayva Martinez

In a new interview with Graspop Metal Meeting, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, who turned 65 last December, was asked if he has ever contemplated retirement from touring. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Not when I feel like this. That's the thing. If it was a struggle… It's not for me. I work out every day. I'm a vegan. I haven't drunk for 36 years. So all of those things really help. And you look at, like, Mick Jagger — he has a physio, he has a treadmill in his room. And we have our trainer out with us. We have our chef out with us. So if you keep doing that and you're serious about it… We do vocal warmups. We really sing [live]; it's actually us really doing it. But we actually practice and we train and do this stuff all the time. So as long as we can do all of that and still get better, then, yeah, great."

A little over three years ago, Collen's DEF LEPPARD bandmate Vivian Campbell made similar comments in an interview with Scott Rusk of the 98.9 KKZX radio station in Spokane, Washington, saying he will never retire. "When I'm dead, when I stop breathing, that's when I'll stop working," he said. "I have no plans to retire; I have no interest in it."

He continued: "To me, playing is is all I've ever wanted to do and I've been fortunate this is all I've ever done. I see no reason to stop working. I don't know what I would do. I think, in my case, if I stopped playing guitar, I'd be just waiting to die. Even when I was doing my cancer treatments, even at the worst of it, when was doing chemo and stem cell and stuff — well, not when I was stem cell, 'cause I couldn't leave the hospital…. I've been on tour when I've been doing hardcore chemo, and I didn't have any hair on my head, I didn't even have eyebrows, but I think it was a big part of helping me deal with it — the fact that I continued to be able to do my work. And on that subject, I'd just like to say I'm very grateful to my band mates in DEF LEPPARD that they took a chance on me and afforded me that opportunity, to work when I was in that state. But I think it helped me through it."

Campbell added: "We realize that there's a lot of hard work, and we know, 'cause we've put in the hard work over the years. But when you're out there on stage, and especially, like I say, when we see our audience growing — we're in our late 50s and a couple of us are in our 60s now — and to go out there and to see people young enough to be your children just really, really, really enjoying the show and the energy that that gives, it's wonderful. We realize how blessed we are to be able to do this."

Campbell — who before joining DEF LEPPARD in 1992 was well known for his work with DIO and WHITESNAKE — went public with his Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis in June 2013.

DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE will team up with Alice Cooper for a U.S. mini-tour this summer. The trek will kick off on August 5 in Syracuse, New York and include stops in the Midwest before concluding in El Paso, Texas on August 18. Before that, LEPPARD and CRÜE are touring Europe, having launched the trek on May 22 in Sheffield.

Nita Strauss played the fourth show of her "Summer Storm" tour this past Saturday night (June 17) at Meadows in Brooklyn, New York. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be found below (courtesy of the James Cruz YouTube channel).

As previously reported, Nita recruited a vocalist named Kasey Karlsen to join her onstage during "Summer Storm".

In a Twitter message introducing Kasey, Nita wrote: "We needed someone fearless and versatile for this tour who could handle tons of different vocal styles, and if you've seen Kasey's videos you already know she can do it all. She is going to destroy these stages and we are beyond excited to have her with us!!"

Karlsen has a half a million followers on TikTok where she posts vocal covers of such acts as SLIPKNOT, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, BRING ME THE HORIZON and ICE NINE KILLS.

The "Summer Storm" trek will wrap up on July 14 in New Orleans. Support on the tour is coming from LIONS AT THE GATE, the new band featuring former ILL NIÑO members Cristian Machado (vocals),Ahrue "Luster" Ilustre (guitar) and Diego Verduzco (guitar),alongside bassist Stephen Brewer (WESTFIELD MASSACRE) and drummer Fern Lemus.

Nita will release her sophomore solo album, "The Call Of The Void", on July 7 via Sumerian Records. The LP features guest appearances by IN FLAMES vocalist Anders Fridén, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale, Alice Cooper, DISTURBED's David Draiman, Dorothy, Alissa White-Gluz of ARCH ENEMY and Chris Motionless of MOTIONLESS IN WHITE.

Regarding the album's title, Strauss shared: "Have you ever been at the top of a high building and had the fleeting thought, '… I could jump right now?' This feeling is sometimes called 'The Call Of The Void,' also known as 'high place phenomenon.' It's not a suicidal impulse, rather the exact opposite — a subconscious decision to live your life, to step back from the ledge, and take control. As researcher April Smith aptly put it: 'An urge to jump affirms the urge to live.'

"I wanted the follow-up to 'Controlled Chaos' to be exciting, new, and fresh, to take listeners to a new place and take myself somewhere new as an artist too. We have some amazing collaborations on this album with incredible musicians, as well as the instrumental guitar music that first inspired me to play.

"Some pieces of music come into the world gracefully and easily. This album is not one of them! 'The Call Of The Void' was born kicking and screaming, a labor of love for sure, but also of blood, sweat and plenty of tears. I couldn't be more proud of the end result. Making this album helped me learn and grow so much as a musician and songwriter and I'm excited to finally unleash it on the world."

In early December 2022, Nita told "The Mistress Carrie Podcast" about her decision to make the upcoming LP half vocal songs and half instrumental: "I did feel, and the label and everybody agreed, it's still important for me to keep my identity as a guitar player and not just branch off too much and go, 'Okay, well, now it's just guests.' Let me still have a little of what makes me me, which is the instrumental shred stuff. And the instrumental pieces that I've written on this record are, I think, better than anything I did on the first one — definitely more… I don't know if it could be more emotional but they're very emotional pieces of music and I think a little better crafted this time around. So I think all the songs in general are more well thought out, better put together this time around. And I do have some of my absolute favorite [singers guesting on it]."

Nita released 2018's "Controlled Chaos" to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths".

In March, it was announced that Nita would return to Alice's band for his 2023 tour.

The Alice Cooper North American tour, with an all-new show dubbed "Too Close For Comfort", kicked off in late April in Michigan and will continue through late September, including a handful of August stadium shows with DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE, followed by a co-headlining late summer "Freaks On Parade" tour with Rob Zombie.

Nita spent eight years playing with Alice before joining Demi Lovato's band last summer,

Strauss played her first full live show with Demi in August 2022 at the Grandstand at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois.

Nita made her live debut with Demi in July 2022 with a performance of "Substance" on ABC's Emmy Award-winning late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!".

Strauss had been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

ELEGANT WEAPONS, the new project featuring guitarist Richie Faulkner (JUDAS PRIEST) and singer Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, MSG),made its first two festival appearances over the weekend: on Friday, June 16 at Hellfest in Clisson, France and on Sunday, June 18 at Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium. Fan-filmed video of both shows can be seen below.

ELEGANT WEAPONS' debut album, "Horns For A Halo", was released on May 26 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was recorded with bassist Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS and MEGADETH, among many others.

ELEGANT WEAPONS, which is rounded out by Dave Rimmer (URIAH HEEP) on bass and Christopher Williams (ACCEPT) on drums, will play shows in Europe through July. The trek will include additional performances with PANTERA, festival appearances and headlining shows.

Richie said: "We are very much looking forward to touring and our first tour dates are taking place in Europe starting in June 2023. Fans can expect heavy songs with catchy melodies, great vocals and lots of riffs! We all live to play live, and can't wait to take the ELEGANT WEAPONS out onto the live stage."

In a recent interview with Pete Pardo of Sea Of Tranquility, Romero stated about ELEGANT WEAPONS: "That's something Richie [brought] to the table a couple of years ago. He call[ed] me and said, 'Listen…' If I remember correctly, he had the album recorded already, but he told me [at the time], 'We feel that doesn't work with the singer we have. So we're gonna try with another singer.' So I recorded a song, and then they loved it. And we ended up working together… And then we're gonna make some summer festivals around Europe. Then probably we'll go properly on tour, if everybody's okay. And probably we're gonna record a second album, and then we will see."

Romero went on to say that ELEGANT WEAPONS is "a very solid project," adding that "it's not something we will do once, and that's it. And also we're not doing it because of a contract that we need to fulfill. It's because we really want to do it together," he explained. "Richie is a cool guy; we are friends. And the rest of the guys also. Andy Sneap, [who did] the production, is a cool guy also. And we really want to see what happens with the band because we think people are gonna be very surprised about what they're gonna listen on the music side. It's not the typical thing Richie and I were doing for the last few years. It's a different thing. And I think the people are gonna like it. So we will see what happens. And we're gonna build the house from that point."

Regarding the ELEGANT WEAPONS band name, Faulkner said: "In almost any endeavor, the craftsman needs the right tools for the job. For a musician, those tools are things like their instruments, their voices and the emotions that the right combination of all those can bring to the surface. You can also consider it a reference to the instruments we play, because they're almost antiquities now. So yes, it references our instruments and also this kind of music, where we're carrying on the tradition of the greats like SABBATH and DIO but also bands the guys are connected to, like RAINBOW, PANTERA and PRIEST."

Richie and Rex have been friends for years, so when Richie was recording "Horns For A Halo" during the pandemic, he called on his friend to record the bass for the album.

"Well, Rex brings a sound, first of all, that is like no other bass sound," explained Richie. "The way he plays bass is instantly recognizable. But I got involved with Rex, you know, as with a lot of things that we do, as humans, really — we got involved as friends first. But Rex has got a great way of hearing the way the bass parts and the drums interact together. I mean, Rex's parts just breathe grit and life and dynamic into the songs. So it's a pleasure to have him on the record and it's a pleasure, obviously, to know him and have him as a friend — he's a legend."

As for Travis's involvement with the LP, Faulkner said: "I always wanted to make a record with Scott playing on it outside of PRIEST. His technique and style are legendary but also his groove."

When it comes to the live show, there was no other bass player even considered other than Rimmer. Davey and Richie go back over 20 years and they played the bars and pubs of London and England together, night in, night out for many years. Their musical relationship is almost telepathic in the way they communicate, from that early hard graft together on the circuit.

"Davey is an untouchable player," Richie said. "In sound, style and presence. A killer writer too, contributing great songs with URIAH HEEP. A great friend and a great musician."

When it came to choosing the drummer for the touring band, it was a no-brainer for Richie to enlist fellow Nashville resident and good friend Williams. Christopher had played and recorded the initial demos for the "Horns For A Halo" album, and was the obvious choice for the drum position. A phenomenal player, a great personality and a consummate professional.

And finally there's the new hotshot on the scene, Romero, Chilean-born, now living in Eastern Europe.

"Ronnie's got that heritage," says Richie, "and he nailed his parts in a week, which was a testament, really, to how good the guy is and how perfect he was for it. And he's just such a lovely guy, and, I think, one of a dying breed. There's not many people like him. There's good singers, like [Rob] Halford and [Ronnie James] Dio, but there's not many of them. He's really something special. When he sings with RAINBOW, he sounds obviously like Dio, but when he sings this stuff, there's something in there that comes out of him — he's his own monster, with his own trademark quality, which is an important thing to have."

Producing is PRIEST's touring guitarist of the past five years Sneap, who has been respectful of Richie's vision concerning a certain classic sound he wanted across the expanse of the record's 11 songs (ten originals plus a cover of UFO's "Lights Out"),and that is a signature Flying V through a Marshall Plexi amp.

"With the Marshall Plexi I've kind of gone back to the ‘70s, really," figured Faulkner. "And, you know, it's just one channel. And I've been using a prototype Flying V by Gibson, a blue Flying V with signature pickups, which I had been using on the PRIEST tour. I used it on the whole record, every track. So it's pretty straightforward technology-wise — the Flying V through a Marshall on 11."

As for the music, Richie described it as "a mix of Jimi Hendrix, PRIEST, SABBATH, solo Ozzy and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, but with a lot of melody, sort of old school and modern at once if that makes any sense, and actually down-tuned a whole step. The Marshall Plexi basically does one thing, but you've got to crank it to 11 for it to have that distorted sound. It hasn't got a lot of bells and whistles on it or different channels and effects. It basically does one thing and does it very well. But again down-tuning creates more of a modern sound, and by using the classic sound of the Marshall Plexi, you get that juxtaposition, that contrast. All told, there are a lot of guitar solos and the songs are on the heavier side. And even though there's a lot of melody, it's still going to shake your bones."

Specific to the songs, Richie explained that, "Me and acoustic don't really get along, so there's only one mellow song on it, a sort of smoky, haunted, New Orleans kind of tune called 'Ghost Of You', with de-tuned 1920s piano on it. That one is about a memory, or ghost of a lost love. But that's about as acoustic as it gets. I'm not really attracted to acoustic guitar in general. It's mainly kind of heavy and full-on, really. There's a song called 'White Horse', plus 'Horns For A Halo', which is like Tony Iommi crossed with ALICE IN CHAINS. That's about the way we justify the bad things we do. When we turn up on Judgement Day, will the angels kind of confuse our horns for halos, if you know what I mean. Then there's 'Rose Girl', which has a bit of a psychedelic '60s hippie vibe. It's about the rose girl who sells roses to the patrons at a strip club, and reflecting on what her life is all about."

Besides having these stories told, another mandate of the band is for Richie to propose more fully than he can across a PRIEST record, his own voice or style as it pertains to the guitar.

"Yes, everything that you do, without sounding pretentious, is trying to find your own voice and extension of your voice," he said. "I've been in cover bands all my life. Then you find yourself replacing K.K. Downing and it's, like, 'Now what am I gonna say?' I can't sound like K.K. Downing. I can't sound like Eddie Van Halen. I can't sound like Zakk Wylde. So it's refining and honing what your voice is, constantly fine-tuning what that voice is. And hopefully when people listen to it, they'll think, 'Oh, that's Richie.' In every song and every solo hopefully there's that sound, that narrative, that voice, and hopefully it stands the test of time."

But really, the over-arching mandate with ELEGANT WEAPONS is to perpetuate the rich legacy of the traditional proto-power metal invented by the heavy metal titans of the '70s and '80s, most pertinently JUDAS PRIEST.

"All four of us have got that original DNA in us, as does the new breed of traditional heavy metal fans," Richie said. "And so maybe a band like ELEGANT WEAPONS, hopefully we've got the credibility to make those original bands proud, because we were accepted by the members of those bands and by their fans. That's really the idea behind ELEGANT WEAPONS — to keep flying the flag for this style of timeless heavy metal."

According to a recent report by DW News, allegations of sexual misconduct have been levelled against Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann. Following the claims by one Shelby Lynn that were made public, an investigation by German reporters shows that the case could by part of a systematic process to satisfy Lindemann's sexual requests. German police have opened an investigation into sexual assault allegations against Lindemann, as a number of women have now alleged they were recruited for sex at concerts. Shelby Lynn, from Northern Ireland, recently told the BBC she believed her drink had been spiked and she had been "groomed for sex."


Lindemann has denied the allegations, with his lawyers calling the claims "without exception untrue".


Rammstein drummer Christoph Schneider has issued a statement via Instagramreflecting his "personal thoughts and emotions" with regards to the situation. The translation from German can be read below.




"Dear people,


I would like to share my personal emotions and thoughts with you.


The accusations of the last few weeks have deeply shaken us as a band and me as a person. You fans certainly too. I feel as if in shock by the things that have been shared on social media and in the press and in print about our singer. This is an ebb and flow of emotions for us band members and crew.


No, I don't think anything criminally relevant (such as the use of knockout drops) happened. No. I don't think anything illegal was going on, I've never seen anything like it, nor heard anything like it from any of our crew of 100 people. All I heard from Till's parties were adults celebrating together. And yet things seem to have happened that, although legally ok, I personally don't think are ok. Certain structures have grown that went beyond the limits and values of the other band members. It is also important to us that Till's parties are not confused with our official after-show parties.


Till has distanced himself from us in recent years and created his own bubble.


With their own people, their own parties, their own projects. That made me sad, definitely. I believe Till when he tells us that he always wanted and still wants to give his private guests a good time. How exactly these guests had imagined this, however, seems to differ in some cases from his own ideas. The wishes and expectations of the women who have now come forward were probably not fulfilled. According to their statements, they felt uncomfortable, on the edge of a situation that they could no longer control.


I feel sorry for her and I feel compassion. However, it is important for me to emphasize something objective: every guest in the backstage area is free to leave (they may have to wait a moment for security to lead them safely to the exit). All bottles are sealed and in full view of the guests freshly opened or they open them themselves.


Water and snacks are available just like Security personnel and medical care available at any time. We want all of our guests to feel comfortable and safe with us!


This is our standard. So I'm sorry to hear that some didn't feel that way.


We have the greatest fans in the world and they all deserve to be treated with respect! I'm sorry for anyone who wasn't treated kindly or felt unsafe backstage with us.


Also for Shelby, she deserved a great concert and a wonderful evening.


But I don't want this whole public dispute about our band to feed the extremes: neither the beast social media, which has not yet been tamed by our society, nor paternalistic tendencies to deny women in their mid-20s the ability to make self-determined decisions about their sexuality and also by no means victim blaming, so that people continue to date to talk about it if something happened to them. I wish for a calm, level-headed reflection and processing, also in our band.


And all together, six of us. We stand together.


Your Christoph Schneider."




 

 
 

 


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Rammstein's record label, Universal Music, recently revealed they have "suspended marketing and promotional activities for the band's recordings."


Prosecutors opened the investigation on their own initiative as well as "on the basis of several criminal complaints filed by third parties," referring to people not directly involved in the alleged incidents, according to the AFP news agency.


Read the complete report here. Check out the initial DW news report below.





Rammstein recently issued a statement regarding the allegations via Instagram. It reads as follows (translated from German):


"The reports over the last few days have caused irritation and raised questions among the public and especially among our fans. The allegations hit us all very hard and we take them extremely seriously.


We say to our fans: It is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows - in front of and behind the stage.


We condemn any kind of abuse and ask you: do not engage in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made allegations. You have a right to your point of view.


But we, the band, also have a right – namely not to be prejudiced either."




 

 
 

 


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Legendary rock vocalist Graham Bonnet (RAINBOW, MSG, ALCATRAZZ, GRAHAM BONNET BAND) has weighed in on singers and bands who rely heavily on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances.

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

Speaking to the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" podcast about some rock acts' reliance on pre-recorded tracks, the 75-year-old Graham said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "A lot of guys my age in this so-called heavy rock thing have lost their voices, singers. And they are out there pre-recording and lip syncing… They've gotta keep up their image. Their music has gotta be good every time they go on; it's gotta be as good as possible. And they can't let the audience down. So I understand when people do lip sync… It's just the way it is.

"I couldn't believe it," he continued. "Years ago I went to a concert in Japan, and I was watching [laughs]… I'm not trying to kill DURAN DURAN. DURAN DURAN were playing. One of the guys said to me, 'Do you want to come below the stage and you'll see what really goes on?' I couldn't believe the equipment that was under the stage that got DURAN DURAN to play good. There was a whole machine. This is years ago; I'm not saying they do it now. But it was… I couldn't believe it; I just couldn't believe it. And [this guy said to me], 'Well, don't you do it, Graham?' I said, 'No. How can you?' You lose the feel. Sometimes you pull a track back; if he's bluesy, you pull it back a bit and the drummer goes with you. If you're playing to a click all the time, you can't do that.

"So, it happened. I did see it happen, and I don't think they do that anymore, because people are getting found out now. And I don't think people really care, to be honest with you.

"I remember my brother," Graham added. "He went to see ELO, his favorite band. And he said, 'They're just as good live as they are on record.' … Everything is fake. But Jeff Lynne's fucking great at what he does. Can you imagine QUEEN, for instance, going on stage without the harmony?"

KISS frontman Paul Stanley, who has been struggling to hit the high notes in many of the band's classic songs for a number of years, has been accused of singing to a backing tape on KISS's ongoing "End Of The Road" tour.

Back in 2015, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons slammed bands who used backing tapes for not being honest enough to include that fact on their concert tickets.

"I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks," Simmons said. "It's like the ingredients in food. If the first ingredient on the label is sugar, that's at least honest. It should be on every ticket — you're paying $100, 30 to 50 percent of the show is [on] backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip sync. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks, it's about dishonesty.

"There's nobody with a synthesizer on our stage, there's no samples on the drums, there's nothing," Gene continued. "There's very few bands who do that now — AC/DC, METALLICA, us. I can't even say that about U2 or THE [ROLLING] STONES. There's very few bands who don't use [backing] tracks."

This past March, KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee defended Stanley's vocal performance on "End Of The Road", explaining that the "Star Child" "fully sings to every song" at every concert. He explained: It's enhanced. It's just part of the process to make sure that everybody hears the songs the way they should be sang to begin with. Nobody wants to hear people do stuff that's not real, that's not what they came to hear."

When McGhee was asked to clarify if he was "actually saying there are backing tracks that [Paul is] singing to," Doc said: "He'll sing to tracks. It's all part of a process. Because everybody wants to hear everybody sing. But he fully sings to every song."

In March 2020, SHINEDOWN guitarist Zach Myers said that "90 percent" of rock artists use at least some pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. He told Rock Feed: "It bothers me that it bothers people. I'm, like, 'Why does this bother you?' It's the way it is. People have been doing this since the '80s. And we want the sound to be the best it can be. Could we go up there, just the four of us, and put on the best rock show ever? Of course. But that's not how we wanna do it."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has previously said that he is "one of the last people" who are still not using pre-recorded tracks at their live shows. "I don't know how much longer I can say to you that I don't use tapes onstage, because I don't, and I never have," he told Consequence Of Sound. "And I still don't. When I have opening bands, and they're using tapes, and then I come out and I don't use tapes… sometimes, it makes me feel stupid, because I'm like, 'What am I doing, when all these kids half my age can come onstage and do all of my moves, but they don't have to warm up for an hour before the show, or weeks, before the first show?' Sometimes, I'm like, 'Why do I even bother, if the public is so used to this other way?' It's becoming very rare to come see a good band that's actually a real band — that's not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running. It just becomes more rare as the years go on."

In 2019, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith said that he doesn't "agree" with certain rock artists relying on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. "I tell you what, I see it with a lot of younger bands, and I don't think it's a good thing at all," he told the New York Post. "I mean, the music is getting too technical now. You have computerized recording systems, which we use, but I think we use them more for convenience than because we need to. We've toured with a couple bands that use tapes — it's not real. You're supposed to play live; it should be live. I don't agree with using tapes … I think it's a real shame."

One musician who has been open about his band's use of taped vocals during live performances is MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, who said: "We've used technology since '87." He added the group employed "sequencers, sub tones, background vox tracks, plus background singers and us. [MÖTLEY CRÜE also taped] stuff we can't tour with, like cello parts in ballads, etc.... We love it and don't hide it. It's a great tool to fill out the sound."

In a 2014 interview, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars admitted that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that his band used pre-recorded backing vocals in its live shows, claiming that he preferred to watch groups whose performances are delivered entirely live. "I don't like it," he said. "I think a band like ours… I have to say '60s bands were my favorite — '60s and '70s bands — because they were real, like, three-piece bands or four-piece bands, and they just got up there and kicked it up. Made a mistake? So what? Sounded a little bit empty here or there? So what? It's the bigness and the rawness and the people that developed and wrote the songs and made them and presented them. To me, that's what I really like. I mean, I could put on a MÖTLEY CD and play with it all day long. I don't wanna do that."

During a press conference earlier today (Saturday, June 17) at Hellfest in Clisson, France, Steven Wilson was asked about PORCUPINE TREE's future after it plays its currently scheduled shows this spring and summer at a handful of European festivals. He replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The simple answer is we don't know. And it's kind of reflected in the title of the album ['Closure / Continuation'] that we made last year. So this whole idea of closure-slash-continuation. We're kind of leaving our options open.

"We never officially said the band had stopped back in 2010; we just went off and did other things," he explained. "Personally, I've never seen the need for that kind of dramatic gesture: 'It's done.'

"So, I think we leave the door open. I personally would love to think we will record again. Whether we tour again, I don't know, 'cause we're all getting a bit old for that — at least I feel that way anyway."

Added keyboardist Richard Barbieri: "That's right. It would be silly to say that we are never gonna make another album, because you don't know. We don't know what's gonna happen in two years' time, three years' time. We do have a live album that's coming out at the end of this year. And that sounds really good. So it's quite exciting."

Last year, PORCUPINE TREE — Wilson, Barbieri and drummer Gavin Harrison — embarked on a wide-ranging world tour, the band's first since October 2010. The group was touring in support of its eleventh studio album, the aforementioned "Closure / Continuation", which came out in June 2022 via Music For Nations/Megaforce Records.

In June 2022, Wilson told Under The Radar that PORCUPINE TREE's most recent comeback is "not a reunion". He added: "I mean, firstly, we never broke up. And secondly, we've made a new record. For me, a reunion tour is when you get together having broken up and you basically go out and just play your greatest hits, for which is what THE POLICE did, for an audience that are basically nostalgic for what you used to be 30, 40 years before. We never broke up and we've been making this record for the last 10 years. In fact, pretty much since we were in the slipstream of the finishing of the previous tour. So is that a reunion? I don't think so. It's no different to TOOL coming back after 15 years with their next record. We've been quicker than that. [Laughs] We've been working on this record for a very long time in — this would be an understatement to say it — a fairly low-profile way, because nobody knew we were making the record at all. Everyone else assumed that the band didn't exist. I'd be the first to admit I added fuel to that because I would often tell people to forget PORCUPINE TREE and it's not coming back. Because I wanted people to focus on what I was doing at that given moment. But those were white lies because, actually, I knew we were working on this record and I knew eventually it would come out."

Asked if it's fair to say the "Closure / Continuation" album and tour is "probably a one-off", Wilson said: I suspect it will be the last time we'll tour. I think it's quite possible we might make another record. In fact, I was speaking with Richard about it. We were in Germany a couple of weeks ago doing promo in Berlin, and somebody asked me that question. I thought, Well, you know what? I think there's a way forward. A track like 'Walk The Plank' — which is one of the last tracks we did — which doesn't have any guitars on it at all, and kind of reflects the fact that I've moved more and more towards electronic music. I wondered about making a PORCUPINE TREE record where we just focused on keyboards, rather than guitars. It would have to be something different to justify doing it. But I suspect we probably wouldn't tour again. I think in my heart, I think this is probably the last round for sure."

One of the most forward-thinking, genre-defying rock bands of any era, PORCUPINE TREE was founded in 1987 by Wilson as an outlet for the experimental recordings he was making outside of his acclaimed post-rock duo NO-MAN. With the addition of Barbieri and Harrison, PORCUPINE TREE soon evolved into a proper band, releasing 10 studio albums between 1992 and 2009. Each new release saw PORCUPINE TREE exploring new musical ideas, their expansive music shifting from pastoral psychedelic rock and ambient electronic soundscapes to experimental pop and propulsive metal. Later releases like 2007's Grammy Award-nominated "Fear Of A Blank Planet" and 2009's "The Incident" — the band's biggest seller thus far, reaching the top 25 in both the U.S. and the U.K. — saw PORCUPINE TREE effortlessly melding distinctive genres to create a groundbreaking musical universe all their own.

As relentlessly creative on stage as they are in the studio, PORCUPINE TREE proved innovative live performers known for sonic innovation and inventive visual productions. In October 2010, the band entered a period of hiatus following a spectacular concert at London's Royal Albert Hall.

In a new interview with Yahoo! Entertainment 's Lyndsey Parker, Al Jourgensen revealed that he is close to putting MINISTRY to bed, more than 40 years after he launched the band in his former hometown of Chicago.

"My career is winding down with MINISTRY," Jourgensen said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I'm gonna stop MINISTRY in an album or two. I have to. I have other things I wanna do."

He continued: "My public and my band are all in agreement that we are being shackled by… We are taking our genre to the farthest limits it can go, and we're happy with that. And we'll stop when it's time instead of keep going and trying to just recreate the same stuff. We keep trying to push further. So, I figure there's only maybe one more MINISTRY album to go. Maybe two, but probably one."

Jourgensen added: "I have other things to do. I have projects that I'm working on with various people. I have film scores. And MINISTRY, now we're being held to the standard of this new MINISTRY of, okay, either push further or do the most popular stuff over and over and over and over, which we have with 'Psalm 69' or something like that. I'm tired of that. We're all tired of that. Well, we are. The fans aren't. So I think this next year or two is gonna be really transformative in the sense that I'm wrapping a bow on my entire career and saying, 'Drop mic. Thank you. Thank you for buying our t-shirts… Good night. And now I hope you follow me on my next journey."

Al revealed that one of MINISTRY's final recordings might be a 'remake" of the band's first album, "With Sympathy", which he claims he had little control over, with the record company at the time dictating its direction. According to Jourgensen, a new version of "With Sympathy" would "tie a bow on the whole thing, and just say, 'Drop mic. Good night. I'm outta here.'"

The MINISTRY mastermind said that he and his bandmates are heading into the studio to commence work on a new recording of "Revenge", one of three singles from "With Sympathy", with the possibility that they will re-record three of the album's other cuts: "Effigy", "Work For Love" and "Here We Go". As for when fans might hear these new versions, Al said: "I think it's going to be sooner than you think."

This is not the first time Jourgensen has vowed to make a "final" MINISTRY album. 2007's "The Last Sucker" was supposed to be the band's last-ever LP. Then, while working on other projects, inspiring riffs were born that would eventually become 2012's "Relapse". Later that year, Jourgensen began work on yet another MINISTRY album with longtime guitarist and collaborator Mike Scaccia. Three days after leaving the MINISTRY sessions in El Paso, in the early hours of December 23, 2012, Scaccia suffered heart failure onstage while performing with his other band, RIGOR MORTIS, and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Scaccia's death both devastated and motivated Jourgensen to return the studio to put the final touches on what they had started in memory of his best friend. The result was 2013's "From Beer To Eternity". Two more albums followed, 2018's "AmeriKKKant" and 2021's "Moral Hygiene", with another new LP, "Hopium For The Masses", tentatively due in August.

MINISTRY played a new song from "Hopium For The Masses" called "Goddamn White Trash" on the band's recent tour. A fan-filmed video of one of the performances can be seen below.

Photo credit: Derick Smith / Nuclear Blast

During a pre-show press conference at this weekend's Hellfest festival in Clisson, France, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix was asked how he feels about the supposed nu-metal resurgence in recent years, partly thanks to a whole new wave of exciting revivalists. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Nostalgia is such a powerful thing, and it's so cool to see that that era is making its way back around. And part of it is because, you know, time. And the other part of it is this new generation of bands that were little kids that were listening to bands like PAPA ROACH or KORN or DEFTONES or LIMP BIZKIT or LINKIN PARK, those were the bands that they were listening to, so this music kind of influenced them. And now bands like OF MICE & MEN or BRING ME THE HORIZON, you can hear elements of nu metal in that music. And that's frickin' sick."

As for PAPA ROACH's own "departure" from the nu metal sound, Shaddix said: "It was necessary. It's always about evolution. And for a while I really despised the title of nu metal because everybody was trying to compare us to LIMP BIZKIT or compare us to LINKIN PARK, and we were, like, 'No, we're our own thing.' And we've proved that we are our own thing, throughout the years. And now, as we look back, as older men, I look back proud on being part of that movement. It's just dope that it's finally kind of getting some respect in pop culture. I think that in the time, people just kind of looked down upon the genre. And now, as the years have gone on, there's some respect upon it, which is… it's dope."

Back in 2019, Jacoby said that "it was always a weird thing" for him and his bandmates to be lumped in with all the "nu metal" groups around the time of the release of PAPA ROACH's full-length debut, 2000's "Infest". "With the nu metal kingpins, the top dogs were LIMP BIZKIT at the time, and I wasn't on the same page as Fred [Durst]," he told the KUPD radio station. "I considered myself more of a punk rocker at that time. But we weren't a punk band — we knew that we weren't a punk band. But all the bands that we played with from 1993 up to 1999, they were all the local punk groups and the emo bands, and we were the odd man out all the time. But now, I look back on it, and I'm, like, yeah, we were a nu metal band for a few years — we were definitely a nu metal band. But for us, we kind of outlived the tag of nu-metal and just became more of a rock band."

Asked how PAPA ROACH managed to survive the nu metal phase when so many other bands fell by the wayside, Shaddix said: "For us, it's a trip, 'cause there's a lot of bands — we've seen waves of bands come and go. In the nu metal era, a lot of bands just dissipated or fell apart. And there was the garage rock revolution — THE HIVES, THE STROKES, THE VINES — that kind of sound came and had its time and then it kind of went away. And then screamo came in. And then after that, it was, like… I get lost. We just keep seeing people come and go. And we're, like, all right, cool. We're still here doing our thing. We said it from the beginning — we're the cockroaches; we're gonna be around for a while."

Pressed about whether it was hard for PAPA ROACH not to try to change its sound with the times over the years, Jacoby said: "Oh, yeah. For us, even from the beginning, from where we started, we were more like a funk-punk band when we first started — more like [RED HOT] CHILI PEPPERS meets… I don't even know; just some oddball shit. CHILI PEPPERS meets MR. BUNGLE — that was kind of where we sat in the beginning. And then we got into heavier, more metal style. And that's kind of when I got into rapping, and that's when we started doing that — we became a nu metal band. And then for us, after that, we discovered classic rock, and that was a big evolution for us. I was listening to QUEEN. I've always been a LED ZEPPELIN fan. THE WHO, SUPERTRAMP — all these classic groups. THE CLASH as well. And we were discovering the old stuff, and then it influenced our band again. So then we had guitar solos in our music and our guitar player grew his hair out, and we were just like a rocker band. And we toured with MÖTLEY CRÜE… And then I fell in love with hip-hop music again, and, really, we broke all the walls down again and kind of brought it full circle in a sense. Some of the modern music we're doing now has elements of the old school, but elements of the new school. We love a wide range of music. And so, for us now, I just don't give a fuck anymore. I just wanna make music that gets me off and is inspiring to me and makes me wanna walk into the studio and get on the mic and throw down. And sometimes we hit the mark, and sometimes we don't hit the mark. But for any career band, that's gonna be the story."

Nu metal thrived during the remarkable decade from 1994 to 2004 when mainstream charts, magazines, radio and TV were all taken over by a host of diverse artists performing their own brands of hard rock, hip-hop and heavy metal.

Essentially a fusion of rap and alternative rock (arguably born out of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE),nu metal inexplicably swept the airwaves and peaked for a brief period, with Gregory Heaney of AllMusic describing the genre as "one of metal's more unfortunate pushes into the mainstream." Along the way, several bands associated with nu metal, including KORN, DEFTONES and SLIPKNOT, took a somewhat defensive stance against being labeled as such. Even those less apologetic nu metal groups eventually changed their sound, effectively disowning the genre that they helped pioneer.

In a new interview with Robert Cavuoto of Sonic Perspectives, TESLA frontman Jeff Keith confirmed that his band doesn't use any backing tracks in its live shows these days. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When we play live, we don't roll no tape; we don't roll no Pro Tools or nothing. When you see us live, we either sound good and we're doing it or we have an off night and we're doing it. We've never rolled tape. And now they say, 'Well, it's not really tape anymore, Jeff. It's a computer.' I go, well, either way, we don't do none of that. Like we say on all our records: 'No machines.' … We like to keep it real."

Back in 2021, when TESLA announced its first post-pandemic tour, TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon said in a statement: "We are so excited and anxious to get back to performing 'real' live concerts again. There's nothing like the energy of being in the same spontaneous moment with an audience of people. TESLA has always taken pride in being a high energy live band relying on performances without any backing tracks or pre-recorded help."

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

TESLA released a new live album, "Full Throttle Live", on May 26. The LP includes the band's latest single, "Time To Rock!", plus other songs, all recorded last August at Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Independently recorded, mixed and produced by guitarist Frank Hannon and bassist Brian Wheat, this new live album truly captures TESLA in pure honest form, and even dives deeper into their roots by recording a live version of the 1974 AEROSMITH classic "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" as a bonus track. The heavier song choices range from "Miles Away" to more recent hard releases like the aforementioned "Time To Rock!" and "Cold Blue Steel". But don't worry, there are old TESLA classics captured too, like "Changes" and "Lazy Days, Crazy Nights", all recorded as TESLA is best — 100% full-throttle live.

In September 2021, TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He has since been replaced at TESLA's gigs by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

Due to overwhelming demand, TESLA recently added five shows to its residency at House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort And Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new dates will begin on Friday, September 29.

In a new interview with Into The Pit, guitarist Bobby Gustafson once again opened up about his fall 2022 exit from San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans VIO-LENCE. The 57-year-old musician, who is based in Florida, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[The split happened] for the same reason all these bands are canceling tours. It's just gotten so expensive to do. Even within that three-short-year span, the price of plane tickets really shot up after the pandemic. They're not playing all the time — they're doing sporadic shows here and there — and to spend that much money to bring me out there, it's understandable."

Gustafson went on to say: "I thought it was pretty much a solid band when I had started. But I know Phil [Demmel, VIO-LENCE's founding guitarist] has his eyes on something bigger. So if other projects come along, he wanted to really be with something at the level he was used to, which is understandable. You get used to that level, and it's hard to go back. I wish them well. Whatever happens, happens."

Gustafson previously talked about his departure from VIO-LENCE this past March in an interview with the "Metal Mayhem ROC" podcast. At the time, he said: "Yeah, [the cross-country commute] was hard. And with the economy, the way it was, everything started to get more expensive. I mean, the flights had doubled since I first started going out there in 2020. And to go back and forth, it was a strain on me, but it was a strain on the band as well, to try and keep themselves going. You can't be selfish and be the only one they're wasting money on like that. But they [originally] wanted somebody with a name [to be in their band], and they asked me to do it, and I was, like, 'Yeah. This'll be great.' So it just got to be where it's so expensive, and it's affecting every band, basically. Between diesel for the bus, hotel rooms, flying to Europe. I'm hearing now that they're taking a lot in Europe — they're taking money from your t-shirts.; they are taxing those bands that leave Europe to try and come here to play. Everyone's got their hands in your pockets. It's so hard to make anything… It's not cost effective anymore. It's, like, are you doing it [just to be] doing it, or are you doing it to make a living? 'Cause you still have bills to pay at home, so you've gotta make something. And, yeah, the worst part of it is really the gas and those buses, and everything over there is diesel, and that just went through the roof.

"So, it is what it is," Gustafson added. "There's no hard feelings or nothing. And it's just… move on."

A former member of OVERKILL, Gustafson joined VIO-LENCE in January 2020 as the replacement for Ray Vegas.

When Gustafson's departure from VIO-LENCE was first announced last October, the band cited "logistical difficulties that weigh too heavy to function in a productive manner" as the reason for the split.

VIO-LENCE's current touring lineup consists of vocalist Sean Killian, drummer Adrian Aguilar (EXMORTUS),guitarist Miles Dimitri Baker (VOIDBRINGER, INTERLOPER, ex-RINGS OF SATURN),bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and guitarist Ira Black (VICIOUS RUMORS, HEATHEN, METAL CHURCH).

VIO-LENCE played its first show with Aguilar in February at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Aguilar joined VIO-LENCE following the departure of Perry Strickland.

When Demmel is unable to make some of the VIO-LENCE dates, he is being replaced by Baker.

Notably, VIO-LENCE's recent shows in Asia, Australia and New Zealand featured only Killian from the lineup that played its first comeback gig in April 2019 at the Oakland Metro in Oakland, California. The VIO-LENCE lineup that appeared at the Metro consisted of Killian, Demmel, Strickland, bassist Deen Dell and Vegas.

Strickland announced his departure from VIO-LENCE in February by sharing a video of him performing with the band and captioning it: "I'll Miss playing these songs !" After one fan asked Perry in the comments to clarify whether he has in fact exited the group, Strickland responded: "yes about a month ago".

Among the people reacting to Strickland's announcement was Gustafson, who wrote: "Good luck with what ever you do in the future. We had some good times finally."

The Loknath 007 YouTube channel has uploaded 4K video of PANTERA's June 13 concert at the Verti Music Hall in Berlin, Germany. Check out the clips below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. Suicide Note Pt. II
07. 5 Minutes Alone
08. This Love
09. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit
10. Fucking Hostile
11. Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH cover)
12. Walk
13. Domination / Hollow
14. Cowboys From Hell
15. Use My Third Arm

PANTERA's current lineup includes two surviving members from the band's classic formation, Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, are headlining a number of major festivals across South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who in 2021 said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

This past March, PANTERA headlined the 2023 "comeback" edition of Japan's Loud Park festival. The two-day "limited" event took place on March 25 at Intex Osaka in Osaka and March 26 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City near Tokyo.

In December, PANTERA played seven shows in Mexico and South America.

Brown was forced to leave PANTERA's Latin American tour after testing positive for COVID-19. Filling in for him at some of the shows was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

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.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

On June 18th, US rockers performed at the Hellfest in Clisson, France. Pro-shot video of the entire show courtesy of ARTE Concert can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Raise Your Horns" (intro)
"I Miss The Misery"
"Love Bites (So Do I)"
"I Get Off"
"Crazy On You" (Heart)
"Wicked Ways"
"Familiar Taste Of Poison"
"Takes My Life"
- drum solo -
"Back From The Dead"
"The Steeple"







Halestorm recently announced their return to Europe this winter for their biggest headline shows to date.


The first and only UK date announced for their winter 2023 trek will take place at London's OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, December 9th.


Special guests will be none other than charismatic rock act Black Veil Brides. An additional support is still to be announced.


Frontwoman Lzzy Hale comments: "We are so excited to be back across the pond where the rock n roll lifers are! We are celebrating so many milestones this year including having the honour of headlining Wembley at the end of the year! To kick it up a notch we’ve invited our friends in Black Veil Brides to join us for a run as well. We can’t wait to see all of your passionate faces!"


Tickets for the London show will go on general sale at 10am BST on June 1st. To buy tickets, click here.


Further European shows will be revealed soon.

Rap metal sensation Sicksense - featuring vocalists Vicky Psarakis (ex-The Agonist) and Robby J. Fonts (Stuck Mojo) - have shared a one-take vocal performance of the song "Run And Hide". The track is taken from their new Fools Tomorrow EP.





Hard-hitting and melodic; pissed off and groovy; energetic and catchy: upon first listen, it is clear that Sicksense is all of these things. The band - comprised of vocalists Killer V (Vicky Psarakis) and Rob The Ripper (Robby J. Fonts), guitarist Breakdown Bran (Bran Panic), drummer The True Cody Taylor (Cody Taylor) and bassist Spot-On Sam/SOS (Samuel Bedard) – have released their new EP, Fools Tomorrow. It is now available here.







Fools Tomorrow tracklisting:


"Feed Them To The Wolves"
"Fools Tomorrow" (ft. Billy Grey)
"Invitation"
"Run And Hide"
"Erase, Rewind"


"Feed Them To The Wolves"





"Fools Tomorow"





Having both performed a range of styles in numerous heavy bands, Killer V and Rob The Ripper (who are married) wanted to return to a genre that’s close to their hearts, but also make music that is specifically written for two vocalists. Written with dual vocal interplay from a male / female perspective, their performance reflects a personal and fun side of them as people, but also tackles social and societal issues in the world today. Backed by guitarist Breakdown Bran (Bran Panic), drummer The Trve Cody Taylor (Cody Taylor) and bassist Spot-On Sam/SOS (Samuel Bedard), Sicksense would be born out of the band’s desire to share their upbeat and fun message with the world. Sicksense chooses musical inspiration from various bands and those influences shine through in their debut EP, Kings Today.   


Sicksense is:


Killer V – Vocals/Keys
Rob The Ripper – Vocals
Breakdown Bran – Guitars
Spot-On Sam/SOS – Bass
The Trve Cody Taylor – Drums

On June 17th, German power metallers Powerwolf performed at the Hellfest in Clisson, France. Pro-shot video of the entire show courtesy of ARTE Concert can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Faster Than the Flame"
"Incense & Iron"
"Amen & Attack"
"Dancing With the Dead"
"Armata Strigoi"
"Bête du Gévaudan"
"Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend"
"Fire and Forgive"
"Blood for Blood (Faoladh)"
"Agnus Dei" (Intro)
"Sanctified With Dynamite"
"We Drink Your Blood"
"Werewolves of Armenia"







There is no way around the most successful German band in modern heavy metal. Only a few days before the release of the special album Interludium on April 7, and shortly after the overwhelming first North American tour in the band's history, Powerwolf announced four shows in Germany from October 31 to November 5.


The holy heavy metal mass will be brought to Düsseldorf, Ravensburg, Bamberg and Leipzig. The wolves will get support from special guests Lord Of The Lost, Beyond The Black And Serenity.





Dates:


October
31 - Düsseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi Electric Halle (with Lord Of The Lost, Serenity)


November
2 - Ravensburg, Germany - Oberschwabenhalle (with Lord Of The Lost, Serenity)
3 - Bamberg, Germany - Brose Arena (with Lord Of The Lost, Serenity)
5 - Leipzig, Germany - Quarterback Immobilien Arena (with Beyond The Black, Serenity)


More Powerwolf tour dates, as well as tickets and more information, can be found at Powerwolf.net/tickets.


Powerwolf are:


Attila Dorn - vocals
Falk Maria Schlegel - organ
Charles Greywolf - guitar
Matthew Greywolf - guitar
Roel van Helden - drums

European metal powerhouse Last Temptation have checked in with the following message:


"Please give a warm welcome to Loup Malevil (Sabotage) and Fabio Alessandrini (Bonfire / TL Rhapsody / Annihilator)! A familiar face from our 2022 tour, Franz OA Wise is also officially joining the band, completing the new line-up. 


We can't wait for you to get a taste of the music we created together. A new album will be released by Fall 2023 and more dates being announced soon.




See you June 25th at Zénith de Paris!" 


Last Temptation returned last year with a new album, Fuel for My Soul, which is out now via Crusader Records.


Fuel for My Soul is a great step forward for Last Temptation. Recorded in a week, the band took their time to rehearse the new songs and had over 40 demos before eventually narrowing it down to 11 hard-hitting tracks. 


Fuel for My Soul has an entirely different production style compared to the last album. All the rhythm tracks, bass, drums and guitars were recorded live, and the songs are far more eclectic than previous releases. While Last Temptation still maintain their Ozzy/Black Sabbathinfluences, they add a grungy twist, along with big choruses that gives an ‘80s vibe.


"Fuel For My Soul"

The Future Past Tour features Iron Maiden presenting previously unperformed songs from the band’s most recent studio album, Senjutsu along with a focus on 1986’s iconic Somewhere In Time record, plus other classic cuts. Speaking exclusively with Metal Hammer recently, bassist / founder Steve Harris revealed that when it comes to picking what songs to play on each tour, the metal legends answer to only one voice: their own.


"This might be blunt and brutal, but we don’t do it for the audience. We do it for our own thing first. We’ve gotta feel comfortable with what we’re playing and enjoy it, and then hopefully they’ll like it. That’s always been our stance all the way through. We don’t do a census of, ‘Oh, does everyone like this or like that?’, or whatever. We don’t do that."


Read the complete report here.




On June 11th, Iron Maiden brought The Future Past tour to the Quarterback Immobilien Arena in Leipzig, Germany. Fan-filmed video from the show can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Caught Somewhere In Time"
"Stranger In A Strange Land"
"The Writing On The Wall"
"Days Of Future Past"
"The Time Machine"
"The Prisoner"
"Death Of The Celts"
"Can I Play With Madness"
"Heaven Can Wait"
"Alexander The Great"
"Fear Of The Dark"
"Iron Maiden"


Encore:
"Hell On Earth"
"The Trooper"
"Wasted Years"

In a new interview with Graspop Metal Meeting, conducted at this weekend's festival in Dessel, Belgium, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan was asked if he thinks the band's "quite solid" lineup is one of the main reasons for the group's success. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we have a great deal respect for each other and a brotherhood. Back in 2011, we decided we were going so hard on the road, as most bands do… It was probably at that point about 11 years, 12 years straight of just hard touring and writing, recording and touring, and we wanted to take a little hiatus and just spend some time at home with the families, with the kids. My kids were really little back then; they're teenagers now. And then when we came back together after that short break, it made us really even appreciate everything even more, after it's missing from your life for those few years. And we still have a lot to say, a lot to write about. This is therapeutic for us. We need it to get through life. Even the fans — they need music to get through life. As [DISTURBED singer] David [Draiman] says many times, [our shows are] like one big group therapy session, because we all come to concerts to escape everyday life, of whatever may be going on at work or things that may be difficult through life. You come to have an escape."

Released in November, DISTURBED's latest album, "Divisive", was recorded early last year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

Donegan's divorce inspired the "Divisive" song "Don't Tell Me", which is a duet with HEART's Ann Wilson. In two decades, it breaks ground as the first-ever guest collaboration on a DISTURBED record.

According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.

On June 12th, Hollywood Vampires - featuring Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry and Tommy Henriksen - performed at  Arena Sofia in Sofia, Bulgaria. Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below.


The band is rounded out by Glen Sobel, Chris Wyse and Buck Johnson.


The setlist was as follows: 




"I Want My Now" 
"Raise the Dead"
"I'm Eighteen" (Alice Cooper)
"Five to One / Break On Through (To the Other Side)" (The Doors) 
"The Boogieman Surprise"
"My Dead Drunk Friends" 
"You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" (Johnny Thunders) 
"Baba O'Riley" (The Who)
"Who's Laughing Now"
"People Who Died" (The Jim Carroll Band) 
"The Jack (AC/DC) 
"As Bad As I Am" 
"Heroes" (David Bowie) 
- Jeff Beck Tribute - (instrumental) 
"Bright Light Fright" (Aerosmith) 
"The Death and Resurrection Show" (Killing Joke) 
"Walk This Way" (Aerosmith)
"The Train Kept A-Rollin'" (Tiny Bradshaw) 


Encore:
"School's Out" (Alice Cooper)





The Hollywood Vampires tour schedule for Europe is as follows:


Tour dates:


June
20 - Rudolf Weber Arena - Oberhausen, Germany
21 - Rockhal - Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
24 - Olympiahalle - Munich, Germany
27 - Stadtpark - Hamburg, Germany
28 - Citadel Music Festival - Zitadelle Spandau - Berlin, Germany
30 - Summer in the City - Zitadelle Mainz - Mainz, Germany

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, are back with their latest Sunday Lunch video. Watch below.


A message states: "The legendary duo rock out to the Lenny Kravitz classic in that infamous kitchen. Enjoy this revisit to "Are You Gonna Go My Way" on the day that Toyah & Robert take to the stage at the Isle Of Wight Fest, Sunday 18 June 2023."







Toyah & Robert's Sunday Lunch is going on tour throughout the UK in September and October. The couple will be accompanied by a live band, with Fripp on guitar.


Tickets are available here.





Says Toyah: “When people ask, 'What is the show going to be?', it’s going to be about the hundred years of musical experience we have between us.”


Watch the "Toyah At Home" video below, where Toyah and Robert introduce the tour concept:

Due to health reasons, Hypocrisy guitarist Thomas Elofsson (on the far right above) has been forced off the road. He checked in on Facebook:


"Okay. Today was not a good day, but at the same time it was. A few hours ago i suffered a massive heart attack. I just came out of surgery and I'm a bit tired but in good spirit 😃 I survived. 3 vains where clogged and had to be cleared. The doctor did a good job and I owe him everything i got. Thank you ❤️ The show must go on and right this minute @hypocrisyband are playing without me for the first time in 13 years! 😃
Give em hell boys!! 😁 Now im gonna rest 😁👍"



On November 26, 2021, Hypocrisy released their latest album, Worship, which saw the best global chart results in the band's history so far. And yet, the band has another ace up their sleeve.




The fierce banger, "They Will Arrive", taken from Worship, provides the perfect soundtrack to the video, which was filmed across three different concerts during their last European tour in autumn/winter 2022.


Peter Tägtgren comments: "We’ve got a chance to make another video with Damien Dausch and it feels like it completes the Worship tour. Enjoy!"





Hypocrisy will be appearing at a few festivals in Europe this summer and will play some shows with label buddies Behemoth and In Flames.


Tour dates:


June
18 - Hannover, Germany (with Behemoth)
20 - Karlsruhe, Germany (with Behemoth)


July
15 - Neukirchen, Germany - Dong Open Air
29 - Steenwijk, Netherlands - Stone Henge Fest


August
3 - Brasov, Romania - Rockstadt Extreme Fest
11 - Obermehler, Germany - Party.San Metal Open Air
12 - Jaromer, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault Fesival
13 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Alcatraz Festival
26 - Rättvik, Sweden - Dalhalla Brinner (with In Flames)


September
8 - Hüttikon, Switzerland - Meh Suff


Hypocrisy is:


Peter Tägtgren - Vocals, Guitars
Mikael Hedlund - Bass
Henrik Axelsson - Session Drums
Thomas Elofsson - Session Guitarist


 

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson, who has become known for his weekly covers of '80s classics, has released a seven song compilation of fan favourites from his catalogue. It is now available on digital platforms. 





The tracklist is as follows: 




"Africa" (Toto)
"Headless Cross" (Black Sabbath)
"18 And Life" (Skid Row)
"You're The Voice" (John Farnham)
"The Price" (Twisted Sister)
"Alone" (Heart)
"I'm Still Standing" (Elton John) 





 





 

On June 12th, KISS performed at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Holland on their End Of The Road farewell tour. Multicam video of "I Was Made For Lovin' You" can be viewed below.





To view the complete KISS tour schedule, visit this location.







"We are finally going on the final go-around," said KISS bassist / vocalist Gene Simmons, on June 8th, during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, which can be viewed below.


Gene shared his thoughts on The End Of The Road Tour, commenting: "You have to have a little pride and self-respect. Know when to get off the stage. It's been half a century, and boy, do I look good. We've been doing this an awfully long time. I can't tell you how much it means to us to be in front of the fans and put on the spectacle of all spectacles. But on December the 2nd, New York City, Madison Square Garden, that will be the last time KISS will ever be on stage anywhere."


"Pride in a half a century of defying the critics," continued Gene. "We use them as mulch. You know what that is? You grind 'em up and you put 'em in the dirt. They don't mean anything. If it was up to critics, we wouldn't have our favorite things — Star Wars and all the fun stuff in life. We completely ignored them. And I will tell you, the finest part of being up on stage and putting on the best show on the planet is the look on the faces of the fans. I can't tell you what it means. So it's gonna be happy, because of the amazing journey we've had, but sad, of course, because it's gonna be heartbreaking." 

HIGH ON FIRE is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023 with a special slate of rejoiceful revelry. The Grammy Award-winning group, featuring bassist Jeff Matz, guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike and new drummer Coady Willis (BIG BUSINESS, MELVINS, MURDER CITY DEVILS),will bookend the jubilee with a reissue of its long-out-of-print debut, "The Art Of Self Defense", and the release of its as-yet-untitled new album, set to drop in early 2024. In between, fans can expect a slew of live performances spotlighting specific eras from the trailblazing band's historic career.

On August 4, MNRK Heavy will reissue "The Art Of Self Defense". Originally released in 2000 on the late Frank Kozik's now-defunct Man's Ruin Records, "The Art Of Self Defense" introduced the world to the towering trio and modded the template for what constituted modern-day heavy music. The celebratory reissue is completely remixed by original producer Billy Anderson, remastered by Justin Weis, and boasts a new alternative cover, expanded gatefold artwork, and the band's self-titled demo as bonus tracks. "The Art Of Self Defense" deluxe reissue, which will be available on LP in a smorgasbord of colored vinyl variants, is available for pre-order.

In additional news, HIGH ON FIRE has completed work on its new, as-yet-untitled ninth studio album and successor to 2018's "Electric Messiah", which netted the group its first Grammy for "Best Metal Performance". Recorded in Salem, Massachusetts with longtime producer Kurt Ballou, the album is the first to feature Willis, who joined HIGH ON FIRE in 2021. Additional details will be announced as available.

"HIGH ON FIRE wishes to thank everyone that has supported our efforts over the last 25 years, including the labels, road crews, friends, and families, but most importantly the FANS," says the band collectively. "We are looking forward to celebrating this milestone with everyone and sharing new music soon."

In a 2019 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Pike was asked if it is fair to say that drugs have enhanced his creativity over the years. He responded: "Oh, absolutely. I think probably everyone who's a musician has some sort of mental tic that goes on, and I believe that marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms can help that and treat that in a constructive way, especially if it's helping you get your music done. Like, when I was a kid, I learned how to play guitar on acid. So it really has contributed to the way that I make music. But I can do it sober, I proved that to myself when I stopped drinking in 2012. I've had my struggles with that, but I've been as true as I can be to it, especially if I'm playing music. I didn't think I could play a show without a shot, but for a long time I was playing shows totally sober. Now I can do a little marijuana and I'm pretty happy."

Photo credit: Jason Zucco

SLIPKNOT co-founder and percussionist M. Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) will once again sit out some of the band's upcoming shows in order to stay home with his wife, who is suffering from undisclosed health issues.

Earlier today, Shawn took to social media to write: "Hello to all of our fans. Unfortunately I had to return back home to be with my wife due to her medical situation. Thank you for the overwhelming support for the few shows I was able to make. I'm so sorry for missing the remainder of these shows, I was really looking forward to being there. As always, I'm so gracious for your overwhelming support for our family. I will be seeing you all at our shows in July. See you soon and hail SLIPKNOT."

Earlier in the month, Crahan also missed some of SLIPKNOT's shows to be with his wife. But he was able to rejoin his bandmates in time for their appearance at last weekend's Download festival and several other ensuing dates.

In a 2005 interview with the Des Moines Register, Shawn talked about his wife's ongoing battle with Crohn's disease (a chronic inflammatory bowel disease) and her hospitalization which forced him at the time to skip the first SLIPKNOT gigs of his career.

"That's the thing I fight for most in this biz, is family," he said. "Family can and is being incorporated into rock 'n' roll. You can have a wife, you can have a child or children and be a rock 'n' roller."

"Right now has definitely been the hardest time in my life," said the father of four children.

Crahan said that "health is the most important thing you have on this planet if you're gonna have a successful life," and so he knows it's ironic that as his wife battles daily for normalcy, he's slamming his body around the stage each night.

"The older you get, the wiser you get on how to benefit from taking care of yourself in your performance," Crahan said. "But my performance is to feel uncomfortable, so I'm kind of screwed any way you look at it."

Last October, Shawn reflected on the loss of his daughter in an interview with U.K.'s Independent, saying it is one of the most horrific pains any parent can go through. Losing a child isn't something you get over," he said. "That's all I can say. It changes you — and that's it."

Gabrielle Crahan died in May 2019 in Los Angeles, with Shawn announcing the death the following day. The 22-year-old was one of four children Shawn had with his wife, Chantel, whom he married in June 1992.

SLIPKNOT is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "The End, So Far", which was released last September via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to "We Are Not Your Kind", it is the band's final record with Roadrunner after first signing with the rock and metal label in 1998.

Hello to all of our fans. Unfortunately I had to return back home to be with my wife due to her medical situation. Thank...

Posted by Slipknot on Sunday, June 18, 2023

DIETH, the new band featuring former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, Swedish guitarist/vocalist Guilherme Miranda (formerly of ENTOMBED A.D.) and drummer Michał Łysejko (ex-DECAPITATED), performed on June 12 at Motor Rock Pub in Słupsk, Poland. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

DIETH released its debut album, "To Hell And Back", on June 2 via Napalm Records. The LP includes the song "Walk With Me Forever", featuring the first-ever solo lead vocal performance of Ellefson's career. The track's haunting accompanying music video shows Ellefson narrating a story of love and loss, directed by Oskar Szramka and starring notable Polish actors Jan Napieralski and Agnieszka Goździewicz.

Produced by DIETH, with mixing and mastering by Tomasz Zed Zalewski at Zed Studios in Chechło, Poland, the LP represents new beginnings — musically, lyrically and for the band members themselves. Weaving a sinister thread of unrelenting tech-steeped death metal and rapid thrash bangers, the members of DIETH have pushed beyond the stereotypes of their former genres to create an unexpected yet charismatic and dynamic new sonic footprint.

DIETH dropped its debut single, "In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents", in mid-2022. Met with acclaim from both fans and media alike, the surprise track marked the exciting resurgence of these three renowned musicians, coming together as a new musical force after years of silence.

Opening with an entrancing acoustic introduction, first track "To Hell And Back" quickly slams in with a punishing death metal attack. Tracks like "Dead Inside" and "Don't Get Mad … Get Even!" showcase the thrash-infused side of DIETH, while death metal anthems such as "Wicked Disdain" and "The Mark Of Cain" lean diabolical with hair-raising solos and breakneck paced rhythms backed by crushing walls of aggression. Standout "Free Us All" flirts with the record's pace by blending winding passages and aggression with throwback bass-driven interludes with psychedelic production, followed by "Heavy Is The Crown" — a slow-and-low grinder featuring stoner metal groove, a swaying chorus and a blues-infused solo. Pensive, powerful ballad "Walk With Me Forever" showcases Ellefson's lead vocal performance debut, singing about the intense loss of a loved one and their memory providing the strength to carry on.

Ending with intensely beautiful "Severance", "To Hell And Back" proves that DIETH isn't just another side project or "supergroup", but rather the collective reincarnation of three renowned heavy metal forces who, by harnessing their own pain and conflict, have delivered an exciting next chapter no metal fan will want to miss!

Ellefson says about the new album: "This album has been a terrific collaboration, building upon our past as we created a new sound together... we're looking forward to unleashing the fury!"

DIETH is:

Guilherme Miranda - Vocals, Guitar
David Ellefson - Vocals, Bass
Michał Łysejko – Drums

Do koncertu DIETH + Devour Universe / 12.06.2023/ Motor Rock Pub, Słupsk pozostał niecały tydzień. Słuchaliście już...

Posted by Motor Rock Pub on Tuesday, June 6, 2023

The reunited original lineup of BIOHAZARD — guitarist/vocalist Billy Gradziadei, guitarist Bobby Hambel, drummer Danny Schuler and bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld — played its first New York City concert in more than 12 years Friday night (June 16) at the Irving Plaza. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

The first reunion gig from Gradziadei, Hambel, Schuler and Seinfeld took place on May 26 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

On June 7, Seinfeld shared a couple of photos of the reunited original lineup of BIOHAZARD on Instagram, and he included the following message: "Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Reuniting with BIOHAZARD after 12 years and seeing what we have all accomplished on our own, many incredible things and now so hopeful optimistic and excited for this new chapter where once again all things are possible if you believe.

"We are going to write a new album, released a documentary film with our brother at @stonefilmsnyc ,create a new branded line of merchandise and of course tour of the world. The only thing constant in life is change.

"At one point in my life I had closed the chapter on BIOHAZARD thinking there was nothing left for me to do or accomplish and now I see so many possibilities because the energy when the four of us are together is boundless. Four kids from Brooklyn who went from the street corner to festival main stages Arenas and stadiums. BIOHAZARD sold millions of albums and played thousands of concerts in 100 countries around the world. This was my life education to see the entire world as an ambassador of positivity with my music in our metal hard-core and even hip-hop styles. All of the incredible human connections I made and all of the emotions I've experienced have helped shape me into who I am today.

"What I realize today is that every day is a new beginning and if you ever feel stuck in your life just know that you are one second away from completely changing your life believing in something new putting your heart and passion and your soul into something you care about or sometimes even just loving someone or yourself. When we carry around resentments it's almost always an over reaction of our ego. Resentment is the number one offender it only hurts us.

"Life is a gift and I'm full of gratitude today for BIOHAZARD our incredible management team our incredible agencies worldwide.

"This shoot is so special to me my guy @trusttheshooter @jeremydeputat absolutely captured the many sides of BIOHAZARD in a long day at our first [email protected] 12 years.

"See you all in the pit… somewhere!

"Grateful for my brothers Billy Bobby and Danny. We can do incredible things as a team LFG!"

BIOHAZARD will make a number of other appearances throughout 2023, including at multiple international festivals in the summer, and will play select gigs in America.

This past January, Schuler told Dan Shinder of Drum Talk TV, Schuler about how BIOHAZARD came back together: "We haven't toured in about seven years, almost eight years. In about 2015, [that] was the last year of touring. We wrapped it up after that. We went in the studio to go do a record and things just kind of imploded; everybody's a bunch of crazy personalities. In the ensuing years, we didn't do anything as BIOHAZARD. And then about a year and a half ago, my brother, who lives in Torrance, California, was flying back home to New York to come see everybody. And he gets to the airport here, and he says to me, 'You won't believe who I saw at the airport.' And I said, 'Who was that?' And he goes, 'I saw Evan,' the bass player from BIOHAZARD, Evan Seinfeld, who I hadn't spoken to in 10 years. And they had a good conversation, and it was cordial. And he basically sent a message through my brother, 'Tell Danny I said hi.' So a week later, I'm going on vacation. I'm feeling good. I'm going down to the beach house here in [New] Jersey with my wife and my kids, and I said to my wife, 'Maybe I should call him' — you know, just bury the hatchet. Who cares anymore? Like everybody, COVID and all these people dying and all this stuff, it's, like, who the hell cares about all that old stuff that made you mad. So my wife was, like, 'Yeah, why don't you give him a call? Don't be an asshole. Call him.'

"Anyway, long story short, I did call him and we spoke," he continued. "And we just kind of buried the hatchet. And the other guys in the band, Bobby and Billy, had been speaking, and we've been speaking, and everybody just kind of started talking a little bit. And unfortunately, our former manager, Scott Koenig, who was out in Los Angeles, he passed away. And that was a real moment where it was, like, 'Wow.' Scott was with us from the beginning, and he was like a fifth member of the band. … That was in October of '21. … I got that call. And the same week, Ir friend of ours from a band called DOG EAT DOG, our friend Sean Kilkenny passed away the same day as Scott. So it was two phone calls, two brothers, two great, close friends, like family, both passed at the same time. And for me, that was kind of one of those things where it's just, like, who cares about all the negative bullshit in the past? Who cares? We're still here. We did great stuff together. We created something cool. We should all be friends. And that was my thinking. And everyone kind of felt the same way. And that kind of was the beginning of how it started, getting the band together."

As for the possibility of a new BIOHAZARD album, Schuler said: "Making new music wasn't really something I was really thinking about too much, but it's come up so much in the last few months since we've been talking about all this stuff. So we'll see how it goes. There's definitely interest there for us to do it. I just hope we can do it. I wanna be able to do it at the level we always did it at.

"I write a lot of music on my own, of course, but I'm very much into collaboration," he explained. "I've always needed a partner, or partners, to really bring the best out of me, to challenge myself. And I always loved getting in a room with these guys. We've always come up with great stuff when we're in the right mindset to do it. So I'm excited to get in a room with them and just let shit fly. I have the energy for it, I'm ready and I'm excited to do it, and I think they are too. So I'm hopeful that we're gonna make something really cool and different and innovative."

In addition to touring, BIOHAZARD has a 35th-anniversary documentary in the works containing previously unreleased footage spanning four decades.

"BIOHAZARD is an iconic band that ripped it up on the streets of New York when I lived there in the late '80s and early '90s, so I'm excited to be working with them to bring their pioneering hardcore sound to a new generation," said Andy Gould (ROB ZOMBIE, PANTERA, TYPE O NEGATIVE). The band is managed by Gould and Paul Gargano and booked by Jim Morewood at the K2 Agency internationally, and Steve Sokol at Pinnacle in North America.

Stated Graziadei: "Over the years, we made some great music together and had so many incredible shows on some pretty amazing tours. After spending so much time and focus on POWERFLO and my solo project BILLYBIO, things just fell in place at the right time and I decided it was the time to recapture that energy and go kick ass again with the original lineup of BIOHAZARD with DannyBobby, and Evan!"

Added Hambel: "I'm honored to perform with the band again. I can't wait to get onstage with the guys and do what we do! I'm looking forward to traveling and playing live. See you out there!"

Stated Seinfeld: "It's been ten years since we all played together, and I'm in a huge place of gratitude for the opportunity to get back to the roots of BIOHAZARD and not only reconnect with the other guys, but also the fans. We've been through decades of madness, and it feels like the fantastic four are back together."

Last year, Graziadei said in an interview that there had been "talk" about putting BIOHAZARD back together.

The group, which is acknowledged as one of the earliest outfits to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip-hop, had been out of the public eye since Scott Roberts left the band seven years ago.

Roberts, who played guitar on BIOHAZARD's 2005 album "Means To An End", rejoined the group in June 2011 as the replacement for Seinfeld. Scott fronted BIOHAZARD for nearly five years before exiting the band in February 2016.

In an August 2020 interview with the "Aftershocks" podcast, Roberts said that he left BIOHAZARD because he "wasn't happy" anymore. "There was one guy that I wasn't getting along with very well, and it made touring not fun anymore for me," he said. "My reason to stick around was to make a new record that was great and I'd be proud of and all that stuff, and then it became kind of clear that wasn't gonna happen, so I was, like, 'What am I doing it for?' So I quit."

Seinfeld made his last recorded appearance with BIOHAZARD on 2012's "Reborn In Defiance" album, which marked the first LP featuring the band's original lineup in 18 years.

Graziadei is currently a member of POWERFLO, which also features former FEAR FACTORY bassist/guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers, Sen Dog from CYPRESS HILL, and Rogelio Lozano from DOWNSET.

Billy's solo project, BILLYBIO, released a new album, "Leaders And Liars", in March 2022 via AFM Records.

Biohazard NYC June 16 Irving Plaza
BlacknBlue Productions

Posted by Ralph Renna on Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Fan-filmed video of ATHEIST's June 14 concert at Brick By Brick in San Diego, California can be seen below.

ATHEIST's "Focus And Presence" North American tour with fellow progressive metal pioneers CYNIC, which kicked off on June 10 in Austin, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Kelly Shaefer-fronted act's "Piece Of Time", "Unquestionable Presence" and "Elements" releases.

When the tour was first announced earlier this year, Shaefer said in a statement: "This tour has been something that Paul (Masvidal, CYNIC frontman) and I have been talking about in some capacity since we were in our early 20s. It's surreal to share a 30-year milestone together, and this tour will showcase for us a chance to play songs from our first three records as a special trilogy anniversary set, including songs not performed live in decades. Two titans of technical progressive metal coming together for a unicorn of a tour....one you will not want to miss!

"I'm also excited to announce that joining me on this tour and beyond will be an all-new lineup of ATHEIST! These four straight killers of musicians will be alongside me as ATHEIST heads out with CYNIC to celebrate 30 years of our first three albums 'Piece Of Time', 'Unquestionable Presence' and turning 30 this year 1993's 'Elements'! We'll be playing tracks from those three albums exclusively in one of the longest sets we've ever done! The set will include several songs that have not been played live in three decades.

"Joining returning bassist Yoav-Ruiz Feingold (GRAVITON) and myself to round out ATHEIST are Dylan Marks (FERMENTOR/BEEKEEPER) on drums, Alex Hadaad (ARKAIK/DESSIDERIUM) on guitar and Jerry Witunsky (ANCIENT DEATH) on guitar.

"I couldn't be more excited to perform this special set with such talented players. They have shown tremendous respect for the music and the attention to detail needed to pull off these songs live. Talk is cheap, right? So be sure to secure your tickets early to the 'Focus And Presence' North American tour 2023 to see for yourself and help us celebrate alongside our brothers in CYNIC who will be performing a special 30th-anniversary set for their release 'Focus' as well.

"See you on the road!!"

Earlier this year, ATHEIST re-released its entire discography, comprised of four albums that span the band's 30-year career, on all streaming services worldwide. The return to digital platforms was the first phase of a comprehensive reissue campaign. The second phase offers their albums in various physical formats with all-new revised layouts. All four studio albums will be available on CD and vinyl on July 14 via Nuclear Blast.

Shaefer commented: We are proud to bring the musical catalog of ATHEIST to the mighty Nuclear Blast. We couldn't ask for a better place to land the musical creations of ATHEIST that now span over 30 years. It's exciting to know that our music will be made available on all formats by the biggest metal label on EARTH!"

Professionally filmed video of MACHINE HEAD's June 16 performance at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium can be seen below.

Featured songs:

01. Aesthetics Of Hate
02. Old
03. My Hands Are Empty

For the Graspop Metal Meeting performance, MACHINE HEAD was rejoined by Polish guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED). Vogg missed MACHINE HEAD's appearance at the Milwaukee Metal Fest last month and was replaced by HAVOK's Reece Alan Scruggs. Scruggs previously played with MACHINE HEAD on the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" fall 2022 tour. Reece was filling in for Vogg (DECAPITATED),who was unable to make the fall 2022 trek due to his touring commitments with his longtime band DECAPITATED.

In April, MACHINE HEAD canceled its previously announced spring 2023 U.S. tour "due to work visa issues," explaining that "half the band, as well as a handful of key crew members, reside outside of the U.S."

The 18-date "The Electric Happy Hour (Live)" trek was scheduled to kick off on May 15 in Ventura, California and make its way to Des Moines, Fort Wayne, and Detroit before ending in Los Angeles on June 9.

MACHINE HEAD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which came out last August. The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis" includes the three songs that were featured on the 2021 "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.