According to ALL THAT REMAINS singer Phil Labonte, the band's breakthrough album "The Fall Of Ideals" has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.

On Monday (May 29),Labonte took to his Twitter to write: "I got a phone call from my manager today. He said The Fall Of Ideals is officially a gold record. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you all."

Last year, ALL THAT REMAINS embarked on "The Fall Of Ideals" 15th-anniversary tour.

"The Fall Of Ideals" was reissued in November 2021. The best-selling title features such fan favorites as "This Calling", "Six" and "The Air That I Breathe". In addition to the wide release, the band has exclusive colored vinyl variants with deluxe packaging available only at the band's webstore.

Originally released in 2006, "The Fall Of Ideals" launched a new era for ALL THAT REMAINS — finding the band moving away from the death metal of their first two albums (2002's "Behind Silence And Solitude" and 2004's "This Darkened Heart") and settling into the melodic metalcore that defined their career. "The Fall Of Ideals" also introduced fans to the band's longtime bassist Jeanne Sagan and marked their only album to feature drummer Shannon Lucas. The newcomers joined founding members Labonte (vocals) and Oli Herbert (lead guitars),as well as rhythm guitarist Mike Martin.

In the studio, the Massachusetts quintet partnered with two prominent metal artists: KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's Adam Dutkiewicz, who served as producer, and SOILWORK's Peter Wichers, who engineered the sessions. The dynamic, 11-song set found the musicians pushing their sonic boundaries, while Labonte showcased his broad vocal range — from epic, extended screams and in-your-face growls to emotive choruses. The album spawned a variety of enduring favorites, including the hard-driving "This Calling", which featured in the soundtracks to "Saw III" and "Masters Of Horror II", as well as singles "The Air That I Breathe" and "Not Alone". Other highlights included the guitar-forward "Whispers (I Hear You)" and the dramatic "Six", which appeared in "Guitar Hero II".

Upon its release in the summer of 2006, "The Fall Of Ideals" was embraced by fans, becoming the band's first album to break the Billboard 200 (peaking at No. 75) and eventually selling more than 450,000 units. The album also caught the attention of critics. Pop Matters hailed, "ALL THAT REMAINS has made the kind of stylistic leap that most bands can only wish they could pull off… 'The Fall Of Ideals' [is] invigorating from start to finish, and could very well be the metalcore album of the year." BLABBERMOUTH.NET praised, "ALL THAT REMAINS effortlessly blends thrashy twin guitar fireworks and Phil Labonte's raging vocals with soaring clean vocals and overall tunefulness…There is no denying that those guys play their asses off here and the result is immensely gratifying." Lambgoat simply declared, "The entire band executes the songs perfectly," adding that "the production…is full and crisp."

In the 17 years since "The Fall Of Ideals", ALL THAT REMAINS have built an undeniable legacy as one of this century's most consistent purveyors of heavy music with a bulletproof canon of arena-worthy anthems. Currently consisting of Labonte and Martin, as well as drummer Jason Costa, and lead guitarist Jason Richardson, the band continues to defy the odds of its genre. To date, they have sold more than a million albums worldwide, earning five consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart, and boasting more than 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. In 2018, ALL THAT REMAINS released their widely acclaimed ninth studio album, "Victim Of The New Disease".
I got a phone call from my manager today. He said The Fall Of Ideas is officially a gold record. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you all. https://t.co/b2jnKdpUB6

— Phil Labonte (@philthatremains) May 29, 2023

ALICE COOPER guitarist Nita Strauss will release her sophomore solo album, "The Call Of The Void", on July 7 via Sumerian Records. The LP is a star-studded affair featuring guest vocals from DISTURBED's David Draiman, ARCH ENEMY's Alissa White-Gluz, HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's Chris Motionless, IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén, Dorothy, Alice Cooper and Lilith Czar.

Regarding her decision to make her second album half vocal songs and half instrumental, Nita told The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn in a new interview: "It was really just a natural progression, I think. As an artist, I think you always have to keep growing and pushing yourself. And I didn't wanna stay in the same place and just keep doing the same thing over and over again. I try to do that in every aspect of my career, so this just seemed like the natural next best step."

Asked how she decides which songs to put vocals to and which to keep as instrumental tracks, Nita said: "For me personally, the process for writing an instrumental song is so different to the process of writing a song that's gonna be for a singer. And it's really because for an instrumental song there are no rules. The song can be two minutes; the song can be 15 minutes; it can be as fast or as slow with as many key changes and as many tempo changes… It's the Wild West. [Laughs] And if you're writing for a vocalist, suddenly all of these restrictions fall into place: it can't be too short; it can't be too long; it has to be a key that's comfortable enough for the singer you have in mind to sing in; it can't be so fast that they can't sing the vocals or so slow that it's uncomfortable for their delivery. If it's gonna go to radio, it has to follow sort of a specific format of length and arrangement. All these constraints pop up. So, for me, there wasn't really any track that was, like, 'Oh, this one could go either way,' because the instrumentals I just sort of pour out and the vocal [songs] are more carefully constructed."

Earlier this month, Nita released the official music video for the song "The Golden Trail", featuring a guest appearance by Fridén.

Regarding the album's title, Strauss previously 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."

On the collaboration with Fridén, Strauss said: "When I was first learning how to play guitar, IN FLAMES were my BEATLES, my first favorite band. Anders's iconic vocal style is burned into my mind! To write a song like this and have him sing on it, as a kid who grew up with IN FLAMES posters on my walls, is an absolute dream come true."

"It was a lot of fun to collaborate with Nita on 'The Golden Trail'," added Fridén. "She's an amazing guitar player and I can hear the history of metal flowing through her fingers."

"The Golden Trail" is the fourth song Nita has released featuring a star guest vocalist, the first being the enormously successful "Dead Inside" which featured guest vocals from Draiman and saw Nita become the first-ever solo female to have a No. 1 hit at Active Rock radio. She also returned to her instrumental roots last year with the release of single "Summer Storm", a fast-paced, emotive shred-fest. In October 2022, Nita dropped "The Wolf You Feed", an epic headbanger of a track featuring the insane vocal talent of White-Gluz. This past March, Strauss released "Winner Takes All", featuring a guest appearance by Cooper.

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.

"The Call Of The Void" track listing:

01. Summer Storm
02. The Wolf You Feed (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
03. Digital Bullets (feat. Chris Motionless)
04. Through The Noise (feat. Lzzy Hale)
05. Consume The Fire
06. Dead Inside (feat. David Draiman)
07. Victorious (feat. Dorothy)
08. Scorched
09. Momentum
10. The Golden Trail (feat. Anders Fridén)
11. Winner Takes All (feat. Alice Cooper)
12. Monster (feat. Lilith Czar)
13. Kintsugi
14. Surfacing (feat. Marty Friedman)

AC/DC singer Brian Johnson can't wait to party alongside his old pals as rock and roll royalty get pumped up about this year's Power Trip festival.

AC/DC is among the headliners on a bill of veteran rockers who will take to the stage in California October 6-8. It will be the iconic Australian band's first gig since 2016.

The much-loved frontman missed out on their last shows due to hearing loss but is set to return when the legends come together in America. GUNS N' ROSES' Axl Rose filled in seven years ago, and Johnson can't wait to rub shoulders with him and his other mates from some of the world's biggest bands.

"We decided to do this wonderful show that they've put together out in the desert near Palm Springs, near Coachella," the 75-year-old told motoring podcast "Fuelling Around". "It's all rock and roll bands. It's fantastic. I think it's just a statement to say that rock and roll is a legitimate form of music. It really has made a difference. Ozzy [Osbourne] is coming out of retirement so I'll be able to see my old pals again. The GUNS N' ROSES boys, the METALLICA boys and the IRON MAIDEN boys — all in one field. Boy, what a party!"

He added: "It's going to be in a beautiful valley, near Coachella, but I don't get involved in that kind of thing. I just like to turn up, get up and just rock my little socks off until I drop."

The much-loved Geordie has often been guarded when talking about the AC/DC's future. But he's much happier to discuss "Power Up", their 17th studio album, and how the coronavirus pandemic interrupted their desire to bring more metal magic to the masses.

"I'm so excited because three years ago we did get together when 'Power Up' the album came out," he said during the latest episode of the award-winning show, hosted by former Radio One star "Comedy" Dave Vitty and British Touring Car Championship legend Jason Plato. "It was fantastic. It went to number one in 27 countries or something and we went, 'Yeah, we're back. We're so proud of the album'. We started to rehearse in Amsterdam. Phil [Rudd] was back on drums. I had this new earpiece that we'd invented. It was fantastic. Honestly, I've never heard the band so tight. For three weeks, I think we had one day off because we wanted to be there in each other's company. We fucked up a few words, chords and just got them tight again and then our tour manager came up and said, 'Hey, listen, guys, we've got this thing. It's called the Chinese flu or some kind of shit. Just go home for six weeks and we'll meet again in London.' You know what happened there. Angus [Young] and Phil, New Zealand and Australia just wouldn't let them out for months and months afterwards."

Johnson added: "It does take a lot of time to get a band like AC/DC together again. Most of the crew were out working with other people. Trying to get those guys back together again was tough but I've got my fingers crossed — everything is going okay. The most important thing about it all is the eagerness we all feel. The juices are running again."

Last year, Johnson told Rolling Stone he didn't know if AC/DC would perform again. "I would love to," he said. "It's as simple as that. I think everybody would. There's a groundswell of people just asking. But I hate talking about the future, because, fuck, we were ready two years ago, and the pandemic came, and it screwed everything up. So I'm terrified to say what could happen and what couldn't."

AC/DC postponed the last 10 dates of its spring 2016 North American trek after Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss." The band went on to complete the European and North American legs of its "Rock Or Bust" tour with the GUNS N' ROSES frontman as a "guest vocalist." At the time, Johnson had been AC/DC's singer for 36 years, ever since replacing the late Bon Scott in 1980 and making his debut on the classic "Back In Black" album.

Johnson wrote in his recently released autobiography "The Lives Of Brian" that he has never seen any of the widely circulated videos of Rose's performances in the band.

"I'm told that he did a great job," Johnson said, "but I just couldn't watch — especially when you've been doing it for 35 years. It's like finding a stranger in your house, sitting in your favorite chair. But I bear no grudges. It was a tough situation. [AC/DC guitarist and co-founder] Angus [Young] and the lads did what they felt they had to do. That said, after the band released a statement confirming that I was leaving the tour and wishing me all the best for the future, I couldn't relax or concentrate on anything. It was just always there.

"Part of the pain of it was that I blamed myself," he admitted. "For most of my career, I'd been in the loudest band in the world. I'd flown constantly. I'd flown even when I knew I wasn't well.

"For a while, people would ask me if I was depressed, but depression is treatable. My hearing loss wasn't. What I was feeling wasn't depression. It was something closer to despair."

"Power Up" was released in November 2020. The LP was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and 2014's "Rock Or Bust".

To enable him to perform live with AC/DC again, Johnson worked with audio expert Stephen Ambrose, who said he could help resolve the singer's hearing problems.

Ambrose, who invented the wireless in-ear monitors that are widely used by touring artists today, claimed to have invented a new type of ear-bud that would allow Johnson to perform without causing further damage to his eardrums. After three years of experimenting and "miniaturizing" the equipment, Johnson previously said the technology could allow him to tour again.

The "Fuelling Around" podcast is powered by Adrian Flux, one of the U.K.'s largest specialist motor insurance brokers, covering everything from classic and vintage cars to modified sports cars and much more. You can listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and AudioBoom, as well as several other podcast outlets.

PANTERA's major label debut, "Cowboys From Hell", which was released in July 1990, was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) on May 26 for sales in excess of two million copies in the United States,

"Cowboys From Hell" was PANTERA's breakthrough record, and it was originally certified platinum in July 1997. It has been praised by critics as one of the most influential albums on the metal scene in the 1990s. IGN named "Cowboys From Hell" the 19th most influential heavy metal album of all time.

PANTERA bassist Rex Brown spoke to the "Do You Know Jack?" radio show about the band's commercial success following the release of "Cowboys From Hell". "Everything was kind of changing at that point," he said. "All the hair bands and all that kind of stuff. Everybody was kind of stale. If you think about just songs in general, there were some pretty good songs that the look kind of took away from all that, 'cause you got lumped in with all that kind of crap. I'm not saying we did. But we just came around at a time that we saw a crack and we slipped through it, and we put a lot of hard work and a lot of touring [into it]."

He continued: "Those first two records ['Cowboys From Hell' and 1992's 'Vulgar Display Of Power'], we toured nonstop. We had 32 days off on the 'Cowboys From Hell' tour, and that was the total time period between 18 months on, and then directly back in the studio. We just came in at a time when people needed us. We would stay out in the parking lots until six in the morning signing autographs. I think that really made a big, huge difference between us and other bands that were just, you know, 'go on the bus and bye.' You know, you meet one guy, and he goes, 'Man, those guys were cool.' And he tells another friend, and it gets around like that."

Brown added: "We were the biggest underground band of the '90s. We didn't have a lot of MTV [support], we didn't have any radio play. Now you go to any sporting event and hear one of our songs at a football game, which is great, but they wouldn't touch it back then. So we just kind of [flew] by the seat of our pants and kind of D.I.Y., and just toured our butts off and worked really, really hard."

Guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, formed PANTERA in the mid-eighties in Texas. The band recorded four independent albums before "Cowboys From Hell" introduced a heavier sound and made them a favorite with metal fans. 1994's "Far Beyond Driven" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 without benefit of a commercial hit single. The group splintered in 2002 following the departure of volatile lead singer Philip Anselmo.

The reformed PANTERA played its first U.S. concert on May 6 at the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally in Panama City, Florida. The performance marked PANTERA's first live appearance in its home country in 22 years — since July 25, 2001, when the band played at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington as part of the "Extreme Steel" tour.

PANTERA's current lineup includes two surviving members from the band's classic formation, Anselmo and Brown, along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and 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 Abbott brothers, 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.

According to CNN, Universal Music Group is in talks to acquire QUEEN's catalog from Disney Music Group.

The source added that the sale could surpass $1 billion and that the deal is "expected to close within one month."

According to Music Business Worldwide, Disney Music Group owns the band's recorded music catalog in North America. (DMG has a global distribution agreement with Universal Music Group.)

QUEEN members Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, as well as the estate of the band's late singer Freddie Mercury — reportedly each own equal shares in the company Queen Productions Ltd, which owns the group's recording catalog outside the U.S. and Canada.

Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and Neil Young are some of the iconic musicians who have recently sold off substantial rights to their music, whether it's just for publishing or the original recordings, known as masters. Investors, major music companies and private equity firms have poured billions of dollars into buying song catalogs, believing that the rise of streaming and growing music revenues will make song rights acquisitions highly lucrative in the long term as they can be exploited for up to 70 years after a musician's death.

If the QUEEN deal happens, it will mark the biggest artist catalog sale in history, eclipsing Springsteen's $500 million sale of his masters and publishing to Sony in 2021.

QUEEN remains one of the most popular groups in the world today, transcending multiple generations of fans, a position further buoyed by the phenomenal global success of their Academy Award-winning 2018 biographical film "Bohemian Rhapsody", which tells the incredible story of the band's historic career.

Last December, QUEEN's single "Bohemian Rhapsody" crossed the threshold of two billion streams on Spotify. The news came less than two years after the QUEEN classic was officially certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA),representing 10 million or more in sales and stream equivalents in the United States.

QUEEN was the first British band in music history to earn the diamond song award.

Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987 and battled the disease in private, telling only a select few close friends in the years which followed. He died in November 1991.

Released in November 2018, QUEEN's biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" has become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, bringing in more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It was also No. 1 biggest-selling film of 2019 on home release.

IRON MAIDEN's Nicko McBrain has shared a new nine-minute video breakdown of the drum kit he is using for the 2023 leg of the band's "The Future Past" world tour. The trek, which launched on May 28 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is scheduled to hit North America in September and October.

In November 2019, Nicko announced that he would be playing the Manchester, U.K.-based drum brand British Drum Co. and carry the title "International Ambassador" with it.

British Drum Co. has been around since 2015, launched by drum builder Keith Keough four years after he sold his own company, KD Drums, to Premier. Premier is the company McBrain endorsed for much of the '90s and 2000s. Nicko now plays the British Drum Co. Legend Series.

Nicko has his own IRON MAIDEN artwork on all the drums in his kit. Each drum features MAIDEN's mascot Eddie and has its own story relating to the stage set and to the history of "The Future Past " tour.

Tapped to replace Clive Burr in 1982 after touring activities for "Number Of The Beast" concluded, McBrain brought a degree of finesse and technicality that was largely missing from IRON MAIDEN's early output. Whereas Burr was often lauded for his heavy-handed, punk-oriented style, McBrain was largely the opposite, playing with a degree of dexterity and flair that helped primary songwriter Steve Harris take MAIDEN down more adventurous paths. He is now the third longest-tenured member of MAIDEN, behind Harris and guitarist Dave Murray.

McBrain spent his early drumming years playing for the likes of Pat Travers and French rockers TRUST, eventually falling on to the radar of Harris and MAIDEN during the group's initial European tour.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nicko McBrain's Drum One 🥁1️⃣🤘 (@nickosdrumone)

Riff juggernauts Clutch have been making rock 'n' roll look easy for more than three decades, crafting thirteen stone cold classic albums and along the way, occasionally treating fans to highly collectable, distinctive, limited editions.


Clutch's thirteenth studio album, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach, was released in September 2022 and is a slamming summary of everything that makes the band great.


Now, on Friday, June 2, Clutch will release their first ever, 7" box set. Naturally again a limited edition (just 3,000 are available globally), the box set contains all of Sunrise On Slaughter Beach on six, hand-pressed 7" black vinyl records with three bonus tracks - “Boogeyman Blues”, “Arts & Crafts”, and “Railroad Daisies” - all of which were recorded during the sessions for Sunrise On Slaughter Beach.




The special box also contains a 7" turntable mat, an 8-page booklet, and each 7" is packaged in its own album art-themed jacket.


Here's debonair frontman Neil Fallon, in his inaugural unboxing video, to reveal all about it...





Recorded at The Magpie Cage Recording Studio, Baltimore, MD, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach. was produced and mixed by Grammy nominated Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Royal Blood, Pixies) with additional engineering by J Robbins (Jawbreaker, Against Me!, The Sword).


The record introduces some “firsts” into the Clutch canon: vibraphone (from Gaster), theremin (J. Robbins), and female backup vocals from singers Deborah Bond and Frenchie Davis. The album’s nine songs are a diverse ride, destined to please long-time fans and intrigue newcomers alike. It’s a new chapter in an ever-unfolding story which means as much to the fans as it does to the band.


The band have released three official singles - "Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)", "We Strive For Excellence" and "Slaughter Beach". Sunrise On Slaughter Beach is the natural culmination of what Clutch began as teenagers in the early ‘90s.





Tracklisting:


"Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)"
"Slaughter Beach"
"Mountain Of Bone"
"Nosferatu Madre"
"Mercy Brown"
"We Strive For Excellence"
"Skeletons On Mars"
"Three Golden Horns"
"Jackhammer Our Names"
"Boogeyman Blues"
"Arts & Crafts"
"Railroad Daisies"


Clutch are soon to be spinning yarns, making heads bang, and toes tap, all across Europe for a number of festival performances, with their continuing US headline tour lined up for later this summer. UK fans, don't miss their set on the main stage at Download Festival on Saturday 10th June - your only chance to catch the band in the UK this year. To see all current live dates, click here.

Back in January, guitarist Barney Ribeiro revealed that the original members of Nervecell had parted ways, and that he was forging ahead with the band. Following is his statement on the split:


"As some of you may know or have noticed, things have been rather quiet in the Nervecell camp lately. Without going into much detail, let me begin by making it official that Rajeh (James) Khazaal and Rami Mustafa are no longer in Nervecell. After 20 years of being together and touring the world, we have been through all the possible highs and lows, success, stress, compromises and achievements that come with being in a full-time band. More than anything else though, together we experienced what having dreams come true felt like. And those are the memories that will never go away. I will always be grateful for the contributions both members made during their time in the band and wish them both the best in their future endeavors.


I’ve learnt that with time people change, their priorities change and inevitably their personalities also start to alter. I’ll be lying if I said I didn’t change in the way I approach being in a band today, as opposed to when I started the band in 2000. But for what it’s worth mentioning, I will go on record and say this only because I believe YOU the fans deserve the right to know. There really weren’t any musical or personal differences amongst us. But based on my conversations with both members individually, after asking all the tuff questions and initiating the way forward going into the New Year 2022, it became very evident that I was the only one fighting for this cause.




My priorities have always been of the highest order when it comes to Nervecell. I know the struggle involved, and I’ve never taken a second of it for granted. More importantly, I know why I’m still here doing it - purely for the love of it! I’m still that same kid with that same desire and fire that burns inside. So rest assured, I have every intention to continue on with Nervecell. I humbly ask for your patience, as I start to access the challenges that lay ahead, including finding the right replacements to fill in these shoes. Fortunately, I have a select few friends / musicians within my immediate network, who I’ve consulted with and who have been super supportive towards me as I take on this next chapter.


This is definitely not the last you will hear from me / Nervecell."


True to his word, Nervecell is back in action. In April, Ribeiro introduced the new band members and revealed they will hit Europe this summer for a festival run. 


Ribeiro has now checked in with the following message:


"Due to reasons beyond our control, Bachir will unfortunately no longer be able to join us on our upcoming European tour. Filling in for him to handle drum duties will be a familiar face to a lot of old-school Nervecell fans. Join us in welcoming our dear friend all the way from Perth, Australia - Louis Rando (Depravity/ Impiety / The Furor) back into the fold. For those that don’t know, Louis has been an integral part of Nervecell’s journey, especially during our earlier years (2008-2012) when we were just starting to break into the European market. We are excited and can’t wait to return to Europe with this lineup to perform for you all! Check out the tour dates below."

San Diego metalcore icons As I Lay Dying performed live at Wacken Open Air 2022 – below is pro-shot footage of three tracks – “Blinded”, “My Own Grave”, and “Nothing Left”.





As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis was featured in a new interview with Heavy New York, available below. He confirms that the band is in the studio recording a new album, discusses the future of As I Lay Dying, and talks about a new project dubbed Born Through Fire.




Lambesis on the new As I Lay Dying album with a new line-up:


"Nick Pierce (ex-Unearth) just finished tracking drums for the As I Lay Dying record a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, in modern times, that doesn't mean the record's coming out very soon, but it's in the works. We're working with Ryan Neff (bass). (Unearth guitarist) Ken Susi's doing some solos. Nick Pierce already tracked the drums. So to answer some of those questions about, 'Are those guys contributing in any way?', obviously they are. We just haven't really had a final product to deliver yet."





As I Lay Dying issued the following update via social media in May 2022:


"As we have been nearing our first tour back since the beginning of 2020, there have been several developments within AILD that we'd like to share with our fans. The past couple years off from the road with the uncertainty of how or when touring would pick up again has provided time to consider new endeavors in life apart from AILD.⁣


Josh Gilbert has decided to exit AILD to pursue other musical opportunities. Josh has been a strong contributor musically for AILD since joining in 2007 so we are grateful for all his contributions and his friendship over the years. We wish him all the best and are excited to see where this new path takes him in life.⁣


We are thankful to have Ryan Neff, of Miss May I taking on bass and vocal duties for our upcoming tours. We first met Ryan down in Mexico City, playing together back in 2012, so we're stoked to be sharing the stage with a familiar face and talented musician.⁣


Joining us on second guitar for these two tours will be our good friend Ken Susi of Unearth.  We have known Ken for almost 20 years, coming up in the scene and playing many tours together. Ken's style of guitar playing is closely related to AILD so we are excited to have a close friend and ripper of a guitar player joining us.⁣


We are grateful for our fans' continued support as we enter a new chapter of the band with newfound energy and enthusiasm. There's been a lot of moving parts but what has and will always be the main priority of AILD is creating new music. We plan to have a new song out to you shortly before completing our full length by the end of the year.⁣


⁣We look forward to seeing many familiar faces on our upcoming tours and thank you for believing in us at every step of this band's journey."


Bassist Josh Gilbert issued the following statement: "Hello, friends. After 15 years (almost half my life), I’ve decided to part ways with As I Lay Dying. Despite the ups and downs inherent, I’ll always be grateful for the profound privilege of being to able to grow up traveling the world playing music with the band. None of that would be possible without the fans of the band, so for that I sincerely thank you all so much for allowing me the opportunity. I wish the best for AILD moving forward, and I hope to see all of you sooner rather than later."


Guitarist Phil Sgrosso comments, "After two years of anxiously awaiting the safe return of live events it's finally our time to get back out on the road to celebrate Two Decades of Destruction with Whitechapel, Shadow Of Intent, Brand Of Sacrifice and Ov Sulfur. We've had enough time to fully recharge and can't wait to feel that energy of performing onstage again. We've certainly missed our fans so we look forward to reconnecting with everyone as we celebrate our 20-year milestone and get back on the road. See you soon!"

California's Split Image is announcing their latest single "Demon Hunter", which can be seen and heard via its lyric video below.





The band comments:




"We have been busy rehearsing and recording new songs in preparation for our return since our tour last year. We would like to introduce ‘Demon Hunter,’ an electrifying new single that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This intense, heavy-hitting song is a mix of crossover thrash and hardcore, making it a perfect fit for fans of both genres. The lyrics explore the theme of battling inner demons, and the raw energy of the music drives home the song's powerful message. If you're looking for a hard-hitting, cathartic musical experience, "Demon Hunter" is not to be missed. Get ready to unleash your inner warrior and join the fight against your innermost struggles with this thrilling new release."


The band's new single "Demon Hunter" follows their previous single "Prey On My Downfall" and their debut album Torrent of Illusion released in June 2022. Split Image is a gritty and powerful crossover experience that packs a punch with its fusion of old-school hardcore meets thrash assault. Belted out with passion, Split Image’s lyrics stem from the various experiences they’ve endured like the loss of a loved one, grief, and perspectives they’ve had or envisioned as well as spirituality.





With a dash of many genres, Split Image will be of interest to those who like thrash, punk, crust, and hardcore. Fans of Power Trip, Enforced, and Dead Heat should take note. 


Stream Split Image’s singles/albums on Bandcamp.

After debuting with the song “Panacea”, the Australian symphonic metal outfit Esperance shares with old and new fans the single “Heart”.


The song was written by the guitarist Nathaniel: “I wrote this song ‘Heart’ after driving home from a show one night. I ended up leaving the venue really late, which meant as I was driving and getting closer to home the sun was rising through the fields and I used that imagery for the lyrics mixed in with descriptions of the town where I grew up, Gawler in South Australia.”







Esperance is an Australian symphonic/power metal band created by the highly regarded duo of guitarist Nathaniel Lydeamore and vocalist Melissa Jubb. Together they blend and deliver a melodic yet impactful sound that has been likened to and influenced by bands such as Nightwish, Epica, and Sonata Arctica.


“Heart” was written and recorded by Esperance at Against The Grain Studios. The song was produced, mixed and mastered by Mick Taylor. The video and artwork were created by Jan Yrland at Darkgrove Designs.

In the video below from AXS TV, rock legends Sammy Hagar and Rick Springfield hit the studio to play the song they both made famous, “I’ve Done Everything For You”. Then, the two chat about Rick's role as Dr. Noah Drake on America's longest-running soap opera, General Hospital, and how he balanced life as a musician and an actor.





Watch the full episode of Rock & Roll Road Trip here.




Sammy Hagar celebrated the grand opening of his flagship Cabo Wabo Beach Club, an elevated take on his world-famous Cabo Wabo Cantina, at The Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach, CA. During the exclusive event on Wednesday, May 24, Hagar and Waterfront owner, Bob Mayer, presented a $10,000 donation check to the CHOC Foundation, which will go directly to aid children and their families who struggle with the financial burdens that accompany a child’s hospitalization.


Huntington Beach Mayor Tony Strickland welcomed the addition of Hagar’s world famous Cabo Wabo brand to Huntington Beach and honored the legendary rock star with a city proclamation.


Hagar has shared brief interview and live clips from the event below.

In a new interview with Czech Republic's Backstage TV, Eicca Toppinen of Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA was asked if fans can expect to hear new music from him and his bandmates in the near future. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's always new music. Years ago, when we preparing for the 'Cell-0' album, we kind of realized that, 'Okay, this modern streaming world gives us the possibility to do different things at the same time.' That's why we made 'Cell-0' a fully instrumental album because we knew, okay, we like to do vocal collaborations as well, but we don't need to squeeze everything in the same package. That's why we've been releasing constantly just individual songs. Since 'Cell-0', we released 'White Room' with Jacoby Shaddix [of PAPA ROACH], we released 'Talk To Me' [with Lzzy Hale of HALESTORM], we did a classical EP of [Maurice] Ravel's 'Bolero' stuff. And now the latest release is 'Rise Again' with Simone Simons [EPICA]. And we are working on another vocal song now with a European female singer. Hopefully it will come out in the summer. And then we also start to record a new album in May. It will be out sometime late next year. Because we are constantly on tour, so we are doing the album in between the tours in a couple of different periods. I can't reveal the concept yet, but it's gonna be a concept album. And it's gonna be interesting. It's been exciting to kind of prepare the material for it. But we are constantly [putting out new music]; let's say there's four releases every year."

Regarding the songwriting process in APOCALYPTICA, Eicca said: "I've written most of the original music, and Perttu [Kivilaakso] has done a lot, and Mikko [Sirén, drums] has done a few great songs as well. So it differs a little bit. I've done a lot of co-writing, especially when we're working on songs with vocals. I've been teaming up with some really good songwriters, like the top writers and stuff, to get the best result out of the music written.

"Usually when we do original music, pretty much whoever writes the music is doing it pretty far," he explained. "Of course we do the final arrangement together, but it's a pretty independent process. But now, for example, we've been working on some arrangements and that kind of stuff, and that's something that we operate usually more as a band together. So it varies. There's no general rule, how to do things. And that's actually a thing that we want to break the rules all the time, because the essence of APOCALYPTICA and the main reason why we still exist is that we are searching all the time something new — new ways to do music; not to stay in our comfort zone; not to do only what we know already… And that's why there's no formula for, basically, anything. So that kind of keeps the creativity alive and keeps making new music exciting for us."

This past March, Eicca told Matías Arteaga of Chile's Rock Legacy webzine that APOCALYPTICA's recent singles, including "Rise Again", "are all totally separate" from the band's upcoming album. "Because we realized that this modern release culture, with digital platforms, allows us, actually, to do different types of APOCALYPTICA at the same time in different formats," he explained. "So we have an album that's instrumental; then we do those singles that are vocal collaborations; and then we also release this classical EP. So we actually can do a lot of things at the same time.

"At the moment, there's no plans… Those singles are not part of the album," he reiterated. "We are just starting to work on material for the next album, which is gonna be something totally different again. And still we are going to release singles on the way before we get the album ready. So we kind of want to have continuously coming out some songs."

Accompanied by an artistic and unique music video directed by Lisa Mann, "Rise Again" was a new version of APOCALYPTICA's instrumental track "Rise", taken from the band's most recent album "Cell-0".

"Metal Classic, Classic Metal" was released last September. The effort included the focus track "Flight Of The Bumblebees", originally by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow. "Metal Classic, Classic Metal" also contained a new version of Beethoven's "5th Symphony" as well as a remake of Maurice Ravel's "Bolero".

In March 2022, APOCALYPTICA released the "I'll Get Through It" single, which was written for the band by American award-winning songwriter Diane Warren. It featured Franky Perez — guest vocalist in APOCALYPTICA's 2015 record "Shadowmaker" — as well as Geezer Butler of BLACK SABBATH on bass guitar. The song was born out of a visit Geezer and Franky paid to their friend Diane, who had already written the track "Not Strong Enough" for APOCALYPTICA, included in their 2010 record "7th Symphony".

2015's "Shadowmaker" was APOCALYPTICA's first album to feature just one singer — Perez — instead of guest collaborators. The disc was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, MASTODON).

Prior to enlisting Perez, who accompanied APOCALYPTICA on the band's 2022 North American tour, the group released eight albums that melded the classically trained cello mastery of the three core bandmembers with the harder elements of the rock world, including drums and guest vocalists, such as Gavin Rossdale from BUSH, and Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR fame.

In April 2021, APOCALYPTICA released the official music video for its collaboration with PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix on a cover version of the CREAM classic "White Room". The track was produced by Howard Benson at West Valley Recording Studios in Woodland Hills, California and mixed by Chris Lorde-Alge.

"White Room" was the first release from APOCALYPTICA since "Talk To Me", which arrived in August 2020. That song was a collaboration with HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale.

"Cell-0" came out in January 2020. The effort was the band's first fully instrumental record in 17 years.

Gravelle-Perinbam, a highly successful Canadian recording artist whose music embraces metal, rock, and progressive have released their video for their recent masterpiece “Beyond the Cage of Silence”.





The lyrics of the song are for those of us who have been put down, told to speak only when spoken to, told that our opinions are useless and our voices are not worthy of being heard. It's about breaking free of such restrictive thought patterns and overcoming the barriers!




The song features Gravelle on all guitars and keys, Perinbam on all vocals and drums, and bass guitar. The song was written, arranged, and produced by Gravelle and Perinbam.


In a recent interview with Hard Rock Italy magazine, John explained how the duo wound up recording outside of Ivory Knight:


"The COVID-19 situation here in Ottawa made it impossible to rehearse with a full band for over a year. During that time, in order to keep active as musicians, working in isolation in our individual home studios became a necessity. So that’s what we did - I released my rock ballad Picture on The Wall in late 2020, then Rob kept me busy with the covers of Suspended Animation, Private Life, and most recently Mouse in a Maze.”


“Beyond The Cage Of Silence” is available from all major streaming and MP3 downloading platforms, including Amazon Music and Apple Music.


Stream the song here.

Richie Faulkner has confirmed to Planet Rock that JUDAS PRIEST has finished recording the follow-up to 2018's "Firepower" album.

After previously stating that Rob Halford had yet to complete the vocals for PRIEST's new LP, the guitarist has now told "My Planet Rocks" host Ian Danter that the singer has now laid down his parts and the album is set to move on to the mixing and mastering stage.

"I think, if I'm not mistaken, I think we've finished tracking," Faulkner said. "We've got to mix it, we've got to master it and then we've got to manufacture the thing. It's actually got to physically be made. I think everything's been recorded. The vocals were the last thing we needed to do and I think Rob's done them."

Faulkner added: "It's sounding fantastic. It's sounding great. Obviously, I'm gonna say that, but if it didn't sound great, we wouldn't be bothering. You've gotta do something that we think is better than the last one ['Firepower'] so to speak. And if it wasn't, PRIEST don't need to do that."

Earlier this month, Richie told Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", that the songwriting process within the band doesn't necessarily get easier with each successive album release. "Easier in some sense — you know kind of what to expect. But on the other side of things, it becomes harder," he explained. "You've gotta match what you did before. You've gotta make another record that's better songs, better production. So it raises the bar. Especially the last record seemed to connect with a lot of people around the world; it was well received by a lot of people. So how can we make a record that's better than that one? That's the goal going in. So it's harder in some senses as well."

In March, Faulkner told Canada's The Metal Voice about the musical direction of the new PRIEST material: "I've said this before, and the Internet — the sharks got hold of it… I would definitely say, and Rob said it as well, I said the word 'progressive', and the Internet tore me apart. But they haven't heard it. When I said 'progressive', I'd say it's a little bit… instead of, let's say, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, chorus, finish, it might do verse, musical part, musical section, bridge, chorus, musical section, back into the verse. It doesn't stay on the path; sometimes it goes off and plays it a little… Like the old '70s PRIEST used to, like the 'Sinner' and stuff like that; it used to go on a bit more of a musical journey. Which I think is great — it's interesting.

"So that's what I can say. I've said it before: it's a little bit more progressive; it's a little bit more musically, not experimental, but it's got a few more riffs in there," he explained. "[There's more] intricacies, there's more solos, there's more riffs, which, I don't think that's a bad thing, as a guitar player."

In February, Halford spoke to the SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard host Mark Strigl about PRIEST's musical evolution on the band's upcoming album. He said: "That's what we love about PRIEST, isn't it? I've always said we're the band that can kind of rip the skin off your face with 'Painkiller', and then the next second we can be your 'turbo lover', or we can go and 'break the law' or we can become 'the sentinel'.

"We've always had so much fun and adventure with not only the albums, but the songs within the albums," he continued. "It's part of who we are. And making these little microcosms of our personalities within the songs especially, all those names that I've referenced just, they've each got like a little mini-movie going on in your head when you think of the lyrics and the message, and then it's all supported by incredible music working together.

"That 'Firepower' record was a real pure effort on our part to do a little bit of reflection and reinforce a lot of the things that we've loved about PRIEST from day one," Halford explained. "That's not to say we went, 'Okay, let's get a bit of a vibe from 'Rocka Rolla' here.' And then, 'How about some 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'?' And 'Don't forget 'Point Of Entry'.' It was none of that. It was just really this overall umbrella of things that we've achieved in metal, and just using that in the back of our minds as we went through from song to song to song. And I wanna say it made it a little bit easier. And what I mean by that is when you have a focus and a direction and a template on which to work from, then you can keep going back to that and going, 'Okay, this is where we're focusing the ideas and the creativity,' and so on and so forth. So that's how 'Firepower' came together like it did. That album, to me, as a PRIEST fan, is as important as, say, 'Painkiller' was in reaffirming this band, and also what 'British Steel' was in reaffirming this band. And what I mean by reaffirmation is that it's like a football team or a basketball team. That team has been there forever, but you're bringing these ideas, you're bringing these moves, and then you go, 'Yeah, these are the things that make that band great.' 'These are the things that make this team great.' And because I overthink everything, that was my thought philosophy behind 'Firepower'. So you've got that in the back of your mind when you're trying to write this current album. And it can be a mind game."

Rob added: "You always wanna do better when you're in a band. Every band goes, 'This is the greatest record we've ever made,' as you should say, because that should be your logic behind whatever you're doing at that given moment in time, giving it a thousand percent so you stand by that statement: 'This is the best thing we've ever done, as of right now.'

"So what's what we're trying to do with this next one. And the substance of it is great, man. I mean, again, you've got all the things that you need from this band. And it's so difficult to talk about music, isn't it? All I can say is — you can tell by the way I'm expressing myself — there's a tremendous amount of belief and love and thought and power and riffs and crazy drums and screams. Man, it's just roaring again. But it's also got those familiar elements of some of the previous material. That's not to say that we're doing 'Firepower' Mark 2 — we're not. But we're in the home stretch. It feels wonderful. I listen to it every day. I've still got a lot of work to do myself, but the foundations of all the instrumentation are so thrilling to listen to. And it feels good.

"We wrote so many songs, like we always do — we overwrite, overwrite, overwrite — and then we curate the best things that we need to work with. So we have an album-plus worth of material, and it's roaring; it's roaring, man. It's on fire."

Halford previously about what fans can expect to hear on the band's upcoming LP in January in an interview with Metal Express Radio. At the time he said: "When you're in a band, you're always trying to better yourself; you're always trying to say, 'This is the best album we've ever made.' It's just a natural thing to do. And I'm aware of the great success and love that was given to 'Firepower'. And so how do you deal with that? Well, firstly, you have to let that go. You have to let that go, because it's like you're chasing after something that's elusive. What's the point of trying to emulate something that you've already done? We've just gotta do like we've always done with PRIEST, the way that every album has its own concept, every album has its own thing. 'British Steel' isn't 'Painkiller'; 'Painkiller' isn't 'Point Of Entry'; 'Point Of Entry' isn't 'Nostradamus'. So this album is shaping up to be its own thing."

He added: "It's great. It's a really good album, and I know our fans are gonna love it."

Last November, Faulkner told Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules about the musical direction of PRIEST's upcoming LP: "You know what? The Internet seems to know everything these days about what the new album's going to sound like based on a couple of words that [we've] put out there [in previous interviews]. I think we've used the word 'progressive', and everyone thinks it's gonna become 'Nostradamus' [PRIEST's controversial 2008 symphonic heavy metal concept double album about Nostradamus], or RUSH, which is two different things. I've definitely used the word 'progressive' [to describe the new PRIEST material in previous interviews], purely because it's got a few musical turnarounds that 'Firepower' doesn't have. But that doesn't make it a RUSH record. It just makes it — instead of, like, a verse into a bridge into a chorus, there might be a couple of more musical passages in there to make it a bit more… interesting; might be the wrong word. I don't know. You've gotta be careful with the words you use these days. So it's not 'Firepower 2', but it's the same band a few years later, so there's obvious connections to the last record. But it's not 'Firepower 2' by any means."

Richie continued: "No PRIEST records have sounded the same, but it's got a common DNA. And you always try and make the next one sound a bit better — or whatever 'better' may be; 'better' is subjective. So, is it better written? Are the lyrics better? Does it sound better? And 'better' is always subjective. So it's hard to pinpoint, really. But it's a bit more of a musical adventure than the last one, I'd say. But then again someone might listen to it, when it does come out, and have a totally different interpretation of what it is. So it's always tough to sum up your own music without sounding up your own butt."

In October, Halford told AXS TV's Katie Daryl about what PRIEST fans can expect from the upcoming LP: "The same energy, the same vitality, the same determination, and it really is, again, another affirmation of what you love about JUDAS PRIEST. If you listen to any album from PRIEST from 'Rocka Rolla' in the '70s up to the 2000s with 'Firepower' and everything that went on between there, whether it was 'Turbo Lover' or whether it was the 'Painkiller' or '[You've Got] Another Thing Comin'', all of these pinpoints connect the dots of this great 50 years of metal, this journey that we're on. And it ain't over yet, folks, because that means another album and another tour. And we can't wait to keep pouring out the metal, 'cause that turbo power isn't gonna get turned off anytime soon."

In February 2022, Halford was asked by Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In if he agreed with Faulkner's comment that the band's upcoming album will be more musically "progressive" than "Firepower". He responded: "Yeah, the metal is there. But here's the thing: we've tried our best not to replicate anything that we've done. From 'Rocka Rolla' all the way through to 'Firepower', each record has had a distinctive character. And it's tough because fans go, 'We want another 'Painkiller',' 'We want another 'British Steel'.' And [it's, like], 'Dude, we've already done that.'

"Fans know that we're a band that is always full of adventure and trying new stuff," he continued. "And so, yeah, this has got probably some more progressive elements that we've never really delved into before. And that's exciting, because, again, it gives us and our fans another opportunity to see a different side of PRIEST. But it's still metal. There's just more of it. There are more notes than there were before."

Also in February 2022, Faulkner told Canada's The Metal Voice about the overall sound of the new PRIEST music: "Whenever you start a record, you never know how it's gonna turn out. So you might start with an idea of what it's gonna be, and as it kind of rolls on, it comes out something different. So you don't quite know. And also it's really hard to sum up your own music, I find, without sounding really pretentious. But I think this one — it's not 'Firepower 2', I don't think. It's its own thing, it's its own animal. If anything, I would say it's a bit more progressive in places, and in places it's got a bit more of that 'Killing Machine' swagger."

Faulkner added: "I know everyone says, 'Oh, is it the next 'Painkiller'?' or 'Is it the next…?' whatever… I don't know if they'd ever done it, but I know we've never done it when I've been in the band; we've never tried to recreate an album. It's always we try to create an album that stands on its own legs. So I think it's definitely a little bit more progressive than 'Firepower' and, as I said, in places it's got a little bit of that 'Killing Machine' angry swagger attitude going on."

Two years ago, Halford confirmed that PRIEST's next album would see the band reuniting with the "Firepower" production team consisting of Sneap, longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

Def Leppard’s new album Drastic Symphonies has debuted at #4 on the U.K. Album chart. The position marks Leppard’s ninth album on the U.K. chart.


Joe Elliott says, “Wow. For us to get to No 4 in the U.K. charts with Drastic Symphonies is just very, very special. Especially as this album has us doing something very different in reimagining some of our biggest hits along with hidden gems with the amazing Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Add in two really special shows in our hometown of Sheffield – headlining The Leadmill for Music Venue Trust and then a sold out Bramall Lane to kick off the European leg of The World Tour with Motley Crüe. It’s been an extraordinary week. Thanks to all our British fans and to all those who travelled in from around the world. We are grateful and truly humbled.”


Come along as Def Leppard take to London for the release week of the new album, Drastic Symphonies. This vlog features a behind-the-scenes look at the BBC Radio 2 Piano Room, 'Definitely' book signing and Q&A, rehearsals, and more.







To celebrate the release of the new album, Def Leppard hit up HMV Meadowhall in Sheffield, UK for an exclusive signing of Drastic Symphonies. Watch the video below.





Drastic Symphonies represents a bold new approach to Def Leppard’s most loved songs. The band have deconstructed and rebuilt not only some of their most well-known tracks, but also some of their hidden gems as well. By and large, they have intertwined the audio from the original tapes and performed them alongside The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, consistently ranked as one of the world's leading orchestras. The album additionally includes new vocals and guitars that culminate in stunningly beautiful symphonic arrangements, which at different points you can hear Joe Elliott duetting with his younger self.


Vocalist Joe Elliott says, “Def Leppard has always enjoyed veering off the expected path - working with the likes of Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Alison Krauss for example. So, when the offer to revisit some of our back catalogue with the Royal Philharmonic was presented to us, we all jumped at it. Although we’re far from the first band to ever do this, working directly with an orchestra at Abbey Road on some of our more orchestrated songs seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up.”


The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded at Abbey Road in March 2022 and is produced by Def Leppard, Ronan McHugh & Nick Patrick (producer of the following RPO/Orchestral albums - xElvis, Roy Orbison, Beach Boys and Buddy Holly), with arrangements by Eric Gorfain (Neil Diamond, Ryan Adams, Christina Aguilera).


Guitarist Phil Collen says, “When the offer of doing an orchestral album with the RPO was suggested, we were honoured. But we didn’t just want an orchestra plonked over our previous recordings. We decided to create something special where we would have something classic but present it in a brand new way that would involve making everything work in the context of Drastic Symphonies. Recording new parts, remixing previous sounds, taking some of our instruments out so the orchestra could breathe, and literally making a new album. It was an amazingly inspirational process culminating in the live recording of the RPO at Abbey Road studios in London. An absolute team effort that took a good part of a year. It’s a new Def Leppard album, it’s a greatest hits plus album with some songs rarely heard before, it’s a live RPO album and we think it’s perfect. We’re so proud of how Drastic Symphonies turned out and can’t wait to share it to the world.”





The album is available on CD, 2LP black vinyl, limited 2LP colored vinyl, limited 2LP picture disc, CD/Blu-Ray (Atmos) and digitally. Building upon elements from the album artwork, a collection of exclusive merch is now available in the band's official store, here.


- Album Order
- Hero Link (Order & Save)





Tracklisting:


"Turn To Dust"
"Paper Sun"
"Animal"
"Pour Some Sugar On Me" (Stripped version)
"Hysteria"
"Love Bites"
"Goodbye For Good This Time"
"Love"
"Gods Of War"
"Angels (Can’t Help You Now)"
"Bringin’ On The Heartbreak"
"Switch 625"
"Too Late for Love"
"When Love & Hate Collide"
"Kings Of the World"
"Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" (Vinyl and Atmos bonus track)


"Hysteria" visualizer:





"Animal" Director’s Cut video:





Trailers:

Still reeling from the ecstatic reaction to the recently released "Emotion Sickness", a triumphant return that "finds them at their sinister, bar-band-on-acid best" per New York magazine, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE now unveil "Carnavoyeur", the latest offering from their epic eighth album, "In Times New Roman…"

In contrast to its predecessor, "Carnavoyeur" finds QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE weaving more subtle shades of sinister: Mesmerizing washes of strings cascade atop the band's trademark rock solid foundation, while Joshua Homme's mellifluent vocals swaddle the listener with their warm and all too familiar tones of acceptance and resignation: "When there's nothing I can do, I smile…" While the stunning, honeyed melodies of "Carnavoyeur" are undeniably, well, really pretty, this is still QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, and there's no shortage of viscera-rumbling drums and bass or spine-chilling guitar interplay.

"In Times New Roman…" will be available across all platforms on June 16 via Matador Records. On the eve of release fans are invited to ring in the album's release at Midnight Club parties taking place at record shops and pubs across 23 countries. The Midnight Club starts at 11 p.m. June 15 and will feature giveaways, exclusive merch including limited edition colored vinyl, and — in a few select locations — signed merchandise and ticket giveaways. Midnight Club will provide the QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE faithful with a first chance to hear "In Times New Roman…" in its entirety, amongst friends, family and of course appropriate levels of bacchanalia.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE performed live for the first time in more than three years on May 26 at the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to the Columbus gig, Josh Homme and his bandmates played one gig in early 2020, their first since 2018.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's 11-song set included the live debut of "Emotion Sickness".

"In Times New Roman…" was recorded and mixed at Homme's own Pink Duck (RIP),with additional recording at Shangri-La. The album was produced by QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and mixed by Mark Rankin. The album will be available across all digital platforms and on vinyl and CD. Artwork and double LP gatefold packaging designed by longtime collaborator Boneface. LP vinyl will be available globally in black, green, red, silver and blue.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE said in its album announcement that the record reflects the heartache its members have experienced in the past few years.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's last album, 2017's "Villains", debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

"In Times New Roman..." is "raw, at times brutal and not recommended for the faint of heart," a press release states. "And yet, it's perhaps the most beautiful and definitely the most rewarding album in their epic discography. Homme's most acerbic lyrics to date are buoyed by the instantly identifiable QOTSA sonic signature, expanded and embellished with new and unprecedented twists in virtually every song. With 'In Times New Roman…' we see that sometimes one needs to look beneath scars and scabs to see beauty, and sometimes the scabs and scars are the beauty."

Photo credit: Andreas Neumann

"Purified By Vengeance" is the new single by Dååth and features both Mark Holcomb of Periphery and composer and sound designer Mick Gordon and was mixed by Jens Bogren, with Andrew Wade as vocal producer, and John Douglass handling engineering duties.





Eyal Levi comments, "'Purified By Vengeance' is the first song we wrote for Dååth's return and it has everything I would want from one of our songs. Devastating riffs, eerie synths, epic orchestration, brutal and catchy vocals, ethereal cleans, and an incredible solo.




“And on that note, shout-out to Mick Gordon and Mark Holcomb for their contributions. When Mick told me the song made him think of grave robbing I knew he was picking up what we were putting down. He added what we didn't know was missing. Layers of incredible percussion, sound design, orchestra, and theremin. Yes theremin. You've gotta love an evil theremin. Furthermore, the way Mick's elements blend with Jesse Zuretti's is perfect.


“As far as Holcomb goes, I literally laughed out loud when I first heard his solo. It's wild and classy, virtuosic and tasteful, unpredictable yet familiar. To be honest, it's my favorite Mark Holcomb solo. You can tell him I said that.


“Also, the verse riff is the moment I knew Krimh had to be in the band. I was beating my head into a wall. Everything I was writing just wasn't good enough. I re-wrote the verse maybe 16 times. We had an intro, a pre chorus, a chorus and no verse. I asked Krimh to help me write it and the way we collaborated was instant chemistry. It was so seamless and easy and what we ended up with is quintessential Dååth: heavy af, catchy af, dark af. Clearly we had to make more music together.


“I hope you all enjoy this one!"


Cover art by Adrian Baxter:





Krimh, the band's drummer, added how the new, original track is "a real banger with its groove, chug riffs and catchy chorus. Mick Gordon and Mark Holcomb really elevated it with their creative sound design and melodic guitar solo. I'm very proud of how this turned out!" Jesse Zuretti (orchestration, synth, guitar) also noted how "tracking guitars & composing orchestrations was fun, but Mick Gordon's sound design and layers really serrated 'Purified'. I'm personally deeply honored to have worked in tandem on this track.


“I'd also like to point out that when I first heard Mark Holcomb's solo it put a literal smile on my face - what an assassin."


Check out Dååth's other current singles below and keep eyes out for more covers and originals to be released over the coming months.








(Photo - Alex Morgan Imaging)

Lovebites guitarist Miyako will release her debut solo EP Etude Op. 23 on June 21 via Victor. The EP holds six songs covering hard rock/heavy metal classics on piano. The video for Helloween’s power metal anthem “Eagle Fly Free” is available below. 


The EP will be available as CD + DVD combo featuring two music videos and documentary. Preorder at victor-store.jp.







Tracklisting:


“Battery” (Metallica)
“Far Beyond The Sun” (Yngwie Malmsteen)
“Eagle Fly Free” (Helloween)
“The Loner” (Gary Moore)
“Burn” (Deep Purple)
“Addicted” (Lovebites)


“Eagle Fly Free” video:

Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY will release their tenth studio album, "Vol. 10", on June 2. The 11-song LP features 10 new BUCKCHERRY originals and, as a bonus track, a cover of the Bryan Adams classic "Summer Of 69". The album was produced by Marti Frederiksen and recorded at Sienna Studios in Nashville. The album will be released in North America by Round Hill Records, in Japan by Sony Japan, and by Earache Records for the rest of the world.

Premiering today is the LP's fourth single, "With You". Check out the official visualizer below.

"Vol. 10" track listing:

01. This and That
02. Good Time
03. Keep on Fighting
04. Turn It On
05. Feels Like Love
06. One and Only
07. Shine Your Light
08. Let's Get Wild
09. With You
10. Pain
11. Summer Of 69 (Bryan Adams cover)

BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd told Australia's Silver Tiger Media about the band's upcoming LP: "It's just a new body of work. It's where we're at today. The songs are really well written, and I think people are gonna really, really love it. There is no overall [lyrical] theme… You'll enjoy it."

Regarding BUCKCKERRY's songwriting approach this time around, Todd said: "The formula for us is to have no fillers — having a great record from beginning to end. That's what we want — we want to be able to have these unforgettable songs and melodies. And if they don't sound great, we just don't put 'em on records."

Last August, BUCKCHERRY announced that Todd and Stevie Dacanay would head to Nashville in late September to finish the writing process for the band's tenth studio album. The band was scheduled to begin recording the effort on November 4, 2022.

Frederiksen previously produced 2021's "Hellbound" as well as BUCKCHERRY's fourth album, "Black Butterfly", and co-wrote "Sorry", among other songs, with the band.

In the summer of 2020, BUCKCHERRY recruited JETBOY's Billy Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July of that year.

In 2019, BUCKCHERRY enlisted Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint".

After performing 238 shows in support of "Hellbound", the band has hit the road in support of "Vol. 10". Touring kicked off on March 9 in Bowler, Wisconsin, co-headlining with SKID ROW.

Earlier last year, Todd told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he and his bandmates have never had the luxury to slack off on their work habits, even during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"When you're in a band, it's like it's your business. So if you just sit around and wait for people to tell you what to do, then you're not running a good business," Todd said. "We've always created opportunities within ourselves. We have to make schedules, we have to stick to them. We have to show up and work hard. We're so used to doing that because people have written this band off many times and we have many peaks and valleys in the BUCKCHERRY career. We have come back from a lot of adversity and had a lot of success. And we only did that by believing in ourselves and working hard because no one else is going to do that except us."

BUCKCHERRY burst on to the scene in 1999 with its now-classic self-titled debut album. Hit singles "Lit Up", "For The Movies", "Dead Again" and "Check Your Head" brought the celebration back to the party scene, recalling the gritty glam impact of MÖTLEY CRÜE but with a Gen X-demanded, modern self-awareness . Later albums continued to develop their reputation for volatile, mercurial themes and infectious hooks; such singles as "Crazy Bitch", "Everything", "Too Drunk" and "All Night Long" became screaming choruses for fans across the world. With their irreverent and bawdy lyrics, delivered with Todd's whisky weathered vocals, paired with filthy guitar riffs and high-energy, throbbing bass lines, BUCKCHERRY has sustained a hard-earned reputation as a not-to-be-missed live presence with regular touring schedules alongside such legends as MÖTLEY CRÜE and PAPA ROACH.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN played the second concert of their "The Future Past Tour" earlier today (Tuesday, May 30) in Prague, Czech Republic.

"The Future Past Tour" features previously unperformed songs from the band's most recent studio album, "Senjutsu", along with a focus on 1986's "Somewhere In Time" LP, plus other classic cuts.

As was the case on Sunday, May 28 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, IRON MAIDEN's 15-song set at the O2 Arena included "Days Of Future Past", "The Time Machine", "Death Of The Celts" and "Hell On Earth" from "Senjutsu", along with "Alexander The Great" from "Somewhere In Time".

The setlist was as follows:

01. Caught Somewhere In Time
02. Stranger In A Strange Land
03. The Writing On The Wall
04. Days Of Future Past
05. The Time Machine
06. The Prisoner
07. Death Of The Celts
08. Can I Play With Madness
09. Heaven Can Wait
10. Alexander The Great
11. Fear Of The Dark
12. Iron Maiden

Encore:

13. Hell On Earth
14. The Trooper
15. Wasted Years

Asked in a radio interview a number of years ago why IRON MAIDEN had never played "Alexander The Great" live, singer Bruce Dickinson answered, "Because Adrian [Smith, guitar] can't remember the guitar solo." While Dickinson may have been joking, he did go on to say that, when the song was originally written, they put the solo through a load of then-very-advanced music computer wizardry, and it just couldn't figure out the time signature.

"Senjutsu" came out in September 2021. It marked MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.

IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, "Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

Guitarist Thomas Zwijsen has released the new video below, in which he performs Iron Maiden's full setlist of the Future Past Tour 2023 (as played on the opening night in Ljubljana, Slovenia, May 28, 2023). Every song in this full concert is arranged for classical acoustic fingerstyle guitar by Thomas Zwijsen.


Setlist:


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




Violin by Wiki Violin.

The Lively Dog and Tim Bracken YouTube channels have uploaded video of the eighth annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure benefit concert, which was held on May 13. In celebration of the event's return home to the Fillmore in San Francisco for the first time post-Covid, Sammy Hagar brought together a star-studded lineup that's heavy on music icons from The City by the Bay (in alphabetical order): Michael Anthony, Chris Isaak, Vic Johnson, Taj Mahal, Don Was, Bob Weir and Nancy Wilson (HEART). Sammy and fellow San Francisco Bay Area music legend Bob Weir reteamed to host the event for a third time, in addition to performing. Benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Program at UCSF's Benioff Children's Hospital, Acoustic-4-A-Cure 2023 delivered true once-in-a-lifetime musical moments and collaborative jams that the concert event has become synonymous with.

When this year's event was first announced, Hagar said in a statement: "I'm thrilled that we're back for an eighth year and back home at the Fillmore in San Francisco where it all began. Most of all, I'm so grateful to my friends and partners who lend their unconditional support year after year. We're able to produce an arena level show at an intimate venue and keep the ticket prices affordable because these incredible artists donate their time and deliver unbelievable performances so all of the profits can go directly to an incredible cause. That's my kind of philanthropy!"

Now in its eighth year, Acoustic-4-A-Cure has quickly become one of the year's hottest tickets, with legendary artists performing acoustic sets, epic collaborations, and impromptu jams from the stages of intimate and storied San Francisco venues like The Fillmore. The benefit was created by Bay Area rock legends Hagar and James Hetfield (METALLICA),whose vision was to raise needed funds and awareness for the pediatric cancer research by throwing a must-see concert for fans and donating all the proceeds to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. In past years, artists including Michael Anthony, Billie Joe Armstrong, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Jerry Cantrell, Kevin Cronin, Melissa Etheridge, Mick Fleetwood, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, James Hetfield, Vic Johnson, Kris Kristofferson, Tommy Lee, Taj Mahal, John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan, Pat Monahan, Linda Perry, Chad Smith, Adam Sandler, Joe Satriani, Rick Springfield, Bob Weir, Nancy Wilson have lent their support with truly remarkable performances.

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital creates an environment where children and their families find compassionate care at the forefront of scientific discovery, with more than 150 experts in 50 medical specialties serving patients throughout Northern California and beyond. The hospital admits about 5,000 children each year, including 2,000 babies born in the hospital.

UCSF Medical Center is recognized throughout the world as a leading academic medical center that provides innovative treatments, uses advanced technology, fosters collaboration among clinicians and scientists, and employs a highly compassionate team of doctors, nurses and staff.

Unless you were there, it would be impossible to explain the magic that happened last night at The Fillmore for the 8th...

Posted by Sammy Hagar (The Red Rocker) on Sunday, May 14, 2023

Coming off the excitement of their West Coast tour with Lacuna Coil, US based cinematic rock band, Edge Of Paradise, are thrilled to unveil the music video for "Hologram" and the single "Soldiers Of Danger", off their upcoming album, Hologram, co produced with Mike Plotnikoff and mixed by Jacob Hansen.


The band states: "We are living through a "music industry" nightmare, ironically the album mirrors the reality of our fight. Although a story for another time, the adversities made us stronger than ever, as we focus on presenting you with our most monumental music to date."


Landing into the cyber world of the previous album, The Unknown, the heavier sound of Hologram takes you right into the face of danger and tells the story of pursuit, sacrifice and perseverance against all cosmic odds, uncovering the key to build a new reality.  




Edge of Paradise states, "We kick off the album with the music video to the first single, 'Hologram', set on the deadly planet, HD 189733b "The Rain of Terror" and to survive, we must go beyond artificial intelligence..."


Watch the music video, created in collaboration with director, Isaak Morin, below.


"The next song emerged from the encounter with the leader of the most advanced civilization, The Faceless. And in order to rebuilt our reality, we must become 'Soldiers Of Danger'." Listen to the single here.





Edge of Paradise are excited to unveil the pre-order package, that features signed CD/vinyl of the new album, t-shirt, signed poster and "Never Surrender" military tag necklace. Pre-order here.


For the album cover art, the band, once again teamed up with the artist, Alex Ruiz.


"Edge of Paradise thanks our production team Mike Plotnikoff, Jacob Hansen, FM Music Management, 33 & West and all the fans that keep fuelling our world!"





Tracklisting:


"Hologram"
"This Is Personal"
"Soldiers Of Danger"
"The Faceless"
"Dark"
"Unbeatable"
"Don't Give Up On Me"
"One More Time"
"Basilisk"
"Another Life"


"Hologram" video:





Catch the band's futuristic show at Blue Ridge Rock Fest, September 7-10, and keep posted for more upcoming tour dates on EdgeOfParadiseBand.com.

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor was asked if he ever thinks about the fact that he will turn 50 years old in December. He responded: "I think about it constantly. I think about it when I get up out of bed. I think about it every time I step on stage and I break my back. I'm, like, 'What am I doing?' But then I have to remember, I'm a mental person. This is all I wanna do.

"Obviously, it's a different kind of set than what I used to do when I was younger, when I was a kid," he continued. "But at the same time, I still love to play, I still love performing, and I still love to get out there and try to do it as hard as I can. So, until I break my neck again, I think I'll just keep going."

In June 2016, Taylor underwent emergency spinal surgery when it was discovered that he had been walking around for years with a broken neck.

During a September 2016 appearance on SEX PISTOLS guitarist Steve Jones's radio show "Jonesy's Jukebox", Taylor stated about how he found out that he had a broken neck: "What happened was I went in for just a routine physical. You hit a certain age, and you have to start having those old-man updates. I had just turned 42, and I went in and had physical done, 'cause I was having some stuff going on. And my doctor was, like, 'Hmm, you need to go to a spinal specialist.' So I went in and did an MRI and whatever, and what I found out was I had a very old injury in my two vertebrae — my C5 and C6 — were completely compressed together, destroyed the disc, and the bone was growing into my spinal cord. [The doctor] told me, 'I've seen MMA fighters that don't have it this bad.' He was, like, 'I can't believe you're walking.' So I had to go in for emergency spinal surgery that actually postponed the last tour I just did for three weeks. They jacked my vertebrae up, they put a replacement disc in, they shaved the bone back, and I still have a gnarly bruise on my spinal cord."

Taylor went on to say that the injury wasn't affecting his voice but that "it was affecting my body." He revealed: "I had no strength on the left side of my body. My balance was completely off. I was getting electric shocks all through my body. I was basically incontinent."

Pressed about where and when he thinks he might have sustained the injury that led to his surgery, Taylor told "Jonesy's Jukebox": "The only thing that I can think of is at Ozzfest '99, I fell off the front of the stage, I fell four feet and I landed on top of my head. And I think that is what did it. You know, you're 24 and you don't even process that. You're, like, 'Whoah, whatever. I'm too metal for pain.' It went on and just over the years, it's just exacerbated and just gotten worse."

Taylor underwent surgery on both knees in May 2019 and recovered in time to appear with SLIPKNOT on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" that same month. He also played a solo show two days later in Garden Grove, California.

Corey's second solo album, "CMF2", will arrive on September 15. The LP follows up Taylor's 2020 solo debut "CMFT", which featured the No. 1 Billboard mainstream rock single "Black Eyes Blue" and streaming sensation "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (feat. Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie). The LP hit No. 6 on Billboard's U.S. Top Rock Albums chart.

"CMF2" is Taylor's first album for BMG and the first on his own label imprint, Decibel Cooper Recordings.

Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, AMON AMARTH),who produced STONE SOUR's 2017 "Hydrograd" LP as well as "CMFT", returns for Taylor's second full-length.

In support of his new album, Taylor has announced his 2023 tour featuring special guests WARGASM, OXYMORRONS and LUNA AURA on select dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 28-city tour kicks off on August 25 at Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, making stops across the U.S in Detroit, Orlando, Dallas and more before the final headline show in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on October 5.

Photo credit: Pamela Littky

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast, former GUNS N' ROSES bassist Tommy Stinson once again said that he believes the breakup of his marriage may have indirectly led to a partial reunion of the band's classic lineup.

Stinson was a member of the Axl Rose-fronted outfit from 1998 to 2014, but he had to quit when he became "a full-time dad", prompting the return of Duff McKagan for a South American tour.

"I got into a particular situation where I needed to be home," Stinson told "Appetite For Distortion" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And the tours that were being talked about, I had to make that kind of decision. And it was one of the hardest decisions I had to make, that I had no choice about; I really had to do it. It put me in a bad light with Axl, obviously, 'cause he was upset with that and didn't appreciate that at all."

Tommy continued: "I can't help but think that if [Axl] would look back now and look at what he did and what he's done since I quit, he might kind of be glad that happened. [Laughs] You know what I mean? I mean, for him to go out and tour with AC/DC [as a temporary replacement for Brian Johnson] was a huge thing in the annals of rock and roll anyway, but I can't imagine him now looking back and going, 'I wouldn't have probably done that had Tommy not quit and we'd just done those tours and just kept on going.' Getting the whole band back together wouldn't have happened — at least not then; might have maybe now. But I think everything is rocking and rolling for him pretty good. I can't imagine him not being grateful."

Stinson went on to say that he has "been to a couple of" GUNS N' ROSES concerts since his exit from the band. "I went to a couple of shows with my buddy Steve," he explained. "We're gonna go see 'em in Kansas in September, before [GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard] Fortus's daughter goes to college, actually. I think I'm gonna try to make that show.

"It's funny to be on that side of the fence, for one," Tommy continued. "One of the shows I went to — I can't remember if it was K.C. or Philly — walking around with my buddy Steve, people are recognizing me, going, 'Hey, what are you doing here?' It was really funny 'cause my buddy Steve is a huge GUNS N' ROSES fan and we were having such a laugh about it. 'Cause we were walking around and people were kind of, like, 'Wow, there's Tommy Stinson. What are you doing here, man?' 'I'm here to see the show, like you are.' Yeah, we had a really good time doing that. It was funny."

Back in 2017, Stinson told Rolling Stone that he "wasn't intending to quit GUNS N' ROSES. But I had to tell them, I think, five times in a row my situation at home was so screwed up I couldn't tour," he explained. "I hope that was the thing that pushed the reunion [with Slash and Duff McKagan] to happen, because I know all those guys and they're having a ball. I saw the tour twice. I'm glad for them."

Stinson also revealed that much of the material GUNS N' ROSES recorded during his tenure has yet to be released. "There's some stuff with lyrics, some without," he said. "We did a lot of stuff that was supposed to be on 'Chinese Democracy' — the record was meant to be more than one disc, but after spending so much time on it we just had to put an end to it. There's also stuff that was held over from [the original lineup] before they all disbanded, so there's some stuff that should someday see the light of day."

Stinson told Observer that he didn't miss the GN'R gig. "I miss the people a whole lot and obviously you miss the fans and stuff like that," he said. "But where I'm at in life right now, that's just a whole thing that… I'm not saying I'd never do it again but I'm kind of glad I moved on from that. It really was a lot, and it really required, sadly, because of my circumstances with my ex-wife, to have to put a whole lot of crazy shit into play just to be able to do those tours towards the end, because I had this young daughter."

Stinson, a founding member of the seminal Minneapolis-based rock band THE REPLACEMENTS, last played with GUNS N' ROSES at a 2014 show in Las Vegas.

GUNS N' ROSES's current lineup features Slash, Duff and Axl backed by drummer Frank Ferrer, guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.